Allods Online launched today. Or was it yesterday. Either way, popularity seems high. This game’s been getting a chunk of hype, and not in the ‘we, the developers/publishers, say it’s good’ kind of way but rather the ‘we, the beta players, say it’s good’ kind. Which is the good kind.

My sole reservation being the free to play model. I would have probably preferred a subscription model, or at least the option to subscribe OR embrace free-to-play-plus-microtransactions.

We’re approaching the perfect storm for a new ‘WoW-like’ MMO. Yesterday a guild on our realm downed the Lich King and it’s like a little switch flipped in the back of my brain, suddenly my enthusiasm for endgame raiding and progression through Icrecrown Citadel got dialed back a whole lot. It’s weird, it’s a feeling like, ‘oh well, Arthas is dead now even though I wasn’t one of those who did it, why bother continuing?’. Part of the reason is that gear isn’t enough anymore. The pull for getting the best gear in WoW has eroded since Blizzard made so much of it available for so little investment. The gap between ‘pretty good’ and ‘best’ loots is a lot narrower than it used to be, and consequently that ever-dangling purple carrot seems a lot less lucrative. So the drive to progress, for many, has instead shifted to downing bosses and progressing lore. And a lot of that allure dissolves once someone else clears the hardest dungeon the game has to offer. Even worse is being able to simply walk up to some statue in Dalaran, click a plaque and watch the final cinematic. All without having to have done it yourself. I’m not sure that was a wise choice, B.

So, I think Allods has either caught a massive break, or planned it this way. There’s going to be a lot of disillusioned players in the next few weeks or months, looking for something else. Star Trek Online? Naw. Despite everything, we still like hitting things with swords. Champions Online? Again, Naw. Something about Cryptic’s MMOs rub WoWers the wrong way. Probably their shocking lack of any depth whatsoever. Aion? Possibly…possibly. If they do something about that ridiculous grindwall.

Allods looks different enough to offer a breath of fresh air and yet remains similiar enough to adjust to quickly. I have this nagging suspicion that it’s going to be huge. Relatively speaking.

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