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Toybox - Masters of the Playroom
Capitalizing on the current nostalgia for 80s playthings, Atari is working with Hasbro, Mattel, and other toy manufacturers to bring you this cutting-edge MMO. Perfect for adults and kiddies alike, Toybox will allow players to create their own My Little Pony, Care Bear, Barbie, Rainbow Bright or GI Joe character. Each race will have different natural abilities, and will be restricted as to what class they can play. It's doubtful, for instance, that you will be able to play a Care Bear Commando. Atari refuses to comment on whether My Little Pony characters will be able to carry other player characters around the world, whimsically titled "The Playroom".
Toybox promises one of the best character customization interfaces yet, allowing players to import images from their computer to use as the emblem on their My Little Pony or Care Bear character. In addition, there will be a number of hair, skin, eye and fur color options, and myriad fashion options. It's rumored that Barbie characters will be able to design new clothing, while GI Joe characters will be allowed to design new armor and weapons.
In keeping with its family-friendly image, Toybox will not have any PvP capabilities. Players will not be able to create Cobra characters, but they will be able to fight Cobra troops in (bloodless) battles in the mysterious "backyard" realms. However, because Toybox is mainly geared towards children, most missions in-game will be of a less-violent nature, including quests to find missing friends, and fashion shows.
MMOrtal Kombat
Hurt by Soul Calibur II's immense popularity, the makers of Mortal Kombat have decided to branch out in new directions. Sure, it's great to challenge your friends in your living room - but have you ever fought a 3-round match against some guy in Portugal? We think not!
While many other games currently on the market force you to group, MMOrtal Kombat (as the new game will be called) embraces an "every player for him/herself" attitude. While there are things to do in the game other than fight duels, the main aim of the game is to climb higher and higher in the ranks of fighters. In fact, the game is set up tournament-style - each duel increases your rating, and at the end of the month the players with the highest ratings duke it out for the title of champion. The final battle is, of course, fought against the previous month's champion.
In between duels, characters can fight generic lackeys in the streets to practice their skills, and do side quests to gain money to purchase the ever-desirable alternate costume. On occasion, MMOrtal Kombat game masters may log on in the guise of famous Mortal Kombat characters and challenge high-ranking players to duels. It is also worth noting that MMOrtal Kombat has a spectator mode, allowing you to watch any duel going on in the game.
MMOrtal Kombat will have an interesting customization interface. Players will be allowed to pick their gender and nationality, and from there choose a from a variety of hair styles and colors, as well as features such as scars and tattoos. Then it's time to move on to costume design, where they can combine elements of the classic gi, ninja suit, armor, jeans-and-t-shirt and Japanese school girl outfit, as well as bathing suits and a dizzying array of footwear and head gear. Finally, they can choose from an exhaustive list of fighting styles, both real and made up, until they find one perfect for their character.
MMOrtal Kombat is the PvPer's PvP game, and has no plans for crafting or housing systems.
Pac-Man Online
Just like Toybox, Pac-Man Online hopes to capitalize on the nostalgia trade. Players will be allowed to create their own Pac-Person, deciding on the color and radius of their circle, as well as adding cute accessories such as bows, hats, and googly eyes. Once their character is created, they can run around in a huge, interactive world, eating little white dots and running from ghosts.
The creators of Pac-Man Online are so far vague about exactly what content the game will have, but one insider was quoted as saying, "It's Pac-Man, and it's Online! What's not to love?"
Erm, right, moving right along...
The Daytime Drama Adventure
Targeting that hard-to-reach middle-aged housewife demographic, an independent game designer is working on a game based on daytime drama, better known as "soap operas". While not based on any particular show, the game promises that it will have elements common to all shows, to draw in a larger audience.
One may wonder how a game based on a soap opera could succeed, but it's a well-known fact that many women manage to turn whatever MMO or RPG they play into one big soap opera, anyway. In-game marriages, agonizing fashion decisions, perfect interior decor. * Finally, women will have a game that doesn't shove these aspects to the side, it revolves around them! Not only that, but players will be able to have children and pets as well!
Character creation involves choosing from a variety of attractive body types, then adding the perfect hair (over 50 styles and 20 shades to choose from), eyes (10 colors), skin tone (numerous shades), and then picking and customizing three different outfits (because honestly, who wears the same clothes day in and day out?). Before joining the game, players move to the apartment screen, where they choose a floor plan and basic color scheme/furnishings. Yes, everyone starts with a small home to call their own. Furnishings and color schemes can be changed at any point during the game, providing funds are high enough, and players can also upgrade to bigger, more luxurious housing. It's hoped that guaranteed housing and the variety of options for customization will attract the "home make-over" fans as well.
In addition to the physical customization of the character, players can choose a variety of soap-oriented background options for the character that have different advantages and drawbacks. Some examples are Rich Brat (you start with extra money, but NPCs dislike you because you're such a snob) and Evil Twin (you stand a good chance of hooking up with your evil twin's SO, but they have a good chance of hooking up with YOURS!).
Game play will revolve around such themes as meeting the perfect (wo)man, getting back at your ex, solving the murder of your sister while getting closer to her cute boyfriend, and more minor things such as getting more great clothes (Daytime Drama boasts the widest variety of clothing and accessories in any game) and upgrading your home.
I could go on and on and on... Cowboy Bebop Online? Yu-Gi-Oh the MMO? Star Trek Online? (Actually, surprised they haven't done that one yet... the different servers could be different ships... hey, that's an awesome idea... who should I pitch it to?) But honestly, it's getting late and I'm thinking I might wanna gain a level in Guild Wars before I hit the hay. In closing, I just want to say... an EarthDawn MMO would freaking ROCK, and I'd pay $25/month to play it. Hey Living Room Games, you guys listening?
See you all next month, when I'll do my annual Holiday Shopping special!
* Yeah, it's an incredibly sexist statement, but it's so damn true. I love my house in UO, I collect rare clothing, and I have, thankfully, never been in an in-game marriage. But I knew lots of girls who were. So THERE! :P
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