The Phoenix Online

The silence is overwhelming, would that I could face a thousand enemies I would welcome it, but the enemy unheard is the true enemy. From all corners of the world friend and foe alike have gone missing. Heroes, entertainers, crafters have all but vanished from this place. No one knows where they have gone, their voices fall silent, their bodies no longer to wet my blades, or warm my heart. This new world was our hope, our dream, we vowed to make it our home. Lured by the promise of glory, of honor, of loot.

We came, oh yes so many of us came. Full of promise for our new home, many of us travelers abandoning our former lives, our homes, even family and friends who would not make the journey. Being born again as if babes, we embarked into the unknown. Full of wonder, every day a new challenge, a new adventure. Undaunted we pressed forward into the wild unknown, fearing no man or beast for all would fall before us. We advanced ever farther, grew in power, even grew in number. If only we knew what was to come in the end, would we still have rushed so quickly forward? The great beast that awaited at the end of our journey. More powerful than any dragon, more cunning then any man, and for all its power it moved like a ghost between our ranks. Unseen, unheard, unnoticed until it was fully upon us. What a terrible enemy, striking not our blades our bodies, but our hearts. Torn apart with the loss of so many, I feel it. The beast is calling me, should I be next?

Spread across countless worlds, The Phoenix Online is the biggest story in MMO gaming today. So why is it you have never heard of it? Well I am going to give you a bit of a shock, most of you already have. But for those of you who don’t know, The Phoenix Online is in development now, as we speak countless people toil towards its birth. By the end of this article you will agree, The Phoenix Online will be experienced by virtually every MMO gamer in the world. I will even say, with absolute certainty this is the elusive WoW killer. It is the revolution of gaming.

Now now, before you send letters to my editor, pledging to boycott the site unless my head is mounted on a 7 foot pole, or tout the second coming to all your friends on Vent, let me explain. The Phoenix Online is not an MMO. It is however a revolution, of players around MMO worlds. Some games have greater holding power than others, players get pulled into these virtual worlds, the sheer volume of content holding them in orbit for months or even years. Eventually though players absorb the content, the virtual world gradually diminishes as more and more players are pulled away, leaving empty towns and battlefields in their wake. Pulled to the next world, starting a new journey, being reborn like a phoenix into a new world.

The Phoenix Online, is the unseen force that starts and ends our journey in virtual worlds. Almost all of us have experienced this, but what is it? Why do some games suffer more than others? How do you defeat it? I am not a philosopher or a marketing expert. My answer would no doubt ring true to countless players, and fall on just as many deaf ears. The logical explanation would be to ask an expert, someone within the industry to tell me why this happens. But if they knew why, would I be writing this today, would you be reading it? No we would be happily smashing and bashing, running and jumping, dancing and prancing across their game; no time for trivial things like reading, sleeping, or eating.

The one constant in all of these games, the one thing that can make a great game fail, or a bad game succeed in this genre is the players. It is not the developers, the graphics, gameplay, or content. It is your friends, and your enemies. Without them there is no massively multiplayer, there is no MMO. Many MMO gamers talk about how, this game or that game had potential, but. It was a great game, but. It was the best game ever, but. But nothing, it doesn’t matter how many dragons you slay in an MMO if you’re the only one playing, just like it doesn’t matter how great an MMO is if no one plays it. Players can keep the Phoenix at bay for quite a long time but eventually all things end.

The Phoenix Online, is not all bad though. Some of the best experiences I have ever had come from new games, the giddy happy atmosphere. Players coming from all over, with varied experience starting fresh. A new chance to prove yourself, to adventure, and leave your mark on the world and players you engage with. Be the first of your friends to defeat a new monster, engage in epic battles, explore never before seen places. The thrill of solving a riddle on your own, knowing you won’t find the answer on wiki. This year there will be countless new titles each of them a chance to start fresh, to be a hero, to relive the adventures of our past, and create memories for the future. But you don’t have to go it alone, I will be with you all year, offering interviews, reviews, and exclusives; 2009 is going to be a exciting year, are you ready to play?