It’s Not You, It’s Me… – Weekly Gaming Check-in for 11/10/19

Weekly Gaming Thoughts

Does this ever happen to you? You’re playing a game, and the entire time you’re playing it, you’re thinking, “I’d rather be playing this other, similar, different and possibly better game.” Stellaris is a great example. EVERY TIME I play it, I think, “I could be playing Distant Worlds.” And I would if it’s UI scaled up to 1440, but it’s too tiny for my now.

This happened recently to me with a couple of MMOs. Our community, right now, is big into Star Trek Online and Star Wars Galaxies. I was hesitant to jump in my because even though I enjoy the occasional MMO, I’m almost always a solo player. I didn’t want to broach the subject of wanting to play by myself if someone asked to join me. But after coming to that realization — which we’ll be talking about on the podcast this week, by the way — I dove into both STO and SWG.

As I played both games — and had fun, mind you — I realized something: I’d rather be playing Lord of the Rings Online. Beyond Jumpgate, LOTRO is my favorite MMO ever. Not that I’ve played them all, but something about the mix of tons of content, a lovely world, great writing, a familiar setting, and low-key gameplay really speak to me.

So after spending a few hours with both STO and SWG…I reinstalled LOTRO today. Diving back in was like seeing an old friend I’ve not visited in a while. With MMOs, I play them hard then take a break for a few months, and I’d been on a fairly long break from LOTRO. Since then it’s gotten a new 64-bit client, a new expansion and more, so it’s still kicking.

Part of me thinks I should feel guilty about this, like “But these guys are playing these games, you should be playing too.” But life is short, and I’m not gonna deny my desires for some social constructs. I think between LOTRO, Destiny 2 and Strike Fighters 2, I’ll be good for a while.

What I’ve Been Playing

• Star Trek Online – After our podcast last week, I dabbled more in the game, and leveled up enough to get a Constitution Refit — one of my favorite Trek ships — and had a good time fighting some Klingons.
• Star Wars Galaxies – I’ve got a low-level spy character right now who’s leveling up his piloting skills on the starting space station. It’s a bit weird, but I’m enjoying it.
• Strike Fighters 2 – This game continues to surprise me. On one hand, it seems to be a fairly low-key flight sim. Then you actually get INTO the sim and get your ass handed to you by the AI. I’ve lost a lot of campaigns at this point, but still having a great time. There will definitely be more of this in my life this coming week.

What I’m Planning on Playing

• Lord of the Rings Online – My level 41 hunter has a LOT of work ahead of him, and I think I’ll start a bard for an upcoming stream. Bards are hilarious.
• Destiny 2 – Took a small break after completing the Warmind campaign to avoid burnout, but I plan to dive back in this week.

That’s it for me y’all. What have you guys been playing?