1,000,001 - Another Game Makes a Liar of Me

I don’t particularly like mini-games.  I’ve done them occasionally when trying to fill some restless time.  I’ve played Bookworm Adventures trying to fall asleep in a hotel room.  I’ve baked with Cake Mania wasting time in a LONG and boring meeting.  However, when it comes to game time – moments I explicitly reserve for gaming, a mini-game isn’t what I’m after.  I tried them before dismissing them.  Games like Puzzle Pirates don’t appeal to me.

Then there’s instancing which I hate.  I lump zoning into the same category.  All those things that take me out of the game and sit me in front of a “please wait and watch this static picture” while the clock is ticking on your game-play time.  I accept that they exist in all MMOs on some level.  But games that zone me in and out at every turn immediately raise my ire.  Pirates of the Burning Sea didn’t have a chance with me because of the constant zoning and instancing.  I have a hard time considering that type of game play as MMO, even if I do prefer to solo content, I don’t want to be off in a private space doing it.

When you combine the above, it was no surprise that I didn’t like Free Realms.  It’s much less MMO than mini-game portal.  And e-v-e-r-y-thing is instanced.  Literally, every action other than walking around is instanced.  There are a splattering over land quests – touch/retrieval but those are far and few.

Lately, I’ve been having more trouble than usual falling asleep.  It used to be work keeping me awake now it’s the writing workshop and my plot racing through my head all the time.  In the past I’ve played my fill of Bookworm Adventures in those restless moments but I’ve had my fill of that game.  I was about to head over to Popcap.com to check out more games when it dawned on me that I could just play FreeRealms and not think of it as a MMO.  Why not just log in into FreeRealms, find their version of a Popcap game I like and play it?  I’d have the added pleasure of having an avatar roaming around looking for games.

So that’s what I did.  I created a new character on FR.  Before long, I was sitting in front of the harvesting (farming) game collecting crops.  At first, winning seemed impossible but after 30 minutes or so, I was doing that and completing 1 or 2 of the bonus goals.  The third evening of doing that I had amassed a huge inventory of produce so I decided to figure out how to sell it or – hmm, I bet I can cook this stuff somewhere.

I found a cooking station in the Sanctuary, which is of course, is another mini game and cooked up all the items.  I’d been granted recipes somehow – no clue how.  I wasn’t paying attention.  After a few late nights of distracting entertainment, I was a level 7 Chef with a satchel of food. 

*Shrug*  It was amusing enough.  The game’s real selling point  for me was finding out that it runs great on my Tablet PC across a wireless connection.  This allows me to be lying in bed playing, using the stylus to do the little games until I feel sleepy.  When I think of FR in that light, sure, it’s worthwhile entertainment.  I could spend 10 to 20 bucks on another PopCap game or play FR.  I could even subscribe and it’s still a better value than purchasing individual games that I will eventually get tired of playing.

I have no idea why I’d want to be a Chef in FR if I’m not adventuring to use the food.  I don’t know if I can sell the items to other players or not?  Selling them to NPCs would seem pointless, as I’m not sure why I’d need more money right now.  I’ll probably check out pets the next time I’m online.

Comments

[Wade]

... and another one is hooked.

I joined the (very short) beta just to see if this would be something I could recommend for those that want a game for younger children, and have been playing ever since. And I am most certainly not a mini-game fan. At least I didn't think so, but I do seem to enjoy the mining match game. And the racing & demolition derby are fun.

Granted, this is a 15 to 30 minutes max per go type game for me. I can't imagine playing this for much longer than that, unless it is just exploring the different areas.

Good choice on pixie wings, same ones mine has! :D

I'll trade you extra items for your food, I seem to be getting quite a few, from clothing to collections extras. I really don't like the cooking games, except the matching gathering part, which is similar but not quite as good as the mining match game. Ditto on the blacksmith mini, not my thing.

[mer]

Oh oh try the exploring. Its great fun. You look for collections and spinning disks and win free clothes.

It also levels up your adventurer. If your an explorer type player its very enjoyable.

[Anjin]

I get why all that might be a stumbling block for you. Treating the game like a glorified mini-game client seems like a good solution.

I haven't been running into the same issue because FR hits the FUN!!! button in my brain over and over again. It's been giving me a kid-like sense of wonder I've been missing from grown-up games.

[CreepTheProphet]

Hehe, welcome to the dark side. We have Ninja's and Mystery Cake!

Seriously though, I've also played since beta and for some reason it just isn't getting dull. Every time I play I feel like I'm finding new things. And on a funnier note, I feel like I've met more people playing a game with a limited chat radius than even those with a global chat. >.<

It's nice to just have some fun once in a while.

[Tialla]

Yes, you can sell items to other players. There isn't much of a market at large for it like an auction house, though, that I know of. Personally, I'd be glad to buy things from other players--I see the benefit in it, after all. I just never find a chance to, thus far.

[Saylah]

My daughter stopped by last night and I showed her the game. She was a huge Bejeweled fan. I almost had to beat her up to get my tablet out of her hands as she was leaving. :-) She's the only one whose never played the MMOs with us. She did The Sims and is a board game junkie. Will be interesting to see if she actually goes home and registers to play.