While reloading Fallout 3 for the third time today (a total of six so far!) I stumbled upon the fact that Fallen Earth is on a very nice sale. Let me explain the first part of that. I love Bethesda games, while Bethesda games hate me. They crash usually at a rate of once an hour on any machine I put them on, with or without mods. This has been the case since Morrowind, on through it’s expansion packs, into Oblivion and it’s expansion, and straight on to Fallout 3. I put up with it because they are amazing games and a quick reload once an hour isn’t going to ruin my experience.
On to the sale and the decision. This sale is calling to me. I really REALLY enjoyed my time in Fallen Earth and my body has been craving a return, it’s partly why I am loading up Fallout 3. I love the setting and to be honest I enjoyed Fallen Earth MORE than Fallout 3, though it lacks any single player story of course. I also didn’t experience it’s lack of end game, but that doesn’t bother me as I can just roll alts until I get bored with that and leave the game. I don’t feel that MMO’s begin at the end game. I enjoy the leveling and then usually get bored afterwards.
So what the dilemma? If I buy Fallen Earth I would need to unsub from Star Trek Online until I was done playing Fallen Earth, or maybe swap them out every month if I felt like it. This is because I only have two games ever going at the same time, one I play with my wife and one I play by myself. It’s a financial issue that I refuse to budge on, as $45 a month for MMOs is more than enough for me.
The two games are vastly different. On one hand I love the story missions in STO. They have an interesting story and lots of scripted events that can make them very enjoyable. On the other hand that’s pretty much all the game has going for it at the moment aside from the Fleet. In Fallen Earth I have much more to do, but less people to do it with (and far less that I know, IE nobody). Add onto that the fact that Fallen Earth doesn’t have great story quests, though there are a few, and it’s going to be a tough choice.
I think for the blog it would be more interesting to play Fallen Earth, as there is more to do and even if all of the bloggers I read were writing about it, each of us would be doing something different. In STO it feels like you are on serious rails, and you are, which isn’t a bad thing, just a different feel. Well, what do you all think?
The beauty and quests of Star Trek Online?
Or the grit and adventure of Fallen Earth?
Manifest Pixel 
I’ve been intrigued by Fallen Earth for a while now, the only thing that’s kept me at bay for so long is the sandbox-y nature of game play I keep hearing about from everybody. Nothing wrong with sandboxes, but I have to be in a specific mood to play them.
Ultimately, the decision is yours, and we’ll miss you in STO if you decide to go to FE 🙂
I wouldn’t call Fallen Earth a true sandbox game. There are levels, and even tiers so levels 1-whatever are in this zone, then you move to the next for the next levels. Same for quest hubs within zones. The sandboxy stuff comes in when you consider stuff like no set class, being able to do all of the tradeskills and things like that. It’s also free to try. I’d suggest at least giving it a go for a little while.
I agree, it’s not a sandbox game in the same way as EVE is, but it’s not a completely on-rails theme park game either. You can just wander out into the desert and explore if you want. I played for a very short time right after it was launched and enjoyed it but I never got hooked. That said, it is on my shortlist of games to return to at somepoint. Not before I make Rear Admiral 5 though. 🙂
Your comment about the on-rails stuff though is one of the reasons why I play multiple MMOs. Sometimes I’m more in the mood to hop into EVE and set my own goals, and sometimes I just want to hop into STO and do a mission. For a long time I was alternating between LotRO and EVE depending on if I wanted fantasy or scifi.
I can certainly understand having a budget, especially as a student, so if you need to avoid burnout by practicing some nomadic gaming then that’s what you should do.
Which ever game you decide to pickup, I’ll still be dropping by to read you posts. 😉
Aww, thanks man 🙂
And yeah, sometimes I just want to jump in and have fun, and not worry about what I should do.