Why I dont pay SOE

Welcome to my first post here. I've considered doing blogs before, but this time, I feel that I have something I need to say, and following the recommendation of some family members, and friends here I am. I plan on starting with things associated with games, as well as movies, television, and such, since they are more and more becoming more and more closely intertwined.

To start my first blog with I want to take a look at a company that I used to fully endorse, and believe in. For a very long time I endorsed SOE (Sony Online Entertainment), to all of my friends, family, and customers at the retail outlets I worked for. I loved their games, the complexity, and the friends I made playing them. The innovation, the graphics, the fact that the games really felt like home, not just a game, struck me as something so impressive, so magical, that I fell in love with the company.

This spell that they held on me began to break when they took something I loved even more, Star Wars (yes I'm that much of a geek), and ruined it. Star Wars Galaxies was in my mind, to be the end all, be all of all MMORPGs (essentially online role playing games with tons of players hense the apprivation for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). It was something I loved, combined with something I was fascinated with. I loved Star Wars, I enjoyed role playing games, and thought the combination would be fantastic.

At first I was heart broken buying the game on the first day it was out. So many things were broken, you could fall though the ground, literally into invisible pits from where there were no escape, and because the GMs (Game Masters) were so busy, your best bet was to delete your character, and start over again. I still loved it, I had already made friends and found people who I enjoyed being with. Even though the game was broken (despite Sony saying it wouldn't be released until it was ready), I loved the game.

I played though the trouble times, even was on the road to being a Jedi before the first foul up came, the Combat Update. It was in a word horrible. The game became virtually unplayable at first, things were at best difficult, and the controls were different from before. I eventually came round, and once again got where I wanted to be, until once again Sony decided to break my heart, the NGE, New Game Experience. This completely broke my heart.

The game I loved was no longer playable, or even recognizable for the game that it once was. Players were leaving in droves, the Jedi were everywhere in an era they were hunted in, and items and equipment that people had spent hundreds of man hours getting were now worthless. Items I had worked hard for, things friends had given me, all of it was now worthless. Sony promised that this would change, that things would improve, and while it was not the first time, I believed them as foolish and naive as I was. They either lied and had been for a long time, or in my opinion curiously blissful from the truth, while I can't say which is true, I can say it hurt me deeply.

Its been two, or is it three... four?... years later and I still can't stand the game. While there are others working on Emulators for the original game, and I'm a member of True Galaxies but they wont ever replace the game. Want proof of what I'm claiming? Take a look here and here. There is even video of Capital Ships which were promised (though this isn't the best video) but never appeared for player control.

Did people complain? Yes, in fact there are petitions, upon petitions, upon petitions for the game to be reverted, or for there to be servers where the game is back to what it once was. But SOE says that the changes were needed for the game to be updatedable. Seems humorous to me that they aren't going quickly, and the numbers on the servers are dropping. How low can they go? Who knows. Eventually I don't know how SOE will be able to defend keeping the game running even to themselves.

Please... Sony... from someone who used to love your products, let SWG die, or revert the game back to its former glory. Stop saying "We know what gamers what, what gamers need" or what ever you are telling yourselves, and listen to the people. Will Sony ever do this? Take one look at the Playstation 3, the last place horse in the current gaming console contest... you'll find your answer.

For over a year people have been asking for a price cut to the system to no avail. Even companies that support the PS3 such as Activision and GameStop, have been asking for a price cut to help the system out. Does Sony listen? No. I once was a proud owner of Sony products... not so much any more... I own a PS3, will I buy a PS4? Unless Sony changes their ways... I just don't know... probably not.