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REVIEW: Paying to Win in a VRMMO Novels 1 & 2




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whiskeyii



Joined: 29 May 2013
Posts: 2240
PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:19 pm Reply with quote
As someone who enjoys playing an MMO with a family member, I feel like I might end up having a love-hate relationship with this protagonist. But the premise is at least intriguing enough to warrant a look. (I'm curious if the name "machina" is a shout-out to Final Fantasy 14's Machinist class in name only, though.)

As an aside, back when Runescape was new, female characters could wear male armor that was indistinguishable from what male characters wore. Nowadays the male armor very obviously conforms to the female model, but back then I often used it to avoid the deluge of obnoxious "Hey, wanna' be my g/f?" requests.
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CaRoss



Joined: 11 Nov 2014
Posts: 457
PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 2:34 pm Reply with quote
This one sounds kind of amusing, but it seems to meet the same fate that so many MMORPG-based stories seem to encounter - a lack of believable MMO qualities.

Outside of .hack// and Log Horizon, it seems to be the rare one that really manages to get what MMORPGs are like and successfully manages to utilize that information to craft an interesting story.

That said, the SAO satire/parody present in this one sounds like it could be enough to make it enjoyable, as does the socially inept jerk of a protagonist. I'm just not sure if this one sounds like it has the legs to last for any real length of time.
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SilverTalon01



Joined: 02 Apr 2012
Posts: 2401
PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:46 pm Reply with quote
CaRoss wrote:
This one sounds kind of amusing, but it seems to meet the same fate that so many MMORPG-based stories seem to encounter - a lack of believable MMO qualities.


That seems to be more of an issue with the MMORPGs a person is familiar with. SAO actually did a pretty good job, but I constantly saw comments here and in the streaming reviews about SAO game mechanics not reflecting real games when those were actual mechanics.

Anyway, this story sounds interesting. I'm not sure that I would get around to reading it though.
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ParaChomp



Joined: 10 Dec 2010
Posts: 1018
PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 9:07 pm Reply with quote
CaRoss wrote:
That said, the SAO satire/parody present in this one sounds like it could be enough to make it enjoyable, as does the socially inept jerk of a protagonist. I'm just not sure if this one sounds like it has the legs to last for any real length of time.
If YouTube can milk Sword Art Online for critique and continue, I don't see why another medium can't.

SilverTalon01 wrote:
That seems to be more of an issue with the MMORPGs a person is familiar with. SAO actually did a pretty good job, but I constantly saw comments here and in the streaming reviews about SAO game mechanics not reflecting real games when those were actual mechanics.
As a game, Sword Art Online is a broken and boring. As a battle royal, the menus might be poorly made but they get the job done.

Hopefully, that and the other constantly broken moralities in the gaming industry are addressed. A parody can't last too long on its own.
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SilverTalon01



Joined: 02 Apr 2012
Posts: 2401
PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 10:15 pm Reply with quote
ParaChomp wrote:
As a game, Sword Art Online is a broken and boring. As a battle royal, the menus might be poorly made but they get the job done.


I mean the games in SAO as described by the author and not the actual SAO video games.
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Sylontack



Joined: 09 Apr 2011
Posts: 193
PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 10:52 pm Reply with quote
Synopsis wrote:
younger second cousin


Guess they're going to hook up Rolling Eyes Razz
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ParaChomp



Joined: 10 Dec 2010
Posts: 1018
PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 12:32 am Reply with quote
SilverTalon01 wrote:
ParaChomp wrote:
As a game, Sword Art Online is a broken and boring. As a battle royal, the menus might be poorly made but they get the job done.


I mean the games in SAO as described by the author and not the actual SAO video games.
That's what I'm talking about.
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samuelp
Industry Insider


Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 2227
Location: San Antonio, USA
PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 1:42 am Reply with quote
NaroFan as an VRMMO is not a particularly well balanced or well constructed system either, but that's cannon in the story and actually kind of important to the plot even.

The book describes it as a game which has a certain appeal despite its flaws, and also that people gave it some slack for being the first VR MMO and created by a small company.
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SilverTalon01



Joined: 02 Apr 2012
Posts: 2401
PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 2:17 am Reply with quote
ParaChomp wrote:
That's what I'm talking about.


Then what exactly was your point? There are broken and boring MMORPGs. You can put SAO in that category if you want, but it would still be a reflection of real games. The same is true of poorly made menus that get the job done. Just because you are ignorant of games where that is the case doesn't mean it isn't a reflection of them or any less of a believable MMO quality (unless I guess you don't want to believe reality).
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5821
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:04 am Reply with quote
Is this a light novel or a manga? It is really hard to tell sometimes, especially in digital stores.
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3423
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:50 am Reply with quote
TarsTarkas wrote:
Is this a light novel or a manga? It is really hard to tell sometimes, especially in digital stores.

Light novel. It's right there in the title;
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REVIEW: Paying to Win in a VRMMO Novels 1 & 2
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