Sony Online Entertainment’s Free Realms launched yesterday (really, really late yesterday). As expected, they flubbed the launch. The official website was basically down the entire day, providing absolutely no information for impatient players. SOE did set up a Twitter feed, so there were little dribbles of information coming out, but I’m sure plenty of people were annoyed as heck. Eventually, the game did launch around 11pm EST and it’s been smooth sailing since then.
I spent a couple carefree hours running around the world, playing mini-games (cooking, card games and racing) and engaging in the rather simplistic combat system. I have to applaud Sony for making a very polished and slick game. The entire experience was smooth, simple and trouble free.
I knew from the beginning that Free Realms is targeted at the kiddie demographic and parents. They definitely succeeded in creating a kiddie friendly game. Unfortunately for me and most adults, it is just too cute and too dumbed down to seriously play this game.
It is worth checking out just to see Sony’s latest MMO, though. You don’t need to download a huge file to do a test run. Sony did a great job streamlining the installation process. It’s not quite as simple as a browser-based flash game, but it is fast and easy.
From what I saw, Free Realms definitely has the potential to be a success. For the most casual players, there is plenty of free content. If you want to upgrade the account (small monthly fee) or use the microtransaction shop, it looks like it could be worth the money.
While I won’t be playing Free Realms ever again, it gives me a lot of hope for Sony’s upcoming MMO, The Agency.
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