Fallen Earth: S.A.N.T.A. vs. Grandfather Winter

Ho ho ho... now I have a machine gun

My vote’s for S.A.N.T.A. — anything with that name, you just know it’s going to transform into a rocket-launching robot of some kind.  Or so 1980’s toy merchandising taught me.

As I said previously, December this year is a gift-giving month in more ways than one; MMORPGs are dropping expansions and patches left and right, and Fallen Earth is no different.  We finally have been gifted with the “Social Patch”, which also comes with a side order of the First Night holiday, and both are really excellent additions to the game.

I’ve never laughed as much in a MMO before Fallen Earth, and First Night is a scream of silly jokes and delightful post-apocalyptic misunderstandings of long-lost Christmas traditions:

Honestly, I like this version better

A big First Night camp appeared right outside of Sunshine Corners, my current questing hub, and I picked up at least a dozen or so new quests from it, all while reading quirky NPC conversations and listening to the outrageously off holiday music.  Really, it’s like what the Christmas station might sound like if run through a haunted house/Old West filter.

Snow and bright colors?  Nah, that’s not Fallen Earth’s thing.  Instead, it’s all about military groups looking to leverage this holiday for their own goals, while using you to carry out their dirty work.  I can dig that.

On a side note, I’m a little more than disappointed with my cargo motorcycle for localized questing.  It’s got a wicked top speed and looks great, but manuverability is crap, especially when you’re trying to navigate side streets or are trying to stop on a dime.  I guess I’ll keep swapping out for my trusty Riding Horse when I’m staying local.

I picked up the new construction tradeskill, more in the hopes that it will help me out with permanent housing in the future than the current temporary camps.  Buffs are nice, but unless I’m grouping and want to share the love, I can’t see myself using these, especially since they cost mats and time to make.

Finally, I dropped down a brand new hole in the ground to experience the awesome “Bunker Bars” that came with the recent patch.  I’m pleased to say that the atmosphere of the casino bars is spot-on with Fallen Earth’s tone, and Icarus really did a great job incorporating both the blackjack and slot machine minigames.  You aren’t even taken to a separate interface, but simply sit down and manipulate the touch screen machines like you would anything else in the game.

I found that I preferred blackjack over slots — even though the payout isn’t as high, at least there’s some strategy and you win more often.  I think I need to do a bit of reading up on some blackjack strategy to help my odds.

These all are small additions to the game, and I could see how some might be disgruntled that it isn’t as “meaty” in some ways — like a new dungeon or more end game options.  But I see it like this: Icarus is really building a MMO world to both play and live in, and they’re not taking their eyes off the fact that things like camps, bars, casinos and holidays give more depth and breadth to our experience.

(It’s also great to hear that people are still digesting the game without rushing through it — there really is a ton here to experience!)

Oh, and you gotta love the little guy taking a swipe at Mr. Big Bad World of Warcraft:

P.S. – For the holidays, Icarus is giving away 10-day trials of Fallen Earth, as well as selling the game for ten bucks cheapter than retail.  So what’s your excuse?