Cartoon Network's MMO: FusionFall

It seems just like yesterday that the kid friendly Wizard 101 was launched to the sound of a million Harry Potter fans squealing in delight. Despite not having the rights to that most illustrious license they've still managed to create a fairly nice wizard MMO. I'll admit that most fans of the game seem to be those who like things "cute", but others simply enjoy having a game they can play with their little ones. You have to admit that sometimes the focus of World of Warcraft and other MMOs really isn't the best place for kids. You leave a child alone in a competitive online world like most MMOs and you run the risk of making one of those XBL brats.

That's why I'm glad to see something like FusionFall being made by Cartoon Network. The trailer makes it look more like a 3D flash game then a MMO, but it's a nice to see another teen oriented game world. I noticed that the non traditional MMOs designed for kids are also the ones that tend to try out new game designs. Wizard 101 bases combat around a card game and it looks like FusionFall will play more like an action-adventure game. The weapons are varied and I've seen all kinds of cartoonish bazookas and guns. They also seem to be going for some humor since I swore I saw someone beating a monster over the head with a giant turkey leg.

The real draw for FusionFall is going to be the characters of course. It looks like Cartoon Network took almost every popular show its had over the last ten years and put the characters into the game. Of course to appeal to their target audience they magically aged everyone into a teenager. I thought the idea was a little bit ridiculous at first, but it looks like they put some thought into it. Dexter is apparently a young resistance leader who provides most of the hi-tech weaponry in the game. I also think I saw grown-up versions of the Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack running around. Overall it reminds me of a cartoon version of City of Heroes in some ways.

It'll be fun to see how Cartoon Network moves forward with the game. I know they are planning on have a small portion of the game free-to-play much like Wizard101. It's still up in the air though if the main game will be based on subscriptions or micro-transactions. I believe the small studio that designed the game said they were avoiding the traditional leveling system found in MMOs. Instead they have some sort of skill and item system which players use to increase their powers. If it follows the trend of other youth oriented game they'll also be lots of outfits and fluff to collect. I'll most likely be trying out the free portions of the game and seeing how it plays. While it most likely won't be complex enough to be serious competition for AAA MMOs, it does look like it could be fun.

www.fusionfall.com