I wont lie… HKO isn’t the most fun MMORPG I’ve ever played in my life. A lot of stuff is repetitive and can get a bit tedious… in fact I didn’t think I’d stick around for very long after the first two days; however, there is one thing that HKO has that no other MMO game I’ve ever played has: The most friendly community ever. The players, the GMs, everyone… the game is so light-hearted and the atmosphere is a whole lot different from Final Fantasy XI.  The community alone is enough of a reason for me to continue playing the game.

I had a few issues early in my experience where I had to call GMs. I never had to search for a GM or wonder if they were on because they send global messages to the players announcing their presence and pretty much urging players to PM them for help. Twice I got stuck in various buildings. I never had to wait long before they got me outside. Once I had an issue where a quest was not functioning correctly. It was late at night when I called GM-Miyaw for help with it so I ended up sleeping on the issue. The next time I logged in, it was fixed. The response from the GMs has been very pleasing and their attitudes and willingness to help is even more pleasing. It’s the only game I’ve ever played where I can have a friendly conversation with a GM (GM-Miyaw is awesome btw ^^).

Two days ago I joined a guild (Super Cute) after looking in the forum to find a guild that I thought would be a good fit for me. When I joined everyone made me feel welcome instantly. I was amazed with the reception and how friendly everyone there was too. It’s a game where you can work together with each other without stress. FFXI is a game that *requires* people to work together at times but… if one person is off, it can throw off the whole group… which leads to drama and finger pointing… not fun.

HKO has been very relaxing for me and a pleasure to play.  Unfortunately the “open” period of HKO just closed so I’ll be unable to play until the official open beta I think… after the break I took from FFXI recently, I don’t really feel like returning to the whole dramatic and frustrating endgame scene. I am going to miss the friendly atmosphere and relaxation that HKO gave me.