Broken Frontier

Having just signed up for World of Warcraft, I can certainly sympathize with The Noob. While it’s not my first MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), I went through all the motions the titular character went through in the first couple of strips – buy the game, chose the race, create the character, and more.

Let’s face it, video game webcomics are a dime a dozen in this industry. But The Noob stands out in such a way that, whatever its flaws, it’s anything but dime a dozen. The art stands out as more dingy and traditional as opposed to streamlined and modern and the hapless titular character, better known as Oforf’sake due to a discrepancy in the naming process, has a sympathetic charm despite his considerable newbie flaws.

The story satirically details all the typical frustrations with computer RPGs and more. It seems somewhat strange that, as thoroughly canvassed as video games have been by webcomics, The Noob still manages to offer something new yet obviously universal to the gaming experience. I believe this is because The Noob sticks to one simple (and fictional) game and breaks down even the most basic actions of the game into something hilarious and meaningful.

Created by Gianna Masetti, The Noob is probably the closest thing webcomics have to a full-on Family Guy. Though consistently stuck in RPG mood, The Noob is filled to the brim with a variety of colorful and interesting pop culture references both obscure and obvious. Also, like Family Guy, you never really know how any episode is going to turn out. The plot has quite a few twists and turns for a simple video game webcomic, and every incident seems to almost delight in turning out completely the opposite of how you expected it.

On the other hand, this unpredictability is a slight pain, as The Noob’s supporting cast seems to be in an ever-changing state of flux. Since no one really dies in the MMORPG, they don’t really leave the supporting cast, but Noob often tends to find himself partnered with a constantly shifting roster of colorful characters, though again, no one is every truly gone, but some are more heavily featured than others.

Overall, The Noob is a must-read for any MMORPG fan. If you’re tired of collecting rat tails or doing menial tasks to earn your level, read this for a laugh and then have another go at it. You might find the added humor makes the game in question a great deal more enjoyable.