The Daily Grind: What’s the most irritating bit of MMO randomness you’ve dealt with?
I've frequently said that Final Fantasy XI influenced a lot of my later feelings on MMOs, and this is also true of the crafting. For...
The Game Archaeologist: Were sequels ever a good idea for MMOs?
From movies to books to video games, sequels (and all related spin-offs) are a common sight when a property is sufficiently successful enough. Even...
The Daily Grind: Which lowbie MMO alt have you enjoyed playing the most?
Looking back over all of the characters that I've made in MMOs, I've probably spent half my time on low-level alts that never went...
WoW Factor: Behind blue (elf) eyes (in World of Warcraft)
Players were very excited when blue eye options were datamined out for Blood Elves in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, then less happy when it was...
The Daily Grind: What was the last ‘new’ thing you learned about an MMO you’ve played a long time?
So I've been playing SWG Legends about two years now, and yet I'm constantly learning things that are completely new to me. For example,...
Massively Overthinking: Deleting pieces of MMOs to save them
Two ideas floated across my virtual desk in recent weeks, neither directly relating to MMORPGs, but they put the nugget of an idea in...
Storyboard: Making fights matter in MMOs (and in roleplay)
You know what's fascinating about the original Guild Wars release, later redubbed as Guild Wars: Prophecies? The Prince Rurik fight works.
Yes, these are spoilers for a...
The Daily Grind: Which MMO antagonists do you still fondly remember?
For some reason, even in the earlier years of World of Warcraft, my favorite antagonists were never the big villains that were supposedly built up...
Battle Bards Episode 170: Star Stable
Stop your whinnying and take Star Stable’s soundtrack out for a gallop today! You might discover, as the Battle Bards did, that this horse-themed...
EVE Evolved: A live event threatens to reshape EVE Online’s map
While EVE Online has always focused on the real stories created by players through player-vs.-player conflict rather than on its NPC storyline, its universe...
LOTRO Legendarium: Are LOTRO’s new PvP servers a good idea?
If you haven't been tracking this, you should be aware that Lord of the Rings Online has been running the new "Tournament of the...
Perfect Ten: An entirely accurate and unassailable history of pet classes in MMORPGs
Pet classes! They're a very important part of MMORPGs, the opportunity to not just go into combat alone but to march in alongside a...
The Daily Grind: Would you do MMO quests if they didn’t offer rewards?
Does everything we do in an MMORPG have to be motivated by a reward? I was thinking about that the other day in Lord...
Global Chat: The right gear for the right occasion
Some of us are the types of players who are more than satisfied to get one be-all, does-all suit of gear and wear that...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 274: Greymoor, BlizzCon, and Guild Wars 2
Justin, Bree, and Colin discuss Phantasy Star Online 2, Elder Scrolls Online Greymoor, Guild Wars 2 No Quarter, LOTRO and DDO's new monetization, and BlizzCon's cancellation, with adventures in ESO, Fallout 76, GW2, SWG Legends, LOTRO, and Minecraft Dungeons, plus mailbag topics on international releases and dream MMOs.
Choose My Adventure: Star Trek Online and my hunger for a space MMO
My installation of Star Citizen isn't working right, and Elite Dangerous has some neat things going on but not the right kind of hooks...
Star Citizen fans debate monetization, journalism, and the state of the game
This past Sunday, I was invited to join the Sol Citizens community podcast to talk about what it's like to cover Star Citizen. As...
The Daily Grind: Are gaming subs due for a comeback?
When I first started at Massively-that-was, over 10 years ago now, I remember it being a crash-course not in MMOs, which I knew backward...
Wisdom of Nym: So, if there is a Final Fantasy XVI…
It's been about a year since I wrote about Naoki Yoshida's mystery project, which still has not actually been announced in any way and...
Phantasy Star Online 2 is a fun treasure buried under antique contrivances and inconveniences
When I first booted up Phantasy Star Online 2, the only way to get to a suite of visual options that included making the...
