Columns

Enjoy a run-down of our recent long-form pieces, both game-specific and more general. You might also be interested in our list of all of our columns and recurring articles. [Follow this category’s RSS feed]

Give me hope that help is coming when I need it most.

Vague Patch Notes: In defense of easy fun, in MMOs and elsewhere

25
I don't play video games to be challenged. I play them to have fun. This isn't to say that these are inherently separate propositions. People...

Massively Overthinking: What MMO were you hoping to hear much more about this past year?

14
So 2020 wasn't exactly the year a lot of us probably thought it was going to be in early January. Every bit of our...

Global Chat: Revisiting all of SOE’s game history

2
I'm always a sucker for a good timeline, which is why I perked up at seeing Wilhelm at Ancient Gaming Noob trace out the...
Get back.

WoW Factor: The Shadowlands gameplay loop problem

66
A friend and I were discussing World of Warcraft the other night, which is something we do fairly often. This is especially relevant for me...
Rewind.

The Daily Grind: What sort of repeated content do you find least fun in an MMO?

35
Every MMO has repeated content. It's part of the very nature of the games. Maybe you're repeatedly doing a dungeon, or repeatedly grinding enemies,...

Massively on the Go: Monster Hunter Rise’s demo is merely a less pretty taste of Monster Hunter World

19
I have to admit, from the demo, Monster Hunter Rise isn't what I was expecting. Having played Monster Hunter World on both PS4 and on...
A journey into complexity.

Perfect Ten: The 10 tiers of MMO system complexity

16
MMOs can be complicated things, as I am pretty sure we have discussed on multiple occasions now. There are no known means to prevent...

Choose My Adventure: Oops, I completely forgot to do the main quest in ArcheAge

3
Yes. Yes, that happened. I absolutely am an idiot. This week in CMA saw me rambling onward in ArcheAge with a fresh set of skills...

Fight or Kite: Pearl Abyss’ Shadow Arena has epic new modes – and no one to play them

4
In this week’s edition of “why is Sam still so sad and unable to find a regular MMO to play?” I've decided to take...
There is actually quite a lot of this.

Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s community is better – and worse – than you think

14
If you are not actually playing Final Fantasy XIV, you probably have an impression of the community for this game being an amazing font...
Probably more friendly than Dragon's Catma.

Jukebox Heroes: The best of Dragon’s Dogma Online’s soundtrack

0
While Dragon's Dogma Online left barely an impact during its short run in the west, it hasn't completely disappeared from all memory as long...

One Shots: A friend closer than a brother

19
When you are heading out to the dangerous wilds where dismemberment, face melting, certain death, or even experience loss might be around every corner,...
Oh, dang.

The Daily Grind: What tends to happen before you leave an MMO?

34
For me, there's a very predictable indicator that I'm going to be waving goodbye to an MMO for a while: I realize I don't...

The Game Archaeologist: Free Realms

11
Its very name was a declaration of rebellion against the status quo. In an era that had yet to shift from a subscription-only model...
There's a thing with this game and redheads, huh?

Betawatch: Crowfall revamps leveling with its first beta patch

0
All right, here comes 2021, let's level up your beta experiences once again! Crowfall is certainly going that route with its first major beta...
I see.

Vague Patch Notes: Yes, Virginia, that counts as an MMO

44
There is a particular comment we get on a semi-regular basis, and it is always wrong. It shows up on a wide variety of...

Wandering Wraeclast: Everything you need to know about Path of Exile’s Echoes of the Atlas, launching January 15

3
Yesterday, Grinding Gear Games held a mini remote ExileCon of sorts to share the reveal of this month's big new Path of Exile expansion...

Working As Intended: The MMOs we lost in 2020

2
I'm happy to report that the list of MMOs that sunsetted in 2020 was shorter than in previous years, but I'm sure you'll join...
Nothing else has worked.

WoW Factor: Oh no, not the Sylvanas redemption arc

42
All right. So. Apparently people wanted to know my response to the new cinematic mined out from within World of Warcraft. Cool. That's easy. My...
It's a thing.

Lawful Neutral: 2020 was the year that wasn’t for MMO legal news

1
It seems surreal, but it is that time of the year again when we wax nostalgic about the year that was. Well, maybe this...

ADVERTISEMENT