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]

Jukebox Heroes: Eldevin’s soundtrack

8
I can't say that Eldevin has ever risen very high on my MMO radar, but over the past year or so I've noticed that...

One Shots: Rack ’em up!

28
I have to say that I would be much more likely to take up the crimefighting life if there was a really hip rec...
Contains some monsters.

The Daily Grind: Do you try out MMOs in well-maintained maintenance modes?

33
It's not hard to play Final Fantasy XI or Guild Wars at this point. Both titles are in maintenance mode, yes; they've gotten their last major...

LOTRO Legendarium: The return of skirmishes in Lord of the Rings Online

6
Out of all of Lord of the Rings Online's additional features that it has added post-launch, skirmishes have my vote as one of the...
True strength is inside. But leveling should really help.

WoW Factor: Why people are mad at Battle for Azeroth, part three: Leveling and scaling

46
Remember earlier this week when I was talking about the difference between leveling as a part of the game vs. leveling as a chore?...

The Survivalist: Space Engineers sloughs off early access and launches with revamped survival

1
Wouldn't you know it: One survival game has a big week and others want to follow suit! Space Engineers sheds its early access coil...
Keeping your garden.

Vague Patch Notes: It’s not the MMO endgame – it’s the sudden stop at the end

34
When I first pitched the Vague Patch Notes that ran a couple weeks back, it prompted a big long discussion with MOP's editor Bree...
Bingpot.

The Daily Grind: What are your expectations from buy-to-play MMOs in 2019?

48
Because I am old I still remember the halcyon days when the original Guild Wars shocked the world with its plan to serve as a...

Perfect Ten: Totally rad ’80s cartoons that would make bodacious MMORPGs

87
In another reality where our passion for MMORPGs is matched only by the power of nostalgia for the greatest era of cartoons, we would...

Choose My Adventure: Running for my life in Legends of Aria

13
Welp, we're in the deep end now. Legends of Aria definitely is the sandbox that's giving me the hard knock schooling on sandbox MMORPG...

Massively Uplifting: Black Desert’s lantern memorial, a gift of sight in Wizard101

7
Gamers get a bad rap. Studios are seen as heartless villains. Mainstream media is quick to demonize us, and we can be quick to...
Collide.

Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s Shadowbringers overhaul jobs, part two

5
It's a testament to how well the balancing on Final Fantasy XIV works that none of the jobs discussed this week or last week are...
It goes clicky.

Global Chat: Off-the-cuff impressions of Anthem

9
If you like BioWare, high tech eye candy, blowing crap up, or riding the current wave of Hot New Game Releases, chances are that...

One Shots: Event horizon ahoy!

16
Just a word of neighborly advice, but if you ever find yourself this near to a black hole, you might as well take screenshots...
Yay, sort of?

The Daily Grind: What would it take to get you to try a battle royale game?

71
The big thing these days is Apex Legends, which is the sudden success story to mirror Fortnite's overnight success, which itself mirrored the overnight...

Into the Super-verse: Taking a closer look at City of Heroes’ Paragon Chat

12
Welcome to Massively OP's brand-new column covering superhero MMORPGs -- past, present, and future! One might even say it's a continuation of our past...
Betacular.

Betawatch: The Elder Scrolls Blades gets a closed beta before early access

2
It always seemed like things along the way to launch could head down the route of early access or beta testing. But no, it seems The...

Massively Overthinking: Reconsidering the all-in-one MMO

64
One of the forever-arguments MMORPG players seem to enjoy having is the one about niche MMOs. There are quite a lot of gamers out...
Whoops.

WoW Factor: Why people are mad at Battle for Azeroth, part two: The Heart of Azeroth

22
We're continuing on in our tour of why people are upset about the current World of Warcraft expansion, and I think it's important to note...

The Survivalist: When survival sandboxes are more MMO than actual MMORPGs

52
Ever since Life is Feudal announced at the end of last month its dedication to developing a deep roleplay-focused server, I haven't been able...