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]

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Betawatch: Star Citizen crunching like it’s 2010

0
Remember last week how I mentioned that I couldn't muster much in the way of anger toward Throne & Liberty having its whole paid...
these docks be FULL yo

Storyboard: Yes, there really is actual roleplaying happening in MMORPGs

11
It started with my character saying one word. "No." Both men on the bridge were surprised to hear it, least of all from someone who...

Global Chat: What’s World of Warcraft Cataclysm’s best zone?

2
Wilhelm over at The Ancient Gaming Noob kicks off our tour of various MMO essays as he lists and ranks all of the zones...

The Daily Grind: What’s the weirdest personal challenge you’ve set for yourself in an MMO?

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A few weeks back, I saw a post on Reddit about an MMO player who had decided to set himself a bizarre project: to...

Massively Overthinking: Has the term MMORPG become toxic?

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Back in 2016, when the MMORPG genre had just suffered a brutal one-two punch of losing EverQuest Next and the gutting of WildStar's team,...

Fight or Kite: Is Wild Card Football ready to be the new NFL Blitz for 2024?

2
Ah, the beauty and the wonder of a new season. School is back in session. New episodes are on TV – well, streaming TV....

Casually Classic: World of Warcraft’s delves have real evergreen potential

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Ever since World of Warcraft released back in 2004, there's been an tension in this game between casual, solo play and hardcore group progression. It was...
It's a tiny little sprout thing. It might kill you.

Vague Patch Notes: The dark side of meaningful MMO leveling

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We've been in Leveling Month over here in Vague Patch Notes, and I had intended for this particular column to close off that discussion...
Leave me alone, homes! I'm chillin'!

The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best level up effects?

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It'd be nice if real life worked like an MMO in terms of getting a shine and a burst of light the moment you...

Four Winds: Throne & Liberty’s opening hours were fun AF, but I’m still on my guard

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After what feels like an absolute eternity, Throne and Liberty is finally here. In my younger, less jaded years, I'd feel excited and elated...
There were some decent tabletop Star Trek games, but no.

Perfect Ten: 10 MMOs that let you bring a whole squad of pets and minions

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Pet classes are not really my jam. I don't want my companion to be doing the tanking or damage or healing or whatever, and...

Choose My Adventure: The progression conflict in Once Human

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I don't want to claim that I necessarily hit a wall with my time in Once Human during my playtime for Choose My Adventure...

The Daily Grind: Does quality or economic pressure matter more when you’re spending in MMOs?

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During a recent investor call, NetEase made an interesting statement about gamers' spending habits that I wanted to pluck out and discuss. The question...
Shock, awe.

Wisdom of Nym: The key takeaways from Final Fantasy XIV’s Crossroads update live letter

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I can't believe that after we've gone so many different places, at long last, Final Fantasy XIV is going to have Soken do a...

The Daily Grind: How many actions do you want to juggle at a time in an MMORPG?

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Back in August, Heartless Gamer penned a blog about his "rule of 10." Here's how he defines it: "s a player, I can manage 10...

One Shots: Even monsters should brush their teeth

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Imaginations being what they are, I've spent perhaps too much time thinking about what sentient monster lives are like when we're not beating the...
Remember when this was unusual?

The Daily Grind: Which MMORPG offers the best options for punching stuff?

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In pretty much every MMORPG with a fantasy theme, you have people with gigantic swords. You have spellcasters of some variety with arcane arts....

LOTRO Legendarium: Five ways to fully fix LOTRO’s virtue system

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Newer players to Lord of the Rings Online may not be aware that the game's virtue system used to be very difficult, requiring certain...

Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s October outlook offers more tricks than treats

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It's almost October, and that means Halloween in Pokemon Go, where the tricks are expected and the treats come with bugs, no matter how...
Sadly, we do not get to witness this doing lots of fun things to the frame rate.

Why I Play: Satisfactory scratches my MMO crafting itch

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My first real exposure to Satisfactory was long, long before playing it or even being more than peripherally aware of it, because I really...