Opinion

Opinion pieces are by definition neither neutral nor subjective. Massively Overpowered’s writers’ editorials reflect their own opinions, not necessarily the opinions of the site or company. [Follow this category’s RSS feed]

The Daily Grind: Which MMO monetization schemes don’t piss you off?

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Gamasutra argued last week that there are three effective in-app purchase strategies that mobile gamers don't hate: the classic demo, where players can try the...

EVE Evolved: The right way to reboot DUST 514

35
This week we heard the news that CCP Games will be officially shutting down PS3 online shooter DUST 514 in May to start work on...
Also, it's crazy random.

The Daily Grind: Are you reluctant to test MMOs you’re excited to play?

65
Am I excited, with some reservations, about World of Warcraft's next expansion? You bet. Am I happy to be involved with the testing? Yes....
That looks pretty much like the existing world, really.

Leaderboard: MMO RvR versus FFA PvP

106
Last month, we did a little post on MMORPG PvP asking about two-faction PvP and whether it was really suited for all the MMO...

The Game Archaeologist: Ten strange pre-release facts about World of Warcraft

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An endless ocean of words, a tsunami of thoughts, and a riptide of fan devotion has flooded the gaming world about World of Warcraft...

The Daily Grind: What’s the appeal of survival games?

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It hasn't escaped my attention that survival games have become an insanely popular video game market over the past few years. Titles like ARK:...

Exploring ‘The Video Game Debate’: Social outcomes and online gamers

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Of all the chapters in Rachel Kowert and Thorsten Quandt's book The Video Game Debate: Unravelling the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video...

Ask Mo: Re-reviewing MMORPGs and birthday shenanigans

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Mo's been collecting letters to the editor for me to address in Ask Mo for the past month or two, and this one from...
More for the slaughter once again.

The Daily Grind: Does gender play a role in your MMORPG class selection?

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We've been covering Nick Yee-founded Quantic Foundry's game analytics research as it's fleshing out the Gamer Motivation Model, which seeks to create a modernized...

Massively Overthinking: Old MMORPGs, disco, and pop culture phenomena

26
A reader named Rob provides this week's Massively Overthinking topic. It's a really good one! "Why isn't playing an old MMO from a previous decade...

EverQuesting: Music makes EverQuest II’s Terrors of Thalumbra complete

6
Music has been on my mind a lot lately. OK, so it is always on my mind! From skipping down the streets belting out...
Do this differently.

WoW Factor: Thoughts from inside the Legion alpha

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Tuesday brought along a big surprise for me in the form of access to the Legion alpha test. I had pretty much resigned myself...
science, together, fun

The Daily Grind: What’s the most disheartening loss you’ve had in an MMO?

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Losses aren't fun in any game. No one ever wants to lose. But in a single-player game you usually can reload from a save...

Jukebox Heroes: Six soundtracks from MMOs that never launched

13
As an MMO fan, there are few things as sad as a promising game being killed in development without seeing the light of a...

Choose My Adventure: Entering the fray in Blade & Soul

22
Hello, friends, and welcome to a spankin' new series of Choose My Adventure. This month, I'm going to be diving into NCSoft's wuxia-inspired Blade &...

The Daily Grind: What’s your favorite MMO easter egg?

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The other day someone pointed me to the direction of a big ol' page of EverQuest II Easter eggs. As someone who only lightly...

Massively OP Podcast Episode 49: Marvel Heroes 2016 interview

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Justin and Bree are joined by Marvel Heroes devs discuss Marvel Heroes 2016. We also talk The Repopulation's engine switch, The Division's beta, and business model shenanigans in RIFT, Trove, SWTOR, and The Secret World.

Hyperspace Beacon: How to approach SWTOR as a total newbie

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My experience with World of Warcraft is minimal. I played the game for about a month just after The Burning Crusade launched. I have hopped...

The Daily Grind: Are OARPGs the future of the MMORPG genre?

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Toward the end of 2014, genre academics popularized the idea that the MMORPG genre was becoming "unbundled" -- that MMORPGs were splintering, "with sociality,...
Book 'em

Wisdom of Nym: What we know so far about Final Fantasy XIV’s next patch

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So we know what's going on with the next patch for Final Fantasy XIV, or at least as much as could be released during...