Massively Overpowered

Almost every MMO player has heard of Richard Bartle's Taxonomy of Player Types. You know, it's that chart where gamers are segmented according to their primary activities, such as killing, achieving, socializing, and exploring. It's a tried-and-true model that, while slightly simplistic, still aids developers in creating online products that appeal to the widest possible range of gamers. The team...

Here's a fun surprise for those who need something those not into Naga and Viera this week: a brand-new MMORPG announcement from Bandai Namco. The Japanese studio revealed that it is working on a scifi action MMO called Blue Protocol that's being developed with the Unreal Engine 4. So far we know that this is a PC title with a...

Do you miss Mike Morhaime? The former Blizzard president stepped off the main stage last fall as he handed the reins of the studio to J. Allen Brack. Yet Morhaime hasn't gone into full retirement with his tankers of gold; now that his non-compete clause is up, he's been chatting up various outlets and making some noise about possibly...

The upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic class options coming in this fall's Onslaught expansion have penetrated even the deep mysteries of the Sith. Continuing the string of previews, BioWare posted a list of set bonuses for both the Warrior and Marauder that will arrive with Game Update 6.0: Spoils of War. Special technology found in the expansion can add...

If you've been playing video games long enough, you've probably bumped up against burnout at some point. But for MMO players who are invested in an online game's community and creations, that burnout can be a lot more painful. You're not just logging out of a game and moving on to the next one; you're logging out of a...

World of Warcraft has never been one to just let a Final Fantasy XIV expansion just roll by and take all its bored players, which is why we saw an epic showdown this week between Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers' expansion headstart and the release of World of Warcraft's Rise of Azshara update. You, obviously, can be the judge of...

Bring on the heavy makeup, electric guitars, and MMO groupies, because the Battle Bards are rock and rolling their way into Continent of the Ninth Seal (aka C9). It may not be a game — or soundtrack — that most know, but does that mean that there is a musical treasure trove waiting to be discovered? Listen to this...

When CCP Games released a new EVE Online expansion named Invasion at the end of last month, players were readying themselves to battle limited NPC attacks in high-security space. No-one expected all hell to break loose in the depths of player-controlled nullsec space, but that's exactly what's started to happen this week as powerful NPC Drifter fleets began to...

The economy obviously is a major component of the upcoming Prosperous Universe -- it's kind of hinted at right there in the name, after all -- and the team wanted to make sure that players have options to buy and sell other than on a centralized exchange. Enter the local market, a new way to trade and establish contacts on...

When you think about it, Atlantica Online is positioned in a great place for a diverse soundtrack. After all, it takes place in a fictionalized version of Earth's past with all of the same countries (and a few made-up ones) that we are used to today. This means regional music is totally within limits, allowing the composer to sample...