column
The Daily Grind: How much do MMOs succeed on faith vs. mechanics and fanbases?
A while back, MOP's Eliot, Chris, and I were discussing Last Oasis and why it didn't take off. Collectively, I think we determined it...
Not So Massively: The dos and don’ts of stealing from MMOs
Recently I played through the new PC port of the open world RPG Horizon Zero Dawn. While playing it, I was struck by how...
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s second Ishgard season is a touch underwhelming
In the days of my youth, you usually got introduced to a new band via the radio. (The radio was like YouTube, but no...
The Daily Grind: What’s the weirdest stunt you’ve ever seen players pull in an MMO?
I've seen a lot of weird stuff in my day as an MMORPG player, but I'd never seen anyone eat 999 eggs before Ross...
Jukebox Heroes: The best of MapleStory 2’s soundtrack
The death of MapleStory 2 earlier this year is seen as somewhat tragic in the Massively OP offices. Many of us got time with...
The Daily Grind: Do you try to be patient with new players in MMOs?
Patience is a virtue. It is also something not everyone is very good at - and I include myself in this particular batch because...
LOTRO Legendarium: The quiet consistency of Lord of the Rings Online
I want to start this LOTRO Legendarium column today by talking about, well, by talking about World of Warcraft. Like probably many of you,...
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has the best in-game cutscenes and cinematics?
There are a lot of ways that stories can be told in MMORPGs, but one of the most straight-forward and visually exciting is the...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s new event includes problematic features and stat bloat
Yes, more not-great-news in Pokemon Go, and yes, it's once again mostly about Mega Evolution. While it's been nice that the official Pokemon Go...
WoW Factor: Covenants have become a Shadowlands prison of Blizzard’s own making
If there was any remaining question about what stage of the expansion development we were at with World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, this week marked the...
The Daily Grind: What’s the worst MMO you’ve ever played?
Earlier this month, I first heard about Josh Strife Hayes, a YouTuber doing noble work by playing his way through a pile of unloved...
Perfect Ten: How to speak with your family members about playing MMOs
The nice part about growing up with serious social awkwardness as "the weird one" in my family is that really, every strange fixation I...
The Daily Grind: Have you ever had an accomplishment in an MMO you didn’t realize until later?
Back when vanilla World of Warcraft was a new thing, I soloed Hogger on my Paladin. This did not strike me as all that...
Desert Oasis: Checking back in on Black Desert Mobile, almost one year later
It's been a while since I checked in on Black Desert Mobile for Desert Oasis. In fact, I haven't really played it since my initial...
First impressions: Small World of Warcraft is a fun boardgame with a touch of Azerothian flavor
One of the interesting things about this job is that I am pretty regularly presented with a new set of things to review and...
The Daily Grind: At what point do you consider an MMO ‘beaten?’
"They're MMOs!" I can hear you saying as you read the title up there. "They're designed to never be beaten or finished!"
OK, OK, I...
Choose My Adventure: Mining misadventures in Wurm Online
Well, I have to say, following the advice of the poll from last week did help a little bit while also unfurling the multiple...
Fight or Kite: New World’s beta hasn’t made me a true believer – yet
The New World beta preview came to an end a few short nights ago. Like some of the other members of the MOP crew,...
The Daily Grind: Are any MMORPGs ever truly ‘ready’ for launch when they launch?
A few weeks back, I was proofing one of Tyler's Not So Massively columns, when he said this:
"In general it was a very polished...
Massively Uplifting: MMOs from LOTRO to ESO bring comfort, healing, camaraderie, and charity
Summer may be ending, but good deeds and uplifting stories aren't! Throughout August we've been surrounded by stories of kindness, generosity, and goodness within...