column
The Survivalist: When survival sandboxes are more MMO than actual MMORPGs
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...
Reverse Engineering: Predicting Fortnite’s earthquakes… with science!
It looks like things are literally shaking up in Fortnite. We are currently tracking a series of changes coming to the game leading up...
The Daily Grind: Which MMO subgenres need better names?
There are an awful lot of games falling under the broad header of "not quite an MMORPG but still multiplayer shooter with strong influences...
Perfect Ten: Ten steps for understanding MMO systems
As I write this, I'm in the middle of putting together my first impressions for Anthem. This takes some doing and would probably be easier...
The Daily Grind: What will your next MMO superhero be?
With the next wave of several superhero MMORPGs on the way (Valiance Online, City of Titans, SEGS, and Ship of Heroes), two games currently running...
The Daily Grind: How do you and your guild handle political discussions inside MMOs?
I'm genuinely curious about this one, so indulge me. From my vantage, it's seemed to me that casual discussion of politics inside MMOs has...
Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV’s Shadowbringers overhaul jobs, part one
There are four jobs that we know of which are getting some major reworking in Shadowbringers. For a game with fifteen jobs, that's not so...
The Daily Grind: Which MMO is soooo close to being perfect but just misses the mark?
Last week, there was a thread on the MMORPG subreddit that struck a chord with me. Author SaintNutella rattles off a list of some of...
Jukebox Heroes: Mabinogi’s six best music tracks
When evaluating an eastern MMORPG that boasts a huge soundtrack, I am often filled with a mixture of dread and anticipation at the start...
The Daily Grind: Do you get worried when MMO fan sites shut down?
Fan sites come and go. They always have and always will. The game that you thought you would care about forever when you were...
LOTRO Legendarium: Examining 2019’s amazing producer’s letter
I swear, the news never fails to make a monkey out of me. Just the other day I was grousing about how it was...
The Daily Grind: Does law and order add to MMORPG worlds?
As of late I've been going through the Thieves Guild DLC in Elder Scrolls Online. The result of this has taught me that (a)...
Jukebox Heroes: The 10 greatest MMO soundtracks of all time (as voted by you)
A few weeks ago we witnessed the showdown of the ages (or at least the epoch known as "late January 2019"), as Massively OP...
WoW Factor: Why people are mad at Battle for Azeroth, part one: Combat
One of the complicated challenges of writing about World of Warcraft is sorting out the stuff that's happening now from the stuff that's been happening...
The Daily Grind: So how worried are you about Guild Wars 2?
Last night's devastating news that NCsoft was forcing Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet to make major layoffs definitely shook me, even more than the...
Vague Patch Notes: Online games are a marathon, but they still need to start running
One of those phrases we like to use a fair amount here is the fact that running an MMO is a marathon, not a...
The Daily Grind: Are there party roles you will not fulfill in MMOs?
We all know the big three roles in most MMO design at this point: tanks, healers, and DPS. But these are not the only...
Perfect Ten: The bloodiest MMOs of all time
I am not nor ever have been that much of a fan of gore and blood in video games. Oh, I thought Doom was...
The Daily Grind: What if World of Warcraft never launched?
It is 2003, and after several years of development and hype, Blizzard Entertainment sizes up its World of Warcraft project. The studio decides that...
Choose My Adventure: Dungeon diving in The Elder Scrolls Online
Pretty much everything I've done in The Elder Scrolls Online has been a delight, so I was going in to my chosen task for...
