editorial
Vague Patch Notes: Paying customers in MMOs aren’t voting shares
So let's take a tour back to the dewy slopes of 2010, when I bought the collector's edition of Final Fantasy XIV. That would...
Four Winds: Swords of Legends Online was a wasted opportunity
MMOs are hard to make. But despite the difficulties, we've seen some real gems over the years. They're also difficult to run. But the...
First Impressions: Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis’ player housing aka ‘creative spaces’ has huge potential – and a huge learning curve
One of the best methods for MMORPG players to feel connected to their game's world is through the avenue of player housing. It's an...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go finally confirms datamined features for June
You'll all be surprised, I'm sure, to learn that Pokemon Go and Niantic did not do anything during our month-long coverage blackout here in...
Vague Patch Notes: Why we should evaluate MMO systems based on how they break
Back before Final Fantasy XIV's reboot launched, Naoki Yoshida talked about how the developers had plans to make certain primals be world bosses. Players...
Massively on the Go: Top 5 features location-based games need use more
In our last Massively on the Go, we talked about the top five features location-based games keep using but shouldn't. The genre is relatively...
Massively on the Go: Five features location-based MMOs keep using – but shouldn’t
I was hoping to cover a couple of other location-based games besides Jurassic World Alive this month, but as I played them, there were a...
Massively on the Go: Jurassic World Alive plods on five years later, encumbered by over-monetization
Ludia's Jurassic World Alive is still stomping along. It's gotten some features over the years that seem, well, "borrowed" from that Pokemon GPS game, but yeesh,...
Vague Patch Notes: Why do people remember an MMO past that didn’t exist?
Let's just start with the premise out of the gate. World of Warcraft launched to sales of 240,000 units on its first day. The...
Vague Patch Notes: The power of perspective in MMOs
So now that Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is out, there is a very funny meme that is going around, but it...
The Soapbox: Raiding isn’t the problem with World of Warcraft
It is by now clear that World of Warcraft's Dragonflight expansion hasn't exactly set the world on fire. This has set off another round...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet brings paradox elephants across worlds
There are apparently still more 'mon to be had in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. We're a bit late with Chestnaught, but it'll be returning...
Design Mockument: Let’s bring back WildStar, only good this time
The other night, a couple of us were talking in work chat about missing WildStar. I also miss WildStar... or more accurately, I miss...
Vague Patch Notes: You cannot win on pay-to-win
I want you to put a game in your head that you think is pay-to-win. No, you do not have to say it out...
Vague Patch Notes: MMO players don’t talk about aging
I turned 40 this year. It's not something that I announced with any particular fanfare, due in no small part to the fact that...
The Soapbox: MMO housing is so much more than a frivolous feature
When The Sims launched in 2000, what seemed like a dull and laughable concept on paper proved to be one of the most compelling...
Vague Patch Notes: Can the gaming industry move on from high school, please?
So this weekend had at least one incident that was, I'm not remotely sorry to say, exceedingly funny. If you've been paying any attention...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s May lineup embraces Niantic’s bugs
As I noted in my last Massively on the Go column, for the entire month of May, this column will not be covering Pokemon Go, as Niantic...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet takes aim again with Ice Inteleon
First we had an archer Mightiest Mark 'mon, but The Pokemon Company and Game Freak are turning things up by upgrading to Ineleon, the...
Four Winds: The Artist has become my favorite support class in Lost Ark
Here's a thought experiment: How would have Anakin Skywalker turned out if he had grown up on planet covered in paint rather than coarse,...
