editorial
Vague Patch Notes: Stop giving rich people money to make failed MMOs
Richard Garriott has been to space. I'm going to repeat that a lot for emphasis, just because I feel like it's important. Richard Garriott...
Interview: Lost Ark’s regional parity, genderlocking, and the Amazon-Smilegate collaboration
A few days before the western release of Lost Ark, we posed questions to the Amazon Games team, and franchise lead Soomin Park was...
Vague Patch Notes: When MMOs pit their playerbase against itself
Today's Vague Patch Notes is about something weird that I feel like someone should definitely done something about a long time before now. It's...
Stick and Rudder: Revisiting 12-year-old MMO Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online is an MMO released during the height of the “let’s grab an existing IP and make it into an MMO” craze...
Vague Patch Notes: Community workarounds don’t excuse broken pieces of MMOs
It's many years in the rear view now because these days it's someone else's show, but there was a time when Choose My Adventure...
Massively on the Go: Here’s to hoping for proper Pokemon Go pranks in April
If the earlier mention of Niantic wildly and disappointing experimenting with a shorter, stationary incentivized Community Day hasn't scared you off, then maybe Pokemon Go's April...
Vague Patch Notes: When you like the idea of an MMO more than the game itself
So I was reading Chris' recent CMA entry on The Secret World, and I found myself in a curious state. I definitely agree with his initial...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s April Community Day strategy hurts its own goals – and players
Once again, Pokemon GO is marching forward to places its players don't want to go. Niantic, the same company that pivoted commendably during the...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Sun and Moon features that Pokemon Go still needs
When the Pokemon Sun and Moon games first came out, I discussed in this very column how that generation could be integrated into Pokemon GO....
Vague Patch Notes: Pretty is boring in MMOs
So NCsoft unveiled Throne and Liberty and it looks... pretty? I guess? But it looks pretty in the worst way. It looks pretty in the...
Massively on the Go: Previewing Orna’s 3.1 story update and quality-of-life improvements
Looking for a mobile MMO that doesn't ask for personal information, encourages getting out of the house, but doesn't want you to walk and...
Four Winds: The good, the bad, and the weird of Lost Ark’s endgame
So here I am, at the top of the mountain of Lost Ark, but then another rise greets me. I've been moving at a...
The Soapbox: SWTOR’s Legacy of the Sith is bad, but not for the reasons you’ve heard
I've never been a big Star Wars fan, but I am a big BioWare fan, and after many failed attempts to get into the...
Vague Patch Notes: Bro, do you even play your MMO?
So Guild Wars 2 had some problems with the process to unlock its siege turtle mount. As launched, it required players to take part in...
Massively on the Go: Gen 9 means Pokemon needs to grow in age and numbers
The Pokemon series is about to enter Generation 9 with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet versions near the end of 2022. And rejoice, gamers, as it's going...
Vague Patch Notes: So why do MMO developers gender lock?
Last week's Vague Patch Notes on MMO lore and its impact on design decisions produced a lot of good comments along with a smattering...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go March and Season of Alola
It's officially March now, and in Pokemon Go that means we'll be experiencing both a new month of content and shift seasons, so say goodbye to that...
Massively on the Go: The 2022 Johto Tour shows Pokemon Go progress, even if Niantic struggles learning from mistakes
As with last year's Kanto tour, early reports of Pokemon Go’s recent Johto Tour talk a lot about low shiny rates, players feeling overwhelmed,...
From the Depths: Checking up on World of Warships’ community promises
Wargaming’s World of Warships had its share of controversies in 2021, some of which led to the resignation of many of its most prolific...
Massively on the Go: How pokedex building could be used for server-wide ‘science’ questing
Well, I'm sorry to report to multiplayer gamers that despite having online features like New Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is very much a solo game,...