evergreen
Vague Patch Notes: It’s never cheating in MMOs when you do it
My friend from Final Fantasy XI was, understandably, upset. He had just been suspended for a week, and he had been warned that continued...
WoW Factor: The real reason World of Warcraft’s Cataclysm world revamp was awful
'Tis the season for all of us, once again, to talk about the deeply unpleasant and disappointing expansion that was World of Warcraft: Cataclysm,...
Vague Patch Notes: Waiting for the MMORPG endings that are never coming
It took some real courage for Naoki Yoshida to get up and announce that Final Fantasy XIV was ending. After an enormously successful run,...
The Soapbox: In defence of World of Warcraft Cataclysm
When Blizzard announced Cataclysm Classic servers for World of Warcraft, there was some bemusement in the broader MMORPG community. Cataclysm has always been controversial,...
Vague Patch Notes: MMO gameplay by enhancement
A while back, I was talking in the comments of an article about how bad The Secret World's combat was. It was the game's...
Why I Play(ed): Remembering WildStar’s sunset, five years later
Time shouldn't zip along as quickly as it often does, especially when it taps us on the shoulder to look back and see how...
Casually Classic: Which version of WoW Classic is right for you?
Choice is a double-edged sword: Too little of it is restricting and frustrating, yet too much can lead to decision paralysis and feeling overwhelmed....
Vague Patch Notes: The myth of the ‘first’ MMORPG
One of the things I like to joke about every so often is various myths about the history of MMOs, and a lot of...
Massively Overthinking: The MMOs we’re happy still exist – even if we don’t play them
Earlier this month, following the news that Project Gorgon was in dire financial straits as the MMO wasn't making enough for full development and...
Perfect Ten: Why I’m grateful to be an MMO gamer in 2023
To me, Thanksgiving is a much-needed reminder to acknowledge and express the gratitude we have for all that is right and good in our...
Some Assembly Required: Grand Theft Online roleplay is a tough nut to crack
A few months ago, I discovered the world of Red Dead Online roleplay. The possibility of interacting with other players and discovering mechanics in...
Vague Patch Notes: How does an MMORPG studio rebuild trust it shattered?
Earlier this week, Pantheon cancelled its intensely stupid extraction shooter mode. Now, I don't say that it's intensely stupid because I dislike this sort...
Perfect Ten: Classic video games that would make terrible MMORPGs
There was a time when MMORPGs were all based on existing storied single-player RPG franchises, and that time was when Ultima Online launched and...
Flameseeker Chronicles: Five Guild Wars 2 event farms to combat your labyrinth letdown
My favorite thing about Guild Wars 2's Shadow of the Mad King Halloween event is the Mad King's Labyrinth. There's nothing quite like it,...
LOTRO Legendarium: Corsairs of Umbar and the three ways we consume expansions
Happy new expansion week in Lord of the Rings Online! It's surreal to finally be at the capstone of LOTRO's ambitious 2023 roadmap, not...
Perfect Ten: The single best expansion from 10 MMOs
Holy crud, do I not know that I'm setting myself up for some major pushback today. Oh, I feel that to my core, friends!...
Vitae Aeternum: Five MMO tips for New World Rise of the Angry Earth newbies
With the hype around Rise of the Angry Earth, a lot of players are starting or restarting their journey in New World. In my...
The Game Archaeologist: Firefall, an MMO tragedy about more than just a bus
Back when I first started writing for Massively and was energetic enough to go on trips to trade shows, I hit up a PAX...
Design Mockument: Can an open PvP full-loot system for MMOs be designed fairly?
I have an interesting relationship to open PvP design in MMORPGs, or at least I find it interesting. I don't think this kind of...
Vague Patch Notes: So what are MMORPGs meant to be?
I don't know exactly why I've spent so much time this year fixating on the question about what MMORPGs are meant to be and...
