https://massivelyop.com MMORPG news and opinions Mon, 12 Feb 2024 23:57:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/wisdom-of-nym-what-the-hey-is-up-with-final-fantasy-xivs-xbox-pricing/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/wisdom-of-nym-what-the-hey-is-up-with-final-fantasy-xivs-xbox-pricing/#comments Mon, 12 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479454 In another theoretical timeline, there’s a place where Final Fantasy XIV really would have stepped in it when it subtly noted that the game’s subscription on Xbox would require also subscribing to Game Pass. This is, in and of itself, not all that unusual; it’s pretty normal for games that require a subscription online. But […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/12/wisdom-of-nym-what-the-hey-is-up-with-final-fantasy-xivs-xbox-pricing/feed/ 14 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/10/lotro-legendarium-how-to-walk-away-from-lotro-for-a-while/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/10/lotro-legendarium-how-to-walk-away-from-lotro-for-a-while/#comments Sat, 10 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479021 Even when you love an MMORPG a whole lot, it’s rarely feasible to play it as steadily and at the same intensity over the long duration of its lifespan. Life happens, burnout creeps in, and sometimes you simply need a break or a change of scenery. So you make the decision to walk away from […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/10/lotro-legendarium-how-to-walk-away-from-lotro-for-a-while/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/vague-patch-notes-mmorpgs-and-the-pc-gaming-market/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/vague-patch-notes-mmorpgs-and-the-pc-gaming-market/#comments Fri, 09 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479180 I find myself thinking a lot about the MMORPG industry lately and the ways in which the gaming industry as a whole has changed over the course of the past couple decades, because it seems clear to me that things have been changing. Did you know that up until 2004, PC gaming accounted for less […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/vague-patch-notes-mmorpgs-and-the-pc-gaming-market/feed/ 11 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/working-as-intended-a-guide-to-city-of-heroes-homecomings-best-player-crafted-portal-bases/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/working-as-intended-a-guide-to-city-of-heroes-homecomings-best-player-crafted-portal-bases/#comments Fri, 09 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478317 A few years ago, I was wandering around in City of Heroes when someone advertised a cool base in chat. All I had to do was head over to a supergroup base portal, type in the code flashed in text, and be welcomed into this person’s custom base. I was expecting something akin to the […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/09/working-as-intended-a-guide-to-city-of-heroes-homecomings-best-player-crafted-portal-bases/feed/ 11 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/into-the-super-verse-whats-wrong-with-city-of-heroes-incarnate-system/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/into-the-super-verse-whats-wrong-with-city-of-heroes-incarnate-system/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=479049 It hasn’t been all that long since I said that what City of Heroes needs to focus on right now is not endgame content, and I stand by that. In fact, there’s arguably a whole other column to be written about where the game really does need more content and more stuff to do, although […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/into-the-super-verse-whats-wrong-with-city-of-heroes-incarnate-system/feed/ 16 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/fight-or-kite-ravendawn-has-a-great-class-system-but-gameplay-needs-polish/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/fight-or-kite-ravendawn-has-a-great-class-system-but-gameplay-needs-polish/#comments Thu, 08 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478411 As an avid gamer of the ’80s and ’90s, I’ve got a real soft spot for all things retro-inspired. A lot of my favorites lean into the action adventure-style games, but I also enjoyed turn based RPGs as well. There’s hardly any Metroidvania-style games that I haven’t played – minus, for some reason, Metroid or […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/08/fight-or-kite-ravendawn-has-a-great-class-system-but-gameplay-needs-polish/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/working-as-intended-city-of-heroes-macros-and-popmenus-for-noobs/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/working-as-intended-city-of-heroes-macros-and-popmenus-for-noobs/#comments Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477126 In my first braindump on City of Heroes for this column, I tried to ease superhero fans into the world of modding the 20-year-old newly relicensed MMO, which is actually so easy my 12-year-old can do it. I was tickled to find out a lot of folks didn’t even know you could mod City of […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/working-as-intended-city-of-heroes-macros-and-popmenus-for-noobs/feed/ 15 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/perfect-ten-the-mmo-franchises-that-cant-count-past-two/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/perfect-ten-the-mmo-franchises-that-cant-count-past-two/#comments Wed, 07 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478922 Back in the day, there was a running joke about how Capcom had shown with Street Fighter that the company could not count higher than two. We had a few dozen different iterations of Street Fighter 2, and then when the developers finally decided to make a new game, it was a prequel, so it […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/perfect-ten-the-mmo-franchises-that-cant-count-past-two/feed/ 13 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/not-so-massively-stormgate-isnt-delivering-a-revolution-yet/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/not-so-massively-stormgate-isnt-delivering-a-revolution-yet/#comments Wed, 07 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478776 Stormgate’s marketing is laser-focused on studio Frost Giant’s plan to deliver an “RTS revolution.” With StarCraft II still popular but slowly waning as it languishes in maintenance mode, the genre needs a new champion, and hot off its massive Kickstarter success, Stormgate is one of the best candidates to become just that. As a lifelong […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/07/not-so-massively-stormgate-isnt-delivering-a-revolution-yet/feed/ 19 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/05/wisdom-of-nym-the-franchise-references-in-the-world-of-final-fantasy-xiv/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/05/wisdom-of-nym-the-franchise-references-in-the-world-of-final-fantasy-xiv/#comments Mon, 05 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478516 There’s a fan theory circulating that Final Fantasy XIV is the nexus of the franchise multiverse. Essentially, the idea is that Hydaelyn and Zodiark are close enough to the usual series-wide meta-deities of Cosmos and Chaos, and so many of the things that other games are built around are also found within the world of […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/05/wisdom-of-nym-the-franchise-references-in-the-world-of-final-fantasy-xiv/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/02/into-the-super-verse-early-sos-pose-a-perplexing-problem-in-city-of-heroes-homecoming/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/02/into-the-super-verse-early-sos-pose-a-perplexing-problem-in-city-of-heroes-homecoming/#comments Fri, 02 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478282 Last week, I talked a bit about how to gear yourself up in City of Heroes. Just yesterday, Bree gave an example for how to make money so you can fund yourself in doing so (and it ain’t remotely hard). All good stuff. But today, I want to talk about something else that we sort […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/02/into-the-super-verse-early-sos-pose-a-perplexing-problem-in-city-of-heroes-homecoming/feed/ 35 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/massively-on-the-go-preparing-for-pokemon-gos-los-angeles-sinnoh-tour/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/massively-on-the-go-preparing-for-pokemon-gos-los-angeles-sinnoh-tour/#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476737 Pokemon GO’s Sinnoh Tour is coming to Los Angeles February 16th-18th, but despite its already being sold out, Niantic is still dangling some key features behind closed curtains, such as mythicals and the actual “city-wide” addon locations. To note for those attending from out of town who haven’t seen the relatively newly added suggested hotels, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/massively-on-the-go-preparing-for-pokemon-gos-los-angeles-sinnoh-tour/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/vague-patch-notes-why-we-drift-away-from-mmorpgs-we-still-love/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/vague-patch-notes-why-we-drift-away-from-mmorpgs-we-still-love/#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=478104 Why did I stop playing Star Trek Online? Was it because there was some change made to the game that made it no longer fun to play? Did it come as a result of some drama at the endgame, some major flaw? I bought the game nearly at launch, but I left. Why did I […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/vague-patch-notes-why-we-drift-away-from-mmorpgs-we-still-love/feed/ 42 https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/working-as-intended-yes-you-can-make-money-as-a-newbie-in-city-of-heroes/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/working-as-intended-yes-you-can-make-money-as-a-newbie-in-city-of-heroes/#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2024 15:00:18 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477763 Something I’ve heard over and over from commenters and even newbies in City of Heroes Homecoming ever since the official license was announced is that it’s just too hard to make any money at the start of the current game. And while they’re wrong, they’re also right! If you play the game with no forewarning […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/02/01/working-as-intended-yes-you-can-make-money-as-a-newbie-in-city-of-heroes/feed/ 33 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/31/perfect-ten-why-mmos-should-never-ditch-text-chat/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/31/perfect-ten-why-mmos-should-never-ditch-text-chat/#comments Wed, 31 Jan 2024 16:30:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=464027 If you ever want to feel what an MMO is like without any sort of text chat, then spend a stretch of time in Fallout 76. The silence in that online RPG is deafening because outside of proximity voice chat and a limited selection of emotes, there’s no way to hold conversations, coordinate efforts, or […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/31/perfect-ten-why-mmos-should-never-ditch-text-chat/feed/ 26 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-go-shows-little-love-for-february/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-go-shows-little-love-for-february/#respond Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477107 Pokemon Go‘s roadmap for February is out, but once again leakers have deflated some of that potential hype Niantic tends to squander anyway. While Niantic is trying to build interest for the Sinnoh Tours this month, the Los Angeles event already seems problematic because of its locations, and the poké-pics for the event seem oddly […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/massively-on-the-go-pokemon-go-shows-little-love-for-february/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/choose-my-adventure-genshin-impact-is-a-perfectly-lovely-single-player-rpg/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/choose-my-adventure-genshin-impact-is-a-perfectly-lovely-single-player-rpg/#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477455 Before I begin, I want to point out that I promise I didn’t write that headline just to get anger clicks. I don’t want anger. Seriously, I have enough reasons to feel awful. I want to cut off any rage at the pass by saying that Genshin Impact is still a wonderful bit of gaming […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/choose-my-adventure-genshin-impact-is-a-perfectly-lovely-single-player-rpg/feed/ 13 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/the-soapbox-casuals-and-soloers-need-challenging-mmo-content-too/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/the-soapbox-casuals-and-soloers-need-challenging-mmo-content-too/#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477243 In a recent press Q&A around the announcement of Elder Scrolls Online‘s Gold Road chapter, Zenimax creative director Rich Lambert appeared to dismiss the idea of offering more challenging open world content, instead pointing to dungeons as a more difficult alternative. I’m going off an indirect quotation, so I’m not going to read too much […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/30/the-soapbox-casuals-and-soloers-need-challenging-mmo-content-too/feed/ 27 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/enter-to-win-a-star-trek-online-adaptive-evolution-bundle-in-our-s31-both-worlds-giveaway/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/enter-to-win-a-star-trek-online-adaptive-evolution-bundle-in-our-s31-both-worlds-giveaway/#comments Mon, 29 Jan 2024 17:30:03 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477571 Last week, Star Trek Online fans on PC were treated to the game’s first big update of the year in the form of Season 31: Both Worlds, and to celebrate that launch, Cryptic has kindly granted us gift codes to raffle to our readers! We’ve got 20 keys for the Adaptive Evolution Bundle for PC, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/enter-to-win-a-star-trek-online-adaptive-evolution-bundle-in-our-s31-both-worlds-giveaway/feed/ 16 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/wisdom-of-nym-the-franchise-references-for-jobs-in-final-fantasy-xiv/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/wisdom-of-nym-the-franchise-references-for-jobs-in-final-fantasy-xiv/#comments Mon, 29 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477318 There is not a single game in the history of the franchise that has not been referenced in some capacity by Final Fantasy XIV. This in and of itself is not exactly surprising; the game postdates all but two mainline entries, and producer and director Naoki Yoshida has made no secret of how much effort […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/29/wisdom-of-nym-the-franchise-references-for-jobs-in-final-fantasy-xiv/feed/ 7 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/27/the-game-archaeologist-dragon-ball-online-the-mmo-that-never-made-it-to-the-west/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/27/the-game-archaeologist-dragon-ball-online-the-mmo-that-never-made-it-to-the-west/#comments Sat, 27 Jan 2024 19:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477059 It was back in 1986 that Toei Animation, a Japanese company, brought a new series called Dragon Ball into the world. The initial run of the series proved successful, spawning film adaptations and then, in 1989, the even more popular Dragon Ball Z. As Dragon Ball became a mammoth franchise in Japan and then globally, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/27/the-game-archaeologist-dragon-ball-online-the-mmo-that-never-made-it-to-the-west/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/fight-or-kite-warhavens-pre-season-2-is-super-fun-but-perilously-unbalanced/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/fight-or-kite-warhavens-pre-season-2-is-super-fun-but-perilously-unbalanced/#comments Fri, 26 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476265 Update: This column was written before we knew that Nexon has decided to sunset the game in April, unfortunately. Consider this our eulogy and a reminder of what could’ve been. Winter has come on strong the past week, and I once again found myself browsing MOP’s PvP news for something to keep me warm as […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/fight-or-kite-warhavens-pre-season-2-is-super-fun-but-perilously-unbalanced/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/tamriel-infinium-the-history-of-elder-scrolls-games-before-and-after-elder-scrolls-online/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/tamriel-infinium-the-history-of-elder-scrolls-games-before-and-after-elder-scrolls-online/#comments Fri, 26 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476366 There’s nothing quite like that feeling when you first dip your toes into a particular game only to discover that it’s part of a massive franchise that’s been going on for decades. I have no doubt that there are plenty of Elder Scrolls Online players who are ignorant of the series’ long history on the PC — Skyrim memes […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/tamriel-infinium-the-history-of-elder-scrolls-games-before-and-after-elder-scrolls-online/feed/ 16 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/into-the-super-verse-gearing-up-as-a-newcomer-to-city-of-heroes-homecoming/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/into-the-super-verse-gearing-up-as-a-newcomer-to-city-of-heroes-homecoming/#comments Fri, 26 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=477135 I was originally going to spend this week opining on why the Incarnate system in City of Heroes didn’t really work and why it will eventually need some work, but just last week I talked about how the endgame is not the game’s top priority right now, and I decided I didn’t feel like two […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/26/into-the-super-verse-gearing-up-as-a-newcomer-to-city-of-heroes-homecoming/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/working-as-intended-how-to-mod-city-of-heroes-homecoming-the-easy-way/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/working-as-intended-how-to-mod-city-of-heroes-homecoming-the-easy-way/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476717 If you played City of Heroes a long time ago – or even back in 2019, when its secret server blossomed into a public rogue server community – then you probably modded your game the old-fashioned way, if you modded it at all. A player who wanted to get rid of an annoying sound or […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/working-as-intended-how-to-mod-city-of-heroes-homecoming-the-easy-way/feed/ 19 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/vague-patch-notes-early-access-is-just-game-development-as-performance-art/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/vague-patch-notes-early-access-is-just-game-development-as-performance-art/#comments Thu, 25 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476951 I was reminded recently about Valheim. I do not own the game and thus have not played it; I cannot tell you if it is a good game in its current state, whether it is severely lacking content, or how one can reach Bodylande. But I can tell you that the game has now been […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/25/vague-patch-notes-early-access-is-just-game-development-as-performance-art/feed/ 20 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/24/perfect-ten-the-10-most-utterly-bizarre-final-fantasy-xiv-npc-names/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/24/perfect-ten-the-10-most-utterly-bizarre-final-fantasy-xiv-npc-names/#comments Wed, 24 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476751 A lot of times when I write these columns, I have either a point to make or a higher concept that I am touching upon. This is not one of those times. This is a time when I simply want to share something that is interesting to me about Final Fantasy XIV, and that is […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/24/perfect-ten-the-10-most-utterly-bizarre-final-fantasy-xiv-npc-names/feed/ 21 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/23/choose-my-adventure-genshin-impact-is-slowly-working-its-charms-on-me/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/23/choose-my-adventure-genshin-impact-is-slowly-working-its-charms-on-me/#comments Tue, 23 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476437 Perhaps this is just time away from the game or the full mental and literal reset talking, but I have to say that right now, Genshin Impact is beginning to hit the right notes for me so far, and I’m not really sure why. I haven’t had a whole lot of time to really unpack […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/23/choose-my-adventure-genshin-impact-is-slowly-working-its-charms-on-me/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/22/wisdom-of-nym-impressions-of-final-fantasy-xivs-petite-patch-6-55/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/22/wisdom-of-nym-impressions-of-final-fantasy-xivs-petite-patch-6-55/#comments Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476429 There’s an odd thing that keeps going back and forth in my head when I look at last week’s patch 6.55 for Final Fantasy XIV, and that’s a simple but also complicated question: Would things have been better if the patch had also contained Aloalo Island? Certainly there’s no indication that there was ever really […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/22/wisdom-of-nym-impressions-of-final-fantasy-xivs-petite-patch-6-55/feed/ 15 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/20/lotro-legendarium-digging-into-lotros-2024-roadmap-from-u39-to-the-baharbel-expansion/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/20/lotro-legendarium-digging-into-lotros-2024-roadmap-from-u39-to-the-baharbel-expansion/#comments Sat, 20 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475795 Oh boy — it’s roadmap time for Lord of the Rings Online! As we’ve been seeing over the past few years, Standing Stone Games has become way better at pushing out these year-planning letters in January, now with easy-to-grok infographics. So it is with 2024, as we received the MMO’s roadmap this past week from […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/20/lotro-legendarium-digging-into-lotros-2024-roadmap-from-u39-to-the-baharbel-expansion/feed/ 6 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/19/leaderboard-whats-the-most-vulnerable-daybreak-mmo-in-2024/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/19/leaderboard-whats-the-most-vulnerable-daybreak-mmo-in-2024/#comments Fri, 19 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=466493 Every year when it comes time to update this poll for January, I consider tossing it out. But the last few years of Daybreak have been more interesting than ever, so I just can’t bring myself to do it. The purpose of this topic has become less about bracing ourselves for the worst and more […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/19/leaderboard-whats-the-most-vulnerable-daybreak-mmo-in-2024/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/19/vague-patch-notes-what-city-of-heroes-homecoming-means-for-the-wider-mmorpg-industry/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/19/vague-patch-notes-what-city-of-heroes-homecoming-means-for-the-wider-mmorpg-industry/#comments Fri, 19 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=476130 As you have probably noticed from the fact that I have been writing about City of Heroes nonstop since the Homecoming server got its official license to operate, I have been thinking a lot about this game and what it means. Obviously, much of that thought has focused on the game itself because let me […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/19/vague-patch-notes-what-city-of-heroes-homecoming-means-for-the-wider-mmorpg-industry/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/18/into-the-super-verse-what-city-of-heroes-needs-now-is-not-more-endgame-content/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/18/into-the-super-verse-what-city-of-heroes-needs-now-is-not-more-endgame-content/#comments Thu, 18 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475986 One of the key discussion points about the City of Heroes revival revolves around what the perception of the game is going to be. We haven’t really reckoned with that just yet. As MOP’s Bree and I excitedly watch the game’s servers light up with truly absurd player counts [4200 concurrent on a Wednesday night, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/18/into-the-super-verse-what-city-of-heroes-needs-now-is-not-more-endgame-content/feed/ 47 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/17/perfect-ten-the-weirdest-weapons-from-mmos-of-yore/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/17/perfect-ten-the-weirdest-weapons-from-mmos-of-yore/#comments Wed, 17 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=473968 Swords. Staffs. Maces. Spears. Wands. Bows. Crossbows. Double-crossbows. Hammers. Wolverine claws. Daggers. Axes. Deadly? Yes. Fashionable? Not so much. A two-handed sword is so 1299. Now, a deep dish Chicago-style pizza with the works flung into an enemy’s gullet — that’s progressive thinking! Because I’m deeply bored with the usual suspects in most MMO armories, […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/17/perfect-ten-the-weirdest-weapons-from-mmos-of-yore/feed/ 9 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/16/choose-my-adventure-returning-to-genshin-impact/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/16/choose-my-adventure-returning-to-genshin-impact/#comments Tue, 16 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475575 I’m irritated to admit that this week’s edition of Choose My Adventure was more like a misadventure thanks to technical issues, to my surprise, as I was pretty sure that Eterspire wasn’t going to be something that would demand a lot of my hardware. Guess I was wrong. Long story made rather short, when I […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/16/choose-my-adventure-returning-to-genshin-impact/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/vitae-aeternum-the-ups-and-downs-of-new-worlds-revamped-story/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/vitae-aeternum-the-ups-and-downs-of-new-worlds-revamped-story/#comments Mon, 15 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474925 In the early days, I made the argument that New World‘s narrative, while minimal, deserved more credit than it was getting. Since then, however, Amazon Games has poured an immense amount of time and effort into overhauling the game’s story. With the completion of the main story revamp on the horizon, plus two post-launch zones […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/vitae-aeternum-the-ups-and-downs-of-new-worlds-revamped-story/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/wisdom-of-nym-dreaming-about-final-fantasy-xiv-patch-6-55-during-the-day-long-downtime/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/wisdom-of-nym-dreaming-about-final-fantasy-xiv-patch-6-55-during-the-day-long-downtime/#comments Mon, 15 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475352 Somehow, the final Endwalker content patch has arrived. All right, maybe you could argue that’s just the tiniest bit premature; technically we’ve still got that crossover event coming, that’s a thing to think about, and we might have a little extra stuff here and there which might require a small patch. But for all intents […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/15/wisdom-of-nym-dreaming-about-final-fantasy-xiv-patch-6-55-during-the-day-long-downtime/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/14/the-game-archaeologists-ultimate-mmo-archives-v7-0/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/14/the-game-archaeologists-ultimate-mmo-archives-v7-0/#comments Sun, 14 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=472921 Once again we put a wrap on another year of MMORPG news, opinions, and — most pertinent to this column — history. In a way, Massively OP is a history book in the making as we catalogue all of the ongoing events in the industry for posterity. As is my custom, today I want to […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/14/the-game-archaeologists-ultimate-mmo-archives-v7-0/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/13/lotro-legendarium-brainstorming-new-hobby-ideas-for-lotro/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/13/lotro-legendarium-brainstorming-new-hobby-ideas-for-lotro/#comments Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474775 April 24th, 2008. That was both the first and last time that Lord of the Rings Online added a hobby to the game — in this case, fishing. This serene activity quickly became a mainstay for procrastinating Hobbits, cooks, and festivals. And ever since the idea of hobbies came into the game, players have wondered […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/13/lotro-legendarium-brainstorming-new-hobby-ideas-for-lotro/feed/ 4 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/fight-or-kite-harry-potter-magic-awakeneds-winter-seasonal-event-has-its-claws-in-me/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/fight-or-kite-harry-potter-magic-awakeneds-winter-seasonal-event-has-its-claws-in-me/#respond Fri, 12 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474153 Seasonal events and festivals are just about standard fare in MMOs these days. You’d probably be hard-pressed to find a game that didn’t include one for at least either the winter or spooky season. For players, it’s just such a great change of pace from the regular gameplay loop we’re typically in, or at least […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/fight-or-kite-harry-potter-magic-awakeneds-winter-seasonal-event-has-its-claws-in-me/feed/ 0 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/vague-patch-notes-the-real-question-every-mmo-has-to-answer/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/vague-patch-notes-the-real-question-every-mmo-has-to-answer/#comments Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=475101 Why am I here? A lot of times I will slow-roll my column and lead to something unexpected, something that I am sure you are all used to at this point since I have had a weekly editorial column on the site now for five years now. (I don’t actually remember the negotiation between Bree […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/12/vague-patch-notes-the-real-question-every-mmo-has-to-answer/feed/ 3 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/leaderboard-what-was-the-most-overrated-mmo-of-2023/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/leaderboard-what-was-the-most-overrated-mmo-of-2023/#comments Thu, 11 Jan 2024 18:00:46 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=466495 It’s no secret that whenever somebody declares a GOTY, somebody else is going to say that game is overrated. Heck, we cover some major MMORPGs that a lot of you love and I just shrug at. That’s the nature of aesthetic opinions. It’s fine. It’s good, even, since it makes things spicy and interesting. And […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/leaderboard-what-was-the-most-overrated-mmo-of-2023/feed/ 30 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/four-winds-catching-up-with-phantasy-star-online-2-new-genesis/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/four-winds-catching-up-with-phantasy-star-online-2-new-genesis/#comments Thu, 11 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=473892 I believe it was Napoleon Bonaparte that once said “SEGA better release Phantasy Star Online 2 stateside or I’m going to conquer France.” Unfortunately, Sega was a little slow on the trigger on that one, and then this happened. But what’s done is done, and we now live in a reality that not only has […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/four-winds-catching-up-with-phantasy-star-online-2-new-genesis/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/into-the-super-verse-rediscoveries-i-made-diving-headlong-into-city-of-heroes-homecoming/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/into-the-super-verse-rediscoveries-i-made-diving-headlong-into-city-of-heroes-homecoming/#comments Thu, 11 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474933 Last week, I wrote about how my game came back. It was a big deal to me to know that City of Heroes was really as back – legally – as it could possibly be. So after the stream we all jumped on, I made a point of getting my game on with a character […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/11/into-the-super-verse-rediscoveries-i-made-diving-headlong-into-city-of-heroes-homecoming/feed/ 44 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/10/leaderboard-what-was-the-best-new-mmo-of-2023/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/10/leaderboard-what-was-the-best-new-mmo-of-2023/#comments Wed, 10 Jan 2024 20:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=466496 So I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we have a lot of MMORPGs coming in 2024! The bad news is that a lot of them were delayed from 2023, meaning that 2023 didn’t have a whole ton of new MMOs. But this Leaderboard is a long-running poll […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/10/leaderboard-what-was-the-best-new-mmo-of-2023/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/10/end-of-year-eleven-the-mmos-with-the-most-uncertain-futures-in-2024/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/10/end-of-year-eleven-the-mmos-with-the-most-uncertain-futures-in-2024/#comments Wed, 10 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474783 As I say every single year and several people ignore every single year: This is not a column about the games that are most likely to shut down over the next year. In fact, if that what it were about, it wouldn’t even have the same title. That’s not an uncertain future; that’s a very […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/10/end-of-year-eleven-the-mmos-with-the-most-uncertain-futures-in-2024/feed/ 54 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/09/casually-classic-12-quality-of-life-improvements-coming-with-cataclysm-classic/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/09/casually-classic-12-quality-of-life-improvements-coming-with-cataclysm-classic/#comments Tue, 09 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474500 I’m in a very strange place in relation to the upcoming Cataclysm Classic. I kind of didn’t want this expansion to happen at all for the Classic servers, and confirmation of its existence at last year’s BlizzCon made me audibly groan. Yet I do want my Wrath Classic Shaman to continue her adventures, and I am slowly warming […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/09/casually-classic-12-quality-of-life-improvements-coming-with-cataclysm-classic/feed/ 10 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/09/choose-my-adventure-villagers-and-heroes-starts-to-click-and-become-routine-at-the-same-time/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/09/choose-my-adventure-villagers-and-heroes-starts-to-click-and-become-routine-at-the-same-time/#comments Tue, 09 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474472 Now I should point out before we begin that a game becoming routine isn’t really a bad thing – I’d argue that it’s precisely the point when a game becomes something you like or not. And I’m kind of at the point where Villagers & Heroes has ultimately played its hand and shown me all […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/09/choose-my-adventure-villagers-and-heroes-starts-to-click-and-become-routine-at-the-same-time/feed/ 2 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/08/the-soapbox-hearthstone-is-probably-in-for-another-boring-year-in-2024/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/08/the-soapbox-hearthstone-is-probably-in-for-another-boring-year-in-2024/#comments Mon, 08 Jan 2024 17:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474285 I recently got a survey in my email on Hearthstone and its future. The last time a Hearthstone survey got sent out, the idea of a subscription model for the game wasn’t received super well. It prompted me to wrote a series of articles on the differences between monetizing a computer card game and a […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/08/the-soapbox-hearthstone-is-probably-in-for-another-boring-year-in-2024/feed/ 1 https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/08/wisdom-of-nym-the-highs-and-lows-of-final-fantasy-xivs-2024-tokyo-fan-festival/ https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/08/wisdom-of-nym-the-highs-and-lows-of-final-fantasy-xivs-2024-tokyo-fan-festival/#comments Mon, 08 Jan 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://massivelyop.com/?p=474423 There’s a certain dramatic irony in the idea that as the Tokyo fan festival started winding up the Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail hype, the snow had just started falling in my home state. Not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination, but it still amused me just the same. As someone who is […]]]> https://massivelyop.com/2024/01/08/wisdom-of-nym-the-highs-and-lows-of-final-fantasy-xivs-2024-tokyo-fan-festival/feed/ 20