Carlo Lacsina
Teacher by day, Dark Knight by...... night. Huge (maybe even massive) MMO fan. Loves playing Black Desert Online, FFXIV, and GW2! Super social, really chatty, and always happy to talk about MMOs!
Phantasy Star Online 2’s latest update adds more story and raises the level cap as SEGA America begins layoffs
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis players are in for a treat today, and they deserve it after waiting through a nine-hour maintenance with...
Four Winds: Catching up with Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis
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,...
The Soapbox: Hearthstone is probably in for another boring year in 2024
I recently got a survey in my email on Hearthstone and its future. The last time a Hearthstone survey got sent out, the idea...
The Soapbox: Will Diablo IV’s Vessel of Hatred be a sufficient answer for Path of Exile 2?
Everyone loves a good enrage timer, right? It puts pressure on everyone involved in a raid or boss fight to pull their weight and...
Not So Massively: Diablo IV’s disastrous 1.1.0 patch – and Blizzard’s mea culpa
Diablo IV's last week has just been the drama gift that keeps on giving, and since Blizzard's latest toy is my favorite game right...
Desert Oasis: Black Desert’s Land of the Morning Light design makes perfect practical and aesthetic sense
In the last edition of Desert Oasis, I barely scratched the surface of Black Desert's Land of the Morning Light expansion. I've still got...
Desert Oasis: First impressions of Black Desert’s Land of the Morning Light
Long-time Black Desert players know about a little town on the northwest corner of the map. It's the city of Port Ratt, and for...
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...
Desert Oasis: Returning home to Black Desert Online
Back in October of 2020, I penned a column about the worst week I’ve ever had in Black Desert. The series of unfortunate events...
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,...
Why I Play: Diablo III – From Reaper of Souls to today
In the first part of this Why I Play retrospective on Diablo III, I discussed the early issues that accompanied the game's record-setting debut....
Why I Play: Diablo III – From pre-release to Reaper of Souls
It's hard for me to believe that Diablo III's May 15th, 2012, release was over a decade ago. And despite its reputation of being...
The Soapbox: Subscriptions might actually be the next big innovation in digital card games
What started earlier this week as a rant on how bad an idea a subscription model in Hearthstone would be evolved into something more:...
The Soapbox: Comparing the monetization of physical and digital card games
Earlier this week, we reported on the recent Blizzard survey about a possible Hearthstone sub. When I read the news, I almost choked on...
Desert Oasis: Black Desert’s Jaehee Kim and Jesse Joo on accessibility, community, and playing their own game
Attending the first Calpheon Ball in the US was an awesome experience. Getting to see fellow Black Desert fans, watching the joy in peoples' faces...
Desert Oasis: The Woosa, the Maegu, and new lands – the highlights from Black Desert’s 2022 Calpheon Ball
Black Desert had a pretty quiet 2022. It might be a good thing considering how much bad press some of its peers have been...
Four Winds: Lost Ark and the refinement of MMO item enhance systems
In the last edition of Four Winds, I promised I'd cover how three MMOs utilized item enhance systems to facilitate progression, and then I...
Four Winds: The refinement of item enhance systems in MMOs, from Granado Espada to Black Desert
Itemization is a foundational system in many modern MMOs. After players reach the level cap, item levels largely drive the measurable progression of a...
Four Winds: What made Lost Ark so successful where Elyon failed?
I'm sad about it, but I have to eat my words about Elyon and its place in this decade's pantheon of MMOs. I honestly...
Black Desert Online new 3v3 PvP mode Arena of Solare releases today along with its inaugural season
Did you know Pearl Abyss founder Kim Dae-il took inspiration from fighting games when he and his team developed Black Desert's MMO combat system?...
