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By now pretty much everyone has heard the bad news about 38 Studios. This makes me extremely sad for all of the people who have lost their jobs as a result, but it also makes me extremely sad for the future of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Despite having been lackluster about the game before launch, I fell in love with the demo and then fell further in love with the main game. The game has a lot of neat ideas, and it's a franchise that could really benefit from a sequel to polish things up. Sad news all around, really.

This week's WRUP isn't full of bad news -- it's just filled with the facts about what we'll be up to over the weekend. It's also filled with our opinions on judging all MMOs by the same standard instead of more varied criteria. So skip on past the cut to see our weekend plans, and let us know in the comments what you're going to be doing over the long weekend!

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Massively Speaking Episode 202 is hot at the scene of the 38 Studios disaster, and without hyperbole we can say that this is more tragic than Pompeii, the Titanic, and Showgirls combined. Will Curt Schilling's dream team survive this financial crisis? We brought expert analyst Eliot Lefebvre on the podcast to give us his opinion.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
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[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:



Read below the cut for the full show notes.

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At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

We got you started in Diablo III this week with our best tips, a guide for MMO players, details on the starter edition, videos, warm fuzzies, and friendly rivalries. Hopefully, that gave you plenty to read during all of the downtime. Ouch!

Meanwhile, gamers everywhere looked on as the 38 Studios ship continued to founder. Early in the week, we learned that the studio might default on its state loan, leaving the debt to Rhode Island taxpayers. A few emergency meetings later, 38 Studios' employees' paychecks are going unpaid and the state governor is throwing out release dates for the seemingly doomed MMO Project Copernicus. But hey, flythrough video, right?

More of the week's top MMO stories are prepped for your eyes after the cut.

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Long-time Massively follower but first-time One Shots contributor Ilix sent along today's highlighted screenshot of Fallen Earth, which we think is quite timely, given the PvP revamp soon headed to everyone's favorite post-apocalyptic sandbox. He writes in,

Fallen Earth is my top hard-RP MMO. Ilix, after three decades of isolation, attempted to fit in with a player-run town. But he was too rough-edged, too guarded, and still isolated in his mind, and he could not find joy among others. After several days trying to force himself back into what remains of humanity in the blasted terrain of the apocalypse, he admitted to himself that he could never return because he was too quick to anger, and he wandered off back into the desert. Irradiated scorpions haunt the land he wandered into, so he finds rest on the blade of a ruined helicopter's rotor, just out of reach of stingers. This shot defines the dual beauty and harshness of the life he resigns himself to.

Ilix's gorgeous sunset is tucked behind the break along with two other One Shots shots!

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What a week of livestreaming! We've got quite the variety and tons of hours of video to watch. What's that? You had to work and missed half of the cool streams we showed? Don't worry! I gather all of the best streams from the week's collection and list them for you right here. Still, you need to bookmark our livestream page so you can see which videos are going to be shown during the week, but if you miss any, you can check out the recap here. That's why we do it.

This week we had a lot to offer. First we had good old Mike jumping into EVE Online for some space action, then into TERA for some scantily clad combat! He then explores some of the great browser-based game Drakensang Online. MJ brought a ton of goodies to the streaming table, goodies like a run-through in EverQuest II, some base-jumping in City of Heroes, a bit of hardcore survival in Xsyon, and a flight around the beautiful lands of Aion. I rounded out the end by streaming some BatMUD, a cool MUD that has been around since many of you have been in diapers!

Click past the cut and grab some popcorn. Keep the butter light but add some salt. Thanks.

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For various terrible reasons, I only just found out about Panzer Pets (and yes, we did cover the announcement on Massively, but I still occasionally miss news we cover). Like many ambitious projects, it's on Kickstarter, but as of right now it's not even 10% funded, which raises the question of why we live in a world where a game that offers to let you build your own little robots and send them into battle was not funded about eight minutes after the page went live.

I think this should be rectified. My only regret is not having the full sum to just fill up the funding by my lonesome.

What's that? Oh, right, WRUP, in which the Massively staff members discuss what they'll be playing over the next two days. We also discuss our thoughts on open vs. instanced housing. Jump on past the break to see our weekend plans, and let us know what you're going to be doing in the comments!

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Massively Speaking Episode 201 gets into all of your dirty little secrets -- not to mention Funcom's, as well! We're joined by Jef, who gives us the full scoop on The Secret World now that the NDA's come tumbling down. Will this be another Failcom or possibly a Fabulouscom? Only Jef knows, and he's highly resistant to torture and bribery.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:



Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue Reading

At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

The Secret World is becoming less secret by the week, which is good news for potential players (and the one million beta applicants) who are curious about Funcom's next big thing due out in just over a month. This week, on the eve of the game's first beta weekend, Massively's own conspiracy-debunkers got some hands-on time with the Templars and the Illuminati and logged a few hours trying on tinfoil hats in the character creator. (Tinfoil hats sold separately.)

The rest of this week's top MMO stories are lurking just beyond the cut.

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TERA isn't quite two weeks old, but it's already offering up some spectacular views. Kromic on the Dragonfall server paused while riding on his mount to take this shot. He writes in,

While doing some exploring on my trusty steed in TERA, I found a great view of the capital city Velika.

His screenshot is just after the cut, along with three more images of woodland critters doing their duty to spice up our MMO scenery.

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Ah, early summer. The air outside is crisp and clear, filled with possibilities. And pollen, lots and lots of pollen. Let's all just avoid that mess and stay inside watching videos all day, huh? In fact, let's start with a series of really cool videos hosted by your favorite MMO site staff! Luckily for you, I have quite a few nice streams to show you this week. Last week's were good -- don't get me wrong -- but this week? This week will live on in your memory until the day you die.

We'll start with a bit of EVE Online and TERA gameplay hosted by Mike, then MJ takes over and shows us some EverQuest II, a chunk of Aion, and a batch of City of Heroes craziness. I square off things nice and neat with a visit to Glitch's new housing system. Be sure to bookmark our Livestream schedule page right here so you can follow what is happening in the world of Twitch.tv streaming each week.

Now click past the cut and get to viewing!

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With Ms. Lady and I solidly moved into our new apartment, we face a new problem. Specifically, we face the problem of having a substantial need for furniture and not nearly enough furniture to meet that need. So we've absconded to the almost adjacent Crate & Barrel, which is a lot like Ikea except made of something sturdier than corrugated cardboard. Maybe not much, but it's a game of degrees.

But you didn't come here to read about my furniture shopping. Well, not just my furniture shopping, anyway. You came here for this week's installment of WRUP, wherein we of the Massively staff discuss our plans for the weekend. We also talk about whether or not we mourn the games that never saw widespread release, if any. So jump on down past the break to see what we're up to over the weekend, and let us know what you've got planned in the comments!

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Massively Speaking Episode 200 is a nice round number, and people are supposed to celebrate those, right? Join us for a Very Special Episode, during which Shawn joins Justin and Bree to reminisce about the past, talk about the behind-the-scenes activities on the site, and drop a Tabula Rasa reference or two.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:



Read below the cut for the full show notes.

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Massively reader Sharvis, a familiar name throughout our comment section, landed today's One Shots feature with a screenshot from the most recent Guild Wars 2 beta event for pre-purchasers. And it looks like he managed to figure out a way to see the Asura and Sylvari in NPC form, in spite of their absence from the test as playable characters. He writes in,

My Ranger, Leander Delmanos, overlooks the water beyond Lion's Arch in Guild Wars 2. He's accompanied by Snoots, his faithful bear companion, and two NPCs.

We've got more GW2 pics for this special One Shots edition after the cut!

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I was worried, rather legitimately, that when I moved into my new apartment, I would be facing an internet-free existence despite having called to set up a transfer two weeks prior. That worst-case scenario didn't come to pass. However, I am still sitting among a nightmarish pile of boxes that form corridors and alleyways through my space. Somewhere in those boxes is every important item that contributes to comfortable living. But at least I can clean that up while looking at cat videos.

Since I have the internet, I'm also able to type yet another inane introduction to WRUP, in which the Massively staff members discuss what they're up to over the next few days. We also give our impressions of the two most recent betas in five words -- or whatever other MMO-related topic strikes our fancy. So jump on down to see what we're up to for the weekend, and let us know your plans over the weekend in the comments!

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Massively Speaking Episode 199 has our intrepid duo sitting down with Rusty Hearts Game Producer Mark Hill to talk about the game's newest character: Leila! If petticoats and perfume and razor-sharp swords are your bag, then Leila will answer your peculiar personals ad. We also talk about several game anniversaries, the Guild Wars 2 beta weekend, and Cryptic's big boo-boo.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:



Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue Reading