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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><itunes:title>Massively Speaking</itunes:title><itunes:author>Joystiq</itunes:author><itunes:image href="%BlogURL%/media/feedlogo.gif" /><itunes:summary>Massively Speaking</itunes:summary><itunes:category text="Games &amp; Hobbies"><itunes:category text="Video Games" /></itunes:category><item><title><![CDATA[The Perfect Ten: Sequelitis]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/19/the-perfect-ten-sequelitis/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/19/the-perfect-ten-sequelitis/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/19/the-perfect-ten-sequelitis/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/everquest-ii/" rel="tag">EverQuest II</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lineage-2/" rel="tag">Lineage 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/neocron-2/" rel="tag">Neocron 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sword-of-the-new-world/" rel="tag">Sword of the New World</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/guild-wars-2/" rel="tag">Guild Wars 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/everquest-online-adventures/" rel="tag">Everquest Online Adventures</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/humor/" rel="tag">Humor</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/final-fantasy-xiv/" rel="tag">Final Fantasy XIV</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/dust-514/" rel="tag">DUST 514</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/vindictus/" rel="tag">Vindictus</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/everquest-next/" rel="tag">EverQuest Next</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/perfect-ten/" rel="tag">Perfect Ten</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/misc/" rel="tag">Miscellaneous</a></p><div style="text-align: center;">
	<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/perfect-ten/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/05/shera.jpg" style="border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px;" /></a></div>
As a long-time movie buff, I've always been fascinated by sequels. I know, they have a terrible reputation and everyone gets this face like he's digesting a porcupine when discussing them, but there's something fun about them as well. I think we always want a good story to continue, to see what happens next, and to answer the question, "What would the first film be like if it were put in the hands of a complete boob?" It would be an entertaining trainwreck, that's what.<br />
<br />
Even though the MMORPG genre is in its toddler stage, it's seen a number of sequels, prequels and spin-offs, just the same as other types of entertainment. Video game sequels for hit titles are safer financial investments than striking out into new territory, so it makes sense that MMO studios would follow this pattern as well.<br />
<br />
Right now there are loads of MMO sequels and spin-offs in the works -- including <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/everquest-next/"><em>EverQuest Next</em></a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/planetside-next/"><em>PlanetSide Next</em></a>, <a href="http://www.guildwars2.com/en/"><em>Guild Wars 2</em></a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/mabinogi-2/"><em>Mabinogi 2</em></a>, <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/maplestory-2/">MapleStory 2</a>, <a href="http://pso2.jp/alpha/">Phantasy Star Online 2</a>, <a href="http://www.dust514.org/">Dust 514</a></em>, and <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/rumor-a-new-ultima-mmo-might-be-in-the-works/">even a possible <em>Ultima Online</em> sequel</a> -- so it's safe to say that the trend won't be dying down anytime soon. However, today I want to look at 10 sequels that already made it to release and briefly examine how they stacked up to their predecessors. Oh yes, there will be blood after the jump -- and I will drink your milkshake!<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/19/the-perfect-ten-sequelitis/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>The Perfect Ten: Sequelitis</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/19/the-perfect-ten-sequelitis/">The Perfect Ten: Sequelitis</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Thu, 19 May 2011 11:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/19/the-perfect-ten-sequelitis/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/19942591/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/19/the-perfect-ten-sequelitis/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>16-bit</category><category>8-bit</category><category>adult</category><category>adult-mmo</category><category>adult-oriented</category><category>allods-online</category><category>bigfoot</category><category>black-prophecy</category><category>City-of-Villains</category><category>dust-514</category><category>eq</category><category>eq2</category><category>eqii</category><category>eqoa</category><category>everquest</category><category>everquest-2</category><category>everquest-ii</category><category>everquest-next</category><category>everquest-online-adventures</category><category>f2p</category><category>factions</category><category>featured</category><category>ff14</category><category>final-fantasy-11</category><category>final-fantasy-14</category><category>final-fantasy-xi</category><category>final-fantasy-xiv</category><category>free-to-play</category><category>guild-wars-2</category><category>guild-wars-factions</category><category>guild-wars-nightfall</category><category>legend-of-mir</category><category>legend-of-mir-2</category><category>legend-of-mir-3</category><category>lineage</category><category>lineage-2</category><category>lineage-3</category><category>lineage-ii</category><category>mabinogi-2</category><category>maginobi</category><category>maginobi-heroes</category><category>maplestory-2</category><category>ncsoft</category><category>neocron</category><category>neocron-2</category><category>nexon</category><category>nightfall</category><category>perfect-10</category><category>perfect-ten</category><category>phantasy-star-online-2</category><category>planetside-next</category><category>playstation-2</category><category>polybius</category><category>prequels</category><category>ps2</category><category>reakktor</category><category>reakktor-media</category><category>sequel</category><category>sequels</category><category>spin-off</category><category>spin-offs</category><category>spinoff</category><category>spinoffs</category><category>sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue</category><category>square</category><category>square-enix</category><category>sword-2</category><category>sword-of-the-new-world</category><category>the-perfect-10</category><category>the-perfect-ten</category><category>ultima-online</category><category>vindictus</category><category>wemade</category><category>wemade-entertainment</category><category>world-of-warcraft</category><category>wow</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Justin Olivetti]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2011 11:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[News from the Wider MMO World: August 26, 2008]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-26-2008/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-26-2008/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-26-2008/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/at-a-glance/" rel="tag">At a glance</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/horror/" rel="tag">Horror</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/screenshots/" rel="tag">Screenshots</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/dreamlords/" rel="tag">Dreamlords</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/jumpgate-evolution/" rel="tag">Jumpgate Evolution</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/neocron-2/" rel="tag">Neocron 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-real-world/" rel="tag">Events, real-world</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/events-in-game/" rel="tag">Events, in-game</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/expansions/" rel="tag">Expansions</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lore/" rel="tag">Lore</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmo-industry/" rel="tag">MMO industry</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/patches/" rel="tag">Patches</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/pvp/" rel="tag">PvP</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/runescape/" rel="tag">RuneScape</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/free-to-play/" rel="tag">Free-to-play</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/browser/" rel="tag">Browser</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mabinogi/" rel="tag">Mabinogi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/requiem-bloodymare/" rel="tag">Requiem: Bloodymare</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fiesta/" rel="tag">Fiesta</a></p><div align="center"><em><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="top" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/08/nftwmmow.jpg" alt="" /></em><br /></div>
<em>The MMO genre is more than World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, and Warhammer Online. Here's what's going on in the rest of the world.<br /><br /></em><strong><em>Mabinogi</em> welcomes Generation 3</strong><em><br /></em>The MMO that bills itself as "your fantasy life" has gotten its next upgrade with Generation 3. Now <em><a href="http://mabinogi.nexon.net/Intro/">Mabinogi</a></em> players will have the ability to marry each other, complete with license and wedding attire for both genders. An overarching quest will require warriors to recover dungeon seals to prevent the Fomor from entering the world. And finally, the pet system gets an overhaul, with new interactions, behaviors, and controls. The removal of the combat cap, increased UI options, and new items all await players in Generation 3.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Neocron 2</span> developer declares insolvency</span><br />10Tacle Studios AG, parent company of Reakktor Media GmbH, developers of <a href="http://www.neocron.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Neocron 2</a>, declared insolvency on August 6th. They are awaiting an insolvency administrator to determine what will happen with the game servers. In a later update to the original forum post, Kirk Lenke, CEO of Reakktor Media announced that the insolvency will not affect business operation of Neocron 2, and that they are still in development for upcoming title <a href="http://www.blackprophecy.com/" style="font-style: italic;">Black Prophecy</a>.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-26-2008/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>News from the Wider MMO World: August 26, 2008</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-26-2008/">News from the Wider MMO World: August 26, 2008</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-26-2008/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1290766/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/26/news-from-the-wider-mmo-world-august-26-2008/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>bleakstone-sector</category><category>dreamlords-the-reawakening</category><category>eve-online</category><category>featured</category><category>fiesta</category><category>gravity-interactive</category><category>guinness</category><category>jagex</category><category>joystiq-features</category><category>jumpgate-evolution</category><category>leipzig-games-convention</category><category>mabinogi</category><category>neocron-2</category><category>news</category><category>news-from-the-wider-mmo-world</category><category>outspark</category><category>requiem-bloodymare</category><category>runescape</category><category>secrets-of-the-solstice</category><category>toaster</category><category>wedding</category><category>week-of-the-warrior</category><category>xenoa</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Akela Talamasca]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[E308: Black Prophecy debuts with trailer, closed beta registration]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/e308-black-prophecy-debuts-with-trailer-closed-beta-registrati/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/e308-black-prophecy-debuts-with-trailer-closed-beta-registrati/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/e308-black-prophecy-debuts-with-trailer-closed-beta-registrati/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/betas/" rel="tag">Betas</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/trailers/" rel="tag">Trailers</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/neocron-2/" rel="tag">Neocron 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/new-titles/" rel="tag">New titles</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmofps/" rel="tag">MMOFPS</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/black-prophecy/" rel="tag">Black Prophecy</a></p><div align="center"><img hspace="4" border="1" vspace="4" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/black_prophecy.jpg" /><br />
<div align="left"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/reakktor-media/">Reakktor Media</a>, the brains behind the cyberpunk MMO shooters <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocron"><em>Neocron</em></a> and <a href="http://ng.neocron.com/"><em>Neocron 2</em></a>, have recently recently a brand new movie-esque trailer for their new game, <a href="http://www.blackprophecy.com"><em>Black Prophecy</em></a>.<br /><br />The game is a futuristic space combat game, a la <a href="http://www.jossh.com/join_today/index.html"><em>Jumpgate</em></a>, in design. By the look of the trailer, there's going to be dogfights, explosions, pretty planets, huge ships, and pretty much everything else you could expect. The game world has also been penned by <a href="http://www.michaelmarrak.de/">Michael Marrak</a>, a German science-fiction author, so we can also expect a full plotline and deep world. If the text in the trailer is to be believed, it looks like all of life might be nearing a universal apocalypse?<br /><br />More importantly, <a href="http://www.reakktor.com/">Reakktor</a> has also opened the registration for the Black Prophecy closed beta on their website, so if you're interested in flying around and blowing stuff up, you might want to stop over and drop your name in the hat. There's currently no word as to when the closed beta will start up, but we'll keep our ears to the ground for you and will post up the information as we receive it.<br /><br />But while you're drooling, waiting for the beta, you can also <a href="http://bp.kkweb8.de/downloads/BP_E3_2008.zip">look at the trailer</a> on the <em>Black Prophecy</em> website, plus a couple of screenshots, to keep you guessing until the game falls into your hands. Or, maybe go check out Reakktor's other work, <em><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/neocron-2/">Neocron 2</a></em>, perhaps?<br /></div>
</div><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/e308-black-prophecy-debuts-with-trailer-closed-beta-registrati/">E308: Black Prophecy debuts with trailer, closed beta registration</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/e308-black-prophecy-debuts-with-trailer-closed-beta-registrati/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1260632/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/20/e308-black-prophecy-debuts-with-trailer-closed-beta-registrati/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>beta</category><category>black-prophecy</category><category>bp</category><category>closed-beta</category><category>e3-2008</category><category>jumpgate</category><category>michael-marrak</category><category>neocron</category><category>neocron-2</category><category>new-titles</category><category>reakktor</category><category>reakktor-media</category><category>trailer</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Seven days sans Neocron 2]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/seven-days-sans-neocron-2/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/seven-days-sans-neocron-2/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/seven-days-sans-neocron-2/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/neocron-2/" rel="tag">Neocron 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/server-downtime/" rel="tag">Server downtime</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/news-items/" rel="tag">News items</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/mmofps/" rel="tag">MMOFPS</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://forum.neocron.com/showthread.php?t=142323"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/05/serverexplode.jpg" /></a><br />
<div align="left">Usually when a game's server goes down, it's the world shard server that everyone knows and thinks about. After a couple of minutes, the development team sends the server through a reboot and everything is back up without much fuss, except <a href="http://www.gameaxis.com/home/?blog=1645">a few people who complain</a> how they lost that ten whole minutes of farming.<br /></div>
</div>
<br />But the <a href="http://www.neocron2.com"><span style="font-style: italic;">Neocron 2</span></a> community got to find out what happens when the multiple hard drives of the login server simultaneously fail, sending the account data and character data into the land of infinity. The result was <a href="http://forum.neocron.com/showpost.php?p=2127898&amp;postcount=3%3C/a%3E">seven days without <em>Neocron 2</em></a>, forcing the community into the standard MMO withdrawal syndrome as their favorite game was unaccessible.<br /><br />The servers were finally available again yesterday, and everyone once again piled into <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/neocron-2/">Neocron</a></span> for their cyberpunk first-person shooter experience.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.reakktor.com/">Reakktor Media</a>, the operators of <em>Neocron 2</em>, will not be providing current subscribers with free game time for the server outage. Instead, they are <a href="http://forum.neocron.com/announcement.php?f=2&amp;announcementid=381%3C/a%3E">preparing a special in-game present</a> to everyone who had a trial account or full account during the outage.<br /><br />When reached for further comment, Reakktor Media declined to provide further information, stating what was on the forums was all the information they were willing to release regarding this matter.<br /><br />[Thanks, Mike!]<br /><em><br />(Edit: Corrected photo caption. - Colin)</em><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/seven-days-sans-neocron-2/">Seven days sans Neocron 2</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Fri, 30 May 2008 19:30:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://forum.neocron.com/showthread.php?t=142313>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/seven-days-sans-neocron-2/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1205324/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/30/seven-days-sans-neocron-2/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>age-of-conan</category><category>aoc</category><category>login-server</category><category>n2</category><category>neocron2</category><category>reakktor-media</category><category>server-downtime</category><category>server-maintenance</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Seraphina Brennan]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2008 19:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[The future of the MMO pet class]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/the-future-of-the-mmo-pet-class/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/the-future-of-the-mmo-pet-class/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/the-future-of-the-mmo-pet-class/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/neocron-2/" rel="tag">Neocron 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/classes/" rel="tag">Classes</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a></p><a href="http://blogs.chimpswithkeyboards.com/vanhemlock/archive/2008/04/03/1884.aspx"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/04/puppy.jpg" alt="" /></a>Almost every MMO has them; the typical pet class. Whether it's charming a beast of nature, raising one from the corpse of a fallen enemy or creating one from scratch, the mechanics of the pet classes are always intriguing to players. Over at <a href="http://blogs.chimpswithkeyboards.com/vanhemlock/archive/2008/04/03/1884.aspx">Van Hemlock's blog</a>, he tears down the basics of the pet class and shares his experiences with his favorites on various online games he's played through the years.<br /><br />His feature example is from <a href="http://ng.neocron.com/">10tacle Studios' <em>Neocron 2: Beyond Dome of York</em></a>. In this game, there's a <a href="http://ng.neocron.com/index.php?id=50">Rigger</a> class which enables a drone as it's pet of sorts. Van Hemlock goes on to describe exactly how this drone works and why it intrigues him so much in spite of the fact that the game is several years old, and there are so many other online games out there with similar classes.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.virginworlds.com/pg.php?n=10080">VirginWorlds</a>]<p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/the-future-of-the-mmo-pet-class/">The future of the MMO pet class</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://blogs.chimpswithkeyboards.com/vanhemlock/archive/2008/04/03/1884.aspx>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/the-future-of-the-mmo-pet-class/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1161982/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/the-future-of-the-mmo-pet-class/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>10tacle studios</category><category>10tacleStudios</category><category>neocron2</category><category>pet-class</category><category>pets</category><category>rigger</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Schuster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Fantasy, and not Science Fiction, Part Eleventy-Billion]]></title><link>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/23/why-fantasy-and-not-science-fiction-part-eleventy-billion/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/23/why-fantasy-and-not-science-fiction-part-eleventy-billion/</guid><comments>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/23/why-fantasy-and-not-science-fiction-part-eleventy-billion/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/world-of-warcraft/" rel="tag">World of Warcraft</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/fantasy/" rel="tag">Fantasy</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/sci-fi/" rel="tag">Sci-fi</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/eve-online/" rel="tag">EVE Online</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/neocron-2/" rel="tag">Neocron 2</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/game-mechanics/" rel="tag">Game mechanics</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lore/" rel="tag">Lore</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/opinion/" rel="tag">Opinion</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/star-wars-galaxies/" rel="tag">Star Wars Galaxies</a>, <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/category/tabula-rasa/" rel="tag">Tabula Rasa</a></p><a href="http://www.vargr.com/pages/furry/images/0223.jpg"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2008/01/scifiversusfantasy.jpg" alt="" /></a>As my compadre <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/bloggers/eli-shayotovich/">Eli </a>writes <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/22/sci-fi-mmo-youre-my-only-hope/">here</a>, there is reasoning available that Fantasy MMOs have flourished due to there being a greater preponderance of Fantasy titles, in various media, upon which to draw inspiration to sustain an MMO. The lack of substantive Science Fiction titles of the time, therefore, leads to the correlating dearth of such MMOs. However, this argument only mentions in passing what I think is the more crucial element, which is this:<br /><br />Fantasy titles are about the Hero's Journey, or the Epic. Science Fiction titles are about exploration of ideas. One of these story types makes for better adaptation to immersive gameplay. Guess which?<br /><br />Now, I will back up a bit and acknowledge that as a blanket statement, what I said does not (and should not be considered to) cover every Fantasy or Science Fiction title everywhere. Clearly, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars"><em>Star Wars</em></a> is the most well-known Epic SF story, but then again, Lucas based the plot almost entirely on Joseph Campbell's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth">monomyth</a>, which was itself formulated around the epic myths and stories of history. And perhaps one of the finest Fantasy titles ever written, John Crowley's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Big-P-S-John-Crowley/dp/0061120057/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1201043423&amp;sr=8-1"><em>Little, Big</em></a>, uses Fantasy tropes to examine the idea of the complexity of human relationships, rather than one character's journey to overcome evil. But having made those concessions, let me make my case.<p><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/23/why-fantasy-and-not-science-fiction-part-eleventy-billion/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Why Fantasy, and not Science Fiction, Part Eleventy-Billion</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ffffcc;border:1px solid #ffff99;clear:both;"><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com"><img src="http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif" alt="Massively" style="float:left;padding:0 5px 5px 0;" /></a><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/23/why-fantasy-and-not-science-fiction-part-eleventy-billion/">Why Fantasy, and not Science Fiction, Part Eleventy-Billion</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://massively.joystiq.com">Massively</a> on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:00:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.<br style="clear:both;"></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/23/why-fantasy-and-not-science-fiction-part-eleventy-billion/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/forward/1093643/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/23/why-fantasy-and-not-science-fiction-part-eleventy-billion/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>blade-runner</category><category>cyberpunk</category><category>epic</category><category>eve-online</category><category>extrapolative</category><category>fantasy</category><category>george-lucas</category><category>heros-journey</category><category>john-crowley</category><category>johnny-mnemonic</category><category>joseph-campbell</category><category>little-big</category><category>max-headroom</category><category>monomyth</category><category>neocron-online</category><category>science-fiction</category><category>space-opera</category><category>starship-troopers</category><category>strange-days</category><category>tabula-rasa</category><category>the-matrix</category><category>the-terminator</category><category>world-of-warcraft</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Akela Talamasca]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:00:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
