Polls

This week a sizable chunk of the gaming industry descends on downtown San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Convention. And yes, Massively will be there cornering every dev that gets in our sights, convincing them all to answer as many of our burning questions as possible before someone finds and rescues them!

I was even thinking how neat it would be to add these little tête-à-têtes to the Massively TV line up. Alas, I was thwarted; something about "evidence." Ah well, there are still plenty of live shows scheduled and a plethora of reruns to fill out your week while waiting on the GDC news.

If you have any burning questions about your favorite games, add them to the comments below and we'll see how many we can get answers for. And don't miss our two bonus polls at the end.

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Captain's log, Stardate 86215.3. During a mission of exploration in the Regulus Sector, the USS Zhuong Zhou once again encountered the Borg. While the ship was successful in preventing a large-scale Borg assault, we were forced to evacuate to avoid an imminent warp core breach. No hands were lost, which was sufficient for Starfleet to grant me a full command aboard the USS Xiang Yu.

For our first mission, the ship has been dispatched to the Regulus Sector in the hopes of facilitating long-term peace negotiations with factions of the Klingon Empire. The ship's array of powerful phaser cannon and high-yield plasma torpedoes serve as a testament to the fact that the Federation is aware of many different definitions of "negotiate." We are currently en route to the Arucanis Arm nebula to help defend colonists from raids by Orion pirates, and I have instructed my first officer to be prepared to use both tact and diplomacy in this situation.

My chief tactical officer has nicknamed the two cannon arrays "tact" and "diplomacy."

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Shooter gameplay is on the rise in the MMO space, as titles like PlanetSide 2, Firefall, DUST 514, and Defiance are all marrying twitch-based running and gunning with some sort of persistent open-world progression component.

Defiance and DUST are particularly interesting, to me at least, because they're part of a larger IP. IN DUST's case, the title shares a game world and a server back-end with long-running sci-fi MMO EVE Online. Defiance, of course, is joined at the hip with the upcoming television show of the same name, though just how joined remains to be seen. For today's Leaderboard, let's pit these two titles against one another and see which is more anticipated amongst Massively readers. Vote after the cut!

Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

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It's strange, but every year around this time, someone sneaks into my room and manages to snatch an hour away from me, right from under my nose! Sometimes I stay up extra late trying to catch the thief, but he always eludes me. One of these days I am going to nab the scoundrel who pilfers precious time. I want that hour back; I need all of them I can get.

But I guess I have to make do now. My hour is probably being sold from the back of some truck in a dark alley to some desperate fellow as we speak anyway. What? You say it is banked, and I'll get it back? Well if it's in a bank, I expect it returned with interest. I want at least a 5% return on that time, compounded daily, when it's returned. That's right -- you take my time to invest, so you better be paying me the dividends! Wouldn't you agree? Weigh in with your opinion on Daylight Saving Time after the break.

Speaking of investing time, we've got a good place for that right here: Massively TV! Just drop in an hour or two at a time and you can withdraw laughter as needed. The Stream Team has plenty of live opportunities for your investment needs, or you can peruse the reruns section at your leisure. Invest as much or as little as you want, but remember: The more you do, the greater your return.

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Acting captain's log, Stardate 86196.3. This marks my first entry as captain of the USS Zhuang Zhou and also the first entry into my log since Starfleet formally insisted that I stop beginning log entries with "dear diary." My protests regarding this policy have been documented elsewhere.

During a mission of mercy, the Zhuang Zhou was forced to enter a combat situation against the Borg, which killed the majority of the command staff. As the highest-ranking officer on board, I assumed command and aided other Starfleet vessels in the vicinity in an effort to repel the threat. Now, I will be granted command of the Zhuang Zhou on a provisional basis after she is retrofitted and repaired.

Successfully undertaking a few more missions at the behest of Starfleet Command will most likely be enough to earn me a full command of a light ship. As the Zhuang Zhou is an aging Miranda-class vessel with a dearth of useful functions, the likelihood of her surviving any further combat engagements is slim to none. My protests regarding this state of affairs have also been documented elsewhere.

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It's a magical time: Throughout this week there will be sightings of leprechauns, lucky shamrocks will sprout up everywhere, and folks will be chasing rainbows hoping to find a special treasure. It's also the time I can say "blarney" without everyone looking at me askance! Yup, Saint Paddy's is right around the corner, the day that capstones a week when untold masses find their inner-Irish self. Those brave enough to admit they've adopted the traditions of this time can stand up and be counted in the poll at the end.

Need more to do while awaiting Sunday's revelry and pinch-a-thon? Why not watch a smorgasbord of tomfoolery on Massively TV. You can join your favorite Stream Team hosts in chat or even in game and be a part the trouble they get themselves into! Just check the schedule for the when and the where. You can also catch previous shows at your own convenience and laugh at the crazy antics displayed (and trust us, they are plenty crazy). It's all waiting for you after the break!

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The voters have spoken! While Allods Online and EverQuest II both had communities with plenty of passion, in the end the poll went to Star Trek Online. This means that this round of Choose My Adventure will feature a first for me after all.

Usually when I run these polls, the winning game is one that I haven't played. In this case, the winner is not only a game that I've played extensively but one I'm very fond of despite my long absence.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. It's time for a brief and not perfectly accurate recap of the game's history, followed by a set of polls and a couple of things I'm doing differently this time around. One of those things is not the bonus polls, if you were wondering. So if you've somehow missed the story so far, what's the deal with Star Trek Online?

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It can strike out of nowhere: that random line or twenty from one of the movie greats just rockets out of your mouth. But I'm not talking about some box office smash. Oh no, I'm talking about the truly defining films of our culture -- the cult classics! With their quirkiness, their courage to stretch beyond the boundaries of the industry, and of course those sensationally memorable lines, these films embedded themselves in our psyches and helped shape our social environment.

Wouldn't it be great to have been at the dawning of these bits of history? Well why not be at the start of a budding cult classic? While there are no guarantees, there's certainly a possibility that one of Massively TV's shows will rise up and join the hallowed annals of cult status. You never know, so why deny yourself the opportunity and live with regret?

Check out this week's Stream Team schedule after the cut and be a part of history in the making, all while enjoying the crazy commentary of your favorites hosts as they show off new betas and old standbys alike. Then vote for your favorite movie to MMO conversion in our poll at the end.

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It's that time again, ladies and gentlemen. After three rounds of letting my fate be chosen by the whims of my readers, I have chosen to do the exact same thing all over again. I'm getting back in the big seat and running through Choose My Adventure with a new list of games, a new set of bonus polls, and a new set of whatever else people expect when I do these columns.

Plus, while the third installment usually has a lot of pressure, the fourth installment is rarely assumed to be anything special. So I feel as if I'm off the hook.

This time around, I'm putting in some old favorites, some candidates that are often voted for but never make the prime time, and some games that might just raise some eyebrows. So let's meet our contestants past the break, and get your votes in here by Friday, March 1st!

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Ironically, I was going to have a "Let it snow edition," but I kept bumping it in favor of focusing on other February frivolity. Good thing, too, as I don't want anyone blaming me for the storm that hit the east. I myself was intimately acquainted with that storm, as it stranded me for two days in various airports while I was trying to get home. The nerve of it -- it even forced me to miss streams. *cries* Nemo was always a troublemaker!

Luckily, that's all behind us now. We have nothing ahead but smooth livestreams. And by smooth, I mean ample opportunities for your favorite hosts to pull crazy stunts and die in spectacular ways! How many interesting and unique ways can The Stream Team members get themselves in trouble this week? Tune into Massively TV and see!

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Last week, you voted for me to try my hand at making a sculpture in A Tale in the Desert, and I rolled up my sleeves to start the process of rotting flax, spinning twine into rope, and weaving linen. And then my sunny days in the desert were trumped by about two feet of snow. Thanks to the blizzard this past weekend, my opportunity to play was truncated, and while I'm frantically trying to wrap up my sculpture, I wasn't able to finish it in time for this week's column.

Fortunately, I still have plenty to report.

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So there I was, running through the desert on a personal crusade to find a far away pyramid. I heard that it granted an automatic free level, and who wouldn't want that? The only question was whether I'd run out of interest before I reached it because travel in A Tale in the Desert is challenging, to say the least.

I really like the world of ATITD so far, and yet there are things about it that really make me grumpy. And it's usually the things I like the most about the game that also cause me grief. While I failed to find that pyramid, I did learn quite a bit this past week in game.

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You can't dip into a setting like WildStar's without hearing the familiar chords of Firefly's opening theme, and it's no accident; the game's two factions were surely set up to mimic that IP's rustic space cowboys and refined imperial aristocracy. Today, the embargo drops on a truckload of information, screenshots, and videos about the Exile faction (the Dominion faction, I fear, won't be fully revealed until next week).

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Will he or won't he? This week, eyes turn towards Punxsutawney Phil, that celebrated weatherman covered in fur, to learn whether winter is getting kicked out the door or it will stick around with feet propped on the coffee table like a bad houseguest whose welcome has long worn out.

Our fate lies in the shadow, and only the shadow truly knows! Or does it? Maybe Phil has a little under-the-table agreement going with his shadow and the results are totally precalculated. Perhaps the groundhog and his shadow want only to mess with us, toying with our hopes and emotions. Resist this type of tyrannical manipulation, I say! Resist by ignoring the threat (or promise) of the weather and focus your energies on watching Massively TV. After all, you can rest assured that The Stream Team would never mess with you like that. Lead you off a cliff, however, is an entirely different matter...

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Last week's Choose My Adventure poll was a real nail-biter! There were four games that were all within a few votes of each other. In the end, the winner by five votes was A Tale in the Desert, and I'm thrilled to be able to write about this game for my turn at CMA.

As much as I like elves and orcs, I'm ready for obelisks, pyramids, and plenty of sand. I created my character over the weekend and began my path to citizenship. Did I make it through, or did flax farming get the better of me? Help me plan my course!

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