The MMO Report

This week's installment of The MMO Report is an update on the news around the MMO industry, as it is every week. The first item on host Casey Schreiner's agenda is the The Secret World's first major update. So if you want to make a joke in the comments about getting some updates in your updates, well, we just made that joke for you. Sorry to disappoint.

But that's not all there is to cover in this week's installment, as there's also an announcement about Star Wars: The Old Republic going free-to-play. You might have heard about it. Last but not least, it's time for the show to dive back into its mailbag, complete with fan art that has to be seen to be perceived. Click on past the break to see the full video, and tune in every week to see a new installment of The MMO Report from G4TV and Massively.

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Casey Schreiner is not a zombie. But as this week's installment of The MMO Report shows, he sure does like some zombies, and the prospect of The War Z's launch is certainly worth getting excited over. Even if you're not hungering for some brains, you can still enjoy the episode, which also covers such important MMO news as some little beta weekend or another. We think it was for Guild Wars 2; maybe you've heard of it.

Other major points of interest for this episode include a look at The Elder Scrolls Online aiming itself at everyone rather than just hardcore fans, the launch date for Mists of Pandaria, and new maps unveiled for MechWarrior Online. If you've missed some important and interesting MMO news over the past week, click on past the break to watch the full episode, and stay tuned each week for a new installment from G4TV and Massively.

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The rumors that you've been hearing since you read the title of this week's installment of The MMO Report are entirely true. Casey Schreiner is off this week, and so John Walsh has stepped up to the plate to host this week's installment of the show. And while that means less in the way of mailbags, there's plenty of news to fill up the week, starting with the revelation of the HK-51 droid in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Walsh moves from discussing a mechanical killing machine to discussing several organic killing machines vis-a-vis the first trailer for Game of Thrones: Seven Kingdoms. He also looks back at news regarding RuneScape's big registration milestone, information on the Guild Wars 2 beta weekend, and a new round of unexpected World of Warcraft violence. Check off the video past the break, and tune in again for another installment of The MMO Report from G4TV and Massively.

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The title of this week's installment of The MMO Report isn't meant to be catchy; it's meant to make it clear that the show is exactly what it says on the tin. Host Casey Schreiner is joined by Gazillion Entertainment president David Brevik to talk about the upcoming Marvel Heroes for the entirety of the show as well as show off a bit of footage from the game's various trailers. If that sounds interesting to you, then you're in for a treat.

Brevik explains that while players will be forced to choose from an existing roster of heroes, the game does offer several ways to differentiate between them through different costumes and different power selections. He also explains that he wants the game to feel similar to Diablo II in gameplay, with the MMO aspects changing the play environment rather than the core gameplay. Check out the episode just past the cut, and stay tuned each week for a new installment of The MMO Report from G4TV and Massively.

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Don't call it a comeback; The MMO Report has been here for years. It's been on hiatus for a little while, sure, but it's back in business, and that means more MMO news with your host Casey Schreiner. This week opens a bit differently than normal, as Casey explains the positive outcome of Star Wars: The Old Republic's somewhat convoluted server transfers and some of the rage over comments on same.

But it's not a show just about one game. This installment also discusses the reveal of PlanetSide 2's classes and their roles, the various exploits in EVE Online, the kick off of DUST 514's beta testing, and of course, the contents of Casey's mail bag. Also, for some reason, cats. Check out the full show just past the break, and stay tuned every week for a new installment of The MMO Report from G4TV and Massively.

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The MMO Report has been on hiatus since April, and we've all felt quite alone without it. But Casey Schreiner's gotten a new haircut, a new suit, and presumably a new shoeshine to go along with a very special new episode of the show. No, it's not an episode about teenage drug use; it's an episode packed with all of the post-E3 2012 goodness that a fan of MMOs could possibly want in a 14-minute broadcast.

Unfortunately, Casey himself couldn't be at E3, but that didn't mean that he couldn't round up plenty of video interviews. That means some video coverage for The Elder Scrolls Online, PlanetSide 2, DUST 514, Age of Wushu, and the rest. Could you ask for anything more? Perhaps to have the video embedded just past the cut? You're in luck on that count, and you should tune in on future weeks for another installment of the MMO Report from G4TV and Massively.

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The MMO Report has some big news this week, and no, it's not about the fact that it's secretly carrying your baby. Nor is it even tied to all of the various big news that the show has this week, and there is quite a bit of that. Obviously, there's the new patch for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and there's also the first in-game footage of both World of Darkness and Defiance, but those aren't the big reveal in the news.

So what is it? Well, while we'd normally promise that there's going to be a new episode next week from G4 and Massively, this week it's not quite so clear-cut. The show is going on a brief hiatus for reasons that we'll allow the show itself to explain. So hop on past the break for more MMO news, and tune in when the hiatus ends for another episode. You can keep checking back here forlornly, however. We won't hold it against you.

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This week on The MMO Report, Casey tells everyone to stop whining about Mass Effect 3's ending, laments the loss of the "online" part of Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online, touches on the World of Darkness keynote, and outlines The Secret World's preorder plans. He also reveals the identity of one of TERA's key voice actors: Michael Hogan (of Battlestar Galactica fame), who will play Samael in the final game. Finally, he pulls one measly letter from the mailbag and debates which class he represents in TERA.

Enjoy the full MMO Report after the cut!

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Morgan Webb dethrones Casey this week on The MMO Report, having made the journey to Anaheim to interview Blizzard's reps about World of Warcraft's upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion. J. Allen Brack and Tom Chilton focus on the philosophy of this expansion and its shift from previous expansions' ominous tone to a more playful theme of adventure, exploration, and oh yeah, the war between the Alliance and the Horde.

The pair also highlight changes to underdeveloped zones, pet battles, repurposed classic dungeons, phased farms (actual farms!), and solutions to the faction grind problem. Most interestingly, they tell Morgan that Pandaren came first... and the Asian motif followed. After all, they joke, it just wouldn't have made sense to put Pandaren in Aztec ruins.

Get your panda on in the full video behind the break!

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This week on The MMO Report, Casey cheers for the Double Fine Kickstarter effort, MechWarrior Online's first gameplay footage, and Guild Wars 2's preorder bonuses. "Shut up and take my money," he commands ArenaNet. He also heckles TERA for its new level cap and discusses Star Wars: The Old Republic's free play weekend before getting a bit confused about just how World of Warcraft's revamped scroll of resurrection works (it does not, in fact, work on fresh accounts).

The Beard ends with a dip into the mailbag and a geeky commercial that involves "8bit animation, puppets, and beer" and must be seen to be believed. And you can do so after the break!

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This week on The MMO Report, Casey caps off his Trion Worlds tour by chatting up RIFT's Adam Gershowitz and Adam Hetenyi. Backed by enormous screens showing off the game's flashiest scenes, the two Adams discuss RIFT's upcoming 1.8 patch, giving previews of the goodies that will tempt hardcore endgamers in the Infernal Dawn raid (pro tip: Do not invite Maelforge to your birthday party). The pair also discuss the game's new skills -- fishing, trapping, and survival -- before teasing what players can look forward to after 1.8 has come and gone.

The full HD video is behind the cut!

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The MMO Report returns this week with a special RIFT edition in celebration of the game's first birthday. In this extra-long show, Casey visits the Trion Worlds studios in Redwood Shores, California for a beard's-eye view of the game as it turns one. He meets up with such Trion notables as Scott Hartsman, Hal Hanlin, and Russ Brown as they chat about the Carnival of the Ascended, the anniversary events, the mobile app, and the record-breaking 20,000 marriages recently performed in-game. The devs also discuss how they balance fan feedback (endgame players are apparently the loudest) and claim that the latest patch features the "greatest balloons ever put into a game."

Eavesdrop on Casey's tour in the HD video after the break!

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This week on The MMO Report, Casey (not pictured above) discusses The Secret World's new release date of June 19th, Guild Wars 2's console version and beta weekend, and Star Wars: The Old Republic's expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. He also peeks at the new raid and content coming to DC Universe Online, which still exists.

Casey's usual journey into the mailbag may or may not reveal an image of a dog drinking wine and playing World of Warcraft.

Finally, The Beard teases next week's special RIFT anniversary episode. All that and more in the video behind the break!

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This week on The MMO Report, Casey delivers a Valentine's Day rant before moving on to the latest news -- namely, The Secret World's release date rumors, Wakfu's PvP, and the sunset of sci-fi sandbox Earthrise. He also rounds up the latest Blizzard headlines, noting the lawsuit against Valve, World of Warcraft's recent sub losses, and the "valiant and pointless exercise" of rebuilding Azeroth in Minecraft.

Finally, Uncle Casey's Mailbag provides a forum for the debate over just how we're supposed to pronounce "SWTOR." All this and more in the video behind the break!

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This week on The MMO Report, Casey insists that he's a "wise-cracking superhero with a heart of gold," not a noob who doesn't know his MMO history. "For the record," he says, "I do realize that EverQuest wasn't the first MMO. I was just saying it was the game that brought MMOs mainstream attention... like how Elvis invented rock 'n' roll."

Casey reports on Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online's financial woes, RIFT's new infinite trial, Star Wars: The Old Republic's impressive sales numbers, and TERA's beta plans. Then he dips into Uncle Casey's Mailbag to discuss -- what else -- hot dorf-on-dorf action.

All this and more in the HD MMO Report tucked behind the cut!

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