Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[April Fools 09: SOE gets silly]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-soe-gets-silly/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-soe-gets-silly/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-soe-gets-silly/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


The fun thing about checking out the different pranks and events in SOE's various titles is just trying to chase all of them down. Sure, some of them are patently obvious like the class name changes in EverQuest, but others were a bit more subtle and took some looking to notice.

Curious as to the various things we noticed? Have something you'd like to add to the mix of all the SOE April Fools' hilarity? Join us after the break for a quick run-down of what we found.

Continue reading April Fools 09: SOE gets silly

MassivelyApril Fools 09: SOE gets silly originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-fools-09bristlebanes-dayeqeq-iieq2everquesteverquest-2everquest-iishenaniganssoesony-online-entertainmentstar-wars-galaxiesswgWed, 01 Apr 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[April Fools' 09: City of Heroes goes old school]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-city-of-heroes-goes-old-school/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-city-of-heroes-goes-old-school/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-city-of-heroes-goes-old-school/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Have you ever felt that the character customization options in City of Heroes are just too much? Sometimes they can just be too overwhelming, right? I mean, who wants to sit there and make a character that looks different from everyone else? Seriously, that's such a burden. So NCsoft has solved this problem with their newly announced City of Heroes: Golden Age. We think the premise behind CoH:GA is summed-up best by Lead Artist Ken Morse, "I think City of Heroes: Golden Age brings with it a level of detail that simply can not be accomplished with even the latest advancements in graphics technology."

Of course this is just an April Fools' prank, but it's one of the best! The tricksters at NCsoft NorCal have done a fine job tickling our nostalgia bone while bringing a smile to our faces. Check out the complete "news announcement" on their main site, and be sure to read through the text-based interface screenshots to bring back some memories. Give yourself ten points if you laughed at the Hayes-compatible modem reference, too.

MassivelyApril Fools' 09: City of Heroes goes old school originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-fools-09city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcoxncnorcalncsoft-norcalWed, 01 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[April Fools' 09: Star Trek... Babies?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-star-trek-babies/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-star-trek-babies/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-star-trek-babies/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Sure enough, Cryptic has decided to get in on the April Fools shenanigans with today's announcement on the Star Trek Online site. In it, they are claiming that they've opted for a complete revamp in the direction they're taking STO, in the desire to make it a little less 'hardcore and strategic'. Dubbed Star Trek Babies Online, we can't help but flash back to Saturday morning cartoons and start singing the theme to Muppet Babies with "Star Trek Babies" over top of it in our heads.

Shenanigans? Most definitely. But we have to admit, the idea of baby Klingons made us laugh pretty hard. Be sure to pop over there and check out all the 'new' screenshots and the revamped logo just in case they go away tomorrow.

MassivelyApril Fools' 09: Star Trek... Babies? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-fools-09crypticcryptic-studiosstar-trek-babies-onlinestar-trek-onlinestoWed, 01 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[April Fools' Day 09: Second Life users pull the other one]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-second-life-users-pull-the-other-one/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-second-life-users-pull-the-other-one/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-second-life-users-pull-the-other-one/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

April Fools' Day is quite the hodge-podge in Second Life. Linden Lab doesn't generally pull pranks on the user-population (some may disagree with us on that) but there are hordes of different groups and communities, and even a relatively low percentage of hoaxers lead to literally hundreds of hoaxes, almost all of which are spread by word-of-mouth.

We'll quickly round up some of the most common gags that are going around this year (a few of which are perennials).

  • Linden Lab is going back to charging for teleportation (the sum of L$1 per teleport). This one's formatted as a press-release, though the grammar is quirky enough to be a tip-off. Besides, this one came around the last two years as well.
  • Linden Lab has been purchased outright by [Microsoft/Activision-Blizzard/Electric Sheep/7-11/NCsoft/AOL/Worlds.com/IBM].

Continue reading April Fools' Day 09: Second Life users pull the other one

MassivelyApril Fools' Day 09: Second Life users pull the other one originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-foolsapril-fools-09cory-ondrejkaculturegeorge-w-bushhumorlinden-labphilip-lindenphilip-rosedaleprankssecond-lifevirtual-worldsWed, 01 Apr 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[April Fools' Day 09: Running afowl in LotRO]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-running-afowl-in-lotro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-running-afowl-in-lotro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-running-afowl-in-lotro/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


What could possibly top the Battle of Amon Hen "content upgrade" from last year's April Fools' Day in Lord of the Rings Online? How about another chicken-themed prank for this year? That's right, for today's festivities, players get the chance to participate in more Chicken Play activities with a small quest line entitled "The Fox in the Hen House".

The quest will start with a piece of mail you'll receive from a concerned farmer. You will then speak to a Town Crier to assume the role of a chicken and run yourself from Gramsfoot to Glan Vraig in the Ettenmoors. Once you've completed this task, you'll earn the esteemed title of "Fool". That's not all though. The day is sure to be filled with various other tricks, so be aware!

[UPDATE: Seems they've closed the quest, according to lotro.com: Due to the load on our servers caused by the April Fool's chicken session play, we are disabling the quest. Please note if you receive a mail, you cannot turn it in with the quest disabled. We hope you had fun while it was open, and we're sorry the quest bawked!]

MassivelyApril Fools' Day 09: Running afowl in LotRO originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-fools-09chicken-playettenmoorshumorlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroprankspvmpturbineWed, 01 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[April Fools' Day 09: Guild Wars gets cute with us]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-guild-wars-gets-cute-with-us/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-guild-wars-gets-cute-with-us/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-day-09-guild-wars-gets-cute-with-us/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


ArenaNet has worked their magic once again with this year's humorous April Fools' Day prank in Guild Wars. Last year's prank may still be "sticking" with you, and the year before was arguably one of the best through the magic of gender switching, but this year got a pretty good chuckle out of us as well.

When you log in today, you may notice your character looking a bit shorter and much cuter. As part of the April Fools' celebrations, all characters appear as an anime-styled Gwen while in towns and outposts. Gwen, of course, has become the unlikely icon of the game, gaining almost a cult status.

As the day's pranks continue, you can bet we'll keep you informed on the best and most clever. Like for instance, this Guild Wars 2 trailer from ArenaNet's own Jeff Grubb. Ugh, seriously?! That's still going on?

MassivelyApril Fools' Day 09: Guild Wars gets cute with us originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-fools-09arenanetguild-warsgwhumorncsoftpranksWed, 01 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[April Fools 09: WoW EU wants to Pimp your Mount]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-wow-eu-wants-to-pimp-your-mount/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-wow-eu-wants-to-pimp-your-mount/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/april-fools-09-wow-eu-wants-to-pimp-your-mount/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Blizzard have always been serious pranksters, so we've been patiently awaiting their World of Warcraft prank for today. So far, however, we've only seen this one particular one come up on the Blizzard EU WoW site. This new page in the Underdev category tells players just how they can look forward to pimping out their in-game mounts. With options like "ejector seat", "nodding dog" and "cup holder" we're calling shenanigans on this one. That said, we'll continue looking out for any more World of Warcraft pranks, as the US site is due for its own brand of silliness soon.

MassivelyApril Fools 09: WoW EU wants to Pimp your Mount originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-fools-09blizzardbreakingeuworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 01 Apr 2009 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Pranks, busted]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/the-daily-grind-pranks-busted/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/the-daily-grind-pranks-busted/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/01/the-daily-grind-pranks-busted/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Afraid of April Fool's day? Concerned that every single site out there on the web will be spewing forth stuff you can't trust? Have no fear, folks - the Massively team is here! Our leaders have decided that much like last year, today we will use our powers for good. Rather than pranking our readership, we'll work along with you all to hunt down and chronicle any MMO pranks going on out there. Of course, if there's any real news that does somehow land out there today, we'll be sure to report that as well.

If you'd like to join the team for today's Prankbusting efforts, all you have to do is leave a comment here with any MMO game or site pranks you run across. That way we all have the chance to either check them out - or know to avoid them. We'll also be running down things going on in different MMOs so those who don't have subscriptions can still check out the silliness each MMO has to offer.

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Pranks, busted originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>april-fools-09bustedjokesprankprankssillyWed, 01 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST