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Tetris
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

Like many of you, I have fond memories of several important video games that carried me through my childhood and teenage years. Some were deep, some were obscure, some were landmark moments in the genre, and some were Chrono Trigger. It's weird, then, with all that variety, that I have strong fondness for a game that had so little going on in the story or progression department as to be a step away from playing marbles or jacks in the street.

It was a game that I'd sit down to night after night, not to go on any grand adventures or to raise my level 1 fighter up into the ranks of godhood but to just unwind. It was a game that required such a zen-like concentration that it pushed the thinking portion of my brain out and soothed me with its repetitive gameplay and simplistic motions.

That game was, of course, Tetris, a game that was grind personified. It was minimalistic puzzle-solving repeated over and over again, and some days that's all I needed. When my mind was wiped, or when I just wanted to sit back in my chair instead of forward in it, I turned to these silly blocks. When I needed it and wanted it, the grind was better for me than the most complex and innovative video games of the time.

The grind is good, especially when you have the option to do it or ignore it, and I feel that this has gotten such a bad reputation in MMOs that its positive aspects are overlooked. Time to remedy that!

Continue reading The Soapbox: The grind is good

MassivelyThe Soapbox: The grind is good originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asteroidschrono-triggereditorialfeaturedgrindgrindingop-edopinionrantrantssoapboxtetristhe-grindthe-soapboxTue, 24 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Not So Massively Extra: Our impressions of Vorp!'s DotA mode]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/02/not-so-massively-extra-our-impressions-of-vorp-s-dota-mode/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/02/not-so-massively-extra-our-impressions-of-vorp-s-dota-mode/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/02/not-so-massively-extra-our-impressions-of-vorp-s-dota-mode/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

At E3, developer END Games showed off the Vorp! alpha, a fully 3-D Facebook game with Asteroids-esque controls and action-based gameplay. Built in the Unity 3D engine, much of Vorp!'s gameplay involves steering, aiming and accurately modeled physics interactions. The game's developers revealed that the ultimate aim was to produce a sci-fi Defense of the Ancients style game with iconic space ships and pilots instead of fantasy heroes. Until now, Vorp!'s multiplayer has been limited to a simple deathmatch mode. With the game's planned DotA mode now live, deathmatches have been replaced by classic DotA-style team gameplay with a twist.

Massively got some hands on time with DotA mode this week during a brief dev testing session this week. Skip past the cut for our views on the Vorp! alpha and its new gameplay mode, and head over to Facebook to give the game a try and see what it's like for yourself.

Continue reading Not So Massively Extra: Our impressions of Vorp!'s DotA mode

MassivelyNot So Massively Extra: Our impressions of Vorp!'s DotA mode originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Jul 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asteroidsdotaend-gamesf2pfacebookfeaturedfree-to-playimpressionsopinionsci-fivorpSat, 02 Jul 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EVE Evolved: Graphical upgrades for EVE Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/18/eve-evolved-graphical-upgrades-for-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/18/eve-evolved-graphical-upgrades-for-eve-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/18/eve-evolved-graphical-upgrades-for-eve-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Some time ago, I looked at the different graphical updates EVE Online has received over the years and what was to come. The ship graphics were renovated years ago with the Trinity expansion and much of the rest of the game was left looking dated in comparison. The Apocrypha expansion picked up on the upgrades where Trinity left off, with re-developments of asteroid graphics and most of the game's special effects. Future updates were planned, with promises of bringing new life to planets and everything else that hasn't been improved. With the Dominion expansion on the horizon, it now seems that those promises are being fulfilled. We've seen new planet graphics and even shiny new starfields on the test server but are there other parts of the game that could benefit more from a graphical overhaul?

In this short opinion piece, I take a quick look at the graphical overhauls that are coming with the Dominion expansion and ask which other aspects of EVE's graphics are long overdue for an upgrade.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Graphical upgrades for EVE Online

MassivelyEVE Evolved: Graphical upgrades for EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asteroidsccpccp-gameseffectseveeve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedgraphicsmoonsnebulaopinionplanetsprocedural-generationsci-fishipsupdateupgradeSun, 18 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Major graphics overhaul of EVE's asteroid belts in Apocrypha expansion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/04/major-graphics-overhaul-of-eves-asteroid-belts-in-apocrypha-exp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/04/major-graphics-overhaul-of-eves-asteroid-belts-in-apocrypha-exp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/04/major-graphics-overhaul-of-eves-asteroid-belts-in-apocrypha-exp/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


When EVE Online's Trinity expansion was deployed in 2007, it brought with it a drastic difference in graphical quality, but the Premium Graphics engine initially only rendered ships and space stations. Premium Graphics as of next month's expansion will complete CCP's across-the-board overhaul of the game's look. Among those numerous graphical enhancements coming to EVE Online in the forthcoming Apocrypha expansion is something that will come as good news to players who enjoy mining: new asteroid belts. EVE developer CCP VanishingPoint writes in his "Miners Rejoice!" dev blog, "The asteroids are getting a facelift. Better than that actually, the asteroids are now going to communicate their value through brilliant graphical treatments."

His blog explains how Team Hot Rocks created the new asteroid and ice belts for Apocrypha. The days of seeing round, floating rocks in identical belt after belt are nearly over. The new asteroids will have unique looks for each type of ore they're comprised of. In addition, they'll be in the form of shards with many different meshes, and will typically appear to be shattered fragments of larger objects. If you're an industry-type and spend a fair amount of your EVE time mining, you'll definitely want to see CCP VanishingPoint's dev blog "Miners Rejoice!" and its explanation of what you'll get on March 10th in the Apocrypha expansion.

MassivelyMajor graphics overhaul of EVE's asteroid belts in Apocrypha expansion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>apocryphaasteroid-beltsasteroidsccp-vanishingpointdev-blogeve-onlineexpansionsgame-mechanicsgraphicsice-beltsindustrialindustrymeshesminerminingpremium-graphicssci-fiteam-hot-rockstrinityWed, 04 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New Jumpgate Evolution video shows off dogfighting]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/06/new-jumpgate-evolution-video-shows-off-dogfighting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/06/new-jumpgate-evolution-video-shows-off-dogfighting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/06/new-jumpgate-evolution-video-shows-off-dogfighting/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


It's safe to say that there are a lot of sci-fi MMO fans out there who would appreciate a game that incorporates dogfighting into a space-based title. Jumpgate Evolution is shaping up to be that game, from what we've seen thus far of its combat. We've been following Jumpgate Evolution for a while now, and Massively's Kyle Horner recently interviewed NetDevil producer Hermann Peterscheck about the upcoming title. New video footage of the game, captured at PAX 2008, is now found at GameTrailers.

The video shows off combat taking place within a massive asteroid belt. Have a look at the video below the cut, and let us know if you think Jumpgate Evolution seems to be your type of game.

Continue reading New Jumpgate Evolution video shows off dogfighting

MassivelyNew Jumpgate Evolution video shows off dogfighting originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asteroidasteroidscombatdogfightdogfightinggametrailershermann-peterscheckjgejumpgate-evolutionnetdevilpvepvpsci-fispacevideovideosSat, 06 Sep 2008 20:15:00 EST