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[Star Wars: The Old Republic rumored for spring in 2011]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/star-wars-the-old-republic-rumored-for-spring-in-2011/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/star-wars-the-old-republic-rumored-for-spring-in-2011/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/star-wars-the-old-republic-rumored-for-spring-in-2011/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A long time from now, in a game store probably not too far away... you might be getting your copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Well, all right, spring of 2011 might not be all that far along, but if you're one of the many eagerly looking forward to Bioware's entry into the MMO arena, it certainly feels like an eternity.

ShackNews has recently reported on a rumor that John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts, mentioned that they were looking forward to their next big MMO launch in spring of 2011 while discussing the company's financial outlook. Although he was cautious and stated they had not announced a launch date, he did mention that the team was making "great progress" toward that timeframe.

Obviously, the game was not specified by name, which does technically mean he could have been referring to another game. But unless they've secretly been developing Warhammer Online II: The Warhammering, in all likelihood we can expect to see Star Wars: The Old Republic early next year. Which might be good news if you're a Bioware fan anyway, since Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2 are making enough of a dent on your wallet this year.

MassivelyStar Wars: The Old Republic rumored for spring in 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>daodragon-age-originseaelectronic-artsJohn-riccitiellolaunch-rumorsmass-effect-2me2rumorsshacknewsspring-2011star-warsstar-wars-the-old-republicstar-wars-the-old-republic-launchswtorswtor-launchwarhammer-online-2-the-warhammeringMon, 11 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Roleplaying and the lack of it in MMOs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/03/roleplaying-and-the-lack-of-it-in-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/03/roleplaying-and-the-lack-of-it-in-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/03/roleplaying-and-the-lack-of-it-in-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We refer to our genre as MMOs in shorthand, frequently, as an abbreviation of MMORPG. Of course, there are entries that don't fit the mold -- Planetside makes no pretense of being an RPG, for instance, while Second Life is really a virtual environment rather than a game per se. But the roots of the term do define what most MMOs are fundamentally aiming at: being an RPG with a massive component of players. Which is ironic, because as We Fly Spitfires points out, they're not really RPGs at all. They feature the stats and the leveling, but nothing of the larger sense of place and story that the genre hails as its strengths.

Compared to games such as Dragon Age: Origins or Oblivion, it's clear that for all the strength of options we might have in some MMOs, we lack any sense of real character specialization or unique progression. Part of the concern, of course, is content -- you don't want to necessarily force any player who didn't happen to make the right choices in a dialogue tree to miss out on a major endgame event. The ubiquity of communication also helps herd players toward a specific set of specializations or ability tree, with little to no deviation encouraged.

But there's more that can be done, and games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic seem to have a greater intent to focus on individual story and progression. Even if you don't necessarily like the impromptu acting which is usually associated with roleplaying in the genre, it's hard to deny that a greater sense of individual choice and uniqueness would be intoxicating.

MassivelyRoleplaying and the lack of it in MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>character-customizationchoicescustomizingdaodragon-age-originsmmorpgmoral-choicesoblivionplanetsideroleplayingrpgsecond-lifeslstar-wars-the-old-republicswtorwe-fly-spitfiresSun, 03 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST