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[The Daily Grind: Has a free trial ever blown you away?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/26/the-daily-grind-has-a-free-trial-ever-blown-you-away/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/26/the-daily-grind-has-a-free-trial-ever-blown-you-away/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/26/the-daily-grind-has-a-free-trial-ever-blown-you-away/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I enjoyed Star Trek Online at launch. I'm a little reluctant to play it again because I don't have time and I worry I'd fall back in love.
We all form opinions about games we don't play. That's just good sense -- it lets us figure out what games we're probably going to like or dislike based on what we've heard. But sometimes a game gives us either a free trial or the option to play without a subscription fee. And sometimes just that little bit of play is enough to bring us around from being ambivalent about a game to needing a subscription right now.

Sure, most of the time, the trial just confirms what you already know -- or worse yet, it turns out to be far worse than you had expected. But there's always the chance, however small, that you'll be floored by the game; the designers certainly hope that's what happens. Have you ever experienced that moment? Or have all of the games you've tried for free wound up being the same as you expected from reviews and previews?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Has a free trial ever blown you away? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>actually-really-goodculturefree-trialgame-trialgame-trialsopinionsubscription-optionaltdgthe-daily-grindtrialtrial-playSun, 26 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ask Massively: Early access pre-order hooray edition]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/ask-massively-early-access-pre-order-hooray-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/ask-massively-early-access-pre-order-hooray-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/28/ask-massively-early-access-pre-order-hooray-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

We could pretend that the important story of last week was something other than the launch of pre-orders for Star Wars: The Old Republic, but that would be a lie. I know I went straight down to pre-order my copy as soon as I was done with some work in the morning. As usual, it wasn't without controversy -- issues over staggered pre-order releases, limited quantities, and my personal favorite, the fear that it might include some sort of microtransactions in its business model. You know, like every other major subscription game on the market.

Before you ask, I got the regular edition. I'm not paying three times the price for a statue.

Anyway, this week's Ask Massively is pretty heavily tied into the pre-order talk, what with questions about release dates and the state of no-trial launches. As always, you can feel free to ask a question for a future installment of the column via mail to ask@massively.com, or you can just toss your question in the happy comment field below.

Continue reading Ask Massively: Early access pre-order hooray edition

MassivelyAsk Massively: Early access pre-order hooray edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-massivelybiowarebioware-mmobioware-mmorpgbioware-star-warsbioware-swtorcolumneaelectronic-artsfeaturedgame-trialslucas-artslucas-arts-mmolucas-arts-mmorpgopinionpre-ordersreleaserelease-datesstar-wars-gamestar-wars-mmostar-wars-mmorpgstar-wars-the-old-republicstar-wars-torstarwarsstarwars-the-old-republicsw-torswtorthe-old-republictrialsThu, 28 Jul 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[RIFT offers another free trial weekend for friends of players]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/06/rift-offers-another-free-trial-weekend-for-friends-of-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/06/rift-offers-another-free-trial-weekend-for-friends-of-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/06/rift-offers-another-free-trial-weekend-for-friends-of-players/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

So you didn't get a chance to take part in the last free trial weekend in RIFT. Maybe you didn't have time to play over the weekend, maybe your friends ran out of keys, maybe they're just useless at giving you those keys, or maybe you're avoiding the game anyway and want no part of a free event. If you belong to any group other than the last, however, you're in luck -- another free weekend is coming, starting this Friday and running through Monday, April 11th.

As with the last event, players who sign up will be granted access to a limited version of the game during this second iteration of Allies of the Ascended. Existing players will be receiving special ally codes via email to distribute to friends, neighbors, and anyone else who hasn't yet tried RIFT but might enjoy it. So if all of your friends won't stop talking about the game, be sure to grab a key and enjoy some soul-filled action for the weekend.

MassivelyRIFT offers another free trial weekend for friends of players originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>allies-of-the-ascendedeventsfreefree-trial-weekendfree-weekendgame-trialsin-game-eventsnewsrecruit-a-friendriftrift-planes-of-telaratriontrion-worldsWed, 06 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Mainstream advertising]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/06/the-daily-grind-mainstream-advertising/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/06/the-daily-grind-mainstream-advertising/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/06/the-daily-grind-mainstream-advertising/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


It seems like every website I visit these days, from MMO-centric wikis to the LA or New York Times has adverts on it. This is no big surprise as it's the perfect way of making money on free content but what does surprise me is the number of adverts for MMOs like EVE and WoW. Coming across such adverts on gaming sites is understandable but I get a little shock whenever I see them on news sites or even on TV. I watch quite a bit of Sky (British satellite television) and I've noticed more and more commercials for games over the last few years but the first time I saw one for WoW, my exclamation of amazement sent my cat scurrying for cover.

But I wonder, constant readers, how much effect do such adverts have on people, especially gamers and folks who already play MMOs? Are you more likely to play an MMO if you see it on a gaming site or TV? Do the Flash ads offering 7/10/14 day trials entice you to defect, even temporarily? Have you ever seen one of the numerous WoW ads on the TV and been inspired to try the game? Do you think MMOs are just following the same trends as mainstream video games in order to attract players? Drop your thoughts in the box below.

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Mainstream advertising originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertsadvertsingeve-onlinegame-trialsmmo-advertisingozzy-osbournethe-daily-grindtrialstv-adswebsite-advertisingworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 06 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST