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The Road to Mordor: Rise of Isengard report card

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

It's been a half-year since Lord of the Rings Online's third expansion, Rise of Isengard, opened the doors to Dunland and beyond. It was an interesting expansion compared to what came before in several ways: It finally took us into the pages of The Two Towers, it introduced Rohan and the Rohirrim, and it introduced what I consider to be the most compelling villain this game has seen to date.

While the game's hinted and alluded to Saruman and his White Hand back-up dancers leading up to RoI, the expansion finally unveiled the mastermind behind many of the machinations of Middle-earth's mischief. His was not an overt city-crushing type of evil; instead, he's a crafty politician-type who attempts to woo and seduce minds to his cause. More than the Witch-king of Angmar or Sara Oakheart, Saruman gives us a perfect target for our justified outrage. This is a guy we don't want to see succeed, ever.

So with six months under our belt, I thought it would be a great time to evaluate as much of Rise of Isengard as I've experienced with the ol' report card treatment. Where does it get good marks -- and where does it need tutoring?

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Rise of Isengard report card

The Road to Mordor: Rise of Isengard report card originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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James Ohlen hits back against critics, defends SWTOR's innovation

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, Launches, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic Game Director James Ohlen isn't surprised that the game's received the flak it has from a segment of reviews and fans. In a candid interview with Eurogamer, Ohlen addresses both the issues of being a "big target" for critics and the claims that SWTOR's lacking innovation.

For the most part, players and critics have praised the game, Ohlen shares, and BioWare is seeing an "exceptionally high" desire among its playerbase for continued subscriptions. But was BioWare prepared for the backlash as well? Ohlen says it was: "We knew that there was going to be people who wanted us to fail. But that's just the nature of the game. If you're going to build a huge game and try to go out to a lot of people, you're going to have people who just react poorly."

He does push back hard against claims that SWTOR failed on the innovation front, stating, "We wanted to take the lessons that have been developed in that genre over years and years and years and basically refine them, much like other companies do with other genres. So, I don't know, it's just the way it is, but I don't see us as not being innovative. We're actually a lot more innovative within the MMO space than comparable games in other spaces like the first-person genre, the action genre -- games like that."

James Ohlen hits back against critics, defends SWTOR's innovation originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Impressions: Luvinia Online

Matt Daniel — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, Hands-on, First Impressions

Welcome once again to another thrilling installment of first impressions. Today we venture into the sugary-sweet (and somewhat bizarre) world of Luvinia Online, a new F2P MMO from Outspark. The game launched late last month, and I decided to jump in (with the help of a lovely developer walkthrough, no less) and see what the new title had to offer.

As readers of my other reviews will know, I'm very selective when it comes to free-to-play titles -- harsh, even. So does this quirky little MMO rise to the occasion, or does it flounder about at the bottom of the barrel? Follow me past the cut and I'll let you know.

Continue reading First Impressions: Luvinia Online

First Impressions: Luvinia Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EON Magazine issue 24 looks back at EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion

Brendan Drain — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Lore, MMO industry, Opinion, Hands-on

Issue 24 of EVE Online's quarterly official magazine EON hit the shelves this month, bringing a fresh dose of internet spaceships to coffee tables and bathrooms everywhere. Produced by MMM Publishing and written by a growing cast of writers from within the EVE community, EON provides something solid for fans of EVE to hold on to and acts as a snapshot in time or record of the game as it evolves. Recent big news stories and nullsec wars are detailed in each issue, along with editorial pieces, fiction, interviews and guides.

The latest issue is a wormhole special, with a huge focus on 2009's incredibly successful Apocrypha expansion and the hidden wormhole systems it brought to EVE. In addition to the second part of Pottsey's background on the ancient Sleeper race locked away in wormhole systems, the magazine contains testflights of the four strategic cruisers produced from materials discovered in wormhole space. A fantastically insightful article on the making of Apocrypha also delves into the gritty details of how CCP put its entire weight behind one incredible expansion during a time of real world economic turmoil.

Skip past the cut for a breakdown of everything in EON Issue 24 and my impressions from reading through it.

Continue reading EON Magazine issue 24 looks back at EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion

EON Magazine issue 24 looks back at EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ArcheAge CBT3 review talks crafting, labor points, and nautical exploration

Jef Reahard — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, ArcheAge

If you've been curious about the crafting and gathering systems in XL Games' forthcoming ArcheAge sandbox, you'll want to check out the third and final part of ArcheAge-Online's extensive CBT3 review.

The piece has a detailed breakdown on the game's labor point system (a third point pool, if you will, much like more traditional health and mana pools). Labor points are somewhat scarce despite regenerating over time, and most of the game's non-combat activities require them (harvesting apples from apple trees, chopping down said trees, building furniture and boats, etc.). It's a unique system, and ArcheAge-Online goes into the nitty gritty of the mechanics and offers up plenty of opinion as well.

The review also features commentary and video footage on sailing and nautical exploration, with interesting tidbits about boat construction and the discovery of player settlements on uncharted islands off the beaten path. Head to ArcheAge-Online for more.

ArcheAge CBT3 review talks crafting, labor points, and nautical exploration originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A hands-on with the Razer Anansi

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Reviews, Opinion, Hands-on, Miscellaneous

When I first heard about the Razer Anansi, I was beyond excited. Razer had, after all, made the supremely excellent Naga specifically for MMOs, and the Naga is as close to a perfect peripheral as has ever been made. (The original wasn't wireless, which is a big deal for some people, but it doesn't bother me -- and there's a wireless version out now anyway.) I was pretty much certain that the same team working on a keyboard would produce the ultimate one-two punch for online gaming accessories.

Sadly, the Anansi isn't the Naga. And therein lies its biggest fault -- you can't help but compare the two products, and the keyboard comes up short. It isn't a bad keyboard, but it lacks what made the Naga so excellent, and for the several things that it gets right it also manages to get a couple of things wrong. Without a doubt, it's going to serve better than the stock keyboard that comes with a new computer, but it's far from a must-have addition to your hardware.

Continue reading A hands-on with the Razer Anansi

A hands-on with the Razer Anansi originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A sneak peek at RuneScape's Return to Canifis novel

Brendan Drain — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Lore, MMO industry, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Browser

At the end of this month, publisher Titan Books will be releasing the second installment in a new series of RuneScape novels. Return to Canifis tells the tale of a grim period in the city of Varrock's history. Citizens of Varrock are being kidnapped and killed by monsters from the corrupted lands of Morytania. An ancient prophecy also looms over the land, telling of a new king who will rule over Varrock and become lord of both the living and the dead. Fearing the prophecy's arrival, the King sends a band of adventurers to Canifis in the heart of Morytania.

Return to Canifis is the sequel to the earlier RuneScape novel Betrayal at Falador. This latest book in the series continues the story from the first book, but the author has been careful to keep the novel approachable for first-time readers. Here at Massively, we received an advance copy of the book to review and have been allowed to show our readers an exclusive chapter from the beginning of the novel. If you've been on the bench about whether to buy the novel, give our four-page prologue preview a read and decide whether you like what you see.

Read on to view the full prologue of RuneScape's Return to Canifis in four parts, complete with some exclusive author's commentary.

Continue reading A sneak peek at RuneScape's Return to Canifis novel

A sneak peek at RuneScape's Return to Canifis novel originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RuneScape's Return to Canifis: First impressions

Brendan Drain — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Lore, MMO industry, Opinion, RuneScape, Free-to-play, Hands-on

Last year, publisher Titan Books released the first in a new series of novels based on free-to-play MMO RuneScape. Betrayal at Falador was well-received, with our own Rubi Bayer thoroughly enjoying the novel's story and its author's writing style. Author T.S. Church has since completed work on the novel's sequel, Return to Canifis, which is due to release at the end of the month. Massively was given an advance copy of the book, so I've spent most of this week ploughing through its pages.

When Rubi reviewed the first novel in this series, she found the book very approachable despite her limited experience with RuneScape itself. Although I've played a lot of RuneScape, I'm at a similar disadvantage as I haven't read the first novel in this series. Because of this, I got a good insight into how the storyline of the book holds up on its own and how approachable the novel is to people who haven't read the first book.

Skip past the cut to read my impressions of RuneScape's Return to Canifis.

Continue reading RuneScape's Return to Canifis: First impressions

RuneScape's Return to Canifis: First impressions originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EQII's Destiny of Velious expansion reviewed, sort of

Jef Reahard — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, EverQuest II, Expansions, News items, Free-to-play, Hands-on

Hey guess what? The EverQuest II Destiny of Velious expansion NDA is down!

Not!

That's basically how it went for EQII fansites recently as SOE pulled a fast one in regard to allowing info on the highly anticipated expansion into the wild. We were quite interested in a preliminary Velious review, and Feldon from EQ2Wire was all set to oblige us when... well, let's just say his hands were tied. "Really, when the 'NDA lifts,' all this means is you are allowed to talk about what you experienced in beta. The gag order is lifted. You get your voice back. But anything else is still off limits," he writes.

Feldon goes on to say that EQ2Wire will still be publishing a couple of articles on the expansion, but nowhere near as many as had been planned. So how's the new Norrathian content itself? Pretty good, it seems. "The group and raid zones are some of the most impressive, well-built, engaging, interesting content designed yet for EQII," Feldon tells readers. He goes on to praise flying mounts and new art assets while saving a few unkind words for public quests, solo quests, and itemization. It's quite a lengthy write-up despite the lingering restrictions, so head over to EQ2Wire and check it out for yourself.

EQII's Destiny of Velious expansion reviewed, sort of originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Choose My Adventure: A fond farewell (but not really) to dear old Darkfall

Jef Reahard — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Darkfall, Opinion, Hands-on, Choose My Adventure

Wow, is it time to go already? I guess the old adage about time flying when you're having fun applies to MMORPGs as well, since Choose My Adventure's Darkfall escapade has run its course. Happily, I'm only saying goodbye to the column, as I'll be staying on in the world of Agon for further adventures on both Swiftsnout and my human alt. It's been a fascinating six weeks, full of adventure, grind, new friendships, new enemies, and a rekindling of my personal sandbox flame.

While the tone of this series has been undeniably positive toward a game that has suffered more than its share of negative press, I hope I've been able to remain fairly objective and paint a clear picture of the goings-on in Aventurine's grim fantasy opus. Join me after the cut for a brief look at my week-six activities as well as a few final impressions on the game as a whole.

Gallery: Choose My Adventure - Darkfall Gallery #5

Continue reading Choose My Adventure: A fond farewell (but not really) to dear old Darkfall

Choose My Adventure: A fond farewell (but not really) to dear old Darkfall originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: We all live in a community submarine

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Classes, Game mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

This week, like the week before, has seen an explosion of controversy about Final Fantasy XIV. I have not really taken part, as I have been far too busy playing Final Fantasy XIV to care one way or the other. But after a month of people's impressions, it seems like the perfect time to dive back into the meat of the community topics -- much like we did last month around the same time, as a matter of fact.

Sadly, Final Fantasy XI has been fairly quiet, both due to the anger generation systems its successor features and due to a general sense of community burnout. After all, we're about two months away from another version update, and thus far we've heard nothing about what's due for December. Still, jump on past the cut for discussions about Final Fantasy XI as well as FFXIV, with the usual dosage of commentary to accompany each.

Continue reading The Mog Log: We all live in a community submarine

The Mog Log: We all live in a community submarine originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A year in the life of Aion

MJ Guthrie — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Expansions, Reviews

Grab yourself a glass of mela juice and join me in an anniversary toast! September 22nd marked one year to the day that Aion was released into the hands of hungry Daevas-to-be in the Western market. And what a day that was! Heralded by NCsoft as its biggest launch to date, Aion saw a record number of players attempt to dive into the world of Atreia and prepare to spread their wings.

Aion has come a long way since that first day, when two-plus hour queues thwarted many a prospective Daeva from experiencing the rich new world. While some of us admittedly didn't survive the initial nightmare queues at launch (cough, cough), we nonetheless found reasons to return after a couple days, a couple months, or even longer. The introduction of two free updates in the past year -- 1.9 and Assault on Balaurea -- have addressed and ironed out some of the kinks that plagued the game and frustrated players. Adjustments to leveling, population, PvP, monetary rewards, and new content, along with a sprinkling of some fun elements, have enriched an already beautiful world and improved gameplay. If you have been away for a while, come on back and join the party. There is cake!

As Daevas scatter petals about, meander past the cut and onto memory lane where we look at how Aion has evolved over the course of the past year.

Continue reading A year in the life of Aion

A year in the life of Aion originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: When playing a bad game is just so good

Seraphina Brennan — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, All Points Bulletin, Crime, Anti-Aliased

This week's Anti-Aliased is great for two reasons. One, it's the antithesis to last week's topic, and two, it's completely relevant to this week's events. In short, it's about All Points Bulletin.

Did I just call APB a bad game after spamming screenshots from it, hosting an event in it, and offering people what basically amounts to free DLC for their game? Yes, yes I did. Does that make me a complete hypocrite? Well, yes and no. You see, I'm having conflicting beliefs over this game. The reviewer in me wants to punt it over the Seattle Space Needle, but the gamer in me wants to sit down and play the hell out of it some more.

Look, this all makes sense, ok? Just come with me after the break (yes, I'm luring you with my double-sided, purposefully vague statements) and we'll get this all settled out.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: When playing a bad game is just so good

Anti-Aliased: When playing a bad game is just so good originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Pandora Saga

Beau Hindman — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Rise and Shiny

Each week Rise and Shiny asks you to download and try a different free-to-play game, chosen by me, Beau Hindman. Some of the games will be far out of your gaming comfort zone, and some will pleasantly surprise you. We will meet each Tuesday and Friday night at 8 PM Central time, followed by this column the Saturday after. I welcome any suggestions for games, either in the comments or at beau at massively dot com.

Pandora Saga is a great looking game, for sure. The very first thing I thought upon logging in was "This looks like Final Fantasy XI ramped up." Perhaps it all falls under some kind of overseas sub-genre of Anime-esque entertainment, featuring one giant race, one cute race and a couple regular ole' races. Frankly, I have never been a fan of Anime and can actually stomach the more "realistic" stuff less than the cutesy, giant-headed style, so Pandora Saga took some getting used to.

Once I did, though, I found a pretty stout game that would work well for someone that has the time to dedicate themselves to one game. Even then, I think that a strong guild is must, being that many quests require a good deal of murdering. Come to think of it, this game is a lot like FFXI.

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Pandora Saga

Rise and Shiny recap: Pandora Saga originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: Don't worry, it gets better in time

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, Massively Meta, Anti-Aliased

You know, I had no clue what to write about this week until I realized it was a topic that had been haunting me forever. It's a topic that everyone can relate to, and one that I'm sure we've all experienced at least once. Personally, it's a topic that I never hear the end of. Any review, any game impressions that I write up almost inevitably will be shot with this line:

"What, you didn't play until [insert level X or time requirement here]?!?! Then you didn't experience the game!"

You know what, let me say it straight. I'm sick and tired of hearing that line. Completely sick of it. I played your game, it was bad. And you want to know why it was bad? Let me tell you, in full detail, why it was bad, and let me go on to tell all of you why "it gets better in time" is a really, really lame line.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Don't worry, it gets better in time

Anti-Aliased: Don't worry, it gets better in time originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rise and Shiny recap: Craft of Gods

Beau Hindman — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, Reviews, Opinion, Hands-on, Rise and Shiny

Each week Rise and Shiny asks you to download and try a different free-to-play game, chosen by me, Beau Hindman. Some of the games will be far out of your gaming comfort zone, and some will pleasantly surprise you. We will meet each Tuesday and Friday night at 8 PM Central time, followed by this column the Saturday after. I welcome any suggestions for games, either in the comments or at beau at massively dot com.

This week I asked you to take a look at Craft of Gods, an independent game from Kalicanthus Entertaintment. At first glance I was excited to try it, given that it promised a lot of what I normally value in an MMORPG. I usually ask my readers to try a free-to-play game, but the 10-day free trial would provide us with enough time to get a good grip on what the game has to offer.

I warn you, though, this review will not be pretty. I really wish it could be, being that my independent run has been so haphazard as of late, but this game was pushed out much too early and it shows. Read on!

Continue reading Rise and Shiny recap: Craft of Gods

Rise and Shiny recap: Craft of Gods originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Community backlash leads to Global Agenda review score being pulled

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, MMO industry, Reviews, News items, MMORTS, Global Agenda

GameSpot was not so nice to Global Agenda -- a 5.5 out of 10 was fired against the game earlier by the gaming website. However, that didn't stop the Global Agenda community from doing some digging and turning up the reviewer's in-game character. A character that only had six hours of play time attached to it, no alliance, and no agency for conquest matches.

The resulting evidence was provided by Global Agenda's player statistics system -- a pretty robust system that allows anyone to pull up a character's statistics simply by typing in their character name. Once this evidence came to light, the community began to send e-mails to both the reviewer and GameSpot's Justin Calvert, who has since removed the review. Calvert has apologized (post confirmed by Hi-Rez Studio's Michal Adam) to the Global Agenda community and Hi-Rez Studios, and has reassigned the review to a new writer.

GameSpot's internal policy is to spend 30 hours on an MMO before publishing a review.

[Thanks to Antilogic for the tip!]

Community backlash leads to Global Agenda review score being pulled originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anti-Aliased: What it's like to sit in the staff chair

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Massively Meta, Anti-Aliased

So I drove the Aion community up a wall again. I seem to do that a lot when I talk about the game. AionSource was a little miffed at the "disappointment" award the staff and readers gave them, and decided to rip into me. So, in an effort of good faith, I dropped by the flame thread and tried to lighten things up while explaining my position on the game and how it isn't all doom and gloom.

Well, after having 9 pages of people not reading what I was writing and electing to call me a nyerking nyerk, I bowed out with a new column topic on my mind: my job. If there was any common theme in all of the screaming, it was how I sucked at my job because I said Aion had a grind, I sucked at my job because I was only level 17 in Aion, everyone on that fansite could do a better job at my job than I could, and I was the reason mainstream reviews were going downhill. (Awesome.)

Amazingly enough, I too thought pretty much those exact same things before I got a job here. But writing here for two years has been one heck of an experience, and maybe today I can give you some insight to the things I see on the staff side of the fence.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: What it's like to sit in the staff chair

Anti-Aliased: What it's like to sit in the staff chair originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ReSubbed Episode 2: EverQuest

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest, Humor, ReSubbed

It's that time of the week again! Time go to back in time with this week's episode of ReSubbed, and boy did we pick a good one for you! What's also 10 years old, helped to start the MMO genre, and has really annoying skeletons? If you guessed EverQuest (or if you read the title above) then you'd be 100% correct!

This week Seraphina is joined by Krystalle Voecks and Kyle Horner as they re-visit the Gloomingdeep Mines and talk about the good 'ol days of trains, planes (of power), and auto-attacks. Plus, as the game has changed much over the years, the gang revisits what the game used to look like and how much it's improved today. Look 'Ma, I don't have to drop my sword on the ground to tell which way is north!

You want some ReSubbed? It's right after the break, for your eyeball viewing pleasure.

Continue reading ReSubbed Episode 2: EverQuest

ReSubbed Episode 2: EverQuest originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aion gets reviewed: Let the drama begin?

Brooke Pilley — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Reviews

If there's anything that gets MMO fanboys and trolls engaged in a cacophony of epic proportions, it's an official review followed by a score. Oh, and +1 drama if it comes from Eurogamer after that whole Darkfall / Ed Zitron hullabaloo. Oli Welsh of Eurogamer recently reviewed Aion based on his open beta experiences, giving it a 7/10 or 'Good' score. It's not as controversial as a 2/10 or "it has no soul," that's for sure!

Oli basically sums up his Aion experience with a string of key-presses: "2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 2, 3, 4, 5." We guess he didn't figure out how to make a one-button macro to simplify things even more! Actually, many players are saying this same criticism can be applied to almost all MMOs.

In terms of pros, he found the world beautiful and polished but in terms of cons it was quite grindy and the focus on PvPvE might not appeal to everyone. It seems we're experiencing a bit of an MMO conundrum since World of Warcraft gained such international popularity: Make an MMO too similar and you're dismissed as derivative; Make it too different and you're not mainstream enough to be accepted. One wonders when the paradigm will shift and MMOs will be judged by their own merits; or at least compared to a new benchmark.

Aion gets reviewed: Let the drama begin? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warhammer Online gives up a point in re-review

Brooke Pilley — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Reviews, Warhammer Online, Opinion

MMO reviews are a funny thing. Besides the fact that they're ripe for subjectivity and personal bias (like all reviews), they're also judging a type of game that is always changing. Maybe that's why Eurogamer does re-reviews. They originally scored Warhammer Online with an 8/10, calling it a worthy, if not fragile, competitor to World of Warcraft. The second time around, another reviewer gave it a 7/10, calling the game something quite different from WoW altogether.

The gist of the second review is that while WAR is an extremely accessible game that players can jump into and out of for quick rows of skull-thumping, it lacks any depth to keep those players around. The reviewer's opinion is that the game feels less like a world and more like a collection of numbers, icons, and systems. It's actually just as interesting to re-read the first review because it was posted nearly a year ago (a week before WAR officially launched). A statement like "...until it's been out in the wild a while, this extremely well-made and highly enjoyable MMO remains unproven," is all too haunting in retrospect.

But hey, this blogger isn't taking Eurogamer's word for it! Stay tuned as I journey back into WAR for a month. I'll explain why I left, what drew me back, and what has changed. At the end of the month, I'll even choose whether or not I maintain my subscription. Expect part one of "Snafzg returns to WAR" this Thursday.

Warhammer Online gives up a point in re-review originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World of Warcraft allowed a "partial relaunch" in China

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Business models, Culture, Launches, MMO industry, News items

While World of Warcraft China remains in turmoil, the government has loosened their grip on the game slightly, allowing former account holders to jump back into Azeroth once more.

The Chinese government has given NetEase, the new operator of World of Warcraft, the ok to re-open the servers on July 30th. This relaunch is being labeled as a "testing phase," however, as no new accounts will be allowed until the government completes their review of the game. NetEase is also barred from changing the cost of the subscriptions during this phase to ensure a smooth transition from the former operator, The9.

Continue reading World of Warcraft allowed a "partial relaunch" in China

World of Warcraft allowed a "partial relaunch" in China originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blogger compares Aion to WoW and WAR

Brooke Pilley — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Reviews, Opinion

Keen has two blog posts up discussing the similarities and differences between Aion and World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online. The first thing you should bear in mind is that he has not played Aion all the way through to the end game, even though he has "finished" both other MMOs. The second thing of note is that these points of comparison were requested by his readers.

Even if one has not played Aion's end game, one can still make a valid comparison of certain aspects of it -- one just can't compare everything. There are a couple points where Keen defers to others who have more experience with the Korean servers and Chinese beta.

Even with the level 20 North American beta cap (weekend #3), you'll get a pretty strong sense of where Aion is going because that level is 40% of the way to cap. Head on over to Keen's two blog posts (Aion vs. WoW and Aion vs. WAR) and see for yourself. The comments are loaded with good information too.

Blogger compares Aion to WoW and WAR originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How exactly do you review an MMO?

Lesley Smith — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Darkfall, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Opinion, Academic

Reviewing MMOs is a tricky business, as Eurogamer learnt this week when they published a review of Darkfall and gave it 2/10. Developer Tasos Flambouras wasn't happy about this and published a scathing forum post in retaliation at the low score. They accused reviewer Ed Zitron of playing for a mere two hours (he asserts he played the game for over nine) and most of that time was -- according to Tasos -- spent screenshotting or creating characters. This prompted Eurogamer to respond and promise to do a re-review, which in turn prompted Tasos to respond to the response.

This begs the question: how do you review an MMO? It's not like any other kind of game; there's no beginning, middle and end, just a beginning and an endless middle. Added to that, while video games are without a doubt mainstream, MMOs are a lot more niche. But Lesley, I hear you cry, how can games like Guild Wars and World of Warcraft with seventeen million players between them, be called niche?

Continue reading How exactly do you review an MMO?

How exactly do you review an MMO? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 May 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darkfall delivers on player expectations?

Brooke Pilley — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Darkfall, New titles, PvP, Opinion

When you go into a movie, sporting event, or new MMORPG with very high expectations, you're likely to be disappointed. In the case of pre-release Darkfall Online, player expectations were all over the map from dismissive naysayers, to undecided fence-sitters, to drooling fanboys. Actually, it's like that for most MMOs, isn't it?

Based on information he read on forums, fansites, and gleaned from videos, Keen established his own set of expectations for the various features advertised for Darkfall (he wasn't in beta). Now that he's been playing a while, he decided to rate his initial expectations versus his early impressions. The list includes items like the skill, magic, and crafting systems, graphics, PvP gameplay, and many more.

Keen rates 12 parts of Darkfall in total on a highly scientific scale of Fantastic to Total Crap and gives his overall impressions so far. For instance, he expected the combat to be Decent but finds it to be Great, the magic system to be Good but finds it to be Mediocre, and server stability + communication from Adventurine to be Bad but finds it to be Total Crap. It's an interesting way to rate a new MMO, so check out his blog for the full details.

Darkfall delivers on player expectations? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warhammer's 1.2 patch to go live March 3, 2009

Brooke Pilley — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Patches, Warhammer Online, News items

The 1.2 patch for Warhammer Online is going to be huge. Mark Jacobs gave fans a highlight reel of what it will deliver back in early February, which includes fixes to over 500 bugs, two new careers, class balance, and much more. Since that time, Mythic put 1.2 up on the public test server for everyone to give feedback on. Here is a summary of some blog feedback we found (because not everyone can view the beta forums atm):

Keen shared his thoughts on the new Choppa career.
Book of Grudges has a good review of Slayers.
Part 1 of Garrison of WAR's review (map improvements, realm status changes, and new mounts).
Part 2 of Garrison of WAR's review (rage mechanic and how it performed in both PvE and RvR).
Part 3 of Garrison of WAR's review [additional map improvements (more accurate group and warband dots), the new parties and warbands window, potions persisting through death, and how all MDPS careers will receive a pick lock skill that lets them enter postern keep doors].
Stunty Stomper and Obsessive Focus talk a bit about crafting changes.

Arbitrary of the Book of Grudges is also reporting that the latest US WAR newsletter in her inbox says patch 1.2 will go live March 3, 2009. The Bitter Rivals live event will start March 4, 2009.

Warhammer's 1.2 patch to go live March 3, 2009 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paragus' Darkfall beta review: Not your grandma's MMORPG

Brooke Pilley — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Darkfall, Game mechanics, PvP, Hands-on

One of the very first Darkfall beta reviews we found came up only moments after the NDA dropped. Paragus, co-leader of the Inquisition guild and longtime MMORPG fanatic, shared his thoughts on the game over at MMOCrunch.com. It's quite a lengthy read and covers areas of the game such as character creation, user interface, the world, characters and animations, combat, quests, PvE, the alignment system, and corpse-looting.

One commentor pointed out a few things the review was missing, including mounts, ships, mount and ship combat, class/skill balance, bugs, missing features, and the player-run economy. Still, we found it to be a very good overview of the game. Paragus suggests that Darkfall is not going to have mass market appeal, however, fans of old-school PvP MMOs like Ultima Online and Asheron's Call should find the game quite entertaining. Overall, he feels that while Darkfall may be a little rough around the edges, it features enough of a unique experience to be worth it. Paragus is also taking questions, so feel free to leave comments on his review.

If you'd like a second opinion, why not check out what Massively's very own Colin Brennan has to say about his hands-on Darkfall experience? Also, share your thoughts on whether or not you plan to purchase Darkfall in our Daily Grind.

Paragus' Darkfall beta review: Not your grandma's MMORPG originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Player review of Runes of Magic open beta looks promising

Brooke Pilley — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Reviews, Free-to-play, Runes of Magic

You may not have heard, but Runewalker's Runes of Magic is a free-to-play/free-to-download fantasy MMORPG that features a large world, avatar appearance customization, dual-class specialization, interesting combat mechanics, player housing, crafting, high-end PvE raiding, and even PvP. If that seems like a little bit of everything from some of the more popular fantasy MMO titles like World of Warcraft, Everquest 2, Lord of the Rings Online, and Age of Conan, that's because it is.

According to a player's review of open beta, RoM has taken some of the best elements from these aforementioned games and tried to blend them into a fun and cohesive experience. It also seems to have taken not-so-good elements like daily quests, no career respecialization, and gear dependency. Many people think free-to-play games must be shallow, but it took the reviewer three days to pick a class combination that would suit their play style. That seems pretty deep to me. Perhaps the best consideration a gamer can make is that free-to-play in this case also means free-to-try. How many times have gamers been burned by paying for a product that ultimately didn't live up to their expectations or tastes? What do you have to lose by giving Runes of Magic a shot?

Player review of Runes of Magic open beta looks promising originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Chronicles of Spellborn scores 8/10 in an early review

William Dobson — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New titles, Reviews, The Chronicles of Spellborn

Although a great deal of the world is still playing the beta version of The Chronicles of Spellborn, continental Europe has had access to the retail copy since the 27th of November. Since Eurogamer has had a couple of weeks to put the game through its paces, they've posted a review. Now, we're sure you know the various problems with MMO reviews in general -- the two biggest being that most (good) MMOs are updated frequently post-launch, and that there's usually too much content to get through to provide accurate insight to all levels and areas of a game -- but it's worth nothing that this one comes with a rather healthy eight-out-of-ten score at the end.

The art style and environments get an approving nod in the review, and so do the action-based combat mechanics. The "Skill Deck", which is the replacement for the traditional action bar you might be used to from a huge number of other MMOs, is both praised and knocked for its complexity. The primary criticisms that the review levels against TCoS are that it can be a bit generic at times, and that it lacks the glossy polish that you see in big-budget titles. Obviously these complaints were not significant enough to stop the reviewer from enjoying the game, and we look forward to seeing how it shapes up by the time it's released to the rest of the world in January.

The Chronicles of Spellborn scores 8/10 in an early review originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is the honeymoon over for Warhammer Online?

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Game mechanics, Warhammer Online, Opinion, Humor

We here at Massively have pointed to our fair share of positive opinion pieces for Warhammer Online, but we realize that not all people see the game as fluffy bunnies and rainbow unicorns. One such example of this is the ever-endearing Daedren over at r1ft.com, whom we all love for his insightful pessimism towards our favorite MMOs.

Despite the fact that Daedren spends much of his article reaming Warhammer Online, he ends by admitting that it may just be a general disdain for the fantasy genre as a whole, while WAR may just basically be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He writes, "Whatever happened to making a player feel like they are a hero?" "The reason that D&D and Warhammer tabletop games were popular is because the story revolved around the players; they could noticeably affect and change the world based on their decisions. This main aspect and magic of the game is lost in a sea of inane, repetitive and fun killing "Quests"."

Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!

Is the honeymoon over for Warhammer Online? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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G4's X-Play reviews Warhammer Online

Michael Zenke — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, Reviews, Warhammer Online

As we now enter the second full week of Warhammer Online's live service, reviews of the Mythic Entertainment title are continuing to be released. One analysis in particular you might want to check out is X-Play's review of the game. They liked it quite a bit, citing Public Quests as a major improvement to the MMO formula and lauding Mythic's efforts to "make PvP feel as friendly as PvE."

Voiced by Adam Sessler, the piece also gives a lot of credit to the Tome of Knowledge. Though the game's main thrust (RvR combat) only gets a small amount of coverage, that's regarded enthusiastically too. The show's only complaints surround technical hiccups the launched title still struggles with. Despite that, Warhammer still ends up with a 5 ... out of 5. Read on below the cut for the full review.

Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!

Continue reading G4's X-Play reviews Warhammer Online

G4's X-Play reviews Warhammer Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meta-review: Warhammer Online

Michael Zenke — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Launches, Reviews, Warhammer Online

We've been talking pretty much constantly about Warhammer Online for a few months now, and launch is less than a week away. At this point, there's only one question left: Should you buy it? Beta-based viewpoints have begun to trickle in across the internet, to the point where we can put together a meta-review that will hold together. Overall, the response seems to be a cautious 'thumbs up'. There are still serious concerns expressed by some commentators (pathing issues, dependence on fickle player populations), but overall the outlook seems to be good for Mythic's opus.

Eurogamer (8/10): "Until it's been out in the wild a while, this extremely well-made and highly enjoyable MMO remains unproven. And it remains - until our first re-review, at least - one step short of true greatness."
Kill Ten Rats (Buy): "If you would like a sequel to World of Warcraft with a team-PvP focus, buy Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. If you are waiting for something new and original, keep waiting."
Tobold (Buy): "Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is a good game, albeit not perfect, and it will have some problems living up to the excessive marketing hype from Mythic. It is certainly worth buying and trying out for a month or two."
Common Sense Gamer (B+): "Overall, I'd give WARs game experience a B+. I've come to enjoy the RvR and accept that the PvE game experience is the same as everything else out there. That fact is also counterbalanced by the PQs...which are just fun."

Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out all of our previous Warhammer Online features, and don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!

Meta-review: Warhammer Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zero Punctuation braves interstellar spreadsheets in EVE Online

Samuel Axon — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, EVE Online, Humor

Zero Punctuation's Yahtzee has reached geek culture superstardom by sacrificing sacred cows. By profanely slamming popular franchises such as Halo and Super Smash Bros., he's brought down the wrath -- and the web traffic -- of virtually the entire gaming community. There's a running joke through many of his animated reviews, though: he hates MMORPGs.

Both Tabula Rasa and Age of Conan got the full treatment, and Yahtzee has even criticized some single-player games (such as The Witcher) just for sharing gameplay elements with MMORPGs. His fans apparently thought he was being a bit too harsh. "Not all MMORPGs are the same," they presumably said. "Try EVE Online. It's different!"

And so he did. It turns out that "different" might be in the eye of the beholder. Or just as likely, MMORPGs can never be different enough for Yahtzee! The humorous (and as usual, NSFW) video review is embedded above, courtesy of The Escapist.

Zero Punctuation braves interstellar spreadsheets in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dungeon Runners gets some G4TV love

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Dungeon Runners, Reviews, Free-to-play

You remember Adam Sessler right? You know that guy who stands next to Morgan Webb during X-Play? Yeah, there is someone else there, we promise. Anyway, in a recent episode of G4TV's The Download, Sessler reviews NCsoft's Dungeon Runners for the masses.

His review doesn't reveal anything new about the game, but it's always nice to see when the larger gaming media covers the games we love so dearly. Plus, in this video, we get to see more of the little Bling Gnome doing his duty, so to speak. What we really find interesting though is the fact that many of the comments seem to revolve around the fact that people haven't heard of this game before. A little publicity never hurt, right?

Dungeon Runners gets some G4TV love originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dungeons & Desktops: The history of RPGs

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, Reviews, Opinion

In a recent article at Crispy Gamer, the topic is Matt Barton's book Dungeon & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. Crispy Gamer's prognosis for this book is not good, and it's their opinion that it is "a victim of poor editing, poor organization, and a frustrating inconsistency, as the book veers from true history to trite encyclopedia, as if Barton isn't quite sure what kind of book he is writing." According to this review, the MMO chapter is also lacking greatly, with Ultima Online and EverQuest not getting enough time in the spotlight.

This might sound harsh, but they go on to talk about the good parts of the book eventually. The review acknowledges the fact that there was a real need for an offline encyclopedia for role-playing games, and this book delivers in that regard. After all of this, it seems to us that a book focused entirely on the history of the MMOG is what we need, instead of the topic cohabitating in a chapter here and there across general gaming books.

Dungeons & Desktops: The history of RPGs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Angels Online first impression

Brenda Holloway — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Classes, Game mechanics, Crafting, Reviews

Putting aside the whole concept of being a good angel tasked with protecting the people of Eden (Spoiler alert: They get kicked out. Guess you didn't do your job very well). Anyway, that aside, playing a cute little angel in Angels Online who must earn his or her wings via the tried-and-true tropes of killing and crafting has a fun factor built right in. Flying! You get to fly!

But you aren't handed your halo, harp and wings from the moment you log in. You must learn the sacred jobs and responsibilities of an angel. And you must learn to slaughter those legendary enemies of angels, the Slarms. In her first impressions review of Angels Online, Ten Ton Hammer's Amber Weldon sets out to learn how to be an angel in a sinful world, from the stern lessons inflicted by Archangel Raphael, to her hours and days studying for her exams in the Lyceum, to her robot-assisted resource-gathering excursions.

School? Lessons? Robots? If you're dying to become an angel (in Angels Online, that is), you'll definitely appreciate this clever first glimpse.

[Ten Ton Hammer]

Angels Online first impression originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A look at METAbolt -- a non-graphical Second Life viewer

Brenda Holloway — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Reviews, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Ever log in to Second Life, run around awhile, and then shake your head and think, "this place is nothing but a glorified chat room! And that's what I like! I don't care about all this graphics stuff!" Well, frustrated, graphics-hating Second Life user, METAbolt has what you crave. When we heard someone had written a text-based Second Life client for computers that just couldn't hack the graphics, we were sort of expecting something like a regular graphical client, except where all the images were made of tiny little text characters... like the picture above, which is not from METAbolt, alas. (It's Second Life on Linux run through the aalib graphics-to-text library)

As a chat room, though, METAbolt has some good points and some not so good points. For one, every time you log in, you are placed in the Welcome area. While this may be the fastest way to put you with potential chat-mates, it's not really the sort of thing you expect. Gone were all saved landmarks as well. You will arrive in the Welcome Area, and you will enjoy your time there.

Continue reading A look at METAbolt -- a non-graphical Second Life viewer

A look at METAbolt -- a non-graphical Second Life viewer originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 May 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TurpsterVision: Return of the King

Mark Turpin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, EverQuest II, Opinion, Humor, TurpsterVision

Howdy folks, it's great to be home. Sorry for my prolonged absence. I would love to tell you why I wasn't able to produce the internet's favorite 'funny' over the past 3 weeks, but unfortunately if I told you I would have to kill you -- and I am far too busy "killin' mofo's" in GTA 4 to have time to kill you all as well!

So down to business, review time, and let me just state that I don't like giving bad reviews -- not because they can upset fans or developers, but because it means I've had a bad time reviewing the game in the first place. EverQuest was the granddaddy of them all before World of Warcraft came along. EverQuest II had a lot to live up to, and for this mild-mannered video blogger, it just couldn't quite manage it. WoW was released shortly after and this probably stopped EQ2 ever becoming fun for me; I like having people to play with.

Check out the video, make your own mind up about the game, you are all far more intelligent than me, so I will trust your opinions and past experiences over my ever so limited (but ever so painful) trial of the game.

Continue reading TurpsterVision: Return of the King

TurpsterVision: Return of the King originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How not to review Tabula Rasa

Seraphina Brennan — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Reviews, Opinion, Tabula Rasa, Humor

PC Advisor UK recently ran a "expert review" of Tabula Rasa, giving you a wonderful look at the game... up until level 10. Then apparently the reviewer didn't want to play anymore and started to make things up.

Tabula Rasa Vault picked this gem of a review up and actually reviewed the review, and I'm quite inclined to agree with them. Last I checked, Foreas isn't an island, Twin Pillars and Foreas Base are nice places to hang out, you don't waste so much ammo when you crouch and have a higher accuracy, and it's really easy to avoid enemy controlled bases by just switching battlefield instances.

Reviewing an MMO is tough - especially when you may not have alot of time to put into it. This review is, sadly, proof of what happens when you don't spend some time with the game beyond an early level. This reviewer never got to see the interesting facets of Tabula Rasa, like the community sponsored fist fights, the in-game events, and the other cities and planets.

If the reviewer had played past level 10, he might have started to like Tabula Rasa. This is a great reason to make sure your reviewer checked his facts before posting his review. Otherwise, you might just be believing an illusion.

How not to review Tabula Rasa originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMORPG.com's Eye of the North review highlights player discontent

Michael Zenke — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Guild Wars, Expansions, Professions, Reviews, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play

A review was recently posted at the MMORPG.com site for Arena.net's latest Guild Wars release, Eye of the North. While I personally have been enjoying some of the new content in the expansion (and the Wintersday event) there are definitely some concerns among the players about the Eye. Beyond reviewing the game, Jeremy Star's piece does a great job of running down some of the biggest issues I've heard in discussions with other players.

He specifically calls out Arena on the biggest problem with Eye of the North: that many players don't think this is an adequate stopgap between late 2007 and whenever Guild Wars 2 will be released ... but the whole experience teases the in-development title. Asura, Norn, Dwarves, and Charr are all over the North, but none of them are playable. The Hall of Monuments is a big deal with bonuses you'll get to use at some point in the indeterminate future. The expansion sounds and looks great, but it's just not up to the standards of previous releases (especially Nightfall).

With this release and the closing of GuildCast, are these dire signs for Arena's game? Are players going to maintain interest in Guild Wars until the spiritual sequel goes live?

MMORPG.com's Eye of the North review highlights player discontent originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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