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[Massively's top five MMO trailers of 2010]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/29/massivelys-top-5-mmo-trailers-of-2010/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/29/massivelys-top-5-mmo-trailers-of-2010/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/29/massivelys-top-5-mmo-trailers-of-2010/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The year 2010 has been a big year for MMOs, with a lot of new releases and news on upcoming titles. Nothing gets us more worked up about an upcoming MMO release than a good trailer, and this year we've been absolutely spoiled with some incredible examples. Some have been epic cinematic trailers, designed to explain the storyline behind a game, and get people excited about its release. Others MMO studios have opted for a more hands-on approach, showing off in-game footage to excite people about a game's art direction or content. Recently, we've even seen studios mixing developer talks into their trailers, giving a glimpse into the gameplay, what makes it stand apart from competition, and how development is going.

It was hard to pick just five trailers out of all the excellent examples released this year, and even harder to put them in some kind of order. We discussed, debated and outright argued about which videos should make the cut, but in the end we settled on our top five MMO trailers of 2010.

Skip past the cut for a run-down of Massively's top five MMO trailers of the year, all embedded in HD.

Continue reading Massively's top five MMO trailers of 2010

MassivelyMassively's top five MMO trailers of 2010 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>end-of-the-year-2010fantasyfeaturedloremassivelymassively-metaopinionsci-fitop-5top-fivetrailertrailersvideoWed, 29 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hyperspace Beacon: 2010 Retro!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/hyperspace-beacon-2010-retro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/hyperspace-beacon-2010-retro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/hyperspace-beacon-2010-retro/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Wow... 2010 is almost over, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is not released yet. OK, I had speculated at the beginning of this year that we would not see it until 2011. But if you had asked me in October of 2008 (when the official site was launched), I would have told you that the launch was at the end of 2009. There was no way in my mind that a company would launch its website that early. Boy, was I wrong. Little did I know at the time that I would be sitting here at the end of 2010 (the year new life was to begin on Europa), not playing what I hoped would be my favorite game ever. However, this has all given me time to think back about what SWTOR has given us this year.

The year 2010 was the year of SWTOR reveals. Some have questioned whether too much has been revealed -- or rather, hyped. We have had group combat videos, designers switching games, CEOs retiring, opinionated play-throughs, and many other news items. Would you say we have had a plethora of SWTOR news this year? Oh yes, we have had a plethora, El Guapo. I have my favorites and my not-so favorites. Let's explore a few of them in this little retrospective.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: 2010 Retro!

MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: 2010 Retro! originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2010-retrospectivebest-5BioWarecommunity-managerCompanionsEAea-louseend-of-the-year-2010featuredhope-trailerjedi-sageJedi-wizardLucasArtsPAXrelease-datesean-dahlbergSmugglerSpace-on-railsStar-Warsstar-wars-the-old-republicStephen-Reidswtorthe-old-republictop-5torworst-5Tue, 28 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wasteland Diaries: Top 5 ways to kill yourself in Fallen Earth]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/wasteland-diaries-top-5-ways-to-kill-yourself-in-fallen-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/wasteland-diaries-top-5-ways-to-kill-yourself-in-fallen-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/wasteland-diaries-top-5-ways-to-kill-yourself-in-fallen-earth/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

This week, I figured I would have a little fun with the column. There are so many exciting and unique ways to die in Fallen Earth, my morbid sense of humor screamed at me to write this article and create the embedded video.

Throughout my play time in the game, I've been jotting down some ideas as I come across them (and incidentally prove this list true). I also reached out to the Fallen Earth team for a few ideas of their own, which was fun! So follow along after the jump for my top 5 list and the accompanying video.

Continue reading Wasteland Diaries: Top 5 ways to kill yourself in Fallen Earth

MassivelyWasteland Diaries: Top 5 ways to kill yourself in Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fallen-earthhumoricarus-studiostop-5videowasteland-diariesFri, 19 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's top 5 original features for 2009]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-top-5-original-features-for-2009/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-top-5-original-features-for-2009/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/31/massivelys-top-5-original-features-for-2009/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Not only are we here at Massively passionate about covering the news, but we also deliver on unique and original content. We're out in the trenches interviewing developers, talking about our favorite games, getting inside our games and meeting the community, and giving you our perspectives on the MMO industry. Sometimes you agree with us, sometimes you don't, but we'll keep writing as long as you guys lend us your support and keep reading.

This year was a real breakout year for our original content as we had a bunch of our features rock the traffic charts higher than our news. So, in the spirit of a banner year, it's time to run down the list and name our top five features for 2009.

Once again, we're presenting the article in gallery-vision (TM), so be sure to jump on in by clicking the link below or clicking the first image in the gallery below that. If you wish to comment, drop back by this post (not the gallery) and leave your comment in the white comment box below.


Gallery: Massively's top 5 original features for 2009

Tateru takes on the Australian governmentHorizontal is the new verticalEVE is hard, but it doesn't have to be!It's better than those crappy flip booksGender in the online world

MassivelyMassively's top 5 original features for 2009 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brendan-drainend-of-2009featuredkyle-horneropinionoriginal-contentseraphina-brennanshawn-schustertateru-ninotop-5top-5-features-of-2009top-fiveyear-in-reviewThu, 31 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's top 5 news stories of 2009]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/30/massivelys-top-5-news-stories-of-2009/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/30/massivelys-top-5-news-stories-of-2009/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/30/massivelys-top-5-news-stories-of-2009/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It's that time again! Time when we look backwards and try to identify the top 5 big news stories that we covered here at Massively. 2009 was a pretty turbulent year when it comes to the MMO industry, as we were involved in lawsuits, game closures, multiple major releases, a rising set of indie studios, and more news than you could handle.

So are you excited to look at the year's stories in review? Well, I certainly am! So excited that we're going to do this story in gallery-vision. That's right, for every story you get to have an awesome picture accompanying it. It's brilliant, if you ask us.

So if you're ready to start the tour-de-force, click on the link below or simply start at the first image of the gallery below that. Don't try to skip ahead either, we have poison arrow codes loaded into these pages so if you skip ahead, then your monitor will shoot a poisoned arrow at your neck. Gotta just love HTML 5 -- it does everything!


Gallery: Massively's top 5 news stories of 2009

#5 -- Goodbye Tabula Rasa, we'll miss you#4 -- One Universe // One War: DUST 514#3 -- DDO goes F2P#2 -- The crash of The Matrix Online#1 -- The Twilight MMO Scare

MassivelyMassively's top 5 news stories of 2009 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2009-in-review2009-reviewend-of-the-yearfeaturedmmo-newsnews-storiestop-5top-5-stories-of-2009Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Top 5 helpful hints for your first days in Fallen Earth]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/17/top-5-helpful-hints-for-your-first-days-in-fallen-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/17/top-5-helpful-hints-for-your-first-days-in-fallen-earth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/17/top-5-helpful-hints-for-your-first-days-in-fallen-earth/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


The Fallen Earth NDA has lifted today and we can't even express how happy we are to talk about this game. To finally have a true post-apocalyptic title built on a skill-based, classless system is a dream for those of us who remember the old days before loot and levels were king. Sure, there are still loot and levels in Fallen Earth, but the gameplay allows for so much more than that as a main focus.

So we thought we'd write up this quick, handy guide that should help you have a better initial experience with the game, pointing out some of the more quirky tips that other beginner guides may not include. Follow along after the jump for the complete list, and be sure to keep your eye on Massively for more Fallen Earth guides and lists coming soon!

Continue reading Top 5 helpful hints for your first days in Fallen Earth

MassivelyTop 5 helpful hints for your first days in Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fallen-earthnda-dropnda-liftopen-betapost-apocalyptictop-5Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What are your top 5 MMO must-haves?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/30/the-daily-grind-what-are-your-top-5-mmo-must-haves/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/30/the-daily-grind-what-are-your-top-5-mmo-must-haves/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/30/the-daily-grind-what-are-your-top-5-mmo-must-haves/#commentsFiled under: , ,

As more and more MMOs release, our options grow. That said, most MMOs utilize the same basic features, styles, and mechanics. Almost all of them feature combat, RPG progression, questing, avatars, classes, etc. These are the things we usually judge when choosing which MMO to play. We will say to ourselves, "Hmmm, I won't play that because it doesn't have this or that feature." or "Oooh, I'm definitely playing that because the game has these specific qualities!"

What are your top 5 MMO must-haves? Do you only play fantasy-themed MMOs? Does a thriving player-driven economy make your list of requirements?

My personal list includes:

1. Polish and a general lack of bugs

I know -- I chose the wrong genre if this is my top must-have! Unfortunately, I get really annoyed paying an initial box price and then a monthly fee to support incompetence...

2. Meaningful PvP

"Meaningful" is a loaded descriptor and includes things like progression through PvP (gear and XP), ranking, consequence, and obviously a story- or design-driven purpose/reason for it all.

3. Class variety or variety within my class

Warhammer Online has 24 classes which are a little bit different from each other. That's cool. World of Warcraft has 10 classes but allows you to specialize through numerous talent combos. That's cool too!

4. Casual-friendliness

"With great age comes great responsibility." I had plenty of time to game/grind when I was in high school and college but now I'm pushing 30 with a family, job(s), and a house. I don't mind working for something, but please don't insult me with tedious design that makes things difficult for no good reason.

5. Interesting and diverse PvE

I'm a PvP-junkie first and foremost, but I still realize that variety is the spice of life. I enjoy PvE a lot more when it isn't mindless, repetitive, lazy, and generally grindy. For instance, I enjoyed WoW 1-70 but the raiding endgame and daily quests weren't my idea of fun.

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What are your top 5 MMO must-haves? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>featuresoptionspreferencesthe-daily-grindtop-5warwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 30 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: Five free to play MMOs that are ahead of the class pt. 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/30/anti-aliased-five-free-to-play-mmos-that-are-ahead-of-the-pt2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/30/anti-aliased-five-free-to-play-mmos-that-are-ahead-of-the-pt2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/30/anti-aliased-five-free-to-play-mmos-that-are-ahead-of-the-pt2/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


#3 -- Mabinogi

Yes, Mabinogi is one of our all time favorite free to play MMOs. This is probably obvious by now, but we're fans of the game. The design of Mabinogi really stands out when compared to all of the other free to play MMOs because it's so open. You can take up day jobs, gossip with townsfolk, make NPC friends, engage in a wide variety of crafting, go exploring for monuments, and even terraform the land to find buried treasures. And I haven't even mentioned combat once!

It's this wealth of options that makes Mabinogi a gem for the free to play market. Certainly there is an amount of grind to the game, but the grind is not focused in just one area. This is a game where you will find yourself doing a wide variety of activities if you should choose. It's not all about going out and beating on the nearest snow wolf so you can gain access to the next dungeon (though you can if you want to.) If you don't want to do it, Mabinogi doesn't force you to do it. That's the beauty of it.

Our downside to Mabinogi? The spam. Gold farmers like to infest this game for some reason, and it just gets to the point over overwhelming your chat box at times. We love the game, we're just not that keen about the farmers.

#2 - Runes of Magic

It's a game that steals all the best aspects of every other game! And if you think I'm kidding, I'm totally not!

No, really, Runes of Magic has gone around and pulled the best of the best and smashed it into a form of their original game. While this sounds kind of offensive at first, it actually comes out pretty nicely, especially as the game is free to play.

RoM features very polished features similar to World of Warcraft. The game plays through completing questlines and killing monsters as you level up from 1 to 50. But, the game also features player housing, a dual-class system so you can have two classes instead of one, some awesome choices for character and weapon customization, and Warhammer-esque public quests.

If you're looking for something to take the edge off of your WoW addiction for cheap, then you certainly want to check out Runes of Magic.

#1 -- Free Realms

If you didn't see this coming, then you need to drive your browser to the Free Realms site right now. Yeah, sure, it's targeted at kids. Yeah, sure, it's a little overly cartoony. But if you want a game that's going to hold your attention and provide more than an endless grind all for the low price of free, then this is the one.

It has kart racing, mini-games, silly quests, and an enjoyable atmosphere. You can grab a variety of professions from brawler to cook and find quests for all of them. Yet, most of all, it's an enjoyable game. You don't have to worry about racing to endgame or drilling for the best items or trying to find someplace to have some fun. In Free Realms, you literally trip over fun at every corner.

Inventive gameplay, a wide variety of fun activities, great graphics that run well on most machines, and it's free. You just can't argue with that.
Colin Brennan is the weekly writer of Anti-Aliased who doesn't want money to get in the way of good games. When he's not writing here for Massively, he's rambling on his personal blog, The Experience Curve. If you want to message him, send him an e-mail at colin.brennan AT weblogsinc DOT com. You can also follow him on Twitter through Massively, or through his personal feed.

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: Five free to play MMOs that are ahead of the class pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anti-aliasedfree-realmsfree-to-playfrogster-americafrogster-interactivemabinoginexonpioneers-of-iriarunes-of-magicrunewaker-entertainmentsoesony-online-entertainmenttop-5Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: Five free to play MMOs that are ahead of the class]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/30/anti-aliased-five-free-to-play-mmos-that-are-ahead-of-the-class/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/30/anti-aliased-five-free-to-play-mmos-that-are-ahead-of-the-class/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/30/anti-aliased-five-free-to-play-mmos-that-are-ahead-of-the-class/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Times are tough, the wallet is tight, and you still need a game to play. But what free games can you wrap your hands around that just don't suck, right? That seems to be the trouble with free to play games -- many selections all with very low quality.

But the market is not as bad as you might think. There are certainly some gems out there in the free to play market, just waiting for you to wrap your hands around them and play. Finding them however, hasn't always been easy, until now.

With the recommendations of my colleagues here at Massively, and my own personal experience, I've complied a list of 5 free to play games that are worthy of your play time. In advance, however, I wish to apologize to Chronicles of Spellborn, Wizard 101, and FusionFall. All three of these games made our favorites list, but I'm skipping them as their focus is more of a "freemium" experience, where massive areas of the games are locked out until a subscription is purchased. This column is only going to concentrate on the free to play, item mall driven games, just to clarify for all of you readers out there.

So which games made the best of the free to play list? Continue reading and you'll find out.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Five free to play MMOs that are ahead of the class

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: Five free to play MMOs that are ahead of the class originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aeria-gamesanti-aliasedcombatdungeon-runnersfeaturedfree-to-playfungood-gamesjoystiqfeaturesncsoftshin-megami-tensei-imaginetop-5Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: Top 5 things MMOs should learn in the new year]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/02/anti-aliased-top-5-things-mmos-should-learn-in-the-new-year/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/02/anti-aliased-top-5-things-mmos-should-learn-in-the-new-year/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/01/02/anti-aliased-top-5-things-mmos-should-learn-in-the-new-year/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Well Happy New Year Massively readers! Hope everything is working out for you all on this second day of the year 2009! Did you get caught up on your favorite MMO yesterday during the holiday?

With the new year finally here, we have all sorts of new games in production and slated for a 2009 release. But that doesn't mean we should entirely forget about 2008. All sorts of things have happened in 2008 that the industry and players can learn from, but what should make the classic "end of year" top 5 list?

Well, as I am absolutely no more inventive than every other blog in existence, this edition of Anti-Aliased is dedicated to the top 5 things the industry and culture should learn and take into 2009, rather than forgetting. Some of it's funny, some of it's serious, but let's be honest -- it all goes towards perfecting how to have fun in virtual worlds.

Continue reading Anti-Aliased: Top 5 things MMOs should learn in the new year

MassivelyAnti-Aliased: Top 5 things MMOs should learn in the new year originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaoccontentendgameexclamation-pointsfeaturedgrindjoystiqfeatureslevelingmmo-industrytop-5top5tutorialworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 02 Jan 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively Speaking Podcast's Top 5 episodes of 2008]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/massively-speaking-podcasts-top-5-episodes-of-2008/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/massively-speaking-podcasts-top-5-episodes-of-2008/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/12/24/massively-speaking-podcasts-top-5-episodes-of-2008/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

These last weeks of 2008 will inevitably be filled with "Best of" lists for every topic imaginable, so let Massively Speaking be no exception! Michael and I decided to take a day off from the podcast this week in order to give the listeners (and readers) our own little "Best of" list from the 36 episodes we've done since the podcast's inception on April 17th, 2008.

You can bet we'll be back in audio form next week though as we do a proper year-in-review, highlighting the very best MMO news that came out of 2008. But for now, follow along after the cut for my own Top 5 Episodes of Massively Speaking list.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Podcast's Top 5 episodes of 2008

MassivelyMassively Speaking Podcast's Top 5 episodes of 2008 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>best-ofepisodesinterviewslistmassively-speakingpodcasttop-5Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Best of Massively: Our five all-time greatest hits]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/31/the-best-of-massively-our-five-all-time-greatest-hits/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/31/the-best-of-massively-our-five-all-time-greatest-hits/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/31/the-best-of-massively-our-five-all-time-greatest-hits/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Our first birthday is this weekend and we're very excited -- so excited that we're giving away tons of stuff with reckless abandon. As you know, we've been leading up to it for the past month by listing our best work in the Best of Massively series. Well, folks, this is the last episode! We're wrapping it up by presenting what are arguably your favorites -- our five most viewed featured articles ever! Three of these are top five articles, so we're three-fifths of the way to making a top five top fives list, it would seem. The numbers don't lie, though, so enjoy, and tune in Sunday for the first giveaways!


Gallery: The Best of Massively: Our five all-time greatest hits

5 - Five MMOs better than World of Warcraft4 - The Top 5 Free MMOs3 - Massively's Top 5 Sci-Fi MMOs2 - Massively goes to WARA World of Warcraft player's guide to Warhammer Online

MassivelyThe Best of Massively: Our five all-time greatest hits originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>best-of-massivelybirthdayf2pfeaturedfreefree-mmosgreatest-hitsjoystiqfeaturespopularsci-fithe-best-of-massivelytop-5trafficwarwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 31 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's Top 5 most-anticipated features of Moria]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/massivelys-top-5-most-anticipated-features-of-moria/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/massivelys-top-5-most-anticipated-features-of-moria/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/20/massivelys-top-5-most-anticipated-features-of-moria/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


With Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria releasing in less than a month, there are quite a few things we're excited to see in this first expansion for the game. Most of these favorite changes are well-known for anyone following Moria news, but a few we discovered through the beta. Of course, since the beta NDA has lifted today, we can now discuss everything that excites us about the new content.

Follow along after the cut for our complete list, and stay tuned for more Moria beta info throughout the day.

Continue reading Massively's Top 5 most-anticipated features of Moria

MassivelyMassively's Top 5 most-anticipated features of Moria originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>lord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromines-of-moriatop-5turbineMon, 20 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Best of Massively: Our top 5 weirdest news stories]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/the-best-of-massively-our-top-5-weirdest-news-stories/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/the-best-of-massively-our-top-5-weirdest-news-stories/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/06/the-best-of-massively-our-top-5-weirdest-news-stories/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


We're still counting down to Massively's first birthday by compiling the best and most entertaining coverage we've done. So far we've listed our most important interviews and our most helpful guides. This time around, we're looking back at the top five strangest, weirdest and sometimes-raciest news stories we've covered since we launched last November.

Whether you missed these stories or you're just ready for a refresher, we hope they'll make you smile and laugh -- or at least make you raise an eyebrow or two!


Gallery: The Best of Massively: Our top 5 weirdest news stories

5 - Richard Garriott's crazy-awesome house4 - Sword of the Nude World3 - The answer to EVE Online's Ultimate Question is 422 - Age of Conan's accidental breast reductions1 - Elf ear plastic surgery

MassivelyThe Best of Massively: Our top 5 weirdest news stories originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>42age-of-conanbest-of-massivelybizarreboobsbreastsbritannia-manorccpdouglas-adamseaearself-earseve-onlinefeaturedfuncomgrenada-espadajoystiqfeaturesncsoftnewsnudityoriginplastic-surgeryrichard-garriottstrangesword-of-the-new-worldtabula-rasathe-best-of-massivelythe-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxytop-5ultima-onlineweirdMon, 06 Oct 2008 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Best of Massively: Our most helpful guides]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/the-best-of-massively-our-most-helpful-guides/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/the-best-of-massively-our-most-helpful-guides/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/26/the-best-of-massively-our-most-helpful-guides/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

In just over one month, Massively will celebrate its first birthday! Last week we started a countdown to the event by kicking off a series of features highlighting the best stuff from the site so far. We started with our ten most important interviews. Today, we're continuing the weekly countdown by listing some of your (and our) favorite guides!

We broke them out into six categories, counting down to the best and most popular. A wide variety of games are covered, so chances are you'll find something useful in here. This list can serve as a springboard to a ton of content -- dozens and dozens of articles. So consider this your go-to place for info on some of the hottest games.

Without further ado, here's the guide to our best guides. Wow, how meta is that!


Gallery: The Best of Massively: Our most helpful guides

6 - Top (insert number here) lists5 - Age of Conan: Backpackers guides and a movie comparison4 - EVE Online: Rogue Signal and EVE Evolved3 - Making a life in Middle-earth2 - Helping World of Warcraft players emigrate

MassivelyThe Best of Massively: Our most helpful guides originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocbest-of-massivelyblizzardea-mythiceveeve-onlinefeaturedfuncomgalleriesgalleryguidesguild-warsgwjoystiqfeatureslistlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromythicmythic-entertainmentncsoftthe-best-of-massivelytop-10top-5turbinewarwarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 26 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[MTV previews Warhammer Online, finds five things interesting]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/28/geek-previews-warhammer-online-finds-five-things-interesting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/28/geek-previews-warhammer-online-finds-five-things-interesting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/08/28/geek-previews-warhammer-online-finds-five-things-interesting/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

MTV's Multiplayer blog sent its resident Warhammer geek (Joe DeShano) into the Warhammer Online beta. He came out with five key observations and published them on the blog. The observations: the game's world is at war, PvP is constant, the Tome of Knowledge should please Warhammer fanboys, the Empire's capital city is both cool and big, and applying dyes to armor is an awesome reminder of nerdy miniature-painting sessions.

He wrote up a general preview around those five key points (and a number of screenshots), and while you're not likely to learn anything totally new from it if you've been following the game, it can't hurt to read someone's hands-on impressions. At the end of it all, he seemed to have a high-ish opinion of the game, calling it "World of Warcraft 2.0."
Warhammer Online Coverage 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!

MassivelyMTV previews Warhammer Online, finds five things interesting originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaea-mythicmtvmtv-multiplayermythicmythic-entertainmentpreviewscreenshotstop-5warhammerwarhammer-fantasywarhammer-onlineThu, 28 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa Top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 5]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-5/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-5/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-5/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Tip 5: If you need more guys to kill, just knock on the door

If you're running around outside a CP and find yourself needing enemies to kill, just plunk one or two shots into the force field covering the gate and you should get a fresh supply of enemies to come out and try and make paste of your face. If they don't try and drop-ship down on your head, they should come rushing out of the base like bats out of hell. We're not sure if they have some sort of psychic connection to the door or if it's got some sort of doorbell function we weren't made aware of, but it works. Still, it's a crucial point of order in keeping your experience modifier alive.


That wraps up our top 5 tips for assaulting CPs. The control point gameplay continues to be a big part of what makes Tabula Rasa such a unique and engaging experience for fans. Plenty of companies have done siege warfare before, but there's just something so organic about the way control points bounce back and forth between player control and the AI. With the added incentives brought about by the new token system, capture points have once again risen to prominence in players' daily grinds. With these tips in mind, we hope to see some of your out there on the battlefield!

MassivelyTabula Rasa Top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 5 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assaultCPsdestination-gamesguidehow-tostrategytabula-rasatop-5trTue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 4]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-4/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-4/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-4/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Tip 4: Kite away big targets like bosses, Kael, and Striders

While a lot of players (especially Spies) seem to pride themselves in their ability to take down hard targets quickly, it's usually a much wiser decision to kite these guys away from big groups and take them on by yourself or with the help of other players or AI troops. Kael, Striders, and especially boss characters (as denoted by their white aura and unique name) can be extremely tough nuts to crack,. It's hard to even out-damage their considerable regenerative abilities, especially when you've got a group of ten other guys plunking away at you in the meantime. So pull those big guys from the crowd and take them out before going back in and cleaning up the dregs.



As a secondary point, don't be afraid to run away! Even specialists with their repair tools equipped can be quickly and efficiently downed under sustained fire from a boss and a big group of lackeys. If it looks like things aren't going to go your way, high-tail it out of there and save yourself the rez sickness.



Click on for Part 5 of our Top 5 Tips for Assaulting CPs >>>>>

MassivelyTabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 4 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assaultCPsdestination-gamesguidehow-tostrategytabula-rasatop-5trTue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 3]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-3/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-3/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Tip 3: Don't rush to capture that CP

One of the rookie mistakes a lot of people make is immediately rushing in and trying to capture a CP when the force field comes down. This rarely works because all it takes is one enemy shot to interrupt the capture process. And there's usually at least one enemy lingering around waiting to take a pot shot at you. Do your clean up first, then capture. One should also consider their surroundings and whether that CP is even worth capturing. If other people were assaulting a CP before you got there, make sure to ask if they're grinding for assault tokens. It would be awfully rude to rush in and snipe the CP they've been working on. If you hadn't considered farming the CP yourself, you should. Capturing a CP basically cuts off enemy reinforcements, meaning that your experience modifier and your supply of assault tokens comes to an abrupt end.



Click on for Part 4 of our Top 5 Tips for Assaulting CPs >>>>>

MassivelyTabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 3 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assaultCPsdestination-gamesguidestrategytabula-rasatop-5trTue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Tip 2: Turn solitary shield drones against the enemy

One of the most loathsome sights in the game is seeing a huge mob of Bane running towards you completely protected by a swarm of shield drones. While shield drones are generally a huge pain in the ass, and fairly high on the hit list, that doesn't mean you shouldn't use them to your advantage when you can. If you're inside their yellow dome of energy, you receive the same protective benefits as the enemy. So instead of destroying that lone shield drone sitting in front of the base, consider using it as a staging area. They'll only be to scratch you once they're inside the bubble too, so wail on them before they can close range.



Click on for Part 3 of our Top 5 Tips for Assaulting CPs >>>>>

MassivelyTabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assaultcpsdestination-gamesguidehow-tostrategytabula-rasatop-5trTue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 1]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps-part-1/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Tip 1: Prioritize your targets and take them out with hit and run tactics

One of the mistakes that most frequently leads to a player's early demise is rushing in to assault a capture point without properly assessing a situation. Sure it looks like there's only a few lightbenders guarding the gate to the base, but if you swing a few degrees closer to the door, you'll see they've got a whole slew of buddies waiting just inside the force field to come make hamburger out of your face. The smart player will identify the enemies he has to deal with and, if he's alone, attack in a series of hit and run maneuvers, taking out a few enemies at a time. Start with the healers and shield drones, and work your way down the order of importance. Those Thrax might be easier to kill, but it doesn't do you a lick of good killing them if a Caretaker just rezzes them right after you run away.




MassivelyTabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs - Part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assaultCPsdestination-gamesguidehow-tostrategytabula-rasatop-5trTue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Tabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/08/tabula-rasa-top-5-tips-for-assaulting-cps/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


When patch 1.6 hit the live servers, Tabula Rasa's grinding game as we knew it was shaken up. Experience modifiers were bumped up as high as 6x the normal rates and a new system was implemented that allows players to collect universal CP assault and defend tokens in exchange for worthwhile items like attribute respecs and 50% experience boosters. With these changes, grinding capture points has never been a bigger part of the Tabula Rasa experience.

While battling our way from zone to zone, we've seen a lot of players falling into the same mistakes and meeting their untimely demise. In an effort to assure that everybody enjoys the CP capturing experience as much as we do, we've assembled a two-part guide to Tabula Rasa capture points, with tips, strategies, and common etiquette that should help take your TR experience to the next level. For part one, we'll give you some useful tips for that always difficult task of assaulting enemy CPs.

Click on for Part 1 of our Top 5 Tips for Assaulting CPs >>>>>

MassivelyTabula Rasa top 5 tips for assaulting CPs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assaultCPsdestination-gamesfeaturedguidehow-tostrategytabula-rasatop-5trTue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Top 5 real life lessons we've learned from MMOs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/top-5-real-life-lesson-weve-learned-from-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/top-5-real-life-lesson-weve-learned-from-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/top-5-real-life-lesson-weve-learned-from-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Game designer Steve Danuser, AKA Moorgard, recently posted a musing on his blog where he speculated on the greatest lessons he's learned in all his time playing World of Warcraft. After all, after investing dozens, if not hundreds, of real days into the game, surely he had to have learned something from the experience that was applicable to real life? For Steve, the lesson was, if they look different than you, and speak differently than you, kill them before they get the chance to kill you. While we know hope Steve is kidding, it did get the old gears turning.

We've taken up Steve's line of discussion and mulled it over a little bit. What follows is our (mostly) sincere look at the top 5 real life lessons that we've learned from MMOs.

Continue reading Top 5 real life lessons we've learned from MMOs

MassivelyTop 5 real life lessons we've learned from MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>caffeinechairfeaturedgenderleadershiplessonsmoorgardreal-lifescott-danusertop-5world-of-warcraftwowMon, 31 Mar 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 2]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/16/top-10-mia-mmos-of-2007-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/16/top-10-mia-mmos-of-2007-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/16/top-10-mia-mmos-of-2007-part-2/#commentsFiled under: , ,


The MMO landscape for next year is already looking extremely promising for all parties involved. Even in their unfinished state, games like Age of Conan, Pirates of the Burning Sea, and Warhammer Online already appear like industry trend-setters, and its only a matter of months before we're finally able to sink our collective teeth into fresh, new, massively multiplayer meat. But as we all well know, the excitement doesn't stop with those familiar names.

We return once more to deliver the part two of our list of the Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 -- those games which we know exist somewhere out there in the ether, but which we know ... well, basically nothing about. If you missed part 1 of the list which was posted last week, make sure to go back and read over it before proceeding any further. That way, you can know for sure whether or not we skipped that big game that you're looking forward to -- and the ensuing hate mail can, at the very least, be properly informed.

Continue reading Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 2

MassivelyTop 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>200738-studiosbethesdabiowarebioware-mmoblizzardelder-scrolls-onlinefeaturedgooglejoystiqfeatureskotorkotor-mmomia-mmossnow-crashtop-5zenimax-online-studiosSun, 16 Dec 2007 09:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 1]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/08/top-10-mia-mmos-of-2007-part-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/08/top-10-mia-mmos-of-2007-part-1/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/08/top-10-mia-mmos-of-2007-part-1/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

In the waning weeks of December, we've already started turning our eyes towards the new year. 2008 is already showing a great deal of promise for the MMO community, with the impending release of Pirates of the Burning Sea, Wrath of the Lich King, Age of Conan, and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Though most of these titles are still a good ways away from hitting retailer shelves, we've already got a pretty good idea of what's in store, not just in terms of assets and information that's already been released, but also from hands-on impressions and beta testing. In other words, as excited as we are, there probably won't be terribly many surprises as it concerns these titles. They're practically a given.

As luck would have it, those aren't the only titles we'll be drooling over next year - this much we know. There are a number of games in development out there that have shown up on our collective radar screens over the past few months, but only as tiny blips. For the most part, they still represent riddles wrapped up in mysteries with a side of question mark. We've assembled a list of the top 10 MIA MMOs - those mysterious games that represent the future of the MMO... if only we knew what they were.

In the first part of this feature, we'll take a look at the first half of the list.

Continue reading Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 1

MassivelyTop 10 MIA MMOs of 2007 - part 1 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>all-points-bulletinAPBcryptic-studiosfalloutfallout-mmofeaturedfireflyinterplayjoystiqfeaturesmarvel-universe-onlinemia-mmosmultiverseMUOopinionreal-time-worldsthqtop-5vigil-gameswarhammer-40kSat, 08 Dec 2007 16:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Top 5 combat tips for Tabula Rasa recruits]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/04/top-5-combat-tips-for-tabula-rasa-recruits/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/04/top-5-combat-tips-for-tabula-rasa-recruits/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/12/04/top-5-combat-tips-for-tabula-rasa-recruits/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


So you bought Tabula Rasa, created your character, and conquered basic training with ease, and maybe even found your first Logos. Good for you! As with any new MMO though, the learning period has only just begun. There are a myriad of subtleties, strategies, and nuances that dictate your success in Tabula Rasa, and most of them are only discovered via trial and error. That or prodigious use of alt+tab and Google.

After spending some time on TR's dedicated new players channel, we've boiled down the most common sources of complaint and confusion, and compiled them into our top 5 list of combat tips for Tabula Rasa recruits. It's by no means a comprehensive guide, but for players still getting their bearings, and perhaps even for some veterans, this should serve as a basic guide to surviving in Destination Games' Tabula Rasa.

Continue reading Top 5 combat tips for Tabula Rasa recruits

MassivelyTop 5 combat tips for Tabula Rasa recruits originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>combatdestination-gamesfeaturedguidehands-onhow-tojoystiqfeaturesncsoftrecruitsrgtrtabula-rasatop-5Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:03:00 EST<![CDATA[Massively's Top 5 Sci-Fi MMOs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/27/massivelys-top-5-sci-fi-mmos/#commentsFiled under: ,

Orcs and Elves are all well and good, but some of us are more attracted to a mythical future than to a mythical past. Sci-Fi is trendy again, in case you hadn't heard. From Tabula Rasa to Star Trek Online (we hope), the future belongs to, well ... the future. But what about the past of the future? Sorry; this is getting more verbally confusing than a Voyager time paradox episode. Let's put it this way: click through the jump to see Massively's top 5 Sci-Fi MMOs to date!

Can you think of any tragic omissions? To paraphrase a character from pop culture, "Science Fiction is neither Science nor Fiction. Discuss!"

Continue reading Massively's Top 5 Sci-Fi MMOs

MassivelyMassively's Top 5 Sci-Fi MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anarchy-onlineccpeaearth-and-beyondeve-onlinefeaturedfuncomjoystiqfeaturesjump-to-lightspeedlistnew-game-enhancementsngeplanetsidesci-fiscience-fictionsoestar-trek-onlinestar-wars-galaxiestabula-rasatop-5westwoodTue, 27 Nov 2007 11:30:00 EST