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[Five top tips for your first few days of Diablo III]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/five-top-tips-for-your-first-few-days-of-diablo-iii/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/five-top-tips-for-your-first-few-days-of-diablo-iii/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/five-top-tips-for-your-first-few-days-of-diablo-iii/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Diablo III title image
Diablo III officially launched at midnight last night, opening the floodgates on what is possibly the most pre-ordered PC game in history. It's been almost 12 years since the previous game in the series launched, and it's still going to this day. Whether you've played previous games, have taken part in the Diablo III beta or are taking your first steps into Sanctuary today, everyone starts with a clean slate. In this article, I give my top five tips for spending your first few days wisely in Diablo III.

#5 - Spend most of your time on one character

It seems like a bit of a no-brainer to initially focus on one character, but in Diablo III's case, there's a special reason to do it. You'll likely finish normal mode around level 20-30, and until then, you'll get a new skill almost every level. It's only when you've completed normal mode and moved on to nightmare that the challenge really starts and you will have picked out an effective set of skills. Your last active skill unlocks at level 30, and from then on you'll gain a combination of two to three runes or passive skills every level until you hit the level cap at 60.

Read on for four more tips you should keep in mind as you start playing Diablo III.

Continue reading Five top tips for your first few days of Diablo III

MassivelyFive top tips for your first few days of Diablo III originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 15 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>action-rpgauction-housebarrelsbattlenetblacksmithblizzardblizzard-entertainmentchartd3diablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiifantasyfeaturedgothic-fantasygraphguideguideslaunch-daylevellevel-chartlevelinglevelsmultiplayeronline-multiplayerpartypassivesphysicsrpgrunessanctuaryskill-chartskillstipstop-fivetop-tipsweaponsTue, 15 May 2012 10:00:00 EST<![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[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[Five reasons to play Aion (continued)]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/19/five-reasons-to-play-aion-continued/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/19/five-reasons-to-play-aion-continued/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/19/five-reasons-to-play-aion-continued/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Continue reading Five reasons to play Aion (continued)

MassivelyFive reasons to play Aion (continued) originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionlaunchncsoftnew-titlesopinionsreasons-to-playtop-fiveSat, 19 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Five reasons to play Aion]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/19/five-reasons-to-play-aion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/19/five-reasons-to-play-aion/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/09/19/five-reasons-to-play-aion/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


We hope this article will shed some light on Aion and help you decide whether or not it pleases your taste buds. Aion is undoubtedly a unique game but it also offers enough familiarity to make things feel homey. It all comes down to player preference really, but based on the anticipation leading up to release, we are sure the game will have a successful launch.

Here are five reasons we think you should play Aion:

1) Polish and performance

It's really difficult to predict what will happen on launch day, but Aion is probably going to be a candidate for one of the smoothest MMO launches ever based on their track record of polish and performance throughout all the beta phases. It really comes down to two things: the graphics engine and launching in Korea nearly a year ago. We should also mention the recent removal of GameGuard from the launch client will assist things greatly.

Continue reading Five reasons to play Aion

MassivelyFive reasons to play Aion originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aionaion-tipsfeaturedlaunchncsoftnew-titleopinionreasons-to-playtop-fiveSat, 19 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMOs in the top five PC game sales worldwide this week]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/mmos-in-the-top-five-game-sales-worldwide-this-week/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/mmos-in-the-top-five-game-sales-worldwide-this-week/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/23/mmos-in-the-top-five-game-sales-worldwide-this-week/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Gamasutra's weekly analysis of top game sales offers a great temperature reading on the hottest new gaming properties. It's interesting to note, then, that MMOs are in the top five across all three major gaming markets in the PC category. Age of Conan, of course, is a major contributor to this distinction. The regular box for Conan takes the top spot in American PC sales, while the elusive Collector's edition clocks in an #3.

Over in Europe, MMOs dominate the chart. Conan is in the top spot, while World of Warcraft grabs #2 and the Burning Crusade expansion has a lock on slot #3. Though Age of Conan doesn't appear on Japan's top five chart, the newest Final Fantasy XI collection does. Spot number 3 in the Asian country goes to the venerable massive game. These numbers come from Amazon.com, so take that bias into account when judging these results. Still, the EU sales are particularly interesting; perhaps a spike in WoW sales prompted by the recent Lich King news drop?

MassivelyMMOs in the top five PC game sales worldwide this week originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 May 2008 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocbest-sellersbusinesstop-fiveworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 23 May 2008 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The top five subscription MMOs in the US]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/the-top-five-subscription-mmos-in-the-us/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/the-top-five-subscription-mmos-in-the-us/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/the-top-five-subscription-mmos-in-the-us/#commentsFiled under: ,

The NPD group is well known for being the scorekeeper in this round of the console wars. Their monthly releases of sales figures for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii fill forums and blog posts with endless fodder for discussion. This week they released the results of units tracking for massively multiplayer games, and the results are a bit surprising. Here are the top five subscription-based titles in the United States:
  1. World of Warcraft
  2. RuneScape
  3. Lord of the Rings Online
  4. Final Fantasy XI
  5. City of Heroes
Comments from the NPD on these numbers are somewhat humorous, and reflect their contentious relationship with PC gamers. "Now that NPD can estimate the value of the subscription market, it's clear that there is a sizable chunk of revenue being generated by PC gaming beyond what is reflected in retail sales." Veteran designer Raph Koster reflects on the numbers at his personal site, noting the huge leap between the US percentage of WoW subscribers and the 136,000 users playing City of Heroes. This hit-driven curve is another challenge for the genre, and should be kept in mind as we move into the launch windows of new AAA titles.

MassivelyThe top five subscription MMOs in the US originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 May 2008 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroesfinal-fantasy-xilord-of-the-rings-onlinerunescapetop-fiveworld-of-warcraftFri, 09 May 2008 19:15:00 EST