| The Road to Mordor: Wish lists, past and future Posted: 31 Dec 2011 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor Hobbits love making lists, don't they? In The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo had a lengthy list of friends and relatives to invite to his eleventy-first birthday party, and he didn't have the luxury of Facebook to help him out. I love lists as well, although I try to save most of that for my Perfect Ten column. At the beginning of the year, I sat down and drafted up a "wish list" for Lord of the Rings Online's 2011 year, populating it with 11 changes and additions I was hoping to see by now. To my surprise, Turbine actually pulled off quite a few items on the list, and I thought it'd be a good idea to go back and examine which of my goals the team met and which remain elusive. Also, since 2012 kicks off tomorrow, I'll look forward as well and draft up a dozen -- yes, one more over the year before -- wish list items that I'd love to see come true in the new year. It's my column; I can cry if I want to, after all. Let's get this party started! Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Wish lists, past and future  The Road to Mordor: Wish lists, past and future originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WRUP: The sunset of 2011 edition Posted: 31 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Miscellaneous So it's the end of 2011. What can be said that hasn't been said elsewhere? It was certainly a year, all right, and it contained pretty much the usual number of days and hours. I celebrated my second year here, Massively got another year older, Ms. Lady and I bought a car, the usual sort of stuff. Also there were some stories about MMOs in there, some sort of news stuff. I'm not really sure. Most of everything older than two hours is kind of a haze. Past the cut is this year's final edition of WRUP, containing all of the information you'd need for what we'll be doing on this last weekend of the year. We're also talking about whether or not we have nay traditions for the transition of years, so that's timely. Jump on past the break to see what we're going to be up to, and let us know what you have planned in the comments. Continue reading WRUP: The sunset of 2011 edition WRUP: The sunset of 2011 edition originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you rush to endgame? Posted: 31 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST Filed under: Launches, MMO industry, Endgame, Opinion, Massively Meta, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Welcome to the endgame... the endgame of 2011! We gamers love to say that MMOs are about the journey, not the destination, but that doesn't seem to stop us from zipping up the levels the instant a game or expansion launches. Hardcore players had hit level 50 in Star Wars: The Old Republic within just a few days of the pre-order early access, before the game had even landed on store shelves. In a game designed to be about telling and participating in a story, players have to be the firstest with the mostest -- the first to cap, the first to get achievements, the first to beat bosses, even the first to master tradeskills. The game doesn't reward you for stopping to smell the flowers, after all. Of course, hardcore achiever players are often the first to start moping when they realize they've burned through months of content in a week -- and all their friends are still busy catching up anyway. What about you, Massively folks? Do you take your time, savoring all the sights and really drinking in the game on your first playthrough -- or do you rush to the lonely endgame?  Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!The Daily Grind: Do you rush to endgame? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Storyboard: The other gatekeepers Posted: 30 Dec 2011 06:00 PM PST Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous If there's one thing that I've proven incapable of doing with tabletop gaming, it's remembering the names of NPCs. Not the ones related to this week's adventure, mind you; those I remember just fine. But throw out a big signature NPC and I suddenly find myself completely blank. It's bad enough that the only character I can think of off the top of my head is Caine from Vampire: the Masquerade, who mostly occupies a spot in my head for totally unrelated reasons. I can't help but think that if some clever GM tried to insert a major storyline character into an adventure, I'd wind up being the guy in the party who asked someone breathtakingly important if I could borrow some money. In the case of MMOs, I often have a bit more of an advantage. After all, Statesman and my character have a bit more interaction in City of Heroes than my characters in other games have with the setting-specific NPCs that I'd really like to be able to name off the top of my head. But even though I can remember who Thrall is, he suffers from the exact same problem as all the others -- as long as I'm not playing him, he's just plain not important. Continue reading Storyboard: The other gatekeepers Storyboard: The other gatekeepers originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Betawatch: December 24 - 30, 2011 Posted: 30 Dec 2011 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, MMO industry, Betawatch, Miscellaneous This week, we learned that the North American version of Ankama's Wakfu will be joining its European cousin in open beta on January 4th, which is good news for people who love quirky classes like Treasure Hunters, Warrior Gamblers, and Lunatic Soldiers. Meanwhile, Runes of Magic opened invites to test out its new browser client, due to launch January 9th. Enjoy the full Betawatch roundup beyond the break. Continue reading Betawatch: December 24 - 30, 2011 Betawatch: December 24 - 30, 2011 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Firing Line: An early look at World of Planes Posted: 30 Dec 2011 04:00 PM PST Filed under: Historical, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, War, Free-to-play, The Firing Line Today I'd like to expand on the World War II flight shooter theme introduced in last week's episode of The Firing Line. We've talked a bit about Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes, but there's another MMO in the works that features intense aerial battles, sexy 1940s-era aircraft, and a "World of" title. Continue reading The Firing Line: An early look at World of Planes The Firing Line: An early look at World of Planes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| MMObility: The year in mobile Posted: 30 Dec 2011 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Screenshots, Interviews, News items, Opinion, Free-to-play, Mobile, Casual, MMObility What a year, huh? We gamers have seen a lot of changes, but especially in the mobile market. New devices came and went, technologies spread out even further in the world, and MMO gaming established itself on the smallest screens possible. Of course, the mobile market is not as large as the standard MMO market, but it is definitely growing. As more devices appear, more players come to fill up the games. Our phones are not what they used to be, even five years ago. They are now truly tiny and powerful computing devices that are always connected. A player can literally live all of his digital life on one small device. If we look at the laptop and netbook market, we see even more growth and power. All of these devices need games to play on them, and MMOs fit perfectly into the mobile lifestyle. Click past the cut and I'll recap many of the best stories from Massively's mobile coverage! Continue reading MMObility: The year in mobile MMObility: The year in mobile originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Some Assembly Required: In defense of player-driven story Posted: 30 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST |
| Anonymous declares war on Sony over SOPA support Posted: 30 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST Sony may once again be the target of hacking attacks, but at least this time the company has a little heads-up in advance. The secretive organization of hackers known as Anonymous released a video declaring its intent to strike at Sony over Sony's support of the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The video contains your usual vague proclamations of doom and ego-boosting statements, although with Anonymous' past activity, it will be hard to ignore the threat. The collective of hackers were thought to be at least partially responsible for the attack on Sony earlier this year that forced the company to take its network and games offline. SOPA is a proposed U.S. bill that would allow law enforcement to combat pirated digital goods by shutting down websites and blocking payments to site owners. While the bill is supported by Hollywood, the music industry, and some major game companies, SOPA opposers worry that the bill will infringe on First Amendment rights and permanently harm the internet. You can watch the Anonymous declaration after the jump. Continue reading Anonymous declares war on Sony over SOPA support Anonymous declares war on Sony over SOPA support originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Female-only Queens Blade launches website, pubescent fantasies Posted: 30 Dec 2011 12:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Previews, Free-to-play Do you ever complain that video game females are too chastely attired, even when heading into major combat? Is TERA's feminine armor covering up completely unnecessary square inches of real estate? Then you're not only someone whom we'd probably inch away from in an elevator but the target audience for Queens Blade, an upcoming MMO that features six all-female classes -- and little female clothing. One of the game's spotlight features is the ability for characters to transform into super-powerful versions via the Maximizing System. It both lifts and separates, we're told. Actually, the transformed versions of the characters are giant, hulking suits of armor with nasty weapons. Queens Blade now has a teaser site available with loads of information, pictures, and videos of the game. There's an option to view the site in either its native Korean or in English. If you're interested -- and we're not judging here -- stay tuned as the game is slated to head into closed beta testing earlier next year. The official trailer after the cut gives a good glimpse into this colorful post-apocalyptic landscape and the women set out to tame it. Continue reading Female-only Queens Blade launches website, pubescent fantasies Female-only Queens Blade launches website, pubescent fantasies originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The MMO Report: 2011 bloopers edition Posted: 30 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Humor, The MMO Report, Miscellaneous What do science jazz bands and motorized feminine hygiene products have in common? They're both mentioned on this week's MMO Report, for starters (yes, really). Moving right along, host Casey Schreiner takes a break from his industry news roundup routine to regale us with a 10-minute blooper reel featuring the best (worst?) outtakes of 2011. While there isn't much in the way of MMO news on this week's episode, there are plenty of shots of Casey shuffling his papers, zany cameraman hijinks, and a few choice monologue missteps and associated bleep bombs. We've got the full show embedded for you after the break. Continue reading The MMO Report: 2011 bloopers edition The MMO Report: 2011 bloopers edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| This Week in MMO: Thrones vs. Sith edition Posted: 30 Dec 2011 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, EverQuest II, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, DUST 514, PlanetSide 2 How does a smackdown featuring Game of Thrones vs. Star Wars grab you? This Week in MMO examines the fallout from BioWare's recent disclosure of what Star Wars: The Old Republic might have been, and Gary Gannon and crew have some interesting insights (as well as a clear affinity for a galaxy far, far away). Mike B. and Mike Schaffnit join Gannon for his weekly dive into the MMO news headlines, and in addition to the SWTOR monster, the trio also talks up DUST 514 and its chances of success as a PlayStation 3 exclusive. PlanetSide 2's new trailer also gets a mention, as does EverQuest II's nifty new dungeon maker toolset. Head to Gamebreaker.TV for the complete episode. This Week in MMO: Thrones vs. Sith edition originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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While AMD's Bobcat-based Fusion APUs have been pretty successful in the ultra-portable notebook market, the chipmaker's lone tablet-optimized Z01 "Desna" APU has found few takers. But even that wasn't enough to stop Taiwan-based company BungBungame from building a business tablet around the Z01, which combines two 1GHz Bobcat cores and a Radeon HD 6250 graphics core on the same die. Hit the jump for more.
