It takes a lot to drag me out of retirement. And yet, with the announcement of their first game, Singularity 6 has managed just that. Palia looks to be a tranquil, laid-back experience that’s heavy on social bonds and community building, and light on the competitive combat that dominates online gaming today. And that potent…
When I look back at 2017, the MMO landscape is tinged with disappointment. Destiny 2, my big hope for online extravagance, failed to live up to expectations. World of Warcraft has hit another lull in the gulf between expansions. Over the last 12 months, nothing new has truly landed and stuck. Yes, there’s a few…
With a few notable exceptions, levelling in MMOs is a temporary experience. We get a few weeks of meaty questing and cinematics, followed by months of waiting for content updates. It’s the Achilles Heel of the theme-park experience – rich and deep while it lasts, but bland and repetitive once the cap is reached. I’ve…
A few weeks ago, I ran a competition to win some delicious WildStar swag that I’d managed to bring back from Gamescom. After being flooded with entries (my inbox is still trying to recover), I was really impressed with both the quality of entries, and by how much people said they had fun doing it. Picking winners…
It seems like yesterday. After blogging about MMOs for the best part of two years, I’d landed my first paid writing gig, producing features and the occasional bit of news for ZAM. It was a dream-come-true for me; a chance to learn how to create professionally, and to put those creations in front of a…
Raiding is serious business. For the hardcore guilds at the bleeding edge they’re an all-consuming endeavour. But what if, every month or so, they became a chaotic lemming-fest? That’s the thought behind WildStar’s Million Idiot March, a ‘special weekend’ idea currently being kicked around. When I interviewed Carbine executive producer Jeremy Gaffney, the idea sounded…
This weekend was jammed solid with choice for MMO gamers. SWTOR had just ushered in the mission chain to gain HK-51 as a companion droid. Trion launched RIFT: Storm Legion earlier this week. Planetside 2 wrapped up its open beta, while City of Steam started theirs. If you’re into online gaming, you were literally spoiled…
Confession time: I’m pretty excited about Guild Wars 2. After being able to get in to both press beta weekends, I’ve been impressed by the amount of detail already in the game. All the major game systems are present and correct, letting me get a real feel for what’s involved. You can find some of…
With the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic due tomorrow for Early Access preorder players and on 20th December for everyone else, now is the time to get those last minute pre-launch activities complete. With the hours ticking away til we’re finally allowed to invade the live servers, now is a great time to…