MMO Updates

Jukebox Heroes: The Burning Crusade's soundtrack
Massively Speaking Episode 230: The 2012 wrapup show
Hyperspace Beacon: What does the future hold for SWTOR?
The Repopulation upgrades to Hero Engine 2.0
The Daily Grind: How do you want to improve your gaming in 2013?
Not So Massively: End of the year (and not the world) edition
Wings Over Atreia: Aion's 2012 naughty and nice list
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online year in review, part one
Leaderboard: Age of Wushu vs. ArcheAge vs. EQNext

Jukebox Heroes: The Burning Crusade's soundtrack

Posted: 01 Jan 2013 09:00 AM PST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Expansions, Jukebox Heroes, Music

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade has always been a contentious expansion, with some remembering it quite fondly and others declaring it a blight upon the game. It was certainly a risk, with the relocation to a completely new world (sort of) and the addition of flying mounts. As far as this column is concerned, its greatest contribution to the franchise was to finally add the first new music to the game since it launched.

So how did the score fare? As always, that's a subjective question based on taste, but for me, I'm not that much of a fan. I've always felt it's one of the weaker World of Warcraft soundtracks -- not horrible, mind you, just weaker, with fewer standout selections and a lot more filler that I could just as well never hear again.

Derek Duke returned to help compose, along with Russell Brower and Matt Uelmen. The physical CDs of these soundtracks shipped with the collector's editions, although you can easily find it on iTunes these days. Unfortunately, the released soundtrack is incomplete, as we'll soon see.

So what were the best songs of The Burning Crusade? Let's find out!

Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: The Burning Crusade's soundtrack

Jukebox Heroes: The Burning Crusade's soundtrack originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Speaking Episode 230: The 2012 wrapup show

Posted: 01 Jan 2013 08:00 AM PST

Filed under: Podcasts, MMO industry, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous

Massively Speaking Episode 230 The 2012 wrapup show

The gang's all here for our final episode... of the year, that is. As the calendar flips over to 2013, Massively's staff gathers together to reminisce about the highs and lows of 2012. We talk about the big releases, the sad shutdowns, the many F2P conversions, and our own favorite memories. It's a big, sweaty mess, and we're proud to give it to you!

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
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[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:

Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 230: The 2012 wrapup show

Massively Speaking Episode 230: The 2012 wrapup show originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyperspace Beacon: What does the future hold for SWTOR?

Posted: 01 Jan 2013 07:00 AM PST

Filed under: Sci-fi, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

I really want Star Wars: The Old Republic to succeed in 2013. On the whole, I believe it's carved out its own niche in the MMO genre. Granted, it's not the niche EA or the developers had hoped for, but I believe it to be solid and stable at this point. Without offering a lot of new content, the current servers have had consistently high populations since the game converted to its free-to-play model. We are also witnessing a new group of fans come to the game, fans who appear to be a little less jaded about the years of pre-launch hype.

This week, I want to spend a bit of time discussing the different aspects of SWTOR and give my predictions for the future. The developers of the game like to say that combat, exploration, progression, and story are the four MMO pillars. But as the game has grown over the last year, I have found that the true four pillars are story, PvE, PvP, and social interaction. With each update to the game, these seem to be the biggest focal points of development as well as the four areas the community seems the most divided over.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: What does the future hold for SWTOR?

Hyperspace Beacon: What does the future hold for SWTOR? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Repopulation upgrades to Hero Engine 2.0

Posted: 01 Jan 2013 06:30 AM PST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Dev Diaries, Sandbox

The Repopulation isn't slowing down for the holidays, as Above & Beyond Technologies announced that it's upgraded the core of the game to Hero Engine 2.0. The more powerful engine offers the title a lot in terms of visual improvements and capability (HDR lighting is now supported, for example), and the devs are quite excited to have it up and running.

The team broke the news in its December update post. Along with the improved engine, The Repopulation has seen a lot of progress in the areas of dens, crafting, and vehicles. Small additions, such as six action bars and the new Rhinoc species, are going a long way to fleshing out this game.

The devs promised that a look at the team's 2013 plans will be coming soon.

The Repopulation upgrades to Hero Engine 2.0 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jan 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: December update

The Daily Grind: How do you want to improve your gaming in 2013?

Posted: 01 Jan 2013 05:00 AM PST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor, Miscellaneous

I want more armor in purple or pink. That's not really improving myself, per se, but still.

It's the start of a new year! That means it's the traditional time for everyone to start making plans to improve, plans that will probably last only until next Tuesday at the outside. But the spirit is there, and today we want to know about your plans to improve your gaming in 2013.

Maybe you're a competitive player, and your big goal is to spend 2013 honing your craft in your game of choice. Maybe you like being at the high end of progression in your game, and you want to really push for server firsts or cleaner dungeon runs. Maybe you just want to stop playing so many alts, or you want to start playing more alts.

The point is that players in every game from Star Wars: The Old Republic to EverQuest to Xsyon have all got points in our play that we want to improve. So what are you hoping to improve over the next year?

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: How do you want to improve your gaming in 2013? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jan 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not So Massively: End of the year (and not the world) edition

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 05:00 PM PST

Filed under: Betas, Video, Game mechanics, New titles, Patches, PvP, News items, Not So Massively, MOBA, Diablo III

Diablo III players are sure to have mixed feelings this week as Blizzard announced that 1v1 dueling will be released in the new year but that the anticipated arena and team deathmatch gameplay has been scrapped. Path of Exile revealed the impressive winning entries in its recent fan art competition and has ended the year on a high note by winning the IndieDB Players Choice Upcoming Indie Game 2012 award.

SMITE celebrated the end of the Mayan calendar (and not the world) with the release of its new Mayan god Xbalanque, and Rise of Immortals gave its old immortal Kaos a graphical facelift. Guardians of Middle-Earth revealed its second DLC pack based on The Hobbit, introducing Thorin Oakenshield and Great Goblin as playable characters. Bloodline Champions may not be having a very good end to 2012 as its Russian servers are set to close in the new year, and Heroes of Newerth player stonefain ushered in the new year by finishing off his 21-video Tip of the Day series.

Continue reading Not So Massively: End of the year (and not the world) edition

Not So Massively: End of the year (and not the world) edition originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wings Over Atreia: Aion's 2012 naughty and nice list

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 03:00 PM PST

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Game mechanics, Free-to-play, Humor, Wings Over Atreia

The end is near! No, not of the world -- the end of 2012. And as is customary at the conclusion of a year, we look back over the past 12 months to assess the damage... er, I mean, review the highlights. This year, however, I'm not going to just ruminate on the top stories in Wings Over Atreia; I'm going to spice things up a bit with a naughty and nice list! That's right, folks; we are delving into both the great and the not-so-great things that have transpired in Aion since January.

So bust out the spiced mela cider, grab a plate of gingerbread shugos, and join me as I make a list and check it twice to see how NCsoft has been naughty and nice.

Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Aion's 2012 naughty and nice list

Wings Over Atreia: Aion's 2012 naughty and nice list originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Captain's Log: Star Trek Online year in review, part one

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Captain's Log

Here we are again, facing another New Year's Eve and the taking down of the old beat-up calendar and replacing it with a brand-new, pristine one. It's a day to both reflect on the past and celebrate and revel in the exciting unknowns of the future. While we're still a few weeks away from Star Trek Online's third anniversary in February, right now for me it's a time to celebrate two other anniversaries: Last week I celebrated my first anniversary with Massively, and today marks my 18th wedding anniversary!

So I figured now was the perfect time to review the amazing changes that have taken place in Star Trek Online. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be going over what worked and what didn't work and try to prognosticate on what the past year may foretell for the future of the game.

Continue reading Captain's Log: Star Trek Online year in review, part one

Captain's Log: Star Trek Online year in review, part one originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaderboard: Age of Wushu vs. ArcheAge vs. EQNext

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST

Filed under: Fantasy, Opinion, EverQuest Next, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Leaderboard, Age of Wushu

Are sandbox games making a comeback in the MMO space? That remains to be seen, but there are a handful of major titles in development that self-identify as either sandboxes or sandparks, and all of them will be playable to one degree or another in 2013.

First up is Age of Wushu, currently in a public beta and scheduled to officially debut in February. Next up is ArcheAge, which, while still in limbo for the western market, will certainly launch in Korea and probably China in 2013. Finally we have EverQuest Next, which SOE has said will be playable at its annual SOE Live event in the fall.

Assuming you're a sandbox fan, which of these three titles do you see yourself playing the most? Vote after the break!

Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

Continue reading Leaderboard: Age of Wushu vs. ArcheAge vs. EQNext

Leaderboard: Age of Wushu vs. ArcheAge vs. EQNext originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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