The Stream Team: Missing kids is the thing in Dungeons and Dragons Online's Ravenloft
Being a kid is never easy, but it's downright life-threatening in DDO's Ravenloft. From scattered journal entries to a death house, Massively OP's MJ keeps running into kkids in danger. Tonight will be no different: MJ and the D&D night crew will embark on Fresh Baked Dreams, a mission involving the search for two missing […]
War Thunder introduces two new limited-time modes inspired by the International Army Games
Today I learned that War Thunder has gotten some new limited-time modes based on the International Army Games and that the International Army Games are a thing. Players of the online vehicular battler can now take part in the Tank Biathlon and the Sea Biathlon, with the former being a recreation of the real-world event […]
Starbase shows off new tools and a player-made navigation system, offers player-designed ships for sale in-game
The month of August has been a rather active one for the closed alpha of interstellar sandbox Starbase, enough to fill up an entire video's worth of information. So that's just what the devs of Frozenbyte did. in the video we get a look at a new welding tool that makes connector plates for beams […]
Google Stadia is getting an exclusive Bomberman battle royale game on September 1
If you thought that stuffing Tetris into the battle royale subgenre was wild, then you ain't seen nothin' yet. Say hello to Super Bomberman R Online, a 64-player battle royale edition of the classic Bomberman game that's confirmed as a Google Stadia exclusive coming on September 1st. Super Bomberman R Online is, as its name […]
Monster Hunter World is coming to a tabletop near you with an in-development board game
Tabletop game developer Steamforged Games is seeking to condense the sensation of playing Monster Hunter World into board game form with the perfectly named Monster Hunter World –The Board Game. That might sound like a daunting task, but in a preview from Polygon, it appears that the game's designers are up to the task, especially […]
Path of Exile ups the size of private leagues, with more increases coming
The official leagues offered up for Path of Exile give players a chance to explore a different way of playing the game, a different set of challenges and modifiers to the main experience. Of course, you can also custom-build your own league if you want, but one of the things the developers have been hearing […]
Nexon's mobile/PC MMO V4 adds new content and customization perks today
V4, Nexon's mobile-and-PC MMORPG, has barely been launched for a month, and it's already celebrating a milestone: a million downloads. This week, the game has pushed out its first major update as promised, with "new areas, including the Viten Highlands and Highlands of Illusion, new companions, new conquests" plus "new gear slots, Soulstone accessory slots, […]
G-Star 2020 will now be an all-digital event as a result of COVID-19
G-Star, South Korea's biggest games industry show, has officially announced that it will be a fully digital affair for 2020 as a result of a significant uptick in COVID-19 cases in the country, and while the circumstances surrounding the need to go digital are absolutely worrisome, the announcement is looking at the silver lining of […]
ARK Survival Evolved celebrates three years since official launch, drops Crystal Isles map for console
So I was looking at my calendar this morning and I realized that this week is ARK Survival Evolved's third birthday since its official launch. Obviously it's quite a bit older than that, but you know how early access goes: They don't want you to count those years against them while they're working on it, […]
Superhero MMO Ship of Heroes opens its doors to all gamers for this weekend's invasion test
Ship of Heroes is gearing up for yet another test of its large-scale invasion content this weekend, and it's inviting you. Yes, you. Everyone, in fact, including folks who've never backed or paid a dime into the development of the game. "Another Ship of Heroes invasion event is going to happen at 10:30 AM EST […]
Gamescom posts its viewing schedule ahead of tomorrow's digital events
Back in April, the organizers behind Gamescom made the wise decision to not to play plague god but instead take the trade show virtual this year. Now, the event is upon us, and from Thursday through Sunday, viewers across the world are going to be able to soak in all of the gaming goodness and […]
Into the Super-verse: Marvel's Avengers feels like Marvel Heroes by way of Destiny
This past weekend, I finally had a chance to actually try out Marvel's Avengers because the game was running its open beta. Certainly I'd already gotten the sense that there was a fair amount of controversy over this title right from the word go, but there was always going to be no matter what. At this […]
Last Oasis lets larger walkers haul smaller walkers, plans an AMA and devlog later in the week
Let's say you have two Walkers in Last Oasis, yet you are but one person who cannot drive them both at once. What do you do? Pack up the smaller one into the larger one thanks to the Walker Packing Attachment that was recently released for the survival sandbox. That alone isn't really enough to […]
MMO designer Raph Koster talks about what makes the subscription model a success
Playable Worlds CEO Raph Koster, as we all know, has opinions about MMO gaming and multiplayer gaming, especially on the business side of things, so if you're the sort of person who likes to hear his thoughts on those topics, then you'll absolutely want to dig in to a VentureBeat interview that discusses the subscription […]
Black Desert begins Hashashin pre-creation as console announces a physical edition
It's a big day for Black Desert as the Hashashin pre-creation event has kicked off ahead of the class' formal launch on PC next week. "Get ready for Hashashin who dominates the desert with his crescent-shaped shamshir and haladie which carries the power of the sand spells," Pearl Abyss says. As usual, there are rewards […]
World of Warcraft players are noticing some problems with soloing old content in the pre-patch
You may be forgiven for thinking that after doing a massive item level squish twice before, World of Warcraft's developers would have learned how to do so without causing major disruptions to the status quo. You may also be forgiven for having a moment of blinking confusion at the concept of twice before there. But […]
EverQuest II lights up Solusek's Eye with Game Update 115
Things are heating up in EverQuest II with the release of Game Update 115: Reignite the Flames. The patch comes equipped with many challenges for seasoned adventurers, including two new raids, a heroic dungeon, and additional quests. It also looks like fighting underground dinosaurs is in the cards, so be warned. "A return to the […]
Bless Unleashed is running a PC closed beta test next month – here's how to sign up
If you're over there watching Bless Unleashed run its PS4 beta and wishing you could play it on your PC, first of all, that's already come and gone with Bless Online. Y'all remember how that went, right? But second of all, if you really want another bite at that apple, you're about to get your […]
The Daily Grind: What MMOs did you test that never released?
When I submitted my column on Flagship's Mythos (shameless plug!), Bree and I got into a short discussion about how we both tested the game back in the day. We both kinda liked it, too, and felt that it was a shame it never actually made it to launch. Probably many of us have tested […]
The Stream Team: Going straight to Warframe's Heart of Deimos
Massively OP's MJ may not have completed the Deadlock Protocol yet, but that will have to go on the back burner because Heart of Deimos just launched, and there's no way she's missing this new open-world zone full of gooey gory creepiness, personal mechs, and ridable dragonflies! Join us live at 8:00 p.m. for a […]
Final Fantasy XI gives players a shot at winning the Shadowlord's sword for a month
The Shadowlord: First major villain of Final Fantasy XI, owner of a tragic backstory, leader of beastmen, and wielder of an absolutely killer sword. The last one is the big thing you'll have a chance to loot from fights against the Shadowlord starting on August 30th, so it's perhaps the most pertinent to mention. Sure, […]
Path of Exile begins stirring the hype for its next expansion, dates a reveal for September 1
In an announcement of several announcements, Grinding Gear Games is looking to drum up excitement for Path of Exile's next expansion, which is still on track for a release on Friday, September 18th, though that release date might change between now and then. As with previous expansions, there will be supporter packs on sale for […]
Conan Exiles adjusts avatars and followers in console patches, moves on to PC
Usually in multi-platform MMOs, the PC version is the first to get updated and consoles follow shortly after (likely thanks to the differing certification processes for each console). In a rather odd twist, though, Update 41 for Conan Exiles has landed on PS4 and Xbox One first while update timing and details for PC players […]
Massively OP Podcast Episode 285: Exit En Masse
Justin and Bree discuss En Masse's closure, Amazon's Lost Ark, LOTRO, WoW Classic, Wurm Online, Population Zero, and Torchlight III, with adventures in SWTOR, WoW, SWG Legends, and The Sims, plus reader mail on MMO customer service and MMO talent trees.
The Stream Team: Journeying into New World's preview event
We can show you New World Is it shining? Shimmering? Splendid? Tell us, viewers, now when did You last watch a game to decide? A whole New World A new adventure to preview Now to log in so And find where to go And say we're finally streaming A whole New World The muzzling NDA […]
Thor's hammer! Fortnite crosses over with Marvel this week!
Selling Batman and Harley Quinn outfits in Fortnite is so last month. This August, it's all about Marvel. This week, the popular game is crossing over with the blockbuster Marvel franchise. August 27th's Chapter 2 Season 4 won't be bringing the first Marvel skins to the game, but it certainly will greatly add to the […]
Rumor: A new version of the Nintendo Switch is due out some time next year
Everyone likes the Nintendo Switch. It's a solid console that's portable and fun and useful. About the only thing it's lacking is some hardware power because… well, that's never been Nintendo's primary goal, after all. But there's a rumor going around once more that you will be able to pick up a turbo-powered Switch next […]
The Rising returns to Final Fantasy XIV on Thursday
It's nearly time to celebrate seven years of Final Fantasy XIV since its relaunch with the annual return of the Rising event, starting on Thursday, August 27th. This has been a pretty strange year for FFXIV (and, you know… the rest of the world), but that doesn't mean an end to the festivities. It does […]
Choose My Adventure: Determining the strengths and weaknesses of AdventureQuest 3D
So it's my final week here in AdventureQuest 3D and things ended with not a bang nor a whimper so much as with a gentle shrug and a soft sigh, I guess. I pressed on with using the Guardian as was decreed by the voting public, which was a reasonable if unremarkable choice. I got […]
Guild Wars 2's End of Dragons expansion takes us to Cantha in 2021
There's gobs of addenda to this post as the stream rolled along today, so scroll down to the bottom for the big news! There's a lot going on this week, what with New World's test event and Elder Scrolls Online's DLC, but this day truly belongs to Guild Wars 2 as it's turning eight and […]
New World's open preview event has just begun
Amazon's New World has just kicked off its don't-call-it-a-beta beta preview event. The event is a follow-on to last month's density stress test (seriously, is there a reason we keep inventing new terms for tests), but unlike that event, this one requires the new client and doesn't come under an NDA, meaning you're about to […]
Warframe releases the Heart of Deimos for PC, Xbox, and PS4, delays Switch version to later this week
It's time for another romp around an open world region in Warframe, and while an infested moon doesn't really elicit visions of playful romping, there is certainly lots to do in the Heart of Deimos update and the new Cambion Drift area as outlined at the update's hub page. That same page, by the way, […]
Neverwinter is dramatically overhauling mounts and reducing cash-shop mount prices
Neverwinter is due for a mount overhaul, and as it turns out, PWE is game to give it one. "Mounts in Neverwinter are very much the same as they have been for years," the studio admitted in a blog post yesterday. "While that is a good thing in many areas, there have been some aspects […]
Hands-on with New World's war mode: All the fun you can have blowing up a fortress of lumber
It's really hard to look at the general progress of New World and not get the sense of a game that's struggling to sort out its place in the MMO hierarchy even before it launches. Release dates keep getting moved back, principles of design keep changing, sometimes dramatically, and so on. Whether or not it […]
World of Warcraft announces more low-population realm connections
Just like the next expansion is bringing players together with the dead in Shadowlands, the current server plans for World of Warcraft seem to involve linking the dead (low-population servers) with the living (higher-population servers that are already connected). A fresh batch of connections is planned for August 27th, with numerous realms linking up with […]
New week, old problems: LOTRO can't seem to fix its servers
If you logged into Lord of the Rings Online this week hoping for an easy road to Mordor, think again. There are a whole lot of orcs, balrogs, and stuttering servers between here and there. It doesn't appear that the issues that (re)plagued the game last week have cleared up at all. After a few […]
Epic secures early win against Apple for Unreal Engine, but Fortnite remains barred
If we're keeping score, and really that would be unnecessary since the courts are doing that for us, we're currently at Epic 1, Apple 1 in the Fortnite-involved legal battle over platform payment monopolies. Last night, the judge in the case issued an early decision that essentially stops Apple from retaliating against Epic by deleting […]
The Daily Grind: Do you do side quests in your MMOs?
I realize this question doesn't apply to all MMOs: Some MMOs don't have quests at all, while in others, there's no way you're leveling without them even if you hate them. So adjust the question for your experiences accordingly. But I've been playing LOTRO lately, and all I'm doing is sidequests. I'm quite certain that […]
The Stream Team: Scion smash in Path of Exile
Massively OP's MJ has had to do some demo work in her new home, but she's not ready to stop now! Even with sore muscles, she can smash things up with her Scion in Path of Exile. And that's exactly what she plans on spending her evening doing, so join us live at 8:00 p.m. […]
OrbusVR previews the Aberration Island community goal and matches unlock points for a week
For the past several weeks, OrbusVR players have been participating in the Explore the Realm event in an effort to unlock a new island to explore, while the devs of the VR MMO have been making that goal easier by uncapping event totals which has reportedly helped fill the bar to completion significantly. Over the […]
Supremacy 1 is a new mobile and browser MMORTS coming to Steam
August has seen another new mobile MMO launch, this one a strategy MMO Supremacy 1914 spinoff called just Supremacy 1, which developer Bytro says is meant to be a deep MMORTS that is still accessible to newbies. "Supremacy 1 puts players in command of a nation during the dark days of World War I, in […]
Champions Online wants you to create a developer's costume
One of the unique perks of working on Champions Online for Cryptic is that each developer gets his or her own in-game avatar, complete with a personalized look. But there's one dev that is lacking such an honor, and the studio is looking to the playerbase to help writer and community manager Mike "Ambassador Kael" […]
Shroud of the Avatar will add spawn functionality and customization to player town signposts
When is a sign more than a sign? When it doubles as a spawn location as well as a teleporter. That's some of the duties that player-owned town signposts will soon be capable of in an upcoming update to Shroud of the Avatar. In addition to letting players fast travel to other player-owned towns, these […]
Realm of the Mad God introduces some deadly desert ruins as it preps to close its Flash client in September
Even if sand is coarse and rough and gets everywhere, there are bigger problems with the desert ruins area that was recently introduced to premadeath dungeon-crawling shooter MMO Realm of the Mad God. Things like monsters that would very much like to shoot your character down, thanks very much. This new Ancient Ruins dungeon also […]
RuneScape introduces a traveling artisan and begins taking nominations for the Golden Gnomes awards
This week in RuneScape we have traveling artisans, some Golden Gnomes, and a couple of little fixes to share. It's just another Monday for fans of Jagex's MMORPG! Players who visit the Dwarven Mine entrance have likely noticed a new NPC by the name of Doran the Tool Artisan, who is bringing with him a […]
World of Warcraft kicks off a new animated series, Afterlives, starting on Thursday
The old adage about writing is that a dead character is less interesting than a living one, because a dead one can't do anything more. World of Warcraft has heard that advice and informed someone to hold its beer, because its new animated series is all about dead people. Of course, since it's clearly leading […]
Webzen will no longer run Flyff as transfer of the MMO to a new publisher is underway
It appears to be the end of the Webzen era for Flyff as the free-to-play MMO will no longer be serviced by the company. However, the game will live on as it will trade hands with an unannounced new publishing partner. "We are working with Gala and the new publisher to ensure there is a […]
TERA Battle Arena spotlights several heroes and a boss from the upcoming Battle Arena MOBA
What's a MOBA without heroes to control and bosses to fight? A wholly non-existent game, that's what, and TERA's in-development Battle Arena MOBA side piece will absolutely feature both. And if you don't believe me, then you can look at a spotlight post for yourself. Unless you really thought a doggo dual-wielding wrenches as weapons […]
IKEA Taiwan recreates a catalogue's offerings in Animal Crossing New Horizons
In what is probably one of the most creative and surprising bits of synergy between gaming and the real world, a Taiwanese branch of IKEA has managed to recreate its catalogue's offerings in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cobbling together pages from the store's catalogue into in-game versions of themselves. The showcased decor is almost shot-for-shot […]
Wisdom of Nym: Impressions of Final Fantasy XIV's Reflections in Crystal storylines
All right, let's make something very clear right off the bat: There will be spoilers in this column. If you have managed to not do the content yet and wish to avoid spoilers, fairly warned be ye. The probability of a fan of Final Fantasy XIV having waited for two weeks to do the story […]
