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The Soapbox: I have a bad feeling about Anthem
As I watched Nick Tarabay stand on stage hype up the audience in the Main Theater for PAX West 2018, I thought it was pretty cool that Anthem was able to get find a celebrity to introduce the game. I...
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The Soapbox: A pre-mortem for Star Wars The Old Republic, a game that never...
Would you believe that Star Wars: The Old Republic is shutting down? I’m going to bet that you could believe it, and I’m even going to bet that the majority of you read that and then scrolled back and...
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The Soapbox: Hoping for Amazon to succeed where Lord of the Rings Online failed
It’s not often I really get excited about an upcoming MMORPG. Partly this is because of the industry slowing down, and partly this is because I consider myself relatively hype-proof. I keep my...
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The Soapbox: The counterproductiveness of limited-time content in online games
While thoroughly enjoying playing Astroneer’s special event in honor of Apollo 11’s moon landing 50th anniversary that’s happening now through August 31st, I was surprised to come across grumblings...
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The Survivalist: Astroneer’s moon landing update is a time-limited online...
I could definitely write a Why I Play on Astroneer (and maybe I still will!) because there are so many reasons this game just captivates me and brings me back. But right now I want to extol the virtues...
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The Soapbox: No, the MMO genre is not dead – but it could use a little...
One of my favorite idioms is “dead as a doornail.” It always reminds me of the time I got sent out of my 10th grade English class the week before holiday break because I couldn’t stop laughing at how...
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The Soapbox: There is no MMO that can fix a broken MMO community
We’ve heard again and again how the recently launched World of Warcraft: Classic was going to “fix” the MMO community by stripping away modern sensibilities and conveniences. It’s going to “fix”...
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The Soapbox: Cross-play, console exclusivity, and why companies won’t play nice
Let me tell you something: As the columnist who writes about Final Fantasy XIV I am so damn tired of hearing about crossplay. Seriously. Just so tired. It’s exhausting. It’s not because I don’t want...
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The Soapbox: Why does it feel like I don’t have time for an MMO when I really...
This guest Soapbox was commissioned through MassivelyOP’s Patreon program and is authored by Steve “Sray” Blouin, a name our longtime commenters will surely recognize from his participation in our...
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The Soapbox: The sunsetted MMORPGs I miss the most
I’m pining for the fjords. Not in the way that would assume I’m becoming some jaded and angry MMO fan; I’m never going to stop appreciating what’s new and coming when compared to where we’ve come from....
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The Soapbox: Yes, here
This guest Soapbox was commissioned through MassivelyOP’s original Kickstarter back in 2015; the writer has chosen to remain anonymous. The opinions in guest Soapboxes traditionally represent the views...
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The Soapbox: No, forced grouping in MMOs isn’t ‘social’
Thinking back to high school, I’m awash in memories of the many deep, meaningful relationships that spawned as a result of being forced to work on group projects with people I didn’t chose to work...
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The Soapbox: The world of Gloomhaven is primed to be an MMO
Anyone familiar with modern board games will immediately recognize and likely have a positive opinion on Gloomhaven. It is an absolute juggernaut in the tabletop scene. It’s been so successful that now...
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The Soapbox: PvP MMOs desperately need PvE-style feedback loops
As I settled into my captain’s chair for my evening visit to World of Warships the other night, I had an interesting experience. In a game of domination (capture/hold three map points as long as...
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The Soapbox: Where does WoW need to go beyond Shadowlands?
This expansion hype cycle, I've heard more about how to customize your character and less about raids than any other WoW expansion in recent memory, and I can't see that as anything other than good.
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The Soapbox: Powercreep in MMOs sucks – so how do we solve it?
We all love multiplayer, persistent world online games, don’t we? Players stay for the familiarity, nostalgia, and potential for years of enjoyment. Studios love the playerbase stickiness, ability to...
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The Soapbox: Stubborn MMO players are sleeping on autoplay mechanics
Autoplay, huh. What is it good for? Absolutely something! I’ll say it again: There is value in autoplay. It’s got such a bad reputation in the western MMO community. From our perspective, anyone who...
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The Soapbox: Feeling the loss of an MMO community
Back in 2012, I was almost a year deep into Lord of the Rings Online and enjoying my time both in the game and discovering the benefits of settling into an MMO community. Most of my time was not spent...
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The Soapbox: The joys of MMO collecting
I’ve often sat and pondered exactly what it is that I enjoy about the MMO experience. After all, being educated about your own likes and dislikes can lead to a more enjoyable leisure experience as well...
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The Soapbox: How Pathfinder killed World of Warcraft for me
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands launches today. I will not be playing. Once upon a time, a new WoW expansion would be a major event in my life, but this is the second expansion in a row I’m giving a...
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