Filed under: Livestream

MV Guide: May 21 - 27, 2012

by Shawn Schuster May 21st 2012 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide

MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV.

Every week, the Massively Stream Team logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises each week, so you'll find a variety of titles to watch. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, or simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.)

Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule, and let us know if there's a specific game you'd like to see streamed next week!

Previously on MV TV: The week of May 12th

by Beau Hindman May 20th 2012 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Massively Meta, Humor, Massively Hands-on, Livestream, Miscellaneous, Previously on MV TV

What a week of livestreaming! We've got quite the variety and tons of hours of video to watch. What's that? You had to work and missed half of the cool streams we showed? Don't worry! I gather all of the best streams from the week's collection and list them for you right here. Still, you need to bookmark our livestream page so you can see which videos are going to be shown during the week, but if you miss any, you can check out the recap here. That's why we do it.

This week we had a lot to offer. First we had good old Mike jumping into EVE Online for some space action, then into TERA for some scantily clad combat! He then explores some of the great browser-based game Drakensang Online. MJ brought a ton of goodies to the streaming table, goodies like a run-through in EverQuest II, some base-jumping in City of Heroes, a bit of hardcore survival in Xsyon, and a flight around the beautiful lands of Aion. I rounded out the end by streaming some BatMUD, a cool MUD that has been around since many of you have been in diapers!

Click past the cut and grab some popcorn. Keep the butter light but add some salt. Thanks.

MV Guide: May 14 - 20, 2012

by Shawn Schuster May 14th 2012 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide

Rise and Shiny: Dark Legends

by Beau Hindman May 13th 2012 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-fi, Screenshots, Video, Game mechanics, Launches, New titles, Previews, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Mobile, Casual, Crime, Humor, Post-Apocalyptic, Rise and Shiny, Livestream, Miscellaneous

Dark Legends, the new title from mobile MMO king Spacetime Studios, is already creating a buzz with its liberal use of an energy pool that is sapped as players go through standard gameplay. If this mechanic were packaged any differently and inside a sandbox, it's possible that people would call it "realistic" or "hardcore." Unfortunately, problems set in as soon as players realized that playing the game for hours on end would require some infusion of real-life funds or the ability to kill pretty large chunks of time in non-combat areas.

I would argue that the gameplay does not have to be designed for marathon gaming sessions. It's very possible that the "casual" part of the game's description actually means "casual." I still had issues with the mechanic; don't get me wrong. But if I was bothered by anything it would be Dark Legends' lack of borrowing features from Pocket Legends, Spacetime's flagship mobile MMO, which offers actual persistent areas and other MMO staples.

Of course, it's possible that Spacetime is simply trying something new. Heaven forbid it should attempt a new design!

Previously on MV TV: The week of May 5th

by Beau Hindman May 13th 2012 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Video, Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, Previously on MV TV

Ah, early summer. The air outside is crisp and clear, filled with possibilities. And pollen, lots and lots of pollen. Let's all just avoid that mess and stay inside watching videos all day, huh? In fact, let's start with a series of really cool videos hosted by your favorite MMO site staff! Luckily for you, I have quite a few nice streams to show you this week. Last week's were good -- don't get me wrong -- but this week? This week will live on in your memory until the day you die.

We'll start with a bit of EVE Online and TERA gameplay hosted by Mike, then MJ takes over and shows us some EverQuest II, a chunk of Aion, and a batch of City of Heroes craziness. I square off things nice and neat with a visit to Glitch's new housing system. Be sure to bookmark our Livestream schedule page right here so you can follow what is happening in the world of Twitch.tv streaming each week.

Now click past the cut and get to viewing!

Flameseeker Chronicles: Five things to love about Lion's Arch

by Elisabeth Cardy May 8th 2012 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Video, Previews, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Flameseeker Chronicles, Family, Guides, Livestream

Lion's Arch, the quintessential Tyrian player hub, has undergone quite the extensive renovation for Guild Wars 2. As a special treat for the last beta weekend, the city was made explorable to players for the first time -- and what a treat it was! After the Rise of Orr and the accompanying land shift, Lion's Arch as we knew and loved it in the original Guild Wars was flooded. It has been raised anew, very near the first city, and stands as a monument to piracy, desperation, and inter-species cooperation (not, perhaps, in that order).

So what makes Lion's Arch awesome? It's one of six huge cities that are the thriving populatiion centers of Tyria as we find it in Guild Wars 2, and since it doesn't have one single race to lend it culture and purpose, you can bet it had better be pretty special.

MV Guide: May 7 - 13, 2012

by Shawn Schuster May 7th 2012 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide

MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV.

Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.)

Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule!

Previously on MV TV: The week of April 28th

by Beau Hindman May 6th 2012 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Culture, Launches, New titles, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Humor, Guides, Livestream, Miscellaneous, Previously on MV TV

Ah, another fine week of streaming videos! Who needs television when you have such killer content right at your fingertips, for free? Well, we need Game of Thrones, but other than that, we'll stick by Massively TV! Be sure to bookmark our livestream schedule page so that you won't miss any of the cool videos. Sign up, join in the chat room, and participate!

This week we had Mike back with his EVE Online and RIFT streams, followed by MJ with a ton of great stuff, including Aion, Lord of the Rings Online, TERA and City of Heroes! Woo! I finished up by showing viewers how to build clothing attachments in Second Life. So stop reading this and click past the cut. Check out the videos and let us know what you think in the comments section. Here, have some popcorn.

MV Guide: April 30 - May 6, 2012

by Shawn Schuster Apr 30th 2012 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide

Rise and Shiny: Gemstone IV

by Beau Hindman Apr 29th 2012 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Culture, Game mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, Casual, Rise and Shiny, Livestream, Miscellaneous, Sandbox

This article was a long time coming. Not only have I avoided taking a look at any sort of pure MUD for many years, but I meant to write this up last week but real life interrupted my plans. I just didn't think it was fair to write up a first impressions based on only a few hours of play. I was quite hesitant to take a deeper look at Gemstone IV mainly because I knew that the non-stop reading would surely create more migraines that might derail my work again. I was very worried, actually.

Luckily, the Gemstone IV client is customizable enough to allow me to create a "book-style" experience: black text on a white background. I don't think I'm alone in my inability to view bright, colored text on a dark background comfortably. If I were, popular websites would still look like they were from 1996. We've moved past ugly fonts and horrible color combinations.

Unfortunately it took me most of the time with Gemstone IV just to learn how to play, make the text comfortable to read, and understand what my character was supposed to be doing. Once I got comfortable, though, I honestly had one of the most enchanting times in a game yet.

Previously on MV TV: The week of April 21st

by Beau Hindman Apr 29th 2012 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, Previews, Free-to-play, Browser, Casual, Livestream, Miscellaneous, Previously on MV TV

What a week it has been in Massively's world of streaming games! We have a little bit of something for all types of viewers. Hardcores, roleplayers, explorers, crafters and lazy-bums like yours truly: We have something for all of you. Be sure to bookmark our livestream schedule page so that you can always see the schedule ahead of time. It's much easier to plan your life around our videos if you know the schedule early. Invite your friends... we love to hear from new people in the chat room!

This week, we had some EVE Online adventuring with Mike followed by his attempt at Drakensang Online, a browser-based action MMO. Adventure Mike took a spin in the way-back machine and streamed some EverQuest, and MJ scored some time in EverQuest II, a chunk of Vanguard, and Aion. She's been a very busy streamer! Lastly, I took a look at Gemstone IV, a fantastic MUD that almost brought tears to my eyes. Tears of frustration, but many tears of joy.

Let's get to watching!

MV Guide: April 23 - 29, 2012

by Shawn Schuster Apr 23rd 2012 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Previews, Opinion, Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide

Previously on MV TV: The week of April 14th

by Beau Hindman Apr 22nd 2012 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Video, Bugs, Patches, PvP, PvE, Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, Crime, Humor, Livestream, Miscellaneous, Sandbox, Previously on MV TV

So you accidentally missed your favorite MassivelyTV livestream featuring your favorite Massively personality or writer? Don't worry; we'll forgive you as long as you promise to bookmark our MassivelyTV guide and check back on this weekly recap. That way you are sure not to miss another stream, and you wouldn't need to come back to us, begging for a link. You could also follow Massively on Twitter, one of the best ways to be alerted to new things.

This week we featured a Tboo Thursday, one of our most popular livestreams, which stars resident APB: Reloaded expert Taryn. We also had some more World of Warcraft Mists of Pandaria action from Richie, a bit of newbie content in EverQuest II with MJ at the helm, a quick introduction to skybox building in Second Life hosted by me, Mike's return to EVE Online in his shiny new Drake, and Adventure Mike's leap back into Final Fantasy XIV. Pretty exciting stuff if you're into giant rats, explosions, beautiful sunsets, and piles of bullets.

MV Guide: April 16 - 22, 2012

by Shawn Schuster Apr 16th 2012 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Previews, Opinion, Livestream, Miscellaneous, MV Guide

Rise and Shiny: Stronghold Kingdoms

by Beau Hindman Apr 15th 2012 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Screenshots, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, PvP, Opinion, Free-to-play, Casual, MMORTS, Humor, Rise and Shiny, Livestream, Miscellaneous

There are certain designs in the MMORTS genre that have frankly started to burn me out. I was a bit worried that I had reached my tolerance point and would not be able to stomach another city-builder until I had put some time between me and my latest preview or first impressions. It's an amazing genre, and as I have argued before, it's more MMO than most MMOs. As in many genres, successful design is copied. The ironic thing is that all of these copies often dilute the market, making it worse on everyone. As much as I love the genre, I am a bit sick of running into the same design, stereotypical settings, and mechanics. Of course, we cannot take these copies and paint the whole genre with a terrible brush; if we did that, all of MMOdom would be in trouble. Still, I'm sick of it.

Luckily Firefly Worlds, maker of Stronghold Kingdoms, has a very persistent "PR ninja" who made a point to poke at me on Twitter. Usually, we funnel all PR contact to our lead editors for organization purposes, but hey, I can't resist a nice voice and a lovely looking game... and I have a high tolerance for fun people.

Massively Features

Events Calendar

Name	Date
Cataclysm Launch	Dec 7, 2010
DCUO Launch	Early 2011

Massively Staff

Name	Title
Shawn Schuster	Editor-in-Chief
Brianna Royce	Senior Editor
Rubi Bayer	Community Manager
Brendan Drain	Contributing Editor
Eliot Lefebvre	Contributing Editor
Jef Reahard	Contributing Editor
Justin Olivetti	Contributing Editor
Krystalle Voecks	Contributing Editor
Larry Everett	Contributing Editor
Beau Hindman	Columnist
Edward Marshall	Columnist
Greg Waller	Columnist
Jeremy Stratton	Columnist
Karen Bryan	Columnist
MJ Guthrie	Columnist
Patrick Mackey	Columnist
Ryan Greene	Columnist
Lisa Poisso	Columnist