The week in Massively features

Massively's picks for the best of 2008
Massively doesn't hand out awards. We're not the Oscars, we're not the Emmys. What we are, though, is a bunch of opinionated MMO bloggers. Like it or hate it, 2008 was an enormous year for our favorite genre of games. We took a poll among the staff of the site, taking stock of an entire year in gaming. What follows are our picks for the best, the most surprising, the games that we just can't wait to play.

Massively's Super-cheap MMO Gift Guide
Massively aims to help with your holiday woes, and so today we have on offer a series of gift ideas that won't break the piggy bank. Ranging from the low, low cost of free to the cost of a few DVDs, this year more than ever it's incredibly easy to get into the online space. Just follow us into our gallery guide and forget worrying about what's under the Christmas tree.

Know Your LotRO Lore: Concerning Hobbits
If you're curious about the origins and lore of the Hobbits both in the books and the game, follow along on our journey through the link below. We'll cover their migration to the Shire, their peculiar lifestyle, their interpretation in LotRO and even if Hobbits are real.

TurpsterVision - Weapon of Choice
Moria not only granted us two new classes, which I'll be exploring one at a time over the next two weeks, but it also granted players the ability to gain Legendary weapons of old which they can level up alongside their character. But enough reading about it, this is TurpsterVision! Watch on after the break...

Honoring Tabula Rasa through screenshots
Over the next 2 months, we here at Massively plan to honor Tabula Rasa through a series of articles. The news of the game's closing affects all MMO gamers, even if they never actually played Tabula Rasa itself. So in this first one, we're taking a look at the community's best screenshots in an abbreviated gallery of event pics, rare captures and just a bit to help us look back once it's all gone.

First Impressions: Trickster Online Revolution
Trickster Online Revolution is actually not a new title in the free-to-play space. This game actually launched on August 22, 2007, and has been steadily gaining players since then. The Ntreev USA staff have worked hard with the Ntreev Soft staff in South Korea to create many things from beginning quests to special pets and items specifically for the North American localization.

Why you should be playing Puzzle Pirates: Swordfighting
Truly massively multiplayer, based on the Puzzle Fighter 2 console game, swordfighting is craftily, beautifully fun. Read on below the cut for my thoughts on why this simple puzzling technique may be one of the most engaging combats you can enjoy in an MMO.

Why you should be playing City of Heroes: Badges
There are a number of reasons to enjoy badge hunting, and the addition of this seemingly-simple gratification system is one of the reasons CoH as much fun as it is to play. Read on below the cut for more on how the City of Heroes developers give you more fun, with less grind.

Meet The Team - Mark Turpin (The T)
MMOs are progressive. Why spend an hour playing an offline game where you can pick up exactly where you left off a couple of days before when you can spend time in a world that is ever changing with n00bs getting ever pwned. It's awesome!

The Digital Continuum: Looking back while moving foward
Science fiction fans who happen to also enjoy MMOs have gotten a pretty big win this year with reveals like Cryptic's Star Trek Online and BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic. Unfortunately, because these two games are so early on the information has been on extreme drip-feed. Certainly SWTOR more than STO, although I really don't see why since both games were announced around the same time.

Player Consequences: Movie Magic and MMOs
Let's dig into how that applies to MMOs. There has been discussion of a World of Warcraft movie for some time ... what about the rest of them? Read on to explore the connection between Hollywood and Norrath.

Ask Massively: Would you hire a gamer?
I usually dislike writing about the things that everyone else is talking about, but I'm sufficiently motivated (read: ticked off) about this topic that I might as well throw in my two cents. With all due respect to my readers and the people who take the time to write in to Ask Massively every week, this time I am going to answer questions that have been asked in other columns.

Behind the Curtain: Multiple MMOs
Lots of people play more than one MMO. Among the staff here at Massively, you would be hard pressed to find a writer with only one active subscription. Ever the exception however, I am a one-game kind of guy.

Massively Speaking Podcast Episode 36
Massively Speaking Episode 35 continues our 'week in the news' return, tackling yet another busy week in MMO gaming. Dan O'Halloran (co-lead of WoW Insider and Massively staffer) joins Michael and Shawn for a heaping helping of news fallout.

Anti-Aliased: Who decided brown was such an awesome color?
Pet peeve time, ladies and gentlemen. I despise the realism movement in video games. Sure, I love seeing more accurate graphics and more realistic environments -- that's the nice part. I get to use my nice computer to explore amazing landscapes and take part in some beautiful interactions.