MMO Roundup: Last week on Massively

Rumor: Blizzard's next MMO to be an MMOFPS
Yep, another MMO rumor for you guys about the Blizzard's next title. While Blizzard has been very adamant in saying that their next MMO would be very different from World of Warcraft, there might be more difference here than just the game's setting.

CES 2010: LEGO Universe unveils trailer full of zombie pirate awesome
As if the idea behind the LEGO Universe MMO wasn't already pretty awesome in our books, this shiny new trailer straight from the CES floor has cranked up the previous levels of awesome to 11. In the new launch trailer we're treated to zombie pirates, ninjas, characters building race cars in bullet-time, rockets, and all manner of other cool-looking LEGO craziness.

Funcom threatening to delete noob Age of Conan characters
When it comes to character deletions, just about every MMO out there has a clause in their Terms of Service that indicates they have the right to delete your characters at any time and for no reason whatsoever. With that said, there are very few companies that choose to exercise that right.

An interview with Allods Online: CBT4 and beyond
Allods Online has certainly gained some interest in the last few months since their closed beta began. Even if you've never played the game, you can't help but drool over the screenshots and videos we've been posting.

A quick Star Trek Online PvP interview with Jack Emmert
We recently had the opportunity to ask Cryptic's Jack Emmert a few questions regarding Star Trek Online and its PvP elements. With the looming open beta (tomorrow!) and similarly imminent February 2nd launch, we consider ourselves lucky to get some fairly definitive answers on topics like the game's Cryptic Store and the Klingon faction's future -- including if deeper customization is in the wings or not.

Would you buy a magazine dedicated to your MMO?
Both EVE Online and World of Warcraft now offer a high quality official magazine to anyone interested. Is this going to become a trend? Sure, you could argue that World of Warcraft's immense subscriber base supports such a venture, but what about the considerably smaller (although no less dedicated) EVE Online base? That game has seemingly started this whole business of MMO magazines and EON is still around and kicking.

Socializing is dead. Isn't it?
Well actually, that's a tough one. Certainly, the perception that socialization is becoming a lesser factor to more and more developers has become the norm among most people. That doesn't necessarily mean they're correct. So, let's examine the general landscape of yesteryear and beyond to see what's really going on when it comes to human interaction in our massively multiplayer online games.

Star Trek Online pre-orders topping Direct2Drive sales
Some people may be apprehensive about the speed with which Cryptic is rolling out Star Trek Online, but that isn't slowing down the pre-orders at all. It seems that the majority of fans remain anxious to get their hands on the game. For the week of December 27th - January 2nd, pre-orders of the Star Trek Online Digital Deluxe edition took the number one spot for sales at Direct2Drive. Pre-orders of the regular edition of STO made a showing as well, coming in at number ten.