Previously On MVTV: The week of March 17th
Ah, livestreaming: the greatest thing we do here at Massively. Well, in my opinion at least. Playing video games live for others to watch is not just about virtual glory or showing off just how tough our rigs are (Jeremy wins, anyway), but they can act as instructional guides, introductions to new games, and special glimpses of content that has never before been seen. It's sort of a sad fact that some of these livestreams can do the work of entire columns. Pictures might be worth a thousand words, but animated pictures are worth much more.
This week we have a lot of variety as well as some old favorites for you. Be sure to check out and bookmark our MVTV Guide so that you know what is coming up and when to set your alarm clock. Once you're in the chat room, you can ask questions, point out errors (we love that), and jump into the game with the streamers!
In this week's roundup, Blake starts off with some Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Richie follows up with a bit of Guild Wars action. Next we have Mike returning to EVE Online and then popping into RIFT for some more exploration of the initial free 20 levels. I then take the time to add some animations to my otherwise-bland character in Second Life and then show off a bit of Parallel Kingdom, a browser-based MMO that is layered on top of the real-world map! Jeremy rounds things out with more Atlantica Online, showing off the Tactical Battle System that acts a lot like a boardgame within the game.
Blake branched out to a brand-new game for his Lunchtime Livecast this week and rolled a Jedi Consular in Star Wars: The Old Republic! Check out his impressions of the ranged support class and sneak a peek at the Consular's story on the Jedi starting planet, Tython. The Lunchtime Livecast may be best fresh, but it's still pretty damn good as a midnight snack!
The people of Kryta need help to combat the White Mantle, and Princess Salma has recruited Richie to help. The story presented in the War in Kryta questline bridges the 250-year gap between the events of Guild Wars and the upcoming sequel. Watch the livestream to see some of the places you'll visit once Guild Wars 2 is released. It's kind of like Back to the Future, only different.
In this week's EVE stream, Mike once again took to the black as elite low-level capsuleer Spaceguy Rotsyda. There were plenty of explosions to go around, and Mike even managed not to lose a ship. Oh, and did we mention he's wearing a cowboy hat? A space-cowboy hat?
Mike's RIFT Lite trial continued this week, with fancy mage Rachiula dropping thunder bolts and fireballs as usual. However, Mike got a little sloppy, and even his powerful rock elemental (named Pikachu) couldn't protect him from a violent, accidental death. Tune in to watch the embarrassment unfold.
Ever wonder how to make your Second Life avatar move more realistically? I know I have. I decided to take some time out and go shopping for some animations. If you equip the animations, they can actually control your avatar for you, making them do much, much more than stand idly. In this stream, I tried out some really nice ones but finally settled on one that changed everything that my avatar does, from sitting and lying down to flying. The designers have added a lot of depth and realism to my character, so check out this stream if you want to get an idea about how to do it yourself!
Parallel Kingdom has been popping up a lot in my browser lately, so I decided to take an hour to show just how the game works. The world is based on a real-life Google map of the world, so the playing field is as large as the world itself. How do you move, attack, and create items? Watch this stream to find out. It's important to note that while the browser version and the mobile versions that were made for iOS and Android phones are on different servers, you can just log into the browser version from your smartphone. Pretty smart! Luckily, scores of players showed up in the stream to hand out useful information to me as I play. If you want to try an MMO that is completely different, check this stream out.
Jeremy decided to dedicate an hour to streaming some more Atlantica Online. This time he concentrated on the Tactical Battle System, which is sort of a game within a game. Essentially a player sets his miniature army up on a battlefield that resembles a tabletop game. Players and NPCs take turns and move, attack, and set off traps. Weather plays a role, and the actual environments can help turn the tide of battle. If you've ever been curious about Atlantica Online before, this is an interesting stream to watch. Just keep in mind that the rest of the game is not exactly like the TBS.
Did you miss Massively TV last week? Are you too busy to dig through a week's worth of video to get to the highlights? Never fear! We've done the work for you right here in Previously on MV TV, a roundup of epic battles, tragic deaths, and juicy outtakes from last week's livestreams.
