WRUP: OK, I could be down with WildStar edition

I hadn't really expected to care about WildStar, but from what I've heard so far, I could actually get cozy with this game. We've just got to get a few things squared away here, starting with giving us women that aren't floofy bunny-things. Like one of those gray-skinned stony guys, that'd be keen. Keep the mechanics engaging; don't start going into pin-up status with all of your ladies — we could be in good, WildStar. We could be straight-up friends.

That having been said, I'm not playing it this weekend. None of the Massively staff members is playing it this weekend, as it happens — and that's relevant because it's time for this week's installment of WRUP. So jump on past the cut to find out what we'll be up to over the weekend along with our feelings about the option of playing solo, and let us know what you'll be up to in the comments.

Beau Hindman (@Beau_Hindman): I'll be switching to LEGO Universe for the next Rise and Shiny column, and I'm really excited to try it out some more. Last time I played it, the game was barely in beta and I just did not enjoy it. I want to see how much it has changed. I'll also be spending some time in a few new-and-different browser-based games. I'm always adding and subtracting to my game list. I consider it a weapon of taste, something that I can throw at someone who asks me "what game should I play?" — I can toss a link to the list and be done with it.

Not only do I like having the freedom to play solo, but the game would not work if I didn't have that freedom. If it forced grouping on me, I would simply not have the time to form groups, make sure everyone had the same quests, or organize a Ventrilo server. The funny thing about soloing is that many players seem to think that MMORPG means grouping. I don't go to the movies only because it is shown on a big screen; I go to experience something while in the company of other humans. But I never sit down next to a stranger and ask "want to watch this together?" MMOs are basically the same thing. We like to be around other real players and appreciate the choice to hang out with others, but soloing does not mean that you could just play a single-player game and be satisfied with it. The multiplayer aspect is also attractive to a soloer because of the economy that requires other players to grow and change.

Brandon Felczer (@bfelczer): This weekend, I have family flying in from out of the country. While I am planning on taking them on a sights tour of San Diego, I also plan on showing off some Star Trek Online to one of my Trekker cousins who seems to be interested in playing with me. She and I grew up playing many console and PC Trek games, so it would be awesome if I could get her into it.

While I do like having the freedom to break away from my in-game friends and fly solo, I play an MMO because it is a social experience — whether that be chatting it up on Vent, teaming up, or raiding together. For me, a friend to play with makes the experience much more enjoyable.

Brianna Royce (@nbrianna): I'm playing a new game I found this summer called "hey, new baby." My guildmates are ga-ga over their Terraria server, so I might check that out some this weekend, and my husband is tempting me to hop back into Lord of the Rings Online. We'll see.

I won't even seriously consider a game that doesn't offer some ability to solo, so the more the better for me. I like to team with friends when I can, but when I can't, I want to do my own thing. I've got no problems with the "alone together" idea, I guess.

Eliot Lefebvre: Desperately in need of a weekend to relax with Ms. Lady, I'm going to be focusing on Final Fantasy XIV and some Catherine when I'm gaming. Nothing all that different from past weekends, actually; I'm tediously predictable like that.

Good and engaging group content is important, but if a game doesn't give me the option to do something meaningful while solo, it's losing a lot of my interest right off the bat. I like to have something fun to do with friends, but I also like having something fun to do in the game period without waiting for others. The main question for me is simply one of options, and I don't like feeling as if my options are strictly curtailed if I'd rather not grind group content unto madness.

Jeremy Stratton (@Jeremy_Stratton): I'll be playing Runes of Magic and EverQuest II. I'm a bit stuck in RoM. I had the brilliant idea of massively upgrading a piece of armor before moving on to the next. I have some great pieces, but I also have a lot of lousy ones. This has me limited to which dungeons I can enter. I think I'll bite the bullet and dirty-stat the rest and see if that's enough to get over the hump. I'm also having a blast in EverQuest II. I'm addicted to housing.

I definitely like having the freedom to play solo, but it depends on how the game operates. In RoM, I can slow my pace, do some holiday events, decorate my house, work on my pets, and so on. I do, however, like being connected. While I'm doing that, I can always talk to my guildmates or anyone else.

Justin Olivetti (@Sypster): Other than checking out betas-which-must-not-be-named, I'm going to putter around Wizard101, of all things. I actually kind of miss that game, and going back to it has reminded me how relaxing it is — a "sit back in the chair, read a book during combat" sort of experience. Other gaming plans involve RIFT, LotRO, and Mass Effect 2.

As for soloing, I'm all aboard that train — I even wrote an entire soapbox about it.

Patrick Mackey (@mackeypb): I have a guilty pleasure in EYE: Divine Cybermancy, which has been absolutely enthralling, if overly complex. As usual for me, I'll also be playing Touhou Hisoutensoku and Champions Online; I'm participating in CO's King of the Hill playtest, and I'll be writing a lot on my findings this week.

I'm fond of teaming more than soloing, especially if the game provides easy matchmaking and encourages communication. However, a game should always have ways to progress yourself when solo, at all levels of play. I think that games should emphasize teaming but not punish people who don't want to.

At the start of every weekend, we catch up with the Massively staff members and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" (Otherwise known as: WRUP!) Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game — and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too!