The Stream Team: Get your festival on edition, December 10 - 16, 2012
The lull is over, and now the hustle and bustle of the winter holiday season begins! Regardless of which holiday you celebrate, mid-December is a time to prepare for and enjoy the festivities. For some folks, that means lots of cooking, lots of eating, and lots of family and friends. And for many of us, we add game time in our favorite MMOs on top of all that. We are even masterful at combining any variation of all of the above! That's where Massively TV comes in handy.
Join your friends (and possibly family?) on The Stream Team in-game and in chat as you watch and even participate in various adventures across the MMO spectrum. Sandboxes and themeparks, PvP and PvE -- they are all represented. And we have a new streamer joining the ranks! So take a look at what games catch your fancy this week, welcome our new guinea pig... er streamer, and then tell us what your favorite in-game holiday festivals are.
5:00 p.m. EST: Beau -- Habbo Hotel
For some reason, Beau has never tried out Habbo Hotel! Well, let's fix the situation, shall we? Join Beau as he explores this massive hotel and does quests, raises his level, and figures out how to be a good citizen for this Rise and Shiny entry.
7:00 p.m. EST: Mike -- EVE Online
You'd think Mike might have learned his lesson last time, but he's at it again: mining live on camera for all of the would-be suicide gankers to see. Will Mike lose another ship to the devious denizens of EVE's dark depths? Or will he be left to mine in peace? Tune in and find out.
10:00 p.m. EST: Dylan "GGraves" -- DotA 2
Last week, Dylan and his team played a great match but weren't able to pull out the win! Plays were made and vocal levels were maxed as they played "Lion," the support/ganking hero. Join Dylan as he plays a strength or agility hero in this week's coverage of another one of Massively's favorite MOBAs, DotA 2.
5:00 p.m. EST: Beau -- RuneScape
Have you been curious about the new combat upgrade but haven't found the time to play through the in-game tutorial? Beau will take you through the entire process during this stream, so tune in and see just how RuneScape has changed!
9:00 p.m. EST: MJ -- EverQuest II
Is your head spinning from overindulging in all the festivities last week? Between the Heroes Festival and the Halas city festival, MJ needs a break, so this EverQuest Two-sday, she's heading back for some good old-fashioned mob-slaughter. Come join her with your toons as she prepares for those first steps on the fabled Golden Path.
1:15 p.m. EST: Blake -- SMITE
The Lunchtime Livecast series continues this week with another default god profiled in SMITE! Checkout this unique third-person MOBA with Blake over your lunch break.
7:00 p.m. EST: Mike -- Wizardry Online
Permadeath and open PvP are the trademarks of this "hardcore" MMO, and if there's one thing Mike loves, it's impenetrable difficulty. Mike's goal in this stream: stay alive and keep his gear and character intact. Can he do it without failing miserably?
8:00 p.m. EST: MJ -- The Secret World
Almost finishing two separate investigation missions last week (the final answer to the second came just moments after the stream ended!), MJ feels more in the mood to cause some mayham and slaughter. Join her as she attempts some PvP mixed with questing. If you haven't experienced The Secret World yet, now's the time to see what you're missing!
9:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m. EST: Larry -- Star Wars: The Old Republic
Our resident SWTOR columnist Larry Everett (re)joins the Stream Team with a bang. He and his favorite group of raiders take on the latest endgame operation Terror From Beyond. If you want to learn more about raiding, SWTOR's endgame, or watching large groups of people fight big monsters, do not miss a second of this adventure.
7:00 a.m. EST: David "Psykopig" Desi -- Champions Online
Do you have an itch you can't scratch? Then go see a doctor. But if your itch is for pummeling the living heck out of bad guys, you might want to tune in to this week's Champions Online cast with the Pig! It is your destiny.
8:00 p.m. EST: MJ -- Vanguard
It's do or die time -- the wild conclusion of Lord Tsang's Tomb! Will MJ and the group make it through? Join in to help them succeed (or just chuckle at their attempts).
9:00 p.m. EST: MJ -- Lord of the Rings Online
What's more fitting to get in the spirit for a midnight showing of The Hobbit than a romp through Middle-earth? Join MJ as she enjoys the sights and sounds of one of the greatest worlds ever created in the only MMO that lets you live the adventure.
10:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. EST: Richie -- Guild Wars 2
It's going to be tough to beat last week's awesome stream as it's not everyday that you defeat the Elder Zhaitan and finish your personal story in a single show! But Richie will aim to entertain in this two-hour Guild Wars 2 stream. Join him on the Blackgate server for some dungeons, fractals, or whatever impulse hits his caffeine-infused mood.
7:00 p.m. EST: Mike -- Torchlight II
Time recently named Torchlight II one of the best games of 2012, so this week seemed like a great time to jump back into the title and toss a few fireballs around. Hang out with Mike while he crushes bosses, freezes foes, and generally has a dungeon-smashing good time.
8:00 p.m. EST: Beau -- DarkBlood Online
Want to see Beau destroy other players while controlling a thief in DarkBlood Online? Well, he promises nothing, but he will attempt to pwn his way through All Thieves Fight Night with game director Daniel Chang. DarkBlood Online is an action-based MMO that offers massive combos and killer graphics. Oh, and it promises Beau's corpse, live.
9:00 p.m. EST: MJ -- City of Steam
Today starts the Autumnwane beta period, and MJ is going to get back in and experience life as a greenskin in the Nexus. Is there any chance she is better at PvP this time around? Come watch and see. Could be that she gets the drop on one of the special guest devs in a match... yaaaah right.
7:00 a.m. EST: David "Psykopig" Desi -- The Secret World
What better way to spend a Saturday morning (or night, if you're in Australia like Piggy is!) than preparing yourself for the end of the world! Tune in to see just how Psykopig will use his knowledge of The Secret World to help him get through the tough times of December.
10:00 p.m. EST: Dylan "GGraves" -- StarCraft II
Prepare for war! This weekend, join "GGraves" in some epic Protoss 1v1 and team matches in StarCraft II. Supporting the upcoming series of future warfare coverage, StarCraft is a massive RTS and one of the biggest e-sports in the industry. Get in a futuristic, action-packed combat mood and join us for this epic livestream with commentary and chat!
So much for all that extra time on your hands, eh? I bet you've been busy with all that holiday stuff! That's OK -- you don't have to miss out on all your favorite streams just because you are caught up in the season. So when you have a moment (even if it means hiding from overeager holiday revelers!), sit back and catch one of last week's shows.
Aion: With the surprise release of 3.7, MJ dived in and tested out the new instance, The Hexway.
DotA: Dylan "GGraves" checked out what makes this game stand out from the competition.
EVE Online: It was cannonball run time into null-sec for Mike.
EverQuest II: Heroes Festival comes but once a year, and MJ demonstrated how toons under level 10 should not try the quest chain without a merc!
Glitch: Beau jumped in twice to experience as much as possible before the game sunsetted permanently.
Guild Wars 2: Richie defeated Elder Zhaitan, while Lis defended Claw Island.
Pirate101: Mike lived the life of a pirate for a day with his crab companion.
PlanetSide 2: Senior Art Director Tramell Isaac joined Mike as he suited up and tested whether or not he had improved his aim.
SMITE: In Lunchtime Livescast #43, Blake explored another content patch.
Star Stable: How does an MMO based on horses play out? Beau found out.
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Dylan "GGraves" continued questing on Balmorra and sought to learn more about the Jedi Prisoner.
The Secret World: MJ breezed through one investigation mission and was mere moments away from finishing a second.
Vanguard: It was back into the depths of Lord Tsang's Tomb for MJ and special guest Jeremy. Were they more successful this time around?
Real life certainly doesn't corner the market on holiday traditions. From special events to special gifts, many of our favorite games give us plenty of reasons to log in and celebrate via pixels! So tell us, which holiday festival is so irresistible that you pass up Aunt Edna's famous eggnog just to log in and attend? (If your favorite is for a game that is closed, it is not on the list to help preserve the season of cheer!)%Poll-79337%
Watching the Massively Stream Team play video games is the next best thing to playing them yourself! Join us every Monday morning for MJ's guide to this week's livestream schedule, classic stream reruns from last week, and all the best outtakes and ephemera.
