One Shots: Guard whacked!
According to Massively Law, which is as unshakable as it is awesome, if you send in screenshots from an MMO that was made during the Clinton presidency, then I'm required to feature them as a header for this column. Hence, Ultima Online.
This picture comes from reader Azzura, who found out the hard way that not everyone likes a bad guy. "This is my 'red' character, one that I used to player-kill (PK) with, strolling near town," he said. "The NPCs did not like my being around and were calling the guards on me to get me 'guard whacked'."
I mourn not for thee, but I shall be entertained by thy photographic memorial. Smite that "continue reading" button, readers, and feast thine eyes upon the glory of our community.
It seems as though the most popular game to screenshot these days is still Final Fantasy XIV. Not that my eyes are complaining! As much as I don't take cat-girls seriously, that game is absolutely gorgeous.
"The end is here!" reader Fausto proclaimed. "I got to level 50 on my Scholar (my first job on 50) and the beginning of the endgame. Here's my toon healing on Tam-Tara Deepcroft on random dungeon, sneaking in for a screenshot as I heal the rest of the group. Credits to my little fairy!"
A lot of you have been responding to my screenshot challenge to take pictures of spell effects in action, which has pleased me no end. With that first phase in my master plan to conquer the world complete, I can move into phase two: robotic burritos.
Reader Chiara sets the scene for this pic: "Here's a screenshot of my Staff Evie in Vindictus and one of my favourite spells in the game by far! It's called Mana Amber, and it surrounds her, protecting her from most attacks. When hit, she gets sent flying (hopefully, that is -- it can shatter). Some bosses really make me feel as if I'm a ping pong ball they're playing with from time to time."
Is it an MMO or isn't it? Probably not, but I'm a sucker for a sunset. True fact: More MMO gamers have seen suns rise and set in-game than in real life. Are you going to deny that? I didn't think so.
Reader Dirtyklingon treated us to this vista. "RUST isn't really an MMO, but it has some MMO-like traits, such as the day/night cycle," he wrote. "I was standing guard at my guild's base while they were out scavenging when then this happened. It looks even better in-game watching it in real time."
I have a particularly difficult "AAA" screenshot challenge this week. I'm going to put out a bounty on a few specific games that don't get sent my way very often, so if you can grab an original screenshot of one, you'll be bumped to the front of the line next time! I'm looking for Asheron's Call, Anarchy Online, and Allods Online pics (along with stories). If you can send in all three at once, I'll even let you come up with the title for that week's column!
Want to be featured in a future edition of One Shots? Send your favorite MMO screenshots to oneshots@massively.com, and don't forget to include your name, the name of the game, and a description of the scene. Large, colorful, UI-free shots that tell a story and really show off the game make for the best images. Look ma, we brought back One Shots!
