Global Chat: The 2014 MMO blogosphere in review
The end of the year is a traditional time of reflection, especially among writers and gamers who want to put a pretty bow on progress and journeys made before the next chapter is explored. So it is with bloggers, as practically everyone is using the last days of 2014 to look back at the year and its MMOs.
So today we'll be going on a trip to see what the blogging community members thought of this year, what they did in it, and whether their January 2014 predictions came true. My summary of each article will be shorter than usual simply because there are so many of them!
1. Healing the Masses: MMO PvP in 2014: The recap
Looking at the year's releases and updates from a PvP perspective, J3w3l was pretty let down: "Such fail. Much disappoint. I was rather sceptical anyway and knew they wouldn't fulfill but I did still have a lot of great experiences so it wasn't a complete loss."
2. The Ancient Gaming Noob: Reviewing my predictions for 2014
Wilhelm breaks out an elaborate scoring system to see how well he did with his specific predictions of the year: "Getting as much right as I did... and I could have spun the news to make myself seem more on target than I was, but I chose to be conservative on that front... would clearly put me amongst the ranks of those such as Jeane Dixon." He also looks at each of the major studios' highs and lows.
3. Inventory Full: The embers still glow
Bhagpuss goes game by game through the major releases of 2014: "For a while Landmark (with the confusing EQ prefix quietly removed) was a hot topic across the MMO blogosphere. Much of the discussion centered around mystification over what the 'game' was trying to be, a mystery which, I think it's fair to say, has yet to be resolved to anyone's great satisfaction."
4. MMO Gypsy: Gaming in 2014, worrying trends, and great expectations!
Syl listed WildStar as her game of the year but said she had concerns about where the industry is heading: "Generally, there are three industry trends that have me concerned right now and that can be expected to continue: The era of the classic MMORPG and AAA-MMOs is over; early access gaming with a wide range of definitions is here to stay; and console exclusivity is back with a vengeance."
5. Leo's Life: Predictions retracted
Leo looks back at his January predictions and feels as though he did pretty well, although he was off in a few areas, such as WildStar: "While I did say that the focus on raids was stupid, I had underestimated the sheer lack of development of anything but raiding. Six months later, it still hasn't found ground."
6. I Has PC: The year that was 2014
Chris goes month by month through the year talking about what he played and blogged, including one sad event: "Chris 'River' Cavelle, a fellow blogger, died in June. Rest in peace my friend. Someone else has already bought his domain (that expired) but his page lives on. Of course it is just a reminder of the words he shared with the world. It's the only piece left his internet friends have of him."
7. ECTMMO.com: Ringing in the new year
It's a little bit of looking back, looking forward, and gushing over Trove for Kaozz: "Trove is awesome. I absolutely love it and hope to see the game grow in the next year. If it keeps going in the direction it is, I can see it rising in popularity as time goes on. It is a great game. It's casual and fun. You have to love Trove for what it is. Trove isn't for the raider, the PvPer. It's a voxel game that builds off that aspect and I think for most you either love it or hate it."
8. Murf Versus: My 2014 gaming disappointments
Both WildStar and Destiny majorly let down Mr. Murf, who said that the former has turned him off to this industry altogether: "I didn't hate WildStar, but 2014 was the year that made me realize MMORPGs are garbage. Some of that is owed to WildStar, a game with an annoying level grind, an insufferable setting, and a twist on combat mechanics that very nearly, almost worked."
9. GamingSF: 2014 gaming review
Month by month, Telwyn marches through the ups and downs of this year, with one significant high: "The group content posts stand out by far as my favourites and those that provoke the happiest memories."
10. Tales of the Aggronaut: Satisfaction of the year
What made Belghast the happiest to experience in 2014? It wasn't any particular MMO but the resurgeance and resiliance of the blogging community: "There were individuals who say that blogging is dead, but I think wholeheartedly we have proved them wrong."
Awesome MMO blog opinions abound all over the internet -- and Justin "Syp" Olivetti reads them all (or skims really, really fast)! Global Chat seeks to round up the most interesting and zany posts from the MMORPG blogosphere. Who knows? You might discover a new favorite blog this week!
