end-of-the-year-2010
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Ring in the new year with Final Fantasy XIV's Heavensturn
Considering Final Fantasy XI's longstanding tradition of celebrating nearly every holiday no matter how obscure, it should come as no surprise that Final Fantasy XIV is poised to carry on the tradition. The first holiday event is still taking place, but a new one will begin soon to celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Dubbed Heavensturn, the event is a chance for players to score another unique piece of equipment -- in this case, a hat that manages to combine the samurai aesthetic with a rabbit. Running from December 31st until January 17th, the event will function similarly to the ongoing Starlight Celebration, with characters obtaining festive items that may be used in crafting. The centerpiece is the Usagi Kabuto, which is exactly what it sounds like: a bunny hat for the lapine-conscious samurai. According the backstory, Heavensturn traditionally is a time of astrological significance, but the event has started getting a bit supplanted by the rabbit helms. Final Fantasy XIV players can take a look at the full backstory as well as the new crafting recipes for the event in the official dispatch.
The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest II's year in review
EverQuest II may be the ripe old age of six, but it certainly isn't showing signs of slowing down. With 2010 coming to a close, it's time to look back on the past year, which was marked with several major changes to the game. Read on for The Tattered Notebook's year in review, and then share your memories of the past year in EverQuest II.
Flameseeker Chronicles: A look back at 2010
Welcome to the last Flameseeker Chronicles of 2010, in which I wax sentimental over this year and salivate over what the next one promises. It's been a huge year for both Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 -- probably one of the biggest since Guild Wars 1 launched. There was civil war in Tyria, with consequences more far-reaching than any of us as players could imagine at the outset. Profession reveals came fast and furious for a while, and when the dust settled, we had extensive information on half of the Guild Wars 2 professions. Gamescom and PAX brought us actual Guild Wars 2 gameplay, the War in Kryta seemed to go on and on, and there were even some shakeups behind the scenes, with ArenaNet swinging a banhammer of massive proportions and dismantling the Xunlai tournament house. Follow along and let's take a look at what 2010 brought to Tyria.
Wings Over Atreia: Top 10 of 2010
It's the end of the year, and although many are in food- and good-cheer-induced comas, we will still drag ourselves to the keyboard to delve into Aion. Why? Because we enjoy our game. And maybe, just maybe, there is a smattering of addiction in there. I'm not judging, mind you, as I also logged some holiday time with a shugo! Many things have happened throughout the year, and this Daeva has flown about, soaking up the news and activities, in order to report them back to you. From the sweeping changes of three major patches (expansions, updates -- whatever you choose to call them) adding content, removing content, and re-adding content (*cough* rifting *cough*), to holiday events, to everyday life in Atreia, 2010 has had its ups and downs, with a variety of twists and turns thrown in. The year certainly cannot be called uneventful. And in true end-of-the-year count-down style, I am going to rattle off my top 10 favorite columns of Aion tidbits. So what columns made the cut? Grab a noisemaker and shimmy on past the break to see which were my favorites as well as share yours in the comments!
EVE Evolved: Top EVE news stories of 2010
This was a big year for EVE Online, with the release of the Tyrannis expansion and some awesome news stories spreading across the internet like digital wildfire. The year was off to a good start in February with some epic political drama as GoonSwarm alliance was disbanded from the inside. More recently, EVE hit a landmark moment as over 3,000 players gathered in one solar system to fight and the server node they were on didn't crash. Massively has been here all year keeping you up to date with what's going on with EVE and the EVE community. This year has seen some awesome stories, and as this is the last EVE Evolved of 2010, I'd like to take the opportunity to look back on the top EVE news and community stories of the year. The highlight of the year for me has to be creating the official Massively Mob corporation. I expected around 50 people would join and perhaps a few extra readers would idle in the Massively channel. Instead, almost 200 pilots have joined the corp, and new applications come in every day. Several corp members have already begun organising their own events, and many spend their days answering questions or otherwise helping newer members of the corp. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the year's top EVE stories. I examine the EVE community's artistic side, some of the most positive and negative stories of the year, a number of extremely high-value kills and heists, and the emerging Sansha storyline.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: 2010's roguish review
I joked once, long ago, that I should never answer WRUP truthfully, because it will invariably result in a total lack of doing what I announced. Lo and behold, I had the time to play through a single Mission Architect mission amidst an intensely obnoxious virus (just at that level where you're sick enough to know it but not sick enough to avoid work) and the preparation needed to get my house ready for hosting an entire family. For the record? Never agree to do that for your family, no matter who your family is. So instead, we're going to take a look through the big news of the year, the five biggest stories that have affected City of Heroes in the past 12 months. I had originally planned to save this one for next week, but I doubt that we'll get an enormous piece of news between now and next week. It's been an interesting year for the game as a whole, so between an expansion, major updates, and tumultuous times in the larger MMO world, let's look at the five biggest stories pertaining to the city.
Free for All: Four games I'm dying to play in 2011
The year 2010 was a great year in gaming. If anyone tells you any different, look him in the eye -- you've just met a madman. In fact, 2010 did so much for me, personally, that it might be hard to top it for a while. I actually started getting paid to write my blog entries this year, discovered so many wonderful new developers this year, and played more hours than in all of the previous years combined. As luck would have it, there are already several new games being announced that are making 2011 look like an even bigger year for me. Browser-based technology is only growing more robust and rich, indie gaming is finally starting to get a lot of the respect it deserves, and I now have the ability to contact almost any developer I want for use in my columns. All of this adds up to some exciting times ahead, for sure. All thanks to Massively, of course. There are four games in particular that I am very excited about. More will come, I'm positive, but these four have already cast huge spells on me. Click past the cut to see what you should be excited about, too!
Community Detective Issue #15: 2010's best (and worst) case files
Hi kids, it's your friendly neighborhood Community Detective and I'm back with the final issue of 2010. Next year looks to be an exciting and somewhat scary time for MMORPG communities and customer service. Not only are we staring down the barrel of four new hugely anticipated AAA titles (RIFT, TERA, Guild Wars 2, and The Old Republic), but there are also quite a few existing games that I've yet to visit in an official capacity, as well as a couple that have undergone drastic changes and merit another review (the F2P conversion in Lord of the Rings Online and sweeping server merges in Aion and EverQuest II, for example). Prior to moving forward, however, it's always fun to take a look back (particularly at this time of year). Join me after the cut for a year-end recap of 2010's most memorable case studies.
The Anvil of Crom: Greatest Hits Vol. 2010
Oh no! It's the end of a calendar year! It's that arbitrary point in space and time at which bloggers, journalists, and basically anyone who makes a living via the written word foists off a bunch of top 10 (or five, or other random number) lists on his loyal readers. Sadly folks, I'm no different, and though I'll gladly poke fun at the tradition, I'll also engage in it this week here at The Anvil of Crom. Looking back, it's been quite an eventful year, both for Age of Conan and for Massively's coverage of the game. From the Rise of the Godslayer expansion to the various nerfs, buffs, rants, and interviews, 2010 has been one for the Hyborian history books. Turn the page for eight reasons why.
The Perfect Ten: Most controversial MMO stories of 2010
Well, this is it, folks. The end of the year. A time of reflection, of massive weight gain and of lists. Man, we like our lists, do we not? Fortunately, at Perfect Ten Industries, we've been excelling in lists for months now. Frankly, we're just getting warmed up! While 2010 may not have been much to write home about in terms of newly launched MMOs, there was more than enough controversy to keep the discussion brewing for months. MMOs are big business, and when every move you make is closely scrutinized by millions of gamers, there's no room to slip up unless you like forum hyenas pouncing all over you, snapping and snarling at your faulty flesh. So let's take a jaunt down our top 10 list of the most controversial stories of 2010 on Massively, keeping in mind that it was devilishly hard just to keep this list to 10 at all. What's a week without being riled up about pixels and polygons, after all?
NCsoft hypes Aion double crafting XP and holiday events
Happy Solorius Festival, Daevas! Yes, the Atreian equivalent of Christmas is back, and you can join the ongoing Aion celebration through January 5th. You'll find new quests in both Sanctum and Pandaemonium, as well as rewards that include decorative hats, gift bundles, and buff consumables. Mid-winter and New Year's marks the Year of the Ribbit celebration, and festivities include even more quests and rewards (including new ribbit outfit pieces). The party starts December 22nd and lasts through January 12th. Finally, NCsoft is turning on the double XP spigot again, this time in honor of Atreia's crafters. Friday, December 17th through Monday, December 20th is a prime time for catching up on any artisan activities you may have been neglecting, as double XP for crafting, essence-tapping, and aether-tapping will be in full effect.
Ring in the end of the year with Warhammer Online's Keg End
Warhammer Online players have things to be thankful for this year, not the least of which being the 1.4 patch. And as the end of the year approaches, it's the traditional time for players to celebrate the passing of the old year in the game via copious amounts of liquor and the usual helping of ultraviolence. That's right, it's time for another round of Keg End, with Order and Destruction alike taking part in the festivities and competing for chances at the coveted Golden Stein. Aside from the boastworthy exploits of the festival, players will also have giants to face off against, with special rewards for those capable of felling these enemies. There are also rare world drop items for players to look for, including your own personal keg handler or a battlebrew backpack. Warhammer Online players are encouraged to take a look at the official preview of the holiday event, which runs until January 4th to ensure that everyone has plenty of time to ring in the new year with a proper toast. Or a proper inebriated violent rampage, one or the other.
