polls

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  • Leaderboard: Do you make unique character names?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    05.21.2014

    WildStar's first real brouhaha centered around character names. More specifically, there was some concern about losing a favorite name due to Carbine's reservation system snafu. I watched all this from the sidelines with a bewildered expression on my face because I tend to roll with unique names. Ergo, there's no reason to fret about someone "stealing" Pat McGroin, Legolass25, or InsertGameOfThronesCharacterHere. What about you, Massively readers? Do you make unique names for your MMO avatars? If not, do you use the same name in multiple games or a name based on a popular character character? Vote after cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • Leaderboard: Are you raiding in WildStar?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    05.14.2014

    Carbine came clean with its plans for WildStar raiding yesterday. We got a good look at what's in store via a new DevSpeak video and a Q&A with dungeon and raid lead Brett Scheinert. This all lends itself to a poll of some sort, so what say we all click past the cut and vote on whether or not we'll be raiding in WildStar? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • Choose My Adventure: Starting out again in Defiance

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    05.14.2014

    For the month of May, I'll be playing in Trion Worlds' Defiance for this Choose My Adventure column. I played the game a bit at launch and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Since then, the MMOFPS has grown significantly, with five DLC packs added to its stable in only one year as well as another season renewal for the Defiance TV show on Syfy. But does all of this ultimately mean that the game is good? I'm going to take another look at everything while you guide my path a bit. This week, you'll be voting on how I'll spend my EGO points as well as my progression through the story.

  • Choose My Adventure: Defiance edition

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    05.07.2014

    A funny thing happened last week after I decided to play Trion Worlds' Defiance for this month's Choose My Adventure: Trion announced the game will go full free-to-play! Should I consider this perfect timing to show off the game a bit before the transition? Yes, yes I should. But before I can jump into the game, guns blazing, we have some work to do. Follow along after the cut to vote on how I'll play Defiance throughout the month of May.

  • Choose My Adventure: Goodbye for now, Elder Scrolls Online

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    04.30.2014

    My time with The Elder Scrolls Online has come to a close for this month's edition of Choose My Adventure, and while I have enjoyed myself, I've taken a lot more away from this experience than I expected. One month and 14 levels later, I have not only this character we've built together but several alts spanning every race, class, and alliance. But did I like the Nightblade the most? Will I continue to play after this Choose My Adventure is over?

  • Leaderboard: In which you help Massively plan its EVE Fanfest coverage

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    04.29.2014

    Normally Massively's Leaderboard is all about flame-worthy lighthearted MMO-related polling shenanigans. This week, though, we're putting on our serious business suits and traveling to the land of CCP in order to bring you the best EVE Fanfest coverage on the internet. EVE Online expert Brendan Drain is our man in Iceland, but he needs your help! See, Fanfest is huge, and there are a lot of panels and roundtables to attend. While CCP streams the former, the latter are typically behind closed doors. They're also extremely important, as they inform devs about player opinion and help guide future development. So, if you've ever wanted to help direct Massively's event coverage, click past the cut and vote on the panel and roundtable that you'd most like Brendan to attend. Don't forget to leave us a comment with your general suggestions and potential interview questions, too! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • Leaderboard: Do you need to spend money to enjoy Marvel Heroes?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    04.23.2014

    I think I might play me some Marvel Heroes. Which is somewhat odd since I'm neither a Diablo nor a Marvel fan. It's not that I have anything against the latter, it's just that I've always read Batman comics and nothing but, so my knowledge of the Marvel-verse is restricted to The Avengers flick and Bryan Singer's old X-Men films. Anyway, Gazillion's game is of course free-to-play and I'm installing it via Steam as I type. My question for you, though, is should I spring for any of the cash shop bundles or should I just take what the devs are giving away? Which route did you go, and was it the right decision? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • Choose My Adventure: Testing addons in The Elder Scrolls Online

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    04.23.2014

    My adventure in The Elder Scrolls Online continues this week with my Nightblade Fa'saad making his way through Stonefalls for the Ebonheart Pact. As the format of Choose My Adventure has changed slightly, the polls from the first two articles mold my journey through the rest of the month. At the end of it all, I'll give my summary impressions and tips I learned along the way. This week it's all about addons as I tried out a dozen or so to report back on my favorites. Addons can aid your gameplay in so many different ways, from stat counters to UI mods to quality of (virtual) life improvements, but they're not for everyone. I'm not usually an addon fan because I think they verge on cheating in a way, so I've approached these addons from the perspective of a skeptic. Did they really help my game? Will I continue to use them?

  • Leaderboard: Does Elder Scrolls' lack of an auction house bother you?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    04.16.2014

    Yesterday's Massively Speaking took Elder Scrolls Online to task for not having an auction house. Normally I would agree, given my long-standing passion for MMO economies and crafting. So far, though, the lack of an AH hasn't affected my playstyle at all through the first 30 levels. I'm a member of two trading megaguilds as well as my normal guild, and from the inside looking out, there's no difference between selling to thousands of faceless people in your "guilds" or selling to thousands of faceless people via an AH. I can't say whether ZeniMax purposefully designed ESO's economy this way or simply ran out of the time and money necessary to make an AH. But it doesn't really matter, personally, because my pre-launch expectations amounted to "yet another themepark crapfest," so I continue to be pleasantly surprised by how wrong those expectations were -- even without an AH! What about you, ESO players? Does the game's lack of an AH bother you? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • Choose My Adventure: Approaching level 10 in The Elder Scrolls Online

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    04.16.2014

    ​ As I make the approach to level 10, I realize that The Elder Scrolls Online is not "just another fantasy MMO" as it's sometimes billed by skeptical players. I'm continuously finding myself pleasantly surprised by the storyline, the crafting, and world, and the execution of it all. And even though I'm playing it as a single-player game still at this point, it's not a single-player Elder Scrolls game. I'm dying way too much for that.

  • Leaderboard: Are you looking forward to The Crew?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    04.09.2014

    Ubisoft hosted a preview event for The Crew earlier this week, and while I was already excited for the game, seeing some of the press coverage that emerged got me even more hot and bothered. And the fact that I saw a MINI in the latest batch of screenshots didn't hurt, either. While The Crew may not be an MMO in the massive numbers of players sense, it certainly does feature a massive open world, quests, and plenty of character progression to go along with its sweet, sweet car porn. How about it, Massively gear heads? Are you looking forward to The Crew? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • Choose My Adventure: Elder Scrolls Online welcomes another Khajiit

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    04.09.2014

    I'd like you all to welcome your new character in The Elder Scrolls Online: Fa'saad! Get it? Fa'saad...like façade because he's a sneaky Nightblade ... oh nevermind. The character you created for me is a male Khajiit Nightblade from the Ebonheart Pact. I will be playing him for the rest of the month from the perspective of a veteran MMO gamer who is excited to see what this year's triple-A MMO can bring to the table not only for MMO fans but for fans of the Elder Scrolls series. This week's article will be an introduction to the character and more polls for you to vote on to help this character progress in the early game.

  • Stickers on your MacBook: Yes or no?

    by 
    Mike Wehner
    Mike Wehner
    04.04.2014

    I'll admit that I've been known to cover my notebooks in obnoxious stickers for absolutely no reason other than needing somewhere to stick them. Something about doing it felt like I was making my gadget a little bit more "mine," but when it comes to my most recent MacBook purchases, it feels like defacing a work of art. I've still done it, mind you, but it's the first time I've felt guilty about it. So what's the verdict: Do you see sticker-ing your Apple notebook as a fun hobby, or is it shunned in your circles? %Poll-87845% [Photo credit: Claire Sambrook]

  • Leaderboard: What's your favorite aspect of Elder Scrolls Online so far?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    04.02.2014

    Judging by the masses of players I see running around in The Elder Scrolls Online, it's a safe bet that many of you are joining me in the game's early access launch. So far I'm having a good time with it, but I'm more interested in what you think. Assuming you're playing and enjoying ESO, what's your favorite aspect of the game thus far? Questing? PvP? Lore? Something else? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • Choose My Adventure: The Elder Scrolls Online

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    04.02.2014

    The Elder Scrolls Online has launched into its early access period, and I couldn't be more excited for the timing on this new edition of Choose My Adventure. I've always been a huge fan of the Elder Scrolls series, but I didn't have access to this MMO beta for various reasons. As I stated in my last column, I even avoided reading impressions articles here at Massively because I wanted this to be a fresh experience for me. I'm kinda weird like that. But I've purchased the game now and have been enjoying myself this week during early access. Of course, I'm still saving the good stuff for this column, and I don't plan to release my impressions until a future article, but I'll reiterate that I'm very excited about this next month.

  • Leaderboard: What do you do when you're out of content?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    03.26.2014

    I recently finished Lord of the Rings Online's epic story on my main character. Then I maxed all three of his crafting specializations. Then I polished off a bunch of outstanding deeds and a few interesting lower level quest lines that I had inadvertently missed. As a result, I feel like I've pretty much "beaten" the game, even though there are still rep grinds, dungeons, and PvMP stuff that I could technically do if I found them interesting. I don't, though, so aside from roleplaying and the occasional Middle-earth screenshot soiree, I'm done with LotRO until the next expansion or whatever. Are you in a similar predicament, Leaderboard readers? What do you do when you've exhausted all of a game's content that interests you? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • Choose My Adventure: My final week with PlanetSide 2

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    03.26.2014

    I'm sad to say that this is my final week in PlanetSide 2 for Choose My Adventure, but I did come away with some new thoughts on the game. Playing the Heavy Assault, Light Assault, and MAX opened up my eyes to the other side of the fence and showed me that these are more than just run-and-gun classes. And with more information on the Valkyrie aircraft revealed over the weekend, we can certainly see that Sony Online Entertainment is still dedicated to supporting the game. This is a good thing considering so many MMOs with PS2's ambition often fall flat merely months after launch when the numbers inevitably drop. Not so for this one, it seems.

  • Choose My Adventure: MAXing out in PlanetSide 2

    by 
    Shawn Schuster
    Shawn Schuster
    03.19.2014

    Back in PlanetSide 2 for this week's Choose My Adventure, I found myself strangely drawn into the game every chance I got. And that's really part of the beauty of PlanetSide 2: You can jump in and out of the action without any unnecessary foreplay. I continued to play my Heavy Assault for most of the week but did flirt with both the MAX and the Light Assault trooper to see what I'm missing. My verdict? I miss my Engineer.

  • Leaderboard: ArcheAge vs. ESO vs. WildStar... Fight!

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    03.19.2014

    Now that Trion has confirmed a 2014 launch date for ArcheAge, my excitement level for this year's crop of triple-A MMORPGs is on the rise. I've been warming to The Elder Scrolls Online in recent weeks, and hell, I may even play WildStar. All three of these games are timesinks, though, so I'm glad that they're not releasing one on top of the other. What about you, Massively readers? Are you excited for all three of 2014's triple-A launches? Which one will you play the most? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!

  • Leaderboard: Are you still interested in ArcheAge?

    by 
    Jef Reahard
    Jef Reahard
    03.12.2014

    So, ArcheAge. It's still not playable in English, but rumor has it that Trion's got a related announcement scheduled for next week's GDC event in San Francisco. While I've been critical of XLGAMES for its interminably slow localization process -- and for releasing its fantasy sandpark everywhere except the West in recent years -- I'm still psyched to play it. The title is both full-featured and utterly unique, and how often can that be said about a current-gen MMORPG? Ultimately, it's one worth waiting for, in my opinion. What about you? Assuming you were interested in ArcheAge at some point over the last three-plus years, are you still interested? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!