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WRUP: Remember that several people work here edition
It is important to note that Massively does not consist of one person hitting a keyboard furiously. There's a staff list to one side for a reason. Not every installment of Choose My Adventure was written by the same person, not every installment of The Soapbox was penned by the same person, and not every news post is reviewed by the entire staff. Equally relevant is the fact that the writers are not the people who moderate comments. There are a lot of moving pieces. As an example of the sheer number of moving pieces behind the scenes of the site, we present to you WRUP, in which the Massively staff members explain to you what they're doing over the weekend. We also talk about whether or not we've ever been intimidated starting an older game after it's been out for a while. So go on and take a look at our multiple separate plans, and then go ahead and tell us what you'll be up to in the comments.
WRUP: New kitten edition
I've been in a sadly cat-deprived household since Ms. Lady and I moved to our new home. Last weekend, we went to the humane society to look at new cats, and now we have a new little darling named Tali (yes, really). She's a five-year-old dilute tortoiseshell with a manx tail, and she's adapting quite nicely to the new house. Except that she's incredibly squawky. Seriously, I can pretty much use her as an alarm clock most of the time. But you didn't just come here for talk about cats; you came here for WRUP. And this week's WRUP is, stunningly, about what the Massively staff is up to over the weekend. You know, like every other weekend. Plus we talk about whether or not a game's launch has lived up to our expectations. So check out what we'll be up to over the next couple days, and let us know your plans down in the comments!
WRUP: Simon says edition
Simon says touch your nose. Simon says touch your nose again without the attitude. Simon says forgive him for being so pushy. Simon says to do the hokey pokey. Simon says that you did it wrong; you should have put the other foot in first. Simon says have an existential crisis. Simon says harness your latent telekinetic powers. Simon says to create a new religion based on Mountain Dew. Simon says touch the top of your head. Simon says that it's time for this week's installment of WRUP. Simon says that the Massively staff members need to explain what they'll be doing over the weekend. Simon says the Massively staff members also need to talk about whether or not they hold grudges against games. Simon says to nod knowingly. Simon says jump past the break to see the Massively staff's answers. Simon says let us know what you'll be up to in the comments.
WRUP: Don't mess with Geth Infiltrators edition
The above is not my Geth Infiltrator but rather Ms. Lady's Geth Infiltrator, who cuts quite the striking figure with a large sniper rifle and judicious use of special powers. Basically, in this house, when it's not board games or MMOs, it's Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. It's oddly fertile ground for roleplaying, assuming the role you want to play starts and ends at "homicidal robot with a large rifle and no trace of remorse." Of course, you know at least one thing I'll be playing, but WRUP is not about solely me. No, it's about all of the Massively staff members and what they'll be playing over the weekend. It's also about what MMO features we'd like to see more widely adopted. So check on past the break for our weekend plans, and let us know what you'll be up to in the comments below!
Join Operation Savage this weekend in Mass Effect 3
This weekend's Mass Effect 3 multiplayer event is Operation Savage, running June 22-24. The Allied goal is to eliminate 7 million trooper-level enemies, including Cerberus Assault Troopers, Husks, Cannibals and Geth Troopers. The squad goal is "extraction on any difficulty with the squad using a mix of krogan, vorcha, or batarian classes."For an Allied success, all players will receive a Victory Pack, and squad success will see each group win a Commendation Pack, each to be handed out the evening of Tuesday, June 26. Operation Savage begins at 6 p.m. PST on Friday, June 22, and ends at 4 a.m. PST on Monday, June 25.
WRUP: Yes, I have a Twitter now edition
I've never been great about replying to comments, but I finally decided it was time to kill two birds with one bird-shaped stone and just sign back up for Twitter. Now the whole world can thrill to my daily adventures, including having breakfast, thinking about what I had for breakfast, sobbing uncontrollably for four hours in the backseat of my car as I realize that the world is a meaningless pit of despair without even the vaguest imitation of purpose, and having lunch. As long as we're going for thrilling adventures, let's ride along to the thrill-a-minute stylings of this week's WRUP, complete with the planned escapades of the Massively staff over the weekend. And we're also talking about whether or not we like our regularly scheduled adventures in the form of daily quests. So check out our plans after the break, and let us know what you'll be up to over the weekend in the comments.
WRUP: Ice planet edition
Are you telling a science fiction story? If so, have you properly considered your ice planet just yet? Every science fiction story needs an ice planet. For some reason, you can take or leave every other kind of planet, but there must always be a planet covered in ice. This ice also must be inhospitable except for a couple of huge nasty things that live there somehow. Maybe they eat the ice. Or the cold. Or confused Canadian hikers. The point is, ice planet. Are you looking to find out what the Massively staff is up to this weekend? If so, have you properly considered reading this week's installment of WRUP? Every installment tells you what the staff will be up to over the weekend, and this specific one talks about what we thought of this year's E3 offerings. Click on past the break to read all about us, and let us know what you'll be up to in the comments.
WRUP: TERA defeats Truman edition
Yes, I'm so confident about the end of the latest Choose My Adventure poll that I'm just going to call it now. TERA will defeat Harry S. Truman. So tune in Wednesday for Truman holding a laptop over his head and smiling as he will be elected as the next... um... game that I'll be playing? OK, I guess that kind of got away from me somewhere in there. It does seem pretty certain that TERA's going to win, though. But did you come here for my random ditherings? Hopefully, since that's what marks every intro to WRUP. But WRUP isn't just about that; it's also about what the Massively staff will be playing over the weekend. This week, we also talked about whether or not we believe that developers read and incorporate player feedback. So check out what we'll be doing down below, and let us know what you have planned for the weekend in the comments!
WRUP: Kingdoms of Amalur was pretty cool edition
By now pretty much everyone has heard the bad news about 38 Studios. This makes me extremely sad for all of the people who have lost their jobs as a result, but it also makes me extremely sad for the future of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Despite having been lackluster about the game before launch, I fell in love with the demo and then fell further in love with the main game. The game has a lot of neat ideas, and it's a franchise that could really benefit from a sequel to polish things up. Sad news all around, really. This week's WRUP isn't full of bad news -- it's just filled with the facts about what we'll be up to over the weekend. It's also filled with our opinions on judging all MMOs by the same standard instead of more varied criteria. So skip on past the cut to see our weekend plans, and let us know in the comments what you're going to be doing over the long weekend!
WRUP: How is this not fully funded edition
For various terrible reasons, I only just found out about Panzer Pets (and yes, we did cover the announcement on Massively, but I still occasionally miss news we cover). Like many ambitious projects, it's on Kickstarter, but as of right now it's not even 10% funded, which raises the question of why we live in a world where a game that offers to let you build your own little robots and send them into battle was not funded about eight minutes after the page went live. I think this should be rectified. My only regret is not having the full sum to just fill up the funding by my lonesome. What's that? Oh, right, WRUP, in which the Massively staff members discuss what they'll be playing over the next two days. We also discuss our thoughts on open vs. instanced housing. Jump on past the break to see our weekend plans, and let us know what you're going to be doing in the comments!
WRUP: Shopping for furniture edition
With Ms. Lady and I solidly moved into our new apartment, we face a new problem. Specifically, we face the problem of having a substantial need for furniture and not nearly enough furniture to meet that need. So we've absconded to the almost adjacent Crate & Barrel, which is a lot like Ikea except made of something sturdier than corrugated cardboard. Maybe not much, but it's a game of degrees. But you didn't come here to read about my furniture shopping. Well, not just my furniture shopping, anyway. You came here for this week's installment of WRUP, wherein we of the Massively staff discuss our plans for the weekend. We also talk about whether or not we mourn the games that never saw widespread release, if any. So jump on down past the break to see what we're up to over the weekend, and let us know what you've got planned in the comments!
WRUP: Revenge of the boxes edition
I was worried, rather legitimately, that when I moved into my new apartment, I would be facing an internet-free existence despite having called to set up a transfer two weeks prior. That worst-case scenario didn't come to pass. However, I am still sitting among a nightmarish pile of boxes that form corridors and alleyways through my space. Somewhere in those boxes is every important item that contributes to comfortable living. But at least I can clean that up while looking at cat videos. Since I have the internet, I'm also able to type yet another inane introduction to WRUP, in which the Massively staff members discuss what they're up to over the next few days. We also give our impressions of the two most recent betas in five words -- or whatever other MMO-related topic strikes our fancy. So jump on down to see what we're up to for the weekend, and let us know your plans over the weekend in the comments!
Daily iPhone App: Star Wars Pit Droids is free on May the fourth (be with you)
Star Wars Pit Droids is a fun little Star Wars-themed arcade puzzle game from LucasArts on the App Store. Since because today is May the fourth (be with you), the game is free all weekend long. There's not a whole lot going on with this one. It's essentially a Chu Chu Rocket clone, and your job is to guide autonomous pit droids to a certain location on an isometric grid. But the puzzles get nice and fiendish, and there are plenty of options to finish a stage better and faster, scoring up to three stars per level. The music is worth mentioning, too, with groovy versions of Star Wars tunes playing as you solve the puzzles. Unfortunately, the Star Wars flavor on this one is just that -- flavor, and I'm sorry to say it's based on the droids from the pod racing scenes in the abominable Episode 1. If you want something a little cooler, you might also try the Star Wars Lightsaber app -- it's an oldie but a goodie, on the App Store for 99 cents. But Pit Droids is free this weekend, so if you just need a fun taste of Star Wars action, it should do what you want.
WRUP: Yes, it's the beta weekend edition
Yes, it's true, you can finally log in and play Guild Wars 2 for a little while. You still can't play two of the five races, but you can sit down at your computer this evening and emerge two days later, a bleary-eyed shell of a human being. And then when you get the full game, you can get bored within an hour. So maybe this whole beta weekend thing is a double-edged sword after all. Or maybe not -- this is going to be the first I've played of it. As you can probably guess, this week's WRUP involves a lot of skirmishes being fought by organizations for the second time, and I'm not talking about Business Fisticuffs II: Fisticuff Harder. It also contains the other Massively staff activities for the weekend as well as our opinions on the definition of pay-to-win. So jump on past the break to let us know what you're doing, and leave your own plans in the comments.
WRUP: Pangolin edition
There are a few important things that you need to know about pangolins. First of all, they exist. Second, well, that first thing is hard enough to move past. Don't get me wrong; they're beyond adorable, but they have no right existing in the modern era. Look at that thing. It's covered in armor plating with a slow and snurfling gait. It's like a contemporary of mammoths and ground sloths. The fact that it exists in this time and place implies that evolution is very nostalgic on occasion. This week's WRUP isn't really about nostalgia. Sure, it's always about what the Massively staff is playing over the weekend, but our usual bonus question isn't nostalgic either. Instead, it's about what game mechanic we'd like to see excised for all time. So jump on past the break to see what we'll be up to over this fine weekend, and let us know your own plans down in the comments.
Star Wars: The Old Republic hosting a weekend trial while plague expands
If you're one of the few souls that hasn't yet tried Star Wars: The Old Republic just yet, this weekend is your next chance. With the Rakghoul Plague racing across the galaxy, BioWare is inviting potential new players to take a look at the game from April 19th at 1:01 a.m. EDT until April 23rd at 3:00 a.m. EDT. As in previous weekend events, players will be able to pick up their trial characters and continue leveling them in the event that they purchase the full game afterward. Of course, if you're already in the game, you're probably less concerned about new players and more concerned with the aforementioned plague. Darth Hater has assembled a guide for players including the latest updates to this ongoing world event running until April 24th, which should be more than enough to help players unlock rewards and see all there is to see during the outbreak. Just be prepared -- there are probably going to be a lot of new people over the weekend not fully versed in containment procedures.
WRUP: In recollection of Yuri Gagarin edition
Thursday evening was Yuri's Night, an evening celebrating the flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first human being in space. Our younger readers may not realize this, but outer space is a dangerous place that people used to dream about, and human beings developed a great deal of technology to explore that dangerous frontier. Then someone realized that it was much easier to develop technology to show videos of cats jumping into boxes on portable phones. But as a big fan of the space program and humanity's efforts to expand beyond our planet, I like to honor Mr. Gagarin for his brave flight into the unknown. This week's WRUP, however, has nothing to do with the unknown. It does have a bit to do with space, depending on what games the Massively staffers are playing over the weekend. And it also talks about when a game is dying, which really doesn't have any ties to the header once again. Still, bravely venture past the break and let us know what you'll be up to in the comments.
WRUP: Ransom edition
PAX East is holding Eliot hostage! We've just learned that the infamous Boston gaming con is planning to force Eliot, Matt, Lis, and Karen to play video games for money indefinitely. But don't worry; I'm sure you guys can have Eliot and his Dadaist commentary back once I get those cookies. I mean, once PAX gets those cookies. Yeah. In the meantime, let's do this WRUP thing after the break! We'll talk about what we think of beta weekends and what we're playing, and then you can do the same using our brand-new comment system that so totally doesn't have any bugs (see, I can be absurd like Eliot!).
WRUP: How is it time for PAX edition
Holy anything, next weekend it's time for my annual trip up to Boston for PAX East. This strikes me as intensely strange, and not just because it's taking place later than usual this year. It's going to be absolutely insane. I also don't have any major events surrounding me for the first time, so I'll hopefully be able to relax a little more. Seriously, I'm still not mentally done with January; I'm not ready for it to be this late in the year already. This week's WRUP does not entirely focus on PAX, of course, mostly because that's not happening this weekend. But we do talk about our plans for the current weekend as well as our opinions on the pervasive shroud of muscled men that make up MMO beefcake. Take a look at what we'll be up to past the cut, and let us know what you're planning on playing over the weekend in the comments!
WRUP: Value this moment edition
I know that most weeks when I write up the header for WRUP, I'm talking about something ridiculous. This week, I don't have it in me. This week, I have only advice for you: Take the time and the energy to value the things that matter in your lives. Games, people, experiences, all of the above. Don't ignore these things, don't let them slip away, and don't ignore how many important and fragile pieces exist all around you. Take the time to do things you enjoy and see people you care about, and don't take any of that for granted. The rest of this week's installment is less somber, as we're discussing our usual weekend plans as well as whether or not we expect RP servers to be policed. Jump on past the break to see what we'll be up to, and then let us know your plans (and your opinions on the bonus question) in the comments.
