Category Archives: Rift

The long list of mass market MMOs that everyone is playing

Posted on October 2, 2012 by SynCaine

So if you did not pick up on the fact that yesterday’s post was a long-winded setup to tell you that EVE is the best MMO ever, you are either new here or not paying attention. Also if you are … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Aion, DDO, EQ2, EVE Online, Fallen Earth, FreeRealms, Global Agenda, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Rant, Rift, SW:TOR, Vanguard, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 62 Comments

Pick a group, design for it, don’t get greedy

Posted on September 28, 2012 by SynCaine

When I see people write that no MMO can hope to retain people beyond 3 months now, like they did back in the big 3 days, I can only shake my head, laugh, and think about my recent two years … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, Guild Wars, MMO design, Rift, SW:TOR, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 21 Comments

Splitting the genre in two

Posted on September 27, 2012 by SynCaine

Let’s move past why GW2 sucks and onto a bigger topic; why so many recent MMOs suck, shall we? Chris thinks all MMOs are good for 3 months or less, and that’s just how things are today. Keen has a … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, Darkfall Online, EVE Online, Fallen Earth, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Rift, SW:TOR, The Elder Scrolls Online, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 46 Comments

This post is about one MMO

Posted on June 5, 2012 by SynCaine

Why is Wargaming.net still calling its MOBA titles MMOs? Especially now that MOBA titles are a bigger genre than MMOs. Someone pass them the memo already. SW:TOR getting a limited free trial is somewhat of a non-factor (although does this … Continue reading →

Posted in Random, Rift, SW:TOR | 16 Comments

My favorite genre is coming back!

Posted on May 30, 2012 by SynCaine

MMOs are a niche genre in gaming. They are games that require additional ‘work’ beyond just loading something up, and to really get the most out of them you have to put in that ‘work’ consistently. They can also be … Continue reading →

Posted in Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, Guild Wars, Mass Media, MMO design, Rant, Rift, SW:TOR, Ultima Online, World of Warcraft | 39 Comments

The more things change…

Posted on March 1, 2012 by SynCaine

In a sign of the apocalypse, Keen is playing Darkfall again (100% joking, everyone should be playing Darkfall (unless they are playing EVE)), which brings about the old “I’m playing Darkfall until the minute something better comes along” comment we … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Conan, Allods Online, Darkfall Online, EQ2, EVE Online, Fallen Earth, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Rant, Rift, SW:TOR, Ultima Online, Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft | 20 Comments

David Reid hates themeparks

Posted on February 28, 2012 by SynCaine

Via JesterTrek, RPS has an interview from CCP CEO Hilmar Petrusson and new CMO David Reid about EVE, Dust 514, and other stuff. Nothing terribly interesting in terms of details, but I was fully entertained by Reid’s rather obvious hate for themeparks … Continue reading →

Posted in EVE Online, Mass Media, MMO design, Rift, World of Warcraft | 24 Comments

Great games are not great MMOs

Posted on February 15, 2012 by SynCaine

I’ve often commented that I believe a part of WoW’s success was a perfect storm scenario. I’d like to add one additional factor to that formula: My-First-MMO-ness. For many MMO gamers, WoW was their first title. This is a very … Continue reading →

Posted in Lord of the Rings Online, MMO design, Rift, SW:TOR, World of Warcraft | 22 Comments

Skyrim 2.0, ELO, lies

Posted on February 1, 2012 by SynCaine

First, how good does the Skyrim Creation Kit look/sound? The Steam integration part might be the biggest leap in gaming since Rift introduced us to MMO 3.0! Too bad for our genetically inferior slaves (console players) since won’t get this, but hey, … Continue reading →

Posted in Console Gaming, League of Legends, Lord of the Rings Online, Random, Rift, RMT | 7 Comments

Lowering expectations across the board

Posted on January 25, 2012 by SynCaine

To say that the SW:TOR launch has been mediocre would be an understatement, and if you want to go so far as to call it a disaster, considering the amount of resources BioWare had, I wouldn’t argue the point. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Inquisition Clan, MMO design, Rift, SW:TOR | 50 Comments