Bill Murphy

It's been an insane year for non-MMO releases. There have been more "Game of the Year" candidates in the first 8 months than any year I can remember. But it's been decidedly slower in the MMO and "almost" MMO world. We've had some bright spots, but the bulk of what I'm personally waiting for is coming in the next three months. So let's hear it... what games are on your must play list for the remainder of 2017?

In the short hand? Yes, I’d say NetEase’s Crusaders of Light is worth your time, now that it’s out today on iOS and on July 20th on Android. Like Order and Chaos (1 and 2), CoL aims to replicate what theme park MMORPG players love about their PC favorites, with the ease of access and portability of mobile gaming. But, as we well know, sometimes games meant for hundreds of hours on a PC don’t translate well to smartphone or tablet.

Destiny 2 is coming to PC. Praise be to RNGeezus, it’s true. While the “Persistent Online Shooter” does everything it can to avoid the term MMO, truth is they’ve invited us (a site mainly focused on MMOs) out to their studio on several occasions. Acronym or not, even Bungie realizes the game’s draw for fans of the genre. With the sequel now officially launching on the PC September 8th, Destiny 2 has become the bright spot on the MMO gamer’s horizon.

I’m sure it came with noble intentions. NCSOFT knows how much hurt is still felt by the too-soon closure of Cryptic/Paragon’s City of Heroes. So when they saw a chance to bring a beloved character from that IP into their upcoming all-star MOBA, they probably leapt at the idea. “We can make those fans happy!” they said. “We can make this game appealing in the West at the same time!” they exclaimed. But that’s not quite how it’s being seen by the community.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue carries on the long tradition of exceptionally ludicrous titles for Square Enix RPGs. It also happens to be more than one game, and a movie, packed into a $60 download for the PS4. It’s essentially a lead-in to the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 3, and while there’s fun to be had here, it’s probably best for the die-hard Kingdom Hearts fans.

I’ve been dabbling in Skyforge lately, due to the overwhelming amount of changes we’ve seen made to the game in recent months. Curiosity got the best me, and I’m glad I made the return. While the recent overhaul to the campaign and removal of the Atlas have made waves of positive and negative in the community, the Skyforge I find today is a game that’s altogether more palatable and less confusing than before.

Rift’s latest expansion, Starfall Prophecy, launched just a few weeks ago. In that time, we’ve tried several souls, leveled through the four new zones, and experienced a lot of what the largest content update since Nightmare Tide has to offer. What did we think? Read on for our final review.

Watch Dogs 2 is out today on PC, though it’s been out for a couple of weeks on consoles. While critics and players alike are lauding it as a far better game than its forbear, we thought we’d spend a little time today talking about the game’s multiplayer – a seamless online experience that an MMO gamer might find enticing.

Final Fantasy XV development originally began in 2006, under the name Final Fantasy XIII Versus. It was going to be a side-entry in the series, not a main installment because its tone was going to be a darker one than the main series allowed. Development was troubled though, and eventually the game shifted to the PS4 and Xbox One and became a full-on entry in the Final Fantasy main series. After all the waiting, is the tale of Noctis and Lunafreya a worthy entry to the Final Fantasy canon?

While we don't have any news going up today, we do have some articles for you today, namely - our thanks given to you and for gaming. Read on for Bill Murphy's thanks.

People were expecting something huge from Diablo at BlizzCon 2016. And while we got news of the Necromancer (it’s awesome), and a Diablo 1 anniversary event (also awesome) we wanted more. We expected more. And it’s that lack of a bigger expansion or sequel to Diablo 3 that makes us believe there’s something bigger coming from Tristram.

When Vuzix’s PR firm asked me to look at the iWear Video Headphones and write a review, I jumped at the chance. I’m not an early adopter of VR (no Vive or Oculus for me), but the technology fascinates me, and I was not disappointed by the iWear’s capabilities. That said, there are several limitations to the headset that keep me from recommending it to everyone.

Next week, we’ll be attending BlizzCon 2016, the 10th such affair in the company’s long and storied existence. Last year’s convention was pretty intense, with Legion info, Overwatch, Warcraft movie goodness… it’s hard to imagine that 2016 could somehow top last year. But it’s the TENTH BlizzCon. We’d be fools to think that the Irvine, California based studio didn’t have some sort of surprise up its sleeve.

Recently, a group known as Good Gaming has been making waves in esports by providing a place for amateur gamers to compete in and earn money from tournaments in games such as Overwatch, Hearthstone, and more. We caught up with GG’s Vik Grover to talk about the platform and what role they hope to play in an emerging western market.

Bill Murphy didn’t expect to find himself back in World of Warcraft, but on a whim he decided to re-subscribe and see what the upcoming pre-expansion patch is all about. In the week leading into the Pre-Patch (which launches today after maintenance), Bill finds himself reveling in old haunts, the victim of both nostalgia and hype for a major new update.