BillMurphy

It’s been a while since I played Albion Online, probably almost since launch if I’m being honest. But what I’ve found since trying the game this week is a much-improved experience. Now that Albion Online is F2P, is it worth giving a shot? The answer is yes, but with a few caveats.

While PAX East was a decidedly “non-MMO” show, there were some truly great RPGs on display. But none caught my attention quite like WARSAW from Pixelated Milk. A turn-based reenactment of the Warsaw Uprising of WWII, WARSAW is one part XCOM and one part Darkest Dungeon, but also a good deal of Valiant Hearts too. It’s a game with heart, history, and loads of addictive “one-more-mission” features, and it’s quickly become one of my most wanted titles this year.

During Bethesda’s Game Days at PAX East, I finally got time to try the Necromancer in Elder Scrolls Online’s forthcoming Elsweyr chapter. I can say, with some trepidation, that the Necromancer may be the most interesting class Zenimax has ever imagined for their MMO.

I’ve noticed something of late - I haven’t logged into a real MMORPG, even my precious Elder Scrolls Online, in weeks. In ESO’s case, this is partly because I’m waiting for Elsweyr. But usually, between big content swells of ESO, I’m at least playing something else - GW2, WoW, FFXIV, Neverwinter, and so forth. But there’s a type of game that seems to be meeting my needs for persistence and online play. I’ve been trying to think of a name for them for ages, and I think Almost MMO just about covers it.

I’ve seen two schools of thought with Torchlight Frontiers so far: one that loves the core of the game, even with its rough edges - and one that thinks it’s lacking the fun of the original two. Me? I’m somewhere in between. On one hand, I love what Torchlight Frontiers is aiming to become, and on the other I know this is Alpha and that the game is missing a lot of content and features are in flux.

Today, Elder Scrolls Online launches the precursor to Elsweyr - Wrathstone. Not only does the update bring two new dungeons that serve as a story tie-in to the new chapter coming in early June, but the base game patch brings in a ton of new features and quality of life additions. Let’s take a look.

I’ve been playing Anthem this weekend, despite some frustration I’ve had with its design choices. The moment to moment action of Anthem is top-notch. They’ve nailed the combat, and the verticality of the world is as interesting as they posit. I love what I’ve seen of the characters and learned of the world, but there are fundamental issues I have with the UI and some design choices. Here are a few high level good and the bad bits of Anthem so far, as I see it.

Black Desert Online recently expanded its content to include a new PvP game mode called Shadow Arena that brings battle royale to players. We had the opportunity to chat with Jae-hee Kim to learn more about why it was added and what it brings to both players and the game. Read on!

Torchlight Frontiers is inching ever closer to its eventual launch in 2019, and with two exciting alpha weekends under its belt, and more to come, we caught up with Tyler Thompson, Project Lead and Echtra Co-Founder and Paul Hobbs, Community Manage at Echtra. Together, we discussed everything from how the team’s been trying to push the genre farther, and how they’ve learned to rein it in when they go too far.

The Necromancer is the best sounding part of the new Elder Scrolls Online chapter, Elsweyr. That’s just my opinion, but I’m a sucker for new classes, and the Necro is being treated with care and attention as one of the game’s most requested classes since it launched years ago.

Well, the cat is literally out of the bag. Last night we go full confirmation that Elder Scrolls Online’s next chapter is called Elsweyr, and what’s more, the whole year’s worth of content updates will be about one massive storyline surrounding someone unleashing the ancient dragons on Tamriel. I’ve got some thoughts on it all, check them out past the break.

You saw our picks for the best games of 2018 already, and this past week we turned the votes over to you. Roughly 3,000 of you voted, and the results are in today... here they are, your 2018 MMORPG.com Players' Choice Award Winners!

Well, thanks to some enthusiastic data miners, the cat (literally) is out of the bag and next week’s big Elder Scrolls Online reveal is going to be an expansion set in Elsweyr, the home of the Khajiit. As evidenced by a package I received this week from none other than Abnur Tharn, it seems the Imperial mage may have some ideas on how to end the Three Banners War and bring about peace to Tamriel... but I’m betting it won’t be that simple.

You saw our picks for the best games of 2018 last week, and this week we're turning the votes over to you. This year, we're using Google Forms and you MUST use a valid email address to vote. Click on in and cast your voice!

Another year, another list of the games we hope don’t suck in 2019. MMOs have been waiting what seems forever to get something new, and this year there is no shortage of upcoming games to look forward to. The question is - will any of them actually release in 2019, or will it be another year of waiting for the next big thing?