StevenMessner

Traditionally, EVE Vegas was just a community meetup—a place where players could gather in the smoky casinos and drink until they were numb. But after last weekend and the massive details unleashed for EVE's next big expansion pack, many are wondering how long it will be until EVE Vegas eclipses Iceland's EVE Fanfest.

At its core, AD2460 is a fulfillment of a fantasy that I have had ever since I saw Star Wars; the ability to build a powerful galactic empire capable of wiping your foes from existence. And while I've waited years for an MMORPG to be able to provide that experience in a way that remains more accessible than most other attempts, I'm not sure I'm exactly sold on the method that AD2460 uses to go about fulfilling this fantasy.

Samahiel Sotken knows how important morale can be in EVE Online. He has seen it erode alliances, bolster initiative, and, more importantly, he's seen first hand how it can even swing the tide in a war. Two years ago, Samahiel was on the frontlines of a massive conflict between his coalition, the CFC, and the TEST alliance in a region called Fountain.

When Rixx Javix joined The Tuskers, he had finally fulfilled one of his biggest dreams within EVE. Nestled into the low security system of Hevrice, The Tuskers were one of the biggest players in EVE's expansive world of pirates. But unlike much of EVE, which to many remains just a game, The Tuskers take themselves seriously. Very seriously. They are the best of the best, and they make sure that everyone knows it.

My relationship with Destiny is complicated. On one hand, it would only take a subtle prodding to get me to unleash a violent torrent of criticisms and resentment towards a game that was so obviously a shell of its true potential. On the other hand, I had sunk more time into it than I would ever care to admit in front of polite company. And so, Destiny made me a walking hypocrite.

The New Order of High Sec has always had a penchant for causing drama. After all, you can't ruthlessly murder thousands of unsuspecting players and not expect to make a few enemies along the way.

Of all the games I played at Pax Prime this year, Divinity: Original Sin 2 was hands down the best. Don't get me wrong, I played a lot of amazing things, but playing alongside Swen Vincke, founder of Larian Studios, things couldn't have gone more wrong in our demo. And I am so glad they did.

EVE Online has a new player problem. It doesn't exist just in attracting new players, but in turning those fledgling pilots into meaningful and contributing members of EVE Online. For years, CCP has toiled over the best way to introduce new players into the game, but for many, the answer has been quite obvious…

In a genre built upon innovation and refinement of core ideas, EVE Online stands alone as an almost entirely unique game. While most other games tend to follow a logical progression of innovation, where playing the predecessor equips you for playing the successor, there really isn't much of an analogue for EVE Online.

This week, The Secret World players will get a chance to sink their fangs into the first part of Issue 12: The Dark Tower Below, the next expansion in The Secret World's roughly biannual update schedule. With a focus on challenging group content and tidying up some of the loose ends in The Secret World's design, Issue 12 feels pretty substantial. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to get a sneak peek of that content, and I came away very impressed.

Ever since I watched The Hunger Games I've been in love. No, not with Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of hero Katniss Everdeen (though she was pretty cool), but rather with the idea The Hunger Games was built upon. Yesterday, I was able to finally have a part of that dream realized, and I cannot stop thinking about it. The developers of Ark: Survival Evolved rounded up a bunch of writers and YouTube personalities and threw us into our own Battle Royale, and it was incredible.

Internet spaceships are serious business. As a meme, EVE Online players have used this expression to explain the bizarre emotional attachment that people develop to their in-game assets. When everything you've spent months working on goes up in smoke, it can be easy to see why some players tend to have the reactions they do. Wingspan Delivery Services is no stranger to these types of exaggerated reactions. After all, they're in the business of making things go up in smoke.

At one point or another, most of us have had that "back in my day" moment. You don't have to go far to find forum threads bursting with nostalgia for a simpler, more enchanting time for online games. Well good news everyone, amidst the sad news of declining World of Warcraft subscription numbers and other omens that MMORPG doomsday prophets inevitably point to, we are finally getting a little sliver of that old magic back. Its name is Project: Gorgon.

It is in those moments, where everything about Planetside 2 is moving in perfect concert, that the battles you fight can astound you with their immensity. You'll run through valley floors as columns of tanks exchange fire and aircraft engage in dogfights and strafe your position, reviving downed players as a combat medic. You'll jetpack your way onto a facility roof alongside your squad, ambushing several pesky infiltrators with sniper rifles picking off your main force.

In spaces between the relentless mercantilism of high-sec and the dynastic feuds of null-sec lies the vast swathe of low security systems; the tattered fringe of order slowly unwoven by the ruthless chaos of lawless space. While a large portion of EVE Online's pilots avoid these systems like the plague, they have, like any region in EVE, evolved a society of their own. Helicity Boson wasn't like other pilots. He was, from his first days, forged in the conflict of pirate space.