Posts by Elizabeth Harper at Massively

Elizabeth Harper

Austin, TX - http://

Elizabeth is a Senior Editor on the Joystiq Network which means you can catch her doing a bit of everything from time to time.

WRUP: Who needs to go outside edition

by Elizabeth Harper Nov 7th 2009 (7 hours ago)

With so many delicious gaming options available, we have to agree with Tracey's conclusion: who needs to go outside? Virtual life is often by far the more exciting -- though we are all curious about this RL outdoor instance Krystalle is talking about. Either way, it's safe to say that this weekend the Massively staff is getting into as much trouble (virtually, of course) as is possible in the space of two tiny days. So, without further ado, read onward to see what the Massively team is playing -- and to tell us what you're playing!

WRUP: What we are (and aren't) playing edition

by Elizabeth Harper Oct 31st 2009 (7 days ago)

Pre-WRUP disclaimer: The Star Trek Online screenshot above is unrelated to what any of us are playing this weekend. (Sad but true.) But it is what we all wish we were playing in our heart of hearts -- and the latest game screenshots are just so pretty that who can really fault us for wanting to stare at them again and again?

But now, without further aside, let's get back on-topic and talk about what the Massively team is playing this weekend.

WRUP: It's all about EVE. And Aion. And...

by Elizabeth Harper Oct 24th 2009 (14 days ago)

As another weekend dawns upon us, we're left with some tough decisions to make. Namely, with countless MMOs (and let's not even get started on the non-MMO options) at our disposal, what should we play this weekend? Decisions, decisions...

Brendan Drain (@nyphur): I've actually been losing a lot of enthusiasm for playing EVE Online lately. I decided not to apply for this term of the Council of Stellar Management and haven't logged in much. I've been spending my spare time playing a little Master of Orion II and another single-player 4X game called Galactic Civilizations II instead.
Brooke Pilley (@Snafzg): Let's just see if I can hit 25 in Aion this weekend. I'm 10-days behind the curve due to vacation, but it was worth it! :P
Eliot Lefebvre: I've got some more DDO to play, but I think much of the weekend will be spent offline with a dear friend -- Final Fantasy XII. All the news about XIV has gotten me in the mood for it again.
James Egan (@jamesegan): I'm gearing up for a Legion Tech III cruiser in EVE Online and should be good to go this week. I might need to liquidate some of my assets to cover the full cost though. EVE will probably be the only MMO I play this weekend, especially as I hear the call of Steam and TF2 once again -- it's been WAY too long. Also my friend headed off to Scotland for a month and loaned me his Xbox 360 game collection so there'll be no small amount of console gaming this weekend for me. Plus, y'know, writing.
Kyle Horner (@Kylehorner): I'm playing the moving game, where you box up all your belongings, shove it all into a vehicle and see how long it takes you to move and unbox everything at your new home. That's right, playing the moving game means you win a new home! At least, if you count still having to pay for everything a new home. Oh, I'll play probably play some Aion on my new laptop. Mmm, maximum settings. /drool
Rubi Bayer: I'm fascinated with DDO, and have been playing it daily as I have time. This weekend, though? Guild Wars. The Halloween events start tomorrow and heaven forbid I don't check out the new quests, visit the collectors, farm trick or treat bags, and hang around LA checking out the decorations. Otherwise? Still grinding that writing title. Love it!
Krystalle Voecks (@Krystalle): Fallen Earth for me!

Now that you know what we're playing this weekend -- it's time to 'fess up. What are you playing this weekend?

WRUP: Old-school gaming edition

by Elizabeth Harper Oct 17th 2009 (21 days ago)

This weekend, Brendan's breaking out the Amiga and William's going the Super Nintendo route. Back at Massively HQ, we've got to wonder -- were there MMOs for those platforms? (We have trouble recollecting the days before the advent of the internet and the era of massively multiplayer -- though we're vaguely sure that there was a time when these did not exist.) Well, at least some of us are getting our game on this weekend in proper MMO fashion:

Brendan Drain (@nyphur): I've been on something of a retro kick this week, playing old Amiga games like Heimdall 2, K240, and Frontier: Elite II (which are all awesome). Sometimes MMOs have to take a back seat as we connect with our inner twelve-year-olds :D
Dan O'Halloran: My friend turned me on to the Esteldin Bounty Quests in LotRO. Now that I have swift travel in Forochel, I'll be knocking those out for Legendary Item exp. Also, doing Crafting instances to max out my Prospecting before the expansion hits. Joined a new guild so hoping to get in some Turtle groups as well.
Eliot Lefebvre: I've finally caved in and decided to try DDO out, now that I've actually taken a look at how much you can buy in the game. I'm also still on my Mega Man kick, and want to see if I can blow through X5 over the weekend.
Kyle Horner (@kylehorner): More Aion and Champions Online for me this weekend. Just bought a new gaming laptop, too, so by next week I'll be playing them on that!
Tracey John (@TraceyJohn): I decided to roll a new Tauren Shaman in WoW. Because I hate sunlight. I've also got Big Apple Comic-Con in NYC this weekend, where I'll try to see William Shatner. And apparently Naughty By Nature are playing (yeeeaaah, I don't know). I'll try to tweet pics from the show floor!
Seraphina Brennan (@sera_brennan): This weekend is getting some play time with MAG, then perhaps sitting down to play some Aion and get me some more levels. Otherwise, there will be roleplaying, as there is every weekend for me. I <3 mah pen and paper RPGs!
William Dobson: I think I will be totally random this weekend and dust off my Super Nintendo. I suddenly have a craving for some good 16-bit gaming.

So that's what we're playing this weekend. Now chime up for yourselves! What are you playing?

WRUP: The where'd everybody go edition

by Elizabeth Harper Oct 10th 2009 (28 days ago)

Hellloooooo? I was just going to write up this week's WRUP and if everyone could let me know what they're playing, it would be super helpful! Guys? Guys? Anybody home? Well, I can't tell you where everyone is -- perhaps they're actually gaming instead of slaving away over hot keyboards -- but of the Massively crew that responded, here's what they're playing this weekend:

Brendan Drain (@nyphur): I've been trying out a variant of my Invisible Legion strategic cruiser setup in EVE Online. I used the covert ops subsystem and the interdiction nullifier to easily bypass enemy camps and get to my destination, from where I've been trying out pirate missions. It seems to be working out so far!
Eliot Lefebvre: I've been enjoying a bit of offline fun going back through my collection of Mega Man games. Right now I'm working through Mega Man X4 idly. I'm also going to be trying to clock in a little more time on WoW in my relentlessly silly goal to outfit my paladin in a very specific suit of armor, and if I can find the time I'm thinking of giving DDO a shot.
James Egan: You down with ODST? Yeah you know me!
Krystalle Voecks (@Krystalle): I just had to reformat my drives. As such, I'll be playing the "install/patch all the MMOs" game on my desktop while I play Earth Eternal or Fallen Earth on my laptop. Such an exciting weekend. w00t.
Kyle Horner (@kylehorner): Champions Online is calling... Will I answer? Yeah, probably!
Seraphina Brennan (@sera_brennan): Parents are coming out for a weekend, so I'm taking them out to a nice place in town, and might take in a movie. Board games and roleplaying will also be included this weekend, sans parents, of course. MMO-wise, I'd really like to have some time to play Aion and Champions, please.

And now it's your turn! Tell us, dear readers -- what are you playing this weekend?

WRUP: Hello, Aion edition

by Elizabeth Harper Sep 26th 2009 (1 month ago)

Another week culminates in another weekend. And with the launch of both Aion and Fallen Earth this week, it's a busy one! The problem, as always, comes down to countless available MMOs and only 24 hours in a day. So what's a gaming blogger to do? There are tough choices that need to be made. So, for the curious, here's what the Massively team is playing this weekend:

Brendan Drain (@nyphur): Having spent much of this week in EVE Online preying mercilessly on miners in wormhole space, I plan to take a break from piracy to make a little ISK. I'll be blitzing some class 5 sleeper anomalies with a few buddies using a new strategy that combines remote armor repair ships with energy transfers and ECM. Other than that I'll be catching up on some reading and getting some hours in on a game design project.

LFM: Massively is looking for a few good bloggers!

by Elizabeth Harper Aug 13th 2009 (2 months ago)

Massively is LFM! We're looking to expand our ranks with an MMO-loving writer (or two). So let's cut the small talk and get right down to business.

Please read this entire post before submitting any kind of application. I know it's long, but to do this job, you need to be able to read and follow instructions. Proving that you can starts right now.

WRUP: Real life? What real life?

by Elizabeth Harper Jul 11th 2009 (3 months ago)

It's Saturday once again which means we all have time to dive into our favorite virtual fantasy (or other) worlds. But with so many options to chose from, who knows what the team will be playing week to week. So what's the Massively team playing? And what are you playing? To find out, read on!

WRUP: Happy holiday weekend!

by Elizabeth Harper Jul 4th 2009 (4 months ago)

To those of you in the US, happy 4th of July! To those of you elsewhere, also, we at Massively wish you a happy 4th of July! For a lot of us, the 4th is a time to celebrate the birth of our nation by blowing up a small part of it. So to those of you celebrating this weekend -- and those of you who aren't -- stay safe and if you really must blow anything up, we recommend doing it in the virtual sense.

So what's the Massively team playing over the weeekend?

WoW.com posts coming to Massively

by Elizabeth Harper Jul 2nd 2009 (4 months ago)

WoW

You may have noticed that Massively doesn't talk very much about World of Warcraft. Even though it's the biggest MMO on the block, our friends at WoW.com cover it so comprehensively that it seems silly for us to duplicate their efforts. But WoW is an MMO too, and it only makes sense to talk about it when there's news. So, from here on out, we'll be co-opting WoW.com's coverage when appropriate. When you see a post on Massively that says "WoW.com" in the upper left (as in the image above) with an unfamiliar writer's name -- that means you're seeing a post directly from our WoW-centric sister site! It should look and feel the same to you, dear reader, but if you head off to comment, be advised that you'll be leaving Massively for WoW.com, where the WoW fans outnumber the rest of us. You'll be able to comment with your existing Massively account, but tread with caution!