Massively^™

Unfortunately, if you really are waiting for Warhammer Online, you're going to be waiting a while (though the good news is that you've got a metric ton of posts to read about it here on Massively). But it does seem that the MMO game has cooled down for a bit. Some folks are still pushing onward in Age of Conan, and lots of people are rushing to finish up their pre-expansion goals in World of Warcraft. And there's a whole lot of Monk playing in DDO this weekend, we're pretty sure, not to mention that the EVE expansion is just around the corner.

So What aRe yoU Playing this weekend? Michael Zenke, who definitely is waiting for WAR, can't wait to ding 60 and get his epic Chocobo in Azeroth this weekend. I'll be playing my usual diet of World of Warcraft, with a little Guild Wars thrown in for variety. And outside of the MMO realm, I can't wait to try out the Civilization Revolution demo this weekend -- if they actually have put Civ in console form, it could be more addictive than any MMO I've ever played.

So what are you playing in your free time this weekend?

The official Final Fantasy XI site has word (via another amusing lore text) of a tweak to an in-game event. The activities of Chocobo Racing and Breeding are unique offerings to Vana'diel players. A lore piece on the official site hints at changes to the racing system that might, in turn, offer something new to breeders. It all surrounds the rare White Chocobo. According to an 'inside source', monsters have been spotted occasionally participating in the Chocobo races ... for some unknown reason.

Likewise, White Chocobos are now apparently taking part of their own volition. Though the image above (from the FFXI Dats site) shows the Chocobo with a saddle, the official site's image shows an unbridled bird running in the races. Are these just flavour changes to Chocobo Racing? Does this mean that White Chocobos might eventually be caught and bred after races end? And how do the monster fit into this? For a great deal of speculation, check out the discussion on the Allakhazam boards, and feel free to offer up your own opinion here. Wark!

Mounts in World of Warcraft are essentially organic vehicles that allow the player to traverse the landscape more quickly. Level 60 Epic mounts are faster than level 40 mounts, and of course flying mounts grant vertical movement. Mounts in other games are mostly the same, barring, of course, smaller games of which we might know nothing. It's a big game universe out there; it's possible.

But it seems that there's unaddressed potential with these mounts. Sure, they look menacing, and it's better to ride than to walk, but is that all? Watching the recent Vanguard mounts video made us yearn for more from our noble steeds. Here's what we'd like to see in future games.

How far do you go to show how much you love your favourite MMO?

Would you have a tattoo done? Our sister site WoW Insider has, in the past, posted about people having tattoos of various World of Warcraft symbols done. I sport a tattoo myself, and I've certainly considered getting a WoW tattoo done. Tattooing is certainly an extreme, and fairly permanent, way of professing your love for a game, so I suppose that might be 'too far' right there.

You could go for a simpler option, and pick up some of the nifty official merchandise available for various games instead.

I doubt you'll be surprised to hear that there is a veritable plehtora of merchandise available for WoW. There's the pen and paper RPG, (which I have but can't find anyone willing to indulge me an take part in my campaign) the TCG with its many tasty loot cards, and there's the wearable merchandise. Why not grab yourself a T-shirt or two – my personal favourite is the Camp Taurajo one. Wear one of these around town during downtime and see how many "For the Horde!" or "Grab your sword and fight the Horde!" cries you can hear being thrown your way. I wouldn't bet much on the latter though, to be honest. Sorry Mike.

If your place of work has a 'dress down' day in effect, declaring your allegiance for the entire cafeteria to see may unearth a fellow WoW player you never knew was there.