Massively^™

Seems like every week now on WRUP we've been looking forward -- from Warhammer to APB, we can't wait to get our hands on some of the biggest MMOs still "coming soon." But this week, we think it'd be a good idea to take a step backwards -- this weekend, we recommend you go back and try playing a game that you haven't touched in a while. Maybe it's Lord of the Rings Online with some of that Monster Play, or maybe check in with that creepy Bling Gnome in Dungeon Runners, or even go back and visit Star Wars Galaxies just in time for the anniversary. Why are we spending all of our time waiting for new games when there's so much out there to play right now?

Of course, the post is called "WRUP," not "WTYWWWYTP" (We Tell You What We Want You To Play) so the choice is, as always, yours: What aRe yoU Playing this weekend in the world of MMOs? There's a certain charm in going back and visiting old characters, and you never know -- maybe an update since you left an old game or a little bit of leveling will show you a lot more in the game that you didn't see before and get you interested all over again.

And if not, you can still just wait for Warhammer. It's up to you.

Time once again to ask you readers what you're playing this weekend, and this time, we know the answer: Planetside. That's right, tomorrow afternoon is our big event in the best MMOFPS of 2003, and we really hope you'll be there to join us -- we have to have someone driving the Galaxies we're planning to shoot down out of the sky.

Other than the Planetside event, Age of Conan continues to be popular around the Massively compound, as does World of Warcraft, and EVE Online has reattracted our attention lately with the new patch's factional warfare and whatever that was that happened in Jita the other day. As we like to ask you every week, dear readers, What aRe You Playing in the world of MMOs?

Just make sure that Saturday afternoon at 6pm EST, it's Planetside -- after all, it's not every day you get to shoot us in the face. We'll be on the US Gemini server, and if you need to figure out where we are, you can just hit ESC and punch "Instant Action" in the menu. That, or just follow the carnage left in our wake!

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?

Is it just us or are people settling into their habits lately? Age of Conan is a standby for a lot of folks since release, while WoW remains a constant favorite among MMO players. EVE may have seen a little boost in the ratings lately thanks to all the buzz around the expansion (ditto for DDO), but there hasn't really big a big shakeup in the MMO game in quite a while, seems like. Nevertheless, it's Friday, so it's time to ask you, dear reader: What aRe yoU Playing?

Massively's own James Egan is one of those diving back into EVE Online, presumably to blast some nubs out of the sky. I continue to be fascinated by World of Warcraft -- my Hunter is continuing the climb to 70, even if it's slow going lately. And Tateru Nino still hangs out in Second Life and City of Heroes.

So things are pretty business as usual this weekend -- would it be wrong to start asking for an MMO release that actually shakes things up? Have you recently broken ground on a new and exciting MMO, or are you standing by your old standbys this weekend? What are you up to?

Don't tell us -- we already know what you're playing this week. It starts with Age and ends with Conan, and it launched on Tuesday. Everybody and their barbarian are probably heading back into the Hyborian Age to cut off limbs and fight in real-time and build up cities and do what have you.

What else could you be playing. Not Virtual Magic Kingdom, obviously (whoops -- too soon?). You might be setting foot in Dark Age of Camelot to nab some of that sweet, sweet double XP (and in the non-MMO world, we hear Halo 3 has a double XP weekend going on as well). But odds are, unless you tell us otherwise in the comments below (or just shout out your AoC allegiance), you're shedding blood in the newest kid on the block.

So tell us: What aRe yoU Playing this weekend? In the worlds of virtual worlds, where, in the parlance of our times, you at?

Previously on WRUP...

Happy Friday! Time once again to ask the most important question there is to ask here at Massively: What are you having for lunch? I just had a Potbelly open up down the street from me and... no, I'm only kidding. We want to know: What aRe yoU Playing?

Tateru Nino, as usual, is eating hardy -- she's got Second Life and City of Heroes queued up, as well as a slew of non-MMOs to play. Chris Chester is planning on diving into Age of Conan as soon as he gets a chance, and I know that most of the Massively staff are heading to the Hyborian Age as well. As for me, World of Warcraft continues to be a staple, but truth be told, I probably won't be able to step foot in an MMO this weekend -- I'm going out of town for most of it, and when I do get back, I have a recently purchased Wii system now hooked up to my television. As a first game, I'm planning to check out LostWinds (and if you have any other recommendations besides Super Mario Galaxy, which I'm already sold on as a huge platformer fan, let me know). Of course I'm anxiously looking forward to news of an Animal Crossing MMO now, too -- as if the offline version wasn't addictive enough. Curse you, Tom Nook!

So what are you up to in the world of MMOs for the next seven days?

Happy Friday! We don't know about you, but it's been a long week here at Massively, so we are thrilled to be at the point where we get to ask you, as we do every Friday: What aRe yoU Playing?

Our own Akela Talamasca has been busy -- he's been playing lots of Mythos lately, as well as Warrior Epic and City of Heroes. Tateru Nino continues playing her cavalcade of games -- Second Life is in there, of course, as well as LotRO, and even a little Hello Kitty Online beta action. And me, I'm just a few levels away from getting another 70 in WoW, I'm getting my Guild Wars on, and I'm hoping to head into the Age of Conan this weekend as well, time permitting (outside of the MMO world, it's also a travel weekend for me, so I'm going to try out The World Ends With You -- it does have some MMO-like features, though, since you can not only come into contact with other players with your DS' wifi, but even buy and sell items from them).

But enough about us -- what are you up to? Are you checking out AoC's beta, or maybe looking at issue 12 in CoH? Are you playing something we've never heard of? Tell us about it!

Previously on WRUP...

Given the answers to our weekly WRUP query lately, we've got a pretty good guess what you'll be doing online this weekend: it starts with "book" and ends with "13". Yes, the Lord of the Rings Online patch is out, and odds are that quite a few of you will be heading off into Middle-earth to survey the new content. But don't leave us too far behind -- Massively's got tons of great coverage for you to look over before you head out there.

Are you rolling into LotRO? Is WoW more your style this weekend? (It's mine -- I'm still working on getting my Hunter to 70 -- 63 and climbing!). Are you trying to dip into a certain beta test that's becoming more and more open lately? It's Friday, and the weekend's here, so let us know: What aRe yoU Playing?

(Because, you know, we came in like a lamb.) Yes, March is over and we are a full week into the fourth month of 2008 -- time flies when you're having fun with MMO games. It's Friday, so it's time once again for us to query: What aRe yoU Playing?

Massively's own Kyle Horner says he's back in Mythos as a level 11 Cyclops Bloodletter, and has also been digging on Whirled lately, "creating rooms" or whatever you do in there. I've found myself back in World of Warcraft, doing the Sunwell dailies on my main, while also leveling my 62 Hunter up to the level cap (R6V2 is also getting a good bit of play from me -- love hunting terrorists). And Krystalle Voecks, co-lead at Massively, is still playing EVE -- she recently joined up with EVE University and is still mining and dabbling in PvP and missions.

So tell us: what are you playing in the world of MMOs? Does Tabula Rasa still have your fancy or has Patch 2.4 pulled you back to Azeroth? What are you, dear readers, interested in playing lately?

Previously on WRUP...

Is it just me or has March been pretty slow so far? Guess that means things will get a little crazier in the second half of the month -- with SXSW and Connect08 on the way, that's probably not too far off from the truth.

But in the meantime, What aRe yoU Playing this weekend? Me, I've been in Guild Wars more than anything else lately, but I've also been jonesing for Age of Conan more than ever -- May seems like it's a long way away. I've been on an extended break from EVE Online as well, but I may get back in the mining barge this weekend if the urge hits me.

What's your game in the world of MMOs this weekend?

Previously on WRUP...

Yes, today is Leap Day -- we only have this twenty four hour period once every four years, so make good use of it while you've got it. And what are you going to be doing with this day that the calendars have blessedly granted you use of? Why, playing MMOs of course.

This weekend, Massively's Kyle Horner tells me he's headed into Lord of the Rings Online ("to get my Hunter to level 17"), and he'll probably be rolling in Lost Odyssey on the Xbox 360 as well (not an MMO, but apparently a pretty good RPG). And the great Turpster (he of TurpsterVision fame) will probably also but some LotRO time in, as well as playing another game for the next episode of TV. We can't tell you what it is, so you'll just have to find out when the new episode drops next Tuesday.

What are you playing in the world of MMOs this weekend?

Previously on WRUP...

Can you believe January is almost already over? Time flies, as they say, when you're playing MMOs. Wait-- that's what they say, isn't it?

This weekend, I'm going to be playing lots of Burnout Paradise, which actually has a lot of MMO qualities. The online gameplay is exquisite, and Criterion did a great job of tracking everything (and I mean everything) you do, and even then displaying that information to the people you're playing against. Before a race, it'll say things like "toucansamurai has 40 online takedowns," and the in-game narration will even taunt you to try and battle against certain players. Very awesome. It doesn't have a persistent world, per se (although many of the things you destroy do remain destroyed, I guess, even if other players don't see them that way), so it's not really an MMO in the strictest sense of the word. But for a racing game, it does a lot of online things just right.

And of course, like everyone else, I find myself drawn back yet again to World of Warcraft. My Night Elf Hunter isn't leveling itself, unfortunately. What aRe yoU Playing this weekend in the world of MMOs?

Previously on WRUP...

Finally, the weekend has arrived! Maybe it's the freezing temps here in Chicago this week (Saturday is supposed to be a brain-solidifying seven degrees here), but this week has seemed longer than most others to me, and so I'm doubly glad that it's time once again to find out What You, our dear readers, aRe Playing.

This week, I'm a little tired of telling you just what I've been playing (although this weekend it'll be more WoW and lots of Rock Band-- our band, Fel and the Boatmen, is having a game night on Saturday), so I asked a few more Massively-ers what they're playing this weekend. Michael Zenke is aiming to finally finish Bioshock (would you kindly get it done already, man!) and will be revisiting his Warforged Fighter in DDO (he's excited about Module 6 after covering that preview). And Matt Warner says he'll be back in WoW leveling an alt, though he'd be happy to leave it for WAR or Age of Conan, if those ever come out. He also just finished up Heavy Drones V after 30 days of training in EVE Online. Grats on that!

So what are you playing this weekend?

Previously on WRUP...

Time once again for our weekly query about what you're up to this weekend in the world of MMO gaming. What aRe yoU Playing?

Me? I'm sorry to say that I won't be ducking into too many MMO worlds this weekend-- my Red Ring of Death Xbox 360 has finally returned home to me, so I'm going to be catching up on Rock Band and Mass Effect, two games that I've missed completely (my Xbox died the day they both came out-- very sad). But I will be ducking into EVE at least once to do some skill changing, and I believe I may have a MMO newbie friend joining me in Dungeon Runners this weekend, so that will be fun.

How about you? This weekend is basically the last weekend before all the holiday chaos starts (unless you celebrate Hanukkah, in which case it's probably mostly over), so what virtual worlds will you Massively readers be visting while you still have the chance?

Tomorrow's the first of December, and with that comes the final lock on Winter's door-- we're stuck with this cold and snow now until next spring (at least here in the northern US), and yet there's still about a week to go until the holidays really get underway and the family has you making cookies and putting up trees with lights on them. Sounds like the perfect time for staying warm inside and getting some good gaming done!

So we're asking our weekly query again: What aRe yoU Playing this weekend? Me, I've finally gotten some momentum back with my lowbie hunter in World of Warcraft, so I'm going to be rolling as fast as I can towards that new Dustwallow Marsh content. Usually, I'd have a little non-MMO Xbox 360 game playing in there, but unfortunately I got hit by the RRoD last week-- I've got both Mass Effect and Rock Band (with drum kit assembled-- yeah, I'm dying here) sitting still wrapped in plastic in my apartment.

But hopefully your gaming days are better. What are you playing this weekend?