The last couple of years in the MMO industry have been interesting, to say the least. As gaming in general has become more mainstream, online integration has greatly increased in availability and significance in modern media. With the success of games on various social networks such as Facebook, more and more companies are looking at the MMO market as the next logical step; and where attention goes, money usually follows.

While there are certainly positive aspects to this process, one of the downsides is that a number of announced titles seem to have the MMO label slapped on simply for the sake of it. Some of the newer games under this heading are arguably successful in their attempt to differ from the traditional notion of MMOs and the way we view them today. Others, however, seem to use the concept of persistence as a gimmick and never really deliver on the MMO front while still attempting to charge customers the same price of admission as other, more established games in the genre.

What essentially looks like developers pigeonholing themselves into a sub-genre their game isn’t a typical example of actually makes sense from a business point of view. Under the MMO heading, a title may become a much more profitable undertaking and attract more interest from investors. The company then has opportunities to not only charge its customers for a copy of the product but also find additional ways to monetize it. It is also a smart move from a marketing point of view — adding an MMO label to a game has the potential to attract a new market and benefit from customers who might not have been interested otherwise, as well as give the title a way to differentiate itself from primary competitors (i.e. it’s not just another action game). Read more…

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Join iTZKooPA, Juggynaut, and Heartbourne for this MMOcast. This weeks topics are:

Now Playing:

• iTZKooPA – Global Agenda, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Worms: Reloaded
• Juggynaut – Lego: Universe
• Heartbourne- StarCraft II

News:

• E3 2010: The Contest is closing on August 31. An executive decision will be made if three people don’t find the glasses, so submit your entry no matter what!
• Celestial Steed almost claimed.
• Instance Gratification: DDO returning this weekend!
• Ronix details his MMOG background.
• Cryptic Studios announces new D&D RPG Neverwinter (Nights).
• Speaking of, Champions Online one-year anniversary is approaching. Things scheduled to happen.
• Paying The Pipers – Subscribing To Multiple MMOGs.
• GDC Online nominees announced, numerous MMOGs make the cut.
• ArenaNet details Necromancer profession for Guild Wars 2.

Click the player above to listen, download the podcast, subscribe via RSS, or subscribe on iTunes.

Also, get involved with our podcasts! E-mail us at podcast@lorehound.com or leave us a voicemail using the button below or simply call us on the Lore Line, at (304) 884-LORE. Remember you can follow us on Twitter for a chance to win a Celestial Steed mount, too!

The Hakkardest part is saying goodbye!

With all the Cataclysm news we hear about every day, it’s hard for us to decide what is and isn’t worth reporting. We don’t want to spoil too much, and we certainly can’t keep up with the hardcore news sites most of the time, but we are interested in details that reflect the lore and player experience. Heaps of things are changing in the expansion, of course. Lots of quests will be tweaked or nixed forever, an unfortunate realization that has led some of our own (and no doubt many others) to polish off their Loremaster achievements and pay tribute to the old school Azeroth before it’s gone.

It’s hard to say why this particular item stings more than a handful of lost quests. Perhaps because it represents some “bigger” part of the game. With notable exceptions, quests slip through the mind like a greased pig; the bread crumbs that lead to the feast, if you will. And though it may be no longer, it was once a major goalpost for end-game raiders. A place worth getting to and fighting through with nineteen of your closest — or perhaps most hated (lawl guild drama) — pals: Zul’Gurub.

A careful overview of the latest Guild Achievements added to the beta brought to bear something missing, which was subsequently confirmed by a Blue:

Zul’Gurub is gone as a raid instance come Cataclysm.

Tiger mounts, Polymorph: Turtle, Zandalar Tribe rep? If you really want ‘em, you better go get ‘em, now.

Now, it’s possible some of these things may find their way into the new incarnation of the zone, but I wouldn’t bet my hat on it. After all, Blizzard wasn’t exactly kind to the War Bear mounts from Zul’Aman after Patch 3.0 came out (and made the time limit trivial).

As for Zul’Gurub itself — well, it’ll still be there, you can fly over it, and it will presumably play a large part in the new questing experience and storyline of Stranglethorn Vale. It just won’t be a raid anymore. Sure, like everything else in the world, time must move forward and perhaps ZG has outlived its usefulness. But when placed against the facts that Ahn’Qiraj remains untouched and you’ll be able to fight Ragnaros in two different places, it makes you wonder why it got singled out in the first place.

So shed a tear, pour a forty, for Zul’Gurub: a raid that, in short order, will cease to be.

It’s pretty plain for most readers, Cryptic Studios let me down severely with Champions Online. Little content, a horrible microtransaction shop and incredibly repetitive (and unbalanced at launch) combat dragged the quirky writing and insane character customization to the recycle bin.  I pre-purchased six-months of Champions Online expecting the beta to be beta.  It ended up being the launch product.   The debacle left a horribly sour taste in my mouth, ultimately causing me, a junior Trekkie, to skip Star Trek Online and view Neverwinter with much trepidation.

I’ve had my fill of CO.  I gave it weeks before launch and months after.  I am done playing the game. That doesn’t mean I can ignore the title though.  I have a responsibility to you, the community of readers, to entertain and report on the MMOG industry.  So although a free week of Champions Online doesn’t get me spamming clicks looking for the client, it might get you in a tither.  The character creator alone can entertain most people for a few hours.  I mean, look what my non-gaming girlfriend spent almost an hour “creating.”

To celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Champions Online, Cryptic Studios is giving everyone who registers a week to try out the game.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a previous subscriber, or someone who has never touched a retail (or digital) box.  If you register, or have registered previously, you can login, download the client and play from September 1-7.  During this time there will be numerous other festivities and the woefully expensive C-Store has a 20% discount on nearly everything.

I’ll live vicariously through you.  Let me know how it goes.