WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

Every year, the number one rule starting… oh, right about NOW, is to stay away from the tricky, lying interwebz. It’s the one day of the year where, for some reason, all logic is thrown out the window and people get a free pass to tell you the most outlandish things with a straight face and get away with it. Yes, today is April 1, and the time to run away and hide is upon us once again.

Ok, maybe I’m being a TAD melodramatic. As long as we go into today with the full knowledge that we absolutely are going to have our legs pulled in multiple directions, then have fun with it. Just don’t be an April Fool.

If it sounds crazy, and the information about it is announced or “leaked” today, chances are it’s 100 percent fabricated nonsense.

Last year from Blizzard alone we had the ultimate Gear Score slap-in-the-face, and the transformation of our armory toons to all Tuskarr. Of course, they’re not the only ones who partake in the shenanigans, but they certainly are one of the biggest players.

So, what will it be this year? Magical girl transformations for our MMO heroes? Another rendition of World of DanceCraft? Plants vs. Zombies in an MMO (oh wait…)? Ninja pandas?!

Only time will tell. Watch yourself. You’ll see what I mean.

Click through for some more of our favorite April Fool’s jokes from years past. And keep watch right here for coverage of the best April Fool’s jokes from our favorite games.

We still don’t know much, but it looks like Blizzard’s tight-lipped group in-the-know is starting to grant its eager audience a few tidbits here and there about the next-generation MMO that it has lined up for sometime this century, after the relase of Diablo III.

In the past couple of weeks, both Frank Pearce, Blizzard cofounder and Executive VP  of product development, and Paul Sams, Blizzard’s Chief Operating Officer, have gone on the record with Gamasutra to discuss the codenamed “Titan,” how it will affect WoW’s playerbase, and how they’ve transitioned Blizzard employees from WoW to the new MMO.

With a codename like that, it’s no surprise that Sams and other developers told Gamasutra that they expect the next-gen MMO to do what their competitors have only dreamed of in the past six years — eclipse WoW.

Paul Sams on “Titan”

“I believe [it's] the most ambitious thing we’ve ever attempted. And I feel like we have set our company up to succeed on that. We have some of our most talented and most experienced developers on that team. Many of the people that built World of Warcraft are full time on that other team.

…We think that it’s going to be very impactful in our industry and, we hope, very impactful to the world. We think that that will be, after Diablo III, the next big thing from us. The thing that we hope will happen is that it will not stop World of Warcraft but we believe will eclipse it. Continue Reading

Massive Multiplayer Online Games require more time and effort to really get to know than their single-player counterparts. With more and more titles going free-to-play, it has become easier to try them out. But getting to the core of an MMOG takes a substantial investment on the behalf of players. So, deciding on what game you want to devote your money and attention to is an important choice we all have to make. And one that can cost an obtuse amount of time.

There are several titles on my list of MMOGs that I await with a mixture of excitement and cautious anticipation. In the end, I’ll still have to decide what game will become my main addiction, the one that will hopefully keep me entertained and hooked for a while. How do we select the right title and on what criteria do we base our decision on? The choice is, of course, a personal one, but here is a list of factors that make it or break it for me when deciding on an MMOG. Mind you, the topics are in no particular order.

The setting
Beginning your adventure in a fresh new world is a thrilling experience. This is why one of the first factors that can draw me in is the game world itself. Some settings have almost a universal appeal – *cough* fantasy *cough* – others are less popular but still attract a large-enough audience. This, however, doesn’t mean we should simply judge them at face value. Even within the realms of fantasy there are numerous differences in the presentation and mythos surrounding the world. These differences determine whether a game is successful in providing a stimulating context and meaning to our actions. In this way, the lore serves as an important medium through which you connect with the game world and believe in it. So, if the setting doesn’t hook me from the start, chances are, I won’t be even interested in giving the game a go.

In-game systems
In the last five or so years, combat has increasingly become more prominent as a game system that most people look at first for an upcoming title. While it is certainly an important deciding factor (as a general rule, I tend to gravitate towards titles that have some sort of PvP involved), we should not forget about other game mechanics that largely affect our MMOG experience. This includes the level of freedom provided within the game (is it too linear or not enough direction?), the role-playing system (is it something fresh, innovative; what is customization like?) and other less conclusive examples (the level of grind, mini-games, crafting and others). These game systems largely determine what type of gameplay and activities players will get to see and try out throughout their experience, so only the feeble-minded can doubt their importance. Continue Reading