So it absolutely figures that just when I really wanted to respond to a thread over at ENWorld, it's down for maintenance. I mean it's understandable since they were hacked and all, and are still getting back on their feet, but aaargh. I hate digital cockblocking.

In the mean time I'm going to put this here, since it turned out to be a lot longer than I intended anyway.

(read the whole thing...)

"What dost thou enjoy in an MMO, then?"

This probably isn't news to anybody any more, but one of the longest-running MMOs around was recently announced - with entirely unexpected brutality - to be closing its doors. It's City of Heroes, not quite my first MMO, but my favourite by a near-immeasurable margin. As a seven-year veteran, I obviously had a vested interest in the game, but there's more to it than that; there really are things in City that, to the best of my my knowledge, no other MMO has done - and more that no other MMO has done well.

Today I was asked what I actually enjoyed in an MMO, and it seemed as good a time as any to discuss what it is about this game that makes me love it, especially in the face of newer, prettier, and more popular games.

(read the whole thing...)