by Jeff Woleslagle on May 29, 2009
Welcome to the 1,089th Edition of Loading...
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The Matrix Online will join Tabula Rasa and Shadowbane as as the list of MMORPGs cancelled in 2009 continues to grow. We'll remember the best and worst of MxO and consider what other MMOs might be on the chopping block this year in Loading... MxO Jacks Out.
Coyote's It's All Geek to Me is the lighter side of Ten Ton Hammer. Read his humor column daily at Ten Ton Hammer. Today's topic: Marvel vs. DC (Day 2) (Spoiler: the comic company wins)
The Pulse
You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the result is the Ten Ton Pulse (What is Pulse?).
Here's today's top 5 Pulse results for today:
World of Warcraft Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Lord of the Rings Online (UP 7) EVE Online (UP 1) EverQuest 2 (UP 1)Biggest Movers in the Top 20 this week :
FusionFall (UP 62!! to #16 - read why) Star Trek Online (UP 32 to #10 - read why) Star Wars Galaxies (UP 16 to #19 - read why) Recent MMO Releases 5/11 - Chronicles of Spellborn 1.0.4 - "Scrolls of Keys and Courage" (patch) 5/15 - EVE Online Apocrypha 1.2 (patch) 5/19 - Warrior Epic (launch date) 5/19 - Vanguard "Halls of Pantheon" (content patch) 5/29 - Dragonica (CBT key giveaway) Upcoming Releases 8/25 - CrimeCraft (release date) 9/1 - Champions Online (release date) ?? - Jumpgate Evolution (release date) Important Dates 5/30 - Final block of BlizzCon 2009 tickets on sale. 6/2 - 6/4 - E3 2009Loading... Daily
Time for our Friday bad news segment (this is several weeks straight I believe despite some good news about Free Realms earlier in the week - nature loves a balance). Last night, Matrix Online players received an email that stated that SOE would suspend "commercial service" as of June 1st, and discontinue MxO entirely on July 31st. Most could see it coming, since the game hasn't received an patch nor has the community received word of an upcoming patch since Update 66 in February.
Despite more or less redefining the idea of live events - for a time GMs and players were running events on almost a weekly basis - and it's status as perhaps the longest lasting niche game in the MMO market, MxO's unfortunately become the butt of many a joke in the past few years. Whether that was due to the game's insular community, stodgy accessilbility for new players, lackluster missions, that the game was tied heavily to a movie franchise that fizzled out in 2003, the lack of a decent marketing push after the SOE acquisition, or maybe just the fact that just about every SOE fan event we attended had stacks of MxO copies that SOE couldn't give away (first rule of salesmanship: create the perception of value), I don't know. Probably a combination of these factors.
What I do know is that it's always sad to see a game discontinued, and if the 6 pages of SOE-targetted vitriol attached to this post are any indication, the community is none too happy either. I don't recall seeing quite this level of anger towards NCSoft when the Tabula Rasa announcement was made. People do love to hate SOE, and I have to wonder how much longer the sometime flashpoint of that hate, Star Wars Galaxies, has to last. That the latest retail SWG box released last year was subtitled: "The Complete Online Adventures" could be telling. Fortunately, the original legacy of SWG at least is secure in projects like SWGemu.
So Matrix Online will take its place in the great Brad McQuaid parking lot in the sky, joining Tabula Rasa, Shadowbane. and who's to say what other MMORPGs are on the chopping block this year? You are. Let's hear your picks for the next MMO to get the axe in the Loading... forum. Or feel free to email me.
Shayalyn's Epic Thread of the Day
See, kids? One quick trip to the barber shop and you're a whole new bear...or a much cooler cat.
WoW
druids have been waiting for this for a long time, and now there's much
rejoicing on our forum. If you're among the druidly (or you're just
sick of seeing the same ol' bears and cats), come join us.
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Awesome Quotes from the Epic Thread
"I'm sorry, but I think I hear something in the distance. Sounds like...the Hallelujah Chorus? HECK YES! "
- Lunais
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Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell us!
5 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 96 in May! 622 in 2009!
New MMOG Articles At Ten Ton Hammer Today [Thanks Phil Comeau for links and Real World News]
The Chronicles of Spellborn: High House Selection GuideReal World News
Woman explodes boyfriend's penis with firecrackersThanks for visiting the Ten Ton Hammer network! Have a great weekend!
-Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer team