This week Michael Zenke drops some serious science on Wrath of The Lich King and its place in the MMORPG pantheon. We also go into some depth on a ton more games as the winter deluge finally slows down.

It’s incredibly encouraging to see Mythic take the bull by the horns, addressing the Open RVR issues that Warhammer seems to be having:

oRvR should be a major focus for leveling, item gain, etc. in WAR.  Some of the systems are already in place and in Tier 4, oRvR is alive and well.  On other Tiers, however, oRvR is not being engaged in as often as we had hoped when we launched WAR.  Our goal is to ensure that oRvR is the place where players can level the fastest, get the best items and overall, have a great time while doing it.  It is supposed to be riskier, more challenging but ultimately, more rewarding than any other place within WAR.

What is outlined in this letter are some of the ways we plan on making this happen over the next few months and beyond.

As always, we thank you for your patronage and support.  We won’t let you down.

Mark Jacobs, for all the things you can ding him about, really knows how to bring it home with statements like that. MMO gamers are customers, first and foremost. I don’t think that you should have the same expectations with MMOs as with other products, but this kind of forward thinking active response to real issues speaks volumes about Mythic’s commitment to the game.

So: industry cheerleading yay! Go Mythic Go!

This past weekend I actually sat in on two more podcasts. A sickness: I has it. I blame Brent. In any case, the Limited Edition blokes were kind enough to invite me on for a chat about DC Universe Online. Along the way we talk about the closure of Tabula Rasa, comic books (of course), and the beauty of cartoons.

Limited Edition #7

Hot off the tail of our Bioware interview last time on Limited Edition we are joined by Michael Zenke from Massively, MMOGNation and also part of the VirginWorlds Collective to discuss DC Universe Online. We invited Michael to join us as the content on DCUO from massively has been outstanding and we could think of no-one more qualified to do it justice.

The added bonus that comes with Michael is that he loves comic books. We chat about what we have been playing, reading, cartoons and the end of Tabula Rasa.

It is with regret that we must announce that Tabula Rasa will end live service on February 28, 2009. Before we end the service, we’ll make Tabula Rasa servers free to play starting on January 10, 2009.

We can assure you that through the next couple of months we’ll be doing some really fun things in Tabula Rasa, and we plan to make staying on a little longer worth your while. For more details about what we are doing for Tabula Rasa players, please click here. Stay tuned for more information. We thank you for your loyal support of the game and encourage you to take us up on the benefits we’re offering Tabula Rasa players.

Damn it.

You may have already read Darren’s short post on the Monday night group’s decision to jump from DDO to Lord of the Rings Online. From his post:

“Is DDO a bad game because we left? No…it isn’t. I think this is just a case of some of the more glaring flaws of the game just being amplified by our specific group dynamic. Yes, it is said that DDO is great for a static group of players…just not for this specific static group of players.”

He nailed it there; basically we screwed ourselves by not really planning our group makeup ahead of time and not having a full group. More on our DDO experiences and our plans for LotRO below.

Update: If you’re reading this and play LotRO, feel free to give advice! One of the best parts of talking about my adventures via MMOG Nation has been the helpful comments from folks like Kendricke. Chip in!

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I’m still not quite to 74 yet; I hit Monday, opened the closet marked ‘work’ and a hundred thousand pingpong balls flew out of the tiny room at me in a hilarious Lucy-esque display. So, been a bit busy. Still, I have many awesome things to say about Lich King. You can hear me say a few of those things in today’s Massively Speaking. We’re up to Episode 32, amazingly. But to go into greater detail here, I want to start with the comments of some other folks:

“From the very moment I first entered Northrend, as the boat I was on approached the dock, I could tell that Blizzard just “gets it”.  I’m definitely eager to see what else the expansion has in store in the levels to come, but by no means am I in a rush to get there.  That to me, is a sign of a great expansion.”
- Timesink

“The new zones are stunning.  There were zones in Outland that I really liked, but only Zangarmarsh made me say, “Ooooooh” when I first walked in there.  So far, each of the new zones I’ve seen in Northrend have left me with my jaw hanging open.  I’m exploring entire areas not just for the achievement, but because I want to see the view from every cliff top.”
- Outland Bound

“Borean Tundra: Pasta. Howling Fjord: Pasta with a freshly made tomato, basil and mushroom soft sauce, topped with freshly-grated parmesan cheese. Served just at the right temperature, by a 10th generation family chef from Tuscany, who made the whole dish right before your eyes while you sipped the season’s red wine, in a delightful summer sunset, on the terrace at his private villa.”
- Julian at KTR

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I’m just in a bit o’ this week’s Conference Call from GWJ; Rabbit and I tossed a few questions at Bethesda’s Pete Hines about storytelling. Watch the softball action!

This week Julian Murdoch and Michael Zenke lob softballs across the plate for Pete Hines to knock out of the park. We also cover a crazy amount of games, your emails and some new listener submitted audio bits.