This month, the Blogger Bonanza has almost entirely been dedicated to covering Blaugust, as that’s what every game and MMO blogger was writing about. Now that it is over, there’s still a little left to cover from the event, but a whole lot of big news to read about as well from some of our favorite bloggers.
On Blaugust
The event ended up being a huge success. Its creator, Belghast over at Tales of the Aggronaut, has already tallied the results and awarded bloggers their new banners. Go check out the results and please give Bel a thumbs up for all the hard work he put in organizing everything.
Despite the event’s successes, there were a few blogs that I haven’t had a chance to highlight properly here. A few fell through the cracks and didn’t end up on my Blaugust RSS until it was too late. Others I read, but haven’t had an opportunity to acknowledge here on the Bonanza.
- Soulbound Life. An excellent blog with musings on game, music, life, who also managed to survive the perils of Blaugust.
- Nomadic Gamers. While Nomadic Gamers covers many MMOs, most of the Blaugust posts were progress reports about adventures in Final Fantasy XIV that everyone should read.
- My Life in Azeroth. Another talented blogger whose daily Blaugust updates about World of Warcraft successes almost made feel like I was playing again.
These last four are blogs that I was unfamiliar with until late in Blaugust. I owe my deepest apologies to all of you for not covering you sooner. I look forward to getting each of you on the Blogger Bonanza in the near future.
- No Market Collective
- The Friendly Necromancer
- Alexandria Mack
- Soul of the Forest
Murf’s Blaugust Challenge
As part of my own Blaugust challenge on Murf Versus, I made a plea to other participants to write a post highlighting some of their favorite posts on their own blogs. The idea was to aid me in finding the best way to introduce more readers to their blogs, especially if they weren’t reading them already or missed some of their older posts. Rather than just list their lists or highlight only a small part of them, I am instead going to focus on one respondent at a time and highlight every post they themselves highlight.
Up first, Pizza Maid.
- In her first highlight, Pizza Maid brings our attention to a post about her unique cafe in Final Fantasy XIV.
- Keeping with FFXIV, her second post talks about achievements and in-game holidays.
- Her last two posts are also about FFXIV, but they have something else in common. In one, Pizza Maid talks about fashion as she gives her avatar a makeover. In the other, there’s a fashion shoot as a family portrait.
Thank you Pizza Maid!
Every MMO Ever
It’s the collective experience of playing multiple games that fuels these blog posts about MMOs that can apply to most any game.
- Stylish Corpse talks about the importance of social relationships in MMOs, as well as the ways in which they different (unfavorably) from tabletop gaming.
- Tankquisition poses an interesting question to Reddit: why you play what you play? Some of the results were very interesting.
- Tackling a different question, Goobbue Crossing wonders when it is time remove a guild member.
- While some of these posts were featured here, a special thanks to MMO Gypsy for rounding up all in the Blaugust series about MMO regrets.
- Finally, two bloggers discussed the nature of heroism in MMOs recently, and both deserve to be highlighted as a broader confusion about being the ‘hero character’ in a MMO narrative. Alternative Chat discusses World of Warcraft, and line between doing one’s job or being a real hero. Through Wolfy’s Eyes takes us all the way back to Homer and then brings us to the present and Final Fantasy XIV in a similar discussion.
Guild Wars 2
If you avoided leaks and rumors, then the surprise that Guild Wars 2’s base game was going Free-to-Play or that the game would be getting instanced raiding in its new expansion likely shocked you. But, judging by responses to Arena.net’s announcements, the news likely did not impress you.
- Before we get to the hate, let’s temper it with some leftover excitement about the game’s anniversary and new Thief specialization from Nerdy Bookahs.
- In An Age starts the charge by laying out exactly what GW2’s F2P model entails.
- Ald Shot First is hopeful about raids, but worries they will be enough to fix past concerns about the game’s PvE.
- Rant #1: Why I Game, one of the bigger fans of GW2 I follow, points out some rather serious concerns about how the addition of content that will require regular, organized, exclusive groups to complete will affect the rest of the game.
- Rant #2: Aywren at Clean Casuals takes up some of the same concerns, and turns everything inward in comparing the new with the original vision of GW2.
- Rant #3: Healing the Masses deals the killing blow with a heartfelt rage about the desperation radically changing GW2 for the worst.
- Yet another long-term fan of the game, Inventory Full follows up these past two rants with his own worries about how the new expansion may alter old content for the far worse.
- Finally, Through Wolfy’s Eyes provides a completely different perspective that remains both hopeful and optimistic about raiding in GW2.
World of Warcraft
In less contentious news (these days, at least), flying has finally come to Draenor. I had trouble finding many bloggers who were all that excited about it. Some are still a bit bitter about it. Most seem lukewarm, despite the ‘will they/won’t they’ of Blizzard including the feature being such a hot button issue at the height of its discussion.
- Tobold’s Blog calls it a minor comfort feature in a post whose length echoes the attention that flying’s return seems to be getting.
- ETCmmo who does not favor an achievement-based lock on the feature or being forced to check boxes on a list in order to enjoy a feature he has had for so long.
- Ald Shot First wishes flying had never existed but recognizes its too late now.
- In non-flying news, RoxiQT has a criticism of Warlords of Draenor’s LFR tier.
- Sparks in the Horizon has an impression of a special mod that changes how WoW’s questing looks.
- Alternative Chat wonders how long flying’s allure will last now that nothing new is left to come to WoW before its next expansion.
Final Fantasy XIV
- Sagacyte’s Digital Adventures has two excellent posts on FFXIV’s anniversary event(s) currently happen. In the first, there’s a general review with lots of beautiful pictures. In the second, expect spoilers for one of the best holiday events I’ve seen in any MMO ever.
- Aspect of the Hare is ready for target practice with a brand new Archer.
- Finally, Gamer Girl Confessions has dreams of tanking. Her Marauder finally hit 30 and now she’s taking on the Gladiator in these two posts.
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Imperial City has arrived, and the war for control of Tamriel will never be the same.
- Healing the Masses has some passing interest in the Imperial City, after taking a break from ESO.
- 7 Days a Week shows off her new mount that arrived alongside the Imperial City.
- StarShadow has been doing a little Imperial City PvP, but is unsure what to do with his Nightblade’s build.
Other MMO Games
- Couture Gaming has a rather tongue-in-cheek look at City of Heroes and why it failed.
- For a while now, Moonshine Mansion has been covering the Shiphand Buddy missions in WildStar. Check out the entire series here.
- Gamers Decrypted has a post all about Star Wars: The Old Republic’s current and upcoming PvP.
- The Iron Dagger journeys back into the roleplaying wilds of The Lord of the Rings Online.
- Light Falls Gracefully has some choice words about TERA after trying it for the first time.
- Ald Shot First still has some hope left for Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen.
- A Goon’s Day Off shares his opinion on why Pathfinder Online never stood a chance.
- Tyrannodorkus wishes Champions Online a happy belated birthday.
Other Games
- For all things new in Diablo III, Me, Myself, and I has you covered, and so does Adamantly Complacent.
- Cannot Be Tamed has an excellent talent guide for Nazeebo in Heroes of the Storm.
- Herding Cats has a post-PAX rundown from this year’s show.
- Fellow PAX attendee, A Green Mushroom, had a chance to share his opinion on the upcoming MOBA, Gigantic.
- Contains Moderate Peril discusses the value still to be had in older games.
- Less about games and more about game culture, Nerd-Person Narrative has a few thoughts about the new Felicia Day memoir.
Pretty Pictures
- Bio Break showcases an absolutely awesome WildStar home.
- Blue Shows off a beautiful field of flowers in The Lord of the Rings Online.
- ETCmmo has a mix of shots from both Guild Wars 2 and World of Warcraft to share.
- Moonshine Mansion takes us to Final Fantasy XIV with a character shot and then back to WildStar.
