When it launched in 2003, space-borne MMO EVE Online wasn't an overnight success. It launched to far less fanfare than newer titles are accustomed to and claimed only 50,000 subscriptions by late 2004. EVE was aimed at a relatively untested sci-fi niche within the MMO market and the number of players in that niche who would be interested was impossible to accurately estimate. To make matters worse, World of Warcraft was released in late 2004 and a large portion of the MMO market latched on to it, spelling disaster for its competitor's subscription numbers. Despite all of these initial problems, EVE Online has been a massive success with consistent subscriber growth. So what has been the secret to their success? With just a few days to go until the Apocrypha expansion and box copies of EVE being released in stores, I take a look back at the choices CCP made and suggest what other developers could learn from EVE's success story.

Lord of the Rings Online has a new free content patch releasing very soon, and Turbine was kind enough to give us our very own dev tour of the new content. We've seen some tidbits of information here and there, across the forums and other fan blogs, but it's always nice to get the info from the perspective of the people who created the game, while they warp you around to closed instances, secret locations and encourage you to jump out of trees with your borrowed immortal character (that never gets old). So on our tour we soaked up as much as possible to unleash on you, our favorite readers (yes, I'm talking to you!). We learned about crafting and battle instances, the new quest guide, Lothlórien's newest cities and environments, and the epic quest line. You can bet we took a billion screenshots along the way (ok, 18), including a new complete map of Lothlórien which shows the areas east of the Nimrodel. Follow long after the cut for more on LotRO's Volume II: Book 7.

Exploration has long been a profession in EVE Online that really held a niche appeal to players. The exploration system has been a complex one, where one had to bookmark locations in space midwarp at specific points in a solar system, and burn through various types of probes (and time) to find something hidden. The game's Apocrypha expansion is very much focused on improving exploration. While we've heard a great deal about wormholes and 'true exploration' what's been less spoken of is that Apocrypha is an across-the-board revamp of exploration in EVE Online. These changes will, CCP hopes, revive the ailing booster trade in EVE. Boosters are drugs that enhance a pilot's performance. Despite the numerous benefits boosters can impart, they're also highly illegal and being caught with them in high security space can lead to hefty fines.

As Fallen Earth gets closer to being released, that previously hazy image of what the game will be like sharpens. The latest bit of info we've come across is an interview with Fallen Earth writer and designer Wes Platt conducted by MMO Gamer's Nate James.

Ah the joy of kids. Packing lunches, making sure homework is done, an endless round of extra-curricular sports/groups/events, and then there's the ever-present question of what to do for free-time together outside of all of the regular things you already do. Kids love new experiences, so as a parent, you may have considered MMOs as an option of something ever-changing and fun to play with your kids. As there are only a couple of us on staff here at Massively who are parents, our experience is limited to what we and our circles of friends have experienced as gamers with kids. Thus, this morning we thought we'd ask - if you're part of the MMO parenting crowd, do your kids also play MMOs? Are you constantly on the lookout for MMO titles that you and your kids could play together? Or do you keep the kids away from MMOs, preferring to give them console games on the Wii or 360, and instead keep online worlds as your escape? Let us know!

A fantasy shooter set in an unprepared, modern world

A massive, blockbuster movie experience - society collapses around you as man and machine take on the beasts of legend in a spectacular battle

Awe-inspiring fire-fights where high-caliber ordinance meets beak, talon, fang and claw

Dynamic environments crumble around you as you and your enemies literally tear a living, breathing environment apart in your battle to stay alive

Devastation is realized on an unprecendented scale. See London burn to the ground and witness New York torn apart through spectacular supernatural destruction

Brand new DDR game designed exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, bundle includes a dance pad!

4 players simultaneous play turns any house into the hottest party

All-new soundtrack includes licensed smash-hits from the last 4 decades

Use the Nintendo Wii Remote and Nunchuck while dancing for greater total body interaction

Swing the Nintendo Wii controller to send obstructions to your opponents

Wireless Xbox 360 Game Controller With Hidden Rapid Fire Trigger Buttons

Brand New

Creative Cooking Mode - Players use hundreds of hand-picked ingredients to create their own dishes. Up to 100 of your own unique recipes can be saved then recreated in the kitchen later and shared with friends and family using the Wi-Fi Connection.

The cooking games offer fun for everyone with a series of recipe challenges using the stylus to chop, stir and serve in a variety of virtual real-time 3D kitchen settings.

Challenge your friends and family to a cook-off or beat the clock, all the while keeping quality and taste in mind on your way to becoming a top chef.

Max is back on the NYPD as a detective, still haunted by his dark, bloody past. Responding to a police dispatch at a warehouse leads Max down the same violent path he'd abandoned before, with old friends and new enemies along the way.

Team up with the beautiful and deadly Mona Sax from the first game, as you control her intense sniping missions

All-new Bullet Time features -- the more enemies you kill the faster Max moves

New fighting moves and new weapons, like the MP5 and the twin Desert Eagles -- plus Max can equip grenades and Molotov Cocktails, and throw them while shooting

Advanced AI and superior graphics bring this twisted tale of revenge and murder to life