Are we seeing double? We're not sure about that, but what we are sure of is this is a (re)introduction to EverQuest's two Community Managers: Dexella and Amnerys.

Norrath is a massive world, spanning time, space, and a Community Team! As the EverQuest franchise continues to develop in new and exciting directions, you will have a chance to get to know two Community Managers across all of Norrath in EverQuest, EverQuest II, Legends of Norrath, and whatever comes “Next.” We may be familiar to some of you, or this may be the first time you’re meeting us, so we’re going to take a minute to (re)introduce ourselves.

Comic book fans rejoice, as Marvel Heroes, the new Diablo-esque MMO from Gazillion Entertainment is on the horizon.  I was given the privilege of sitting down with game creator David Brevik, most well known as the man behind the games Diablo and Diablo 2.  In our discussion, Brevik outlined many of the finer details about the game, and gave us clear insight into what the overall experience will include, as well as how the experience as a player can unfold on a person to person basis. 

Starting with the basics, we were told that the game will have a standard style progressive story mode that, depending on how grindy your play style is, will leave you in the high 20s to low 30s of the level progression.  We were also informed that the game is officially announcing a level cap of 60, at release.  Theoretically, the level cap would increase with expansions or added content, but we didn’t get that far in our discussion, so that’s pure speculation.  However, Brevik made it very clear that the game will be updated and maintained with the vigor of any good MMO.

Hello again and welcome to Episode 3 of ZAM's bi-weekly column, the Free Agent. If you missed the previous Episode, be sure to check out the Free Agent's thoughts on just how free-to-play the 3rd person MOBA and battleground of the gods, Smite, really is.

While it may also be played in a 3rd person perspective this episode’s featured game is about as far from hurling lightning bolts and releasing the Kraken as you a can get. We've traded in all those crazy gods for an array of high-tech combat suits worn by a race of ninja-like warriors called the Tenno, in the cooperative free-to-play shooter, Warframe.

Now, after two weeks of intense undercover action as a space ninja, I'm here to let you know if you too can be a space ninja for the cost of nothing but a Steam account.

My earliest foray into the MMOspace brought with it my first taste of PvP in the genre when I started playing EverQuest on launch day back in March of 1999. I was a big fan of being challenged by other players in games like Warcraft and Starsiege: Tribes and figured that an extra element of danger in my new adventure would only enrich the experience; however my primary intent was to play with other players, not against them. Still, I found that the constant threat—and reality—of PvP created some of the most indelible memories of my MMO history.

Welcome back to the Free Agent, ZAM's bi-weekly column that investigates the question, "can gaming really be free?" If you missed Episode 1 it's not too late to catch up on the Free Agent's first impressions of TERA Rising, a free-to-play action/RPG MMO. But as we move on to Episode 2 we're shifting gears over to the free-to-play MOBA market, making our way onto the battleground of the gods with SMITE.

Hi-Rez Studios may have made its way in the world as an FPS developer with the Tribes franchise, but that didn't exclude it from throwing its hat into the every expanding roster of MOBA games we're seeing on the market. For those that aren't entirely clear what a MOBA is, it stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, a fast paced PvP experience best known for games like League of Legends and DOTA2.

But unlike the hordes of MOBA clones slated for release or currently in beta testing, SMITE offers a different perspective on the MOBA genre, quite literally in fact.

Welcome to Episode 1 of The Free Agent. If you’re just joining me and wondering what this new bi-weekly ZAM column is all about, I'd encourage you to have a read through Episode Zero. My mission, as always, is to answer the question, "Can gaming really be free?"

With that, let’s jump right into the first free-to-play title to be featured on The Free Agent, TERA Rising. Developed by Blue Hole Studios and published by En Masse Entertainment, this action/RPG hybrid MMO did away with subscription fees and went free-to-play after only 9 months on the North American market.

Like many other people I was curious about what TERA had to offer and watched it from the side lines throughout its development cycle. But, as the release date came and went, amid so many others, I found that I simply didn't have room in my life for another subscription based MMO. Sadly TERA slipped through the cracks of my gaming repertoire.

However, with the free-to-play rebranding as TERA Rising, my interest was re-ignited and I set out to explore an MMO that I had previously passed over. Was their switch to free-to-play a shallow marketing ploy to get gamers like me interested in the title again? Or does this MMO possess a depth that proves all the free-to-play critics wrong?

To find out read on, as The Free Agent takes on TERA Rising.

Being a tank in the World of Warcraft, Blizzard's recent news that patch 5.3 will add an option where players can "choose to receive loot for a specialization that's different from their current class role" when running LFR or while questing, is some of the best news I’ve heard in a long time.

When I first started playing WoW – back at the start of The Burning Crusade – I had endless amounts of time to devote to my characters, from raiding to farming rep and running dungeons with my guild. Nowadays I have a full-time job, a fiancé and a YouTube channel to maintain. With what little time I have left, I manage to raid two nights per week with my guild, grind a few dailies here and there and run LFR (if I'm lucky!).

It seems that these days everyone wants to jump on the Free-to-Play band wagon, which for all of us gamers should be a good thing. After all, who doesn't like free stuff, right?

So as we head toward this paradise like future where all games are Free-to-Play one can't help but wonder, how is anyone making any money? Could game developers be taking the first steps toward the utopian future predicted by Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek franchise, where people and corporations (greedy Ferengi aside) have shed the need for personal or monetary gain and, instead, simply work for the betterment of society as a whole?

Earlier this month, after its second beta weekend (the third one being this weekend - don't forget to grab your key!), I talked about Cryptic's new MMO Neverwinter. In the videos and the hands-on preview, I was pretty positive on the game as a whole, but one area I did have an issue with was the class selection available. Technically, we do have all of the important roles covered among the five launch classes: Guardian Fighter for tank, Devoted Cleric for heals, Trickster Rogue and Great Weapon Fighter for melee DPS and Control Wizard for ranged DPS.

However, this is Dungeons and Dragons we're talking about here! It's not about just having the holy trinity of MMOs available - it's about having YOUR character available and that may not be the case when you have only five choices. Most of the D&D books on my shelf are directly related to that desire for choice; additional base classes, prestige classes / paragon paths, feats, etc. Cryptic may have some additional classes already planned for post-launch but, in the meantime, I have a pile of 4th Edition sourcebooks and a text editor in front of me, so let's think about what's to come.

Now we can’t fit every character class from every sourcebook and all of their different builds into one article. For this post I’ve decided to focus on just three classes I’d like to see added to Neverwinter: the ranger, the bard and the warlock.

  The newest expansion is only a little over a month away, and the excitement is mounting. Ever since that first trailer was shown at Vana'fest, I've had all these different ideas and theories, as well as a few hopes and desires, floating around my head over what we'll see when we take that first step into Ulbuka, and I felt now was the best time to share this. So pull up your favorite chair and relax, as I share with you my thoughts as I await Adoulin.

 Have a theory of your own that you want to share, or just disagree with something I may have said? Let me know what's on your mind over on the ZAM forums!