Could WOW be the best mmo ever?

eccoton

This is a question I struggle with often when thinking about the history of graphic mmos. This is not a fanboi troll thread. I am serious about this question. My history in mmos is very deep. Here are a few of the highlights: 1996 my first mmo Meridian 59, hooked! Only 3 years in EQ because I discovered SWG (pre-nge) 8 years in EQ2 4 years in LOTRO, 3 years in Rift, 2 years in Vanguard and a host of other games. I have been in WOW since release but left for almost 2 years. I recently returned and I accepted the changes and approached the game anew. 

I think about all my experiences in mmos. The best time I spent in an mmo was the first 3 years in SWG. What an amazing game. Like so many of you I miss it and shutter when I think of what SOE did to it. My first week in WOW I was not impressed but I kept at it and slowly it drew me in. EQ2 was similar I grew to love it but it took a few weeks. EQ2 and WOW basically came out at the same time so why when I was having fun in EQ2 would I play WOW? There was something about the open world epic scale that kept me coming back. "Why" I would think to myself do I like this game so much. It offered nothing new, it had cartoon graphics, and no housing! (I love player housing) 

As time went on WOW just kept getting more and more polished which EQ2 seemed to be lacking. WOW played so well on my system I never felt like I was missing out on graphic quality. Then suddenly it began to be heard of and became a real popular culture phenomenon. It became more then just a game only us computer nerds knew. For many WOW became the first ever mmo and a barometer be which all life would be compared. Many of us in the know who put years into other mmos seemd to take offense to this. The WOW hating began! Yet even now after so many years it is still the king of the hill that so many want to see toppled. Sound familiar "this mmo is a wow killer" "that mmo is a wow killer" yet WOW still wears the crown with not even a prince in sight. 

I am not going to talk about all the game mechanics as to why WOW is the best or worst mmo ever, there are thousands of threads that have done that. So why do I ask could WOW be the best mmo ever? After nearly two years away, I loaded up Azeroth and with little expectations I logged in. I started a new Night Elf and as I ran to Darnassus I looked at the landscape and listen to the music and I felt like I was home again! I simple peace and joy settled over me. I forgot the heart break of my father's recent death. I forgot about all the doctors, pills, and life style changed forced on me since my heart attack. I forgot about the stress at work and my daily life. I was in Azeroth and home! No other mmo has ever done that for me. So I will answer my own question "could WOW be the best mmo ever?" Yes it is!

 

DamonVile

Do you think wow is the best game ever for someone that played it and hated it ?

eccoton

Originally posted by DamonVile
Do you think wow is the best game ever for someone that played it and hated it ?

I would think not. A lot of people do not like it. However it has resinated with so many for many reasons. My conclusion was not based on the game mechanics and all those other things mmos are judged by. My conclusion was based on a simple feeling. A feeling no other game has evoked in me. A feeling usually reserved for great art. WOW welcomes me into a world that allows me to transcend the burdens of life. For me that is an amazing achievement for a game and until another mmo does that WOW will be the greatest mmo ever even if I choose to play another game. 

suckm3

OP - tl;dr

WoW could be good/best mmo ever If blizzard didn't fucked it so hard and make the end-game so easy and gear is too cheap to get. I miss vanila/bc when you had to farm for rank 14 in pvp so long, same goes for gear etc. Now all those casual scrubs who couldn't sit 24/7 at pc cried and blizzard prefered more money instead of a better game.

eccoton

Originally posted by lickm3

OP - tl;dr

WoW could be good/best mmo ever If blizzard didn't fucked it so hard and make the end-game so easy and gear is too cheap to get. I miss vanila/bc when you had to farm for rank 14 in pvp so long, same goes for gear etc. Now all those casual scrubs who couldn't sit 24/7 at pc cried and blizzard prefered more money instead of a better game.

I understand exactly where you are coming from. You are coming from the perspective of playing wow simply as a game. As a game it has many arguable flaws. The realization hit me that WOW is more then the sum of it's mechanics in many ways it is a true work of art. I do not expect everyone to accept this idea but it is the closest analogy I have to explain my feelings about WOW. Do I have my beefs about game play and changes yup I sure do. Despite that, I still play, why? The answer is for me WOW is more then just a game to win. Changes aside I like WOW now more then ever and more then vanilla because it is bigger, grander , and allows me to explore more of the wonderful art those guys at Blizzard worked hard to present. 

Jakdstripper

WoW was defintely the most popular mmo if it's time. i wouldn't say best ever....

Rusque

Originally posted by lickm3

OP - tl;dr

WoW could be good/best mmo ever If blizzard didn't fucked it so hard and make the end-game so easy and gear is too cheap to get. I miss vanila/bc when you had to farm for rank 14 in pvp so long, same goes for gear etc. Now all those casual scrubs who couldn't sit 24/7 at pc cried and blizzard prefered more money instead of a better game.

Well, I too liked the competitive ladder ranked PvP system and would have preferred some regulation to it vs just axing it. But getting Grand Marshall was literally an impossible task for anyone who was not account sharing. It was not a matter of "playing a lot" it was a matter of competing against people who were logged in 24/7 for 2-3 months straight. I don't believe that's physically possible and as we heard many times, it was account sharing.

So the complaints did have validity, but I don't think it should have been eliminated as a system, just altered slightly.

 

As for the greater concept the OP presented. It's a bit early to tell now, but history will let us know once we're far enough away from it.  Something being the "best" ever doesn't mean 100% of people like it. The Beatles are held up as one of the best bands ever - but I'm sure there are many like myself who don't particularly think they're all that great.

From a personal perspective, you won't find agreement, from a holistic view it might very well be the case.

ray12k

no...

snoocky

It could, but really isn't....

Kilrain

"Best Ever" is an opinion. I don't think WoW is the best mmo ever. End of thread.

Lobotomist

Could as well be.

It was years in front of its competitors. And it continued to be better then new competitors.

Sadly its also set very bad standards for all MMOs , we could had so much better if anyone dared to try.

flizzer

Of course people like me acknowledge the popularity of WoW. Even today, despite losing players, I believe it is the most popular game around.  However, I dislike the game and never found the appeal.  If I was judging it based on popularity then you would say it is the best game ever.  I'm not sure that should be the sole criteria however.  These best game ever type of discussions are just fun and a time waste. I don't think they should be taken seriously anyway. 

eccoton

Originally posted by Kilrain
"Best Ever" is an opinion. I don't think WoW is the best mmo ever. End of thread.

Of course it is an opinion.

laserit

Meh... What's up doc

 

That's pretty subjective

 

Could be for some but not for other's

raww

[EDIT: I'm glad you are having a great time in the game in light of your recent tragedies. Hang in there.] Best meaning what?  Most profitable?  Most fun?  Most innovative?  The word best is a bit vague.   A more interesting discussion might be about what, exactly, is good about the game that these wow clones are failing to capture.  Otherwise, you just end up with millions of opinions "yes it's the best" and millions more "no it's not the best", which doesn't really accomplish much.

Oziius

This is a question that would need to be answered by each player individually. "Best ever" is a complete and utter personal opinion. Now if you mean most successful and penetrating mmo in history by means of player base and monitary value, the answer is clearly yes. This is not an opinion. Its a fact.

eccoton

Originally posted by laserit

Meh... What's up doc

 

That's pretty subjective

 

Could be for some but not for other's

That is really the point to my original post. Telling my story and unique experience with WOW. Not just as a game but a feeling WOW gave me. Anyone who thinks my thread was a serious attempt at proving WOW is the best mmo ever for everyone kind of missed the point of my story and experience. The feeling I describe in my original post people may have had with other mmos. I bet a lot of people have felt the same way about EQ and SWG. I actually had hope this thread would be less about proving WOW was the best but was a format for others to tell why they felt there favorite mmo was best ever.

eccoton

Originally posted by raww
Best meaning what?  Most profitable?  Most fun?  Most innovative?  The word best is too vague.   A more interesting discussion might be about what, exactly, is good about the game that these wow clones are failing to capture.  Otherwise, you just end up with millions of opinions "yes it's the best" and millions more "no it's not the best", which doesn't really accomplish much.

Did you read my original post or just the thread title? I think it is clear as to why WOW is the best ever for me.

eccoton

Originally posted by Praetalus
This is a question that would need to be answered by each player individually. "Best ever" is a complete and utter personal opinion. Now if you mean most successful and penetrating mmo in history by means of player base and monitary value, the answer is clearly yes. This is not an opinion. Its a fact.

I ask you the same question did you read my original post. IT is more of a story that explains for me why WOW maybe the best ever.

FlyinDutchman87

Depends.....

 

How are you defining best?

 

Most polished?..... Yes

Most popular?..... definitely

Genera Defining?... most assuredly

Best Game Experience?.... That's mostly subjective

Best combat?..... not really

Most content?..... By a long shot

Most immersive?.... No

Best story..... Not really (read Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams blizzard stole the story whole sale)

Will wow go down as the greatest MMO of all time?..... I would imagine. Simply because it was WoW that MADE modern MMO gaming what it is(for better or wosre). It has transcended being a simple "game" an become and entire subculture. A way of life for many people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

swedago

I doubt it...  Perhaps for a selective young crowd it may have been.  I hated it.  Community was terrible...

Everquest 1 was IMHO (1999-2004).  With the graphics never evolving they lost the ability to have been so much more,

Kyleran

Originally posted by Jakdstripper
WoW was defintely the most popular mmo if it's time. i wouldn't say best ever....

It is likely we'll never see s subscription based MMORPG ever reach the level of popularity that WOW did.

Sure, there's larger games out there, but nothing will likely rival the commercial success that Blizzard achieved with WOW, and even Blizzard will likely find it challenging to surpass its success.

Is it the best MMORPG ever?  Depends on your preferences I suppose, me I think EVE holds that title, but it certainly is one of the giants of the genre and you can't really deny it's a great MMO, (if you are being honest with yourself) even if you don't personally care for it.

 

eccoton

One thing I was hoping with this thread was to talk about what really draws us into our favorite mmos. I think for many it is more then just the game mechanics, hence my story. I would love to hear if anyone else has similar feelings about their favorite mmo.  It is hard to believe players only log into an mmo day after day for years to play a game and grind out gear and gold only. For many there must be a deeper reason, the game must evoke something more then the sum of it's parts. Mmos are different then casual console games. The passion people use when supporting or refuting a game must speak to a deeper connection then just the game play. However, I could be wrong and I may be the only player who gets lost in a game world like Azeroth for the artist achievement and the undefinable feeling of familiarity. 

eccoton

Originally posted by Kyleran

Originally posted by Jakdstripper
WoW was defintely the most popular mmo if it's time. i wouldn't say best ever....

It is likely we'll never see s subscription based MMORPG ever reach the level of popularity that WOW did.

Sure, there's larger games out there, but nothing will likely rival the commercial success that Blizzard achieved with WOW, and even Blizzard will likely find it challenging to surpass its success.

Is it the best MMORPG ever?  Depends on your preferences I suppose, me I think EVE holds that title, but it certainly is one of the giants of the genre and you can't really deny it's a great MMO, (if you are being honest with yourself) even if you don't personally care for it.

 

EVE is a spectacular achievement. I played it for a few weeks it never resinated with me but I saw it's genius. Definitely a game I do not play but would recommend.

Classicstar

Its not my game and i realy don't like it what do you think ill vote when they ask me is WoW the best game:P

Its a matter of taste millions dont play wow and hate it they prolly also wont vote wow.

If you look at numbers and years its on top sure then it prolly go into books as best P2P MMO ever make this as best game?... NO

If something popular and sold most will not say is best.

Or is bieber, gaga or beyonc

Spiider

Most profitable . yes. Best ever... define best. If you ask me I would say wow sucks but what do I know, I play sandboxes and not theme parks and hate holding hands.