Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
[Column] General: 2014: A Big Year for MMOs
BillMurphy
Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565
2013 wasn't an incredibly exciting time for the MMO genre, but 2014 is poised to be an incredible year by comparison. Read on to find out why!
A couple of years ago, I had a discussion with one of the more accomplished members of our industry and he conveyed to me his feelings that the genre was essentially a dead man walking. In the intervening years since that conversation, I’ve definitely had times where I’ve felt that this may be the case, but I no longer think so. The variety of titles highlighted in this week’s List (and other titles that didn’t make it) perfectly highlight what is really going on: the genre is evolving.
Read more of Michael Bitton's 2014: A Big Year for MMOs.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
Comments
Currently playing:
Rift
Played:
SWToR, Aion,EQ, Dark Age of Camelot
World of Warcraft, AoC
The repopulation will be another proof that Sandbox gaming is a niche game style...
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
The ESO will be proof that people are sick of the same old themeparks with a few added twists.
I think, if that prediction turns out to be "true" then the mmorpg genre will split from the mmog and start actually delivering to that more niche playerbase.
Good times ahead.
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014633/Classic-Game-Postmortem
I think you both are right however time will tell.
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
that is where the future lies I believe
more, smaller, niche games and less blockbusters
imo The Repopulation is the only potentially great MMO to come this year absolutely every other title is just meh more of the same limited theme park trash.
I hope they can deliver as I have been waiting for many years to play a game with real depth again.
I do not think The Repopulation will be a huge sub base vs the theme parks - but that is because more gamers want things easily and without much thought - but as long as the game can sustain a decent sized player base that is good enough for me.
Looking forward The Repop and EQN Landmark, with ESO on the back of my mind (Yes I criticize it a lot, but it is still TES, I ll have to give it a chance)
Ohh....... and WoW new expansion of course............
The same I thought about Defiance and Dust 514..................... fail.
They might be great games but Console players just want to play a game, beat it and move on.
MMOs on Consoles are a waste of money.
Why play The Division when you can play COD?
But then it depends what the devs expect fronm the game, if what they are looking for is selling boxes, then it will be a success (Tom Clancy sells anyway).
If the are looking for subscriptions or RMT income they might be a little disappointed.
The right environment for Consoles is Multiplayer........... a MMO is stretching it a bit.
I don't think we need ESO to prove that - been pretty apparent for a few years now the masses are tired of generic themeparks. And you could point to Wildstar just as much as ESO, they are both in the same category. Maybe these 2 will be the final test as to whether a AAA themepark can succeed in this day and age.
personally it's my top anticipated game of 2014
A Themepark can be successful............... but devs need to stop copying WoW though.
GW2 did 50% of the job right......... it's a shame they forgot to design the End Game.
GW2 is the only Themepark apart from WoW, that didn't cause me to enter a boredom induced coma while leveling up.
That's the more frustrating part of the MMO fanbase. They are still approaching the MMO like a game that you can defeat. They blow through all of the low level content and race to level cap and then complain that there's no Content. Yeah, there's content, you just were stupid and didn't actually spend any time and actually enjoy the game's content. That rush to the top really hurts players. Heck with that mentality. MMO companies should just create a game that goes from 1 to 10th level and spend all of their time making max level dungeons. Of course, the 'leet idiots will then complain about how easy it was to get to cap. Like enduring weeks of grind shows that you can actually play a game.
Indie is leading innovation as usual but in broad terms the MMO genre remains stagnant. I think innovation remains largely stifled by the big publishers & 2014 offers more of the same crap that's been done to death already.
There's too many things that are detracting from games. Cash shops, instances, lack of instant options controls (consoles), lost socialization opportunities, static play and sameness, etc.
They are coming with new things that otherwise would be great additions, but unless they get back to the real attraction of MMOs, that being "social worlds" and what that brings to the table and requires in design, MMOs are still going to struggle.
Once upon a time....
Why do I read "Repopulation" and immediately imagine a sex game?
Anyway... MMOs are still shallow playgrounds where players do not get a chance to connect with their characters, let alone others in the game. EQ:N may have something different. I have a "wait and see" attitude on this one. Wildstar and TES:O are just more of the same shallow gameplay aimed at nobody and everybody at once.
MMOs for years have had the "shotgun" mentality: shoot in a wide enough area and something will get hit.
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
Hardly can immagine button mashing could fit MMO games unless maybe some mmo shooter (but that is hardly mmo). Actually when company try to do it on both games fails to satisfy any1.
As for all the multi-platform MMORPGs, I just can't see anything truly outstanding ever coming from this direction. It would simply be contrary to the immutable laws of the limitations of the console controller. And no amount of spin, or even clever interface design, is ever going to make it otherwise. So taking this into account, I pretty much have limited enthusiasm for all of the 2014 AAA MMORPGs right out of the gate.
But some of the other choices, however, do look interesting to me.
The Repopulation - I broke down and made my first ever (reasonable) Kickstarter pledge here. I tend to believe this crew. But maybe I'll be shown up for a chump...
The rebirth of a major abandonware MMORPG - could be lots of fun.
Archeage - not every direction this game has taken has been to my exact liking, but I'm still following it.
Star Citizen - I expect this to be more of a mission based shooter than a virtual 'universe'. But I'd guess it will be very slickly produced. Either that or the devs will say screw it, pocket the $35 mill, and put out something mediocre. It would be tempting...
Wildstar - I'm fairly convinced now that this game will not be for me. But there's no denying that Wildstar is giving a lot of people here something to look forward to. And I hope it works out for them.
People will never grow tired of themeparks...
fact is that 90% of the people love to be entertained, and to those people a themepark will allways prevail above a sandbox...
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)