The genre is just kind of stagnant right now. You have the big companies with the neccessary financial support, but they can't take too many risks, so they just churn out the same old stuff. Then, you have the small companies with lots of ideas and a willlingness to take chances, but they dont have the financial support to release a solid product. What are ya gonna do?
At this point, Id rather see MMOs take a big step back in the graphic department and just make a fun game with some depth. If I want to see shiny graphics Ill pick up one of the 4,000 single player games out there...
I played both WoW, and EQ2, I liked EQ2 the most, probably more than anything I've ever played before. But LoTRO is pretty fun, though, it's brand new, so of course there will be room for improvements. Turbine has done really well with big content updates regularly. I'm particularly looking forward to the upcoming Book 11, and Book 12 Updates. Maybe try it again once it has developed further. That being said...2008 brings us a nice roster of titles to look forward to. Each of them seems to offer things previous MMORPG's did not.
1) Aion: Tower of Eternity - Keep a watch on this one, being developed by NCsoft, it's a Fantasy MMORPG that actually promises lots of action, fast paced combat, leaning more twords the skill of the players, rather than the classes and button mashing the majority of previous titles give us. And it's a fantasy game that involves it's own unique races, not Elves, Dwarves, and so forth. Instead it brings us the Elyos, Asmodians and Mau I'm sure will be playable at some point not too much past release. (They're a Beastmen sort of race). As well as others. (Check out the recent interviews). 2) Age of Conan - Another one to watch, being developed by Funcom, which also promises fast paced, action and skill oriented combat. One thing that stands out is the fact they're aiming for a "Mature" Rating by ESRB. (Which could be a good and a bad thing). 3) Warhammer Online - Arguably the most anticipated MMORPG of the new ones coming out, developed by EA/Mythic, they have alot of interesting concepts which they discuss in their podcasts at the official websites. Based on one of the deepest, most extensive stories and lores it has alot of potential. 4) The Chronicles of Spellborn - I am personally following the development of this one. Being developed by Spellborn International. It shows lots of promise, with different systems to most current MMORPG's. Geared twords the development of your characters, both cosmetically, and not. Lot's of action, and tactical combat, another unique fantasy title that offers it's own races, and classes; set in a post-apocalyptic universe where your characters can truely be a part of the game, and it's story. 5) Tabula Rasa - Interesting game, developed by NCsoft and some rather well known individuals in the industry . Sci-Fi setting, combat styled after FPS and action oriented games, with lots of fantasy and role-playing elements. Unique races, planets, and as a whole, a nice fresh direction for the MMORPG Genre. 6) Pirates of the Burning Sea - Another interesting title to follow, being developed by Flying Lab, and marketed by SOE, it's another fresh direction for this genre, offering different types of combat. Pirates are not personally my cup of tea, but maybe it will be for you! 7) Pirates of the Carribean Online - Lol.
Sooo Those are some idea's for you!!!! Not that you didn't know all this in the first place, I'm bored and felt it would be nice to talk about some of these somehow in 1 thread! I am hopeful along with you that 2008 brings us some quality products, as lately...There have been very few..
Im interested in war,spellborn and pirates of the burning sea out of those lot,not read up on conan or aion properly yet.Im glad to see that those titles arent going to be all about levelling up and then raiding, and are actually taking a different approach for once.
Id have played tabula rasa if it didnt have auto aim which i feel kind of ruins it,and if there was a little more diversity to the classes,even if they'd used the traditional architypes (the mage,the fighter,the rogue,the healer) it would have been different,rather than everyone getting a big gun to shoot. It has some nice ideas ill give it that.
Ok maybe some mmo's you have to pay for have been a little disapointing but were not talking about free games are we? I mean you cant expect alot from these but yet a good majority of them actually impress me. For example look at metin2, its graphics look great and the combat system is amazing on top of that having WASD and its just in beta. There are also a few others I measn sure these games make a little money from selling items to players who want to pay a little extra but thats nothing compared to game like EQ and WOW.
Colored text FTL - I agree with the OP. Since WoW, the selection of games to choose from is poor at best. Seems developers try to top WoW instead of just making fun MMO's.
Am I the only one who's waitting for Conan instead of WAR? I mean come-on WAR is just wow re-made. And conan's gonna have the mature rating (i hope ) might (hopfully) make for a more mature community.
Am I the only one who's waitting for Conan instead of WAR? I mean come-on WAR is just wow re-made. And conan's gonna have the mature rating (i hope ) might (hopfully) make for a more mature community.
No, and you are wrong on the other two points as well.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
DAoC is the best mmorpg hands down. Sure EVE is nice and all but ... <yawn>.
DAoC captivated me on and off for 3 years. No other mmorpg did that. Going to the frontier first time and getting rolled...and yeah UO is up there too. DAoC and UO are the top games. Old UO was so much fun, I wonder where mmorpgs lost it and turned into little f&ck fests of the same old same old, hack slash hack slash haksjaf lsad. ETC..
Heh, so I played this mental game with myself upon reading the title of this thread: "What two games that are 3 years old are the best...?"
Imagine my surprise when I saw two titles that never crossed my mind. WoW and EQ2 are hardly the best MMOs. You might have an argument with EQ2, but certainly not WoW.
But even more insidious is the fact that THESE GAMES ARE THREE YEARS OLD! Doesn't anyone see how ridiculous it is to use these games as some sort of benchmark? They've had three YEARS to improve their game, to add content, to tweak gameplay. Yes, you could royally screw things up like SWG:NGE, but for the most part MMO games improve with age.
Perhaps a better thesis is that it takes three years for a game to mature? Then I might support the argument. People deluding themselves about the infant stages of WAR or AoC.
_____________________________ Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
What have game companies released MMO wise in the last 3 years which has been worth playing? Nothing! It's been a terrible 3 years for new MMO's. Since World Of Warcraft and Everquest 2 launched at the end of 2004 no new decent MMO's have been released by anyone. I suppose the closest to good was Lord Of The Rings, but apart from that, it's laughable. In fact any decent games that are still going strong are even older that WOW, and EQ 2 like Eve-Online. Hopefully 2008 looks like being the first good year for new products since 2004.
Try 8-10 years IMO. The last MMO's I really enjoyed were AC1 (99) and UO (07).
High hopes that AOC pulls something out of the bag, otherwise it's back to RTS's.
I'm looking forward to Age of Conan way more then WAR, that game prolly wont be all that great. Besides that, I agree with the OP, the best MMO I have ever played without a doubt was the original SWG, and for now there is no other great MMO out, there is WoW and EQ2 I guess, but other then that nothing is interesting and new, EvE would be on there, but they have a lame skill system. I'm just wasting time playing WoW and other free MMO's till they release something worth playing is released, right now that means AoC, PoTBS, or just maybe WAR
Gamers don't use these two games as benchmarks but unfortunately, developers do. So every new game that a developer makes incorporates (or clones) ascpects of these games in hopes that their game will be the next hit. As soon as a developers stop trying to mimic the success of these two games we'll have better MMO's.
Im with ya brother Conans my #1 pick. Ive tried um all for the most part and the OP's thoughts are the same as mine. Hard to believe most the good ones were 2004 ish. Ive goten so sick of it ive been dabbling with old PC games . Found a few good ones and one that comes to mind is Vampires the Masqerade. Could have been a masterpiece if was not rushed out, anyways White Wolf will be making a MMO based on that World of Darkness, where it takes place. Was just announced and as long as Richard Garriot does not get ahold of it it may only take a few years to release.
Resubbed to Anarchy Online and it is still going strong. Just started a little froob trader for the tradershop and planning to ding a keeper up. Old account is given away so...but I find I rather enjoy the leveling on old Rubi-Ka.
That said AoC and War:AoR are the two mmos I look the most forward too. WaR being an old war pnp player when I was a kiddie . Else, Huxley, Hellgate and well...Thats it.
But yes, old is best. Nowadays its all wow-copies(which copied eq which copied...), grindfests and shiny gfx. Who cares about gfx when gameplay is out the window? I rather have lousy gfx and a fun game than the opposite. But I'm an old fart in gaming, and still have fond memories using quarters on Asteroids, Space Invaders and Pacman .
FUN = can equal the tried and proven things of character customization. So, enhance it. Get creative. Take it a step further. Innovate a new dimension, process, concept of character customization.
[Innovation can be breakthrough and incremental.]
It all goes hand in hand. (EQ 2 is the best game on the market).
----- WoW and fast food = commercial successes. I neither play WoW nor eat fast food.
Played World of Warcraft for a solid two years before packing up and moving to a new game, has been definitely a lack of new quality MMOs, just holding out for Spellborn, hopefully it wont let me down.
Comments
Mature rating is a good thing! Its a good thing!! Blood! BLOOD!! AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!!!!
Somebody had to tell him.
|Mortal Online|Gnostaria|
The genre is just kind of stagnant right now. You have the big companies with the neccessary financial support, but they can't take too many risks, so they just churn out the same old stuff. Then, you have the small companies with lots of ideas and a willlingness to take chances, but they dont have the financial support to release a solid product. What are ya gonna do?
At this point, Id rather see MMOs take a big step back in the graphic department and just make a fun game with some depth. If I want to see shiny graphics Ill pick up one of the 4,000 single player games out there...
Id have played tabula rasa if it didnt have auto aim which i feel kind of ruins it,and if there was a little more diversity to the classes,even if they'd used the traditional architypes (the mage,the fighter,the rogue,the healer) it would have been different,rather than everyone getting a big gun to shoot. It has some nice ideas ill give it that.
Ok maybe some mmo's you have to pay for have been a little disapointing but were not talking about free games are we? I mean you cant expect alot from these but yet a good majority of them actually impress me. For example look at metin2, its graphics look great and the combat system is amazing on top of that having WASD and its just in beta. There are also a few others I measn sure these games make a little money from selling items to players who want to pay a little extra but thats nothing compared to game like EQ and WOW.
Colored text FTL - I agree with the OP. Since WoW, the selection of games to choose from is poor at best. Seems developers try to top WoW instead of just making fun MMO's.
Am I the only one who's waitting for Conan instead of WAR? I mean come-on WAR is just wow re-made. And conan's gonna have the mature rating (i hope ) might (hopfully) make for a more mature community.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
DAoC is the best mmorpg hands down. Sure EVE is nice and all but ... <yawn>.
DAoC captivated me on and off for 3 years. No other mmorpg did that. Going to the frontier first time and getting rolled...and yeah UO is up there too. DAoC and UO are the top games. Old UO was so much fun, I wonder where mmorpgs lost it and turned into little f&ck fests of the same old same old, hack slash hack slash haksjaf lsad. ETC..
Heh, so I played this mental game with myself upon reading the title of this thread: "What two games that are 3 years old are the best...?"
Imagine my surprise when I saw two titles that never crossed my mind. WoW and EQ2 are hardly the best MMOs. You might have an argument with EQ2, but certainly not WoW.
But even more insidious is the fact that THESE GAMES ARE THREE YEARS OLD! Doesn't anyone see how ridiculous it is to use these games as some sort of benchmark? They've had three YEARS to improve their game, to add content, to tweak gameplay. Yes, you could royally screw things up like SWG:NGE, but for the most part MMO games improve with age.
Perhaps a better thesis is that it takes three years for a game to mature? Then I might support the argument. People deluding themselves about the infant stages of WAR or AoC.
_____________________________
Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/
Try 8-10 years IMO. The last MMO's I really enjoyed were AC1 (99) and UO (07).
High hopes that AOC pulls something out of the bag, otherwise it's back to RTS's.
The old Grindfest Borefest MMO's are becomming a thing of the past. I hope they leave soon. The grinding in MMO's is tedius and boring.
I'm looking forward to Age of Conan way more then WAR, that game prolly wont be all that great. Besides that, I agree with the OP, the best MMO I have ever played without a doubt was the original SWG, and for now there is no other great MMO out, there is WoW and EQ2 I guess, but other then that nothing is interesting and new, EvE would be on there, but they have a lame skill system. I'm just wasting time playing WoW and other free MMO's till they release something worth playing is released, right now that means AoC, PoTBS, or just maybe WAR
Mess with the best, Die like the rest
Gamers don't use these two games as benchmarks but unfortunately, developers do. So every new game that a developer makes incorporates (or clones) ascpects of these games in hopes that their game will be the next hit. As soon as a developers stop trying to mimic the success of these two games we'll have better MMO's.
I don't find it sad that good MMOs are X years old. A good MMO (should) last years in my opinion.
That said, I don't think WoW is worth playing for 3 years...
Resubbed to Anarchy Online and it is still going strong. Just started a little froob trader for the tradershop and planning to ding a keeper up. Old account is given away so...but I find I rather enjoy the leveling on old Rubi-Ka.
That said AoC and War:AoR are the two mmos I look the most forward too. WaR being an old war pnp player when I was a kiddie
. Else, Huxley, Hellgate and well...Thats it.
But yes, old is best. Nowadays its all wow-copies(which copied eq which copied...), grindfests and shiny gfx. Who cares about gfx when gameplay is out the window? I rather have lousy gfx and a fun game than the opposite. But I'm an old fart in gaming, and still have fond memories using quarters on Asteroids, Space Invaders and Pacman
.
---
Grammar nazi's. This one is for you.
Creativity + Innovation + FUN = Great Game.
FUN = can equal the tried and proven things of character customization. So, enhance it. Get creative. Take it a step further. Innovate a new dimension, process, concept of character customization.
[Innovation can be breakthrough and incremental.]
It all goes hand in hand.
(EQ 2 is the best game on the market).
-----
WoW and fast food = commercial successes.
I neither play WoW nor eat fast food.
If we're going by innovation and gameplay variety, the best game is over 6 years old now: Anarchy Online.
Played World of Warcraft for a solid two years before packing up and moving to a new game, has been definitely a lack of new quality MMOs, just holding out for Spellborn, hopefully it wont let me down.