Wurmonline - Game I played for the longest the only real mmo "GAME" that is eligiable for this sites requirements(the whole graphical thing that is still a fully player controlled world. It even puts EvE and Darkfall to shame after you look at aspects like being able to build your house/town/outpost anywhere(literally) on the map amoung a few other touches. Guildwars - A class based game where it actually made sense to go class based. This should be a staple for ANY mmo or even gamer. Runescape - what can I say I'm not the UO hardcore guy I started on this game when I was a kid. It has some interesting design decisions in that permemently altered how I was going to play MMOs(for great sandbox) from those decisions in the game. Mabinogi - sillily enough what I'm playing now. Biggest laugh in the face to wester MMO developers because an Asian F2P low quality grind endgamelessbudgetless bad graphic sadist maoistic game gets away from the holy trinity when the best aspect of the game is raiding, while they(our developers) can't imagine a game that is otherwise(holy trinity).
Right PaulScott... I just lost all faith in you, Mabinogi? seriously? WurmOnline? Could you pick worse games? Even The Matrix (which is otherwise the worst MMO game ever published), beats these games.
1) EVE online - I love being able to be what I want to be. One of my Characters just mines asteroids - it may sound boring but it makes a lot of money and it can be very risky.
2) LOTRO - Was my favorite till the new expansion gained a lot of new players and the resulting lag made the game unplayable on my older computer.
3) City of Villains - loved it.
4) EQ2 - used to love it till it became very boring.
5) Shadowbane - my first love of MMo's - in my opinion when it was new it was the best PvP game out there.
RuneScape: This was my first mmo loved it with a passion talked about it dreamt about it cryed about it no lie. I was a serious addict. For 5 years.
World of WArcraft: ahh fuck wow I like but I don't like but I've flown back to it again and again.
Warhammer Online: Our savior from warcraft? Not even a little bit I played for a couple months loved it but slowly began to hate it and now I despise it..
Maple Story is another which I am not proud to announce but I did have fun..
Everquest - Nothing can top the original 3D MMO. From accidentally attacking a guard while trying to Hail for the first time, to drowning in Qeynos because swimming in an MMO at that time was like something unheard of. Even at the end, the community was still pretty cool. And this was a truly hardcore level of MMO. Find another MMO where you spend literally HOURS in a group, just killing monsters over and over again, only to die ONCE, and have all the experience you gained, and more, get flushed away. It was frustrating at the time, but the tolerance of the system was because it was the best, and only one doing it, so you really had no choice but to accept it and grind away. World of Warcraft - I played this longer than any MMO before. I had never even played a warcraft game before, but that's how cool it was, that's how much it just completely drew you in. When the game first launched, it was discovery, and exploration, and just so much fun I couldn't wait to get home and play it. The game runs like a dream, even on crummy computers, without making the graphics look too underwhelming. In fact, many locations are just downright gorgeous. With that being said, the game has degraded into a cesspool. While WotLK has given us some truly breathtaking environments, and some novel new quest ideas, the fact remains: WoW's community is GARBAGE. And what's left of the game has been turned into a giant math problem and number crunch, thanks to theorycrafters who have answered the math problem with a single resounding answer: If you don't have the best gear in the game, you're not worth talking to. Warhammer Online - I must say, I bought this right at release, and I still play it from time to time. WAR takes the "static race-war" concept to a new height, where you feel like both sides actually hate each other. It's hard to imagine a Tauren mercilessly tearing apart a Night Elf. Sorry, but the race war in WoW is stupid, and not believable. But I can definitely see a Greenskin splitting a goody two shoes high elf in half with a giant axe. The environments are also pretty cool, but what really sells this game for me is the PvP. And I HATE PvP in MMOs. But for some reason, this game makes it feel natural, and fun, and it's the only game where I can tolerate lengthy PvP campaigns. Also, for a game not focused on PvE, public quests are one of the coolest things ever done in ANY MMO, and I would love to see it in future MMOs. Vanguard - One of the main things I liked about Vanguard was how vast and detailed it was. Unfortunately, this is also one of the things that eventually made me stop playing it. Expansive is fine, but when it takes 40 minutes just to find the one person you need in a giant metropolis of a city, that gets a little tiresome. There are too many people to talk to for everything. As far as graphics, the models are ok, the jumping animations are pretty bad, and let's face it... they're all the same model with a bit different height, face, and head. But they all stand the same way, fight the same way, and cast the same way. That's usually the drawback to MMOs with 15-20 race/class choices. it didn't take long for me to realize that this was just another grind fest, and after about 20 levels, I realized that it was just kill/gather quests over and over again, except with absurd difficulty. And I figured if I was going to be bored with generic quests, I might as well just go back and play WoW. LOTRO - This is the game I'm currently playing, and it has a handful of things that other MMOs don't, but for the most part is still your standard fare. However there are a few big selling points for me. Number one is the music system. This in and of itself could be an entire game, and it really heightens the immersion factor. Also the fishing is very relaxing, and doesn't require an annoying twitch mechanic like WoW does. Finally, the almost complete absence of PvP. PvP in just about all MMOs comes across as malicious and hateful. It's designed to do this. In an FPS game, you have guns, you're supposed to be killing people. In MMOs, it's just like this wrench thrown into what should be a relaxing and fun experience, designed so people who are unhappy in RL can take it out on other players, and then spam them with ignorant emotes. Thankfully, LOTRO is almost devoid of PvP, and the only PvP it has is well thought out, putting you in the role of a monster, which is the only thing that should be attacking players.
Anyway, that's my two cents. Think of it what you will.
What I highlighted there is the BEST ASSESSMENT of WoW that I have EVER seen bar none. I totally agree with what you've said, sadly. And WotLK had some really wonderful new game twists, like the phasing, where your actions really DID affect the game environment. Loved it. Just loved it. But everything else that you said is ALSO true, and that is why I'm no longer playing WoW, after four years of playing it. That being said, I have almost always (until now) subbed to more than one game at a time. Here are my five picks:
1) Lord of the Rings Online - BEST GAMING COMMUNITY I have ever encountered, absolutely STUNNING graphics that are SO not done justice by any screenshot I have ever seen. It uses DX10 if you have it, and if you DO...it's a gorgeous treat for the eyes! This is the game I am presently playing, also, and I ADORE it. I'm on Vilya server, and a member of "Bards of a Feather" a "famous" orchestra that plays all across Middle Earth, so yes...I love the music system too. Everything you said about LotRO....I agree with, as well!
2) World of Warcraft - the 800 lb gorilla that I enjoyed so thoroughly because of being in a FANTASTIC adult raid guild, albeit in the end...I just couldn't STAND the game's community any more
3) Ultima Online - So many great things I could say....the sandbox game that ignited my love of MMOs
4) Everquest II - another good community, just barely falls short of LotRO, in my opinion, however
5) Link Realms - a little known true sandbox game that is in semi-open beta and has TREMENDOUS promise
Really nice to read some well thought out and objective write-ups of those MMORPGs we all love (... to hate *smile* )
1) Anarchy Online - The first real MMORPG I played and the one I still have fond memories of. Was introduced by my flatmates at the time and exploring the huge world with some experienced players to show me the ropes was amazingly fun. I loved the different things you could do to your char. Not only weapons and armour but also Implants played a major role in how powerful your char would become. The whole twinking was tremendous fun. You really depended on other players for some things - I'm not only talking about grouping but also the different buffs you wanted/needed. All classes had short/ and long-term buffs that helped you equip high level gear or gave you run speed or a 30 minute HoT, etc. Fantastic!
These days, the community is not as big anymore, but still sizeable enough to find people quickly. Also, the base game is FREE - always good in my books - and Funcom is releasing new addons quite regularly, considering the game's age. If you like futuristic SciFi games, you should check it out. The graphics are a little dated, but FC are working on an engine update, that looks pretty good, from what I've seen.
2) Planetside - Damn, how much fun! I had the good fortune to be a part of a very fun outfit (Hey Purple Valor) and mowing down enemies with a platoon of Magriders was about as much fun as I've ever had in a shooter style game. As someone mentioned earlier, the sense of allout war can be incredibly immersive. I remember a battle at a bridge with all 3 factions trying to secure a beachhead. There were literally hundreds of players and the action raged on for hours.
I haven't played it for a while, so I won't attempt to say anything about the current state of the game. You can play for free until battle rank 6 (out of 20 ?) which will give you access to every weapon and armour in the game. You just won't have the tactical choices higher level players have.
3) World of Warcraft - The big cheese. I started playing with some RL friends and we had a fantastic time together. They dropped off after a while because of time constraints in real life, but I stayed until I hit the level cap of 60 at the time. For me the game changed radically, then. I loved exploration, questing. Doing stuff in small groups or alone. And suddenly it was all about raiding and farming MC for that epic gear. I dropped out shortly after I hit 60.
When BC came out I joined again and played for about 4-5 levels. I couldn't get into it anymore. It seemed to be more of the same and as I didn't have people I knew in my level range I was just grinding mobs and doing solo quests. Overall I have to say though, that imho WoW is the MMORPG that has been executed the best. Sure, some (haters would say 'all' ) ideas were there before, but it was all so polished. Just a superbly built game.
4) Warhammer Online - Played it for about 2-3 months. Had a fun guild (I'm lucky that way), but i got ground out at level 27. Not much to do on your own, if you're on your own it seemd. PvP was a lot of fun. Frantic screams over TS were hilarious. I got an email recently, offering a 10 day free re-sub. Thinking of checking out what's happened in the last few months.
5) Runes of Magic - Currently playing this one. Looks nice, plays well, is free and the community is not nearly as bad as I expected from a F2P WoW lookalike. We'll see how it pans out and how long I can stick with it
The rest: Vanguard, SWG, Eve, RF Online and a few others. Played the trials and didn't sub for different reasons.
It's a close call between the first 3 but LOTRO is more polished than Warhammer, I find Warhamer more epic in RvR than WoW (in #3 cause I played it for long)and it's a userfriendly game even tho a bit too grindy and the community is bad in my opinion.
You may be suprised by my #5 but I find it a good game and it at least made a go at a different combat engine and decent customisation.
Yes I hear you screaming Age of Conan. That's my #6 :P (simply because I find it kind of clunky to play but it's not bad)
Now this is hard one. How does one make that list? Based upon what? All games differ, they have their strenghts and weaknesses. In the end I guess I favor a gaming experience. Im not playing any of the games listed. Im in a new game yet to be released
UO (pre-trammel)
SWG (pre-hologrind)
WoW
Vanguard
Tabula Rasa
1. Ultima Online (pre-trammel)
The game was just awsome in every aspect (at the time). Todays games look better but thats about it. The original UO (after trammel it all went downhill - especially with itemization in AoS) had it all; no classes, a pool of skills to build your type of char, housing, exploring, a player economy, player vendors, crafting, full loot (even monsters looted you), walking healers(!), spirit speak(!), open dungeons, a big open world (T2A aside), no instancing and socializing!
Would I go back to a pre-trammel server? Nope. The game is too dated technically. A game with with all features listed above would def get my interest though.
2. Star Wars Galaxies (pre-hologrind)
The gaming experience was a blast. The world (planets) were huge! You could explore for hours and hours. Hunting Rancors at Dathomir was a truly amazing experience. Especially at launch when the Dathomirian nights were pitch black. Camps became social hubs where anyone was welcome to lick their wounds or share their stories. The game had bugs - too many bugs to be honest, but it didnt matter because the overall experience was spot on. The game was very much like UO in many aspect; no classes, a pool of skills to build your type of char, housing, player run towns, exploring, a player economy, player vendors, the best crafting ever seen in a mmorpg(!), lovely harvesting, no instancing (The corvette aside) and socializing!
The "hologrind" had a huge impact on the gaming experience. The CU and then the NGE just nailed the coffin. Would I go back to a pre-hologrind version? Actually I think I would. Especially if they had fixed all that was broken at the time.
3. World of Warcraft
The beast of mmorpgs. Its so polished and perfect its almost unbelivable (it was amazingly polished at lunch compared to any mmorpg before or after). Blizzard has showed the world how a well made (technically) mmorpgs should be. Anything less and a new game has to have other qualities to make us overlook technical flaws.
The problem with WoW is the lack of social aspects. There is no housing nor a crafting system worth mentioning. The game becomes relly shallow in the end (I did my 4 1/2 years ty!). If Blizzard ever decides to implement housing and a player economy (player vendors/crafted items) I would be tempted to go back. Somehow I dont think they will.
4. Vanguard
A game with potential. Until it went live. It hasnt recovered to this day. Sad but true. In many aspects it is a lot like UO or SWG; a huge seamless world, open dungeons, a good crafting system and housing (yet not amazing). The technical execution was just horrible and everything looked as if coated with a thin layer of metal. The immersion just wasnt there.
They've changed alot over the years. I have been back but the game still doesnt hook me.
5. Tabula Rasa
I really liked the flow of the game; character control, the ui and combat feeling. What really drove me away (long before I could experience "end-game") was the non-immersive world (read zones). Connected zones just doesnt cut it in my book.
Another sci-fi game with key elements from TR would get my interest for sure. If they manage to create an immersive world.
Conclusion
Give me a sandbox game with key elements from UO/SWG and the same polish and technical execution as WoW and someone will have my money for years.
M M O S S I N C E |1998| P L A Y I N G F A L L E N E A R T H T I M E I N V E S T E D |uo|swg|wow| B E T A T E S T E R |rz|gw|hz|tr|hgl|potbs|potc|gw|hz|wish|fe|wow|df|war|
Everquest - I spent 4 to 5 years of my life in this game. I tried other MMO's during this time i.e. SWG, DAOC, AC, AO but never lasted beyond the trial period, always got drawn back to EQ. Even to this day I miss my Enchanter, every game thats followed (which I've played) the CC classes have been shallow affairs compared to the EQ enchanter. I miss the excitement of trains which gave an added edge whilst playing. Even to this day I still remember fondly my first visit to Crushbone and getting sliced up by DI Vinn (excuse spelling) wondering what the hell did incoming train mean and running for cover when someone released the Spectres in Oasis. I miss spending a couple of hours killing mobs and chatting to my group mates now it's replaced by grinding quests hoping your group don't disband once certain quests have finished. Mostly I miss the community.
Vanguard SOH - The game had so much potential, but Sigil had to F-up the launch due to bad management etc. I didn't last long due to the bugs etc, but came back 6 months after launch. The game wasn't perfect, still had loads of bugs, lack of content at the higher levels but it still drawed me in like EQ did. It gave me a large seamless world to explore, some amazing dungeons to explore, a brilliant community to engage with and some of the best class designs I've seen in a MMO. (I would not recommend VG now)
LOTRO - Great game, beautiful world, loads of polish, well written quests which make you feel a part of the main story.
The above 3 games stand out the most to me, most of the other MMO's I've played were quite lacklustered.
EQ 2 - I enjoyed it at first, started to go down hill for me around live update 13 which nerfed the hell out of my cleric. Shortly afterwards I left to go to WoW, came back once to try out the PvP but got bored a few months down the line.
WAR - Great to start with, loved the Book of Knowledge and the PQ's. When after a while realised the PQ's are basically the same as the first one you did. Most of the player base hid in the scenerios to begin with until they introduced INF rewards to main PvP areas and then the game turned into keep grinding which soon got boring. PvE was lame, just used for leveling up and gaining loot when you got tried of PvP. The mob AI was the worse I've seen in a P2P MMO. I will try WAR in the future once they sort out the PvP.
WoW - A good game, just got bored after a few months. I've tried it again a few times but never lasted long.
Lineage 2 - My first MMO experienece. It was a grind, but I loved it.
WoW - Overall probably the best MMO as far as a total package. It's has so many things you can do.
SWG CU - Master Rifleman/Marksman was hella fun to play. Then came the shame of NGE BOO!
CoH - Dream come true. Superhero MMO WOOT. My complaint: It just lacks mini-games, missions are repetitive.
AoC - The graphics are superb and cool combat system. And its Conan man! You can't beat that!
Matrix Online - Had to put MxO on here. I love the films. The game has a unique way about it. Though, the mission system is so repetitively boring. And it needed to be a bigger world. I did love the story driven events though. That's what made MxO shine.
Neocron - So terribly flawed in so many ways but yet the best atmosphere I've experienced to date. I could be contacted by players respectfully comissioning me for a crafted vehicle and stand in the shop for days crafting the various parts while gunfights with the player rebel factions were erupting right outside the shop windows. And I would watch them while I crafted and hope they didn't make it all the way to the shop. Or hacking into the VR grid and actually travel through it. Nuff said. It was incredibly ambitious, maybe it had to fall on it's face.
Everquest - Not because it in hindsight it was such a great game, but it was my first graphical mmo and I loved it. When I think on it it wasn't such a bad game either. I used to hate spawn camping, kill stealing and trains in Guk, but with todays instancing I realize it was better because it was 'real'. And besides, when I made my first troll and entered the swamp, I met some elf or human characters on the border to the desert and they fled when they saw me coming. Or my buddy the dwarf Pingus who had such bad framerate in Freeport he had to stand with his face towards the wall inside the bank and ask people to open trade with him cuz he couldn't move. How can you beat the value of such gleeful naivity? These people were there. You could kill your own god for phat lewt though..
Anarchy Online - Also a flawed game, hell they were all flawed. But Funcom did some things with the genre that really pushed the envelope, especially with regards to functionality. Also the only game where I would actually go clubbing with my character and enjoy just doing that for hours. I remember scripting dance moves, solo dancing or synching pairs. The only game where I had an actual personal player character secretary following me around. Her lingerie cost me a fortune but today I can't think of a better way to spend money.
Eve - Now this is a funny one because I am so incredibly ambivalent to it. On one hand I can't play it, it's just too extreme and it caters to a kind of player that I have trouble getting along with. This player base operates with 6+ months plans and play 2-3 specialized alts each and everything is very serious and kinda pointless at the same time. Still, I have such tremendous respect for the player driven complexity in all it's facets and the history it produces, that it deserves a place on the list. Besides, it's beautiful. It's the only game I played that I spent more time fiddling with the game outside the game than inside and I guess that's both good and bad.
Not a really thought through post, I may even have forgotten some that I really enjoyed. But there it is, impressions on my memory.
Comments
Right PaulScott... I just lost all faith in you, Mabinogi? seriously? WurmOnline? Could you pick worse games? Even The Matrix (which is otherwise the worst MMO game ever published), beats these games.
darkfall- a new try
EVE- still playing
wow- a game will never be surpassed i think
CF- real addicted
lord of ring...
1) EVE online - I love being able to be what I want to be. One of my Characters just mines asteroids - it may sound boring but it makes a lot of money and it can be very risky.
2) LOTRO - Was my favorite till the new expansion gained a lot of new players and the resulting lag made the game unplayable on my older computer.
3) City of Villains - loved it.
4) EQ2 - used to love it till it became very boring.
5) Shadowbane - my first love of MMo's - in my opinion when it was new it was the best PvP game out there.
Waiting for: Champions online.
Top 5..
RuneScape: This was my first mmo loved it with a passion talked about it dreamt about it cryed about it no lie. I was a serious addict. For 5 years.
World of WArcraft: ahh fuck wow I like but I don't like but I've flown back to it again and again.
Warhammer Online: Our savior from warcraft? Not even a little bit I played for a couple months loved it but slowly began to hate it and now I despise it..
Maple Story is another which I am not proud to announce but I did have fun..
What I highlighted there is the BEST ASSESSMENT of WoW that I have EVER seen bar none. I totally agree with what you've said, sadly. And WotLK had some really wonderful new game twists, like the phasing, where your actions really DID affect the game environment. Loved it. Just loved it. But everything else that you said is ALSO true, and that is why I'm no longer playing WoW, after four years of playing it. That being said, I have almost always (until now) subbed to more than one game at a time. Here are my five picks:
1) Lord of the Rings Online - BEST GAMING COMMUNITY I have ever encountered, absolutely STUNNING graphics that are SO not done justice by any screenshot I have ever seen. It uses DX10 if you have it, and if you DO...it's a gorgeous treat for the eyes! This is the game I am presently playing, also, and I ADORE it. I'm on Vilya server, and a member of "Bards of a Feather" a "famous" orchestra that plays all across Middle Earth, so yes...I love the music system too.
Everything you said about LotRO....I agree with, as well!
2) World of Warcraft - the 800 lb gorilla that I enjoyed so thoroughly because of being in a FANTASTIC adult raid guild, albeit in the end...I just couldn't STAND the game's community any more
3) Ultima Online - So many great things I could say....the sandbox game that ignited my love of MMOs
4) Everquest II - another good community, just barely falls short of LotRO, in my opinion, however
5) Link Realms - a little known true sandbox game that is in semi-open beta and has TREMENDOUS promise
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
Darkfall
Really nice to read some well thought out and objective write-ups of those MMORPGs we all love (... to hate *smile* )
1) Anarchy Online - The first real MMORPG I played and the one I still have fond memories of. Was introduced by my flatmates at the time and exploring the huge world with some experienced players to show me the ropes was amazingly fun. I loved the different things you could do to your char. Not only weapons and armour but also Implants played a major role in how powerful your char would become. The whole twinking was tremendous fun. You really depended on other players for some things - I'm not only talking about grouping but also the different buffs you wanted/needed. All classes had short/ and long-term buffs that helped you equip high level gear or gave you run speed or a 30 minute HoT, etc. Fantastic!
These days, the community is not as big anymore, but still sizeable enough to find people quickly. Also, the base game is FREE - always good in my books - and Funcom is releasing new addons quite regularly, considering the game's age. If you like futuristic SciFi games, you should check it out. The graphics are a little dated, but FC are working on an engine update, that looks pretty good, from what I've seen.
2) Planetside - Damn, how much fun! I had the good fortune to be a part of a very fun outfit (Hey Purple Valor) and mowing down enemies with a platoon of Magriders was about as much fun as I've ever had in a shooter style game. As someone mentioned earlier, the sense of allout war can be incredibly immersive. I remember a battle at a bridge with all 3 factions trying to secure a beachhead. There were literally hundreds of players and the action raged on for hours.
I haven't played it for a while, so I won't attempt to say anything about the current state of the game. You can play for free until battle rank 6 (out of 20 ?) which will give you access to every weapon and armour in the game. You just won't have the tactical choices higher level players have.
3) World of Warcraft - The big cheese. I started playing with some RL friends and we had a fantastic time together. They dropped off after a while because of time constraints in real life, but I stayed until I hit the level cap of 60 at the time. For me the game changed radically, then. I loved exploration, questing. Doing stuff in small groups or alone. And suddenly it was all about raiding and farming MC for that epic gear. I dropped out shortly after I hit 60.
When BC came out I joined again and played for about 4-5 levels. I couldn't get into it anymore. It seemed to be more of the same and as I didn't have people I knew in my level range I was just grinding mobs and doing solo quests. Overall I have to say though, that imho WoW is the MMORPG that has been executed the best. Sure, some (haters would say 'all'
) ideas were there before, but it was all so polished. Just a superbly built game.
4) Warhammer Online - Played it for about 2-3 months. Had a fun guild (I'm lucky that way), but i got ground out at level 27. Not much to do on your own, if you're on your own it seemd. PvP was a lot of fun. Frantic screams over TS were hilarious. I got an email recently, offering a 10 day free re-sub. Thinking of checking out what's happened in the last few months.
5) Runes of Magic - Currently playing this one. Looks nice, plays well, is free and the community is not nearly as bad as I expected from a F2P WoW lookalike. We'll see how it pans out and how long I can stick with it
The rest: Vanguard, SWG, Eve, RF Online and a few others. Played the trials and didn't sub for different reasons.
Hmmm.
Definitely past tense here, big fans of all these games at various times:
EQ, UO, Anarchy Online, WoW, DaoC
Of them, I only occassionally still play WoW now, and by occassionally I mean like 2-3 times year.
1. Pre NGE SWG
2. LOTRO
3. DnD online
4. Vanguard
5. WoW
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
#1 Dark Age of Camelot - Most fun I have ever had in "any" MMO.
#2 EverQuest - My first MMO I ever played so always gonna have a soft spot for this game.
#3 Lord of the Rings online - Prettiest game ever and the effort put into making it "feel" like Middle Earth is worth making the top 3.
I do not have a #4 or #5
In terms of quality in my opinion
#1 Lord of the Rings Online
#2 Warhammer
#3 World of Warcraft
#4 Everquest 2 (I'd insert EVE Online here but I'm not a fan of sci-fi games so...)
#5 Dungeons and Dragons Online
It's a close call between the first 3 but LOTRO is more polished than Warhammer, I find Warhamer more epic in RvR than WoW (in #3 cause I played it for long)and it's a userfriendly game even tho a bit too grindy and the community is bad in my opinion.
You may be suprised by my #5 but I find it a good game and it at least made a go at a different combat engine and decent customisation.
Yes I hear you screaming Age of Conan. That's my #6 :P (simply because I find it kind of clunky to play but it's not bad)
Now this is hard one. How does one make that list? Based upon what? All games differ, they have their strenghts and weaknesses. In the end I guess I favor a gaming experience. Im not playing any of the games listed. Im in a new game yet to be released
1. Ultima Online (pre-trammel)
The game was just awsome in every aspect (at the time). Todays games look better but thats about it. The original UO (after trammel it all went downhill - especially with itemization in AoS) had it all; no classes, a pool of skills to build your type of char, housing, exploring, a player economy, player vendors, crafting, full loot (even monsters looted you), walking healers(!), spirit speak(!), open dungeons, a big open world (T2A aside), no instancing and socializing!
Would I go back to a pre-trammel server? Nope. The game is too dated technically. A game with with all features listed above would def get my interest though.
2. Star Wars Galaxies (pre-hologrind)
The gaming experience was a blast. The world (planets) were huge! You could explore for hours and hours. Hunting Rancors at Dathomir was a truly amazing experience. Especially at launch when the Dathomirian nights were pitch black. Camps became social hubs where anyone was welcome to lick their wounds or share their stories. The game had bugs - too many bugs to be honest, but it didnt matter because the overall experience was spot on. The game was very much like UO in many aspect; no classes, a pool of skills to build your type of char, housing, player run towns, exploring, a player economy, player vendors, the best crafting ever seen in a mmorpg(!), lovely harvesting, no instancing (The corvette aside) and socializing!
The "hologrind" had a huge impact on the gaming experience. The CU and then the NGE just nailed the coffin. Would I go back to a pre-hologrind version? Actually I think I would. Especially if they had fixed all that was broken at the time.
3. World of Warcraft
The beast of mmorpgs. Its so polished and perfect its almost unbelivable (it was amazingly polished at lunch compared to any mmorpg before or after). Blizzard has showed the world how a well made (technically) mmorpgs should be. Anything less and a new game has to have other qualities to make us overlook technical flaws.
The problem with WoW is the lack of social aspects. There is no housing nor a crafting system worth mentioning. The game becomes relly shallow in the end (I did my 4 1/2 years ty!). If Blizzard ever decides to implement housing and a player economy (player vendors/crafted items) I would be tempted to go back. Somehow I dont think they will.
4. Vanguard
A game with potential. Until it went live. It hasnt recovered to this day. Sad but true. In many aspects it is a lot like UO or SWG; a huge seamless world, open dungeons, a good crafting system and housing (yet not amazing). The technical execution was just horrible and everything looked as if coated with a thin layer of metal. The immersion just wasnt there.
They've changed alot over the years. I have been back but the game still doesnt hook me.
5. Tabula Rasa
I really liked the flow of the game; character control, the ui and combat feeling. What really drove me away (long before I could experience "end-game") was the non-immersive world (read zones). Connected zones just doesnt cut it in my book.
Another sci-fi game with key elements from TR would get my interest for sure. If they manage to create an immersive world.
Conclusion
Give me a sandbox game with key elements from UO/SWG and the same polish and technical execution as WoW and someone will have my money for years.
M M O S S I N C E |1998|
P L A Y I N G F A L L E N E A R T H
T I M E I N V E S T E D |uo|swg|wow|
B E T A T E S T E R |rz|gw|hz|tr|hgl|potbs|potc|gw|hz|wish|fe|wow|df|war|
1- WoW
2- EQ1 (back in the day)
3- LOTRO (I never played it much but it is a quality product- too much instancing for me)
4- SWG (pre-cu)
5- EVE (love it, but it's hours of boredom spiced with a few minutes of excitement, you need to have a good imagination)
Vanguard was great in many ways.. but its failures were unforgiveable... RIP VG-SOH
Grymm
MMO addict in recovery!
EQ,SWG preCU,L2,EQ2,GW,CoH/CoV,V:SOH,
Aion,AoC,TR,WAR,EVE,BP,RIFT,WoW and others... no more!
Everquest - I spent 4 to 5 years of my life in this game. I tried other MMO's during this time i.e. SWG, DAOC, AC, AO but never lasted beyond the trial period, always got drawn back to EQ. Even to this day I miss my Enchanter, every game thats followed (which I've played) the CC classes have been shallow affairs compared to the EQ enchanter. I miss the excitement of trains which gave an added edge whilst playing. Even to this day I still remember fondly my first visit to Crushbone and getting sliced up by DI Vinn (excuse spelling) wondering what the hell did incoming train mean and running for cover when someone released the Spectres in Oasis. I miss spending a couple of hours killing mobs and chatting to my group mates now it's replaced by grinding quests hoping your group don't disband once certain quests have finished. Mostly I miss the community.
Vanguard SOH - The game had so much potential, but Sigil had to F-up the launch due to bad management etc. I didn't last long due to the bugs etc, but came back 6 months after launch. The game wasn't perfect, still had loads of bugs, lack of content at the higher levels but it still drawed me in like EQ did. It gave me a large seamless world to explore, some amazing dungeons to explore, a brilliant community to engage with and some of the best class designs I've seen in a MMO. (I would not recommend VG now)
LOTRO - Great game, beautiful world, loads of polish, well written quests which make you feel a part of the main story.
The above 3 games stand out the most to me, most of the other MMO's I've played were quite lacklustered.
EQ 2 - I enjoyed it at first, started to go down hill for me around live update 13 which nerfed the hell out of my cleric. Shortly afterwards I left to go to WoW, came back once to try out the PvP but got bored a few months down the line.
WAR - Great to start with, loved the Book of Knowledge and the PQ's. When after a while realised the PQ's are basically the same as the first one you did. Most of the player base hid in the scenerios to begin with until they introduced INF rewards to main PvP areas and then the game turned into keep grinding which soon got boring. PvE was lame, just used for leveling up and gaining loot when you got tried of PvP. The mob AI was the worse I've seen in a P2P MMO. I will try WAR in the future once they sort out the PvP.
WoW - A good game, just got bored after a few months. I've tried it again a few times but never lasted long.
#1: UO
#2: SWG
#3: EVE
Every other game is crap to be honest.
-------------------------
1. WOW- Sick of it now, but it cant be beaten in overall polish.
2. EVE- Best PVP game out right now imho, just wish there was more to the PVE aspect
3. Wizard101- A surprisingly good good game. Best collectable card game out atm. If you can get past the insane chat filter its a blast.
There is nothing else :P
Lineage 2 - My first MMO experienece. It was a grind, but I loved it.
WoW - Overall probably the best MMO as far as a total package. It's has so many things you can do.
SWG CU - Master Rifleman/Marksman was hella fun to play. Then came the shame of NGE BOO!
CoH - Dream come true. Superhero MMO WOOT. My complaint: It just lacks mini-games, missions are repetitive.
AoC - The graphics are superb and cool combat system. And its Conan man! You can't beat that!
Matrix Online - Had to put MxO on here. I love the films. The game has a unique way about it. Though, the mission system is so repetitively boring. And it needed to be a bigger world. I did love the story driven events though. That's what made MxO shine.
Ok so I have 6. SHOOT ME.
DaoC
CoX
Lotro
WoW
Pre CU SWG.
"You are the hero our legends have foretold will save our tribe, therefore please go kill 10 pigs."
Neocron - So terribly flawed in so many ways but yet the best atmosphere I've experienced to date. I could be contacted by players respectfully comissioning me for a crafted vehicle and stand in the shop for days crafting the various parts while gunfights with the player rebel factions were erupting right outside the shop windows. And I would watch them while I crafted and hope they didn't make it all the way to the shop. Or hacking into the VR grid and actually travel through it. Nuff said. It was incredibly ambitious, maybe it had to fall on it's face.
Everquest - Not because it in hindsight it was such a great game, but it was my first graphical mmo and I loved it. When I think on it it wasn't such a bad game either. I used to hate spawn camping, kill stealing and trains in Guk, but with todays instancing I realize it was better because it was 'real'. And besides, when I made my first troll and entered the swamp, I met some elf or human characters on the border to the desert and they fled when they saw me coming. Or my buddy the dwarf Pingus who had such bad framerate in Freeport he had to stand with his face towards the wall inside the bank and ask people to open trade with him cuz he couldn't move. How can you beat the value of such gleeful naivity? These people were there. You could kill your own god for phat lewt though..
Anarchy Online - Also a flawed game, hell they were all flawed. But Funcom did some things with the genre that really pushed the envelope, especially with regards to functionality. Also the only game where I would actually go clubbing with my character and enjoy just doing that for hours. I remember scripting dance moves, solo dancing or synching pairs. The only game where I had an actual personal player character secretary following me around. Her lingerie cost me a fortune but today I can't think of a better way to spend money.
Eve - Now this is a funny one because I am so incredibly ambivalent to it. On one hand I can't play it, it's just too extreme and it caters to a kind of player that I have trouble getting along with. This player base operates with 6+ months plans and play 2-3 specialized alts each and everything is very serious and kinda pointless at the same time. Still, I have such tremendous respect for the player driven complexity in all it's facets and the history it produces, that it deserves a place on the list. Besides, it's beautiful. It's the only game I played that I spent more time fiddling with the game outside the game than inside and I guess that's both good and bad.
Not a really thought through post, I may even have forgotten some that I really enjoyed. But there it is, impressions on my memory.
1. DAOC
2. COX
3. WoW
4. LOTRO
5. EQ2