Alorxico said:
UPDATE: Thank you to all those who have made suggests. I know it is kinda late in the game, but I have added (or attempted to add) Rifts to the Poll, as many have suggested that I try it and, to be honest, I had completely forgotten about it. If you do not see Rifts and would like to suggest it, click "Other" and post a comment.
If you have a different suggestion, please do not hesitate to post!
Again, thank you to all who have made a suggestion thus far.
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With school being over and a massive amount of free time now on my hands, the MMO bug has bit once again. I used to love playing WoW, but am currently unhappy with what they have done to the talent trees, spells and some of the tweaks to the weapons and armor. So, are there any good MMOs out there that you can recommend for me? The poll lists a few I have heard good things about, but there are many more out there.
I am looking for something with replay value, something that will keep me coming back because there is always something new (not necessarily because they keep releasing content but because there is alot to see), and somethings that gives me a chance to create my own character, not a cookie-cutter hero.
~~ Alorxico
Hi guy. I'm a bit late to this question, but I thought I'd chime in. Long time MMO player here. Let's take a look at your poll.
1. DDO Online. Somehow got one vote, deserves none. Despite being the poster child for re-invigoration via FTP way back in the day, this game was basically dead on arrival and never achieved critical mass. I'm not even sure I'd recommend it to someone doing a retro MMO binge.
2. Guild War 2 is the strongest MMO on this list, and arguably the WORST "WoW replacement" on the market. You have likely heard at least one person refer to GW2 as "a WoW clone", as they share a stylized aesthetic and are both MMOs. They are incorrect. In many ways, GW2 is a distaff counterpart to WoW, and not all its deviations are improvements. By all means try it if you wish, it's a fine game in it's own right, but it is not a "lifestyle MMO" like WoW. It is not a game you should expect to play for months or years. It lacks the progression treadmill that keeps other MMOs engaging (if something of a prison for your free time), while simultaneously having the sub-optimal play mechanics of an MMO...thus paling beside more conventional "just play it for fun" games.
3. Champions Online. Is rubbish. There might be someone out there who really enjoyed that game, and if so I'd like to hear from that person, because I fear they may have a fever. Poorly made superhero game with a galling aesthetic and shoddy game play. City of Heroes flew circles around it, and City of Heroes wasn't even a particularly good MMO.
4. EVE Online. EVE is its own thing, hermetically sealed away from the rest of the MMO genre. Like GW2, it is a wild departure from WoW. Unlike GW2, it IS a game you could expect to play for months, or years. Assuming you made it through the opening week. The game is notoriously impenetrable to new players, and time has only made it more hostile. If this was 5-6 yeas ago I'd say YES. At this point, I think EVE is best left to the EVE-hards.
5. Rift. Rift is probably the most similar game to WoW in terms of play model, with the benefit of smoother, more modern mechanics and the detriment of significantly less personality and breadth. I would tentatively recommend Rift, in part based on its imminent transition to FTP, with one major caveat. Trion has recently been HAMMERED by major layoffs due in large part to the horrible reception for Defiance, and I fear what that will mean for the future of Rift. It's already limping along with a pretty small player base, and no one likes playing a less than vital/lively MMO.
Other options you're likely to hear:
1. TOR. Good short term game, bad long term game. Horrible business model.
2. TSW. Bordering on maintenance mode due to terrible initial sales. Not a particularly good game.
3. TERA. Holding its own in FTP, but very, VERY old-school grind-mechanics. Think old Lineage or Aion.
4. Neverwinter. Grasping, hyper linear Fee-To-Play game. Fun enough, but definitely not a long term game.
If I were in your shoes, I would be waiting for Wildstar (~6 mos out), and then later for Titan (~2-4 years out). The former is shaping up to be the heir apparent to vanilla WoW in many respects, the latter is, of course, made by Blizzard themselves and will have a mind-boggling budget behind it.
Wildstar:
It's just gone into the next stage of its closed beta, and all the feedback coming out of beta and trade shows has bordered on the ridiculously glowing. I recommend doing a little digging on it, there's plenty of info out there. Carbine seems to have the best handle on what makes MMOs actually *work* of the many developers currently out there.
If you require more in-depth commentary on any one game I can provide it. Except for Champions Online. Because I barely played it. Because it's terrible.
