MMORPGs - Which One?

[Andrew D. Gable]

Well, not really an "I'm new to MMORPGs" question. It might be a dumb question, but are there any that're good for the person that doesn't play 24/7? Since they added a bunch of new stuff, Everquest's a little better that way, but it's starting to slow down again. Dark Age of Camelot's an awesome game (I love the whole Dark Ages/real world vibe), but still too slow on progression. I guess I'm looking for one that's NOT the same-old same-old kill/heal/kill/sell cycle. I've been reading up on the newer ones like Final Fantasy Online and Star Wars, but don't really know if I want to go ahead and buy either of 'em.

 

[John Crichton]

I'd give FFXI a try. I'll give you a short breakdown of my experiences with some MMORPGs.

- Star Wars: I haven't played in months but the gameplay while it looked like Star Wars, didn't feel like Star Wars. I think this game will get better, especially next month with the inclusion of vehicles. I'd wait a few months on this one.

- Dark Age of Camelot: Really fun game for about a month. Got bored with it because it required way too much time to upkeep.

- Anarchy Online: Fun at first, but that was because it was really the only sci-fi MMORPG out there at the time. Played for a few months and got sick of it. Not a bad game but not something I can recomment, not with Star Wars out there.

- Earth & Beyond: A novel idea. I enjoyed playing for a few weeks but the lack of players willing to group and the overly repetitive gameplay drove me away.

- Final Fantasy XI: I beta tested this over the summer and it blew me away. Still fun after a month and simple enough to walk away from for a few weeks and come back to it. For the more casual gamer not wanting to play for 8 hours a day I think this is the game to get.

I've never played Evercrack, Ultima Online or Asheron's Call. Take that for what it is worth.

 

[Eldorian]

Everquest requires a huge time investment to be fun. Thats cause the only people that play it anymore are those with huge amounts of time to invest.

Daoc is fun if you like pvp.

Star wars is fun if you like crafting. The combat is broken.

I am waiting for World of Warcraft. I have always been a big blizzard fanboi.

 

[KenM]

I have not played it, but I heard Earth and Beyond is basically Everquest in space.

 

[John Crichton]

I have not played it, but I heard Earth and Beyond is basically Everquest in space.

I've played just E&B. The one really cool thing about it was the graphics, they were fantastic. Okay, the ships and character models were okay but the planets, asteroids, etc were really good looking. I spent a decent amount of time just going to different systems just to see different locales.

A friend mentioned to me that DAoC was similar to EQ in many ways (and different in many as well) but I've only played the one.

 

[DMScott]

Dark Age of Camelot's an awesome game (I love the whole Dark Ages/real world vibe), but still too slow on progression. I guess I'm looking for one that's NOT the same-old same-old kill/heal/kill/sell cycle.

You might have trouble finding a better one, then - prior to Trials of Atlantis, DAOC was one of the better games for getting to the top level fairly quickly and having something other than kill/heal/kill/sell to do once you get there. Game companies (including Mythic with ToA, unfortunately) have pretty much decided that it's better to have lots of timesinks and treadmills so it might be a while before you find a game that's much different. SWG may someday offer an alternative depending on what direction they go with the expansion, but it's not there yet.

 

[Dark Jezter]

World of Warcraft is supposed to be coming out next year, and if Blizzard continues their tradition of releasing exceptionally high-quality games that appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers, it could be one of the biggest MMORPGs ever.

 

[Tsyr]

Personally, if you can wait, I would suggest Mythica. It's looking to take a lot of the accepted precepts behind MMORPGs and turn them on end. Go to Mythica Realms for more information on Mythica.

 

[caudor]

I'm getting pretty excited about Horizons (just waiting on that FEDEX guy now).

I've been following the game and appreciate the concept of things like discovering lost races (and freeing them), building a bridge to connect an island, cooperating against a mighty foe.

Heck, I may start a Horizons thread now.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I'm looking forward to WoW, maybe mythica, and True Fantasy Live the 1st mmorpg for XBOX live.

I always wait and see though, and up to now have said no to all mmorpgs after I've seen them in action for a while at a friends.

The only online game I play is just coming out of beta now and it be puzzle pirates.