I've been reading a few blog posts here and there and they several seem to say exactly what I'm feeling... So instead of just posting responses, I thought I'd take the time to my thoughts down for others to read as well...
I've been playing graphic MMO's since Ultima Online came out. Prior to that I had played in several MUx-type, text-based games that I enjoyed a lot. I had a great time with UO at first and found that I really liked the idea of being able to interact with others. It wasn't until World of Warcraft came out, however, that I really got deep into graphic MMO's.
I spent nearly 2 years playing the game off and on with a great guild. I spent a lot of time working with new peeps in our guild and just grindin' my character. Never seemed to get anywhere, but hell, the commraderie made up for any lack in level progression and we all had a great time together. After a while though, things changed in real life, as they so often do, and I was forced to put WoW on the back burner... New babies will do that. When I started to have time to game more often again, I found it difficult to get back into WoW.
My tastes have always been more sci-fi than fantasy and I was starting to develop a severe urge for something along those lines. I'd been playing in a few pen and paper RPGs that were set in a cyberpunk or steampunk setting and I was longing for a game that touched on that. I played Anarchy Online and enjoyed it for awhile but I never felt like it was as engaging as WoW had been for me. Maybe it was the player population or maybe it was just me.
I bounced around from one beta to another and often to the retail product after launch if the game had potential. I've often returned to games well after release, if I thought the game had had great potential at launch but hadn't quite found it. Things change and I'm always willing to give things another try. Planetside provided a few months of fun from the beta to the retail product as I assisted in running a guild. I never really found what I wanted, though, and I eventually moved on. I was in the beta for Star Wars Galaxy and I loved it. When that product went live, I fought through all the problems and played it for months. Eventually, I lost my desire to continue. I did go back a few years later and played through the Jedi arcs which I enjoyed. However, at the end of the scripted parts, I found the game a little lacking and without direction. Eventually, again, I left SWG.
The game I've gone back to most often at this point, though, is City of Heroes/Villains. I'm a superhero guy at heart. I really enjoyed building my own character and fighting through things. Eventually I made the switch to villain and had just as much fun there. But I always seemed to fall off of that as well. I've been back for each of the free weekends and have had fun but I never can convince myself to buy a game card. The gameplay just gets old after awhile... Maybe I should give the Architect Edition a try... We'll see... I also played in the beta for Lord of the Rings and then had the retail product at launch and again 6 months later. It's a good game, mechanics-wise. I just had a hard time staying involved. Again, that's probably more me yearning for sci-fi than any failing the game has.
Right now, I'm waiting on Champions Online with the most fervor. DC Online is a close second... Anything that lets me join Hal Jordan to kick some bad guys square in the teeth is a good game... Star Trek Online has the potential... I'm a Trekkie and I've accepted that. Global Agenda looks good as well. I am in the beta for Fallen Earth and I'm just not sure about it... Guess, I'm curious about Earthrise as well as The Agency. All that being said, Champions comes out next month and I'm anxious to get to it.
In case you're thinking about the games I haven't mentioned that might be out there for me to try, here's a list of games that I have played before or since WoW(returned means that I had played them before and went back and tried them again): Planetside, EQ, Guild Wars, RF Online, Anarchy Online (returned), EQ2, SWG (returned), Matrix Online, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains (returned), Neocron 2, Conan, Age of Armor, Atlantica, Dark Space, Crime Craft (beta), Dark Age of Camelot, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Exteel, S4, Final Fantasy Online, Fusion Fall, Lineage 2, Phantasy Star Online, Chronicles of Spellborn, Ryzom, Fallen Earth (beta) and a few others... Nothing has held my interest for more than 2 months since WoW. And most for not even a single month.
So there you have it. I've been around and I'm still out there looking. I wish my MMO love life was as stable as my real world love life but alas it isn't. So what about you? Are you still yearning for a game that has your tastes in mind? Why hasn't anyone created something specifically for you? And what the hell is wrong with a decent sci-fi mmo that doesn't have elves, trolls, or magic? What's your take on all of this?
MMORPG.com writes:
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