"Jerks" ...HAHA

This was a good read and a good list of games to boot.

Using your rules, I will wholeheartedly agree that Eve has potential, but I would have placed it at #1 on my list.  Walking in stations is huge, if it was in-game now, the size of Eve would triple and continue to grow, as long as it was done correctly.  I hear it all the time how people don't play Eve for mainly the only reason being is their character is a ship, that seems to turn off a lot of people.  That will all change once players are allowed to walk around and be their "character."

I would probably leave SW:TOR off my list though, to say it has potential at this point is obvious, but not for what we know, but for what we don't know.  Going by this logic, our list would be huge because of the multitude of games being developed at the moment that we know even less then we know about TOR....Twilight anyone?

I loved the way that you wrote this article.  Very amusing and entertaining stuff.

We're all jaded and tired of the same thing, it's obvious.
I see the potential for success in many of these titles.  I just don't see the potential for long term interest with people that have played games for many years.  With the latter, there is no cure.  We know it all and have played it all.  It's going to take time before a group can pull something special back into this genre and make something worth playing. 

Really surprised Darkfall aint on that list. Its not on its prime, but it does have alot that can make it a really, really potential mmo.

Originally posted by Nicoo

Really surprised Darkfall aint on that list. Its not on its prime, but it does have alot that can make it a really, really potential mmo.

With Tasos and Aventurine at the helm, "potential" is the last thing Darkfall has.
 

The list makes me rather sad.  I had great hopes for KOTR.   Aside from Star Trek and Stargate which seem troubled, none of the others appeal to me. 

I'm pinning my hopes on FFXIV or KOTR bringing something new and interesting to the MMO table.   Killing 12 boar is so boring.

All relax when your game isn't up to the absolute top of this list. It is only the list of one man.

And I remember very well this person found Warhammer a VERY good game ....

So it is always good to know who put out that list and what you can expect from it.

My own preferred games I will try are on spot 1 and 2. All the "new" rest I pass on this time. 4 years of copycat and or terrible games were more than enough.

I play the game everyone else plays. At least I can have RL discussions with my friends.

There is only one game that will achieve that in the 2010/11 future besides WOW and that's Star Wars.

All the rest is a waste of time unless you are very interested in a specific niche Lore (like ST). But you will still play in a RL desert. I don't like that, I want to have my daily/weekly RL discussions of the MMO I play.

Originally posted by Zorndorf

And I remember very well this person found Warhammer a VERY good game ....

So it is always good to know who put out that list and what you can expect from it.

Yes, I personally enjoyed Warhammer. That said, I also saw and wrote about flaws with the game... Maybe going back to check out some of the things I wrtre aboutt he game might give you more perspective on what it was i actually thought?

 Maybe no one is reading CCPs pathetic excuse for updates on their Eve-Onlines site, but they (within the last month and a half) stated there will be no and HAVE no intentions of there being any walking within the stations. There by leaving a huge block of us pissed that they cannot hold to promises - and of course a huge percentqge of us will be heading to STO....so, im curious as to why you didnt know that before making this list? You mention that as a large reason why its got potential however thats a pipe-dream thats NOT happening.

Anyone who's been playing EVE should know CCP has NO plans to make walking in stations a reality.....

Originally posted by IAMSCIENCE

 Maybe no one is reading CCPs pathetic excuse for updates on their Eve-Onlines site, but they (within the last month and a half) stated there will be no and HAVE no intentions of there being any walking within the stations. There by leaving a huge block of us pissed that they cannot hold to promises - and of course a huge percentqge of us will be heading to STO....so, im curious as to why you didnt know that before making this list? You mention that as a large reason why its got potential however thats a pipe-dream thats NOT happening.

Anyone who's been playing EVE should know CCP has NO plans to make walking in stations a reality.....

Haha, potential my friend, not what is being made to be, but rather potential, nothing more, nothing less.  Whether they make station walking or not, he's talking about the potential it could have

I have been a huge fan of  the Star Wars universe ever since I saw the original movie in a rinky-dink theater back in 1977.   So you can guess how thrilled I was when Lucas Arts announced the intention to lease the licence to make an MMO.  But when SWG was finally launched in 2003 the game was a huge disappointment.  Primarily since nothing worked.  Crafting was broken, most quests were broken, and the classes went through numerous "re-balancing.'   And of course, the thousands of brats logging in and spamming "HOW DO I BE A JEDI?  I WANT TO BE A JEDI!  WHY CANT I BE A JEDI?"    There was not even a jedi class available at the beginning, but the throng of Picachu hell-spawn wouldnt get it through their heads.  Eventually, patches were released and improvements made and the Force came to balance.  Then came the dreaded NGE and the galaxy erupted into chaos once again.  The evil empire of SOE deleted classes and player structures without so much as an 'excuse me.'

I am praying that Bioware will learn from the past and NOT release the game until it is truly ready (what a concept for game devs, eh?)  Let the game remain in Beta phase for years if need be.   But please get it right.

That was a well thought out list, although Global Agenda is NOT a mmo.  Global Agenda, with 10 vs 10 fights make it more a Diablo clone in space than a MMO.

I think a lot of players won't even consider APB to even try it.  While some may like it, I think it will be strictly a niche game.

Originally posted by IAMSCIENCE

 Maybe no one is reading CCPs pathetic excuse for updates on their Eve-Onlines site, but they (within the last month and a half) stated there will be no and HAVE no intentions of there being any walking within the stations. There by leaving a huge block of us pissed that they cannot hold to promises - and of course a huge percentqge of us will be heading to STO....so, im curious as to why you didnt know that before making this list? You mention that as a large reason why its got potential however thats a pipe-dream thats NOT happening.

Anyone who's been playing EVE should know CCP has NO plans to make walking in stations a reality.....

Another one post wonder spouting complete nonsense.  Walking in Station is an ongoing project at CCP, it just has no announced starting point.  Most development studios do that with things that are in development.  I'd rather they do it right than throw out a half completed version of it.

Why isn't Mortal Online on the list? It is a game that has huge potential and could very well be what defines future sandbox MMORPGs or it could just as much be a disaster like Darkfall. But still, it has some huge potential.

Originally posted by Yamota

Why isn't Mortal Online on the list? It is a game that has huge potential and could very well be what defines future sandbox MMORPGs or it could just as much be a disaster like Darkfall. But still, it has some huge potential.

You forgot to mention why it has huge potential.  Jon Wood did mention MO in his opening statements and he also said if you wanted it mentioned, go for it and say why you think so

Originally posted by green13

The enormous question mark hanging over Star Trek Online is the issue of microtransactions.

I thought Cryptic had lost their mind when they announced a subscription + microtransaction model for CO, but when I read they were considering doing the same for STO, I knew they had.

Star Trek's Federation doesn't even have money. There's no greed, everyone shares, hugs trees, is kind to small animals etc. etc. Fans of the franchise tend to yearn for that egalitarian utopia.

So naturally Cryptic thought that adding a shopping mall to the game - so real-world money has an influence on the gameworld - is a good idea...

Poor old Gene is probably turning in his grave.

Federation is like that, yes, but not the Klingons and most of the other races in Star Trek. However microtransactions in game rarely has anything to do with roleplaying, it is there for the company to make money.

That being said, I really hope Star Trek Online does not have microtransactions for anything more than visual stuff.

Originally posted by m240gulf

Originally posted by Yamota

Why isn't Mortal Online on the list? It is a game that has huge potential and could very well be what defines future sandbox MMORPGs or it could just as much be a disaster like Darkfall. But still, it has some huge potential.

 

You forgot to mention why it has huge potential.  Jon Wood did mention MO in his opening statements and he also said if you wanted it mentioned, go for it and say why you think so

Oh, I thought it is obvious but sure:

• FFA PvP with potential of high level political schemes
• FPS type combat with active blocking and parrying
• Skill based progression with both active skills and "learning" skill. Meaning skills are raised by using or by learning (e.g. read a book).
• Advanced skill system with primary skills which leads to a complex tree of secondary skills. The former being capped but the latter not capped.
• Hybrid class system. Meaning the game is fundamentally skill based but if you have the skill requirements you can choose to become a class and enjoy the benefits/penalties
• Highly complex crafting
• Unreal 3 engine
• Sandbox
• No instancing
• Persistent mobs. I.e. kill a boss mob and it will stay dead.

Mix these elements together and you got the potential of a MMORPG true to the roots of the genre.

EvE Online had potential but without a total revamp and server wipe, which won't happen, it has none.

The real world time based skill learning system is anti - virtual world. How can you have such an obvious link between the two?

At a minimum there needs to be a way for players to skill up faster if active in-game. Having a passive system only is lame.

And as long as CCP sanctions RMT by selling time cards and facilitates trading of them in-game for in-game money aka isk, then EvE Online fails. There is no true risk vs reward since players can easily replace any lost ships and items by buying isk via trading time cards.

 That's a pretty hard hitting list john. I agree with 90% of it except for Fallen Earth, can't say why but just it is what it is. I also couldn't help noticing the lack of Champions Online, DCUO and Marvel Universe Online. Could the superhero genre not cutting the mustard in mmo country?

Originally posted by Stradden

Originally posted by Zorndorf

And I remember very well this person found Warhammer a VERY good game ....

So it is always good to know who put out that list and what you can expect from it.

Yes, I personally enjoyed Warhammer. That said, I also saw and wrote about flaws with the game... Maybe going back to check out some of the things I wrtre aboutt he game might give you more perspective on what it was i actually thought?

The problem with WAR is WoW does everything better and WAR doesn't feel like Warhammer. I wanted a Dark and gritty game like Warhammer should be with lots of gore and instead we got a generic version of WoW. The combat system is horrible, the classes are boring to play and the animations are terrible. The world is laid out really poorly so it doesn't feel like a world and 4 races don't even have capital cities making their areas empty. Scenarios take everyone out of the world making it empty.

The problems just keep mounting up and i wanted to try Land of the dead cause the trailer looked good but I can't be bothered to level a character in the easct same process I've done in a hundred other mmorpgs before.

I desagree with most of them.

but i real question is why mortal online is not listen? This guy is a carebear or what? Maybe MO are a sell out company. Maybe its because MO was not at E3 so they are not snob enough for them. The communoty at mmorpg.com like mortal online so what the fuck? Comme on guys. Its like they want to try to back down mortal online. They dont want it to be a success, but they want eve to stay even if the game is arleady out.

My biggest question is why eve online and not mortal online. EVE is already fucking out. So go on and put mortal online. This article was not suppose to be about history. While we at it, you should had put ultima online or arsheron call you moron.

I use to like his article, but this time, he failed.

1. Stargate worlds had a beta and can't say anything about it but you can guess.

2. APB isn't an mmo only 100 people zones..... lame.

3. Don't know anything The Secret World but the screens don't interest me.

4. EVE Online I hate the real time training and want Arena PVP like the Alliance Tournament but built in game for fair fights. I love going in WoW and doing 2 v 2 with my friend and getting it down to an art form and owning everyone.

5. World of Darkness we don't know anything about but I'm not into Vampires anyways.

6. Fallen Earth like the first one.

7. Global Agenda like APB not massive.

8. Aion I don't like generic emo Asian graphics.

9. Star Trek Online doesn't even have ship interiors so it fails at being a Star Trek game.

10. swtor is the only one with any promise but I don't like the character models.


One thing I notice about all these games is they arn't online worlds like SWG Pre CU or WoW and thats what I'm looking for. I don't like zoning and being cut off from people, I want to be able to be int he same space as everyone else.

I like the list except how do you not put Champions Online in there and put Eve on the list ? That is really head scratching. Ok so we know you guys have a love for Eve but that game has been out several years now and the potential it had was lost years ago. Ok so you guys may not be big superhero fanatactics but the fact is Champions Online is going to be the best mmo this year. It is going to be super polished at launch,that character customization is very outstanding and gameplay looks great. Good article but that is my only flaw I see.

Originally posted by Samuraisword

EvE Online had potential but without a total revamp and server wipe, which won't happen, it has none.

The real world time based skill learning system is anti - virtual world. How can you have such an obvious link between the two?

At a minimum there needs to be a way for players to skill up faster if active in-game. Having a passive system only is lame.

And as long as CCP sanctions RMT by selling time cards and facilitates trading of them in-game for in-game money aka isk, then EvE Online fails. There is no true risk vs reward since players can easily replace any lost ships and items by buying isk via trading time cards.

Well it seems you do not like the system in EVE and it is perfectly fine. I can understand your points, but do not support them. I like EVE as it is. It offers unique gaming experience to any other MMO in the market today. Skill training is actually very small part of EVE and the difference of having skill at level 4 or at level 5 is relatively small. The real benefit to old timers is that they have more specializations, you might still be as good with specific tasks as they are. Like say, PvP.

About the last point, the beauty of the system is that it does not increase in-game ISK, it just redistributes it. The risk is still there. And I would say that it is a lot more risker to spend your real money on ships than virtual money since making ISK in EVE is pretty easy once you get past the beginning. It is a great boost for newbies, but does very little to help old timers, except to keep them playing. 

Originally posted by Stradden

Originally posted by Zorndorf

And I remember very well this person found Warhammer a VERY good game ....

So it is always good to know who put out that list and what you can expect from it.

Yes, I personally enjoyed Warhammer. That said, I also saw and wrote about flaws with the game... Maybe going back to check out some of the things I wrtre aboutt he game might give you more perspective on what it was i actually thought?

Not to pile on, but I decided to take your advice on this one. These are a few comments under editorials from you:

I’m also going to say that if you absolutely, 100% can’t stand the idea of PvP, you probably shouldn’t spend your money on Warhammer Online. It’s an RvR game at its core, and while it does offer PvE elements

The City sieges are the key aspect of the game. Tier control, Locking zones are all about being able to get to the city. The Cities are  PVE instances. The core of the game is PvE marketed around RvR.

The scenarios, battlefield objectives and other RvR elements don’t really bash you over the head with the “my e-peen is bigger than yours, my uber-lewt will ends you”

Without doing PvE to get the gear necessary (wards) to capture the city which is a PvE instance you will not be able to survive the city raid.

Are there still bugs in the game?

I think this would almost be a silly question if it hadn’t been such an issue in the past. Are there bugs? Yeah, I’ve noticed one or two little things. Last night, my map went blank for a minute or two and I had I think one instance of a bullet animation getting hung up, but that’s it and for all I know these won’t even exist tomorrow (little things like that crop up from time to time, but seem easy for devs to squish). Did I see any game breaking bugs? No. In fact, not a single thing that impeded my gameplay in the slightest.
 

One or two bugs?   Sure you qualify this assessment by "your" gameplay provided, but as a journalist you should have gathered information from other players, forums, and beta-testers before sold people on the idea that bugs were not an issue. Morale abilities not firing properly, pick lock not working, and the white lion pet/pathing controls were issues known about for ages, that's just off the top of my head.

Maybe,before you tell someone to go back and research your analysis of something you might want to check the accuracy of them?

The reasons given for including EVE in the list are weak at best, and probably better described as downright bizarre.  Any current released MMO has "great potential" if the developers implement even a fraction of the ideas they throw out. 

Oooh.... walking on stations - so game changing.  That will be such an underused feature it isn't even funny.  Planetary exploration could be a game changer if done right - but will more likely be an alternative resource gathering minigame.

In the end I'll take this list for what it is: a listing of games that have the author hot & bothered.