1. WoW

2. WoW

3. WoW

4. WoW

5. WoW

6. WoW

7. WoW

8. WoW

9. WoW

10. WoW

Although i do not nearly agree with Bill's opinions on this list, but they are his opinions, and i threw out my opinion picks in here a few days ago, as we all have a right to. Maybe this should have been an article vs forum. Less controversy, unless controversy was the intention. Top ten lists again IMO, should be based on votes or polls with no commenting.

to each his own.....lets not forget that..... what sucks to me maybe gold to someone else thats why they are opinions

WOW? your just looking for reactions, its pretty clear

I could name many MMOs that " capable of matching the quality and breadth of content offered by Blizzard". For the number of developers Blizzard has, the amount of content they release is just sad. Games with 30 developers and less have made games more complex, innovative, technologically advanced, and stuffed with content than WoW. WoW doesn't even have housing, after 5 years. Really? How did that happen? 

Much easier to add a billion generic quests all throughout the game and say "theres tons of content!" So, when you're not doing the same quest 1000 times, not raiding the same dungeons 1000 times, and not doing stupid dumbed down battlegrounds that  have no actual impact on the game, wait... thats supposed to be a high level of content? DAoC had more in it than that in 2001 when it LAUNCHED. Same for Ultima Online. 

Also it seems he didn't play any MMOs before 2005, you know, where all the best ones were.  Except his UO honarable mention. 

Originally posted by gankatron

Originally posted by yayitsandy

 WoW does deserve the number one slot by default as no other release has yet to get it truly right

Wait... what? "get it right" ? You mean provide a massive number of tiny insignificant easy to reach goals to keep stringing along people with the addictive nature of leveling up, while not innovating or doing anything big at all? 

Basically your'e saying, WoW deserves it because they targetted the casual market first and had the biggest marketing budget?

Nothing like my list would have been, but we all have our own opinions right?

EVE is the PhD of not only MMOs but of all PC Gaming, any list without EVE is deeply flawed.

1/10

Its nice to have your own list and i can't say its bad or stupid list becouse its your list your personal favored list of mmo's.

But you still put this on mmorpg.com and share it with all of us and we are aloud to give hour opinion about your personal list of 10 most favorite mmo's.

Well is realy bad list and again top aaa titles at first 4 spots makes this whole topic supicieus the least.

You say you play 11 years mmo's but started with UO that you played for short while then say you realy started with ac2, what in between UO and AC2 3years you.ve played?

And if you pop in most mmo's from time to time only to see whats happen you dont realy play that game right i think you realy dont play mmo's and like those games at all, you just bought it and when next best thing comes along you jump on next wagon.

What mmo you have realy realy played and still played extensively?

I think none, accept maybe ac2 if it was not closed down.

If im al wrong in my analyse sorry, then be more clear and open then now, i would have believed you now i have my doubs.

This topic is in my eyes a rather failor sorry for saying.

Originally posted by StarDagger

EVE is the PhD of not only MMOs but of all PC Gaming, any list without EVE is deeply flawed.

1/10

Thats rather bold statement the least, your reply is far from PhD level, not only is it very wrong one, its also very undemocratic saying if you dont like my idea your not aloud to your opinion.

He prolly dont like spacegames but more into fantasy so EVE did not make his list whats wrong with that lol.

This is his personal list so your reply is total failor.

Originally posted by girlgeek

Originally posted by green13

Originally posted by kcc9889

Maybe you should just go do PR for MMOs by AAA companies instead of claiming to list the top ten MMOs.

NO SUCH CLAIM WAS MADE.

What is it with you people and your inability to recognize an editorial piece?

This definitely is one of those articles where you have to question mmorpg.com's integrity.

No, actually....this is one of those articles where you have to question the INTELLIGENCE of the MMORPG.com community of readers (or people who CLAIM to be able to read, rather).

Sure they have to keep on good terms with mmo developers, but really poor articles like this do no good for the site.

There isn't even an attempt at objectivity. Eg.

Opinion/editorial pieces...don't require "objectivity." This isn't a news item. It's an opinion column.

Age of Conan was a title I was ready to love from the moment I heard about it. I'm a Robert E. Howard fan, and the chance to play in his world was very tempting. And while the game initially underwhelmed, Funcom has done everything they can to bring it up to par in the two years since its launch. The forthcoming expansion, with its focus on lateral character development as opposed to simply raising the level cap among a slew of other updates is just one more reason among many that Age of Conan is currently my most-played title.

Why is this MMO at position 3?

Because the writer...you know...the one who WROTE the article, is writing his OPINION and that IS his OPINION. That's why.

• the author is a Robert E. Howard fan (subjective)
• Funcom screwed up the launch but they've been trying to fix it (who cares? This isn't a top-10 for effort list)
• there's an expansion coming (newsflash - this isn't the first mmo to release an expansion)
• they have "lateral character development" - whatever that means (how does this earn it position 3?????)

Not one of mmorpg.com's finer moments....

Not one of MMORPG.com community's finer moments of showing their massive intellectual capacity to discern rightly the intent and foundation of an article.

Opinion/editorial pieces...don't require "objectivity." This isn't a news item. It's an opinion column.

Scroll up to the top of the page. Look at what section of the forums we're in.

It's News Discussion.

Mmmm....

And even if you want to treat it entirely as an "opinion" piece, it was posted to generate discussion. You can't argue with an opinion or personal taste. I like apples. You can't argue that I'm wrong about that. But then again who cares about my liking apples?

This really is a poorly written article. Half of the reasons he gave for Conan being at number 3 are completely absurd and the only potentially objective reason - i.e. something worthy of discussion - is inadequately described.

This really is a poorly written article. Half of the reasons he gave for Conan being at number 3 are completely absurd and the only potentially objective reason - i.e. something worthy of discussion - is inadequately described.

Seems he did exactly what he set out to do..generate a discussion:)

It was his list, and the games that made the list are what he liked.  Was not a list of the best triple AAA, nor most popular, just the games that he liked the best.

Some i can agree on, others i can not, but hey, it is not my list now is it?:)

Originally posted by DarLorkar

 It was his list, and the games that made the list are what he liked.  Was not a list of the best triple AAA, nor most popular, just the games that he liked the best.

But it wasn't just a list - it was an article.

I would, for example, put Ryzom in my top 10 list. Some of the reasons for that would be somewhat objective, but shared by many other mmo'ers so worthy of mention - because if I like those things then others who like them too might like Ryzom and might go and try it.

For example, Ryzom has an open skill system with no classes, but gear restrictions prevent players from using all of their skills simultaneously at maximum effectiveness which means that typical mmo type roles still apply.  But rather than needing to create and separately play and level alts to experience different roles (if you want to) you can do it all with one character.

Some people won't care about that or might prefer typical class-based games - but there's actual information about the game there.

And just casting an eye back over the other games in his list, some of his attempts to provide real information are just plain wrong. From City of Heroes:

While its user-base has certainly shrunk in recent years, there is still a very faithful group of followers who keep the game thriving and fun to explore.

Shrunk? Certainly? Really?!

I know he's curiously put Champions Online ahead of CoH but that's no reason to go making stuff like this up. Unlike CO, CoH publicly report their number of subscribers. Their numbers dipped after WoW released and then suddenly peaked again at the end of 2005 (coinciding with the release of City of Villains) and declined during 2006. Some players tried it, finished it, and moved on.

Igoring the 05/06 spike - which boosted their subscriber base by a massive 25% - their subscription numbers are now, compared to pre CoV, almost the same. By comparison Age of Conan numbers plummted post launch and are now lower than CoH's.

What has happened on CoH is a general migration towards 2 of their 8 servers. If you played on any of the 6 less populated servers you might think the user-base had "certainly shrunk" but not if you looked at any actual data.

Originally posted by green13

Originally posted by girlgeek

Originally posted by green13

Originally posted by kcc9889

Maybe you should just go do PR for MMOs by AAA companies instead of claiming to list the top ten MMOs.

NO SUCH CLAIM WAS MADE.

What is it with you people and your inability to recognize an editorial piece?

This definitely is one of those articles where you have to question mmorpg.com's integrity.

No, actually....this is one of those articles where you have to question the INTELLIGENCE of the MMORPG.com community of readers (or people who CLAIM to be able to read, rather).

Sure they have to keep on good terms with mmo developers, but really poor articles like this do no good for the site.

There isn't even an attempt at objectivity. Eg.

Opinion/editorial pieces...don't require "objectivity." This isn't a news item. It's an opinion column.

Age of Conan was a title I was ready to love from the moment I heard about it. I'm a Robert E. Howard fan, and the chance to play in his world was very tempting. And while the game initially underwhelmed, Funcom has done everything they can to bring it up to par in the two years since its launch. The forthcoming expansion, with its focus on lateral character development as opposed to simply raising the level cap among a slew of other updates is just one more reason among many that Age of Conan is currently my most-played title.

Why is this MMO at position 3?

Because the writer...you know...the one who WROTE the article, is writing his OPINION and that IS his OPINION. That's why.

• the author is a Robert E. Howard fan (subjective)
• Funcom screwed up the launch but they've been trying to fix it (who cares? This isn't a top-10 for effort list)
• there's an expansion coming (newsflash - this isn't the first mmo to release an expansion)
• they have "lateral character development" - whatever that means (how does this earn it position 3?????)

Not one of mmorpg.com's finer moments....

Not one of MMORPG.com community's finer moments of showing their massive intellectual capacity to discern rightly the intent and foundation of an article.

Opinion/editorial pieces...don't require "objectivity." This isn't a news item. It's an opinion column.

Scroll up to the top of the page. Look at what section of the forums we're in.

It's News Discussion.

Mmmm....

And even if you want to treat it entirely as an "opinion" piece, it was posted to generate discussion. You can't argue with an opinion or personal taste. I like apples. You can't argue that I'm wrong about that. But then again who cares about my liking apples?

This really is a poorly written article. Half of the reasons he gave for Conan being at number 3 are completely absurd and the only potentially objective reason - i.e. something worthy of discussion - is inadequately described.

I once read an opinion piece in a publication claiming to be a NEWSpaper. Like you say,  such an obvious black stain on their integrity as journalists. This is why I won't read either the New York Times or Wall Street Journal. Any so called 'news'paper with an opinion piece, obviously an amateur production.

Why don't you show us how a real journalist would do it. Please reply to show all these people how your opinion is entirely based on facts alone. Please show us the definitive news article which proves conclusively which order they should go in. Please. You hold the secret nexus between fact and opinion.

no anarchy online, no dark age of camelot, no everquest, dude get out of here with that list.

It's pretty much impossible to rate any Game you've barely played, or have not played at all...Especially an MMO, which take months and months to get to the end game...Then more time still for raiding, crafting, alts., etc...So I'm not too bothered by any Game left off the Author's list because obviously no one man can play every MMO...There's simply not enough time to do so...

I've played a lot of MMO's...But not even close to all of them...I can do a Top 5...I've never played WOW, but I can understand why it would normally be #1 on many lists...I should also mention I'm almost exclusively a PvE Player...

For Me it's...

1. LOTRO - By far the best all-around MMO I've played...I'm woking on My 3rd Level Capped Toon and I never get bored of it...Graphics, Questing, story, content, crafting, community...LOTRO has it all for a PvE Player...

2. AoC - SO much better now that it's mostly cleaned up...Awesome looking Game...Can't wait for the expansion to come out...

3. Vanguard - Incredible depth, nice visuals. It was SO broken at launch it really had no chance. But the Game had massive potential...It's still a lot of fun for me when I pop in every now and again...

4. EQ II - Solid all around Game...

5. SWG (CU was my favorite version) - My 1st MMO...I know most Folks don't agree...But even at times during the NGE I had a blast on SWG...The Community aspect during the Pre CU-Cu time was the most fun I've ever had Gaming...When you're a Combat centered Player and you find yourself spending hours on end just talking and cutting up with Guildies, or simply decorating your House well...I HAVE to admit they did something right at SOE...They just made a few BIG, HUGE, MASSIVE, CRITICAL mistakes...lol...Oh well...I still miss it from time to time...

Originally posted by Kyleran

Nothing like my list would have been, but we all have our own opinions right?

I disagree. 

;)

I started with AC2 as well. Even though it was seriously buggy and incomplete at launch it was immersive and fun to play. I really wish they hadn't closed up shop because now I want to play it again.

As far as current MMO's I seem to have a distaste for almost all of them. They all seem to repeat the same path where they hype up up to get you excited then fail to deliver the total package due to lacking content,  concept failures and slow fixes. Aion was the lastest on my quit list even though I played it long after my guild left for other things mostly because I had nothing better to do. Just that it wasn't fun and felt more like a chore to play. Not that I'm casual and hate working for things it's just like that was all the game had to offer. Huge time sinks with you tied down to a random number generator.

Warhammer was before Aion. I have to say that was probably the more disappointing one because it looks so good on paper and the world is really well done. Not that it was bad it was just that they messed up with the RvR. Would have been much better with 3 realms as I'm sure has been brought up many times. They were also too slow to react to gamebreaking abilites/bugs. Before you know it a year has passed and 3/4 of the subscriber base has left because RvR was more aggrivating than fun.

Well, not to cover every game I've played for the last decade but WAR brings me to the point as to why I'm sitting here not playing a MMO even though its my genre. No matter how much you like a MMO it's really only fun if you have lots of people there to enjoy it with and a active community.  Case in point is a game like AoC that fumbled at launch but have made some nice changes since. I go back to give it a try again and promptly quit a week later. Why? Because the game is barren and I don't want to play a MMO like one would a single-player RPG. It's the same for like most of the games on the authors list. I guess I'll never really get back into a MMO long-term until a company can put out a product at launch that can retain customers. I know that's easier said than done but I think we're all getting tired of the treand of starting off big and flopping hard shorlty after takeoff which has happened in almost every mainstream game the last 5 years or so.

Originally posted by Zorgo

Why don't you show us how a real journalist would do it.

Yeah I did that. It was the post directly before your one.

1 - WORLD OF WARCRAFT

2 - WARHAMMER ONLINE

3 - EVE ONLINE

4 - AION ONLINE

5 - CITY OF HEROES/VILLAINS

6 - LOTRO

7 - EVERQUEST 2

8 - FINAL FANTASY XI

9 - LINEAGE 2

10 - RUNESCAPE

I've played EVE Online as a trial and that was an awesome game I wouldn't mind going back to play it though after my 14 day is over but I gotta wait for my paycheck to come in.