For best MMORPG of the year, I'd go with Rift.

As per the topic and actual Game of the Year? Neither. Not by a long shot thanks to the likes of Skyrim and Call of Duty.

lazy lazy wow clone with the worst PVP implementation ever in a mmo

vs

great single player RPG with some tacked on MMO elements

hmm.....

I'll give the nod to SWTOR actually

As far as MMO of the year goes, I wouldn't be able to pick Rift, I literally made it out of the tutorial and that was that, which was the case with LOTOR as well. Didn't last much longer in WOW either. I'm not saying they're bad gaes, I really wouldn't know, I just simply can't play them.

Themeparks IMO need the decently presented story elements you'll find in AOC or SWTOR. DAOC was the only real exception in this realm I've seen, as it had a different focus, PVP.

Sandbox game-play lends itself really well to an open narrative. Themepark's simply don't IMO. The rails are there regardless of the Story, you're confined to areas that are desigend for your level range and thats it, game-play consists of read and kill. With the single-player RPG story presentation both AOC and SWTOR have, those rails are actually bearable. The narrative makes the typically mundane grindyness enjoyable. That's simply the way I see it, mileages will vary.

Considering this and the fact that there really wasn't another note-worthy release in 2011 I can think of, aside from TOR, I'd have to pick TOR.

As far as game of the year goes, I'd say Shogun Total War 2. But that's based my own personal preferences.

If SWTOR was made with RIFT's engine, I think SWTOR would've been a much better game.  For all of the pretty obvious faults in TOR... I don't think Bioware suddenly forgot how to make games... though DA2 isn't helping their case!

GOTY is Skyrim, MMO of the year should be Rift considering the amount of effort put in to stablize the game and the amount of content being pushed out, recently i have seen patching every other day just for minor bug fixes, which shows dedication.

Gamers expect waaaaay to much from gaming companies these day...

How could you compare the old repuplic, with a game that has been out for almost a year? Also i find it hilarious when gamers blame Bioware for not releasing a 100% polished game. Ever considered EA requesting the game to be released in 2011?

Give the game at LEAST a few months, before you bash it into the ground or compare it with older games.

Originally posted by ShakyMo

lazy lazy wow clone with the worst PVP implementation ever in a mmo

vs

great single player RPG with some tacked on MMO elements

hmm.....

I'll give the nod to SWTOR actually

i never get this pvp complaining about rift, rift offers so much more in pvp than any other recent mmorpg...

lets not get into battlegrounds, which rift got more than swtor, and about same as wow.. a god damn 8+ years mmorpg

there is pvp rift, general rifts, and so much action a pvper could want  its insane..  neither wow or stor offers any outdoor pvp, while rift offers so much, considering that max lvl zones are always full of people and when events starts its beyond full.. go to swtor and wow and check how many players you can find there.. and do exactly what when you find them.. kill them once or twice.. good stuff

i didnt pick up rift on release, yet i did around xmass.. yes after dinging 33~ lvl in swtor  i went and got my self rift.. because i wasnt gona play overpriced junk thats fun for first 50 lvls and nothing more, and even then lvling isnt any special apart cheesy story.. YES CHEESY i felt like god damn 12 year old girl  when doing my prologue ending.. that was so silly i couldnt believe it was aimed at anything else than that..

rift got so much content i cant even begin to describe, i used to play and love wow.. but everytime i quit 1-2 months after expansion.. because game was over.. it was done there was nothing , but i always knew what to do.. ding max lvl.. spend 30-60 mins doing dailies.. spend rest farming 5 mans, then heroics.. then do 1 heroic a  day, raid few hours a day, maybe trown in some bgs in.. andthat was all.. there was totally nothing you can after you get into " raid " phase of wow.. log raid.. log out

i got to max lvl in rift.. not only that i already knew things i should do.. i got whole super tour and  actuall tutorial on what to do.. and was i surprised..

5 mans.. t1 5 mans, t2 5 mans, master 5 mans , invasion events, crafting rifts, pvp rifts, raid rifts , expert rifts , raids, chronicles ( 1-2 man adventures to see raids and extra ), instant adventures , pvp, world pvp, and i havent even been to ember island which is basicaly high lvl content

yes there is so much to do , that someone who played wow for 4-5 years nonstop.. and then half year every expansion , wow have nothing on rift.. in either quality or content size, you just cant compare, and swtor is so small in that aspect you cant even compare

so yes its Rift.. and i suggest go grab yourself a trial.. first 20 lvls wont make this game a justice, and first lvls arent rift strong point, but give it a chance if you already didnt , because it def worth it..

I gotta say I thought Rift was better, but for whatever reason people just didn't share my opinion. It was a fun game IF what you were doing was grouping up - dungeons, war zones, raid rifts. Rift waited far too long to implement server moves and a cross server LFG system. By then, people had moved on.

As far as a solo game it was trash. Just terrible trash.

SWTOR is a far better solo game, but I don't enjoy the group mechanics like I did Rift. I also don't enjoy how there is so much group content, but people are way too immersed in their single player game.

Originally posted by Thendil

Gamers expect waaaaay to much from gaming companies these day...

 

I don't expect much from a game I can download for free on the internet, or that cost me 20 bucks. But when its the most expensive MMO to ever purchase you're darn right I expect a lot. Why is that so hard for you apologist to understand?

Rift has SLIDEERRRRS! And you can play with ONE BUTTON MACROZ!

WHYYYY DIDNT IT WIN GAME OF THE YEARRRRR!

RAAAAGGEEEEE!

Seriously... gamers spoke with their wallets long ago for Rift. Nothing else needs to be said.

Originally posted by Golelorn

Originally posted by Thendil

Gamers expect waaaaay to much from gaming companies these day...

 

I don't expect much from a game I can download for free on the internet, or that cost me 20 bucks. But when its the most expensive MMO to ever purchase you're darn right I expect a lot. Why is that so hard for you apologist to understand?

+1 mate!

TOR has better questing and maps.

Rift has better combat, pvp, classes, content, and UI.

The whole 1 class with 3 trees concept needs to go away. I like the ability of swapping to a ranged dps, bard, melee dps, or tank. It's the closest thing to FFXI's subclass system i've found. Being stuck in dps or heals or tank is dull. It's not rocket surgery.

Originally posted by Alders

TOR has better questing and maps.

Rift has better combat, pvp, classes, and content.

 

The whole 1 class with 3 trees concept needs to go away. I like the ability of swapping to a ranged dps, bard, melee dps, or tank. It's the closest thing to FFXI's subclass system i've found. Being stuck in dps or heals or tank is dull.

Dear god a level headed response I 100% agree with. This is shocking. This type of comment might actually get me to buy TOR. Not too much in agreement on the maps of TOR, but I do sort of like the size of the objects.

Originally posted by Golelorn

Originally posted by Thendil

Gamers expect waaaaay to much from gaming companies these day...

 

I don't expect much from a game I can download for free on the internet, or that cost me 20 bucks. But when its the most expensive MMO to ever purchase you're darn right I expect a lot. Why is that so hard for you apologist to understand?

Did you buy it?

Welcome to the future!

Rifts is honestly the better game in my opinion.  The class system and the original world are pretty interesting. 

SWTOR has the Star Wars franchise, the might of Bioware AND all the huge press just before anyone votes or makes a decision behind it.

Whether RIFT is the better game or not is irrelevant against that momentum.

Got to lvl 50, completed the Storyline in SWTOR (The storyline actually was VERY engaging and pulled me in) as well as the planet quests which made me feel like I was contributing to the war effort. I found once I finished that, the idea of an open void of just PVP and Hard instances didn't pull me in.

Rift had more long-term appeal, but I can be honest and say neither of the games is able to hold my attention for more than 6 months. People are looking for the "WoW" Killer, I'm still looking for the game to make up for EQ or DAoC - maybe I'm just not one of the 11 million people that wants walmart style MMO's that package the best features, and polish up a new one.

Originally posted by Puremallace

Originally posted by Alders

TOR has better questing and maps.

Rift has better combat, pvp, classes, and content.

 

The whole 1 class with 3 trees concept needs to go away. I like the ability of swapping to a ranged dps, bard, melee dps, or tank. It's the closest thing to FFXI's subclass system i've found. Being stuck in dps or heals or tank is dull.

Dear god a level headed response I 100% agree with. This is shocking. This type of comment might actually get me to buy TOR. Not too much in agreement on the maps of TOR, but I do sort of like the size of the objects.

To reiterate on the maps. The overall size and scope are what i like. Unfortunately they're also static and lifeless with irritating borders. Why BW decided against implementing social aspect such as public quests and dynamic events is beyond me.

Don't get me wrong, i have a laundry list of issues with Rift at the moment as well, but TOR takes the cake with incomplete features and old and boring class structure.