I'll have to go with Age of Conan as well.

I can't believe some of the music in that game. It gives me the goosebumps sometimes.

Originally posted by Adamantine

My choice for that would be:

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Released January 30, 2007, so it turned 5 years 2 days ago.

Whats your choice ?

Please note that World of Warcraft was released November 23, 2004, and is therefore over 7 years old and not a valid candidate.

I will go with Vanguard as well.I think people forget how old Vanguard is,i mean if you played it 5 years ago theat's along time ago and the mmo is still going.

I'd like to know what the original poster means by best of the past 5 years, when he starts by saying Vanguard, even though it launched more than 5 years ago, but says WoW doesn't qualify, because it also launched more than 5 years ago.

WoW doesn't qualify because it sucks. Every single MMOG on the market right now is complete garbage. Every. Single. One.

Vanguard was out in Jan 07 so it is right on the 5 year mark. Happy anniversary!

City of Villains

Rift

Originally posted by Shaydryn

WoW doesn't qualify because it sucks. Every single MMOG on the market right now is complete garbage. Every. Single. One.

Lets go play UO together!

I vote SWTOR because its the most fun I've had playing any online game of any kind in years, well other than WoW which is apparently disqualified...

I liked Aion a lot but it was too PVP centric and I didn't like the crafting so much and the end game was less appealing than others...   Also I didn't like the Abyss.

I never really gave AoC much of a chance, none of my friends wanted to play it, though I won a copy from here, got to level 32, loved it a lot up to that point...  otherwise it might beat out SWTOR in my heart.

I'll probably get flamed for this but I have to go with Xsyon.

Originally posted by Cuathon

GW count?

Otherwise ATITD or EvE.

EVE is older than 5 years.

imho, there was no good MMO since then, including WoW and EQ2, the foundators of the modern theme-park roughly based on the classic EQ-model. all modern MMOs are just too linear and more in order to be called good.

also in the sandbox-department there was no good game. they have been either very unpolished and lacking functions or they focused too much on pvp-everwhere, which prevents success.

due to the fact, that there was no good MMO in the last 9 years, the question about "the best" is obsolete.

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Originally posted by DannyGlover
I'll probably get flamed for this but I have to go with Xsyon.

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All of my current gaming friends I made through that game in beta. That game was 100% community. Then there was a flood of new players, and between the server problems and that it really destroyed the game.

Sadly, WoW.

Other games have had massive potential: WAR, DF, MO to name a few, but none have actually pulled it off.

It would be WoW, but it is older then 5 years.

For me it is a tie between Vanguard, LotRO and AoC. All three are great games, Vanguard wins by small % due to very immersive world and some innovations (diplomacy system, crafting)

Best solo leveling experience: SWTOR

Best themepark end game experience: WOW - I burned out on it a while ago but it gave me tons of hours of fun

Best PVP: I can't answer that one as I haven't played DAOC, which is likely to be a common answer.  But out of the games I have played I'd say old school WOW Alterac Valley was great fun with 10+ hour battles

for me, the mechanics of many of the more popular and highly rated games are pretty similar (with some exceptions, of course). eventually, the games i keep on my HD and pay for through subs or other transactions use the setting and employ subject matter i most enjoy. to that end, i can not name just one "best" game of the last five years, because my favorite depends solely on my mood that day (week, whatever). but for clarity:

Fallen Earth (love the freedom, crafting, firearms, and grand canyon sunsets on my chopper)

SWTOR (it's star wars, and i repect the polish and story elements)

World of Tanks (MMO-ish at best, i know, but it is a helleva lot of fun, and clan wars lends some persistence)

RIFT (does what it does very well indeed, and i like the soul flexibility)

Star Trek Online (again, the subject matter is important to me, the space combat is excellent, and my fleet/guild is fantastic)

I normally would have said LotRO, followed by Aion. But as those have since jumped on the F2P bandwagon, that disqualifies them in my opinion. LotRO especially  took a complete and total nosedive after the F2P move. I full expect Aion to do the same - it's just the nature of the F2P model.

Wtih that being said, my vote goes to Wizard101. A simple game, but one that I enjoyed more than many mainstream MMORPGs during the past few years.

Darkfall hands down.

With all its short commings and failings of its own, it still FAR SURPASSED everything else on the market.

(and still does, untill gw2/tera/aa comes out)

My best was UO but.... in the last 5 years...

Probably WoW.  Being honest.  Im tired of it as you are.  Stopped playing a few years ago. 

I stuck with EvE for six months.  Most of the others not nearly as long.  Playing Pirates of the Burning Sea now.  Really enjoying it but I think its for genre fans (You like movies like Master and Commander or sailing games). 

I have to admit in the end the best mmo in the last 5 years would be WOW.  But before that?  I enjoyed UO far more. 

SWTOR by a long way for me.

Just totally consumed my life, my friend's life, my co-worker's life.

Just.. yeah... :(

I'm probably going to be yelled at for this, but WAR. Exclusively for PvP. Other games I have tried are just too linear and constricting for my taste. After a couple of hours of such PvE I invariably ask myself "What's the point?" and log off. WAR's PvE is linear and constricting like you wouldn't believe, but at least the PvP is great when it works.