More specifically, during gameplay when did something happen that elecited true surprise? I find this interesting because surprise is such a key component of what most people would label as "fun." Fighting a mob or boss, the outcome of life or death is unknown as well as if it will drop the item you have been looking for for months and if you will win the roll. Also can you enchant such and such item to such and such a level. Many of these "surprises" have not changed in many mmo game iterations, so I am curious when is the last time and what was it that caused you to be genuinely surprised in an mmo?

For me I think it was Aion and being one of the first people on my factions side to get into the inner core in the Abyss. Grinding mobs while worrying about getting ganked did create heightened game play. Seeing another player or seeing their combat spam as I was grinding away mobs definitely caused me surprise and sometimes worry/anxiety. Besides this I would have to go all the way back to Asheron's Call and some of my adventures there.

What was your latest surpsing experience?

Playing TERA didn't surprise me - the combat was pretty fun I suppose but since I read up about it a lot, it just...just everything peopel said it would be.

GW2 beta weekend actually surprised me even if I watched probably hours of gameplay videos and more articles than I care to count - the cooperation between players actually had me go "why doesn't every MMO do this?". I would just run around and help everyone kill mobs I encounter and I loved to go to places with tons of people because everything was shared.

Now I go back to other MMOs and go to some leveling zones and go "ugh...someone taking my mobs". In those same MMOs I avoid places with tons of people leveling. I used to want to play solo on MMOs (going to less populated channels) while leveling so I don't encounter other peopel stealing my kills. And now I wish every MMO was done so that loot and exp was shared between players. Such a simple concept made such a huge difference in gaming.

Well, in SWTOR I was surpised by how hollow the game was outside its amazing story which came off much better than I expected(didnt think fully voiced with a great story would make a difference) and was surprised by how such a bland overall game like Tera got hyped the way it did just because of a dodge ability which REALLY IS the only difference in its action combat that is almost a copy of other action MMOs.

Does that count?

The last game that surprised me in a positive way was SWG (Pre-CU).

For all it had against it, it did a lot of things right, and is still one of the standards that I hold MMO's against.

My latest surprising experience is by playing GW2.

I never died as much as any other MMO than I did from GW2 from level 1 - 10.

I broke my armor twice and was running naked in the noob zone lol.

Once my brain start to repogrammed from the WOWish brainwash to GW2 combat gameplay,

my survivality rate went up.

Last night while playing The secret world, some great stuff in there. Before that I would say it had been years.

Mortal Online, when I accidently ate undead carcas and started puking. Also when I went down to the river and gathered water from it and drank it. And when I rode a horse for the first time.

Dragon Nest. Probably because I had very low expectations. It looks like its made for kids but its a solid game.

GW2.  I was thinking people didn't make good MMOs anymore.

Playing The Secret World, doing investigation quests. Not only does it require thought but i read alot of cool history (history buff). Before that it was playing Vanguard for the first time and seeing the huge open world.

Playing GW2. The game never ceased to amaze me.

Guild Wars 2 beta

The combat really surprised me , I know I had read this and that about how they where trying to get away from the mold.  It's just the fact that I had to reprogram my brain.  Every other mmo I've played (except maybe UO) my brain goes on auto pilot, so much so that I do other things while fighting bad guys, like chatting or looking at something in my second monitor.  If I tried that in Guild Wars 2 I suspect I'd be dead real fast.

EDIT:  Not to mention playing Warrior and missing my leap, was so used to "if I can hit the button I'm in range"  really caught me off guard.

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed TERA.  I was also very surprised on how little I enjoyed TSW.

I cannot really say that I have experienced a positive surprise in any MMO.

I have enjoyed some, disliked others, and so on. But the sort of surprise you describe...not so much.

Uh-hu.

Every new raidboss I faced in Vanguard was a surprise .. ?

AC2 where I could setup turrets to farm spawning monster camps and get XP while in town crafting. It was hilarious.

Yes its been a while since an MMO has suprised me :P

Ultima Online - Logged in for the first time and was in shock and awe at the sheer amount of things to accomplish, and oddly enough it had nothing to do with rushing to endgame for wicked loot.

oh boy, i feel a GW2 rush comming this way :p hehe

Last time i was REALY immpressed......was WOW.......at that time it was realy new and exciting.

Originally posted by oubers

oh boy, i feel a GW2 rush comming this way :p hehe

Last time i was REALY immpressed......was WOW.......at that time it was realy new and exciting.

 

Actually while the game didn't knock my socks off, when I first logged in and the size of the game hit me...was pretty cool.  Plus it was my first 3D mmorpg.