Not 5 million, just one ... you.

My statements had nothing to do with what people like or dislike but YOUR view on what makes a MMORPG "good" and how since EVE does not "fit general MMORPG player profile" like WoW and EQ2 it shouldn't have even been considered. That kind of view is so wrong headed that it makes my hair stand on end. It smacks of proletarianism and "towing the corporate line" mentality that brings nothing to the table in the way of original game thinking and design. The current landscape of MMORPGs is littered with the carcesses of games that thought this way. So many thought that all you need to do is put stuff in the ground to dig up and cute monsters to bash to level up, but the lie is evident. WoW is huge because the 13-16 year old fanbois love the grind and maiming and lack of a death penalty when people fight back after being griefed too many times. SWG (WoW in space) is dying because too late they tried to break out of the mold only to alienate their player base (note: arguably SWG had a strong game mechanic and the players liked it but in the end it was the same old grind MMORPG). The rest are much the same, they only follow the heard, they don't try and trail blaze. And that is what has me firmly against your view. To back up coolie cutter thinking and say that a game "cannot be a best game because it fits only a very specific player profile" is so fundamentally wrong that it boggles my mind. Therefore I MUST bring YOU to task on it.

As for having to "drop my work, stop having personal life" to play EVE I call BS on that. See this is where people just don't get EVE. They think "OMG I must stay on 5-10 hours and go go go everywhere and do everything to make it" ... wrong! Let me tell you as a husband, father, and 45-60 hour reg working joe that EVE represents the BEST game for casual players ... EVER. No other game lets you "level up" while NOT EVEN BEING ONLINE in the game. Skills are the key and smart time management will get you right in the mix of things even if you can only play 1-2 hours every few days. No other MMORPG has this, not even close (and yes I've played more than just EVE, I know what it take).

Finally, you mention PvP and how painful it is. I agree, it is painful and a loss can really hurt ... that is where you leverage the MMO part of the game, i.e. join up with others! EVE is NOT a solo play game (unlike most other MMORPGs especially at low levels) but one where team work and having a few friends (or a corp to help you out) will make the difference. That is also the beauty of EVE, where other MMOGs have PvP with little or no death penalty EVE kicks you in the nuts (no offence gals) when you lose. That makes players really LEARN the system and not sleep walk through combat. It makes people either recognizes their limits and move on to other things in the game (either for good or till they improve) or excel at the core of what is EVE. Harsh, yes, but it makes EVE the best PvP game out there.

I'm done here now. I've gone over your mistakes point by point. I'm not trying to convince you or change your mind, I doubt that is possible. But this is for those out here that think that EVE is just another MMORPG, it's far more than that. Sure you can immerse your self, but you can also just float on the surface. It's by far the best MMORPG out there currently. It doesn't matter that it has far fewer playing. That is the very essence of being a trailblazer ... only the brave follow you.

Peace.

---

Your 720mm intelligence Howitzer I places an excellent hit on WoW fan boy, inflicting 1310.5 damage.

---

Originally posted by rznkain
Eve online the mmog made by faggots for faggots,just goes to show how messed up this site is that this game won anything much less is at top of chart on mmog ratings.Guess they have alot of time to spam votes though as they lvl up even when not in game.Would love to see the ppl who play WoW-Eq2 encourage there forums and player bases to come here and vote up there games thats how Eve got on top was due to Eve's on devs posting and begging there players to come here and inflate there score.

---

Sour grapes? I think so.

I play Eve and WoW and have played many more. The winners are the winners, nothing to worry about, congratulate the winners and comiserate with the others.
Maybe next year you'll be old enough to vote.

I personally play CoV, WoW, and EvE currently... Of the 3 I think EvE is by far the best game.  Even though I play WoW more, its mostly due to the fact that Blizzard has made WoW a HUGE timesink.  Currently my guild is farming Nefarion as practice for AQ whenever our server manages to get the gates open.  Its a long boring process that I pretty much do with my head on the desk.  EvE however is exciting for me to play as I am in a small pirate corp and I'm constantly having to look over my shoulder for both my next target or bigger and badder pirates.

I can't say I'm surprised at all the flames against EvE though, the vocal minority of gamers has shown itself to be teenagers and we all know how much teenagers love attention.  Most of the adults just sit back reading shaking their heads.  If your upset that EvE won the popularity contests (and I'm sorry if its a vote yes its a popularity contest, that is why its called Reader's Choice awards) then get more of your buddies from HS to vote for your favorite game.  Take the risk of being labeled a nerd for the game you love!

Btw, I constantly talk about EvE at work, my fellow managers all play it as well.  Its actually a great model for running a business and allows you to do all sorts of funs tuff.

---

Eve online the mmog made by faggots for faggots,just goes to show how messed up this site is that this game won anything much less is at top of chart on mmog ratings.Guess they have alot of time to spam votes though as they lvl up even when not in game.Would love to see the ppl who play WoW-Eq2 encourage there forums and player bases to come here and vote up there games thats how Eve got on top was due to Eve's on devs posting and begging there players to come here and inflate there score.

---

Way to represent the worst the human race has to offer. You are why WoW fan boys get so much shit from the EvE community. In a year of playing I havent heard anyone in eve ever say anything so stupid or hateful. It took about 3 hours in IF for me to see somthing along those lines go by in in red yell letters.

I play both WoW and EvE. I play EvE when I feel like playing a complex game. I play WoW when I feel like bashing somthing with my 2H sword.

I can see my self playing EvE for another 5 years or more. I can see myself playing WoW for about another 8 months or less.

Why?

EvE is a far more in depth game and a tough challenge. WoW is easy and shallow. Both are fun but only one stays fun after a year or two or three.

---

Originally posted by Maverick827
I have never played EvE, so I wont comment on much, but I can say that it has the worst tutorial I have ever seen for a MMO. They should really update it (if they haven't already) to...not suck so much, for the lack of a better phrase. It was so horrible I can't even comment on gameplay aspects because, if they even showed any, I just exited after it got to a certain point of boredom.

WoW definatly deserves the best PvE slot, no doubt about that. If they would just have cross server Battlegrounds they would have a decent PvP shot, but right now the queues just ruin it. Just qurious though, was Shadowbane on the list at all? I would assume it wasn't, but back in it's day (I should probably update my sig) it had the best PvP hands down.

All in all this proves only that people voted for EvE more then anything else. Does that mean it's the best? No. Does it mean it has a loyal fanbase? Yes. Could it be the best? Sure. Is it? Not in my opinion, but then again I didn't vote.

---

->
I have never played EvE, so I wont comment on much, but I can say that it has the worst tutorial I have ever seen for a MMO.....
WoW definatly deserves the best PvE slot, no doubt about that. <-

Erm - LOL?
How can you say things like that if u dont even PLAYED Eve? i bet u didnt played other games aswell and are just a young first-timer with your WoW-Nintendo-Game
BACK ASAP TO THE SCHOOL WITH YOU!
You're a clown and don't know what u're saying.
dismissed

---

Originally posted by jimmyman99

---

Originally posted by Castrin

---

Originally posted by jimmyman99
I agree with most winners except best game. Eve cannot be a best game because it fits only a very specific player profile. I think WoW at best or EQ2 at worse should be best game because they fit general MMORPG player profile, they are fit for the masses. Dont take me wrong, I like Eve, but i cant play it for long, its too grinding for me, takes too long to accomplish anything major, takes to long to get to the juicy part. With WoW and EQ2 you get into action right away. Just another reason not to trust online polls 100%

If you want a more precise poll, just read the subscribtion numbers, the best game will have the most number of active players. 70k is nowhere near the 5 million (according to WoW press release, 5 mil IS the amount of active player accounts, NOT the total amount of game copies sold).

---

Instant gratification is NOT a mark of a good MMORPG ... you sir, need professional help.

To even type the above shows a lack of understand of the foundations of MMORPGs on a massive scale. Your ignorance should be used as a printed example of a fanboi gone horribly insane.

MMORPGs are NOT about "fitting a general profile" or how long it takes to get to "the juicy part" (i.e. looking for that flash of instant gratification in your first 2 days of playing) but about team work, player interaction, game depth, and freedom to explore ... to make more of the game and do more in the game (without stooping to exploits) than the game designers can foresee ... to do more than camp a spawn or grind materials for crafting, instead to make it a reason to control an area and make it your home ... to do more than just zerg or war on others, instead to use such methods as well as guerrilla warfare and covert ops to help defend your chosen home ... to have PvP with meaning, with pain, with purpose and to protect those that wish to not partake, supporting both styles in a dynamic universe ... to make PvP mean more than the biggest sword / gun / ship / fist, instead to make it a part of everything in the game. And finally to do all of this in one, non sharded, gaming world which in turn makes a stronger game community because we have no technological limits or need to “make an character on 'xyz' server” to do any of the above with others we meet in the community “outside” of the gaming world.

EVE does it, it breaks the mold that the mega game producers want to use to make cookie cutter games like WoW and EQ ... and the players out there know it and that is why it won.

Peace.

---

Before you tell someone to seek out professional help, think about what you are saying. You are saying "I dont care care what 5 million people think, I think Eve is the best so THEY are wrong".. This is ignorance talking. For the most part, Eve reaches its maximum reward at the latter stage, when you have established yourself in the universe, you have credits, good corp, lots of money, raised your skills to pilot best of the best ship, and you have blueprints for that super duper ship that no other corp has. This is all fine but it takes literaly months of real time gameplay, and i mean 5-10 hours per day gameplay to reach that spot. In between, you grind, you try to make your living, you cant realy PvP since you can loose your ship and everything you worked for the last month if you get ganked by 2 15 year olds with bad attitude.
Now just becuase you like Eve, dont assume its the best game. Its the best game for YOU maybe, but not so many others. If it were best game for most people, Eve would have 5 million active subscribers.

And yes, I think whatever game has most active subscribers (not counting free games) is better game. I have a trust in human beings, I think people wouldnt pay to play a game they do not enjoy. Even is fun game, but you need to invest a LOT of real life time to get to the realy fun part. You have to get through a lot of grinding, traveling, raising skills which you cannot speed up, if it says you need 1 month to raise your specific skill, it will take 1 real life month. Im sorry I offended your fanboism, but you need to cool off before posting such posts. And before you brand me with fanboism, I dont play any MMORPG atm - even though WoW is best in a sense "get in - start having fun right away", even that game takes too much time for a working man with tight schedule. if i were to start playing Eve, id have to drop my work, stop having personal life, just like what EQ1 did to me.

---

about your comment:
if i were to start playing Eve, id have to drop my work, stop having personal life, just like what EQ1 did to me...

with 1 look at your signature and the 106 hrs a week alone for civ - i have a good laugh at you. Thats 15 hrs every day dewd.... i play Eve and i dont even can / want reach 50% of your playtime...
To be honest - how shortminded must a person be to write crap like this and having a signature under his post that exactly reveals him as a bag of warm air?
You're just another clown, and if i'd invest so many time like you in a virtual world with my age of almost 30 now... I'd even think that i might be a so called 'Real Life Looser' - get it?
So who you're bullshitting and whats the reason?

---

Originally posted by Morgaur
Well I must say that I used to play EvE a while ago. However Im not patient enough for that game hehe. But that doesent stop me from saying that EvE is probably the best mmo I have ever played. I know it sounds weird but thats the mere fact.
If you want in depth, good graphics, total freedom, no grind. Thats EvE
I just wish, O' I wish I could love that game
So now Im stuck with WoW......... with high hopes that someday, somewhere there will be a incredible mmo released by some geniouses.
Until then, I vote for EvE as the best game ever played!

---

I know this feeling, I was in the exect same situation a year ago, as I hate grinding and I hate doing all this mindless stuff in most games, hell, WoW even somehow sucseeded in making PvP kind of mindless (battlegrounds) But once I was browsing the WoW roleplay forum someone mentioned a game, a game with free-for-all PvP, player driven markets and towns, no grinding ot leveling, no itemgrinding and serious death penality to make playing serious and exiting... and there was it, Trials of Ascension.

I think its too silent, I mean there are so many people that love this kind of game but never know about it because no one talks enough about it, anyway, here it is:

Site: http://www.shadowpool.com

And if you dont like diffacoulty, dont click the link, and oh, did I mention it got the most mature fanbase Ive ever seen in my opinion.

---

Originally posted by Kantek

---

Originally posted by Morgaur
Well I must say that I used to play EvE a while ago. However Im not patient enough for that game hehe. But that doesent stop me from saying that EvE is probably the best mmo I have ever played. I know it sounds weird but thats the mere fact.
If you want in depth, good graphics, total freedom, no grind. Thats EvE
I just wish, O' I wish I could love that game
So now Im stuck with WoW......... with high hopes that someday, somewhere there will be a incredible mmo released by some geniouses.
Until then, I vote for EvE as the best game ever played!

---

I know this feeling, I was in the exect same situation a year ago, as I hate grinding and I hate doing all this mindless stuff in most games, hell, WoW even somehow sucseeded in making PvP kind of mindless (battlegrounds) But once I was browsing the WoW roleplay forum someone mentioned a game, a game with free-for-all PvP, player driven markets and towns, no grinding ot leveling, no itemgrinding and serious death penality to make playing serious and exiting... and there was it, Trials of Ascension.

I think its too silent, I mean there are so many people that love this kind of game but never know about it because no one talks enough about it, anyway, here it is:

Site: http://www.shadowpool.com

And if you dont like diffacoulty, dont click the link, and oh, did I mention it got the most mature fanbase Ive ever seen in my opinion.

---

mmm nice nice... the thing is dewd:

Age of Ascension = Estimated release date of 2008/9

Surely it looks promising, but HOW can you throw arguments like this into the room if the game is a closed BETA?
I guess we'll discuss about that game when there are some serious news / open Beta or whatever

---

Originally posted by Masema

The relatively slow pace set in space isn't to the majoritys taste, but it also provides incredible depth and longevity.

---

Coming from and FPS game background, I find this aspect of Eve quite a relief.  The slow pace requires a more thoughtful, patient style of gameplay.  From what I have seen, this keeps the game from filling up with foul-mouthed 14 year olds (only a couple members of my corp are under 30 and none of them under 25). 

I am also happy to see CCP win the "Best Company" award.  Whenever I have had dealings with thier customer support, the responses have been prompt, professional, and, most importantly, resolved the issue on the first try.  In my opinion, most American companies would benefit from studying this little Icelandic company's customer service philosophy.

i played most mmogs ...eve online ..best game ...?! wtf is wrong with the peeps on these boards

---

Originally posted by rznkain
Eve online  the mmog made by faggots for faggots,just goes to show how messed up this site is that this game won anything much less is at top of chart on mmog ratings.Guess they have alot of time to spam votes though as they lvl up even when not in game.Would love to see the ppl who play WoW-Eq2 encourage there forums and player bases to come here and vote up there games thats how Eve got on top was due to Eve's on devs posting and begging there players to come here and inflate there score.

---

---

Originally posted by GaiusFalco

I am also happy to see CCP win the "Best Company" award. Whenever I have had dealings with thier customer support, the responses have been prompt, professional, and, most importantly, resolved the issue on the first try. In my opinion, most American companies would benefit from studying this little Icelandic company's customer service philosophy.

---

I've had the same experience with customer support. I don't think any other company can compete with CCPs customer care and very helpful support network.

---

Originally posted by rznkain
Eve online  the mmog made by faggots for faggots,just goes to show how messed up this site is that this game won anything much less is at top of chart on mmog ratings.Guess they have alot of time to spam votes though as they lvl up even when not in game.Would love to see the ppl who play WoW-Eq2 encourage there forums and player bases to come here and vote up there games thats how Eve got on top was due to Eve's on devs posting and begging there players to come here and inflate there score.

---

ahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahaha

ahahhaha

ahaha

omg

grow the *&*$ up

I just saw these awards and since I have played both WoW and EVE I wanted to post my opinion.

Eve-Online- It is the most diverse and complex MMO I have ever seen. It does start out slow, and yes it has a huge learning curve. You don't jump in the game with normal gear and then go grind the nearest mob for lvls/money. You need to think about what you want to do before you even make your character!

Best way to play Eve is to browse the forums, learn about the game before you start playing, and make the perfect character for you! After that the possibilities of what you can do in the game are endless. I know people who have played for almost 3 years now, have all the money they could ever need, built the best ships/gear even own their own Station, and I asked them whats left...? They told me " Too damn much!"

Eve is NOT FUN SOLO, least for most people. Its one of the few MMO's you actually need people to help enjoy the game, not that you need friends, but you HAVE to interact with other people to get anything you want. In WoW I could solo forever to get my epics....

WOW- I quit eve for about 6 months after my corp was hit with the Largest In-game Theft ever! I still kept my skills training ( Best part about EVE). I loved WOW, I had actually been waiting for it when EVE came around. I played with a couple friends, and took a long time lvling up, due to still playing EVE heavy for awhile. Once I got past 40 I was a WOW guy, I joined a guild, did instances and quickly got to lvl 60 and started the High level Instance grind for gear. This is what killed WoW for me. The PVP is not about player skills its about having your character online 24/7 in the battlegrounds. The Epic gear grind is rediculus, fun the first... oh I dunno 20-50 times per instance, but after you master them it all becomes time, and trying to beat out 4-6 other players in your cast for gear each week.

Conclusion: WoW is fun and addictive and yes very very "pretty" lvls 1-59.
Eve has the best end-game of an MMO out there because its impossible to do everything and more keeps coming!

I will be back in WoW for the Expansion lvls 60-70 here I come!

---

i played most mmogs ...eve online ..best game ...?! wtf is wrong with the peeps on these boards

---

personaly i would compare WOW to drafts/checkers....easy to learn , easy to play not much depth...fun
eve would be chess = harder to learn, hardern to play a lot more depth, takes a lot of time...but can be a hell of a lot more satisfying and entertaining if you put the effort in to learn the game.

but both games are aimed at different crowds...you cant reallt compare them...and for anyone who is crying that their game didnt win a readers poll...ffs grow up will you..doesnt mean that the game you play will now be cancled...nor will you loose any of your 5 mil subscribers (seesm the only reason wow fans can come up with why they should win is there 5 mil subscribers)

anyhow...for a unkown company like ccp, with their first MMO even to be nominated (never loan win) against known companies like blizzard and SOE with their established mass media brandnames such as WOW, SWG, Everquest is an accomplishment in itself

---

Originally posted by rznkain
Eve online  the mmog made by faggots for faggots,just goes to show how messed up this site is that this game won anything much less is at top of chart on mmog ratings.Guess they have alot of time to spam votes though as they lvl up even when not in game.Would love to see the ppl who play WoW-Eq2 encourage there forums and player bases to come here and vote up there games thats how Eve got on top was due to Eve's on devs posting and begging there players to come here and inflate there score.

---

Thats funny, I play both WoW and EQ II right now, and dropped EVE a long time ago.

I still voted EVE in those categories where it actually is the best game.

Sooooooo.... Yer a little angry kiddie that just need a good spankin

Well I'm new here but I've been pretty surprised by the posts in this thread.  I've been online gaming for around seven years and have played Eve since early Beta.  I'm part of a large corporation in Eve thats actually in several other games as well (SW & WoW among them).  We kind of go from game to game and often our members play multiple games at once.

Community - Eve-Online is a completely different kind of game.  Likewise they have a completely different kind of player.  In WoW and EQ2 and especially SW I saw so much "lewt kiddie" talk I felt like I was standing in a hallway at a junior high during class break.  It was honestly just disappointing but I quickly realized that was the Eve difference.  The players.  When I first started Eve I was part of a corporation with members over 35 who were all real life businessmen.  We started a corporation based on economic control.  In eve the market is player run and very cyclical from region to region.  Players can set up a monopoly in an area with enough work.  And it is alot of work.

Graphics - Eve graphics are so good because they seem real.  Comparing graphics from EQ2 or WoW or SW really is irrelevant.  A cartoon is a cartoon.  In Eve after awhile you often feel like you're really out in space.  When this game came out I was playing Earth and Beyond (cartoon galaxy).  Honestly games like WoW and EQ2 feel more like E&B when I compare them to Eve. 

Designers - CCP has done an excellent job with customer service and the free upgrades are sensational.  When they have a major rollout the servers go down for a day or two and they install it FOR FREE.  You don't have to run out, pay another $29.99 or whatever, and take another hit in the wallet.  Upgrades at Eve are free.  CCP does a decent job answering petitions and I've talked ingame to developers who are flying around checking stuff out.  In close to a year of EQ2 and WoW I can honestly say I've NEVER had a dev come up and talk to me out of the blue (much less answer a forum post).  As a smaller company CCP probably realizes they need to satisfy the customer first and foremost.  I kind of look at WoW and EQ2 as "WalMart" in nature.  Really big but often very hard to get answers from as well.  I view Eve as more a "Nordstroms" store.  Smaller but focused on service and responsive to player input.

Storyline - Here is where Eve really shines.  I'm an RP'er and I work off the Eve backstory.  Honestly who hasn't closed their eyes and dreamed of flying on a starship somewhere?  The point is Eve can "seem" real because its a dream so many have.  Now look at EQ2 or WoW and ask yourself if that "life" is a RL dream for you?  The fact the graphics in Eve are so good and so realistic versus cartoon based just magnify this distinction.  The overall storyline is deep and there have been player "events" that have directed that storyline.  Player input matters and they pay attention to it.

Best Game - Well thats subjective.  I've never been a big "wand waver".  Playing Horizons, EQ2 and WoW in the last year wasn't really alot of fun because it is such a grind after awhile.  Eve on the other hand has something different every day.  5000 star systems to play in and 20,000 people online at once on one server means you could run into just about anything.  Eve is only a grind if you let it be.    Still the category is subjective.  If you're into the "lewt kiddie" talk and have a very short attention span you'd probably not like Eve.  The instant gratification isn't there.  Then again if youre a corporate minded person, enjoy working in groups, enjoy tracking markets and making money, enjoy theft, murder, robbery, all as legitimate ways of making a living, then yes Eve offers a unique play experience.  The fact Eve players as a whole are older indicates there is something there thats attractive to those who have "slowed down" a bit (like myself at 40).  So sure Eve fans are obsessed about their game.  With 100x more players other games should've ruled this category even with a few obsessed fans.

Problems - Oh sure Eve isnt perfect.  After a patch its usually a couple of weeks of hotfixes to get everything working well (free big patches not the little ones).  They do have a daily downtime which is annoying somewhat but you get used to it.  The large influx of players has meant our 5000 system universe with 6,000 people on line at once has become crowded with 20,000 and lag is an issue in some places (but not many).  Eve will shortly have one of the 500 fastest supercomputer servers in the world running its game (no other game comes close).  There is an issue with macro players but the player community has really rallied against them and deal with them in their own ways.  Ebay is a problem but every now and then CCP will come out and post they've banned 100 or so accounts for it so at least they're making an effort.  Still the problems aren't that bad and the game is pretty good.

Conclusion - So congratulations to all the winners and to the runner ups.  No one lost the competition people who blame "multiple accounts" or whatever for Eve's victory need to look at the overall numbers and at the games themselves.  When one game has 100x fewer players and fewer accounts here and still wins maybe its a decent game.  Its not for everyone and you don't have to love it.  But don't make excuses and slam winner.  Be gracious in defeat.

ErikMesa 

---

Originally posted by ErikMesa
Well I'm new here but I've been pretty surprised by the posts in this thread.  I've been online gaming for around seven years and have played Eve since early Beta.  I'm part of a large corporation in Eve thats actually in several other games as well (SW & WoW among them).  We kind of go from game to game and often our members play multiple games at once.
Community - Eve-Online is a completely different kind of game.  Likewise they have a completely different kind of player.  In WoW and EQ2 and especially SW I saw so much "lewt kiddie" talk I felt like I was standing in a hallway at a junior high during class break.  It was honestly just disappointing but I quickly realized that was the Eve difference.  The players.  When I first started Eve I was part of a corporation with members over 35 who were all real life businessmen.  We started a corporation based on economic control.  In eve the market is player run and very cyclical from region to region.  Players can set up a monopoly in an area with enough work.  And it is alot of work.
Graphics - Eve graphics are so good because they seem real.  Comparing graphics from EQ2 or WoW or SW really is irrelevant.  A cartoon is a cartoon.  In Eve after awhile you often feel like you're really out in space.  When this game came out I was playing Earth and Beyond (cartoon galaxy).  Honestly games like WoW and EQ2 feel more like E&B when I compare them to Eve. 
Designers - CCP has done an excellent job with customer service and the free upgrades are sensational.  When they have a major rollout the servers go down for a day or two and they install it FOR FREE.  You don't have to run out, pay another $29.99 or whatever, and take another hit in the wallet.  Upgrades at Eve are free.  CCP does a decent job answering petitions and I've talked ingame to developers who are flying around checking stuff out.  In close to a year of EQ2 and WoW I can honestly say I've NEVER had a dev come up and talk to me out of the blue (much less answer a forum post).  As a smaller company CCP probably realizes they need to satisfy the customer first and foremost.  I kind of look at WoW and EQ2 as "WalMart" in nature.  Really big but often very hard to get answers from as well.  I view Eve as more a "Nordstroms" store.  Smaller but focused on service and responsive to player input.
Storyline - Here is where Eve really shines.  I'm an RP'er and I work off the Eve backstory.  Honestly who hasn't closed their eyes and dreamed of flying on a starship somewhere?  The point is Eve can "seem" real because its a dream so many have.  Now look at EQ2 or WoW and ask yourself if that "life" is a RL dream for you?  The fact the graphics in Eve are so good and so realistic versus cartoon based just magnify this distinction.  The overall storyline is deep and there have been player "events" that have directed that storyline.  Player input matters and they pay attention to it.
Best Game - Well thats subjective.  I've never been a big "wand waver".  Playing Horizons, EQ2 and WoW in the last year wasn't really alot of fun because it is such a grind after awhile.  Eve on the other hand has something different every day.  5000 star systems to play in and 20,000 people online at once on one server means you could run into just about anything.  Eve is only a grind if you let it be.    Still the category is subjective.  If you're into the "lewt kiddie" talk and have a very short attention span you'd probably not like Eve.  The instant gratification isn't there.  Then again if youre a corporate minded person, enjoy working in groups, enjoy tracking markets and making money, enjoy theft, murder, robbery, all as legitimate ways of making a living, then yes Eve offers a unique play experience.  The fact Eve players as a whole are older indicates there is something there thats attractive to those who have "slowed down" a bit (like myself at 40).  So sure Eve fans are obsessed about their game.  With 100x more players other games should've ruled this category even with a few obsessed fans.
Problems - Oh sure Eve isnt perfect.  After a patch its usually a couple of weeks of hotfixes to get everything working well (free big patches not the little ones).  They do have a daily downtime which is annoying somewhat but you get used to it.  The large influx of players has meant our 5000 system universe with 6,000 people on line at once has become crowded with 20,000 and lag is an issue in some places (but not many).  Eve will shortly have one of the 500 fastest supercomputer servers in the world running its game (no other game comes close).  There is an issue with macro players but the player community has really rallied against them and deal with them in their own ways.  Ebay is a problem but every now and then CCP will come out and post they've banned 100 or so accounts for it so at least they're making an effort.  Still the problems aren't that bad and the game is pretty good.
Conclusion - So congratulations to all the winners and to the runner ups.  No one lost the competition people who blame "multiple accounts" or whatever for Eve's victory need to look at the overall numbers and at the games themselves.  When one game has 100x fewer players and fewer accounts here and still wins maybe its a decent game.  Its not for everyone and you don't have to love it.  But don't make excuses and slam winner.  Be gracious in defeat.
ErikMesa 
 

---

hey erik, that is a great first post

I started my MMO experience with EVE, about 2 years ago.

I never played anything else before and I wasn't the "player type", so I started with a 14-days trial  account. Since I never played OnLine games before, something happened that I wasn't prepared for. I incidently bumped into a real person! (I tried taking cargo from someone else's container) Imagine the shock I went through when that person aproached me directly, threatening to shoot at me if I don't leave that stuff alone. This is how I got into my first Corporation and that's when things started getting really interesting. EVE got me addicted and I sticked to the game for 6 months, playing 24/7.

Then I realized that my real life if going down-the-hill, while I was living in another universe - the EVE universe. So, I bit the rock and left EVE, so I don't end-up begging on the streets for something to eat. After things came back to normal, I started looking for some other MMO, hopefuly some less addictive one.

I found Project Entropia to be interesting for about a month, but even though the game is "free", you need to buy anything you need, while everything worth using is decaying pretty fast. After playing for about two weeks, I spent more on PE than in those 6 months playing EVE-Online. Then I started just running arround and looking at the scenery, playing the annoying rookie. About a week of that and I got sick and tired of PE.

Then I went out looking for anything else I could find interesting enough to try out. Played Anarchy Online for about two weeks, then it got boring. Played Risk Your Life for two weeks, then it got boring.

Then I got myself a GuildWars account. The game has nice graphics and a nice storyline, with a relatively good Tutorial (first part of the game). After completing all the quests in the Tutorial, it led me to the next part of the game, which wasn't so nice-looking anymore. About 2 months later, I ended up at L17 (L20 is max), mostly doing missions. I did most of the missions playing solo with NPC helpers, because it was a real pain waiting for a "human troop" to gather (sometimes took even one hour before everyone was ready). Playing alone here was more fun than the other free games arround (GuildWars has no subscription fee), but after you finish all the missions, there isn't much left to do. I still like to start the game non-and-ten, move arround from place to place, grind-a-little and look for someone to chat, but that's the end of the story.

Looking arround, I didn't see anything else of interest than EVE and WoW. Since I already played EVE once, I paid the subscription and went back in (after about six months of absence), to see if my old Corp is still there. And ... everyone who was there a year ago, still played the game, now being one of the large Corporations in the EVE universe. But, the reason why I left the game was still present (high addiction), so I spent my 4 weeks there, playing with my former colegues, then went back Off-Line.

Looking for a substitute, I started thinking about giving WoW a try, mostly because of all the hype arround it. And since most of my real life friends were playing World of Warcraft, even though I wasn't fond of the idea spending $45 for the first month and then $13 for every next month, I got myself a WoW account and started playing.

Going through quests got me to L10 after a few hours of playing (less than a day). After I went through most quests at lower levels, I started getting quests in which I didn't even know where I have to go to complete them. A number of quests were so poorly described, that I didn't even know what I had to do. What seemed to be a solution to my problem was to buy the Official WoW Players Guide, spending  another $30.

Well, not really. I already went past the initial quests and it didn't describe any quests after level 20. Then I went out looking for anything I could find to help me solve the next quests, so I can move on to the higher level. After a while, I was so frustrated that I went out grinding.

The only people I could get some help from were my real-life friends, while the rest of the community was only interested in silly little Duels (one-on-one fights in safe places), which mostly ended in insults (the one who lost spit on the other one).

After about 2 months of playing WoW, I saw 1/2 of the map, played all the races and tryed out all the character types. It was a very nice-looking experience, but it also got really boring.

I canceled my WoW subscription 4 weeks ago, then reinstalled GuildWars and played there about a week. Boring.

I'm now tempted to go back to EVE Online, but I'm affraid that I won't be able to resist the temptation to replace my real life with the EVE universe again. I know that, when I start playing EVE, I will again be sitting there night-and-day, my wife will start packing her bags and ... eventually, I will die of hunger, sitting in my ship in the EVE universe.

Having said all of that, from my point of view, there isn't a single game that really stands a chance against EVE Online. The addiction level for adult players fascinated by Science Fiction is just too high in EVE to resist. If you are a Star Trek fan like me and are looking for a REALLY GOOD GAME which will keep you fastened at your seatbelt for a long long time, look no further: play EVE Online!