I believe players put thought into their names as well, otherwise we'd have characters running around with random letters over the top of their heads.

For example, I try to associate the class of my character with a trait of mythological creatures, and use the name of that creature as the inspiration for how I christen my character.

As for what game deserves the most amount of creativity when it comes to naming, it has got to be Pokemon. 400+ and increasing!

The draw of this game for me was that it's entirely web based (no download/instalation), and it doesn't limit the amount of time you can play with regen "energy".

However, it can get a bit boring after you are through with the first chapter of the story, because it would seem like there's very little for you to do without upgrading to member; aka member only area or member only items.

I am very glad to learn that whatever items you purchase while you are a member you get to keep forever... hmm, maybe I'll finally get that pet that's been just sitting in my bag slot ;-)

While this year's picks are games that I'll most likely never pick up, since I'm not a fan at all for FPS, I'm still glad for the exposure. It was also a pretty interesting read of the efforts developers put forth to entice gamers.

We are beings of change and evolution (and occasionally revolution too), and it's good to see what's outside the box - of norm.

As for the speculation of a bribe, it's more hassle than its worth. Even if it's actually possible for Global Agenda to pay a bribe... once the game BETA/release doesn't match up with the article, mmorpg.com would totally lose all credibility, something I'm sure they don't want to risk, considering how many subscribers this site has and how many would be alienated. At least I know I would.

P.S. - It's refreshing to see staff taking an active role and participating in the forum.

MMOs are really hot topics. By putting an MMO- in front of some game genre, it instantly gives people the impression that it's popular, which is true... in a way. The word massive suggest that there's a huge fan base and a large pool of people in which you can interact. Since there isn't a current industry standard set in stone for what qualifies a game to be an MMO, many marketers are putting their game in that category to generate more hubhub about their release. It's hard to blame them, given today's very competitve gaming world, where players have very high expectations of games.

I'd say do your research before believing games based on their title or genre. Sites such as this is a good avenue for people to discuss various games, and it's a nice way to get a sense of the game before committing to it.

Different styles, different mentalities, different strategies... oh, and here's the kicker - different games!

People play MMOs for different reasons, and we have different tastes to what we want to play, not to mention approaches to how we play. The beauty of it all is that there is a vast number of games out there that boasts to feed our gaming desires. However, when you pick out that game at the video store or download it to your computer, you accept that there will be negative gaming experiences. Any game with lots people, especially people that you are unfamiliar with, are going to have its rewards and challenges. Not to mention that sometimes technology fails us too.

The trick to taking it all in is not taking it personally; after all, it's just a game. Why let something that's intended to be enjoyable foul your mood? If it's really becoming unbearable, stop playing the game and switch to the dozens of other games whose marketers would be eager to take your time and money instead. If you've already invested a lot of time and energy into a game, then like some others have already mentioned, make friends or at least establish "business" relationships from people whose goals include enjoying gameplay. If you are really that bothered, then go back to regular RGPs where you won't have to deal with the negative side effects of MMOs.

Being a casual MMO gamer, the gaming experience is all about what you make of it, which is true for life too. If the community is truly in uproar, don't just complain about within the community, petition to developers for a change, even if it's limited to just one or two servers. While developers cannot and may not respond to every demand of their followers, taking the step towards making a change yields greater percentage of chance that it just might happen.

I'm sure the game developers are happy to see that their game has either loyal followers or crazed fans raving about the latest release. I know that if I worked to launch a game, I would feel elated about a good turn out. Reversely, think about how you would feel if you worked hard to produce something and someone just trashes all your efforts.

Every game has its pros and cons. Forums would be much more useful for pointing that out to prospective or current players of these points and/or for tips to enhance gaming experience.

If you want to rave about something, show some love for the games that developers and marketers worked so hard to launch, which has you glued to your computer chair.

Raving or bashing a game will not make or break the game. Only time will tell if a game becomes a huge hit or "bite the dust".

My boyfriend got me hooked to WoW. What started off as inocently as just watching him play turned into me trying on his account, then getting one of my own. The most ironic part of my story is that he got tired of the game before I did... although it does help when your guild members actually know that you are a girl and a computer geek; they are extra nice to you and will generally go out of their way to help you out. ;-)

The reason why I stopped playing WoW was because the costs started to add up: expansion = $40 a pop x 2 that are out, on top of monthly fee of $15. Add to the fact that I was increasingly becoming more busy, and just didn't have time for the game anymore. By end game, it does get quite a bit tedious... but I guess WoW implemented something called Daily Quests nowadays.

However, I would like to point out that you pay for what you get... most of the time. Free MMOs are attactive to the wallet, but may or may not have to best play quality, in terms of content, graphics, storyline, etc (basically, the factors that makes an RPG fun). These games take time to develop and money to maintain. Beware of MMOs that are free, but then ask for membership upgrade for full access of map and items.

I was quite interested in seeing how people would respond to this post... from avid WoW fans to people who are raving about Aion.

I played WoW, and I must say that it rocketed me being goody-two-shoes to computer geek in 0 seconds flat. It's a well thought of game, and "designed to work on a wide spectrum of computers"*, which contributes to their success. I will admit that gold spamming farmers are annoying, they didn't really affect overall game play... unless you are in area trying to complete a quest, and they are killing everything in sight. However, it does get a bit tedious. After you've reached max level, then what? Your day becomes a chore of raiding for armor, PvP for armor or prestige, building faction, and/or working on skills. Day in, day out... snore (or you go blind from your eyes glued to the screen for so long).

In my humble opinion, the world will go on whether either game lives or dies. It is up to the players to choose which one they worship, and who knows, it might even be both!

*Credit to my awesome friend, Tony.