I cannot speak for WAR or Mortal Online because I have not played them, But the rest of the titles on this list are doing just fine with decent to good player bases. What it really comes down to is what style of MMO you wish to play.

The new screenshots look very nice. Wonder if it will actually be implemented (finally) this year.

I played a game with permadeath once before.....Oh, yeah, It was called Dungeons and Dragons. :)

Awesome, On it right now! Let's give this puppy a whirl.

I think I'll check it out. Thanks for the info guys. :)

Originally posted by Dameonk

Originally posted by Adamantine

Originally posted by gordiflu

Totally, the newest games have world that are actually quite small.

Oh, I miss Telon so much...

I wonder if we will ever see another game like Vanguard.

Anybody knows a good "get rich quick" scheme ? I need some millions to build a MMO ...

Build a time machine?

And go back to 1999 to kidnap young Brad McQuaid?

Originally posted by Scot

Using more than one source to make up your mind about a game is the key. Of course if you preorder you are just asking for trouble. I tend to use Metacritic, but look at the full range of reviews including user reviews. Always check out the poor score end reviews (<70), why were they poor? Then check out one that scores about 80, why was it that good? Don’t bother to read a review which gives a game 90+ unless that’s all it gets. Make sure you read at least one review from a gaming magazine. The user reviews are quite short, read them all whatever the score.

You could be spending your next 40+ hours of gaming with that title, spending 15 minutes reading up on it is a good investment.

 Well said. I was gonna say something exactly along these lines but Scot beat me to it. :)

 I use aggregate sites like Metacritic and "cross-referencing" techniques as well in order to make informed purchasing decisions. Looking at something at many different angles gives you a better idea of what it is, and whether or not you will enjoy it.

I must say I am quite surprised at this. Never thought I'd hear about this game again. Well, aside from retrospect of course.

Toss a key my way as well! Excited about this one!

If anybody wants to share the love, send a key my ways too please!

dbc_don_sodam@yahoo.com

I can't believe how many responses this genius has gotten with his well researched and thought out thread post.

/sarcasm

Hopefully this brings in more victims.....errrr.....I mean players.

I hope that if Bethesda does make an MMO, that it's not a TES game. Don't ruin my favorite series simply because you want to jump on the bandwagon. Ok? Thanks.

Originally posted by KualaBD

World of Warcraft's success was not just a matter of timing or else EQ2 would have shared in that success as they both released about the same time.  It was also not a matter of releasing when it was ready, though that certainly played a part.

 

I think the main things that lead to WoW's success over that of EQ2 were these...

 

1)  Fanbase:  While EQ was certainly well known among mmo players it only had several hundred thousand players and was not familiar to the PC gaming community as a whole.  Thus, when EQ2 was released it had a much smaller community to draw subscribers from...EQ fans and PC gamers familiar with MMO's.  WoW on the other hand had a much larger fanbase to draw from, even though WoW was Blizzard's first MMO.  Blizzard already had a pre-made fanbase of millions who had already been playing the Diablo and Warcraft series for years.  There were millions of Blizzard fans who had never played an MMO who were willing to try WoW simply because it was a Blizzard game and based on Warcraft.  In fact, many EQ players were also Blizzard fans and thus it was easy for many playing EQ to swap over to WoW.

 

2)  Graphics:  EQ2 had top-of-the-line, realistic looking graphics when it released.  In fact most players who wanted to play it had to upgrade their computers in one way or another...something that could be quite expensive.  WoW on the other hand went with a much simpler "cartoony" graphics which was able to be played effectively by just about everyone, even on computers that were years old, without the expense of upgrading their computers.  This again gave WoW a potential player-base of millions while EQ2 could only draw from the smaller number of players with new or upgraded computers.

 

3)  Graphics (Art-style):  WoW's "cartoony" style is more appealing to a wider audience.

 

4)  EQ2 made the mistake of splitting, or alienating, their players from the original EQ.  Most EQ players were hoping that EQ2 would be EQ with a graphical upgrade and that their EQ characters would transfer over somehow to the new game.  EQ2 was instead set far into the future after a cataclysmic event.  This removed the option of transferring EQ characters over and also removed much of the familiarity that EQ players had with the world.  While many of the same locations were used, the cataclysmic event had changed things around so much that players had lost the connection they previously had to their favorite zones.  In fact, many of the EQ players who tried EQ2 and didn't like it found they could no longer go back and enjoy EQ due in large part to having a taste of the better graphics the new MMO's had...not liking the new and not being able to go back to the old the only other option was to go to WoW.

 

Due to the above reasons WoW already had a large advantage starting off...one that EQ2 couldn't overcome.

/signed

Saved me a lot of breath. I agree 100%

Originally posted by Wickedjelly

EDIT: I'll be damned.  Just read through the discussion portion and sure enough Sapience responded saying the level cap will be 65 for everyone.  Good news for those that are trying to go f2p as much as possible.

Still think it be worth buying the quest pack least for MoM but that's my opinion.

This is wonderful news for free players. I myself am thinking about getting into LOTRO now because of this news.

Originally posted by psyknx

Tbh, I think EQ2x is exactly the same as live, the only reason Im not playing it is because I enjoy EQ2 PvP and EQ2X doesnt have PvP.

EQ2X also has plenty of people in the low level areas, lotsa new players.

I am an ex Live player who was intrigued by this new client. I have played it for a few hours thus far, so I am no expert by any means.

That said, It is the exact same game as Live, from what I can see, except with lots of things stripped out that you have to pay for if you want to access them. For instance, If you want to play a race that is not neutral, you have to pay. If you want to lvl beyond 80, you have to pay. If you want to play as a Shadow Knight or several other classes, you have to pay. etc. etc.

In response to the pvp thing, I am pretty sure EQ2X has pvp, though I have not done it myself in this version as I have just started playing recently. So if I am wrong about this, someone who has played EQ2X  more extensively please correct me. Perhaps the PVP is another thing you have to pay for to unlock?

From what I've played so far, it seems extremely limited. Gotta pay if I want to play as Shadow Knight (My favorite Class). But, I guess it's a good thing that SOE is offering a f2p version of it's flagship title. It is a great game, often overlooked and misunderstood (probably because of it's competitor WOW). You can lvl to 80 but must pay to be able to hit the lvl 90 cap. You cannot play as good or evil races, only neutral, unless you buy racepacks or whatever. Seems like an extension of the old trial client (Hence the name "Extended"?), except there is no time limit and you can go pretty much where you want, except lvl 80+ zones. Also you cannot start your own guild as a free player, though that's not a big deal, as paying customers do deserve certain advantages over free players.

Originally posted by mercilus

Those lucky enough to read this and give it a try will finally get to experience what a true MMORPG Should be like.  Classic UO experience in a brand new world for us old schoolers.

Screw WoW - it pales in comparison and complexity.   Everquest ruined the genre for everyone and spawned WOW as a sick bastard child.

Those of us lucky enough to be MMOers in the 90s I doubt can even stand to play WoW in its simple minded bore.

I myself was spoiled by UO. I am always looking for complexity and freedom in my mmos, and the only two games that I have found over the years that are in a similar vein are Eve Online and Darkfall. I second the notion that WOW is just a refined EQ.

I believe that if they created a shard with the newer graphics engine mixed with the mechanics of old school UO, I would return. I am sure I am not the only one either. A classic shard is something they should have done years ago though. The community isn't as robust as it once was unfortunately. A big comeback? Maybe not, but a modest one is entirely possible.

Color me excited. Can't wait to see how this one turns out!