2010 Awards: New Game of the Year

It’s that time of year again, as the holidays approach and our thoughts turn to snow and peace and love and what’s that other thing... right, gifts. Hey, it’s tradition and tradition is important.

Speaking of tradition, it’s time to kick off the voting for the annual MMORPG.com reader’s choice awards. You know the drill, we give you a bunch of nominees in our specially selected categories and you vote and in the name of good fun, argue about your choices until a winner is declared in early 2011.

This year, our categories are: Game of the Year, New Game of the Year, Most Innovative, Most Improved, Best F2P, Favorite Company, Biggest News Story, Most Anticipated, and the newest, and most dubious, addition to our prizes, Biggest Disappointment.

The rules are simple: For readers, all you have to do is look at the nominees and vote. One vote per person, and don’t go making extra accounts. We frown on that. For nominees: You may inform your community about your nomination, but may not otherwise unduly skew the voting by telling them who to vote for.

In order to qualify for this category, a game must have been released in 2010. We have included a “none of the above” option in this category because we have seen indications that readers may not have been satisfied with this year’s new MMO crop.

Final Fantasy XIV

The Final Fantasy franchise is one of the most enduring in video game history. Final Fantasy XIV, the follow-up to the franchise’s first foray into the world of MMORPGs, is an adventure through the lands of Eorzea.

Global Agenda

Developed by Hi-Rez Studios, Global Agenda is an MMO shooter based in a 22nd century world where player created factions struggle against each other for power. Simultaneously, they fight in opposition to a totalitarian world government bent on domination. Built on the popular and durable Unreal 3 Engine, Global Agenda promises fast-action PvP, a dynamic, player-driven world, strategy elements, robots and more!

LEGO Universe

Aimed at children, LEGO Universe takes place in a place called Wonderland, where players can create their own characters and cooperate in tasks to advance their characters. There will also be an item crafting component. The game will have a subscription fee.

Mortal Online

Mortal Online, developed by the people at indie studio Star Vault, is designed to be a massive sandbox experience in a fantasy setting. The game boasts a skill based system and complex character creation that harkens back to what many hardcore gamers consider to be the heyday of MMORPGs.

Perpetuum

Perpetuum is a sci-fi MMORPG set on a distant planet inhabited by robotlike lifeforms. This planet also holds a powerful energy source and humans enter a struggle for it. The game features include time-based leveling, in which characters earn XP even while not logged in, a persistent universe where players can control elements from the terrain to the raw materials, and even a player-controlled economy.

Star Trek Online

Adventure in the Final Frontier: Explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations in an expanding vast universe. Make contact with alien races, discover resources and uncover mysteries that will change the future of the Star Trek universe. You Are the Captain: Command your own starship as a Federation Captain or a Klingon Warrior. Outfit it with the systems that you need to make your mark in the galaxy. Customize your ship as you see fit. Recruit, train and mold your crew into an elite force for exploration and combat.

Vindictus

Vindictus is a free-to-play action-MMORPG developed by devCAT and published by Nexon. The game originally hails from Korea where it is known as Mabinogi: Heroes, and serves as a prequel to the popular Nexon MMORPG, Mabinogi. Vindictus is being developed on Valve's Source engine and features fast paced combat, cloth physics, and the ability to weaponize objects in the environment.

Now It’s Your Turn

›	Final Fantasy XIV 5.8%
›	Global Agenda 9.8%
›	LEGO Universe 5.5%
›	Mortal Online 8.5%
›	None of the above 32.1%
›	Perpetuum 14.8%
›	Star Trek Online 7.4%
›	Vindictus 16.1%
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