2005 Reader's Choice Awards

An oldie that has only gotten better with age. Funcom's Anarchy Online hit shelves in 2001 and suffered through a troubled launch. Since that time the game has continued to gain momentum and at the time of this article is on the front page of our highest fan-rated games. As such, the sci-fi world which recently introduced in-game advertising in exchange for free - old version - play has garnered a nomination through its solid PvE gameplay.

Until recently, it still held the crown as most popular game in North America. EverQuest continues to enjoy hoards of loyal fans, many of whom find their way back to the game over and over. It is known for its team-based raid gameplay and dating from 1999 it inspired much of the PvE in the current crop of MMORPGs.

With EverQuest II Sony tried to improve on the original formula with mixed success. By standards other than those of its predecessor, EQII remains a major hit and like the original it focuses in on PvE combat. This is not the same game as the original and is among the best games of it type. As such, it garnered a separate nomination from its predecessor.

The Final Fantasy series is among the most popular game franchises globally. Thus, Square Enix had a massive hit on it on its hands when it released Final Fantasy XI in October of 2003. The game quietly marched to global success and remains one of the most popular MMORPGs on the market. The game offers missions, quests, crisp graphics and a rich world with a pack of rabid fans. It's PvE-bent earned it a nomination in this category.

The current king of the hill gets another nod in the PvE category. As mentioned before, Blizzard refined what came before to a science when they created World of WarCraft - the most popular MMORPG, by far, in North America. The game offers intuitive gameplay, clever and enjoyable quests and solid PvE combat, among other things.