2005 Reader's Choice Awards

Have your say as voting opens for our 2005 MMORPG.com Reader's Choice Awards.

By Dana Massey on December 26, 2005

Which games offered the best 'player vs. environment' experience in 2005?

"Player vs. Environment" (PvE) combat is defined as players fighting alone or cooperatively against a computer-controlled enemy. It is the backbone of most MMORPGs on the market and as such this is a competitive category. This year, for the most part, the old-guard garnered most the nominations as up-and-comers failed to unseat games like EverQuest and Anarchy Online. Read up on our five nominees and then vote below:

Anarchy Online, Funcom

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.

EverQuest, Sony Online Entertainment

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.

EverQuest II, Sony Online Entertainment

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.

Final Fantasy XI, Square Enix

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.

World of WarCraft, Blizzard Entertainment

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.

Pages(9):

First

« Previous

Last

Return to Features

More Awards:

E3 2009 Awards - E3 2009 Awards Award added on Wednesday June 24

Lord of the Rings Online - Best Overall Game of 2008: Winner Award added on Wednesday January 14

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning - Best New Game of 2008: Winner Award added on Tuesday January 13

Darkfall - Most Anticipated Game of 2008: Winner Award added on Monday January 12

Lord of the Rings Online - Best Expansion: Winner Award added on Friday January 09

More Features:

Player Perspectives - Every Man's Greed Column added on Friday November 06

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning - Looking Back on 1.3.2 Interview added on Friday November 06

Free Realms - Becoming a Soccer Star System Focu added on Friday November 06

Bright Shadow - First Introductory Q&A Interview added on Friday November 06

Jon Wood - New WoW Pets and the Boy Who Cried Wolf Column added on Thursday November 05

Popular Features:

The List : Top 10 MMOs Since WoW Column added on Tuesday October 13

World of Warcraft changed the MMO landscape on November 23rd, 2004, but 174 MMOs have... Read More

The List : Five Scariest MMO Launches Column added on Friday October 30

In honor of Halloween this weekend, we count down five of the scariest MMO launches... Read More

The List : Five Under the Radar MMOs Column added on Tuesday November 03

MMORPG.com's Jon Wood takes over this list this week, taking a look at five MMOs... Read More

The List : Five IPs to Bring in a New Demographic Column added on Tuesday October 20

In this week's list, Jon Wood looks at five IPs that, by taking the focus... Read More

Global Agenda : The End Game: Exclusive Sneak Peek Preview added on Friday October 09

Executive Producer Todd Harris gives us a sneak peek inside the Agency vs. Agency (AvA)... Read More

Special Offers

Search Gamelist

- Page Created in 0.766 seconds -

No Favorite GamesYou can add games to your favorite list from the gamelist, forums, or right here:

Add Game