As I contemplated this, I couldn't help but be reminded of Guild Wars 1. It was the first, and to my recollection, only game to be called a CMORPG (cooperative, multiplayer, online RPG). Then it hit me: that was Neverwinter to a tee. And years ago, back when it was first announced, that was exactly what Neverwinter was being marketed as.
When Cryptic was purchased by Perfect World International, the story changed. Neverwinter was doing away with its small-scale roots and going all out. It was going to join PWI's already extensive roster of free-to-play games and it needed to fit in. Two years later, we have that game. It is free-to-play alright, and certainly has the trappings of an MMO, but is it really?
“Jack Emmert: I wouldn't say MMORPG at all--Neverwinter is a cooperative RPG... We're trying to create new sorts of games that we call 'OMGs' (online multiplayer games).” - Gamespot Interview, August 2010.
Can anyone really argue that Neverwinter is exactly what he is describing? The game sends you from isolated instance to isolated instance, alone or with a companion or cooperatively with a friend, and only asks that you return to the city to remember that players even matter. But then, how much of the game could be automated without anyone even noticing?
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Group dynamics are another issue, and perhaps one for another column, but interplay suffers and the conflicting design philosophies may be one reason why. Tanking is abysmally poor. Everyone is damage and everyone is heals, and everyone is capable, except for when they're not. Companions also fall into that category with scaling that just feels unfinished.
So to return to my original tweet, does Neverwinter deserve to be 2013's MMO of the Year? It is a game which walks a very fine line; it walks the walk and talks the talk but with a few missteps that prove it to be a fine actor. I reflect that, no, for me, Neverwinter was simply another good game in a long line this year. It is, cringe-worthy acronym aside, Jack Emmert's OMG. And to that end, it may be a better vision of the future of gaming as a whole than any MMO has yet accomplished. Connected, cooperative, and fun... but maybe not what we would expect as MMO players.
Christopher Coke / Chris has been an MMO player since the days of MUDs. He has played most MMOs and is on a mission to play the rest. Follow him on Twitter or at his blog, Game By Night. Hear him on the official podcast every Monday.
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