City of Villains
launched almost 2 years later. Game play is a distorted
mirror image of the game play found in CoH. The quests
have players do dastardly deeds and commit crimes
all over another metropolis (the game worlds are separate).
CoV introduced (actually expanded, as arena PvP got
introduced before its release) PvP into the world
of the CoH. As expected the combat takes place in
specific PvP zones, where heroes battle villains for
control of certain items.
The popularity of both games is
declining which is not surprising – new/better
games are just around the corner. The lack of a constant
stream of new content also forces players to re-do
previously done quests. Regardless of this, players
who are looking for something different in the MMO
marked should definitely give this game a try.
Pros: Different
thematic, amazing character generation process, good
combat system
Cons: No crafting, becomes repetitive,
slow stream of updates
Everquest II
Just like CoH, EQ2 started its
life in 2004. Much was expected from the creators
of the original EQ and the game trailers promised
a lot as well. When released the game was received
with mixed feelings. Many reviewers thought the game
was just a rehash of the original with better graphics
and some minor changes. These changes, although not
revolutionary, helped prevent some exploits that existed
in EQ and made the game more user friendly. Questing
became more important in EQ2 and at launch almost
every NPC had voiceovers. SoE did their best to make
crafting a viable style of play – even after
all the patches it is still possible to ignore adventuring
altogether and make a living just with crafting.
With time, patching and new
content the game lost a lot of its group focus and
managed to attract more casual players looking to
do quests by themselves. The PvE only game play got
expanded with the introduction of PvP arenas (part
of the 1st expansion pack: Desert of Flames) and later
the launch of PvP servers (which coincided with the
2nd expansion pack: Kingdom of Sky). Since its release
the game has become more streamlined and user-friendly
(mimicking mechanics from World of Warcraft) mainly
due to improvements done to the user interface.
The current state of the game would
be much better if it didn’t have to compete
with the behemoth WoW. As it is, its market share
is significant and the game is getting a constant
stream (almost a torrent) of new content/bug fixes.
New players will always have something to do and the
end-game content will keep veterans busy for a while
.
Pros: Technically advanced, crafting,
group/guild focus, engaging combat system, voiceovers,
constant updates
Cons: Resource hog, bland art-style,
boring solo content
World of Warcraft
Everything Blizzard touches turns
into gold. Or in this case – loads of money
for Blizzard on a monthly rate. As before, with Diablo
and Warcraft, the guys at Blizzard did not try to
reinvent the genre, they simply made sure that their
game was as polished and flawless as possible. The
success that followed can be summarized just by the
number of subscribers – 6 million worldwide,
making this the most popular MMO ever.
From the first day onward
the game has been receiving almost exclusively positive
responses from media and players alike. They all got
hooked on slaying creatures in Azeroth for experience,
items and fame. The amazing thing is that every single
fantasy MMO until now offered the same thing but was
far less successful nonetheless. So what is Blizzards
secret?
In all likeness it is the
perfect balance between quick progression and grinding
– players advance at a rate that just draws
you in, making you play more and more while trying
to achieve higher levels. Later on the speed at which
you progress slows down, but by that time you are
most likely already hooked.
Other than the above mentioned
mystery, the game doesn’t differ much from its
competitors. Crafting is handled in a most simplistic
way and end game content is limited to raiding and
PvP fighting. One point worth mentioning is that it
is possible to reach level 60 (highest level) completely
on your own, doing only solo quests. This is unusual
for a MMO, but makes the game friendlier for casual
players.
Pros: Newbie friendly, constant
updates, great art-style, fluent progression, battlegrounds,
casual friendly
Cons: End-game is a grind, immature community
Guild Wars
An MMO with no monthly subscriptions,
targeted at casual and hardcore gamers alike - sounds
like the perfect game and with Guild Wars, that statement
is not far from truth. The game came out in 2005 and
has, since then, managed to attract a large numbers
of players. This can be accredited to the lack of
a subscription, but the game offers more then just
that.
As the name suggests there is a
big focus on guilds. In fact, 90% of the game is targeted
at groups. Regular missions require 4-8 players and
except for the first few quests nothing can be done
if you go adventuring on your own. Casuals (solo players)
have nothing to fear though – capable computer
controlled henchmen can be used to fill up the group
so you never have to give up on a quest just because
you prefer to play alone.
Questing and missions are
done in instanced zones, where every player (or player
group) gets to play in his own version of the zone.
This makes the game feel less massive, but at the
same time makes the quests more immersive.
PvP in the game is also a big focus.
It takes place in separate arenas where fighters play
CTF (capture the flag) and other popular internet
“sports”. The game records important matches
and there are championships going on all the time.
Guild-less players can also participate in PvP –
there are arenas where groups get formed from random
players and arenas where a group can be formed just
before the fight.
Unlike other MMOs, Guild Wars only
allows you to have 8 skills (which includes spells
and abilities) selected at a single time. This promotes
skilled playing instead of play time, as good character
builds can be created even with the starting skills.
The highest level is 20, making leveling up a breeze.
The second chapter of Guild Wars
entitled Factions was released earlier this year.
It put a bigger focus on PvP, as players (and guilds)
can join one of the two factions. Doing quests for
your side and killing members of the opposing faction
earns you points which can help you get better armor
(or if you are a guild, give you access to elite missions).
Pros: Good
looking, no monthly fees, constant updating in the
background, both PvP and PvE are equally represented.
Cons: No crafting, instancing takes
away some of the fun, not much to do except fighting
Other MMORPGS
Matrix Online: Another
MMO trying to piggyback on the success of a movie.
As the name implies, the adventuring takes place in
the Matrix – a huge virtual city. The player
base of the game is quite small which was partially
caused by the buggy start and the high system requirements
the game has. The current state of the game is improved,
as most of the bugs have been ironed out. One of the
main features of the game is the ongoing story of
the Matrix universe (events like Morpheus dying happen
on a regular basis) – the Watchwsky brothers
are supposedly behind all the happenings. The combat
system in the game is (surprisingly) partially turn
based and the fights look spectacular thanks to all
the kung-fu punches and kicks that are dealt to the
opponent. The game is a must own for Matrix addicts
while the rest can find better games easily.
Dungeons & Dragons
Online: Stormreach: The world of Eberon is
not as well known as the Forgotten Realms –
a typical fantasy world is instead replaced with a
more sinister and industrialized version of it. DDO
players get to explore Stormreach, a city in Eberon,
to the last inch as 95% of the game takes place in
the dungeons underneath the city itself. Although
the game is almost exclusively group oriented it is
still easy for a casual player to enjoy it. The group
finding tools are amazing and most of the dungeon
adventures take less then 30 minutes. As with Guild
Wars the questing takes place in instanced zones.
D&D players looking for a MMO should definitely
give this game a try, as it remains true to the D&D
concept while being a fun MMO at the same time.
The future
The future of MMOs currently lies
mostly in expansion packs, as the current generation
is still going strong and there is not much point
in trying to saturate the market once again. With
time, as the novelty of WoW wears of, the migration
of its player base is most likely to happen. Unfortunately
for all, it seems that when that happens we won’t
get the chance to try out something original. Game
publishers are afraid of drastic changes and are forcing
developers to stick to the known formula. While some
of the upcoming games definitely look interesting,
they will not bring a lot of new stuff to the table.
One of the exceptions is
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes which will
apparently be targeted at a more mature, experienced
audience. Combat and crafting will both be present.
The main feature that separates Vanguard from the
rest is the political system, which will let players
determine which factions forge alliances and which
declare war on each other. Hopefully the game will
be successful and will give developers the courage
to start innovating. Otherwise we can only expect
more of the same with better graphics. I think I speak
for all when I say that such a future for MMOs looks
grim indeed.
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