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General: The List: Five Under the Radar MMOs
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com's Jon Wood takes over this list this week, taking a look at five MMOs that have, for whatever reasons, fallen off the radar of both journalists and the playing public.
In the world of video game journalism, it's all about the next big thing. When you're trying to bring your readers the freshest and most up-to-date information on what's going on in the world of MMORPGs, not to mention drive traffic to the site, the bulk of your focus has to be on what's coming up. Such is the way of MMORPG sites and of the MMO consuming public as well.
In the rush for the next thing, it's inevitable that some games fall through the cracks and don't get talked about as much in the public eye, not because they've been canceled or because no one is playing them, or even because they're bad games, they just, for whatever reason, fell off the radar.
In this week's list, we take a look at five games that have slipped off of the collective radars of media and community alike:
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
Check the link Jon....................
Nah they all suck and arn't played anymore for a reason.
Ironically FFXI is the game that a friend and I are picking back up as we speak. I don't understand the hate for Play Online, I've never had any issues with it and love the program. The game itself has made many strides to increase the flow and playability for more casual players, whether it be level synching, increased experience gains or the like. Do a bit of research before you bash a game based on an outdated view.
Interesting mix of titles there ... would add Istaria(Horizons) to that mix as well ... truly amazed me that the game is still around and kicking after all these years (and all the issues that it has had ... but as someone stated elsewhere "It truly is a labor of love.) They have a free account option, still updating and adding to it ... Considering its the only game to truly be a Dragon ... the game is one to try if you like crafting and a great small community
Well I can honestly say most kids when i was in junior high up even till highschool played runescape. Then a cuple buddies and I moved on to world of warcraft and to other games. Such as DAoC, FFXI, EQ, etc. I find i always go back to runescape every once in a while because its just neat to see all the changes they make over time. If you are one of the people who played in 2001 and look at it now you should be amazed.
Meh...
They slipped off the radar, not under it.
They are no longer primary objectives nor are they targets of opportunity. Runescape is a great free, web based MMO that is losing attention. Maplestory hits the same audience.
Ryzom crashed, radar blipped it out and people don't much care for a ressurected MMO. Zombies are cool IN game. They don't want the game itself to be undead.
DAOC is just aged. People will play it, but it will never regain its old status. And FF XI failed. It just dropped out off the radar because its a niche game.
This article kinda missed with saying they are "Under the Radar" as under the radar means they arn't being noticed. Quite different than "Once in the radar but fallen off the radar" due to lack of interest.
Many people were hoping beyond hope that WAR would in effect be DAOC 2 and were disappointed. If Mythic did make DAOC 2 and made it in a way that the veterans would want it to be made then nothing would kill off WAR faster; For this reason alone I don't think we will see DAOC 2 anytime soon, at least not until WAR has finally run it's course and is no longer making a profit.
Out of all the games DAoC was the best. I would love for that game to go F2p or if we were lucky to get a DAoC2. All the other games were just meh.
Vanguard Saga of Heroes.
Great post.
Of course, I would disagree about FFXI, but I can't say anything about the game, I can only say I purchase it at release, was never able to play it and my account was erased after the 3 months thing, which I heard they don't do anymore. Since I am nowhere any game inclined as I used to be (eh, life goes on for me as well as everyone else, believe it or not)...the fact I consider I waste $80 back then (must be worth more than $100 now), it seems extremely unlikely I would ever even dare to try any SquareEnix product again in my life...plenty of games for what time I have left to grant them, without me reconsidering games company who somehow manage to draw my ire...as negative feelings are extremely harsh to get rid off.
Ryzom was a great game, had a lot of fun there on the English server (screw it, I'm so not playing with these scranny little french speakers...geez, "wedoitmonthslaters" players...niak niak niak...sorry, not my type!). Ryzom was too hardcore for me, and coming from me, at that moment when I used to have a LOT of free time...geez....that's quite a sentence, yet, at the same time, if you have bazillions free time and look for a great game, gotta agree.
DAoC...my memories of this game are...dwindling. They where kinda positives, yet...I play it what? 2 weeks? How long ago? 8 years ago? More? Geez...didn't hold me back then, wouldn't today.
The other 2 where not granted a try.
Saying I have a different opinion than the poster doesn't invalide his opinion nor mine, in fact, I appreciate his...maybe I will try 1 of the other 2 game eventually...althought I have to play Aion and Champion online and I don't have the free time right now...perhaps later...or in a decade! :P
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Bout damn time FFXI got some recognition on one of these lists!
Its an amazing game and anyone that scoffs at it for its appearance in being inferior needs to look again at its population and popularity. It has retained more subs over its lifespan than almost all newer MMOs and has remained in the top 3-5 best MMOs since its launch also beating out all these newer MMOs most claim are better!
Give it a chance and don't just run away crying after 10mins cause you had to use your noggin for once to learn the controls...
I have to agree with this. Most of these games are all "under" the radar now, but they used to be pretty big games. Most gamers I know played Maplestory and Runescape in middle/high school. FFXI was huge when it came out, advertisements were everywhere...i mean its final fantasy.
A game that is truly under the radar is one that you name and half the people reading have never even heard of it before. you can't get a good argument going on whether its good or not because there are too many asking what it is in the first place.
You want games that were once big and now are still going just no one really knows, there are tons...how about Terra: Battle for the Outlands - One of the FIRST mmo's, created in 1996 (before ultima) and still alive and kicking because of the fans that run it now...there is NO other mmo that can beat that.
Now you want real under the radar games, look for stuff that isnt common knowlegde, that most reading have never even played, but still have a large player-base.
-Fiesta - although its gotten a good amount of notice recently, the game was officially opened years ago...wasnt well known at all for its first couple years out of beta, but had a large number of loyal players.
-SUN
-Neosteam
-Eudemons
-Dragonica Online - though it literally was just released and seems to be getting a bit of notice, so may or may not be.
--most of these dont even have ranks on mmorpg.com
I love arcticles where i discover new things, rather than complain about things.
This is a great arcticle.
One game thats under radar that i know of is Bounty Bay online as well as other geographically based mmorpg's.
Well I had some friends convince me to play FFXI. I did not last long in the game. It is not a bad game, but it is one you have to devote a huge amount of time to. Time is not something most of us have. Hence it will forever be strictly a niche game for that reason.
I think Vanguard should have made the list. I think it is a better fit those on your list.
What criteria was used to define them as under the radar mmos? Some of those games are among the most played mmorpgs in the world.
This list just seems totally random. Obviously it's not, but I would suspect that these are games the author played for one to six months, enjoyed some but not enough to stay hooked, and moved on.
In particular I didn't like the double allusion to FF XI's combat system. One of those allusions could have been used to, you know, explain it.
Asheron's Call Jon, Asheron's Call.
I think it'd do the genre well to invigorate some of the older titles like AC, DAoC and UO. If true sequels and not a frankenstein effort to make them into the current trend in design seen today, they'd have serious draw on those of us who played their originals. I think new stories and new landscapes would go along way as well.
"Many nights, my friend... Many nights I've put a blade to your throat while you were sleeping. Glad I never killed you, Steve. You're alright..."
Chavez y Chavez
All solid titles in some ways, good read. Im not so sure i would call any of this games "under the radar" however, while its true they may not be stirring much in the way of excitement in the MMO world, theyre all well known and oft cited as familiar references. All five also have have more than their fair share of sympathy and suporters, and mostly well deserved i may add, which i think does leave out more than a handful of MMOs with interesting offers whose obscurity prevents them from ever being a subject of discussion.
Just to make things clear...
I speak for myself and no one else, unless i state otherwise mine is just an opinion. A fact is something that can be independently verified, you may challenge such but with proof. You have every right to disagree with me through sound argument, i believe in constructive debate, but baseless aggression will warrant an unkind response.
I agree about Ryzom - this is a real underrated mmo, i really enyoed the time before the "first shutdown" (the community saved this game from being switched off). The real iussue is the the pvp system that just simply sux, the rest ist great.
I completely agree. If Microsoft had actually put a little money towards this game, I do believe the mmorpg genre as a whole would be a lot different. Ironically, when many players talk about what they think would be innovations in the mmorpg genre (skill based, open world) many forgot that a game of that nature already exists.
Unfortunately the game is now 10 years old, and is extremely outdated. Turbine really needs to get their stuff together and make a proper sequel to this.
I completely agree. If Microsoft had actually put a little money towards this game, I do believe the mmorpg genre as a whole would be a lot different. Ironically, when many players talk about what they think would be innovations in the mmorpg genre (skill based, open world) many forgot that a game of that nature already exists.
Unfortunately the game is now 10 years old, and is extremely outdated. Turbine really needs to get their stuff together and make a proper sequel to this.
I think some type of questing system similer to what WoW has would give this game a good shot in the arm. I addmit it does have "quests" you can do but it was kind of a pain to remember who you got it from and where to turn it in. The majority of your earned xp came from grinding....and grinding...and grinding. Hell I lost track of how much time I spent in BCD killing those damn apes for more then a few levels.
FF XI was one of the most innovative MMORPGs I have ever played. The combat system where several classes could work together to create powerful combos was awesome, so was the dual class system where you leveled another profession as your secondary class. And the advanced classes like the Summoner were awesome.
Unfourtanetely it lacked PvP and soloing was next to impossible after a certain level and the grind was extreme so it never really catered to a western audience.
FF XI with up to date gfx, solo content and PvP would probably be one of the best MMORPGs ever.
My gaming blog
Strange post, it contains three of the biggest MMOs ever launched.
They've only slipped under the radar because they are all old. I expected this article to be about some upcoming indie MMOs that aren't getting much press, like Alganon, Earth Eternal and Mortal Online.
Good read but I think one important aspect was left out when talking about Runescape. It's browser based! It's accessable to a great many people because of this and I've even heard of some people having access at work. There is no download required, the graphics are decent considering it's over a web-browser and the only barrier to entry is creating an account. I think that's a huge draw to people.
FFXI is the best MMO I've ever played...unfortunately its a time sync, for which I can not appease. One thing about it (which could be well noted) is that it is one of few big MMOs that continues very valuable dev content - making the game easier & more enjoyable over the years (level sync, etc).
But I am also sad to not see Asheron's Call on the list. I met very few folks that played back in its hay-day, and for the amount of interesting features it had (which you did not see again in most other mmos) I think its worth at the least an honorable mention
Other mention -> Warrior Epic