General: Top 10 Non-Fantasy MMOs

SBFord

In The List this week, MMORPG.com Lead Writer Bill Murphy takes a look at some of what he considers the Top Non-Fantasy MMOs ever created. See if your favorite MMO made the cut and then leave us a couple of comments.

There are an awfully lot of non-fantasy MMOs coming out in the next couple years. I mean, it’s hardly a death knell for the good ol’ swords and boards, but the coming years are indicative of the ever-changing face of MMO gaming. People want access more than just the medieval-inspired worlds. However, for years now, there have been plenty of non-fantasy MMOs on the market, and many are fantastic experiences in their own right. Mind you this list is based on my own bias towards these games, and not any “set in stone” criteria. I also suspect that this list will change greatly over the next year or two as some of the next crop of games hit the ground running. In any case, here are ten titles that are worth checking into if you have a hankering for anything but fantasy fare.

Read more of Bill Murphy's The List: Top 10 Non-Fantasy MMOs.

thamighty213

Well what a crock that list is.I cannot believe there is not a place for SWG in that list when you look at some of the crap in there.

 

Be it pre cu or post NGE then either way it belongs in this list.

Oddyseus

Well i think EVE online is in the right place which is No.1

Anthur

First 5 are ok. You can always argue about the order. Last 5 don't belong into any top list at all imo. And as said before, SWG is definately missing.

Lerxst

FPS that lack any RPG dtails don't belong on this list.  Short, pointless games that have no replay value don't belong on an MMO list.  This excludes most of the lower games in this top 10 list.

 

PotBS should have been replaced with Uncharted Waters Online.  Much larger world, player base and more content set in the same theme.

 

Xsyon is barely a skeleton of a beta test, let alone a full game.  It also has no business being on this list.  Please don't feed the animal... errr... unfunded, mini-devlopers who think "I can makes a game!" without actually thinking anything throuh..

k11keeper

Oh c'mon just like everyone else said "Where is SWG?"! Also if you're gonna have crap games like Xyson on there that are barely played, then where is Planetside? I'll give you that it shouldn't be in the top 5 but c'mon if you're gonna have Xyson on there you should at least have planetside.

pompey606

I love many of the games on this list, however Xyson should not be on this list, certainly when compared with SWG etc. Xyson was great for a few days,  until you realise there is absolutely nothing to do other than grind your skill up and up, then what? The combat is down right aweful. One day if development improves I would have it on my list, but right now its a whole bunch of pressing a button to craft stuff, and thats it. I would much rather the far more rewarding and diverse crafting of SWG

Rohn

Probably the worst list I've seen on this website ever.  Honestly, other than EvE, this appears to have been a stream-of-consciousness list, jotting down whatever non-fantasy MMO came to mind, in whatever order.

DCUO making any "best" list pretty much destroys all credibility at the start.  The game has a different combat system... and that's about it.  The rest of it is an extrordinarily shallow "more of the same" instance grinding lobby game.  Players left in unprescedented droves - people were literally screaming for server merges less than two months after launch, and it appears that Chris Cao may no longer work for SOE.  That MMORPG.com continues to push one of the biggest failures in recent MMO history is the definition of the word "chutzpah".

Same thing with Xsyon - though I have hope for the game, there's almost nothing to it at this point.

SWG didn't make this list over some of those titles?

Star Trek Online?

Perpetuum?

Global Agenda?

As I said at the start - this list appears to be a random selection of non-fantasy games.

TUX426

DCUO over SWG or STO? Really Bill?

Dude, the game flopped. Even though the game is free to play right now Bill, after the SOE ID debacle, it couldn't manage more than 426 Steam players on it's 1st day back. I don't know what your obsession is with that game, but I find it amusing how predictable you are with it - it's a running joke how much you fawn over it.

Really...if you want to earn back some credibility, get a grip on what your readers are playing. DCUO isn't it. That's YOUR favorite game Bill, not your readers. Your own DCUO forum sits silent for days and SOE is closing all but 4 servers just just 4 months after launch.

Daffid011

These lists only serve to point out just how poor the entire mmo genre is and how deep someome must scrape just to find 10 games to put on a list. 

 

I always like to ask myself this question: If this was a list of top 100 video games of the last 10 years how many on this list would actually make the top 100.  Most would probably not even make a top 500 list, but in the mmo genre they are considered best of class.

 

Gdemami

No STO but Xyson and Jumpgate?

w4spl3g

Wow. I can't believe PO didn't make this list. It's certainly better than FE and Xyson. It gets compared to Eve a lot and most of the players come from Eve but it also came this year.

DCUO has no depth at all, I've already played Perpetuum 3 times as long as I played DCUO. I'm sure there are other games missing from this list too but I do think Perpetuum deserves to be on the list; certainly above FE and Xyson which aren't even half finished.

ChurchillT

No perpetuum?

(Rated higher than EVE at time of posting)

itchmon

SWG isnt on the list because it's fantasy, IMO.

 

if magic exists, then it's fantasy.

troublmaker

I think the unfortunate truth is that non-fantasy MMOs are currently a niche market so any top 10 list you have will have people complaining about how you didn't have game X on it.  If any of these games was taken off the list you'd also have many people saying that they belong there.

Boneflower

Sheesh people. It's the writer's personal opinion. As stated at the start of the article. It's not the Gospel or anything. Stop acting like he kicked your dog.

Everyone has opinions, and they are usually all different. It's fine to post your own thoughts and lists in response, but what is with the anger? 

If your own faith in your personal opinions are so weak that they can only be justified by having the rest of the world agree with you on everything, you need some help.

Moreplex

I have a current active sub to Xsyon.  And I still do not know how that game is on the list and SWG is not on it.  Xsyon is a shell right now with nothing in it and a few of us are just playing it waiting for something to happen.  I would not put it on any list right now unless the list was "Top 10 under developed indie games being paid for even tho the game was in alpha-beta state" along with MO and Earthrise.

dknifton

for one SWG isnt even released so use some bloody common sense. and xyson is a good game for all the fools that claim its crap but havent even played it.

malrod

Originally posted by Boneflower

Sheesh people. It's the writer's personal opinion. As stated at the start of the article. It's not the Gospel or anything. Stop acting like he kicked your dog.

Everyone has opinions, and they are usually all different. It's fine to post your own thoughts and lists in response, but what is with the anger? 

If your own faith in your personal opinions are so weak that they can only be justified by having the rest of the world agree with you on everything, you need some help.

 amen

Moreplex

Originally posted by dknifton

for one SWG isnt even released so use some bloody common sense. and xyson is a good game for all the fools that claim its crap but havent even played it.

Here you go http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Galaxies

And I am a member of Apache one of the biggest tribes in the game and I will say there is very little game and very little people playing.  I am hoping and praying for something to change.

Bizzlebuff

Anarchy Online should have been first, with Eve being 2nd.  Also, DC should be higher then city of heroes.

k11keeper

Originally posted by dknifton

for one SWG isnt even released so use some bloody common sense. and xyson is a good game for all the fools that claim its crap but havent even played it.

Well you're wrong there buddy. SWG aka Star Wars Galaxies was released back in 2003. What you're thinking of is SWTOR aka Star Wars the Old Republic. So why don't you use some bloody common sense before you make yourself look like an idiot.

Kyleran

Originally posted by Rohn

Probably the worst list I've seen on this website ever.  Honestly, other than EvE, this appears to have been a stream-of-consciousness list, jotting down whatever non-fantasy MMO came to mind, in whatever order.

DCUO making any "best" list pretty much destroys all credibility at the start.  The game has a different combat system... and that's about it.  The rest of it is an extrordinarily shallow "more of the same" instance grinding lobby game.  Players left in unprescedented droves - people were literally screaming for server merges less than two months after launch, and it appears that Chris Cao may no longer work for SOE.  That MMORPG.com continues to push one of the biggest failures in recent MMO history is the definition of the word "chutzpah".

Same thing with Xsyon - though I have hope for the game, there's almost nothing to it at this point.

SWG didn't make this list over some of those titles?

Star Trek Online?

Perpetuum?

Global Agenda?

As I said at the start - this list appears to be a random selection of non-fantasy games.

Perhaps the author considers STO and SWG more Science -Fantasy games vs non-fantasy?

Of course, that logic doesn't hold true for Perpetuum/GA, but maybe his list only included titles he played.

 

 

 

holycannoli

"PotBS should have been replaced with Uncharted Waters Online. Much larger world, player base and more content set in the same theme."

Not if you want to play a game that doesn't contain anime-looking avatars or doesn't have a jrpg feel.

Rohn

Originally posted by Kyleran

Originally posted by Rohn

Probably the worst list I've seen on this website ever.  Honestly, other than EvE, this appears to have been a stream-of-consciousness list, jotting down whatever non-fantasy MMO came to mind, in whatever order.

DCUO making any "best" list pretty much destroys all credibility at the start.  The game has a different combat system... and that's about it.  The rest of it is an extrordinarily shallow "more of the same" instance grinding lobby game.  Players left in unprescedented droves - people were literally screaming for server merges less than two months after launch, and it appears that Chris Cao may no longer work for SOE.  That MMORPG.com continues to push one of the biggest failures in recent MMO history is the definition of the word "chutzpah".

Same thing with Xsyon - though I have hope for the game, there's almost nothing to it at this point.

SWG didn't make this list over some of those titles?

Star Trek Online?

Perpetuum?

Global Agenda?

As I said at the start - this list appears to be a random selection of non-fantasy games.

Perhaps the author considers STO and SWG more Science -Fantasy games vs non-fantasy?

Of course, that logic doesn't hold true for Perpetuum/GA, but maybe his list only included titles he played.

 

 

 

 

It's all just his opinion, so you may be right, in that he might have limited it to games he's played.

But, from the brief description he gave at the top, it seems that the "fantasy" he's referring to is sword and board, medieval European inspired, dwarves and elves type fantasy.

Again, just my opinion, but neither Xsyon nor DCUO belong anywhere on a list of this type, when SWG, STO, PO, or GA don't make it.  Good lord, World of Tanks and Black Prophecy are both better than those games.

dragonbrand

Originally posted by dknifton

for one SWG isnt even released so use some bloody common sense. and xyson is a good game for all the fools that claim its crap but havent even played it.

 OUCH!

0 for 2 and in such a big way too. Someone is going to have a hard time living down this comment.