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[Column] General: Five of the Most Unappreciated MMOs
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
The MMO-space is an ever more crowded space as more and more games are released. Sometimes, that leads to great games being overlooked. In The List today, we take a look at five games that deserve more attention than they get. Check it out and then add your favorites to the comments.
Not long ago, in a PVP Column, I said that the vast majority of our 600+ game Game List is pure garbage. It’s the truth, really. But there are a ton of games on there that don’t get the love they deserve from press, players, or a combination of both. So today, we’re going to list a handful that we think are deserving of a little more respect and recognition. This isn’t the end-all, be-all list (lord knows there are plenty of games out there that deserve more airtime), but these five represent MMOs that are solid experiences, but for whatever reason don’t get enough love from the gaming universe.
Read more of Bill Murphy's The List: Five of the Most Unappreciated MMOs.
Comments
No matter how cynical you become, its never enough to keep up - Lily Tomlin
That's #6.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
My Review Manifesto
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No matter how cynical you become, its never enough to keep up - Lily Tomlin
RIFT has a better business model than both EQ2 and WOW
but I find the world lore lacking
EQ2 fan sites
Totally agree about Rift and TSW. I played Rift for nearly a year, had a great time. Only reason I moved on was to play other things, and I can only juggle about two at once. But they got my attention for nearly a year. Same with TSW, but I'm a lifer there, so get some points every month to spend on new issues and clothes and such. Haven't visited in a few months, but I'll be back. I'm just really enjoying Marvel Heroes and GW2 right now.
I'd like to add FFXIV.v1. Yes, it was buggy and needed some help, but seems like it was much more interesting and sand boxy than v2 (which belongs on an 'overappreciated' list). FFXIV would have been just right with 'all' the overhauls except jobs, forcing people into certain armor, and requiring groups for any part of the story - three things that were there in v1.
TSW. hands down- although i would hate to see the masses get into this game only to complain that the missions are too hard and story too complex in the forums only to get dumbed down by pressure.
so iam sure Funcom would like to see a rise in the game , but its popularity' is there' and the maturity in this game cant be found in any other mmo since evenonline.
TSW by far is the best mmo out there! -and dont think we will ever see one like it ever again!
I still log into Ryzom from time to time. really like it. Love the art design. It's very relaxing to be digging into green goo and hearing the wind whipping around you giving the feeling of total solitude,. I love it.
Part of me adores Rift but I really hated that the invasions weren't really "all that'. I thought that there would be a constant struggle to save outposts and cities as opposed to them just being mini- pve events that you could do or just pass by "whatever".
At least the last time I played. Maybe it's different now?
I really like the Secret World so maybe I should revisit it.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Not a fan of any of them games and they would not make my top ten either I think they are all over rated games and while Rift might be the stand out one there it didn't stand out enough for me to play it after I beta tested the game. It was just the same old same imo. While the rift made the game some what different the down fall from it was if there were no players there to restrict the rift then as a solo player you had little chance to push it back so made returning to the game difficult in certain areas and lets face it the game was not ground breaking otherwise it would be breaking all the records.
TSW was never going to see my coin as Funcom as a company just do things wrong and are dishonest and I am never going to buy another game with them after the Conan joke...
All those years in UO and EQI might of made me look at games in a different way than most people do and call me old school but I play games for the community and not for the it looks good or whatever is in style today rubbish. I want games to have a heart and soul that's why I played them games for 8year plus. For me EQI had almost everything I like in an MMO and had it been possible to create a modern version of it which provided much of what EQI did then I would not hesitate to join that game and give my whole...Until then I will be like many others on the holy grails for the next BIG fix of MMO dust.
Bandit
Asbo
Lies there is no #6...
Glad to see TSW and Rift on there, granted they are a bit popular... at least compared to some other games. Rift by far is hands down an amazing game, well designed. It did in a way what world of warcraft did (btw, wow could easily of been called an everquest clone on its launch, for all those stupid people using the wow clone argument). Hell, wow even TOOK elements from Rift (scenarios aka chronicals). Hammerknell to this day has been the best red I played since Kharazhan in TBC hands down.
TSW... I honestly didn't like much... but i admit their attempt. Really ashame it didn't get more limelight with the over hyped (and under delivering, sorry, really look at the game in depth and without rose tinted glasses, its not THAT great its Mediocre and far lacking of originality from what the claims make it to be) Guildwars 2 ended up taking away some of its steam. It still had such a nice change of setting and although its combat wasn't exactly the smoothest (oddly enough, the combat in GW2 and TSW feels quite similiar in a way with feeling very 'slippery' and lacking real impact) it still is something i find admiration towards.
Still nice to see Wakfu (even if i don't like their model) and Fallen Earth. Shame Tera isn't on the list, granted its lacking in the 'leveling' department but its one game that did action combat right, something most MMos (atleast coming to open world games rather then instanced) just haven't done right yet outside of Tera.
When did Fallen Earth become a sandbox?
As for Rift, much as I enjoyed my time playing it (mostly because of an awesome guild), I'd say it's one of the most overrated games out there. A game everyone raves about, but few play. You could use a picture of Rift as an example next to the words "WoW Clone", it's that blatant, not really sure how that could be a "bum rap". You may not be in Azeroth anymore, but if you squint it's easy to see how someone could make that mistake. A tiny version of Azeroth, in any event, with the most generic and forgettable lore in gaming history.
As for TSW, honestly Funcom made their bed and the game has the rep and population it deserves.
It is kind of a sad commentary on the state of gaming, however, that people actually think TSW's puzzles are head scratchers. I can't imagine what they would have thought of Riven or The 7th Guest.
AGREE! Sort the combat out and I'll be back in a shot. Ranged may be ok, but melee - ugh :-( Get it sorted and the population will grow!
A couple months ago I tried to pick up Rift again and see how much it has been improved since I keep hearing people say how good it is. The game is still just a poor WoW clone, sorry. It just isn't a very good game. It is a clunkier WoW with weaker raid content and Rifts. You would have better off picking Age of Conan to fill that slot if you wanted sort of a traditional somewhat high profile MMORPG to tout as underrated. It is a better game than Rift and also went FTP and isn't a direct WoW clone the way Rift is.
I bought Fallen Earth at launch. Even talked to the devs at PAX prime 2009. Even they said it wasn't a sandbox. And when it launched, it was way more sandbox-ish than it is now. If you guys think FE is a sandbox, then by default FFXIV is one too, and TSW, and even Rift for that matter.
Joined 2004 - I can't believe I've been a MMORPG.com member for 20 years! Get off my lawn!
Fallen Earth was very sandboxy-ish. Yeah, you had levels, but you were free to invest in the various skills and stats at your choosing. It was also very crafter focused (much in the way of FF14 1.0 and SWG).
TSW is a themepark through and through. Different in many ways, but still very themeparkish. Problem is that it relies on a very standard end-game model (grind the same dungeons over and over to get better and better gear). Up front, you get some wonderfully told/presented storylines and get dumped into a hamster wheel at the end (which only appeals to a very niche crowd of an already very niche game). The end-game really needs to open up in a number of ways (provide a variety of fun, compelling activities that still allow players to advance characters), hopefully scenarios will be the start of that. I myself go back from time to time to play through the new missions and run an instance or two.
Hell hath no fury like an MMORPG player scorned.
I have the same problem. The game has no soul, no lore anyone can care about. I've tried to get into this game no less than five different times, and the result is always the same.
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
Rift had it's chance. It didn't get a bad rap, it earned it.
Ryzom was always a snoozefest, Fallen Earth is a junkyard of poorly implemented ideas. Wakfu is way too niche, but I won't hold that against it. TSW is the typical funcom game, mediocre after poor release and months of patching.
Yeah, it's really not much of a sandbox. It *should be*, and if it was, it would probably get a lot more attention from ex-SWG players and such. Unfortunately, it misses the mark by not fully committing, and fails as an interesting hybrid.
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
TSW has a lot of great attributes, but I think Funcom blew it when they decided to soften the game up (no world PvP), and also by making what should have been an incredible role playing MMO a full on gear grinder themepark.
TSW is another game I want to love, but when I see all the gear grinding, and everyone just hanging out trying to get into instances, I lose interest.
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.