In the past, I've been able to play the big titles games just fine;
- World of Warcraft (4 years on and off)
- Rift (Few months)
- Runescape (10 years on and off)
- Maplestory (2 years on and off)
That's just a few I could think of at the moment. Lately, I have no fun at all playing any of these games (or games like them). I game about 100+ hours a week currently. I've been putting major hours into a very small game called The Forbidden Gates. I highly doubt that anyone reading this has ever even heard of it. There's only a dedicated 5-10 people playing the game daily. Although as of this morning, the server went offline. There's little to no chance that it'll be coming back up, as the developers (Cascade, Megamoogle) have given up on this project long ago.
Now with that said, I need another game. I'm looking for a 2D, 8-bit, top-down MMORPG basically.
- Unlike some others, I enjoy grinding in a game as that means I can set a goal and work towards it.
- Crafting isn't required but would be an upside.
- Partying is always fun, but as is soloing. Soloable/Party content would be another upside.
- Updates rolling out every month or so would be an upside.
Here's a list of games I currently know about and have tried or will try in the near future.
- Realm of the Mad God
- This game offered me hours of entertainment, although recently there's been a lot of duping going on. Completely destroying the market and taking the fun out of the game. I will no longer play this game.
- Endless-Online
- This was my very first MMORPG that I ever played. It brought me thousands of hours of entertainment. With private servers being the only thing left now, spreading the community thin. It's no longer enjoyable but if a good and populated server comes along, I'll play. I will be keeping an eye on servers at EOSource/EOServ.
- Fantasy Online
- I only found out about this game a couple days ago and it looks amazing. I'll be giving this classic 8-bit feel MMORPG a try soon.
- Tibia
- I remember trying this game many years ago and I didn't like it. I think I basically "judged a book by it's cover", except an MMORPG. There's a good chance I'll give this top-down game another shot soon.
- Illutia
- I've heard of the game and have looked at reviews for it, it looks interesting. I'll be looking at it soon.
There is 1 more game that I wanted to add to the list but I'm not quite sure the name. I've been looking through lots of reviews and lists, but can't spot it. All I know it's most similar to Fantasy Online with skills like Mining. I'm thinking it doesn't exist anymore though.
Anyways, those are just a few games I know of and have tried or will try.
If you could please post a game that comes close to meeting my requirements, I'd appreciate it.
Comments
Red Stone is one of my personal favorites if you have time to... erm... spend. More isometric 2D, but I always found the class/skill system to be quite diverse.
Site is often hard to find:
http://redstone.ogplanet.com/en/main.og
"They essentially want to say 'Correlation proves Causation' when it's just not true." - Sovrath
Are you deadset on top down 8 bit?
Have you ever tried Space Station 13 or Nestalgia MMO on the Byond engine?
"I am not in a server with Gankers...THEY ARE IN A SERVER WITH ME!!!"
I found NEStalgia and will download it now and see how it goes.
There is this game called Shadow Worlds that I like to play. It had me playing it on and off for about 9 years now. There isn't really any classes, what you are is based off of what skills you "train". As in you don't get skill points through leveling but you actually train them. It is a game that has a leveling system along with a skill system. The community is small right now but we are awaiting a large update. It is pretty fun and the pvp is even more fun. It is 2D, not 8 bit though. But if you enjoy skill progressive games then this would be a good game for you.
Here is the link to the site. Don't let the Online List scare you away http://www.shadowworlds.com/?action=news
I hope to see ya in game. I am Luniz on there, I am a mediocre mage right now.
Oh and here is a link to a couple screenshots. http://www.shadowworlds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1097
www.shadowworlds.com
EUO is an old-school Ultima 5-like MMO. Small playerbase, but it's been running a long time and still gets updates.
euotopia.com
Also, Elderlands is an upcoming game in beta. Lead programmer is an ex-Origin employee and the creator of Dransik.
elderlands.com
If you can live with 2D isometric graphics that are not 8-bit, have you tried Dofus or Wakfu?
They feature a lot of grind, crafting, and good grouping systems. The battle system is turn based, like playing online-version of Final Fantasy Tactics, you'll either love the battle system or hate it. I recommend trying to find out.