I like the idea of the list, but the good side ends there, i can't agree with anything on the list at all. There's no understandable method for the classification, if you're taking into account best mmos TODAY FFXIV is arguably number 1, GW2 as second and WoW only as third! if you're talking about all the history of the genre at all and all everygame ever did and represented, numbers 1 and 2 must be arguably EQ and UO, both games represent gigantically more on the genre than WoW will ever, i love WoW, don't take me wrong, but the only way to put WoW on the top of any mmorpg list is if only talks about greatest number of subscribers ever.
Yeah let's not add Runescape. It has only been around since 2001. It has been one of the first mmorpg games a person would play. Still alive today, and still being updated.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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WoW is not on top because it's a better game , it has not been the better game for a very very long time, it's still on top because other developers are greedy and pack their games with pay to win mechanics, It boggles me how they can still come out and openly say that its the best model when WoW is proving year after year that its not, The best model is one that puts everyone on the same footing and does not allow real money to influence progress or power.
More Developers should look at EvE and its new Alpha state, and WoW and its well established and dominant Subscription model because they are the best the industry has come up with to this date.
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I would agree with much of this list, and certainly Asheron's Call could easily have been added. I'm glad EQ, UO, and DAoC are all on here.
It is, ultimately, a personal list and everyone would think differently. If we're going by pure metrics, then certainly World of Warcraft is a strong contender for first place - but, being an old-school gamer (I've been around since Moos & Muds & Mushes and before) I would put UO at the top of the list simply because it pioneered MMORPGs as we know them today. Followed closely by Everquest 1 (2 was also pretty good, and might even warrant a spot on the alternatives list). With other comments about UOs redirection - I agree... once Origin was sold to EA... well... EA EA'd all over it and it died. Sadly, EA is where good games go to die.
Not bad for a list - and a pretty good selection with only a couple missing spots... it's hard to make a top 10 when there are so many amazing games, and personal impact definitely plays a role. I might replace FFXIV with FFXI Online since the other game still has a trail of die-hard fans and has, even though it was always fraugt with bugs, withstood the test of time.
The games that made all this possible are missing from the list? Asheron's Call, Meridian 59, Lineage - all of these brought an integral component to the mmo genre's birth that helped to create the WoW fluke....
Would have expected to see "Lord of the Rings" on the list, but as has been said before upthread ... the IP would push it on the list, but the MMO mechanics are not much different from other games mentioned on the list.
Games such as EQ, WoW, EVE or SWG brought something unique and special to the genre.
The games that made all this possible are missing from the list? Asheron's Call, Meridian 59, Lineage - all of these brought an integral component to the mmo genre's birth that helped to create the WoW fluke....
There is always someone that has to bring up Meridian. The problem with that game, it was never sold in stores to any degree so very few played it at the time whereas UO and EQ were readily available. Lineage had a similar problem, very few of us heard about it and were playing other MMO's at the time.
"The future of the MMO industry would have been a lot different if a certain Irvine-based studio had decided to make their game a little more open ended. Still, UO remains the epitome of what a remarkable sandbox MMORPG can be."
I just wanted to point at that this was a slight error. Ultima Online was made by Origin Systems. Origin Systems was a company in Austin. It was a big player in the games industry in the early days of gaming. Eventually they were purchased by EA and later went out of business, as many of EA's acquisitions tend to do
Literally ESO was trash. Wow sucked and guild wars is the only decent game on this list. Even though it’s online mechanics are different than a traditional mmorpg dark souls and the rest of the souls series are the best RPGs of all time. Action RPGs > all other games. ❤️❤️❤️
WOW is a complete piece of garbage. it was the begining of the end for mmos as it dumbed everything down and thats why it was so popular because the majority of the populous is dumb and lazy. unfortunately it became the industry standard. Everquest 1/2 were pretty good and ESO was fun for a few weeks, and I spent years in FF but hands down UO and SWG are the absolute best two that have ever existed. I played UO from tester all the way through the second age until it was ruined with age of shadow, and spent nearly five years on a dark jedi master and fencer tank in swg until it was also ruined by bad developement and catering to cry babies who wanted an easier game. besides Eve you cannot topple the player run economies and settlements these games provided, along with the experiences, comradery and limitless exploration and role playing capacities. none of these other titles can even compare.
Games that I would put on my list (again my opinion)
Aion
Asherons Call
ArcheAge
BDO
Rift
Lineage
Runescape
Too much Eastern garbage on that list - cookie cutter crafting cashshop clones of western innovation, all flash no depth. But I did like Rift, it really did have a bigger influence on modern MMO's than people realize, they pretty much mainstreamed the world "rift" event concept that shortly made it's way into nearly every MMO after that.
But as you noted, its just my opinion.
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
More Developers should look at EvE and its new Alpha state, and WoW and its well established and dominant Subscription model because they are the best the industry has come up with to this date.
- George Carlin
It is, ultimately, a personal list and everyone would think differently. If we're going by pure metrics, then certainly World of Warcraft is a strong contender for first place - but, being an old-school gamer (I've been around since Moos & Muds & Mushes and before) I would put UO at the top of the list simply because it pioneered MMORPGs as we know them today. Followed closely by Everquest 1 (2 was also pretty good, and might even warrant a spot on the alternatives list). With other comments about UOs redirection - I agree... once Origin was sold to EA... well... EA EA'd all over it and it died. Sadly, EA is where good games go to die.
Not bad for a list - and a pretty good selection with only a couple missing spots... it's hard to make a top 10 when there are so many amazing games, and personal impact definitely plays a role. I might replace FFXIV with FFXI Online since the other game still has a trail of die-hard fans and has, even though it was always fraugt with bugs, withstood the test of time.
Playing: Secret World: Legends
Waiting for: Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
Ashes of Creation: https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ref/Archangelus/
Would have expected to see "Lord of the Rings" on the list, but as has been said before upthread ... the IP would push it on the list, but the MMO mechanics are not much different from other games mentioned on the list.
Games such as EQ, WoW, EVE or SWG brought something unique and special to the genre.
Have fun
I just wanted to point at that this was a slight error. Ultima Online was made by Origin Systems. Origin Systems was a company in Austin. It was a big player in the games industry in the early days of gaming. Eventually they were purchased by EA and later went out of business, as many of EA's acquisitions tend to do
Too much Eastern garbage on that list - cookie cutter crafting cashshop clones of western innovation, all flash no depth. But I did like Rift, it really did have a bigger influence on modern MMO's than people realize, they pretty much mainstreamed the world "rift" event concept that shortly made it's way into nearly every MMO after that. But as you noted, its just my opinion.