This is a pretty hard list to make. I personally wouldn't list EQ and UO on a "Best of" list but they'd be at or near the top of a most influential list.
Here's my list, based on quality of product, its impact on genre and it fitting the genre:
1. World of Warcraft
2. Everquest
3. EvE
4. Ultima Online
5. Final Fantasy XI
6. LoTR:O
7. Elder Scrolls Online
8. Dark Age of Camelot
9. Guild Wars(any)
10. Final Fantasy XIV / or SWTOR(if one entry / franchise)
I wouldn't put Lord of the Rings because it doesn't do much different than world of warcraft except with a lord of the rings setting.
And world of Warcraft does it better.
As as I've said, I played Lord of the Rings OVER World of Warcraft.
Now, I'm not talking about "preference" but the idea of "the greatest" mmorpg's.
WoW, EQ, UO, DAoC and GW are the ones on that list that I'd credit with having major impacts. Hence the ones being wildly successful and/or spawning a number of clones in their wake. FFXI was never a major hit. It was way too grindy for that, and didn't bring anything all that unique to the table.
SWTOR probably helped push the "story driven MMO" revolution, far more than ESO did, which came a good deal later. And FFXIV and LotR:O are soundly in the WoW clones category, just with a better emphasis on story (although WoW upped their game there too if I'm not mistaken). It's very much a personal preference list over an objective one IMO.
Harumph. Alganon is a WoW clone. While 'tis true that both FFXIV and LOTRO have OW questing and mob thrashing, that's really the only thing they have in common with WoW. And, please remember, that WoW took Tolkien's world of Trolls and Orcs and made them cartoons. And are you seriously contending that the mishmash that's WoW's story "upped their game there, too" when both FF and LOTR have strong narratives existing outside of the MMO genre?
LOTRO ought to be on the list simply as the most improbable survivor. It's that damn stray dog that just sits at the door wagging its tail to come in. It's never going to go away. From its first days as another game, to its pioneering Free to Play in the west, to its spectacular death-defying escape from Turbine, LOTRO continues to find ways to survive and even shine.
LOTRO has brought two things to the table that other games haven't figured out yet, mounted combat and legendary weapons. WoW's lame artifact weapons are a shallow attempt to copy LOTRO's deep legendary weapons system. Borrowing from other games and improving on them is Blizzard's forte, but they were completely unable to get close to a success in their effort to clone LOTRO's system.
Vanguard, Hellgate: London, Tabula Rasa, Age of Conan and Warhammer Online, all highly anticipated games that launched within a year of LOTRO have all closed, except for AoC, which is in maintenance. Yet, LOTRO continues and continues in development.
So don't be flicking her off your sleeve with a dismissive "WoW clone" remark. She's a classy dame in her own right and deserves respect.
Would have been nice to see Anarchy Online up there. game ran strong for many many years and still is running. Good list. I miss SWG, but really tired of seeing WoW as the number 1 on every list. I get it, they did a lot, its run forever, they have a lot of subs and money whatever...
I understand the list is mostly opinionated, so I can't really say this list is garbage, but I will say that my own list is a bit different. I applaud your reasoning though, well done.
LOTRO has brought two things to the table that other games haven't figured out yet, mounted combat and legendary weapons.
Just a nitpicky response, but everyone does PvP on mounts in UO. In fact, one of the first things many players do is attempt to dismount their opponents because they know how important the added speed is.
Anyway, I've never tried LOTRO. Always looked interesting, though.
The only one I would remove is ESO, and I'd replace it with LotRO.
Whilst ESO is a good enough game, what has it really given us? The gameplay is nothing innovative. Action combat had already arrived from other games and is done better elsewhere. The content is pretty standard, just your usual quest grind and small scale group content.
ESO's main contribution and shining achievement is really it's monetisation strategy. It proves that if you are honest and set fair prices, most people are happy to hand over cash for it and this has really worked well for ESO.
LotRO, on the other hand, has given us loads. Whilst it is often written off as a WoW clone, I would argue it is the best WoW clone and has continued to innovate over the last decade. In it's vanilla form, it was just a really well built game. Deep combat, loads of group content, some pretty awesome quests / storylines, truly open world. But, it has given us so much more.
Awesome cosmetic system
An entire faction just for pvp
Horizontal progression at endgame
Skirmishes (fully scalable instances to both level and group size)
Mounted Combat
Legendary Weapons
Big Battles (as an alternative to raids)
Music system
Free 2 Play
Not all of these have been a success, but LotRO continues to experiment and release content despite it's age and it's community remains one of the best in the genre.
Not sure what EVE is doing in company of others, it is hardly comparable, have nothing to do with other games on list. For sure FF14 deserves better placement (despite only recently have started to enjoy again), the Swtor should replace some gome, Rift, ....
Still think that Asheron's Call is missing though, maybe a typo? ;-P
I think that AC would definitely be tied for 2nd with EQ. AC was my first love when it came to MMO's!
@ripperx would agree with both of you. I just couldn't find a spot for it. Without some of the newer games, maybe in the back 5. It was a great game, but doesn't have the lasting impact of some other older titles.
Swap FFXIV for AC and you've got it down pretty solid.
I do not disagree with the top ten here. It does make me want to see a top 25 tho. Just because my nostalgia for mmorpg's that did not make the list but I enjoyed wants people to acknowledge Final Fantasy Eleven, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Mabinogi. Those three never get the attention they deserve and they were seriously good with a much larger following than people ever realized. I did not play LOTRO but I think those who did/do would want it seen in a top 25. Good job on the top ten tho.
Bold move posting this Bill! My personal list is only top 5, as I don't think there are 10 good enough MMOs to warrant my wasting brain cells over racking and stacking them lol:
A lot of you guys don't understand that this list is for 2017, not 2009. We can't have the same MMOs on every single list over and over, specially when your nostalgia in interfering with your concepts of a "good" MMO.
A lot of you guys don't understand that this list is for 2017, not 2009. We can't have the same MMOs on every single list over and over, specially when your nostalgia in interfering with your concepts of a "good" MMO.
So you think Avengers might at some point replace Citizen Kane on the best movies of all time then?
Not that I got anything against this list though. But when you say all time you don't replace lesser titles with better titles just because they are newer.
Constantine, The Console Poster
"One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games and it cannot be done by men out of touch with their instinctive selves." - Carl Jung
"One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games and it cannot be done by men out of touch with their instinctive selves." - Carl Jung
Comments
Or people can't read of course.
/Cheers,
Lahnmir
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
Harumph. Alganon is a WoW clone. While 'tis true that both FFXIV and LOTRO have OW questing and mob thrashing, that's really the only thing they have in common with WoW. And, please remember, that WoW took Tolkien's world of Trolls and Orcs and made them cartoons. And are you seriously contending that the mishmash that's WoW's story "upped their game there, too" when both FF and LOTR have strong narratives existing outside of the MMO genre?
LOTRO ought to be on the list simply as the most improbable survivor. It's that damn stray dog that just sits at the door wagging its tail to come in. It's never going to go away. From its first days as another game, to its pioneering Free to Play in the west, to its spectacular death-defying escape from Turbine, LOTRO continues to find ways to survive and even shine.
LOTRO has brought two things to the table that other games haven't figured out yet, mounted combat and legendary weapons. WoW's lame artifact weapons are a shallow attempt to copy LOTRO's deep legendary weapons system. Borrowing from other games and improving on them is Blizzard's forte, but they were completely unable to get close to a success in their effort to clone LOTRO's system.
Vanguard, Hellgate: London, Tabula Rasa, Age of Conan and Warhammer Online, all highly anticipated games that launched within a year of LOTRO have all closed, except for AoC, which is in maintenance. Yet, LOTRO continues and continues in development.
So don't be flicking her off your sleeve with a dismissive "WoW clone" remark. She's a classy dame in her own right and deserves respect.
/kidding.
I am fond of LotRO too.
Anyway, I've never tried LOTRO. Always looked interesting, though.
The only one I would remove is ESO, and I'd replace it with LotRO.
Whilst ESO is a good enough game, what has it really given us? The gameplay is nothing innovative. Action combat had already arrived from other games and is done better elsewhere. The content is pretty standard, just your usual quest grind and small scale group content.
ESO's main contribution and shining achievement is really it's monetisation strategy. It proves that if you are honest and set fair prices, most people are happy to hand over cash for it and this has really worked well for ESO.
LotRO, on the other hand, has given us loads. Whilst it is often written off as a WoW clone, I would argue it is the best WoW clone and has continued to innovate over the last decade. In it's vanilla form, it was just a really well built game. Deep combat, loads of group content, some pretty awesome quests / storylines, truly open world. But, it has given us so much more.
- Awesome cosmetic system
- An entire faction just for pvp
- Horizontal progression at endgame
- Skirmishes (fully scalable instances to both level and group size)
- Mounted Combat
- Legendary Weapons
- Big Battles (as an alternative to raids)
- Music system
- Free 2 Play
Not all of these have been a success, but LotRO continues to experiment and release content despite it's age and it's community remains one of the best in the genre.Swap FFXIV for AC and you've got it down pretty solid.
Joined - July 2004
1. Daoc
2. UO
3. SWG
4. LOTRO
5. Warhammer Online
I self identify as a monkey.
Not that I got anything against this list though. But when you say all time you don't replace lesser titles with better titles just because they are newer.
And that one is me. I'm the winner.