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.
Fair enough. I modified it a bit because I felt that DAoC and ES:O are too similar, so I left the more important one(DAoC). And then I put CoH in.
With what would you replace LoTR:O?
edit: I just felt that fellowship maneuvers and all that social focus with Concerts etc deserved to be put on the list. Somewhat lower(definitely below number 5), you know?
The only other that comes to mind is SWG, but it didn't have impact and was quite shoddy at that. Was a living and breathing MMO, don't get me wrong. It just didn't pass the criteria imo.
But I think it would be Star Wars Galaxies.
You are correct in that there are social elements to Lord of the Rings Online but other than that it doesn't really rise above as it is clearly a game cast in the style of World of Warcraft.
It fails at some of the things it tries to do. Mounted combat? Ugh. I can't make a turn without rubberbanding to "who knows where". Helm's Deep? One of the most iconic moments in the Lord of the Rings only to have me stare at my screen in disbelief at the most lackluster "major gaming event" ever created.
Those horrible Hytbolt quests?
Whether one likes or hates World of Warcraft it's more iconic (which is a bit amazing as one would think given the cultural weight of Lord of the Rings that the online game would have been better) and does what it does better than those games that try to copy it.
Star Wars Galaxies, even though it was flawed, seems to still have captured the hearts of its core players for years after it was closed down. It offered a freedom that few games really offer.
I don't necessarily think, when listing greatest mmorpg's, popular is the defining thing but how well it does what it does and what effect it has on not only players but mmorpg's in general.
Or more to the point, I think the game must be greater than the some of its parts.
Star Wars Galaxies, from what I've read (including an awesome PC Magazine article about how players on the rebel side got together and overthrew/destroyed empire bases or some such thing. That's the type of thing one usually reads about with EVE) offered such a wide variety of choices, including housing, making one's own towns, extensive crafting, etc that it deserves to be on list of greatest mmorpg's.
If/when Lord of the Rings ever closes will there be the same outcry for the same length of time?
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
I haven't played a single game on this list lol. I mean, say what you want about Trion, Rift certainly should have been somewhere on this list. Star Wars Galaxies? I cannot stand the sci fi genre.
Rift has always been considered a WoW clone. The class/skill system is different... but beyond that...?
Well, I consider Black Desert an ArcheAge clone, but then again, both of these games are not on this list. I played Rift, and I had fun in it, and I do think it's unique from WoW. I wouldn't expect someone who plays SWTOR to understand.
"I have found a desire within myself that no experience in this world can satisfy; the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." ~ C. S. Lewis
I haven't played a single game on this list lol. I mean, say what you want about Trion, Rift certainly should have been somewhere on this list. Star Wars Galaxies? I cannot stand the sci fi genre.
Rift has always been considered a WoW clone. The class/skill system is different... but beyond that...?
Well, I consider Black Desert an ArcheAge clone,
You do know that development on Black Desert started a year before ArcheAge correct?
well, At least according to Wikipedia but I remember knowing about both of them very close to the same time.
Looking at the other articles it seems that they were developed at the same time. Not sure how one can be a clone of the other if that is the case.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
It at least contains the best most memorable and close to heart games.
I just would replace EVE with Star Wars Galaxies...EVE is remembered in disgust instead of awe like others because of its Dystopia...not comparable with Star Wars Galaxies Sandbox gameplay.
Then I would switch UO and EQ. UO is still played by many today, and still being talked about in many new Games even especially those wannabe Sandbox using the word as a Marketing Catch phrase (see Albion Online)..while no one speaks about EQ really...EQ is what lead to WoW which was the best iteration of the EQ model. Still EQ deserves the top 3 spot, because it established the model but not 2nd I am sorry, that spot is for UO.
And while I do not like it that WoW is in the first place we have to be fair that depending on your criteria here which seem to be about how Moo's touched players and, WoW certainly did touch tens of millions of players.
Anyways opinions of a player.
- Duke Suraknar - Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
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
Where the fuck is the original Guild Wars? GW2 pales in comparison
Well, again, you have to actually look at what is being discussed.
While I prefer many of the things that Guild Wars did over Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars 2 is more of an mmorpg over Guild Wars. Guild Wars 2 makes a world and allows for a shared world over Guild Wars, not considered an mmorpg by its developers, which just had maps shared by the group.
I mean heck, one could argue that Guild Wars had more in common with Diablo 2 than any mmorpg.
That's probably why it's not on the list.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Astute observation and clearly mentioned in the first paragraph!
Didnt read. Wouldnt read again.
Just like almost everyone else I only read the game titles.
Could have litterally written anything under each game, like a recipe for a turducken under any of those games, majority wouldnt have noticed.
Wow... who pooped in YOUR corn flakes?
He's right, though.
Somehow people have a hard time with facts - like when it comes to "top 10 list" articles, majority only read the list and nothing more.
i honestly didnt read anything else other than game names and have zero interest in reading it at all
Is that really true or is that just you and some people you know? I read the entire thing.
oh it is 100% true according to web page analytics. Most users never read full articles.
You're saying two different things and attempting to conflate them. This part is correct, but that does not equate to only reading the list item titles.
The info I read from Chartbeats showed that the majority of users scroll through somewhere between 60-80% of articles they encounter across the web, though a certain percentage will leave the page without ever reading anything other than the title and maybe first couple sentences (approximately 10% of readers). It is worth noting that data was collected in 2013, though.
That is not to be confused with data regarding how much time folks spend on an article before they share said article. The number of users who share an article on social media prior to actually reading the article is about 55%, according to a study by Columbia University.
I haven't played a single game on this list lol. I mean, say what you want about Trion, Rift certainly should have been somewhere on this list. Star Wars Galaxies? I cannot stand the sci fi genre.
Rift has always been considered a WoW clone. The class/skill system is different... but beyond that...?
Well, I consider Black Desert an ArcheAge clone,
You do know that development on Black Desert started a year before ArcheAge correct?
well, At least according to Wikipedia but I remember knowing about both of them very close to the same time.
Looking at the other articles it seems that they were developed at the same time. Not sure how one can be a clone of the other if that is the case.
Games are influenced by each other, even though I used the word "clone" in response @Azaron_Nightblade. I really don't believe many games can be a considered a clone of another game. Apparently, Azaron wasn't informed that a former Blizzard employee worked on Rift, so of course, it could be said that it was influenced by WoW, but it is not a clone.
Concerning Black Desert, I honestly didn't hear anything about Black Desert prior to playing ArcheAge; I was already done with any game that is similar to ArcheAge when Black Desert was officially released in North America and EU.
"I have found a desire within myself that no experience in this world can satisfy; the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." ~ C. S. Lewis
I haven't played a single game on this list lol. I mean, say what you want about Trion, Rift certainly should have been somewhere on this list. Star Wars Galaxies? I cannot stand the sci fi genre.
Rift has always been considered a WoW clone. The class/skill system is different... but beyond that...?
Well, I consider Black Desert an ArcheAge clone, but then again, both of these games are not on this list. I played Rift, and I had fun in it, and I do think it's unique from WoW. I wouldn't expect someone who plays SWTOR to understand.
Someone who has never played any of these top 10 is speaking from a position of ignorance therefore their opinion is of less value and should not presume to judge.
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
I haven't played a single game on this list lol. I mean, say what you want about Trion, Rift certainly should have been somewhere on this list. Star Wars Galaxies? I cannot stand the sci fi genre.
Rift has always been considered a WoW clone. The class/skill system is different... but beyond that...?
Well, I consider Black Desert an ArcheAge clone, but then again, both of these games are not on this list. I played Rift, and I had fun in it, and I do think it's unique from WoW. I wouldn't expect someone who plays SWTOR to understand.
Someone who has never played any of these top 10 is speaking from a position of ignorance therefore their opinion is of less value and should not presume to judge.
I speak from my own preference. It's like some say, unless you have played Ultima, you are not a "real gamer". Ultima was released before I was born, and honestly, I was never attracted to WoW. I have played more than a few MMOs that are not on this list. Who are you to judge?
"I have found a desire within myself that no experience in this world can satisfy; the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." ~ C. S. Lewis
"I have found a desire within myself that no experience in this world can satisfy; the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." ~ C. S. Lewis
I hate WoW but I agree, it brought in a lot of people to the world of MMOs that had never even picked up a PC game before. It was a lot people's "First". I personally dabbled in UO and EQ but could never get into them as much, SWG was the first I fell in love with.
I actually intended to play SWG until WoW launch, but ended up staying. Its not a stretch to say that I have some animosity towards WoW (even though I did play it myself) as I felt it really help direct SWG into a black hole of despair for a lot of players like myself. I think SWG should have been the industry standard, it was truly ground breaking, but so much so and the people were not ready for it and SOE didn't know how to make it accessible without changing core gameplay mechanics fans enjoyed.
Fast forward to today and what I find interesting is that Disney is figuring out that fans want to live Star Wars; they might actually get it. They also know not everything Star Wars has to be for kids, plenty of adults love it (George Lucas didn't get that). They are now building Star Wars Land (Galaxies Edge) which puts the park goer into the living breathing Star Wars Universe and allows guest to become a part of the stories and do quests as they traverse the park from the moment they set foot into Galaxies Edge. They are also building a Star Wars themed Hotel in Disney World which will be a role-players and Star Wars fans dream come true and you will feel like you are living on a Space Station in a Galaxy far, far away. They even want guests to dress the part.
So with that said the next Star Wars MMO will have to be like Galaxies; where you start off as a nobody and get drawn into the conflict if you chose, because that's what fans want. SWTOR with it's instant action and heavy handed assumption of character importance got it wrong in my opinion. People don't mind being and starting out as uncle Owen; a nobody, as long as you give them some direction and lots of content , which I admit SWG lacked at first. The one thing Star Wars fans want is to "be what they want", which is what Star Wars is really about for fans. It goes deeper than just being the most famous smuggler, or bounty hunter or Jedi; the hero. Lots of little guys played important roles in the worlds and people like that. I'm pretty sure the concepts behind SWG will be revised again someday; in fact I put money on it.
I haven't played a single game on this list lol. I mean, say what you want about Trion, Rift certainly should have been somewhere on this list. Star Wars Galaxies? I cannot stand the sci fi genre.
Rift has always been considered a WoW clone. The class/skill system is different... but beyond that...?
Well, I consider Black Desert an ArcheAge clone,
You do know that development on Black Desert started a year before ArcheAge correct?
well, At least according to Wikipedia but I remember knowing about both of them very close to the same time.
Looking at the other articles it seems that they were developed at the same time. Not sure how one can be a clone of the other if that is the case.
Games are influenced by each other, even though I used the word "clone" in response @Azaron_Nightblade. I really don't believe many games can be a considered a clone of another game. Apparently, Azaron wasn't informed that a former Blizzard employee worked on Rift, so of course, it could be said that it was influenced by WoW, but it is not a clone.
Concerning Black Desert, I honestly didn't hear anything about Black Desert prior to playing ArcheAge; I was already done with any game that is similar to ArcheAge when Black Desert was officially released in North America and EU.
I knew of Archeage and Black Desert around the same time. And I kept getting them mixed up in my mind when talking about them as they do share similarities.
I agree with you that games influence each other. ESPECIALLY in the east. Some people in the west don't realize this but eastern developers/artists, "whatever" don't have a problem borrowing or paying homage to other properties. At least this was prevalent for a while. You will see games that have the same swords or near identical swords for that matter.
The developers of Lineage 2 actually made up marketing that included a well beloved character from a movie and they had to be told that wasn't going to fly here.
Of course, there was a time in Western Music (not cowboy music) when composers would take melodies from other pieces and include them in masses. It wasn't considered plagiarism.
You will also find stylistic similarities right up to the romantic era when suddenly the more "rock star" artists/performers started to appear and individualism became important.
The use of the word "clone" though always seems to have negative connotations with gamers (players) as it conjures up the idea that developers copied because they had no ideas of their own or wanted to capitalize on some aspect of a more popular game.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
And to this day there is still no valid reason City of Heroes was shut down. If they suddenly decided to relaunch it as F2P I think the number of players that would flock to it would be amazing.
It's not. It's not a "greatest game". It is one of my top 3 mmo's but if someone asked me to write a piece on what I thought the top 3 "greatest mmorpg's" were I wouldn't include it. Sadly there is nothing great about it. Except its community.
Not because I don't like it but because greatest must be more than "I like it".
there are many things I don't like but I recognize their impact, their superb construction, how iconic they are and their impact.
Greatest should encompass more than "favorite" if one is to speak about beyond my own nose.
I would even go so far as to say the order doesn't matter. More the idea of the group.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
COH is my favorite game but I fail to understand how you consider it the first to break the fantasy mold. SWG came before COH and IMO it broke the fantasy mold....
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
Making a top of best mmos all time whit no Lineage and Lineage 2? you most joking.I dont want to insult you but you have no fucking idea wtf you saying . And you put FF14 in the last place??!?! But you place ESO in 7 ??!!no comment just pathetic.
List is good, it is the ranking I do not agree with really.
I would switch EVE with SWG. I think SWG had a more positive impact on players and is spoken of with reverence even today, still considered the MMORPG with one of the the best Crafting Systems, and also high Socialization factors, Music bands and Dancing in Cantinas, unforgettable fun.
EVE on the other hand is a very negative game in its Dystopian universe, that people speak of in disgust normally and to laugh about all the bad things that happen in it or its players who seem to come out of caves.
And UO with EQ.
While EQ established the model that brought us to WoW it is not often spoken of today, and since WoW expressed that model the best way, a testimony to its own success, and the establishment of the new Standard of the EQ model. Still. EQ deserves a spot on the top 3, just not 2nd. That spot should go to UO.
UO is the game that started it all it is still played and still talked about. People compare many of today's games to UO still even. It is a still the Game that constitutes the Standard of its own model. No other game has established a new standard to this day as no other game except SWG approached UO to this date. If there was one I would be there playing it...and both my guild mates and I are still looking for the next UO 20 years later.
Cheers!
- Duke Suraknar - Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
Comments
You are correct in that there are social elements to Lord of the Rings Online but other than that it doesn't really rise above as it is clearly a game cast in the style of World of Warcraft.
It fails at some of the things it tries to do. Mounted combat? Ugh. I can't make a turn without rubberbanding to "who knows where". Helm's Deep? One of the most iconic moments in the Lord of the Rings only to have me stare at my screen in disbelief at the most lackluster "major gaming event" ever created.
Those horrible Hytbolt quests?
Whether one likes or hates World of Warcraft it's more iconic (which is a bit amazing as one would think given the cultural weight of Lord of the Rings that the online game would have been better) and does what it does better than those games that try to copy it.
Star Wars Galaxies, even though it was flawed, seems to still have captured the hearts of its core players for years after it was closed down. It offered a freedom that few games really offer.
I don't necessarily think, when listing greatest mmorpg's, popular is the defining thing but how well it does what it does and what effect it has on not only players but mmorpg's in general.
Or more to the point, I think the game must be greater than the some of its parts.
Star Wars Galaxies, from what I've read (including an awesome PC Magazine article about how players on the rebel side got together and overthrew/destroyed empire bases or some such thing. That's the type of thing one usually reads about with EVE) offered such a wide variety of choices, including housing, making one's own towns, extensive crafting, etc that it deserves to be on list of greatest mmorpg's.
If/when Lord of the Rings ever closes will there be the same outcry for the same length of time?
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
well, At least according to Wikipedia but I remember knowing about both of them very close to the same time.
Looking at the other articles it seems that they were developed at the same time. Not sure how one can be a clone of the other if that is the case.
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
It at least contains the best most memorable and close to heart games.
I just would replace EVE with Star Wars Galaxies...EVE is remembered in disgust instead of awe like others because of its Dystopia...not comparable with Star Wars Galaxies Sandbox gameplay.
Then I would switch UO and EQ. UO is still played by many today, and still being talked about in many new Games even especially those wannabe Sandbox using the word as a Marketing Catch phrase (see Albion Online)..while no one speaks about EQ really...EQ is what lead to WoW which was the best iteration of the EQ model. Still EQ deserves the top 3 spot, because it established the model but not 2nd I am sorry, that spot is for UO.
And while I do not like it that WoW is in the first place we have to be fair that depending on your criteria here which seem to be about how Moo's touched players and, WoW certainly did touch tens of millions of players.
Anyways opinions of a player.
Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
I read the entire article, and usually do so clearly everyone must be like me.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
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
While I prefer many of the things that Guild Wars did over Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars 2 is more of an mmorpg over Guild Wars. Guild Wars 2 makes a world and allows for a shared world over Guild Wars, not considered an mmorpg by its developers, which just had maps shared by the group.
I mean heck, one could argue that Guild Wars had more in common with Diablo 2 than any mmorpg.
That's probably why it's not on the list.
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
The info I read from Chartbeats showed that the majority of users scroll through somewhere between 60-80% of articles they encounter across the web, though a certain percentage will leave the page without ever reading anything other than the title and maybe first couple sentences (approximately 10% of readers). It is worth noting that data was collected in 2013, though.
That is not to be confused with data regarding how much time folks spend on an article before they share said article. The number of users who share an article on social media prior to actually reading the article is about 55%, according to a study by Columbia University.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
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
I self identify as a monkey.
So with that said the next Star Wars MMO will have to be like Galaxies; where you start off as a nobody and get drawn into the conflict if you chose, because that's what fans want. SWTOR with it's instant action and heavy handed assumption of character importance got it wrong in my opinion. People don't mind being and starting out as uncle Owen; a nobody, as long as you give them some direction and lots of content , which I admit SWG lacked at first. The one thing Star Wars fans want is to "be what they want", which is what Star Wars is really about for fans. It goes deeper than just being the most famous smuggler, or bounty hunter or Jedi; the hero. Lots of little guys played important roles in the worlds and people like that. I'm pretty sure the concepts behind SWG will be revised again someday; in fact I put money on it.
I agree with you that games influence each other. ESPECIALLY in the east. Some people in the west don't realize this but eastern developers/artists, "whatever" don't have a problem borrowing or paying homage to other properties. At least this was prevalent for a while. You will see games that have the same swords or near identical swords for that matter.
The developers of Lineage 2 actually made up marketing that included a well beloved character from a movie and they had to be told that wasn't going to fly here.
Of course, there was a time in Western Music (not cowboy music) when composers would take melodies from other pieces and include them in masses. It wasn't considered plagiarism.
You will also find stylistic similarities right up to the romantic era when suddenly the more "rock star" artists/performers started to appear and individualism became important.
The use of the word "clone" though always seems to have negative connotations with gamers (players) as it conjures up the idea that developers copied because they had no ideas of their own or wanted to capitalize on some aspect of a more popular game.
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 because I don't like it but because greatest must be more than "I like it".
there are many things I don't like but I recognize their impact, their superb construction, how iconic they are and their impact.
Greatest should encompass more than "favorite" if one is to speak about beyond my own nose.
I would even go so far as to say the order doesn't matter. More the idea of the group.
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
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
I would switch EVE with SWG. I think SWG had a more positive impact on players and is spoken of with reverence even today, still considered the MMORPG with one of the the best Crafting Systems, and also high Socialization factors, Music bands and Dancing in Cantinas, unforgettable fun.
EVE on the other hand is a very negative game in its Dystopian universe, that people speak of in disgust normally and to laugh about all the bad things that happen in it or its players who seem to come out of caves.
And UO with EQ.
While EQ established the model that brought us to WoW it is not often spoken of today, and since WoW expressed that model the best way, a testimony to its own success, and the establishment of the new Standard of the EQ model. Still. EQ deserves a spot on the top 3, just not 2nd. That spot should go to UO.
UO is the game that started it all it is still played and still talked about. People compare many of today's games to UO still even. It is a still the Game that constitutes the Standard of its own model. No other game has established a new standard to this day as no other game except SWG approached UO to this date. If there was one I would be there playing it...and both my guild mates and I are still looking for the next UO 20 years later.
Cheers!
Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard