Alright, I'll try to keep this brief...
I only REALLY started playing MMOs in what I would call the "golden era" of MMOs, this was back in the mid to late 2000s. It was a glorious time to be both young & alive. There were so many quality MMOs being released left and right that it was difficult to choose between which one's to play. Almost every MMO released back then had its own unique take on the genre as a whole. Chronicles of Spellborn, tried to alter the way combat was done by having a rotating skill bar. Warhammer Online with its strong emphasis on RvR. Rift's survival style combat and being able to play multiple roles with one class. Not to mention the distinct artstyles each one of them had.
For whatever reason, my desire for MMOs has resurfaced and I find myself haplessly scouring the Internet in the vain hope of finding an MMO that's going to devour most of my time again. Sadly, none of the MMOs on the market today or in the foreseeable future look promising to me. I have my eyes set on Ashes of Creation, but even that game doesn't seem to offer up anything new in terms of gameplay. The look & feel doesn't appeal to me either. Same goes for New World.
Recently I've tried playing Blade & Soul, but boy, was that game GRINDY. It felt like every F2P MMO that went before it, except it was repurposed with a pretty aesthetic. How I've been able to tolerate games like that as a youngster is beyond me.
I haven't played Desert Online for that exact same reason. I'm trying to avoid grindfests like the plague, but it seems to be the only thing MMOs have to give right now.
Does anyone else feel the same way about current MMOs? Are there any other MMO dinosaurs like me who miss the "good ol' days" of MMO gaming? Any one else still waiting for that one MMO to sweep them off their feet? Curious to hear your thoughts.
Comments
Are you looking strictly at f2p games?
It's not grindy, at least to be viable.
And you can just screw around and do what makes you happy, or you can follow the story, or you can do both, it's a pretty open door game, a great time killer that is dynamic, with very engaging combat and platforming, but at the same time enjoyable to just stop and look at.
Eh, nope. Edit: OMG, I feel so dumb. I read that as FSO, Fantasy Star Online and not as Elder Scrolls Online! I completely forgot about ESO existing. And what... It's actually not sub-based? I'm reading here that it's box-only purchase. Okay, okay, color me intrigued. I might give it a try! Thanks for the heads up. 2) I think the artstyle is AMAZING, one of my favorite illustrators ever worked on it but... I'm just fed up with established IPs. 3) Already played it. I was there during OB and pre-ordered it so I could play it at launch. But as soon as I reached max lvl, I got bored of it. Never looked back at it again and never will.
Did you play a different game than me? I really didn't think GW2 was all that amazing, haha. I got bored of it relatively quick and the community was, well... Shall I say, lame? I enjoyed it enough to play until max, but not enough to stick around after that.
Maybe I'm just old and have lost my childlike sense of wonder. I started this thread more out of curiosity, though, and to reminisce about the past. Not to receive suggestions on which MMOs to play, haha. But I still appreciate it though!
Both offer a pretty fun journey until the end (DCUO is short though), but when the grind kicks in, it kicks in hard - chasing the gearscore, the worst kinda grind out there.
So, not tab target, only a grindfest at the endgame, and wasn't mentioned before in the thread: I'd throw in DCUO and Neverwinter.
Oh... Superheroes... Thanks, but no thanks. Okay, there's another game you can scratch off your list, haha. I think I'm just too damn hard to please after all. Wait a sec, is Neverwinter an MMORPG based on the 'Neverwinter Nights' franchise, or is it just a standalone game based off of D&D? Because I LOVED Neverwinter Nights, but that was decades ago. I've played D&D Online when it first came out, and I... I LIKED it, but I didn't fall in love with it. I don't know why, it wasn't that bad really but it wasn't that good really? It kinda felt like Age of Conan to me. It was OK. Just... OK. Maybe it's not the game that sucks, but the player: Me... I don't deserve you MMOs, sorry.
There are no good, new MMOs. I wasn't bitching about you bitching. I was bitching about about there being no good, new MMOs. Because this is where people go to bitch about that sort of thing.
And now...you are becoming one of us.
WOW no longer requires an initial purchase, just a sub, It has changed a lot and there's a permanent free trial to level 20 with as many different characters/classes as you want. After that, it's a must sub to play. PC only.
FFXIV is B2P and must sub. PC and consoles.
ESO is B2P and sub optional. PC and consoles.
My suggestion is that you check those 3 out in whatever order and maybe one of them will draw you in.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
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Alright then. Brand new you can eventually get if you wait for one of the upcoming MMORPGs. Truly original depends on how strictly you define it. If you mean in the absolute sense you will never find that. If you mean somewhat different than the norm, that you can find.
ESO is the least grindy MMORPG I have ever played, and can be accessed via subscription or buy to play, but it could loosely be considered an extension of the single player Elder Scrolls games so may not feel new enough.
2.) NW - Has 12 races to choose from. That's NEW. It even has Sun Elves! I think I'm going to make a Sun Elf and call him "Sunny the Sun Elf", or "Sunny D"? Hmm... They say character creation is always the toughest phase in any MMO game. The combat looks fun and apparently you have to use your BRAIN. Oh wow, that's amazing for MMO standards. Too bad it's F2P, but I'll take it.
Most MMOs today are just built as "single player games with others", and most players today prefer that kind of game. I don't fault as to each their own, right
Like others here, I mainly play single player games these days. Whewn I get an MMO itch I will play either Wizard101 (a kind of "kiddie" setting) or GW 2 if I'm desperate. Wizard101 is not F2P (if you're curious) but does have it first combat zone (Unicorn Way) that you can try as a demo. Or you can sub for $9.95 USD. You can also purchase zones separately (there are lots of zones) and dungeons.
I do you wish you luck in finding something that grabs you again, but don't hold your breath
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
Sorcerers can wield two-handed weapons quite well, so long as you focus on building up stamina and select a race suited to stamina based play.