Name a great MMO you don't actually play

Due to all the new releases these past few years, we aren't really lacking for choice in the MMO genre. Some might argue that there still aren't enough good titles out there, but the reality is our options have never been so plentiful. Others might argue the market is starting to get saturated and that we don't give new titles a fair shake because there's always something new we can try or old we can go back to.

I'm of the belief that MMO gamers are a pretty fickle bunch (for various reasons I won't get into in this post) and we don't often give new titles the benefit of the doubt we used to. MMOs themselves are very complex and there are dozens of core elements (gameplay, graphics, progression rate, performance, etc.) that need to be perfectly balanced to get past our fickleness.

It stands to reason that most of us probably have a few titles that just barely missed the mark for us to become faithful supporters/subscribers. Can you name one? If so, why?

For me it was Fallen Earth. I really enjoyed many elements of this game: post-apocalyptic setting, comprehensive crafting/gathering, leveling and skill point system, faction wheel, PvP opportunity, hilarious quests, early game mounts, etc.

Where it lost me was its expansiveness and soloability. The map was absolutely huge and in many ways it was a wasteland. I understand that this is perfectly reasonable and something they strove for in their setting but I'm not a big fan of wide empty spaces. I could literally log into the game and only come across one or two other people in an hour session.

In the early game at least, everyone was perfectly capable of taking on the world by their lonesome. Aside from a couple public quests, there would be no incentive to group up with people. Part of this is was due to solo durability, but the other was resource sharing. Most resources were extremely valuable and grouping with someone meant sharing the booty. Given that crafting was almost as big a part in leveling in this game, I got the feeling most people would rather wander the world alone than with a partner.

Over time I just lost the incentive to log in. Given the size, openness, and general lack of direction in Fallen Earth I didn't feel like I would accomplish much by playing an hour or so session. I had a guild but many of them were always off on their own, so it's not like I had people luring me in either.

I still think Fallen Earth is a great game if you can get past these two things.

Comments

[Scopique]

Hehe. I don't think I can pick just one.

I agree on FE, though. It's a sandbox, so the "lack of direction" is one of it's charms for me.

WAR made me love PvP.

I like the aesthetic of Ryzom.

SWG and UO both have special places in my heart because of their crafting systems, which I love.

I also liked the setting of Neocron -- the only cyberpunk MMO out there, I believe, but it doesn't stand up to the test of time XD

I really could go on, but I'll just say I never really met an MMO I didn't like. I think your point that there's too many choices these days that make it hard for an entheusiastic MMO fan to sit still for very long is right on the money. At least for me.