I started with Ever Quest(EQ) it was a grind MMO, it was also one of the first big MMO, it's what Blizzard aimed to out do with WoW. In each there is nothing that changes. You can fight Orcs for years in one zone and they will always be there. they continue to be there. That has always been my big ***** about MMO's they never changed. The world never evolved. You made zero impact. "Oh that's not where the game excels it really gets good in the end game" This is a common quote from people about every MMO out there right now. Screw That! its a game it should be fun from the moment I start playing till I stop playing for the day. I left EQ after two years. My next MMO was Star Wars Galaxies from release it was a fair game I did enjoy it A LOT. Then the forums began being flooded with messages from Melee players whining they couldn't fight anything because the people with guns killed them(pvp) or killed the critters(pve) before they could get to them.... HELLO you bringing a foot fist or sword to a gun fight WTF you expect?!?! SO Sony being the good little slave to the sheep of the world bowed to the desires and changed it. The first change made Bounty Hunters useless and broken and melee toons able to kick me from 63meters away. WTF how? I have gun you have foot Bang bang your dead not invisible boot kills be from BFE. The leveling system was interesting it was definitely a grind, but there were things the players effected, City building on planets Faction situations that would change the sway of power in the galactic situation. Sure you could farm spots where critters re-spawned but hostile creatures (predominantly the carnivores) would actually hunt and kill herbivores or social creatures. "end game" was about which side was building and holding the most outposts for their faction on each of the 7 planets players could build cities on. The player driven economy was in my opinion the best system In a game. The fact that every single weapons armor piece of clothing, building harvester, everything was player made, was wonderful to me. the social aspect of SW:G in the early days was amazing. When sony stopped making their game and started making what the whiners wanted the game went to hell and the nerf bat got larger and larger till the game was so retarded that they eliminated the need for any of my characters professions. I had already lost internet connection and thus access to the game, but I had no reason to rush back. My character sucked, and their promise of a new planet to go to turned into an instance... GAY! like in 7th grade when everything was gay. World of borecraft was my next MMO. Honestly in my opinion the worst MM Out there. I hate it! People are complaining about hackers in GW... WHEN... WHERE? My girl friend has been playing GW since beta and has NEVER heard of someones account being hacked. I havn't played WoW in 3 years and my account has been hacked 5 times.... FIVE times... where the frack is Blizzards anti-hacker service? In fact to expand on that, one of my friends JUST returned to WOW. He went on vacation and proposed to his girlfriend meanwhile someone had hacked his account and now his account is suspended due to suspicious activity. In fact every single person that I know that has played WOW has had their accounts hacked. Ok enough about that.....
Rapplez was next it wasn't bad but everything looked the same it was 100%free to play its a constant grind I never ran into an enjoyable mission.
Guild Wars was next. My girlfriend has 4 accounts. I enjoyed the game that I played, what I ahve played of it. But my opinion of the game is lack luster at best. IT plays and feels like a Never Winter Nights Module that a lot of people can play on at the same time. It wasn't to my thinking a true MMO. I've admittedly only played about 12 hours of guild wars but I will say this... its not a grind. My girlfriend did have one of her completed Toons leading a friend and I around showing us thigns and helping us with missions in those 15hours we leveled up to 15th of 20 levels... theres no grind there. IF we had played through on our own we would have likely made 20th in a fraction of the time. I was then told again that the game gets really good in the "end game". Guild Wars 2 looks like more of the same. while it looks pretty and the sounds cool... i don't view it grabbing me like EQ did or like WoW for the few months I played it. I will say that I did enjoy aspects of WoW, but when they released Burning crusade all joy left me. It was like that when they released Planes of Power for EQ.
The Old Republic right now is the MMO I can't wait to see how turned out. I'm such a fan of the universe and run my own Star Wars RPG pen and paper games. Guild Wars 2 while free to play will likely have to wait till after I've had my fill of TOR. I hope what they've said about both these games stands up and has a chance to flatten some of blizzards swollen head syndrome. the graphics arena WoW is the worst. Sure the movements are good realistic but its doesn't get a face lift at all. I liked the art for a while but it got stale to me about 3months into playing it. Star Wars Galaxie was in my opinion the most reactive to my passing through the grass. it parted and waved as I passed through it making me think my toon was actually in a world rather then running through the grass as if it is a plywood cut out like WoW and EQ and Guild Wars react. if GW2 has responsive grass(I know this is such a minor *****, but if your trying to emerge yourself into a setting it should react to you) then it might hold me longer.... I also want to be able to jump, GW you cant jump step over tiny rocks or slide down minor slopes. really made me think I was playing never winter nights(which is IMHO a better over all game especially NWN2)
I have rambled for far to long already but that's my view. I hope I'm wrong and they make a better game thtn I'm afraid GW2 will end up being. I looks pretty and I like the art in the trailer, but the game graphics have to stand up to the trailer to sell me. TOR I'm on the fence about the art, it has a stylized WoW look that kinda bugs me, but it does also have a KotR feel as well and i love those games.