MMO's: Getting back into it.. but there's too much choice?!

Once again, I'm feeling that unmistakable itch within the gaming cortex of my brain (yes, ofcourse it exists..). The itch that continually nags at me to start playing an MMO again, until the inevitable happens and I give in.

My one problem? Which one do I choose? Do I do the unthinkable and re-subscribe to WoW (maybe not). Perhaps Rift, but then again, with the new Star Trek film that has just come out, I also feel drawn to a dabble in Star Trek Online.

This is amongst many other options I could take. Is there just too much choice these days? If so, is this nessacerily a bad thing?

One thing is decided though, I may as well not go back to Rift until the free to play model is put in place in June.

What Is The Formula In Making A Long-Standing MMO?

There are various different aspects that affect the longevity of an MMO and when it's date with imminent death is. These include:

- The game becomes stale (same old stuff, just remade in a slightly different way)
- No user support or very little
- Playerbase never takes off so it doesn't last outside of a year
- Competition
- No unique selling point

Take a look at the below article which tells us more about what Guild Wars 2 is planning to do going forward to try and maintain their playerbase. The factors they discuss are fairly common sense, however, even with the best laid plans it may still prove futile.

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/03/07/how-guild-wars-2-plans-to-survive

This is because the MMO genre can be very fickle, purely because there are so many options available. It's very easy to be able to move onto different adventures.

So what makes an MMO stick? What do you love about your favourite MMO that means you aren't easily deferred onto something else?

MMOs On Consoles, Could It Work One Day?

A new game by the name of Destiny may be developed by Bungie as an open world first person shooter (or an adaptation of). This is exciting as it opens up the possibilities for the future of the genre and for gaming as a whole.

Thinking more along these lines and to varying extremes. How long do we think it will be before the MMO genre is converted (successfully) over to the console market? I know its already had its attempts (such as DC Universe on PS3 or Final Fantasy), but it isn't what could be classed as successful when comparing it against its PC counterpart.

It's not impossible ofcourse, the only restraint I can foresee is the sheer size of the files and the need for them to constantly be updated, but also the lack of buttons you have when using a controller. I think there is a market ready to be dialled into which is begging for the next big thing.. The first MMOs that will hit consoles and be the equivalent of WoW, or stand side by side with the popularity of Call Of Duty at least.

Is this just dreaming? Will we ever see this happen? Who knows, but I can't see it being too long before the console market is attempted more vigorously by the major MMO developers.

Will World Of Warcraft Always Be At The Top?

Don't get me wrong, World of Warcraft is a great game, with great support and it has an in depth world to explore, great gameplay/crafting systems etc etc.. But is it time that something else took the MMO throne.. It has been 8 years (approximately) so surely we should be crying out for something different by now?

At its peak I believe the subscriber number was around the 11 million mark, which has dropped to somewhere around the 9.5 million mark in recent times. This sounds like a large shift, but when you relate these figures to other MMOs, World of Warcraft stands clearly as the victor.

What's your stance. Is it time that World of Warcraft lost its dominance? Are there any other games out there that you think would rightfully deserve it more?

Personally, there are games like Rift, for instance. Rift is similar to WoW in a lot of ways, but in a lot of others also improves on it (graphics and randomly generated rifts in the world for instance). Maybe Elder Scrolls Online could topple it? Extremely unlikely.

Is it possible that upwards of several million people are too far invested in WoW now, with their characters maxed out and so forth, that moving on would just seem crazy? This could be a good reason why WoW would remain at the top (not to mention it is still a top performer in its genre, even 8 years on).

Free To Play vs Subscriptions

We may be at a turning point, not only in the MMO genre, but with gaming overall. Whether it be with the majority of MMOs now turning towards a free to play model, rather than the regular financial support of a subscription, or with the same model being adopted now into the casual gaming market (such as FarmVille and the many other apps out there).

So what is best, is the future bright when it comes to a free to play model? The only game that appears to of avoided this is WoW (yes it may be free to play up until level 20 but that isn't any good for anybody), and it is still going strong.

Surely we still get the same content updates and user support across both platforms, as of course, ultimately the company is still getting their money, whether this be through advertising, in game purchases or subscription fees.

- Guild Wars 2 vs WoW
- LOTRO vs Rift

Personally, nothing will beat the subscription as there just seems to be more effort put in. What I don't agree with however is games which ask for a subscription fee but then still prompt you for in game purchases.. for shame..