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We’re settling into a ‘New MMO’ Slump

Thursday Aug 5,2010 07:28 PM
By Keen
In Uncategorized

In the comments of yesterday’s entry I was asked whether or not I play MMO’s anymore because I have not been talking about or reviewing them (other than WoW). My answer to that question is definitely a discussion starter.

What MMO’s have come out or are coming out, which I haven’t already commented on, that are worth playing? That’s the answer and the topic of today’s post. Simply put, I don’t feel that there are any MMO’s right now or in the near future.

Here’s a list of the MMO’s coming out that I am interested in and plan to play and write about.

SWTOR
Guild Wars 2
FFXIV
TERA
Rift: Planes of Telara
Dawntide

These are all games on the horizon… and the horizon is really, really far away. We may see FFXIV this year — maybe — but the rest I’m expecting early next year or even 2012.

We’re definitely in a new MMO slump. There are currently a few games that people are hanging onto, but nothing exploding with genuine mass appeal. For me it’s WoW. Why? It’s a polished game capable of providing a reliable gaming experience and I know what to expect. The population is there, the content is there, the expansion is coming soon, and the game isn’t suddenly going to fizzle out.

I saw this coming, as did many of you. MMO’s these days are lasting, on average, 3 months before the new MMO smell wears off and reality sets in. A mass exodus ensues and we move on. That’s not the player’s fault — that’s a problem with the games. The causes and how to fix it are a discussion for another time.

Until the MMO slump is over, I’m really not going to be hyping anything or writing a lot about these games until we know more. Occasionally I’ll write a responsive piece but, taking Guild Wars for example, there’s not much to say about one of the classes being revealed.

What I do want to discuss though are general MMO subjects. I want to revisit topics about the type of MMO that I want designed as well as current popular and unpopular mechanics.

Let me know if I’ve missed anything on my list. If you want to know why I’m not playing X or why Y isn’t on my list then ask away and I’ll tell you straight up.

Read the original post on http://www.keenandgraev.com