We, like many people, will move from MMO to MMO as a new one launches and the last one begins to fade as we realize the developers didn't quite make good on all their promises and the hype and anticipation had built the game up too much to ever be able to reach the pedestal we’d put it on. As many do we move through a steady stream of MMOs, playing a variety of titles and maybe sticking to that one big one we’d been waiting to play for years ever since it was announced, and year after year of development that one question was on our lips "when is the release date?"
Now we face a problem, as it appears many of our chickens have come home to roost, and where previously we would play that one big title we’d waited for and dip a toe in the others to test them, we find ourselves filled with a list of MMOs being released in 2014 (and a handful beyond) that we’ve been dying to play...
THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE
Anyone who has ever stepped foot in Tamriel and played one of the many Elder Scrolls single player titles, expansion or endless community mods has thought to themselves "this dungeon would be great to do this with my friends" or even "I wish I could live in this world with other players". With Bethesda’ announcement of The Elder Scrolls Online a lot of dreams came true and, from what we've seen and played, the game has been captured perfectly and given the MMO makeover packed with features, faction wars and more.
WILDSTAR
The more cutesy and humorous style of WildStar is a refreshing take on the genre, a breath of fresh air from the oversaturated Fantasy market (though don't get us wrong, we still love the Fantasy market!) and this MMORPG has got some pretty interesting features. One of the big pushes with WildStar that has us excited is the advanced "telegraph" system where players can see enemies various attacks, heals and actions as coloured targets on the ground. Whilst on its own this doesn't sound particularly impressive, the level of involvement they have put into the system, with crazy moving targets forcing players to keep on their toes and get out of the way is sure to make for some excellent combat.
BLADE & SOUL
From NC Soft we've taken a look at Blade & Soul, a martial arts MMORPG that looks like a cross between Dynasty Warriors, Tenchu and Final Fantasy for some explosive action fuelled beat 'em goodness wrapped up in a gorgeous looking world. A few MMOs try to go down the arcade beat 'em up style but now we seem to have a high budget game coming from a well-established studio and so we're expecting great things!
BLACK DESERT
Visually stunning, this Korean masterpiece has really rated highly on our hype-meter since we played the Closed Beta a few months back. The drawback that this was only available in Korea was always an issue, but with the announcement of an English version in the works, Black Desert is very much so back on our radar and we can't wait to explore the rich and beautiful sandbox world from mountain vistas, arid deserts, lush forest and bustling cities.
ARCHEAGE
Game aside, ArcheAge has one of the best websites we've ever seen and if they're going to put as much effort into the game then we are expecting great things. Of all the features it has to be the castle building and sieges that have us salivating the most, watching as hundreds of players attack and defend a castle with all manner of siege equipment has really got us excited. Whilst not an original feature in itself, the level of detail we've seen looks like it may very well surpass anything that’s come before it.
EVERQUEST NEXT & LANDMARK
A two-for-one from Sony Online Entertainment with the newest MMORPG in the series EverQuest Next, which takes a return to Norrath where players can change and shape this new but familiar setting. Dynamic quests and events that will change depending on the players' choices, and fully destructible areas to open up tactical and strategic choices in game. If destroying things aren't your cup of tea then check out Landmark, where players will be able to create their own impressive buildings and environments in a voxel based minecraft type architect program that exist in persistent worlds and the very best community creations may even appear in the actual EverQuest Next game itself! Yes please!
LINEAGE ETERNAL
A complete graphical revamp from the previous Lineage titles awaits in the newest title Lineage Eternal, as well as some promised innovative features using intuitive "Drag Skills" to perform attacks against enemies. Here a flourish with your mouse in combination with keys allows players to do stunning manoeuvres such as dragging the mouse in a circle with your cursor performs a powerful whirlwind area attack with the Knight class, or dragging a line with the Mage can summon walls of ice and fire. It looks great, it looks intuitive and we can't wait.
THE REPOPULATION
The first two MMORPGs I ever played were Ultima Online and then the original Star Wars Galaxies, completely open sandbox MMOs that for me, as with many, still hold a place in my heart that just can’t ever be matched. So when a Kickstarter crowdfunding game appeared called The Repopulation the opening paragraph of which spoke about a new MMORPG with "the same sandbox oriented features seen in Star Wars Galaxies and Ultima Online" then I knew great things were coming. In-depth crafting (where players can simply just craft without the need for combat), player buildings with detailed furnishings, PvE, PvP, Factions, Sieges... this game promises to have it all.
THE DIVISION
It's from Ubisoft, it's under the Tom Clancy franchise, to us that already screams hit, and anyone unconvinced just needs to check out the gameplay videos available. The Division looks amazing, from the detailed physics engine, the sprawling urban landscapes to the level designs ranging from close quarters buildings to apocalyptic downtown areas. However, if that wasn't enough then the feature that really made us do a double take was the incorporation of real-time app that users can play through their phone or tablet to be actively involved in battles currently happening, target enemies with air strikes, highlight potential targets for your allies, boost their abilities and resupply them with air drops.
ALBION ONLINE
Another sandbox that really focuses on group bases cooperative gameplay, working together to build and defend cities against AI and enemy players. With the sense of community often being lost in MMORPGs it's refreshing to see this level of coop in a more traditional MMORPG style game. In Albion Online, players will build all the buildings in their own village and the shops and crafting structures required to make their village thrive, once more requiring team work.
WORLD OF WARSHIPS
Another MMO finding its way into the list that isn’t just another beautiful MMORPG, we do just like to see MMOs where the developers just got it right. No one can argue that when it comes to military based MMOs that developers Wargaming (World of Tanks/ World of Warplanes) know what they're doing. With that we wait with baited breath on the third game that will tie all three titles together. World of Warships looks to be everything we have come to expect from the Wargaming and looking at how well they've successfully conquered land and air, it was only a matter of time before they claimed the seas for themselves as well.
CIVILIZATION ONLINE
The Civilization franchise is huge, predominantly a PC only title until the release of Civilization: Revolution which ported over to consoles, it would seem developers 2K are now hitting the free-to-play market with their newest title. Unlike the previous titles that put us in the role of an entire civilization, Civilization Online will take on that personal touch as you fill the boots as a single person in your chosen faction, working together with the rest of your faction to go against other factions and, and yes, even other players. Work towards various "victory conditions" and work cooperatively with other players, something often lost in the shonky diplomacy features of the single-player game where it nearly always came down to nuke or be nuked!
GAME OF THRONES SEVEN KINGDOMS
Based on the best-selling novels by George R.R. Martin and the hit HBO TV series, Game of Thrones: Seven Kingdoms is going to be coming to browsers everywhere with the new MMORPG from BigPoint. The focus of the game, as it should be, is the battle between the various Houses (Baratheon, Lannister and Stark) where players will take on the role of lesser houses and align themselves with one of these faction vying for control of the Iron Throne. Focusing primarily on PvP, group combat, duels, siege battles and large scale warfare, we’re hoping that the franchise truly comes alive on our screens!
"TITAN"
The mysterious cloak-and dagger MMORPG from Blizzard that is still completely under wraps, have released practically zero information about and have only gone so far as to announce at last years' BlizzCon that the title has been rebooted as it began to get away from the quality that they wanted to release. Whilst we've no idea what the game is going to be like and it's unlikely to be out for a few more years yet, for 2014 we're simply hoping for more information!
So there's our list of the games that we're really looking forward to for this year and beyond, each of which we believe is going to bring something completely new to the MMO market in its own way. Overall it's looking to be a good year for MMOs in general and we can't wait to play some of these and get even more information from those that still have a little more development left in them. Don’t think we've overlooked some of the other titles that are expected out, there is a long list of favourites, so worth an honourable mention we'll also recommend checking out: Camelot Unchained, Trove, Black Gold Online, Shroud of the Avatar, Lego Minifigures Online, Nether, Total War Arena, Project Theralon, Warhammer 40K Eternal Crusade, Destiny, Elite: Dangerous, Pathfinder Online, Nosgoth and Firefly Online! Happy gaming!
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