E3 Day One -- Next Generation of MMORPG's

This is an exciting time for massive multiplayer online gaming. At this year's E3, we are starting to get a glimpse at the next generation of MMORPGs. One thing is certain. There will be plenty to choose from. Given the sheer number of games that are scheduled for release, I hope the MMORPG manufacturers are able to figure out a way to market their games to a broader audience instead of just trying to gain a larger percentage of the current player base. Otherwise, some of these games are doomed to failure. While there are a number of games coming onto the market, there are also several obvious frontrunners. Everquest 2, Asheron's Call 2, and Star Wars Galaxies seem to be the best of the lot and seem destined to dominate the others. These are truly next generation games, with graphics and gameplay not seen in the current crop of games. They also have the advantage of being made by big pocket companies that already have gained experience with successful online games. Still, you can't rule out the other games. Many offer unusual gameplay or other features that will endear them to certain groups of gamers. World of Warcraft especially looks impressive, also comes from a company with deep pockets and online experience, and may be able to sneak up on the big three. We previewed four games today and are scheduled to preview many more in the next two days. What I decided to do in this update is give you a brief overview of the games that are on display here, with some initial thoughts and impressions. Over the next week or so, I will write up more detailed previews of the most promising ones so that you can get a better idea what you might be playing in a few years. So here are the upcoming MMORPGs that are on display this year at E3: Star Wars Galaxies: This is the game everyone has been anticipating, and it could very well win best of E3 again this year. The combined talents of Lucas Arts and Sony Online Entertainment, coupled with the built in loyalty of the Star Wars faithful, leads me to think this will be a complete blockbuster. Nobody is able to get into the Sony booth to see this without an appointment (and mine isn't until Friday), so I can't say a lot about it beyond what I know from their site at this time. Based upon what they have released so far, the graphics are simply stunning. Of course it's game play, not graphics, that makes a game. In this respect, it is difficult to judge the game on just this initial impression. It seems like they are attempting to add game play that will satisfy both the shoot em up, quake-type players, and the more serious role players. If they succeed, this game will probably sell more copies than the combined sales of every existing MMORPG to date. If they fail, they may end up with both groups leaving to find games that cater to them more exclusively. I would still bet my lightsaber that this will be a huge hit once it is released. Expect them to have this out by Christmas this year. Asheron's Call 2. The sequel to Turbine's Asheron's Call is being unveiled at E3 this year. I got a long preview of this game earlier today and promise a full review next week, but I can definitely say right now that I was pretty blown away by this one. The original Asheron's Call was entertaining, but in my opinion ultimately flawed. While it gained a loyal set of followers, it never caught on like Everquest did. This game builds upon the positives of the original AC and shows that Microsoft learned from its flaws. There is no doubt that this is truly a second generation MMORPG. The graphics, sound, interaction, creature AI and gameplay all build upon both AC 1 and the other previous games such as EQ and DAoC. This is definitely a game to pay attention to. Expect a release sometime next year. Everquest 2: As I mentioned before, the Sony booth is closed off, so I won't get to see this until Friday. Thus, I don't have a lot to report on it at this time. Just by name alone, this is clearly one of the top MMORPG's being demonstrated this year. This is going to be a completely separate game from Everquest. The class system will be different, as will the skills, trades, zones, etc. Sony has certainly had enough feedback from the many rabid EQ fans to get a feel for what made the first Everquest so successful and what people disliked about the game to adjust their new game accordingly. They are using the SWG graphics engines, so you can certainly expect a significant upgrade in graphics. I would be very surprised if this didn't turn out to be a terrific game. World of Warcraft Online: This is an online, massive multiplayer version of Warcrart III. Like Everquest 2 and Asheron's Call 2, it revolves around a fantasy setting where you slowly build your character's power and reputation. If you are familiar at all with Warcraft III, this will seem very familiar to you. The controls, items, spells and other features have been drawn from that game and put online in a full blown Multiplayer world. Blizzard already has experience in the online field though its Diablo games, and in some ways, this seems to be a blend of Diablo-style fighting and speed with the more traditional role playing game. The graphics are very well done, but are going for a different look than those of the other next generation games in that they are more of a bright cartoon feel than a photo-realistic look. Because it comes from a company with a good reputation in the single game field and uses gameplay concepts already well developed for single player play, this has the potential to challenge the big boys in MMORPG gaming. Shadowbane: This highly anticipated game has been in development for quite a while, and is finally getting close to final release. The concept of Shadowbane is of a more kill or be killed type of world than you get with the current crop of MMORPG's. This gives it a unique appeal. It is set up to allow large scale guild wars, and is as much a strategy game as a MMORPG. Guilds will be able to establish cities and territories and conduct war against each other. They will use NPC guards, seige engines and other methods to protect their own territory or take over that of others. Players can not only build their own houses and cities, but can destroy those built by other players. This is definitely not a game for everyone, since you will eventually have to chose sides and join a guild to make it in the world, and soloing seems pretty limited after the first 20 or so levels. Still, there is nothing really like this game out there yet and there is clearly a fan base out there for this type of game. Horizons: This is another fantasy MMORPG game that has been anticipated for years. I have not yet had a chance to check it out, so I don't have a lot to say on it yet. Several years ago, this was considered a game with promise equal to DAoC or AO, so it will be interesting to see what Artifact Entertainment has been able to do over that time. Earth and Beyond: This game is distributed by Westwood Studios and Electronic Arts, and may be released as early as this summer. I wouldn't doubt that Westwood wants to make sure it is well established before Star Wars Galaxies gets released. Like SWG, Earth and Beyond is a science fiction MMORPG, where you create a character who travels through space and to various planets. However, E&B will take place in our more familiar universe, just projected intothe future. The manufacturer claims that the E&B world will be a persistant world, where they players will be able to create and destroy actual gaming features to constantly change the way the world looks and plays. In addition, the game will put equal emphasis on trade and exploration skills inaddition to the usual fighting skills. Dragon Empires: This is a very different game. At heart it is basically a massive trade skill game. A guild will form a city and designate what trades that city will specialize in and then, through trading with other players or hunting for trade items, start creating and selling their items. It is a pvp game, so players can attack each other and also take over other cities (though not through attack and seige techniques as in Shadowbane, but more through political means). Frankly, I'm not sure how well it will al work, but it is certainly an unusual concept. Ballerium: Billing itself as the only Massive Multiplayer real time strategy game, the players control their own personal armies and can war against or join with other players. One unique feature of this game is that when you go offline, you don't stop playing. Instead, your character is controlled by an AI that you set up. This certainly looks like one of the more unusual massive multiplayer games on display. Ragnorak Online: This is a Japanese import that uses the traditional cartoony graphics found in many Japanese console games. I'm personally not a fan of these types of graphics, but I know many are, and this is worth looking into for those who like this type of thing. Its gameplay looks to be similar other games in this genre as well.
Tags: General, News

Comments

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He Understands
# May 28 2002 at 3:37 AM Rating: Decent
<Of course it's game play, not graphics, that makes a game. >

Umm, perhaps you missed it, that's a quote. He understands. :D
somthing it seems everyone does
# May 24 2002 at 5:12 PM Rating: Default
gak why does the writer here seem only bothered about graphics? i thaught the whole idea of games was to play, not look. some games obviously have lovely graphics but play like poo. give me final fantasy 6 any day!
RE: somthing it seems everyone does
# May 27 2002 at 10:27 AM Rating: Decent
Absolutely...Ultima II is still my favorite game of all time...graphics by today's standards were laughable..but I never had more FUN playing a game.
bleh
# May 24 2002 at 12:05 PM Rating: Default
My friend installs cable at one of the guys who work at interact here in maryland and he had E3 tickets for us.
Too freaking bad we couldnt go :(
why can't plane rides and hotel rooms be free?
Forgot something
# May 23 2002 at 8:19 AM Rating: Default
yeah, you forgot to tell us about EVE:Second Genesis from CCP. I bet that it will outrun EVERY other game in the blink of an eye. Just have a look at www.eve-online.com ;)

Greetings.
RE: Forgot something
# May 23 2002 at 10:25 PM Rating: Default
I second that.. been waiting for EVE myself!!
Bump City of Heroes
# May 23 2002 at 3:47 AM Rating: Decent
Just like to bump the thread about City of Heroes have seen the website and looking forward to creating a Superhero, but would like to here what your reviewers think of it.

Thanks

Cant wait for the follow up on Friday

The Matrix
# May 23 2002 at 2:01 AM Rating: Decent
Any info on the Matrix MMOG? There was a short blurb about it on ign.com and the possibilies are brain frying :) Hook us up!
The Sims?
# May 23 2002 at 12:32 AM Rating: Default
What about The Sims Online? I'm hoping to catch a glimpse or hear the buzz concerning this game.
GAH
# May 22 2002 at 10:27 PM Rating: Default
- DAOC EXPANSION PACK ???????????????
RE: GAH
# May 23 2002 at 2:36 PM Rating: Default
Yeah what about the expansion pack. It will be out by the end of the year, and it will be a major upgrade to the alreay tight graphics. More classes & races, and who knows what else is up their sleeve.

Also Mythic Entertainment was to give more details about the expansion pack at E3 as well. Anyone hear anything new about it?
RE: GAH
# May 23 2002 at 3:17 PM Rating: Good
The man who started it all!
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1,635 posts
I'm meeting with Mythic tomorrow, so I'll have information on the expansion after that. This article was covering the new games, not the expansions. I intend to cover the expansions in another one, most likely to be posted next week.
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MMORPG count
# May 22 2002 at 10:24 PM Rating: Decent
Very nice article, give us some feedback on Friday ! ;)

Just to point out something not many people might know, in Korea (you know, the country that bought as many boxes of Starcraft as the rest of the world combined), there's a MMORPG called Lineage.

This MMORPG has *5.5 Million* accounts.

In almost a single country. (some people in east Asia play it also, but the main population comes from Korea)

It's a isometric 3d game, quite old looking, but it is still the most popular MMROPG on earth, and I'm not sure even SWG can do that much. There's a sequel due pretty soon, this year iirc, I'm not too confident on its success outside Asia - but watch out for its sales, they should break new records.

It's interesting to see that in Korea no one knows Eq, and outside Asia no one knows Lineage, even though they're the 2 leaders in the field.
RE: MMORPG count
# May 26 2002 at 1:41 PM Rating: Decent
I don't know many people that I know who want to play a game where the majority of the player base are asian language speakers, and doubt many of Asian-language speakers want to play too heavily a game where the majority of the player base is European and English language speakers.
RE: MMORPG count
# May 23 2002 at 10:45 AM Rating: Default
About your Lineage.. I've heard bout it.. From the US.. All I can say is people in Asia are very dedicated to something.. I tried to play it but was just to horrible.. If the people of Asia that play this Lineage actually looked out for other games like I did trying them all they would change their minds in a sec..
RE: MMORPG count
# May 23 2002 at 10:46 AM Rating: Default
P.S. Lineage is close to looking like The 4th Coming my very first RPG game.
City of Hero's???
# May 22 2002 at 9:37 PM Rating: Decent
I've been watching this one develop for a while, wondering if anyone has heard about it. Super-hero genre MMORPG.
Ragnarok Online
# May 22 2002 at 7:52 PM Rating: Default
As a beta tester for Ragnarok Online, I quit recently since it is difficult to play. There is so much greed on this game it makes EQ seem worthwhile to pay 3x the price.

I am sure they will provide more than one persistant world, but with the current number of players, its just unplayable, and unable to attempt to find true bugs when you are not getting purposefully crashed by malicious players or those who wish to con/scam for more zany (coin).
RE: Ragnarok Online
# May 23 2002 at 7:33 AM Rating: Default
playing ragna after playing EQ and DAOC felt like a sin to me. the control sucks, the camera angles suck, the looting system sucks, and the lvling system made me wish i was playing my DAOC scout. this game, free or not, is a steaming, heaping pile of dookie.... don't waste your time with the download; it's not worth it.
good info
# May 22 2002 at 7:40 PM Rating: Default
boo i wanna goto E3 :)
Great post
# May 22 2002 at 7:19 PM Rating: Excellent
Spankatorium Administratix
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1oooo posts
Very good job Alla, thanks for the info!
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