Entries in 2009 releases (1)

WoW's Upcoming Challengers

Posted by AuthoriTZKooPA on DateThursday, February 19, 2009 - Comment17 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

BioWare Devs Are Good Eatin\' Via Joystiq
2008 was supposed to be the year when World of Warcraft would meet its first real challengers in years in Age of Conan and Warhammer Online.  Since coming out on top in late 2004/early 2005 against EverQuest II and Guild Wars, the MMORPG had lacked any major market, highly advertised competition.  Dungeon & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online made splashes upon their releases in 2006 and 2007, respectively, and continue to maintain market share. Many other MMOs, on the other hand, have utterly failed.  Tabula Rasa and the pseudo-MMOG Hellgate: London are the most recent. Both of the big MMOs that made their debut in 2008 remain online and under development, although one's overall health is in question.  Age of Conan launched in May 2008 to "generally favorable reviews" and solid sales.  Initially, it looked like a success despite its bugginess and Beta feel.  Months later, it became clear that users flocked from the title after the initial 30-day free trial period ended.  The drop in fanfare may be disheartening, but Funcom keeps on truckin'. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has done far better since its release in September 2008.  Although the title has not held on to Mythic CEO Mark Jacobs' target subscription rate of 500,000, the developer, and more importantly Electronic Arts, continue to support and advertise the title.  This has allowed Mythic to further develop the PvP-heavy MMO, including the free addition of features that were cut from launch.  Both titles will surely remain online for sometime, coming out of 2008 as the few non-F2P, mass market MMOGs with a notable impact.  Neither of them believed they would be "WoW killers," but that didn't stop the gaming public from making the obvious comparisons. The Year of the Rat is behind us though.  Titles have failed, floundered and flourished during that time, but it's time to look ahead.  I am a firm believer that competition breeds creativity, and hope that a few of these upcoming titles while keep the WoW development team at the top of their game.
  • Champions Online (Cryptic/Atari; June; Closed Beta) - The New York Comic Con enabled me to get some hands-on time with this super hero themed MMORPG.  Champions Online comes from the same studio that created NCSoft's City of Heroes/Villains franchise.  Now the company is brandishing its own license, the Champions board game license that they purchased from Hero Game.  CO is also heading to Xbox 360.
  • DC Universe Online (SOE; 2009; Pre-Alpha) - This is another MMORPG that I got to play around with at NYCC.  If you are looking for a new experience in your super hero/super villain MMOG then this seems to be the place.  DC Comics is hands-on with the title, rather than simply licensing the story and allowing Sony Online Entertainment to bootstrap in approved storylines.  An obvious direct competitor to Champions, DCUO has been given the "when it's done" release mantra, so there is a good chance PC and PS3 gamers will not see it this year.
  • Aion: The Tower of Eternity (NCSoft; Q4 2009; Beta) - Aion is the latest title to come from Korean MMOG giant NCSoft.  The developer/publisher has not had much luck with their attempt at Western games - see Tabula Rasa or Auto Assault -  so they have gone back to their old formula of localizing successful Korean titles.  Aion is already available in Korean and features a fantasy dream setting where its inhabitants can fly.
  • Jumpgate Evolution (NetDevil/Codemasters; Q2 2009) - As the title infers, Jumpgate Evolution is not an original property.  Rather JE is a sequel to NetDevil's 2001 freshman MMO Jumpgate.  The new title is essentially a space flight simulator complete with PvP, factions, and non-random combat.  It also lacks a strict class system thanks to the ability to train as a pilot for multiple ships (cargo, mining, fighter, etc).
That's really it for the big players, but there are many smaller fish looking to take a bite out of the billion dollar market. Free-2-Play MMOGs don't get nearly the same press as their subscription based counterparts, but that doesn't mean they inherently suck.  There are a few of them coming out this year including one from Sony Online Entertainment. This is a look at 2009's incoming titles, but it can't hurt to look a bit past that.  We have already heard about some of the next decades big-name MMORPGs: If I had to chose which of the subscription based MMOGs would make the biggest splash in 2009, I definitely would go with DC Universe Online.  Although it and Champions are still a ways from launch, DCUO seems far more advanced graphically and technologically, yet it maintains the same level of playability of Champions in their respected forms. The Year of the Ox may finally see a winning MMORPG that isn't fantasy based, which would be a breath of fresh air.  To boot, 2010 should add some kindling to the age old debate of Trek versus Wars.  Anyone else keeping a watchful eye on the market space or is WoW all that matters to you? WoW will remain my drug of choice for the foreseeable future.

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