Sci-fi MMORPGs – The Untapped Genre

There are a ton of great fantasy MMORPGs. Games like Allods Online, Aika Online and Twelve Sky 2 just to name a few. There are so many great fantasy MMORPGs out there, both 3D and 2D. The problem is though, there are very few other types of MMORPGs. Fantasy games seem to be the standard amongst free to play MMORPGs. I’d actually love to see more sci-fi themed games, as I’m a huge fan of Sci-fi in general. Some of my favorite television shows include FireFly, Star Trek, Babylon 5 and so on. I know Cyrptic has Star Trek Online, but from what I’ve heard it stinks. I know there are a few other random Sci-fi MMORPGs like RF Online and Megaten, but both games leave me wanting more.

RF Online used to be a pay to play game but it went free to play. After it went free to play, the game sorta went no where. A lot of pay to play games that went free to play became super successful, especially Dungeons and Dragons Online, but other games like Archlord (Webzen) and FusionFall (Cartoon Network) have done decently as well. RF Online is sort of a joke now, because when you first create your character, you start off with some of the best weapons in the game, so you can 1 shot everything and anything near the newbie areas. In fact, I found myself 1 shotting enemies significantly higher level than my character. Starting off with absurdly powerful gear is pretty stupid, because it ruins progression in the game. I remember completing a quest that gave me a new weapon that did 100-120 damage, but my started weapon did 2350-3205. Seriously. What’s the point? The leveling is really fast too, because of your absurdly powerful weapon. It felt a bit like Tantra Online, as that game also has really fast experience.

There are a few decent sci-fi themed MMORPGs like GhostX from GameKiss and Anarchy Online from Funcom, but unfortunately no real triple A titles. There are a bunch of low quality 2D sci-fi MMORPGs as well. Games like 2029 Online and Galaxy Online from IGG. These game’s aren’t terrible, but they’re low quality, and it shows. I don’t think anything is as bad as Age of Armor from Snail Games or Project of Planets. Is there future of MMORPGs really more fantasy games? I really think the sci-fi genre is the most untapped in the MMORPG space. There’s only so much you can do with the fantasy theme (Orcs. Goblins, Warriors, Mages…). With Sci-fi developers can do so much more. You could call Eve Online a triple-A title, but it’s a pay to play game. I’d like to see a triple-A free to play sci-fi MMORPG!

MMORPGs I've Never Heard Of

After cruising around the net for some new MMORPGs to play, I found many many games that I never heard of. MMORPGs that I didn’t know even existed. One such game is Carom3D, a billiards MMO. Apparently it’s like Cue Online, except much popular. I follow the gaming scene quite a bit, and I’m surprised I’m quite surprised that I never knew about Carom3D up until now. I’m surprised because Carom3D is featured in the World Cyber Games, meaning it is played competitively world wide. Awesome, right? I gave the game a download the other day, and it’s quite fun. Billiards sounds like a boring sport, but Carom3D is easily one of the better sports MMOs I’ve ever played.

Another game that I never knew about until yesterday was Hero Online, which is a fantasy MMORPG by NetGame. NetGame also publishes Cloud Nine, Scions of Fate, and Operation 7. Hero Online is a fairly generic game, but I still find it fascinating that there are so many MMORPGs out there that I never even heard about. Forget about the mega popular games, there are so many underground less known MMOs that are worth checking out. Savage 2 for example is a game that’s not too popular, but the gameplay is incredible. It’s a game i’ve been addicted to for the last 24 hours. In fact, I actually ended up buying the game in order to support the developers over at S2 Games. Purchasing the game doesn’t really grant me any bonuses, but I wanted to support the developers.

There are just so many MMORPGs out there. I don’t think it’s possible to play them all. Another interesting game I learned about recently is Mu Online, which is published by Webzen – the same people behind Archlord and Soul of the Ultimate Nation. Mu Online isn’t exactly anything special, but it’s a game I found entertaining for a short while. I guess the reason I wasn’t too fond of it was that it plays a lot like the original Diablo game. That’s not a bad thing, but the original Diablo game is well over 10 years old now. I’m looking for something a bit newer.

Anyway guys, I bet there are more MMORPGs out there that I haven’t heard of. If you know of any hidden gems MMORPGs, let me know!