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The 5 most disappointing MMOs
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As we look forward to upcoming MMOs like Star Wars: The Old Republic, DC Universe Online, Star Trek Online and Jumpgate: Evolution, we must also realize that a few of these anticipated MMOs will turn out to be real stinkers. Whether it is lack of money pushing out the game way before it is ready, a lack of vision by the developers or your run-of-the-mill train wreck, the likelihood of releasing the next World of Warcraft -- or even releasing the next Everquest 2 -- is slim.
So let's look at some of those MMOs that got us really excited but turned out to be more of a dud.
Auto Assault
From Car Wars to Twisted Metal, vehicle combat is one of those genres that never seems to get dull. Who wouldn't have fun driving around at 120 mph and blasting friends with hood-mounted machine guns while laying down an oil slick for anyone trying to catch up with them? And with the MMO scene being dominated by the fantasy genre, Auto Assault looked like a fresh perspective for a virtual world.
But between launch day bugs and poor reviews, Auto Assault never lived up to the hype and died a quick death a little more than a year after its release.
Champions Online
Can an MMO that has only been out 2 months already be one of the most disappointing MMOs? Cryptic Studios already set high expectations with the release of City of Heroes. While City of Heroes didn't take the MMO world by storm, it was a very fun and solid MMO that has developed a loyal following.
So when it was announced that Cryptic Studios was working on a superhero MMO based on the Marvel Universe, it gathered quite a bit of buzz. Unfortunately, Marvel Universe Online was cancelled in February 2008, which made Champions Online a bit of a disappointment before it was even released.
Cryptic Studios forged ahead, obtaining the intellectual rights to the Champions role-playing game and enlisting the aid of Bill Roper, who'd just escaped from the flames of Hellgate:London -- a game that would be on this list if it had more in common with an MMO than just trying to charge players like one. And while the points-based system that allows players to pick and choose from any power set is refreshing when compared to most other MMOs, the game itself just isn't very good. Even the character creator, which might be the best part of City of Heroes, is frustratingly confusing and downright pitiful in Champions Online.
Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies is unique on this list in that it became such a disappointment well after its released. While the first MMO based on the Star Wars universe was never a smash hit, the game did have a very loyal following until what is arguably one of the most stupid moves in MMO history -- the New Game Experience.
While many MMOs -- including World of Warcraft -- are heavily based on Everquest, Star Wars Galaxies leaned more in the direction of Ultima Online. With a more "sandbox" approach to world building, Star Wars Galaxies was best known for the difficulty of obtaining a Jedi character, which could only be unlocked by raising secret character-specific skills to a certain level.
And then came the New Game Experience (NGE). In place of the old system was a simplified profession system where players could obtain Jedi status by simply choosing to be a Jedi. This move was compounded by an earlier Combat Upgrade that had already significantly altered combat, and Star Wars Galaxies never truly recovered from the mistake.
Dungeons and Dragons Online
What happens when you give the most popular intellectual property in RPG history to an MMO developer who's track record include one MMO with a very moderate level of success and a failed attempt at a sequel? You get the most dissappointing misuse of the Dungeons and Dragons property in computer game history.
Let's face it, a virtual world based on Dungeons and Dragons would be super cool. But from the onset, it seemed Turbine was in over their heads. Rather than use the popular Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk settings, they went with the lesser-known Eberron. And while they had license to create a virtual world, they opted to create an almost-fully instanced game that plays more like a multiplayer game than an MMO.
Surprisingly, Turbine went on to create Lord of the Rings Online, which is actually one of the better MMOs out there and the first to truly capture the concept of 'story' within an MMO. It's just too bad they didn't use the same world-building philosophy with DDO.
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
There is little doubt that MMOs have become a lot easier to play and more casual-friendly over the past decade. While Everquest offered high death penalties that gave you a heart-pounding I-don't-want-to-die feeling when the proverbial poop hit the fan, modern MMOs present such a light death penalty that dying can actually be a quite acceptable travel option if you will be revived at or near your destination.
And while some players love the accessibility and the ability to jump on and get something accomplished in a short amount of time, other players long for the 'good old days' when adventuring into the unknown produced real excitement and that fancy magic sword was the product of hard work rather than handed to them for killing a cockroach in a pumpkin field.
And that's what Vanguard: Saga of Heroes was supposed to provide: a gateway back to the 'good old days.' Unfortunately, a lack of true vision from the Brad McQuaid, the guy who trademarked the idea of a game's Vision in the first place, and more importantly, a lack of strong management led to Microsoft dropping the game. And even after an injection of money from Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), the game ended up being released much too soon.
Thanks to SOE purchasing the game outright from Vigil Studios soon after release, the game still exists, but it never quite recovered from a poor launch. And thus died the dreams of those who wished to relive the 'glory days'.
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