Every time I download a new MMORPG game, I pray that the game has a large selection of classes, as I’m tired of playing games that only have 3-4 different classes. The more classes a game has, the more unique each person is in the game world, as if there are only three classes, a third of the game’s population is the same class you are. Aside from adding individuality, a game with a large selection of classes also has a lot of replay value. If I enjoyed an MMORPG game, but got tired of it after some time, odds are I’ll go back and create a new character and choose a class I haven’t played yet to experience the game in a new way.

One game with very few playable classes is definitely Eudemons. Eudemons currently has three playable classes; Warrior, Mage and Paladin. The third class, paladin, was actually just released within the last month or so, so the game had only two classes for most of it’s existence. Having two classes wouldn’t be a problem if the game has unique character development and growth, but unfortunately Eudemons lacks any sense of individuality, if you play a mage every other mage in the game will be almost exactly like you. To be f

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Developers need to start turning on their creativity switches and start to move away from the generic fantasy MMO theme. There’s nothing wrong with fantasy games, but that particular market is so incredibly saturated now. As an avid MMORPG gamer I want to see new games that aren’t fantasy themed. Believe me; I’ve slain enough Orcs for two lifetimes. Games like Neosteam and Age of Armor are both breaths of fresh air in the realm of MMORPGs. I’m not claiming that Neosteam and Age of Armor are great games, but they’re at least something different.

Neosteam is a “steampunk” themed MMORPG. Steampunk may be a genre you haven’t heard of before, but in simple terms, it means a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, usually featuring large steam powered buildings / robots. Neosteam isn’t exactly a unique concept, as it plays like every other MMORPG, but the game does change the environment around, and that’s definitely a welcomed change. Another interesting game that I’ve recently played was RF Online. The game marketed itself as a sci-fi game, but for all intensive purposes it played just like every other fantasy MMORPG, but with a few d

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In order to compete in the rapidly growing MMORPG market, developers are definitely trying out new things. When I first started playing MMO games back in 1999, games like Ultima Online and Everquest offered no tutorials at all, and players had to figure out what to do. Games are becoming more and more user friendly and now involve more in-depth tutorials than ever before. Games like Eve Online and MapleStory both offer lengthy tutorials, the Eve Online tutorial being just about an hour long. In order to try something new, Martial Heroes and Magic World Online both decided to try and make their game as convenient as possible for players.

Martial Heroes, a 3D MMORPG set in the ancient orient, is probably one of the most accommodating MMORPGs on the market. The game’s developers tried their best to make sure players start off with enough equipment and supplies to enjoy the game. Unfortunately, the developers over did it. All new characters in Martial Heroes start off with 1,000 HP & MP potions, all the skill books they’ll need for the first few levels, a mount and a set of free equipment. There’s nothing wrong with starting new players off with some basic equipmen

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The single least developed component of most MMORPGs is character customization. When I enter the character creation screen, I’m constantly disappointed with the options I’m presented with. Most games usually let me change my face or hair, but that’s about the extent of customization in those games. I don’t understand at all why developers haven’t expanded on this feature. Is it too much to ask for to look unique in an MMORPG world? It’s upsetting to see everyone running around looking EXACTLY like my character, as it takes away from the uniqueness of my character. Even games like World of Warcraft have extremely limited character customization, as players can only change their skin color, face, hair style, hair color and facial hair. The two games I’ll analyze today are WYD Global and Perfect World.

The game I’ve found with the absolute least character customization is WYD Global. The game isn’t bad for a free MMORPG, and is actually pretty enjoyable, but has absolutely NO character customization. Upon entering the character creation screen in WYD Global, you’ll be presented with four different classes, each standing on th

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With the explosive growth of the MMORPG market, it’s upsetting to realize that a lot of MMORPGs are lacking simple features that would greatly enhance the enjoyment of that particular game. New games are coming out almost every week and developers still exclude some obvious must have features. Developers please take note of these features and try and include them in future projects. The top five must have features in MMORPG games are as follows:

5. In game messenger.
This is one feature that has been becoming more and more popular in newer games today, but plenty of games still don’t have it. Even World of Warcraft, one of the most popular MMORPGs on the market, lacks an in game messenger system. One can easily argue that using the game’s regular chat system would be just as effective as implementing a messenger, but when chat becomes cluttered with messages and advertisements to sell equipment, it can become hard to track what someone just sent to you. Free games like Fly for Fun and Gunbound both include an extremely functional messenger.

4. Regularly updated Content
What better way to keep players hooked to a game? All MMO games need new content every so often;

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Most MMORPG games today offer an alternative way to gain experience other than grinding; questing. The problem with questing in MMORPGs is the lack of creativity and effort put forth by the developers. Almost every MMORPG has the standard “Go outside town and kill X amount of Y Monsters”. Replace X with a quantity and Y with a type of monster. Another very common quest you’ll find in most MMORPGs is the “Take this letter and hand it to the guy standing next to me”. Why do quests have to be so dull? There are only two MMORPGs I know that actually have a well thought out questing system; World of Warcraft and Maplestory.

It’s no surprise that World of Warcraft actually has a well designed and interesting quest system, as the game does has 10 million subscribers worldwide. The game’s quest dialogue was always very well written and the quests weren’t always go outside town and kill some monsters. Completing a chain quest also made you feel like you accomplished something and each step along the way, you were fed bits of information that kept you interested in the quest. When I first completed the Defias Brotherhood quest line In World of W

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Almost every Mmorpg today, free to play or pay to play, has the same system of advancement, and that’s the leveling system. There are so many things wrong with the leveling system that I’m surprised it’s still the standard today. Games like Eve Online and Ultima Online both have unique systems based on skill gain rather than simply “leveling up” to get stronger. Players instead focus on training specific skills and become more proficient at what they character does, rather than just *Ding* I’m stronger now.

The leveling system unbalances dueling and PvP. If you’re a level 30 warrior, theres no way in hell you’re going to beat a level 45 player, even if you have superior equipment, as you probably won’t even hit them, as the level difference tilts the outcome of the fight on the higher level player almost all of the time. Under the standard Mmorpg leveling system, there is no motivation for lower level players to participate in PvP as they will always get destroyed by higher level players. In World of Warcraft, higher level players are free to slaughter lower level players anywhere in the game, which can get frustrating. There is

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Mmorpg games today require way too much grinding. This isn’t a new trend, as the leveling system has been with us since the dawn of the online games, but I’m surprised that developers haven’t found a new way to allow players to advance. The most enjoyable aspects of MMORPG games aren’t killing rabbits and snakes, but rather raiding with friends and participating in PvP. When was the last time you heard your friend tell you the time he killed orcs for six hours straight and had a blast? Not often I hope. Some games actually deal with the grind a lot better than other, as World of Warcraft actually had interesting quests which were also a great source of experience, but games like MapleStory were all out grind fest with nothing else to do but grind.

When I quested and grinded my way to level 60 in World of Warcraft [Pre Burning Crusade] it really didn’t feel like a chore, as I was constantly questing or instancing with friends. World of Warcraft actually handled the leveling system very well, as there were alternatives to grinding. I did however at times find myself grinding for hours at a time after I finished all the quests I could find. These weren&rsq

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Player versus player (PvP) competition has been an essential part of almost every western MMORPG released. Although PvP isn’t as popular in Asian MMORPG games it does exist in games like 9Dragons and Perfect World. Fighting another player is always more interesting than fighting monsters or even fighting a boss, as there is a distinct sense of challenge; a sense of competition, as the victor would determine who the better player is.

Ultima Online had an open PvP environment where anyone can participate in PvP no matter where they were. No need to request a duel or teleport off into a special “zone” designated for fighting. You were able to fight almost anywhere you wanted to. The game’s PvP was also unique, as the game’s PvP combat relied entirely on skill rather than whoever had the best items. The difference between the best weapon in the game and the worst was almost negligible, which created an even playing field for everyone. The drawback to Ultima Online’s balanced PvP system is the game’s boring PvE experience, where monsters were plagued with stupid artificial intelligence and posed no threat even to the weakest players.

Everquest w

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There can be no denying that the MMORPG genre has made great strides over the past decade. Games like Rohan: Blood Feud and Perfect World have graphics that blow Ultima Online and Asheron's Call out of the water. But both those older games had something that few games released today days do: Player Housing.

Some of my best memories during the dawn of the MMORPG genre were spent alone inside my own dwelling. Hours could be spent decorating and designing a large house. These houses not only served as a distraction but often doubled as live event locations. For example, the head quarters of a powerful guild in Ultima Online would serve as a PvP hot-spot. Newer games like World of Warcraft have had to bypass these player generated action zones with artificial PvP zones like the Battlegrounds and the Arena. Now don't get me wrong, both of those are great features in WoW but they do have a structured feel to them. I prefer my virtual worlds to be player driven.

Some games have implemented player housing in a lousy manner. For a good example of this look no further than Dark Age of Camelot. Rather than making houses a geographic feature of the main land, entire new zones were created to a...