Massivelys Better Of 2022 Awards

It is almost the end of the 12 months, a time for merriment, camaraderie, and cynical evaluation of all the MMO triumphs and tragedies that 2013 provided us.

Right this moment, Massively's employees honors the better of the perfect (and the worst of the worst) for the 12 months 2013. Each writer was permitted a vote in every class with an something-goes nomination course of. No MMO, firm, or headline was off the desk, as long because it met the factors. Can WildStar make it to three years in a row at the top of our "most anticipated" pile, or did its delay dampen our enthusiasm? Can SOE repeat its win for greatest studio? Which MMO is most likely to flop subsequent 12 months? And just what constituted the most important MMO screw-up of the final 12 months?

Get pleasure from our picks for the perfect MMOs, expansions, studios, tales, and innovations of 2013... and our most-anticipated for 2014 and beyond.

Greatest New MMO of 2013: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm RebornRunners-up: Tie between Neverwinter and Defiance

Jasmine: Closing Fantasy XIV, hands down. This game managed to achieve something I believed was unattainable: Sq.-Enix took a sport that I considered the worst MMO I've ever performed and turned it into one thing that keeps me logging in every probability I get.

Eliot: For those who had requested me two weeks ago, I'd have said Ultimate Fantasy XIV without reservation. Now don't get me flawed; all the pieces good about the unique version is dropped at the forefront, and every part destructive has both been removed or minimized. But the 2.1 replace and the housing fiasco have driven dwelling the concept we're not out of the woods and that we're just taking a look at an period of daring new errors. If these issues get fastened, then I have excessive hopes for the longer term; if not, it's going to be a shocking instance of a beautiful turnaround followed by a shameful crash.

Greatest Growth or Update of 2013: Guild Wars 2's Super Journey BoxRunners-up: Tie between EVE On-line's Odyssey, EVE On-line's Rubicon, and Star Trek On-line'sLegacy of Romulus

Richie: Guild Wars 2's Super Adventure Field patch stands out in such a profound approach because many players thought it was nothing more than an April Fools' Joke. The official website was updated with amazing pictures from an 8-bit world accompanied by a hilarious, cheesy, '80s-style industrial. After i logged into the sport and realized that SAB was actually in the game, my jaw hit my desk. There have been three full levels of this 8-bit world complete with secrets and techniques, puzzles, boss battles, authentic music rating, and custom sound effects -- a full platforming adventure game neatly tucked inside of my MMO.

Brendan: I've written a fair bit on why I really like this 12 months's Odyssey and Rubicon expansions, however Rubicon's private deployable structures push it just over the edge. The Mobile Depot has made lengthy-time period exploration a extremely possible career by permitting tech 3 ships to refit wherever in deep area, and Ghost Websites have added some additional reward for those scouring deep house. The change to warp acceleration has also fixed the disparity between small and huge ships and enabled real hit-and-run fashion warfare once more.

Best Non-Traditional MMO or Pseudo-MMO of 2013: Path of ExileOther nominees: Hearthstone, Dota 2, Cube World, Defiance, MUSH

Matt: Path of Exile will get my vote for this one. The oldsters at Grinding Gear Video games have taken the time-honored motion-RPG system popularized by Diablo and twisted it up into an experience that feels both fresh and acquainted. Eschewing traditional courses and development in favor of an nearly inconceivably large skill tree and allowing gamers to customise their skill loadouts by way of interchangeable gems are just two of the distinctive spins Path of Exile brings to the table, and with its variety of leagues and competitions, there's one thing here for the entire casual-hardcore spectrum.

Justin: Hearthstone. If nearly everyone's in beta, does it depend? I say it counts. Blizzard's bought a cash cow hit on its palms, and the combination of World of Warcraft and Magic-lite is simply inspired. Plus, it is pretty enjoyable.

Most Underrated MMO of 2013: NeverwinterRunner-up: Defiance

Larry: Neverwinter launched with a wide audience and the hopes of being a full-fledged Dungeons and Dragons MMO. However alas, that's not what Cryptic had in mind for the sport, and gamers didn't admire Neverwinter for what it was: a enjoyable sport that you spend a few minutes to a couple of hours enjoying to unwind from the daily stress. After i revisited the sport, I used to be actually surprised at how much enjoyable I had. I don't must stress about rotations or builds or the standard MMO worries. I merely log in, pound by way of a couple of dungeons, then carry on with my day.

Tina: I believe a lot of people boxed Neverwinter under the "more of the identical" category with out giving it a chance. 1 Site The traditional charm is updated nicely via the 4th Version Dungeons and Dragons freshness.

Jef: Defiance is not setting the world on fireplace or anything, however I enjoyed my time in it, and that i keep it installed in case I want some sci-fi shooter action with questing and a purpose.

Most Anticipated for 2014 and Beyond: EverQuest SubsequentRunner-up: WildStarOther nominees: EverQuest Next Landmark, ArcheAge, Future, Pathfinder Online, TUG, The Elder Scrolls On-line

Brendan: There are some great MMOs on the horizon, however the one I am trying ahead to essentially the most is EverQuest Next. I'm an absolute sucker for sandboxes, and the thought of a fantasy sandbox with a voxel-based and completely destructible world has me absolutely excited! The huge financial success of Minecraft has impressed a deluge of voxel-based video games in recent times, however no recreation has yet finished the characteristic justice. EQ Subsequent guarantees to be as removed from these blocky worlds as doable whereas retaining much of the same sandbox gameplay.

Bree: The day I learned Star Wars Galaxies was closing, Smed reassured a teary-eyed me that SOE was engaged on a fair bigger and better sandbox. That sandbox turned out to be EverQuest Next. I'm banking on SOE's skill to parlay everything it realized from SWG -- particularly the mistakes -- into EQN. There are different good sandboxes on the horizon, completely, but nothing as more likely to thrive as Subsequent.

Justin: Revolutionary sandboxes or large fanbase followings apart, I am rooting for Carbine to pull off a wacky sci-fi themepark in WildStar. I nearly hope it does not launch super-large so that it may well grow from phrase-of-mouth instead of developer hype.

Richie: I am trying ahead to WildStar. Ever since I stop World of Warcraft, part of me has missed having a number of nights every week as scheduled hangouts with my friends. I am itching to raid once more, and it appears to be like as if WildStar could have the best endgame options of the 2014 MMO crop.

Most Likely to "Flop" in 2014: The Elder Scrolls OnlineRunner-up: Mud 514

Anatoli: "Flop" is a really loaded time period with regards to MMO. I do not suppose ESO will make much of a splash. I doubt it'll fail as a sport or as a venture, but I predict that lots of people will decide that it did when it does not set the whole world on hearth.

Bree: I believe ESO will launch just high quality and acquire lots of field and sub charges initially, however lengthy-time period, it is in hassle. MMORPG followers are sick of story-pushed single-player themepark MMOs, console fans might be mystified by subs and a three-means PvP endgame, and Elder Scrolls followers will wander back to the lore and mods of their solo sandboxes. I'm really not sure for whom the game is intended, and i say that as a TES fanatic.

Matthew: I am not really a fan of The Elder Scrolls collection, so perhaps I am biased, however I am unable to see the net model having the success of the one-participant installments.

MJ: If I were compelled to hazard a guess, I'd say ESO. It feels as if there is a darkish shadow of "can't meet expectations" hanging over it.

Greatest Studio in 2013: Sony On-line LeisureRunner-up: Trion WorldsHonorable Point out: Tiny Speck

Beau: SOE continues to churn out games, but the studio does so on its own terms. Adore it or hate it, you cannot deny that SOE has performed many, many issues which have modified the course of MMOs.

Mike: SOE appears just like the studio that has the perfect hold on what the market needs. It retains releasing partaking new content for its current properties, and EverQuest Subsequent appears like the primary fantasy MMO to truly attempt something new since Ultima Online. SOE additionally has a strong popularity for making huge promises and failing to deliver, however I might say it had an excellent year. No query all eyes are on EQN in the approaching years.

Toli: Glitch's shutdown final year was downright tragic, but Tiny Speck has made every effort to maintain the spirit and group alive, going so far as to release the game's property into the general public area only in the near past. That's preposterous, and that i imply that in the absolute best approach.

Biggest Story of 2013: The reveal of EverQuest Next and LandmarkRunners-up: Tie between Star Citizen's Kickstarter success and Closing Fantasy XIV's relaunch

MJ: EverQuest Next Landmark grabs this one because the game came literally out of nowhere! There was not a single whisper, trace, leak or anything to counsel there was a second sport on SOE's horizon. On this industry, that's simply unheard of.

Tina: EverQuest Next. Everyone just went nuts, and for good purpose!

Matthew: EverQuest Subsequent. Since the announcement, it seems as if the entire future of the industry is colored by comparisons to our new savior. I'm not going to disagree. I'll exit on a limb so far as to say I think Blizzard went back to the drawing board on Titan due to EQN.

Jef: Star Citizen. You might not need to play it, and you may be tired of the Chris Roberts hero-worship, however you can't deny the impact that it is had and continues to have on the way in which games are made.

Largest Disappointment of 2013: Dust 514Different nominees: Defiance, Warhammer's sunset, the Kickstarter craze, Age of Wushu, Neverwinter, uninspired MMO design, traditional subscription models, no EverQuest Next at SOE Dwell, the gloom and doom surrounding World of Darkness, and Guild Wars 2's living story.

Jef: Mud 514. I Only Care About Smiles Per Gallon I is perhaps beating a useless horse right here, but console-solely plus identical-old-shooter-gameplay equals meh. And CCP hyping the crap out of the EVE Online connection wasn't notably wise since there actually isn't one.

Mike: This could also be a cop-out, however I am pinning this on the entire MMO style. The 12 months was dominated by numerous re-treads of acquainted fantasy worlds and a number of uninspired work from builders that should actually know higher (Trion, I am looking at you). With the road between MMO and non-MMO getting blurrier by the minute, MMO builders have to get their acts together in the event that they're hoping to stay competitive. They usually want cease asking for handouts through Kickstarter.

Eliot: Kickstarter. We have had a variety of funding drives for video games, some successful, some not, with practically each single certainly one of them promising the same basic gameplay philosophies, none of which has been backed up by actual completed MMOs. At least a type of studios has gone again to the well and requested for extra money from Kickstarter backers, and I don't imagine it is going to be the primary. It's not a development I am glad to see, and one that I've already written about at size. There's some nice stuff on Kickstarter, but this 12 months's glut was unpleasant.

Largest Blunder of 2013: Subscription models for Elder Scrolls Online and WildStarDifferent nominees: Console MMOs, Everything ESO does, LucasArts' closure, Blizzard's lore sexism, Star Wars: The Old Republic's area combat, FFXIV's launch woes, CCP's World of Darkness layoffs, Guild Wars 2's horrifying PR campaigns, and Diablo III's auction home fiasco.

[Replace: We talk extra about this award and the rationale behind it in December 26th's Ask Massively.]

Eliot: WildStar's enterprise mannequin a minimum of seems to be taken from a book written by somebody with the vaguest knowledge of trade developments, but ESO's seems to have been designed with the assumption that every different recreation that went free-to-play after launch (often known as "just about each sport that has launched within the past 4 years") was a worse game than ESO will probably be. Can we please stop pretending you could launch with a subscription now?

Mike: I believe, in the long run, placing a subscription price on The Elder Scrolls Online will grow to be a fairly bad thought. Bethesda will make piles of money before it is pressured to shift to free-to-play, but I'm unsure what the price can be when it comes to loyalty to the brand. If followers really feel burned or taken advantage of, the Elder Scrolls franchise will undergo. A subscription fee primarily says, "You'll stop World of Warcraft/EVE On-line/Ultimate Fantasy XIV for this," and that's exceptionally bold from a studio that's never made an MMO.

Tina: I honestly do not see how CCP can keep its commitment to complete World of Darkness while frequently cutting the team. We need to see some stable leads to 2014 to prove in any other case.

Biggest Innovation or Trend of 2013: The return of sandbox gameplayRunner-up: Defiance's transmedia synergyDifferent nominees: Oculus Rift, Guild Wars 2's cadence, streaming games, blurring genre lines, actiony MMOs, voxels, and Warhammer's sunset.

Toli: I like that trends are swinging back towards a wide range of gameplay features this 12 months. Voxels! Sandboxy issues! I flip round and suddenly MMOs are launching with housing again! Holy smokes!

Matt: I am happy to see more studios tapping into the sandbox market. From heavy-hitters like EverQuest Subsequent and Star Citizen to less-hyped titles like Pathfinder On-line, the sandbox style is gaining loads of traction.

Larry: Defiance was a disappointment as a game, however as a product it broke the mold. I actually loved the tie-in launch of a tv collection with an MMO. I do not think different games need to repeat this model exactly, however I do think that tie-ins, crossovers, and multi-media launches add worth to a product. And that i also imagine that exterior-the-field pondering must be encouraged in MMOs, even when it does finally flop.

Justin: Oculus Rift: Might VR come back to be an actual future for MMOs? It's a possibility, and what teases we're seeing this yr have whet my desire to strive it out for actual.

Shawn: Closing Warhammer Online. I mean, the sport was kinda fun at first, however can we cease with that precise system now? Thanks. (I am already putting my vote in for 2015's Biggest Trend to be "the tip of voxel-based on-line games.")

Most Improved in 2013: Final Fantasy XIVRunners-up: Tie between Star Wars: The Previous Republic and RuneScape three

Jasmine: Last Fantasy XIV. It improved a lot from 1.0 to 2.0 that it plays like an virtually completely totally different recreation. I don't suppose you will get way more improved than that.

Beau: RuneScape 3 introduced so much to the older sport that it actually is a distinct recreation. It is always been dynamic and felt like a dwelling world, but this relaunch made it that much better.

These are our picks. Howsabout yours?