While technically, it's not the first to cause PC gamers to leave permanent butt imprints in their chairs (Everquest was very successful when it released in 1999), it stands as the best and the gold standard to which every MMO has been (and will be) compared to. #2 on my list of all time favorites sends us to the ever expanding world of Azeroth.
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#2 - World of Warcraft - First released November 23rd, 2004 (PC, Mac)
My first trip through the game came in 2007, I was working at a GameStop at the time and was behind the counter for the midnight launch of WoW's first expansion: The Burning Crusade. I had never played WoW before because (A) I didn't have a capable PC to play it on and (B) I figured I would be hooked just like all these people in line, some of which dressed up for the part. My manager at the time acted as the enabler and said "just try it, you'll absolutely love it". Giving in to the peer pressure, I bought a copy of the basic game, took it home that night, installed the 4 CD's (a sign of the times) on my crappy laptop, and created my first ever character, an Orc Warrior, For the Horde!
My initial experience was not remarkable but that was mainly because of the aforementioned laptop which, even on lowest settings, stuttered and chugged. Once I upgraded to a better computer, the doors were unlocked and I was able to see what made this game so special.
This was my first foray into the world of the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game....whew), so I had nothing to compare it against, but it was very easy for me to jump in and get a basic grasp of the MMO tropes.
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| He either has a quest or just saw Solid Snake |
Sure, a lot of the quests amount to "Get 6 of these", "Get 15 of these", "Kill this dude", "Get 10 of these", and so on, but the big thrill in the game is exploring, seeing the world, and getting loot for your hero to make him/her even better, stronger, faster, etc. I always preferred "Soloing" so I can play the game and complete quests on my own schedule, but doing the occasional dungeon run or raid can still be a lot of fun and rewarding if you have the time and the people to help.
Through the various patches and expansions, however, they have varied up the quests a bit by throwing in vehicles you can ride in, like tanks and wood-cutting robots. You can even fly a dragon to rain death upon your foes below.
The expansions have also added more land masses like Northrend and The Outlands, totally ripped apart the world with Cataclysm, and added races like the Worgen, Blood Elves, and Pandaren. Blizzard also made it easier to level up quick, which is a divisive issue amongst its players. Back when WoW was in its infancy, it would take you many dedicated hours/weeks/months to get your character to level 60 (the original level cap). Now, you can get to level 90 (soon to be 100 with the new expansion due out this November) in a lot less time, hell, you can pay a small fee and just get a level 90 character now. At this point, I am totally ok with the current system because I just want to see all the game has to offer, and with my work schedule, I don't have days upon weeks to sit there and dedicate myself to this game.
Of all the classes in the game, I usually stick to the Warrior class, since I enjoy tanking and melee. Though right now my main is a Pandaren Warrior (who went Horde), with my 2 alts being a Human Paladin and a Blood Elf Mage.
There is always the "carrot-on-a-stick" mechanic that kept me going. Random loot drops, new skills, leveling up and making my character's stats go up, etc. All of which was represented by the purple (or blue if rested, gaining double XP) XP bar on the bottom of the screen, and I would find myself wanting to take a break from the game, only to look down and see I am on the verge of leveling, say "Well let's do that first, then I can take a break so I can end on a high note", then end up playing for a few more hours and level up a few more times. Once you get in a groove, it's REALLY hard to stop.
It's worth mentioning that the cinematics department at Blizzard is the best in the business (along with Square Enix) and it really showed with WoW and its expansions. Check 'em out here:
and the recently released Warlords of Draenor cinematic:
It's astounding to me that this game is still as popular as it is, and even after losing several subscribers over the years, it is STILL the most popular game in the world, more than Call of Duty, more than Madden. With the new expansion giving the entire game a graphical overhaul, it's like giving the game its second wind, which will lead to people returning to the game, or lead new players to try the free trial (and sure, players always quit WoW for various reasons, but always come back at some point).
World of Warcraft has been going strong for 10 years and shows no signs of folding anytime soon. Many other games have tried, but ultimately ended up failing or going exclusively free-to-play. Whether you are For the Alliance, or (correctly) For the Horde, World of Warcraft is one of the greatest games ever made, and the most addictive game ever made.
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