MMO Boredom

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I'm sick of every MMO on the market feeling the same.  Where's the innovation?  Almost every new MMO on the market is a fantasy setting with auto-attack and hotbar combat.  There are some deviations from the model, but not many.

Why does everyone keep trying to recreate World of Warcraft?  It isn't going to work, ever.  WoW has such market dominance that no fantasy hotbar combat game is ever going to catch it.  The only way to beat WoW is with innovation.

There are a few games that do things differently, but there should be more.  The MMO releases this year were a weak offering.  I'm hoping that next year with the release of Star Wars the Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 we might see some more innovation in the industry but even those both have the tried and true hotbar combat.  They might not differ all that much but hopefully it's a step in the right direction.

Comments

  1. AndrewAugust 12, 2010 at 7:30 AM

    Companies are - probably rightly so - scared of innovation when it comes to MMOs. Given the cost - both in dollars and in time - that it takes to produce even a modest MMO is is awful risky to go outside of the known successful formula.

    (I know, I know... WoW's success is more about the time & place that it was released in, followed by the critical mass of players.... but try telling that to the investors you're asking to spot you millions).

    MMOs are in a rut, and I have very little faith that they'll climb out of it anytime soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VoidAugust 12, 2010 at 11:57 AM

    I do have to give some credit to MMOs that have gotten away from the formula a bit. EVE Online in particular has gone against the grain and carved out a nice little niche with a steady player base. I really want more games that try to do that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AndrewAugust 12, 2010 at 4:33 PM

    Sadly, playing EVE Online is MORE boring that your standard hotbar-combat DIKU-inspired MMO grind. :(

    But yes, they've carved out a niche with people who can palate what they have to offer.

    ReplyDelete
  4. VoidAugust 12, 2010 at 6:13 PM

    I've never been able to get into EVE either, but I'm still glad there's a MMO out there unlike all the others.

    ReplyDelete

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