ZAM's Top Five Most Anticipated MMOs of 2011
Join Senior Staff Writer Chris "Pwyff" Tom as he looks at some of the major games that are coming out this year.
For MMORPG gamers around the world, 2011 promises to be a year of plenty. With most of the upcoming MMOs having been announced in 2007 and 2008, it's hard to believe that we've all been stewing gently in our collective juices of anticipation for close to four years. Now, however, the time is finally ripe for some big changes to come to the industry, and I could not be more excited. Of course, there are probably many of you who haven't been keeping up on your MMO news, but that's where we come in! With so many big titles coming out, maybe you can simplify your choices with our most anticipated MMOs to come in 2011!
DC Universe Online (DCUO)
What it is: DC Universe Online can really be seen as Sony Online Entertainment's return to triple-A MMO development after a few years spent dabbling in children's MMOs (Free Realms, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Adventures) and MMO publishing (The Matrix Online, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Pirates of the Burning Sea). Remember, SOE is the creative force behind games like EverQuest and EverQuest II. Initially there was some trepidation that, with the release of DCUO, there would be a grand total of three superhero MMOs (City of Heroes and Champions Online) on the market, but DCUO may very well be set to take center stage as the premiere superhero MMO.
Why you should care: With an all-star cast of some of the comic book industry's most iconic superheroes, like Batman, Superman, the Joker, Doomsday and Green Lantern, it will be hard to call yourself a comic book fan and MMO gamer if you don't check out DCUO. Of course, this MMO isn't just about the characters; it also features some very smooth action and combo-based combat that does away with your standard auto-attack snooze fest. PlayStation 3 owners should also take note of DCUO simply because this is an MMO that has clearly been made with console gamers in mind. Either way, get ready to suit up for DCUO's launch day on January 11, as it's right around the corner!
Guild Wars 2 (GW2)
What it is: In case you haven't realized it yet, Guild Wars 2 is - surprise! - the sequel to ArenaNet's highly successful original Guild Wars MMO. ArenaNet actually announced development of GW2 in 2007 when they popped out their final Guild Wars expansion, Eye of the North, citing that they felt that they had hit a "ceiling" of how much content they wanted to add to the game without significantly revamping it. Thus, GW2 was born of that desire to create something more and, this time around, ArenaNet is aiming as high as they possibly can. In this way, expect Guild Wars 2 to have a more persistent world that exists alongside some strong instanced game play, as well as more of pretty much everything: PvP, storylines, playable races, content and much, much more.
Why you should care: The main reason why many gamers and journalists alike are watching Guild Wars 2 so closely is that ArenaNet has always been fairly critical of common features in the MMORPG industry (monthly fees, grinding, 'filler' quests, a heavy reliance on healing and large penalties associated with dying), so most of us are just eager to hear someone thinking outside of the box. It remains to be seen if ArenaNet can live up to their revolutionary ideas but, from what I've seen so far, GW2 is shaping up to be a gorgeous game that builds and improves on everything the Guild Wars foundation established.
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