MMO Game Central’s Top MMO Picks For E3 2012
That time of year is approaching again, arguably the greatest gaming event since the release of the Atari, E3 will soon be upon us. While many in the industry scuttle about searching and hoping for information on the next generation consoles such as the Wii-U and mystically named Orbis, here at MMOGameCentral we’re more interested in some of the MMO goodness that can come from E3. We’ve already seen some big MMO game releases this year, such as the highly anticipated TERA Online, and we’re eagerly waiting for upcoming releases of titles such as Guild Wars 2 and World of Warplanes. We’re really excited about a few previously announced MMORPG games and have highlighted some below that we hope will be featured at E3
The Elder Scrolls Online
Everytime I write “The Elder Scrolls Online”, I get shudders. Being a hardcore Elder Scrolls fans, I was belated when I heard the announcement of the first MMO adaption of the hugely popular RPG franchise. Set 1000 years before the recently released Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls online promises to bring all of the much loved features of the single player games to an online environment. As with every new game announcement, the naysayers are already out in force using their highly attuned gaming minds to predict that The Elder Scrolls Online will be a complete fail. With zero evidence or any actual professional background on the matter, the majority of the naysayers are just glorified trolls, but even the most hardcore Bethesda fans will have slight doubts in their mind. We’ve seen huge name franchises fail to make any real impact on the MMO scene such as Star Trek Online, Age of Conan, and the recently disappointing release of Star Wars: The Old Republic, but we lay in hope that The Elder Scrolls Online will deliver an experience worthy of The Elder Scrolls title.
End of Nations
Developed by Petroglyph Games and published by Trion Worlds, End of Nations is an upcoming massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game. Petroglyph are hoping to combine the much loved features of the RTS genre with the iconic genre defining features from MMORPG games, such as a persistent world, in-depth character progression and the ability to craft and trade. End of Nations enjoyed a successful alpha period and is currently sending out invites for closed beta on a regular basis. Announced to be a free to play title, End of Nations will see players united to defeat the main antagonist in the game, the Order of Nations. There’s already been quite a selection of information released but we’re hoping Petroglyph have held back their trump card until E3.
PlanetSide 2
A sequel to the original PlanetSide game released in 2003, PlanetSide 2 is Sony’s attempt at creating a persistent online world that shooting fans will call home for many years to come. Boasting the capabilities to support thousands of players in real-time FPS combat, PlanetSide 2 is looking to dwarf titles such as Call of Duty and Battlefield. Other than some recently released video footage and screenshots for PlanetSide 2, Sony Online Entertainment have kept their cards close to their chest on this one but one of the most exciting aspects of the game released so far is the leveling model. Players won’t level in a traditional RTS or MMORPG sense, instead they’ll be using a system similar to the one found in EVE Online, where players progress into skills while offline.
Otherland
I consider Otherland to be a wild card MMO at this years E3, boasting a variety of features that could quite easily make it a game changer. However, we’re all very aware of how fickle the MMORPG market is today and plenty of innovative projects have been flushed just months after release. Otherland will be available on the Gamgio portal and uses the critically acclaimed Unreal Engine to provide players with a unique take on MMO games. The game is based around the virtual-reality novels written by award winning writer, Tad Williams, so we know there’s going to be no shortage of story or immersion. Otherland will give players the opportunity to explore various online game genres within a MMO world, whether you want the thrills of medieval style duels or you want to be the first to explore the deep caverns covering Mars, it will all be possible in this science-fiction based MMORPG game.
Shot in the Dark
Shot in the dark is not the name of an upcoming MMO, rather my ideal announcement at E3. If there’s any franchise that deserves to be turned into a MMO game, it’s Nintendo’s hugely popular Pokemon titles. Spawning over 30 games, an animated series and 15 full length films, Pokemon is one of the largest video-game franchises in existence. It’s highly unlikely, nearer to impossible, that we’ll hear anything at E3 as Nintendo would probably save such as huge announcement for one of their own popular events such as Nintendo Unleashed, not to mention a slither of information would have been leaked already, if plans were underway. But we can’t help but sit and hope. Maybe…just maybe..one day.
So what games are you hoping to be announced or revealed at E3? Drop us a comment below and let us know!
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