In just a few weeks, the corks will pop again, alcohol will flow in streams, and the good intentions for the new year will soon be thrown away. With melancholic glances, we look back at the past year and remember the good and bad times – the good and the bad games. I would like to take a look back at the year 2014 together with you – focusing on the games released in the MMO scene.
It has been a long time since I spent as many hours in front of the PC as I did this year. No wonder, we would have to travel far back in time to experience a year filled with as many highlights as 2014. Especially the Western MMO market had its heyday. Long-awaited MMOs like The Elder Scrolls Online, Wildstar, Destiny, and others created indecision and a loss of reality. Titles like WatchDogs, The Evil Within, and Stronghold Crusader 2 also made the hearts of non-MMO players race.
But first, let’s take stock and address the prominent titles.
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft – March 11
With Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Blizzard paves the way for online card games this year. Although the much better-known Magic: The Gathering has long made its way into the virtual world, Hearthstone enjoys enormous popularity among Warcraft fans. Who is surprised? Blizzard can turn even water into wine.
I spent countless hours and days building my own deck. In addition to the Arena mode, collecting and crafting cards provides long-term motivation. Right in the same year, two expansions, with Naxxramas and Goblins vs Gnomes, were also launched, which speaks for the success of Hearthstone. It’s not technically an MMO, but it is a very popular game in the scene – that’s why we’re covering it here.
The Elder Scrolls Online – April 4
Long awaited, finally released, and then it goes completely wrong: The Elder Scrolls Online. I claim it is one of the most anticipated games of this year. After the highly successful Skyrim, the MMO part of the cult game did not gain much glory. Before you stone me: Yes, I know that the single-player titles were previously from Bethesda and that the MMO part belongs to Zenimax, but nonetheless, the game belongs to The Elder Scrolls universe.
Right from the start of the game, there was a lot of fuss about the ambiguous subscription conditions. The free month was offered only after the subscription was concluded, and with fewer payment options than usual. And the questionable design decisions in the endgame contributed their part.
The entire media hype surrounding The Elder Scrolls Online also cast a shadow over the game. It simply did not meet the expectations of the media and potential players. Zenimax noticed this and is now on the road to improvement. Far-reaching changes were on the agenda, and more are yet to come. So we can look forward to what The Elder Scrolls Online has in store for us in 2015. I am sure that Zenimax will change quite a lot for us, and with the upcoming console release, there will be a push.
Wildstar – June 3
I had to smile when I saw the trailer for “World of Warcraft 2.0” for the first time. Comic graphics, a level cap of 60, and 40-player raids immediately transported me back to the days of Vanilla WoW. This is what happens when former Blizzard developers switch sides. With a very favorable release date in June and the promise of challenging dungeons, I got my summer tan this year on the planet Nexus.
Wildstar is very action-packed due to the non-target system, telegraphs, and the general gameplay dynamics, and the dungeons are also intense. A bit too much for my taste. The constant wipes quickly led to frustration while gaming. The randoms in Wildstar didn’t know how to move their characters. Without a guild, you were out of luck. But many of the guilds were simply too progressive for me. On at least 20 days a week, I tried my luck in dungeons, sometimes with less, sometimes with no success. A conflict between real life and Wildstar broke out – real life won.
Ultimately, I find Wildstar to still be a really great game, but for me, it’s too time-consuming. I used to play World of Warcraft intensively during the 60s, but I didn’t have a degree on my plate nor had to grocery shop, not to mention house cleaning. I need a bit more “casual” and better options to find a “capable” group for a dungeon without a huge effort.
Many probably think similarly: The strategy of focusing entirely on hardcore players proved to be not so successful – the sales figures and the introduction of the megaserver system speak volumes. However, I will definitely take another look at Wildstar in the course of next year due to the announced changes. At the latest when it becomes Free-To-Play. Moreover, the 40-player dungeons have since been phased out and WildStar needs to improve accessibility.
Destiny – September 9
Destiny is the only reason this year that I could have cried for not owning an Xbox or Playstation. Also, all my console friends prefer titles like FIFA or Call of Duty – that’s what I call destiny. Destiny is, with $500 million in production costs, the most expensive game that has ever come to light.
In the first week, Destiny sold more copies than any new game series ever before. In its first five days, Destiny generated $325 million in sales and was played for a total of 100 million hours by console owners worldwide within a week – that’s 11,415 years.
I do not want to pass a larger judgment at this point, especially since I still have not had the opportunity to enjoy this MMO shooter. But given Activision’s gigantic marketing machine for Destiny,some players were disappointed. A lot of wasted potential, a lackluster story, and despite the massive player base, areas that feel empty and static.
Nevertheless, even after many months, it is still played by a huge number of the total of 13 million players – this is mainly due to the MMO elements in the game design and the fast-paced gameplay. The MMO shooter provides a promising foundation for the next ten years, so we can expect a lot more from Destiny.
ArcheAge – September 16
While everyone was busy playing Destiny, ArcheAge brought a breath of fresh air to the MMO market. It was my personal surprise this year. No game had captivated me like this before. Even though I always approach Asian MMOs critically, ArcheAge conveys the fundamental idea of every MMO: barrier-free interaction with friends. Teamwork and a guild are therefore essential. The scope and the diverse activities are hardly manageable alone.
The many freedoms that ArcheAge offers you ensure a future-proof concept. You can decide whether to sail the seas as a captain, to join the economy as a farmer, or to act as a bounty hunter for law and order. Everything in ArcheAge is interconnected or builds upon each other. I could go on forever listing the new, interesting, and beautiful things, if it weren’t for the downsides.
Trion Worlds does so much right with ArcheAge – but also so much wrong. The release alone was a faux pas. Miles-long waiting lines at login and unplayable server conditions created the first frustration among players right at the beginning.
The next own goal is the free-to-play system. You can only create your character and complete quests without a subscription. If you want to experience the great things that make ArcheAge, you will have to pay. The so-called labor points required for any crafting or resource gathering generate extremely slowly as a non-VIP player. You certainly do not get the full gaming experience this way.
Nevertheless, ArcheAge is a great game in sandbox format. It offers variety and diversity as long as you pay. I will definitely start over next year to explore the recently released content Auroria. I am sure we will still hear a lot from ArcheAge in the foreseeable future, especially as new Asian MMOs will continue to shake up the Western market.
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor – November 16
The best is saved for last: Warlords of Draenor. Here Blizzard did a great job. For me, it is the best expansion since The Burning Crusade. Finally, World of Warcraft regained its former strength by orienting itself to the classic Warcraft settings. They could have left the pandas in the zoo for all I care. The fascination of Warcraft quickly caught me again when I immersed myself in a captivating world full of heroes, threats, and adventures.
Warlords of Draenor is the first expansion without new races or classes, but with housing. The decorators among you will now raise their fingers and complain that we can’t decorate our garrison with our own interior and thus it isn’t real housing. Yes, that’s true. But I can fill my household with work and be my own estate owner. And that definitely provides long-term motivation. In addition to the character models, the new instances have also received an upgrade. Finally, you will be more challenged again.
Additionally, pre-order customers received a character boost to level 90 as an apology. Yes, as if Blizzard had foreseen it. Because the release didn’t go well at all. That’s not how I expect things from Blizzard, and if they can’t manage it, who can? Additionally, our skill repertoire has received a downgrade. Essential skills of my Hunter are now cleverly executed on a 4-button keyboard.
Despite all the launch issues, Warlords of Draenor is my personal highlight of 2014. It brings back the real WoW feeling that I haven’t experienced in a long time. With my garrison and the new instances, I have plenty of activities during the Christmas holidays. Upcoming balance changes will undoubtedly lead to some re-rolling, and Blizzard promises to deliver new content in shorter intervals. Phew, future secured.
Outlook 2015 – What can we expect?
As far as the MMO scene is concerned, 2015 looks rather scant with new releases. Except for perhaps Blade & Soul. That said, we have received plenty of supplements this year, so we can look forward to content patches and, of course, a lot of news and announcements for the upcoming years in this segment.
Especially in the Asian MMO market, there is a lot of activity – with Bless and Black Desert, high-profile titles await us. Nevertheless, there are a few games that I am still waiting for or particularly looking forward to their news.
Evolve
I must honestly admit that I usually turn my back on the first-person shooter genre. Although I occasionally take part in one of the battles. That’s why I’m even more excited that the guys from Turtle Rock are combining Evolve with frenzied shooting and strategic MOBA elements. Four players play as hunters against a fifth, who controls the monster. In a round-based hunt through the jungle, the better one wins.
The game was the biggest surprise at GamesCom and won countless awards. Unfortunately, I still have to wait a little longer. The official release is not until February 14, 2015.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
The award for the “biggest mouth in 2014” goes to Bioware with Star Wars: The Old Republic. In an interview, the developers stated that “2015 will be a big year” for the MMO version of Star Wars. I’m curious – at least regarding The Old Republic.
Because 2015 will continue the eagerly awaited saga with “The Force Awakens”. Bioware is probably hoping for potential players among the millions of cinema-goers. But the current player base should also be looking forward to an expansion in 2015.
Overwatch
For me and many others, the highlight of this year’s BlizzCon was definitely Overwatch. When I first saw the cinematic trailer (afterwards, I watched it countless times), I knew right away “This is it, this is the game of a lifetime”. The surprise that Blizzard conjured up from their gaming workshop this time was truly great. In this sci-fi multiplayer shooter with MOBA elements, battles are fought in a 6vs6 fashion.
The nicely presented characters immediately caught my attention. It’s all in a comic style – I am really looking forward to it. The only downside is that a release in 2015 probably isn’t to be expected – maybe it’s better for my studies. However, we can sign up for the beta in 2015. Now I just need to be among the lucky participants.
Guild Wars 2
My personal concern this year. While ArenaNet regularly bombards us with sequels to the living story and world, not much new is happening. I see the largest potential in Guild Wars 2 among all the MMOs: Throughout the whole world of Tyria, we meet other players and fight together against monsters without food envy. Each class has its own healing spells because Guild Wars 2 forgoes the usual class-bound roles like healer, tank, and damage dealer. This makes the game so diverse.
Yet somehow, the available potential is wasted. I hope developer ArenaNet will slowly wake up and announce the long-anticipated expansion in 2015. Because the server consolidation and the disappointing quarterly figures do not bode well.
Enough about me. Now I’m interested in your highlights of 2014? And what are you looking forward to the most in 2015?
Let me know in the comments.
