Place 17: Star Wars Galaxies
Developer: LucasArts, Verant Interactive | Platform: PC | Release Date: June 26, 2003 | Shutdown: December 15, 2011
MeinMMO editor Karsten appreciates, though he holds SWTOR in his heart, that he can understand the love for SWG: The universe of Star Wars is inherently made for MMORPGs. And Star Wars Galaxies did a great job packing the essential Star Wars atmosphere into an exciting sandbox that primarily focused on crafting and role-playing.
A part of the fascination for me also came from the fact that there were very few Jedis at the beginning and it was a well-kept secret how to become a Jedi. In which game can that still happen today?
However, the marketing department saw it differently at the time. It’s hard to sell Star Wars dreams with artisans and dancers. More Jedis were needed! This ultimately led to the infamous NGE patch, marking the beginning of the end.
When the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic loomed on the horizon, those responsible at LucasArts decided to withdraw the MMORPG from the market due to unmet expectations so that the two games would not cannibalize each other.
Place 16: Aion
Developer: NCSoft | Platform: PC | Release Date: November 25, 2008 | Model: Free2Play
MeinMMO editor Karsten remembers: Aion was probably the first MMORPG from Asia that I found to be highly interesting. The reason can be boiled down to a simple element: the incredibly stylish wings of the characters.
To soar through the skies with these stylish feathered garments and not only reach distant places quickly but also fight enemies sounded incredibly sexy.
Aion now also has a classic variant – here is the trailer:
In the live version of the NCSoft title, it was the stunning graphics and the action-packed battles that I liked about Aion the most. I also found the idea of fighting for fortresses in the so-called Abyss to be cool, not only with the two playable factions Asmodians and Elyos but also with a third AI faction.
However, I did not stay long on the Aion servers. After all, in November 2008, Wrath of the Lich King was also released – one of the best expansions of World of Warcraft to this day. That would keep me engrossed for the next two years without a break.
