There has been a new influx of online role-playing games for the PC. There are now many free MMORPGs available, as well as pay-to-play MMORPGs. The pay-to-play model allows companies to put massive manpower and resources behind creating some of the best games ever. Here is a list of some of the top MMORPGs out right now.
World of Warcraft – Definitely the top dog when it comes to MMORPGs. World of Warcraft has well over ten million subscribers and continues to grow everyday. This fantasy-based MMORPG broke the mold and has pushed the standard ahead for online role-playing games.
Lord of the Rings Online – Primarily a PvE-based game, Lord of the Rings Online has incredible mainstream appeal and is doing very well in the industry. It has garned very high reviews from many professional gaming reviewers. The game is targeted to the more casual gamer market.
Eve Online – This game is played on one “shard” or game server. Everyone that plays Eve Online exists in the same world together. It is known as one of the biggest time sinks of all the MMORPGs. It takes an incredible amount of time to be competitive and join the game world, but it also has one of the most storied histories in the industry.
Final Fantasy XI – The flagship MMORPG of the Final Fantasy series. FFXI is an extremely group based online game that has been around for several years now. Although the subscriber base has stopped growing as it once did, it still has a solid following in both Japan and the United States. The game has released multiple successful expansions and is still doing quite well.
Warhammer Online – The biggest PvP-based game on this list. Warhammer Online failed to debut as highly as it was anticipated, but the game’s subscriber base has leveled off and its initial growing pains have subsided. The game wasn’t the World of Warcraft “killer” that it was supposed to be, but has still garnered quite a solid reputation and fan support.
City of Heroes / City of Villains – The original superhero MMORPG. City of Heroes was first released years ago and followed up by City of Villains. The two games exist as separate, yet the same games. It has allowed players to play both the hero and villain side in one distinct game. A follow-up game called Champions is looking to be released soon to compete with this series.
There are many other great pay-to-play MMORPGs available online. Some of these additional games include, Everquest 1, Everquest 2, Dark Age of Camelot, Age of Conan, Lineage 2, Anarchy Online, Asheron’s Call, and many more. Some of these are older games, and some are quite new. But many more great MMORPGs are on the horizon. Especially look for Star Wars: The Old Republic coming in 2010.
Eric McCormick writes about the Best RPG PC Games For PC and Free RPG Games.
