It’s been a while since I covered the topic of video games with my top five list. This time around, I have decided to cover my favorite MMO games that I have played over the years. This list does not include the various MMO’s I’ve tried and stopped playing after only a few weeks.

I still remember how cool it seemed, all those years ago, when I first tried out the venerable Everquest. I do remember however, being disappointed how unlike it was compared to the traditional tabletop RPG. Still, I did have fun with the game and played the original for about four years or so, until the sequel came out.

I guess it is very difficult to make a straight to the computer MMO that properly emulates the tabletop experience. Characters would advance way too fast for most people and as a result they would have to constantly make up new characters to keep the game fresh, or continue to grind away with their highest level character, hoping for better items and more cash.

Although I have played many games, and they were all MMO’s, I am a solo player. I typically don’t bother to group. I like the challenge of questing and dealing with obstacles on my own. And, if you want the honest truth, I am not exactly a sociable man when it comes to online games. I have zero tolerance for the idiocy you typically find with multiplayer games. Yes, I found it quite often in Everquest, but it was not as bad as some of the MMO’s I have tried over the years.

Of course for those of you who were wondering, I did try World of Warcraft. Frankly, the game just did not capture my interest, not the way most of the other games on this list have. I realize how popular the game is, but this is the list of games I enjoyed the most, in the order I found pleasure in playing.

Oh and I would love to play EVE online but considering how much fun I had years ago when I tried it for the first time, I know I’d become addicted and you could say goodbye to my writing and everything else I love doing.

1. Everquest & Everquest 2 ­– I have been playing this game the longest and the most consistently. I started with Everquest, got an Enchanter up to about level 50 before I finally gave up on the game and went to its successor. I was a little shocked to find out the game is still available for play and have been tempted from time to time to go back and play my old character.  As for Everquest 2, I found I like the game far more than the original for many different reasons. This particular game I play a Bruiser (evil monk) and have maxed out my class level, tradeskill level, alternate tradeskills and nearly maxed out my alternate advancement points. I’m starting to lose interest, which does happen from time to time and will probably stop playing for months or longer in the near future. Still, I find the atmosphere a lot more inviting than most of the other games, and even in EQ2, people tend to be a lot friendlier and there is less of the idiocy you see in many games. I also enjoy the fact the spammers are kept down to a manageable limit.
2. Star Wars: The old Republic – This is pretty much a must for any fan of Star Wars. I played it for a few months before my writing and game design took over. For those months I played a LOT! I got a Jedi and a Smuggler up to about level 30 each before I finally had to discontinue my account. I was just playing too damn much! It’s a great game and I love how it sticks to the mythology created in the Star Wars universe. I know there had been another Star Wars online game, but I never did try that one. At this time I am seriously considering going back to ToR as soon as I have maxed out my current character in EQ2.
3. City of Heroes – The first Superhero MMO. Of course you have DC and Champions online, but this was the first. I really got a kick out of this MMO and spent probably in excess of two years playing at least a few times a week. I was very disappointed when I found the game was shut down. The best part of the game for me was you could pretty much create nearly any type of character you wanted to play. There were some limitations, and even though the city was massive, I guess I wanted a larger sandbox to play in. Still, I miss this game and honestly would love to see it resurrected. I guess the other games are pretty cool, but I have never tried them so I could not give an honest opinion when it comes to their playability.
4. Star Trek Online – This game… as much as I am tired of the entire Star Trek phenomena, I have to say the starship combat aspect really, REALLY hooked me. I love this aspect of the game in a major way! There are aspects of the game I did not like in the least, such as paying real life cash to buy ‘keys’ for dropped crates, which could provide you with new ships, crew and other goodies. Still, I know this appealed to a great number of people and all the power to them. The Starship combat was not the only cool aspect to the game, they have a great away-team campaign as well, and they have seasons, just like you would find on the Television series. I loved how you could also customize your character, get better weapons and equipment, as well as your ship. Not only could you get better weapons and equipment for your ship, but your crew also played a very important role. The better your crew, the better your ship performed. Someday I will probably go back, but probably not until 2016.
5. D&D Online – If only this game managed to capture the feel of the tabletop game for me. It failed. The game was fun it its own right, but I did not enjoy the combat, nor did I care all that much for the advancement. Still, I gave the game a try for nearly six months before finally cancelling my account and going back to Everquest 2. This game had most of the basic classes as well as races, and of course it was set in the familiar campaign (Eberron and later the Forgotten Realms) setting we are all used to. Well, those of us who happen to play D&D at any rate. Still don’t let my slightly negative view of the game color it for you. Give it a shot, you might find you enjoy it far more than I did!