The Daily Grind: Will 2012 be our last chance?

Whatever the outcome, MMOs will soldier on as always. There's this interesting trend of fan and anti-fan predictions in gaming--and especially MMOs--that too often feels like an attempt to be able to say "I told you so," if their shot in the dark happens to come true. I prefer to stay cautiously optimistic and let the chips fall where they may.

Though if pressed, I would predict that at least one of the three titles mentioned will under-perform, but will maintain a healthy subscriber base and maybe modify business models. TSW seems most primed to do so what with the cash shop, whereas GW2 seems immune to that sort of thing just because of how it's being handled (at worst, they jack up prices in their store and charge for little things, but I don't expect that because of the good karma that game has among MMO fans). There's an outside possibility that TOR will fall short, but I have a feeling there's at least enough interest to sustain it as a subscription-only game for a while. Seems as worthy a successor to WoW as any game that's come down the pipe, so I imagine it will do fine until something bigger/better comes along.

2011 has been dreadfully disappointing and I really hope the new crop of games in 2012 change that. If nothing else, this year will make or break my interest in the MMORPG genre.

I think the big MMOs coming out will be doing just fine, if not pulling WoW-like numbers. GW2 and TOR are products with big hype and lots of polish and content right out of the gate, so I'm not too worried about their numbers. TSW I think will be a sleeper hit. Interesting world, cool modern-day setting, focuses on skills that make you more powerful instead of depending on levels and armor, and a lot more. If Funcom can just launch it with no problems and a lot of content, then there's no reason why it can't have 750,000+ subs.

I'm also really looking forward to some of the other MMOs announced, like TERA and especially Wildstar. That game looks like wacky fun.

I'm with KnocG on this one, if TOR and GW2 fall short, I might be done with MMORPGs for a while.

Tangent: I love how in 2012 they're at the Santa Monica Airport, about 4 blocks from the ocean, but for some reason they fly east back through the city to all those skyscrapers. If you're wondering why this is odd, the reason is because they don't put skyscrapers near airports.

At any rate, I think there's a certain amount of flexibility in the game world that developers are either unwilling or unable due to technology or cost to code into their games. GW2 seems to be addressing this, TERA to a lesser extent, but even in sandbox games with player housing and defensible towns, the overall feel of any zone in any game undergoes no alteration despite the players' "Ultimate Sacrifice" to set whatever evil or injustice right. Until that changes, games will be the PvP sandboxes or PvE themeparks we have grown accustomed to.

"strange idea that every game has to mimic World of Warcraft to be successful."

the gaming industry is mimicing the movie industry more and more. remakes and sequels all over the place (lol @ "hd" remakes of games barely 5y old), barely new stuff, barely innovation, just better visuals.
trying something new is riskier than remaking old recipes if you think that having million dollar graphics in your game is the most important thing

If the world ends... there will be no Final Fantasy XXI Online. :(

It looks like a year with *potential* for good times. It's really make or break for me and mmorpgs, but I think prospects look good. Looking forward to GW2, Wildstar, and ArcheAge. At least 1 of those should work out as my new go to mmorpg home.

Sadly, because of funcom, I'm not looking forward to the Secret World at all. I hope I'm wrong, but I will watch from a safe distance.

there is no last chance for me
if 2012 MMOs aren't great i will go back to single player games until 2013 games

The problem wig the MMO market is the insistence on the gear/level hamster wheel mentality. You gain levels to get more gear so you can gain levels to get more gear. There's simply no goal. The story is non-existent apart from barely connected or coherent monologue exposition and the worlds are entirely static. So long as the underlying focus is on getting a higher level or different gear, the game will disappoint. This includes the sandbox design philosophy which isn't substantially different, just substitute gear for player towns.

This is why I've put my last shred of hope in TOR before I give up on MMOs entirely. It's promising to have that element that keeps me hooked on single player RPGs - the desire to see the next "page" of the story. The endless gear and level grind isn't the focus of the game, just part of the journey along a rich story with characters you can both love and loathe. If BioWare can pull this off in the MMO space, and keep it going with regular monthly storylines, they'll have my business.

Otherwise, I won't spend any more time or money on MMOs. There's just nothing new worth trying beyond basic setting changes and gimmick gameplay mechanics.