Gameplay: Players start by choosing an Immortal character. You can play against AI/computer-controlled characters or other players, either solo or in teams. The matchmaker will automatically select opponents that have similar levels and skills. Each team has a base. The goal is to cooperate with your own team to breach the enemy defenses and destroy their base. In between the two bases are lots of monsters which you can kill to get gold, experience and buffs. The more you play a particular Immortal, the stronger it will become.

Sign up for the new game here: Battle for Graxia website

Top Features:

• Free-to-Play forever – all maps and modes are available for free.
• Game Modes – cooperative and competitive, PvE & PvP, 1v1, 3v3, 5v5 and A.R.A.M.
• Built-in Replay – allows players to study what went wrong or right in their matches. Favorite games can also be saved and shared for other players to watch.
• White Knight – never before seen in a MOBA game, the White Knight feature allows players to replace those who have dropped out of a match. This is great because it solves one of the MOBA genre’s biggest problem: quitters.
• Customize Immortals – artifact items and skill trees can be used to customize your immortal. This can be configured in the picking phase before a match.
• US and European servers

All in all, this is a solid MOBA that is free and fun to play. The tutorial is straightforward and easy to understand. Generally speaking, a player’s enjoyment of a MOBA game will depend on his or her team so it’s recommended to form a friends list as soon as possible.

Link: Battle for Graxia official website

Screenshots:

The basic gameplay features a player who takes on the role of a ruler or general of a city/town who has to develop it into a force to be reckoned with. This is done through gathering resources, building up and upgrading the city structures, researching technologies and skills, and, most importantly, training an army. Players can attack other towns which means that both offensive and defensive strategies are used.

Since there is a huge number of these free to play browser-based offerings there is a real need for a list of the best ones. Here is list of the top MMORTS games of 2013:

1. Call of Gods – high fantasy with elves, human and undead races; city building with turn-based combat, dungeons and PvP arenas
2. Shadowland Online – set in an interesting dark fantasy world; travel back in time and recruit historical heroes like King Arthur or Genghis Khan to fight for you
3. Travian – one of the most successful and popular MMORTS games; has a more fun and lighthearted setting; huge community; normal and 3x speed servers available
4. Battle Dawn – a scifi/fantasy MMO that has maps for Earth, Mars, Fantasy and Galaxy; very popular; vibrant community; lost of active player alliances
5. Goodgame Empire – castle-building game in a medieval fantasy setting; very nice hand-drawn graphics, good tutorial; challenging events for high-leveled players

These are the best MMORTS games of 2013. We chose these particular titles based on the graphics, theme, community, popularity, and great gameplay.

Featured Game: An Unusual Cross-Genre Game

Wartune

We had to separate this game from the rest because it is a new open beta MMO that is a mixture of RPG and RTS gameplay. Wartune has the usual city-building strategy mechanics but is unusual in that it also allows players to create a playable character that can take part in boss fights, dungeons, PvP battlegrounds, quests, and events. To put it another way it involves:

• city building
• RTS gaming
• single player RPG
• multiplayer dungeons
• realm vs. realm PVP arenas

Wartune is an unclassifiable game that we highly recommend for its fun and innovative blend of strategy and RPG elements.

Link: Wartune website

*note: this link leads to the registration page for the newest server which is where new players should start

Screenshots:

Thanks for reading and please tweet or Facebook share this post if you liked it.

Buy to play MMORPGs are not free because players do have to buy the game but there is no subscription fee. Its much cheaper than pay to play (p2p) because its a one-time payment instead of a recurring monthly fee.

In other words once you buy it, the whole game and all its features are yours to play as much as you like. If that sounds good to you then check out this list of the top buy to play MMORPGs of 2013. Be warned that this is a fairly new type of MMO so there are not tons to choose from. However, you can be sure that what is available is topnotch – players just won’t buy a “bad” MMO when there are tons of f2p games available.

Best Buy to Play MMO Games 2013

Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 has sold over 3 million copies since its August 2012 launch and is currently one of the best-selling PC games of 2013. Even though its early days yet there is little doubt that GW2 will go down in MMO history as one of the most successful and popular MMORPGs of all time. An innovative MMO designed to do away with grinding, Guild Wars 2 is the type of game that appeals to both casual and hardcore gamers.

Link: Guild Wars 2 on Amazon

Top Guild Wars 2 Features

• Game design fosters cooperation and builds a friendly community
• Dynamic world events in which the player can change what happens
• Unique personal storyline
• Eight crafting skills
• Beautiful graphics
• Exciting WorldvsWorldvsWorld (server wars) PvP
• Underwater exploration and combat

In most MMORPGs quests are simple: go to an NPC, kill ten rats, go back to the NPC and get your reward. In GW2 “events” that take the place of traditional quests.

For example, in one area the defenders need help so as you approach the place you will automatically get a message that there are things you can do (set spike traps, stomp holes, revive allies, kill enemies, etc.) to help them out. You can either walk away or choose to assist. Anyone else who is in the area can help out without having to form a party and everyone who participated is rewarded.

This type of game design fosters a sense of community among players since cooperation is rewarded all over the map.

Where to buy: Guild Wars 2 on Amazon

The Secret World

The Secret World is set in the modern-day world but with a difference – all of the myths, urban legends and conspiracies are true. It is set in a world full of dangerous creatures like werewolves, vampires, mummies, ghouls, zombies, golems, etc. To survive in The Secret World the player must join one of the three secret societies, the Illuminati, the Dragon and the Templars.

This is a great game for players who want something different because it has no classes, no levels and a compelling storyline. The graphics are quite impressive and realistic which is a nice change from the somewhat “cartoony” visuals of other MMO games.

Link: The Secret World on Amazon.com

Defiance

Defiance is a new buy to play open-world online third-person shooter (MMOTPS) that is available to play on the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. It’s the game tie-in to the Syfy Tv series also titled Defiance.

You might not have heard of this game yet because it is very new (launched April 2, 2013).

In Defiance players take on the role of an Ark Hunter, a futuristic fighter and treasure hunter in search of lost alien technology. The future Earth is a war-torn nightmare filled with ferocious aliens and unscrupulous thugs. The Votan came to Earth on their massive spaceships called Arks but a series of events destroyed the ships and now the skies above the Earth are full of orbiting debris. When chunks of the ships enter the atmosphere its called “Arkfall,” an event that triggers a frenzy of fighting as various players attempt to get the best alien artifacts for themselves.

Link: Defiance [Download] on Amazon.com

Guns of Icarus Online

Guns of Icarus Online is a steampunk multiplayer team-based first-person shooter game by indie developer Muse Games. The focus is on exciting airship-vs-airship battles between player teams. You can choose to play as a Pilot, Engineer and Gunner. This is a great game if you prefer fast-paced cooperative PvP play.

At the moment only Skirmish (flying ship team PvP) mode is available so it’s not yet a full-fledged MMO. The Adventure mode expansion, which is due to be released soon, will introduce a persistent world that has towns, trading, factions, and player politics so we suggest that you buy it now or keep an eye out for future updates.

Link: Guns of Icarus Online on Amazon.com

That’s it for the buy to play MMO games list 2013. Thanks for reading and please share or tweet this post if you liked it.

At first glance the new MMORPG Age of Wushu, currently in open beta and due to be released on the 10th of April, seems like yet another cookie-cutter Asian MMO game with eccentric English translations. Most of the press releases and news reports about the game emphasize the amazing “Kung Fu” motion capture combat moves of AoW but there is much more to this game than that.

Interesting features:

• no classes, no levels
• crafting and professions
• player-driven economy
• guild territory wars
• open-world PvP everywhere
• morality (good and evil) system

Age of Wushu: We Recommend It

Age of Wushu is a great game that is innovative and fun. It’s still fairly new, of course, but it’s well worth playing because it has many sandbox elements such as the player-driven economy where most good items are player-crafted. The combat is quite different from that of other games so if you are bored of what you are playing right now, give AoW a chance and then please leave a comment on this post to let us know how it turned out for you.

Link: Age of Wushu

Early Bird Giveaway

Right now there is a giveaway event that will run until April 10. Players who register and create a character will receive a special reward for participating in the open beta of Age of Wushu. What’s nice is that you don’t to do anything (no coupon or code needed) and the gift will automatically arrive in your in-game mail.

Here is an overview of what you can expect from Age of Wushu.

Skill/Timing Rock, Paper, Scissors Based Combat

Let’s talk about the combat first. The word “wushu” refers to Chinese martial arts. Snail Games, the Age of Wushu developers, worked with real martial arts experts and used their advanced motion capture technology to create the AoW skill sets.

Combat uses a combat system in which players have to use their wits and time their moves according to the flow of the battle. There are three main moves: overt attacks, feints and parries. The three relate to each other in a Rock, Paper, Scissors way. Attacks beat feints, feint cuts through parries, parries defend against attacks. There are also flying moves (fun!) and special actions that use Chi or Rage.

Classless, No-level Advancement System

Only human characters are playable and there are no classes or levels. Characters gain experience and skills by doing any number of things but probably the most interesting activity is PvP and joining one of the 8 different martial arts schools. Players can gain experience quickly by doing a variety of tasks for their such as spying on other schools, killing spies of other schools, challenging and winning against a martial arts club, and joining the School Wars.

Open-World PvP

Player vs player action is everywhere. All servers have open PvP. No safe spots exist. When you do offline your character remains in the game and gains experience. However, new players cannot PvP until they have reached a certain skill level. So newbies don’t get slaughtered when they log in. The school activities mentioned above are all PvP activities.

Good and Evil Points: Reputation in AoW

Age of Wushu has a rather strict moral code. For example, those who join a particular school are forbidden from doing things such as drinking wine or beer, killing a player from the same school, not wearing proper clothes (being naked), kidnapping and stealing. Each time a player breaks the rules he or she will get School Disciplinary Points which are basically demerits. If the points reach a certain level the player will be unable to do anything but “repent” or, in other words, remain kneeling to ask for forgiveness. Ouch!

Likewise, killing or kidnapping other players will give a character Infamy. If the Infamy reaches a very high level the character will be attacked by NPCs or even jailed for a time. The worst criminal who have a very bad reputation are publicly decapitated. Double ouch!

Of course, there are many ways to get around this type of punishment. You can simply bribe the guards into letting you go, for one.

Guild Castle Defense

Player guilds can own one or more castles and they must be defended by the guild members. The castles are linked to a specific area in the open world, not hosted in an instance. Guilds can declare war and the one in control of the castle can lose it if the other guild wins.

Crafting, Professions and a Player-Driven Economy

Lastly, the best thing about Age of Wushu is that it has a player-controlled economy in which the best items such as food and gear are all player-crafted. Players can hunt for meat and hides, mine ores and gems, cut wood, farm crops, and fish. The raw materials gathered from these activities can then be made into weapons, armor, food, medicine, and other useful items.

Conclusion

Age of Wushu shows a lot of promise and we suggest you give it a go if you are looking for a new MMORPG to play in 2013.

Play it here: Age of Wushu official website

All-Points Bulletin: Reloaded (APB Reloaded) is very much like a Grand Theft Auto MMO. One would think that such an unusual concept that is very different from the usual fantasy MMORPGs would have gotten a lot of attention from the big MMO gaming websites and press but that was not the case at all. APB Reloaded’s 2012 release date came and went without much fanfare, largely ignored in favor of the high-profile Star Wars: The Old Republic launch.

I’m guessing that some of the people who are reading this are might not have heard of the game at all so here’s a link to their website: APB Reloaded.

Despite the lack of hype surrounding the game it has been successful so far, with an estimated 25,000 and 30,000 active players every day.

The original All-Points Bulletin game launched and then quickly closed down in 2010, possibly due to the fact that it was a subscription game at a time when pay-to-play was already on its way out. APB was developed by Realtime Worlds, a company founded by Dave Jones, the guy who brought us Lemmings, Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown. Last year it was re-launched and redesigned by some plucky survivors from Realtime as a free-to-play multiplayer online game, APB Reloaded.

APB Reloaded Overview

APB Reloaded is a very unique game that’s in a class of its own. Since it’s now free-to-play there is no reason not to at least give check it out.

The game is set in the fictional city of San Paro, an urban battleground full of cops and gangsters. Character and car customization is one of the highlights of the game.

Players can choose between two roles – criminals and enforcers (not really the police, they are more like vigilantes). Gameplay exists in the interplay between these two types. For example, one group of criminals is told to break into a house and steal the cash inside while the opposing enforcer group is told to take down the criminals and put the cash somewhere safe.

It’s essentially an open-world sandbox MMO and there are not to many of those around so we suggest you try it out for yourself.

Link: APB Reloaded

Exactly how much fun is APB Reloaded? This humorous fan video shows us what you can do in the game:

Website Link: Heroes & Generals open beta

World War 2 First Person Shooter:
Global Strategies Affect the Outcome of the War

Players can enjoy full-fledged first-person shooter gameplay that includes infantry and vehicle combat set in World War 2. That is the “heroes” part.

While the soldiers are shooting it up in various maps, the officers are playing in the overview world map hosted in the War Server. Players can enjoy the strategic side of this free-to-play persistent online wargame by devising grand plans on the world map. Officers play an important part as what they do in the war Server affects the battlegrounds in terms of troop movements, defenses and logistics. They decide when and where to send troop resources. This is the “generals” part.

Each battlefield is basically a place that needs to be “won” but each battlefield is also connected to the others via supply lines. Control of these supply lines is also vital to the wargame. Also, some battlefields are more tactically important compared to others if they contain factories that produce new tanks or airstrips that allow players to bring their planes closer to the frontlines of the war.

Future plans include the Android Heroes &Generals: Mobile Command app; the iOS version with built-in chat is already out.

Play the open beta here: Heroes & Generals signup page

Screenshots:

Brought to You by the Hitman Series’ Veteran Game Developers

Heroes & Generals is the first release of Reto-Moto, a video game company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Reto-Moto was first founded in 1997 but was transformed into IO Interactive, which went on to release the popular Hitman series. Now the founding members of Reto-Moto have reformed their old company.

Quote:

“We wish to create a living and breathing game universe, where we deliver the setting and the scene, but the real ‘star’ is the community who plays out all the active roles in a persistent war and helps us tweak the experience into the game that they want to play,” says Jacob Andersen, Game Director at Reto-Moto.

Great MMO Games 2013 List and Summary

I know that most people don’t really want to read a wall of text so here is the list with the links. If you want to know why these particular titles were chosen then please scroll down and read the post.

Pirate101 – voted the number one MMORPG last year
Everquest – very addicting
World of Warcraft – still the top pay-to-play MMO
Rift (Amazon Download Link) – great p2p MMORPG
The Secret World - wonderful story and setting
Uncharted Waters Online – sandbox features and exploration
More games here

Popular games

One measure of greatness is surely how many people are playing your game. We already have a list of the most popular MMORPGs so that will not be discussed in detail in this post.

Addicting games that keep you coming back for more

Everquest

Then there are the MMORPGs that you just can’t seem to stop playing. Back in the day Everquest was called “Evercrack” by its players because it was incredibly addicting. Check out this link Everquest on Amazon in which even to this very day a reviewer says “don’t buy this game” because it will take over your life.

These days there are so many free-to-play (F2P) titles that pay-to-play (P2P) is a tough sell. There is one game though that has never had a problem attracting a huge player base of players who are willing to shell out money every month. That game is World of Warcraft which, IMO, is still the top p2p MMO of 2013 but Rift is a close second.

A surprisingly good game

Then we have some games that seem kinda lame but turn out to be surprisingly good. While many reviewers were drooling over Guild Wars 2, do you know which game actually won most of the online surveys for best MMO of 2012?

It’s Pirate101.

To be honest at first I was flabbergasted but really Pirate101 is one heck of a game that is much better than it sounds. It has flying pirate ships and it’s just amazingly fun. I thought I would hate it but when I played I had a smile on my face the whole time.

Great setting and story

One thing that I like is when a game has a great setting and story. For 2013 there are two MMOs that stand out: Uncharted Waters Online (UWO) and The Secret World (TSW). UWO is free to play while TSW requires a small one-time payment but has no monthly subscription.

Uncharted Waters Online has a great sandbox feel to it that I just love. Set in the historical Age of Exploration (think Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Sir Francis Drake, etc.) players are swept into a grand adventure in which they set sail for unknown lands. It has has a player-controlled economy based on trading.

The Secret World, on the other hand, is unusual in that it is set in the modern-day world in which myths, legends and conspiracies come alive. Players will encounter vampires in London, werewolves in New York, demons in Seoul and mummies in Egypt. To gain power in this troubled world, the player has to join one of the three ancient societies that date back to the time of Babylon – the Templars, Illuminati and Dragon. I find this sort of secret conspiracy story quite fascinating and the modern, urban setting is a nice change from the usual medieval fantasy world of other MMOs.

MOBA vs MMORPGs

MMORPGs are pretty notorious for being extremely time-consuming but these days there have been several new games that seemingly aims to get rid of grind by making gameplay session-based. Basically, players can play one match and can then theoretically quit playing for the day. I say theoretically because in fact one of the most played games of 2012 is League of Legends (as reported by Forbes). It will probably remain number 1 in 2013. LoL is just that great and addicting.

I mean, okay so you could probably play one match and then log out but what if you lost that match? I wouldn’t wanna be a loser/quitter so, of course, I play another round until I win. On the other hand, what if I win? Then I could be on a hot winning streak so why stop at just one round? This is the type of insidious “logic” that keeps me playing hour after hour.

For those who are not too familiar with the game, League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) with gameplay similar to the Defense of the Ancients (DotA) map for Warcraft III. Players forms teams of 3 or 5 and play on a map with the goal of destroying the other team’s main structure called the Nexus.

Each player controls a champion and one of the main best things about LoL is having fun choosing a champion because there are so many different ones that have their own unique character design, abilities and imaginary backstory. After each session players are awarded experience and also points which can be used to unlock champions or buy runes that boosts the champions’ offensive, defensive and magical abilities.

Links to the best MOBAs: League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth

Thank you for reading my thoughts about the great MMORPG games of 2013. Feel free to comment and tell me which games you like.

First let’s get to the juicy parts. Which MMORPGs allow user generated content (UGC)?

Star Trek Online – a free-to-play MMORPG that has The Foundry where players “can create and build brand new missions and stories” which can then be shared with the entire community. Playing through a spotlighted foundry mission gives rewards.

Neverwinter – the upcoming Neverwinter MMO will also feature the Foundry. The game will be playable on Feb. 8, check it out on the official Neverwinter website.

Everquest II: The Complete Collection – has a Dungeon Maker that they can use to make their own instanced dungeons for other players to explore. Users can choose the floor layout, decorate it with furniture, and populate it with dangerous creatures, including some bosses.

Second Life – Amazon [Game Connect] – this is not an MMO. In fact, it’s not even a game. There are no quests, levels or experience. It’s a vast, virtual world where you can be whatever you want to be. Second Life is massive, multiplayer and online so many people think of it as an MMO so we include it here for the sake of completeness. The entire virtual space is populated by the user’s creations. The Second Life community creates clothes, interactive environments, music and everything else you can think of.

ROBLOX – a sweet open-ended social browser-based MMO with purely user-generated content where players explore a Lego-like virtual world. Players can build a hangout or make their own games (platformers, battle arenas, RPGs) which they can then share with the ROBLOX community. It’s free-to-play.

Woozworld – a free browser MMO for tweens (9 and up) that is very colorful and fun. Players generated content is at the core of this game which encourages users to create and customize Unitz. Over 14 million spaces of many different types such as businesses, adoption centers, wedding chapel, houses, restaurants, etc. have been made so far.

User Generated Content in MMORPGs: Massively Ignored?
Opinion Column
by Molly

Game development is a complicated process but these days even players can create worlds and stories through user generated content (UGC), also called player-generated content. In games such as Little Big Planet, Minecraft, Spore and Second Life, the end user is encouraged to create and then share their creation with other players.

My thoughts: I kinda like it but…

It’s Just Too Hard to Make Really Great Content

My first foray into UGC was making customs maps for Age of Mythology, a very good real-time strategy PC game that is a spin-off of the popular Age of Empires series. As a big Greek mythology geek, that was my game of choice back in 2003. I basically just fiddled around with the map builder.

It can be fun to design your own challenging or super-easy map and then play through it with the AI players. All I had to do was choose an item and then drag or drop it wherever I wanted to place it. Then I could control whether resources like wood, gold and food were plentiful or scarce and how far they were from the town center.

Creating a map was easy but I would never share mine on the internet. I’m not a very good designer, after all. Why would anyone play on my newbie map when there are so many others that are much better?

By the way, Age of Mythology can be downloaded for free on Yahoo Downloads.

People Just Want to be Entertained

I think most players are just like me. They will mess around with UGC toolset a bit then continue playing the main game. In my opinion, only a few people want to get involved in creating stories or maps. Sure, it’s not hard to just play around a bit and make a noob-level map but to actually create something worth sharing takes skill and dedication.

But that’s no reason not to give players the tools to make their own worlds. Players enjoy it and there is a small amount of players who do love to spend their time crafting enjoyable experiences for other players.

It’s also a way to increase player loyalty. Even a very small community of users who make engaging content can make a big difference. I have never made my own Sim 2 items but I have downloaded other people’s stuff. I’m sure that feeling of belonging and sharing new content with other people made me play the game longer. Similarly, The Sims 3 allows custom content.

User Generated Content in MMOs

In MMOs one of the problems I see with UGC is that many players are very focused on leveling up and doing their daily tasks. UGC would need to add rewards, otherwise people won’t play it.

Would you rather finish three quests today and gain another level or would you like to faff about doing a your guildmate’s crazy invisible monkey god quest?

Or:

Would you rather do five tasks today to gain a crafting level or would you like to play through your friend’s crazy invisible monkey god quest and also gain another level?

I would love it if you left a comment, thanks for reading!

ArcheAge has been called a “sandpark” game because it blends themepark and sandbox elements, including popular features such as player housing, ship-vs-ship combat, open-world PvP, crafting, trading, instanced dungeons, siege warfare, dynamic environment, etc. It’s very exciting because the list of ArcheAge features is exactly like many players’ dream list of the most wanted MMO features.

The Korean version is pay-to-play with a monthly subscription so it’s likely that the same will also be true for the Western version although there has not been any official announcement about it yet.

ArcheAge English Version Release Date: TBA

Interesting Links:

Video and blog post review – go here for firsthand accounts of what the game looks like

Official English ArcheAge website by Trion Worlds – only a teaser site is up now but if you are interested in updates and news you should bookmark the site. Trion is also the publisher of Rift (also known as Rift: Planes of Telara), a popular pay-to-play MMORPG

XL Games – the makers of ArchAge, XLGAMES was founded by Jake Song, the developer of Lineage, one of the most popular and successful MMORPGs of all time

This video shows what the combat and skill combos look like. Apart from the usual melee, ranged, magic attacks, it’s quite interesting that there is one character that kills a mob using a musical instrument. It’s not done by bashing the monster over the head with a guitar. The character simply plays music on his stringed instrument and it damaged the mob. Nice!

Bestfreemmorpg2013.com Website Launched

Our first post was all about the upcoming MMORPGs that are expected to be released in 2013. We also have a monthly list of the best free MMORPGs of 2013.

Free-to-Play MMORPGs in 2012

New MMORPG War of Angels Screenshot

The following f2p MMORPGs were released in 2012 and have had some success with attracting a good community of players:

• Sevencore
• Maestia
• War of Angels
• Marvel Avengers Alliance
• Pirate Storm
• Pirate 101
• Wartune
• DK Online

Of course, this is not the full list of all the new MMOs, just the ones we play and recommend.

An Unexpected Blockbuster Game

Elise, one of the heroes of League of Legends

The concept of the game is simple: two teams are formed and they fight each other with some “creeps” (AI-controlled mobs). Whichever team destroys the others’ structure (called the Nexus) wins. This is the same type of gameplay as Aeon of Strife, a custom map for StarCraft that also inspired the hugely popular Defense of the Ancients (DotA) mod for Warcraft III.

2012 saw the rise in popularity of the DotA clone League of Legends, now recognized as the most played PC game of 2012, beating out World of Warcraft (WoW).

Pay-to-Play

Overall, in 2012 f2p made great strides in the genre, with more new titles released that are free-to-play from the start. Then there are the other games – those that were built for a pay-to-play model then converted to f2p.

The Most Expensive Video Game of All Time Goes F2P

SWTOR

Since World of Warcraft was first released in 2004 it has dominated the p2p MMO market. 2012 saw the release of a new MMORPG that many believed could be the only real challenge to WoW’s dominance. First announced in 2008, Star Wars: The Old Republic reportedly had an astonishing $300 million budget, possibly making it the most expensive video game ever made. To put that into perspective, the first Iron Man film had a $140 million budget. Grand Theft Auto IV is estimated to have cost $100 million to develop.

So with Star Wars: The Old Republic’s huge budget players could expect only the best graphics, sound and polished gameplay, with lots of cool extras like every quest being fully voiced. There was huge publicity and hype surrounding its release. Right after launch the game had a record number of sales. With 2 million copies sold and over 1.7 million active subscribers, one would think that SWTOR is a massive success.

However, these days players are quite reluctant to fork out $40-60 for a game and then continue to pay the monthly subscription fee. Although SWTOR is a very good MMO, it simply wasn’t innovative enough to compete with all of the other very good MMOs that are free-to-play. Thus, the most expensive game ever produced is now free-to-play. Where exactly did SWTOR go wrong? Here is an analysis that we think is right on target.

What Did Go Right: No Monthly Fees for Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 – The Best Selling Game of 2012

In other news, Guild Wars 2 (GW2) was released and sold 2 million copies two weeks after launch. It’s currently the number 1 Best Seller in PC adventure games on Amazon. Link: Guild Wars 2 on Amazon.

Guild Wars 2 is not free but there is no monthly fee involved. You just buy the game and then you can play it as much as you like.

The critical and player response to the game has been overwhelmingly positive. It straddles the divide between free-to-play (where players often complain about the cash shop) and pay-to-play (where the monthly fees turn off people from playing) in a very intelligent way.

Check out the Amazon link above where there are tons of reviews from real players who have bought the game – no fakes or paid reviews.

Summary

Overall, 2012 has been yet another good year for MMO players. Lots of great new MMORPGs were released. League of Legends captured the number one spot as the most played PC game. SWTOR did not do as well as expected but Guild Wars 2 emerged as one of the best-selling PC games this year.