World of Warcraft

So I checked the ratings on this site and according to the list, World of Warcraft is rated at around number 21 of all released MMORPGs.  Ouch.   Okay, so I play WoW, but my intention behind this post is not to tell you that you're wrong or voting badly, but merely to ask the following:

Do you honestly believe that there are 20 better  MMORPGs than WoW (or at least closely comparable)?  

If you are at all willing to answer, perhaps you would be inclined estimate how the following might rank WoW as well, I assume there are none around to ask directly:

a) Professional opinion -(what other game developers might think.)
b) Pseudo-professional opinion -(what games journalists might think.)
c) A typical PC-gamer's opinion - (what a person who might enjoy games such as Half-Life, Fallout 3, Red Alert 3, etc might think)
d) The 'Veteran' - what someone that has played more than a couple of MMORPGs for signfiicant periods of time might think.  Actually I think that includes most of us.
 

There's no rhetoric behind that question, if you really believe that that there are 20, or even 50 better MMORPGs, then that's fine with me. 

WoW is a popular MMO, not a good one. Same with McDonalds and Britney Spears. Its a difference.

Originally posted by daarco

WoW is a popular MMO, not a good one. Same with McDonalds and Britney Spears. Its a difference.

Aye its a game for the masses that brought countless people into the genre.  Blizzard knows what they are doing and they have a lot of business savy and it obviously shows.

That being said...like daarco said...that doesn't make it a good mmo.  Amusing to some?  Obviously.

His analogy of McDonalds and Britney Spears is right on.  Both popular and brought in $$$$$$.  But if they are reviewed by the experts of their respective areas, then they fail big time.  Cmon brittney spears is hardly music and McDonalds barely qualifies as food. 

The rankings that the games on this site get are merely subjective, even the prior post that its popular rather than good is basically someone's opinion and doesn't apply to everyone.  When it comes to it, most of the people who are posting their negatives are here while those enjoying thier game of choice are, well, enjoying thier game of choice and don't have time to go around bashing other games unless they are at work doing it (shame on you).

If im in the mood to play WoW, i play WoW.  If im in the mood to play WAR, I play WAR.  If im in the mood to play.....etc, etc.

Dont sweat the small stuff, and why some else does anyting is small stuff.  Just enjoy what you enjoy.

Originally posted by daarco

WoW is a popular MMO, not a good one. Same with McDonalds and Britney Spears. Its a difference.

I take it that we can assume that your answer to my question would be "yes, there are at least 20 better MMORPGs than World of Warcraft'?   I'm not going to use this thread to debunk the McDonalds/Spears theory, ignore my sig :p.

i wouldn't say theres 20 better, me personally, i can think of about 8 better (but again thats my personal opinion)

The rating list here is more like reading a list of which game has the most people on mmorpg.com that are looking for a new game to play.  That is why the majority of people are here in the first place.

20 Better? 

Hmm... Maybe in their prime but currently at today's standards nah. 

I can think of quite a few though.  Personally if I had to rank MMOs past and present at their peak.

1.  Asheron's Call 1

2.  Dark Age of Camelot

3.  Lord of the Rings Online

4.  City of Heroes / City of Villians

5.  Guild Wars

6.  Everquest 2

7.  Everquest 1

8.  EvE (Even though it was never really the game for me)

9.  World of Warcraft

So I would place 8 games ahead of World of Warcraft. 

World of Warcraft is extremely popular and even though Recant tries to dispute it, it is comparable to McDonalds or Britney Spears. 

All three are super popular.  All three have one awards.  All three are Icons of Pop Culture. 

And all three are fairly average.

Anyone trying to deny the Above will use the fact that World of Warcraft has won numerous critical acclaim from reviewers. 

But then again so has Britney Spears.  Being the best of a particular genre doesn't make you the best overall. 

No one is going to compare Britney Spears and Elvis and say they are equally talented. 

Just like World of Warcraft is not an equal achievement to many many other games (The Sims, Super Mario Brothers, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Half Life, Doom, Quake, etc)  It is only when you compare World of Warcraft in the sub genre of MMO games does it shine.  Just like Britney shines in the "Pop" bubblegum princess category of Music or McDonald's does in the Fast food burger genre. 

World of Warcraft isn't even Blizzard's best game by any means.  (Diablo 1 & 2, Warcraft 1,2, & 3, are all good but Starcraft is by far Blizzard's greatest game to date).

Gamespot (while only one site) even shines light on what I am saying.  World of Warcraft was not the Game of the year for 2004 for the PC (that was Half Life 2) and over all the game of the year for 2004 was Halo 2.  

In 2005 it was Resident Evil 4.

Another good example is 2007 when The Burning Crusade released.  Lord of the Rings Online beat it for the Golden Joystick award for 2007 PC Game of the Year.

Another great example:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_1686305_1692236,00.html

Halo 3 was the Time Magazine Game of the year in 2007.  (Even Blizzard's at that point millions of subscribers didn't sway the critics for Time Magazine.  World of Warcraft's The Burning Crusade didn't even make the list of top 10 games of 2007)  Bioschock and the Orange Box both made the list for 2007.