It’s no surprise that Amazon’s Fallout show has brought back interest in the series. Even if something based on a game is bad, people get curious about the source material. But when a reader recently said that Fallout 76 was his favorite game in the series, I was surprised – not just because I remember the game’s troubled history but because when talking about favorite games even with my fellow MMO gamers, we often talk about single-player or smaller-scale games as our favorite games. Not MMOs!
For me at least, it’s because my MMOs are more like a playground. They’re places I do things, while single-player games are something I just complete. Single-player games often have tighter storylines, more interesting mechanics, better graphics, and better voice acting (these days), and they’re generally better known to other people, so it’s easier to find fellow mainstream-gamer fans.
When people ask me about my favorite games, I usually mention a couple of (J)RPGs, but also Asheron’s Call, which perplexes even people who played it. Much like the F76 fan, I experienced a level of immersion in AC (yes, even the sequel) that has been hard to surpass for what it did at the time. The original story, world, and races that still used real-world inspiration from various cultures and mythologies, combined with lore that players could actually impact, is hard to beat. As a kid, I learned a lot from it.
But the icing on that cake was interacting with game developers as lore characters. Multiple endings and voice overs are cool, sure, but having a dev pop into an unscripted event and bow to your character as your protect your turf is hard to top for an MMO, let alone a single-player title. And I played World of Warcraft and now Pokemon GO much longer than the AC series, but they’re more like places I go to see friends rather than games I’m fully engaged with.
Is there an MMO that you consider one of your favorite games? Not just your favorite MMO, but one you rank highly, even above single-player titles? What about it makes it better in your mind than some more traditional games? Or am I and that Fallout 76Â guy just weirdos and MMOs just totally different beasts when talking about all-time favorite games?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
