Generally used to describe MMOs from before World of Warcraft’s launch in 2004, though sometimes shortened to describe just the first few MMOs launched prior to 2000.
classic mmos
The Game Archaeologist: Kesmai’s Air Warrior and Legends of Kesmai
Most studios would be overjoyed to have pioneered one significant advancement in video game history, but then again, most studios aren't Kesmai. While it's...
The Game Archaeologist: A history of EverQuest’s expansions
I don't know if EverQuest holds the crown title for the MMO with the most expansions, but I'm sure it's among the top three...
The Game Archaeologist: Raph Koster on MUDs and Privateer Online
The release of Raph Koster's monster book of game essays, Postmortems, was of high interest to Bree and me for different reasons. For her,...
The Game Archaeologist: The tangled legal history of Interplay’s canceled Fallout Online
With the recent revelation that Bethesda's Fallout 76 is going to be an online multiplayer survival game, players who have been hoping for a...
The Game Archaeologist: Myst Online
The impact of Myst in 1993 was akin to an atomic bomb going off in the PC gaming world. The leap forward in graphical...
The Game Archaeologist: The rebirth of The Realm Online
Debuting in 1996, The Realm Online (or, as it is sometimes shortened, The Realm) became one of the first online RPGs to overlay graphics...
The Game Archaeologist: Warhammer Online
When it comes to notable years in the MMORPG genre's history, 2008 stands out as one of the most significant. World of Warcraft's debut...
The Game Archaeologist: Red Planet’s Lost Colony vaporware
You know the story of Roanoke, right? That early American settlement that abruptly went missing with only the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree...
The Game Archaeologist: Harry Potter Online
If all goes well, later this year we will finally be treated to an actual Harry Potter MMORPG in the form of Harry Potter:...
The Game Archaeologist: Lineage
If we judged MMOs by their numbers alone -- and I'm not suggesting we do so -- then the original Lineage would be the...
The Game Archaeologist: A Tale in the Desert
Once asked what he thought was the most innovative MMO from the last decade, Dr. Richard Bartle, the creator of MUD, gave a succinct answer: "A...
The Game Archaeologist: Shattered Galaxy
War. War never ends. Especially if it was designed and encouraged to wage forever.
One of the most popular computer gaming genres of the late...
The Game Archaeologist: EverQuest Mac
In 2003, Sony Online Entertainment tried an experiment to reach out to the (then) small-but-growing community of Mac users. The company released EverQuest Macintosh...
The Game Archaeologist: BBS door games
When you think of MMORPGs, I wouldn't blame you if your mind stayed rooted firmly in the past decade or so, perhaps taking a...
The Game Archaeologist: Fallen Age
Imagine that one day you wake up, stumble to your computer, and check in on the morning news. Among the various tidbits is a...
The Game Archaeologist: Neocron
It's the distant future. The high-tech battle armor you wear sharply contrasts with the ruins of civilization that you traverse. You spot an enemy...
Leaderboard: What’s the best classic MMORPG still running in 2017?
Those of you who've been following Massively OP for a while know that many our writers have a fondness for old MMORPGs - that's...
The ultimate guide to The Game Archaeologist’s MMO archives
When we moved over here to Massively Overpowered, some of us transplanted our long-running columns to the new space. I perhaps felt most devastated...
The Game Archaeologist: Revisiting the first three months of World of Warcraft
Were you there?
Many of us were. Many weren't. Either way, November 23rd, 2004 was a watershed date for the MMORPG industry and one watched...
The Game Archaeologist: Vanguard Saga of Heroes
The significance of Vanguard's development, release, long-running drama, second chance, and eventual closure should be of great interest not just to game historians but...
