@oflow - It took me awhile to get used to the combat system in TSW, and this was in between the time I was regularly playing TERA, and when I beta-tested and now regularly play GW2. At least TSW make some of the quests interesting, especially the investigation missions where you have to do a bit of research to solve puzzles to progress.I haven't heard about Age of Wushu myself.

A valid point there, but most, if not all of the Asian MMO's--at least the ones I've tried (i.e. DOMO, 12 Sky 1 & 2, Last Chaos, Shaiya, Rappelz, & 7 Souls)--all have a chief theme to them....grindfest.

Still, they make their worlds to fit the group of players that want them, so their views would be somewhat similar to the five Western developers in question on this series of articles.

Yes, it's a really bad idea to make a MMO game too challenging--especially w/ the difficulty that Demon/Dark Souls brought, or they won't keep a strong player base. Not everyone has the vast time sink to put into any MMO games out there, and not everyone has the vast network of guildies and friends to tackle the harder challenges of a major quest or dungeon. The finite time sink is what keeps me away from grinder-themed MMO's.

@oflow - There is a more recent MMO that doesn't uses levels for exp; but a system that gives you skill & action points to pool or put into a wide array of skills of your choice. That game is The Secret World.

This is why I have alot of appreciation for exploring the worlds that I did with the various MMO's I've played in 2012, whether it was The Exalted Realms of Arborrea (TERA), the alternative Earth brought upon by The Secret World, or exploring Tyria all over again in Guild Wars 2, 2 centuries after the events brought by the first GW. If ArenaNet eventually does any expansions for GW2, then I'd be the first to look forward to exploring a new Cantha, or a new Elona.

@KENNYKENNEDY - I know that feeling when it comes to finding time to sink into MMO's, especially as a 33-year old gamer w/ a 9-to-5 dayjob, and play a mix of PC & X360 games. Feeling that I've gotten the most into a 3 or 4-hour session on weeknights in a MMO game brings as much satisfaction to me as a weekend marathon session. Doing it w/ friends or other players regularly is definitely a plus.

@bfine20

Amen to that. Reading through this article only makes me appreciate the years of hard work & determination that these developer staffs put in to give us some of the finest MMO's out there today, and four of the games mentioned in the article were/are those I play or have played (Guild Wars 2, The Secret World, Rift, & SW:TOR). I'm pretty surprised that Kevin didn't talk to anyone at Blizzard about the years of hard work they've put into every WoW content.

This is the PC game that I have been waiting for since it was first officially announced. As a veteran of GW1, I am most pleased to be exploring the new Tyria in the sequel.

I hope this serves as an example to all other MMO developers that, right now, they just can't make a "WoW-Killer". If they at least take some examples from ArenaNet and the prospects that will come w/ GW2 on August 28, and just do their own thing w/ their MMO's--F2P, P2P, or Hybrid--then they will have their own success.

Reading through all of the related material, and put that into consideration with my own experience with the game, I think both sides have valid points. Granted, there are many that believe that there are some parts of the ending that were disappointing, especially if you stay on the Paragon path, but I believe it goes well with what was the theme of the final part of the trilogy...sacrifice. If there is any beef I have with the ending, as a Bioware game veteran myself, it's the lack of a classic "Bioware Epilogue". That is, what happened to the game world after the climactic event, and what became of those given characters that survived, especially the one who got loved by your version of Shepard. The more I think of this, the more I think back to what they did when it cames to writing out a closure to the Baldur's Gate story, or the end of DA1 & 2.

Great gameplay + great story = Instant classic in my books. This is why games like the latest Call of Duty games, Gears of War, Mass Effect, & Assassin's Creed are some of my best games of today's era. But my love for some of the top RPG's didn't start with Mass Effect, it started with another Bioware franchise that had just that same great mix of gameplay & story ... Baldur's Gate. Baldur's Gate & Icewind Dale ... aahh, the old days of the Bioware Infinity Engine D&D RPG's. KOTOR & Jade Empire are also 2 of the finest RPG's that I've had the pleasure of playing, as well.

Even with this comparisons, both systems pleases the bulk of the gaming population, because there will always be those Sony fans, those 360 fans, and those Nintendo fans. I prefer the Xbox 360 myself because of two things: Live, and achievements. Still, with these wonderful games, it's not the companies alone that win, we gamers are the ultimate winners.