With the upcoming release of World of Warcraft Cataclysm and all the surrounding hype you might think that, when it comes to MMOs, there’s really only WoW. Think again. Why don’t you take a look at this list of some of the weird and wonderful MMOs out there (more weird than wonderful really, but I digress; you may want to get WoW Cataclysm after this just to get the funny taste out of your mouth).
You’ve probably heard of the Michael Jackson MMO that’s currently in development. Created by SEE Virtual Worlds and known as Planet Michael, the game promises “Music, dancing, quests, healing and caring for animals”, which will allegedly attract everyone from seasoned MMOG players to casual fans of the man himself. The official site states that financial contributions towards playing the game will be optional, and that it will donate “some” to charities supported by MJ himself, thus creating “the most comfortable climate for altruism as is possible”. However, later on it also speaks of rare items and skills that if acquired “can be worth many thousands of dollars.” Very altruistic.
There’s another equally hotly anticipated MMO in the works as well. Don’t shoot the messenger. Twilight (I know). I don’t think I need to explain. It’s currently being developed by Brandon Gardner (a game design student from Florida) and his team Brainjunk Studios, and fortunately is not a confirmed project as of yet. However we may yet be spared as all its sites seem to be down.
However, there may yet be some hope for a decent MMORPG featuring vampires (though in my heart of hearts I doubt it). Recently announced was the World of Darkness MMO, based on White Wolf’s popular tabletop Vampire: The Masquerade. A merger between Crowd Control Productions and White Wolf, the game will allegedly focus on player politics and social interaction. Despite that vague, non-sparkly glimmer of hope (I’m a fan of the tabletop game), I doubt it will amount to much in the end; I think I’m just going to go back to playing Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines.