Last time around, I made some forward-looking statements about the big name MMOs coming in the oh-six. This time around, I'm talking about my personal picks for most promising underdogs. Now, despite their inclusion in this column, I make no guarantees that they'll be coming out this year. Feeding you false hopes is the job of MMO developers, not mine. Rather, in the spirit of good faith, I'm taking a publisher's release-date-projections as gospel. Basically, I'm in your shoes here. If the games slip, then I'll be just as disappointed as you. Now, without further ado, the list.
Huxley
I'm pretty sure you guys are skeptical about Huxley. I was myself, until I saw it again recently. While it would be a bit premature to say that I'm fully convinced that it'll make good on the ever-so-elusive promise of an MMO/FPS, if the ideas that Huxley Studio has on paper transfer well enough into 1's and 0's, then we'll have something very hot on our hands.
When considering the possibilities that Huxley offers, think of Planetside. Specifically, think about what you hate about it: the long waits between logging in and actually shooting someone in the face, and the general lack of variety in terms of content immediately come to mind. To hear them tell it, the people behind Huxley know exactly what this kind of game shouldn't be like, and they're working their butts off to make sure that theirs incorporates the best of both worlds.
I won't get into any more specifics. If you want to know more about Huxley, tune into GameSpy early next week. Scout's honor.
Darkfall.
Darkfall
This one seems to be everyone's favorite underdog MMO these days. I can see why. It's being developed by a relatively small group out of Greece, and it's taking some pretty bold risks. The game will purportedly have no levels; your character's skills will improve with use, and you actually have to "learn" skills in order to use them. That is to say, you have to have an NPC or another player teach you the Swordsmanship skill if you want to be able to pick up a sword. Apparently, you can also fight other players anywhere in the world, even in cities. The game's Alignment system provides a pretty big deterrent to going slash-crazy, though; if you kill enough people unprovoked, you turn evil, and are subsequently free fodder for anyone who wishes to attack you.
It sounds a lot like oldschool Ultima Online if you ask me, but again, it might be a bit unfair to say that. Aventurine, Darkfall's developer, seems very dedicated to the project, and to making it an exciting and original experience.
One of the biggest draws to the community is its promise to deliver real-deal skill-based real-time combat. To quote Aventurine's Tasos Flambouras in an interview with MMORPG.com, "Darkfall delivers you from the limp-wristed clutches of point-and-click combat." Stronger words have probably been spoken, but I can't recall when at the moment.
There's a "Clan beta test" currently in process for Darkfall. If you and your gang are interested in giving it a whirl, head on over the