World of Warcaft: The Burning Crusade: Fighting for honor as a blood elf.
You’ll never run out of things to do, since Blizzard’s commitment to regularly add content to the game ensures that new experiences are always around the corner. In fact, we covered a lot of it in a follow-up article that explains everything you need to know about the new PvP battlegrounds, Gurubashi Arena, the lair where Nefarian the dragon lives, and more. The Burning Crusade will introduce two new races, including the Blood Elves, a new continent called Outland, hundreds of new quests and items, and more.
Join the Human Race’s Rebirth
If you’d rather head for the stars, EVE Online will fit the bill. Unlike other MMORPGs where players are scattered across multiple servers, each containing a copy of the game world, EVE Online puts nearly 200,000 players in one enormous persistent universe, where 5,000 solar systems evolve daily. Your character belongs to one of four races, each of which features multiple home worlds that let you further refine his background.
The universe is populated with many corporations, each of which pursues a specific purpose. Some like to be aggressive while others prefer to pool member resources and set up manufacturing facilities that churn out products for profit. Between corporate activities, you can travel among EVE Online’s many space stations, picking up various assignments and learning more about a story that begins 2,000 years from now, as the human race leaves this solar system only to become stuck in another galaxy when the wormhole they used to get there collapses.
EVE Online: Watch out for galactic pirates who might be hiding among those asteroids.
During your adventures, you’ll likely run across pirates who prowl the asteroid fields where players mine the precious metals they need to generate wealth and purchase new ships, upgrades, and more. You’ll also encounter CONCORD, the security force that ensures hostilities don’t break out in secure areas of space. Corporations typically set up their operations in out-of-the-way spots, of course.
A Pirate’s Life For You
Blizzard’s World of Warcraft is in the works as a motion picture, but one popular film series has already made the reverse trip to the Mac as an MMORPG: Pirates of the Caribbean. The online version lets you create your own buccaneer and meet many of the characters from the movies.
This includes Captain Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner, Lord Cutler Beckett, and Tia Dalma. A new villain, Jolly Roger, wants revenge on Jack for a poker game gone awry.
The game’s quests are divided into two types: Opportunity, which are optional but let you collect booty and learn more about the game world; and Story, which advance the narrative and must be completed if you want to find out what happens next. Both types grant you notoriety points that are similar to other MMORPGs’ experience, making you more powerful and allowing you to tackle tougher opponents. You can also build your character’s notoriety in the supernatural realm, allowing her to do more damage with her voodoo staff and voodoo doll.
Combat in Pirates of the Caribbean Online takes place on land and sea, where you can upgrade your basic sloop to a better ship and even amass a fleet that you can keep docked at various ports around the game world. Fire your port and starboard cannons at enemies, directing a crew of other players who carry out your commands. Just make sure you don’t drive them to mutiny.
A Tale in the Desert III: Working together is key.
The Pharaoh vs. The Stranger
A Tale in the Desert (ATITD) III occupies its own niche, although it’s structured around a storyline. It takes place in ancient Egypt, where a Pharaoh — played by game creator Andrew Tepper — oversees the world and announces important upcoming events. He’s opposed, however, by The Stranger, who has set up tests at the seven universities that represent ATITD’s disciplines: architecture, art, the human body, conflict, leadership, thought, and worship.
Players work their way through those tests while building the structures that dot Egypt’s landscape, eventually learning how to work together and decide on the rules that everyone must live by. Ultimately, the game has become an intriguing social experiment, one that Tepper says reflects his thoughts about political processes and how they play out in a virtual world.
But Wait, There’s More
Other MMORPGs on the Mac include the fantasy/hero-themed City of Heroes, EverQuest, Lineage, Clan Lord, Oberin, PlaneShift, and Dofus. WarBirds 2007 and FlyBoys Squadron let you relive World War II and World War I aerial combat, respectively, while World War II Online: Battleground Europe puts you on the ground for massive land battles. Disney’s Toontown Online takes care of the grade-school-age set (as well as those adults who are still kids at heart).
With so many worlds to choose from, you could take years exploring all of them. So what are you waiting for?
MMORPG Evolution
