The idea of a first-person shooter on a massive scale has always been attractive. In this article we take a look at the history of FPS MMO games and bring you a guide to the best of the bunch, both current and due to be released soon.
MMOFPS Genre Set For Take Off
The MMOFPS genre is on the verge of taking off with some really exciting prospects on the horizon. It is perhaps surprising that there haven't been more releases in this genre especially with the level of competition in the MMORPG genre. We’ll take a brief look at the history of the genre and then run through a list of the most interesting MMOFPS games due to be released.
Definition and Limitations of MMOFPS Games
When looking at MMOFPS games we are talking about Massively Multiplayer Online First-Person Shooters. The vast majority of FPS games out there have a server limit of 16 or 32 players. These games do not qualify as MMO games so they won’t be on this list. In order to bring FPS gaming to the masses on such a large scale it is inevitable that the artwork has to be scaled back. The trade off is bigger environments and more players but lower visual standards than the latest FPS games. That doesn’t mean MMOFPS games have to be ugly just don’t expect something that looks like Call of Duty 4.
The First MMOFPS Game
There is some debate as to what constituted the first MMOFPS game. The first candidate was a game originally called 10SIX which is now known by the name Project Visitor. It was released back in 2000 and having never played it I can’t really comment although looking at the screenshots it appears to have been pretty basic. In 2001 there was World War II Online which tried to bring the most popular FPS backdrop to life in a realistic way. It encouraged team work and strived for historical accuracy. The graphics are very dated now and it was by all accounts a tough game to get into.
PlanetSide
This is the first true MMOFPS game that I ever played. It was developed by Sony and released back in 2003. PlanetSide represented a terrific alternative to fantasy styled grinding and it offered epic battles with hundreds of players facing off against each other in a single fight. The mechanics and controls were standard first-person shooter and there were various specialized classes to choose from as three factions went head to head for dominance of the galaxy.
They did throw in a Battle Experience system which allowed you to climb ranks and by doing so you were able to unlock new weapons and vehicles. In fact one of the big attractions was the inclusion of 38 vehicles and 28 weapons in the game. The environments in PlanetSide were undeniably bland. It had a very basic sci-fi styling and the gameplay didn’t compare favourably with cutting edge FPS releases. The game is actually still running but my subscription lapsed years ago. Sony Online Entertainment recently revealed that there is a new version in the works. Find out more at the official website.
Fallen Earth
This post-apocalyptic game is set a few years in the future after The Fall has wiped out millions. Competing factions struggle to gain control in a finely balanced cycle of violence. There are six in total and they each have a specific enemy and an ally. The game features FPS combat but includes a number of typical RPG features. It has been out for almost a month now and so it is early days. You can find out more about the game in our Fallen Earth Preview. You can also check it out for yourself at the official website.