Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Space fans! Welcome to a special Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots edition of the Final Frontier! I was going to use a name more familiar to our UK readers, Raving Bonkers, but for the sake of this article it lacks the same kind of punch. Get it?

Don't expect EVE to get podded out of the ring anytime soon.

*brushes off the boos from the audience as he adjusts his standard issue ring announcer bow tie*

In the Atari corner, weighing in at zeeero pounds because it exists in virtual space and has no physical mass – the reigning Galactic Champion, EVE Online! As many of you know, EVE has not only maintained a solid presence in the MMO space for nearly six years, but has also experienced a steady increase in subscribers during that same period. That’s certainly earned the title some bragging rights when you consider the large number of triple-A MMO contenders that have entered the ring since 2003, many of which haven’t fared nearly as well as EVE.

Also in the Atari corner… *pauses to check the script*, that’s right folks! Also in the Atari corner and also weighing in at zeeero pounds because it will exist in virtual space and will have no physical mass – the challenger, Star Trek Online! While EVE may have years of MMO experience under its belt, the upcoming title from Cryptic Studios certainly won’t be a push over thanks to the high profile Star Trek IP. Cryptic is also no freshman to the MMO ring thanks to the successful one-two punch of City of Heroes and City of Villains. This should be an interesting fight folks!

*tosses his bow tie to the floor and dons a classy ringside announcer fedora*

We have a few months until the first round begins since Star Trek Online is still currently in training at the development gym, so in the meantime I wanted to take a look at the reigning sci-fi champ, EVE, and discuss some of the challenges it will face once STO is ready for prime time. EVE certainly has the experience, but can it maintain years of positive momentum moving forward? This announcer not only believes that it can, but has a few ideas as to why EVE is far from ready to throw in the towel.

STO is practicing its moves in the development gym.

Before we get started, some of you may be wondering why STO is the current number one contender rather than Jumpgate Evolution, which at first glance seems to share more in common with EVE. While I have no doubts that JGE will be an extremely successful MMO, and it does focus primarily on space combat, the overall feel of the game will likely appeal to a different type of gamer than those who thrive on the more tactical approach to combat the developers of EVE have mastered over the years; an approach notably first seen in episodes of the original Star Trek series.

It’s also worth taking a brief look at the Atari connection in the upcoming EVE vs. STO title bout. You see, Atari will be distributing the retail release for EVE next week, and thanks to the acquisition of Cryptic Studios by Infogrames (Atari’s parent company) last December, the Atari logo will also appear on Star Trek Online. While it’s certainly not unheard of for a single MMO publisher to release multiple titles in the same genre, it will be interesting to see if Atari will attempt to cross-pollinate subscribers between the two games, or if EVE and STO will ultimately be marketed to altogether different sides of the MMO arena.