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Sandbox
MMOs have been on the brain of not only myself,
but plenty of gamers around the world as well recently. As they begin
to tire
of the scripted paths offered in the theme park MMO offerings of the
day, it’s
time to look at what the industry has immediately available for sandbox
options. Fortunately for everyone reading this, I’ve put
together a list of the
top 5 sandbox MMOs I think are worth checking out.
Whether
you’re a fan of PvP, fantasy, science
fiction, and more, this list has got you covered. If you think
there’s a game
missing from this list or one that doesn’t deserve to be
here, be sure to let
us know in the comments below.
5. Wurm Online
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gave Wurm Online a whirl back in
August of this year and as I stated then,
it wasn’t my cup of tea. Is it a bad game? Absolutely not.
It’s just too
involved for my personal tastes. If there is any game that takes the
freedom of
doing virtually anything to extremes, it’s Wurm Online. It
may not be my cup of
tea, but for those that enjoy an insanely detailed and involved
crafting/building process and want a world of complete freedom to play
in, I
cannot recommend this game enough. It also happens to be 100% free to
play so
enjoy!
4. Darkfall: Unholy Wars
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The
community of Darkfall may not be the greatest in the world, but the
game itself is interesting and still fresh enough that if
you’re a fan of PvP, it deserves your attention. Sadly, this
is the only game in the list that is has neither a free-to-play option
nor a free trial of any kind (at least not at the moment). If
you’re not willing to purchase the game to see if you like
it, I’ll understand. Unholy Wars is the second iteration of
Darkfall and has brought a number of improvements to the game. If
you’re looking for a hardcore PvP, full loot game, then this
may be the title for you. Create cities, defeat rival clans, and prove
who the biggest badass is once and for all.
3. EverQuest
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While
you’re waiting for the potential awesomeness that is
EverQuest Next: Landmark and EverQuest Next, check out one of the
founding fathers of the MMO world. It’s far easier to level
up (at least to the low 70s) than it was during the game’s
heyday, but it’s still fun to play. It may not be a
traditional sandbox game by modern definitions, but you can play anyway
you wish, hunt in nearly any zone you wish, and you’d damned
well better pay attention to your race’s faction standings to
avoid being killed by zone guards. In other words, take the time to
give this now free-to-play title a chance and you may be surprised.
2. Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
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If
you’re looking for a staggeringly expansive world to explore
after choosing from a jaw-dropping number of distinctly different
classes, then Vanguard is the game for you. Sure there are quests that
you can follow from nearly beginning to end, but you’ll come
across countless reasons to hop off the beaten path. You can see for
miles and as you’re traveling, there will always be some
distant ruin, cave entrance, or gargantuan construct that will demand
your attention instead. The title also went free-to-play recently. With
no reason to bother subscribing until you character is in their low 40s
there’s plenty of time to play and see if you wish to
continue.
1. EVE Online
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My number one choice is a game I may not play often, but again,
it’s just
because it’s not quite my cup of tea. Hundreds of thousands
of other gamers
feel differently though. EVE Online is the only game in history that
has seen
steady growth every
year for a decade
now. Set in an incredibly massive universe, this epic space game
screams
freedom of every kind. Freedom like this comes at a heavy price though
and that
comes in the form of a cruel learning curve. The team at CCP has spent
a lot of
time improving the new player experience for those entering the game as
newbies
and continues to do so.
