In the end, I don’t think this is really the game for either dedicated MMO players, or diehard Marvel fans. Many of the former won’t like the lack of true customization or group strategy, and, because of game mechanics, the latter will only get a loose approximation of the characters’ canonical abilities. That said, I think Marvel Heroes is uncomplicated and certainly entertaining enough to be a good primer for those new to online gaming. It’s a way to get familiar with the medium without being overwhelmed or overcharged for the experience.

Remnant Knights is a game that I enjoyed my time with, but cannot give a recommendation to. A lack of content, bland atmosphere and missed opportunities drag down what is above average combat and a great community. You may get the same experience as me, but don't go in expecting anything that will blow your mind. It will be a game that I wish was more, but without a very large overhaul it never will be.

The vast majority of you guys won't take to Planeshift through no fault of its own; it just doesn't cater for you. If you can't wrap your head around roleplaying then look elsewhere. But whatever your preference, the lack of polish in the game really holds it back. It's not helped by how it combines elements from the era of text adventures with modern MMOs, and falls short of capturing the magic of either.

I think it's pretty obvious that I'm disappointed with Maestia. Despite the beautiful graphics, there's not nearly enough content and variety to make this a meaningful investment of your time. It's unfortunate, but for most of the time I spent playing, I couldn't shake the feeling that the developers were doing just the bare minimum to get the game out the door.

When the opening credits for a game are more dramatic and compelling than the game itself, that’s a problem. With a company as large and well known as SOE, I have certain expectations, few of which were met in this game. Maybe they’ll improve WO in time with the help of developer Gamepot. They certainly seem to be working on it. Unfortunately, I’m just not inclined to wait around to find out.

Whether you are just curious or just want to step into a new adventure, Bless Online is a fantastic game-bridge between your last MMO and the next one you are looking forward to.

So yeah, FBC: Firebreak is just fine. If you're looking for something mindless to play with some friends one weekend, this'll get the job done. I'm sure that its lowered retail price–it's going for $40 USD–and launch on some subscription services is going to entice a fair few. But if you're expecting anything as fun or curious as Control, something that encourages you to plumb it for mysteries, or even something daring enough to commit to a new tone and style and substance, allow me to caution you. FBC: Firebreak is not that game. It's regrettably emptier.

If you aren’t a Batman fan, I’m not sure that there is enough that stands out that dropping full retail on Gotham Knights is a smart move. The game could certainly use some patches, the full four-player mode isn’t out yet at release and I feel like holiday releases may quickly overshadow this game. That isn’t to say that there isn’t a great concept, but like Batman, it's crushed to death under all the debris.

I had such excitement for Diablo: Immortal through development, and the game itself is a solid experience and well worth the time. I'm not sure how well it will hold up over the long term as an MMO, but it's a good effort, and if I could just score that alone, it would be a 9. However, the monetization is very player unfriendly currently. Rather than getting out of the way and letting players enjoy the game and then spend money because they want to support a game they love, we are consistently being leveraged into feeling like we have to spend an indeterminate amount of money just to have a chance. Heck, you might have to shell out money just to make a clan to play with your friends. This isn't the worst monetization I have seen, but it's still a far cry from good.

There are a lot of holes in the plot and despite trying its very best to make you care about what’s happening, the characters are so underdeveloped that it’s easy to be apathetic to their cause. If you’re looking for a good strategy game that you can play on modern platforms, I’d still give Arcadian Atlas a pass. Go play Triangle Strategy or any of the Fire Emblem games first. Even Final Fantasy Tactics on your phone is going to be a better experience.

Sadly, the game may not be around much longer if it doesn't get an influx of new or returning players. The main game areas are empty, the game client displays news from Mother's Day 2012, and there is little forum activity aside from attempts to get some customer service. Perhaps hosting a holiday event or adding new content would entice new and old players back to help Hello Kitty rescue her friends.

Ragnarok Online 2, at the end of the day, is an interesting MMO with some tragic design decisions. The good news is that most of these issues can be fixed, so long as the companies choose to fix them. I imagine the Ragnarok IP of old could be popular again one day, but for the time being, most people will want to let leave this title for the carrion.

At the core, MechWarrior Online delivers deep, fun tactical combat, serving it up with a fantastic visual experience. There are all sorts of nuances and tricks to discover that help set skilled players apart from newcomers. But all of that is squandered by an incomplete wrapping that’s more focused on selling items than covering the basics. This is reinforced by the high price of some item shop ‘Mechs.

My time in Blade & Soul: Revolution did have some bright spots. Putting together an auto-play deck, and watching the story unfold were certainly enjoyable. Unfortunately, the hands-off approach to leveling really puts a damper on the attachment and investment to my characters. If you’re familiar with idle-games and you’re looking for an comprehensive experience, Blade & Soul: Revolution might just be the game for you.

I had such high hopes for Dragon’s Prophet. Everything about it sounds like so much fun on paper. But what we have is a clear case of a game that needs a lot more time in development before it should be taking money from anyone. This shouldn’t be an open beta, and you shouldn’t be able to spend money in Auretia. I understand that SOE and Runewaker need to pay the bills, but both parties would have been far better off letting the game take a little more time in closed beta to take in and react to feedback from its community. Dragon’s Prophet isn’t the worst game I’ve played this year, but it could have been so much better. And that’s what’s really unfortunate.

DK Online is a frustrating mess of a game. It has its good moments, but mostly is a chore. Its grinding and generic leveling system are straight out of Korea and will likely make you switch off almost instantly. Castle Sieges and the Shapeshifting system breathe some life into this bland game, but only for a few brief moments. The Sieges themselves often become disorganized and pointless, while the Shapeshifting system, although useful at first, ends up fading into the background just like any other gimmick. DK Online is not worth a fuss over.

I really wanted to enjoy Dual Universe, and at first I was. I truly did enjoy the grind early on, until I realized that, for the most part, the grind was all there was. The ambitious systems that define Dual Universe also doom it, and as a result there just isn’t much to do aside from harvest, sell and rinse and repeat, even if you add layer and layer of industrial complexity to the loop. While player ingenuity and artistry will make some of these systems more and more interesting, especially with LUA scripting and more, for me, it just doesn’t make for a compelling experience I can recommend.

Everything about my experience points to GATO Studio either running out of time or money (or both) before they could complete The Waylanders. A story that starts off in a fresh setting and filled with interesting characters, nice visuals and outstanding voice acting is quickly derailed by technical flaws and an ever-growing list of bugs. I rarely complain about too many side missions or additional features like romantic endeavors being added to a game, but this is a perfect example where cutting out unnecessary features would have allowed GATO Studios to focus on the things that really mattered. Sometimes, less can be more, and that appears to be the case here.

The game lacks clear direction for players and relies entirely on its player base to help recruit new players. The problem with this approach is that you need players to bring players and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of those out there. In addition, Crowfall suffers from a dull combat system with rough animations and spell effects, a terribly paced end game progression system and the longest tutorial I’ve ever played. All of this coupled together makes it hard for players to want to stay engaged. I’ve been playing MMOs for almost 20 years. I struggled to keep playing Crowfall because of the issues listed. I can only imagine how a new player with little experience in the genre would feel. Crowfall wants to be more than it currently is and I do hope ArtCraft can work through some of these issues to present players to a solid PVP offering.

Sure, this new Battletoads exists - but did anyone stop to think that maybe it shouldn’t? As a Battletoads fan who wanted to return to a semblance of the original, I didn’t care for this game at all. However, to someone with no attachment to the source material, you’d probably have a decent time running through it as a few hour distraction with your kids. It’s passable at best, but honestly you’d be better off revisiting Castle Crashers Remastered.

The world building, cities and some of the characters are instantly memorable and made me want to learn more. But when coupled with an unpolished backdrop, laggy and uninspired combat and a boring, frustrating grind, it makes it hard to recommend to anyone who is looking for a good free-to-play MMO to check out, especially when alternatives like Warframe and Phantasy Star Online 2 exist on the same platform. Hopefully time brings Bless Unleashed to the level we were all hoping for – but right now it’s just not there. It honestly feels like it needed more time to bake before being released – feeling rushed out to hit a deadline, and it definitely shows in the final result.

I really want to recommend The Outer Worlds on the Nintendo Switch. I’ve seen some developers do a great job bringing triple-A titles over and I had high hopes for Obsidians’ Sci-Fi RPG. However, after spending a week pushing through pretty rough gameplay experience, it’s clear that this port just doesn’t cut it. Too many sacrifices were made to make it run and it shows. Should you play The Outer Worlds? Definitely. Should you play it on the Nintendo Switch? only if you have no other option.

I wish I could recommend Ancestors Legacy to Switch players. I wish I could say I had an amazing time and couldn’t put it down. Unfortunately, I mostly just wish I had played it on PC. As my brother told me, “not every game belongs on the Switch.” I suppose he was right.

The most galling part of the whole experience is the terrible localization effort put in by the publisher. While the game was no longer in Korean most of it was poorly translated. In the words of the mighty weapon crafter that will teach you how to produce (it’s not called crafting in this game), “have a think about it, you can only learn one skill.” No really, you don’t have to think about this one. Just give this one a pass. There are plenty of other ARPGs and Asian MMOs that are a better use of your time and money.

It takes a truly awful game for me to tell you not to try it out, so I'm not going to say that here. In fact my parting advice to you is that you do try it, even if it's just briefly, to understand where I'm coming from; the simple and tedious gameplay experienced within the first five minutes doesn't get any more exciting over the next 30 hours.

he core shooter mechanic doesn’t feel good. The world map is for show. Game has balance issues.

There is a reason why you have seen this crop up in many “Worst of...” lists including our own “Worst MMOs of 2013”, if it’s not for these reasons mentioned within this review, then it is for it’s downright disgraceful approach to MMO design, or just the controversy it has caused within the MMO community. Scarlet Blade is a title you’ll feel ashamed to play, and is truly one of the worst MMOs of this year.

Overall, Warlander just doesn’t do enough to make it feel special or justify its predatory monetization scheme. The first few matches are fun, but once you run into enemies who are objectively more powerful again and again, the fun begins to fade and there isn’t enough variety to keep things fresh.