MMO suggestions?

[Niniri]

I'm not a player of computer games, but I'm trying to find some sort of MMO that might make a nice gift for my husband.

He's burned out on Everquest, City of Heroes and heading down that road with World of Warcraft. I'm open to idears and such--preferably something with a good storyline and something to keep his brain occupied and entertained for "MMO playdates" with an old US Airforce buddy on Saturdays.

I have no idea where to start looking for something, or suggesting something that might make an alternative for him. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Regards,

Niniri the Confused

[HawkMan]

Vanguard, all the best parts fram EQ/EQ2 mixed with the good stuff from SWG and a few bits picked from WoW.

it needs a beefier computer than WoW though, but it loks awesome.

[mcmiller]

EVE online might be another alternative. It's a space-based game that's sophisticated enough and broad enough that he can be stimulated and still play with his buddy or play alone.

However, if you're a SO of a gamer, buying him a MMO as a present may not exactly be the best idea. Wifey still complains about lack of bedroom whoop-de-doo when I get too wrapped up in a MMO.

[backstept]

I've never played vanguard, but EvE is really awesome.
I also highly recommend Lord of the Rings Online. it's very well done, and I think it does Tolkien proud

[Annihilator]

i would have suggested AutoAssault, because he could find many CoX player there and its different to any other MMO you can find.

but its dead. they announced that the server will shout down on August 31th.

[HawkMan]

LoTRO is probably not a good suggestion for someone growing tired of other MMORPGs.

it's a more boring WoW with less to do with some fancy graphics and more hand holding than your average kindergarden. Tons or player of other MMO's flocked to it at launch, the ones who lasted longest stayed for a month.

[backstept]

well that's one way to look at it . . . I disagree however

I think that lotro is very much worth checking out. I would argue that 'handholding' is very minimal. quests are all well written, and the main story is engaging. there are no 'quest waypoints' which puts emphasis on exploring, which I find refreshing.
Monster Play is a unique spin on PVP that I think is really great.
the social elements are my favorite part. I like to go to the Prancing Pony and play music on my lute with other musicians. the music system is really cool. 3 full octaves, 7 differrent instruments (flute, lute, horn, harp, clarinet, drums, and bass(theorbo)) you can play any tune you can think of, you can even play songs automatically with ABC notation
I heard somebody playing beethoven once
sure the game has its flaws, but I think it's very much worth a try.
I have a 10 day buddy key if anyone wants to give it a try.

[farcry]

I bought Lord of the Rings Online as soon as it came out. I was planning on joining my old Star Wars Galaxies guild which broke up last year. Of course, silly me didn't realise that i couldnt play on the US servers. In their infinite wisdom, the game was published under two different companies (codemasters and some other company), and you cannot play with people using the game from the other publisher. After playing the game for the free 30 days i got with it, i did not continue. It has great potential, but other games easily out-do it at the moment. I went back to Star Wars Galaxies, which is being repaired after the devs tried to turn it into World of Warcraft to get more money... Ok, that was a bit of a rant, sorry

In my opinion, the top 3 MMOG are:

1. Eve Online - Huge space-faring game which looks great and has the most in-depth design and best player base of any MMOG.

2. Planetside - First person shooter with kick ass Sci-Fi weaponry, vehicles and armor. A never-ending war between 3 factions, no RP element, great clan/guild system. Pure online shooter bliss.

3. Star Wars Galaxies - As i mentioned before, it's been through some real bad times over the last year or so, but it's slowly being rebuilt to it's former glory. It's a must for star wars fans, it has a fully player driven economy, great career choices and a player-base just as great as Eve's.

Thats all in my opinion, but i have been all over with MMO's and those are easily my top 3. I hope you find that usefull

[backstept]

Eve really is spectacular

and I'm bummed about the US being cut off from the rest of the world in LOTRO. in beta it wasn't restricted like that
there's nothing holding people back from playing worldwide other than distribution rights . . . all about the moolah ain't it?

on a related note . . .
is anyone playing City of Heroes/Villains?
I was curious about a trial, but it seems that someone must send an invite I guess . . .

[Annihilator]

Backstept - i can get you a ten day trial key. i know many CoX player which can send you in invite (they get a free month if buy the game after the trial)