Every couple of years we get an MMO whose level of hype and expectations are greater than the game could ever aspire to be and the same remains true for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Even so, the game is simply exceptional. If you're a Star Wars fan, a fan of BioWare RPGs, and you don't mind a themepark styled MMO, you will undoubtedly have a great time in the world BioWare has created with Star Wars: The Old Republic. BioWare has successfully fused the foundation of a solid MMO with their industry-leading story telling capabilities to create a final product that convincingly makes the case that as great as many MMOs have been, we've definitely been missing a significant piece of the puzzle for all these years.

Truly there are not enough good things to say about Torchlight II even with the minor issues it does have. It is one of the most refreshingly fun action RPGs ever. Its predecessor was lots of fun too. But with the addition of multiplayer, the dungeon generator and the modding tools, the series becomes something special, something different on the scene and something worthy of your time and money to play. Runic Games has my vote for Developer of the Year.

If you're like me and you've been wishing to see what a game along the lines of Battlefield could be like with the scale of an MMO this is definitely a title you won't want to miss. And at the low price of free, why would you?

My only caveat is that it may be too easy at first, even for a total newbie to the series or genre. So if you can't see yourself beating the campaign multiple times per character, you might want to consider this. Give the chance for the game to get its hooks in you, though, and you're likely to be playing Diablo III for quite a while.

The bottom line is that TSW is a very good game right now and is a great game in the making. It's got one of the most compelling storylines of any MMO I have ever played which is enough to bring in even the most jaded MMO fan. Add in a dedicated team of developers anxious to make itthe go-to MMO for players and you have a surefire recipe for success. I am convinced that Funcom will deliver on the promises given and am anxious to see what's next. I firmly believe that The Secret World, like a fine wine, is one of those rare MMOs that will only improve with time and attention, something that Funcom is clearly prepared to do.

Storm Legion is arguably the best expansion to come out in 2012 for any MMO. If you have not already played Rift now is a great time to give it a try. With the introduction of Dimensions Trion has set Rift up to have a lot of interesting and unique player created content to supplement Trion's internal development cycle.

I must admit that I was a bit full of trepidation when trying out Dofus for the first time, having liked Wakfu so much and being worried that its predecessor would turn out to be more basic or unpolished. I'm surprised and happy to report the exact opposite, and that I like Dofus' fun approach to traditional MMORPG gameplay even more than Wakfu's open-ended sandbox and social features, which is saying a lot.

For me, Mists is an excellent World of Warcraft expansion. However, in terms of MMOs in general it does not bring the thunder that a WoW expansion used too. If you are a veteran WoW player than Mists has a lot to offer in terms of game play and especially content. If you are a hardened MMO vet looking for something new this is not the game for you any more.

The easy-to-learn combat system and temporary nature of characters make the game a blast to sit down and play for a few minutes, while more hardcore gamers will enjoy the challenge of survival while trying to hunt down the biggest monsters to find the best gear, and eventually top the leaderboards. While the lag in the game can be a problem at times, adventuring with smaller parties seems to alleviate most of it, and the developers are always working to improve the game. Furthermore, the combination of several popular styles of games into a single MMO makes for a fun, new, and most certainly refreshing experience. Realm of the Mad God is certainly a game worth taking the time to experience.

Myst Online: URU Live is not your typical massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It is unique in many, very distinct ways. I must stress one point: If combat and PvP are your primary reasons for playing MMOs then you'll want to pass this one up. There is no combat or PvP at all. Its central gameplay is puzzle based instead of combat based. Your Relto and the Ages that you visit are instanced and cannot be entered by anyone else unless you invite them. The world is one huge sandbox that you have to fully explore in order to discover clues that will lead you to the next step in a puzzle.

If you're expecting epic quests, great loot, a compelling storyline and larger than life battles, then maybe Wakfu isn't the game for you. But if you're interested in exploring a drop-dead gorgeous world without getting aggro from every single mob you come across and being able to chat freely without restrictions to all the other players in the game, then you'll probably love this game.

Gamers looking for a mobile MMO that they can pick up for a minute and drop in a manner of seconds will enjoy Arcane Legends. Players of Spacetime Studios' other mobile games may wish to take a few minutes to familiarize themselves with how Arcane Legends functions. There are differences. It may be slight enough to ignore in the early levels, but if you don't like to die, you'll need to pay attention. The game is in its early stages of growth and may be missing some features, but it is totally playable and absolutely fun.

TERA stands mightily on its own as a unique, inherently fun, MMO experience. Even if you don't wind up loving it as I have, you should definitely give it a try. Just get past the Isle of Dawn before you judge it, fight a BAM and try a dungeon. Chances are, you'll see why I've been so charmed.

While this isn't my personal choice for a MOBA, I think it is a great take on the arena-styled MMO. You may find like me that the matches should be longer, but it will give you hours of enjoyment and if this is your game you could find a niche in a clan too. If you enjoy leveling up and progressing your character this is the wrong game for you. However, if you like to immediately jump into the thick of the action and climb a mountain of corpses to reach your victory, then Bloodline Champions has plenty to love.

For FPS fans looking for a cheap fix, this game will definitely do a good job of keeping you happy for a while (or at least till Battlefield 2143 comes out). There's a lot of fun to be had here, and because the price of admission is free, that makes the deal even sweeter. Just bear in mind that there are still a few rough edges here and there.

All I can say on that front is that for a mobile MMO, it's a cut above the rest. If you play it intermittently rather than devote a whole weekend to it, you'll have a good time. Though there may be a slightly bitter taste left in my mouth over a missed opportunity, that hasn't blinded me to one simple fact; this is an enjoyable game, and a notable step in the right direction for MMOs not based on PCs. Falling just short of being fang-tastic thanks to one or two mis-stakes, I'd advise anyone with a tablet to give this a go. It's anything but a pain in the neck.

Overall, Nexon has developed, in my opinion, a very successful game in Dungeon Fighter Online. While it's not a traditional take on the MMORPG, and more of an MMO-ARPG, allowing players a massive array of choices all throughout the game, from class, to specialization, even having a specific type of gear to change appearance, only adds to the unique feel of each character within the world.

RaiderZ is a very fun action-oriented MMORPG. With action combat and very good monster/zone design, it's one of the better MMOs on the free-to-play market at the moment. Although it is not without faults, it still makes for a very enjoyable casual experience.

The shooting is tight, the experience exciting, and the interplay between games a joy to behold. There are definitely a few months of refinement ahead, but Eve Online players can enjoy another facet to their universe and PS3 loyalists can enjoy a great shooter for nothing.

While there’s no doubt that AoW has levels of intricacy that are unusual in MMOs today, those intricacies are numerous, and the localization an ongoing effort, making the whole experience difficult for many. Not everyone has the time or the patience to read through scads of text, assimilate and apply those many, many lessons. For those that do, power to you. Here’s hoping you find plenty of gold at the end of that complicated, text-heavy rainbow.

Order & Chaos is a novel, interesting, and intriguing application. Being a truly fully-fledged MMORPG on the iPad makes it very endearing to a goblin-loving veteran such as I, but there are some glaring problems with the game to overlook before you can truly enjoy it. A WoW clone until the end, but for the price of admission, and the amount of "I Can't Believe It's Not Azeroth" fun you can have, you might just forgive it.

For all of the things that it does well, Forge feels like it needs more time in development and beta to achieve its potential. I really like the game's model of instanced PvP, and enjoy Forge's dynamic third-person combat. The overall features feel unfinished, however, and while it looks like Dark Vale Games is aware of Forge's missing - and necessary - elements and is working to include them, the game in its released state requires a bit of faith in the developers to make it what it should be. The core gameplay experience is fun and frantic, but Forge will need to attend to a more robust feature set to encourage the dedicated community it requires to succeed.

In the end, Age of Empires Online works well as a demo rather than a F2P game. There just doesn't seem to have been enough thought about what each element from the MMO and RTS genres bring to the party. Instead, they've just been thrown together.

Defiance is a really fun game despite its numerous rough edges. But can that fun overcome its mediocrity? That would likely be up to each individual gamer. If you’re hankering for an online PvE-centric shooter that’s out of beta, Defiance may be for you. If you’re a mega-fan of the show and like to game, it’s also probably a no-brainer. But if you’re looking for a polished and complete experience to rival other MMOs on the market, you might be better off waiting to see if Trion can remedy the problems marring Defiance’s launch. If the blogs from the studio are any indication, Defiance could wind up being a diamond in the rough. But it’s going to take some time to get there, and hopefully it will before we all forget it exists.

Black Prophecy is an interesting take on how flying/space combat can and should happen. However, its lack of content and specifically Endgame creates a short appeal for the modern player. The lack of an economy creates a one-dimensional gameplay experience. I would sincerely like to see this game introduce a universe wide resource system and a multitude of ships and weaponry that required a similar crafting system to many of the modern games. By introducing more group quests we would see a surge in the social atmosphere, and see Black Prophecy be more than the mediocre experience it is now.

Ultimately, I'd encourage you to give Spiral Knights a go as you'll know before you've expended your first 100 points of mist energy whether you want to keep playing. The question of whether you'll have the strength I lacked to grind your way out of the constrictions of the energy system is another question entirely. If you treat the game as a dip in/dip out sort of affair, then I think it's possible to really enjoy it.

There is a lot of potential here and Dawn of Fantasy has already improved by leaps and bounds since it was released almost a year ago. Sure, there are still some issues and glitches, but it is moving in the right direction. If you're looking for a pure RTS experience, there are better RTS titles out there. And if you're looking for the MMO side of the equation, naturally there are better MMO titles out there. But if you're looking for a solid MMORTS title, Dawn of Fantasy is one of your best options out there. It is very nice to see people taking the MMORTS out of the browser.

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.