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An Anime MMORPG may be the Next Big Thing
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The most popular massively multiplayer online
role playing games have always centered around somewhat realistic
looking fantasy characters. In North America anyway. On the other
side of the globe, Eastern Asian citizens have been working long and
hard to develop a slew of anime MMORPG games which have definitely
appealed to fans of the genre throughout the years. While it has
been tough enough for American companies to peddle games that break
the fantasy mold like Star Wars Galaxies or Planetside, Asian game
developers have pushed out countless titles with anime inspired
graphics in a variety of MMORPG genres.
As the first hugely successful anime MMORPG, Nexus: The Kingdom of
the Winds has enjoyed massive popularity since 1996. Published by
the guru of Korean MMORPG design, Jake Song, the game was one of the
first MMORPGs to have over one million subscribers. It is a fantasy
based game set in a medieval atmosphere containing a myriad of anime
inspired characters. The game¡¦s website now offers free downloads
for the aging game, and only requires a small subscription fee to
cover for server charges.
Also an anime MMORPG, Ragnarok Online debuted in mid-2002. The game
was hugely successful in Asia and enjoyed moderate popularity in
North America. It featured beautiful three dimensional graphics
which had an almost hand painted look to them. At the height of the
game¡¦s success, its developers claimed that there were over
seventeen million subscribers, making it the most popular anime
MMORPG ever until 2005.
The newest addition to the anime MMORPG market is Maple Story. Also
a Korean game, MMORPG is totally free to download and has no monthly
server fees. However, in order to obtain better graphics or special
weapons, the user will have to pay a small fee. Maple Story also
made history by being the first two dimensional side scrolling
MMORPG, bringing a new depth of play to a genre where all other
games look incredibly similar. It is also the current record holder
for most players, clocking in at over 30 million worldwide.
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