Which MMORPGs Will Attract the Masses?

Following on from the report that Turbine has Middle Earth Online well underway comes news that they've snatched the Dungeons & Dragons license too. With the two most lucrative fantasy worlds under their scabbard-wielding belts, a fair few players should be emigrating to these new magical lands, potions packed and axes polished.

In a typically beardy fashion, D&D will likely attract the more dedicated adventurers, whilst players with a more populist appreciation of fantasy will probably be heading for Middle Earth. D&D won't be appearing until the year after MEO's release, so they won't be in direct competition anyway. However, Turbine's domination of fantasy MMORPGS is not necessarily a foregone conclusion. World Of Warcraft, from Blizzard and Codemasters' Dragon Empires are both on the cards - both are already both looking very nice.

For players of a more science fiction-based disposition, there's a selection of futuristic MMORPGs to have a bash at. The biggest of these has to be Star Wars Galaxies. George Lucas' Jedi-related creations have more fans than the universe has stars - this is likely to be massively multiplayer. Featuring an impressive array of Star Wars planets, you might choose to be a shop keeper, a mischievous rogue or a heroic bounty hunter. The options and the opportunities for interaction with other characters are endless. Galaxies will no doubt delude even more people into ticking Jedi as their religion when the next National Census comes round.

If, for some unconceivable reason, you're not a Star Wars fan, then there will still be plenty of MMORPG options. Warhammer 40,000 and a Matrix-based ORPG are both under construction. On top of all that, Sony have gone and revealed Everquest 2, which is most likely to follow the precedent of its life-robbing prequel.

Only time will tell which game builds the biggest user-base, but anyone with a PC can rest assured there should be something for everyone eventually.