Five Mobile Games For MMORPG Fans To Look Forward To In 2013

This is the last Massively Portable column of 2012. As the old year closes, I thought it would be a fine time to look ahead. What does 2013 hold for fans of MMOs and MMORPG  on iOS?

I started out with the intention of doing some sort of “Best MMOPRGs of 2012,” but a quick look back at the year showed me that there wasn’t much to put on that list. Order and Chaos Online got a couple huge updates, but we’ve covered those in detail. Celtic Heroes got one major overhaul, though a second update — one that fixes the fugly toons — did not arrive by the end of the year. Spacetime Studios released two more Legends games, one pretty good (Arcane) and one tragically bad (Dark). There were a couple other games that released but failed to make a splash. All in all, not a lot to review.

One of 2012′s few new release highlights

So, does 2013 look any better for fans of pocket-sized MMORPGs? In fact, it does. Here’s the stuff currently on our radar heading into 2013.

Phantasy Star Online 2

We’ve mentioned previously this multiplatform release, which has already arrived in Japan and is scheduled to hit English-speaking shores next year. Phantasy Star Online is a classic of the MMO genre, and Sega’s been talking the game up big time. There’s a lot of anticipation here in North America for its eventual release.

While the early word out of Japan is that the iPhone version of the game isn’t quite the full-fledged MMORPG experience the PC version is — smaller maps, fewer enemies on-screen at any given time, stronger social component — it still looks like it could be a real winner for MMORPGs on iOS and Android. It’s expected in early 2013.

The Next Legends Game

With four fully developed MMORPGs on their plate, you’d think Spacetime Studios would lay off the development cycle a bit. But no; they have previously announced plans to release a new Legends game every six months, which means we should expect not just one, but two new Legends games in 2013.

There’s been no official announcement on the new games, though some hints dropped on the STS forums hint at a possible Western Legends in the pipeline. Whatever the next game turns out to be, it’s hopefully as well developed as Arcane Legends was. If you ask me, a Western Legends game would be a great place to introduce a true mount system into the Legends line.

Lands of Ammox

It’s always good to keep an eye on the indie scene, and 2013 may see the release of a promising indie title, Lands of Ammox. The game comes from the Singapore-based Lands of Ammox development team, who has been working on the title since mid-2012. The fantasy-based game is “about two warring Factions in the Continent of Sivloreia,” and it’s built around a familiar fantasy MMO base of races and classes.

There’s no firm release date yet, but you can keep track of Lands of Ammox via their website or Facebook page. The Facebook page has been particularly active, showing off some of the very solid concept art and rendered graphics for the game (though no actual gameplay video yet). Call us cautiously optimistic.

Order and Chaos Duels

Earlier this month, a long list of Gameloft’s 2013 releases surfaced online. Gameloft quickly moved to squelch the list, but not before we here at Massively Portable got a look at it. One of the games listed was “Order and Chaos Duels.” No description, no indication of release date — just the name.

But, come on … Order and Chaos Duels? How could this one not be on the list? So far Gameloft has used Order and Chaos to brand two great MMO titles. Whatever Duels turns out to be (my guess is a deck-building game), it’s one to look forward to in 2013.

The Unexpected Gem

Okay, this one’s a bit of a dodge, but it’s worth pointing out: there’s probably a great MMO or MMORPG title out there that we don’t even know about yet. Maybe Blizzard is nearing completion on some mobile-based World of Warcraft game; maybe the original EverQuest will make its iOS debut; maybe there’s some other developer out there like the Lands of Ammox team, ready to surprise us with an indie hit. Whatever it is, one of the games we’re looking forward to here at Massively Portable is the one we don’t know about, the one that will catch us off-guard and wow us.

What games are you looking forward to the most in 2013? Let us know!

For more on pocket-sized MMORPGs, check out the Massively Portable podcast. 

About the Author

Writer@Large Brian P. Hudson is an educator and freelance writer currently living in Dearborn, MI.

 

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