As we are beginning to close out this year, and head into the next, we already have two MMORPGs who seem to be aiming for the top spot of the MMORPG world. Each one promising fun features and epic stories that will dethrone the illustrious WoW, who has held the top spot for the better part of 3 years now. For those who haven’t caught on yet (to either the title or references) I am speaking about Warhammer Online and Age of Conan.

Both Eidos/Funcom and EA/Mythic has set up release dates for their prospective games at the beginning of next year, which means they will both be thrown into a heated competition with each other, as well as Blizzards newest expansion: Wrath of the Lich King. So what does each of these games offer that will place them firmly into the #1 MMORPG spot? Lets see:

Warhammer Online

• Extensive RvR play that takes palce within PvP and PvE environments.
• War-centric theme.
• Based off of Games Workshop’s very popular IP.
• Player Tactics and Moral Skills
• Play models that change to reflect the power of your character, i.e. Orcs will grow in size.

Age of Conan:

• First mainstream-published mature MMORPG title.
• Expansive single-player game leading into the MMORPG.
• Action-oriented fighting system.
• Siege weapons.
• Massive battlegrounds.

Both games obviously build onto what World of Warcraft has already established, but will it be enough to actually topple the 800 lb. gorilla? With both offering different styles of play and both competing for the top spot anything can happen. Let’s just hope they both launch relatively bug-free, unlike some supposed WoW-killing MMORPGs.