Choose My Adventure: The loser's circle

None of the games you are about to read about is a bad game. Don't let the title of the article fool you; these are all great games, but so far none of them has won a poll during a Choose My Adventure run. What is Choose My Adventure? Well, you wonderful readers will pick the MMORPG for me. and over the next several weeks you will also vote on what I will do in the game, which faction I will pick, which class I will have to roll, and so on. It all depends on the game -- and you.

So you and I have some work to do. It will be a long road but hopefully a scenic one. With your help, I will be able to keep up the tradition of putting a Massively writer through six weeks of joy, frustration, pain, and loot. A lot of loot.The list of losers is potentially long, but I decided to keep it relatively short and sweet. If you see your favorite game on the list, go tell the game's community. Get out the vote! Or have some fun torturing me! I normally go with indie or games that do not normally get much coverage, but these losers just begged me for a chance at winning CMA.

There are two additional notes: I will try to stream the winning game once per week for each new column (hopefully including some developer interviews as well!), and I will subscribe to each game if it needs me to. If there is no subscription option, I will put money in to the cash shop or will look for equivalent services. I will attempt to spend more rather than spend nothing.

Lets get to the choices!

Champions Online is a great game for Choose My Adventure because it has so many different options to choose from. There might be too many options, honestly, but as someone who has done a Choose My Adventure a few times before, I know that I'd rather have too many options than not enough. As I write this, I am thinking about what sort of choices I could place up for a vote -- which powers would I go with? Where should I concentrate on leveling? Should I use a blue or red jetpack? These are important choices.

If you like superheroes, tons and tons of customization, and a retro comic look, then vote for this one.

Allods Online might be the Susan Lucci of Choose My Adventure (look it up, kids), but that doesn't mean it is not a great game for deeper exploration. I've done my share of streaming the game and showing off just how incredible its visuals and gameplay can be, but I've also looked into its more "controversial" aspects as well. Even then I know that digging into the cash shop and other features will only shine light on what I believe is a very misunderstood game.

Vote for this one if you are into amazing settings and visuals, space combat, and hardcore gameplay. In other words, stuff that I might just struggle with.

I've only played the new Perfect World freebie Neverwinter through some of the later betas, but I had a truly great time. In fact, I was quite thrilled at how much there seemed to be, but I never took the time to, well, dig into it. This might be the chance I was looking for. It's important to note that the game has not been without controversy lately. I'll be happy to investigate further.

If you look action-based combat, a familiar IP, and tons of loot drops, vote for this one!

Age of Wushu? Wow... where to even begin? I have no idea, honestly, simply because I played the game some but obviously not nearly enough. With players calling this one a "fantasy EVE Online" or "a complicated sandbox," I'm bound and determined to figure it all out. I might just have to call in Massively's resident expert, Patrick Mackey, to help me out. This game is filled with many different types of play, so I'm sure I'll find one I like, but as far as PvP goes, I know I will at least make an entertaining corpse.

Put your vote down for this one if you like Eastern themes, intense gameplay, and theory-crafting.

Defiance might not seem like the best idea for a Choose My Adventure, but in reality it would be a great choice. If I wanted to, I could play in a linear fashion, following storylines that introduce me to characters from the Syfy show, or I could make my own way, skipping from one quest to the next or from activity to activity. It's too bad the television show is off the air for now, as it would make for a great article tie-in, but I have a feeling that the game world is continuing to do a fine job telling the stories that we grew to enjoy from the show.

If you're into first-person-shooters, tons and tons of action, and the possibility of linear, co-op combat, vote for this game!

Aion is a game that I have to dive into one day. I remember when it was first released and how I enjoyed its visuals, but my schedule and knack for trying out every game that is released has prevented me from returning to some of the most promising titles there are. From what I can tell by watching Massively's MJ Guthrie stream the game on our livestream page, the game has come light years from where it was. There's some real depth here, but I've yet to discover it. Yet.

Vote for this game if you like beautiful armor, massive spells, and giant angel wings, all with an Eastern look and feel.

DC Universe Online is not unfamiliar to me. I've streamed the game, played though a good part of its lower-level gameplay, and interviewed its developers. Once again my flighty nature serves me well by allowing the game to still feel new, especially if I were to take an extended look at it. Would I make a superhero who pounds enemies with his fists, or would I go with a flying lioness character who shoots aliens with her laser-beam eyes? While Champions is the go-to game for superhero customization, this game is no slouch. In fact, many prefer its familiar universe and action-based gameplay. Me? I don't know. You tell me -- what do I prefer?

Vote for this if you like the superhero vibe, but also dig the DC settings and characters.

So get to the vote and spread the word! If I can arrange it, I'll also interview developer team members and field questions and take instruction from the community. This is a great opportunity to show off your favorite title and watch me get destroyed over and over! Good luck, games!

Cast your vote in the poll below. The poll closes on Monday, the 2nd of September, at 12:00 p.m. EDT!
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For this round of Choose My Adventure, Beau Hindman is trying something different -- different for him, anyway. He's diving into the list of MMOs that have lost in previous Choose My Adventure polls! Come back every Wednesday to vote on what he does next; goodness knows he needs the help. Tweet feedback to him at @Beau_Hindman!