Well here we are, my friends. It’s always such a pleasure. Remember when your votes killed me twice? OK, maybe that’s being overdramatic, but I will admit that the 2023 slate of gaming for Choose My Adventure definitely had some rough bumps in the road – enough that I actually took a month away from the column to hit a mental reset button (and write a bunch of things about a game that I feel like nobody cared about).

That’s not to suggest I’m not thankful, of course. Being able to take this crazy train out for a ride every month is still an honor, and none of it is literally possible without your support. Still, as I look back at the year that was for CMA, I can’t help but feel like the overall theme was, “Can’t knock it ’til you try it.” Which still is valuable information all the same.

Allow us to look back at the past year’s chosen adventuring.

Guild Wars

We start off with a game that’s a classic for many but a game I felt was better left in the past, the original Guild Wars. While I still ultimately appreciate how much of a foundational title this MMORPG is, I also still remember nothing but aged jank and annoyance, which probably wasn’t helped by my own lack of emotional attachment.

Choose My Adventure: Guild Wars delivers a shock to the system after months in the sequel Choose My Adventure: How good advice led to some minor comfort with Classic Guild Wars Choose My Adventure: Nightfall might end up being the superior classic Guild Wars starting experience Choose My Adventure: Landing on a stable character in the original Guild Wars Choose My Adventure: Classic Guild Wars just makes me want to play Guild Wars 2

The Shooter Medley

This bundle of games started off really rough – Global Agenda full-on sucked – but it did eventually remind me of how much fun Destiny 2 can end up being. When Bungie isn’t trying to smother it with the monetization pillow anyway. All of the pillows. Whole-ass mattresses.

Choose My Adventure: Global Agenda provides a classic MMO ass-beating Choose My Adventure: Slowly cracking the code of how Warframe works Choose My Adventure: Returning to Destiny 2 was both bumpy and engaging Choose My Adventure: New tutorials and old habits see Destiny 2’s hooks set in

Embers Adrift

Perhaps it’s because I missed the wider sandbox boat of the early years, or perhaps it’s because I just appreciate modern MMORPG design more, but Embers Adrift made me unnaturally angry. I wish the people who are building indie titles would stop misremembering these supposed good old days.

Choose My Adventure: Starting out in Embers Adrift is just as tough as expected Choose My Adventure: Embers Adrift defeats me

Neverwinter

Neverwinter remains the only MMORPG that I played for this column where I actually was able to get to level cap by the time the series’ run was over with, and I have to say that nothing about the trip was memorable in even the slightest and I’m not encouraged to hop into the endgame right now. That said, the Bard class was incredibly fun.

Choose My Adventure: Neverwinter’s Bard rocks Choose My Adventure: The Neverwinter Bard continues to rock even as the challenge level rises Choose My Adventure: The Songblade makes Neverwinter’s Bard rock even harder Choose My Adventure: Rocking my way to max level Bard play in Neverwinter Choose My Adventure: Endgame in Neverwinter nearly rocks my Bard’s face apart

Dungeons & Dragons Online

Conversely, my return to Dungeons & Dragons Online reminded me of just how much more of a “true” D&D experience it is when compared with the previous month’s game. I still have this one installed in my disk drive while Neverwinter was excised almost immediately if that tells you anything.

Choose My Adventure: Dungeons and Dragons Online immediately brings that tabletop goodness Choose My Adventure: Adventuring in the Borderlands of Dungeons and Dragons Online Choose My Adventure: Sludging through the Saltmarsh of Dungeons and Dragons Online Choose My Adventure: DDO’s Catacombs offer a classic taste of the MMOs storytelling Choose My Adventure: Plumbing the challenging Delera’s Tomb in Dungeons and Dragons Online

Age of Conan

We once more go back to a “classic” title that aged like sun-baked milk. Age of Conan was one of the most unfortunate, most obtuse, most annoying, ugliest, most miserable MMORPGs I have ever had the displeasure of playing. It even managed to eclipse Wurm Online for me. That’s impressive in a rancid and long fart kind of way.

Choose My Adventure: Age of Conan underwhelms almost immediately Choose My Adventure: Settling into Age of Conan’s uncomfortable routine Choose My Adventure: Finding frustrations in Age of Conan Choose My Adventure: Age of Conan engages my barbarian rage

Warhammer Online: Return of Reckoning

Out of all of the games I journeyed through this past year, WAR: Return of Reckoning taught me the most. The several weeks within the game started to get worse and worse for me from a mental standpoint until I finally figured out that it was tweaking my competitive nerve by the end of it – a nerve that I never really knew I had to begin with. Sometimes PvPing does teach you things.

Choose My Adventure: A Warhammer Online Return of Reckoning reunion with a dash of WAAAGH Choose My Adventure: PvP and RvR bring reward and rage in Warhammer Online Return of Reckoning Choose My Adventure: Frustrations mount in Warhammer Return of Reckoning Choose My Adventure: What Warhammer Return of Reckoning taught me about my competitive nature

Lost Ark

Going into this one, I kind of expected what was going to happen, so perhaps that played into my feelings as this series moved forward. Still, for something that was generally a good time the first run through until level cap, it was still a bit sad to get confirmation all the same. It’s sadder still to see Amazon Games apparently trying to treat the symptoms instead of the disease as well. Maybe an OARPG will come along for me, but this one ain’t it, chief. And the fault primarily lies with its players.

Choose My Adventure: Trialing and testing in Trixion before returning to Lost Ark Choose My Adventure: Slayer time with slightly boosted XP in Lost Ark Choose My Adventure: Exploring Lost Ark’s jump start server and a regular XP-boosted character Choose My Adventure: Wrestling with disappointment, boredom, and comfort in Lost Ark’s jump start server

New World

Talk about a surprise. The Rise of the Angry Earth expansion’s features made a humongous difference in my enjoyment of New World. The story stuff is still kind of forgettable but still improved, the weapons combination I’ve put together ended up being great, and horses rule. Pleasantly surprised by this one.

Choose My Adventure: What weapon goes best with New World’s new Angry Earth flail? Choose My Adventure: New World’s flail and void gauntlet go together like peanut butter and jelly Choose My Adventure: Amrine Excavation and other flail-based New World adventures Choose My Adventure: Swamps, spicy fights, story, and technical issues in New World

Tree of Savior

After more time considering my time in Tree of Savior, I’m still not sure that it’s a good game overall. However, I will contend that the often referenced “pachinko effect” it has had on me in terms of its leveling speed and character growth speed did kind of feed that OARPG need that I was hoping it would. So I suppose that’s mission accomplished in a manner of speaking? Sometimes you just need to feel a specific feeling from a game.

Choose My Adventure: Levels and confusion come fast and thick in Tree of Savior Choose My Adventure: Character and comfort levels continue flowing in Tree of Savior Choose My Adventure: I still don’t know if I like Tree of Savior even after hitting triple-digit levels

Project Gorgon

Finally, the year ended out with what’s easily the most feel-good story for our genre, Project Gorgon resurgent. And I have to admit that time away and experience with other “slower” games has helped me navigate this one much better than in previous return trips. That said, I still maintain that this game is a very tough nut to crack and really is only for players who have the right kind of mindset. On a personal level, I’m not sure this is the sandbox MMORPG for me, but it’s a damn sight closer than others I’ve tried.

Choose My Adventure: Project Gorgon once more proves both engaging and agitating Choose My Adventure: The joy of performing menial tasks in Project Gorgon The Stream Team: Feeding the need to randomly roam in Project Gorgon

So ends another year of adventuring in MMOs as directed by you, the reader. It’s been a bouncy journey that feels like an illustration of a similarly bumpy ride for MMORPGs and multiplayer gaming this year, so I’ll end with the usual hope that we all have a good time together in 2024, both for this column and for MMOs overall.

Welcome to Choose My Adventure, the column in which you join Chris each week as he journeys through mystical lands on fantastic adventures – and you get to decide his fate. Which is good because he can often be a pretty indecisive person unless he’s ordering a burger.