Runescape

Runescape is one of the largest MMORPGs out there with millions of online players. Unlike others, such as World of Warcraft or Starcraft, Runescape is a (mostly) free-to-play game with no downloads and pretty sub-par graphics.

How does such a simple game garner such incredible popularity?

Runescape is an incredibly expansive game. A multitude of tutorials eases players into the basics of the game, but the more you play the more complex the game gets.

Newbies start using the basics of attack, magic, cooking, fishing, banking, and archery.
Attack is expanded into strength and defence as the player starts comparing armors and weapons with different potions and amulets to get the best combat.
Magic is expanded with different enchanting and teleport spells, with runecrafting to make getting runes easier.
Cooking expands with fishing and helps the player adapt into other "crafting-style" abilities like crafting, mining, and smithing to make weapons, potions, and amulets.
Banking becomes more complex with Runescape's own intricate economy, trade and the Grand Exchange becoming important stops for bartering.
Archery is still kinda useless.

The more you use one skill, the more you can do with it. Each levels up to about 100 and allows the player new options as they use it. Leveling up some, such as runecrafting and cooking, is entirely optional but benefits the player greatly.

Questers like me will find a short list of quests for the free-to-play world, but each is completely original and intricate. While one has you baking cakes or sliding across icy lakes in a certain order, another will find you mixing potions for witches or conversing with ghosts.

The world is large and colorful. Filled with interesting NPC and strange monsters, the creators are constantly updating and making it better.

The social portion is not to be forgotten either. The millions of players makes it nearly impossible to find an area devoid of life. While most people are immature or frustrating to talk to, there's always a great opportunity to make friends.

Membership is a couple dollars a month and opens up a section of the world many times larger than the free portion, an insane amount of quests, and many new abilities.

There's a few problems, of course. The graphics aren't very good, and the controls is different than most current styles so it can take some getting used to. There isn't much introduction for some of the abilities, and figuring out how they work can require an online guide or some random guessing (I'm looking at you, Runecrafting and Herblore).

Many of the other players are downright aggravating. They can be childish and crude. The free-to-play world isn't very big and questers will probably be done in a month.

Still, it's quite fun to play, especially with friends. It's diverse enough that everyone will find something they enjoy, and the creator's never-ending stream of new content ensures you'll never be completed with the game.

Rating:
Plot/Characters- N/A
Gameplay- 8/10
Playability- 9/10
Aesthetics- 2/10
Fun Level- 9/10
Style- 6/10

Total- 7/10, Very good.