Why Reviewing MMORPGs Is Still a Massive Headache

Ever tried to review an MMORPG? It's not as simple as booting up a game and playing for a weekend. YouTuber Majuular recently tackled this exact problem in his penultimate Ultima retrospective video about Ultima Online, and his solution was pretty clever.

So what's the big issue? MMORPGs are living, breathing worlds that change over time. Servers evolve, communities shift, and the game you review today might be completely different six months from now. That makes a traditional review nearly impossible.

Majuular's answer? He had a community member run a shard he had worked on before. This shard was mostly like the original vanilla game with a few tweaks, giving him a stable, controlled environment to actually evaluate the experience.

It's a smart workaround, but it also highlights the core struggle. Most reviewers don't have access to a personal server or a dedicated community member willing to spin one up. They're stuck with the live game, which is constantly in flux.

And that's before you even get to the time commitment. MMORPGs are designed to be played for hundreds of hours. You can't rush through them like a single-player campaign. The social dynamics, the grind, the endgame—it all takes time to properly assess.

So the next time you see a review for an MMO, remember: the reviewer probably had to jump through hoops just to get a fair look at the game. It's a challenge that isn't going away anytime soon.

What do you think? How would you review an MMORPG fairly? Let us know in the comments!