“I’m the eternal kid in a sandbox, I love dirt” ~ Mark Renz

Things are slowly but surely picking up on the sandbox MMOG scene. A couple of years ago, out of all the major games that can be considered successful, only one of them belonged to this sub-genre – EVE Online. (In reality, there was another prominent title, Star Wars Galaxies, but it’s just not the game that it used to be). Looking at the market today, sandbox lovers have a more options to choose from in increasingly diverse universes.

There is Darkfall, a game that is slowly but steadily improving and the devs seem to release meaningful updates fairly regularly. Some claim that it does not fit neatly into the sandbox category, but I’m willing to give it the benefit of doubt and would like to see where Aventurine takes it. There is also Mortal Online, a title that isn’t as successful, but can still boast some truly dedicated fans that are willing to support the game’s vision. We also have the recently launched Perpetuum Online. It’s a sandbox game that allows players to control large mechs and fight for territorial control. If given enough time and attention, it may become a real contender to EVE’s popularity.

Nevertheless, compared to the numerous themepark titles, you can see how sandbox games have been getting the short end of the stick. This is soon bound to change as there are not one, but three new titles waiting to welcome players into their worlds upon release. Let’s take a brief look at each one so that you may decide the one game (if any) that has the most potential. Continue Reading