"DarkAge of the WarcraftStrike". That's a fictional MMO that Turbine Entertainment executive producer and creative director Jessica Mulligan used as an example during her rant at the Austin Game Conference. According to her, there are some MMOs that use the WoW formula, and end up as nothing but WoW copycats.

Which brings us to our question: Are all MMOs the same? Tobold asks the same question in his blog. And with the proliferation of WoW copycats out in the market today, you can't help but wonder the same thing. After all, there's a nugget of truth in Mulligan's claim.

According to Tobold, there's a general flow to MMO gameplay: start in a city, take quests and missions, slay some monsters, gather loot and eventually sell them. However, Tobold adds that even though most MMOs subscribe to this structure, each MMO game focuses on particular details, which makes them different from one another.

For example, WoW is known for being PvE-centric, while games such as Lineage and EVE are known for their excellent PvP features. Then there's the gameplay: Does this MMO have a more difficult gameplay than the other? More importantly, there's the question of the setting, which I believe lies most of the game's appeal. After all, we have sci-fi MMOs, "historical MMOs" (remember the upcoming "Shakespeare MMO"?), and the more popular fantasy MMO. Of course, each world offers something different (the "Matrix world" is different from the one in "Star Wars"), which makes more games appealing, and more addictive, depending on your taste.

So, according to our source, "in the end, no two MMORPG are really the same". And we here at QJ definitely agree with him. What do you think?