8. Guild Wars 2 Legitimises F2P Gaming
The timing for Guild Wars 2 near the end of 2012's summer could not have been better; it had just been announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic was to have a free-to-play option which, as most MMO players know, is usually the death knell for any subscription-based MMO game. Just as one begins to be crumbling to its knees, up springs another, with Guild Wars 2 not just boasting superb graphics, a great story and a unique, interesting take on the MMO experience, but guess what, it's free-to-play right out of the box, just like its predecessor. You pay the £35-or-so for the game and then you're set; there are no shoddy pay-walls that put you at a disadvantage to any player, and it really means that you truly get what you pay for. Up until now, F2P gaming has been typically associated with mediocre games that don't have the budget to compete with the big players in the MMO ring, but Guild Wars proves that it is possible to make a F2P game that's also a stunning achievement in its own right, bursting with imagination and fantastic to look at too.