The really good ones to play (imo) are SWTOR and the original Guild Wars (fun and aproachable, no fee required, though in SWTOR it doesnt hurt). They are games that are a joy to play all the time (in terms of combat system).
I never got all the hate for SWTOR. Its a fun game, but now lacks content cause EA caved in and fired half the team 6 months after release.
FFXIV: ARR is quite good aswell, but i feel the community is very hostile (and lets be honest, its quite grindy aswell). What matters is that the support for the game by the developer/publisher is there and that is why the game is a sucess. Something that EA cant understand with SWTOR. You as a publisher/developer have to prove to your fans you are commited about your game for the long term. Its not the consumers that have to blindly give you money until you decide to unveil new things.
MMO's arent the type of game you sell once and you're done with it. They are labors of love and commitment and presently only Blizzard and Square understand that and its why their games are the two most sucessful at the moment (For example both have multiple expansions already garanteed).
With that said, WoW has lost alot of the spark it once had. They should have announced WoW2 a long time ago. The graphics of the game are just too simple, as are the animations. Its a game from almost 2 generations ago. It needs renewal desperatly.
As for TESO, its an appauling game. It does not do anything especially well and actually its much lower in quality than its single player counterpart (for example houses are mostly empty while in Skyrim and others they are full of life and objects). Wildstar is making one mistake i think they wanted it to be their strength but just tires me out when i look at the game: It looks just like WoW. I dont even feel like giving it a chance, even though the combat system reminds me of Guild Wars and TERA.
TERA is another honorable mention: Great combat system but dumb korean grindy design holds it back. Real shame. If you want to experience something new in an MMO, that is the way to go though.
