Rift vs Ylands
Rift
Rift is one of the world's top 10 most popular MMORPGs even until today. In fact, many would agree that this game can be considered a classic, which will put it on the same level as epic MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, and Runescape.In this game, you'll need to choose a side – either the Guardians or the Defiant – before venturing into the rift-torn world of Telara. The character customization in this game is absolutely brilliant mainly because you can literally mix and match Callings (a.k.a. classes) and the large number of souls (talent trees) to create the perfect “3-soul talent tree” to fit your own play style. Of course, aside from the usual raiding and PvPing, the game even has exciting world- and zone-based Rift events that involve players from the level cap to the newbies, as well as the incredibly fun, sandbox feature - Dimension Building. You'll be truly amazed at the various creative worlds that Rift players have built over the years.
Surprisingly, there isn't as many immersive MMORPGs anymore at this day and age, and at times, we're thankful that games like Rift still exists and is still going strong. If you pride yourself in being a hardcore MMO gamer, then this is definitely one game you mustn't miss out.
Ylands
Ylands is a sandbox adventure game that has a gameplay that's a lot like a massively expanded version of Minecraft with a lot more resources for you to gather, items to craft, and amazing things to build. Instead of being "just a game", Ylands is more like a platform, much like Roblox is, where players are given the tools to create whatever worlds or games they like, be it a fun go-kart racing game that's inspired from Lega Racers or even a watery world where epic pirate-themed naval battles can take place. The worlds are completely interactive as well and every action you do will modify, no matter how slightly, the game environment of that segment of the world you happen to be in. In fact, if you change a terrain and populate it with an entirely different diversity of flora and fauna, you can basically change the climate system there.Unlike Minecraft though, Ylands has opted for a more polygonal appearance which gave it the extra leverage it needed to overcome the painful dismissal and degratory label of being simply a "Minecraft clone" - which admittedly, Ylands is most definitely not. The game has so much going for it and players truly have all the freedom within the game's pretty wide parameters to literally create anything they like. Of course, the game also supports sharing, so you can let other players in Yland enjoy that (for example) crazy maze-running game you've just made!
Ylands is most certainly impressive to say the least. However, due to its indie origins, not many players know about the game, let alone buy it on Steam. So, if you really like Minecraft-like sandbox games, you simply must give this game a try, and if you've had a great time there, be sure to recommend it to your friends or even buy it for them as their Christmas/ birthday gift!