I think a really refreshing experience in a world of complex MMORPG's would be an insanely simple mmo game like TicTacToe ( but obviously a game that you could have handicaps ( for level difference ) ). I think an old arcade game would be funny, like snake or frogger engineered for massively online play would be quite cool. what do you think? *prepares to be stoned to death*

Sounds superficially promising. Enough to make me think about it for a few minutes. And I had a thought that might give you something to think about. Unless you devise a clever method (that might be dependent upon which game you're mmo-ing), turn-based games are probably out. Turn based games depend on the fact that everyone gets an equal number of turns, and that you can't go before everyone else has gone (unless turn sequence is randomized each turn, an option I've only seen in the Warlords games myself). But this is hard to manage when you have hundreds of people all in the same world. You could have some sort of system where turns are sequenced based on one's nearness to other players, but it still sounds difficult.

Simple real-time games do sound like something worth experimenting with, though. But I don't have too many positive comments on that. All I got is just the warning of a limitation above. Might be insightful, though.

I suddenly had the vision of 50,000 people playing Snake on a giant playing field.

It reminds me of the Refrigerator Magnets flash games.

i was thinking about zelda aswell :P but a flash game :/ why?

had a look at ice climbers: looks quite cool

battle toads: i dont really get it...

i played a java tron game and it was fun but i dont know how the player could advance.

[edit]

the mmo zelda is cool but i think there would be problems with real time fighting when it gets laggy ;(

There was a thread about an MMO version river City Ransom. I suppose the Battletoads MMO would be about the same.

But my thought is why not have all these games in game? I mean, take the general principal and gameplay and form them all to one theme.

Say you're a guy and you'r leveling up etc. At one point, you have to get somewhere, and the only way to do it would be to cross this street, like frogger. You get to the other side and something happens where you have to play a game like Battletoads. You know, mix it up. Have a huge world thats blocked off into sectors, and your quests would be to go to different sectors and do something in them. That sort of thing.
humm.. hope this makes sense. i see it so clearly in my mind.

yeah, THAT would be extremely funny...