The Sadness of an RPG Fan

[Scrivener]

Looking at the list of upcomming RPGs I can't help but feel a deep kind of sadness. Whenever I hear a promising idea for a new world to explore, my hopes are pretty much always dashed to pieces by one god-damned acronym - MMOG.

The problem is that these things really aren't RPGs - they have little to nothing in common with their classic singleplayer forebears (With the possible exception of Asheron's Call). Where is the storytelling - the backstabbing - the plot twists - the memorable characters?

No, these games take the grand wonderful worlds from games like Ultima, Elder Scrolls, and Might and Magic - and they couple them with the mindnumbing monotonous treasure-hording, level-treadmilling, and chat-room-trolling present in mass-market consumer trash like AOL, Diablo, and the worst D&D groups.

Where have all the RPGs gone?

Answer: Germany, Russia, and the Czech Republic.

Yup. Virtually every single player RPG experience of the last 5 years has come out of these three countries. Many of which have never made it to US shores and some have not even been translated to english.

Sure we got Morrowind, but to longtime Elder Scrolls fans it was an unfinished half-baked product. IMO, Gothic and Arx Fatalis were both shining examples on what Morrowind SHOULD have been - and wasn't.

The list of upcomming MMORPGs grows larger by the day. What I find frustrating is that there simply isn't a market there to support them all. So many great ideas never see the light of day - and those that do are never fully realized in the MMO format. Take a look at Cyan's failed Uru experiment... all that hard work can be saved - adapt it into a single player title.

I think every single player game can be made better by the inclusion of a basic cooperative mode. You can have all the story, character, and plot development found in a well-written single player experience - and you can play with your friends - for free.

This is a plea to all you developers out there - we don't need any more MMORPGs. If you desperately desire a stable income, then make a game good enough to warrant multiple expansions. It worked with the Sims - it can work for you.

For those of you who feel as I do and desire a great single player experience here is a small list of games to keep your eyes on:

1) Gothic 3

2) Goldenland

3) Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (DO IT RIGHT THIS TIME GODDAMMIT!)

4) Knights of the Old Republic 2

5) The Fall

6) Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines

7) STALKER (Maybe)

[Hatred]

I cant wate for Gothic 3 *rubs hands togather* I played the Morrowind and all the expansions and I dont think I will try the next one even though I Realy liked the vampires bit that was nice for us Vampire fans

[LostInSpace]

Yeah, I can't wait for Gothic 3 either. Played the first one when it was considered an underdog. The second one rocked. Third one can only be better.

[Soback]

Yeah, Gothic 2 is like Morrowind on double steroids. They say you can do pretty much everything in Morrowind, well in Gothic it's tripple that. Personally though, I can't wait till Vampires Bloodlines. The first one was alright, but too linear, I hope they don't screw this one up. The ultimate would be something along the lines of merging Vampires and Gothic 2.

[Guest rtoolooze]

O my goodness Scrivener, you mean you actually forgot to put Dungeon Lords in your list?

[Guest Hellbinder[CE]]

If you want great RPG's you have to go to Consoles. Those are the real strong character driven games. PC RPG's may have more widgets but they cant match the depth character driven stories found in Console RPG's..

Example.. The best RPG I have ever played is "Skies of Arcadia" on dreamcast. Just freaking awesome.

The game you are looking for is "Fable" which is comming out on Xbox in two days. Made by Peter Molyneux.

Check it out...

http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/775/Fable/p1