I'm marking my territory here folks because that what I do.
Turns on old man rant
In all my years there has never been a time . . .
Turns off old man rant
wth such a dearth of RPGs both on the shelf and forthcoming. A lot of this can be explained due to the fact that many designers are putting their energies into MMOG and the bulk of designers that are left are putting their energies into action RPGs. A small percentage of them are placing their efforts into some kind of mixed genre game like strategy RPG.
There are some iso and overhead RPGs due out but what about my favorite 3rd person and 1st person RPGs?. The last regular First Person Morrowind. The last regular 3rd person RPGs were KOTOR (really an action RPG in my book) and Gothic 2. All these games are over a year old and fortunately they can be found on most shelfs. But a year old?. KOTOR 2 is supposed due out in December. Morrowind 2 is due out probably in 2006 and Gothic 3 has recently been announced to come out in late 2005.
That is a long time to wait. Many reports are starting to come in that 2004 is to be a banner year for PC gaming purchases and yet my favorite genre (1st and 3rd person RPGs) seem to be totally missing in this supposedly banner year.
As it stands now, I am so hungry for my type of game, when Morrowind and Gothic come out again they will be purchased regardless of they hype. I see no other first person RPG forthcoming)
(insert smilie of yellow guy with hands over eyes searching the horizon)
I already fessed up that I messed up and said October may not be RPG month but I will revisit this again on November 1.
I forgot about Dungeon Lords and Vampire. Okay so ya got me, thats a big 2 more ya get to add to the list of upcoming games. Well to paraphrase the great Chris Farley: "Whoopdefriggindoo"
And Morrowind 2 vs ElderScrolls 4. Listen punk if I want to be exact I'll get a ruler or (insert snappy come back at a futue date). So there . . .
The stratagy guys and first person shooter guys are in gamers heaven. (Rome, Dawn, Doom, Half) But what about us RPG guys (or gals)? Come on people I need a shoulder to cry on. Can an RPGer get a little sympathy.
Hrmmmm.... not a matter of exactitude. That wasn't my point. But calling Oblivion "Morrowind 2" kinda negates the entire existence of Daggerfall, which was a pretty decent 1st-person RPG, if you could get past the combat controls.
Alefroth wrote:Don't have a date, but Arx Fatalis 2 is in the works. Sorry old man, but I think the days about a year BG was released, were much bleaker for RPG'ers.
Let me learn ya. First off Fallout 2 came out in 1998 and three games to look forward to in 1999 were Planscape Torment, System Shock 2 and Ultima 9. Now, boy, that don't sound like no bleak period to me.
I present to you my RPG backlog:
Anachronox
Blade & Sword
Clans
Deus Ex
Gothic 2
Konung: Legend of the North
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
Odium
Once Upon a Knight
Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor
Summoner
System Shock 2
Wizards & Warriors
I'm good for quite a while, thanks.
See, when I had a job, I had money to spend on games but no time to play them. Then I got laid off and I have time to look for play but no money to buy games.
A mixed blessing, to be sure.
I returned Pools, but all the other games I played and mostly finished.
In your backlog Gothic 2 & Deus Ex are your best, although I did have fun with Wizards and Warriors (most did not however)
I have beyond divinity in my backlog but I just hate some of the design decisons and dobut I will ever go back to it. Probalby when they come out with Sacred Gold I will replay that game with a different character
What about Dragon Age by Bioware and Neverwinter Nights 2 by Obsidian(same people making KOTOR 2)? They are both due out sometime late next year or 2006 and am eagerly awaiting those.
I'm still churning away in NWN with all the community created content(especially the PRC pack which adds hundreds of additional classes and spells). And supposedly, Bioware is working on a "Digital Distribution" project which will allow people to buy smaller adventures and monster packs(made by Bioware) akin to additional adventures or monster appendiums you would buy for pen and paper D&D, which I think is really neat if they ever actually get it finalized.
And Elder Scrolls: Oblivion looks and sounds absolutely mind boggling.
Aren't both Dragon Age and NWN 2 both overhead or iso metric games?
My rant is about the lack of 1st person RPGs or good 3rd person like Gothic. Additionally both of those aforementioned games aren't due out anytime soon.
DA uses a KotOR-like 3rd-person "exploration" mode and switches to an overhead combat view to (attempt to) capture some of Baldur's Gate's tactical party combat.
Back to your original position, I think it's actually the other way around. There's a handful of isometric action-RPGs that have just been released (Sacred, Kult, RA etc) but I think the future is many more 1st or 3rd person RPGs. So, I fear for the isometric fans...and the isometric turn-based fans are in big trouble.
Oh, throw The Witcher and The Roots in for not-too-far-away 3rd-person RPGs. There's also a truck-load of Euro titles that may or may not get finished/distributed (Phase: Exodus, Heart of Eternity, Sabotain bla bla).
Wait a minute, D.A., October IS RPG month, it's just a little different then we imagined; instead of play-sweet-new-games month it's now revisit-amazing-classics month like me and Planescape.
Seriously though, is there anything to look forward to in the tactical party based RPG world ala Baldurs Gate? Please say yes...
OKay Dhruin, the future MAYBE 3rd and 1st but the present is clearly overhead and iso.
I haven't played Planescape but the time is not right for me to start that type of game. But I am serioulsy thinging about restarting Morrowind or Sacred.
The problem for me restarting a game is when I play a game I usually explore everything. Every nook and cranny. I take as many quests as are allowed. So replaying a full game is usually boring.
I agree D.A.,that's why I'll be trying my first MMORPG in World of Warcraft.
I was at a friends house and he was in the stress test for this game,he knows I don't have any interest in previous MMO's,but he showed me around anyway.
I loved everything I saw in this game,exploring,talking to NPC's,getting all kinds of singleplayer type quests,fighting NPC monsters,leveling up at your own pace, all in solo mode.Didn't even feel like a MMOG unless you wanted it to.Didn't want to stop playing,now waiting for the open beta.
Looks like this one will hold me over at least till Oblivion hits.
