Ok, apparently a Fist of the North Star “MMORPG” is about to go into beta. I say “MMORPG” in quotes because it really isn’t anymore a MMO than say, Quake or Unreal Tournament. Sure, gazillions of people can play, but not at the same time in the same universe. I’m beginning to wonder if the game industry even knows what a MMORPG is supposed to be anymore. I have already decided that the mass media has no clue (hell, those guys have even lost sight of what “news” is supposed to be).
For you younger folks, Fist of the North Star is old school manga/anime. You can see some graphics over here and a little more information here.
What is next? Ikea MMO? Ferris Bueller the MMORPG? or maybe “Speed Racer Online” and “One Tree Hill, the super fabulous MMORPG” (totally “next-generation” of course).
Yeah, I died a little inside when I saw this stuff. It seems like the industry is really trying to grasp at straws for “new” content by dregging up old properties. Even the few companies trying to do something original simply end up with chocobo racing omgmmorpgwtf!
I want something really original for a change.
Addendum:
I should clarify that I am bemoaning the lack of original content in the MMO space. The rest of the industry has been doing pretty good…Katamari, Guitar Hero, Portal, etc. etc. Good stuff, good stuff.
Bwahahahahahaaaa…..
I’ll give it at least 2 years before there are ANY changes to the genre.
There has to be more Vanguards first.
Pong, the “MMO” “RPG”.
To clarify, this will be single-player pong, involving no player-player interaction at all, but it will require one to connect to a server to play, and all players’ games will be hosted on the same server, by the same company, under the same overreaching grandiose claims.
I would totally play the Ferris Bueller MMO, if it was a social combat MMO that rewarded preparation, improvisation, and novel uses of resources.
MMO Online, where you play an MMO player. Try and balance virtual school, work, and slow social decay.
See…it all started with DDO and was a downslide from there…
Welcome to mediocrity or purely buggy beta gameplay FTW!!!
Good job Turbine!
re: “MMO Online” – awesome, it reminds me of SimSim of Space Quest days (V, I believe) – the “Simulator” simulator. The description and gamebox art was certainly rofl-worthy.