Neverwinternights 2: Best RPG @ E3
Ahem, to you-know-who-you-are, the idea that American RPGs are stagnating is most unlikely. Neverwinternights 2 clinches best RPG at E3, and of the top 5, 3 are PC RPGs, with one from PS2 and Xbox360 respectively.
And, that bit about same old medieval settings etc, you may want to check out Hellgate:London (from the creators of D2), which reads: Hellgate: London is a first-person role-playing game set in postapocalyptic London. Or Bioware’s Sci-Fi RPG Mass Effect (the first of a trilogy) which is described as such:
“In the distant future–the 23rd century to be exact–mankind has started to broaden its horizons through extensive galactic exploration. The relationship between humans and a myriad of other mechanical and organic creatures is shaky at best, so you have to walk on eggshells as you explore the farthest reaches of space in your space cruiser, Normandy.“
Persona 3 (PC) is the only Japanese RPG that merited a mention in the top 5 @ E3, while the last game to round up the 5 is Witcher, a polish game that seems rather intruiging.
Not only that, in New York Time’s listing of the best of E3, three RPGs merited mention, namely Mass Effect, Hellgate: London and Too Human. (On a side note, the only Wii game that got on the list was Madden NFL… not exactly confidence inspiring).
Meanwhile, Gamespy picks Mass Effect for Best RPG.
So, methinks you-know-who-you-are may want to reconsider the argument.
