The Daily Grind: Games that should be MMOs?

by Lesley Smith Jun 12th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, The Daily Grind

We all have a list of favourite games which we think should be MMOs. My first real exposure to RPGs was The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I absolutely love this game and it's top of my list of titles (or in this case a franchise) which needs to be turned into an MMO ASAP. Logically (and as a games journalist) I know it's not that simple. I've interviewed several folks at Bethesda over the years and I know that their vision of The Elder Scrolls wouldn't translate too well to a Massively Multiplayer Online game.

But that aside, I'm pretty sure most gamers are stoked that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is being reinvented as an MMO. I want to know, if graphics, dev wishes and game mechanics weren't an issue, what games would you like to see become an MMO and why?

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, mmo, mmos, star-wars, star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic, star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic-mmo, star-wars-the-old-republic, the-elder-scrolls, the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Klemzo said on 9:15AM 6-12-2009

I would absolutely want Oblivion to turn into the MMO because of such great graphics and mechanizem but since I know that will probably never happen there is Mortal Online for me :)

Otherwise I would like bunch of games to be MMO. Like I dunno maybe MMO Pokemons of some sort and FF of some sort and Megaman of some sort and I would really like a mage game to be made like an Avencast....

Achilles said on 9:17AM 6-12-2009

An FF?

You mean like the FF MMO thats been on the market for 7 years or the new FF they have just announced?

:eye roll:

detached said on 8:27AM 6-12-2009

Shadowrun imo

DrunkenPandaren said on 5:36PM 6-12-2009

Listen to this man.

Poxus said on 8:28AM 6-12-2009

Well not so much a game (although there was a really bad attempt) but the Dragonlance book series.

Why these have never made it to the MMO industry I will never know.

Game wise...Diablo, Starcraft of course...

Ultima series..just better..

Alethos said on 9:23AM 6-12-2009

Did you just call Champions of Krynn bad?

And there was a Forgotten Realms MMO (kind of). It was called Neverwinter Nights, based on the same Gold Box platform, and it was accessible only through AOL.

Aganazer said on 8:32AM 6-12-2009

I am trying really hard to justify and envision X-Com as an MMOG. Each player gets a squad and a ship can shoot down aliens. Your guild gets a base. There's just gotta be a million dollar idea in there somewhere. :P

BookhouseBoy said on 8:40AM 6-12-2009

Oblivion was your first exposure to role-playing games ? Huh ?

Thrush said on 8:55AM 6-12-2009

Yeah how old are you? My first RPG was Dragon Warrior. At least go back and play Final Fantasy 7.

Achilles said on 9:03AM 6-12-2009

I must say I noticed that as well. Oblivion was released in 2006... Only 3 years experience in RPG gaming, does this mean even less in MMO's?

I guess the days are gone when a consumer can expect a journalist to have a wealth of experience...

Just a thought...

Wensbane said on 9:42AM 6-12-2009

That certainly explains a lot...

The Platypus said on 8:57AM 6-12-2009

Mass Effect. Yeah, I know, the gameworld was a little "generic science fiction universe" but with a little depth, it could be a fun place to play around in. Plus, the combat reminded me a little of Tabula Rasa and I kinda miss TR.

Pedro said on 10:29AM 6-12-2009

This. When i played Mass Effect i thought that this setting had an enormous potential for an MMO and for an RTS game a la Sins of a Solar empire.
But i can already imagine the plague of Asari players to check pixelated bewbs.
Oh, but it should have less dialogue.

Specter said on 11:16AM 6-12-2009

Uplink.

Wieland said on 9:07AM 6-12-2009

Battletech, because a Mech MMO is what we need.
Shadowrun, but rigging and the matrix would probably be hard to implement.
The Dark Eye, large and diversive fantasy world.

Kdolo said on 9:54AM 6-12-2009

This.

Alethos said on 9:17AM 6-12-2009

Granted, it is odd that there hasn't been an MMO set in Toril or Krynn. Maybe those worlds are too encumbered by a boatload of writers' royalty contracts or something.

But, here's what I'd like to see:

Battletech/Mechwarrior.

Set in the battle for the Inner Sphere. (Save the clan invasion for an x-pac.) With ground combat (suited infantry and mechs) air combat (LAMs and aircraft) and space combat (fighters, warships, dropships). Fairly realistic cockpits and weapons, take the combat systems directly from battletech and adapt the character advancement and skill systems from mechwarrior. Include a dynamic world like the one in EVE, such that planets can be taken and lost by various player guilds (mercenary companies) in service to the major powers.

The groundwork was laid in multiplayer Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries. But the all the FASA IP is locked up in some kind of legal limbo last I heard.

A really well done and realistic persistent modern war MMO featuring RvR would work too. Maybe a civil war set in an island archipelago. Modeled after multiplayer wargames, but with more of a 'sim' feel to it (i.e. more like [OFP/ArmA + Falcon 4 + Silent Hunter] than [Battlefield + Battlestations].)

re: Shadowrun -- would need to be first edition not to suck. And, again, FASA IP is problematic. Plus, I'm not sure how excited devs would be to have to design two game worlds in parallel--the "real world" and the matrix--especially when only one class can access the matrix (deckers.)

I once would have called for a World of Darkness MMO. But White Wolf has completely destroyed the integrity of their games. The new versions are just terribad.

Alethos said on 9:28AM 6-12-2009

Meant to throw in this link to the old NWN at the top of the post (mentioned way above):

http://www.bladekeep.com/nwn/index2.htm

So, to clarify, it's odd that we don't have an MMO set in Krynn or Toril *today*. The demise of classic NWN is still something of a mystery--TSR/SSI were negotiating with AOL to expand it--but it was certainly in the Forgotten Realms and it held 500 players when it was cancelled. (Original capacity was 200.)