Note, this can be a big read, and it is an opinion. Some people will disagree,of course,but this is how I see it. Please don't make this a flame thread. This is my first post, so sorry if there are topics like this.
What is happening with all RPG's in this century? I loved the Baldur's Gate series. You really felt as if you were walking in that world, it was all so fleshed out. When you right-clicked on a weapon, there was a history, and not a small one, no, sometimes a whole page. When you met a new NPC, they told something interesting, they were no clones of each other, but they were just...a person. All those little details, like romances, NPC's hating each other, drawn art when you right-clicked anything in your inventory, and even the main menu. While the graphics were technically not very good, they were so detailed that many found them amazing. The dialoges weren't bad either; you could say what you wanted, because there were many options and many different responses.
I am not talking solely about BG II, because Icewind Dale, Divine Divinty, Might and Magic VII, Planescape: Torment, Fallout, and Wizardry all have this sort of nice toutches.
The spiritual successor to BG II was Neverwinter Nights. Technically, the graphics were better. However, there was almost zero detail. The inventory was horrible, with computer-made drawings of weapons/armor, lacking any detail. In the world, all the corridors and doors seemed the same. And that could be said of most of the game. The plot was a bit far-fetched, and the characters were just clones of each other, with only a few exceptions. The so-called plot-twist was not amazing either; in fact I knew 'She' was bad in the beginning.
Neverwinter Nights is not the only game with these problems. Recent games like Dungeon Lords or Beyond Divinity are plagued with bugs, have no personality and are a complete mess. Yes, Beyond Divinity too. Why make characters 3D? Why make the game completely linear, populated by creepy Imps with voices that are comparable to a car driving over your computer? It is just terrible that games lack immersion, which could be archieved by adding good voice actors.
Morrowind is another story. I like the world and all, but there is almost no interaction with the characters (aka Clones), and the voice-acting is horrible. The combat is a clickfest too, not tactical at all. Though I can understand that people love this game, I just can't seem to like it very much.
The only game that came even close to the sort of RPG's like BGII, is KotOR. Yes, it is a pity it is the Star Wars universe, but the characters where fascinating and the story was amazing. Graphics weren't great, but that doesn't matter; It's gameplay that counts.
Note that I am only talking about RPG's, not some games that call themselves RPG's. Dungeon Siege, Diablo or MMORPG's are nice for a change, but not real RPG's.
The only two games that looks promising at this time for me are Dragon Age, and TES: Oblivion. There is almost no info on DA, but Bioware says they want to make it the best RPG ever made. If Oblivon has all the things they promise, I am a very happy person. It is then better than Morrowind in every way.
So, how do you think RPG's will evolve the next few years?
