Coming Attractions: MMOs & RPGs
Taking 2009 to another level.
This week we've already guided you through the coming year's hot picks for Indie and Esoterica and Sports and Music games. Still to come are Fighting, Strategy, Action, Adventure, Shooters and Racing. But today we're looking at two sectors with the same dice-rolling roots that are heading in more than two different directions in 2009 - role-playing games (RPGs), and massively multiplayer online games (MMOs).
RPGs
You could argue, without much difficulty, that the role-playing game has never been more influential. RPGs' core of customisation and character-building now informs everything from sports games to deathmatch shooters, hybridisation abounds, and Fallout 3 and Fable II stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the biggest and bravest blockbusters of 2008. Yet RPGs' heartlands are under threat; Japanese console RPGs suffer from a lacklustre run of form and dwindling home audience, while their Western PC cousins are cannibalised by the massively multiplayer monster. 2009 is all about reclaiming home turf for role-players.
Star Attraction
Final Fantasy XIII
On: PS3, 360 / Developer: Square Enix / Publisher: Square Enix / Release: 2009 (Japan)
The chances of a US or European release in 2009 are relatively slim, but Final Fantasy XIII still towers over this year's turbulent RPG landscape. In the eyes of many, this is the only game that can save the JRPG from stagnant marginalisation. Of course, its radical and brilliant predecessor already made a persuasive case for how to do that back in 2006, but nobody listened.

Anxious to tread carefully between the stifling traditionalism of FFX and FFXII's daring departures, Squenix is playing its cards close to its chest. We know that combat will retreat from real-time back into the traditional Active Time Battle, but still be more fast-paced and flashy. We know that the setting leans towards the futuristic third of Final Fantasy's stylistic triptych of sci-fi, steampunk and high fantasy. We know that it will be nothing short of immense - a grand-standing Japanese super-game of the sort only Metal Gear could muster in 2008.
Until we see the game running - it's due to surface in a playable demo in March - Final Fantasy's defection to Xbox will remain the talking point. But there's so much more going on here, not least two whole other games, action-RPG variations Agito XIII for PSP, and Versus XIII for PS3. There's no doubt that this is 2009's biggest, most exciting, most heart-in-mouth roll of the dice.
Supporting Cast (in alphabetical order)
Borderlands
On: 360, PC, PS3 / Developer: Gearbox / Publisher: 2K Games / Release: 2009
Surprise surprise, it's shooter everymen Gearbox who propose the most complete synthesis of FPS and RPG since Deus Ex. Dusty and fusty its post-apocalypse may look, but the online co-op's more complete than Fable II's - and half a million procedurally-generated guns must be the loot table to end them all. A trigger-happy Diablo?

Dragon Age: Origins
On: PC, 360, PS3 / Developer: BioWare / Publisher: EA / Release: "early" 2009 (PC), "late" 2009 (consoles)
BioWare fans recently discomfited by space, Sonic and the prospect of other people can draw deep draughts of comfort from Dragon Age's handsome revivalism. It might not bear the Baldur's Gate name, but this is straight from the D&D old school and proud of it. Choose your own adventure - as long as it's epic enough to trump Tolkien.
Dragon Quest IX
On: DS / Developer: Level 5 / Publisher: Square Enix / Release: March 28th (Japan)
All butter-wouldn't-melt bucolic charm, this is the quieter half of Square Enix's twin franchise attack. But it's also on the world's most popular games machine, and stands a good chance of being out here in time for Christmas. The PS2 predecessor lovingly restored JRPG traditionalism in our hearts, and this year we get to carry it with us.
The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf
On: 360, PS3 / Developer: CD Projekt / Publisher: Atari / Release: Autumn
Strange as it may seem to highlight a platform port, this transposition of the Polish low-fantasy yarn from PC to console looks like it might be the glorious culmination of the one of the longest, most ardent labours of love in RPGs. Pared-down and polished, the strong story will breathe easier and the combat flow faster than before.
Other Players
Yet more DS Dragon Quest, with remakes of V and VI; Puzzle Quest returns to eat the future in Galactrix; SEGA and Obsidian try the spy-RPG in Alpha Protocol on 360 and PS3 this spring; Level-5 summon medieval mechs on PS3 with White Knight Story; SEGA tries valiantly to hold back Monster Hunter with DS Phantasy Star Zero and PSP Phantasy Star Portable; the impenetrable PlayStation cults of Persona 4 and Disgaea 3 come to Europe at last; new Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for both Wii and DS; console versions of Sacred 2 are a poor substitute for Diablo III coming out; last but definitely not least, a new Mario & Luigi RPG for DS.
MMOs
With this section, the problem wasn't defining it - it was pinning down which games might actually get released. Epic development cycles and earning potential measured in years rather than weeks make MMO scheduling a dark art. Some of our selections could easily slip to next year, and 2010 is where the action really is, as heavyweight licences arrive to slug it out for subs. Star Trek Online, DC Universe Online, LEGO Universe and Star Wars: The Old Republic are all at least that far off, as are dark horse Guild Wars 2 and the next WOW expansion. Instead, 2009 is all about diversification in MMOs. After several fantasy epics threw themselves fruitlessly at the granite cliffs of World of Warcraft's dominance last year, MMO developers are going everywhere but there.
Star Attraction
All Points Bulletin
On: PC, 360, maybe PS3 / Developer: Realtime Worlds / Publisher: TBC / Release: 2009
Realtime Worlds doesn't talk about APB much - and rumours persist that's because it's trying to sell it to Rockstar as GTA Online. But we're told development is further along than we might think, and if anything holds the game up, it will probably be business. APB is a hot, hot property, and after buying out early partners Webzen, Realtime must have suitors queuing round the block.

This is what those suitors want: a medium-scale multiplayer game of cops and robbers with incredible depth and breadth of customisation, the Crackdown developer's way with urban landscapes and tactile action, and GTA creator Dave Jones' vision of the collision point between the single-player sandbox and the multiplayer play-pen.
And a free-form fracas with proper vehicle physics, and zero level grind, and car radios powered by last.fm, and video capture, and dynamic missions for variable team sizes, and user-generated content, and an easy transition to console and the ability to arrest other players. And, frankly, an MMO with some sense of cool.
Supporting Cast (in alphabetical order)
The Agency
On: PC, PS3 / Developer: Sony Online Entertainment Seattle / Publisher: SOE / Release: We really, really hope so
This slick, tongue-in-cheek squad shooter in a massively multiplayer frame has half the smartest ideas in online gaming right now, arch spy style in buckets, and a more structured mission and story arc than APB. If it's wrong to think that The Agency will see the inside of this decade, then we don't want to be right.

Champions Online
On: PC, 360 / Developer: Cryptic Studios / Publisher: Atari / Release: first half of 2009
At last, a hard-and-fast prospect for a release this year - and for an MMO on a console. Cryptic's spandex MMO is uncomfortably sandwiched between estranged father City of Heroes and copycat twin DC Universe, but it has the richest-looking world of the three - a very important asset in MMOs - and the all-important foothold on 360. Underestimate at your peril.
Free Realms
On: PC, PS3 / Developer: Sony Online Entertainment San Diego / Publisher: SOE / Release: 2009
SOE will sound the death knell for the wild-west days of free-to-play MMOs with this calculatingly clever, frighteningly polished family-friendly meta-romp - and thank God, frankly. Huge dollops of WOW, Disney, Nintendogs, Diablo, Magic the Gathering and PopCap have been ladled into this all-ages, all-persuasions MMO stew, and for the asking price of nothing, the world will be powerless to resist. Including us.
Jumpgate Evolution
On: PC / Developer: NetDevil / Publisher: Codemasters Online Gaming / Release: first half of 2009
We predict this massively multiplayer space dogfighter - EVE with a short attention span and itchy trigger-finger - will take us all by surprise this year. In terms of budget it's a small game, but it should easily expand to fill a gaping gap in the market that goes beyond MMOs - there just aren't enough opportunities to sit in the cockpit of a space fighter and shoot stuff these days.
Other Players
NCsoft makes another arduous trek from east to west with the sumptuous Aion: Tower of Eternity; old-school PVP nightmare Darkfall kills you dead and loots all your equipment; the rise and rise of EVE Online continues with a reissue, big expansion and maybe even Walking In Stations; Earthrise and Global Agenda do the future-dystopia PVP thing; Stargate fans pray that Stargate Worlds developer Cheyenne can survive the crunch; tidy indie MMO Chronicles of Spellborn comes to the US and UK; Runes of Magic survives the free-to-play cull; MMOs go sports casual in Empire of Sports and Football Superstars; pigs take flight as MMOFPS Huxley is released; Dofus gets a reboot and an unconventional sequel, Wakfu; and LOTRO and Age of Conan will try to squeeze expansions out before Blizzard's hype machine rolls too far out of the hangar.
Join us again tomorrow so we can punch you in the face thoughtfully.
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Comments (69) Latest comment 3 years ago
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BTW what about alpha protocol (spy RPG ain't it?) and ME 2?
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Versus XIII may come out in 2010 if SE finish it in time and Agito XIII cannot be released until Versus is out.
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For me personally Champions is the highlight of the year. I am a CoX fan
APB is the joker in my list.
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Too fucking right.
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Disgaea 3 gets a mention in as an "other player" in RPGs.
Apologies for any other omissions.
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Famitsu disagree already.
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Hear hear. Out of desperation i bought Freespace 2 on GoG.com a month ago. I've been having wet dreams about space sims reimagined in current-gen technology ever since.
Also,
Mass Effect 2?
Although this omission is probably because the game hasn't even been oficially confirmed yet.
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You mean the same Famitsu that gave Nintendogs a perfect score? lol. Famitsu doesn't know how to review a game.
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You can also go and read the fairly lukewarm reception for it on NeoGAF as well if you want to.
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Didn't Famitsu also love Haze?
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That's a pretty harsh view of JRPG's. They still pull in serious business, and as has been said, SquareEnix have tried to diversify from the old mould. The problem is, the mould wasn't broken - the old FF games demonstrate that it's as good now as it has ever been. FFX was just a bit overkill and complex, FFX-2 tried to go back but the cast and script were just awful, and FFXII - well, I loved FFXII but it was a radical departure from established rules and conventions and even though I thought it was a very well planned out system, FF purists hated it (and did hate it, we had plenty of hate on that system if I remember).
That's not to say the ATB system we know and love isn't due a little sweet romance though. Other games have been doing this for years, just tweaking the system. Obviously the most notable of these is Shadow Hearts and its Judgement Ring system, which is probably the more successful mutation. So it can be done, and indeed, should be done.
JRPG's have been trying to evolve away from ATB's, which is fine as we all need variety and to experiment. But it wasn't broken, and we can see some attempts to get away from it have actually ended up being pretty disasterous. So why exactly run away from a convention that has been proven to work? For the sake of being different? We can see how well that has worked for some...
In short, we CAN live with ATB. I'm sure SE have tricks up their sleeves to make this ATB system something really rather special and bring it bang up to date. Sometimes, to move a genre forwards, you have to take a step or two backwards...
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Seriously geared up for The Agency as well, though I think that's another 2010 offering unfortunately...
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Better start winding down my real life.
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@Kami
Agreed. As one of the genre's unsung heroes, Shadow Hearts is often conveniently overlooked when people harp on about the ATB system being stale and tired. Look at Lost Odyssey and even Last Remnant, it's quite clear that the Square Enix's and Feelplus' of this world are making moves to breathe new life into the system and I fully expect FFXIII and the other titles associated with it to deliver in this area.
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Also why no word on Star Ocean: The last hope? And disgaea 2 is coming to the PSP as well although not sure if that will make here to the eu for 2009
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It feels like, if you're going to write a piece like this, please do some research outside the Guitar Hero press releases. Or don't bother at all, that's fine too. But regurgitating the most hyped titles for the hundredth time gets old.
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White Chronicles is doing extremely well and is looking like great fun!
Aion: Tower of Eternity will by MMORPG of '09
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Despite the technical difficulties, Ive played TLR more than Fable 2, Gears Of War 2 and Fallout 3 combined. I'm on my 2nd playthrough right now.
It may have only sold a half million in NA and definitely has to be installed to the 360 hard drive but this game and Tales Of Vesperia have sated my JRPG addiction in 2008.
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FFX on the other hand was an absolute genre masterclass, it had everything that FFXII didn't: Story, music, battles etc
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Still, I enjoyed it. I still play RPG's, I have a few on the go, old ones and new. But I do like ATB, and I'm not at all sad that FFXIII is going back to it... as good as FFXII's system was, I think we'll likely see that again in a future SE MMO rather than a single-player experience.
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WHAT?! Stupid. Plain stupid. Why bother reinventing the wheel only to go back to riding dinosaurs.
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I can't wait for APB!
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Umm, question marks at the end of a question?
And as an answer, maybe because it's more fun? These are games. They're meant to be fun. It's fine to reinvent the wheel but plenty have made such hashes of doing it - SE included in that sweeping comment - that sometimes you're better off with the dinosaurs.
Plus ATB was never actually broken, it's just lots of developers were inching away from it. Why can we not have a world where ATB and Freeform live in harmony amongst all the other fluffy creations off the gaming universe, and skip merrilly with the bunnies? I never understand this ATB hate. It's like Halo hate. Or Nintendo hate. Why not? They do the job as well as anyone else, in some cases better maybe, is that the problem?
I don't want to go backwards too much. But let's face it. Fighting games haven't changed much in close to 20 years. RPG's, at heart, haven't. FPS are still FPS. So why begrudge a working, solid system like ATB its rightful place in the pantheon of gaming? If anyone can romance ATB for the 21st Century, I can't think of better hands than SquareEnix anyway.
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"I don't want to go backwards too much. But let's face it. Fighting games haven't changed much in close to 20 years. RPG's, at heart, haven't. FPS are still FPS. So why begrudge a working, solid system like ATB its rightful place in the pantheon of gaming? If anyone can romance ATB for the 21st Century, I can't think of better hands than SquareEnix anyway."
Why on earth have you been putting up Active Time Battle as a representative battle system for most RPGs? Outside of Final Fantasy, it's hardly ever used. Of course, Square Enix would be the best to do it, they're the ones who invented it and make 90% of the games that use it.
Also, a gauge that has been described as looking similar to the ATB one has been seen and described, but nobody knows if its function is quite the same anymore, so saying FFIII is going back to ATB is a little premature.
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@ronuds
The Last Remnant hasn't been released in Europe or on the PS3 yet so it can be classified as a 2009 release
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Yeah, that one's late. Not the most interesting of things to read about, late games...
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Erm, unless I am blind, it is not mentioned at all. Probably because a 2009 release is rather unlikely.
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Odd, i bought it for the 360 in my local video store the other day
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Yeah, that one's late. Not the most interesting of things to read about, late games..."
GOTY more like. And probably the last good PS2 game.
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hmmm....I guess "the other day" is 2008
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Yeah, that one's late. Not the most interesting of things to read about, late games..."
GOTY more like. And probably the last good PS2 game."
Should have been in the supporting cast, not a tiny line in the other games. P4 is garnering rave reviews already. I would even put it in the starring role seeing as FFXIII is still not certain for a European release this side of the decade...
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"Yeah, that one's late. Not the most interesting of things to read about, late games..."
It was only released last month in America, and going buy usual PAL-version release date differences it's hardly late. March 13th in anycase for Europe I think.
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Jumpgate is in my interested list, been dying for a good space shooter since Freespace 2 and it seems the first Jumpgate was good.
Champions Online I'll keep an eye on seeing how popular the City Of.. games were with players.
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Rest assured that if I get my way, it will be voted the top game in every genre for Coming Attractions 2010. Including sports and music.
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Yet you list it under other players below all these total no-name mmorpg, and as if that was not enough, you mock it with the tag-line: old-school PVP nightmare Darkfall kills you dead and loots all your equipment.
What a bunch of clueless mouthbreathers...
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