GameZNet MMORPG Editorial

GameZNet has posted up an editorial that talks about the “Hack and Slash” nature of many of today’s MMORPGs and offers alternative ways to make the games more enjoyable. In addition, they also mention games like Neverwinter Nights and Dungeon Siege, talking about how they offer some pen and paper RPG elements that MMORPGs cannot. Here’s a snippet:

I think that most people who come from a pen and paper background would agree that the module based approach to those games was more interesting than the level quest of the MMORPG. The interesting quests and storylines kept the games going. Yes, we leveled, but we were constantly thrust in to a problematic situation that we had to solve. The resolution did not always require combat. When it did there were usually options and different ways to reach the outcome. In the next year two interesting titles by the names of Neverwinter Nights and Dungeon Siege will attempt to recreate the fun of the pen and paper titles. I have no doubt that both titles will be large scale successes. I also feel that they will fail to reproduce the social aspect of the MMORPG.