If you’re familiar with tabletop roleplaying games, you are probably familiar with the concept of the fantasy heartbreaker. To summarize it very quickly for those who aren’t, it’s a game that is clearly trying to copy Dungeons & Dragons… but usually with one or two really neat ideas that don’t matter, because it’s not going to sell much, because it’s a tiny game trying to copy Dungeons & Dragons.
This is not unfamiliar when it comes to MMOs. The ground is littered with the ashes of games that had a few neat ideas – often many neat ideas – that were hamstrung in some crucial way. Gigantic had fun mechanics and great art, but it was married to a MOBA that wasn’t really a smart sell. Warhammer Online had some fun PvP fights that really worked… and a whole lot of everything else that was a pale, buggy imitation of World of Warcraft. You get the idea. So what was a great idea you saw in an otherwise unsuccessful MMO? A mechanic or element that you would have loved to see in a game that had a better shot of success?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
