I think it just hit me why I like games like ZZZ and Endfield: they're basically single-player MMOs. (I mean, I think they have multiplayer modes, but bear with me. They're sufficiently optional that I'm not 100% certain whether they exist.) I'm not sure how to explain that further, other than that they have more of an MMO vibe than other open-world games I've played somehow. I dunno, I'm tired. Today was kind of a lot. Maybe I'm just mumbling.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
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Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

No, I get where you're coming from. They do have that feel to them.

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

While I don't know if I'd play either game, I really like the sound of a "single player MMO"- it'd be cool to see a traditional MMO recast that way to use NPCs to fill out your party with the option to replace them with actual friends, should any want to join in.

"This is probably a stupid question, but . . ."

Until (and unless) you get into the raid scene, this is basically Final Fantasy 14.

It is an MMO, but you don't have to play with other people, and most-if-not-all of the dungeons (they keep expanding the list) that typically require Actual Humans can be filled by your trusty NPC sidekicks.

Mostly competently as well!

--sofaspud
--even if Alisaie *is* a dirty limit-break whore

I play 14 currently, and yeah it's pretty nice to have NPCs rather than people, since I'm still uncomfortable on the mechanics. Also it just feels right to go in with story-relevant characters rather than random players.

>--even if Alisaie *is* a dirty limit-break whore

Luckily I main Warrior, so I'm not fighting for the LB bar

"This is probably a stupid question, but . . ."

Take a look at the PS2 games .Hack//IMOQ. (Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine, four parts) They're getting a remake!

Anyway, the conceit of .Hack is that there's this hugely popular (Standard mouse and keyboard) MMO called 'The World' that everybody plays, aaaand there's stuff that I decided not to post because they're kinda spoilers and I can't remember the tags to change the text to white as an ad-hoc spoiler tagging system. Anyway, the games soft-simulate an MMO environment with lots of (mostly scripted) interactions with other 'players' because you're a new player to the "The World" as well.

On the PS2, the four games were released separately as chapters/parts, because there was a lot of stuff they simply couldn't fit on one disc - They even cut the entire real world investigation part out of their design brief because it wasn't possible at the time. That's going into the coming remake! - and each chapter got progressively more difficult because you were meant to import your save from the previous part. Some of the other 'players' changed, they got stronger, stopped playing, new ones joined...it was really neat.