So rather than expend my precious energies on ferreting out quality games from the 360's past, what was I doing anyway? Well, most of my time in the last two weeks has been eaten up by two games that have nothing to do with the 360, but probably ought to: Hellgate: London and Tabula Rasa.
Before you freak out with ire and enmity, allow me to placate you by stating that I didn't betray my beloved 360 and play these games by choice. Remember what I do for a living? Yeah, well, sometimes I have to do unsavory things (like play PC games) in order to earn my salary. I'm not proud of it, but that's the way things are.
In any case, the reason that I want to talk about these two games is that I think that they both would be profoundly excellent additions to the burgeoning 360 library. I don't even think they'd be that hard to port over to the 360 because both Hellgate and Tabula Rasa are predominantly focused on action rather than traditional RPG gameplay. While the 360 might not be able to match the graphics of a well-tuned, up-to-date PC (do those even exist for more than three minutes these days?), I think we console gamers would be willing to put up with a bit of a downgrade in order to play the one type of game that the 360 has woefully lacked: the MMO.
Okay, okay... so we've got Final Fantasy XI and Phantasy Star Universe, but (and this is totally my personal opinion here) those games suck. I don't want to hurt any feelings, because I know that both of those games have seriously devoted followings, but I just can't stand either of those games for a variety of reasons. Final Fantasy XI is paralytically difficult and boasts not a learning curve as much as a learning fjord (requiring expensive climbing equipment to conquer). Also, FFXI features the most crotch-punching initiated by small bunnies that I have ever seen anywhere, and it's a well-known fact that the best way to make a man feel completely emasculated is to have a bunny punch his digital avatar in the genitals... over and over and over and over again.
Phantasy Star Universe is just a long string of repetitive instanced missions that require you to party up in order to complete them. The worst part is that the instances aren't even that imaginative in the first place and yet you still have to run them ad nauseum in order to progress. Come to think of it, it's a bit like Hellgate in that respect (ZING!).
The point is that both Hellgate and Tabula Rasa eschew most of what we've come to know as traditional MMO design in order to provide sleeker gaming packages. Both games focus heavily on ranged combat (unless you play a melee class, which functions extremely similarly to the ranged classes except that you are closer to your target) and the style that they use seems perfect for the 360. See, both games focus on having your most frequently used skills (namely, your attacks) mapped to the left and right mouse buttons... I don't have to draw you a map for you to be able to see what a superb stand-in the 360 controller's triggers would be.
Granted, inventory management would be a hassle for both games, but both games also include some innovative implementations of radial menus which are perfect for console analog sticks. Either way, I'd gladly just deal with it if it meant that I could play these games on my 360 with my expansive friends list (and earn those ever-important Achievements).
