Das kann doch nicht sein!
Darklands has fantasy elements like dragons and alchemy. Just because it's things that people back then thought existed (which is much different than things that actually existed), it doesn't become less so.
edited 15th May '11 5:50:46 AM by Nyarly
People aren't as awful as the internet makes them out to be.
A quick spin through MobyGames' Game Browser for “Detective/Mystery,” “Historical Battle (specific/exact),” “Martial Arts,” “Spy / Espionage,” and “Stealth” mundane RPGs produces the following:
- Xenus II: White Gold
- The Bouncer (some fantastic elements, I think, a bit light on the RPG side)
- Shenmue (some fantastic elements)
- Xiao Ao Jiang Hu (historical)
- Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (historical, of course)
- Destiny of an Emperor (historical)
- Jeanne d'Arc (historical, tons of fantasy elements)
- Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! (rather board game-ish)
- Yakata: Nightmare Project
Hmm… Pretty weak looking. Off the top of my head, another game somewhat like a fusion of Alpha Protocol and Assassin's Creed called The Outsider is under Development Hell by one of the guys behind Elite, speaking of which, I strongly suspect that the AC series is eventually going to hit the present day.
What I'd really like is a ToEE or Baldur's Gate-like noir or western RPG.
edited 15th May '11 7:25:14 AM by EricDVH
Forum Villain
All you need to know.
"Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person that doesn't get it."
The Final ECW Champion
Whenever someone makes a post like this, tropers will always spew out tons of obscure titles. What about Marvel Ultimate Alliance and X-men Legends?
As for non alternate history setting, lots of non RP games take place in other worlds or alternate histories. How many platform games take place in the real world again? How many real time strategies are about altering the past? How many first person shooters are set in space or a some unrecognizable future?
Modified Ura-nage, Torture Rack
I can't really count Super-hero games as "real world" in the sense I think the OP wanted.
Bigfoot Puncher
Yeah. Even The Other Wiki defines role-playing games as taking place "in a fictional setting."
I suppose genres such as shooters and strategy games fit better into modern Real Life (yeah, I meant no fantastical elements whatsoever) or historical settings than role-playing games.
A fistful of me.
The Final ECW Champion
So what exactly makes Earthbound/Mother or Digital Devil/Persona more real world than a setting with super heroes? They all have fictional attachments to the settings, but they still name real world locations, reference real people and the like.
What, if you weren't so strict as to not allow alternate histories, then Fallout would count too. But you don't hold other genre to such standard. You should know that the soldiers of the 19th and 20th century did not have checkpoints to respawn at or holographic images to stand on to get new weapons, nor could they mend wounds by picking up health packs or using rations, as the Call Of Duty games would have you believe. Its an alternate history in everything but name.
Modified Ura-nage, Torture Rack
Bigfoot Puncher
Gameplay and Story Segregation.
A fistful of me.
Oops, I forgot - Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, too. Although it's about vampires, it's set in the present day.