MMOs just aren't cutting it for me. they're simply not deep enough.

sounds crazy doesnt it? its true though. you play an mmo, youve got a 4 animation avatar, only real customization is the various gear you have to grind endlessly to earn, but you dont get any CHOICE in the matter. you cant say "oh i like how this helmet looks with these shoulderpads" because then 15 people will harp on how your GS isnt high enough. you cant interact with anything unless its there specifically for it. the plants growing outside, the trash collecting in the corners, all of these are useless polygons, never to be touched or caressed or collected. understandably so, with thousands of players wlking past, for everyone to interact identically would be a bit tricky, and most mmos sidestep the problem by limiting how interactive the environment really is.

well ive had enough. ive pulled the plug on my online gaming, and im going back to single player games... but whats this? they are limited? so is an mmo, it just takes longer for you to realize it. the modern sandbox rpg is no laughing matter. you can spend hundreds... HUNDREDS of hours in the Capital Wasteland of Fallout 3. You can lose DAYS to the gorgeous vistas of Red Dead Revolver. and especially with the work by bethesda, that environment is loaded with items begging to be interacted with, collected, whatevered. once mmos have Oblivion level environmental detail, ill worry about checking out the next crop of online games. i fell in love with the huge world ready to be explored, not the mindless grind of mmos. im sick of delving through forums and guides to get the best strategy for my character when i know id rather just go look around in the jungle and thats the only reason im really levelling anyways. call me casual, maybe im mellowing out in my old age, but i just want to remember more of my gaming than simply "got xp...levelled up....another raid." i'd rather remember when i set off the nuke in megaton, id rather remember making fun of uriel septim's name even though it was patrick stewart (sir). I'd rather follow around Shephard and the Normandy than watch an inanimate auction house teller.

For me, sandbox rpgs/action games are quickly filling the need for hugely in depth gameplay that i once found solace in mmos. perhaps im not alone, but most likely i am. either way, mmos cant structure a cohesive enough narrative to keep me interested and suspend my disbelief long enough to get a character to level. its the nature of the beast. the answer isnt to have a super in depth mmo, because sandbox mmos (mortal online) again just lack a cenral narrative behind which we can get. I'm sorry, im sick of watching video games fight their way to be respectful and be taken seriously as a real mpastime with redeeming qualities, and any artistry is sacrificed in the name of multiplayer. the single player experience should not be sacrificed in favor of xbox live gold account requirements.