2004 was widely considered to be one of the best for PC gaming in years, with a number of highly anticipated titles generally hitting the mark. From Rome: Total War to Sims 2, City of Heroes to Half Life 2, 2004 put PC gaming back in the gaming headlines for all the right reasons. Unless, that is, you were a fan of single player cRPGs. Oh, there were a couple of better-than-average action-RPGs and Troika's Vampire: Bloodlines generally hit the right notes - but that was about it.

So, what are the prospects for 2005? Will cRPG fans be forced to replay old classics yet again - or will there finally be something to cheer about? We take a 3-part look at all the anticipated cRPG releases for 2005 (hit the respective links to our database for a comprehensive list of news and links for each game).

A quick disclaimer: while these articles aim to provide a reasonably complete summary, there's going to be some projects we've missed and international releases will vary. All the release dates were taken from the respective official sites or developer interviews but release dates are always fluid: some developments will run late, some won't find a publisher and some may never be released.

Class of 2005

In Part 1, we looked at some of the higher profile cRPGs for 2005; this part covers most of the remaining releases. One element stands out immediately - this collection is dominated by European, East European and Russian developments. Is it time for this group to shine or will they still sputter, a few gems in a crowd of poor translations and mediocre interfaces? Let's take a look at this group, again in rough release order.

MiST land South has become a turn-based strategy specialist, with Paradise Cracked behind them, Power of Law due in January, ALFA Antiterror coming soon and two Jagged Alliance titles supposedly in development. Power of Law is a 3D cyberpunk squad-based strategy game with strong RPG elements, set on Mars in 2170 with the player battling criminal forces. MiST land claims choices made during the game have consequences and will change the story progression and on replaying "there will be other allies, other events going on in the world, even the weapons available will be different".  Varied missions is another feature, ranging from killing a crime boss, to suppressing riots and even large-scale street wars with robots, tanks and other vehicles.  Hopefully MiST land has improved since Paradise Cracked and can deliver on these promises.

Akella had the recent misfortune of one of their publishing partners releasing a 2003 pre-Alpha demo of Metalheart. Akella were quick to point out a long list of improvements and changes and if it all comes together (along with a reasonable translation), Metalheart shows promise. A classic isometric cyberpunk/post-apoc party-based RPG with turn-based combat, Metalheart is aimed squarely at Fallout fans. Starting with two existing main characters (which may turn off the target Fallout fanbase), up to four additional party members can be gathered while exploring the alien world setting.  Originally conceived with 16  character attributes, this has apparently been streamlined to 8, with character advancement primarily achieved through a system of removable bionic implants.

Tannhauser Gate is best known for their MMORPG Mimesis Online, so the move into single-player territory is perhaps a little unconventional. The Roots is an attempt to meld console and western RPG styles, offering an anime-inspired art style, absorbing linear story with strong characters, mini-games and turn-based arena combat (with a few twists thrown in). Two additional party-members from a cast of seven can join lead character Jan and the "multi-threaded" dialogue with a facial expression system that allows NPC to emote is touted as a major feature. The Roots is being developed for Xbox and PC.

After being dropped by CDV in early 2004 it appeared Avalon's Sabotain would disappear but Akella picked up the rights and recently released a demo. A sci-fi 1st person 3D RPG/shooter, Sabotain sports driveable vehicles and a hovercar racing mini-game.

Star Wolves
RPGDot Database Entry
Official Site
Developer: Xbow
Publisher: Excalibur Publishing
Release Date: Mar 2005

UK publisher Excalibur recently picked up Star Wolves from Russian developer Xbow. Star Wolves is a space-based RPG with strong strategy elements, that places the player in control of a small squad of bounty hunters. The game revolves around a small mothership that can house up to six small fighters, along with their pilots. Trailers reveal gameplay that looks inspired by Homeworld with a smaller focus, along with a surprisingly complex character skill system, ship upgrades and character interaction. Space-faring RPGs are a rarity and hopefully Xbow can combine an interesting RPG with compelling combat.

Getica is semi-historical RPG in development in Romania, based on the Dacian (or Getae) empire and myths, from around 1000 - 500 BC. At this point the website has some concept art to show but no in-game images, so it's hard to know how development is proceeding. Don't expect the published release date to be met.

Blood Magic is a 3rd-person 3D RPG, where player characters are always mages, although there are around a dozen different types of specialisation. Described by the developer as "combat intensive", you can choose to play a good or evil role. Multiplayer is a major feature, with several modes including playing through the main storyline or various competitive arena games.

Already released in Germany to generally good reviews, Restricted Area is a 2D isometric action-RPG in a sci-fi cyberpunk setting with some very stylish art. Restricted Area features four different character types that play through an intertwined storyline, so players are encouraged to play through the game as each character to experience different the viewpoints. Read our recent review from Gorath for a detailed overview.

A tech demo for GODS: Land of Infinity was released back in early 2003 and just recently, Cypron supplied us with some new screenshots from their newly upgraded engine but otherwise the development has been rather quiet. A 3rd person 3D fantasy RPG with an emphasis on trading, a party of six can join the lead female character adventuring through an apparently large gameworld. Players can travel between safe locations trading commodities or explore unknown areas for a little more excitement with travel options including walking, horse riding, teleportation and ships. Character development is skill based, combat is turn-based and a detailed Alchemy system is promised. Cypron Studios is based in Slovakia and they have two published RTS games behind them.

Neverend is the 3rd RPG product from Slovakian Mayhem Studios, after the rather underwhelming Empire of Magic from a couple of years ago and Shadow Vault, which shipped via Strategy First just a few weeks ago. A 3rd-person game with an "active time battle system", Neverend appears to be inspired in part by the Final Fantasy series, with a fairy-tale twist.

Boiling Point is a shooter/RPG hybrid with a unique setting: modern-day Columbia. Searching for his missing sister, main protagonist Kevin Myers must survive the violent confrontations between drug lords, guerrilla fighters, bandits and the CIA. Boiling Point is set in a 25km x 25km area, with driveable vehicle and a large range of weapons - all of which must be purchased with money earned by completing missions for the various factions. With around 20 stats, detailed dialogue options and a promised non-linear plot, Boiling Point has real potential.

Altar Interactive is best known for their recent strategy game UFO: Aftermath. At this point there hasn't been a lot of material released for Vision, other than the initial press release and two fairly general interviews. We'll bring you more coverage as soon as it happens.

Etrom is a 3D action-RPG from Italian PM Studios set in a gothic techno-fantasy world. Although clearly inspired by the type of action found in Diablo, Etrom is based on a PnP system in development by the game's lead designer. Originally announced for March 2004 then delayed to the Q4 2004, no new date has been released.

Another RPG with very little detail released, Grafan was revealed with a press release proselytising Emogence co-founder Herb Marselas as a former Microsoft development lead with the Direct3D graphics group. Slated for release in 2004 but with little other information released apart from the technical characteristics of the engine, it's not hard to think Grafan may be more of an engine development than game. The few details released place Grafan as a 3D first-person fantasy action-RPG, probably with a co-op multiplayer mode.

At a glance, it's hard not to draw broad parallels with Gothic: a 3rd person 3D fantasy RPG with a large, open gameworld, advanced NPCs, the opportunity to ally with a faction and an action combat system. Although combat plays an important role in Heart of Eternity, UDC says there are multiple solutions to quests and the game can be completed using diplomacy. Horse mounted combat is another major feature as well as co-op and deathmatch multiplayer. All up, it's an ambitious title and we look forward to seeing if UDC can successfully implement all of these features.

Phase: Exodus is set in post-apocalyptic Siberia in 2062, around 50 years after a shift in Earth's orbit created a great cataclysm. Russian developer Horns & Hooves has said the game is aimed at fans of Fallout and Jagged Alliance with the post-apoc theme and strategic turn-based combat, which includes options like using cover and silent kills. Phase: Exodus is a 3rd-person 3D RPG with a party of up to three followers in addition to the main character.

Burut's GoldenLand has been released in Russia since September 2003 but no information has come from NA publisher Strategy First about a local release date for some time, so presumably after such a long delay 2005 is the year...if it is to be released at all. A classic 2D isometric party-based RPG with turn-based combat, there has been some suggestion that the English release will be bundled with the Cold Heaven expansion pack.

Few of these studios have much of a track record, so it's hard to draw many conclusions about most of these games and a number of them have gone past the initial release date with little in the way of news or updates. There's certainly a couple of ambitious titles and hopefully they can fulfill their potential. The isometric action-RPGs that have been so plentiful in recent years seem to have been replaced by 3rd-person 3D (action) titles.  Cyberpunk, sci-fi and post-apocalyptic settings are suprisingly well-represented (although none follow the exact pattern of Fallout, despite the obvious influence on several titles) -- and that classic fantasy party-based replacement for Baldur's Gate still seems to be missing.

Part 3 tomorrow will look at some major indie titles, expansions and wrap up with more observations.