I can't help but wonder that sometimes, especially with my recent encounter with Ragnarok Online 2. The funny thing is that this is its second iteration. It was completely redeveloped because they felt the previous version wasn't up to snuff.

The first Ragnarok was my favorite MMO of all time. Yeah, it's old and kinda grindy, but it had some of the best game mechanics that I've ever seen. Its sequel, however, is the most run-of-the-mill, generic piece of crap that ever scummed its way into the internet. I haven't played too many other Korean MMOs, but if the majority of them are like this, then I can start to understand why so many cringe at the very sound of 'Korean MMMO'. The whole game is just a string of fetch quests, small zones and barely any customization. It blows my mind that something like this can make its way on the market in this day and age. Seriously, what the hell were they thinking? I actually began to wonder if it was some sick joke... it's like the time that I watched Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children all over again. I lack the comprehension as to how anyone could find this even remotely passable as entertainment.

I get it now. I understand the fear that so many of you feel when there is talk about a new incarnation of one of your beloved games of old. If this is what they'll do to it, then I suggest running as far and as fast as you can. Spare yourself the disembowelment of what you once cherished. The Ragnarok which I loved was gutted, raped, gutted again, then raped again.

Originally posted by blognorg

 

Its sequel, however, is the most run-of-the-mill, generic piece of crap that ever scummed its way into the internet.

I call it "the genre formula".  One or two major players jump on an idea, and even if the idea doesn't work well, then every subsequent release from other developers "must" contain the feature.  Eventually there are so many of these features that new games end up being rehashes of the same ideas over and over.

I don't know RO2 and only played RO briefly, but it's not alone.  The whole genre is gradually turning into a bowl of porridge.

Developers do not try to make bad games.  Sometimes they try to make good games and fail.

A sequel that isn't much like the original doesn't strike me as a good idea, though.

Can't think of a reason why they would intentionally make a game to fail.  There's too much money involved.  Also reputations.

There's probably a millions ways a game can go south though.

The original RO was launched in 2002 when MMOs were quite different from one another and all had their own 'thing'. Ever since WoW's release pretty much every franchise has sacrified anything unique it had to try and be more like WoW... I imagine that's exactly what you're seeing here.

The MMO industry is stuck in a bit of a viscious circle at the moment... investors see WoW is popular so they try to emulate its success by forcing devs to imitate it, these games inevitably do badly because the people who want to play a game like WoW will just stay with WoW, this makes future investors scared and they just play it 'safe' by emulating WoW again. Anything that doesn't follow the trends of the genre right now is seen as financially risky, when in reality following the formula is more of a risk these days...

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Originally posted by madazz I highly doubt the OP literally thinks that developers are trying to make a bad game. I think he is just so exceptionally frustrated with garbage that he is trying to rationalize it. 

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I think you're the only one that got this post. You deserve a cookie... a good cookie, like chocolate chip or something... and still warm.