A game setting that hasn't been done?

[Browbeat]

Three options:

1) A modern, destitute or war-torn nation gang story (Haiti, Somalia, Palestine, etc.) Not for the sake of controversy, but rather to have a game with GTA-like ambitions, but not set in a fictional America, with a character who longs for that perceived freedom while contending with existing (and very real) life-or-death struggles for safety, status, and even salvation. It'd be tough to publish, but it hasn't REALLY been done - aside from a military-POV shooter variant.

2) A Warhammer40K-style Space Marine recruitment story: savage beginnings, myths of star-gods taking the chosen few (as Valhalla, for instance), tribal battle as rite of passage, dying youth proves themselves worthy, taken and transformed by Space Marines (or whatever tech-superior faction monitors the tribes), put to work as super-soldier. The glamour of honor and glory wears thin, inner attrition causes crisis of faith. Later portion of game likely involves fighting over character's home, whether to obey and destroy/abandon it or fight for a losing cause and defend one's place of origin.

3) A development from movies like Event Horizon and Pandorum, but not in a System-Shock sense of horror-RPG. Rather, more like Pandorum, the character is a non-combatant (multiple classes available, none of them like guns) becoming aware on a space hulk (enormous vessel) with little sense of what's been happening. They are sufficiently aware to understand that they are on such a vessel (unless a 'primitive' trait is chosen at start...) and something is wrong. They are initially tasked with finding out what's wrong and what they can do, BUT the twist is that there are drastically different outcomes available. The character is able to escape the vessel; decide to remain aboard and integrate; decide to remain aboard and seize control; steer the vessel towards a habitable system; steer the vessel towards the original home; steer it into a star; or possibly embrace an onboard alien faith (because there have to be aliens in space, right?...) and transcend entirely, abandoning their existence and experiencing a completely different episode of gameplay. The point is, while the tried and true exploration and self-development formula of dungeon-crawling is present, the character's ambitions do not have to be noble or egotistic - there are other denizens aboard, and a 'victory' may involve befriending them... or inciting racial tensions and paving the decks with viscera...

 

[Del-Toro]

World War 1, it has been done, but it's been underdone. What it would need is an updated version of the combat system from Condemned: Criminal Origins, to account for the nature of bolt action rifles and for all the bayonneting and trench bludgeoning that occured. And let us be German. The Nazis didn't even fucking exist until after the war, and if you look at the history they were no worse than anyone else. Or maybe Canadian. The Canadian Corps was the Entente's most effective unit throughout the war (but the Brits take credit for it because we were under their banner as a colony), we were the original stormtroopers, that's how the phrase developed. It would be epic to fight at Paschendaele or Vimy Ridge. C'mon publishers, grow some balls eh?

 

[Double A]

Pre-European imperialism Africa would be my guess.

That, or the core of the moon.

 

[Del-Toro]

Pre-colonist North America: that would be kind of badass to play as a member of any number of American Indian tribes, and maybe have to fight the spirits of their lore.

And it's not like they never fought each other. That would be epic as hell, if the tactics they used against settlers were the same that they used against each other (stealth, ambush, raiding, guerilla stuff generally) then can you imagine a greater game of cat and mouse-with-tomahawk?

You might have to dig a bit more to get the context for that, but I know that in what would become French Canada the Iroquois Confederacy was very unpopular among people who weren't Iroquois because the had a tendancy to go on the offensive. The Cree, at least, were very happy to have the French settlers help them deal with their Iroquois problem. That's part of the reason Benjamin Franklin had some contact with them, the French and their allies had driven them south and they had allied with the British. Or just take the gameplay I sort of described and apply it the the spirit thing. My premise would be good if they ever wanted to go WaW on it.

 

[ezeroast]

Synchronised swimming? Maybe it was done in one of those crappy Olympics games packs.
Was there ever a Thundercats game?

 

[RN7]

The inside of an old god. I win.

 

[Enkidu88]

Any games where you get to play as a Mongolian during Genghis Khan's reign? I know there are RTS games about it but I think it would make a great action game. Plenty of battles, horrific violence, and a wide variety of different battlefields to fight on (China, India, the Middle East and even Eastern Europe/Russian Steppes). They'd have to make mounted archer combat interesting of course, using the basic concept of Mount and Blade but with improved graphics, and some kind of VATS-esque system where you get to see your arrows tear through enemies. If you don't have the ability to see the close up visual of your arrow impacting the combat will just be kinda dull. Though there are plenty of instances where the Mongols went in on foot as well, to sack cities and such.

The only problem would be coming up with a decent story for the main character. Though I suppose they could make it similar to Kratos and basically make him a bloodthirsty maniac.

 

[Teh_Lemon]

Ottoman Empire. It was the most advanced part of the world at it's peak, but because it's in the Middle East (and went pussy, starting to call themselves Turkey and claiming to actually be in Europe) it's been overlooked forever. The Ottoman Empire was economically, socially, and even religiously built around 2 "realms". The "realm" of war (the Ottoman Empire's border, as the entire Empire required constant expansion for it to function- and function beautifully it did) and the "realm" of peace (everywhere else inside of the Empire).

EDIT: The Ottoman Empire was entirely Islamic, but also very tolerant of other religions (as they almost ALWAYS have been). Just a fun fact.

Has the dark side of the moon ever been done? I haven't played Dead Space or anything.

 

[NotAPie]

Texas
HA! I WIN.

 

[z121231211]

I really want a game set in Africa during a civil war, the amount of chaos and opportunities is almost infinite.

 

[Icehearted]

Post flood Louisianan.
I can't think of any games that took place in Jamaica.
The Victorian era.
Klah (if you get it, you and I are friends for life).
The Spanish inquisitions.
Payless shoe store.

Edit:
Sodom and Gomorrah

 

[Doc Incognito]

An RPG in stone Age, if there is one, I would like to try it.

Perhaps Conan the Barbarian? I have no idea if that's true, I've never looked at the thing.

I vote for a utopian worlds where people and bizarre animals live side by side, working, playing, battl?

Oh. Right.

Never heard of the first ever M-rated MMO, Age of Conan?

Right, that's what I meant. I was trying to answer his question with "Age of Conan" but I didn't make that very clear. It would have helped if I'd gotten the name right. Thanks for the correction.

 

[BNguyen]

Purgatory, Heaven, jurasic times, neanderthal times, inside internet or other computer program system thing, mud-world, could go on but having some trouble

The first two you got me. But hmm, EVO, EVO, the megaman battlenet games, and waht the fuck do you mean "mud-world?" Do you mean a land that is full of mud? There are tons of games that have mud-based stages full of mudmen enemies. Castlevania in particular loves this one.

I was watching futurama for the last one and got the idea from zoidberg's homeworld

 

[little.09]

Galifrey (doctor who is killing my brain)

EDIT:

I really want a game set in Africa during a civil war, the amount of chaos and opportunities is almost infinite.

Far Cry 2 but they didn't have the balls to come out and name a country

 

[DanDeFool]

i think prehistoric times haven't been covered alot, and if they have they have been awful.

how about playing as a dinosaur, and earlier mammal like reptile, or after the dinosaurs, but before modern man? having them 3 choices, then playing out the lifestyle of an animal you choose, having conflict and survivability all rolled into one game...i'd play it ^_^

Velociraptor here i come!

Also id like a GOOD Medabot game =)

ME TOO! I miss Medabots! I also wish the localization for the Anime hadn't cut out > 1/2 the episodes.

I want a Medabots game that controls like Gears of War. That would be awesome.

 

[madman485]

How about a game set in Canada where you fight for the liberation of Quebec?

The only downside of this game would be that you can never actually win.

Yes you can. Some mysterious private military company will give you all the funding and equipment you need, then betray you right at the end only to have you wipe them out and become the new sovereign ruler of Canada.

now THERE'S a game I can get behind!

 

[Nouw]

Total War: Chosun! Old age Korea. That would be real fun.

Or maybe... Saturn!

 

[Commissar Sae]

Renaissance Europe, during the reformation/counter reformation. It could be pretty cool depending on how its done. Or how about a game during colonization of the americas, or set during the Indian wars. Or the Sepoy mutiny.

Goddamn there are a lot of potential settings, but all of them are either too controversal or relatively unknown to be used.

Goddamn a game where you get to play as a mongolian warlord could be awesome. Hell I'll even take playing a warlord trying to fight the Mongols.

 

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Actually, God of War doesn't count because their Greek mythology is BS.