Rumors, speculations, and blind hopes on the future of next-gen RPG's.

It's no real secret that the original Xbox wasn't exactly the system of choice for RPG enthusiasts.

What did come out for the big black box was, for the most part, really good, but there just wasn't enough representation of the genre. Games like Fable and Knights of the Old Republic were simply amazing, as were Morrowind and Jade Empire, but... wait, I think I just listed all of the decent Xbox RPG's right there.

With Microsoft's shiny next generation console, it appears that this deficiency has been noticed, and the wheels are in motion to insure that those looking for swords and sorcery have a place to play on the 360. Oblivion set a high standard early on in the new generation, and Enchanted Arms... um.... came out and stuff, and there are at least two more RPGs due by this year's holiday season with more following in 2008.

Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata are slated for August and September, respectively. Mass Effect has a November release date. Hype is already surrounding Fable 2 and Fallout 3, and new franchises like Lost Odyssey and Last Remnant should offer even more choices for those looking to level up through epic questlines.

These titles have all been announced, screenshots and videos have been drooled over, and developers have talked about how neat their game is going to be. What about the games that haven't been announced, games that may be in the throes of super-secret development or are just the pipe dreams of Xbox gamers?

Knights of the Old Republic III

The first two KOTOR games for the Xbox were simply epic, capturing the Star Wars spirit better than certain prequels could. Taking place thousands of years prior to the movies, offering the players choices between the Light and Dark sides as they travelled an expansive galaxy, these titles put developer Bioware on the radar for console gamers (yes, I know the second was put together by Obsidian). While the sequel, The Sith Lords, didn't quite hold up to the first, it still offered excellent new features like being able to sway the alignments of party members and even train some of your companions to be Jedi.

The second game also opened up several storyline arcs that never came to resolution by the time the quest came to an end. The conclusion left a lot to be desired, keeping the series open for another game, but in the years that have followed no announcements have been made. Rumors have surfaced every now and again, suggesting a true sequel or even an MMO set in the KOTOR universe, but nothing has been made official. Bioware is working on Mass Effect, and just announced a partnership with SEGA to make a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG for the DS. Obsidian is busy creating a game set in the Aliens universe. Nobody seems to be looking at poor KOTOR right now, willing to give some love to the faithful fans who are holding vigil in the hopes the trilogy will someday come to a close.

Jade Empire 2

Another Bioware masterpiece, this one eschewing the turn-based combat for martial arts action, Jade Empire also took the developer from the futuristic worlds of the Star Wars license to ancient China for an original IP. Many of the elements Bioware was known for were in Jade Empire:  deep story, side quests, choices of morality that affected your character and their companions, impressive graphics, and tight gameplay. The aforementioned martial arts set this game apart, though, as the battle system was more like a fighting game than an RPG. You could swap fighting styles at will, even transforming into monsters, but the combat was all about combos and action rather than KOTOR's turn-based system.

Interestingly, back around the launch of the Xbox 360, random comments from Bioware's camp suggested a sequel was in the works, though no timeframe or system was ever mentioned. Since that time any mention has vanished entirely. Again, Bioware is busy with other projects, and Jade Empire was more of a cult hit on the Xbox than a blockbuster (there was never even a Platinum Hits edition, something both KOTORs achieved), so it's possible the rumored game was scrapped or pushed to a very far back burner.