Ech, it can all become awfully token when the only real goal is a vague "be original". I rather like the basic fantasy standard (sometime vaguely in the past, there is magic and an awful lot of mythological creatures about), provided it is well presented and an engaging place to visit.
Morrowind, I suppose, is a good mixture of both. A relatively standard base, with some very carefully made design choices and themes propping up the novel design. You never got the sense of some designer somewhere just pulling things from his hat.
Speaking on that subject, The Evil Within was quite the bother, with how it snatched together all sorts of vague horror settings and themes and tried to make them its own, with no real structure to be seen. Knowing from where you want to start and vaguely where you want to be can be very helpful, but that game had seemingly no intention of making an indentity of its own.
For what it's worth [drunk] [never dared play WoW personally, just listened]
I have a lot of respect for Warcraft, not just because I played WC2 and enough of WC3, but for the... Arthas arc.
And while I'm very cynical about Sylvanas's popularity, I heard out one of my friends, and I have to say her arc is pretty strong too. As a story.
Especially the more general conflict between high and dark elves... They did manage to turn that on its head. Elegantly. Much like the Eldar and Dark Eldar in Starcraft & Broodwar, but still.
... also, since I'm drunk, and it's actually thread-relevant, fuck Blizzard https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/04/10
Though really, they took their fucking piracy as a base and proceeded to spin a pretty neat setting from it.
Still waiting for Starcraft: Ghost.
I rather like Sylvanas, but that is mainly because of old factionism.
DEAD FRONT. And Moo Front, of course. Oh, my giddy aunt, one of the bay's confessed borderline furfriends like the Tauren? Oh, my, oh, dear, oh, blimey.As for Blizzard snatching their universe entirely from Games Workshop, I say good God, no... Not entirely, that is for certain. It is not as if that sort of universe (as much as I adore it and pine for it) is something one publisher can claim over another.
Not to mention, Blizzard can bring a horribly corny, silly and shallow story across beautifully, for the most part. I adore some of their work, faults and all. There is a lot of enthusiasm to make up for where there ought to have been depth.