Guns.

It's very difficult to make a proper RPG with them. It's not impossible by any means but guns tend to need a more hands on approach like we see in the Mass Effect series.

Likely because fantasy settings were the first ones that were created for PnP.

There's also the Mass Effect series for sci-fi fans.

(For those that would argue: No, I'm not interested in getting into a debate on whether it's an RPG or not. It's there as an option if you personally consider it an RPG).

Well there is also Mass Effect... Though from what I hear the 2nd one dumbs down the RPG part in favor of the shooter mechanics. I am currently playing the first one, and it is quite engaging as an RPG.

DEUS EX JESUS CHRIST.

Anyway, I agree there are way too few. RPGs seem to be forever stuck in fantasy, which is a shame. Another good sci-fi RPG is Shadowrun, on the SNES.

The SNES version is a good RPG, but the Genesis version is a tad more faithful to the PNP game. And the cyberspace combat is awesome.

Anachronox comes to mind.

I too am tired of the same old medieval RPGs with the same old dwarves, elves, hobbity things. There's only so much originality you can squeeze out of that setting.

Geneforge series might qualify as a Sci-Fi RPG since you do have some elements of genetic manipulation and what not although the setting feels more like medieval with some sci-fi elements. Check out the demos at spiderwebsoftware.com.

Too right. The license has had some interest shown in it lately. But I've yet to see anything new. Still, a proper Shadowrun game could be amazing now.

I wonder if it's something to do with the fact when you say fantasy, people think of a tolkien-esk world, Orcs, Dwarfs, Elves.
With Sci-fi, people think of set universes, Star Wars, Star Trek.....

So it's just more effort to build up a whole new universe and introduce people to the inner workings of the society.
For example people "know" that Dwarfs are miners who drink lots while elves are either in their ancient cities over looking the "young" races or protecting forests from the onslaught of man (we do that a lot).
If I made up a universe with a race called the "Moss-guse" I would have to spend the first part of the game spelling out the the player the social context of how they behave towards themselves and "humans" (or whatever race they are playing) before I could get on to the "R" part.




Also Shadowrun on the snes was awesome

lol I totally forgot about Mass Effect. I played the first game through 3x times. Awesome game. Never finished #2 tho, just didn't do it for me the way the first one did. And yes, then there is Deus Ex, I played that a bit too.

The main difference tho is that these games are all to more first person/FPS games. I can't think of a Sci-Fi RPG that has a full 4-6 man party mode like BG or these other classic party based fantasy RPGs.

I guess, in some strange way, the closest to one of those classic RPGs you can come is actually the X-COM series, at least when it comes to character development. It was amazing how close you could get attached to some of your soldiers there, even though there was no dialogue what so ever. Strange that.

That's one of the things that initially pulled me into Mass Effect, the fact that so few "space operas" come out these days. I love fantasy and always will but my heart seems to always fall to sci-fi when given the chance.

Speaking of Shadowrun, I was annoyed as hell when the new one came out and it was basically just team deathmatch type stuff since the Genesis and SNES RPGs were so good (not to mention at the time it came out myself and two friends were doing actual Shadowrun campaigns so I was pretty amped up for a new entry into the series, only to have it be... that...)

Deus Ex and System Shock do hold my heart, even if they are a hybrid of FPS and RPG.

There's also KOTOR 1 + 2

And Albion, and of course Mass Effect.

I'd be much more interested in Cyberpunk, Steampunk (Arcanum only?) or even modern setting (we only have Alpha Protocol afaik), even postapocalyptic other than Fallout would be nice.

Also, I'd like to see some exotic fantasy / weird setting, something like Planescape.

This.

But also, if I may:

Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. It's steampunk, which is sci-fantasy.
Wasteland: It will make your eyes bleed, however.
Mass Effect: Really, do play this if you like Sci-fi RPGs. It's not going to be looked back on as the greatest sci-fi RPG of all time or anytihng, but listen to the music. Enjoy the character interaction. And try not to sieze up every time you have to drive the Gorram Mako somewhere.
Xenosaga: if you have the ability to tolerate the amazingly overwrought atmosphere and hour-long cutscenes (yeah, really) it's not bad. Playstation 2, not PC, unlike the previous ones.
Agree with Anacronox, geneforge, and Shadowrun. Also suggest maybe some uncommon ones like Might and Magic 4 & 5, Disgaea, or Septerra Core which are sort of liek "Hey, magic, but - SURPRISE! sci-fi!"

And as to why there are fewer, it's probably about corporate policy rather than anything much else. RPGs are supposed to have elves, which have pointy ears. So there's magic. You don't put sci-fi in with magic. That [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial]be silly. It would never be any good, or make money.

Planet Stronghold is not that bad.

Not sure if you are being sarcastic, but Shadowrun is all that. Combine Arcanum with Deus Ex, with a heavy dose of William Gibson, and you have Shadowrun. And it was very successful, enough to still be a PNP game. The last game was...different, to put it nicely.

Also, as a suggestion to OP, Snatcher is an excellent cyberpunk RPG, but modeled off of traditional Japanese "sim" games, with a focus on storytelling and no combat, save for a select few sections.