Doominator3: I Suppose that tastes will vary from one person to another. I just dont understand when you said the world was empty, because, like many other western RPGs of that time, the world is filled with bizsre events and random encounters. I'm not saying your oppinion is wrong or anything though.
Perhaps empty was too absolute/not the right word. Of course there are things in the world, lots and lots of things. I do remember doing lots and lots and lots and lots of quests, but I honestly I can't remember a single one, and I have quite an excellent memory (which is probably the only reason I vaguely remember the names you mentioned.) What I do remember is feeling like the quests were filler and "empty", as in, they had no essence, they didn't make me feel, care, wonder, get excited, or anything. There was no soul or spirit, just vacant busy-work/filler that is not connected and had no meaning. Also, as far as "empty", I remember running around the world a LOT (lots and lots of running around aimlessly, which, I thought was going to be fun going in to it, and then didn't have fun) and feeling like there wasn't much going on, even though there were lots and lots of areas and quests, it felt like they wanted to waste your time with tons of open space and slow running, and I don't remember any feeling of awe at any time, which, when exploring a huge strange world, well, I'd like some awe. The most interesting aspect of the game to me were those giant beings that allowed you to travel from place to place.