Why haven't Action-RPGs evolved past Diablo II?

I bought Torchlight a few months back to get a quick Action-RPG fix (the $5 asking price didn't hurt either) but it didn't hit me until recently that I didn't need to. I already have Titan Quest, Space Siege, the Dark Alliance games for PS2, and the awesomely bad Sacred 2 to keep me company. 
 
There's something distinct about all of those games, but nothing that clearly differentiates them from any other loot-based point and click game. Developers have had so much time since Diablo II to move the genre forward and yet they haven't. I'd love for someone to bring something new and interesting to the table, but the more ARPGs I play the more I start to believe that the genre makes that almost impossible.

I bought Torchlight a few months back to get a quick Action-RPG fix (the $5 asking price didn't hurt either) but it didn't hit me until recently that I didn't need to. I already have Titan Quest, Space Siege, the Dark Alliance games for PS2, and the awesomely bad Sacred 2 to keep me company. 
 
There's something distinct about all of those games, but nothing that clearly differentiates them from any other loot-based point and click game. Developers have had so much time since Diablo II to move the genre forward and yet they haven't. I'd love for someone to bring something new and interesting to the table, but the more ARPGs I play the more I start to believe that the genre makes that almost impossible.

I dunno If I'd call those Action-RPGs as much as I would call most of them straight up Diablo clones. I would call Dragon Age more of an action RPG than Torchlight or Titan's Quest.

They aren't very different from one another, but Torchlight did make some improvements.  I look forward to the MMO the devs of Torchlight want to make.  That's what I need to actually be motivated to search for loot.  I gotta be able to show it off, and use it with my friends in battle to overcome stronger enemies, otherwise it feels too lonely. 

because the next step of evolution would be god of war 3 with loot and inventory... oh hey that's not a bad idea.

They have, only people don't classify them as such if they evolve too much. Kind of like how fighting games that actually try something different aren't "real" fighting games.

Because people, like me, still have DIablo II on our PC's. It's a solid design and I would pay $60 to Blizzard if they took Diablo II, re-rendered it in HD, then sold the product.

" Because people, like me, still have DIablo II on our PC's. It's a solid design and I would pay $60 to Blizzard if they took Diablo II, re-rendered it in HD, then sold the product. "

the problem is you're still playing pc games.
let the sick dog die

" the problem is you're still playing pc games. let the sick dog die "

The problem is that you restrict 'Action RPGs' to a set of games more accurately described as Diablo clones.  That is, they are like Diablo as they were created with the intention to be like Diablo. Perhaps if you tried games like The World Ends with You, Nier or, to a certain extent, Assassin's Creed II, you'd find the Action RPG genre (ie. elements of action based games and RPGs combined) is far from stagnant.
 
Edit: I suggest you check out the recent episode of Active Time Babble, 1up's RPG podcast, where they discuss exactly what defines an action RPG.  Interesting for any fan of the genre.

" I don't have a PC capable of playing modern PC games and know nothing about them, sour grapes.                                        "

nobody even knows what this topic is about anyways!

wouldn't ME2 be considered an action RPG?

" because the next step of evolution would be god of war 3 with loot and inventory... oh hey that's not a bad idea. "

" @Marz said:

" because the next step of evolution would be god of war 3 with loot and inventory... oh hey that's not a bad idea. "

Wow, I think you nailed that one in the head. I would have never thought of GoW being the next evolutionary step in Diablo style game. But it makes perfect sense. "

I had no idea that the game market for ARPGs was flooded with Diablo-esque games.
 
Because it isn't.

" wouldn't ME2 be considered an action RPG? "

Torchlight had a dog.  What more do you want?

" @jams said:

" @Marz said:

" because the next step of evolution would be god of war 3 with loot and inventory... oh hey that's not a bad idea. "

Wow, I think you nailed that one in the head. I would have never thought of GoW being the next evolutionary step in Diablo style game. But it makes perfect sense. "

what about Fable, Mass Effect, Borderlands, Nier or Kingdom Hearts. "

All those games are basically Diablo clones.  If that's your definition of action-RPG then you're going to be disappointed by things being too similar to Diablo 2.  Games like Elder Scrolls, Fallout 3, and Demon's Souls are action-RPGs that don't have a huge amount in common with Diablo.

hellgate london made significant changes to the formula but it sucked

" @zombie2011 said:

" wouldn't ME2 be considered an action RPG? "

Every recent RPG except Dragon age can be considered an action RPG. "

Only Borderlands can be called a loot based one though and ME2 is a TPS with some dialog choices.

These days just about everything could be called an Action RPG but it used to be only Diablo clones and that's clearly what he's talking about.

They have progressed past Diablo II, but if you only view action-RPGs as these Diablo-like games then it will seem like that.  However, games like Borderlands, Mass Effect 2, Alpha Protocol, and even more sandboxy games like InFamous are evolved forms of the genre.  Just because they aren't direct and recognizable versions of Diablo, doesn't mean that they aren't also RPGs that have a strong focus of real-time action or action games with heavy RPG elements.