I find it interesting that you claim one of Nethack's problems is that "it gives the impression of being a sandbox game but it isn't really (hunger clock, infle

I find it interesting that you claim one of Nethack's problems is that "it gives the impression of being a sandbox game but it isn't really (hunger clock, inflexible ascension goal)". It's never made that claim. For one, I don't think sandbox games even existed in form, and certainly not in name, in the 80's. Secondly, it has always been a rogue/hack clone, solidly in the 'roguelike' category. Most people would not associate roguelikes with sandbox games, although I might agree that more recent games like Minecraft with perma-death mode may blur the lines somewhat if your sole definition of roguelike is "can't load your game after you die." In fact, Nethack and its brethren are more of a breath of fresh air in the current gaming world. They have one goal, and that's it. For Nethack, it's get to the bottom, grab grab Zot, get out alive. That's about as far from a sandbox game as you can get.