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It's got to the stage now where I'm seeking a good RPG again. I've had my fair share over the years, what with Final Fantasy, Chronos, Suikoden, Grandia, Skies of Arcadia, more Grandia, more Final Fantasy, Vandal Hearts, and so on.
But, all this questing is starting to take its toll. At first, the RPG genre was great because you could take a character, make believe it was you, and develop that character and his items and weapons until he was as strong as you wanted him to be, exploring new lands and environments as you went along, gaining treasures, beating bad guys, experimenting with magic, the usual fare.
Take any of the games above, what's new? Nothing much, that's the problem. They all do exactly the same thing, just with different graphics and different GUI's (Graphical User Interfaces, or 'menus' if you want to know what that means).
I still enjoy them, but maybe I've played too many now, because I can get to a stage in any of these games and think: "Ah! This must be there bit where I kill a few bad guys to get my level up before the next boss," or "Ah! Dungeon coming up, better get ready for it, " or "Ah! Time to sell a few weapons and re-equip some new stuff." That's before I've even played them.
The problem is, it's a genre I love, and there's not alot you can add to it to make it any different. PSO added more of a weapon/combat element to the RPG, but so much so that it wasn't a true RPG anymore. Survival Horror like Resident Evil or Dino Crisis or Alone in the Dark are basically adventure games with a 'fear' twist.
So how can the RPG be improved? Maybe it would be great to play a real 'back to basics' RPG again, one where you start off as a Knight in a Castle and go from there, nice and simple, not throwing you in at the deep end with a steep learning curve like most RPGs these days tend to do.
Implementing a learning curve into the game itself, instead of providing a manual, would be even better, you just pop in the disc and away you go, picking it all up as you go along, instead of my usual diatribe to myself that to get the most out of a game I really do need to read that manual and get to know it inside and out.
Or maybe I'm just growing out of RPGs. Maybe I should concentrate on racers or beat 'em ups for a change, just to get a break from it all. But then, aren't racers all the same in a way?
But, all this questing is starting to take its toll. At first, the RPG genre was great because you could take a character, make believe it was you, and develop that character and his items and weapons until he was as strong as you wanted him to be, exploring new lands and environments as you went along, gaining treasures, beating bad guys, experimenting with magic, the usual fare.
Take any of the games above, what's new? Nothing much, that's the problem. They all do exactly the same thing, just with different graphics and different GUI's (Graphical User Interfaces, or 'menus' if you want to know what that means).
I still enjoy them, but maybe I've played too many now, because I can get to a stage in any of these games and think: "Ah! This must be there bit where I kill a few bad guys to get my level up before the next boss," or "Ah! Dungeon coming up, better get ready for it, " or "Ah! Time to sell a few weapons and re-equip some new stuff." That's before I've even played them.
The problem is, it's a genre I love, and there's not alot you can add to it to make it any different. PSO added more of a weapon/combat element to the RPG, but so much so that it wasn't a true RPG anymore. Survival Horror like Resident Evil or Dino Crisis or Alone in the Dark are basically adventure games with a 'fear' twist.
So how can the RPG be improved? Maybe it would be great to play a real 'back to basics' RPG again, one where you start off as a Knight in a Castle and go from there, nice and simple, not throwing you in at the deep end with a steep learning curve like most RPGs these days tend to do.
Implementing a learning curve into the game itself, instead of providing a manual, would be even better, you just pop in the disc and away you go, picking it all up as you go along, instead of my usual diatribe to myself that to get the most out of a game I really do need to read that manual and get to know it inside and out.
Or maybe I'm just growing out of RPGs. Maybe I should concentrate on racers or beat 'em ups for a change, just to get a break from it all. But then, aren't racers all the same in a way?
I am the Tarrant wrote:
So my advice to you or anyone feeling similarly
> minded, is to get yourself a good SNES emulator, then download all
> the games you may have missed or want to replay fron RPG's golden
> era (mid 90's)
I did, I tried running a SNES emulator earlier with Final Fantasy 3 on it (and before you all scream "Piracy!", it's legal, I still have the original cart, just no SNES).
It didn't work, I remembered what the ending was, what the questing was like, and how long it was going to take, and playing an emulated game for that long just isn't fun. I might just have to go out and grab a second hand SNES for a fiver later on this week.
But I don't think that's gonna do it somehow. My quest for something new will continue. Meanwhile, I'll keep myself occupied with Skies of Arcadia on the DC, which is the most refreshing breath of RPG air I've had since FF7 got released.
So my advice to you or anyone feeling similarly
> minded, is to get yourself a good SNES emulator, then download all
> the games you may have missed or want to replay fron RPG's golden
> era (mid 90's)
I did, I tried running a SNES emulator earlier with Final Fantasy 3 on it (and before you all scream "Piracy!", it's legal, I still have the original cart, just no SNES).
It didn't work, I remembered what the ending was, what the questing was like, and how long it was going to take, and playing an emulated game for that long just isn't fun. I might just have to go out and grab a second hand SNES for a fiver later on this week.
But I don't think that's gonna do it somehow. My quest for something new will continue. Meanwhile, I'll keep myself occupied with Skies of Arcadia on the DC, which is the most refreshing breath of RPG air I've had since FF7 got released.
I love a good console RPG, and found that to keep them fresh, and to keep enjoying them I had to jump around between the developers. If you play too many Square RPG's you begin to know the basic format. I'm not saying that there's a template, but each developer will have a work ethic, and from this will come certain similarities between the games.
Another way to keep them fresh, I found, was playing RPG's in different settings. Going from a fantasy like Secret of Mana, to something completely different, Shadowrun. Chrono Trigger added the time travel element, and Illusion of Time was again, quite different.
But it is hard to keep any genre fresh, especially if you play a lot of that type of game.
I have high hopes for all genres on the next generation consoles, and am glad that Nintendo have rebuilt bridges with some of the developers of the greatest RPG's.
I'm looking forward to RavenBlade, it looks to have its roots in classic RPG, with a medieval look, and swords and sorcery promise. It also has a real time battle system, so fans of youe typical menu driven RPG may not be too pleased by this.
Too Human also sounds very promising, and refreshing too. Apparently you can upgrade yourself, with human traits, asking the question of whether you can become 'too human'? It also has a heavy moral bias, so it really tries to encourage you to think about whether you should simply go around slaughtering everybody, or find another way around the problem. I'm certainly looking forward to finding out more about this game!
Another thing that I think would make RPG's in particular more interesting (and I know I go on about this all the time!) is multiple endings.
As RPGs are very story driven, they can be quite linear, with you feeling that you are simply following a path that has been set for you. If the game allowed you to take many different routes through the game, meeting different people, doing different things, and had endings that coresponded to these, it would add to the replay value immensely, and make you think that you had more control over your characters destiny!
Thankfully there are many talented developers out there, striving to make better games, so hopefully they'll add the right ingredients to keep the RPG gamer fully satisfied!
Another way to keep them fresh, I found, was playing RPG's in different settings. Going from a fantasy like Secret of Mana, to something completely different, Shadowrun. Chrono Trigger added the time travel element, and Illusion of Time was again, quite different.
But it is hard to keep any genre fresh, especially if you play a lot of that type of game.
I have high hopes for all genres on the next generation consoles, and am glad that Nintendo have rebuilt bridges with some of the developers of the greatest RPG's.
I'm looking forward to RavenBlade, it looks to have its roots in classic RPG, with a medieval look, and swords and sorcery promise. It also has a real time battle system, so fans of youe typical menu driven RPG may not be too pleased by this.
Too Human also sounds very promising, and refreshing too. Apparently you can upgrade yourself, with human traits, asking the question of whether you can become 'too human'? It also has a heavy moral bias, so it really tries to encourage you to think about whether you should simply go around slaughtering everybody, or find another way around the problem. I'm certainly looking forward to finding out more about this game!
Another thing that I think would make RPG's in particular more interesting (and I know I go on about this all the time!) is multiple endings.
As RPGs are very story driven, they can be quite linear, with you feeling that you are simply following a path that has been set for you. If the game allowed you to take many different routes through the game, meeting different people, doing different things, and had endings that coresponded to these, it would add to the replay value immensely, and make you think that you had more control over your characters destiny!
Thankfully there are many talented developers out there, striving to make better games, so hopefully they'll add the right ingredients to keep the RPG gamer fully satisfied!
I recently bought Summoner for PS2 and that was good, interesting, reasonable graphics, text heavy, fabulous music but ultimately unsatisfying.
I'm a huge RPG fan, always have been! I have also been feeling a diturbance in the RPG flow. The games are good but a bit "samey".
Instead of complaining about the recent lack of innovation in this genre, I have embraced the simple nature of these games by heading back to the time when I was most in love with RPG's.
So my advice to you or anyone feeling similarly minded, is to get yourself a good SNES emulator, then download all the games you may have missed or want to replay fron RPG's golden era (mid 90's)
I'm talking about Secret of Mana, Secret of Mana 2 (the most impressive find of yesterday), Chronotrigger, Final Fantasy 3-4-5-6!
Thats what I did anyway ... and I've never been happier :-)
I'm a huge RPG fan, always have been! I have also been feeling a diturbance in the RPG flow. The games are good but a bit "samey".
Instead of complaining about the recent lack of innovation in this genre, I have embraced the simple nature of these games by heading back to the time when I was most in love with RPG's.
So my advice to you or anyone feeling similarly minded, is to get yourself a good SNES emulator, then download all the games you may have missed or want to replay fron RPG's golden era (mid 90's)
I'm talking about Secret of Mana, Secret of Mana 2 (the most impressive find of yesterday), Chronotrigger, Final Fantasy 3-4-5-6!
Thats what I did anyway ... and I've never been happier :-)
FantasyMeister wrote:
Or maybe I'm
> just growing out of RPGs. Maybe I should concentrate on racers or
> beat 'em ups for a change, just to get a break from it all. But
> then, aren't racers all the same in a way?
They are the same in a weord, twisted way. But I think Rpg's are getting.... cant describe it, but nowadays not many good ones are comin out.
Or maybe I'm
> just growing out of RPGs. Maybe I should concentrate on racers or
> beat 'em ups for a change, just to get a break from it all. But
> then, aren't racers all the same in a way?
They are the same in a weord, twisted way. But I think Rpg's are getting.... cant describe it, but nowadays not many good ones are comin out.
It's got to the stage now where I'm seeking a good RPG again. I've had my fair share over the years, what with Final Fantasy, Chronos, Suikoden, Grandia, Skies of Arcadia, more Grandia, more Final Fantasy, Vandal Hearts, and so on.
But, all this questing is starting to take its toll. At first, the RPG genre was great because you could take a character, make believe it was you, and develop that character and his items and weapons until he was as strong as you wanted him to be, exploring new lands and environments as you went along, gaining treasures, beating bad guys, experimenting with magic, the usual fare.
Take any of the games above, what's new? Nothing much, that's the problem. They all do exactly the same thing, just with different graphics and different GUI's (Graphical User Interfaces, or 'menus' if you want to know what that means).
I still enjoy them, but maybe I've played too many now, because I can get to a stage in any of these games and think: "Ah! This must be there bit where I kill a few bad guys to get my level up before the next boss," or "Ah! Dungeon coming up, better get ready for it, " or "Ah! Time to sell a few weapons and re-equip some new stuff." That's before I've even played them.
The problem is, it's a genre I love, and there's not alot you can add to it to make it any different. PSO added more of a weapon/combat element to the RPG, but so much so that it wasn't a true RPG anymore. Survival Horror like Resident Evil or Dino Crisis or Alone in the Dark are basically adventure games with a 'fear' twist.
So how can the RPG be improved? Maybe it would be great to play a real 'back to basics' RPG again, one where you start off as a Knight in a Castle and go from there, nice and simple, not throwing you in at the deep end with a steep learning curve like most RPGs these days tend to do.
Implementing a learning curve into the game itself, instead of providing a manual, would be even better, you just pop in the disc and away you go, picking it all up as you go along, instead of my usual diatribe to myself that to get the most out of a game I really do need to read that manual and get to know it inside and out.
Or maybe I'm just growing out of RPGs. Maybe I should concentrate on racers or beat 'em ups for a change, just to get a break from it all. But then, aren't racers all the same in a way?
But, all this questing is starting to take its toll. At first, the RPG genre was great because you could take a character, make believe it was you, and develop that character and his items and weapons until he was as strong as you wanted him to be, exploring new lands and environments as you went along, gaining treasures, beating bad guys, experimenting with magic, the usual fare.
Take any of the games above, what's new? Nothing much, that's the problem. They all do exactly the same thing, just with different graphics and different GUI's (Graphical User Interfaces, or 'menus' if you want to know what that means).
I still enjoy them, but maybe I've played too many now, because I can get to a stage in any of these games and think: "Ah! This must be there bit where I kill a few bad guys to get my level up before the next boss," or "Ah! Dungeon coming up, better get ready for it, " or "Ah! Time to sell a few weapons and re-equip some new stuff." That's before I've even played them.
The problem is, it's a genre I love, and there's not alot you can add to it to make it any different. PSO added more of a weapon/combat element to the RPG, but so much so that it wasn't a true RPG anymore. Survival Horror like Resident Evil or Dino Crisis or Alone in the Dark are basically adventure games with a 'fear' twist.
So how can the RPG be improved? Maybe it would be great to play a real 'back to basics' RPG again, one where you start off as a Knight in a Castle and go from there, nice and simple, not throwing you in at the deep end with a steep learning curve like most RPGs these days tend to do.
Implementing a learning curve into the game itself, instead of providing a manual, would be even better, you just pop in the disc and away you go, picking it all up as you go along, instead of my usual diatribe to myself that to get the most out of a game I really do need to read that manual and get to know it inside and out.
Or maybe I'm just growing out of RPGs. Maybe I should concentrate on racers or beat 'em ups for a change, just to get a break from it all. But then, aren't racers all the same in a way?