RPG's dying?

[Carnivus]

RPGs will be around until the end of humanity. It's in our nature to want to take on the roll of somebody else, somebody greater than ourselves. We strive to be the best, and as long as we remain human, we'll continue to strive for that. So, until humanity becomes something beyond human, RPGs will remain.

You.
Are.
Epic.

[Lupin]

On this date, 10 years ago, Planescape Torment was released.

Some of the best computer RPGs are D&D based. I think the mote D&D games being developed, the more good RPGs comes out (not necessarily D&D based)

[Aesthesis]

RPG's are addictive, the way gameplay rewards effort gives you a great feeling of progress. Its an old, repetitive genre but it has spawned some of the best moments in my gaming life. JRPG's are great for their story and American/ARPG's usually have a better hold on the fun branching gameplay. I stick more to the JPRG side since its always been the story that pulls me into these games but it seems like the stories of all rpg's are going downhill, either that or I'm getting too old to be engrossed by them any more. Still with Final Fantasy they generally get the balance between story, difficulty and variety right, although recently its been nowhere near as good as it was...

[AceHigh]

It depends on which Final Fantasy he is talking about.

Any of them, JRPG is like a graphic novel book, they usually have good stories, but you have no freedom of choice whatsoever and end up playing an adventure game that strictly follows the main story and has RPG stat building element.... oh and you have so many annoying long ass cinematics, that sometimes you wonder: "Wow this battle looks good, it would be more fun if they let me do that instead of watching it".

So call it whatever you want: Interactive graphic novel, adventure game with oversized swords, trigger of an epileptic seisure, but don't call it a role playing game, because the only role play you do is to navigate through a maze of fucking confusing skill systems that give the same effect as drinking gazolene and watching at excell spreadsheets at the same time. (Damn that last quote is good, from my favorite game critic, Yahtzee)

[sdedalus83]

Any of them, JRPG is like a graphic novel book, they usually have good stories, but you have no freedom of choice whatsoever and end up playing an adventure game that strictly follows the main story and has RPG stat building element.... oh and you have so many annoying long ass cinematics, that sometimes you wonder: "Wow this battle looks good, it would be more fun if they let me do that instead of watching it".

So call it whatever you want: Interactive graphic novel, adventure game with oversized swords, trigger of an epileptic seisure, but don't call it a role playing game, because the only role play you do is to navigate through a maze of fucking confusing skill systems that give the same effect as drinking gazolene and watching at excell spreadsheets at the same time. (Damn that last quote is good, from my favorite game critic, Yahtzee)

Play an SMT game.  They usually have more than one endgame sequence, cinematics and exposition are kept pretty minimal, and the skill system management takes a sledgehammer to every other JRPG.

[Aesthesis]

JRPG is like a graphic novel book, they usually have good stories, but you have no freedom of choice whatsoever and end up playing an adventure game that strictly follows the main story and has RPG stat building element....

I agree with this, but I put it to you that this is exactly what some people such as myself actually want. To me the story is a very involving and powerful element in any game, so much so that I am more than willing to lose some playability to get a good one. Yes JRPG's lock you in to a limited linear path but in return they have the potential for strong, emotive and generally awesome storylines. Where other RPG storys fail because of bad writers struggling to give the player freedom while still telling a story and keeping it all consistent, JRPG's don't. 

[Carnivus]

JRPG is like a graphic novel book, they usually have good stories, but you have no freedom of choice whatsoever and end up playing an adventure game that strictly follows the main story and has RPG stat building element....

I agree with this, but I put it to you that this is exactly what some people such as myself actually want. To me the story is a very involving and powerful element in any game, so much so that I am more than willing to lose some playability to get a good one. Yes JRPG's lock you in to a limited linear path but in return they have the potential for strong, emotive and generally awesome storylines. Where other RPG storys fail because of bad writers struggling to give the player freedom while still telling a story and keeping it all consistent, JRPG's don't. 

Yes but did it never happen to you to find yourself screaming at the screen for some odd choice of the lead character.That's why today's RPG's are with choices,so that when you don't like what's happening there,you think how idiot you were and try to repair the situation.You have taken a decision,and now you must live with its consequences.

[Jesta23]

Any of them, JRPG is like a graphic novel book, they usually have good stories, but you have no freedom of choice whatsoever and end up playing an adventure game that strictly follows the main story and has RPG stat building element.... oh and you have so many annoying long ass cinematics, that sometimes you wonder: "Wow this battle looks good, it would be more fun if they let me do that instead of watching it".

So call it whatever you want: Interactive graphic novel, adventure game with oversized swords, trigger of an epileptic seisure, but don't call it a role playing game, because the only role play you do is to navigate through a maze of fucking confusing skill systems that give the same effect as drinking gazolene and watching at excell spreadsheets at the same time. (Damn that last quote is good, from my favorite game critic, Yahtzee)

Hah.

All of those negatives you just listed are what I enjoy most about these games.

Give me a linear, interactive graphic novel, with oversized swords, and a complex skill system and I will love that game.

[kardz]

It's not really dying, it's just fall and winter quarters are the time for hyped generic games to make their way into the market and gobble up $$.

Casual gamers dig FPS genre and other fast paced action games over long and complex RPG's right now. If you like CRPGs/JRPGs and can't wait then start playing the ones that you might have missed or overlooked in the past.

RPG isn't dying, you're just not looking hard enough.

[Carnivus]

It's not really dying, it's just fall and winter quarters are the time for hyped generic games to make their way into the market and gobble up $$.

Casual gamers dig FPS genre and other fast paced action games over long and complex RPG's right now. If you like CRPGs/JRPGs and can't wait then start playing the ones that you might have missed or overlooked in the past.

RPG isn't dying, you're just not looking hard enough.

Shooters are dead since Crysis.Nothing close to it appeared in nearly 3 years.The only one close to it was Dragon Rising.Dead Space was interesting the first half hour,after that it got boring.I really don't have anything worth mentioning to add.FEAR was good.The first one,because it caused an impact.After that,they added nothing but 2-3 guns and 2-3 enemies.

So a great genre,FPS,are nothing but empty shells for mindless killing and stereotypes.As for RPG's,who briefly make 2-3 games a year on PC,they a lot more appreciated.I mean,the hype around ME2 is gigantic.Not to mention the hundred mods for Oblivion IV.Fallout 3 and Dragon Age didn't do bad at all.The witcher was also very enjoyable.

So,I can say that RPG's are the best games.Period.It has all other genres,but also it has it's own borders.Fallout 3 and ME-shooters,FF-strategy-like and of course,its own bladed fights,The Witcher,Oblivion IV and Dragon Age.

[kostya]

It depends on which Final Fantasy he is talking about.

Any of them, JRPG is like a graphic novel book, they usually have good stories, but you have no freedom of choice whatsoever and end up playing an adventure game that strictly follows the main story and has RPG stat building element.... oh and you have so many annoying long ass cinematics, that sometimes you wonder: "Wow this battle looks good, it would be more fun if they let me do that instead of watching it".

So call it whatever you want: Interactive graphic novel, adventure game with oversized swords, trigger of an epileptic seisure, but don't call it a role playing game, because the only role play you do is to navigate through a maze of fucking confusing skill systems that give the same effect as drinking gazolene and watching at excell spreadsheets at the same time. (Damn that last quote is good, from my favorite game critic, Yahtzee)

As I said, it depends on which FF you are talking about. They were sane (though linear). It changed when FF7 came out. They did the crazy thing and replaced game play with graphics. It sold VERY well. They tried it a couple more times and it worked again. Then they tried to take all the game play out at once in Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within. That did not work well, so they are working to slowly phase out game play and improve the graphics.

Among very recent games, there are several very good JRPGs. Nostalgia plays like a remake of Skies of Arcadia complete with ship based battles. Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road is fun and very stylistically unique.

[kardz]

It's not really dying, it's just fall and winter quarters are the time for hyped generic games to make their way into the market and gobble up $$.

Casual gamers dig FPS genre and other fast paced action games over long and complex RPG's right now. If you like CRPGs/JRPGs and can't wait then start playing the ones that you might have missed or overlooked in the past.

RPG isn't dying, you're just not looking hard enough.

Shooters are dead since Crysis.Nothing close to it appeared in nearly 3 years.The only one close to it was Dragon Rising.Dead Space was interesting the first half hour,after that it got boring.I really don't have anything worth mentioning to add.FEAR was good.The first one,because it caused an impact.After that,they added nothing but 2-3 guns and 2-3 enemies.

So a great genre,FPS,are nothing but empty shells for mindless killing and stereotypes.As for RPG's,who briefly make 2-3 games a year on PC,they a lot more appreciated.I mean,the hype around ME2 is gigantic.Not to mention the hundred mods for Oblivion IV.Fallout 3 and Dragon Age didn't do bad at all.The witcher was also very enjoyable.

So,I can say that RPG's are the best games.Period.It has all other genres,but also it has it's own borders.Fallout 3 and ME-shooters,FF-strategy-like and of course,its own bladed fights,The Witcher,Oblivion IV and Dragon Age.

I never said any of the recent release of games were any good.

People pay 50 bucks for overhyped generic shooter number 35323213213 just for the sake of playing something new.

Nothing like charging you 50 dollars for a game which is pretty much a mod of HL2 source engine and then coming out with a "new" game for another 50 bucks less than a year later.

[shabutie]

Nothing like charging you 50 dollars for a game which is pretty much a mod of HL2 source engine and then coming out with a "new" game for another 50 bucks less than a year later.

Why do I get the feeling this is directly aimed at Left 4 Dead?

^_^

[AceHigh]

Hah.

All of those negatives you just listed are what I enjoy most about these games.

Give me a linear, interactive graphic novel, with oversized swords, and a complex skill system and I will love that game.

Great... good for you.
But why the fuck do people continue to label them as role playing games? Hell, if you want an involving storyline, try playing The longest journey and Dreamfall, both have linear story which is awesomel, but it is not labeled as RPG because it is not one. Hell, japanese "rpg" are more comparable to monkey island games, rather than real rpg games.

oh and the skill system is not complex, but just have an annoying gui. For example fallout has a skill system with 18 skills, traits and attributes and it was still on one page. For that matter Arcanum has a normal skill + technological and magic disciplines and it all was fit well and I never had to use time to find stuff. Oh well it might be like that because japanese make their game for consoles, but a fucking maze on a skill deck is just stupid.

Play an SMT game.

Surface-mount technology? Sequential manual transmission? Simultaneous multi threading? Statistical machine translation?

Yes but did it never happen to you to find yourself screaming at the screen for some odd choice of the lead character.That's why today's RPG's are with choices,so that when you don't like what's happening there,you think how idiot you were and try to repair the situation.You have taken a decision,and now you must live with its consequences.

Ah, that must be reffered to "The Witcher". There you don't see the consequence of your actions until much further in game, so save/reload won't work there. Simply love that game.

[Penthero]

Play an SMT game.

Surface-mount technology? Sequential manual transmission? Simultaneous multi threading? Statistical machine translation?

I think he means Shin Megami Tensei.

[Mirgond]

JRPG is like a graphic novel book, they usually have good stories, but you have no freedom of choice whatsoever and end up playing an adventure game that strictly follows the main story and has RPG stat building element....

I agree with this, but I put it to you that this is exactly what some people such as myself actually want. To me the story is a very involving and powerful element in any game, so much so that I am more than willing to lose some playability to get a good one. Yes JRPG's lock you in to a limited linear path but in return they have the potential for strong, emotive and generally awesome storylines. Where other RPG storys fail because of bad writers struggling to give the player freedom while still telling a story and keeping it all consistent, JRPG's don't.  

Yes but did it never happen to you to find yourself screaming at the screen for some odd choice of the lead character.That's why today's RPG's are with choices,so that when you don't like what's happening there,you think how idiot you were and try to repair the situation.You have taken a decision,and now you must live with its consequences.

Baldur's Gate/NWN had that a decade ago...

[Smokeyjr2]

Final Fantasy 4 LIFE!!!

[Carnivus]

Ah, that must be reffered to "The Witcher". There you don't see the consequence of your actions until much further in game, so save/reload won't work there. Simply love that game.

Uhm,yes The Witcher is certainly the best example but not the only one.The Witcher's system influenced the story quite a lot,better said it influenced the means of getting to the end.Another type of decision-consequence is on party-based games,such as ME and DA:O.There,party members can live your side if they don't agree to your methods/actions.A more simple and present version is in Fallout 3,when it's all up to Karma.But in Fallout 3,decisions lock up quests,makes you enemies and/or friends.This I believe it's present in all RPG's.

[gotenks8]

Am I just missing some little known game(s) or has the genre really slowed down to nothingness?

No, it's just a lot of games are being stream lined and dumbed down for masses of nuckel draggers. Long ago the studios learned a good game doesn't always make as much money as a popular game.

[Zuly]

It's not dying at all. Simply, WRPGs are getting better and JRPGs are getting shittier.

Although, I clearly doubt that there will ever be another WRPG like Planescape: Torment (the greatest story in a video game of ALL TIME), there has been some great WRPGs this gen: Mass Effect, Bioshock, Dragon Age: Origins, to mention a few. JRPGs on the other hand are not holding up as well. The only great console JRPGs this gen are: Tales of Vesperia, Lost Odyssey and Valkyria Chronicles. (I don't consider Demon's Souls an RPG, mind you.)