Menu Close

Will The PS1 Always Be The Undisputed King Of RPGs?

So I was moving my PS1 collection around today and of course, I couldn't help but reflect and ponder…

Most RPG fans I know will agree that the original PlayStation remains the undisputed king of the RPG. One could make legitimate arguments for both the SNES and PS2 but personally, I'm going to go with the PS1. It just has to be.

I played probably 35 RPGs on that system and there are two things I remember: First and foremost is the idea that they were "all the same;" that really infuriated me. Nobody better say that around me or they're begging for a black eye. Seriously. Too many people just think everything was a turn-based fantasy RPG with a lot of Japanese characters who looked like they were 10. Stereotypes bother me but this one above all else pisses me off no end. The role-playing experiences on the PS1 were very different if you sampled most everything that was available. It was continuous and various.

For instance, the side-scrolling slashing action and gorgeous hand-drawn artistry of Legend of Mana was nothing like the heavily anime-inspired, 3D Granstream Saga . Neither used a turn-based mechanic. And even the games that did were so freakin' inventive; developers did so much with that system; Saga Frontier , Legend of Legaia , Star Ocean: The 2nd Story , etc. The latter was more of a hybrid in fact, and even when Legaia and Legend of Dragoon were both turn-based, they remained vastly different in a number of important ways.

There was diversity and almost unparalleled quality from Squaresoft, which stretched beyond the vaunted Final Fantasy series. Vagrant Story and Chrono Cross are two of the finest games in the industry's history, and certain franchises like Suikoden and Wild ARMs really sucked me in. This isn't even including the strategy/RPGs like Vandal Hearts , Koudelka , Tactics Ogre , and Final Fantasy Tactics . And these days, the term "RPG" is tough to define…can we even say definitively what constitutes an RPG anymore?

Plus, the industry has shifted. Story-driven RPGs just aren't popular; RPGs have to be open-ended and freedom-oriented or they almost don't matter these days. So it is safe to say that no future console could ever top the PS1 as far as sheer RPG goodness goes?

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
91 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
BTNwarrior
BTNwarrior
11 years ago

For JRPGs most definitely, but for my favorite collection of rpgs I have to say Windows 95 was the best platform. If only for all the Interplay and Black Isle Studios games

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
11 years ago

I'm sorry, but as great as those games were, they were all basically D&D/Forgotten Realms games that played very, very similarly. I played the hell out of them with friends but there was nowhere near the gameplay/artistic diversity found in JRPGs.

I frequently made comparisons in those days. 😉

xenris
xenris
11 years ago

Have to agree with Ben. While I actually played a ton of both the PC and PSX RPGs, I would say the fondest memories came from the PSX. The sheer variety of gameplay in the different RPGs on the PSX was amazing. Dragon Valor for some weird reason was one of my favourites, probably because I was obsessed with dragons as a lad(who am I kidding I still am but hush). But as Ben said in the article there were so many different types, Star Ocean 2 was probably one of my favourite PSX RPGs and it played way different than most of the other JRPGs game on the console.

Mind you lump summing all the CRPGs on the PC would be an injustice to those games as they were different in several ways. However they did usually follow the DnD formula. The most unique CRPGs I would say were Planescape torment, and Arcanum:of steamworks and magicka obscura. Other than that, most of the western PC rpgs did feel similar.

VampDeLeon
VampDeLeon
11 years ago

A little confused Ben on the whole "they were all basically D&D/Forgotten Realms games", if that's the case that would mean that they were indeed RPGs if D&D is already known as an RPG.

With JRPGs though, the size and quality couldn't have been to this magnitude without the NES and SNES's help, so most definitely it's either the PS1 and PS2 that holds the title of being the King.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
11 years ago

I didn't say they weren't RPGs. I said they were all basically the same RPG.

Killa Tequilla
Killa Tequilla
11 years ago

I couldnt answer that question… I didnt play any rpgs during my psone days.

But i do believe however that gameboy advanced, gameboy sp, nintendo ds and nintendo 3ds have the best rpgs! Pokemon. I used to play it when i was a little kid. Now its all ps3 and very rarely some xbox.

richfiles
richfiles
11 years ago

I'm proud to say I have most of the major systems, though I will admit to getting into PS1 late in the game. I bought a lot of RPGs for it… and you know what? half of them were rereleases or sequels to SNES era games.

SNES will now and forever be my RPG king. I can honestly say that I loved the SNES 10 times more than my PS1!

bebestorm
bebestorm
11 years ago

Yes PS1 wins hands down! PS3 doesn't have a killer jrpg yet and that's saddens me.

JackDillinger89
JackDillinger89
11 years ago

Yes we do silly, Demons souls its a ps3 exclusive and a jrpg.

ZenChichiri
ZenChichiri
11 years ago

The thing about Demon's Souls is it's an RPG and it's from Japan but it's not a JRPG. It's modeled after WRPGs, and therefore doesn't really fit the bill.

There is a game for the DS called Black Sigil that is a JRPG, but is made in the West. I wouldn't dare call it a WRPG because it follows JRPG standards.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

I think Demon's and Dark souls aren't JRPGs as we understand them.

bebestorm
bebestorm
11 years ago

@Zen&World

ITA! Both games are good even though their not jrpgs.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
11 years ago

White Knight Chronicles is pretty damn good, especially online. Don't believe the negativity in certain reviews and gamer circles, the game is very much a hidden gem.

Miggy
Miggy
11 years ago

I agree with Highlander. I loved White Knight Chronicles most likely because it was a gift for my birthday. I really enjoyed the gameplay. I never got to play it online but it was still fun to me offline.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

Unfortunately Final Fantasy VII kind of ruined me for some of the games that were still sprite-based in the PS1 gen but I'd kill for a taste of all those wonderful varied worlds once again. Tales of Graces F was a real breath of fresh air this generation. Star Ocean 4 was nothing to sneeze at either but of course both of those still had mostly action mechanics so it isn't all the same.

I don't think a rebirth of the JRPG is out of the question but I doubt we will ever see so many good titles in a single generation again.

Personally I can't wait for FFX HD.

ZettaiSeigi
ZettaiSeigi
11 years ago

Very disappointed that S-E did not make any announcement about FFX HD last E3. But I wasn't too surprised. I mean, the game I'm most looking forward to from them is borderline a vaporware. *cough* FF Versus XIII *cough*

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

Hopefully they are busy resyncing the lips and we will hear something at TGS.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
11 years ago

White Knight blows Star Ocean 4 out of the water. SO4 was good, WKC2 is better. Personally though I think that for pure old school JRPG the Atelier series might actually be the best pure JRPG of the generation. Of course it's hardcore item synthesis as well, but it retains everything people loved about the older JRPGs including truly turn based combat.

DeusExMachina
DeusExMachina
11 years ago

@World There's always the indie game industry World, theyve given us most of the oldschool goodness this gen so whille the big companies concentrate on maintream actiony games, the indies can build up capital and start giving us better niche offerings.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

@Deus, I agree it does offer up a genre on a silver platter to indie game makers. Personally though I have yet to see anyone deliver big things (and I don't mean production values). It baffles me that a small dev can't make something as good as Suikoden II on a tiny budget these days.

@Highlander, White Knight is a sweet series but (Mind you I'm not down with WKC2) with the first game I enjoyed it but felt the story in Star Ocean 4 was more classic and better told. My opinion though.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
11 years ago

My problem with SO4 was mainly having to replay after having an HDD issue and then the long hard slog to the end which seemed really chore-like and annoying. Of course the grind in WKC2 could be said to be worse, but at least it's done online with friends instead of solo with the game…

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
11 years ago

*that should say "done" with WKC2.

When I played SO4 I couldn't help but compare it to SO3, which had the longest, most grueling, most painful slog to the end I have ever experienced so by comparison it wasn't too bad. I didn't have any HDD issues thankfully. It is a mixed bag but I'm a sucker for JRPG-standard character types and stories. WKC1 felt a tad light on those to me.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 6/18/2012 1:57:18 PM

shadowscorpio
shadowscorpio
11 years ago

@ World

I can agree that Tales of Graces F is a breath of fresh air. I'm quite hooked on it right now. A very story and character driven game.

I was actually playing WKC1 before ToGF and I will say that most of value come with playing online. My only distain with the game is the massive amount of time it takes level up your Guild Rank and other aspects of your character. Just seems unreasonably long.

Haven't dived too much into WKC2 yet but I'm hoping its an improvement when it comes to the grind.


Last edited by shadowscorpio on 6/18/2012 4:36:04 PM

firesoul453
firesoul453
11 years ago

Never really got into JRPGs, and although I've had a ps1 my console back in the day was the N64.

Any must play ps1 games I should most definitely get?

MrAnonymity
MrAnonymity
11 years ago

If you can manage it, Suikoden and Suikoden II are a must. Of course… the cheapest USED copy of II that I have found is currently $40… but that is naturally subject to change due to the auction-like nature of eBay.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
11 years ago

I'm not into RPG's, but even so as a collector I can look into all my Playstation collections & see that the PS1 is the undisputed champ of them.

BTW, don't forget the the PSP either, which still has numerous RPG's coming out on it(but for Japan only).


Last edited by BikerSaint on 6/17/2012 10:56:17 PM

Geophphreigh
Geophphreigh
11 years ago

I have to disagree with something in the last paragraph…"story driven RPGs just aren't popular…" it may seem that way, but they never even got a chance this generation. It's up to the larger developer to make a good game which would increase the sales of the smaller studios because people would be interested in that type of game. I place the blame solely on square enix. They are the ones who can put out a big game with a huge following for the newer generation, but what they did was release games so aweful that no one cares to see where RPGs are going because they think the genre sucks. It's declined ever since ff9. If square enix went back to the old format for RPGs and realize no one wanted to change, at least in the way it has, then we would still see a lot of RPGs being released.

DeusExMachina
DeusExMachina
11 years ago

Yup petty much. Although dont you dare forget FFX (arguably the best FF or atleast in the top 3), as well as the KH series. Plus Crisis Core wasn't too bad either.

But I do get what youre saying nothing earth shattering AFTER KH2.

Amnesiac
Amnesiac
11 years ago

I feel Ps1 will always be the highest water mark for RPGs. In those days any home console game developer would have been accustomed to working with SNES or Genesis capabilities.
The original playstation encouraged so much potential its no wonder most of us look back on those days so fondly.
For me most of the Ps1 library caters to every interest I have as a gamer, I can't say the same about any other system since then.


Last edited by Amnesiac on 6/17/2012 11:27:23 PM

ZettaiSeigi
ZettaiSeigi
11 years ago

I ought to be ashamed that I never had a PS1 and did not get to play those classic RPGs. That said, I have a definite appreciation for them as I loved the JRPGs that I got to play when I bought a PS2 and a Dreamcast.

To make amends for that, I will be buying a few JRPGs as soon as PS1 support is available to the Vita. Final Fantasy Tactics and FF VII easily at the top of my list. And yep, I'm sure to buy Persona 4 Golden the very first day it comes out for the Vita as well!

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
11 years ago

BTW, if you still own a PSP, Atlus's SRPG, "Gungnir" is now out & available.

ZenChichiri
ZenChichiri
11 years ago

I hear it's really good too. Gonna pick it up soon!

ZenChichiri
ZenChichiri
11 years ago

I hate it how the industry sways with the trends. It's like things can't co-exist peacefully because developers are all trying to grab a hold of the same thing. When one thing is popular everyone tries to make that same thing to cater to the masses. This doesn't always happen (ie Quantic Dream), but some Japanese developers just refuse to embrace what made them so popular in the past.

If you jump all over the trends with no respect to what your competitive advantage is, then you lose your identity. Let's hope JRPGs haven't lost their identity for good.

shadowscorpio
shadowscorpio
11 years ago

Well said.

Beamboom
Beamboom
11 years ago

The king of *Japanese* rpgs we mean here, don't we? There wasn't many rpgs released for the ps1 that wasn't Japanese and very typically Japanese too, as far as I understand? (I didn't pay much attention to the console world before the ps3 though, so please, educate me if I am wrong).

Personally, if I had to pick a generation or platform, I gotta say I am pretty happy with the state of affairs today. There are several titles over the years I could point at, saying "man THAT was a great title" (KOTOR, Bloodlines…) but with the rose tinted glasses aside I doubt I'd want to go back to those days, all taken into consideration.


Last edited by Beamboom on 6/18/2012 12:53:30 AM

Ludicrous_Liam
Ludicrous_Liam
11 years ago

Agreed. There is so much quality around today, I think even moreso than previous generations. However, like you, I only really started gaming with the PS3 so perhaps a little bit of bias there.

…Even still, games like LBP, Uncharted, Infamous. Strip away the pretty graphics and some of the performance-sapping code to meet the PS2/PS1's limit, and I don't think there was this much quality now in those generations. Maybe it's bigger budgets, l don't know, but there's definately more quality around – and creativity to.

Beamboom
Beamboom
11 years ago

Even if we limit the scope to RPGs I think that had a RPG that we today consider to be just "ok", like Amalur, been released for the PS2 instead I believe it would have been considered earth shattering both in scale, ambition, gameplay and mechanics.


Last edited by Beamboom on 6/18/2012 6:36:05 AM

Ludicrous_Liam
Ludicrous_Liam
11 years ago

Oh yeah, we're talking about RPGs aren't we?

*Thinks about how Uncharted might be classed as an RPG* xD

I guess with more progressive systems, the standards are raised higher and higher (in terms of overall quality, aswell as things strictly limited to technological advancements), aswell as expectations. For an example, look at Beyond – people are literally expecting QuanticDream to create a new genre and still make a masterpiece, even though it's a first of it's kind. So with higher standards and expectations, an 'okay' game from the now automatically converts into earth shattering for any generation before, as standards and expectations were much less.

Despite what many might think, this is probably the best possible time to be a gamer. Two or more generations from now we'll be saying how this was the 'Golden generation' for games, I'd bet.


Last edited by Ludicrous_Liam on 6/18/2012 7:59:26 AM

Beamboom
Beamboom
11 years ago

I fully agree that this is the best time so far to be a gamer.

I do however not think we've reached any peaks neither in gameplay, story telling, mechanics, visuals or creativity. With new hardware, new capacities and more experience comes new possibilities. It will always be like that, plus in the larger scheme of things computer games are still a medium in an early age.

(and lol@Uncharted 😉 )


Last edited by Beamboom on 6/18/2012 9:22:28 AM

FM23
FM23
11 years ago

Beamboom….you're always on point. RPG's never clicked with me durimg the PS1 era, but I was rral young during that period. The PS2 caught on with me when GTA, NFS, and MGS were on top along with MoH, etc, but even then I was only hooked to GTA. I never played an RPG until the PS3 and the first game was Fallout 3 which blew me the f*ck away. RPG's fiends will say it isn't a rpg, but Fallout and Skyrim are the shit. Oblivion was kind of a building block but still good too. Mass Effect is another that blew me away. When you step outside of wrpg's, we got GTA, AC, CoD, BF, most Ps3 exclusives including Dark Souls, etc and I can say I have played more games in my adult yrs then my youth even though more time was dedicated to the few games I played when I was younger. Either way, this gen is where its at for people who didn't really click with the ps1 and early ps2 era as far as genre and themes went. So many choices.

FM23
FM23
11 years ago

@Ludicrious Liam…..I agree with you too. Even though we are speaking off of preference, I wholeheartedly agree with your reflection of this generation.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
11 years ago

Let's just say if you didn't play them then, you have no idea what the RPG fans are talking about now.

No, Beamboom, I wouldn't have considered Amalur "earth-shattering." You forget that we still had Everquest and MMOs like that, and as far as I'm concerned, stuff like Skyrim isn't much different. Big world, basically no story to speak of (or at least, none to care about or barely notice), and you just wander around basically doing what you want. I know you find it hard to believe, but a lot of us didn't WANT that. If we had, we would've played Everquest. We wanted a STORY to follow and CHARACTERS to care about, which is what those RPGs did best. I have difficulty finding any RPG today that does that for me.

The bottom line is that those RPGs offered a style of gameplay that simply doesn't exist anymore, unless it's in the downloadable world.

Beamboom
Beamboom
11 years ago

By all means, I do not know those titles back then at all, that much is true.

But if we talk about story, let's then talk about current gen RPGs with a story focus. I'd say both the Mass Effect and Dragon Age games have a clear, strong focus on story, don't you agree? And it's all dependent on how much you click with those stories of course, but are the games from the PS1 era really stronger than that in regards to characters to care for or story to follow?

I mean, sure, I didn't play *those* titles back then, but I did play games. I do have an idea on how games in general were in those days compared to now. It really did require you to "fill in the gaps" with your imagination. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but saying that those tiny little sprites and text based conversations really had a stronger impact on gamers than what the current gen games offer… Well, I don't really see how that can be the case, comparatively speaking.

I remember I were blown away by the racing games on the Amiga, I almost got car sick by watching. Today, all I see are some colored fields and growing sprites as trees.


Last edited by Beamboom on 6/18/2012 10:23:02 AM

Underdog15
Underdog15
11 years ago

You know, I finished up Tactics Ogre last month, and I just got onto the Ragnarok with Rinoa in FFVIII…

People who played FFVIII will know what I'm talking about. After Adel is freed and the Lunar Cry happens… remember when Rinoa is just drifting in space close to death? It really struck me this time how much artistry in the story telling was done in the absence of voice acting and high definition facial expressions. Watching Rinoa drift, mashing buttons that don't make a lick of difference… literally being forced to helplessly watch her float away after being able to beat any boss up to that point. What an incredibly helpless feeling!

And the artistry when Ellone junctions Squall to Rinoa in the near past… how she sees his ring float up in that 10 second cutscene symbolizing the fact that he is right there with her, and she manages to initiate the reserve life support because Squall is able to reach his heart out to her.

Then going out into space, and seeing the counter count down from 1:15 as you try to get in position to catch her. Honestly, the outright HOPE that you feel in the midst of helplessness was incredible for a game of that time!! I have played some great stories since then, but even now as I played it the other day, I realized how it made me feel NOW even though I'm used to better technology. I'm not even sure devs TRY to reach us on that level anymore. At least not with that much effort, patience, and thought.

I -know- anyone who knows what I'm talking about will agree 100%. And it echos what Ben said… if you never played those games, you REALLY don't understand what it is people like us are talking about. That kind of story just can't be done if you get to mold the story yourself. It just can't. And it never has, either. (And yeah, I've played some Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Definitely good, but not the same as what I'm playing through right now in FF8)

EDIT: I should add that up to that point, you really fall for Rinoa. Even FFVIII's creator said he'd fallen in love with Rinoa. Every fibre of your being wants to keep her close, safe, and secure. There is many hours of story up to that point that develop her character. So that adds to the emotion, as well.

And anyone who has played it knows what happens after the Ragnarok gets back to the earth… more helplessness you can't control… Also, what happens ON the ragnarok (after you clear out the monsters, of course)… very emotional.


Last edited by Underdog15 on 6/18/2012 10:24:17 AM

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
11 years ago

Beamboom: I know you don't believe it, but the instant you infuse an ounce of freedom and choice into a story, the pre-written characters begin to lose their identity.

I never cared about the Dragon Age story because the characters are mostly faceless. Worse, the main character is entirely faceless because you're allowed to basically create him or her. Hence, I don't care about that character. Mass Effect is better but player freedom means clashing with any scripts and actually, writing scripts of your own.

You like that and you don't understand why people wouldn't want it. And that's fine. But the people who played fully linear, totally epic, beautifully written and drawn stories understand that being PASSIVE when it comes to experiencing the story is one of the best parts. Obviously, we still interact with the game for the gameplay, but I had no interest in having a choice when Cloud was to answer a question. Zero.

I wanted to see the story that was written. I also didn't want to wander around for no reason and lose sight of that story. I had a world map to explore and that was enough; any more than that, and you start to lose the thread of the plot. This has always been my argument for linearity because that's the ONLY way stories can actually be conveyed. Anything more than that is a mish-mash of multiple stories that are created on the fly.

I wasn't interested in that then, and I'm not really interested in it now.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
11 years ago

Great post Underdog, and as many probably know, I have always love the Rinoa character, I did indeed fall in love with that character. So many people go on about Tifa and Aerith. Don't get me wrong, they are both great characters and Aerith's death still halts me in FFVII. But Rinoa was somehow more dear to me. The story was fantastic and I remember the scene you describe very clearly, and the feeling of helplessness is extremely pronounced. Whatever the creators did with the story, pacing and visuals, it was spot on, and very much had the desired effect for me. There were times in the game when I literally wanted to reach through the screen to help. I finished replaying FFVIII on my PSP earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Beamboom, the more you post on this topic the more clear the chasm of understanding becomes with regard to you and JRPGs, or even story driven RPGs. Open world and player freedom don't work in story driven games, and much like reading a novel, very many people like to 'read' the book, not chop it up into pieces and consume it out of order, injecting new elements that don't fit the established story along the way. That's not a criticism of you, but rather pointing out the obvious fact that you don't get (and perhaps do not really want to get) story driven RPGs and especially JRPGs. That's fine, no one says you have to like or understand the genre. But you persist (in my oinion) in attempting to shoe-horn the JRPG/story drive RPG genre into your understanding of it. It just does not work that way.

Liam, diluting the definition of RPG is precisely why this discussion is so difficult now. RPG used to have a very clear definition in the minds of gamers. So did JRPG. But now, that definition has been diluted by a near constant pilfering of leveling, item enhancement and skill mechanics by other games that then describe themselves as RPGs or having RPG-like elements. It's got to the point now where people can seriously talk about Uncharted as an RPG, when it's nothing of the sort. Of course if you take the broad possible literal definition of Role Playing game, any game where the player plays or takes a role is technically (based on that broad definition) an RPG. But really, that is not what RPGs are, not in video gaming terms.


Last edited by TheHighlander on 6/18/2012 11:07:43 AM

telly
telly
11 years ago

Just want to say I think Beamboom and Ben both raise great points. I'm a huge Mass Effect fan, and at the same time the thought of giving Cloud choices in the direction of the narrative is horrifying. I absolutely LOVED those classic RPGs that had amazing stories you passively took in. The interaction came in the gameplay. These are just two schools of thought, and for me, I love them both. I just think it's sad now that because the former is so popular, the latter has almost disappeared. I'd like to see great games in both styles in equal measure.

Beamboom
Beamboom
11 years ago

Ben,
Small correction: I both understand, respect and defend that others have other preferences than me. The gaming world would be a lot duller had game developments been dictated by my preferences alone.

But I am unsure what you mean with "faceless". If that means "no personality" then I don't understand how you can say that.
Take Merrill from DA2, and her unsure, vein being. How can you call her faceless, how can you NOT be charmed by that personality?
Or Morrigan from DA:O and her relation with her mother, not to mention her seductive and dark behaviour. Faceless?

Or the utterly diverse and imho incredibly interesting different backgrounds and personalities of the characters in Mass Effect 2… I mean, take *any* of the characters in your crew there, and I could write an essey about them! Faceless?

What I think is the case here, is that this is more a question about our age than the games themselves.
I dare say, that the teenagers today are just as seduced by Isabela (DA), Liara or Tali (ME) as your Rinoa and other characters you guys fell in love with back then.

Ok, so there might be a stronger narrative in the games you guys talk about. But it's a far stretch from that to saying they are *faceless*.

And Highlander, I really wish you could play DA and ME before you can draw any conclusions about my opinions in these discussions.
Seriously, please, go play them. I think you will be surprised. You will discover that ME is far from as "open world" and non-linear as you think they are, for example. Their openness and "player freedom" is highly overrated. It's essentially cosmetic. The story is nowhere as fragmented as you seem to think.


Last edited by Beamboom on 6/18/2012 12:08:46 PM

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
11 years ago

I know you respect others viewpoints and preferences, Beamboom. You don't always have to qualify your comments with that disclaimer. 🙂

But you've unknowingly made my point. I liked Merrill in DAII, and I liked a lot of the characters in the ME series. However, due to the extreme focus on gameplay in DAII (which absolutely supplanted the focus on story), we never really spent much time with those characters. Yes, we'd talk to Merrill sometimes and do some quests for her. But it was 99% gameplay; who she is, her background, her ambitions; it was only lightly touched upon.

You see, in comparison to the depth of character development in entirely linear RPGs, that's very, very light. Almost non-existent light. If you were actually touched and affected by anything story-wise or character-wise in DAII or ME, you should – by all rights – be absolutely blown away by games that REALLY focus on characters and plot, to the point where they occupy your mind as REAL people.

As additional proof, the graphics in those days obviously doesn't compare. We weren't seeing CGI-like faces. And at the same time, we were far more affected emotionally because of the laser focus on characters and story, which can only – ONLY – happen when you completely eliminate player choice and freedom.

Beamboom
Beamboom
11 years ago

Ah, my disclaimer was as a reply to your quote; "you don't understand why people wouldn't want it". I think I understand. But it's a good thing if I need not disclaim that when we discuss this in the future. 🙂

But back on topic: Do you really not think age play any role here? That had you been a teenager today, you'd be just as engaged, moved and involved in these games as you were as a teenager back then?
Heck, even as a 40-something I've still had my very emotional moments, especially in the Mass Effect trilogy.

Regarding DA I agree it went in the wrong direction with the sequel, on many levels. I still think the characters were great though. And I think there was quite some to get to know about the characters, if you went to their houses between the missions and chatted with them.

But please note, I don't by any means think the Bioware games are flawless or perfect. Not at all. *Especially* not in DA2.


Last edited by Beamboom on 6/18/2012 2:28:24 PM

91
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x