| Profcrab said:
I understand where you are coming from, but with so many games using stats, the line between an video game RPG (by your definition) and any other genre becomes blured. Old games like X-Com which were reasonably free form, characters had stats, and the game had some sort of story progression, become RPGs. JRPGs definitly promote the story aspect, but in action they are much more like movies where the player has no efficacy. The player meerly views the story but does not take part. The player choses their best weapons and strategy for the team to defeat an obsticle. In that way, they are more closely related to RTS and adventure games where story blocks are unlocked by the player by defeating levels. What you are arguing is definitly the industry opinion on what makes and RPG for a video game. I just disagree with that view. Coming from a P&P background, I have always seen the defining element of RPGs as being the act of taking the role of a character and the ability to determine that characters path. I certainly don't expect the industry to change their labels because of one asshole like me, but when comparing to genres of games like WRPGs and JRPGs, I am given to applying my view of what makes an RPG when attempting to determine which is more suited to be called one. I played table top wargames also, but I never considered those RPGs so I don't make the same connection between those and video games. Those were closer to games like X-Com, Civ, and the old turn based strategy games (which most people ditched in favor of RTS). I give that post a 9.8. |
I love this topic so just some last points:
As far as the wargaming relationship, I think origins are very important in defining things, and war games were a direct influence on D & D, which is basically the template for the genre. I may change my viewpoint on this as I was of the same mind as you concerning JRPGs until I made the Chainmail correlation (and the fact that many of the p&p campaigns I was in were light on NPC interaction in comparison to something like Fallout 2).
Traditional RPG combat is a very specific type of gameplay, to me, something which the current hybridization of genres can't distract me from. And outside of DEus Ex and System Shock, I'm not a fan of hybridization.
Funny you mention industry opinion, because I couldn't be more disgusted by what the genre has become. The industry doesn't believe in strategic, mentally challenging gameplay anymore. It's all about "appealing to a broader audience," which defeats the nature of the genre, imo. The role playing elements are even lightweight these days.
For the record, the best WRPGs are way ahead of the best Japan has produced, in battle mechanics and role-playing. But fuck Mass Effect, Elder Scrolls after Daggerfall, and Fable.
