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Forums - Gaming - If Mass Effect 2 is an RPG..

Darth Tigris on 01 November 2010
arcelonious said:

I think more and more games are coming out that blur the distinctions between one genre and another, which I think is a good thing.  Many games today incorporate aspects from many genres, including action, RPG, shooter, puzzle, strategy, and so on.

In my opinion, I think people should just let games like Mass Effect forge their own unique identities, rather than trying to constrain them to a particular genre.  I think complaining that Mass Effect doesn't have enough "RPG elements" is detrimental to game innovation, because you're asking developers to basically restrict their games to some formula (which differs largely from one individual to the next) that is "supposed" to be used when creating a particular genre.  Why does Mass Effect HAVE to be a typical RPG?  Why can't we just let Mass Effect be Mass Effect?

This post is just overflowing with win.



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Ajescent on 01 November 2010
noname2200 said:

It's got stat growth, quests, party members, towns, lots of dialogue...really, it's got more RPG elements than some other big-name RPGs.



like say...FF13?

*Flee*

*returns*

Oh wait, If Mass Effect is an RPG, so is Yakuza 3!

*Flee*



PS One/2/p/3slim/Vita owner. I survived the Apocalyps3/Collaps3 and all I got was this lousy signature.


Xbox One: What are you doing Dave?

KichiVerde on 01 November 2010

I think ME2 is a RPG. First off you do receive skill points, level up and can customize your character and squadmates with specific skill sets weapons and armor. It may not be as in depth as other RPGs but it's all still in there. Second you have a map and can travel to hubs, talk with NPCs, shop, complete side quests and open up more of the map as you go along. Rather than treasure chests there are safes and computers that can be accessed or hacked. On occasion you also come across weapons and upgrades in certain missions.

Then you have the FPS (or rather TPS) side of the game which is basically the game's combat system.

So I would consider ME2 to be a RPSG or a Role Playing Shooter Game, much like Fallout. While Fallout focuses more on the RPg elements, ME2 focuses more on the combat. I have really enjoyed both games because of how the successfully mixed the two genres.





cura on 01 November 2010

i consider a rpg game to have at least a leveling system whereby gaining xp will earn you better skills and attributes etc. Essentially you build a stronger and more 'personalized' character throughout the game. 

Other aspects of an rpg include: 

- customization (such as physical appearance, personality, etc)

- lengthy single player quest

- dialogue (lots of conversation) 

- choices  that lead to different paths or outcomes 

As I said before, xp and some kind of leveling system is a critical aspect of a rpg game though games can have a leveling system and may not be considered a rpg game (e.g., bioshock, dead space, etc)

haven't played RDR so I can't comment explicitly but I would typically call than an open-world game like GTA or infamous, and not a RPG. 



qmoney88 on 04 November 2010
Joel12345 said:
qmoney88 said:

The lines are a bit blurry at times, but using a literal definition I dont think any jrpg in history can truly be considered a role playing game since the developers choose your characters and everything about them for you which would mean that almost every game in existence could be considered an rpg if based on this requirement alone since you are essentially playing a game through a particular characters eyes so to speak.  Since these are video games, we expect certain features within our role playing games such as stat advancement, character progession as a person and skill wise, long playtime and an engaging story.  mmorpgs would have to be considered the pinnacle of role playing in its purest form as this genre truly does allow you to create the character you want and play that character in any way you want (within the rules of the game of course) but then again there are plenty of games that feature customization options and features similar to those of the rpg genre such as leveling and character development even in first person shooters.  This ties into how some see the future of gaming without genres since so many developers these days are trying to provide gamers with enough variety to stay interested by including features found in numerous genres.  Overall I believe the answer comes from gamers themselves and how they play their games.

Dang you have a lot of free time :O

nice read though 

Haha thanks, I like to share my opinion on occassion since I would consider myself a bit more hardcore than most, as in gaming is essentially one fourth of my life ( I measured) and love chatting with fellow gamers even if I do tend to write a book on occassion lol.



 PROUD MEMBER OF THE  PLAYSTATION 3 : RPG FAN CLUB

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Jumpin on 04 November 2010

The term "RPG" is used FAR too loosely nowadays. The defining characteristic of an RPG is a turn based battle system, it is really the only thing that separates it from adventure titles.

For the most part, the first time I ever heard of an RPG being anything else other than that were Nintendo fans on the N64 saying Zelda: Ocarina of Time was an RPG, in the face of high criticism about the N64 having no RPGs.



I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.

twesterm on 04 November 2010
Jumpin said:

The term "RPG" is used FAR too loosely nowadays. The defining characteristic of an RPG is a turn based battle system, it is really the only thing that separates it from adventure titles.

For the most part, the first time I ever heard of an RPG being anything else other than that were Nintendo fans on the N64 saying Zelda: Ocarina of Time was an RPG, in the face of high criticism about the N64 having no RPGs.


What?  You really couldn't be more wrong.

RPG's are about characters, story, and how the characters change.  Turn based has nothing to do with it.

I'm curious, what do you think RPG stands for because if you actually knew what it meant that would be your first clue why you're way off the mark.



 

Khuutra on 04 November 2010
Jumpin said:

The term "RPG" is used FAR too loosely nowadays. The defining characteristic of an RPG is a turn based battle system, it is really the only thing that separates it from adventure titles.

For the most part, the first time I ever heard of an RPG being anything else other than that were Nintendo fans on the N64 saying Zelda: Ocarina of Time was an RPG, in the face of high criticism about the N64 having no RPGs.

That's not true at all. RPGs traditionally used to have a turn-based battle system because they were hold-overs from the initial transitory days when RPGs were first made based on game systems - large-scale strategy game systems.

You're thinking of turn-based strategy games, which are the root of RPGs.

RPGs are defined by playing the role of a character or characters, where defining how that character interacts with the world is the primary mechanical qualifier of the genre.



SnesTea on 04 November 2010
ishiki said:

I don't get labels really.

Well it probably is an RPG or a game with rpg elements (which imo makes it an rpg  :P)... I haven't played red dead. But San Andreas had RPG elements as does Peace Walker. Both games not generally considered RPG.

Another example in a different way is Deus Ex a FPS with RPG elements (And really unique elements at that) But it's generally called atleast on VGC an RPG even though it is a FPS.

Is there an exact definition that's generally accepted? Or is it just what people use to label certain things.

Yes but San Andreas was perfect. Hell, I would label it as "the best game of all time" genre.



Gnizmo on 04 November 2010

There is a really easy, and obvious litmus test for RPGs that no one ever uses for some reason. Role playing games explain their very heart and soul in the genre title. Any game that the story is essential to the game would end up as a RPG. It works extremely well and only occasionally leaves you with a vague answer.

Examples Starcraft 2 certainly seems very story driven. However if you remove all story dialogue you have a game that would not be worse off on a fundamental level. The game play is strong enough, and clearly been focused on to such an extent that the story is secondary at best. Any and every fighting game follows the same pattern.

I just don't get all these other definitions. What does stat growth have to do with role playing? Many tabletops (the source of many if not all original video game RPGs) often had zero stat growth with leveling. What does turn based combat have to do with role playing? Another legacy from the probably source material that stems from everyone yelling "attackattackattack" at the top of their lungs is no fun for anyone. Following the story of the character, and guiding his actions at your whim (assuming his role, or playing it if you will) is the only logical necessity for a RPG.



Starcraft 2 ID: Gnizmo 229