Casey Wills GuestSpotter

Favorite Games by Platform: Super Mario Bros. (Arcade), Pathways Into Darkness (Macintosh), Kaboom (Atari), Dance Dance Revolution (PlayStation), Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64), Pikmin (GameCube), So you want to be a hero? (Classic PC), System Shock 2 (Current PC) Eagerly Awaiting: Freedom Force 2, Pikmin 2

RPG Shortcomings/RPG Renaissance

The RPG is the most peculiar genre of games, simply because it carries the least amount of actual game attributes. Unlike most games, there is almost no skill required in RPGs--no hand-eye coordination, no button-timing. So then, why do we play RPGs? Do we want to be entertained with clever dialogue and an interesting story? Do we want to test our intelligence with strategic challenges? Do we want a warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment after solving a creative puzzle? Oftentimes a critic will refer to one of these reasons to explain why an RPG is either good or bad, but these really are not the reasons why we play RPGs. In each of these categories (story, strategy, and puzzles) RPGs are inferior to other alternatives.

Story
For a good story, you are usually better off reading a book or watching a movie. Some RPGs have great storylines, but few can compete with the best that the silver screen has to offer, and most RPGs are downright tedious and redundant compared to film. You may say "But RPGs are longer and have more depth than films!" Well, if depth of story is important to you, then why not pick up a good book? The only advantage the RPG has in terms of story is the illusion of player participation. You feel as though somehow your decisions are making a difference and in some meaningful way affecting the storyline. This can actually be true in a good RPG, but this is rare. Normally, there is only one ending to an RPG, and your decisions only affect how long it takes you to reach that ending.

Strategy
If strategy is your highest concern, then you are better off playing a strategy game, not an RPG. If you want an intense half hour of strategic combat, any number of current real-time strategy games will deliver a better fix. If you prefer a slower pace to your gaming, give turn-based strategy a try with games like Civilization III, Korsun Pocket, or Galactic Civilizations. If you like tactical combat you can play Commandos or Laser Squad Nemesis. The problem with the strategic decisions required in most RPGs is that they are made blindly. For example, your character must decide whether or not to specialize in swords or axes, but there is just no way of knowing at the outset of the game which skill set will be more effective, fun, or compatible with your play style. Perhaps a very powerful sword will be found later on in the game, but how are you to know? Perhaps your character is better suited to axes, but how are you to know? Only after you have played through the entire game can you truly understand the ramifications of all your decisions. Only when the game is over are you prepared to play it from a strategic perspective. Picking swords or axes is not strategy; it's gambling. If you want to gamble, the best games for you are seven stud or Texas Hold 'Em.

Puzzles
Adventure games usually have a good storyline, but for the most part they focus on puzzles. Games like Myst, The Longest Journey, and Grim Fandango offer numerous challenging puzzles within a narrative structure, much like an RPG. In fact, they are very similar genres, since neither involves much twitch gameplay. If you added some statistics-based combat to Grim Fandango and the "leveling-up" inherent in those sorts of combat systems, then you would essentially have an RPG. But by leaving out that element, the game designers had more time to spend on creating devious and clever puzzles, which no RPG can compete with. Creative puzzles are usually the worst feature of the standard RPG. Fetch quests and key quests have become pathetically ubiquitous. If I want to fetch and deliver, I can do chores for my family, and I bet they'd appreciate it more than the generic citizens of Morrowind.

I don't think it's hard to see that, as a genre, RPGs are inferior to other kinds of games in several identifiable ways. But I'm not suggesting that you should abandon RPGs. I, for one, certainly won't. What draws me back to RPGs over and over again is the sense of power and accomplishment that comes from seeing your puny character grow from a weakling into an ass-kicking machine. The sheer joy of building up a character is something any RPG player can relate to. Character building is the bread and butter of the RPG, and game developers know it. It is the driving force behind all the current MMORPGs, and for a good reason--it can become quite addictive. It's really not too surprising that one MMORPG is commonly known as EverCrack.

With the biggest strength of the RPG genre identified and isolated, some game developers are refining the genre and stripping away the garbage. The best examples of RPG improvements are seen in Freedom Force and Star Wars: KOTOR. In both of these games, if one of your party members reaches zero health, he is just knocked out of the fight, not killed outright. This unrealistic but wonderful improvement results in better gameplay, because now the battles are more evenly matched, and you can keep fighting, even if you are down to just one man, instead of reloading every time the weakest member of your party gets killed. In most RPGs, a character that is lost in a battle is lost for good, and so reloading can be painful, frequent, and frustrating. No one likes reloading--it's an admission of failure, which, even if it's just subconsciously, is a little embarrassing. Another huge improvement that these two games offer is the universal leveling-up of all NPCs in the game, not just the active party members. While this is also very unrealistic (how can characters earn experience while sitting on their ass?), it is essential to creating enjoyable gameplay. It gives you the flexibility to use certain characters and then switch them in and out as it suits you, without worrying about crippling another character's development. You no longer have to decide at the beginning of the game which characters are right for you. It's also fun allocating skill points to an NPC, even if you will rarely use that character.

While numerous improvements are taking place in the RPG genre, the greatest RPG renaissance is occurring in other game genres that are starting to include RPG elements in their game structure. These "hybrid RPGs" have much promise. For example, some first-person shooters are starting to incorporate upgradable skills and character classes, like System Shock 2 and Deus Ex. These hybrid shooters have all the intensity of a classic FPS and also the depth of character creation usually only in an RPG. Many tactical strategy games, like Jagged Alliance 2, have also incorporated character building. Even some sports titles, like Madden 2004, have a skill point allocation system allowing players to upgrade their favorite athletes. Hybrid RPGs are popping up everywhere. Game developers are starting to realize that almost every game can include and would benefit from RPG elements. Maybe Grand Theft Auto IV will give you the choice between improving your outlaw's shooting skills or his driving skills. It's just a matter of time.