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| Erik Hermon
Guest Contributor
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Now Playing: Devil May Cry 2 (PS2), Skies of Arcadia Legends (GC), Madden NFL 2003 (PS2), Dynasty Tactics (PS2), Final Fantasy IV (SNES)
Can't Wait to Get My Hands On: .hack (PS2), Xenosaga (PS2), A new multiplayer RPG
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I have spent many hours of my life playing RPGs such as Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, and every game to date with the words "Final Fantasy" in the title. My most recent conquest was Wild Arms 3, which may not be a classic but is still a lot of fun. Lately, though, I've found myself yearning for the chance to enjoy these stories in the company of others, and this brought back fond memories of multiplayer RPGs from the past like Square's immortal Secret of Mana and Interplay's Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. These games offered something that games like Final Fantasy X could not--the ability to enjoy the experience with friends and family.
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Once again, AI partners find a way to kill themselves. |
I purchased Secret of Mana nearly 10 years ago. I love RPGs and beat the first Final Fantasy when I was 8, so I was expecting great things from this latest Square game. And Secret of Mana strengthened my love for RPGs, but it also did something I did not expect--I was tired of my AI partners charging into battle and nobly sacrificing themselves for my cause (and draining my supply of cups of wishes in the process) so I convinced my 10-year-old sister to join me. She instantly fell in love with the game, and I cannot think of anything the two of us have since enjoyed so much together. We played through it every two years or so and bought a Multitap just so my younger brother or one of my friends could join in the fun. I have yet to find a person, even among my RPG-hating friends, who has not enjoyed that game in multiplayer.
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You go right, you go left, and I'll take that thing in the middle. |
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance worked the same way for me last year. My roommate bought a PS2 and I asked him to make Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance his first purchase so we could play it together. For the next week we could not be separated from the game. Our eyes lit up every time some new piece of equipment was dropped, and each boss battle saw the two of us going crazy firing off instructions to each other and squealing with nervous delight each time we narrowly dodged death. Anyone who has played cooperative games for fun knows how loud it gets when everyone is engrossed in the experience--I think it is the best time a gamer can have with his buddies.
My aforementioned roommate is now an RPG addict, and the two of us often critique each other as we play our PS2 games and our PC games side by side. He jumped on the Final Fantasy bandwagon a little later than I did, so I sat down with him to show him Final Fantasy VI. The two of us played it through together recently and a great game just seemed to get even better.
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Bob! Stop looting and get this thing off me! |
I think stories are better experienced in groups, much like movies are, because I feel like an experience is that much better if I can share it with someone and talk about it rather than complete it and leave it. I wish RPG makers would realize this and make more games that catered to pairs or small groups playing together. I don't get this sense of satisfaction from online RPGs because of the lack of story and the lack of the presence of your teammates. Real proximity is a key component to enjoying the multiplayer RPG experience, and really, I want nothing more right now than a worthy successor to Secret of Mana. I want something I can play through over and over again with friends, with my future wife and kids, and anyone else willing to share the fun.
