Far Cry 3, is a better RPG than Skyrim.

[Abomination]

Far Cry III is as much an RPG as Skyrim is a first person shooter.

In that neither is too much of either.

Far Cry III is certainly more immersive and the characters are far more interesting, the story is far more personal... but it isn't an RPG. There aren't any player choices that effect story apart from at the very end, and that's just "see a different cinematic".

Skyrim is a great first person sandbox RPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe. Far Cry III is a great sandbox first person shooter with an engaging plot and overarching themes. They both strive for different things.

 

[Frotality]

RPG elements have pretty heavily bled all over the medium by this point, and a ridiculous number of games use similar features (like call of duty and its famous operant conditioning multiplayer), but thats not really what defines an RPG, at least not anymore, partly because some of its elements have become so universal.

and RPG is a game that engrosses you into a role, a part of that world. far cry does some things better than skyrim, and believe me i have MANY problems with skyrim, but i still say its a better RPG than far cry 3. pretty much everything scripted in skyrim sucks, but if thats what you judge it on, you are playing it completely wrong. skyrim, and RPGS, are about making your own story based off your personal experience, theyre about mimicking they way people actually live life to try and create a more immersive experience; yeah the scripted characters suck, but that ice troll who took on a giant AND a dragon by some great feat of badassery will forever by remembered, and his ignoble death by a random dawnstar guard was avenged tenfold. yeah alduin and his nonsense is nothing memorable, but simply running from whiterun to morthal i created a story for the ages: defended travelers from sabrecats, found a stray dog who gave his life to save me from a spider ambush, got bit by a vampire and killed the vampire lord who controlled her for revenge; after a grueling battle, i magicked my way into the shadows and killed him with an arrow to the neck, then took his fancy boots to add insult to injury.

far cry 3 might be better from a mechanical perspective, but skyrim was a better experience.

 

[hazabaza1]

And I feel differently. This is how opinions work. Mind explaining yours to me? Because I can't understand it in the slightest.

Even bringing them along for a long time they're basically just fighting backpacks with the occasional different line.
While I do like Skyrim the characters all look so similar and the armour is generally so bland and replaceable that companions are pretty much expendable.

I'm sorry but you clearly lack imagination. You only see what's in front of you. If I did that then I'd be bored with the game. But I still play it. That's because I allow myself to be fully immersed in the game. It's not just my character that has a background and a personality I give him or her, I do that with other characters as well. With companions mostly.

Also, I play on PC, and mods really help. Armor being bland for example is not an issue. My companions all have their own unique stuff and skillet, and sometimes I dress them in the same armor as myself. Mods really do help you get more out of the game.

I played on PC as well, and I've had my fair shot at modding new stuff in, and while I would say I have a fairly decent imagination I still never felt like having a companion ever had a point. The few times I tried giving my character and compaions unique backstories resulted in absolutely nothing because it never gets reflected in game in any way, and unless I'm willing to spend an absurd amount of time justifying why my friend or I would bother entering Cave #21231342 it was just more hassle than it was worth.

In terms of giving characters with no personalities some kind of personality I did enjoy Dragon's Dogma. Adding some player interaction to the creation of NPCs does loads for keeping them unique. Companion height, weight, weapon type, speech patterns, voice, gear layouts, skills, usage of skills... pretty much all different for everyone you can hire. And not like "this character uses a one handed axe instead of a sword!" like in Skyrim. I even went back and hired some (by that point) lower leveled characters to the end of the game because they were both really cool and helpful in how they looked and acted.

 

[Quellist]

You gotta stop using the word RPG, OP.

It doesn't mean what you think it means.

Far Cry 3 is a great game, but it ain't an RPG.

This 100%

The term RPG has been cheapened by the industry and by non-rpg gamers for years now to the point where a levelling system or even a bloody weapons select=RPG to some people.


Roll on Wasteland 2...

 

[YunakoTheWitch]

I fully understand I will be flamed to all hell for this but, I hated Skyrim so much.. I have been playing TES since Arena (I played it on one of my uncles PC In early 90s) I Loved all of them, Yes, even Oblivion. But skyrim... Skyrim took my precious Dunmer and made them pretty F*ed up looking... The game features stunning enviroments of Tree... Mountain... Tree... Mountain...Tree... But I understand Oblivion did pretty much the same thing. However I just did not like Skyrim at all, I couldn't get into it, I pre-ordered it, I was excited as hell, I play it, two hours in I'm Upset. There were some improvements but There were down serious steps backwards too. I didn't like it at all. So, Far cry 3 being better? Well, I did enjoy Farcry 3 a lot but, Can you compare the two? If you can then - I Suppose? With Farcry 3 the combat was fun, Trolling the guards was fun, but it did get old fast. I guess I'm just being negative.. I don't know.

But, Yes, FC3 isn't an RPG.

 

[Ickorus]

Ok, so a game that isn't an RPG game managed the RPG elements it incorporated better than an ACTUAL RPG game.

Arguing semantics is a bit ridiculous, it's pretty obvious what the OP was getting at and you should debate the points he raises instead of dismissing his entire post based on a single simple error.

 

[Something Amyss]

Seems to be a generational gap thing.

It actually amazes me that in an era where we've advanced the potential of games as a storytelling medium so far that we can so readily forget the roleplaying aspect of RPGs.

Still deeper than a drop on the floor.

It honestly doesn't take much to be deeper than Far Cry, so yeah.

 

[vasiD]

Okay, big claim. But I do genuinely believe it. I've played Skyrim extensively (few hundred hours) and I consider myself to be a fairly big fan of the TES series.

The reasons I say that Far Cry 3 is a better RPG than Skyrim;

1; The Combat is FAR better.
2; The crafting system functions much nicer and doesn't break the game.
3; The graphical fidelity and aesthetic choices are far and away better.
4; The characters are far and a way better. The way they interact with the player character, the way they are scripted and the way the story is imparted is just leagues ahead of what Skyrim provides.
5; The story - thus far - is way better. It's pacing, its delivery and its content is just better. Skyrim had allot of potential, it had a great pretense and idea, it just fell on its face from a great height with its delivery.


Obviously, this is all pretty much subjective opinion. But it's what I genuinely think, I'm not even sure that Far Cry 3 is considered an RPG, but based on the properties of what both games offer and the fact that Skyrim IS considered an RPG, I feel that the comparison is somewhat valid.

What do you think?

Uhh, nope. RPG means ROLE PLAYING game. The concept is that you can play any role you choose with RPGs, now you are often one thing (the chosen one, the dragonborn, etc.) and your mythos is set, but you get to choose who that person is: Name, stats, how they act, how they play.

Jason Brodie is Jason Brodie. He shoots things. He goes native crazy. He stabs tigers. He drives like a jackass with no peripheral vision controlling the wheel with his pinky.

And while the story is WONDERFUL, and IMMERSIVE don't get me wrong, that doesn't make it an RPG.


Far Cry 3 is a great game, probably my favorite of last year, but it's not an RPG by any stretch even if it does have XP, and a skill tree.

One other thing I'd like to note, while I'm up on the soapbox anyway: Any RPG that doesn't block off one path when you take another is kind of shit. Yes, it is very fun to get to the end of a Bethesda game and be this overpowered beast that can do everything... But it makes little to no sense and offers little to no feeling of uniqueness.

If I'm big and strong, I'm not agile, I can be in between to a nice degree, but not both extremes at once. Things like this really add to role playing as they enhance your sense of your character.



Finally, to the OP: I will say that I might like Far Cry 3 more than Skyrim though... I mean hard to say, it's like comparing a mountain of various foreign chocolates of assorted quality from awesome to suck that takes a day to get through to an extremely well made king sized candy bar... But the term 'trimming the fat' exists for a reason... Plus Far Cry 3's story is EXTREMELY well done, and is an amazing bit of escapism fiction that you can just live. (You can live out Skyrim a bit more, especially with human needs mods, but it's still not the same. I can identify with going skydiving on vacation and getting taken hostage by pirates... I don't often wander through the outskirts of Skyrim and get arrested.)

And Blood Dragon will be better than Skyrim hands down because FUCKING DRAGONS WITH LASERS!!!

 

[WoW Killer]

Uhh, nope. RPG means ROLE PLAYING game. The concept is that you can play any role you choose with RPGs, now you are often one thing (the chosen one, the dragonborn, etc.) and your mythos is set, but you get to choose who that person is: Name, stats, how they act, how they play.

So... Final Fantasy isn't an RPG?

 

[synobal]

You gotta stop using the word RPG, OP.

It doesn't mean what you think it means.

Far Cry 3 is a great game, but it ain't an RPG.

There might be some argument that it is an rpg in so far that you play the role of Jason Brody, spoiled party killer to enthusiastic murder but ya the traditional game definition to RPG farcry 3 is not.

 

[Risingblade]

1-3 make me think you don't know what an rpg is.

4-5 don't care haven't played the game

This thread should be called Far Cry 3 is a better GAME than Skyrim

 

[Reven]

Uhh, nope. RPG means ROLE PLAYING game. The concept is that you can play any role you choose with RPGs, now you are often one thing (the chosen one, the dragonborn, etc.) and your mythos is set, but you get to choose who that person is: Name, stats, how they act, how they play.

So... Final Fantasy isn't an RPG?

Well based on the more recent outings i think corridor simulator might work better (kidding if you like the more modern ones good on ya!)

but yeah I think his definition applies much more to western RPGS rather than JRPGS, which tend to be more linear in terms of choices and story, I imagine the reason both can be considered RPGs is because of the cultural difference inherent within each style.

 

[Xdeser2]

Okay, big claim. But I do genuinely believe it. I've played Skyrim extensively (few hundred hours) and I consider myself to be a fairly big fan of the TES series.

The reasons I say that Far Cry 3 is a better RPG than Skyrim;

1; The Combat is FAR better.
2; The crafting system functions much nicer and doesn't break the game.
3; The graphical fidelity and aesthetic choices are far and away better.
4; The characters are far and a way better. The way they interact with the player character, the way they are scripted and the way the story is imparted is just leagues ahead of what Skyrim provides.
5; The story - thus far - is way better. It's pacing, its delivery and its content is just better. Skyrim had allot of potential, it had a great pretense and idea, it just fell on its face from a great height with its delivery.


Obviously, this is all pretty much subjective opinion. But it's what I genuinely think, I'm not even sure that Far Cry 3 is considered an RPG, but based on the properties of what both games offer and the fact that Skyrim IS considered an RPG, I feel that the comparison is somewhat valid.

What do you think?

What do I think? Um....No

RPG are not about the combat OR the Graphics (Though I would not say Skyrim looks bad in the least)

 

[Goofguy]

Well I don't even know what to make of this. They're two different games with neither meriting a comparison to the other.

Crafting in FC3 is nothing spectacular. You gather resources in the wild and you make yourself syringes and new packs. That's not a bad thing, it's just not deep or "nicer" as you put it.

As for aesthetics, you're kind of out to lunch. FC3 is set on two beautiful, tropical islands but that's all there is. Skyrim has temperate woodlands, swamps, mountainous terrain, tundra, frozen plains etc.

Both games are pretty much on par for compelling characters. There's no way FC3 is "far and away better" than Skyrim... or vice versa. FC3 has Vaas and Skyrim has Paarthurnax.

So what do I think? Not a fair or necessary comparison.

 

[Siege_TF]

Far Cry 3, is a better RPG than Skyrim.

Your use of the English language, is inelegant. Regardless, it's impossible to say that chunky spaghetti sauce, is better than spicy spaghetti sauce, just as it's impossible to compare say Oblivion and Fallout.

 

[A Distant Star]

Okay, big claim. But I do genuinely believe it. I've played Skyrim extensively (few hundred hours) and I consider myself to be a fairly big fan of the TES series.

The reasons I say that Far Cry 3 is a better RPG than Skyrim;

1; The Combat is FAR better.
2; The crafting system functions much nicer and doesn't break the game.
3; The graphical fidelity and aesthetic choices are far and away better.
4; The characters are far and a way better. The way they interact with the player character, the way they are scripted and the way the story is imparted is just leagues ahead of what Skyrim provides.
5; The story - thus far - is way better. It's pacing, its delivery and its content is just better. Skyrim had allot of potential, it had a great pretense and idea, it just fell on its face from a great height with its delivery.


Obviously, this is all pretty much subjective opinion. But it's what I genuinely think, I'm not even sure that Far Cry 3 is considered an RPG, but based on the properties of what both games offer and the fact that Skyrim IS considered an RPG, I feel that the comparison is somewhat valid.

What do you think?

Not actually played Skyrim, so I can't do an even comparison, but there seems to been one core problem with your thesis. You don't actually roll play in Farcry 3. You get a single decision at the very end and its between shit and shittier.

 

[vasiD]

Uhh, nope. RPG means ROLE PLAYING game. The concept is that you can play any role you choose with RPGs, now you are often one thing (the chosen one, the dragonborn, etc.) and your mythos is set, but you get to choose who that person is: Name, stats, how they act, how they play.

So... Final Fantasy isn't an RPG?

Final Fantasy is classified as a JRPG, it's what happened when Japanese creators took classic RPGs and gave them a more rigid story and character development.

So... in a way no, but in a way yes. It's got RPG in it's name and does run on stats (though... all games do... I mean even old school Doom had hitpoints and damage ratios), there's just no role playing and rarely any kind of customization, so therefore; no, I don't consider the Final Fantasy games "Roleplaying games", yet I will still refer to them as JRPGs as I feel that word really sort of generated it's own meaning.

I mean, would you compare Final Fantasy to Fallout, Skyrim, KotOR, Neverwinter Nights, and the ilk?

I wouldn't simply because it feels like apples to oranges (mind you, you can eat both of those objects and they both taste delicious, and were both grown, so they're a lot alike, I just wouldn't say they're the same overall... Apt comparison I hope).

All of that said: I wouldn't argue that it's a subgenre... But as we see in music subgenres don't always qualify as their forerunners' genre.

 

[Auron]

RPG =/= Stats or shooting things

RPG = Dialogue, interaction and creating characters with different personalities.

I still think it's a crime some games got the label randomly tacked on in the last few decades(hack n slash dungeon crawlers and hack n slash mmo's come to mind.) when the only interaction a player has with the world is killing things or killing things and collecting their insides for a questgiver it's most definitely not an RPG.

 

[Nieroshai]

The problem: there's no roleplay in FC3 outside choosing an ending.