What do you like in your RPGs?
- Thread starter Fanfic_warper
- Start date
Recommended Videos
Good story and characters
Choice, both moral and in terms of how and when you tackle certain events
Large degree of character customizablity
Long playtime
A clear end goal or at least a clear villain
These are vitals, the following are more "These would be nice too, thanks"
Something besides your standard turn based battle system
Good writing
A protagonist you can actually roleplay with and relate to
Good RPGs (Get the first five right)
Fallout New Vegas
Baldur's Gate
Digital Devil Saga
Valkyria Chronicles
Final Fantasy's I-X
Great RPG's (All 8)
Bethesda games
Bioware games
Persona games
System Shock 2
Deus Ex 1
The World Ends With You
Choice, both moral and in terms of how and when you tackle certain events
Large degree of character customizablity
Long playtime
A clear end goal or at least a clear villain
These are vitals, the following are more "These would be nice too, thanks"
Something besides your standard turn based battle system
Good writing
A protagonist you can actually roleplay with and relate to
Good RPGs (Get the first five right)
Fallout New Vegas
Baldur's Gate
Digital Devil Saga
Valkyria Chronicles
Final Fantasy's I-X
Great RPG's (All 8)
Bethesda games
Bioware games
Persona games
System Shock 2
Deus Ex 1
The World Ends With You
Well, OP, you've pretty much said what I wanted to say. I even agree with your examples, of the ones I've played (SO: TtEoT and DA:O). I play RPGs for the stories and the characters. That's actually why I steer away from larger, more sandbox/open-world RPGs: they tend to have shallow characters and plots. (Which is why I'm not a fan of the Elder Scrolls games, having attempted to play both Oblivion and Morrowind.)Fanfic_warper said:
As for other good examples, so I'm not totally stealing your list... Tales of Symphonia is one of my favorite games of all time. And I'm a huge fan of Final Fantasy X. Oh, and Resonance of Fate! I adore Resonance of Fate.
Wait, wait. You refuse to even try a turn-based game because turn-based combat bores you? How do you know it bores you if you've never tried a game using that combat system?TestECull said:
All right, I suppose that makes sense. Different strokes for different folks and all. (To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of pure turn-based combat either. The most I like is the mixed turn-based/real-time combat of games like Resonance of Fate and Eternal Sonata. Final Fantasy X is one of the few exceptions.) I was just confused, because it sounded like you were making your judgement without having ever played a turn-based combat game. My apologies.TestECull said:
Characters: I love having well made characters in my RPG's and a dialogue system that's somewhat intricate (I love Planescape Torment but asking that of every game is too much)
Exploration: Whether it's small scale exploration like Deus Ex or wide open map exploration like Elder Scrolls or Fallout, I love being able to wander an RPG and find things for myself.
Lore/Fluff:I love good backstory in my RPG's Fallout comes to mind especially, I love a lot of its backstory and how it can be interwoven into quests and that I also have the option of looking deeper and reading up on it.
Skill: This is a funny one but I love it when an RPG demands actual skill from me and not just grinding, Demons/Dark Souls are the uber example of this, less obvious example would be Deus Ex because it has involved gameplay. At the bottom of this list are most MMO's like World of Warcraft which is majoratively about having higher numbers on your equipment than it is about skill.
Sometimes an RPG doesn't need all the features I've listed for me to like it, most Final Fantasy games only really cover Characters, Fallout 1/2 don't have skillful gameplay, Mass Effects Codex is just too heavy to read, would be nicer if more of it was weaved into the game.
Exploration: Whether it's small scale exploration like Deus Ex or wide open map exploration like Elder Scrolls or Fallout, I love being able to wander an RPG and find things for myself.
Lore/Fluff:I love good backstory in my RPG's Fallout comes to mind especially, I love a lot of its backstory and how it can be interwoven into quests and that I also have the option of looking deeper and reading up on it.
Skill: This is a funny one but I love it when an RPG demands actual skill from me and not just grinding, Demons/Dark Souls are the uber example of this, less obvious example would be Deus Ex because it has involved gameplay. At the bottom of this list are most MMO's like World of Warcraft which is majoratively about having higher numbers on your equipment than it is about skill.
Sometimes an RPG doesn't need all the features I've listed for me to like it, most Final Fantasy games only really cover Characters, Fallout 1/2 don't have skillful gameplay, Mass Effects Codex is just too heavy to read, would be nicer if more of it was weaved into the game.
an extensive character creator(height, psychical build, sex, race, eye color, hair, with pros and cons to picking one race of another)
free flowing character development (EI, the ability to cross class, or sink points into what ever skills i want)
story and character i can at least get into
fun combat, preferably real time and melee
free flowing character development (EI, the ability to cross class, or sink points into what ever skills i want)
story and character i can at least get into
fun combat, preferably real time and melee
I'm very picky about my RPGs. They need:
Challenge
Leveling Up (Derp)
Perks after leveling
Small open worlds
Good characters
100+ hour journeys
More than 3 party members
Interesting aesthetic
Dark overtone
New Game+ modes
and Lots of weapons
Challenge
Leveling Up (Derp)
Perks after leveling
Small open worlds
Good characters
100+ hour journeys
More than 3 party members
Interesting aesthetic
Dark overtone
New Game+ modes
and Lots of weapons
I enjoy character customization. Whether that's through talent systems, equipment upgrades, combat styles, or anything of the sort, I just eat that stuff up. I'm a math nerd, so anything that let's me min/max my character's stats is awesome in my book.
Also, you need to have a straightforward and interesting world. I don't want to wander around a GIGANTIC empty nuclear wasteland for hours on end looking for the path to the next civilized area *cough* Fallout 3 *cough*. I want the next area to be well-marked and able to be quickly and easily found. I do not enjoy wasting time traveling. That's why fast-travel systems were introduced years ago.
Honestly though, if you just give me a huge talent tree and tons of equipment and stats to fool around with and an interesting combat system, I will enjoy the game greatly. I loved Dragon Age 2 even though the story and environments sucked, because it had a great talent system and wonderful combat.
Also, you need to have a straightforward and interesting world. I don't want to wander around a GIGANTIC empty nuclear wasteland for hours on end looking for the path to the next civilized area *cough* Fallout 3 *cough*. I want the next area to be well-marked and able to be quickly and easily found. I do not enjoy wasting time traveling. That's why fast-travel systems were introduced years ago.
Honestly though, if you just give me a huge talent tree and tons of equipment and stats to fool around with and an interesting combat system, I will enjoy the game greatly. I loved Dragon Age 2 even though the story and environments sucked, because it had a great talent system and wonderful combat.
Fun combat system is top priority. If I'm playing a game that requires hundreds if not thousands of battles to win I want to have fun along the way.
Examples: Tales of Symphonia, Final Fantasy 13, Dragon Age 2
Good story or interesting companions. RPG's seldom amaze in the story aspect, but having interesting companions or villains make the journey more important than the outcome.
Example: Final Fantasy 6: Villain: Kefka. Dragon Age: Origins: Companions Alistair, Morrigan.
Character customization. Be it through choosing stats via leveling or simply customizing equipment load outs. This is standard affair and is done well in nearly all RPG's. Dragon Age does it better than most as each level feels important.
Entertainment over Realism. I don't want to spend a long time in menu's crafting or grinding to slowly level up. I don't want to have to walk 2 minutes through a town just to have a conversation with someone only to then have to walk another 2 minutes back and relay their message. The game should never feel like a chore. Sadly there are really no RPG's that do this well enough in my mind. If I had to quote an example I'd say Dragon Age 2 because of the many convenient fast travel options.
Choice. I want to be able to sway the opinions of NPC's or my own party. If I want to kill off characters, I like to have the freedom to do so. This command over the world, even if sparingly used adds greatly to immersion.
Example: KOTOR, KOTOR 2
Examples: Tales of Symphonia, Final Fantasy 13, Dragon Age 2
Good story or interesting companions. RPG's seldom amaze in the story aspect, but having interesting companions or villains make the journey more important than the outcome.
Example: Final Fantasy 6: Villain: Kefka. Dragon Age: Origins: Companions Alistair, Morrigan.
Character customization. Be it through choosing stats via leveling or simply customizing equipment load outs. This is standard affair and is done well in nearly all RPG's. Dragon Age does it better than most as each level feels important.
Entertainment over Realism. I don't want to spend a long time in menu's crafting or grinding to slowly level up. I don't want to have to walk 2 minutes through a town just to have a conversation with someone only to then have to walk another 2 minutes back and relay their message. The game should never feel like a chore. Sadly there are really no RPG's that do this well enough in my mind. If I had to quote an example I'd say Dragon Age 2 because of the many convenient fast travel options.
Choice. I want to be able to sway the opinions of NPC's or my own party. If I want to kill off characters, I like to have the freedom to do so. This command over the world, even if sparingly used adds greatly to immersion.
Example: KOTOR, KOTOR 2
I like something like Dragon Age: Origins, a wide varity of things to do while not loosing sign of the plot, with many characters you either relate to or despise. If I'm playing an online RPG, like a MMO, I like to wander around killing things just for the sake of killing things (and grinding, but still). I like a fantasy setting with swords and magic. Honestly, guns bore me; unless you can do something new with a gun like mount one onto your bracers like in Assassin's Creed II, then it's somewhat fun.
Character interaction is essential. If I'm going to play an rpg I want the world and the characters within it to react to my character along with my actions and past history within the games story. I also want those actions of mine to have genuine consequences. I want NPC that might be friendly in one case to react violently in others, for opinions to cross and conflict to brew.
Ideally it wont just be my character either but any possible companions as well. I want them to interact with one another, for their discussions to have implications beyond mere flavour text and for conflicting views to clash just like they would in life.
Stats and fancy gear are nice, being able to customize my character and have characters in the world react to how I've set my character up is fantastic, but in my mind rpgs are ultimately about playing a role instead of just following some pre-scripted path with a generic protagonist you have little control over and companions who you're stuck with for plot reasons whether you like it or not... and far too many 'rpg' tend to be like that for my tastes.
Story is good and certainly helps, but it's the interaction with the characters you meet that really drives an rpg in my mind. Create a thriving and believable world where the NPC react believably and I'll forge my own dramatic story.
Ideally it wont just be my character either but any possible companions as well. I want them to interact with one another, for their discussions to have implications beyond mere flavour text and for conflicting views to clash just like they would in life.
Stats and fancy gear are nice, being able to customize my character and have characters in the world react to how I've set my character up is fantastic, but in my mind rpgs are ultimately about playing a role instead of just following some pre-scripted path with a generic protagonist you have little control over and companions who you're stuck with for plot reasons whether you like it or not... and far too many 'rpg' tend to be like that for my tastes.
Story is good and certainly helps, but it's the interaction with the characters you meet that really drives an rpg in my mind. Create a thriving and believable world where the NPC react believably and I'll forge my own dramatic story.
![])rStrangelove](https://eg-forums-escapist-data.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/data/avatars/l/125/125479.jpg?1621029148){kind=avatar}
I enjoyed getting into trouble in Oblivion's main central city, waiting for the day to go by and then sneak into the harbor area close to midnight to pay off half of my bounty at the thieves guild.
I enjoy being a grey character - fair, but sneaky and sometimes greedy.
I enjoy being a grey character - fair, but sneaky and sometimes greedy.
Dark Souls was ALMOST everythign I wanted in an RPG.
It was big, difficult, and there wasn't a single room in the game that didn't have an invisible wall or gimic to it. It also said "Fuck Storyline, here's a sharp thing. Pick a hall and run down that hall until you get to the end or decide to go down a different hall for a while."
If I'm going to play a linear game then it better not be as restrictive as railroad like Final Fantasy 13 (Insult intended for the poster of this topic for mentioning it, honestly how can Final Fantasy 13 be in the top anything for anyone? Not even Final Fantasy fans like that game.)
Linear games in general are better than non-linear games but don't make them as strict as the alphabet. Give me 6 or 7 different railroads to go down at a time. Give us mini-games and secrets to discover, give us a reason to run down this railroad again later OTHER THEN because we have to. (Never force a playing to go down the same railroad twice, make the 2nd + time optional and beneficial.)
I really haven't played an RPG that has even excited (let alone WOWed) me recently. Once upon a time I used to say RPGs were the only games to play, mostly cuz I don't like shooting games and I'm not good at racing games but now it seems like saying you don't like shooting games is the same as saying "You don't like Video Games"
Having said that, in the past few years I now own more shooting games then I ever have in the entire rest of my life.
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead 2
Dead Island (which isn't a shooting game)
Call of not fun games, Black Ops
Halo Reach
and Boarderline Mmorpg
So why do I mention shooting games when we're talking about RPGs? Because RPGs of today suffer from something that shooting games do not but they choose the same solution to the problem.
Final Fantasy 13 was a bad game because there was nothing to do and the battle system was just as fun (Ie not, press circle twice before a blue load bar filled up. Press L1 when you need to heal. There you go that's how you beat every battle in FF13 from the beginning of the game to every secret boss the game may or may not have after you beat a final boss I assume stood in the way of the ending credits.)
But even if that game didn't have those problems it still wouldnt' have been fun because behind all that bad gameplay it hid the same problem every game that comes out now days has, which is the developers decided to say the end of the game was the end of playing the game. There is no replayability. Game designers don't take respect in their games anymore. The same goes for every shooting games but it's ok for them to be short because like fighting games and racing games they don't need a 1-player mode. Expecially now with online mode existing, now they can cut out even more 1-player mode then they could before.
Why is it that everyone has replayed Mario 1 100 times yet they can't play through all of Portal 2 more than 3 times?
RPGs aren't meant to be played a 2nd time I know that, but you keep playing them because there's a lot to do. Go to Fire Crawl dungeon and finally beat the damn Lich Dragon that has been sitting there mocking you ever since it flew in.
Which leads me to the other thing I want in RPGS.
No Levels. Honestly. Levels are a terrible Video Game design concent and need to be take out. The idea of Levels in video games is just a lazy way to make people spend more time on the game. If your game is fun this isn't a problem, Zelda games may be short but they're fun and Zelda games have a lot of stuff to do in them even after you beat the story mode.
Game Desginers need to stop making gmaes with levels altogether. Keys exist to prevent characters from going into areas they're not ready for and if you are a daring and good video game designer then you can use gear and items as well...but only if you're a daring and good video game designer. (Sorry Blizzard and any game on X-box. You don't fit in this catagory and SquarEnix is still on probation restriction until they make a game that can prove they haven't fallen from their high horse and into a sewer with EA and Eidos.) You don't need to make enemies that are LV 80 to keep players away.
Anyway... video games aren't a good industry anymore is what I'm basically getting at. EVERY game company is guilty of making half assed and not fun games and though a couple pop out that are ok. There aren't any that are good anymore. Good games died with the PS2.
It was big, difficult, and there wasn't a single room in the game that didn't have an invisible wall or gimic to it. It also said "Fuck Storyline, here's a sharp thing. Pick a hall and run down that hall until you get to the end or decide to go down a different hall for a while."
If I'm going to play a linear game then it better not be as restrictive as railroad like Final Fantasy 13 (Insult intended for the poster of this topic for mentioning it, honestly how can Final Fantasy 13 be in the top anything for anyone? Not even Final Fantasy fans like that game.)
Linear games in general are better than non-linear games but don't make them as strict as the alphabet. Give me 6 or 7 different railroads to go down at a time. Give us mini-games and secrets to discover, give us a reason to run down this railroad again later OTHER THEN because we have to. (Never force a playing to go down the same railroad twice, make the 2nd + time optional and beneficial.)
I really haven't played an RPG that has even excited (let alone WOWed) me recently. Once upon a time I used to say RPGs were the only games to play, mostly cuz I don't like shooting games and I'm not good at racing games but now it seems like saying you don't like shooting games is the same as saying "You don't like Video Games"
Having said that, in the past few years I now own more shooting games then I ever have in the entire rest of my life.
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead 2
Dead Island (which isn't a shooting game)
Call of not fun games, Black Ops
Halo Reach
and Boarderline Mmorpg
So why do I mention shooting games when we're talking about RPGs? Because RPGs of today suffer from something that shooting games do not but they choose the same solution to the problem.
Final Fantasy 13 was a bad game because there was nothing to do and the battle system was just as fun (Ie not, press circle twice before a blue load bar filled up. Press L1 when you need to heal. There you go that's how you beat every battle in FF13 from the beginning of the game to every secret boss the game may or may not have after you beat a final boss I assume stood in the way of the ending credits.)
But even if that game didn't have those problems it still wouldnt' have been fun because behind all that bad gameplay it hid the same problem every game that comes out now days has, which is the developers decided to say the end of the game was the end of playing the game. There is no replayability. Game designers don't take respect in their games anymore. The same goes for every shooting games but it's ok for them to be short because like fighting games and racing games they don't need a 1-player mode. Expecially now with online mode existing, now they can cut out even more 1-player mode then they could before.
Why is it that everyone has replayed Mario 1 100 times yet they can't play through all of Portal 2 more than 3 times?
RPGs aren't meant to be played a 2nd time I know that, but you keep playing them because there's a lot to do. Go to Fire Crawl dungeon and finally beat the damn Lich Dragon that has been sitting there mocking you ever since it flew in.
Which leads me to the other thing I want in RPGS.
No Levels. Honestly. Levels are a terrible Video Game design concent and need to be take out. The idea of Levels in video games is just a lazy way to make people spend more time on the game. If your game is fun this isn't a problem, Zelda games may be short but they're fun and Zelda games have a lot of stuff to do in them even after you beat the story mode.
Game Desginers need to stop making gmaes with levels altogether. Keys exist to prevent characters from going into areas they're not ready for and if you are a daring and good video game designer then you can use gear and items as well...but only if you're a daring and good video game designer. (Sorry Blizzard and any game on X-box. You don't fit in this catagory and SquarEnix is still on probation restriction until they make a game that can prove they haven't fallen from their high horse and into a sewer with EA and Eidos.) You don't need to make enemies that are LV 80 to keep players away.
Anyway... video games aren't a good industry anymore is what I'm basically getting at. EVERY game company is guilty of making half assed and not fun games and though a couple pop out that are ok. There aren't any that are good anymore. Good games died with the PS2.