Gaming The Qualities of RPGs

[hiachi]

Give me some lists of things that generically (like something that isnt only for one game, like say um .hack//'s Data Drain), that make a RPG great. Don't use things that just lead to hype and not actuall coolnes of the game, like graphics do sometimes......just cool elements that make games unique......

[NeoCactuar]

My favortie; the Materia system in FFVII.

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]I don't know, there's usually a variety of things that work for me. Like Neo said, the materia system was definately preferable compared to the systems that were incorporated for 8 and 10. I just hated it. I like attractive characters and a love story. Those are the best elements to an RPG in my opinion. ^_^[/color][/size]

[hiachi]

OK, i never played FF VII(i do regret it), so what is this Materia thing

[Guest Imsirion]

Pick it up whenever you see it, its a greatest hits title (which of course means cheap). The materia system works like this. Materia is the magic system used. Theres 4 types, green-magic materia, red-summon materia, yellow -command materia, blue-support materia, and purple-independent materia. Green lets you use magic, red summons monsters, yellow lets you use things like steal from the enemy, blue can join other materia to strengthen (sp?) them and purple has diffrent effects like boosting up hp and other things. Every weapon has diffrent amounts of slots which materia is placed. So just place whatever materia you want in the slots and you can use it.

Oh yes. For me, rpg's are all about story and gameplay. Out of everything, graphics means the least to me.

[Charles]

Interesting plot and entertaining combat engines are a big deal to me.

I'm growing tired of playing RPGs where the protagonist is a young boy who is coming of age when disaster strikes and he's forced to leave his town and save the world from certain doom. It's so cliche.
These are usually the same games that feature slime enemies and wolves every odd encounter. Enough already! lol

Combat is important because that's where you're spending most of your time in an RPG. Grandia and Persona, each feature interesting combat systems. Persona, in particular, was unique because it allowed the gamer to bargain with the enemy. Grandia featured a combat meter that made the pacing of battles exciting.

RPGs with non linear quests are fun too. Skies of Arcadia, for instance, was nice because much of the world was undiscovered. So, going out of your way to uncover the world map was always fun--if not too tedious do to the ridiculous combat encounter rate (fixed in the GC version, I hear).

So, I don't ask for too much from RPGs. If they present likable characters (Square does an excellent job in that area), a fresh plot and entertaining combat, I'm usually satisfied.

[James]

[color=#808080]Gameplay is my main concern in every case. In RPGs, this is no different.

Gameplay includes the battle system, movement/control, level design and game structure, etc...

If the gameplay is no good, no amount of wonderful storytelling is going to provide overall enjoyment of the game. If you have no fun [i]playing[/i] it, you'll put it down.

Even the much-worshipped FFVII was [i]far[/i] from perfect in this regard. The battle system was good, but not always great. The story was excellent; no issues there. But in terms of being an example of raw gameplay, FFVII was nothing special. It was mostly a question of characters, story and visuals that really made FFVII such a stellar title. Of course, a relatively strong battle system helped a great deal.

I don't think RPGs should adhere to any different "code" when compared with other games. All games should consider the fundamentals and this is no different with RPGs. The only other thing I'd say is that perhaps RPGs do need more of a focus on story and character development (well, I guess they [i]must[/i] focus more on that). So, yes...that's one extra consideration. But visuals, music and physical gameplay (movement/combat/interaction) should always be considered in every genre, including RPGs.[/color]

[Guest Zeh]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by James [/i]
[B][color=#808080]Even the much-worshipped FFVII was [i]far[/i] from perfect in this regard. The battle system was good, but not always great. The story was excellent; no issues there..[/color] [/B][/QUOTE]

[COLOR=003399]But what made it so great was a perfect combination of all the elements. I can think of a few games that had better stories, better battle systems, and everything. Some i like more, some i like less then FFVII.

I was going to say the same thing as CWB. The IP gauge bar in Grandia was the neatest thing ever... Even though Grandia II had it, it wasn't half the game as Grandia, again, it had the perfect balance of elements all games should have. [/COLOR]

[hiachi]

Thx for the great tips, but thats not all, please, anyone else who hasnt givin their ideas, please feel free to put them down!