Printable View
Has the genre just been getting better with age? Do you feel it was better in the "good ole days"? Is the genre too stifled by arbitrary classification or is it better that the genre has mixed and matched with so many different genres to find new ways re-invent itself? Is the genre better now than it was 5 to 25 years ago?
It is much more streamlined now from what it was. It isn't a bad thing, however it has its draw backs too. In the end I will say that it has more positive feedback then negative.
It depends really on whether you accept that 'a classic RPG' is now the minority within its own genre.
Among the big mainstream games, in my view it is the case now that [Genre]+RPG is more dominant in the market than what you would call a 'regular' RPG, if such a term can even be nailed down. Action RPG is the most common game that uses the RPG label still, I think. Most Action RPGs use RPG elements, if not the whole mechanic. So a game might have level-ups or ability trees, but the combat mechanic is real-time, non-ATB action.
As to whether or not the genre is better now than before? Not sure. Clearly, games like Final Fantasy are still being made, but they are very very different from say, FFX, which was probably the last 'classic RPG' in the series. Every game after it has incorporated more and more action elements. That said, I did really enjoy FFXII and the gameplay of FFXIII and the rest of its line.
I also enjoy games that use RPG elements in a distinctly western action setting. I love games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, allowing you to pick abilities, focus on item management and creation, and exploration elements. I wouldn't say they've devalued the genre, but rather, made it more accessible to people who would find playing FFIX anathema, but enjoy the RPG elements and customisation of a Dragon Age game. They couldn't understand things like ATB and leveling up job classes, but they're more than happy to agonise over which mage build to use.
That being said, I do wish there were more classic RPGs in a modern style. I *still* haven't played Bravely Default, something I really need to do, but that was a really popular game and proved that classic RPGs are viable. Games like Shin Megami Tensei continue to be hits elsewhere and are cult hits in the West.
Basically, my view on RPGs is - it is a strength of the genre that it has flexibility to adapt other forms of gaming, but I do wish that just 'straight' RPGs had more exposure and weren't just seen as the odd occasional sensation. Then again, I am no expert on these kind of topics, so I'm probably missing something.
If the Witchers are anything to go by, I'd say they're pretty swish
It's definitely evolved into something else and classics are fewer and farther between. But I don't think we're hurting. Bravely Default was better than any JRPG I played from the last generation save maybe Tales of Xillia, which was better than any Tales game before it. The last two Fire Emblem games were better than any other Fire Emblem games I've played. Persons 5 has kept its series and brand going strong. There have been some dropped balls with Andromeda and Xenonlade X. And the good ones are relatively harder to find. But when they are good they are REALLY good. 16 and 32 bit generations and even the PS2 certainly had more variety but also a lot more garbage. And the PS3 and 360 barely had anything. With the help of Indies being available on consoles more frequently I think this generation is doing a lot better
If anyone missed them there are
Shiness The Lightning Kingdom
Earthlock Festival of Magic
Cosmic Star Heroine
They just recently came out and are well received. And tons of others
All I can think of from last generation are Transistor and Bastion. Both from the same company and neither really an RPG. And I didn't even like Bastion..
I wish I had something to say, but the newest RPG I played was Pokemon Prism which is a fanmade hack and before that was Dragon's Crown.
I like the incorporation of RPG elements into other genres as I think it has made those games much better. Other than Persona 5 (and hopefully Dragon Quest XI), we no longer are getting the big name traditional turn based JRPGs on consoles any more as the trend has shifted towards open world action RPGs. I like those games just fine, but I'm not sure I like it as a trend. On handhelds you still get popular franchises such as Bravely Default and Pokemon and on consoles the old school RPGs are now more for indie developers, but some of them are really good. Overall I am pretty pleased with the popularity of the genre which has come a long way from being the games for D&D nerds.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vyk
I do have EarthLock Festival of Magic, but it is on my backlog. Wanting to go through XV first.
I really dislike the way everything has gone action-RPG now in place of time-based gameplay. I find it usually very messy, not much of a challenge, and boring.
Games that incorperate time-based elements in their gameplay like FFXII, FFXIV are more than fine though. Has this been done more recently? If so I'd check them out.