RPGs on the Wii

[Roto13]

So what if it's a spin-off? As long as the game is fun who cares?

There's a reason people play Final Fantasy Tactics.

[LunarWeaver]

I definitely hope it has more than the Gamecube does. I think the Wii controller is perfectly suited for the genre and developers should focus on using it to enhance the experience. Considering that RPG's are almost entirely NPC-clicking, menu-picking, equipment changing, and clicking on skills to learn in some sort of system, the controller would be able to do all that with ease. Why not use it?

But like any new system, they're probably going to get a lot of crap before anything substantial. None of the announced games are getting much excitement from me yet, but so little is known about them and it's too early to judge anything yet.

I also think the Ps3 will get some heavy RPGs too eventually, so I'm waiting to see if Sony grabs the good ones this round yet again. If they do, then I won't bother getting a Wii at all.

And for everybody who buys a Wii that did not own a Gamecube, buy Tales of Symphonia and both Baten Kaitos games so the surge in sales gets me even more sequels.

[ljkkjlcm9]

Its not the actual gameplay, but everything else thats the problem. Developers dont give a toss about anything but the stupid controller. And all you could really use it for is an action RPG. And that would still only consist of swinging the nunchuck one way to another. Any other take on the RPG genre wouldnt work, as you said, in FFIII you dont even bother to use the stylus. This is going to apply with alot of Wii games, and whats the point of putting any game on the Wii, if the controller isnt going to be used properly, especially when it could of been done better on the other two consoles.

I await a game to prove me wrong, but at the moment, that RPG list is trash, its all spin-off's off a popular series. No new original series's on there.

I bolded you contradicting yourself. You get mad and say developers will only care about the controller, but then complain if they don't use the controller. I may not use the stylus for FFIII DS, but it's still an amazing game/remake. And I'm still glad it's on the DS. Even if an RPG doesn't use the Wii-mote capabilities, if it's a good game I won't care. And who says it could be done better on the other two consoles. That is just your opinion. I didn't know there were ANY new series on consoles really now adays. 75% of games, are spinoffs and series. Obviously you'll announce series on a system before brand new titles, because people will know what to expect. Let's say, a RPG called "Destiny Prodigy" was announced. That's all you hear. You think that's going to get any hype next to that list of series? No, none at all. So while there may be new RPGs in the making already, you won't hear about them til they have screens, gameplay information, and maybe even movies of it.

THE JACKEL

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

I sincerely hope that a developer creates a brand new RPG series that's exclusive to the Wii and is unique...Because as much as I like RPGs you've got to admit they're all pretty much the same and they kind of blend in with each other after a while.

[Dreddz]

Its not the actual gameplay, but everything else thats the problem. Developers dont give a toss about anything but the stupid controller. And all you could really use it for is an action RPG. And that would still only consist of swinging the nunchuck one way to another. Any other take on the RPG genre wouldnt work, as you said, in FFIII you dont even bother to use the stylus. This is going to apply with alot of Wii games, and whats the point of putting any game on the Wii, if the controller isnt going to be used properly, especially when it could of been done better on the other two consoles.

I await a game to prove me wrong, but at the moment, that RPG list is trash, its all spin-off's off a popular series. No new original series's on there.

I bolded you contradicting yourself. You get mad and say developers will only care about the controller, but then complain if they don't use the controller. I may not use the stylus for FFIII DS, but it's still an amazing game/remake. And I'm still glad it's on the DS. Even if an RPG doesn't use the Wii-mote capabilities, if it's a good game I won't care. And who says it could be done better on the other two consoles. That is just your opinion. I didn't know there were ANY new series on consoles really now adays. 75% of games, are spinoffs and series. Obviously you'll announce series on a system before brand new titles, because people will know what to expect. Let's say, a RPG called "Destiny Prodigy" was announced. That's all you hear. You think that's going to get any hype next to that list of series? No, none at all. So while there may be new RPGs in the making already, you won't hear about them til they have screens, gameplay information, and maybe even movies of it.

THE JACKAL

I never said I hated them using the controller, I said they should put less focus on it, and put more effort into everything else. And I didnt say there wont be any new RPG series's on the Wii, Im saying at the moment, there no where to be seen. Admittedly, the other two consoles arent showing much new stuff, but theres alot more of it on them than on the Wii.

[JKTrix]

Developers don't have to use the Wii functions, but it is definitely true that most/all of them will be trying to implement the features in their games. Once the 'oh, that's cool!' gimmick dies down, hopefully we'll be able to see some more in-depth stuff.

DQ Swords was looking like one of those lame plug-in TV games, but the more I see of it the more interesting it becomes. For me it's gone from a 'write-off' to me keeping my eye on it.

[ljkkjlcm9]

Developers don't have to use the Wii functions, but it is definitely true that most/all of them will be trying to implement the features in their games. Once the 'oh, that's cool!' gimmick dies down, hopefully we'll be able to see some more in-depth stuff.

DQ Swords was looking like one of those lame plug-in TV games, but the more I see of it the more interesting it becomes. For me it's gone from a 'write-off' to me keeping my eye on it.

unsurprisingly, you use the wiimote to do attacks/sword swipes.

THE JACKEL

[Skyblade]

Actually, the biggest problem with the Wiimote is its lack of additional buttons. There are two main buttons on the remote itself, the A and B buttons. The +, -, 1, and 2 buttons are located too far down the remote for convenient access. Since there are so few buttons, there is no choice but to use Wiimote movements to control the game, since most games now require four or more buttons. I don't mind the Wiimote, but alot of people do, and I'm sure they'd prefer some options. Hopefully some game developers will consider the Wii Classic Controller.

[JKTrix]

The wiimote is designed to have an unintimidating control scheme, the button count is fine. But yeah, the classic controller plugs into the wiimote, so there may be some applications that will use the traditional button layout in addition to the WiiWand.

Besides, if it is a turn-based affair, you really only need 2 buttons: one to select an option, one to cancel the selection. Even the 'cancel' button is optional if the menus are laid out well enough. It would be a problem if the Wiimote were the only possible way to control games on the Wii--something Nintendo wouldn't be so silly to do. The fact that the controller can be expanded upon removes any potential problems with the button layout--in theory. While true that you can just plug in the appropriate controller, the hindrance will be obtaining that plug-in peripheral if you don't already have it.

[tidus_rox]

My Wii broke :(:(... I want to trade it for a ps3... They are better

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

I'd really like to see a western developed RPG on the Wii but...it's more likely that a western developer would create a RPG for the 360.

[Shoeberto]

I'd really like to see a western developed RPG on the Wii but...it's more likely that a western developer would create a RPG for the 360.

I think it'd work. Western RPGs are most common on the PC due to using mouse input heavily to wade through menus easily - the Wii controller is perfect for that. It could work.

That said, I don't see Fallout 3 headed for Wii, but hopefully it'll get some titles like that.

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

I'd also like to see RPG Maker 4 on the Wii but it seems unlikely because the console versions of RPG Maker 1-3 have been released on the PSOne and PS2 respectively.

[JKTrix]

My Wii broke ... I want to trade it for a ps3... They are better

...what?

I think it'll be a little while before we see some bigger/higher quality RPGs coming for the Wii, if ever. PS1 got most of the RPG support because of the cheaper Disc format (among other things) while N64 was still using cartridges, despite the 64 being a more powerful system. That carried on with the brand when it came to PS2, plus the massive install base that the Playstation name had by then.

Based on that history, there is a chance that it could swing back to Nintendo (cheaper to make games for, growing install base), but there are several things that are slowing it down and could prevent it from happening.

Primarily, the PS2 isn't dead yet. Developers have had 7 years to get used to the PS2, so they know it inside and out. Wii is still new, and people are trying to figure it out. Sure, it's the same as the Gamecube, programming-wise, but a lot of these Playstation loyals may not have had much experience with the GC. There's also the valid point that Dreddz is concerned about, that they will focus too much on trying to make a non-gimmicky way to incorporate the controller--and it'll probably end up gimmicky anyway.

The PS2 still has over 100 million units out there. Wii probably won't match that anytime soon. The PS3 can play most PS2 games, so even after the 'death' of the PS2, they can still make games on PS2 discs to play on the PS3.

As far as getting more RPGs go, the PS2 is the Wii's biggest competition. Quality Western style RPGs are more likely to come out for the Xbox 360, since a good chunk of them start life with the PC in mind (Microsoft is trying to streamline the process of porting PC games to the 360).

The Wii still has a small chance, though. The controller, obviously, has people intrigued. In fact, Yuji Horii (Creator of Dragon Quest), among other high profile developers, has openly stated that he is very excited to work on the Wii. No matter what your opinion or personal preference is, Horii is the biggest name in Japanese RPGs. The Wii does have a bit of influence behind it.

The Wii seems to be reaching a wider audience now as well, which opens up the possibilities of new franchises to appear exclusively on the Wii. It's going to take time though, we probably won't start seeing some of the quality non-Squenix games till next year. Hopefully the Wii can maintain its popularity until then. For now though, PS2 is still the first stop for new RPGs, with the PS3 reserved for the big shots who can afford to make a worthwhile game and 360 ports.

[The Fat Bioware Nerd]

The PS3 can play most PS2 games, so even after the 'death' of the PS2, they can still make games on PS2 discs to play on the PS3.

Really? I thought the PS3 had backwards compatibility issues because I read an article on IGN.Com that said "The Wii is the only next-gen console out there that has true backwards compatibility the PS3 doesn't have it and the 360 doesn't have it."