Which is better in an RPG?

[LunarWeaver]

I'd prefer to have both fleshed out. The whole genre has been done so many times, I don't think there's an excuse to have a crappy plot or a lame battle system anymore.

But I own RPGs that have awesome stories but only mediocre battle systems, and I still love them a lot. I guess the plot tilts me more than anything in a role-playing game.

Many people did not like FFX's amount of cutscenes, but if you sucked all those out of the game and only gave one at the beginning as a general set-up, you'd be left with...running down a road and sometimes clicking things from a menu. That isn't fun at all. The battle system is interesting, but can't carry all the weight of the game. Xenosaga Episode I has a very deep battle system, hugely deep, but it still has flaws (namely ridiculously long tech animations), and Episode II's is also very original. I would describe both as fun and I have fun playing it as a game...However, the great Jubbah sure knows that after so many hours I wasn't playing Xenosaga Episode I or II coz I like to stock AP.

The traditional turn-based RPG formula is only interesting to me as an entire package. Taking away an involving plot leaves only repetitive combat where you choose "this option for this monster" over and over. I would run out of motivation to bother finishing it.

[black orb]

>>> Both are important..
Personally when I play RPGs Im more interested in the story, with a good story you wont get bored anyways..

[Auragaea]

I prefer gameplay over story. If a game doesn't have a good story however, I probably won't enjoy it, especially if it also has horrendous gameplay as well as aesthetics (e.g. FFXII, SIV).

[Slothy]

I said story. Unless a game has the most amazingly fun, original, and addicting gameplay I've ever seen then I'll lose interest quickly without a good story. It's true of any genre for me, and the reason I've never been able to get through games like Devil May Cry, and had to force myself through RE4. Gameplay only holds my interest for so long in general, and this makes story even more important in RPG's since they're not known for being short. That said, if the story's amazing and the gameplay utter crap I won't play it either, but I have gone through some games with average gameplay just because the story is amazing.

[Mirage]

Gameplay is the most important, in my opinion. After that's taken care of, a really good story is what lifts the game to really great heights.

[Lynx]

story is more important to me.

while is ee them as both very important when i talk about the greatness of a game im talking about the story not the gameplay. but then agian i guess it kinda depends in the games im playing.

i love the armored core series yet dont care for there story board because the gameplay is incredibly fun.

yet I love FFIX story but thought the battle system being so slow hurt its gameplay.

Kingdom hearts 2 i loved the story and thought the gamreplay made it one of the funnest games ive ever played.

so when the 2 are combined they make an amazeing game but for me as long as it has a good story i see it as haveing a good replay value.

[Araciel]

it's an rpg...sometimes the gameplay is boring but the story is good enough to hold my interest. for that reason i choose story.

[Rase]

Gameplay is the answer for every genre.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. Sure a great story in an RPG is appreciated, but I'd rather have a game with a wonderful and engaging gameplay and a "Kill the bad guy because" story as opposed to one with terrible gameplay and an excellent story. In the latter example I'd just go online and read the story rather than struggle through the gameplay, while in the former I'd be having too much fun to care about the bare-bones story.

[escobert]

I say story. While I won't keep playing an RPG if its gameplay sucks, decent gameplay is enough if its a good story.

Right on man, right on.

[Mirage]

I can play a game just for its story, but if the gameplay sucks, I will never return to the game after beating it once. This is the case for FFIX. FFX-2, on the other hand, while the story is rather lacking, the good gameplay has made me complete the game 4 times.

[Tavrobel]

Gameplay, please.

[Slicksword45]

Story. I love FFIX thanks to the story. same reason that I dragged through K:COM. The only reason I went through the ****hole that was FFX-2 was to learn as much as possibal aout the greatness that was FFX .

[Markus. D]

Story is more important.

that and.

why the smurf do you still hate FFX-2 Holmes, its like a game 100% made for ~YOU~

[Zeromus_X]

I'm really not picky at all (like, whatsoever, like, I actually enjoyed Grandia III's storyline) when it comes to storyline in games. Gameplay is where it's at for me. Not that I don't mind a nice storyline every now and then of course, but it's not usually a priority to me.

[Moon Rabbits]

It depends. If I'm in the mood for a dungeon crawl, then gameplay, if I'm in the mood for something crazy epic, then the story.

Nethack, for example, has no story but is unbelievably fun to play when I'm in a dungeoncrawly mood.

The Spirit Engine, on the other hand, has gameplay and an interesting story...so...

both?