Good rpg

One word, Oblivion.

there is actually one thing why RPG is so much better as video game

can you play a pen and paper RPG alone? not really or?

uh.. stupid point of view

every genre has its flaws and drawbacks and "limitations"... and uh.. dungeons and dragon is the dorkiest thing ever invented for nerds that cant' get a kiss from a girl if he was the last god damn guy on earth.

i agree

i completely agree, also more and more people get addicted to the video game versions whereas pen and paper held more of a community spirit and friendship gathering around a table to play a game all night with your buddies, some beer and some kick ass tunes on your stereo.... whats replaced it is the server, some cheese nibbles, extra 6 stone and dodgy loops and annoying bleeps *roll eyes*

geez

I think, you havent thought too much before posting this article... 1- Shooters = Paintball??? 2- Are you comparing RPG videogames with Pen & paper games??? you are crazy...Unless you have 4 slaves to play whenever you want, there is no point comparing both. Videogames Rpg can be played almost every time lonely so this article makes no sense.

b

Shooter- paintball Sports- duh real life sports Platforming - MXC Adventure- Become a detective Fighting - go to a bar and kick someones ass Monopoly - Start a business empire XD There nuff said. Although the person who wrote this is an idiot, ever hear of action rpg's?

1- Shooters = Paintball???

Paintball isn't an entertainment medium, it's more of a hobby, or sport if you're hardcore into it I guess. I'd also argue that the experience you get from playing a first person shooter such as Doom is markedly different from what you'd get playing paintball.

Opinion.

It's your opinion and not news. Don't ruin the site with more gay crap like this.

b

forgot a few Racing - get in a car GTA - Go outside and uh, have some fun XD

WTF!?!?!?!?!

RPGs are stories and I enjoy my stories. Regardless of innovation. So your opinions are just that....along with opinions not many give a crap about. Oh and to the admins....banning the IP address of someone who's IP address changes is rather stupid. All you really did was ban those innocent people who wound up getting that IP address after me.

Please dont make another article

Stupidest article I've seen on this site. Just saying this "Think about it for a moment, the first person shooter experience can't be replicated by any other entertainment medium, neither can the platformer, or the action adventure, sports and simulations are just what they claim to be... simulations." is stupid enough.

RPG

don't agree with you at all... RPGs are a genre in which you level up your character, you follow a story line, you have random battles, and you attack by selecting the attack you want. If a game hasn't got these things, it isn't an RPG.

rpgs...

haha yeah not forgetting online monthly subscriptions that sucks ass and whiny little kids on their microphones 'like hey guys can you hear me hello hello hello hello hello guys can you hear me guys guys hello?' long live the pen paper and dice!

Interactive novel

RPG's are an interactive novel....to me at least. Like a good book, i'll pick it up and play it again...but most of them just collect dust.

*sigh*

First off - why does someone have to be so stereotypical about D&D? I can say the same thing that RPGs are for ppl who like to sit around starting at a blinking screen in a fantasy world who could never get touched by a girl. Enough stereotypes... his point is that RPGs are the only thing that can be done by anyone on paper and pen or by video game. Not everyone can go play paintball (and you can't have blood in paintball unless its a really weird game), you're not gonna become an f'n detective, go get arrested for a fight or do MCX or w/e the frick that is... his point is that RPGs can be done by anyone no matter what they're doing, while the same experiences CAN be felt by others it aint likely for someone to go outside and master a skateboard or bike in a few mins. I personally don't like them because it gets so boring after a long time doing the same thing over and over again. Hit button...attack...kill...hit button...attacks...kills...no thank you

*dungeon music* *battle sounds* *victory* repeat!

this is a very valid point the golden day of rpgs has sadly passes snes-psx are the strongest for the rpg genre and quite frankly i have not played a rpg(or almost any other game) that compares the the experience i had with final fantasy 6 and 7 nowadays rpgs are based upon lacking sequels and improving graphics we need a 2d revolution or these 2.5d games 2d gameplay with 3d graphics or even Hi-Res and heavly animated 2d games which i thing would be AMAZING! i can easily name rpgs that i've beat on snes/psx and rememeber the feeling i got from acomplising that not it just seems bleh...

Storyline?

RPGs are nothing like pen and paper games. Pen and Paper always have crappy storylines created by geeks who aren't fazed by creating horribly cliched plots. RPGs are more like books, with long, usually well thought out plots.

Addictions

I have lost a good friend to mmorpg. He is now completely addicted. He wakes up plays the game, all day he's playing the game, its such a shame. I will never let myself become addicted to this stimulation. Thats because I will NEVER play them. Give me pacman anyday over WOW. My 2 pence worth

Is this worth posting on the site?

Sounds more like a forum material to me. Stop trying to pass your rants and speculation as news and relevant information. These pages are for updates related to the subject of the blog (not the state of video game genre's as you see them). Everyday this place sounds more and more like a personal blog.

Oblivion

Oblivion is the perfect example of an RPG that uses it's graphical interface to MAKE the gameplay. Every swing of the sword is not a roll of the D20, but a test of reflexes. Combat itself is dependent entirely on the player and his/her reaction to the graphical representation of foes. It, in my opinion, represents the direction RPG's need to go, both in game length and structure.

Dont Be An Idiot

you sponge, what does it matter, people like them, and they are blatantly better in-game then on paper. you can't write strategic manovoures on paper. and francly your a bit sad if you want to play them on paper. RPG's are good, your not. shush.

Agreed

I actually agree that video game rpgs don't offer that much past the pen and paper rpgs. Infact I like pen and paper rpgs better because they include something that you are almost guaranteed not to find in the electric versions. And that's role playing. In pen and paper it's up to you to act out your character and make all the decisions about the usage of your supplies and your skill sets and how they're used. A video game just can't have that kind of flexibility and the vast majority of the experience is focused in on easy battles and fmvs. I like rpg games in both forms, but I think until they can create the same experience as pen and paper rpgs with the added visual experience they just won't add up. Like someone said Oblivion is a great rpg...but when you look at it, it's basically like Diablo only with more story. There's a clear difference between western and eastern rpgs. One being that western rpgs try alot harder to emulate the pen and paper experience, but many times just turn into glorified hack and slash games. And eastern rpgs are basically a story book that you drive characters through with little to no say on what skills they attain throughout. Both of which have pros and cons and I think if you were to take the positives of both and put them together, and really really put in effort to get an interactive experience you'd have something.

No problem present.

In my experience, RPGs provide an experience at least as far removed from pen & paper games as FPS games are from paintballing. Saying the two are fundamentally equivalent is like saying that any video game's experience can be fully extracted just by looking at its source code.

wow

this was the gayest crap pspupdates has ever posted. no one gives a F@#*K!!!! about ur gay opinions

.

It's all on the basis of opinion.

2 sides

one one hand you can say pen and paper could be fun because you can meet your friends etc. but RPG videogames can be just as good because many you can play multipolayer via LAN or something or online ( which means bigger communities). For example the untold legend games for our beloved PSP. then there are also games like oblivion which pen and paper just cant do!

hmmm

i usually never complain about ANY news, but this is just plain out dumb. how can you possibly say that you can simulate any form of rpg's in real life, and that you cant simulate any other genre? you cant simulate yourself leveling up to learn how to throw fireballs or heal yourself after bieng stabbed in the head. and i've never heard of monsters that go around freezing people and eating their soul. case in point, this is a not very smart persons opinion, and he should have kept it to himself.

The fall of PSPupdates is in full throttle now......

Latley, everyday, there's been atleast 2-3 articles that are complete crap and not worth reading. Like the are cheaper, shorter games the way to go, or who could forget Jon, the world's biggest n00b (or retard, or most unfunny joke). With homebrew also falling latley, PSPupdates.com may die soon and will rely on stupid articles saying that RPG's are crap. Of course thats true in some cases. There's always some crappy games in a genre, but you can't deny that gems such as Final Fantasy VII, X, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, etc, are extremely well-made. PSPupdates is really becoming *****.

I'm not saying videogame RPG's aren't fun.

What I'm saying is that I don't think they offer an experience different enough from their pen and paper roots. You also can't say RPG's are story because they can't stand on that alone, books generally do stories better than RPG's anyway. If the point of an RPG is to play the role of a particular character, then a videogame (being interactive by nature) should be far more capable of making me feel in the shoes of a character than a pen and a piece of paper.

no.

videogame RPGs are FAR from dungeons and dragons on a board: 1. D&D needs a lot of peopel to be fun. 2. D&D tends to get tiring and boring 3. videogame RPGs are more fun and entertaining 4. videogame RPGs can be saved and picked up whenever you want. 5. If its a handheld RPG like untold legends, well theres a huge advantage right there! 6. videogames offer a beautiful enviornment, especially RPGs are known for this 7. videogames provide a kind of entertainment that NO other medium can provide, not for any genre! 8. can you throw flames and lighting out fo the sky in D&D? and theres also the unexplainable fun that comes from playing a videogame. Not sure why exactly, but everything is more fun in the cyber world. except sex ;)

I dont agree

I dont agree, I will admit that in recent years there have been a few bad RPG's, but I dont think they were bad because the style is getting old or its not interactive enough, I think developers are just loosing sight of what RPG's are all about, or atleast what they are to me. To me a role play game is about playing a part in a story, its like reading a book but in a far more entertaining and challenging way, but as usual as new developments arise people get so obsessed with the graphics and the controlls and movement that they lose site of what the games are really about. I play RPG's because its like reading a good book but so much better, u dont just get to read an amazing story u actually get to take part in it, yes the graphics improve the experience, make it seem more real, and the cut scenes more breath taking, and yes the controlls are important, give it more of a feeling of realism, but when it comes down to it there has to be a story, n real story, sumthing special, when i complete a great rpg theres a sence of acomplishment, and it feels like youve really whitnessed sumthing special. with out the story it dosnt matter in the slightest wat the eyelash rendering is like, or how great the movments are, when you read a book you dont care about the font or the pictures, it dosnt matter if its paperback or hard, its about the story FF7, in my opinion and many other peoples, is one of the best games ever made, not because of the graphics or the gameplay, yes they were above the standart for the time it was released, but the game is just as rewarding to play now as it was when it was released so many years ago, because of the increadable immence storyline theres nuthing wrong with RPG's, the designers have just been swept away with all the new developements, give it time

I have to disagree with the article

As a fan of RPGs, I have to say RPGs can never be emulated by paper and pen, beacuse video game RPGs are about the the graphics, music, lenght (Paper and pen don't have a 60-60 hours storyline, do they...?) and ofcourse, the most important (for some reason not mentioned) *strategy*, you *aren't* supposed to blindly hit the attack command over and over, that's actually a *style* of playing used by amateurs that simply over-level'd, the true nature of RPGs is using your arsenal of different weapons, armors, magics, skills, elements and status effects, althougt I suppose these things are on paper and pen, they have the visual beauty to back it up. I personally doubt you can say "That Skill was amazing!!" or "What an incredible summon!!" or even "That spell's effect was amazing" on paper and pen, not to mention "This soundtrack has an amazing composition!". Also I personally play VG-RPGs solely for the story, it is what keeps me going and going, the twist and turns, the how the good guys get to come out of what seems an impossible situation, the love triangle and how it resolves... "The shortcomings of the videogame RPG become all the more apparent when you consider just how non-interactive they are." I strongly disagree with this, that is why RPGs give you, the player, in the form of the protagonist, the choice to say "yes" or "no", "Kill" or "save", "Rescue" or "destroy" in many many points of the game, althougt some VG-RPGs do have them in short numbers. I've never played a paper and pen, therefore my opinion might be a bit off, but I think there's still some truth to my points.

wow this is the worst piece of **it ive seen on this site

you must be gay to not like rpg's , please we whant to see news on this site not your gay a** opinion as eachday goes by pspupdates sucks even more because of **it like this .

to #29

i agree instead of putting opionions about their frustrations towards a game. they should fill this up (in on the 360 section of the site) with info such as progress and tutorials about the firmware hack. qj spent too much time getting too many extra writers and should have just stuck to what they had before.

1st Person Shooter comment

I have played many 1st person games and they are a good laugh but they dont come close to playing airsoft/soft air what ever you wish to call it. Its similar to paintball but full on. I do Vietnam reenactment games with this stuff and it is mind blowing when you are out there setting ambushes and getting the claymore to go of. I have a 1:1 replica of an M16/M60 etc and heaving 3 kilo's plus through woodland/marsh .... have a look at this http://www.combatsouth.co.uk/csw/gallery.php

o rly?

You'r right that RPG's are really just a 1 person D&D game, but that why i like them. I can play them whenever i want (ie, dont have to have a bunch of people to play), don't have to keep track of the stats of everything. Video game RPG's are a little easer to get into IMO.

so bad

im very open minded about people's views and I was willing to go along with this article, but the opinions are so flawed and crap that i was laughing by the end of it.

PS3?

I want to thank the writer of this article for this informative bit of PLAYSTATION 3 news.

such a stupid article ...

Have you ever played an action RPG like Xmen Legends 2? Can you duplicate the action on pen & paper? It is an obvious no.

Amazing...

How registered users comments are generally far more thought out than those of unregistered users, thanks for the feedback and opinions, I really appreciate it and think you guys raise many valid points. Perhaps one of the more challenging points you guys have brought up for debate is the idea that videogame RPG's can be enjoyed alone. That's a hard one to tackle, but is that really enough of an innovation? The idea that videogame RPG's can be started and stopped pretty much whenever you want is cool and it's convenient, but again, enough of an innovation? Definitely ndoesn't add to the gameplay. There seems to be a lot of talk about videogame RPG's having such immersive stories, quite frankly I don't believe that, I really do think te majority of videogame RPG stories are just as hackneyed and derivative as their pen and paper cousins. I'm not saying that videogame RPG's aren't or can't be fun, just that they're a little too close to pen and paper RPG's in terms of the experience. I personally believe that action RPG's are closer to the true direction RPG's should take in the electronic realm, perhaps we could see platformer RPG's as well, that could be interesting.

I'm open minded.

I am in Favor of open speech, so as they do research ahead of time. Many points are said in the comments so I won't repeat them, many are true. As you have your own point of view aswell, and demonstrate it here. But. Really. this is more of a Game Site, and solely based on PSP, or so I thought. I don't mind seeing Articles like this, but. I as I'm sure many, prefer to get Info about the PSP Scene and not just personal opinions. Thanks. Jx1 - Jerry

i dont care

This lasts post are becoming so personal... im kinda hating them... What if he doesnt like RPG... i dont care!!!!!

Hmmm...

On the contrary, I think that video games have advanced the RPG world. Considering you can't exactly classify a game as strictly RPG anymore says a lot. There is MMORPG, Western (or Sand Box) RPG, Eastern RPG, and even some left field RPG's. Basically you can't even classify a game such as Oblivion, a game like WoW and a game like FFXIII in the same respect anymore. They are completely different, and if this is the case, how can they all be the same (relative to pen and paper). Bottom line is, video games have only further enhanced the gameplay experience, and offer different ways to experience it personally. If you really want to roleplay a character, and even get into voice acting you could always play a MMORPG and get a couple friends online, and use TeamSpeak or Ventrilo. POOF! You're truly ROLE PLAYING! If you want to just play a solo style game with an epic story and number based combat system, pick up a copy of any FF or DQ series games. And of course, if you are more into twitch action, free movement, and much more freedom in choice, go play a game like Oblivion or Fable. Personally, I play all three types because they really are not the same experience, and I enjoy diversity. When i was a child, I TRIED to play some DnD pen and paper style, and let me tell you, it was vastly more boring then what a video game presents. Even if you think it's vastly more fun, the point still stands: video game rpg's have ushered in several new sub-genre's which are quickly finding ways to please more and more people everyday. You're entitled to your oppinion, but I don't believe you'll find much agreement on this one...

This guys reeetarded

This guy has never played any online mmrpg...pen and paper is dead.....who wants 4 or 5 idiots over to play a game..when they could watch tv and talk to there buddies and explore dungeons and battles and wait for a new expansion to come out...with new areas and things to explore....guy wrote this article probably has a nintendo with zelda and after failing to beat it went back to his d&d clan and cried......

Jx1 - Jerry

Hi Jerry, First, thanks for voicing your opinions in a civil manner. It's true that this is first and foremost a news site, as evidenced by the fact that articles like this make up less than 2% of what we post. It really shouldn't be much of a problem to just scroll down a bit and past the article if you know it's not something you want to read though. Alternatively you could just not "jump" the article, and use the newly implemented filter to personalise your reading to your tastes. The idea behind these articles is to state personal opinions and see how readers react to them, what they think themselves, sometimes we get constructive comments, sometimes not. Again thanks for being civil, it means a lot ;)

analogy

video game : pen & paper :: movie : book same difference. 'nuff said.

WOW

To all the poor people who are not able to make a normal conversation... Always to read this bull***** here is really annoying.. Stop this... Is there no normal language possible anymore... Better discuss about the progress of rpgs. better discuss the article instead of throwing around with stupidity....

Not to be an jack, but, are you reading it all...?

Seriously, don't take it wrong, but, how come you've commented on about 2 points that have been posted, when there's been a load of them? There's been: -Graphics -Great Music -Better Sotryline -Solo Play -Strategy -Mentioned that it really isn't just repeated "Attack" -There's Portable -There IS interactivity (Dragon Quest excels at that) And I'll also like to add to the list the fact that, thougt not all, some RPGs are much more challenging, they have a nice AI. Also want to add that most RPGs on rely on the fact I really really hate, simply beacuse I suck at it, "Luck", I can calculate the outcome and make a good strategy depending on it, you can't calculate your luck, and Dices, are definetively about Luck. I know you've commented on about two of the things I just listed, but my point is there's been a ton of points and I'ld like to hear your comments on all of them, you *did* mentioned you like to debate, didn't you? ;D

.

I don't like many RPG games, but if there is one that can really be thrown at any beginned (or a gamer not used to RPGs) is Shenmue. Shenmue for the dreamcast(later xbox) is good, intuitive, has very good story and you don't get lost in the middle of it unlike all those other rpg games that keep telling you "go to the south pole... then take the magic key... then come back... crawling... without any weapons... twice." and make you play for hundreds of hours without any need =`D hehehe games like final fantasy are boring, I agree. you read a very long story, do all those bogus chores for a month and then have to buy the second disc to continue. hardly any of those games are really good, short ones are better but its just my taste I guess ... but comparing to pen&paper is stupid, sorry. in theory, only BBS text RPGs are the ones close to pen & paper. the videogame ones have lots of other features and usually have mixed genres. What you are saying would make sense if you were talking about a full 3D monopoly game. =`D hehehe

#1

oblivion sucks its fun for 3 days... and i play it on max so dont say my pc sux

#45 - Furious Mob...

I can't agree with you any more than I actually do. Agreed 300%

action RPGs

Action RPGs are the answer.

WHO GIVES A *****!?

WHO GIVES A *****!?

i think...

soem people are actually attacking this post but to be honest i like these random personal opinions of the poster because otherwise its just a site about release dates etc, which isnt very intresting. on to rpgs...urrmm..theyre all boring. :D

Holy crap, I'm siding with the fanboys here...

You definitely were on the right track, simply because RPGs are just seeming to blend together...I mean, it just seems like the creative touch is TOTALLY gone nowadays with a few exceptions (like Shadow Hearts 2, and more recently Dragon Quest VIII)...However where you lost me was in the paper-pen comparison. The entire exploration, puzzle-solving, timing, and side-quest aspect can not be done on pencil/paper, or any other medium for that matter...

hey

I'm still confused on how the hell you would be able to play and RPG with a pen + paper...

Not to be an jack, but, are you reading it all...?

Graphics: As I mentioned in the article, this is in my opinion just about the only major difference. But as gamers are so quick to reply, it's gameplay that matters, and I would argue that the gameplay remains largley the same. -Great Music: It adds to the atmosphere, but this really isn't taking advantage of the interactive nature of the medium, I don't think it's a significat gameplay addition. -Better Storyline: As I stated above, the storylines in videogame RPG's are just as hackneyed and cliched as their pen and paper cousins... in general, there are a few examples of well written stories. Do you really think the dialogue in FF7 is all that great... really? -Solo Play: I'll give you that. -Strategy: What? There's a strategic element in pen and paper RPG's as well, I'm not sure what you mean here. --Mentioned that it really isn't just repeated "Attack": Can you give examples please? -There's Portable: But how does this significantly change the gameplay, you're still playing the games the same way, just in different places. This is an argument that's been levelled at the PSP in particular, the fact that you're just playing PS2 games on the go, fine for most people (and myself really) but how is this innovation? -There IS interactivity (Dragon Quest excels at that): I'll have to take your word that DQ is singular in that regard as I've never played it. For the most part though I think RPG's generally lag behind other genres in this department. A.I: Could you please give an example of an RPG that has good AI, because in my experience they're pretty much all rigidly pre-scripted.

Its Saddening

It seems that all Chrisopher C. done, except for a few exceptions, has been merely posting opinion peices and speculations. It is unfortunate this is what QJ has been riddled with. I certainly love Qj and the well written updates are greatly appreciated. But enough ranting, enough has been done by Chrisopher C. already. RPGs (At least some) provide hours of entertainment, a unique experience, and provide many attractive attributes. Many things that these video games offer cannot be emulated by pen or paper cannot, the same way paintball cannot provide the same experience Halo can. You can not go outside with a bunch of freinds, jumping around and call it Banjo Kazooie.

Opinion

Why is one persons opinion being posted on this site but I thought this site was about video game news not some random persons opion when so many people feel different. This is a forum topic at best at worst its a rant about a particular genre that i dont like. If you take this article and apply it to different genres nearly every video game ever made is boring. However this article was an opinion however bad an opinion it might be.

I've been a D&D player for almost 20 years...

Let me start by saying that I prefer the pen & paper RPG format far and away more than their newer video game brethren. That being said, I still enjoy video game RPG's anyway. Here's why: 1. Having been both a player and a referee/Dungeon Master/Game Master (title depends on the particular game being played), I can tell you how much work it is to actually prepare and run a game session. Even when using one of the pre-written game modules, there is still a good amount of work that needs to be done before you can even start the game. I've got a full time job, a house, a wife, and most of my old gaming buddies live an hour away spread out over Southeastern Wisconsin. I've don't have that kind of time to devote to getting a game ready to play and then find a time that works for all my friends to get together when most of them are in similar situations as mine. Video game RPG's get rid of all that prep time and coordination of schedules with others, allowing me to get a gaming fix whenever I want. 2. Sometimes, I just feel lazy and don't care to do all the arithmetic needed for the pen & paper games. Yes, the math is simple, but I'm an engineer. I do math most of the day and sometimes don't care to do more of it at home if I don't have to. 3. Pen & paper gaming can be expensive, though it doesn't really have to be. Most of the rule books and supplements these days range from $20-$40. Individually, that's not bad, but they're like crack. Once you start buying them, you want more and more to add to your collection. They've all got that little (or sometimes big) nugget of stuff that you might like to add to your own games one day, so you buy it. At my peak of gaming just after I got out of high school, I was playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition. When I eventually sold all my books, I totaled up the MSRP of my collection and it was over $700. That was just for the books and all the supplements that I had and that was only for my 2nd Edition stuff. I still had a couple of 1st Edition and was just getting into 3/3.5 Edition. Some people go nuts with buying figurines, maps, models, etc. on top of all that. 3. Most of the time the guys I play D&D with never want to run the game, so it's always me and one other guy that run the games. For most people, playing is more fun because it's a lot less work and less stuff to have to remember. If I want to be on the player end of things, video game RPG's are one of my few options. My gripes about video game RPG's, including video game adaptations of D&D: 1. The rules aren't flexible enough. It's impossible to code every possible thing that a player might want to do in a pen & paper version of a game. Say you want to shoot something out of an enemy's hand? Or shoot him in the eye? Or knee-cap someone? Set the curtains on fire to distract someone so you can escape? Someone goes off into a long speech that you don't want to listen to? Punch him in the mouth and shut him up. You can't do any of that stuff in a video game unless it was specifically coded into the game to do it. 2. The D&D games, in particular, don't translate well sometimes. Often, rules are bent badly or completely ignored in order to make them work in the video game environment. Also, there's no way to put in house rules. 3. Too many video game RPG's are loaded up with stupid mini-games that have little or nothing to do with the story. Things like solving a puzzle to open a doorway in a dungeon, or beating the shopkeeper in a game of skill for a clue to advance the story makes more sense than most of the mini-games found in modern video game RPG's. 4. I hate having to fight a bunch of random battles before going on to fight the next boss. Yay! Let's run in circles for a couple of hours because monsters here give good experience/gold and I need more skills/better equipment before the next dungeon/boss battle. The strength of the enemies in the game should be somewhat adapted to whatever strength your characters are in order to

I've been a D&D player for almost 20 years... (cont.)

Got cut off... 4. I hate having to fight a bunch of random battles before going on to fight the next boss. Yay! Let's run in circles for a couple of hours because monsters here give good experience/gold and I need more skills/better equipment before the next dungeon/boss battle. The strength of the enemies in the game should be somewhat adapted to whatever strength your characters are in order to maintain the challenge level without requiring you to spend endless hours wandering around just to level up. That doesn't mean that a wussy goblin should always be a challenge for you. Making experience point awards a function of the difficulty of the battle is one way to do it. The effect of that is sto make sure the party is of a certain level by the time they reach a certain part in the game without making them do all the boring power-leveling to get there. As for the guy earlier that was dissing on D&D and those that play it, I just laugh. Not all D&D players are the stereotypical gamer nerds. Even those that are, surely aren't so different from yourself. I'm a gamer. I'm married. And, yes, I've bagged my share of women before getting hitched, which is probably a lot more than you can say, mon amie.

Chris...

I'd be very interested in a list of RPG's you have played. Making sweeping generalizations about anything is going to get you flak, especially if you have not experienced everything you are generalizing.

RPGS...what a load of bs...

everyone above comment 63 [non-inclusive] please stop whining about pathetic RPG's - tehy sUX0rs!!! w000t!11one!1 1337 - FPS is t3h UlTi/\/\aT3 RuL0rrrr!!! onee!!!1

People Are So Caustic Here...

Chris, I think your Op-Ed pieces are fine. To me the problem is that the two are not enough alike. The big thing that sets paper RPG apart from games is the freedom to do whatever your mind can imagine. I think the problem is the linear nature of the path you take. There has been an attempted fix with MMORPGs, but those quickly become even more repetative and *cough* pointless when you're doing essentially the same things with no emotional payoff via story or cutscene. The closest example of paper meeting game RPG that I have played is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Not only was the system based upon real pen and paper rules, but there were many choices involved that led you to a unique experience. And granted, the path you take is ultimately the same, and the differences can be subtle, but as in a paper RPG the Gamemaster is going to place you in situations and they have control over what you encounter, so it's not TOO far off. Also the game Fable tried to take this even a step further where literally everything you do affects your outcome, and there's a path to follow plus side fooling around, but I don't think they really pulled it off. Personally I really like the standard RPG gameplay when I've got the time, and it sounds (Chris) like you'd rather skip most of the conventions and put the parts you like into different types of games. We've had games attempting to throw in "RPG-elements" forever, some even going so far as to say Zelda is part RPG for collecting items and "leveling" your heart bar. Much like cinema or music, games, probably for a while now, are at a point where a straight genre isn't always the most satisfying and we are mixing and experimenting. We want tragic comedy, we want Eminem with Elton John, we want Mario Party mixed with DDR! Some are hits, some fail, but they are no longer RPG's and just because we are making innovative steps doesn't mean the straight RPG should be abandoned. I don't think the question should be where should RPG's be going so much as in what ways can other genres improve by implementing elements of RPG's.

Oh, and no, I didn't marry one of those freaky gamer chicks, in case you were wondering

My wife doesn't play video games or pen & paper role-playing games. She mostly sticks to board (bored?) games and card games (regular cards, not the collectible card games). The only video games she'll touch are some of the old NES and SNES games. She likes Mario and that's about it. She's never even played D&D or any game like it. No interest to her.

SqMonkey87

Interesting point you made about the linear nature of the videogame RPG Sq, it's more than likely a product of not being able to make branching paths because of the amount of assets that would required, it still would make them more interesting though. Honeslty I'm not certain what I want from videogame RPG's, I just want them to be as exciting as they sound like they should be, not tied to the limitations of another medium. Furious Mob: I've played enough RPG's and am familiar with the subject matter, that's why I'm complaining about them :P I realise I'm generalising, and say so in the article, pointing out a few expceptions, but I think this generalisation is justufied as the majority of RPG's fall into the trap I mentioned. (It's like saying that Sly Stallone's movies are mindless action fests, a generalisation, and there are exceptions, but a valid generalisation).

Interesting...

As I never really played a pen and paper for more then a couple hours in my life (just didn't have the attention span as a child), I am shocked by how much the most recent RPG I played got it so much like what the old experts describe here. Maybe off-topic (so what), but seriously now...Oblivion sounds like it is offering a game that is more closely related to the old school pen and paper, minus the number crunching and dice roll luck. I mean, it offers you complete choice. And when I say complete choice, it was mentioned that if someone's story is going on too long, punch him in the mouth...well in Oblivion you truly have that freedom. With the physics engine you have more options in how to approach a dungeon, and with the world leveling, everything stays a challenge no matter where you go or what you're doing at that time. (And they even toss in a slider bar for difficulty to adjust it even more.) Now its still not going to be as much freedom as what your mind can dream up, but it sure as hell is getting close. Heh, that game just impressed me yet again.

huh?

honestly what did taht blog have to do with psp what so ever its about videogames in general. Honestly i don't agree with his opinion but hes entitled but i came to this site to read about new psp stuff not a freakin debate about why rpgs suck.

I Strongly Agree

I have to agree, rpgs only have graphics and a story that the pen and paper games dont have. And even with this rpg's are still boring. Another thing about rpg's is that the ability of actually hitting a target or "miss" is luck and chance. Plus theres no skill in them, the only way you can beat other people is if you've played longer and was able to "find" better items. If game makers could make a game that is not slow pace and up to the cpu to determine if you hit or not. Rpg's are just numbered stats, while fps, racing, puzzle, platformer, adventure, and sports sports games don't use numbers they use actual skill the player offers, not the stats. The only rpg that requires some skill is paper mario: thousand year door (lol...), mainly because you are able to dodge attacks or give extra damage by doing things that dont require luck. Age:18 and still will play paper mario over any "elder scroll" game... i had to bring that game back the firs half'n hour because of how rediculous it was...

PDS!

The poster obviously has never played Panzer Dragoon Saga for the Sega Saturn. Panzer Dragoon Saga is the greatest RPG of all time; not only is the best RPG ever created, it is the best game ever created! The story is absolutely wonderful, the music is beautiful, and the artwork is absolutely phenomenal - plus, the battle system is ingenius! You can see for yourselves how great this game is here: http://pds.roushimsx.com/ I wish Sega would re-release this game for the PSP...it surely would be a match made in heaven, that's for sure.

RPG

Well at least good RPG's make sense and have a good story. Your just probably another lazy idiot who never really played and RPG while following the storyline. This "news" or whatever it should be, is nothing but crap.

Hey Kadamose

I've played Panzer dragoon saga it wasn't an rpg, its a flight game...

Oh yeah?

You mentioned that other games than RPGs like FPS and pther cannot be adapted in means like pen and paper, or reality. Oh, you're so wrong. BECAUSE I CAN BLAST YOUR BRAIN OUT OF YOUR HEAD WITH A ROCKET LAUNCHER YOU BASTARD, AND THIS WOULD BE TRUE ENOUGH FOR YOU TO SEE THAT RPGS ARE THE BEST, MOTHER*****ING GAMING GENRE OF ALL TIMES, AND JUST WATCH THIS, IT'S THE GENRE WITH THE MOST FANS (AND THE MOST FANATIC)!!!

....

Pen and paper is old fashioned. You can't play online. What is good about video game rpgs is visual stimulation. We live in a world where we are so desensitized that we need a constant stimulation to be happy. You are a *****ing one minded idiot. -Donk

Hey Kuc...

You're just generalizing as well. You ***** about the games being using number crunching and no skill, then clown a game that delivers skill and not number crunching. You can't lump every single damn RPG into the same category...forget it, it's like trying to explain how not to be racist to a Klansman...

Hey Kuc

Hey Kuc, you have obviously never played Panzer Dragoon Saga. There are 4 games in the Panzer Dragoon series: Panzer Dragoon (Saturn) (rail shooter) Panzer Dragoon Zwei (Saturn) (rail shooter) Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn) (RPG) (also known as Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG in Japan) Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox) (rail shooter) Panzer Dragoon Saga is so rare that it currently sells for over $150 on ebay.

LOL

Your opinions are way off. But I respect that, but please don't post anything like this again everyone else just thinks your dumb. Look the video game industry is fine the way it is.You need to gather some good concrete info instead of just complaining. I am not about to see some big group (Hippies) trying to take down the video game industry because of its flaws. Nothing is perfect so lets all move along AGAIN! if it's not broken don't fix it.

stupid... lame... gay.... don't blame things you can't understand

RPGs are storytelling games, so shut up and play your 1st person shooter like every stupid people on your xbox 360... lame

I don't know what you're basing this on

Chris, Since you seem to have quite a dislike of RPG's, I assume you enjoy other genres such as sports and action and stuff. Although I do agree that a lot of RPG's are repetitive as in style and things, even stories get repeated (i.e. get your sword, save the world, the basis of ALL rpg's), I don't know if you can just simply shoot down the genre like that. All genres are basically the same. Sports is always the same thing, football is always gonna be football, mario will always be mario. These game only get a slight twist in detail and story, much like an RPG. I'm not telling you to give rpg's a chance, just that are you reasons valid enough to make a strong case that rpg's are the worst of genres? You can only get a certain level of interactivity from any game, come on, I would love to beat down ref's in sports games. All games are just a simulation and cannot be compared to any real life medium. -Chopz p.s. just for kicks, I'm a level 10 blog reader equipped with rapid text reading helmet. I attack with a barrage of text. =)

Uh...

This belongs in the forums, you're stupid, and don't write an article again. I don't even feel like saying how this is a bad article.

complete *****

chris getting desperate for articles? because if not you really shouldnt preach such garbage to a community like this

short and sweet

look the reason why RPGs supposedly are just a copy of pen and paper games come in 3 easy reasons. 1. Some people are too lazy to do all of that writing and math junk. 2. Who in the **** wants to be caught playing D&D? not me thats for sure. 3. too many **** rules and dice crap you have to deal with, in an RPG console game easy to learn and no 50 damn sided dice lol.

Please, no more

Chris, your opinion is great, but it's not news. You report news once in a blue moon. Please, please, for the sake of peoples' sanity, stop posting editorials. Please. ~The Vox Populi

dumb

y play fps when you could just join the army? your a dumb ass my frend

RPG's are one of the greatest Genres

Well can't say that I agree with Chris on this one for a number of reasons, but I see how he can feel the way he does about the genre. Over the last eight years or so I really got into RPGs. Unlike most role playing fans I didn't start my addiction until Final Fantasy IX (not number VII like most people that weren't into them before that). After that I wondered how I missed out on such great games and started playing all the ones I missed from SNES and above such as Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III/VI. My personal favorites are Skies of Arcadia for Dreamcast and Chrono Cross for PSX. RPG's are really interactive stories and I personally don't think any pen and paper RPGs could ever compare. A few of my friends tried to get me into some White Wolf rpg about five or so years ago and they are too much trouble than they are worth. Some people might call me lazy for not getting into them, but it really doesn't have that sense of greatness that I do for quality RPGs. You don't really get into a character as much as you would with a book or novel because the story is one your "dungeon master/ story teller" is making up with his handbook. Overall I would rather play "Final Fantasy Mystic Quest" then have to play a pen and paper RPG any day.

why is this here...

this article has absolutely nothing to do with the psp or homwbrew wtf..

the reason i dont like RPG games

RPG's games must have some action into the fighting part of the game instead of just standing there waiting for the enemies to attack.

You are fired

Why don't they just fire Chris for Christ's sake

wtf?!

How the Fusk is this shet NEWS?! Chris. Dude. Stop. With. The. Fusking. OPINIONS!

My take on it.

I gotta agree with the 'basic system', or the mathematical basis behind a game. Pen and Paper can more or less convey that kind of system, althought some of the games are more complicated than that as well nowadays (take Magna Carta for example). Pen and Paper put some 'basic' numbers on the table. Console can handle much more complex formulas without making the fight stretch for hours to figure everything. That's a keypoint of console RPGs. But putting that aside, what is the major difference between the two mediums, if you put aside the battle system? The RolePlay. When playing Pen and Paper, you need to assume a role, one that you're not exactly, but want to convey. You're the one deciding what your character will be like from A to Z. The GM conveys the story from your actions. On console, that kind of liberty is a bit limited, if not considering the MMORPGs open-ended system. The difference is that instead of having to play it as 'you', you play it as someone else that their personality and backstory are already decided for you. Its more like a movie or a book, you don't control the direction the story will take at all, you can't influence the game like you could influence a GM. Two different mediums, two different styles. If you're interested in only doing some level-grinding, you'll be fine on a console because of the speed of fights. If you want to assume a role, you'll play pen and paper. If you want to take a backseat and enjoy a good story while controlling the 'action sequences' (aka fighting, buying, equiping...), console is a faster mean. But then, if you only want story, you'll be happy with games like Phoenix Wright. Would you consider it an RPG? Not quite, no leveling. But its more or less a RPG-style story, in the way that you're just a spectator to the main character, even if you need to take his role more or less. You didn't decide to be Pheonix Wright, the game did.

***** you

eat my ***** newb

Opinions

I think that this post by Chris C was very good. After all its had nearly 100 responses, which means its a popular thread. Personaly (my opinion) I HATE RPG's, too much of a persons life is wasted on trying to get to level 60. Trust me, in 10 years time all that accumalated gold, strength & mana means nothing. Buy a great educational book & learn. That way you'll get a better job & be able to buy a better home. Q.E.D

To All the people that think this piece of news sucks

To All the people that think this piece of news sucks, think of it this way. NOBODY is FORCING you to read it!!! ARE YOU GUYS THAT *****ING *****Y about SCROLLING PAST THE ARTICLE?! FOR *****S SAKE GUYS!!! STOP *****ING COMPLAINING! Chris C. spent his time to write this piece of news, just to give his opinion, not for a bunch of 10 year olds that cant take the time to appreciate it. So what, You wasted 2 minutes reading it, not 4 days, and NOBODY IS FORCING YOU TO READ IT! Is your time that precious? And you guys aren't paying for this news also, its not like you paid $1 like a newspaper to read it! ITS FREE!!! And not to mention, if half of you guys even bother to read the papers, THERES A EDITORIAL SECTION!! And for all the idiots out there, that means you have a writer, like Chris C. that writes their own opinion. So please guys, give the man a little respect, you might not agree with his opinion, but don't go bashing it, cause I bet you that 99% of the people that said that article sucked, couldn't write a piece of writing thats half-decent if their life depended on it!

Meh

Sports games can be semi-replicated in real life, so why the hell would anyone play a sports videogame? Anyway, the only RPGs I really enjoy are western, such as Oblivion and Morrowind. I hated FFXI, PSO, and Kingdom Hearts. I think the only Jap RPG I ever enjoyed was FF2 for the SNES.

I hear going outside is popular amongst kids these days

100 posts, lullz. I have to give Chris credit, though. It was a good read. I didn't even both reading half, but this was my favorite: 88. » dumb y play fps when you could just join the army? your a dumb ass my frend by Pat (Unregistered), at Jun 02, 2006 at 01:28PM But they're all hilarious. XD More nerd fuel: RPGs take zero skill and are mindnumbingly repetitive.

Lost the plot

Someone from QJ Staff please shut Christopher C up! There is a general consensus here from anonymous AND registered posters to cut meaningless rants like this out of the main news section. Why doesn’t he post this stuff in the forum section like everyone else? Its posts like this that will get people to move to other sites. Yeah sure we can just “scroll down” and not jump it up but why should we have to? Other sites don’t shove dribble like this down our throats. This site should be about PSP news not someone’s poorly thought out opinion.

I like the pen and paper

Whats wrong with p&p as an old school player (37 years old) it was a great thing to have games like these come to the E-world. If you dont care for the style of game play then post on developers blogs and sites. I have played video games since pong and I like most rpgs. I do wish that the games that are really good like Never Winter Nights and Ice Wind Dale would come to consoles.

To #100

GO TO A DIFFERENT SITE THAN!! IF YOU HATE THIS SITE, THAN GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!! YOU AREN'T PAYING TO READ THIS SITE, YOUR GETTING IT FOR FREE, IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, GO AWAY OR DONT READ IT, ASSWIPE!

Stirring up trouble

once again this moron states his own opinion and not the news.So heres my opinion.I play both video and traditional rpgs and it sure is hard to get people together to play D&D as well as find a good DM that won't play favorites and or allow cheating.So when things work out for you to play traditional then take some time and get into some D&D or The wheel of Time series(MY Favorite).But for those other 99% of the time situations video game based rpgs are great!

What the huh?

He's shooting off at the mouth about the conventional RPG elements such as stats and turn based combat being archaic and outdated, but does he offer up any ideas about alternatives? Not really. He mentions a few games that he thinks "have made significant headway in this area" but doesn't bother outlining the aspects of these games (if any) that truly set them apart from conventional RPGs. I don't see the point of this article. It reads like a personal rant, which has no place on a community website. Put it in your blog and leave the PSPUpdates front page to its intended purpose: PSP news.

Huh?

How could you play an RPG with pen and paper? I don't get how your supposed to do it. You just going to write down the health values or something? Puzzles are the only ones that could be done with pen and paper, and even then only a few of them. Like everyone said, this is just your opinion, whys it being posted as news? (Not saying it shouldn't be there, but it shouldn't be made to look as though it is news.)

PS3

OMG This is a PS3 update page, NOT psp!!!!!! WTF is with everybody, look in the URL... Anyway I agree with most people here. QJ seriously needs an editor or a new blog category called opinions/rumors. Somehing like that. These Christopher C opinion rants are NOT viedeogame news,. Please fix this. I do appreciate all the real news that QJ posts as they are almost allways the first site on the net to do so. Keep up that good work, but DO something about getting an editor or article sorter or something, thanks

How Can You Compare

how can you compare digital games with user input with writting on a piece of paper, i mean seriously. paper RPG. 1. write down a wicked cool name and class (you can make it up it doesnt matter, your making the rest up in a bit) 2. choose some names for your equipment and make them like +40 to all stats (your allowed to, its your game) 3. make up that your walking around and having some random battles (dont worry, you never have to fight things you cant win, you can just scribble out what would make you lose) doesnt sound challenging. or fun. and you have to be sad. and lonely. you could always try talking to people i suppose, you know, socialising?

.

bla bla bla bla bla bla bla blog blog blog bla bla blog blog zzzZzzzZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

don't get it

I don't see what's wrong with video game RPGs Diablo 2 for example is in my opinion the best RPG there is in existance of course for me it is difficult to put this one above all the others because there are some that can be as good as Diablo 2 but this is the one I still play no matter how many times I play it,but maybe you can put it this way there are ppl who watch movies and there are ppl that read books I guess it's the same thing. and there are those Action RPGs like Fable you can't recreate those on paper come to think of it Diablo 2 can't be remade on paper, so i guess the answer is no, it's not the same thing even removing the grafical output.

Please differentiate between Japanese and American RPG's

Traditionally pen and paper rpgs are just play-pretend that use numbers to validate everything. And generally the motif has been medieval/fantasy stuff. Most (if not all) Western rpgs moved from turn based to realtime, while Japan decided to stick with the turn based thing. If they are NOT realtime, like WoW, its for control reasons. So lets move away from the backwards land of Japan and talk exclusively about Western RPG's for a second. If you take away all the current elements that you think are holding RPG's back what kind of game do you have left? Take away the number crunching and stat raising, the motif, and the story. Whats left? Use Oblivion as an example. For the most part, hasn't Oblivion tried to make a game as realistic as possible? Once again, pen and paper RPG's are merely creating a play-pretend reality that you can interact with and be apart of(within a certain framework). Isn't that a direction that video games are heading towards? The problem, I think, lies in the translation of growing. How do you grow in real life? You do crap over and over again... usually not very fun. RPG's have a problem here because they don't always want to give you an abstract object (like a heart container) to make you grow and improve. I know nabbing a heart is quicker and more fun, and I'm not saying that grinding is the best answer either but... right now that's the only way they know how to best emulate reality. I'm not re-reading this, so please hope to God this argument is coherent!

dog

Please! someone give this dog a bone

videogames are very different from tabletop

As a player of both worlds, I have already thought about it, and to me tabletop won. Videogame RPGs are limited, both in stories and in mechanics. Normally in a VG-RPG you get quests, grind monsters, level up, proceed to next monster until quest is done, and repeat the whole process. While some tabletop RPGs are like that, many more aren't. There is a whole new batch of things you can do, and you can see the result of those things changing your world. Most RPGs lack a decent event system. If you kill a peasant in a VG-RPG, the most you are going to lose is a point of reputation, if such a thing exists. In tabletop you might get arrested, tried and executed. To me, it's the difference in walking around in the world that makes everything diferent. And tabletop gets new books all the time that add mechanics and info to your existing story, with the need to pay for a software upgrade ;) But still I play VG-RPGs, because they give a pretty close 'feel' of the tabletop gaming, but on a solo basis. And that's where VG win. If my usual play group is busy, I might lock myself up and play a RPG on the PC or portable. If you ask me, I would play an afternoon of a tabletop RPG, over a VG-RPG. It's a much more rewarding experience. Disclaimer: you might say I don't have a life, you might say I'm gay, you might even insult my mom, but remember, opinions are free, and I have shared mine. If all you are going to do is bash my comment, you are loosing a good oportunity to shut up.

Just stop writing articles on your opinions Chris

PSPupdates is supposed to be for news, not for your opinions, RPG's aren't that different than pen and paper games? So, attacking a monster, you are able to do that in a pen and paper game? Maybe throw the pen and see if it hits your friends? That's another difference, you need friends to be around, unlike RPG's, you can live the experience without anyone else extra needed to play. You could also say all movies and TV, that all they offer is extra visiuals than reading than its counterparts.

LOL at #105

Hahahaha... That's funny. How do you play a pen & paper RPG? You do it by using this amazing new invention called an "imagination." One person tells the story. They can use maps, drawings, diagrams, figurines, or just their words to illustrate what's going on. The people playing use their shiny new "imaginations" to picture the scene in their minds. Then they tell the story teller what they want their character to do. Their characters are custom made for each person. You can be whatever you want you character to be. You can make him/her/it do whatever you want. Give them any personality you want. Any history you want. Basically, anything you can think of, you can try to do. Your character has statistics that increase with your level, just like your video game RPG characters. The difference here is, yes, you have to keep track of those numbers yourself. And, yes, that includes your health. It's not really as difficult as it sounds. I was able to do this stuff without a calculator when I was 8. It's all basic arithmetic, adding and subtracting. Then there is the dice rolling to determine the success of your actions. There are many sizes and shapes of dice with different numbers of sides on them, ranging from 4 to 100 sides. Each is useful for different tasks depending on the range of numbers that need to be determined. Your computer games do the exact same thing, except they're using an electronic random number generator instead of rolling a physical dice. The video game RPGs speed this process up vastly, obviously, since it's way better/faster at math than you or I, but it's still essentially doing the same thing.

I dig RPGs more than FPS, etc

I dunno, maybe it's the customization of characters, the (usually) amazing storylines, character development, and the long hours of gameplay that draws me to RPGs more than FPS, sports and racing games, or any other game genre. I just don't see myself as a D&D fan, nor do I commit endless hours of my life to these games; but I just enjoy going on long gaming-adventures more than the endless rehashes of 'Doom', or the repetitive sports titles and whatnot. To me, every other form of gaming is just... 'empty' compared to what I get out of RPGs. I can only beat up so many hookers, race around so many tracks, pass so many balls, and shoot so many zombies before I lose interest in a game. But then again, I can only kill so many rabbits with a sword... gack! Anyways, to each their own.

Ok, so upon re-reading...

The essence of it is growing and progressing. RPG's deal with it using stats (you still get more and more powerful weapons) and trying to pace it properly. Otherwise, RPG's are any genre. And I'm NOT representing Japanese RPG's here, even though they are within a 50 mile radius of what I'm talking about.

hahah

Ti think this blogger was dropped on his head as a baby

Check it

RPG's..........Rpg's are as has already where originally a pen and paper game everyone knows this but when you say that the video games are a simulation of the pen and paper games is pointless because the pen and paper games are a sim them selves think FPS...Army D&D..Middle ages Think about it and to say that video games are just a visual representation for D&D is crap because if you ever played the old ff the first one you had to have a good imagination anyway. And i played d&d one time it was more like a text based pc game than a ff but what i am trying to say is that while its similar to to d&D if you think its far fetched to become a detective or a race car driver or join the army id like to see you become a 12th century english Knight this isn't bill and ted's there is no phone booth or magic delorean you can't do it... And as has already been said this ain't news This and the shorter cheaper games article have to be the biggest waste of time ive ever seen on this site If we wanted to read your opinions we wouldn't be at a video game news site

umm...

nocomment

in response to the question "How are pen and paper games different than video game rpgs?"

Super Mario RPG has timed hits that force you to stay awake during battle. End of discussion.

...

Congratulations this is the dumbest thing I've read all year. Comparing RPGs to Pen and Paper games is not only wrong, it's idiotic. The visuals of RPGs are enough to play a game in itself. Also if all you are comparing is the battle system then maybe they are similar but you are ignoring the whole adventure and mini game aspect of the game. Also RPGs are someone else's story not yours. If you want to play you own stories over and over (with slight alterations of course because you're so creative) then play pen and paper games. If you want to play something where you don't know what's going to happen, play RPGs. Although I guess I should be more angry with the 94 people who jumped this story up, not the poster.

Good article, but...

I don't neccessarily agree with you, but I like the article. However, I think it belongs more in the MMO section or general QJ.net sections and not in every single blog.

ok

ok - sorry, that was dumb. so chris dosnt like rpg's, they arn't for everyone. and you he *****es about it and has no real solutions for it. nice. I think he writes this crap just to to be the devils advocate. I would agree that these rants should have a seperate page, maybe a page just for his articles, so no one would waste there time reading his pointless ramblings.............."Yeah, so I have a big problem with CHRISTOPHER C's articles, I want to love them, I really, really do, but I think they kind of suck" and thats not a sweeping generalization.

.

chris c why dont u jsut go kill urself ( like jumping off a bridge... )... obviously u dont like rpgs as we can see based on ur previous front page news... but u shouldnt get payed to post this bs, insteads why not post it on the forums..... so u dont like rpgs??? what about mmorpgs... those seeem to suit u a lil bit better

*****ing dumbass

The author is a *****ing dumbass

chris...

-6 respect points chris.... tisk tisk.

shut up

if u dont know how to enjoy rpg just dont talk about them and shut the hell up! games like ff and others rocks!

LOL 126

lol at #126... only -6 , maybe on an rpg scale. But in a true to life pen and paper version, id say a -20. sorry chris. you really lost credability on this one :(

...

First, leave the news page for news. Second, pen + paper RPG's provide much more freedom for creating exactly what kind of game/character/world you want to play. That being said, show me a single-player pen + paper RPG. That, MMORPG's aside, is probably one of the strongest arguments for videogame RPG's. Suppose I want to play a game of D&D or RIFTS or whatever, and no one is around who knows anything about RPG's and has no desire to learn/play. A pen + paper RPG pretty much loses its point when there's only one player who must also be the DM :) Also, while it's not as good a reason, videogame RPG's are great for beginners who don't know that much about stats/classes, etc. If you want most of the open-endedness/freedom of a pen/paper RPG, go play Oblivion. If you want something turn-based that focuses on stat-building and leveling up, find one of the many great old-school RPG's that focus on those things. The point is, don't decry an entire genre simply because you think that its games are "non-interactive". If you play only the startlingly linear Final Fantasy games all day long, sitting through hours upon hours of graphically rich but ultimately boring cutscenes, I can see how you might form such an opinion, but if that is the case you are hardly in a position to make genre-wide statements like that.

...

Oh, by the way, to make a sweeping generalization of my own: Next time you want to post something, finish typing it up, and it contains any of the following: w00t!! 111!!!!!1oneoneoneoneoooonenee suxors 1337 Think about it a little: we're not all adolescents or uber-nerds, and we, the "normal" people, do not enjoy sifting through posts riddled with "leet-speak". That means you, "FPS Doug".

Good points Chris.

I think this has been the biggest criticism of RPGs. Is as though their gameplay takes a backseat to the story. This is also their appeal; games don’t have to be stunningly beautiful or include the latest gameplay mechanics but will still be enjoyable by fans. I still play Final Fantasy 6 in my PSP, for example but wouldn’t couldn’t stand Super Mario (sorry guys, I know you might love it but I just got sick of it really quickly, I have been spoiled) There are a few things I disagree with. Graphics and Music are part of the immersion factor. With them you feel you are in this world and it provokes different feelings. Books, and pen and paper RPGs have a harder time accomplishing this and rely on the person’s imagination. When I read a book I feel I am hearing a person’s story and don’t feel part of it. When I play a paper RPG I don’t feel immersed in the story and it’s more like playing cards where my emotions are not driven by the story but more so by me trying to beat my friends. Moreover, the story in great RPGs do match the quality of books and together this brings you an immersive experience that paper and pen RPGs fail at. One of the reasons why RPGs have this inherit lack of interactivity flaw is the technology at the time it’s conception. Developers didn’t have many options. Is like saying Tetris games have an inherit problem, they lack the graphic complexity that make games so attractive in today’s world and haven’t improve at all. Nevertheless, RPGs they are changing. With technology moving on and developers finally willing to expand on the gameplay, players will no longer accept RPGs that have random battles and force you to go through a variety of menus. However when it comes time to give up gameplay versus story, I prefer RPGs keep their best quality: storyline, and their presentation of that story. I have enough action games already. Chris may I suggest you not use the word suck on any article. This feeds angry RPG lovers into flaming you. I think the article would have been a whole lot better if you pointed the flaw but kept it positive. Don’t make it seem you dislike RPGs because you lose the persuasion element (Go into church and say the bible sucks) and many won’t even bother listening and rather just trash you.

.......

Why the Hell is this being jumped up????

my turn to rant

i wont be buying any 20 sided dice anytime soon. I also wont be painting figurines either. ;) Instead i will be playing oblivion (already over 100 hours) ... ya, there is definitly something wrong with rpg's, but i think there is more issues with pen and paper. First off, like knowing actual people that wanna play pen and paper,having time to play with a busy schedule, being able to stop at anytime and go directly to sleep, being able to stay up all night without your friends falling asleep, meeting new people to play with(online), having mass quantites of dice to hide if a real girl come over, dealing with the whacked out RP types(you know who you are). You know somtimes i dont want to be directly around those wierdos, but at a safe distance, it's great. Some people dont want to "act"(RP) like they are level 9 gnome wizard slayer from the dark land of Ubersnuzen, but instead want to build a character and play a game at their own pace, without being a freaky d/d fanatic. I think theres a huge difference in people that play RPvideoG's and people that play D+D(or whatever else). With a video game i can keep my ananimity and not get burned out with the freaks - (maybe thats my sweeping generalization about D+D players - but my experince tells me 9/10 are FREAKS!!! i was the lucky 1/10 lol). Theres a @#$% ton of people who are now getting into RPGs like WoW that never played(or would ever play) pen and paper. But on the other side of the spectrum, some games can "suck" because of the grind, and especially because of the monthly fee -(why i no longer play WoW or Stormreach). The graphics are limited, compared to you imagination... the price of games arnt cheap either but if you figure how much i got out of oblivion 100 hours - 50 bucks for the game = .50 cents an game/hour. i think thats a good deal. I wasnt sold on the argument, if RPG's are so bad, so is the ENTIRE gaming industry. but i play on. happy video gaming - Burn your books , eat your die. And please hide those figurines in the closet next to tom cruise. :)

books?

well, i guess you're right. the only draw to videogame RPG's as opposed to the roll-dice variety is actually seeing the combatants hit each other, and even occasionally controlling them as they do so. Obviously seeing your RPG character in action is something that people find desireable; why the heck else would we have LARPers? other than that, i can see a videogame RPG as a sort of book. You just have to do a random battle every time you want to turn the page and reveal more story. unfortunately, it turns out that many RPGs are more like novelizations of soap operas than truly intiresting stories. The RPG has always seemed to me to be an awkward format; you can go with the linear storyline model, but that feels far too constricting. if you have a linear story, you might as well just read a book; even the dice-roll variety RPG is more flexible than that. For me the epitome of a game would be a universe you just get dropped into, and are free to do whatever you please. WoW comes closer than almost anything before, but it lacks a properly seveloping story; it can't really have one due to it's mass audience. in conclusion, larpers are weird.

stupid

Yea guys lets play with the same 4 ppl on a piece of paper instead of millions online...This article is crap and this author is either a MORON or a genius who strictly wrote this to generate more talk on the site.

Overated

I think we're giving this post more attention than what it deserves... just because Christ C can post a message on the main page. He's just one guy with a different opinion than LOT of other ppl as we can see. If Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima, Nobuo Uematsu would have posted it... it would be news...!! Otherwise... its just an opinion like any of ours... so this post has 134 opinions... it could have been 134 post!!! About just a commun opinion between some NEWS. I hope this site doesnt turn into a OPINION site... Make a forum..!!! Even if this has 134 post... all of us are here because we're looking for NEWS!!!

The writer has been owned...

this... "Christopher C." has been owned...

ugh you forgot some stuff

ugh, - you forgot about adding and subtracting numbers. Ugh, and like people skills..... and, ugh, like having to keep track of things... and being able to talk-what if you cant speak and dont know the sign language for "noob"? and ugh i think i can point and click the mouse button faster than i can say, "Where is this road leading, perhaps we shall follow this direction, possibley to lead to new booty? Lets make haste, whilst the sun sets!" and, ugh, ..well...the fact you dont have to role play with a role playing game. ugh yeah, i said it, its true.

please dont post more ***** like this

your opinions are flawed and "opinions" have no place on a "news" site. nuff said

if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all

thats right. you just got pwnd.

RPG's

RPG's suck ballz.

Why?

Why is this posted on a news site? To be honest I don't agree with your opinion and would love to see a good Baldurs Gate, NWN Nights, Oblivion type game on my console. RPG's are my favorite genre and the lack of good D&D style RPGs is what keeps me playing PC games more than consoles. Ignoring that point completely I still don't see how your opinion is news

agree and disagree

i agree with the fact tat recent RPG really sux ass but disagree with how u compared it with paper/pencil games.... RPG is really goin down the drain they shouldnt focus on the graphics but try to come up with better plot.... when it comes down to plot, i'd go retro :) especially main stream games they suck!!

I disagree

I find I play RPG's for the fun off leveling things. Such as: monster arena:dragon quest 8 triple traid:FF8 I semi enjoyed chocobo breeding in FF7 and many others. I also find RPG's have much more comical story lines. Ive laughed many times in the middle of FF8, DQ8 FF9 and countless others. another thing video game RPG's offer is town exploration. Exploring shops and talking to villagers has to be one of my favorite things to do in an RPG. And there has be innovative changes to the basic RPG combat, things such as ATB gauges, more in depth weapon/magic/equipment methods. like materia in FF7 or the draw system in FF*(im not saying a pen and paper cant do this, its just easier on video games) also timed commands, like in super mario RPG, paper mario and FF8. Also button enterering abilities. Like aurons overdrive in FF10. Also things like voice actors and well defined characters make the stories much more enjoyable then pen and paper. also some games have fun ways to travel, as in grandia 3. flying the airplane is a blast and its still an RPG, pen and paper cant do that. please reply though.

People

Okay, sure, limiting one's self to the same exact formulas used in D&D in stupid, but as many have mentioned, there is no way to play a real game of D&D without people. Now, how many people did you need with you last time you played and RPG video game? That right there is a big enough reason to play RPGs on the video game medium. Few people want to spend the time to learn all the details of D&D or any other table-top game, and having it all right there for you, without needing other people, is a lifesaver for guys like me, who have friends uninterested in the RPG scene. Sure, lots of improvements can be made on the basic system, but wait, it's happened already! I mean, look at Morrowind, or Oblivion -- fully detailed worlds to explore at your leasure, with breathtaking views, secrets galore, and a host of other experiences, all with the ability to beat the crap out of anything in your path, without rolling a die. You can shoot down RPGs if you want, but please, don't pretend it's news, and don't drag me down with you. I'll stand by my RPG video games. *****.

WTF?

uhh what does this have to do with the PSP? come on i would be happy if you just added the word psp in there some where... this is rpgupdates.com is it?

Jump it down

QJ need to have a "Jump it down" option so we can get crap like this off the site

Crap Artcile about NOTHING!!

This article was insanely stupid. I can't believe I wasted 3 minute of my life reading it.

JUMP IT DOWN VOTE

I agree with the jump it down. secondly... Racing : Profesional Radio control cars Shooters: Airsoft / Paintball Strategy: Chess Puzzle: Sudoku,Pinball,Ping Pong,puzzle boxes,cyphers Murder Mystery: Murder Mystery Train rides.(they have these all over. they are a blast :) ) Anyoen care to expand that?

.

UNBELIEVABLE! WTF IS THIS BULL***** OMFG U DESERVE TO DIE RITE THERE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA RPGS ARE PLAYED ON CONSOLES BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN BE NERDS WITHOUT MAKING IT PUBLIC!!!!!!!!!!!!! and they have good graphics

ffs

This aint news. This is some retard with power's opinion on where gaming is going, leave the opinions where they belong, on a forum, or in a comments section please.

hmmm

I read as far as pen and paper. Your right though, i mean why play DMC when you can play knots and crosses, and why play onimusha when you can play hangman?

Question

Ok. The statement is true. But then I ask: what actually could be BEYOND those limitations? Also, it's just like pinball - you have pc and console versions of it (even cellphones have them) and they are strictly limited to what the system offers. But if we change it in certain ways, would that still be a pinball game or something entirely new? So if we exceed the limitations of RPG (p'n'p) don't we create a new genre?

Hm

Hm, maybe... but RPGs have epic scores, the music is great.... usually... Also, they are created by professional writers, etc... you and/or your friends may be awful at making a story. But I can understand your point of view, yeah.

pen&paperesque RPG

Give Unlimited SaGa for the PS2 a whirl. Reviews smash it, it's hard to find, but when you do it's only like 8 bucks. It does -almost- as good a job at simulating a tabletop experience as a MUCK/MUD/MUX, with a minimalist graphical interface that leaves a lot to the imagination.

Story

Yes you can have a pen and paper game of D&D and I have on occasion. Usually ending up owning a dragon that eats me out of gold. Anyway the major reasons people buy PC, Console RPGs is to enjoy a story in "usually" it's cinematic glory. Then theres games like Gothic which do a bit of both. Nice story and excellent game mechanics in general.

IMO

video game rpg's dont need a bunch of people around to play with, pen and paper does (ps does warhammer fall into the pen and paper catagory?)

...

QJ could just make a separate blog thats reserved for Chris C. alone, or better yet, a separate blog thats reserved for non-news blog posts. Instead, we have to scroll down through these Livejournal blog posts.

WHAT AN ASS

ASSSSSSSSS HOLEEEEEEEEEEEE YOU DONT LIKE RPG'S JUST DONT PLAY THEM

Jeez

What a bunch of whiny stupid damn babies. STFU, THIS ISNT YOUR SITE, YOU DIDNT CREATE IT, SO STFU, IF YOU DONT LIKE WHAT HE DECIDES TO PUT ON IT, THEN AGAIN STFU AND GO MAKE YOUR OWN. WTF SAID THAT THIS SITE IS ONLY FOR NEWS????? GET-F-OVER IT. THE ARTICLE IS CLEARLY AN OPINION PIECE, instead of ADDING SOMETHING THOUGHTFUL to his OPINION, Most of you ACT LIKE LITTLE *****ES. YOU DONT LIKE THE ARTICLE< DONT Fing POST ON IT, TAHT SIMPLE.

its ps3 UPDATES

this has nothing to do with the ps3 or anyother of qjs sites for that matter, this site is not this guys personal blog. "Oh my gaaaawd i touched a girls hand today" who the ***** gives a *****? if you doesnt like rpgs stop wasting our time with ***** if you dont have anything to post dont post anything.

so?

This is the section where we comment on the article... so we can say whatever we think about it.... and we tought it sucked big time.... Maybe he can squeeze in every other NEW's Comments and write his nonsense-out-of-place opinions....

if you want to attack RPGs

then you might well attack all video games becuase they all have counterparts in another medium! warhammer, battlefleet, inquisitor, etc: are all RTS! i couln't afford spending 2000 dollars on another army. many can't and so we have games liek starcraft or dawn of war. many people aren't athletic, yet we have sports games to make them happy FPS, not many peope; want to spend the money for paintball or airsoft or join the army.. we have halo and all the other fps ga,mes out there to play instead.. i'm not a big fan of D & D but i love RPGs like oblivion.. Chris C. - you need to stop these opinion posts, it is one thing to deliver news, and happenings with an opinion bias, but it is another thing to directly state opinions.. so please stop, and deliver news instead.

Learn to read

A few things to people who are making comments that go along the lines of "This isnt news...fire chris...blah blah." This is an op-ed piece. Period. Pretty much all major newspapers have op-ed pieces. Go to the New York Times website at nytimes.com and on the left side there’s actually a section for Opinions. So stop b*tching. Yes Video Game RPGs have wonderful graphics and great music and everything. The better VG-RPGs even have great storylines, but the way MOST RPGs have been presented for a long time has not been anything that have been impressing. So lets see... D&D...then comes soemthign liek oh say Chrono Trigger .... great game! 2d Graphics ..... FF7!! 3d Graphics!!! .... FF9....better Graphics.... and 10 even better Graphics. But other than graphics, has there been anything that has changed? So there’s this great storyline and then on top of that they create all the nice looking maps and characters. Then the implement the gameplay system that dictates well …the way in which the game is played. In all those games that I have named and many that are also made in that era the underlying gameplay system is this: Hack and slash and you gain levels. Then you learn skills/magic/collect materia/get more spheres as you gain levels. And then when you use these skills/magics/materias/etc you deal more and more damage and there are nice graphics that accompany the use of the skills and stuff. You get new swords and equipment to further your increase in damage and to help you advance in the storyline. There are slight variations in all games but the underlying system is still there. You encounter an enemy (random battles in the case of most of the FF series or non-random battles in the case of Chrono Trigger) and menus come up. You select either to attack with weapon or use a skill or an item and you repeat until you kill the enemy or the enemy kills you. MMORPGs have made the process more fun in the sense that you can do this with a huge amount of people together and that you have a lot of options that can be chosen (class, build, forged equipment). But still the underlying system is there. You level up, learn new skills, get new equipment, get stronger so that you can better obliterate your enemies and turn them into pulp and it looks good while doing it. I’m not saying all of this has to be changed and be thrown out. Then it wouldn’t be what called an RPG or at least what we have known as an RPG for the last decade. The great games had variations of this typical gameplay system that made it incredibly fun (Materia System, Triple Teaming Techniques in Chrono Trigger) but I haven seen anything as fun as those in a long time.

yo, you're an idiot.

I play RPG's for the story. I find them as more of an interactive movie to be enjoyed, and I am actually upset that RPG's are becoming crappy action/adventure games with watered down stories. If I want an action game, I buy an action game. If I want to be immersed in a great world and story, I play an RPG. All of the pointless level grinding and BS found in Dungeons and Dragons along with the lack of a story or immersive worls can not compare. As you can tell, I am a japanese styled RPG fan. On-line RPG's are more in line with the article you seem to be writing, for they don't drop you in the role of a hero, but more or less give a face to a game featuring a bunch of nobody's just leveling up. While I occasionally find those games fun, you can not emulate the fantasy and immersive experienced expressed in deep enthralling story based RPG's so easily on pen and paper.

Random battles...

I have to agree that RPG's have been following the "stat tracking" and "random battles" formula way too long. I mean I know it's tradition for a FF game to have random battles but what the hell? Seriously, they are just plain annoying especially if you get lost. For me, it's a real turn off in the Final Fantasy series. You would think they would follow the SUCCESSFUL Chrono Trigger/Cross and Super Mario RPG style where you actually have to walk up to an enemy to get into a battle since Square was also creators of those games. On a side note, people need to stop talking shiz about Chris. He's doing a good job and just like any other gaming mag/website in existance; he's posting an editorial. An editorial is supposed to be biased because it can be but most of all; it's supposed to create a new perspective on things or atleast stir up some converstation. I think Chris has done a fine job doing so and raised very good points about RPG's with the risk of FF fanboys on him. I could picture it now FF7 Fanboy: "You said RPG's are bad.... Cloud is in an RPG... YOU DIE!!!!!" *chases Chris with 7 foot replica cloud sword*

Totally Disagree

I totally disagree with the article. There are things that D&D can't replicate, like the storyline, the music, dialogue, etc. That's what makes a great RPG. And if you change the random battle and everything else, then it becomes something else. Not an RPG anymore. An RPG is suppose to be that: Random battles, Storyline, Dialogue, etc.

What?????

Apparently you have never sat down to play a TPRG. Go ahead and find a few people to play. Let me know how it goes. The actual Videogame RPG's have lots of diffrences. They are more of a story book than a RPG. The game RPG's don't include nearlt the ammount of time to learn how to play, or the depth involed in the fantasy world. The also don't have dice rolls. Lots and lots of dice rolls. Comparing a TRPG to a VRPG is like comparing a hamburger to a milkshake. They are 2 completely diffrent things. Apparently you have played neither enough to see that.

Are you people stupid?

Seriously now. I went and posted my 2 cents on this subject, and then read some of your comments. I felt the guy asked a simple question, and you people actually failed to answer it. Nobody really gave a reason why the are diffrent. Just stuff about how much they hate they guy for asking a good question. Oh and FPS cannot be recreated in real life. I don't care if it is paintball or air whatever crap. You just can't, and to they guy who actually said you can't shoot lighting, or fire from the sky in a pen and paper game. You must be a complete moron. Some people just shouldn't open their mouth.

Dice rolls

[quote]They also don't have dice rolls. Lots and lots of dice rolls. Comparing a TRPG to a VRPG is like comparing a hamburger to a milkshake. They are 2 completely diffrent things. Apparently you have played neither enough to see that.[/quote] That's not exactly true. The "dice rolls" in a video game RPG are a series of stastical calculations done in the background which determine item drops, damage, etc...

Too many idiots...

Man, WTF? I'm reading these comments and can't believe how stupid some of you are. For example, comparing video game shooters to paintball. WTF? You think playing an FPS is really like being in a war with your life actually in danger? You think playing paintball is? You idiots totally missed the point of the article. He's saying that video game RPGs are basically a reproduction of pen and paper RPGS. Games like shooters attempt to imitate military type battles, but in reality they are far, far, far, far, far, far, far, different than experiencing the real deal.

Jeez

" its ps3 UPDATES this has nothing to do with the ps3 or anyother of qjs sites for that matter, this site is not this guys personal blog. "Oh my gaaaawd i touched a girls hand today" who the ***** gives a *****? if you doesnt like rpgs stop wasting our time with ***** if you dont have anything to post dont post anything." First of all, this is also on the xbox360 updates section, You dont have any grasp WHAT the site is for, YOU DONT LIKE IT, GO MAKE YOUR OWN. UNTIL THEN SHUT UP. EVERY VIDEOGAME NEWS SITES HAS OPINION PIECES, so STFU. "This is an op-ed piece. Period. Pretty much all major newspapers have op-ed pieces. Go to the New York Times website at nytimes.com and on the left side there’s actually a section for Opinions. So stop b*tching." Couldnt agree MORE.

What new rpgs need

I'm playing Grandia 3 as I type this. I had it for a week and I'm already on the second disc. While I was playing through the game, I thought to myself: "This is an okay rpg, but I can't help but to think that there's something missing." I began thinking about it some more and I began to realize that I haven't felt anything for the characters I've been playing with for the past week. I also remembered feeling the same way about the characters from Star Ocean 3. As of late, I've come to a realization that these new rpg games are lacking a solid character development. If I can't feel anything for the characters and their journey, then it makes it all the more difficult to finish the game. I couldn't finish Valkyrie profile for the same reason. [But I still plan on playing again once it comes out for the psp and ps2.] Anyways, Character development is the only thing I usually have trouble with as far as rpg games are concerned. I played alot of rpgs that had the potential of being my favorite, but I just couldn't connect with them. it's not always the developer's fault. I understand how much it takes just to put a gajme on the market. You can only do as much as the finances will take you.

dear LOLOLOL

"He's saying that video game RPGs are basically a reproduction of pen and paper RPGS. Games like shooters attempt to imitate military type battles, but in reality they are far, far, far, far, far, far, far, different than experiencing the real deal." we know what he is saying, and what you are too.. but he says that why play rpgs when you can play them with pen and paper "on another medium".. well why don't we all join the army or play paintball and play what an fps is trying to create.. ... i'm sorry but this is like saying that text based adventures/rpg are the same as video games.. they are far different, and chris is too blind to see this.

another section

There should be another section on this site. " STUPID OUT OF PLACE OPINIONS " Then ppl can go there and post whatever they whant... or just a section for Christ C. ... Yeah!!! kind of a forum ..jeje Keep them away from NEWS...

what????

An Idiot

Hmmm?

nocomment

Hmmmm?

Sorry about last post accidently hit submit before typing anyway Who is christopher C. and why is he the only person who is giving there opinion serouisly he wrote every article in the opinions section and if he runs the site or something i don't like it if he does run it then after reading this crap i maight have to go to psp-hacks from now on (late news hurray) (rephrase: Even later news than qj hurray) any way chris c. your opinions are crap if we wanted to here from you we would read a blog you have or something ever notice all 179 comments are negative!!!

haha

Why did he reference ff 12 i myself wasn't to impressed when i played the demo it was a fine game but ff isn't supposed to be real time if square-enix wants to make a real time rpg they shouldn't put the ff name on it they have made real time rpgs before cough:(seiken densetsu 2)(only real fanboys know what that is[translate])

Jeez

WHY does there need to be a seperate section for this? ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SKIP OVER IT.... HONESTLY the way stuff is posted on this site, its really not that damn hard.

RPG's lacking...

I have to agree that RPG's have been following the "stat tracking" and "random battles" formula way too long. I mean I know it's tradition for a FF game to have random battles but what the hell? Seriously, they are just plain annoying especially if you get lost. For me, it's a real turn off in the Final Fantasy series. You would think they would follow the SUCCESSFUL Chrono Trigger/Cross and Super Mario RPG style where you actually have to walk up to an enemy to get into a battle since Square was also creators of those games. On a side note, people need to stop talking shiz about Chris. He's doing a good job and just like any other gaming mag/website in existance; he's posting an editorial. An editorial is supposed to be biased because it can be but most of all; it's supposed to create a new perspective on things or atleast stir up some converstation. I think Chris has done a fine job doing so and raised very good points about RPG's with the risk of FF fanboys on him. I could picture it now FF7 Fanboy: "You said RPG's are bad.... Cloud is in an RPG... YOU DIE!!!!!" *chases Chris with 7 foot replica cloud sword*

Calm Down...

Hey all. First of all, I love RPG's and I love where they are going right now. I've actually had a discussion on this with Chris C. in person, and we basically agreed to disagree. Most people who come here are mature, learned individuals, and thus I know that you guys can do more that simply say that Chris C. should no longer write. Even while I may not agree with all his points, I know that he is a great writer in that he can express his views well even if they are not popularly held. Furthermore, by doing so, he can galvanize discussion (as evidenced above). Also, QJ offers both news and opinions. If you don't want opinions, then simply skip over those type of articles. If you like opinionated articles, but don't agree with the content - please debate the topic instead of attacking the writer. Anyways, thanks for the comments, they were quite interesting to read through!

Don't agree

I love all types of RPG's, sometimes I feel for something a little up-beat, Shinning Force Neo of the top of my head, sometimes I want some turn based goodness, Xenogears

Goddamn morons, especially the "uh" guy

"dungeons and dragon is the dorkiest thing ever invented for nerds that cant' get a kiss from a girl if he was the last god damn guy on earth." WTF dude! You must be a über moron..! Why the hell would a D&D player be a nerd n' ***** whatever you're trying to say? Well, FU, and GTFO! I hate this kind of people... Goddamn idiot. What makes you so cool? Why the hell we D&D players are nerds? Maybe, you should go just f**** those girls you seem to attract, since you're not a nerd playing a VERY good and entertaining game... Oh, and say the reason for this crap you're posting.

Oh, I forgot

First of all, I meant the post #3 in my previous post. ^ Yep, the Video Game RPGs are a bit boring at times, but for example NWN, with a Wizard or Sorcerer or any other spellcasting class is like "Wii!", for the spells bring the tactics in. Well, if there would be all the feats of the D&D game, the fighter would be the most tactical class, ever. There's lots of different attack type feats, n' *****. Yeah I agree to that one too, that you can't compare VGRPG's and PNP's. But I'd like a D&D game on PC. You know, trun-based, MMORPG. JUST like the real one. And by just, I mean just. Not even a little change to the rules. Well, there's Fantasy Grounds, but I was thinking of something more automatic, and not so PNP'ish. Like D&D Tactics seems to be, you know it's coming for PSP in quarter 4 of this year.

1/2 Truth

The reason I play RPGs and other pen+paper games electronically (like Magic the Gathering's Online game)...is that it takes entirely too long to track that information manually. I love pen and paper games, but videogames track all the tedious crap for me, plus the graphical (and sound...have you forgotten the wonderful scores found in RPGs?) representation make it a well rounded package. Platformers and first-person shooters can be done...but the first would appear quite silly, and the second can be played via paintball, etc.

some folks have some serious issues

first off i would like to comment to all of those who say you cant get story in pnp what on earth do you base that on considering pnp is completely story driven that makes no sense at all now to get to the original post i am actually of a completely different mindset from you what i find most disturbing about rpgs is the fact that finding ones that stick to the dnd rules and pnp feel etc are becoming fewer and fewer as a person who came to rpg from the pnp end rather than the computer and console end i am looking for dnd on the computer with graphics and music unfortunately for me rpgs have moved further and further from dnd including those that claim to be dnd another problem with your comments is that it seems to me that you have a problem with the idea that the computer or console rpg would try to replicate the pnp game it is based upon isnt that the goal in almost every other genre of video game out there people play sports games because they replicate playing a sport wouldnt a more accurate representation of a sport be more fun to play rather than a less accurate one why is it any different in this case you say that basically graphics is the difference and is that enough to enhance gameplay i say that if you are attempting to replicate an experience rather than change it yes it absolutely is it seems to me you are looking for a different experience

Pen and Paper?

Your pen and paper argument is kind of weak, let's say you play a football game? how come you just don't go out and play football instead? When it comes to RPG aside from graphics and system there's a major factor called story line something which your mindless shot em up and car games seriously lack.