10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring.

These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

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RPG or RIP?
Tuesday, March 01, 2005

I was all set to call this column “Paper Mario 2 and the end of Role Playing Games” before I realized how completely ridiculous that statement is. However, while Paper Mario 2 is not an especially bad game, it is a perfect example of how tired the RPG formula has become. While other genres are able to take advantage of more powerful processors and the advent of online play, RPGs have been slowly brooding in the corner, content on offering the same experience they've always been pitching. As a huge fan of the genre, I am here to offer a few tips to keep RPGs fresh so they don't follow adventure games and flight sims into video game purgatory.

Obviously, the most important aspect of any RPG is the story. Even the titles such as Grandia II, that introduced a very fun and innovated combat system, are unable to overcome cliché characters and a bland tale. To fix a genre that is not quite broken but will be soon, developers have to put a little more time and effort in the one aspect that truly separates them from the crowd. The biggest problem is, many developers have simply followed what Square started so many years ago – start with a confused hero, throw in the threat of worldwide damnation and top it off with enough ambiguity that no one is quite sure what happened. This worked for awhile, but it's time to move on.

First, I have to say something that may hurt some people. A video game story, even the very best out there, is never on par with a great novel or movie. With a hobby so reliant on action, it's hard for serious writers to devote their talents exclusive to the world of gaming. Because of this, I think developers shouldn't try to compete with more established mediums anymore. Instead, they should do something that neither books nor movies can – offer the player an actual choice.

I know, the first thing that pops into your mind is Knights of the Old Republic. This was an amazing RPG, set in the Star Wars universe, that let players choose to follow the Dark side or the Light. While great, my idea of choice is much deeper than this. Let me use horror movies as an example. Picture the typical slasher flick scenario of a house full of stupid teenagers unaware of the killer outside. When the killer finally reveals himself (or herself. Woman can murder too) everyone runs upstairs screaming. How do you, as an overzealous audience member, respond? By yelling “Don't run upstairs!” right? So how could this work in a video game?

Imagine the same scenario in an RPG. It's the beginning of the game, your characters don't have many skills yet, and a horrible beast confronts you. Imagine if you had the choice to fight them or run away. If you fight, he may end up killing someone in your party. And I mean really killing them, like Aries style. However, if you chose to run away, he may end up killing some non-playable character you are close with, such as the mail man, all while growing stronger and stronger. Having significant decisions, with actual consequences such as death, would make RPGs a much more engrossing experience.

The other aspect that really needs to be fixed is fighting. I am playing through FF2 on my GBA while tackling Paper Mario on the Gamecube and am shocked at how similar these games really are. Though they were released 16 years apart, the only real difference is the graphics. What developers need to realize is that, as fun and innovated as the fighting sometimes is, it's never the draw of a title. It is merely something you need to get through in order to get to the good parts. So why not limit how much you have to fight? There is nothing more tedious than being drawn into a random battle every five steps. Any semblance of continuity is destroyed, along with whatever freedom and exploration there was. Limit the fighting but make it much more
strategic and rewarding.

Also, don't be afraid to completely change how fighting is handled. One of my favorite RPGs is a gem on the Dreamcast called Skies of Arcadia. While much of the game was standard RPG fare, it offered a great change of pace with ship vs ship battles. These were much more in depth than the standard player vs monster battles, but happened infrequently enough that every time you ran into one it was an event. Developers need to take notice – artificially prolonging the length of a title by throwing in hundreds of random battles does not make a more fun experience.

I realize that RPGs are still a viable genre as of right now, but I'm not sure how much longer they will be. By utilizing the tweaks I offered, as well as a few original ones I haven't thought of, hopefully RPGs can be reborn again. If not, they'll probably take a permanent back seat to the horde of action titles out there.

- Tom


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