The Right Click: The changing face of the RPG
Tits. The only real reason for the classic RPG nowadays.
You may have noticed your RPG has changed. Gone are the confusing stats, the rolling dice, the numerous equipment and armour values. No longer do you need to worry about equipping for damage or defence; these things are almost a thing of the past. Nowadays the RPG means decision rather than choice. Mass Effect 2 is a prime example of this. Streamlined and smooth, it plays now like a shooter with roll playing elements attached. It’s not the only one: Fallout 3, Final Fantasy XIII. These games take the attitude of less complicated customisation, more action packed fun.
There’s a name for it; action RPG. I sometimes wonder if the traditional RPG player – the Dungeons & Dragons fan – shudders at such a term. Truth is though, the average gamer just isn’t interested in making statistical decisions. This isn’t helped by the fact that these decisions were always complicated in the first place. It took me two attempts to realise that if I ever wanted to be a good mage in Baldur’s Gate 2 i’d need to put lots of points into intelligence and forfeit other areas. My usual response to stats was to place them equally in each area, effectively making me a jack of all trades and a master of dying alot…
Unforgiving games like Baldur’s Gate are becoming a thing of the past. The action RPG is king now. All you need to worry about is choosing the conversation arc you like and installing the equipment you enjoy the most! Sit back and let us worry about the complicated stuff for you! Need to choose a stat? Don’t worry, it’s really really simple. The exception to the argument is Dragon Age: Origins, but even Dragon Age attempts to streamline certain areas. If you, for instance, compare Dragon Age to older tactical RPG’s like Neverwinter Nights or Baldur’s Gate, alot of stats, options and classes have been removed. The most notable aspect of DA:O is that there’s only 3 classes available in the game.
But William, you cry, Dragon Age Origins is using Bioware’s own ruleset!
My answer to that is that Bioware is using its own ruleset for the very reasons I’m pointing out. Bioware knows the days of using Dungeon’s & Dragons are gone. It has to cater to a larger world; one that has absolutely no idea the difference between a Mage and Warlock (magic basically). By overdoing the amount of stats, choices and complex classes in the RPG, the player gets confused and runs off to an easier game, like Modern Warfare 2. Am I saying that gamers have low attention spans? You bet I am!
Gaming nowadays is 10% decision and 90% action. Would you rather set up a complicated array of skills and stats to get that extra edge in a fight, or would you just prefer to pick up a rocket launcher of extra rocket launching +18, and blast the opposition away in a blaze of glory? The gamer on the sofa – the gamer that currently dominates the market – would choose the latter. Until that gamer wishes for a bit more exploration into customising there character, that’s how it will remain.
Your tactical RPG’er has been relegated to the online communities such as World of Warcraft. Thankfully however they’re enjoying it there, and why not? Constant updates, customisations, helpful guilds. It’s all fun and games. Sadly though if RPG’er were to look for a single player tactical RPG, they’d find at the moment things are a bit empty. Could Diablo III fill that void? Who knows.
The truth is the trusty dice roll is the thing of the past for the single player RPG. Without community, or indeed to be more blunt, without the ability to shout on chat “How can I opens locked chest?” the tactical RPG will die. There’s just no place for it nowadays. Towns are boring, who needs them? Side quests? Pffft; never do them. I prefer to hack and slash my way to the end, and maybe do one of the hot girls while doing so!
Here’s a final thought; Square Enix recently said that they tried to make Final Fantasy XIII based on the action packed aspect of Modern Warfare. They stripped the towns and freedom away because they felt that the player preferred linearity and action. The gamer prefers to be told what to do instead of having freedom of choice. Take that as you will, but I sense that this is the true death knell of stat-dice-customisation-tactical-RPG.
Don’t expect Baldur’s Gate 3 anytime soon.
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