RPGs - the most addicitve games of all?

[nips]

Well, I find the combat quite fun. Random battles however, suck. There are so many other alternatives to this, like I said above in Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross. This is why most people hate the RPG genre, because they just get very bored very quickly. But the combat mechanics in most RPG's are great.

It's the way that you get to the combat that is what lets a lot of RPG's down.

Secret of Mana offers an equally hackneyed but very fun method of combat. Although I personally enjoy turn based battles. There is something... ... soothing about them.

Ah well... 'One man's meat, another man's poison!'

[Tom Salter]

Yeah, for me real-time combat just stinks of "mash attack button until dead". I'm playing Dark Cloud 2 at the moment, and the weak combat system really lets it down (It's a zelda ripoff, but implemented worse), since you have to wade through endless random dungeons killing monsters that require little or no skill to defeat. There's just only so much you can do with a realtime system.

But look at a typical console RPG. The way in which you fight at the start of the game, with few skills and abilities is totally different to the style of combat towards the end, when you have a plethora of spells etc. It just evolves slowly over the game, unlike most realtime systems where you seem to just play the same all the way through.

*cough* Neverwinter Nights as a fighter *cough*

[Pain2k]

Yeah but neverwinter nights as a figher is ****, and dark cloud 2 is ****, besides neverwinter nights reveals many many more opportunities to you in other ways than any ff game. For instance me playing through it for second time as an evil sourcerer did a job getting a powerful amulet for some guy, gave it to him and got the reward, then killed him for it back, and now im using it. Which then doesnt make a bearing on the story, they have basicaly designed a system where you make your own choices through the game as to who your going to be, what people are going to say when they see you, and what choices or routes your going to take storyline wise, basicaly where being good is just as rewarding as being evil, but in different ways, aaanyway.

You did just prove what im saying though, its never been done so dont give me examples of games, just imagine, you so have a good realtime system, laid over a good RPG system, the method of combat can change as you get new spells / new weapons but essentialy youve got the exactly the same RPG underneath.

Norris

[nips]

But look at a typical console RPG. The way in which you fight at the start of the game, with few skills and abilities is totally different to the style of combat towards the end, when you have a plethora of spells etc. It just evolves slowly over the game, unlike most realtime systems where you seem to just play the same all the way through

Agreed. Playing FFVII you are constantly evolving and the choices you make are based on planning etc. I agree that with most real-time battles it is a bit Hack and slash. But if you play through LoZ: OoT the way you fight does evolve also. At the beginning you will be hiding behind your shield like a girl. By the end you'll be jumping and flipping and rolling to aviod attacks. It is just a skill progression. And although i have a personal favourate they are both worthy methods of combat.

I can see how people get bored of Turn-based-battles, but I can also appreciate why real-time fights are dull... Either way innovation in the genre is well accepted.

[Mayhem]

SoA turn based fights = good imo
Zelda OoT live fights = good imo

Especially against those Stalfos Knights... probably one of the best 1-on-1 combats I've played in any game. Tricky, requiring skill, timing and a great sense of fun to beat them!

[Tom Salter]

Yeah, Zelda did it very nicely. But many games don't have Nintendo's touch of class when it comes to these things do they?

Especially against those Stalfos Knights... probably one of the best 1-on-1 combats I've played in any game. Tricky, requiring skill, timing and a great sense of fun to beat them!

And dont forget the Wolfos too!