[General Discussion] Do RPG's Get Better With Age?

Always back to this discussion...heh.

I don't agree that RPGs that come out these days are all necessarily worst then anything from the "old days" really, it isn't true. I've played enough by now to know this isn't the case. I manage to enjoy just about anything I play these days. Perhaps I keep a more open mind and keep nostalgia from influencing my decision, who knows.

Why do people feel this way? I have no idea, perhaps people hang on to their nostalgic games too much, or perhaps there's just too many RPGs coming out now, perhaps something else, but I've played enough good PS2 RPGs to know they can still be as amazing as SNES/PSX RPGs.

Games like Tales of the Abyss, Rogue Galaxy, Wild Arms 5, Suikoden V, Ar Tonelico, Valkyrie Profile 2, Star Ocean 3, Breath of Fire IV and Final Fantasy XII. These are games I like to use as a example. They are more then enough proof that there's still enough out there to match the glorious old days. Of course, that's just my opinion, that's the great thing about all this.

How ya doing, buddy?

See, that is your problem right there. You compare the games I listed and compared them to their previous counterparts, why? what's the point in that? What do the previous games have to do with this one? You are living the past, get over it. Just because you don't want to see the great qualities in these games, doesn't mean that they aren't there.

I was extremely satisfied with all of them, storyline included. The storylines were just fine the way they were, they certainly didn't suffer because the games weren't 2D and had lots of pixels. Some of those games aren't even my favorites in the series, but that doesn't mean that I automatically disliked it. So what if Valkyrie Profile 2 wasn't as good as the original? That doesn't change the fact that it's a very nice game on it's own. I spent over a hundred hours in it, did everything there was to do, and in the end had a great time with it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

Yes, so I guess you're stupid or can't read. So I'll put it in bold for you this time, hotshot. THEY'RE GOOD GAMES. ALL OF THEM. See how sweet I was, even putting it in caps to help your reading comprehension? And as for your comment that my problem is that I'm comparing them to their predecessors? Yeah. For a few reasons. One, you use your experience to gage just how good a game is. I mean, if I didn't have any prior experience with video games, I might think Suikoden IV was good. But since I have, in point of fact, played other video games, I know that it, in point of fact, not a very good game. And second, the question at hand is basically: "Are old games good because they're good, or because we remember them as good." My answer is: Old games are good because old games were FUCKING GOOD.

I have played a lot of videogames too, probably more then you, and I think the old games are good, but so are the new games. Just too bad you had to use Suikoden IV as a example, I can't defend that one either.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

And you're right. The new games stories don't suffer because they aren't using sprites. They suffer because they lack focus due to 100+ hours worth of sidequests that have little to no relevance to the actual story at hand. Which you nicely point out for me with your comments on VP2. Yeah, VP2 had way more stuff to do than the first one. Unfortunately one of them wasn't telling a cohesive, enjoyable story without rambling like an old man asked about his service in WW I. I appreciate you providing my examples for me, it saves me some time.

There are games out there that focus more on sidequests then the main storyline, true, but that's not the case with the games I mentioned, and that certainly doesn't apply to most RPGs. And even if they do it, in most cases the story far from suffers from it. I can't even think of one right now.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

You'll also notice I didn't say I disliked the new games. I happen to love Suikoden V, Shadow Hearts I and II, Rogue Galaxy, Persona 3, Disgaea... they're all very good games. However, they aren't as good as the classics. They just aren't. Maybe if you cut your teeth on FF VII, I can see why the new movement in RPGs isn't horribly disappointing to you. But if you started on the NES, SNES, or a prior system, I don't know how you can sit back and say the quality of storytelling hasn't gone down in the genre. Which is a genre that depends on its storytelling to be what it is.

Hate to disappoint you, but I did start in the SNES era, and yes, I can safely say that RPGs that come out now are fine the way they are. Not counting a few crappy games, overall, I am pretty much always satisfied with the way the story unfolds.

Originally Posted by Denicalis

Now, yes, if you look at every game in a vacuum and say "hey, this has some good points to it" then yeah, I guess every single game is as great as every other game because, hey, no comparisons to be drawn. But I live in the real world, and it's all shiny with gaming history. So I know the difference between a good storyline and a bunch of sidequests meant to artificially stretch play time from 12 hours to 100+. If you can't, that's not on me.

I've played games for over 15 years too, so I have more then enough experience, but that doesn't mean I always feel the need to compare every RPG with Suikoden 2. And don't go overboard, only a handful of games have so many sidequests that they last for more then 30 hours.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.