I actually pinpoint it as what frustrates me the MOST about videogames in some ways, trying to make them all cinematic with these epic stories but all I want to do is play a fun game. Final Fantasy seems like a CHORE to me, building up stats fighting countless enemies in dire repetitive turn based battles just so you can progress in some epic STORYLINE.

It's the equivalent of say....hey I go to the movie theater and watch LOTR, but some bitch pauses the movie every 5 minutes and says 'hey, if you wanna watch the rest of this you gotta do 10 minutes of damn ironing!'

if I want an epic story i'll go see a movie or read a book!

OK, that's fine, play something else. Just stop generalizing the whole genre based on your opinions.

well in zelda the emphasis is not on story but gameplay, immersion into the game of THAT world is all about the great sense of adventure you get in controlling link and having the freedom to explore a world through him.

immersion into an rpg though is as you said...totally related to the story line of the game, story taking the place of gameplay is a concern I have in all games...even mario sunshine made me watch some really boring opening cut scene when all I wanted to do was get started with the game, and this problem is seen on a much more extreme level on metal gear solid 4 where it seems people will be subjected to 90 minute cut scenes....but at least those games have interesting and fun gameplay mechanics in between time...RPGs are just repetitive, slow, boring, and tedious.
'Select attack....wait....get attacked....repeat' *yawn*

oh yeah why dont I just NOT talk about my opinions?

isn't that what a message board is all about?

holding back your opinions and just being quiet

I even explained why I dont like RPGs?

I just wanted to generate a discussion of opinions...including other people's.

but ok I guess you are following your own great philosophy of just holding back your opinions fair enough.

Look at the title of your thread



RPG's suck, that's as general as it gets. It's fine to have an opinion, just don't act like it's everybody elses as well.

I'm not acting like it's everybody elses?

This is obviously MY opinion that rpgs suck

I know of at least 1 other thread floating around here where this would have been 5X more apropriate then starting its own thread here, and im quite certain if I did some digging I could find more.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=863

for the most part i dont have patience for them anymore
i guess thats why im a fightng game fan and nothing else
hell i didnt even get into the story of call of duty 4
im sure it was great BUT eh cut scenes are a bore
and reading...if i wanted to read...i read a book
FF is good if you have a infinite amount to time
but if your like me and have a life then... yeah i dont have that much time to spare on a game

ugh ok do you have to be so complainy?

if my post is invalid yr post where you just talk about how my post should be somewhere else is just as bad if not worse....because at least mine tried to discuss something...all yours did was bitch.

pointing out the fact that this thread would have been better suited to go in the thoughts on final fantasy thread or the over rated games thread is not whiney, is not complainy, its a fact

I just do not want to see these nice new forums end up like most and have 50 topics all on the same thing when you only need one, maybe two at most.

well this is the soap box?

I read some of that thread and nobody said what i said in my way of expression

and isnt the soap box to express yr unique opinions?

maybe someone has said it somewhere else?

but that's the same as anything

I feel this thread is much less specifically about Final fantasy than that one...more about the genre as a whole...and the concept of story based games too....I feel it is a different discussion. Similar but different.

I only read the title of this thread. Now that you know that, all i can say is...

YOU SUCK

Haha I am reading most of the replies and I have to say that Mr Pink you made a generalization and now that people called you out on it it seems you're trying to backtrack and explain something that really isn't helping your cause. Anyways if you believe that "ALL" RPGs suck then you're definitely entitled to your opinion.

You just have to understand that there is so many types of RPGs such as Japan, action, pen and paper, heck there is also some that are just plain weird yet enjoyable. So making a statement of all RPGs suck really doesn't help anyone in explaining their views. Still you did say that Final Fantasy sucks and their is the true target of your statement. Japanese RPGs are more for those that actually want to experience a novel-like story. The pace is at times slow as well as fast paced. I personally like most RPGs and don't really like generalizations of games just because usually it shows that that individual is lacking in experience of that genre.

So I have to thank you for your opinion and I respect your views but you can't expect people to start glaring at you especially with a beloved game series such as Final Fantasy which has a fan base that would instantly go to war just for it. Also I have to thank you for entertaining me this topic and with all the people posting replies.

Not all RPGs are like that, you know. Many can be just as action packed as other games of different genres, especially action RPGs like Secret of Mana, Diablo, Mass Effect, possibly Crisis Core (I heard it's got action packed gameplay) and Super Paper Mario. I think you're generalizing too much. It's like if I made a thread saying all Strategy games suck because they're "too slow," when, in fact, there are plenty that are fast paced, I just didn't bother to look outside of Civilization and other turn based strategy games.



People love a reason to play, to keep going. Stories are one of the main driving factor for this. You want to see what your character is like, how s/he is dealing with soandso or suchandsuch, and, more importantly, you want see what happens to her/him as you progress through the game. What changes, what doesn't, how s/he interacts with others, etc. You get immersed into the game more because of the story in RPGs then of the gameplay because many RPGs have characters or even plot that you care about. When s/he levels up, you feel proud of yourself. When s/he overcomes a big bad boss, you feel glad that you were able to bring her/him the whole way there and help accomplish personal goals you've made with the character. It's like D&D, which is the granddaddy of RPGs (I think?); you don't focus as much on rolling the dice as you are on roleplaying your character. If your character is a sneaky, backstabbing, lawful evil kind of character, you're going to have fonder memories of when you lead your party into a trap then, say, rolling criticals on a high level creature you were fighting. If your character is a mage, you're going to be more excited when you find a great spell book then when you rolled a 20 on climbing a building. So on and so forth.

Point is, RPGs are suppose to get you immersed into the story so much that you'll forgive them for their faults and don't mind grinding for 10 minutes or so to get to the next level. Or, well, most of them, anyways. The good ones find at least the perfect balance. Either their story is good enough that you don't mind the lackluster gameplay, or the gameplay is alright, and so is the story. The great ones, however, excel in both.

I hope that made sense for you.

ok well first i wasnt 'backtracking' at all...other people were totally insulting me and my thread and not even addressing the topic at hand...I was trying to get back on topic!...if anything other people were backtracking

and ok I am mainly talking about final fantasy and games of it's ilk, just because I haven't played EVERY variation of the genre does not make my attacks on this particular variation invalid does it?

I've played FF, chrono trigger, secret of mana, dragon warrior, skies of arcadia all the classics and figureheads of the genre and I feel like I have played enough to make an informed decision.

That would be pretty sweet.

Nah, im kidding.

The problem is, whining is not the same as voicing your opinion. If you come all screaming about the genre you don't like, then it is expected from people to tell you to play something else.

Instead of down right screaming "RPGS SUCK!", yopu could say something along the lines of "I find RPGs unappealing" and then elaborate, now you would be voicing your opinion an people would reply in a way that won't make you whine more.

I can se where the OP is coming from. RPGs (especialy JRPGs) can feel like chore at times. And I do agree that it's not a genre for everybody. Here is my opinion though:

1. Story: To me story is one of the main factors that defines wether the game sucks or not. Video games make story telling interactive, which gives the writers more space, making the stories more interesting. Often (especialy in RPGs) you can choose wether your character makes a certain decision or not. Reading a book or watching a movie you're just observing. In a game you are in it.

2. Gameplay: The gameplay in RPGs (again, especialy JRPGs) is mainly what makes it work for me. All those action RPGs that try to make "combat more intence" or "more realistic" in my opinion totaly miss the point. Well made turn based combat can be a lot more intense and engaging then any real time button mashing. There is a lot of tactic involved, you have to make decisions on what move would be best in current situation, is it better to attack, heal or cast magic (usualy it's more complicated then that). If you ask me, it is a better game system then "turn left, mash attack, turn right, mash attack, hold L1 press attack, cast a heal". Well, to me at least.

In the end it is all about entertainment. You don't go to see Ironman if you hate super hero movies. There are many different game genres for many different people. While I usualy suck at explaining anything, I hope you can see now why some people enjoy games like Final Fantasy.

Yeah, I generally feel the same way as you. I get bored by RPGs... I want action, goddamnit! The only RPG I have ever played is Pokemon... bizarrely, must've spent over 600 hours playing Pokemon despite my hatred for RPGs. For some reason I can just get into Pokemon. I guess it's a lot more accessible to impatient people

I think what pokemon has going on is, unlike stuff like final fantasy where you get a fixed party, pokemon has 400+ characters and a gazillion of moves to customize your party to your liking and the option of having multiple parties.

Also, like i always say, naming your pets is half the fun.