I'am experinced rpgamer my first rpg was FF7 back in 97.
When I first played FF7 it was like heaven it had a strange effect on me, I played it from beging to end at least 5 times more i'm sure. Since then I've been playing no other type of videogames but rpg's I even took it back and played the rpg's I missed out on(FF4, FF5, FF6, Chronotrigger, Breath of Fire ect.. I later came across Xenogears it gave me the similiar feeling to FF7. Then i've played games like Grandia(only the first 1) and Skies of Arcadia which were specatcular but no FF7.
But as play rpg's they become less and less appealing its not what it used to be.
So tell me.
Will their ever be a games as great as FF7 will i ever feel that good about playing an rpg agian.
Is it because I getting old.
P.S
RPG MASTER
Stick

Hey Goog-

I read the Lich King's gripe about strict linearity in PS2 RPGs, and I wanted to bring up Star Ocean 3 as a not-too-far-off alternative. Enix is generally good about giving you time to do your own thing in RPGs, and I dug Star Ocean 2 enough to beat it, so I think Star Ocean 3 will deliver. I hear Dark Cloud 3 isn't bad either, and I may be wrong, but that's an open-ended series too.
On the flip side, Xenosaga comes out in five days. (Four, really, since I'm writing this at 1 A.M., Friday morning.) It's definitely a linear game-Japanese sources report there's actually a one-to-one ration of cinematics/cut-scenes to gameplay-so I'm waiting with a mix of insane glee and skepticism. (Mostly insane glee.) We've seen similar projects before, in "cinematic" games: Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, where a good chunk of game time is solely devoted to sitting back and watching stuff happen. Still, they're all action-oriented games. My question to you: what do you think about such a plot-intensive RPG, where you don't have intense action between story segments? I'd be interested in hearing your take on it. Thanks.

Wisdom

Hiya Googleshng :D

I wanted to comment on this:

"...how often do you see any real character development in an RPG besides someone suddenly overcoming all their self-doubting during a special cutscene/boss. I suppose the whole perfect hero or total whiner thing really comes as a side effect of the standard save the world plot. If people dipped into motivations like revenge...you'd probably see some more diverse personalities."

In my favorite video game (Tales of Phantasia!), saving the world is more of a... a sub-plot of sorts. You're told about it a couple hours in, and you do something about it around two-thirds of the way through the main plot. Then you go back to the main conflict, which is that revenge thing you spoke of.

And although the personalities in that game are great, they're not big in the development.... (I've been told that they fixed this in the PSX version, but I haven't been able to play that yet.) They're all very similar to the way they were in the beginning. I guess the main character is in the "spotless angelic optimist" category.

So, uh, I guess "revenge =/= better chara development" was my point.... Though "revenge = better plot," imo.

I can't say anything about the curses though....

~Cyllya

Hey there, g,

Last week you mentioned Metroid Prime as the most pleasant surprise of last year. I'm not sure if I was too surprised, but I definitely loved it. Anyway, I've got a couple of questions for you (I don't think the questions are spoilers, though the answers have the potential to be).

First is there any benefit to beating the game with 100%? Or how about beating it in a set amount of time? Also, do you know what the deal is with hard mode? I've got a ton of games on my stack, but I want to make sure I've done everything worth doing with this one before I move on. Thanks a bunch.

-Ben, a fan of video games

• Dangerously high fever
• Inability to hold down food
• Loss of balance

• Normal body temperature
• Normal physiological functions
• Hey, Xenosaga's out