Changing the Future of RPGs?

by Stephen Keller 

Virtually every person who has played Final Fantasy VII realizes that it is an incredible milestone. FFVII is the new king; the game that all others will be held up against in comparison. This is obvious after playing for a few minutes (though I've never been able to play it for less than a few hours at a time). FFVII will leave a mark on every role playing game released after September 7. However, I see it not only changing RPG's, but changing the people who play them.

For far too long, action games have ruled supreme in the United States. Games like Mario64 or Mortal Kombat saw record sales and huge advertising campaigns, while the finest genre went unnoticed. RPG's, with their turn based combat, and their heavy emphasis on plot and puzzles were almost shunned by US residents. Oddly enough, I've talked with very few people who dislike the Final Fantasy series (or any other good RPG) once they have played them. The problem is that no one would give them a chance.

Enter Final Fantasy VII. An incredible cinematic adventure, its wonderful graphics, sound, and fast-paced plot make it seem more like an epic movie than a game. It is easy to start playing: clearly, Square targetted not only experienced role players but also those new to the genre. However, Square didn't make the game dull and incredibly easy (Remember Mystic Quest?). They simply gave it an accesible learning curve.

So the game is great and anyone can pick up a controller and start playing ... this still isn't enough to woo non-RPG players. Here is where the money of Sony comes into play: they launch a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to promote the game. Large displays are placed at software stores around the nation. For $7 you could reserve your copy, get a demo of the game, and a T-shirt. I don't remember ever seeing a similar promotion for any other Final Fantasy game. The demo was a brilliant idea; it was widely distributed and allowed people to see and play the game. Playing FFVII for 20-30 minutes simply isn't enough; the demo ends at the perfect spot, leaving the gamer wanting more. Coupled with a wonderfully executed commercial (I found myself watching TV just to see it again) and a massive print campaign, FFVII is easily the most exposed RPG of all time.

With incredibly high sales (around $16 million at last count), FFVII is one of the highest selling games of the year. My local Electronics Boutique was mobbed with more people than I've ever seen in that store at one time. And everyone was picking up their reserved copy. Also, I've read numerous reviews on-line that say things similar to, "I've never liked RPG's, but this one changed my mind." This is the most encouraging thing I could have hoped to read.

What does all this mean to the players of RPG's? Hopefully, we should be seeing an influx of role playing games, as more good RPG's are translated. No longer is "we'd translate it to English, but there's just not a market" a viable excuse. Keep watching the horizon. With luck, RPG's will be the next big thing in gaming.