Console RPGs vs CRPGs

by Douglas Hall 

I've played quite a few console RPGs, including the Final Fantasy series, Dragon Quest, Phantasy Star, as well as others. I've also played quite a number of role-playing games for the PC, such as the SSI games designed around the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons series, Might and Magic, and the Elder Scrolls. I must say, there is definite difference between the two types of role-playing games, and it is this: Console RPGs, which almost exclusively come from Japan, concentrate most frequently on telling a story, whereas the PC role-playing games, which typically are American or European by design, concentrate on the ability to "create" a character in a fantasy world. Is one superior to the other? Not necessarily; it merely depends on your preference in games.

The Final Fantasy series has always dazzled me because of its excellent storyline, and most recently Final Fantasy 7 has touched me with a profound storyline. Granted that the presentation of the game only added to the effects, even if the game had been reduced to a mere 80 column monochrome display, the plot alone would have compelled me to continue playing the game until the very end. There is almost no other reason to play such a game, unless it were merely to view eye candy, and such role-playing games often do provide a feast for the eyes as well as the mind, with beautifully animated magic spells and well-crafted hoards of enemies. With all of these elements combined, each game becomes a masterpiece unto itself.

What then of the PC role-playing games? Surely the technology is there to push bigger, better, larger games. The PC market for games just doesn't seem to be nearly as strong as the console market however, and the games suffer accordingly. Games like Warcraft and Quake get more attention, with each sequel getting an engine completely overhauled from the last, with fresh, crisp graphics, a brand new soundtrack, and so forth. RPGs are typically left to companies that are reknowned for doing RPGs, or occasionally to a company like Blizzard, which releases a game like Diablo and touts it as an RPG (don't get me wrong, Diablo isn't a bad game, but it's certainly not a role-playing game by any stretch of the imagination when you compare it to series such as those I mentioned earlier). Why would anyone want to play such a game?

Individuality.

Played as Cloud? I haven't. I named my characters differently. But that is most likely where the differences end. In a game where the storyline comes first, it becomes necessary to ensure that the characters are somewhat standardized, especially if more than one player character in going to be heavily involved in the game. Any Final Fantasy game after IV is a prime example of this. In order to make up character backgrounds and sub-plots, the designer must first know who the character is; what point would there be to designing your very own character in a game if the designer already had created the background for your character? And this is where the CRPG can step in. When I play Daggerfall or Fallout, I'm capable of carefully crafting a character to be played the way I think a person should go about his or her tasks. If I want to sneak around the world and randomly kill innocent bystanders, I'm free to do so. If I wish to be a helpful and chivalrous gentleman, I am free to do that as well. Freedom does not come without a price, and in most cases that price is a plot as deep as that of a console RPG. This is not true in all cases, however, as Daggerfall has an intriguing storyline, while not nearly as compelling as say FF7, is certainly something to make you think a very long time about what is your best way of achieving your goals. The early SSI games, particularly the DragonLance series, has both an interesting plot as well as what is in my opinion the best battle system ever created for console or CRPG. The system involves turn-based combat with a 3/4 view of the battlefield. What adds the most variety to the battles however is that the battlefield is actually based on the dungeon you are traversing, so being caught in a tight corner can be a problem; on the other hand, corridors and doorways can be used to your advantage by blocking the enemies from attacking your precious mages in the back lines.

So then, what it really comes down to is whether you want to be able to play with the greatest amount of freedom, or to have a story with depth and complexity. I don't see that the CRPG style will change over to the console style of RPGs, but rather that the CRPG will evolve and hopefully provide a plot as good as those found in console games. In any case, I will choose to play RPGs on my console systems as well as on my PC. With companies like Bethesda growing slowly with recent releases, and Squaresoft releasing games for the PC, there's a glimmer of hope that the best of two worlds may be eventually combined.