Games Within RPGs - Do They Belong?

by Mike Huang 

What belongs in an RPG? Or rather, what doesn't belong in an RPG? This is a question I've been asking myself ever since Final Fantasy VII was released in the US a year ago. But lately, the question has been brought to my mind again, as I make my way through the massive game known as Xenogears.

I am one who believe that things such as mini-games have no place as required elements of an RPG, that is, snowboarding to get through the level to get to the next area should not be an required exercise for the RPG player, but rather an optional one. Of course, others can argue that distractions, especially in long games (such as RPGs) where the actions are often repetitive provide some relief for the gamer.

I am what some would call a "marathon gamer" -- I sit in front of the game for long periods of time, until one of two things happen: either I fall asleep or I finish the game. With the game Xenogears, I find myself breaking away from marathon gaming, and instead playing in short 4-5 hour periods. The reason for this is simply that Xenogears requires a gamer to switch gears way too often. I'm not talking about the Gears in the game either. I'm talking about the need to change from a selection style combat to suddenly playing a Tomb-Raider-esque platform jumping task with my Gear. Or suddenly I've gone from fighting in my Gear in the usual combat style to suddenly fighting in my Gear ala Ergheiz.

I suppose what ticks me off the most about Xenogears is the required platform hopping, which turns that portion of the game into Tomb Raider with Gears. In many sections of the game, there are areas of run 'n jump, where if you screw up on the jump, you just drop, and need to redo that section over again and while it'd be nice if you didn't have random encounters during these areas, in most of these areas, that is not the case. I have to wonder what the game designers were thinking -- that we gamers would actually enjoy making jump after frustrating jump in what is supposed to be an RPG. If I want to play a jumping game with camera angles, I'll play Tomb Raider, thank you very much. I would have liked it a lot more if they had done jumps the way it was done in FF7 -- that is walk to the edge, press the button, and the character automatically jumps (or climbs, or whatever the case may be), and besides which, it would have saved me three hours of time that I spent on the first massive platform area -- the inside of the Babel Tower (those who have reached this point should know what I'm talking about).

Does the platform jumping aspect of Xenogears make it less of an RPG for me? Yes, in fact, I would almost consider it an action game, much like Brave Fencer Musashiden. When reflexes determine the progress of the player, that is the distinction between an action game and a RPG. Let's think about the classic paper and pen RPG for the moment -- is the outcome or the progress determined by how good the real person's reflexes are, or is that merely a statistic of the character the real person is playing?

One of the things I absolutely cannot stand in an RPG is where an item being given is determined by how well you can mash the buttons, for example, in FF7, depending on how quickly and accurately you can mash the buttons in a certain order at the gym, you might be able to get a better or worse wig. It's not just the fact that such results are wholely dependent on your reflexes, but also the fact that they require signifigantly different controls than the rest of the game. All these things -- button mashing sequences, mini-games, platform hopping serve no real purpose to the game other than to slow down the player (and possibly, as in my case, to annoy the player). In short, while trying to provide the gamer with more content, instead we are given filler. I for one would love to see more content, such as dungeons or cut scenes, instead of spending my time running and jumping and missing the jump and starting all over again. As a player, I'd rather see the game designers working on storyline or designing additional areas instead of spending their time coming up with a Gear combat mini-game, or a Cloud Strife snowboard mini-game. Besides all that typical fan player stuff, it'd also lower the aggravation level of the player -- which can only be good for both parties, as those players who do not get frustrated and eventually finish the game might just be happier with their purchase and buy another game of the same genre.