Want

by David 'TRC' Looney

What I want.

So what do I want? I will tell you, I want a new kind of game. I don't want a game with FMV of any kind. I don't want a game with the new and best graphics. I don't want a game with a thought provoking story. I don't want a game that will push me to the edge of what I have thought before. I want a game with killer gameplay. That's all I want.

Why don't I care about graphics? Now this is gonna sound bad, but the reason is because I've played games for so long. See, I'm not saying younger people can't enjoy NES-era games, I'm saying it's easier for me to enjoy them. Now, I am not against graphics themselves, as much as I am against Full Motion Video. It's because I am playing a game, not watching a movie, that means I want to play the game. That's something that upsets me about some RPGs: they don't allow you to skip FMVs or cutscenes, which sucks. What's worse than having to watch this is not being able to get out of it.

How can I like RPGs and not like the story? Easy: I do like the story, but it doesn't have to be spectacular. I mean, Xenogears tried hard to be High Sci-fi. It failed in my book. Yeah it wouldn't bother me to go back to the save the princess days. Seriously, is that too much to ask? I don't need a complex plot, where everyone isn't who they seem to be. I don't want to fight the evil empire/corporation. I just want to rescue the princess. The reason I say that is because a lot of RPGs try to do complex plots and fail at them. They come across as boring or tedious. Or needed. Right now I am playing Deus Ex (which, I don't care what anyone says, is an RPG). I like it because it gives you as much of the story as you want. If you want to go in guns blazing and not care about the story, you can. If you want to find out about all the subplots, you can. (Yes I am aware that there are other games out there like this, but this is the only one I can think of at the moment.)

Why do I want killer gameplay? Easy, I play games to play and enjoy them, and that's where the whole opinion part comes from. Now I am at the point where I don't care about the stories anymore. It has to do with the fact I have tons of books. If I want a good story, I'll read a book. When I play a game I want to be entertained and to play it. Now this doesn't mean I want a bad story, it just means I'd rather have great gameplay and a mediocre story over the vice versa.

Yes, I know how bad this sounds, but it is what I believe.