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I never thought I would say this, but despite my qualms about writing in today's RPGs being sub-par, the storytelling process has vastly improved along gaming technology. You see, I recently purchased a copy of Sega Genesis Collection for the sole purpose of playing Phantasy Star II, which, according to EGM was one of the best role-playing experiences of its generation. I jumped at the excitement of playing such a revered game and had no problem dropping the $20.
I popped the disc in my PS2, scrolled past other great Genesis games like Altered Beast and Golden Axe until I got to PS II. I watch the opening scenes, complete with 8-bit sound and fragmented image goodness. It takes me back to the days of the original Dragon Warrior and Shining Force, games which will always have a special place in my heart. I watch the brief opening sequence detailing the typical end-of-the-world syndrome plaguing most RPGs of the day (and today, for that matter), and proceed to start a new game.
I start to play and realize a few things. First, the graphics are expectedly sparse. But then I come to realize my character is hard to control, I can only move in four directions, and the dialogue box only has enough room for 4 words of text. I have to push the x button 5 times to get through one sentence of dialogue. I walk up to a shop, and am greeting with an obtrusive black box and pixilated face. I start a fight, and dictate my character to attack. I suppose he attacked the monster, but from what I can tell it just looked like he waved a wand over the monster and pixie dust spurted out.
I hate to say it, but the game showed its age. The graphical and mechanical limitations severely limit its ability to story tell like I'm used to. And, perhaps bordering on blasphemy, I find it almost unplayable. It might be that my attention span has simply come to demand great graphics and easily intuitive menus in addition to solid storytelling. Or, it could just mean that all our developments in technology yield a better gaming experience. I suppose it is a matter of personal preference.
I'm sure the storyline of PS II is better than many of the games we play today. It's just a real shame that the presentation was limited by the capabilities of the Genesis. I was expecting boxy graphics and a less fluid battle system, but the sheer overload of limitations was too much for me. It simply wasn't worth enduring for more than 20 minutes just to say I've played a "classic" game like that. I'll stick to other "classics" like Chrono Trigger and FFVI (also on a 16-bit-system, I might add).
While this might just seem like a rant on how much Genesis RPGs sucked, I can safely say that even games like Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy show their age. I played those games growing up and they impacted my entire gaming perspective, but I'm sure someone who hadn't played those games as a youth and has no attachment to them would have no problem putting them down like I did with Phantasy Star II.
We live in a new era. Let's remember where we've come from, respect the games of olde, but never forget to embrace how far we've come.
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