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What happens to an RPG when it is removed from the video game medium? Well, it becomes something totally different: usually an anime adaptation. Such a thing generally demands that the viewer be familiar with the source material in order to garner much, or any, enjoyment from the result. To the layman with no notion as to the difference between Tales of Eternia and Fire Emblem, neither adaptation is going to present any appeal whatsoever. To one familiar with the game used as inspiration, such a thing can in fact be quite entertaining.
I mention Tales of Eternia only because I was fairly entertained by its anime, which is bizarre when I have never touched the game itself. Such is the mark of a series that was put together with a decent script. Tales of Phantasia's 4 episode OVA, on the other hand, made much more sense once I had completed the game than prior. Such is the unfortunate result of trying to compress a rather long game's story (I took around 75 hours) into just under 2 hours. It is a lot of fun to watch for one who has played the game, but scattered and disconnected to one who has not. On top of that, the Japanese seiyuu who voice the characters in the OVA conflict with the English voice actors in the GBA release in my mind now.
Voice acting, and the lack of it, is an interesting aspect to RPG-derived material. Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation has this in spades. After watching its 3 episode OVA (which does not have a dub) I think of the seiyuu who voice the characters. The two Original Generation titles on GBA have no voice acting, making this an entirely amicable option to implement with no conflict thanks to a lack of extant voices in the game. The story of the OVA is hardly remarkable, but as an excuse for fan service (watch one character slay 100 enemies with a single attack!) it suffices nicely.
One other instance of anime adaptations: Sakura Wars. What baffles me is why so many of these anime adaptations were localized when the games never made the jump across the Pacific. True, the TV series stands mostly on its own. But having watched the second, third, and fourth OVAs both before and after playing the games I can definitively state that playing the games to become familiar with the characters makes all the difference in the world. Minus the character development provided in the games, anyone stumbling upon the OVAs will be as baffled as I was. Thus, I cannot recommend Sakura Wars OVAs to anyone who has not played the games. And that renders the English release of much material quite pointless.
As I have not played FFVII, Advent Children is of no interest to me. The Spirits Within, however, is a unique instance of something taking inspiration from a video game that seemed to come across better to those lacking familiarity with the source material. The movie was certainly impressive on a technical level to me, but one viewing six years ago was quite enough. I have never felt compelled to see the film again. As to Final Fantasy Unlimited, I have not viewed it and have no desire to.
Numerous other examples could be thrown out: the little Chrono Trigger OVA, the 2 episode Fire Emblem OVA which is supposedly quite terrible, the Star Ocean EX series, and perhaps the unusual case of Magic Knight Rayearth could all be considered, among others. There is no golden rule regarding these adaptations and each must be judged on an individual basis. Some are worthwhile and others are crap. To me, at least, the worthwhile ones are reason enough to hope for a few more.
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