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The question of whether or not turn-based RPG's are on the way out has been one raised a number of times in recent years. A fan of the genre I can safely say I think that in a lot of ways it is. Several series where it has been a mainstay, such as the monumentally popular Final Fantasy seem to be abandoning the old formula and turning towards more real time systems of fighting. Final Fantasy XII, for all its many flaws, seemed to echo in the wave of the future for that series and while those are hardly the only RPG's out there, a lot of fans are probably agreeing that it's time for a change.
After all, turn based combat systems in all their forms have been almost synonymous with role playing games for years now. I can't count the number of times I popped a new game into my console/handheld and not even bothered with the instruction booklet or in-game tutorials. The rudimentary act of selecting "Fight" and then putting my cursor over an enemy has become almost reflexive. The finer characteristics of each individual system I could learn as the game went along. Why bother with any tutorial when the fighting was familiar and my desire was to press forward into the meat of a game?
When I first started playing Final Fantasy XII, and its story was still going strongly enough to hold my interest I loved the style of the new system. It was fun to be able to control my character so directly and a nice change of pace to not always have to be worrying about those pesky random encounters. Furthermore as I delved into other RPG's, Oblivion most prominently I became aware of just how confining turn based games could be.
All of this said however, I am not playing those games anymore. Final Fantasy XII has long vacated my shelf of games. My copy is now resting in the used game bin of my local Gamestop. Oblivion, for all its massive, epic, gloriousness has taken a backseat to other RPG's; Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and Final Fantasy IX are my current console focus.
While I enjoyed my outings with more varied games, I eventually found myself missing on some base level the system I had grown up with. For all the mud that is slung at it sometimes I am rather in awe of how durable and flexible a system it has turned out to be. The Final Fantasy games by themselves have numerous examples of how turn based games can be tweaked so that they are fresh and fun.
Resting firmly in the GBA slot of my DS right now is Final Fantasy V. While the game can at times be corny, it has easily one of the best fighting systems of the series and I am constantly finding myself searching for ways to revamp my party and improve my strategies. Final Fantasy X had a great system, built firmly around the turn structure. And there's a reason so many other games have relied on the Active Time system and for good reason: its fun.
Progress is of course important but that should not mean simply moving beyond the things that worked in the past. I look forward to Final Fantasy XIII and its new system but at the same time I look forward to games like Mazes of Fate and the Dragon Quest games coming to DS. Turn based games offer a different but still challenging and fun experience from their more contemporary brethren. The fact that they're not as viscerally action packed makes them no less excellent.
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