Googleshng: Hello everyone. This week's roundtable will focus on the evolution of the RPG, and also get into some weird gimmicky games we likely won't see in North America. But first, let's introduce our panelists.

Sean: I'm Sean, the token ex-staffer who hangs around anyway. I used to do media, Editorials, administrate the Message Boards, and contract work for Enix America.

Alex: Hi, my name is Alex, I'm currently teaching English in Tokyo, I started playing RPGs a long long time ago and though my interest has been shifting from console to PC, I still keep up with what's going on here in Japan and back in the US.

Matt: Hello, I am Matt Scribner, RPGamer previewer and first-time roundtable panelist. I've been trying to tell girls that being a previewer means that I'm a prophet that can see into the future, but they don't believe me. Then there are those nice Iranian gentlemen who keep passing by me in fast cars yelling "fatwa!"

Andrew: I'm Andrew Long, better known as "that other Andrew." I keep my newsies in line, and answer questions during the week. Also, I like fires.

Googleshng: OK. Our first topic for tonight: What would you say are some of the most influential RPGs of all time? And let's save ourselves the trouble of listing Dragon Quest, Ultima, and so forth.

Alex: Is zork an RPG? because I probably played that more than anything else in my life. Was it originally called zork? I forget. My copy was in Italian

Googleshng: Nope. Nor did it have a big impact on the console world. Getting the ball rolling a bit, I've always thought that Final Fantasy 4 never got nearly enough credit for really laying the groundwork for story driven RPGs. Before it came out, the plot in your average game was honestly secondary to dungeon crawling, tip hunting, and of course mindless monster killing. Shortly thereafter, though, you had a two-minute cutscene in every town every game that was released.

Sean: Well, my first choice having been axed, I'll just stumble around blindly and spout out Lufia II. Limit Break bars and monster catching before they were in vogue.

Matt: That's just as well, because my experience really begins with the 16-bit era, and only includes consoles at that. FF4 also contributed towards real-time combat, and its successors helped pave the way for side quests.

Andrew: Sticking with the FF series for a moment, I'd also say FFVII was very influential in terms of presentation style. It introduced, by and large, FMV plot sequences, made 3D graphics the norm (for better or for worse), and reinforced the idea that RPGs didn't necessarily have to be in a swords-and-sorcery setting (although it kind of was, in the end). And yeah, you stole my first choice too ^^

Googleshng: Ah, but FMV isn't really an invention of FF7.

Alex: Good old sega CD

Googleshng: While a bit more low tech, Phantasy Star 4 had the same sort of cutscenes, using comic book style panels instead of movies.

Googleshng:Alex: Yes, that too.

Sean: Still, though, you'd be hard-pressed to deny that Final Fantasy VII was influential in ubiquitizing FMV.

Googleshng: True enough.

Matt: Earthbound, Secret of Evermore, and -- I think -- Phantasy Star all deviated from swords and sorcery

Googleshng: That and spinning battle cameras.

Andrew: This is true; however, at risk of sounding highly biased against Sega systems, people didn't really pay attention until FFVII happened along. I'm not suggesting this is necessarily a good thing, but I'm just saying that in terms of actual influence, following FFVII many other RPGs did their level best to look like it.

Googleshng: Since you bring it up though, Sean, I think if it hadn't been for FF7 coming along when it did, Lufia 2 would honestly be the biggest influence on 32-bit RPGs. Look at what came before FF7 on the PlayStation for example.

Matt: I think that we can safely allude to the influence of online dungeon-crawlers at this point. PSO and Diablo are obviously leaving their mark.

Googleshng: Beyond the Beyond and Wild ARMs both kept that puzzle solving element, and the same visual style.

Googleshng: Matt: True enough.

Alex: But the draw of Diablo is multiplayer, isn't it?

Googleshng: For many, yes.

Alex: Showing off your weapons and armor to unsuspecting newbs?

Googleshng: But even so, the mindless action-based dungeon crawling has seeped into the console world quite a bit.

Alex: Since the days of pitfall

Matt: So has the multiplayer, more and more.

Alex: It's just easier to program dungeon crawls.

Googleshng: Not really. Easier to design them yes, but the programming is about the same.

Alex: Well, I'd like to chime in and say that those Lucas Arts-style adventures like Secret of Monkey Island have done a little to influence world/character interaction.

Googleshng: True, although adventure games have always been fairly good about that. In any case, we all seem to be agreed that the 4 most influential games in the genre are FF4, 7, Lufia 2 and Diablo. Any other thoughts on the subject before we move things along?

Matt: I suppose, with all the RPG sub-genres, we can point to the "first" game of the sub-genre as being influential. Pokémon with the monster collectors, for example. But as Sean mentions, there were elements of that before it developed into a sub-genre of its own. Can we trace all the sub-genres back to more general RPGs?

Alex: Yes, multiplayer console rpgs? Do you consider the Mana series an RPG series?

Googleshng: Action/RPG, but yes.

Matt: Definitely.

Googleshng: Online RPGs have a pretty clear cut origin however.

Sean: As a quick aside, though, I'm pretty sure monster catching and using in your party originated with a certain series we've been forbidden to mention here, namely, in its fifth installment.

Googleshng: What series is that pray tell?

Sean: Dragon Quest. ;P

Googleshng: Ah yes.

Sean: I'll always have fond memories of my little SlimeKnight, Pierre...