Do You Have Any Unpopular Gaming Opinions?

[dunpeal2064]

Since this thread seems to be about RPGs recently...

I don't think an RPG needs any kind of roleplaying to be called an RPG. I think more about the actual playstyle of pen-and-paper games, which include random battles, dice rolls that determain hit/miss/crit/defend, random items, a decent amount of items to equip, chance-to-activate abilities, etc. I don't think a game needs to have all of these to be an RPG, just enough to have an obvious influence from the game style of pen-and-paper games.

I also think that JRPG is a broad term that can encompass Turn-Based, Action, or Strategy RPGs. I didn't think this was abnormal, but it appears so from the way Zeo compared my likening of JRPGs and SRPGs to that of a shmup to a FPS.

[ZeoDefender]

This all sounds convincing until you apply that same logic to other genres.
Platformers: All you do is press the jump button, really!
Shmups: dodge and shoot, yawn~
Point and Click Adventure: You... point and click.
...
RPG: Attack, heal, walk, repeat.

That's not a good comparison. Yes, of course you can boil down any genre to a few words to describe it in a basic, banal way, but that's not the issue at hand here. We're not talking about RPGs being simplistic; we're talking about the inherent mechanics of RPGs being detrimental to the overall quality of the game.

In a platformer, the primary focus is on jumping between platforms or on enemies. Every mechanic in a platformer is designed around this focus to improve the gameplay. The same can be said for shmups or point 'n click adventure games.

However, in an RPG, the primary focus is on the story and/or the characters and the inherent mechanics of an RPG are detrimental to this focus. Imagine you're reading Game of Thrones and before Ned Stark can go to King's Landing with Robert he has to kill some rats in the cellar, explore a nearby cave to rescue a lost boy, buy materials for Sansa's new dress, and then hunt some animals in the woods for 10-20 pages to be strong enough to make the journey. Sounds awesome, right? No! Yet every single RPG does this and it hurts the primary focus of the game. That's poor design.

Now, you might be saying "well, I don't play RPGs for the story and/or the characters." Fair enough, but in that case you're better off playing a subgenre that's more tailored to your tastes. SRPGs for those wanting tactical battles, ARPGS for those wanting action, dungeon crawlers for those wanting resource management and challenge, roguelikes for the crazy masochists, or visual novels for those wanting narrative focus. To this you might say "But Wild Arms isn't one of those genres and I love it anyway". And to that I say, exactly. Exactly my point. JRPGs are a badly designed genre that we can still enjoy despite their inherent flaws.

[Menegrothx]

Since this thread seems to be about RPGs recently...

I don't think an RPG needs any kind of roleplaying to be called an RPG. I think more about the actual playstyle of pen-and-paper games, which include random battles, dice rolls that determain hit/miss/crit/defend, random items, a decent amount of items to equip, chance-to-activate abilities, etc. I don't think a game needs to have all of these to be an RPG, just enough to have an obvious influence from the game style of pen-and-paper games.

The term RPG, when it comes to video games, referes to certain mechanics. A First Person Shooter can be a RPG game. Minority of RPGs include actual role playing. There should be a term that puts roleplaying RPGs and RPGs to different categories, since there are many Western RPGs that aren't really roleplaying games too so the J and W RPG division isn't enough. Espescially as there are subgenres that both J and WRPGs share, dungeon crawlers and strategy RPGs.

[dunpeal2064]

To this you might say "But Wild Arms isn't one of those genres and I love it anyway". And to that I say, exactly. Exactly my point. JRPGs are a badly designed genre that we can still enjoy despite their inherent flaws.

I only quoted a bit, but I definitley do not agree with the entire post. I enjoyed Mana Khemia for its turn-based battle system and item synthesis. There is no other genre I have played that would encompass the fun turn-based battles, while also providing a fun, simple item synthesis. The story was half-decent, but it was not what kept me playing. I don't see how this is bad design. I like fetch quests if the system is fun. Sometimes just being in the world doing anything is fun, if its a fun world.

Yeah, I just used a NIS-produced title to counter your point.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Here are a few in no particular order:

* Rayman Origins is the best 2D platformer, and Super Mario Galaxy is the best 3D platformer.

* The "first person shooter" genre is not good or bad...it is just OK. The "first person adventure" genre (i.e., Metroid Prime, Chronicles of Riddick, etc.) is awesome, however.

* The original Xbox has a more varied and interesting library than the Gamecube.

* The only "vs." fighting game worthy of consideration is Capcom vs. SNK 2.

* Soul Calibur II was the last excellent 3D fighting game.

* Guile is the best character in all iterations of Street Fighter II.

* Final Fantasy IV is one of the worst games in the series while Final Fantasy II is one of the best.

* Dragon Warrior III is the best 8-bit RPG, and Phantasy Star is the runner up.

* Very, very few games offer genuinely challenging puzzles. (Maybe I should start a thread on that topic...)

* In general, 8-bit and 16-bit games have aged better than 32-bit games.

* The quality of portable games began surpassing the quality of console games during the last decade.

Discuss.

[Stark]

* Very, very few games offer genuinely challenging puzzles. (Maybe I should start a thread on that topic...)

I'd love a thread on this, as I love challenging puzzles. Have you tried, Jelly No Puzzle yet? Very, very challenging.

[o.pwuaioc]

* The "first person shooter" genre is not good or bad...it is just OK. The "first person adventure" genre (i.e., Metroid Prime, Chronicles of Riddick, etc.) is awesome, however.

* Very, very few games offer genuinely challenging puzzles. (Maybe I should start a thread on that topic...)

* In general, 8-bit and 16-bit games have aged better than 32-bit games.

* The quality of portable games began surpassing the quality of console games during the last decade.

Are these really unpopular?

The rest was trolling.

[dunpeal2064]

I thought the puzzles in Alundra were pretty challenging. Definitely worked by brain out a bit on some of them. But overall I would agree, most puzzles in games are painfully obvious as to how to complete.

[Menegrothx]

Here are a few in no particular order:

* Rayman Origins is the best 2D platformer, and Super Mario Galaxy is the best 3D platformer.

That could very well be true

* Very, very few games offer genuinely challenging puzzles. (Maybe I should start a thread on that topic...)

Have you tried any actual puzzle games? Sherlock Holmes games, adventure games (although many early ones have some puzzles that are hard because they have unlogical solutions). Legend of Grimrock is a nice example of a modern RPG doing it right.

* The quality of portable games began surpassing the quality of console games during the last decade.

During the last decade? No. During this generation? Only when it comes to JRPGs. Most genres still are better on consoles. Can you name one good FPS or TPS game on a handheld? Handhelds get more games that wouldn't otherwise be published these days which is a good thing, so they've been getting more of "old school" games lately, but the few games of those genres we get on consoles these days tend to be excellent and so polished that they put all the handheld games in shame (Sonic Generations, Rayman Origins, Donkey Kong Country Returns, CAVE Shmups, BlazBlue (in 2D fighters) etc).

Dragon Warrior III is the best 8-bit RPG, and Phantasy Star is the runner up.

Nope, Ultima 5 is the 8-bit RPG bar none.

[BurningDoom]

* The original Xbox has a more varied and interesting library than the Gamecube.

Someone else that loves the original Xbox! Such an underrated console, and it's perfect for console gamers that like Western RPGs.