Haexpane wrote...
-XM- wrote...
Some of the best RPGs of all time are console games... the idea that "RPG shave to be simplified" is not based on fact. PC ports have to be simplified, not all RPGs are PC ports
BTW I have consoles AND a PC so ...
You do realise you are making the same argument as me, right?
"PC ports have to be simplified, not all RPGs are PC ports"
How can you compare, which is what you have to do when you use a word like "simplified" which looks at the simplicity of two things, when you have a console only game, and no other point of reference?
Doesn't that mean the console games are simplified, either from being ported from the PC or from the design stage when they are designed with console restrictions in mind? Why is it that the "PC ports have to be simplified"? And if that's the case, what does it say about the games that are native to consoles, compared to if the same game was designed for a PC with a better control system and better hardware? How is talking about games native to consoles relevant anyway when we are looking at "simplified" which clearly means we need to compare at least two things.
Maybe my post was not clear, but I'd tend to classify action RPGs as arcade-style. Maybe that's just me though. However, those work on consoles because they inherently don't need a more complicated control system, don't have large fights with many units, etc... This would include jRPG like the FF series. I am not saying those are bad games, the storylines and characters are just as good, but they are a different type of game when it comes to gameplay and combat mechanics. They can have a UI and control system suitable for a gamepad and the typical large HUDs used with a platform meant to be played on a TV screen.
More traditional western RPGs, excluding some very simplified hack-n-slash ones, tend to be played in a manner that require a better input device. As do RTS and FPS games. Not that you can't have fun with an FPS with auto-aim but it's unsuitable for competition for example, and a mouse is always more accurate simply by virtue of using more than one finger and having finer movement control. Similarly, a keyboard or "gameboard" has more, and tighter spaced buttons, so that you don't need to simplify the UI with control wheels and denser menus. You can allow the combat to be faster paced. A fast paced game using a gamepad simply cannot have more inputs than what is on the gamepad and a few button combinations. A racing/fighting game can be fast paced because there aren't as many controls so a gamepad is fine. If it can't have more inputs, it can't allow the user to do/control more without going into menus/control wheels. This remains a fact when it comes to games with more inputs like RTS and RPG.
If you are more restricted and can't do as much, then generally that means a simplified game, and accordingly you also have to lower the challenge level because the control/UI doesn't allow you do deal with more things at the same time. Add to that the fact that by now the current console generation is miles behind in CPU/GPU/memory/storage and this quite clearly means you can't have the graphics, AI, load times, or as many units on screen at the same time.
There is also the undeniable fact that the majority of gamers are now console gamers, because it is easier for publishers to avoid piracy on this platform and hence generate a higher return on investment. The problem is that it gives the illusion of being cheaper because MS and Sony (but not Nintendo) sell the hardware at a loss and recoup money on licensing to publishers. This is why console games cost more than PC games (except when publishers are ****s and decide to grab a bigger profit margin on the PC version by bumping the price up to console levels). This illusion has lead to a lot of younger and more casual gamers using consoles more and hence the titles marketed to consoles have tended to be more casual and simpler. That, unlike the rest of my post may be arguable, but it's certainly the impression I get personally.
Hopefully, this has clarified what I am saying. Each platform has strengths and weaknesses and gametypes for which they are more suitable. In my experience, it is still the case that the difference between playing RPG, RTS and FPS games on PC vs consoles is big enough to make me stick to PC for those gametypes. I do enjoy Mario Kart on the Wii, though, it's a great laugh!
and when I voice my opinion it is done so without bias.... based upon personal experience and observation.
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