Another take on RPGs

            In my last blog I wrote about immersion in gaming.  Giving the examples of Fallout series by Bethesda, (incase you missed my failed pun in the title) But an RPG doesn't have to be first-person to be immersive.  The idea of an RPG is giving you the feeling of taking on the role of the lead character.  That can be said for any form of game out there right now, even FPSs like Call of Duty.  What sets an RPG apart is that it allows customization.  Some with outfits, others with weapons, but in a total it allows everyone to take on a new persona and play differently.  A prime example of this is with Final Fantasy Tactics.  Years back a friend of mine and myself both started saves, by the latter portion of the game, both of us had complete differences in party makeup; his used a few ninjas if memory serves and I had a samurai.  For those who have never played FFT the Samurai looks cool, but is utterly useless as the Ninja attacked twice every time he/she used the equipped weapons.  Reason I chose the Samurai is because of its special moves using katanas to create status effects and elemental damage.  But the point is that its two separate forms of gameplay in the same game.

            RPGs don't have to be first-person shooters, but they can be, for example, Gearbox software's Borderlands.  Now, universally the game received great reviews, but it wasn't exactly the best to me specifically, it seemed built on the idea of multiplayer and most the time I play alone.  Even online it felt repetitive.  I like the game all around, but I have to be in the mood to play it to enjoy it.  Then third-person RPGs, big examples of these are the Fable series from Lionhead Studios.  I loved Fable but Fable II felt like a remake of the original story with a different setting and characters.  Fable is a true RPG in the sense of freedom, being good, bad, in beween; warrior, mage or archer or some kind of balance.  I used to play as an archer working with skill all the time on the original, on II a bit more of a warrior.  Yet another RPG that gives freedom.  Then more recent RPGs that just give the illusion of being an RPG like Final Fantasy XIII that is completely linear until and after reaching Oerba almost 3/4 through the game.  Then a final example of an RPG that lets you run your team and player character your way, is Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins, both games by Bioware and both are examples of perfect role playing in a third-person world, just as Bethesda's Fallout and Elder Scrolls series are great examples of RPG in the first-person.

I felt that this would be a good time to write this one after my last one being about immersion itself in gaming, Role Playing would have to be a perfect follow up to that.  Thanks for reading =^_^=