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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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My Top 6 RPGS

I have redone this list over and over again, who knew writing about my favorite RPGs would be the hardest? After a few days of thinking, erasing, adding, and erasing again, I have finally came up with my top 6 RPGs - but honestly it will probably change in a week.

Number Six: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

This one you probably predicted if you have read my previous blog entries, but some may be surprised about how low it is on the list. I love Bloodlines, I do, but because of the fact that most players need to download a fan-made patch just to be able to play is what killed it’s chances of being anywhere higher on the list.

Synopsis: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is an RPG that takes place in modern Los Angeles and you play a character who has recently turned into a vampire - shocker - in the character creation you choose the vampire clan you want to be a part of, as well as their starting stats. The game revolves around following or disobeying the Masquerade, which is just a fancy word for vampire laws, that keep humans oblivious to all the vampires’ existence. The main plot centers around the arrival of a sarcophagus that is rumored to contain the remains of an old and powerful vampire - and without going into too much detail - there is some vampire politics because of this as well.

Number Five: Dragon Age Origins

Another game I have spoken about on my blog before! Dragon Age: Origins is fantastic and filled with great characters, humor, and story that can leave you playing for hours upon hours. My only issue with the game, and this is entirely my own opinion, is that I was not a big fan of how the combat worked. Mainly, because this was my first experience with this kind of combat, and it just is not my cup of tea. Oh, and that awful weird maze quest in the Circle that takes a million frustrating hours to complete - and I know I am not alone on this. Every time I feel like replaying I remember that maze and decide “you know what, maybe another time”.

Synopsis: Dragon Age: Origins takes place in fictional Ferelden during the 5th blight, “a period when darkspawn find and corrupt one of the Old Gods, which is transformed into an Archdemon and leads the horde to attack the surface world,” (Dragon Age Wiki). Your character is recruited by the Grey Wardens, guardians trained to kill darkspawn. After an attack on the Grey Wardens, the main character and his/her allies, Alistair, a Grey Warden, and Morrigan, an apostate mage, are searching for an army to help defeat the Archdemon and end the blight.

Number Four: Dragon Age Inquisition

I love this installment in the Dragon Age series for all the same reasons as the first one, great characters, great story, and as always great humor. I love this one more so than the last because of it’s more familiar combat system, and how easily customizable the story can be - let me explain. For this one, Bioware gave us an easy way to control the past resulting in each playthrough of Inquisition being unique. (warning: Origin spoilers) For example, I can decide if Alistar becomes King, stays a Grey Warden...or becomes a lonely miserable drunk if I wanted. Every single decision you made in Origins, Awakening, and the second installment seems to affect Inquisition, and I love that. But, I’ll be honest, it's mostly because I can see Alistar and Hawke again.

Number Three: Witcher 3 Wild Hunt

Ah, the game that is on everybody’s favorites list! This game fulfills my love of Medieval Europe, monsters (especially vampires), sorcerers, and lots and lots of side quests and playtime hours.

Synopsis: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is set in the Continent, a medieval Europe inspired world but humans, sorcerers, and monsters live amongst each other, during a war between the Nilfgaardians and the Redanians. The player controls the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, a mutant-like monster hunter in search of finding his adopted-daughter Ciri, who is running from the Wild Hunt.

Number Two: Stardew Valley

I absolutely adore Stardew Valley! I find myself spending hours playing this game. The relaxing music and atmosphere is nice for relaxing on the weekends.

Synopsis: In Stardew Valley, your customized character starts off in a job he or she hates, realizing he or she is unhappy they open their letter from their Grandpa who died a few years earlier. Your character has inherited their Grandpa’s old farm, old tools, and some coin. Your character decides to pack it up and leave to start over and live a new life. You find the farm is completely overgrown, but with the help from friends you meet along the way, you can transform the old farm into something you have always dreamed of. In Stardew Valley there is people to romance, mines to explore, monsters to slay, fish to catch, etc. The town is full of lovable characters, yes, even the ones who seem unpleasant you will come to love once you start unlocking their backstories.

Number One: Fable 2

If you know anything about me, this pick is not a surprise. I have replayed this game far too many times since it’s initial release in 2008. I have many fond memories of playing this with my uncle and siblings over the years.

#college assignment

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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One of These Things is Not Like the Other

When you picture an RPG what do you see? Medieval castles, dragons, and mages? Perhaps a post-apocalyptic world like Fallout, or a world set in outer space with humans and many different alien species like in Mass Effect? The amount of different ideas I can guess that popped inside your head is endless, but I guarantee you didn’t picture a small farming town, right?

If I had any idea this game was listed underneath the RPG genre, I would’ve written about it months ago. I have spent hours upon hours playing this cute little farming game with my best friend on facetime way before multiplayer existed for it. What game could I possibly be talking about? An RPG...with farming? Yes, Stardew Valley was originally released on PC in 2016, developed completely solo by ConcernedApe (FAQ). The game since then has been brought to Xbox, PS4, Nintendo Switch and mobile!

Backstory

Stardew Valley started off as a Harvest Moon clone, a way for the creator, Eric Barone - also known as ConcernedApe - to learn the C# coding language. “I was deciding I would make a quick little game to try to learn how to code in C#, I decided I would make a Harvest Moon clone. Four years later that eventually evolved into Stardew Valley. At first it was just going to be a way to practice and get better at programming,” Barone told PC Gamer (Marks).

Eric Barone created everything in Stardew Valley completely by himself, music, programming, art, everything. PC Gamer questioned him on why he would want to tackle such a big project like this all by himself, Eric responded, “You know, there's many reasons. For one, I just graduated from college with a computer science degree and I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I had applied at a few places and had interviews and I didn't get those jobs. So I was thinking “what am I going to do,” you know? I've always been into games. I've always been into doodling and making music, writing and all the various aspects of making a game, but I’d never really thought about the fact that I could combine all those things and actually be a game developer. But I was looking for jobs, and I was thinking I would need some way to get better at programming, so I decided to start fooling around with making a game in C#,” (Marks). Eric worked on Stardew Valley for over 4 years, "On average, I probably worked on it 10 hours a day every day of the week during development. Now that the game is out, I'm probably spending more like 15 hours a day on it,” (Baker). When Eric released Stardew Valley in late February of 2016, it was a massive hit within weeks, selling over 300,000 copies (Baker). When asked about what drives him to crunch that much hours and work into this project, Eric responded, “"It's both passion and discipline. I think it's a lot easier to stay driven when you're doing your own project, knowing that there are no limits to how far you can go. I'm choosing to do this much work because I want to be an indie game developer and see my project come to fruition. While those developers at EA were, in effect, forced to work against their will. I don't think it's right. You should be free to work yourself to the bone, but not to force someone else to do that for you,” (Baker).

Plot

In Stardew Valley, your customized character starts off in a job he or she hates, realizing he or she is unhappy they open their letter from their Grandpa who died a few years earlier. Your character has inherited their Grandpa’s old farm, old tools, and some coin. Your character decides to pack it up and leave to start over and live a new life. You find the farm is completely overgrown, but with the help from friends you meet along the way, you can transform the old farm into something you have always dreamed of. In Stardew Valley there is people to romance, mines to explore, monsters to slay, fish to catch, etc. The town is full of lovable characters, yes, even the ones who seem unpleasant you will come to love once you start unlocking their backstories.

Stardew Valley keeps being updated with more and more content. There is definitely $15 worth of fun and exciting gameplay. If you were ever a Harvest Moon fan, or ever had the feeling of wanting to run away and become a hermit and grow your own produce, I highly recommend Stardew Valley. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to create a new save file!

Works Cited

Baker, Chris. “The 4 Years of Self-Imposed Crunch That Went into Stardew Valley.” Gamasutra Article, gamasutra.com/view/news/267563/The_4_years_of_selfimposed_crunch_that_went_into_Stardew_Valley.php.

“FAQ.” Stardew Valley, www.stardewvalley.net/faq/.

Marks, Tom. “Interview: What's next for Stardew Valley.” Pcgamer, PC Gamer, 10 Mar. 2016, www.pcgamer.com/stardew-valley-interview/.

#college assignment #stardew valley #stardew #concerned ape #rpgs #farming rpgs

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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Fable’s Downfall

Oh how I hope the rumors are false. If you did not know this about me prior, I am a huge fan of the fable series. Fable (specifically the second one) had a big impact on me during my childhood, resulting in hours upon hours of gameplay. To emphasize, during my first year of homeschool I stayed up for a full 24-hours and finished the whole second installment in one sitting.

If you have ever played Fable, you are most definitely aware that the third one sucked...to put it nicely, but fans got excited again once Lionhead Studios announced a new multiplayer Fable game, Fable Legends, but immediately were heartbroken after the cancelation announcement...and then the bankruptcy of Lionhead Studios announcement. Fans lost all hope for a redemption for the series at that point - until we received news about a new addition.

Okay, okay that last sentence may have been a bit misleading. Fable 4 hasn’t been confirmed just yet, but new leaks and rumors keep surfacing. Back in June a video leak for Fable 4 was posted on Reddit (Boyle). Of course, the video has since been deleted, but apparently involved details about first and third person perspectives, character creation, and an option to ignore the main quest - interesting choice in my opinion (Boyle). According to Eurogamer, Microsoft has given the new Fable project to UK developer Playground, best known for the Forza racing games (Yin-Poole). “We've heard the new Fable is planned as a story and character-focussed open-world action RPG. A significant investment in its development is also planned, with some 200 people set to work on the game at Playground's newly-established second office in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire,” Yin-Poole writes, “Don't expect to play this new Fable any time soon, however. We've heard it's early days in terms of development, with Playground currently staffing up the team from double digits to its triple digit target,” (Yin-Poole)

Unfortunately, it seems Microsoft has not hired any of the original developers - again, interesting choice. Ex-Lionhead staff told Eurogamer that they were pleased with the news, but also felt great sadness that they will never get to make their dream Fable 4, “"I have slightly mixed feelings...On the one hand it's great for the UK games industry, and very pleasing that Fable isn't dead; indeed, it will be lovely to play one as a punter, without coming out in hives. On the other hand it is a little curious to get rid of the team that is uniquely expert in making Fable, and then try and make Fable. Fable is a weird game, and a tough one to deconstruct for a new team. That said, the team in question is very talented, and I'm sure they'll do a fantastic job," commented co-creator Simon Carter (Yin-Poole). Hearing this news makes me skeptical and less enthusiastic about a new addition to one of my favorite video game series, I hope Playground astounds me, I really do, but I find it hard to believe.

IGN spoke with original creator, Peter Molyneux, to get his thoughts about what he would like to see the new team to bring to the table, “The Fable story hinted at a dramatic time before Fable 1 when the Guild was founded, this would be a perfect setting for Fable 4...the land of Albion would be much more primitive, the magic much more attuned to nature, the combat much more brutal,” when Molyneux was asked about what kind of combat changes he would want to see, he answered, “brutal, visceral and fluid combat system that left permanent scars. Weapons like short swords, long swords, daggers, spears, long bows and crossbows all having a there own combat feel and specialties,” (sic)(Osborn). Molyneux also mentioned his opinion about how the magic system in the game needs to be overhauled: players create their own system and have familiars (Osborn). He also added he would love to see a creature bestiary, being able to create your own homes, and giving players the option to create their own alignment, for example, a thief if you steal or a knight if you stick to the code of honor (Osborn).

However, only one thing that Peter mentioned will be appearing in the upcoming game - well, that we can tell from the leaks. According to Gamesradar, the Fable 4 leak mentioned players will be given the option of creating their own homes and towns (Loveridge). The game will also be completely open-world, zero guns, have an in-depth character creator, and possibly multiplayer (Loveridge).

That sounds nice and all, but according to the leaks, the new game won’t be set in Albion, the continent that every single game has taken place in, because it is completely gone thanks to a Mad King who has taken over the Spire (Delahunty-Light). Yes, the Spire you destroy at the end of Fable 2. “Someone ended up getting control of the Spire and they used it to destroy the planet with an asteroid, meaning that Theresa and the Guild of heroes are now on a different planet which is accessed via a demon door,” explained Zoe Delahunty-Light. I don’t know where to begin on that one.

With this information, I honestly can't see myself preordering Fable 4 like I always thought I would, maybe not even order the game at all, unless it was on sale. Perhaps I’m being too harsh, I hope once we get closer to a release date the game will sound more appealing.

Works Cited

Boyle, Emma. “Fable 4 Is Coming: Here's Everything We Know so Far.” TechRadar, TechRadar, 15 Oct. 2019, www.techradar.com/news/fable-4-release-date-trailers-and-features.

Delahunty-Light, Zoe. “This Fable 4 Leak Says That Albion Is Gone, There Are Different Planets, and Seriously What the Hell.” Gamesradar, GamesRadar , 4 June 2019, www.gamesradar.com/fable-4-leak/.

Loveridge, Sam. “Fable 4 Is Happening, It's Story-Focused, and Everything Else We Know so Far.” Gamesradar, GamesRadar , 10 Oct. 2019, www.gamesradar.com/fable-4-release-date-news-rumours/.

Osborn, Alex. “Fable Creator Peter Molyneux Weighs in on Reported New Fable Game.” IGN, IGN, 22 Jan. 2018, uk.ign.com/articles/2018/01/22/fable-creator-peter-molyneux-weighs-in-on-reported-new-fable-game.

Yin-Poole, Wesley. “Sources: Microsoft Plots Fable Return.” Eurogamer.net, Eurogamer.net, 17 Jan. 2018, www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-01-17-sources-microsoft-plots-fable-return.

#fable #fable series #college assignment #fable 2 #fable 3 #fable 4 #fable 4 leak #fable leak #lionhead studios

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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Nostalgia inside Gold Boxes

Dungeons and Dragons has been around for what seems like forever, specifically 1974. D&D as made appearances in many forms of media, such as Netflix’s popular Stranger Things. Liking D&D, or other games inspired by it, is probably the biggest nerd stereotype (besides wimpy dudes with big framed glasses). D&D inspired early role-playing video games, but didn’t have its own official video game until 1988.

History of the Gold Box series

The first official D&D computer game was Pool of Radiance in 1988, “a game which marked an important turning point in CRPG history,” explains Matt Barton, “Pool of Radiance was an instant best-seller, and not just because it was the first officially licensed AD&D computer game.” (Barton). The games were available on many major platforms at the time such as the Atari, NES, and the Commodore 64. My Abandonware described the Gold Box series as one of the few pioneers of the RPG genre, “Pools of Radiance and Pools of Darkness are my most favorite of the series. Pool of Radiance because it was a great beginning to a solid RPG system...All four games are must-haves for RPG fans everywhere,” (Pool of Radiance). In Finn Orfano’s article he adds, “Many games purporting to be role-playing games are really either interactive movies or hack-and-slash fests, which are both great, but not quite what the RPG fan is after. The Gold Box games changed all that, and set a standard for later games to follow...These games have deep story, interactivity, and strategic combat all the way through, which is more than I can say for many modern big titles.” (sic)(Orfano). Scott Battaglia claimed, “These games were so great that people today are using MoSlo in droves to slow down their Pentium III-1000 MHz enough to play these gems.”

Pools of Radiance

Gameplay: “The game's key strengths lie in its game world, story, combat system, and overall game structure,” added Matt Barton. The games played a lot like how you’d imagine if your familiar with vintage RPG games. Players adventured the world in a party, “Many games form this period allowed for this, but combat was often stilted and only allowed for having multiple attacks,” commented My Abandonware (sic)(Pool of Radiance). Like in the table-top version of Dungeons and Dragons, players have in-depth control of your party members, you could position them and strategize combat (Pools of Radiance). Some games had scripted features between characters that My Abandonware describes these features as “make the player feel like the party members were "alive" and that their actions had consequences, as interacting with characters the wrong way could make them change the way they act,” (Pool of Radiance).

After: Pool of Radiance later got 3 sequels: Curse of the Azure Bonds, Secret of the Silver Blades, and Pools of Darkness (Barton). Then eventually two spin-off series, one took place in the famous Dragonlance universe: Champions of Krynn, Death Knights of Krynn, and Dark Queen of Krynn (Barton). The other took place in another part of the Forgotten Realm: Gateway to the Savage Frontier and Treasures of the Savage Frontier (Barton).

Goodbye Gold Box Engine

The developers, SSI, retired Gold Box in 1992, but because of their MicroMagic's Unlimited Adventures fans could create their own Gold Box games (Barton). “The Gold Box games defined the Golden Age, and set the bar against which all later games would be judged,” emphasized Barton.

The Gold Box series was clearly a big pioneer in video game RPG history, as well as a lot of people’s favorite childhood game. No wonder people “are using MoSlo in droves to slow down their Pentium III-1000 MHz enough to play these gems,” like Barton claimed. These games can still be found online at GOG.com and played for $10 for any of you who are feeling nostalgic or want to try out some ancient computer games!

Works Cited

Battaglia, Scott “Vinadri”. “GameSpy.Com - Hall of Fame.” N.p., n.d. Web. https://web.archive.org/web/20041211091618/http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/por_a.shtm. Accessed 25 Oct. 2019.

Barton, Matt. “Gamasutra.Com - The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part 2: The Golden Age(1985-1993).” N.p., 23 Feb. 2007. Web. https://web.archive.org/web/20090227174428/http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070223b/barton_04.shtml. Accessed 25 Oct. 2019.

Orfano, Finn. “Retro PC Games: The Gold Box Games - Great Games of Yesterday.” N.p., n.d. Web.https://www.alteredgamer.com/best-pc-gaming/3182-great-games-of-yesterday-the-gold-box-games/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2019.

“Pool of Radiance - My Abandonware.” N.p., n.d. Web. https://www.myabandonware.com/game/pool-of-radiance-1u2 . Accessed 26 Oct. 2019.

#dungeons and dragons #d&d #dnd #gold box series #gold box #gold box engine #d&d gold box #vintage video games #retro video games #vintage rpgs #retro rpgs

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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Enchantment? Enchantment!

The Dragon Age series is definitely in my list of favorites, I have replayed the latest edition to the series, Inquisition, an embarrassing amount of times. Bioware did a pretty good job with adding lore and history from the other games into Inquisition, but not making it completely confusing and unplayable for those who have never touched the previous games. There is enough dialogue, writing, etc. that keeps new players in the loop, but if somebody doesn’t need any prior knowledge of the series to play Inquisition then why bother?

*** under the cut includes violence and blood of fictional characters and fictional creatures ***

Synopsis

Dragon Age: Origins takes place in fictional Ferelden during the 5th blight, “a period when darkspawn find and corrupt one of the Old Gods, which is transformed into an Archdemon and leads the horde to attack the surface world,” (Dragon Age Wiki). Your character is recruited by the Grey Wardens, guardians trained to kill darkspawn. After an attack on the Grey Wardens, the main character and his/her allies, Alistair, a Grey Warden, and Morrigan, an apostate mage, are searching for an army to help defeat the Archdemon and end the blight.

Character Creation

Players have a smaller selection of classes and races to pick in Origins compared to other RPGs. There are only 3 classes: mage, warrior, rogue, and only 3 races: elves, humans, and dwarves. Starting off your character will have general skills but learn more talents and specializations throughout the game from other characters or the menu. Each race has two different backgrounds to choose from, making each playthrough unique. Jeff Haynes observed in his playthrough, “Dragon Age provides a ton of customization without a level cap, so it's possible to take two characters with the exact same background and develop them in completely different ways.” Haynes later criticized this feature, “The largest issue that I had with the Origin feature is that some of the background elements fade away too easily as the game progresses, becoming little more than an afterthought. Simply tossing these endemic problems aside without any attempted mediation or resolution seems unrealistic and forced, and insults the plot of the game...a portion of the game revolves around uniting Ferelden against the Darkspawn, it would seem like you'd have to address these issues of racism somehow, especially if you happen to be an elven character. Simply tossing these endemic problems aside without any attempted mediation or resolution seems unrealistic and forced, and insults the plot of the game.”

Storyline

Dragon Age: Origins has an overwhelming amount of positive reviews about the story. Dave Snider commented in his review, “BioWare officially started calling Dragon Age: Origins the "spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate II," you could almost hear a large sigh being let out from the role-playing contingent who worshipped that seminal game and have been disappointed time and time again by similar claims over the years,” Snider quickly eases the fanbase’s worries by adding, “After spending some 60 hours with Dragon Age, the only bit of soothing calm I can offer towards that worry is that this game is not only the deepest, most story-focused title yet from BioWare, but one you will instantly want to replay.” Origins has similarities to Bioware’s previous titles, such as a traditional fantasy setting populated by dwarfs, elves and humans with stereotypical fantasy lore and archetypes, “But just because it's familiar in spots doesn't mean that it's poorly executed. There are a lot of subtle touches--like the way humans from the neighboring state of the Orlesian Empire speak with a French-tinged accent--that help make the world work,” (Snider). Kevin VanOrd commented on the traditional setting as well, “Ferelden is a colorful and fascinating kingdom that takes enough cues from well-known fantasy tropes to be familiar, but bends enough conventions to feel original. Dragon Age features dwarves, but their caste-based society and the social paragons that rise above it twist the norms enough to keep you intrigued. Mages remain under the constant watch of templars, a restriction that doesn't sit well with those who view such policing as virtual slavery. The role of religion in human circles is of particular note. Chantries provide refuge to those worshiping the all-powerful Maker, and chanters recite the holy word near their houses of prayer.” “Dragon Age brilliantly combines the genre’s old-school conventions with a few modern twists to create one of the most addictive and expansive RPGs of its kind. Attempting to summarize the experience of Dragon Age in a few paragraphs is almost ridiculous given the depth of the game’s content,”stated another reporter, Joe Juba.

However Jeff Haynes, IGN author, had a different take commenting, “The plot of Dragon Age is extremely rich with details that unfold over dozens of hours of play...The biggest issue that arises with the storyline of Dragon Age is that plot elements suffer from repetitiveness. Even though different cities house unique quest events, they all incorporate similar motivating factors – assassination, betrayal or murder. Even though the results of your actions vary, it can become a bit stale. Not every single city needs Macbeth, King Lear or other Shakespearean styled machinations to drive the action forward.”

Characters

The memorable companions and unique backgrounds and their witty remarks are what make Origins so great. There are many compilations of every sidekick’s banter on Youtube. “Characters are generally complex, defying the unrealistically simplistic labels of "good" and "evil," and the game is the better for it,” expressed Gerald Villora (sic). Nicolas Tan added in his review, “The side conversations between characters are also hilarious enough to make you stop in your tracks and listen, offering a welcome change of pace to the serious and grave task of slaughter and world-saving.”

Combat

My personal take on the combat style was: “meh”. This was my first time experiencing this kind of combat in video games, and I am not that big of a fan, so I just keep the game on easy mode. Dave Snider observed, “You'll probably spend a good portion of time in pause mode, manually issuing commands to your entire group, especially if you're working with more than one mage or if you're the type to obsess over the survival of each party member,” he later added, “The combat in Dragon Age is where the game feels closest to its computer RPG roots. This is a classic "pause-and-command" type of game, and it comes with all of the difficulty and micromanagement...the game's boss fights, in particular, get extremely tough and require proper mana management, some well-timed potion-chugging, and a keen eye to watch out for scripted events.”

In The End

Dragon Age: Origins may look a little ugly due to age and awkward animations, and the combat may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the intriguing storyline, with interesting politics and debates within the world, and memorable characters who provide endless amounts of laughter makes the game well worth it in my book. Definitely put this game on your “to play next” list.

Works Cited

Haynes, Jeff. “Dragon Age: Origins Review - IGN.” N.p., 3 Nov. 2009. Web.

https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/11/04/dragon-age-origins-review

Juba, Joe. “Dragon Age Review: BioWare’s Return To Classic Form - Game Informer.” N.p., 5

Oct. 2009. Web. https://www.gameinformer.com/games/dragon_age_origins/b/pc/archive/2009/10/05/review.aspx

Snider, Dave. “Dragon Age: Origins Review - Giant Bomb.” N.p., 3 Nov. 2009. Web.

https://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/dragon-age-origins-review/1900-223/

Tan, Nicholas. “Dragon Age: Origins Review - GameRevolution.” N.p., 18 Nov. 2009. Web.

https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/44937-dragon-age-origins-review

VanOrd, Kevin. “Dragon Age: Origins Review - GameSpot.” N.p., 3 Nov. 2009. Web.

https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dragon-age-origins-review/1900-6238631/

Villoria, Gerald. “GameSpy: The Consensus: Dragon Age: Origins Review - Page 1.” N.p., 3

Nov. 2009. Web. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/dragon-age/1041838p1.html

#college assignment #dragon age #dao #dragon age origins #da:o #dragon age: origins #rpgs #bioware

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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Brief History of MMORPGS: from 1997 to Present

“MMORPGS - massively multiplayer online role-playing game: any story-driven online video game in which a player, taking on the persona of a character in a virtual or fantasy world, interacts with a large number of other players,” (Dictionary.com).

MMORPGs have been around since 1997 when Richard Garriott kickstarted the genre with Ultima Online (Messner). Ultima allowed you to be anything you wanted from a warrior, or a simple merchant if you desired to (Messner). Steven Messner explained the appeal of Ultima Online at the time,“What made Ultima Online so memorable was the way it inspired a sense of community. Without the luxuries of global chat, players had to interact with one another directly.” Ultima had already sold more than 65,000 copies in its first two months after release, making it the fastest-selling online-only game at the time (PCGamer) On top of that, Ultima was the fourth best-selling PC game in September 1997 resulting in EA calling Ultima Online the quickest selling PC game it had ever distributed and that “copies were literally flying off the shelves,” (PCGamer).

Another big household name, EverQuest, was originally released in 1999. After its release, it quickly became the most popular MMO of the 1990s (Messner). Steven Messner described Everquest, “If Ultima Online started the genre, Everquest refined it. Featuring 16 different races and classes, it digs deep into fantasy’s roots to let players be anything from frog necromancers to ogre shamans. Many of Everquest’s ideas, like grouping with dozens of players to kill tough raid bosses, would become archetypes of the genre.” My dad also played a lot of hours of EverQuest from its release until I was about one or two. I asked him why he loved the game so much and he responded, “It had a social aspect and was very good at keeping you interested, like magic items to hunt for. It was the first game like that to get the formula right, it was so addictive we called it Evercrack.” Brazil banned sales of the game in 2008, saying the game promoted "the subversion of public order, were an attack against the democratic state and the law and against public security" (McWhertor).

Unlike the previously mentioned, World Of Warcraft (WOW) is still a widely popular MMORPG - even after 15 years. In 2014, Blizzard announced WOW had reached over 100 million lifetime accounts (Sarkar). According to SuperData Research, WOW made over $161 million in August of last year after the release of its new expansion. “Warcraft’s absurd success transformed the genre and steered it away from innovation towards shameless imitation in hopes of recreating that success,” explained Steven Messner, “World of Warcraft made the genre accessible to anyone by eliminating much of the tedium of older MMOs. For the first time, players could log in, quickly run a dungeon or two, and feel like they accomplished something. While World of Warcraft is so palatable even your grandparents could enjoy it, the water wings it places on every player also removes a sense of tension and adventure captured by older MMOs.”

In 2014, creators of the popular RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim created their own MMO, Elder Scrolls Online (ESO), revolving around the Elder Scrolls universe. After its first release, ESO received mixed reviews. “This is an MMORPG of moderate scope with a few good ideas...I'd advise caution. There's no game that I'd be happy recommending on the basis that it's at best 'okay' for thirty-plus hours. 'Okay' isn't good enough when you're facing down this much of a premium, and I can't imagine paying a monthly fee to visit somewhere I've been many times before,” explained PCGamer in their 2014 review. ESO’s developer Zenimax listened to the complaints and released updates and removed the monthly subscription. In 2015, Zenimax re-released and renamed the game from The Elder Scrolls Online to The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited and released the game on consoles as well (Nunneley). Making it the only MMO on this list available on multiple platforms. Steven Messner described ESO after its rebranding as, “The Elder Scrolls Online has become one of the most robust MMOs available. It features a PVP mode similar to Guild Wars 2, a storyline that expands the best parts of The Elder Scrolls’ lore, and the freedom to ignore all of it just to go off and explore. It took a while, but with Morrowind in tow, The Elder Scrolls Online finally feels close to the MMO that Skyrim players had wanted.”

Works Cited

PC Gamer News, web.archive.org/web/19980218070412/http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news-1997-11-10. html.

McWhertor, Michael. “Brazilian Government Bans Counter-Strike, EverQuest, Fun.” Kotaku Australia, Kotaku Australia, 19 Jan. 2008, www.kotaku.com.au/2008/01/brazilian_government_bans_counterstrike_everquest_fun-2/.

Messner, Steven. “A Brief History of MMO Games.” Pcgamer, PC Gamer, 28 July 2017, www.pcgamer.com/a-brief-history-of-mmo-games/.

“Mmorpg.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/mmorpg.

Nunneley, Stephany. “The Elder Scrolls Online Drops Subs, Console Release Date Announced.” VG247, VG247, 21 Jan. 2015, www.vg247.com/2015/01/21/elder-scrolls-online-no-subs-ps4-pc-xbox-one/.

Sarkar, Samit. “Blizzard Reaches 100M Lifetime World of Warcraft Accounts.” Polygon, Polygon, 28 Jan. 2014, www.polygon.com/2014/1/28/5354856/world-of-warcraft-100m-accounts-lifetime.

“Worldwide Digital Games Market: August 2018.” SuperData Research Games Data and Market Research Worldwide Digital Games Market August 2018 Comments, web.archive.org/web/20181001062955/www.superdataresearch.com/us-digital-games-mar ket/.

#college assignment #mmos #mmorpgs #rpgs #elder scrolls online #everquest #wow #world of warcraft #blizzard #ultimia online

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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Watch the skies, Traveler

Dragons, dragons, and more dragons. They are probably the most popular mythical creature. They have been written into almost every story with a medieval setting ever. Wouldn’t you think we’d be pretty tired of what seems to be the same story over and over? Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim did a pretty good job about bringing an overused mythical creature into a fresh new unique storyline.

Synopsis

Skyrim is a province in Tamriel, currently in the middle of a civil war in between the Stormcloaks and the Imperials. The main character is a prisoner sent to be executed, but is interrupted by a dragon who burns the whole city resulting in the main character fleeing with either the Stormcloaks or the Imperials. The main character turns out to be the Dragonborn, born with the soul and power of a dragon, and must slay Alduin, a dragon prophesied to destroy the world.

Reception

Skyrim is considered one of the best video games of all time from Polygon, IGN, Game Informer, and more. Skyrim sold 7 million copies in the first week of it’s original release (Schreier), and 3.4 million copies total after two weeks (Serrels). In 2011, Valve announced Skyrim as the fastest selling game in history on their Steam platform (Yin-Poole). The game has since been rereleased 4 times: the legendary edition in 2013, the special edition ( a complete remastered game) in 2016, for the Nintendo Switch and the Playstation VR in 2017.

What Makes Skyrim So Popular? Even Years After Its Original Release?

Looking at fans’ responses in a Reddit post, one fan believes because players didn’t need to know anything prior about the storyline and world, “You didn't have to learn anything or really read anything at all to start throwing really awesome-looking fireballs and getting attacked by a dragon. 10 minutes into Skyrim you've almost been decapitated, escaping certain death from the hands of your captors by a serendipitous dragon attack. The whole experience of the first few moments of the game is quite intoxicating and grabby,” (Reddit). A fan on a Gamespot board answered, “My thought on why this game is special for players, is because it is a sandbox that you can role play in / choose your own adventure. In order to do that you have to be willing to create a narrative in your own mind, give your character a back story, and limit yoirself on which quests to chase after,” (Gamespot)(sic).

Thanks for reading! I post RPG related content here weekly, make sure you follow!

Have any video game recommendations? Constructive feedback? Questions? Feel free to leave a comment, IM, or leave it in my ask box! (anonymous is welcome)

Follow me on Twitter @ girlfrmthesales where I post a lot about video games, comics, etc! Or follow me here on Tumblr @mentallyinnoir!

#college assignment #skyrim #elder scrolls #elder scrolls v #elder scrolls 5 #elder scrolls skyrim

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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Wake Up Samurai, We Have A City To Burn

Everyone has been talking about Cyberpunk 2077 since the teaser trailer was released way back in January 2013. Cyberpunk 2077 is CD Projekt Red’s (the developers who gave us Game of the Year, Witcher 3, in 2015) upcoming RPG that will finally be released in April 2020. CEO of CD Projekt Red, Marcin Iwiński, commented in his interview with Bloomberg that Cyberpunk 2077 has already received more pre-orders than their very popular Witcher 3 - which had 1.5 million (Bloomberg).

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open world game set in Night City, a megatropolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification and you play as V, an outlaw searching for an implant that gives immortality (Steam). Night City is made up of 6 districts, Pacifica, City Centre, Watson, Heywood, Westbrook, and Santo Domingo (Ahuja). From what we have seen from the gameplay trailers, inside Pacifica - infamous for it’s crime and described as “dangerous to those who are unfamiliar with it” - there is an ongoing gang war between the Voodoo Boys and the Animals (IGN).

Cyberpunk 2077 will allow players to fully customize their character. Players can decide their characters stats and backstories (nomad, street kid, and corporate) which will unlock special dialogue options (IGN). The gameplay trailer revealed there will be fluid classes instead of fixed ones, so you can mix and match your character’s abilities for your playstyle (IGN). You can choose a strong solo build, which focuses on blunt force, guns, enhanced strength and taking instant action, a netrunner build which focuses on stealth, hacking, and battlefield control using software, or customize your own (IGN).

There is always somebody watching, such as corpos or netwatch, so you cannot do anything you want in the net (IGN). Netwatch’s goal is to maintain the old order to protect everyone from “A.I anarchy” from behind the black wall. The Voodoo Boy’s want to contact the A.I, they believe it will enable them to have endless expansion in the net and upperhand on Netwatch - Netwatch sees this as the end of the world (IGN). Every single decision you make has consequences that will affect your relationships and how the world sees you (IGN).

There will be many different mini games just like The Witcher 3, unfortunately no gwent-type card game this time, but there will be car racing, boxing, shooting ranges, and hacking mini games (LegacyKillaHD). Miles Tost, senior level designer, added more information about the hacking mini game, “A cool thing about this mini game is that it’s not a binary thing, it’s not so much about success and failure so much as how big you win. The fantasy behind it being that the better you are at this hacking procedure, the more control you get over the actual network that you’re hacking. And that manifests in additional rewards on top of your main objective, being added to you and maybe your inventory,” (LegacyKillaHD).

CD Projekt Red has confirmed the game is completely first person - besides cutscenes. There will also be different difficulty settings, if you want a challenge choose the hardcore setting that removes UI (LegacyKillaHD). If you want a more casual gameplay and/or inexperienced with shooters there is available settings for that as well (LegacyKillaHD).

CD Projekt Red also confirmed romances with NPCs, and since it is a modern world and is intended for adult audiences, the game was options for one night stands, multiple partners/cheating, and prostitution (LegacyKillaHD).

Will you be playing Cyberpunk 2077?

Thanks for reading! I post RPG related content here weekly, make sure you follow!

Have any video game recommendations? Constructive feedback? Questions? Feel free to leave a comment, IM, or leave it in my ask box! (anonymous is welcome)

Follow me on Twitter @ girlfrmthesales where I post a lot about video games, comics, etc! Or follow me here on Tumblr @mentallyinnoir!

#college assignment #cd projekt red #cd project #cd projekt #cyberpunk #cyberpunk 2077 #rpg #rpgs #role playing games #role-playing games #roleplaying games #role playing video games #Role-Playing Video Games

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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Harpies, Crones, Wyverns, Oh My!

I am confident that every single one or a vast majority of you have heard of the Witcher, even if RPGs aren’t your thing, especially since the game will be re-released next month on the Nintendo Switch. If you are anything like my friend and you have never played the Witcher, but now you are interested since everybody seems to be talking about it, but the $60 price tag is a bit intimidating. Is Witcher 3 worth buying?

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is set in the Continent, a medieval Europe inspired world but humans, sorcerers, and monsters live amongst each other, during a war between the Nilfgaardians and the Redanians. The player controls the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, a mutant-like monster hunter in search of finding his adopted-daughter Ciri, who is running from the Wild Hunt.

The Witcher 3 was initially released for PC, Xbox One, and Playstation 4 back in 2015. Before the game's release, the Witcher had 1.5 million pre-orders (Scammell). Within the first 6 weeks after its release 6 million copies had already been sold (Purchese). By June 2019, the Witcher 3 had sold over 20 million copies (Vitale).

IGN listed the Witcher 3 at #10 on their “Top 100 RPGs of All Time” list, #54 on Polygon’s “The 500 Best Games of All Time” list and mentioned in PC Gamer’s “The Best RPGs on PC” article. IGN and Gamespot both named the Witcher 3 as “Game of the Year.” Game Informer listed it as “The Best Role-Playing Game” (Marchiafava). Not to mention the game’s “overwhelmingly positive” reviews from fans on Steam.

The Witcher has a lot of content which makes the game well worth the $60 price. The Witcher has astonishingly beautiful graphics, a breathtaking open world, a captivating main storyline, unique side quests, and loveable side characters.

The game is not a short run through either. According to How Long to Beat, the main storyline takes 51 hours to complete, the main storyline and extras take 103 hours, and if you want to complete the game entirely takes about 172 hours… that is about 7 days of gameplay. That is not including the 2 expansions, Blood and Wine (which takes 41 hours to fully complete) and Hearts of Stone (which takes 19 hours to fully complete).

Short answer: yes. The Witcher 3 is well worth the money.

#college assignment #witcher #witcher 3 #rpg #video games

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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What Bleeds in the Dark Alleys of London

Vampire stories have been written over and over since the 19th century. I guess you could say vampires are overdone - and the Twilight series didn’t quite help with people’s loss of interest. Because of this, it’s hard to find video games about vampires today.

Dontnod Entertainment released their take on the infamous folklore in June 2018, and are releasing it on the Nintendo Switch next month. But, is Vampyr worth the $50?

**Images under the cut do contain violence, blood, and death to fictional characters. Do not view if sensitive to this kind of material**

Vampyr follows fledgling vampire, Dr. Jonathan Reid, who just returned to London after the First World War to find a city ridden with death as a result of the Spanish Flu. As a doctor, Reid must help stop and find a cure for the epidemic. The player decides Reid’s choices - to feast or not to feast on those he’s sworn to heal - which will profoundly affect London.

I was intrigued by Vampyr the moment it was announced, and I found it to be a unique and refreshing take. Dontnod used their well-known “your actions have consequences” gameplay and got a good outcome. All the characters are well rounded, with different economic statuses and beliefs. Even backstories, and secrets Reid can uncover - which can boost how much experience Reid can get from their blood. All human side characters have different mesmerize levels to add some difficulty. If the player decides to feed on any characters, their deaths will have different effects on their community. So, this forces players to choose wisely, or choose not to feed on the community at all. Vampyr does take on some overused lore on vampires, such as wooden stakes and crosses. However, the game also adds new lore inspired by famous figures, history, and mythology to keep it fresh (Tyrrel).

Although the storyline and characters are captivating, there is one big frustration I think everyone who has played this game agrees on: combat. It’s not the best, but not the worst I’ve seen. The main gripe is how dull the combat is after a while the fights get boring with the same actions over and over. There are some fighting abilities you can unlock, and it spices it up a bit, but even those get boring after a while.

Game Rant commented, “Combat mainly consists of hitting enemies over the head with clubs or slicing them with machetes, draining them of blood when given the opportunity, and dashing around to avoid taking damage. The vampire abilities are very underwhelming, especially in the early hours of the game, to the point that most of them are far less useful than just using standard melee weapons or guns,” (Cooper).

Gamespot also mentioned, “somewhere around the time I reached level 20, I was still getting ambushed and demolished in two hits by a guy wielding a torch and cheap sword. The problem could be easily remedied by sacrificing yet another juicy, XP-heavy victim, but that could potentially put the surrounding community at risk of devastation” (Clark). I agree I believe the criticisms on the combat is fair. I tried to do almost a “pacifist” type run the first time I played, and it seemed impossible at times to get through any boss fights or frequent fights with random vampire hunters.

Is Vampyr the greatest of all time? No. Is Vampyr the worst? Still no. Vampyr is still an enjoyable game, but like all games, has its pros and cons. If the game sparks your interest, I still recommend you try it out - but wait for a sale.

Vampyr is on sale on Steam for $16.99 until September 16th!

Follow me on Twitter @ girlfrmthesales where I post a lot about video games, comics, etc! Or follow me here on Tumblr @mentallyinnoir!

Works Cited

Clark, Justin. “Vampyr Review: The City That Never Sleeps.” GameSpot, GameSpot, 4 June 2018, www.gamespot.com/reviews/vampyr-review- the-city-that-never-sleeps/1900-6416924/.

Cooper, Dalton. “Vampyr Review: Game Rant.” Vampyr Review | Game Rant, GameRant, 6 June 2018, gamerant.com/vampyr-review/.

Tyrrel, Brandin. “Vampyr Review.” IGN, IGN, 25 Oct. 2018, www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/04/vampyr-review.

#college assignment #vampyr #dontnod #jonathan reid #rpgs #video games #steam #dontnod entertainment #role playing games #roleplaying games #role-playing games #role playing video games #Role-Playing Video Games

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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A Cult Classic To Sink Your Teeth Into

Let’s be honest. Most of you have never heard about Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, so you have no idea why everyone is so ecstatic - or negative depending on whom you talk to - about the new sequel coming out next year. Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines isn’t considered a cult classic for no reason.

**Under the cut does include pictures of animated violence between fictional characters and blood**

What is V:TMB?

Vampire: The Masquerade started as a table-top roleplaying game in the 1990s, which sparked novels, and video games - such as Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines followed shortly after (Wikipedia). Bloodlines was released way back in November of 2004, and unfortunately, sold fewer than 80,000 copies. Compare that to other games released the same year like “GTA: San Andreas” which sold 12 million copies - and that was only on Playstation 2 (Wikipedia).

Why Did Bloodlines Perform So Badly?

According to the lead writer, Brian Mitsoda, "It was dumped on the market at the worst possible time - most people didn't even know we were out...both fans and the Troika devs are always going to wonder what the game could have been like with another six months,” (Lane).

Sure, maybe the timing wasn’t right, but it didn’t help that the game was pretty much ‘unfinished’ when released. The engine used for Bloodlines, Valve, was still in development. The developers were dealing with code they were unfamiliar with (Lane). The issues with the engine caused the game’s development to extend longer than Bloodlines’ publisher, Activision, was wanting. After three years of being development, Activision was getting impatient, "We were told to wrap it up in a matter of months at a point where we knew that was going to require a lot of crunch. It was pretty obvious at that point that we weren't considered a very important project anymore,” commented Mitsoda (Lane). Shortly after release, Troika laid off more and more developers until Troika’s doors were permanently closed (Lane).

Why Does Bloodlines Have A Following?

The issue with Bloodlines was never the story. The unforgettable characters, dialogue, and storyline are why the game still has a following 15 years later. In ScreenRant’s article on the announcement of the sequel they commented, “Bloodlines is considered to be one of the best RPGs of all time (even if parts of it haven't aged well),” (Baird). In IGN’s “Top 100 RPGs”, they list Bloodlines as number 42, and Game Informer lists the game at number 98 in their list. PC Gamer mentions Bloodlines in their “The Best RPGs on PC” article as well.

Bloodlines gets the ‘unfinished’ label because it was unfortunately left a bug-ridden game, and as it gets older and operating systems update, the game seems to keep getting worse. In my personal experience, certain quests are impossible to complete because of bugs. Luckily enough, the fanbase has a passionate player, Werner Spahl, who continuously updates the game - and occasionally adds new content that he recovers from the game files - for free (Lane).

Bloodlines 2: Electric Boogaloo

Paradox Interactive, Bloodlines new publisher, and Hardsuit Labs, Bloodlines new developer, announced the sequel in March and will be released sometime in March of 2020.

What We Know So Far

We will be playing as a ‘Victim of the Mass Embrace’ in Seattle, and we are thrown into the middle of heated vampire politics. Your background, discipline, clan, faction, humanity will affect the main character throughout the whole story (Bloodlines). Brian Mitsoda is still the lead writer for the series, Mitsoda promises, “a true successor guided by the people who knew what made the original so special,” (Robertson). There will be more clans than in the original, new abilities such as telekinesis, turning into mist or bats (Game Checkup). In character creation for the sequel, we don’t choose a clan, (clans are picked later in the game) but instead, choose a background for our character, and since the character starts as a ‘thin-blood,’ we get limited powers (Alexandra). Senior writer, Cara Ellison, confirmed that there is a massive side quest revolving around finding all the other ‘Victims of the Mass Embrace,’ “We’re looking at introducing you to the idea that lots of different people will have a different experience of being a vampire,” Ellison said. “And their vampire puberty might be a bit more difficult or more fraught,” (Alexandra).

The sequel will also support all the features from Nvidia’s latest video cards - such as real-time ray tracing effects and DLSS technology - and mod support (Capel).

Response

In an article on GameGavel, they claimed Bloodlines 2 as the most anticipated RPG sequel (Bassili). In Kotaku’s review, they commented, “I’m cautiously optimistic about Bloodlines 2. The gameplay’s emphasis on exploration and Hardsuit’s goal of building a vibrant Seattle are compelling. The team’s willingness to talk about the first game’s stumbles was good to see. And it’s exciting to have a Vampire game that appears to play well,” (Alexandra).

“Farewell, Vampire”

If you haven’t already gathered, I am excited about this sequel, so much to the point, I am contemplating pre-ordering it - and I never, ever pre-order games – unless it’s a new Sims 4 expansion pack. I have pretty high hopes the sequel will be worth it, considering the positive reviews from those who tested it at E3 and that the lead writer returned. March 2020, please get here faster!

Follow me on Twitter @ girlfrmthesales where I post a lot about video games, comics, etc! Or follow me here on Tumblr @mentallyinnoir!

Also if you have never played the original and you want to check it out here is a link to a forum that links mods and the patches! But of course, beware of spoilers in the comments!

Buy the original game here on Steam for $19.99! Pre-order Bloodlines 2 here on Steam for $59.99!

Works Cited

Alexandra, Heather. “Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines Is Getting A Sequel, And It Looks Pretty Good.” Kotaku Australia, Kotaku Australia, 22 Mar. 2019, www.kotaku.com.au/2019/03/vampire-the-masquerade- bloodlines-is-getting-a-sequel-and-it-looks-pretty-good/.

Baird, Scott. “Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Announced, Story Details Revealed.” ScreenRant, 22 Mar. 2019, screenrant.com/vampire- masquerade-bloodlines-2-details/.

Bassili, Albert. “10 Best RPGs of All Time: Don't Miss Them Even in 2019.” Game Gavel, 14 May 2019, gamegavel.com/best-rpgs-of-all-time/. Capel, Chris J. “Vampire Bloodlines 2 Will Have Mod Support, plus Ray Tracing and DLSS.” PCGamesN, 23 Mar. 2019, www.pcgamesn.com/vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2/vampire- bloodlines-2-mod-support.

“Game Info: VtM: Bloodlines 2.” Game Info | VtM: Bloodlines 2, 2019, www.bloodlines2.com/en/game-info.

Game Informer Staff. “The Top 100 RPGs Of All Time.” Game Informer, 1 Jan. 2018, www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2018/01/01/the- top-100-rpgs-of-all-time.aspx.

“Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Aug. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_San_Andreas. Lane, Rick. “Reanimated: The Story of Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines.” Eurogamer, Eurogamer, 27 Apr. 2014, www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-10-reanimated-the-story-of-vampire- the-masquerade-bloodlines.

PC Gamer. “The Best RPGs on PC.” Pcgamer, PC Gamer, 12 July 2019, www.pcgamer.com/best-rpgs-of-all-time/. Robertson, Adi. “Cult Role-Playing Game ‘Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines’ Is Getting a Sequel.” The Verge, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2019, www.theverge.com/2019/3/21/18275652/vampire-the-masquerade- bloodlines-2-world-of-darkness-white-wolf-rpg-sequel-announced-release- date.

“Top 100 RPGs of All Time.” IGN, www.ign.com/lists/top-100-rpgs.

“Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Announced for 2020.”

Gamecheckup, Gamecheckup, 23 Mar. 2019, gamecheckup.com/vampire- the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-announced-for-2020/.

“Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Aug. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire%3A_The_Masquerade_%E2%80%93_Blood lines.

“Vampire: The Masquerade.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Sept. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire:_The_Masquerade#Video_games.

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thevideogamestudies-blog · 6 years ago

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What Makes An RPG?

If you have played a video game anytime in the last 40 years, you would know there are many different types. Video games have evolved so much since the early days. We have gone from playing a game that consists of only a dot bouncing off two floating lines, to video games with extraordinary realistic animation that we can play on the go, and we can even wear headsets and “step into” the video game. So, of course, during this 40-year evolution, we have created a variety of genres.

Summary of the History

One of the first genres was role-playing games, commonly shortened to RPGs, which started in the mid-1970s on those gigantic bulky mainframe computers. You know, the ones that could fill up a room? Yeah, those. Early RPGs were heavily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, traditional strategy games, and J.R.R Tolkien (Wikipedia).

Now I know what some readers might be thinking, especially with the mention of Dungeons & Dragons, “So, they’re like video games for nerds?” No, not necessarily. I mean, technically RPGs started that way I suppose, but these types of games started in the ’70s…which was over ‘40s ago. Just like how much the technology of video games has changed, of course, the games themselves have changed. Don’t get me wrong; there is still plenty of “nerdy” RPGs – if that’s your thing – and honestly you have probably played a few RPG games without knowing. I have known many “non-nerdy” guys who have played and enjoyed Fallout 4. Lots of modern games now, such as Red Dead Redemption, have adopted many RPG elements.

What classifies as an RPG?

Technopedia describes them as, “RPG is a genre of video game where the gamer controls a fictional character (or characters) that undertakes a quest in an imaginary world.”

“Wait isn’t that every video game?”

Technopedia continues and says all RPGs share 3 essential elements

· Levels/Character statistics that can be improved

· Menu-based combat system

· Central quest (or storyline) that continues throughout the genre

However, that still sounds a bit broad. Plarium goes into more detail describing the main RPG elements as

· Character progression and customization

· Deep narratives

· Luck and random numbers

· Rich and interactive worlds

Plarium’s characteristics help narrow it down a lot more, but it’s hard to describe RPGs as a whole since they aren’t like they were in the 1970s. The label RPG has turned more into a blanket-term sort-of for all the subgenres.

What are the subgenres?

· �� Action – battles are real-time, button smashing, i.e., Fallout series, Dark Souls, The Witcher Series

· Strategy – battles take place on maps, and character units are used against opponents, i.e., Valkyria Chronicles, Pillars of Eternity

· Adventure – action elements are combined with items and special weapons the character can collect

· Online – multiplayer, mixes many elements over a shared world, practically an “endless” RPG, i.e., Guild Wars, Elder Scrolls Online

(technopedia)

I suggest you look into games from these categories to try out. In a genre this extensive, it’s not hard to find a game you’ll enjoy!

Interested in reading RPG news and reviews? Make sure you click follow! I make new video game related entries weekly!

Have any video game recommendations? Constructive feedback? Questions? Feel free to leave a comment, IM, or leave it in my ask box! (anonymous is welcome)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Works Cited

Wikipedia contributors. "Role-playing video game." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Aug. 2019. Web. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_video_game Accessed 30 Aug. 2019.

“What Is Role-Playing Game (RPG)? - Definition from Techopedia.” Techopedia.com, www.techopedia.com/definition/27052/role-playing-game-rpg. Accessed 30 Aug 2019.

“What Are RPG Elements and Why Are They in Every Game.” Plarium, plarium.com/en/blog/rpg-elements/. Accessed 30 Aug 2019.

#marina studies video games #blogpost #college assignment #video games #rpgs #role-playing video games #role-playing games #role playing video games #role playing games #roleplaying video games #roleplaying games

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