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The Action RPG Revolution I've been in a bit of a gaming malaise of late. There are a number of games I've enjoyed recently but nothing I've been particularly passionate about. Another run through Fallout or Geneforge 2 calls more temptingly than most recent titles, which lay discarded after a single (sometimes forced) play through - and then there's that guilty pile of unfinished games. As a self-confessed CRPG junky, I used to eagerly anticipate nearly every major release. Sure, many of them were imperfect but the genre rarely provided enough games to slake my thirst. Fast forward to the present when an email arrives from a successful developer hinting at a new action RPG, which may well be The Next Best Thing™. My first reaction: not another one. It's at that moment the obvious sinks in: where once "action RPGs" were a minor sub-genre of CRPGs, now they are the main game and "traditional" CRPGs are an insignificant corner of the PC RPGs currently in development. A glance through RPGDot's release list reveals the current extent of this situation: Obsidian's Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and BioWare's Dragon Age are arguably the only big-name non-action CRPGs that have been announced in development in North America. So what is an action RPG? RPGs (of any sub-genre) are remarkably difficult to define and every player will have their own view. For the most part, action RPGs are action games first and foremost, often with frenetic realtime combat against overwhelming hordes of enemies. By their nature, combat is the driving gameplay mechanic, which usually reduces any roleplay to choosing a different method of dealing out damage. Of course, action RPGs aren't a homogenous group, ranging from shoddy Diablo clones to high-profile FPS hybrids like Troika's Vampire: Bloodlines. Indeed, a few of the upcoming games lumped into this category are likely to offer a better roleplaying experience than many traditional RPGs. The problem for roleplay fans is that most won't even try. As development costs rise and risk-adverse publishers increasingly embrace the console market, trying to reach that magical mainstream audience, it's no surprise that complex CRPGs have lost favour. Atari's recent SEC 10-K filing describes the market as "increasingly hit driven" and undoubtedly many publishers dream of the success of Blizzard's Diablo series. But has it worked? Are action RPGs inherently more successful than traditional CRPGs? It's difficult to get good figures in this industry but I can't recall too many action RPGs that have been true hits. Ascaron's Sacred seems to have been reasonably successful but it's a relative rarity and easily balanced by a slew of average Diablo wannabes that never had a chance. Even in the console market, Baldur's Gate:Dark Alliance 2 hasn't been a big seller and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel was a failure. Meanwhile, some big names are hard at work and they won't be satisfied with anything less than genuine hits. Blizzard has spawned several new studios, founded by developers accustomed to big successes and undoubtedly expert at understanding the market. Time will tell but Flagship Studios and Castaway Entertainment will be aiming to produce polished and carefully tuned games designed to part wads of cash from average punters. ArenaNet's Guild Wars is billed as a MMORPG but make no mistake - it's a direct competitor to Battle.net. Don't forget Iron Lore, co-founded by Age of Empires co-creator, Brian Sullivan and on the console side, BioWare's Jade Empire. Whether or not any of these games will crack the big time remains to be seen but the action RPG genre looks pretty competitive and studios will have to work hard to impress players with flawless execution or some real innovation. In addition, "action" shouldn't automatically mean "dumbed-down". Today's average gamer is older, has been playing games for a long time and is just as likely to be a successful professional as a listless teenager. Just as some players want to relax on the couch with some simple, mindless gameplay, others want to be challenged and mentally stimulated. In the search for accessibility to attract casual players, too many developments overlook real barriers like poorly designed interfaces and buggy products and instead strip out the gameplay depth, potentially alienating hardcore players while failing to capture the casual market at the same time. In the meantime, the traditional CRPG market has been left wide open with fans desperate to spend their money on worthwhile games. It belies credulity to think the players that racked up sales in the Baldur's Gate series of 5 million units have disappeared. The potential beneficiaries of these market changes for the moment are European and Russian studios who are still producing a higher ratio of traditional CRPGs. Many CRPG fans will have games like Silver Style Entertainment's The Fall or Burut's GoldenLand high on their most-anticipated list - with a big caveat. Assuming these games turn out to have solid gameplay, the quality of translations, voiceovers and interface elements will have a big say in how much success they achieve in English markets. Small marketing budgets and other issues are potentially stacked against these games becoming huge hits but there's definitely an opportunity to be the only game in town. If you like action RPGs, there is a profusion of product in the pipeline. Hopefully, a few of these will offer elements like multiple paths, meaningful quests and opportunities for characters to impact the gameworld, along with the action. Meanwhile, surely there is a market for traditional CRPGs; it may not be the biggest slice of the gaming pie but with the right product and cost base, there are profits to be made. |
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