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Hack'n'slash against immersion and story
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RPGDot Forums > CRPGs General

Which do you prefer?
Non-stop action
5%
 5%  [ 2 ]
Immersion and story
95%
 95%  [ 38 ]
Total Votes : 40

Author Thread
MageofFire
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Joined: 03 Oct 2003
Posts: 1594
Location: Monastery of Innos
   

@Sherrin-I agree with you that characters in RPGs should DO something and have daily lives, and should be good characters. Much better than lots of blood and gore. I think that have those broad categories (like what you mentioned) just makes a game look like a wannabe. It makes it look stupid.
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Post Fri Oct 10, 2003 2:32 pm
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Danicek
The Old One
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Joined: 15 Dec 2001
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Hmm, 20 agains 1 for immersion and story :].
Post Fri Oct 10, 2003 5:42 pm
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Val
Risen From Ashes
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Joined: 18 Feb 2002
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Location: Utah, USA
   

Make that 21 to 1.
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Post Fri Oct 10, 2003 9:57 pm
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Zephyr Elvirion
Baron of the Court
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Joined: 23 Mar 2003
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I wonder which side was the winner
My maths isn't very good.
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Post Fri Oct 10, 2003 10:24 pm
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corwin
On the Razorblade of Life
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Joined: 10 Jun 2002
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Location: Australia
   

Give me a minute or two while I use my calculator, and I'll work out the answer for you!!
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Post Sat Oct 11, 2003 12:42 am
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Schattenherz
Head Merchant
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Joined: 21 Sep 2003
Posts: 71
Location: Nuremberg, Old Europe
   

Wow, this Result is really surprising on a RPG-Site.

*gives Vote to Story/Immersion, wonders what the results were on a Mainstream-Gaming Site*
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Post Sat Oct 11, 2003 11:47 am
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Danicek
The Old One
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Joined: 15 Dec 2001
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Location: Czech Republic
   

But as I said - good hack and slash is better than bad RPG full of "so called" immersion, story, dialogues...
Post Sat Oct 11, 2003 2:35 pm
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piln
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Joined: 22 May 2003
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Location: Leeds, UK
   

I went for story and immersion. The Ultima Underworld games are the pinnacle of CRPGing for me, and those (along with the System Shocks and Deus Ex) are the most immersive games (of any genre) I've ever played. They are also among the best games (of any genre) I've ever played, and when I examine my favourites over the years (including PS:T & Half Life, going all the way back through Bioforge and XCOM, to The Sentinel and Beyond The Forbidden Forest on the C64), I see that immersiveness and atmosphere, and often story, are common factors.

I have nothing against combat in RPGs, but I don't believe it should ever be the focus of a "true" RPG. I have nothing against Action/RPG "hybrids," as long as the action is done well (IMO, SS2 is a great example, because the action gameplay is competent in its own right, while Diablo is an awful example because the combat is tedious in the extreme). If action makes up the greater part of the game, then you need a decent action game as a base before you even think about RPG elements. And this is just my opinion, but I don't think the typical D&D-based point & click system makes a very good basis for an action game. I know some will disagree, but I just don't find it very satisfying or interesting.

Danicek's got a good point, it's not just the type of gameplay that's important, but also the quality. A story-based RPG with a poor story is worthless (as is a hack n' slash RPG with poor combat). IMO, this was a stumbling block for Arx Fatalis; the setting and background were great, but the game's story was unoriginal and the scriptwriting and (in part) voice-acting were abysmal (the French developers had a great deal of trouble with translation). Fortunately, the game was made interesting for cerebral players by the brilliantly atmospheric audio & visual art and decent puzzles, and the action was fun and dynamic, so I guess this game bridges the gap between "action RPG" and "pure RPG."
Post Fri Jan 16, 2004 4:17 pm
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MageofFire
Griller of Molerats




Joined: 03 Oct 2003
Posts: 1594
Location: Monastery of Innos
   

quote:
Originally posted by Danicek
But as I said - good hack and slash is better than bad RPG full of "so called" immersion, story, dialogues...


Touche.

@Piln-Ah, I see, I brought up one of your old topics, so you're just returning the favor. Thanks. I agree with you. I found Diablo boring and tedious (and redundant ). I hope action/RPG hybrids such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Xenus can pull it off successfully.
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Post Sat Jan 17, 2004 5:18 am
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Northchild
Fearless Paladin
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Joined: 03 May 2002
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Location: New York, USA
   

There's a similar overall problem with trying to divide films into genres. In a class that I recently completed, "Science Fiction as Literature", there were a couple of semester-long debates that never actually ended.

For my own part, I'm going to have to vote for hack n' slash, even though I count games like PS:T, ICO, Siberia, MYST, and Silent Hill 2 as my favorite games. The hack n' slash is part of the experience, which would lose something if lessened.

It seems like there's a "vision" that's either carried through or not in games. I've found that as I start breaking any creative project down into component atoms, (amusing though this may be at times), I become less able to communicate anything relevant about it.
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Post Sun Jan 18, 2004 5:00 am
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mkreku
Keeper of the Gates
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Joined: 22 Oct 2003
Posts: 112
Location: Uppsala, Sweden
   

I started out my RPG "career" with games like Pool of Radiance, Questron, Ultima and Wasteland on my C64 and back then I would have sneered at games like Diablo/Dungeon Siege, only because they had action elements in them. But recently I've discovered that a fair amount of action actually enhances the gaming experience for me. Games like Deus Ex, Gothic I/II and even Divine Divinity has made me miss the action when I am replaying old classics like Pool of Radiance. Of course, I still hate Diablo/Dungeon Siege, but I think that's mostly because those games are linear and repetitive, not because of the action.

I can't wait for games like STALKER and Xenus to mess up our genres even more! Hybrids are the best
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Post Tue Jan 20, 2004 6:01 pm
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MageofFire
Griller of Molerats




Joined: 03 Oct 2003
Posts: 1594
Location: Monastery of Innos
   

Mmmm. . . hybrids. Just like celery with peanut butter: Sounds nasty, but tastes great!
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Post Sat Jan 24, 2004 5:40 pm
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