The greatest curse in all of pc gaming, is preferring rpgs over other genres

T

tybert7

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Most of you are spared this burden. You walk through life LOVING nearly every shooter under the sun, and if that's not true, and you only enjoy 20% of them, you have large numbers of them populating the world each year to sate your desire for something new.


rpgs? It's rare we get these.


I suspect people make far less money on them. I consider skyrim rpg lite, the heavier rpgs with more narrative are those like the witcher series, and dragon age and mass effect.

divinity original sin was sort of there, as was pillars of eternity. But how infrequent are these things released?


Major franchises like assassins creed come out every damn year usually, same goes for franchises like battlefield and call of duty.

The release time per dragon age? 3-4 years.

Mass effect? 3-4 years

witcher? years and years.


The release windows are longer, and I suspect the triple A rpg games are far more intensive to design and build, aside from something like mmos.


I almost wish I could be stated like so many of you with running around in battlefield and aiming a mouse at cross hairs and left clicking... but I need more meat and something more engaging.

I want to dive into the world of a knights of the old republic, a mass effect, a dragon age....

Maybe some day we will get more attention and releases, but following the money I don't think that will happen anytime soon.

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I wish they had stats that started after 2010 to weight the modern gaming franchise era away from titles no one gives a shit about anymore like mario, that was so popular because it was first, not because it was best.

I probably need to break down and enter the console segment again with nintendo so I can at least play zelda, or the ps 4.5 for some exclusive rpg titles.
 
In actual marketing and investing you're going to be looking at trending over time, not an amalgamate like this. This is the reason why we went through a period of everyone trying to make a WoW or CoD clone. As you pointed out, RPGs take more of an investment in time to make right. Time = money. As an investor, are you going to put money into a game that can be churned out every year and consistently sell for a quick ROI, or are you going to go with a game that takes several years to develop that aside from popular franchises is more of a gamble on the ROI? Despite the lack of sales in the RPG genre, the better selling ones can allow for more niche genre titles to exist.
 
tybert7 said:
Most of you are spared this burden. You walk through life LOVING nearly every shooter under the sun, and if that's not true, and you only enjoy 20% of them, you have large numbers of them populating the world each year to sate your desire for something new.

rpgs? It's rare we get these.
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Uh wat!? Have you not been paying attention to the massive resurgence of RPGs on PC?

Divinity Original Sin
Wasteland 2
Pillars of Eternity
Witcher 3
Shadowrun Returns/Dragonfall/Boston Chronicles/Hong Kong
Torchlight 1 & 2
Legend of Grimrock 1 & 2
Dark Souls 1, 2 & 3
Fallout 4

And that's not even taking into account the deluge of JRPGs now being ported to PC.

And to be released...

Pillars of Eternity II
Divinity Original Sin 2
Bards Tale IV
Underworld Ascendant
Torment Tides of Numenera
Battle Chasers: Night War
Mass Effect Andromeda
 
Square has been porting the Final Fantasy games to PC as well. FFX/X-2 remastered just came to Steam.
 
tybert7 said:
It's rare we get these.

Maybe some day we will get more attention and releases, but following the money I don't think that will happen anytime soon.
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Yeah I dunno...I think you're over-exagerating. There's been a ton of RPG releases, especially with the Early Access model.

I honestly don't think PC gamers are wanting for anything.
 
Actually, I should probably buy ported final fantasy x/x2. My last console was the original playstation when I switched to pc gaming around 2000, I never ended up playing those games.
 
Blade-Runner said:
Uh wat!? Have you not been paying attention to the massive resurgence of RPGs on PC?

Divinity Original Sin
Wasteland 2
Pillars of Eternity
Witcher 3
Shadowrun Returns/Dragonfall/Boston Chronicles/Hong Kong
Torchlight 1 & 2
Legend of Grimrock 1 & 2
Dark Souls 1, 2 & 3
Fallout 4

And that's not even taking into account the deluge of JRPGs now being ported to PC.

And to be released...

Pillars of Eternity II
Divinity Original Sin 2
Bards Tale IV
Underworld Ascendant
Torment Tides of Numenera
Battle Chasers: Night War
Mass Effect Andromeda
Click to expand...


The titles in red I don't consider rpg rpgs, they are rpg light. I've already played the ones in blue, and the ones in white I either have no interest in (witcher) or have not gotten around to and am tepid and lukewarm on.

fallout is sort of in between, it's of the skyrim class of rpgs that are in between full on rpg (kotor/dragon age/mass effect/baldurs gate 2) and rpg lite (diablo), there is just less draw for me there.

As for the future, I am looking forward to several of the yet to be released games. But to my knowledge most won't be released this year.

There is an rpg-ish game coming later this year that will hit, deus ex, I'll see if that scratches an itch.


But guys, I think you are missing what I truly want. I want a dragon age/mass effect/cyberpunk 2077 class game released every year, if not two of those class games released each year to dive into. Coupled with a couple of lower scope (in terms of production value) but still expansive rpgs like pillars of eternity and divinity original sin. Last year we sort of had that. This year? Where is the triple a rpg this year? (Dark Souls does NOT COUNT !!!!!!!!!)

In the rpg world, we SKIP years, and this kind of sucks for people who want to dive into those sorts of worlds on a slightly more consistent basis.




I hope bioware does get a third ip, so they can possible shoot for a 3 year release cycle with one of a triumvirate of rpgs hitting each year, I hope cd project red gets stronger so they can actually release something other than the witcher in cyberpunk 2077, a world I find vastly more interesting.

And I hope some other game company fills the massive void of studios that create large scale top flight rpgs.

I LOVED divinity original sin, but it still comes off as an extremely well done indie class game project. That's how baldurs gate 2 would come off today. There is a sense of scale that even games like kotor could engender with locales like manaan

04-LOV7y5M.jpg


.

Look at the scenes from a game like battlefront

51-star-wars-battlefront-screenshot-1447561315.jpg



Shooter players get to travel in these playgrounds ALL THE DAMN TIME, multiple times a year every year, you know the stuff rpg players get to tap into every year? things like the old republic, watered down visuals. Or the smaller rpgs that while well made, can't match up to the visual panache of things like this, the rpgs do exist with titles I don't even like like the witcher, but it's rarer and less frequent to get those.
 
tybert7 said:
But guys, I think you are missing what I truly want. I want a dragon age/mass effect/cyberpunk 2077 class game released every year, if not two of those class games released each year to dive into. Coupled with a couple of lower scope (in terms of production value) but still expansive rpgs like pillars of eternity and divinity original sin. Last year we sort of had that. This year? Where is the triple a rpg this year? (Dark Souls does NOT COUNT !!!!!!!!!)
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My guess is that a real RPG takes a lot longer to develop than a rehashed FPS as you see with most AAA titles these days (CoD, Battlefield, etc.) So one per year is asking a lot considering multiple AAA developers are likely not going to be creating one simultaneously at any given time. Plus, you have to realize these games are far less popular on consoles and that's where the money is for a lot of developers.

Not saying this is how it should be, necessarily, but that's how it is and I think it's unlikely to change.
 
How many large RPGs do you need in a year anyways? I hardly have time for the short FPS as is. :(
 
tybert7 said:
Most of you are spared this burden. You walk through life LOVING nearly every shooter under the sun, and if that's not true, and you only enjoy 20% of them, you have large numbers of them populating the world each year to sate your desire for something new.


rpgs? It's rare we get these.


I suspect people make far less money on them. I consider skyrim rpg lite, the heavier rpgs with more narrative are those like the witcher series, and dragon age and mass effect.

divinity original sin was sort of there, as was pillars of eternity. But how infrequent are these things released?


Major franchises like assassins creed come out every damn year usually, same goes for franchises like battlefield and call of duty.

The release time per dragon age? 3-4 years.

Mass effect? 3-4 years

witcher? years and years.


The release windows are longer, and I suspect the triple A rpg games are far more intensive to design and build, aside from something like mmos.


I almost wish I could be stated like so many of you with running around in battlefield and aiming a mouse at cross hairs and left clicking... but I need more meat and something more engaging.

I want to dive into the world of a knights of the old republic, a mass effect, a dragon age....

Maybe some day we will get more attention and releases, but following the money I don't think that will happen anytime soon.

tumblr_inline_nri1lqG2iE1r21o7a_1280.png



I wish they had stats that started after 2010 to weight the modern gaming franchise era away from titles no one gives a shit about anymore like mario, that was so popular because it was first, not because it was best.

I probably need to break down and enter the console segment again with nintendo so I can at least play zelda, or the ps 4.5 for some exclusive rpg titles.
Click to expand...


The take away from that chart isn't genre....it is that older longer running franchises pull in more money over time. Pokemon? Ancient. Mario? Ancient. Tetris? Ancient. Final Fantasy? Ancient. Sonic? Ancient. Need for Speed? Ancient. Grand Theft Auto? Ancient.

All those big names date back 10-20 years minimum.
 
tybert7 said:
The titles in red I don't consider rpg rpgs, they are rpg light. I've already played the ones in blue, and the ones in white I either have no interest in (witcher) or have not gotten around to and am tepid and lukewarm on.

fallout is sort of in between, it's of the skyrim class of rpgs that are in between full on rpg (kotor/dragon age/mass effect/baldurs gate 2) and rpg lite (diablo), there is just less draw for me there.

As for the future, I am looking forward to several of the yet to be released games. But to my knowledge most won't be released this year.
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This is why we have sub genres, but all the games you talked about fit within the umbrella of the RPG. Dark Souls, Torchlight, and Diablo are all Action RPGs. Fallout, Elder Scrolls and Mass Effect fall into what we call Western RPGs. Pillars of Eternity, Wasteland, and Divinity are Computer RPGs. KotOR, The Witcher and Shadowrun Returns fall into at least what I consider to be core RPG, as in those that are based on D&D. Legend of Grimrock is a classic dungeon crawler.
 
Skripka said:
The take away from that chart isn't genre....it is that older longer running franchises pull in more money over time. Pokemon? Ancient. Mario? Ancient. Tetris? Ancient. Final Fantasy? Ancient. Sonic? Ancient. Need for Speed? Ancient. Grand Theft Auto? Ancient.

All those big names date back 10-20 years minimum.
Click to expand...

Plus some of that stuff cheats. Like Mario, the reason it is the "best selling" is not only because it is old and multi-genre but they count games included with consoles! So all those original NES's that shipped with Mario/Duck Hunt? Yep, those count in the sales.
 
I know how you feel. I usually end up playing my second favorite genres on PC, Action-Adventure and Strategy.

Most of the good RPGs are on consoles, except stuff like Elder Scrolls and Bioshock. I was really jealous of PS2 owners for a long time because they got Final Fantasy... but Square is finally bringing a lot of those games to PC.
 
Between Divinity: OG, Skyrim, and Witcher 3.... I have no complaints.

There's a lot of other great stuff like Grimrock, Shadowrun Returns, Wasteland 2 etc etc.

I don't honestly understand this thread.

Yes, we lack certain JRPG franchises, but that's it.
 
Litfod said:
Then the problem isn't a lack of RPGs, it's that you're only interested in a small, very specific subset of them.
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In my defense, I am not that myopic on rpgs, but I don't consider action rpgs to be true rpgs.

-ff4/ff6/ff7/ff8/ff9
-zelda series through snes
-chronotrigger
-baldurs gate 2
-kotor I/II
-dragon age origins/ (dragon age 2 sort of counts but lets not) / dragon age inquisition
-mass effect 1/2/3
-gothic 2
-neverwinter nights 1/2
-pillars of eternity
-divine divinity / divinity original sin


Those are games I consider rpgs through and through, the zelda games were a bit actiony, but the rest are just straight up rpgs.

So is the witcher, and the only reason it's not on my list is because that ONE title has a character I (and apparently ONLY I) don't care to live with.



Then there are the open world rpg ish games like fallout and elder scrolls (of which I've played every title starting with daggerfall in the 90s through skyrim), I have not played the latest version of fallout so I don't know if they are more in the vein of skyrim or a more fleshed out rpg. I think I enjoyed skyrim the most of all the elder scrolls games, but that is still a different itch than something like a baldurs gate 2 or mass effect.


It's the difference between a play where you can take part and mess around, and diving into a new novel/world. The latter is more engrossing. Climbing some mountain and messing around with the arrangement of some pots is mostly purely gameplay and not the sort of world building and dwelling activity that I am talking about.

I bought shadowrun, never played it though. I probably should, maybe it will sate me.

But what happened to the neverwinter nights series? mask of the betrayer was a great game...

but oh right, we got some dark souls, great, I can learn proper mechanics to dodge shit, that's SURE to hit the same areas of interactive novels of a game like kotor.


Don't you people see? Don't you see the qualitative difference in different "rpgs" ?!?!??!?

mass effect is sort of like a game version of babylon 5, and the good dragon age / baldurs gate 2s a version of lotr, and kotor a better version of the star wars universe to live in !

And people really think something like touchlight is in the same class? Guys, come on, seriously. I see that I am alone in my desires, so it makes sense that the stuff I prefer comes out so much less frequently. Time for most people to go play some more shooters. I tried playing battlefield during the beta, it was beautiful, and mindnumbingly dull. Freaking HOMEWORLD and nexus the jupiter incident had a more engrossing narrative than that game.

Like I said, I am cursed, cursed with superior tastes! (I know, not self serving at all!)
 
I have real trouble understanding the point you are trying to make but best as I can tell it is "People shouldn't like what I don't like, and not enough of the kind of games I like get made!"
 
tybert7 said:
-zelda series through snes

the zelda games were a bit actiony, but the rest are just straight up rpgs.
Click to expand...

Umm... Zelda isn't technically an RPG. It's an Action-Adventure game with RPG elements. If I were to count every game that had RPG elements as an RPG... I'd be here all day. Even Half-Life, an FPS, has a few RPG elements if you're just talking about a storyline, goals, puzzles, items that require power/magic, etc.

The only exception to this rule is Adventure of Link, which is an Action RPG game. It's the only LoZ game that can be classified as an RPG at all, and that's because you have to defeat monsters to increase your defense, offense, and magic efficiency by gaining levels.

I know, I'm kind of being a geek here, but I thought it was worth pointing this out as a Zelda fan. Also, you might like Assassin's Creed... it's another Action-Adventure game with a good storyline.
 
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Dragon's Dogma was not for me. Enemies were too... spongey.
 
Why do you skip the Witcher series? Witcher 3 is (imo) hands down the best story driven rpg in a long time, far more fun then Fallout/Skyrim was. Is it because it's a set-character rpg and you can't make your own character?

You know that you actually get to both roleplay in terms of the choices you make (which have actual consequences and affect the narrative and things) as well as how you lv and build up his character in terms of his stats/abilities.


It would be nice to get a new deep AAA rpg title at least once a year, I think that's what you are asking for right? Like The AC games/Call of duty, we get those types of games every year or so, yet the likes of a AAA rpg at usually a few years between each other.

Vampire: TMB is a great rpg if you have never played it btw, just came out on gog too.

Also of note, Tim Cain/Leonard (two old school interplay guys who work at obsidian) are said to be working on a Unreal engine i4 game. With obsidians close ties to Paradox now (they published pillars and are letting obsidian make tyranny, their own IP) there is talk that they could be working on a new Vampire: TM game, which I hope is really true.
 
What are you whining about? The are dozens of good RPGs. And if RPGs were churned out like COD/Battlefield/EA Sports games yearly their quality would resemble that. Just look at what happened to the once glorious NFS series after the 5th instalment? Watered down dumb fast furous crap churned out yearly.I'd rather have a good game every 4 years than a crap every year. And you're greatly exaggerating anyway. Yes the last mass effect was released 4 years ago, but before then their relase cycle was 2 years. Which given the quality of the games is quite amazing to be honest.

If there is anything to whine about on PC it's RTS games. Whatever happened to the C&C and Red Alert franchise? There are hardly any worthwhile base building RTS games left. I honestly can't name a single one that was released recently or about to be released.
 
Dark Souls is not a RPG? You make your own character and you level up. There is a story. If it is not a RPG, I don't know what is.
 
When it comes to tried and true RPG's I'm more less done with the genre and it has nothing to do with PC, I own all the consoles except Xbox one atm. I just feel like the real genre has evolved and I've evolved with it.

When I think of RPGs now I think of Dark Souls which instead of handing you a story, forces you to work to discover it, instead of clicking one button over and over(which is funny you point out Battlefield which is an incredibly complex game, get in a helo and click mouse 1 over and over, see what happens.) like you do in JRPGs these days ALL your stats matter in Dark Souls and affect the direction your character takes in a variety of ways. I could blither on about Dark Souls all day but as an experienced adult gamer, Dark Souls is the way of the future for me. I believe Risen and Dragons Dogma are similar type RPGs, but I've never played the later.

Also worth a shoutout to the Shadowrun games which are tactical RPGs and pretty enjoyable imho.

horrorshow said:
Um, Dark Souls is not an RPG. Neither is Zelda for that matter....

If you're really that "thirsty" for a PC RPG, take Stiler's advice and check this out: Vampire®: The Masquerade - Bloodlines™ on GOG.com
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I disagree on the first point, but on Bloodlines, good god if someone hasn't played that by now they need to turn in their RPG card. Hell I had my Bloodlines virginity taken like 6-7 years ago and I was reaaally late to the party. Ok 4 years.
 
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Also I recently discovered this upcoming game, you might want to give it a look see:



Technomancer the game.

It's an RPG set on mars, reminds me a bit of the Mass Effect games in terms of companions/gameplay.

Ipt's from the people who made Mars: War logs/bound by flame. A bit rough around the edges but some enjoyable moments int hem.

Hopefully this one is a step in a good direction.
 
twonunpackmule said:
This is an incredibly condescending thread.
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There is basically a lot of me whining about why the world does not cater more to my specific tastes. And why it's a shame that so many others don't share my own particular preferences (i.e. the "gold standard" preferences in the known universe).

But where is the condescension in that?!? I specifically held back from calling the taste for endless shooters peasant tastes. I was being so good!


Ok, it's a little condescending and self serving, but it would still be nice if we got at least one major rpg franchise of the vein of mass effect / dragon age / witcher (though hopefully something other than the witcher) per year.
 
It just seems like the graphic went out of its way to avoid including stuff like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, ShadowRun:Dragonfall etc. The chart looks very console oriented.
 
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