This Year in RPGs: March

Mass Effect 3 (released 3/06/2012)

Mass Effect 3 concluded Commander Shepard's tale of saving the universe from the Reapers, an ancient intergalactic species bent on destroying all of civilization. Many fans loved the first two games, but the ending of Mass Effect 3 was met with heavy criticism, which led to BioWare releasing Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut, which expanded on the three different versions of the original ending.

Despite criticisms levied at the title, Mass Effect 3 was a success and continues to be played today, thanks to a steady stream of DLC and the multiplayer mode. Multiplayer was a new addition to the Mass Effect series, and it was one that added longevity to the title.

Although it had its flaws I still enjoyed my time with Mass Effect 3 this year. It was interesting to see the conclusion of the Krogan's reproduction storyline, as well as the plot revolving around the synthetic Geth and the Quarians. To dive into the specifics of either plot points here would be to do them a disservice, but they both have interesting things to say about the role of genetics in reproduction and the question of when an artificial intelligence has sentience. Most game writing has a long way to go before any of it could be said to rival works in the literary canon, but Mass Effect has explored some very serious themes across its three titles.

Since I'm talking about ME3 again, I want to make a correction about something I have previously said that was incorrect. I wrote about Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U last month. I mistakenly said it was the Leviathan DLC that wouldn't be coming to the Wii U. I was mistaken. It's the Omega DLC that won't find its way to the console. At least for now.

This Year in RPGs: February

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (released February 7th, 2012)

One of the more sad stories from the year is Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Not sad because the title was bad by any means, but sad because developer 38 Studios went out of business after making it.

At its worst KoA was a bit derivative of an Elder Scrolls title, but at its best it succeeded where those titles failed. It had interesting lore going for it (penned by renowned fantasy author R. A. Salvatore), aesthetically pleasing art style and combat that was, dare I say it?, more fun than Skyrim.

So what happened?

Making games is an expensive business. Or rather, it can be for those titles at the top. Games dubbed AAA titles because they have the highest budgets and the largest developers behind them. 38 Studios wanted to swim with the big boys, and so they sunk a large amount of money into development so that they could be competitive against the current industry leaders. For a new developer with no established IPs or franchises to fall back on, everything was riding on the success of the first KoA. The title, while not a commercial flop per se, did fail to meet sales expectations. 38 Studios had taken out a number of loans to finance the game's development, including loans from the state of Rhode Island where they were based, and when they were unable to pay back those loans, had no choice but to declare bankruptcy.

Which is unfortunate because KoA was so promising. It had an interesting world and solid mechanics behind most of its concepts. It just didn't set the gaming world on fire. Maybe the gaming population (whom I pretentiously dubbed "interactive entertainment enthusiasts" yesterday) was still wrapped up Skyrim. Or they just weren't ready to tackle another massive open world with a slew of quests again quite yet. Also disappointing because the developer had expressed interest in creating a MMO as a follow-up to KoA. That project will probably now never see the light of day. Such is life in this industry. (True Fantasy Live Online ~ Never Forget).

Anyways, back to the game.

Worth playing because a bunch of people poured their hearts and souls into, then promptly lost their jobs. Worth playing because if you're a fan of RPGs, there aren't a whole lot of original series being created anymore, and who knows how long until we get another fresh IP? Worth playing if you're a fan of the idea of an Elder Scrolls game, but you can't stand Bethesda's buggy coding. And worth playing because you might as well help the state of Rhode Island earn back some of that $75 million.

This Year in RPGs: January

It's that time of year again, loyal reader. The time of year where every blog that's worth their salt compiles some sort of list comprised of the top blank of blank. I'm sure I'll miss some worthy entries as I count through the year's top RPGs as these kinds of list always do, but don't let that stop you from enjoying these top 12 RPG titles that made the cut (worthy of playing) this year.

Final Fantasy XIII - 2 (released January 31st, 2012)

January saw Square-Enix release a follow up to the 13th entry of their flagship franchise. Although Final Fantasy XIII performed fairly well and eventually sold many millions of copies, critics and fanboys alike derided the linear nature of the game, the underwhelming diversity of enemies and quests, and the likability of some of the characters (I'm looking at you, Hope). Others complained that the world lacked towns where adventurers could interact with NPCs, something some consider a crucial component of RPGs, and something rather vocally detested by the fanbase.

Square-Enix took all of those complaints into consideration when making FFXIII - 2. This isn't the cash grab follow up that FFX - 2 was to FFX, trying to milk a dollar by reusing assets; this is S-E trying to make up to their fans. Surprisingly they do a number of things right this time. Maybe someone at the top is listening.

A New Story

Some people said that FFXIII's story was convoluted. Others said it simply wasn't very good. Some people liked it. I say to each their own, but I did feel as if its story was presented a bit too much through cinematics. Square has made fantastic cinemas for some time now, but there's a point every game reaches where it's taking control away from the player a bit too much to the detriment of their immersion. Anyways, in FFXIII-2 you play as Serah, sister of Lightning (the protagonist of FFXIII), along with newcomer named Noel as they search for Lightning.

The combat system from FFXIII returns, which should make some people happy, but I thought it was one of the most uninteresting components to FFXIII.

Open Ended 

FFXIII - 2 (That's Final Fantasy Thirteen Two for those of you who may be perplexed by S-E's numbering system at this point. Personally I think it's a mouthful) features multiple endings like Chrono Trigger.

DLC

For the first time Square-Enix has DLC for a Final Fantasy that's substantial. Some of it is nostalgic, others fan service, but it's nice to see them getting with the program. FFXIII didn't have any DLC to speak of even though there was some request for it from the fans. Once again it seems S-E has taken their feedback into consideration.

Gotta Catch 'Em All

FFXIII - 2 features a monster capturing system that can be addicting for players that like that sort of thing. Basically you can capture any monster and have it in your party and use it to attack your enemies. At least that's my understanding of the situation.

You Bastards

One piece of news I keep meaning to report on from earlier in the month is the fact that Obsidian Entertainment's South Park RPG game, South Park: The Stick of Truth, has been delayed.

In SP: TSoT you can pick from various classes, like Fighter,  Mage, Thief, Cleric, and Jew...not making that last one up.

Originally it was supposed to release in March of next year, but it has since been delayed to the fiscal year of 2014, meaning sometimes between April 2013 and March 2014. It might be an entire year before we can play as the "new kid" (whom everybody refers to as "douchebag").

Having everybody call you douchebag solves the age-old (well, maybe not so old) question of what to do with voice-acting in an RPG where you can name your character. See FFX for what not to do.

I admit, I was a bit down when I first heard the news, as it was one of the titles I am most looking forward to, but Obsidian is notorious for being rushed by developers that hire them for work, ultimately releasing titles which, while critically acclaimed, are riddled with bugs. Fallout: New Vegas was one such title. Developer Bethesda has contracted them to develop FO:NV with the stipulation that if the title received an 85 or better on metacritic they would receive a bonus. It received an 84. If it takes a whole year to polish SP:TSoT up to an acceptable level of industry standards, well, I'm okay with that.

The South Park game is unique in that it was Trey (Parker) and Matt (Stone) who went to Obsidian and asked them to make the game. They are said to be intimately involved in the writing process and making sure the game accurately emulates the show as much as possible. After conquering Broadway with their Book of Mormon: The Musical, Trey and Matt have proved that no medium is too difficult for them to tackle. The art style of the game resembles the show, and the combat looks to be turn-based with timed attacks like the Paper Mario series. Also present is Trey and Matt's trademark humor, which should help fill the void of games with humorous writing until Portal 3 or Psychonauts 2 is released (Get cracking on those scripts, Wolpaw!), assuming either of those games ever see the light of day.

And Going And Going...

Once More into the Fray

The original EverQuest received a new expansion today. Before World of Warcraft came along and made the genre of MMOs accessible for everybody else, EverQuest was the flagship title of the genre and remained solely in the dominion of nerds with too much time on their hands. Original EQ was notoriously difficult; it became almost impossible to level up or accomplish anything really without the help of a group. Forcing players to group together to overcome obstacles created a community that is somehow still going to this day nearly 15 years later.

Later MMOs including WoW would all crib heavily from EQ's example. Jargon like LFG (looking for group), aggro (becoming the target of a monster's aggression), and concepts like tanking (one party member designated to hold the focus of a monster's aggression) all originated here. One of my favorite MMOs, Final Fantasy XI, was inspired by EQ when the president of Square-Enix (Squaresoft at the time) saw EQ being played.

I tried playing the original EQ last year sometime, on a private server named Project1999, which is a time progression server, meaning they play the game as it was originally released and add content to it over time, as opposed to a the official servers hosted by Sony (more specifically, Sony Online Entertainment, or SOE for short) where they include all of the content that has been added since the game was released. I rolled a wizard (terminology that is a throwback to rolling dice to create your character as in D&D), but I couldn't figure out how to cast spells. Despite my background in FFXI I couldn't figure out what I was doing at all. I was whacking a snake with my staff (no innuendo intended; I realize that sounds somewhat dirty), when a guy came up and said "REALLY?" and killed the snake in one hit. I logged out and never logged back in.

EQ had subscription fees up until earlier this year, but you can try it for free now. I'm sure there are benefits to paying a subscription fee, but I'm not sure what they are. Rain of Fear is the 19th EverQuest expansion, and raises the level cap to 100, among with a bunch of other new features. The standard edition retails for $39.99 and the collector's edition retails for $89.99, which features a slew of bonus items over the other version. I don't know enough about them either way to recommend either, but chances are if you're still playing EverQuest at this point you're going to pick this up regardless of what I have to say about it.

New Releases 11/27

Baldur's Gate: Enchanced Edition

Baldur's Gate is one of the most beloved RPG franchises of all time. Developed by BioWare and released in 1998 (goodness, what a great year for video games! The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Fallout 2, Xenogears and Resident Evil 2 were all released that year, just to name a few) it quickly became the de facto setup for most western RPGs. BG was the first game to use BioWare's Infinity Engine, an engine which they would go on to use for many of their other games, including Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment.

Taking place in the Forgotten Realms (a fantasy setting created by Ed Greenwood which has gone on to spawn countless numbers of books) and using the 2nd edition rules from the pen and paper roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, Baldur's Gate was released to critical acclaim as it whetted the appetite of what many RPG players sought in games. Now, 14 years later, the game is being released with revitalized graphics and touch controls for iOS devices like the iPad, as well as Android tablets and PC.

The Enhanced Edition is not being handled by BioWare (RIP), but instead by Overhaul Games, a company whose moniker hopefully doesn't hold true for BG, as it would benefit from some slight improvements, but needs no drastic revisions. Some of the added features sound nice, such as cross-platform multiplayer and matchmaking, but some fans are wary that the changes Overhaul has made are too much. One such change is the level cap being increased, supposedly to make the game easier, but as I said not everyone is content with such changes. For those people, I recommend playing the original version. For everyone else, newcomers and series veterans alike, there's Enhanced Edition.

Have you ever wanted to be a bow wielding elf? Pocket picking hobbit (called halflings in D&D settings so Tolkien doesn't sue)?  Spell-casting wizard? You can in Baldur's Gate. I originally played it on the PS2, and from what I gather it was a pretty different version from the original PC title, so I look forward to checking out BG: EE.

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is available to pre-load for PC right now for $19.99 (I think it becomes available tonight at midnight), with iPad and Mac OS X listed as being released in November, and Android simply stating TBA.

Here's the teaser trailer:

New Releases 11/20

Persona 4 Golden was released this week (now last week, damn procrastination) on the PS Vita by Atlus. The Persona series has historically been hailed as a high point for JRPGs and this edition of Persona 4 is no exception. The game currently holds a 95/100 on Metacritic and its release resulted in a large surge of Vitas being sold in Japan, as well as a nice bump in units sold here.

No witticisms today.

The Shin Megami Tensei series (which includes the Persona games) has been around for years, but its popularity was predominately in Japan. Although Persona 2 Eternal Punishment was released here on the PS1, (the only game I've played in the series, which I'm sad to say I have not finished as I acquired a PS2 around the time I was playing it, leaving it on the back burner until I finished Kingdom Hearts, and then whatever I played after that, and whatever came after that...suffice it to say I never made it back ), but it wasn't until the PS2 game Persona 3 that the franchise experienced critical acclaim from the west. The sequel to Persona 3 was Persona 4 (notice a trend here?) and was also released on the PS2. Persona 4 Golden is an updated version of that game for the PS Vita, but just because it's an old game doesn't mean it's not worth picking up, especially if you own a Vita.

None here either.

The SMT series is unique in that instead of taking place on some distant fantasy world, it takes place in Japan, more specifically in Japanese schools. This results in a large number of cultural references which no doubt fly over most of the western worlds' collective heads, but that's okay because ultimately it doesn't matter. The game is good enough that the things that get lost in translation aren't all that important. The gameplay is compelling enough to keep going (must...gain...one...more...level).

Samesies.

Persona 4 Golden is available exclusively on the PS Vita and retails for $49.99, but like I said, it's a port of a PS2 game, so you could always play that if you're hankering for some Persona.