"Unlike most games, there is almost no skill required in RPGs - no hand-eye coordination, no button-timing"
Uhh.. has this guy played 'Legend of Dragoon' or 'Vagrant Story'? Both needed hand-eye coord. to pull of the amazing timed combos, and both were fun RPGs, story-wise and playable-wise; although I could accept a convincing argument over whether VS was a 'true' RPG or not, but thats beside the point.
I had no problem with the interface at all; the shoulder buttons gave me a quick and painless way to any of the menus. The weapons customization was another very innovative feature - I was able to make one kick-ass sword that I used throughout the entire game and still use in the subsequent play-throughs (where I get to keep all my stuff, too!).
If you stay with one weapon and upgrade it intelligently, you will have no problems with switching, and the various Affinity spells give you even more power if your weapon is lacking. The only time I've needed to change was when I need a polearm to smash a box that's out of my reach.
Vagrant Story is a great example of a game that can keep you occupied for hours and hours on end without getting annoying (*cough* GTA *cough*).
Diablo II has hardcore - in it, once a character dies, it's back to the char creation screen. You can save the items you have equipped if someone else is playing hardcore with you and you've allowed them to loot your corpse; otherwise, the player has to start completely from scratch. After many, many runs through the game, hardcore has become the only exciting way to play Diablo because softcore holds no challenge - if you die, no problem, you'll just respawn in town. And since you have to beat the game in softcore to unlock hardcore mode, there aren't too many uber 1337 kiddies running around PKing, mostly because they have as much to lose as the other guy. The game still has some flaws, but it is a step closer to the feel of a table-top RPG.
But I don't like them *because* they are essentially dress-up games, DOA Xtreme Volleyball comes to mind. I guess it's just a difference in opinion - however, it is heartening to know that at least we have some kick-ass heroines to play as, if nothing else;)
The problem with trying to make "girl-centered" games is that we get drivel like "Mary-Kate and Ashley team up with Britney Spears to form a Dance Dance Revolution" etc.. I'm a girl and I love Diablo 2, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Unreal Tournament, Halo, and Soul Reaver, among others. My favorite genre has to be the RPGs - Final Fantasy (excluding FFX2, because that, like Tomb Raider, is marketed specifically to males) SaGa Frontiers et al, mainly because I can be as creative with character development as I want. All the Industry has to do is not insult my intelligence or sterotype me with some fuzzy pink cartridge and they have another potential customer on their hands.
By "pissing it away" as you call it, walking out is a more powerful message because tickets are $10. And if I did go to a $30 concert, I'd be sure I was getting the music, not watching Keanu Reeves have sex.
I walked out of the Matrix 2 today. After hyping myself up for what I thought was a plethora of bullet-time acrobatics and ass-kicking kung-fu, I instead walked in on a huge orgy in Zion. Sadly realizing that all the amazing things I had paid $10 to see were available in free previews on the net, I walked out. I was just unable to watch the Watchowski Brothers sell out like that. Very, very disappointing.
Diablo 2 - I can remember partying with some friends from the west coast and playing for just about 12 hours straight and not know where the time went.. When the sun finally pushed through the window behind me, I knew I wasnt going to school that day.
Street Fighters (any incarnation) - just that feeling of anxiety when your quarter finally comes up and it's your responsibilty to take down the guy with 27 wins in a row.. and I have my own thumb blister from playing on the damn ps2 controller when my arcade stick broke
Thief - if you see someone playing thief and they seem to be really into the game, whatever you do, DONT SNEAK UP BEHIND THEM!!! i am not responsible for anything that happens to you
Final Fantasy (any) - these games will draw you into their world and never let go
Slashdot Mirror
Uhh.. has this guy played 'Legend of Dragoon' or 'Vagrant Story'? Both needed hand-eye coord. to pull of the amazing timed combos, and both were fun RPGs, story-wise and playable-wise; although I could accept a convincing argument over whether VS was a 'true' RPG or not, but thats beside the point.
-ash
If you stay with one weapon and upgrade it intelligently, you will have no problems with switching, and the various Affinity spells give you even more power if your weapon is lacking. The only time I've needed to change was when I need a polearm to smash a box that's out of my reach.
Vagrant Story is a great example of a game that can keep you occupied for hours and hours on end without getting annoying (*cough* GTA *cough*).
-ash
-ash
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-ash
Yeah, but bullet-time is the only thing missing from my life, and that's why I paid my $10 for the movie!!
I walked out of the Matrix 2 today. After hyping myself up for what I thought was a plethora of bullet-time acrobatics and ass-kicking kung-fu, I instead walked in on a huge orgy in Zion. Sadly realizing that all the amazing things I had paid $10 to see were available in free previews on the net, I walked out. I was just unable to watch the Watchowski Brothers sell out like that. Very, very disappointing.
Street Fighters (any incarnation) - just that feeling of anxiety when your quarter finally comes up and it's your responsibilty to take down the guy with 27 wins in a row.. and I have my own thumb blister from playing on the damn ps2 controller when my arcade stick broke
Thief - if you see someone playing thief and they seem to be really into the game, whatever you do, DONT SNEAK UP BEHIND THEM!!! i am not responsible for anything that happens to you
Final Fantasy (any) - these games will draw you into their world and never let go