Dragon Age Origins

[Tits]

What do you guys mean WRPG? This seems really cool but this DND shit I don't get, anyone care to explain?

Western RPG, as in one created in the western hemisphere (generally America and Canada) as opposed to Japanese RPGs (often referred to as "traditional rpgs")

Black Isle Studios, from 1998 through 2002, produced only D&D based games. Starting with Planescape:Torment, they have utilized the rulebooks of Dungeons & Dragons as the laws of their game worlds. "Planescape" takes place in a location of the same name, the Planescape multiverse. It is comprised of numerous planes of existence. In the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series, the game takes place in the Forgotton Realms.

Black Isle used the rulebooks of D&D and AD&D for nearly every facet of the titles. Character creation is based on the races in the board game, spells and items are as well. Many of the aspects were removed, for instance, there are no ingredients to mage spells.

What makes them stand apart is that they do it so well. I could go on, but I'm clearly a huge fan of Black Isle. I'm very excited for Dragon Age, as I have been tracking it for quite a long time now. I'm excited to check out their new engine and what kind of fan-created content we can expect on PC. Side note, there is no reason to not purchase this for your PC. No other system's version will be as entertaining. User-created content is the heart of the BG/IWD series.

/diatribe

EDIT: technically, black isle didn't publish baldur's gate according to wiki i had forgotten that

[Kenai]

I got to play the computer demo at Gen-Con this year, and wow, it's a hell of a game.

I played the computer demo, and the posted specs were pretty tame, all things considered. In the PC demo, I was able to make my own character, and like you could expect from a bioware game, there was plenty of options. The ability management system was pretty similar to KOTOR 2, with just a few tweaks.

I made a dwarf, and while I didn't have enough time in my 15 minute demo to find any combat, I did set into motion a plan to kill my eldest brother and assume the throne when my father died, so I'm pretty much sold.

My friends did get into some combat, one on PC, and one on xbox. They both said the combat was smooth, and that switching in between characters to issue commands was a breeze, and it made for a really dynamic experience, fast paced and really, really fun.

You were there too? I got to play it as well. After seeing some of the Youtube videos on the actual gameplay I didn't think I'd pick it up, but playing it this weekend cleared my fears. It was very fun and looked/played way better than any video I saw, I'm going to pick it up at release I think.

[guartz]

I don't see that much of a distinction between "traditional rpgs" versus western rpgs. At the very least, the original FF was inspired by AD&D. All rpgs were inspired by D&D.

[Tits]

Really? You don't see a distinction between a game such as Oblivion and Fallout 3 versus Final Fantasy 1-10? The claimed difference is not inspiration, it is gameplay style.

[BRP]

I don't see that much of a distinction between "traditional rpgs" versus western rpgs. At the very least, the original FF was inspired by AD&D. All rpgs were inspired by D&D.

What exactly do you mean by traditional rpgs? I am confused slightly.

If you mean "JRPGs" then the difference is small. However calling JRPGs the traditional rpgs is very odd, because JRPGs came from Japanese people playing early WRPGs.

EDIT:

You don't see a distinction between a game such as Oblivion and Fallout 3 versus Final Fantasy 1-10?

Hmmm, I thought we were contrasting the "WRPS" to the "JRPGS," not FPSes. Those are indeed quite different.

[Beckwin]

swap oblivion and fallout2 for NWN and Fallout 2. cut the bullshit brp

[BRP]

You seem to know exactly what I mean and the difference, so where exactly does the bullshit come in?

[Brill Weave]

I am very much looking forward to this. I love Bioware and I have yet to be disappointed by them. I'll be snagging it on the first day.

[Tits]

What exactly do you mean by traditional rpgs? I am confused slightly.

If you mean "JRPGs" then the difference is small. However calling JRPGs the traditional rpgs is very odd, because JRPGs came from Japanese people playing early WRPGs.

EDIT:



Hmmm, I thought we were contrasting the "WRPS" to the "JRPGS," not FPSes. Those are indeed quite different.

Just because you were incapable of locating the third-person mode does not negate the classification of both games as Western RPGs. But, I give you credit for your shoddy attempt at title-degrading humor, however.

[Alina]

Had to order the Collector's off of Amazon, cause GameStop apparently has pre-sold their entire allocation of the 360 version.

Looks amazing though, can't wait!

[BRP]

Just because you were incapable of locating the third-person mode does not negate the classification of both games as Western RPGs. But, I give you credit for your shoddy attempt at title-degrading humor, however.

derpa durr, okay, Third Person Shooter. Is that suppose to change much from FPS? We will call them 3d shooters if it makes you happy.

[Tits]

You can call them whatever kind of shooter you wish, they're still RPGs. Beyond that, referencing Oblivion (and by extension, Morrowind) as a shooter is just ridiculous. It's so silly, it's actually ridonkulous.

[BRP]

Your statements are so potent that they don't need explanation. Sure Oblivion plays nothing like Final Fantasy or Neverwinter Nights or Dungeon and Dragons, but what does that matter?! They are RPGs! The magazines even say so!

I am not exactly sure what to call Oblivion, but FPS fits better than anything else that comes to mind. It doesn't have the level of swinging and slashing of something like Mount and Blade.

[Brill Weave]

FPS RPG. And we're done here

[Isiolia]

FPS RPG. And we're done here

One of the earliest "first person" games was an RPG.

The genre simply varies. Stuff like Fallout 3 or Oblivion would fall more under "action RPG" I guess, regardless of perspective. Plenty of games mix genres or change up the formula within a genre.

The "problem" is more with making assumptions about a game simply due to the perspective. While, sure, Fallout 3 differs a lot from the hex-grid, turn based combat of 1 & 2, it's not much different from the combat in, say, Mass Effect or KoTOR. Just with a first person view. Could lump them in with, say, Diablo, depending on how you play.

Symphony of the Night differs quite a bit from Contra or whatnot, despite still being a side-scroller. Warcraft II is just slightly different from Raiden II, despite both being top-down view. First person view just suffers from the stigma of being a "shooter".
Oblivion differs substantially from Half-Life 2, much less something like Serious Sam. It's also far more toward the "RPG" end of the scale than something like Deus Ex or Bioshock.

[Brill Weave]

Did that really need explained?

[Isiolia]

Did that really need explained?

Not to most people.

[BRP]

One of the earliest "first person" games was an RPG.

...and so on.

Me calling Oblivion a FPS has less to do with perspective and more to do with the complete lack of combat system depth. It isn't as thought dependent as a strategy game and it certainly is action based. However to call it an Action game would be naming its genre.

The genre simply varies. Stuff like Fallout 3 or Oblivion would fall more under "action RPG" I guess, regardless of perspective.

Except for the part where they don't. Action all the way. But on the topic of subgenres:

Fallout 3 is clearly a shooter, while Oblivion is sort of a mushy-shooter focused on the knife every FPS has... perhaps 3d dungeon-crawler? I don't like that term very much, but if it will give an answer to something I am undecided about then it will have to do.

Plenty of games mix genres or change up the formula within a genre.

This is true, because if they didn't we would only have one game per genre... one game per series... one game ever. The importance of these changes are not at the same level as what make genres the way they are though.

Mass Effect or KoTOR.

Two games which play nothing alike. The former is a TPS all the way and the latter is a "WRPG" aka RTS.

Could lump them in with, say, Diablo, depending on how you play.

Depending how you play...?

It's also far more toward the "RPG" end of the scale than something like Deus Ex

Hahahahaha

[Arnwulf]

Can we call them FPRPGs? That has a nice ring to it.

Now ON TOPIC:

I can't wait for this game to come out, the bonus looks pretty sweet too, you get a whole new playable character with their own storyline for buying the game brand new.

[BRP]

Can we call them FPRPGs? That has a nice ring to it.

I'll call Deus Ex a FPRPG or a FPSRPG, but not Fallout 3 or Oblivion.