Recca wrote:
Wildbill wrote:
I prefer what some people derisively call "generic" RPGs, and I'm not big on unique, add-on, or innovative features. I also don't need a lot of splashy, complicated graphics and cut-scenes or an explosive, dramatic, "catchy" musical score with excerpts and riffs that get stuck in my head for years.
To me, the story is everything.
How well someone tells that story makes or breaks a game-playing experience for me. Over the years, I have set aside dozens of games due to amateurish writing, suffering from chronic "kid-speak" that is chocked full of "cools" and "awesomes", not to mention passive voice phraseology every other string with no action verbs, combined with copious usages of nouns such as "stuff" to depict objects instead of naming them precisely.
As for these folks at websites who set themselves up to presume to rate RPGs (movies, books, whatever) in any language, I recall the wag I first heard mention something to the effect of, "Opinions are like [that part of our anatomy we sit on]. Everyone has one!"
I feel the same way. While I do of course enjoy seeing nicely drawn graphics on the game I'm playing, I value a well written storyline above all. No matter how good a game may look, I can't play it if the plot isn't intriguing and captivating. For example, Burning Heroes may not compare graphically with most of the newer games out on the market today, but the storyline is fantastic. Without giving away any details that might be considered spoilers, I'll just say that the last boss' motives aren't revealed fully until the end of the game for quite the interesting plot twist.
We had fun putting BH together, didn't we? And Ritchie did a tremendous job translating it for us. He even said back then he'd translate another game for us - even gave me a list - but I haven't spoken to him for a few years.
I'm like you are in a way you mentioned once - how we get used to seeing a certain name or term in a game, then we get a better translation or someone comes along and makes a convincing argument for changing it, and like waving goodbye to an old friend who is leaving permanently, we do so reluctantly. I recall several people who were really pumped about BH who later said they were disappointed because the scenarios were so repetitive. One tester didn't even finish the job, just informed us of the reason and walked away.
What can I say? As Bongo` put it recently when I hollered for more space in 3X3 Eyes, "We may only go with what Nintendo gives us". As for a game someone doesn't like that we, the commercial producers, or anyone else puts out, I can reiterate for the umpteenth time, "Just set it down and walk away." An instructor I had at the Navy's Electronic Warfare school put it this way once: "Take the best and leave the rest." That works!