Kotaku Article: Death to Numbers in RPGs

Check it out here.

Needless to say I disagree with him. I don't have a problem with the numbers being hidden, depending on the game, but then he goes on for a while about getting rid of inventory management and focusing on "kicking ass" and he holds Mass Effect 2 up as the pinnacle of a modern RPG. So… he lost me there.

Mass Effect is a good interactive movie. To call it a game is probably okay.

But to call it an RPG nah.

Character development and inventory management is so dumbed down that they might as well remove it.

… And I thought we had already reached the bottom of the pit with StarSiege ? …

I don't fully understand this. I played through Mass Effect 2 and I enjoyed it for what it was, but as far as I'm concerned, it was in no way comparable to an RPG of any real substance. It was an action game with some non-linearity, good voice acting, and a decent story driving it (imo). With my RPGs, I like to know why something is going to happen or why something isn't going to happen. I like looking at sheets and calculating my percentage to hit something, or understanding that equipping this piece of armor will do *exactly* this or exactly that. Can you be an RPG without intense, in depth number crunching? Sure. But for a writer to request it to be cast into oblivion (no pun intended) is a bit ridiculous.

I'm also not a huge fan of hidden values, either. For example, City of Heroes, when it first launched, consisted almost entirely of hidden values. Your enhancement did not increase your kick by 50 damage, it increased it by "a lot." or "a large amount." People were pretty unhappy with this way of doing it, considering they had no real measurement on exactly how much better their character was getting. I understand this as well. RPGs are made more fun when you can measurably see your character progressing and getting better, in my opinion. Seeing my character hit for 10, then getting a brand new weapon and watching that average hit jump up to 25 is fun.

If you're going to steal our difficulty, our branching storylines with consequences to our actions, our fully fleshed out characters, and our strategic gear based combat.. Please don't steal our numbers.

Maybe I'm being ridiculous, but if I'm going to be mindlessly going from corridor to corridor blasting/slashing/biting/humping something to death, I'd at least like to see if I'm doing it for more or less damage than I was 15 minutes ago and why.

TLDR: Complete rambling about nothing in particular! I had a point.. I swear! =P

Originally Posted by Vynik
For example, City of Heroes, when it first launched, consisted almost entirely of hidden values.

Since then, they've taken it to the opposite extreme however. It may as well be called City of Min/Maxers with how stat-driven it is now.

Originally Posted by Vynik
I don't fully understand this. I played through Mass Effect 2 and I enjoyed it for what it was, but as far as I'm concerned, it was in no way comparable to an RPG of any real substance.

My theory is that the media call it an RPG because Bioware told them it was an RPG. There is really no other possible reason that I can think of.

Originally Posted by Drithius
Since then, they've taken it to the opposite extreme however. It may as well be called City of Min/Maxers with how stat-driven it is now.

That is true. There has to be a happy medium formed. Now, if you don't have an absolute perfect build with the perfect enhancements and the perfect combination of powers, you're looked down upon.

Originally Posted by Alrik Fassbauer
… And I thought we had already reached the bottom of the pit with StarSiege ? …

You mean the mecha-style vehicle simulation game developed by Dynamix and released in 1999??

He meant Space Siege.

Originally Posted by Gorath
He meant Space Siege.

Good to know. Starsiege was an excellent game.