Role-Playing Games...

This is a small site-within-a-site that I am dedicating to the computer and video game genre, role playing. Now, if anyone out there is already tuning out, don't. Please throw away you preconvieved conceptions about games. Most people think they are juvenile and devoid of intelligence. Which is true for a lot. But there are a rare few which have an involving storyline that is almost novelic (I made a new word!) in its scope and really drags you in. The characters seem real and the story stays with you for a long time. I am paying homage to all the RPGs I own and wish I owned here. I will have a small review of the game, my favorite characters, and if I get into it maybe i'll try my hand at fanficiton. But I am not at my best when writing with someone elses characters, so maybe I will ask some of my friends who write fanficiton If I can post stuff here. So, without further adeu, onwards!

Final Fantasy 7

Released:1997

Playable with:PlayStation, PC

Review: I don't own this game. I have never goten farther than the flashbacks at Kalm (a town). Yet I believe it the greatest RPG ever. Why? It takes a HUGE evolutionary step forward from the older RPGs; its graphics are some of the best. It's storyline is even more developed than a normal Final Fantasy game (which is saying something) and it is the one game that brought Role Playing to the "Mainstream". How often has Japan had a game that makes me drool, yet AQmerica is told we are 'not ready' or that the game would not be 'succesful' in America. Well, this changed that (somewhat) by being the most succesgul RPG of all time. (in north America)

Final Fantasy 3 (6 in Japan)

Released:1994?

Playable with: Super Nintendo. I guess there are some emulators floating about, as well.

Review: This what I consider the best RPG storyline wise. It's graphics can be called archaic from the safety of 1999 (although some scenes still steal my breath) It's characters are all real people; and you can identify with their plight. It stays in my mind like a good fantasy novel. In Japan it was a huge hit; there were Final Fantasy merchandise and soundtracks, although this isn't unusual for a highly succesfuly videogame. In North America, every RPG buff owns a copy, but it failed to really crack the mainstream in the way FF7 did. (Oh, the final fantasy series has 7 games and several spin-offs in Japan. So why is each game "final"? It's just some Japanese thing)

Chrono Trigger

Released: 1995?

Playable with: Super Nintendo (famicon in Japan) and i kNOW there are emulators for this game.

Review: This is my favorite RPG. OK, I know I said Final Fantasy 7 is the best, and Final Fantasy 3/6 has the best story, but something about this RPG is magic for me! It was my first one, excluding *sigh*

mystic quest

. The characters are not as well developed as in other RPGs, yet it has a compelling plot, and 12 possible endings!!! Readers of my story will note the Nu. These blue-globular creatures are the same as in my book, although I gave them a completely different culture and moved them light years away. Chrono Trigger is a perfect RPG for the first-timer. It was a commercial success, but didn't set the world ablaze. People might be interested to know the game art was done partially by the same guy whjo draw DragonBallZ, I think.

Mario RPG
Released: 1996
Playable with: Super Nintendo/Famicon. Once again, I'm unsure about emulation.