Once perceived as a very rigid, very strict, rule-based affair for PCs only, RPGs (and RPGs on console) have become more and more mainstream thanks to games like Final Fantasy VII, Fable (everyone I know wants to play that 'chicken punting game') and of course, Knights of the Old Republic. But times have changed.īut what is an RPG? What makes an RPG an RPG? We seems to stray further and further from the traditional definition each year as game developers try to intermingle every genre under the sun within each new game.
The mere mention of those three letters brought on visions of pocket protectors, D&D rule books, magic spells, dragons, orcs and ogres. Once upon a time, RPGs were for the 'hardcore' gamers only. Few companies have been able to develop quality game after quality game, always giving rabid fans what they want, but also revolutionizing and innovating, in leaps and bounds, how games are played and how they are perceived in our culture. The name alone commands respect among gaming circles.
