Been thinking a lot lately about why I like/dislike certain RPGs. The reason I play RPGs is to build a character from a complete nobody, to a total bad ass. Specifically its all about the feeling of progression. Comparing yourself to not only the enemies your fighting in the present but also the past and future.
After wandering into a higher level area and getting your ass kicked, nothing feels better than going back after a few levels or becoming a bit stronger and getting revenge! This is what its all about for me. But so few games seem to be designed this way anymore. Oblivion, Fallout, Skyrim, Mass Effect, Guild Wars are all just games where I felt like I was just along for the ride. You never come across something that makes you want to improve. Nothing to measure your progress.
An open world generally means enemies scale in level with you, meaning you can go anywhere and take on anyone without worrying too much about the outcome. This obviously has its positive sides but I just don't find it satisfying to play.
On the flip side, most RPGs that don't have enemy scaling just turn out to be linear and as you level and progress through the game, the enemies get tougher anyway. So again, there's no feeling of progression or that feeling of becoming more powerful. In a linear RPG you can't stumble upon higher level enemies and you cant(at least you don't have the need to) go back to lower level areas.
There are a few games that imo get it sort of right. I really enjoyed the early Gothic games, Risen, Dark Souls and most MMOs(e.g. WoW) have a rewarding leveling experience. Although most mmos tend to guide you in a fairly linear fashion.
I guess I'm just worried that the sort of RPGs I like are a dying breed. I welcome any suggestions on games I may have missed or maybe something I can look forward to on the horizon. But I'm really not liking this recent trend of game designers striving for equilibrium.
After wandering into a higher level area and getting your ass kicked, nothing feels better than going back after a few levels or becoming a bit stronger and getting revenge! This is what its all about for me. But so few games seem to be designed this way anymore. Oblivion, Fallout, Skyrim, Mass Effect, Guild Wars are all just games where I felt like I was just along for the ride. You never come across something that makes you want to improve. Nothing to measure your progress.
An open world generally means enemies scale in level with you, meaning you can go anywhere and take on anyone without worrying too much about the outcome. This obviously has its positive sides but I just don't find it satisfying to play.
On the flip side, most RPGs that don't have enemy scaling just turn out to be linear and as you level and progress through the game, the enemies get tougher anyway. So again, there's no feeling of progression or that feeling of becoming more powerful. In a linear RPG you can't stumble upon higher level enemies and you cant(at least you don't have the need to) go back to lower level areas.
There are a few games that imo get it sort of right. I really enjoyed the early Gothic games, Risen, Dark Souls and most MMOs(e.g. WoW) have a rewarding leveling experience. Although most mmos tend to guide you in a fairly linear fashion.
I guess I'm just worried that the sort of RPGs I like are a dying breed. I welcome any suggestions on games I may have missed or maybe something I can look forward to on the horizon. But I'm really not liking this recent trend of game designers striving for equilibrium.
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