Comments on Tales of the Rampant Coyote: Is Rock Band an RPG?

"While we're at it, why don't we fix that problem ...

2008-10-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

"While we're at it, why don't we fix that problem with us driving on a parkway and parking on a driveway, and swap those words around."

ROFL! Excellent idea! =D

I approve of RPG elements appearing in other games...

2008-10-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

I approve of RPG elements appearing in other games nowadays - and I also approve of moves to really push the boundaries of the category a bit, too. But while RPG might not be a great name today, I think it has more meaning now than it did originally, and it's certainly more than its component words.

This again."Playing a role" doesn't really describ...

2008-10-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

This again.

"Playing a role" doesn't really describe the gameplay of RPGs, it's not a good name. That's all there is to it.

In other news "adventure" doesn't really describe the gameplay of adventure games either. Embarking on an adventure, say, with your spaceship, shooting aliens, in a top-down view, doesn't make it an adventure game.

I guess RPG is being singled out because it's one of the most obviously bad names as well as one that sort of applies to nearly anything. And one where the players are arguing about what the genre really is anyway. But it's not as if the first person shooting bit is really the most fundamental part of FPSes; there are plenty third person games that play more like FPSes than other third person games. And so on.

One way to deal with all this is to stick to the genre names we're used to and accept that most of them aren't very good names. Another is to invent new names for all the genres. And then good luck with getting people to use those names and so on. And then there's a third, nonsensical and ridiculously retarded option, where you think that it's reasonable to judge Rock Band and Day of the Tentacle by the same criteria because you're playing roles in both of them.

I don't have a suggestion to solve the naming prob...

2008-09-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

I don't have a suggestion to solve the naming problem, but I do think that I enjoy some games in the same way that I enjoy RPGs, without the games being technically "RPG"s.

An example is the "Superstar Mode" in Madden 08, which I've been playing lately: you create a player [rpg term: character], choose his position [class], customize his sports gear [equipment], and determine his playing skills [attributes/skills/abilities]. Afterwards, your player is drafted by a team [starting location?], and is given a salary [money/gold]; then you get the chance to raise his skills in training camp [training/leveling up], and during weekly practices and games you can gain 'influence', which can be spent to temporarily improve your teammates' performance [party buff].

I doubt anyone would consider Madden 08 an RPG, but I play its Superstar Mode as if it was one -- in fact, it's the only reason I bought the game. Creating a character, and guiding him/her via interesting choices through a varied and varying world is fun, no matter what that 'world' might be.

I can't speak for others, but plenty of games -- from sports sims to "carPGs" -- scratch that "RPG" itch I get, so I think the term should be broadened in application. Likewise, some of the most engrossing "story games" I've come across have been non-RPGs. There are really two elements here IMO: RPG gameplay, and story-telling focus. The two correlate big-time, but certainly not always.

I haven't played Spore or Little Big Planet, so I ...

2008-09-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't played Spore or Little Big Planet, so I can't comment on those, but I have played Rock Band, (A lot. Just completed expert Orange Crush today! Woo!) and it certainly is not a role playing game. I am not playing the role of a drummer in a rock band. I am playing the drums (or a facsimile thereof)! The same thing applies to FPSs, RTSs, driving games, city building games, flight simulators, etc. The goal of those games is to simulate a real experience.

Role-playing games, on the other hand, create a distinct role through abstraction, not simulation. If Rock Band were truly an RPG, it would be about as silly as this.

Ah yes, the old 'you play a role in it, so it's a ...

2008-09-30T14:33:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, the old 'you play a role in it, so it's a roleplaying game' thing. Heard it many many times.

I agree with you, basically. Maybe the name doesn't fit entirely, maybe it fits other stuff just as well, fact is, D&D got there first, D&D and its brethren took the name, you don't like it, tough.

I agree especially when confronting the so-called 'indie' rpgs that sometimes take on a haughty attitude, like they're fulfilling what being a 'roleplaying' game is better than what's come before. No, you're not. The genre is what it is, you wanna redefine it? Then find another, new name for your new deep artsy thing. In my opinion only of course.

CCIEDs sound dangerous.I know I've read in more th...

2008-09-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

CCIEDs sound dangerous.

I know I've read in more than one place that real-time strategy games and turn-based strategy games should actually employ strategy as opposed to tactics.