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History of console role-playing games

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A console role-playing game (often abbreviated CRPG[1]) is a video game genre that has its origin rooted in video game consoles and includes game mechanics and settings derived from those of traditional role-playing games. The term also applies to role-playing video games on handheld video game systems such as the Nintendo DS and PSP.

Nomenclature

For historical, cultural, and hardware related reasons, console role-playing games have evolved a very different set of features that mark them distinct from other electronic RPGs. Because the vast majority of CRPGs originate in Eastern Asia, particularly Japan, CRPGs are often referred to as Japanese role-playing game (JRPG[2]), although there are many non-Japanese and Western console role-playing games in existence.

A computer role-playing game (also referred to as CRPG) may be marked as a "console-style RPG" by the gaming community if its gameplay and design philosophy is similar to that of most console role-playing games. Examples of such games that actively pursued an Eastern style of RPGs include Anachronox and Septerra Core.

The categorization between console and computer role-playing games is sometimes ambiguous for cross-platform games such as the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, or for games that are ported from one format to another, such as Eye of the Beholder or Final Fantasy VII.

Note: CRPG will always refer to console role-playing game for the rest of this article.

Overview

Most CRPGs place a strong emphasis on storyline-driven arcs and character development, with the payoff almost always based on storytelling instead of experiencing a more dynamic world with nonlinear gameplay.

Some of the more notable franchises within the CRPG genre include: Chrono, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Golden Sun, Grandia, Kingdom Hearts, Lunar, Phantasy Star, Pokémon, Star Ocean, Suikoden, Tales, Xenogears, Xenosaga.

Character development

File:FinalFantasyTacticsAdvanceGBAScreenshot.jpg
An RPG 'status screen' as seen in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance displays the character's name, portrait, level (LV), along with current and maximum available hitpoints (HP) and magic points (MP)

In CRPGs, overall character power is often represented by a number called a "level". Typically, characters raise their level by gaining experience through combat or by performing other actions. When the experience reaches a certain number they gain a level, enabling them to attain greater attributes, abilities, and spells. In the process of gaining these levels characters may gain more useful types of equipment, such as weapons and armor.

Unlike most computer role-playing games, at the beginning of a console role-playing game the player is usually not given the option of customizing a character or making decisions on his/her nature or background, and instead is offered one or more predefined characters to play as for the rest of the game. CRPGs are rarely derived from traditional role-playing game systems such as Dungeons & Dragons, instead relying on their own simplified versions of character and interaction systems, although they usually still rely on a similar numbers and statistics to drive these systems.

Attributes commonly represented as statistics in console RPGs include Hit Points, Magic Points, Strength, Defense, Speed, among others.

A CRPG often provides several different layers of travel in the form of localized maps in buildings, towns, or dungeons. At the widest levels, an overlying world map is often used for traveling between countries, continents, or planets. At the beginning of the game, obstacles on the world map such as mountains, rivers, and deserts may prohibit the player from visiting an area until the player has obtained appropriate skills or vehicles.

Plot

A CRPG plot is usually crafted in an intricate fashion into a highly dramatic, strictly-directed and linear construct, relying on the viewer to experience most of its twists and turns at predetermined specific times and certain ways. In this sense, a CRPG's execution is quite akin to that of a movie or a novel, using scripted sequences.

Few games in the genre offer branching plots, though some titles such as Final Fantasy VII and Tales of Symphonia do feature alternate storylines depending on the player's conversational choices to characters in his party. Other games such as Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross were notable for offering a multitude of decidedly different endings.

Console RPG plots tend to resemble anime or manga adventures, often colorful and bright with light-hearted, self-identifiable characters. The storyline in these games usually involves an epic battle between the forces of good and evil, with the player's characters fighting on the good side to avert an apocalypse.

Gameplay

Much like traditional adventure games, most RPG gameplay is built around quest structures. The player is typically required to go through a series of challenges shared from pen-and-paper RPGs, such as clearing a dungeon of monsters, defeating an evil boss, or rescuing a princess. To do these tasks, one might be required to talk to an NPC to receive the quest. Other missions may include engaging in dialogue, item fetch quests, or locational puzzles, such as opening a locked door by means of a key or hidden lever.

The bulk of most CRPG gameplay is in combat with AI monsters. Traditionally, most games feature turn-based battles, though several series do feature real-time fighting, such as Square Enix's Seiken Densetsu series and Namco's Tales series. Active Time Battle and Conditional Turn-Based Battle System are examples of popular turn-based systems. There are other hybrid battle systems where the player can affect the outcome of battle through reflex timing. Examples of hybrid battle system games are Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Paper Mario and Shadow Hearts.

File:Activetimebattle.jpg
Screenshot of Final Fantasy IX during a battle. The enlarged bars represent the Active Time Battle system used in various Final Fantasy installments

Combat in CRPGs is heavily abstracted in comparison to most video games. Player actions in turn-based games, such as attack or defend, are chosen through a series of menus. The results of battle are regulated through statistical probabilities based on the characters of the opponents, such as a sword's strength level rolling against the armor class of an enemy monster.

The majority of battles in traditional CRPGs are generated from random encounters. In modern titles, combats are increasingly becoming scripted with persistent monsters other than the requisite boss monsters.

Console RPGs are famous for their inclusion of "minigames," usually small puzzle or arcade games embedded within the main game itself to provide brief diversions and moments of relief from the main plot. Minigames may also be used to advance the plot or complete a quest. In Knights of the Old Republic II, the protagonist may free a Twi'lek slave by winning a game of Pazaak, while in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, the player must score in a Yoshi's Cookie-inspired crate pushing game to clear an area.

The target audience of most CRPGs is fairly young; consequently most interactive portions are straightforward (i.e. push the button or find the key), and combat generally is not difficult. Notably, early games such as Dragon Warrior forced the player to grind their character levels up to progress, as a simplistic method of applied game difficulty. However, later in the development of the CRPG genre, games have often balanced these easy segments with the inclusion of optional and challenging boss battles and puzzles to appease more seasoned gamers. Some examples include the battle with Emerald Weapon from Final Fantasy VII, Omega Weapon from Final Fantasy VIII, and the Crossbone Island challenge from Golden Sun. In these cases, the battles are typically more challenging than the game's true storyline-based ending.

History

File:FinalFantasyVII-Combat.jpg
Final Fantasy VII is one of the biggest-selling RPGs to date and remains very popular among RPG fans.

The earliest console RPG was the Intellivision title AD&D: Treasure of Tarmin (1982). Much later, in 1986, Enix made the NES title Dragon Quest (called Dragon Warrior in North America and would remain that way until the 8th game in the series). This was followed shortly by ports of the computer RPGs Wizardry and Ultima III, and a number of Japanese RPGs, including Phantasy Star (1987) from Sega, and Final Fantasy (1987) from Squaresoft. These games proved popular and spawned their own series of sequels. The Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series remain popular today, Final Fantasy more so in the West, and Dragon Quest in Japan.

Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy both borrowed heavily from Ultima. For example, leveling up and saving must be done by speaking to the king in Dragon Quest, and in order to rest and get healed, the characters must visit the king (Dragon Quest) or stay the night at an inn (both games). The games are played in a top-down perspective, much like the Ultima games, as well. The combat style in Dragon Quest was borrowed from another series from the personal computer market, the Wizardry games. Dragon Quest's medieval setting was also remarkably reminiscent of Ultima. Dragon Quest did not reach America until 1989, when it was released as Dragon Warrior, the first NES RPG and thus one of the major influences of early CRPG development. Many early console RPGs were essentially clones of Ultima and various other PC RPGs until the genre came into its own in the following years.

A battle in Pokémon Emerald. Pokémon is one of the best-selling RPG series of all time

The next major revolution came in the early 1990s, which saw the rise of CD-ROMs and next generation consoles. The implications for RPGs were enormous—longer, more involved quests, better audio, and full motion video. The explosion of Final Fantasy VII's sales and the ascendance of the PlayStation were proof of this and represented the dawning of a new era of RPGs. Backed by a clever marketing campaign, [Final Fantasy VII brought the first taste of CRPGs to many of the uninitiated in 1997. After that year, CRPGs, previously a niche genre, skyrocketed in popularity.

In 1997, a new Internet fad began. Influenced by console RPGs, a large group of young programmers and aficionados began creating and sharing independent CRPG games, based mostly on the gameplay and style of the older SNES and Sega Genesis games. The majority of such games owe to simplistic software development kits such as the Japanese RPG Maker series.

The best-selling CRPG series worldwide is Pokémon. It has sold over 155 million units as of November 2006. The second and third best-selling series worldwide are Square Enix's Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, respectively. As of 2006, Final Fantasy has sold 63 million units, while Dragon Warrior has sold over 40 million units, as announced by the company during its E3 conference.

Criticism

Although console and computer RPGs share a common ancestor in the Ultima series, the two have diverged into very separate and distinct subgenres. The emphasis of console RPGs on strong, linear plots and character exposition rather than dynamic worlds and versatile character creation and interaction have created a rift of disagreement for some in the gaming community.

Some computer RPG players argue that it is inappropriate to call console RPGs “role-playing games” because of the inability to influence the outcome of a story. More generally, frequent criticisms of console RPGs are that they involve little skill, are too abstract or unrealistic, or do not offer strong gameplay. This debate does not apply to hack and slashers such as Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Dungeon Siege, which share the same qualities across platforms.

For a more in-depth analysis of the East-West divide on the development of computer and console RPGs, see Cultural differences in computer and console role-playing games.

Chronology of console RPGs

Note: This is not a complete list of all console RPGs, but a list of some of the most significant, influential or well-regarded CRPGs of all time. Note that a number of console-specific RPGs were later ported to other consoles or to the IBM PC.

See Chronology of console role-playing games for a more comprehensive list.

List of companies

Below is a list of game developers who specialize in or have created notable console role-playing games.

References

  1. ^ "CRPG - The Online Dictionary". Retrieved 2006-08-09.)
  2. ^ "JRPG - What does JRPG stand for? Acronyms and abbreviations by the Free Online Dictionary". Retrieved 2007-03-30.)

See also

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