As we all know, pretty much any new game nowadays (unless specifically stated otherwise by the developer/publisher), is priced at $49.99 when released on the market. This pertains to all the genres, and has been that way for a long time. But when you really come to think of it, is that $49.99 really worth it for every new game that you purchase? I REALLY don't think so!
Now I'm not saying that all games aren't worth that $49.99 purchase, but it seems more and more nowadays, they just aren't.
Based on what I've seen and read online lately, replay value and gameplay seem to be the most influential when it comes to thinking of a game being of true quality. Replay value allows you to play through a game more than once, and even just continuing to play a game just to beat it once. Gameplay is obviously how the game controls and feels throughout the entire experience. If a game feels like it has shoddy controls, it normally doesn't tend to become very popular.
So having said those things, are RPGs generally the only genre nowadays that are truly worth that $49.99 purchase? Below are some of the main reasons why I actually feel that way.
Gaming Apathy - It seems like more often than not, this generation and last generation, that most gamers just don't seem to want to play through a game more than once. This could be because that kind of fun factor just really isn't there, or that the experience just really isn't worth going through more than once.
In RPGs, I find that to be totally untrue. Many of the great RPGs this generation feature truly epic stories and a plethora of fun and exciting sidequests. It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to get everything done in a RPG that it has to offer your first time through, and the story is always great to experience more than once. Even just like a great book that you may have read through multiple times, RPGs have stories that will make you want to go through them more than once!
Musical Compositions - I think a lot of people would find it tough to argue that RPGs have some of the best music featured in them than any other genre. Simply because of this, gamers pretty much KNOW that if they buy a RPG nowadays, they are going to hear some music that will really draw them into the whole experience and atmosphere. Music sets the tone for a game, and RPGs, IMO, do the best job of creating an atmosphere of true human emotion and expression. Now I'm not saying that other genres don't have great music, because they do, but I just feel RPGs do the best in showcasing what music in gaming just is all about!
Strategy In Battle - Now I definitely know this one to be true. I think a gamer would find it very difficult to find another game or genre other than the RPG in which you can truly have fun experimenting with different strategies and ways of doing battle in the actual game itself. Most other genres that feature any kind of battling normally warrant the same tactics from the person that plays it since the default way of fighting normally tends to work out. I know this doesn't hold true for every single game in every single genre, but I think RPGs do the best in causing our minds to think in ways we normally wouldn't, especially with considering how we should handle our party in any specific battle sequence. They all promote teamwork, they all promote strategy, and they all promote quick thinking and being on your toes!
Replay Value - I think this is the biggest issue to think about when it comes to considering that RPGs are generally the genre worthy of that $49.99 purchase. While this feature has been improving in all the other genres, I truly believe that replay value has always been a huge part of what the RPG is all about. The epic stories are something all RPG lovers just can't wait to experience more than once. The battling is something that more often than not is enjoyable for gamers to immerse themselves in. Sidequests have always been an integral part of RPGs, and lately have been doing a better and better job of being connected to the actual story, and they are something that aren't easy to complete 100%! It just seems like many games this generation just haven't lasted that long, and us gamers don't feel motivated enough to go through them more than once. That could obviously be just how I feel about things, but I feel and always have felt that RPGs have held the strongest hold on the replay value feature.
You Can Connect With The Game - Now what I mean by this, is that I feel the RPG gives gamers the best chance of connecting personally with the actual game and not many others offer that kind of opportunity. Each character in a RPG is given a unique personality and unique traits that can allow us to relate to them, even though the era in which the plot is set may not be entirely related to the era that we're living in. I mean come to think of it, when has any RPG been set in an era that was related to the one that we live in? I really couldn't think of one, could you? But even so, the humanistic realism is becoming more and more apparent in the characters in your party in our RPGs so I can't help but think you can connect with them better than any other game!
Beautiful Presentation - I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I think the graphical presentations in our RPGs as of late have been truly impressive and then some! Baten Kaitos and Tales of Symphonia are examples of true genius when it comes to the graphics IMO, and I think they are just getting better! RPGs tend to be so beautiful to look at, and this is coming from someone who doesn't care all that much about flashy graphical presentations. Tales of Symphonia featured an incredible cel-shaded/anime-style graphics engine that really allowed you to see what the characters felt when they felt it. Baten Kaitos has absolutely GORGEOUS environments, some of the most breath taking that I've really ever seen. The Final Fantasies have always featured excellently designed characters and very well detailed environments, and Crystal Chronicles is a great example of that! The four different races are very unique and great looking, and who can possibly forget just how beautiful the water looked in that game? RPGs tend to have very nice looking graphical presentations, and I think that's highly unarguable!
These are the six main reasons why I feel the RPG is most worth that $49.99 purchase. But that DOESN'T mean I don't feel other games from other genres aren't worth that kind of purchase either! Games like Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4, and some others are also very much worth that $49.99 purchase. But in all honesty, more often than not, I think the RPG in general is the only genre most of the time that is worth the money. I mean who doesn't think that $50 is a lot of money? I like to think I get what I pay for. So when I spend $50 on a brand new game, I'd like to know that I'm getting a game that I will be playing more than once, have constant fun with, and be able to be satisfied when I finally feel like I can go away from it for an indefinite period of time!
Now I'm not saying that all games aren't worth that $49.99 purchase, but it seems more and more nowadays, they just aren't.
Based on what I've seen and read online lately, replay value and gameplay seem to be the most influential when it comes to thinking of a game being of true quality. Replay value allows you to play through a game more than once, and even just continuing to play a game just to beat it once. Gameplay is obviously how the game controls and feels throughout the entire experience. If a game feels like it has shoddy controls, it normally doesn't tend to become very popular.
So having said those things, are RPGs generally the only genre nowadays that are truly worth that $49.99 purchase? Below are some of the main reasons why I actually feel that way.
Gaming Apathy - It seems like more often than not, this generation and last generation, that most gamers just don't seem to want to play through a game more than once. This could be because that kind of fun factor just really isn't there, or that the experience just really isn't worth going through more than once.
In RPGs, I find that to be totally untrue. Many of the great RPGs this generation feature truly epic stories and a plethora of fun and exciting sidequests. It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to get everything done in a RPG that it has to offer your first time through, and the story is always great to experience more than once. Even just like a great book that you may have read through multiple times, RPGs have stories that will make you want to go through them more than once!
Musical Compositions - I think a lot of people would find it tough to argue that RPGs have some of the best music featured in them than any other genre. Simply because of this, gamers pretty much KNOW that if they buy a RPG nowadays, they are going to hear some music that will really draw them into the whole experience and atmosphere. Music sets the tone for a game, and RPGs, IMO, do the best job of creating an atmosphere of true human emotion and expression. Now I'm not saying that other genres don't have great music, because they do, but I just feel RPGs do the best in showcasing what music in gaming just is all about!
Strategy In Battle - Now I definitely know this one to be true. I think a gamer would find it very difficult to find another game or genre other than the RPG in which you can truly have fun experimenting with different strategies and ways of doing battle in the actual game itself. Most other genres that feature any kind of battling normally warrant the same tactics from the person that plays it since the default way of fighting normally tends to work out. I know this doesn't hold true for every single game in every single genre, but I think RPGs do the best in causing our minds to think in ways we normally wouldn't, especially with considering how we should handle our party in any specific battle sequence. They all promote teamwork, they all promote strategy, and they all promote quick thinking and being on your toes!
Replay Value - I think this is the biggest issue to think about when it comes to considering that RPGs are generally the genre worthy of that $49.99 purchase. While this feature has been improving in all the other genres, I truly believe that replay value has always been a huge part of what the RPG is all about. The epic stories are something all RPG lovers just can't wait to experience more than once. The battling is something that more often than not is enjoyable for gamers to immerse themselves in. Sidequests have always been an integral part of RPGs, and lately have been doing a better and better job of being connected to the actual story, and they are something that aren't easy to complete 100%! It just seems like many games this generation just haven't lasted that long, and us gamers don't feel motivated enough to go through them more than once. That could obviously be just how I feel about things, but I feel and always have felt that RPGs have held the strongest hold on the replay value feature.
You Can Connect With The Game - Now what I mean by this, is that I feel the RPG gives gamers the best chance of connecting personally with the actual game and not many others offer that kind of opportunity. Each character in a RPG is given a unique personality and unique traits that can allow us to relate to them, even though the era in which the plot is set may not be entirely related to the era that we're living in. I mean come to think of it, when has any RPG been set in an era that was related to the one that we live in? I really couldn't think of one, could you? But even so, the humanistic realism is becoming more and more apparent in the characters in your party in our RPGs so I can't help but think you can connect with them better than any other game!
Beautiful Presentation - I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I think the graphical presentations in our RPGs as of late have been truly impressive and then some! Baten Kaitos and Tales of Symphonia are examples of true genius when it comes to the graphics IMO, and I think they are just getting better! RPGs tend to be so beautiful to look at, and this is coming from someone who doesn't care all that much about flashy graphical presentations. Tales of Symphonia featured an incredible cel-shaded/anime-style graphics engine that really allowed you to see what the characters felt when they felt it. Baten Kaitos has absolutely GORGEOUS environments, some of the most breath taking that I've really ever seen. The Final Fantasies have always featured excellently designed characters and very well detailed environments, and Crystal Chronicles is a great example of that! The four different races are very unique and great looking, and who can possibly forget just how beautiful the water looked in that game? RPGs tend to have very nice looking graphical presentations, and I think that's highly unarguable!
These are the six main reasons why I feel the RPG is most worth that $49.99 purchase. But that DOESN'T mean I don't feel other games from other genres aren't worth that kind of purchase either! Games like Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4, and some others are also very much worth that $49.99 purchase. But in all honesty, more often than not, I think the RPG in general is the only genre most of the time that is worth the money. I mean who doesn't think that $50 is a lot of money? I like to think I get what I pay for. So when I spend $50 on a brand new game, I'd like to know that I'm getting a game that I will be playing more than once, have constant fun with, and be able to be satisfied when I finally feel like I can go away from it for an indefinite period of time!
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