What's an RPG?

This seemingly benign question has spawned countless discussions and debates - and even more flame wars. RPG stands for "role playing game"; while everyone agrees on what a "game" is, the definition of "role playing" varies widely from person to person. Some believe that anything with the vaguest semblance of a plot is an "interactive movie," not an RPG. Other folks will allow a basic plot - as long as it's not too complex and it doesn't interfere with the characters' total freedom. Marketing wizards would like you to believe that their latest shoot-em-up contains "RPG elements" - also known as "numbers." And some curmudgeonly loners say "Bah, humbug!" to any RPG using technology more advanced than a pen and paper.

But even this cursory introductory paragraph doesn't begin to scratch the surface of the question: What is an RPG? This feature will take the easy way out. For our purposes, an RPG is any game released for a console system that is generally considered to be an RPG. PC RPGs come from an entirely different (and equally rich) tradition and would merit their own in-depth exploration; by limiting ourselves to only console titles, the task becomes merely insane, instead of impossible. Even console RPGs vary widely in style and execution, and cross-genre pollination has only muddied the waters further. For example, River City Ransom offers as much skill customization, character enhancement, and even plot as many early NES RPGs! But the "generally considered" rule says that it isn't an RPG - just a great beat-em-up. Most titles covered will have been released in the US.

While every effort has been made to be comprehensive, even this limited definition encompasses more titles than the human mind can fathom, so extremely obscure titles may have gotten short shrift. If your favorite game is nowhere to be found, don't get mad - get writing! Comments and concerns are welcome and encouraged; omissions and oversights will hopefully be corrected at some future date.

Thanks to Allan Milligan and Gabe Williamson for teaching me a thing or six about obscure Duo titles; Janice Ta for tolerating my gaming habit; all the folks crazy enough to author FAQs and walk-through for 40-hour games; and RPG fans everywhere.

Now, let's hop in the Wayback Machine and travel to when it all began....

The First Console RPG

What was the first console RPG? Accounts vary, but most fingers point to Enix's Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior in the US) as the culprit. More on that game - and it's history - in a bit. Some see the Atari 2600's Adventure as a proto-action RPG; you collected items and ran through mazes while avoiding opponents. The medieval "setting" (hey, it was atmospheric in its day) and "quest" nature of the gameplay make for a compelling argument. Joe Fielder, however, has a different story to tell:

By my reckoning, Dragon Stomper (also known as Excalibur) is the first RPG for the console systems. It used the Starpath Supercharger add-on (which added RAM and a small OS to the Atari 2600 and allowed you to load games off cassette tapes so they could be multipart) to boost it beyond other VCS games. It had gold, random monster encounters, and a huge old dragon to smack down at the end. I remember it actually being a decent-sized challenge to beat back then (maybe at least compared with Adventure).

A devoted gamer could make a decent case for either of these Atari titles founding the RPG genre; nevertheless, there's no denying that Dragon Quest was the primary catalyst for the Japanese console RPG industry. And Japan is where the vast majority of console RPGs come from, to this day. Influenced by the popular PC RPGs of the day (most notably Ultima), both Excalibur and Dragon Quest "stripped down" the statistics while keeping features that can be found even in today's most technologically advanced titles. An RPG just wouldn't be complete, in many gamers' eyes, without a medieval setting, hit points, random enemy encounters, and endless supplies of gold.

The Future of Console RPGs

The console RPG has finally come into its own as a genre. Once relegated to back shelves at gaming retailers around the nation, the RPG now proudly stands in the front window, enticing passersby with its box artwork and lofty promises.

But as the RPG genre becomes more mainstream (and as gaming technology evolves to new levels), the familiar genre is undergoing many changes - some cosmetic, some drastic. What does the future hold for RPGs and RPG enthusiasts?

RPGs are becoming more and more cinematic. The genre has always been heralded for its storytelling skills, but now plot is becoming fused with graphics and presentation in a way that make the two nigh inseparable. Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Parasite Eve, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Lunar: Silver Star Story, and Jade Cocoon all intersperse beautiful full motion video or anime sequences throughout the game. Far from being mere eye candy (although much of it is beautiful), the sequences are integral to the story and game. Many titles also offer full or partial voice acting. Importantly, all of the preceding titles except for Lunar: Silver Star Story (an upgrade of a Sega CD title) and Final Fantasy VII (nearly two years old) use consistently modeled characters in gameplay, battle sequences, and video. Most also use the in-game engine for many of the plot sequences. As the presentation of RPGs becomes more and more detailed, coherency and consistency of design - whether realistic, anime styled, or something else entirely - are important.

RPGs are incorporating more adventure-game elements, and adventure games are adopting features previously only found in RPGs. Much of a traditional RPG's "baggage" - invisible enemies, carefully graduated weapon lists, even turn-based battle systems - make far less sense today, given the increased power of gaming machines. As RPG designers remove the parts that "don't make sense," their titles end up becoming something akin to combat- and plot-heavy adventure games. Meanwhile, adventure games improve their storylines and ways to interact with NPCs and opponents. The poster child for this fusion movement would be Sega's Shen Mue. Described by creator Yu Suzuki as a "FREE" game (Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment), the title is most similar to an RPG, with hundreds of NPCs, a fully realized world, and a detailed, twisting storyline. While the two genres may never completely merge, each can be expected to ape elements from the other for a while yet.

One look at Pokemon's sales data will tell you that monster-breeding functions are here to stay. Some games use it as a cheap gimmick and bullet on a sales sheet; other titles fully integrate it into the game. In either case, keep your PocketStations locked and loaded - the virtual-creature deluge has not yet begun to fight.

Of course, there's always room for a good old-fashioned RPG quest (bad old-fashioned RPG quests are welcome to stay undesigned and unpublished). GameArts has two obliging classics on the way: Lunar: Silver Star Story and Grandia. Other publishers will be happy to oblige gamers who just can't get enough of peppy 15-year-old protagonists.

But when all's said and done, console RPGs will continue doing what they've done since King Lorik XVI of Alefgard issued his first decree: telling stories and creating worlds. And RPGs will continue to define the limits and push the boundaries of interactive storytelling for years to come. I'd bet my Masamune on it.