I think the big problem with today's gorgeous 3D RPGs is that the gaming industry is trying to make them all fit a certain mold. IMO, they seem to more closely resemble 3D action shooters/fighters than the 2D RPG classics. They have their mind made up of what supposedly makes a "good RPG", and it's not what us old-school gamers are looking for. It's like what happened after Doom became a huge hit: the game industry responded by creating a flood of clones. The same thing happened after Command & Conquer became a hit... and Quake, Fallout, and so on and so forth.
But you can't just transplant a 3D game engine from an action shooter; make the environment, weapons, and setting fantasy-based; then sprinkle in a few poorly-designed 'character development' options and then call it a well-made RPG! Many of the old RPG classics that I remember had a combination of well thought out features that, combined, screamed of excellence in game design. Many had brain-teasing puzzles, a unique atmosphere, in-depth character development options, and a truely compelling story - often with twists in the plot. And I'll even admit this: Some of my favorite games are those whose ending is so moving it made me want to either cry... or shout "Yeah! Take that!" IMHO: There's nothing wrong with a wishy-washy ending - if it's done right and if it's your type of thing. IMO: The only good story is a story with a happy ending. But then, I've been told this is a matter of taste...
Problem is, many Americans are not RPG fans. Statistics show that American gamers generally prefer action and/or simulation games and interest in RPGs is very low here. Personally, I believe this is largely due culture and social attitudes. Most of us Americans tend to be of the instant gratification bent. Most Americans do not see the wisdom of long-term investments and can only see the rewards of short term investment - if any. (Which is another reason why so many of us Americans are in over their heads in massive debt.)
For example, I have a good friend who told me that he never plays RPGs on the console or PC because they take forever to finish. He says he doesn't have the patience or the inclination. However, he is still a big RPG fan and he spends a lot of his time just thinking and planning about playing tabletop (paper & dice) RPGs. He's even invested a small fortune in RPG sourcebooks. All this, despite the fact that his opportunity to play tabletop games is almost nonexistant!
Japan, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. Interest in RPGs remains extremely high there. And from what I've read, their culture tends to see the wisdom of long-term investments. As a result, we see most of the new RPG classics come from Japan (with the Final Fantasy series just being the tip of the iceburg). And this is also why Enterbrain waited until rather recently to publish an English translation of one of their RPG Maker series.
But you can't just transplant a 3D game engine from an action shooter; make the environment, weapons, and setting fantasy-based; then sprinkle in a few poorly-designed 'character development' options and then call it a well-made RPG! Many of the old RPG classics that I remember had a combination of well thought out features that, combined, screamed of excellence in game design. Many had brain-teasing puzzles, a unique atmosphere, in-depth character development options, and a truely compelling story - often with twists in the plot. And I'll even admit this: Some of my favorite games are those whose ending is so moving it made me want to either cry... or shout "Yeah! Take that!" IMHO: There's nothing wrong with a wishy-washy ending - if it's done right and if it's your type of thing. IMO: The only good story is a story with a happy ending. But then, I've been told this is a matter of taste...
Problem is, many Americans are not RPG fans. Statistics show that American gamers generally prefer action and/or simulation games and interest in RPGs is very low here. Personally, I believe this is largely due culture and social attitudes. Most of us Americans tend to be of the instant gratification bent. Most Americans do not see the wisdom of long-term investments and can only see the rewards of short term investment - if any. (Which is another reason why so many of us Americans are in over their heads in massive debt.)
For example, I have a good friend who told me that he never plays RPGs on the console or PC because they take forever to finish. He says he doesn't have the patience or the inclination. However, he is still a big RPG fan and he spends a lot of his time just thinking and planning about playing tabletop (paper & dice) RPGs. He's even invested a small fortune in RPG sourcebooks. All this, despite the fact that his opportunity to play tabletop games is almost nonexistant!
Japan, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. Interest in RPGs remains extremely high there. And from what I've read, their culture tends to see the wisdom of long-term investments. As a result, we see most of the new RPG classics come from Japan (with the Final Fantasy series just being the tip of the iceburg). And this is also why Enterbrain waited until rather recently to publish an English translation of one of their RPG Maker series.