LogFAQs > #929756342

Also, before we go deeper down this rabbit hole, it's probably worth clarifying my #1 rule of RPGs:

"I don't give a single shit about the mechanics."

I don't care about complexity of stat interactions or skill bonuses. I don't care about optimal builds or having to specialize a character in specific ways to succeed. I don't care how robust the gameplay is. What I want from an RPG is story, characters, and some form of emotional and/or intellectual fulfillment. The gameplay mechanics are nothing more than the tool used to deliver the narrative.

Bad gameplay can hurt a game (the main reason why I loathe Morrowind as much as I do), but good gameplay blends into the background and allows me to mostly ignore it while I'm busy talking to NPCs and having adventures. On the other hand, a game with a mediocre story (FFXII) or terrible story (FFVIII) is going to turn me off faster than anything, no matter what the gameplay is like.

So if I'm comparing RPGs, I'm never going to put the game with the most robust mechanics ever developed above the game with a great story. Which shapes a lot of how I view games in general.
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"Wall of Text'D!" --- oldskoolplayr76
"POwned again." --- blight family