Gellion said:
I grew up on video game RPGs. I have noticed how a lot you here here often denounce games like the Final Fantasy series. Or just say something is too video-gamey. Well, i into D&D during 3E. So i have not been playing long. And i know my opinion of fantasy settings is influenced by many video games RPGs. The first ever video game RPG i ever played and beat myself was Final Fantasy 9. I am not sure how many of you here have ever played it, but to me, THAT was fantasy. With cities like Alexandria, and Lindblum, or even Treno, the city of the night. Or Terra, and the city of Bran Bal.
As others have stated I'm sure, the derision isn't because it's not fantasy, but because it's more of a story than a game.
Of course many find nothing wrong with stories especially since that's why many of us play these games with paper and dice (and their electronic equivelants).
Sometimes you will hear debate as to what exactly constitutes a role playing game. That's a bit hard to define, but what a lot of 'elitists' look for is the range of choices.
Final Fantasy IX, for example, has an awesome setting and a neat story, but other than the few optional bosses, the story is fairly linear.
To put a better way, in what an elitist may consider an RPG, the player would be able to stop the Queen before she went on her rampage... or fail, depending on his (or her
decisions and the dice...
It's a bit more spontanious than a CRPG, and with a good GM, more tense than even the best of them. When you've invested years into a character, their life being on the line is more moving than any other game out there.
This is doubly true if said years are also invested in hating a set of enemies, and what a triumph can do for your mood
