Oldschool vs. newschool RPGs

[Acsabi44]

So, which one do you prefer?
Which title is your favorite?
And to beign with, which games are oldschool and which ones are newschool?    Discuss.

For me, the oldschool ones are better. For one, they have a better story IMO, and much much more dialouges. I like dialouges since they allow me to discover the story at my own pace. If I like a set of dialouges, I can simply re-read it, or stop and lament over it. The newschool games approach the storytelling from a different angle- they tell the story mostly through videos and cutscenes. I could compare this to reading a book vs. watching a movie.

One more thing I like in older games is that they have a lot of micromanagement in them. You know, the kinda micormanagement where you browse through your +3 sowrds and decide who wields which one, then you decide which spells to memorize before a tough battle. I think this aspect of the game gom much more simplified in newer RPGs, and as a result, winning in battles feel less of an accomplishment. For me, at least.

Now, I don't say that newschool RPGs are bad. I played with a lot of them, and I liked mostly all. I like that there are lots of "moments of awesomeness" in them, mostly due to nice graphics and well-directed cutscenes.

The RPG games I played with:
Oldschool:
- Bard's Tale 1-2
- Eye of the Beholder 1-2
- Baldur's Gate 1-2, all expansions
- Planescape: Torment
- Icewind Dale 2 (sadly I missed the 1st one)
- Thief 2 (is this even an RPG? It felt like one. I have the 3rd as well, but I don't like it)
- Fallout 1&2 (I didn't like them as much as most people do)
- Final Fantasy VII, VIII (yeah JRPGS... they are very different, but I feel that they belong in this category, mostly due to the tons of micromanaging that I enjoy.)
- Neverwinter Nights 1, all official expansions and a few unofficial modules (this is the beginning of the transition IMO.. The game is starting to get simplified with the introduction of one-PC party, but the micromanagement is the same, and the dialouges are immerse)

Newschool:
- KOTOR 1 (this feels like a transition between old&new, but I think that the gameplay is simplified already. Also, I plan to get the second one sometime)
- Deus Ex 1& HR (again, they are a different bunch, but they are action-oriented RPGs without doubt)
- Mass Effect 1 (I intend to grab 2&3 soon)
- Fallout 3& a few DLCs
- Dead Space 1-2 (are they RPGs? They certainly felt like one)


My favorite? Planescape:Torment, with BG2 as a close second. From the newschool bunch, I think I liked ME the most.
Games I like to try sometime? KOTOR2, Icewind Dale1, Pools of Radiance: RoMD, ME 2-3, Fallout: NW, first Dragon Age (I heard the others are crap)

[Jenkar]

Dialogues*
Roguelikes are my favorite rpgs. They're the old old school. Graphic interface is ASCII. Permadeath nearly always. More info here. http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Wait, you like tiny details? You are going to LOVE hydra slayer for your coffee break, and Angband for the long run. (the first one is slaying hydras with JUST the right swords, the second features a very restrictive inventory which you have to manage and is awesome.)

[Acsabi44]

I heard f them, but never tried one. I might as well.
Do they have a decent story? I think it is the story I like the most in these kinda games.

[Jenkar]

Varies very widely. The story is generally a background. There's a VERY deep lore in ADOM, but in most other roguelikes the story is more of a line. Many angband variants have a very strong story, though.Vanilla Angband itself is based on the Tolkien universe, and its monster/item descriptions are quite awesome.Nethack... Has its story, though that's really just a setting.

[Drake_XIV]

I have a tendency to "new" RPGs that have a distinct old feel.  This includes games like Radiant Historia and a variety of DS games from the summer of 2011.

[Shantu]

Ah, them RPGs..

I honestly haven't played many of the new ones, mostly because of my PC not being able to run them too well. But from what I've seen, they are way too simplified and the focus of the game was shifted from the story and dialogue to the graphics and the combat. Despite this I plan trying out Fallout 3 and maybe the Elder Scrolls games.

My favorites are BG, Planescape and Fallout, in no particular order. Icewind Dale was great too, but it was kind of linear. The official campaign in Neverwinter Nights 1 was a joke, but there are awesome mods (like The Prophet) out there that really make the game shine.

I remember when I first entered the Smoldering Corpse bar in Planescape; I really have no words for the feeling. It was just so different to anything I'd ever seen. The music and all the different people you met there really made the bar come alive. It felt as if I was there. And I believe this is what 'newschool' RPGs cannot reproduce.


On a different note, have you heard of Wasteland 2 and Project Eternity? They are both Kickstarter projects that are trying to bring back the real RPGs that we all loved.

[Acsabi44]

On a different note, have you heard of Wasteland 2 and Project Eternity? They are both Kickstarter projects that are trying to bring back the real RPGs that we all loved.

Yeah I heard of PE, cannot wait.

I remember when I first entered the Smoldering Corpse bar in Planescape; I really have no words for the feeling. It was just so different to anything I'd ever seen. The music and all the different people you met there really made the bar come alive. It felt as if I was there. And I believe this is what 'newschool' RPGs cannot reproduce.

My favorite moment in that game is the one when you unlock the bronze sphere and

Spoiler for spoiler:

you discover your true name.

I agree, no game will ever bring back such moments.

But from what I've seen, they are way too simplified and the focus of the game was shifted from the story and dialogue to the graphics and the combat.

True, but there are a few gems. Mass effect, for instance, is a strange breed: It is purely action-oriented (only invenroty-management is the switching and upgrading of weapons of 4 kind: sniper, pistol, shotgun and assault rifle; only "spells" are the ones that help you shoot your opponents better.), while it has a very good storyline and universe, on par with the oldschool RPGs.

I plan trying out Fallout 3

Atmoshpere is great, really, IMO much better than the older 2 games. And the free-play aspect is very nice. But the game is basically an FPS when it comes to confrontation.

[artimies7]

RPG? Pokemon.

Thank you.

[OldTrees]

I have played:
Icewind Dale & Heart of Winter
Icewind Dale II
Baludurs Gate
Baludurs Gate II Shadows of Amn & Throne of Bhaal
Kotor
Planescape: Torment
Dark Kingdoms

I have a stricter definition for RPG than most.
An RPG is a game where the player creates a character* and that character determines^# the outcome of the plots.
*Choosing a character does not count. Being given a character is right out
^#Predetermined endings are movies not RPGs.
Dark Kingdoms: Choose a mechanical character
Icewind Dale: Create mechanical character
Kotor: Create mechanical character and Light/Dark personality
Planescape: Torment: Create a character and influence personality significant subplots. Choice of method of victory but the result of victory is predetermined.
Baludur's Gate: Create a character, influence subplots and choose Good/Evil final ending.

Thus I find Baludur's Gate II Shadows of Amn through Throne of Bhaal to be the only game I plated worthy of the title RPG. In general I have found that the older games are more likely to fulfill these requirements. However there are exceptions like Fallout.