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From Zero To Hero: Jeff Vogel Hates Fantasy RPGs.

Submitted by on February 15, 2007 – 2:00 pm5 Comments

rpg_warrior_rounded.jpgJeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software has finally had it with fantasy RPG’s. It took him a while but he has finally hit the limit and put his finger on exactly why he hates playing them.

His prime complaint with them is that they fundamentally are about starting out weak and learning to be strong. In shooters, you pick up the big gun and you’re taking heads off. In RPGs, you pick up your first stick and have to beat dozens and dozens of rats to death with it. Killing the Nth rat gives you the key to the first door right next to a smart-aleck who could have opened it for you in easily instead of asking you to kill said rats. He complains about that, too.

He does say that he’d probably only play an RPG again for pleasure if it could be done in 10 to 12 hours. I think that’s significant because it seems to fit a new trend from lots of podcasters and commentators who seem to prefer shorter games if they’re well done. That’s not nearly the main thrust of his article, but it jumped out at me.

Via RPGVault at IGN. Image from RPGShop.

  • Cruds

    I don’t like because of the fantasy part. I don’t like shooter too much either specially when the player takes the role of some space-cowboy that kills evil nasty looking aliens. There too many cliches in video game land

    I’ve just realized that the movie Falling Down would make a great RPG, maybe something for Capcom if they still serious about doing more games based on movies.

  • http://www.farbot.com/ Paul

    Falling Down is one of my favorite movies. I’m curious as to what kind of game it could be, though. Does it have enough action to move a good plot along? It really is a dramatic film, focusing on the lives of the main character and the detective more than what they’re doing.

  • DRINKxREDxBULL

    What?

    He complains about how they are all the sme? HE MAKES THEM ALL THE SAME!!

    I have played several of his games (the last being Blades of Avernum), and while the first couple of time its fun, playing a title from him would be like replaying on that I already have.

    Pherhaps he could fix this by making a more innovative game. I like the style of his old-school RPGs, and I would certianly play another one from him if it was wasn’t going to be the same game all over again.

    Who knows, maybe he could have an Xbox Live Arcade hit on his hands.

  • Maxathon

    Yeah, Redbull, I see where you’re coming from. For my part, I have enjoyed Vogel’s games since the first Exile came out for Macintosh, but they’re definitely very similar to each other (and to Fantasoft’s now-defunct Realmz series, for that matter).

    He acknowledges that it’s ridiculous for him to say that he hates the genre that pays his bills, but that doesn’t make it any less ridiculous. I guess he’s kind of in a strange position: having made an obsessive hobby into his livelihood, he’s now tiring of the hobby. However, his games still rock if you like your CRPGs old school. Avernum 4 is totally sweet.

    Maybe he should hire a coder and move on to more of a game design role…?

  • DRINKxREDxBULL

    It really is sad. Exile was the first RPG I ever played. A fried of mine came across some D&D books when we were in 8th grade, and tried playing but it was to complex (for our simple 14 y/o minds), so seeing how an RPG was supposed to work really cool for me.

    There certianly is a lot of nostalgia for me in his games, so for me reading his colum is amost like reading Lucas denounce Star Wars, or Stan Lee hating on the Marvel universe.