RPG of the year is gonna be very interesting this year

[njiska]

Final Fantasy XII
Kingdom Hearts II
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

3 games and everyone is a contender for best RPG of the year. It's hard to believe it's not even april yet and the world has already seen 3 knock-out contenders.

Can anyone recall the last time we had this kind of competition?

[Neo Rasa]

Dragon Quest VIII made it to the US in 2005. :P

[njiska]

Dragon Quest VIII made it to the US in 2005. :P

Shit you are correct. Doesn't seem like it was that long ago. Either way my point still stands.

[MarkMan]

Dragon Quest VIII should win for 2006 too, it was that good.

Good call njiska !

Looking forward to KH II later this week and FFXII this fall.

[Juganawt]

Landslide victory for Oblivion.

If it isn't the winner, the awards are either fixed, or the voters are idiots.


For a start FFXII Isn't an RPG, it's an interactive movie... Kingdom Hearts might be good but I didn't enjoy the last one, and Dragon Quest was released last year.

Oblivion is simply the best RPG ever crafted, is probably going to be game of the year, and pisses all over the other entries combined.

[Raedon]

you have to remember that to be a winner people have to be able to play your game. This isn't the Academy awards, where a bunch of movies no one saw are up for best picture. You can call Oblivion "innovative" or "best graphics" but the money will go to FF and KH.

1) the install base and fanboy base is over on the PS2, both FF and KH are huge fanboy titles.

2) Oblivion is fun, but not many people can play it at the speeds needed to be fun on the PC and the 360 isn't in as many rooms as the PS2.

If FF is as solid as DW8 then it will win.

[maxlords]

Shadow Hearts: From the New World as well this year, and Grandia III and Tales of Legendia. None of those is likely to win though

[blissfulnoise]

Oblivion will probably win in the American press.

Like it or not, anything that's a departure from the flood of JRPGs is going to stick out like a sore thumb.

Even if Kingdom Hearts II and Final Fantasy XII are absolutely amazing, as I'm sure they will be, they're still following the tried and true JRPG formula.

Oblivion, on the other hand, much like Daggerfall and Morrowind before it, is, in all likelyhood, going to be the only ROLE playing game we'll see this year.

BUT, never count out BioWare. Too Human will likely see a release this year. Also, Neverwinter Nights 2 is set for release. Not to mention games like Blue Dragon, Phantasy Star Universe (depending on how in depth the single player mode REALLY is), and a "grip" of other quality RPGs will see release this year. Let's wait and see how the field plays out.

[Raedon]

You are underestimating the number of JRPG fanboys in the media.

As for Oblivion, the buzz is another MMORPG without the people. Fun but not many will play and even less will bother trying to follow the story line thus never really finishing anything.

The rpg games that come out of Japan have very solid story lines and you finish them not because they are open ended but because you want to see what happens to the characters and how the story will play out. Not many people desscussing the story line of Oblivion or even what an Oblivion gate is. People talking about Oblivion are people who are under 24 hours in and amazed by the graphics and music.

I only played for about 7 hours or so and I've come across books 48 pages long in the game, I didn't read them I just pick pocketed and did a few quests. I never finished Morrowind and I can tell I'll drop this as well. I'm just not interested in an offline MMORPG.

[diskoboy]

Oblivion has my vote, hands down.

I haven't enjoyed an RPG this much since, well.... Daggerfall.

[Daria]

BUT, never count out BioWare. Too Human will likely see a release this year.

"Too Human" is a sci-fi adventure game from the people that did "Eternal Darkness", could be an RPG I suppose but everything I'd read up on it so far has never indicated that it will be. If you were confusing it with Bioware's new sci-fi RPG, then that game's called "Mass Effect."

[sirhansirhan]

Well, counting strategy RPGs, we've got Disgaea 2 coming out this summer, and counting games that may not see a US release, Mother 3 comes out in Japan in less than a month now. Not that I think either one of those will win RPG of the year in any major publication, but one or the other will almost definitely be my RPG of the year.

Hell, I bet I'll like Atelier Iris 2 better than I'll like KH2, FFXII, or Oblivion.

[Cryomancer]

Phantasy Star Universe and Mother 3 should be out this year too.

edit: damn, both were already mentioned. but seriously if it doesn't get too dumbed down thanks to the ps2 version PSU should hopefully rock a lot.

[maxlords]

BUT, never count out BioWare. Too Human will likely see a release this year.

"Too Human" is a sci-fi adventure game from the people that did "Eternal Darkness", could be an RPG I suppose but everything I'd read up on it so far has never indicated that it will be. If you were confusing it with Bioware's new sci-fi RPG, then that game's called "Mass Effect."

Yup, Too Human is from Canadian developer, Silicon Knights

[Neo Rasa]

The rpg games that come out of Japan have very solid story lines and you finish them not because they are open ended but because you want to see what happens to the characters and how the story will play out. Not many people desscussing the story line of Oblivion or even what an Oblivion gate is. People talking about Oblivion are people who are under 24 hours in and amazed by the graphics and music.

I have to totally disagree with this. I'd say that Oblivion has the fastest paced and most well written story in the series so far. It's also constantly involving, creating several points where I couldn't even bring myself to leave the main storyline to do sidequests even though I was perfectly able to (retaking Kvatch is a great example of this). It's taken far less time for the plot to ramp up than in most Japanese RPGs I've played in the past several years outside of the Shadow Hearts games.

[Raedon]

I've been wrong before, it's just mho and nothing else. though I doubt I'm wrong as to the RPG of the year that this thread is about.

When Dec 2006 rolls around few people will remember Oblivion fondly unless everyone buys an Xbox 360 or anyone without a Radeon 9800 pro (with all setting turned down) upgrade their video cards. Not enough people will have a chance to like or dislike Oblivion. How many people/kids out there only have a PS2 this year to play on. I went to rent a movie yesterday and all the posters were KHII nothing about Oblivion anywhere except the new release list.

KHII, FF, and others will really have to suck for Oblivion to win best RPG of 2006. and that is just mho.

[Beavertown]

Final Fantasy XII. Just because Matsuno can do no wrong.

[njiska]

I've been wrong before, it's just mho and nothing else. though I doubt I'm wrong as to the RPG of the year that this thread is about.

When Dec 2006 rolls around few people will remember Oblivion fondly unless everyone buys an Xbox 360 or anyone without a Radeon 9800 pro (with all setting turned down) upgrade their video cards. Not enough people will have a chance to like or dislike Oblivion. How many people/kids out there only have a PS2 this year to play on. I went to rent a movie yesterday and all the posters were KHII nothing about Oblivion anywhere except the new release list.

KHII, FF, and others will really have to suck for Oblivion to win best RPG of 2006. and that is just mho.

While i can't argue your point about the install base i can say this.

Critics, not sales, pick RPG of the year.

Oblivion is a breath of fresh air into the overly crowded JRPG world and that's gonna mean a lot when the time comes.

It's also a throughly gripping experience. In Oblivion you do much more to craft the story then you do in FF where you just simply advance it.

It's also worth noting that this is one of the last major titles released before the summer game drought and 360 is no longer a scarcity.

Truth be told FFXII will probably win it on name alone. All i'm saying is that, Oblivion is a contender and shouldn't be swept under the rug.

[Kid Fenris]

Guys, I think Basic Instinct 2 is pretty much a lock for Best Picture at next year's Oscars.

[Raedon]

Guys, I think Basic Instinct 2 is pretty much a lock for Best Picture at next year's Oscars.

Snakes on a Plane for Best Picture