Game News The Game Awards 2019: Disco Elysium wins everything, Raf Colantonio's Weird West, and other nonsense

[Dr Schultz]

I can't speak for the others, but the first CRPG I've completed was Ultima IV, the last one (before Disco) was Stygian.

I don't believe you, but good effort using Ultima like that lol.

Well... ok...I guess

 

[V_K]

Point is: I can't see how games perceived as full flaged RPGs here around are more faithful adaptations than Disco...

Well, historically, CRPGs have focused on emulating TT combat rather than free-form creativity. So naturally, not all of them would qualify. But some subgenres, like immersive sims and QfG-likes, I'd say come much closer to the ideal of free-from TT gameplay.

 

[TheEntitledOne]

Disco Elysium is a Visual Novel - JRPG hybrid, just like Planescape: Torment.

 

[Dr Schultz]

Point is: I can't see how games perceived as full flaged RPGs here around are more faithful adaptations than Disco...

Well, historically, CRPGs have focused on emulating TT combat rather than free-form creativity. So naturally, not all of them would qualify. But some subgenres, like immersive sims and QfG-likes, I'd say come much closer to the ideal of free-from TT gameplay.

I also agree with that.

If I had to rank CRPGs for their "RPGness" the rank would be:

1) Divinity: Orignal Sin played in co-op (precisely because of the co-op).
2) Immersive Sims
3) Everything else

 

[cvv]

My rule of thumb is - can you develop your character? If so, it's an RPG. Loot, quests or NPC interaction was there in ancient adventure games too but you couldn't improve Guybrush or Indy or Tex. That's why they were adventures.

You can have RPG-lites like nuAssCreed or RPG heavy gaemz like Wizardry. They're all RPGs though.

Now if you ask me what about gaemz Stalker, where you only find and improve your gear, or Darksiders 1 or Sekiro, where you learn new moves, they're not RPGs in my book. Learning new moves was already a thing back in the old metroidvanias and finding new gear was always a thing in shooters.

It's an easy system, you might disagree, you might haet on me but that's all you can do about it.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[huskarls]

disco elysium is a pretty good visual novel, the criticism being so weak it focuses on classification issues understates this

 

[V_K]

Well it's hard to criticize something a game doesn't have. You can't say that Disco has bad combat, because it has none. You can't say that it has bad exploration, because it has none. You can't say that its character development is shallow, because in a game with so little gameplay, you can't design a deep character system. You can't even criticize it for the lack of challenge, because it doesn't have any elements that could be assessed with regard to challenge.
Personally, I also think that it's rather badly written, in terms of style and use of language, but if we judge it in RPG terms that's a rather minor issue compared to the lack of everything else.

 

[Fowyr]

I'd love to know how many users that disqualify Disco Elysium as an RPG have ever played an actual tabletop RPG in their entire life (and I case what RPG this was)... I’m pretty sure this would be a quite amusing poll...

Been here, done that. Both as a player and DM. Session without combat is when DM has a hangover and half of players forgot about game.

 

[Kev Inkline]

I'd love to know how many users that disqualify Disco Elysium as an RPG have ever played an actual tabletop RPG in their entire life (and I case what RPG this was)... I’m pretty sure this would be a quite amusing poll...

Been here, done that. Both as a player and DM. Session without combat is when DM has a hangover and half of players forgot about game.

I've played TT rpgs for nearly 30 years now, these days our most sessions (still with the same group) are very scant with combat and rather often involve skill checks for drug tolerance and speech, or a combination thereof.

That being said, using TT as a measure stick for rpg:ishness of a computer RPG is kind of bad criterium, as not a single one of them would ever qualify as an rpg in that particular sense.

 

[Dr Schultz]

I'd love to know how many users that disqualify Disco Elysium as an RPG have ever played an actual tabletop RPG in their entire life (and I case what RPG this was)... I’m pretty sure this would be a quite amusing poll...

Been here, done that. Both as a player and DM. Session without combat is when DM has a hangover and half of players forgot about game.

I've played TT rpgs for nearly 30 years now, these days our most sessions (still with the same group) are very scant with combat and rather often involve skill checks for drug tolerance and speech, or a combination thereof.

That being said, using TT as a measure stick for rpg:ishness of a computer RPG is kind of bad criterium, as not a single one of them would ever qualify as an rpg in that particular sense.

I also agree with that. Truth to be told, I don't give a damn about genre classification when I judge the quality of a videogame. And I'm also quite elastic in deciding what is worth to play with my limited time. I sure love CRPGs, but also tactical games, action adventures in various form, puzzle games, platformers and beat em ups. This year, for once, I've unexpectedly agreed with the VGA jury: Sekiro is the best game I've played in 2019.

I just find amusing that many users here enjoy bashing Disco Elysium for not being an RPG without any actual experience (or with a very limited experience) of tabletop RPGs...

 

[Dr Schultz]

I'd love to know how many users that disqualify Disco Elysium as an RPG have ever played an actual tabletop RPG in their entire life (and I case what RPG this was)... I’m pretty sure this would be a quite amusing poll...

Been here, done that. Both as a player and DM. Session without combat is when DM has a hangover and half of players forgot about game.

D&D then... quite expected I would say

 

[catfood]

Another nail in the coffin of video games.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

Hey lookit all the fuckin' losers who've never tabletopped in their lives talking idiot shit in this thread! Great job, idiots!

 

[Fenix]

than when Obama won Peace Nobel for doing nothing

Nothing? Pardon me - he started a war.