Western RPGs have fallen, again

[Incognito]

I'm having fun with this comedy of errors and sharing with a niche audience of enthusiasts.

 

[Hace El Oso]

He said good games. While Skald is not complete shit to bury it with the rest of the trash, it's not a very good game if we are being honest. Not worth hyping it up.

Still, if Veilguard shitpost thread and KCD2 drama threads pull bigger numbers than incline indie games like Skald and Battle Brothers, it means something.

We replaced gaming with

I also believe this.

The reaction to the ‘bad news’ about KCD2 is so strong because it’s driven by true surprise, disappointment and betrayal. Completely natural.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I didn't mean anything specific by it. It was a musing. But generally speaking, much like boomer shooters, it would be things that look like they came from the late 90s or early 2000s, yet feature complexity and gameplay mechanics made possible only by several decades of hindsight. Retro scene has been blooming across many genres, as of late.

The “boomer” appellation is so nonsensical here. The 90s was when Xennials and Millennials were growing up.

A boomer rpg would be something like, idk, Gygax’s Dungeons & Dragons? Traveller? The tabletop hobby is basically ruled by a handful of boomer and gen-X games that I find completely unappealing and unrelatable because I’m from a newer generation.

The oldest Gen Xers would have been high-school-aged when Rogue and Wizardry appeared (and almost half were already adults at the very beginning of the '90s), so it might be reasonable to term Rogue-likes and Wizardry-likes 'boomer RPGs' (perhaps Ultima-likes as well), although by this scheme almost half the major CRPG subgenres would be assigned to Gen X, leaving only Open World RPGs and Action RPGs for Millennials (perhaps JRPGs also, assuming a much younger audience on consoles).

• Boomer
  • Rogue-like
  • Wizardry-like
  • Ultima-like
• Gen X
  • Real-Time Blobber
  • Tactical RPG
  • Underworld-like
  • Diablo-like
  • C&CRPG
• Millennial
  • JRPG (younger console audience)
  • Open World RPG
  • Action RPG

Spoiler

Or we could accept that these generational terms don't mean very much.

 

[MerchantKing]

I didn't mean anything specific by it. It was a musing. But generally speaking, much like boomer shooters, it would be things that look like they came from the late 90s or early 2000s, yet feature complexity and gameplay mechanics made possible only by several decades of hindsight. Retro scene has been blooming across many genres, as of late.

The “boomer” appellation is so nonsensical here. The 90s was when Xennials and Millennials were growing up.

A boomer rpg would be something like, idk, Gygax’s Dungeons & Dragons? Traveller? The tabletop hobby is basically ruled by a handful of boomer and gen-X games that I find completely unappealing and unrelatable because I’m from a newer generation.

The oldest Gen Xers would have been high-school-aged when Rogue and Wizardry appeared (and almost half were already adults at the very beginning of the '90s), so it might be reasonable to term Rogue-likes and Wizardry-likes 'boomer RPGs' (perhaps Ultima-likes as well), although by this scheme almost half the major CRPG subgenres would be assigned to Gen X, leaving only Open World RPGs and Action RPGs for Millennials (perhaps JRPGs also, assuming a much younger audience on consoles).

• Boomer
  • Rogue-like
  • Wizardry-like
  • Ultima-like
• Gen X
  • Real-Time Blobber
  • Tactical RPG
  • Underworld-like
  • Diablo-like
  • C&CRPG
• Millennial
  • JRPG (younger console audience)
  • Open World RPG
  • Action RPG

Spoiler

Or we could accept that these generational terms don't mean very much.

Where do rtsrpgs fit into the picture? Millennials?

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

What the fuck is this obsession of putting a label on generations ? You kids are weird.

 

[flabbyjack]

The Codexian scholars agree: All the best modern cRPGs are made by war-traumatized Ukrainians.

Since i know your ADHD ass won't read this without an image, here

 

[Nifft Batuff]

almost half the major CRPG subgenres would be assigned to Gen X, leaving only Open World RPGs and Action RPGs

The first open world games are games like Ultima 6 or 7 (beginning of '90s). The first first-person 3D open world games are those like Elder's Scrolls Arena or Daggerfall (mid of '90s). There were also some implementation of action RPG in arcade machines during the '90s, I think. So these should be associated to Gen X as well.

One could debate that not many innovations happened during the millenial period. Many game genres even disappeared during that time.

 

[Incognito]

I relate to all of these 100%

 

[Mortmal]

I can easily spend the rest of my life playing only stuff that came out between 1995-2015 and have a blast. Not to mention how much greatness lies still undiscovered.

The current-day game industry can burn down to the ground, no exceptions (no, Japan and the rest of Asia ain't immune to cuckoldry and degeneracy either).

believe it or not even the golden age of the 90's had a massive amount of pissed stained stinker games

Sure, there were a lot of bad games too, but there were months with three revolutionary RPGs in a row. I remember a magazine issue where they were reviewing Ultima Underworld, Ultima 7, and Wizardry 7 in the same month. Now, you get one revolutionary game every 5 to 10 years.

 

[Ol' Willy]

The complaining about the lack of good gaems mostly comes from serial consoomers. The type of people who get a gaem, finish it once and then forget about it, maybe replaying it in 5 or 10 years. These people constantly need new gaems to get that dopamine hit from getting something new, and obviously complain about the quality of offerings.

But if you tried to live by this mindset in the 90s you would have been equally disappointed. Sure, 90s didn't have the poz, but there wasn't a shortage of shovelware low-effort garbage

But in 90s you didn't have steam or gog, or torrents, and people in general tended to stick to the good games, spending more time with them, hence the perception that 90s were the golden times when the grass was more greener

Sure, now you also have the phenomena of AAA gaems which in 95% of cases are irredeemable garbage not worth even looking at. But then, in the 90s the place of AAA garbage was occupied with consoletard vomit like zeldas or final fantasy slop which was vomited onto the market literally every year

 

[Skinwalker]

Play Chinese and Japanese games instead

Arknights Endfield is coming soon

Japanese games force me to play as a androgynous teenager with oversized sword saving the world. Even when is about psionics like scarlet nexus. Sorry but rather re play old games.

This. If anyone knows of a good JRPG where the protagonist isn't little boy/girl, androgynous, tranny, or womynz, feel free to let me know.

 

[Nikanuur]

I didn't mean anything specific by it. It was a musing. But generally speaking, much like boomer shooters, it would be things that look like they came from the late 90s or early 2000s, yet feature complexity and gameplay mechanics made possible only by several decades of hindsight. Retro scene has been blooming across many genres, as of late.

The “boomer” appellation is so nonsensical here. The 90s was when Xennials and Millennials were growing up.

A boomer rpg would be something like, idk, Gygax’s Dungeons & Dragons? Traveller? The tabletop hobby is basically ruled by a handful of boomer and gen-X games that I find completely unappealing and unrelatable because I’m from a newer generation.

The oldest Gen Xers would have been high-school-aged when Rogue and Wizardry appeared (and almost half were already adults at the very beginning of the '90s), so it might be reasonable to term Rogue-likes and Wizardry-likes 'boomer RPGs' (perhaps Ultima-likes as well), although by this scheme almost half the major CRPG subgenres would be assigned to Gen X, leaving only Open World RPGs and Action RPGs for Millennials (perhaps JRPGs also, assuming a much younger audience on consoles).

• Boomer
  • Rogue-like
  • Wizardry-like
  • Ultima-like
• Gen X
  • Real-Time Blobber
  • Tactical RPG
  • Underworld-like
  • Diablo-like
  • C&CRPG
• Millennial
  • JRPG (younger console audience)
  • Open World RPG
  • Action RPG

Spoiler

Or we could accept that these generational terms don't mean very much.

Where do rtsrpgs fit into the picture? Millennials?

The category is: Yes!
I like my Heroes of Annihilated Kingdoms like no other, thank you very much!

 

[Lhynn]

troubleshooter

Genuinely one of the best games if not the best game in the tactics genre.

 

[NecroLord]

Play Chinese and Japanese games instead

Arknights Endfield is coming soon

Japanese games force me to play as a androgynous teenager with oversized sword saving the world. Even when is about psionics like scarlet nexus. Sorry but rather re play old games.

This. If anyone knows of a good JRPG where the protagonist isn't little boy/girl, androgynous, tranny, or womynz, feel free to let me know.

Jrpgs never evolved and failed to introduce western or innovative design principles.
It's just childish gameplay and stories mixed with HP and MP bloat, boss fights that go on forever, you name it.
What intelligent person actually plays jrpgs??

 

[Tyranicon]

How is it possible that they've never made a Berserk or Vagabond JRPG?

 

[Renfri]

I have recently played chinese games, and lack of fags and other undesirables is great. Better english translations is something I would welcome too...

 

[Lhynn]

I have recently played chinese games, and lack of fags and other undesirables is great. Better english translations is something I would welcome too...

AI will be taking care of that, its getting better and better at translations nowadays.

 

[Sergio]

Play Chinese and Japanese games instead

Arknights Endfield is coming soon

Japanese games force me to play as a androgynous teenager with oversized sword saving the world. Even when is about psionics like scarlet nexus. Sorry but rather re play old games.

This. If anyone knows of a good JRPG where the protagonist isn't little boy/girl, androgynous, tranny, or womynz, feel free to let me know.

Yakuza series, Lost Judgement, Vagrant Story, NieR Gestalt, Rise of the Third Power, Final Fantasy 16 (can make the case for 4 and 6 too), Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.

 

[Zurbo]

This. If anyone knows of a good JRPG where the protagonist isn't little boy/girl, androgynous, tranny, or womynz, feel free to let me know.

Sengoku Rance

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

almost half the major CRPG subgenres would be assigned to Gen X, leaving only Open World RPGs and Action RPGs

The first open world games are games like Ultima 6 or 7 (beginning of '90s).

The first Open World CRPG was Faery Tale Adventure, developed by one person in seven months in 1986 on a new type of computer released late the previous year (namely the Commodore Amiga):

 

[Lhynn]

Jrpgs never evolved and failed to introduce western or innovative design principles.

I have to agree. Dont want to, since there are good rpgs, but they are, for the most part, old as fuck now (The first few final fantasy, until 5, secret of mana, etc)
I do think Persona games are a stand out, particularly 3 and 4 are very good, and can satisfy tism with numbers and thirst for decent writing too.
But beyond those, the genre is just lacking maturity in general.

Wouldnt say western design principles are doing so hot right now though, almost everything in the west is slop, its all the same unispired shit weve seen countless times before.

The people trailblazing the rpg genre in 2025 are mostly eastern euros, chinks and koreans.

 

[Hydro]

troubleshooter

Genuinely one of the best games if not the best game in the tactics genre.

Weeb’s opinion = discarded

 

[bussinrounds]

2. Be my guest and come up with some other, more proper term. I don't care. I might even like it if it's a good one.

Classic FPS. easy

 

[Odoryuk]

troubleshooter

Genuinely one of the best games if not the best game in the tactics genre.

Weeb’s opinion = discarded

Brigandine fans are actually patricians, didn't you know?

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Jrpgs never evolved and failed to introduce western or innovative design principles

And this was a good thing in retrospective. At least during the pre-indies times when western RPGs self-cancelled to become linear corridor shooters with romances.