Sci-Fi RPGs? Where art thou!?

[Marcus]

For those that don't know, my favorite setting in videogames is sci-fi. I'm bringing this up because I feel saddened with the loss of real space operas. When it comes to RPGs, science fiction games seem to always be put on the backburner for more generic and overused Tolkein-esque high fantasy settings with orcs and goblins.

http://www.sharoma.com/frontierverse/im ... res/01.gif[/img]
(frontier: elite 2; currently the only videogame that accurately depicts our universe and planets (you can even see cities from outer space) and it came out in 1993...)

It seems that Japanese developers who produce most of the worlds RPGs have little to no interest in the science fiction genre. Some sci-fi games do pop up (like Xenogears/saga, Phantasy Star, and Star Ocean) but these games in general seem to completely dodge what makes the setting so great (especially Star Ocean 2-3 which completely removed itself from its futuristic aspect within the first 5 minutes and tossed you in another boring fantasy world). Whenever a sci-fi RPG from Japan does pop up, it completely ignores its futuristic aspect, throws a sword in your hand, and tells you to fight the evil orc-like aliens.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7/14 ... hot-08.jpg[/img](omikron: the nomad soul was an excellent but underrated adventure game from the same guys who made farenheit/indigo prophecy)

I have to mainly turn to American/European developers for my sci-fi fix but even then the genre mainly encompasses strategy games (which happen to be very good but not what I really crave) and first person shooters. Space Rangers 2 is an incredibly sci-fi RPG, but that's one game out of a million and who knows when the next will come out.

http://www.ppa.pl/artykuly/pics/sekcje/ ... neath1.jpg[/img]
(beneath a steel sky; one of lucasarts best and it's freeware now!)

The space opera setting in general is as epic as any fantasy tale but developers seem to just blow past it when coming up with a story to write. Space opera's are essentially westerns in outer space (think Cowboy Bebop or Firefly) and they revolve around ideas like adventure, romanticism, and larger-than-life heroes; like taking Roman mythology and mixing it with Philip K. Dick.

http://www.loading-games.com/images/rogue.JPG[/img]
(rogue galaxy is a space pirate game but still seems rooted in fantasy elements...)

I hope there's more interest in sci-fi games generated in the future because it's an excellent, unexplored genre that holds a lot of potential. Rogue Galaxy looks cool but I fear it might fall into the same trap that Star Ocean 3 did and focus more on swords than laser guns.

http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/301/1029419772.jpg[/img]
(battle engine aquila is an underrated war game where you pilot a flying battleship that can transform into a mech)

Anyone else feel the same way about the sci-fi genre? Please discuss.

 

[Grivenger]

Well, fortunately for you, the next FF is gonna be very sci-fi (the most so far in the series, according with Square):
http://www.ff-xiii.net/images/screens/xiii11.jpg[/img]
http://www.ff-xiii.net/images/screens/xiii7.jpg[/img]
http://www.ff-xiii.net/images/screens/xiii6.jpg[/img]
http://www.ff-xiii.net/images/screens/xiii5.jpg[/img]

 

[Skyla Doragono]

Fuckin'a. The database error ate my post, and I forgot most of what I said. DX

I did want to ask what system Rogue Galaxy is for. I've never heard of it until now.

 

[Marcus]

Is that FF13??? It's got flying cars and everything! As long as it can stay away from the "let's head to back to nature!" aspect that ruined Final Fantasy 7 for me (because Midgard was a very dreary and dystopian area and I would have been satisfied if the entire game took place in that one city) I think FF13 will revive the series in my eyes.

 

[Grivenger]

Is that FF13??? It's got flying cars and everything! As long as it can stay away from the "let's head to back to nature!" aspect that ruined Final Fantasy 7 for me (because Midgard was a very dreary and dystopian area and I would have been satisfied if the entire game took place in that one city) I think FF13 will revive the series in my eyes.

FFXIII will without a doubt have nature stuff. However, I doubt the whole world will only have two futuristic towns like FFVII. :P

They said it would be more futuristic than FFVIII, and FFVIII had a lot of modern towns plus the whole extremely futuristic Esthar area.

Not only flying cars, robots, robot wolves, robot airships, etc. Look at the third pic. If that isn't a city or a factory in the skies, it's an awesome, futuristic & huge airship.

P.S: Check the FFXIII's trailer if you haven't yet:
http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?fs=1&id=2649

 

[Marcus]

That was awesome. Hopefully nature will be downplayed because a common cliche in the sci-fi world is that everything natural is good and everything man-made is evil. Isn't it about time for a change? Nature is chaotic and unpredictable which goes completely against man's pension towards law. Why can't there be a story where nature itself is evil?

But yea, FFXIII looks like the freshest atmosphere I've seen in a JRPG.

 

[sandgolem]

Some people enjoy them, but they just plain don't sell well with few exceptions. It's not worth the company's time when they can just make another high/medieval-fantasy game and sell easily twice as many copies unless they're already pumping out a lot of those.

The same happens with sci-fi in most genres of games, though there are a few where they do well. If you want to see more sci-fi rpgs, encourage people to buy them

 

[Marcus]

Half-Life was sort of sci-fi although more modern since humans are still stranded on earth; it was more Orwellian 1984 than Brave New World "advanced technology." Still, I recommend everyone play System Shock 2, Deus Ex, Anachronox, Galactic Civilizations II, and Space Rangers 2. Chances are you probably won't look at videogames the same way when you do as they're really excellent but underrated (except Deus Ex which was pretty popular although it's a lot more cyberpunk than sci-fi).

 

[ryanwh]

You must not be looking that hard cus they're EVERYWHERE. Hello, Mass Effect? Sigma Star Saga? Xenosaga? Wild Arms? I dont need to remind you of the PC catelogue. They're not in short order at all, its a very popular setting but its also very...boring. BECAUSE its a popular setting there are now many standards for it, which make it derivetive and "been there, done that"ish. It doesnt help that every time someone thinks outside the box(septerra core, BOFDQ) the game tanks. So they stick to the rusty bucket dystopia of blade runner/ff7/blah yawny yawn or the sleek cyberpunk mowhawk/goggles(?) future of 80% of all anime. Where's the "if the nazi's won ww2"esc future? The event horizon/solaris future? Or the trippy Metropolis/Brasil/12 Monkeys/Immortel future? It never makes it past post, because people like you want the same rusty bucket with a harrison ford-esc and a rutger hauer-esc and snoor snoor snoor.

 

[Marcus]

I already mentioned pc games as well as Xenosaga and the like, but most TRUE sci-fi pc games died off in the mid 90s and almost every Japanese sci-fi game completely ditches the sci-fi aspect for a more "nature vs. man" approach which I HATE.

And yet generic fantasy stock continues to remain popular after 30 years? Don't get me wrong, I love fantasy and continue to play DnD with my friends, but how can "dragons and demons" settings used by civilizations 1000s of years old remain so popular in entertainment when a space setting which focuses on exploration and discovery be so bland when turned into a videogame?

I just don't think developers are really trying all that hard... which saddens me and causes me to bring up discussions like this. FFXIII looks awesome (and I didn't even know it existed until know) but that's one game out of MANY. Personally, I just wish someone would pop up with a new Star Control or something (although Space Rangers 2 is really filling that spot nicely).

 

[ryanwh]

Seriously, look into Mass Effect. The interactive element should remind you of games you thought they stopped making.
Also, that last line, I think "you" was reffering to team ghostlight. We were gonna start a collab game and they basically ended up wtih a blade runner rip off which pissed me off. Sometimes people talk about how they wanna do something different then they just end up doing the exact same thing someone else did 20 years ago hoping people forgot or something, or that a story premise that rips off a movie is "original" when its in a game, cus its only been in a movie not a game. Oi, those fucking guys sometimes...

 

[Marcus]

Seriously, look into Mass Effect. The interactive element should remind you of games you thought they stopped making.
Also, that last line, I think "you" was reffering to team ghostlight. We were gonna start a collab game and they basically ended up wtih a blade runner rip off which pissed me off. Sometimes people talk about how they wanna do something different then they just end up doing the exact same thing someone else did 20 years ago hoping people forgot or something, or that a story premise that rips off a movie is "original" when its in a game, cus its only been in a movie not a game. Oi, those fucking guys sometimes...

oh, i apologize for being rude then. team ghost light? is that the iron gaia team?

i saw a little bit of mass effect (the new bioware game?) but information on it seems to a bit lacking. the xbox 360 does seem to be carrying some good looking sci-fi games though like mass effect, lost planet, huxley (wherever it is), prey, too human, and gears of war which all seem to have excellent art direction and a unique atmosphere.

i'm currently waiting for contact on the DS which looks pretty sci-fi.

 

[EmuMaster2002]

I feel you, Marcus. I'm still waiting for ANY freeform RPG-like game as great as Freelancer...

The only two things that game lacked was planetory exploration and more massive space battles (Don't get me wrong, the story battles were perfect and intense, but the second-best thing I ever found was attacking New York and the surrounding areas in a light fighter (incidentally, the first time I discovered that was in a Patriot with few armaments.)

Edit: Oh, yeah, and wingmen. I would have liked wingmen too. Y'know, for attacking New York and all.

 

[mnut]

I'm also looking for more Sci-Fi RPGs, I'm starting to be bored with Fantasy settings. Mass Effect seems to be the answer for me, plus it is done by Bioware (which is one my personnal favorite developper). I found the Gameplay Trailer here, it's worth a look like Ryanwh was saying

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/masseffect/video_player.html?id=IXA3xjes5bIJuzA

 

[EmuMaster2002]

Yeah, but... X-Box! Why X-Box?

 

[BlueScope]

Sci-Fi RPGs? Where art thou!?

Where they belong :D

No, seriously... most SciFi-RPGs suck, but there are some good ones...

- Rogue Galaxy (haven't played it yet, hence it isn't released, but it looks absolutely incredible up to this point... maybe it surpasses everything but FF XII :D )
- FF XII ^_^ (semi-SciFi, but still... it has potential from the first sight, but I wait 'til I get my hands on it.
- Xenosaga II (very great, but gets a little boring with the time...)
- MegaTen Nocturne (really really outstanding... the boss battles are way too hard, though, which is the only downpoint, though...)

 

[Tdata]

I love Sci-fi games. In fact i'm trying to make one. But there is a part that is low-tech. Why? Low-tech is easier to produce right now. Plus, not every planet is Hi-Tech...

 

[Marcus]

I love Sci-fi games. In fact i'm trying to make one. But there is a part that is low-tech. Why? Low-tech is easier to produce right now. Plus, not every planet is Hi-Tech...

That wasn't my point. My point was that every sci-fi related story in a Japanese RPG usually has a heavier focus on nature over machine and it's a common stereotype that all things made by man is inherently evil.

They can be a bit more original than that; why can't nature be evil? I had a game that explored this but I have enough projects as it is to worry about something else.

 

[EmuMaster2002]

Well, nature being inherently evil is stretching it a bit, but I do agree that technology being evil is a horrible cliche.

Hmmm... Nature being evil, huh?

 

[Marcus]

Well, nature being inherently evil is stretching it a bit, but I do agree that technology being evil is a horrible cliché.

Hmmm... Nature being evil, huh?

well...

Nature is man's worst enemy; society symbolizes law, order, and unity. Nature represents chaos, freedom, and struggle. Society strives to make life better and more enjoyable, nature does not cushion anything; if you can't live, you die... easy as that.

My game was about man building a perfect society but being preyed on by the highly evolved creatures of nature + rampant natural disasters. The idea was the main character and several prominent figures crash landed in the wilds while traveling to another city and they stumble upon a slaughterhouse where humans are bred and murdered for their meat but instead of being eaten it's left to spoil and create diseases which are spread in the human cities (a mirror-look on how we slaughter animals "for food" even though most meat is wasted in the process). The game was called Slaughter Me Humanely but right now it's on the backburner until I get a scanner because it was going to be a hand-animated adventure game.

wow... got a little off topic in my own topic :D