# \[rant about RPG\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 4, 2004, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029 "2004-12-04T05:43:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phaishazamkhan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@phaishazamkhan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaishazamkhan)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/1 "2004-12-04T05:43:53Z")
This will be fairly tepid for something as grandiosely and notoriously named as “:mad: **The BBQ Pit** :mad:”. LOL @ Peter Molyneux. 10 hours of gameplay in Fable and Knights of the Old Republic did it better with more gameplay. Even funnier, he’s laughing all the way to the bank with the money of the folks who bought Fable simply beause of Molyneux’s name and got screwed by pie-in-the-sky anticipation. Too bad nobody learned Molyneux is a one trick pony after the disaster of Black & White. Ah well, at least only XBox owners were the only fools who parted with their money. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/2 "2004-12-04T06:00:56Z")
Harumph. X-Box is for people who can’t deal with Civ III. My beloved son, the Hair Apparent, known to some of you as **Weird with Words** , is utterly depraved by this black box from Hell! Well, OK, Halo was kinda cool. Halo 2 was all right, sucked up about thirty hours from my ever-diminishing threescore and ten. He should get out more. Volunteer at the library. Go empty bedpans at the leper colony. Get out of the house, its not healthy, sitting there all day hogging the…I mean…well, it’s not healthy. Should be out looking for loose pussy rather than worrying about whether the rocket launcher is more rad than the Brute Plasma Rifle. Kids these days! Two miles, through the snow, uphill both ways, not even one gig on our hard drives! ---
**Author:** ![ShockingAlberto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@ShockingAlberto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShockingAlberto)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/3 "2004-12-04T06:01:48Z")
Well, Molyneux has a tendancy to freak out about amazing new features and insist a game will change the world, but then apologize when he eventually realizes the game has to come out eventually. I forgave it with Black & White, but his absolute arrogance with Fable really turned me off. It’s like he thinks he’s god’s gift to gamers, but always ends up coming back with his tail between his legs. Don’t get me wrong, Fable’s a good game (perhaps not one worth full price), but it’s not the orgasm-on-disc he promised. Maybe I’d do better just to not pay any attention to him and being pleasantly surprised. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/4 "2004-12-04T07:14:14Z")
I’ve never responded to a thread with “lol” in it, I feel dirty. (in a bad way.) In any case, Fable could’ve used, at the very **least** another fifty or so quests. It also could’ve done with a much larger map and more areas, as well as puzzles that weren’t about finding silver keys or such bullshit. The way I look at it, if someone had merged Morrowind with Fable you’d have a game with a great world and story and also fun combat. But as it is, I’m never buying another Pete Mol’ game unless I read a good review at PC Gamer first. I’m selling my copy of Fable ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/5 "2004-12-04T08:13:30Z")
eBay, $1.95. Move fast. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/6 "2004-12-04T08:15:40Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > eBay, $1.95. Move fast. I know some video game stores around here that’ll buy used titles, I should be able to get twenty bucks out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2004, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/7 "2004-12-05T08:12:16Z")
“BBQ Pit” is grandiose? Who knew? Anyway, if you want to compare Fable to a superior RPG, you can do a lot better than the tepid Knights of the Old Republic. Come back after you’ve played some _real_ CRPGs, and then we’ll talk. ---
**Author:** ![phaishazamkhan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@phaishazamkhan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaishazamkhan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/8 "2004-12-07T01:48:29Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > “BBQ Pit” is grandiose? Who knew? > > Anyway, if you want to compare Fable to a superior RPG, you can do a lot better than the tepid Knights of the Old Republic. Come back after you’ve played some _real_ CRPGs, and then we’ll talk. Oh ho, really now! Are you talking about something from the Final Fantasy series? Star Ocean? Perhaps something piquant like Xenosaga? Honey, I’ll rent a movie and play with myself. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/9 "2004-12-07T01:51:36Z")
> [@phaishazamkhan](#): > > Oh ho, really now! Are you talking about something from the Final Fantasy series? Star Ocean? Perhaps something piquant like Xenosaga? Planescape Torment. Fallout I and II. ---
**Author:** ![phaishazamkhan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@phaishazamkhan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phaishazamkhan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/10 "2004-12-07T02:05:50Z")
Pssht, played them. Bought the animated suit of magical armor and the GECK. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/11 "2004-12-07T15:34:27Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Planescape Torment. > Fallout I and II. RIP Black Isle Studios. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/12 "2004-12-07T18:50:32Z")
I poured out a 40 for Boo. May he go for the eyes in hamster heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/13 "2004-12-07T19:32:40Z")
> [@phaishazamkhan](#): > > Oh ho, really now! Are you talking about something from the Final Fantasy series? Star Ocean? Perhaps something piquant like Xenosaga? > > Honey, I’ll rent a movie and play with myself. I said “RPG.” ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/14 "2004-12-07T19:39:23Z")
Give me Earthbound any day. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/15 "2004-12-07T21:18:55Z")
> [@lno](#): > > I poured out a 40 for Boo. May he go for the eyes in hamster heaven. Raaaaaaaask! ---
**Author:** ![ShockingAlberto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@ShockingAlberto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShockingAlberto)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/16 "2004-12-07T21:25:14Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I said “RPG.” Eh, let’s be fair. American RPGs and Japanese RPGs are just subsets of the same genre. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/17 "2004-12-07T21:39:31Z")
> [@ShockingAlberto](#): > > Eh, let’s be fair. American RPGs and Japanese RPGs are just subsets of the same genre. I disagree. I’ve got nothing against console-style “RPGs,” except that they aren’t in any sense RPGs. They’re adventure games with character building. Still lots of fun, though. ---
**Author:** ![badomen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c2a13f/32.png) [@badomen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badomen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/18 "2004-12-07T21:49:35Z")
Morrowind, or Daggerfall or even Arena before that are the RPGs I judge others by. That being said, the lack of depth in Fable was disappointing, but I have to admit, it took me about as long to finish as Half Life 2, and I thought HL2 was quite entertaining. Fable’s problem, it didn’t live up to the promises. Games rarely do. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/19 "2004-12-07T22:22:46Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I disagree. I’ve got nothing against console-style “RPGs,” except that they aren’t in any sense RPGs. They’re adventure games with character building. Still lots of fun, though. i disagree. i’ve got nothing against traditional RPGs, which probably started it all; but i view it like this: \*\*traditional RPG \*\* - an open ended SIM-like play where you take on the role of whatever you want, with an encompassing storyline where _you_ choose your own adventure. \*\*console RPG \*\* - a storybook adventure where you take on the role of the main character, with a linear storyline which you follow through to the end. are they not both role-playing? ---
**Author:** ![ShockingAlberto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@ShockingAlberto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShockingAlberto)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029/20 "2004-12-07T22:47:38Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > i disagree. i’ve got nothing against traditional RPGs, which probably started it all; but i view it like this: > > \*\*traditional RPG \*\* - an open ended SIM-like play where you take on the role of whatever you want, with an encompassing storyline where _you_ choose your own adventure. > > \*\*console RPG \*\* - a storybook adventure where you take on the role of the main character, with a linear storyline which you follow through to the end. > are they not both role-playing? Getting in to the actual words “Role-playing” makes things difficult. It’ll be hard to argue you’re not playing a role in any game. If you want to get really literal, the only real “role-playing games” are create-a-character statfests, from MMOs to Gauntlet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rant-about-rpg/278029.md?page=2)