EPTThe main reason I'm writing this particular entry is because I couldn't write more about the actual magic behind playing an RPG. Many times, I find myself going way ahead, not taking the time to actually appreciate some of the spark at certain parts or the soul-riveting cut scenes that unleashes a wave of emotions to the gamer. My explanation for this is, as a reader to my blog series, I'm already assuming you are a video game player to a reasonably psychotic extent, so you can keep up with my pace.
So, what exactly makes an RPG so magical? Is it the culmination of music and plot leading up to a particular battle? Could it be the one plot-twist in a particular story that makes you drop your jaw in awe? For me, each game is different. Sometimes, a game's intro is good enough to set my mood to flow smoothly, at least for a certain duration of the game. For example, Zelda A Link to the Past:
Nostalgic, isn't it?
For one, I loved the initial scene preceding the beginning of this game. Notice the calm mix of colors supplementing the Nintendo-esque intro scenes. This one is purely a matter of personal taste, but Zelda LTTP's intro put me in the spot of the hero about to embark on a perilous journey, thus, enhancing actual game play with empathy for the main character, Link.
Side Note: Notice how it takes approximately 3 seconds for the Nintendo logo to remain before leading into the title screen of the actual game. YES! I love it when the creators respect the fact that it doesn't take me 45 seconds to read a huge game company logo (without the option to jam the B button to skip it entirely!) Perhaps some gamers don't mind the excruciating wait for the duration of the intro. However, I for one, absolutely abhorred waiting for the game to load. On a bad day, I might have felt like this guy:
Not to that extreme, of course, but...
Another dominating factor complementing a game's spark is music; I'm confident that a vast majority of gamers would agree when I say music is a crucial element of not just an RPG game, but games in general. Hell, music makes just about everything special! Browse through teamliquid often, and you may even find occasional music threads dedicated solely to favorite game music. However, the best music (imo) comes from a good RPG; the Final Fantasy series' OSTs comes to mind, especially those orchestral versions!
FFVII Main Theme
FFVII Main Theme Orchestral
*Extra mention: For those of you who actually played FFVII after disc1, this one particularly hits me with a torrent of sadness and nostalgia:
I become overwhelmed at around 3:50
There is so also so much more to an RPG that captivates the soul, but I have a simple mind that cannot articulate them all. I'll be writing more entries after gathering my thoughts a bit more; thank you for reading up to this point!
![[image loading]](http://www.pulse-classics.co.uk/images/Chars/nintendo%20characters.bmp)
My attempt at finding a general RPG characters image. Super Smash Brothers was the closest thing I could find :/
