Blog:Grust's Top 5 Reasons He Loves RPGs

Whether it be Japanese, Action, Western, Tactical or MMO, I love RPGS. As I said before in a previous Blog. I love RPGS so much I needed a separate blog to do this. RPGs are the pinnacle of gaming. While I still love platformers, action/adventure and survival horror, I truly feel like a gaming nerd (on these wikis, being called nerd is a great honor) when it's an RPG. So with that in mind here are the top 5 reasons I love RPGs.

5. Soundtracks: RPGs simply have the best soundtracks in any genre. Could I tell you the names of every song in Fatal Frame, Resident Evil, Mario, Sonic, or Ecco the Dolphin, not really. Can I name songs from RPGs? Aria de Mezzo Carratere, Dancing Mad, Howl of the Departed, Guardando nel Buio, Fight/Battle With Seymour, Melodies of Life, Simple and Clean, Battle on the Big Bridge, The Extreme, and many more. Most of my game soundtracks are music from RPGs. The only franchise I can think of that rivals them is Zelda.

4. Characters: RPGs have very great characters that get fleshed out, relatable and enjoyable. Most of the time I wish some of these characters were real so we'd be buddies or I'd have a cool brother (not that I don't have a cool older brother already), they are well designed with cool outfits for cosplayers and they stick with you long after you beat the game. Most of my all time favorite characters are from RPGs; Sora, Yu Narukami, Locke Cole, Guy Cecil, and Therion.

3. Strategy: A common complaint I've heard about JRPGs is you keep tapping the Attack button to win. To those people, please stop playing Final Fantasy 13 or Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest and play a real RPG. There's more to it in real RPGs, for instance, knowing which enemy to attack, knowing your characters' stats and weakness, knowing which enemy will attack and what attack will hurt the enemy most. One reason I still like Neverwinter (despite its problem that are going on with Avernus) are complex boss fights. I especially love JRPGs that list when which enemy will attack so I can focus my players attention. While platforming may be about reaction, RPGs make you think and formulate and this lets you train your brain.

2. Story: RPGs are definitely the most story based video game genre. Many stories in RPGS are so complex you can't get it any other way, not with television or movies or even books. Some of my all time favorite stories come from RPGs like Kefka becoming a god, Yu Narukami searching for a serial killer, The Heroes of Light journey through multiple dimensions trying to rescue crystals only to be used as pawns for an evil god. Hell I'm really enjoying the story of Octopath Traveler where each character's stories tie into one big conclusion. Both Persona 4 and Grandia 2 had such great stories, I actually felt sad beating them because I enjoyed them so much, I didn't want it to end.

1. Getting Stronger: In any other genre, how often do you get stronger through battle or completing quests. While you can get stronger gear or upgrades in Zelda or Resident Evil 4, it's the equipment that gets stronger, not you. Through battle and quests, your character levels up and gets stat increases or skill perks, that every time I see that I've leveled up, I get a nice big smile. And once I know that an enemy is no match for me, I simply run because they aren't worth my time. Leveling up is the biggest reason why RPGs rock and my number one reason I love RPGs.

Any other reason you can think RPGs are awesome? Let me know in the comments.

