2008 Woodie Awards
Gaming Evolution
Examining the shooter RPG genre
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Life & Leisure
Shooters and role playing games are two very different, if not polar opposite, genres in electronic media. They each require considerably different skills to play, thusly attracting drastically different audiences. Shooters, from "Wolfenstein 3D" to "Gears of War," have provided players with fast-paced action that requires precision, quick-thinking and "twitch" skills (hand-eye coordination, twitchy fingers).
RPGs, however, move at a slower pace, especially if turn-based, requiring long-term tactical planning and a love (or tolerance) of number crunching.
It seems dubious that the two genres could be combined into a enjoyable game, but Raven Software developers did just that in 1993 with "Shadwowcaster" only a year after the first First Person Shooter ("Wolfenstein 3D") was released. It was the first fantasy game played in a first-person perspective that was not a hack-and-slash. However, the game that really put shooter RPGs on the map was 1994's "System Shock," a slick cyberpunk tale that had equal parts stats management and gunplay. These early games, while groundbreaking, did not sell terribly well as they were overshadowed by more traditional shooters and RPGs. It was not until 2000 that shooter RPGs became popular, and thusly commercially viable, with "Deus Ex," another cyberpunk-inspired adventure that set itself apart from its predecessors with a emphasis on dialogue and branching storylines.
Introducing choice into shooters was novel at the time, as most titles in the genre tended to be fairly linear. That is probably shooter RPGs most significant impact on the industry, as today many shooters, even those who have no other RPG elements, still strive to provide the player with some semblance of choice… even if it was as simple as yes-or-no questions to drive the plot. Complex inventory systems, character and weapon customization were also made mainstream by shooter RPGs. Moreover, all these RPG concepts were being introduced to a whole new audience. While "Final Fantasy VII" is credited with making RPGs mainstream, it was shooter RPGs that made the genre cool.
RPGs, however, move at a slower pace, especially if turn-based, requiring long-term tactical planning and a love (or tolerance) of number crunching.
It seems dubious that the two genres could be combined into a enjoyable game, but Raven Software developers did just that in 1993 with "Shadwowcaster" only a year after the first First Person Shooter ("Wolfenstein 3D") was released. It was the first fantasy game played in a first-person perspective that was not a hack-and-slash. However, the game that really put shooter RPGs on the map was 1994's "System Shock," a slick cyberpunk tale that had equal parts stats management and gunplay. These early games, while groundbreaking, did not sell terribly well as they were overshadowed by more traditional shooters and RPGs. It was not until 2000 that shooter RPGs became popular, and thusly commercially viable, with "Deus Ex," another cyberpunk-inspired adventure that set itself apart from its predecessors with a emphasis on dialogue and branching storylines.
Introducing choice into shooters was novel at the time, as most titles in the genre tended to be fairly linear. That is probably shooter RPGs most significant impact on the industry, as today many shooters, even those who have no other RPG elements, still strive to provide the player with some semblance of choice… even if it was as simple as yes-or-no questions to drive the plot. Complex inventory systems, character and weapon customization were also made mainstream by shooter RPGs. Moreover, all these RPG concepts were being introduced to a whole new audience. While "Final Fantasy VII" is credited with making RPGs mainstream, it was shooter RPGs that made the genre cool.
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