Are RPG's an 'acquired taste'?

So, I've been playing through Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga. It's a janky-ass jank game that feels like it's from a small, Northern European studio. It's contrived, it's bizarre, and boy, does it try hard to leave an ugly first impression. And it's a remake of the utterly broken Divinity II: Ego Draconis--a second chance.  

Morrowind was my first open world rpg and i fell in love the first time i played.  People need to learn how to use a quest log.

The two games you've chosen are difficult to get into.

I don't think they're necessarily an acquired taste, look at all the kids who've played Pokemon as one of their first games and ended up sinking hours into it. As I hope my previous example helps prove I also don't think RPGs inherently contain aspects such as overwhelming interfaces, or bad controls, these are just the products of bad design, and elements such as learning curves and game depth in general vary greatly from RPG to RPG. I didn't enjoy Oblivion either but then again I felt rather lost in the game all the time, I didn't enjoy the game world, and I found the combat pretty bad.

I don't recall having to "slog" through any part of Oblivion specifically. I think in many situations it has more to do with patience. RPGs are very different from first-person shooters in that you can't just say "Okay, this button aims, this button shoots, let's go."

I don't think they are. 

I'd say no, but then I'd remember that I hated Earthbound and Final Fantasy VI back when I was first playing JRPGs. Oh, what a fucking idiot I was back then.

RPGs like Oblivion can be a bit hard to get into because of how open it is, I for example didn't play it when I first got it because the amount of freedom hurt my brain.

Situations like yours I like to think of as that condition that hostages can some times fall into where after a long time they start to sympathise with their captors.

Generally speaking, RPGs are a genre of degrees, and while most people here are fully capable of playing Oblivion, whereas I'm sure more than a few would rightfully balk at some of the crazier stuff I've blogged about. To use your example, Divinity II is a really clunky game. I played the demo, and it seems like something I'd purchase for $20. In that game's case, it's less an acquired taste more about "What total jankiness are you willing to ignore for the sake of being able to play another open world RPG before Skyrim comes out?" the problems of that game having more to do with bad design than any sort of complexity. I could understand if someone balked at playing Baldur's Gate, because that game is long, fairly difficult and demands a lot from the player. So I guess my answer is "Yes, but only up to a point"

Can't say they're an acquired taste. They just aren't for everyone. 

" So, I've been playing through Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga. It's a janky-ass jank game that feels like it's from a small, Northern European studio. It's contrived, it's bizarre, and boy, does it try hard to leave an ugly first impression. And it's a remake of the utterly broken Divinity II: Ego Draconis--a second chance. 

Certain RPGs definitely are, moreso than games from other genres I think, but I don't think the entire genre is an acquired taste.

I think that many JRPGs are aquired taste but with there being so many other RPGs out there which can fid audiences (as there's sci fi with Kotor or Mass Effect as well as the huge amount of fantasy RPGs). As there's so many RPGs out there there might be some franchises that could be acquired tastes though best tip if you don't like the game but like the idea of building the character/class/skills & go through the story then go browse around on game sites (ie. here as well as gamerankings to get a good overview of reviews for a game from other sites as some older RPGs are lacking on giantbomb for reviews) then find it's demos or buy it cheap on steam or amazon's new & used section then try it out.

An acquired taste would mean everyone would revile them at first before slowly getting used to them and that certainly isn't the case. You just have to have the right mindset to play RPGs.

Just like every genre, some games are better than others.

Nah, Oblivion got worse and worse the deeper I got into it. By the time I hit the 25 hour mark I was all: "fuck this game".

" Can't say they're an acquired taste. They just aren't for everyone.  "

I don't think it's an acquired taste, more that there's a different barrier to entry for something like Neverwinter Nights when compared with some generic shooter (CoD, MW, MoH, ME2, etc.)

" The two games you've chosen are difficult to get into. "

Well I know that dice rolls always make me hard....

Been playing the Dragon Knight Saga revision since I picked up my pre-order a few days ago. And while I typically couldn't care less about in-game music, the bonus CD makes for some easy listening.

D2:DKS isn't the best looking, but she definitely puts out. Visuals may be a bit last gen, but I've yet to have any problems, e.g., getting stuck in the environment or having it freeze up.

It's not the deepest or most complex rpg you'll every play, but it is fun. There is some humour and the scripting is solid.

Like a lot of games, it can seem barren at times, as in "Where the hell is all the wildlife?" And it would make for a more enjoyable experience if enemy npc's would respawn. Going back to empty dungeons for loot is just plain boring.

Perhaps DKS will inspire me to return to Oblivion. Played it for a few hours once and lost interest as soon as I had to follow some idiot around in the rain. Think I fell asleep.  :-x

Depends entirely on the game. There's a good chance a bunch of people who enjoyed Mass Effect won't like Oblivion, loved the Pokemon games but hate Diablo, all are RPG's yet they are completely different. 

No I don't think so. I think they are just something that require thinking, something people don't want to do now a days.

No, just most of them are crappy. Might I suggest Fallout 3? What a game!

For me RPG were an easily "acquired taste". Obviously, not everyone feels this way. RPG elements are almost inescapable in gaming since many games use basic forms of RPG elements like simply leveling up your character.

I think any genre is an acquired taste, honestly. When I had a lot of free time, I loved RPGs, but now that I don't have that much time, they feel like a chore.

Personally speaking, the same can be said of any genre now. If I'm not ensnared in an hour or so, I probably will not finish that game. Off the top of my head, the last games that I did finish quickly were RDR, Batman: AA and Uncharted 2.

I think this applies to certain games.  Divinity and Two Worlds are definitely ones that spring to mind.  They're fairly mediocre and have their fair share of flaws but are still quite a lot of fun to play once you get into them.

I've also been playing through a few of the Dragon Quest games recently and I think this applies to them as well.  I don't really understand why it has such a massive following in certain countries.. the games are rather basic, stories and characters are rather flat, and they tend to require a huge amount of grinding to progress at certain points.  But there's a certain charm to the simplicity of them, something I think the Final Fantasy series has lost.

The OP should try being a teenager and having Fallout 2 be your first experience with the genre. That shit'll put you right off of RPGs in general.

They're not all the same acquired taste. Mostly, RPGs are for people who prefer taking their time and prefer having the option to grind out of a challenge. More and more people want the ability to basically toggle "easy mode" without literally toggling easy mode, that's why so many other kinds of games now have loot and leveling up, all that shit. People who play RPGs in general are more interested in an experience than in challenging themselves. Look at Demon Souls. Add one little nuance, requiring timing for your hits, and RPG vets are calling it the hardest game in the universe. Its because that's not what most RPGs require. 

Nah, they're not an acquired taste like coffee.  I've never known anyone who took a sip of their first cup of coffee and said this is what I've been searching for all my life.  That can be said of RPGs, though because there are other factors in our personality that shapes us to enjoy RPGs.  A love of narrative, free exploration and visible improvement are among the qualities RPG fans have, I believe.  I came from the paper & pencil world of RPGs before getting into computer RPGs, so I was drawn to the genre early on and terribly disappointed in offerings of the 90's.  It wasn't until I shed some of my preconceptions of what is an RPG that I was able to enjoy the games more.  Plus, advancements in technology helped and I immediately fell for Elder Scrolls: Morrowind which felt like the tabletop games I grew up with. 

I think... yeah they are. I've played many RPGs and I liked most of them but very few I loved...

RPG's aren't an acquired taste, but there are some games in the genre that are more difficult to get into.  For example, you have a lot of people who enjoyed at least one of the Mass Effect games.  But you have plenty of people from that same group who wouldn't be able to get into an Elder Scrolls game.

The problem with oblivion was the horrible animation and broken leveling system. Otherwise it was fine, but those things made it nearly unplayable.

Guys, I loved Oblivion but really couldn't get into Fallout. Yet I despise generic fantasy shit and have a boner for sci-fi.

" @ShadowofIntent: My problem with Morrowind was the dice-rolling disconnect between a physical hit, and a technical miss. Swing an axe at a dude's face and just watch as he doesn't even react or take damage. Stats, in this instance, represent far less of a dynamic element of your character, and more of a world-breaking contrivance that utterly distinguishes the game as a fictional, designed world."

" @floodiastus: So if we're talking a lack of refinement, can you list an RPG that is perfectly refined and ready for mass consumption? I mean, this is my point. "

" @floodiastus: So if we're talking a lack of refinement, can you list an RPG that is perfectly refined and ready for mass consumption? I mean, this is my point. "

" Guys, I loved Oblivion but really couldn't get into Fallout. Yet I despise generic fantasy shit and have a boner for sci-fi.

WHAT DO I DO?

"

" @Ubik: Camera positioning coupled with the reticle (I mean, any third-person RPG with a reticle that dictates camera movement), the lack of control while jumping, the AI and their inability to outsmart player movement (think: jumping on top of a rock to blast melee enemies without retaliation), the incredibly low-grade voice acting coupled with piss-poor facial animations, the slightly-too-long delay on the dragon transformation, etc. etc.

They're all small things, and some of these blemishes are certainly 'charming,' but they do make the game incredibly clunky, janky, and unapproachable. It's like comparing Mass Effect 1's gunplay with Gears of War--the mechanics are all roughly the same, but the level of jank in Mass Effect is overwhelming.

" @project343 said:

" @floodiastus: So if we're talking a lack of refinement, can you list an RPG that is perfectly refined and ready for mass consumption? I mean, this is my point. "

Diablo. "

@floodiastus said:

" @project343 said:

" @floodiastus: So if we're talking a lack of refinement, can you list an RPG that is perfectly refined and ready for mass consumption? I mean, this is my point. "

Mass Effect 2? "

This is the one example I could think of in my own head. And even then, I'd say that Mass Effect 2 swings far more into 'shooter with RPG elements.' 

I don't think they are an acquired taste. Though some RPGs might be, but that doesn't mean the genre is like that.

As someone who grew up on RPGs and consider them my favourite genre I disagree. All those things that you mentioned are just second nature to me now. You should just appreciate the wide diversity of RPGs and not play one expecting the pick-up and play ease of an FPS. I enjoy exploring new systems and mechanics and seeing what the game enables me to do within their boundaries.

Also, forget about trying to min/max your character. Just pick skills/traits .etc that appeal to you and play the game the way you want to play. Don't be afraid of messing up your character.