[Jmenschenfresser]

Speaking of RPGs I went down to Software ETC on 34th street. Bought Soulbringer and Icewind Dale for a combined total of 20 bucks. Cheap games are better games.

Playing Soulbringer now. Meh, it's ok being the cheaper of the two. Cost me 5 bucks. Being sprites, the eye candy characters aren't bad. Especially when I decapitate my assailants with a sabre. HAHA.

I've always been of the opinion that combat in RPGs mostly sucks. I can't stand the Final Fantasy style...ultra boring. Diablo is pointless hacking...more akin to the old Gauntlet games. I think I burned up a mouse finishing Ultima Underworld, with all the click, hold, move, unclick, etc. The realtime used in games like Planescape: Torment is a bit better, but it can get frustrating, and once you are toting around 5 or 6 NPCs in your party, a battle with several beasties can become micro-management hell. Some may remember Darklands. A bit like Torment, but slower. Honestly, I must say, one of the better systems, and it may be because of its simplicity, was the original Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo. Reason? Shield, not the sword. There was definitely a give and take feel to it. If you were attacking you were vunerable. Certain shields stopped certain things. The one I am playing now, Soulbringer has a little of that, but the computer handles the defense. It is nothing you can do really. The combat moves rather realistically, but pathfinding in this game is awkward and slow.

Point being...I've never played an RPG where I thought, "ah, this is how all RPG combat should be done."