Genre Blurring
Other games feature similar mechanics, but typically belong in other genres. Tactical wargames such as the Steel Panthers series (1995–2006) sometimes combine tactical military combat with RPG-derived unit advancement. Avalon Hill's Squad Leader (2000), a man-to-man wargame utilizing the Soldiers at War engine, has also been compared (unfavorably) to X-COM and Jagged Alliance. Rebelstar (1984) and Laser Squad (1988) were precursors to X-COM created by the same developer, Julian Gollop. They did not, however, feature the (admittedly minor) statistical character development and strategic map of the later series.
Bokosuka Wars (1983), a game regarded as the progenitor of the strategy/simulation RPG genre, is also difficult to clearly define. While often referred to as a strategy/simulation RPG, it is also sometimes referred to as a prototype real-time strategy, an early reverse tower defense game, and an early action role-playing game. Nobunaga's Ambition (1983) and later Koei titles as well as Capcom's Destiny of an Emperor (1989) have blurred the line between a role-playing game, turn-based grand strategy wargame, and simulation video game. Similarly, Kure Software Koubou's Silver Ghost (1988) combined elements of both tactical RPGs and action RPGs, while Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen (1993) blurred the line between a tactical RPG and a real-time strategy. Metal Gear Acid (2004) blurs the line between a stealth game, a genre the Metal Gear series is normally known for, along with tactical role-playing inspired by the likes of Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics, infused with card gameplay found in games like Konami's own Yu-Gi-Oh series. Vagrant Story is a game that combines elements of Action RPG, Adventure and Strategy; with its heavy emphasis on battle preparations, weapon management, upgrading skills, taking turns battling, weakness against certain attributes and traps which form a square shape, like in a tactical turn-based game.
Some PC role-playing games, such as parts of the Ultima series beginning with Ultima III: Exodus (1983); Wizard's Crown (1985) and The Eternal Dagger (1987); Return to Krondor (1998); and the Gold Box games of the late '80s and early '90s (many of which were later ported to Japanese video game systems); also featured a heavy form of tactical combat. More recent examples include Troika Games' The Temple of Elemental Evil (2003), which featured an accurate implementation of the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition ruleset; Knights of the Chalice (2009), which implements the D20 Open Game License; and Pyrrhic Tales: Prelude to Darkness (2002).
Tir-nan-óg (beginning in 1984) is a series of role-playing video games that premiered in Japan on the PC98 and later released for Windows. The latest title in the series is also being released for the PlayStation 2 and PSP. The X-COM series also possesses a strategic layer, complete with strategic map and research tree; and Jagged Alliance 2 features a strategic world map with roving bands of enemies that must be defeated before entering the final sector. Knights in the Nightmare (2009) combines elements of traditional tactical RPGs with bullet hell–style shoot 'em up gameplay. Heroes of Jin Yong (1996), a Taiwanese role-playing game based on the popular historical novels by Jin Yong, featured a number of melee and ranged kung fu skills to train and develop, as well as a grid-based movement system.
Sega's Valkyria Chronicles (2008) blurs the line even further by incorporating tactical RPG gameplay with both real-time strategy and third-person tactical shooter elements, including over-the-shoulder manual aiming and a cover system. This has led to the game being described as "the missing link between Final Fantasy Tactics and Full Spectrum Warrior." Radiant Historia (2010) also blurs the line between traditional RPGs and tactical RPGs. Infinite Space (2009) by Platinum Games is a hybrid of tactical RPG, real-time strategy, and space simulator. The 3rd Birthday (2010), the third game in the Parasite Eve series, features a unique blend of action role-playing game, real-time tactical RPG, survival horror and third-person tactical shooter elements.
Read more about this topic: Tactical Role-playing Game
Famous quotes containing the words genre and/or blurring:
“We ignore thriller writers at our peril. Their genre is the political condition. They massage our dreams and magnify our nightmares. If it is true that we always need enemies, then we will always need writers of fiction to encode our fears and fantasies.”
—Daniel Easterman (b. 1949)
“One can describe a landscape in many different words and sentences, but one would not normally cut up a picture of a landscape and rearrange it in different patterns in order to describe it in different ways. Because a photograph is not composed of discrete units strung out in a linear row of meaningful pieces, we do not understand it by looking at one element after another in a set sequence. The photograph is understood in one act of seeing; it is perceived in a gestalt.”
—Joshua Meyrowitz, U.S. educator, media critic. “The Blurring of Public and Private Behaviors,” No Sense of Place: The Impact of Electronic Media on Social Behavior, Oxford University Press (1985)