BioWare man: FFXIII is "not an RPG"
SWTOR writer courts controversy.
Final Fantasy XIII is not a true RPG by BioWare's definition, according to Star Wars: The Old Republic writing director Daniel Erickson.
"You can put a 'J' in front of it, but it's not an RPG," Erickson told Strategy Informer, after the site suggested FFXIII had an excellent story but slightly tedious gameplay.
"You don't make any choices, you don't create a character, you don't live your character," Erickson continued. "I don't know what those are - adventure games maybe? But they're not RPGs."
The BioWare man admitted that his comments would be "controversial".
Final Fantasy XIII, which came out on PS3 and Xbox 360 in March, puts players in control of several characters within the worlds of Pulse and Cocoon. Whether or not you think it's an RPG, we thought it was "faultlessly accomplished, gorgeous to behold and, in the long run, thoroughly enjoyable" and awarded it 8/10.
Erickson is currently working on Star Wars: The Old Republic. Yesterday we reported on the game's new Advanced Class system, although BioWare continues to avoid questions about a lot of the MMO bits. SWTOR is due out some time in 2011.