Role Playing Games (RPG´s)

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Many RPGs tend to be a stagnant pile of generic regurgitation (like most military FPS titles today). In truth, a limited amount of RPG titles have innovated and offer something new. Apparently, developers such as Bioware and Bethesda have re-invigorated the genre, however this is highly debatable. Although by the same token, RPGs can’t seem to claw away from the tropes that generally plague the genre. RPGs try to present themselves as god-like entities, ubiquitous in nature, wrought by what the developers deem an original concept. Few titles are original, and thus this is the sad state of affairs for RPGs. Arguably, Magicka isn’t a wholly original concept, but what has been lacking from titles such as Dragon Age, Fallout New Vegas and Mass Effect is a definitive co-op experience that is fun, engaging and addictive (as well as extremely witty). Magicka embraces all the clichés of RPGs, and is not afraid of its heritage. The game ardently positions itself as a parody, with its ludicrous storyline and somewhat squeaky ‘Swedish’ dialogue. Even as a parody, by simplifying the core elements of the typical isometric RPG (a.k.a Diablo) Magicka becomes an exercise in chaotic tomfoolery. The game was developed by Indie dev team Paradox Interactive who hawker the goods in a nostalgic, yet incredibly satisfying release. The developer consummate the marriage of a “shoot em’ up” with the versatility of an RPG game. Born from this unholy union is a full-fledged multiplayer blood bath, involving hooded midgets in bath robes and magical beam battles that would rival even Dragonball. Magicka’s setting is familiar to most fantasy buffs and draws on this heritage with a perturbed hysterical grin. The game follows the scenario of a magical kingdom und... ... middle of paper ... ...g other mages, someone could be on the offense utilising an amalgamation of arcane, fire and lightning spells, with another in a defensive position utilising water and ice spells, simultaneously casting area affect spells. The options are endless and players can play Magicka however they see fit as there is true no class structure imposed on the player. At the other end of the spectrum, the experience in the single player campaign is lacking, as consequently Magicka is truly a multiplayer game. I still feel that Magicka should be able to stand on its own two feet as a single player experience, as it seems Paradox Interactive were only concerned about its multiplayer component. As a single player game, Magicka becomes unwieldy at times with later boss battles requiring loads of effort, unattainable for the average player without the help of friend on-screen or online.

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