Features every RPG should have

[Ikano]

Hmm...these are some nice suggestions/etc

Though some of this might be repetitive- Personally speaking for me it's:

1) Be able to pause anywhere -Biggest thing I'm annoyed at at alot of the today's games. It just bothers me that I can't stop the in-game clock thingy if I have to run to the bathroom or something. And also...what's this bull about only being able to pause during battles too?! C'MON! How hard could it be to program 'pause anywhere'?!
And NO! Merely opening the status menu WILL NOT SUFFICE in place of THE PAUSE BUTTON!

2) Have easy access to saving -Although I don't particularly care if one can't save everywhere in the game. It can get annoying if there are so few save points/ or they're so hard to find that if you die you have to go through 2 hours of dungeon crawling again...or something like that

3)Option to skip or fast forward CG scenes/sequences or long dialogues -A few recent games I've picked up they sort of force you to sit there and listen through the dialogue. I want to be able to fast forward or skip through it if I've played it already. Same goes for CG scenes.

4)An involving/interesting plot -This isn't really an issue but hey, what's keeping me from mentioning it eh?

I think everything else doesn't really matter for me...unless you want me to start going into my general hate for tactical games and slight dislike for non turn-based RPGs...but that'd be getting too much into my bias against certain specific things...
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[Son of Liberty]

Let me see...

The availability to save anywhere - Boy, I really can't stand save points any longer. I really wish I can save at anywhere. I know this might not be appropriate, but this is a game after all, right?

the ability to skip movies/cut-scenes - Same reason with fellow members who stated it.

Compelling characters - Since we are playing a game here, the most important aspect of RPGs is characters. I don't mind if the plot is straightforward, but an RPG must have great characterization.

Choices between English and Japanese audio - Not many people are like Capcom or Atlus that can produce English voices that are great. So this choice, for me, is necessary.

I think that's all.

[Yvl]

[Ujitsuna]

Being able to save anywhere makes the game much shorter and easier in my opinion.

[Futch]

It's all up to the player. If you aren't manly enough to say "I'm not gonna save every 5 seconds because I'm not a scary chicken" it's your choice. The game isn't saving itself.

And don't go with the "temptation to save" argument, it's for those weak of gamepad. The possibility should be there, wether you use it or not should be up to the player.
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DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

[Thief]

A game that relies on saving limitations to be difficult is a sign of poor game design.

When I lost against a boss due to poor setup (or, worse, because of main character's being hit by Hama or Mudo spells in SMT titles, for example), I don't exactly appreciate replaying an entire dungeon so that I can experience a longer game.

[retrospect.]

NO RANDOM LAST BOSSES AFTER THE STORYLINE HAS CONCLUDED.

Also, I hate anime cut scenes in video games. Just because I play RPGs doesn't mean I fucking like anime.
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[Futch]