RPGs

[A Black Falcon]

Hmm... that would improve Lost Kingdoms a lot. Since its already action-oriented, I see no reason that it can't be a game where you have no seperate 'battle mode' and you fight the monsters in the map... you already fight them in a piece of the overworld map anyway... and the random factor makes it irritating. They could have at least given some reason why you should fight these battles... as it is there is none because getting experience for your cards seems useless. Anyway, it would be great if they did that. Plenty of great (read: almost all American RPGs) RPGs do it that way...
Oh, and, as I've said before, the best RPG ever is Planescape: Torment, by Black Isle (Fallout, Icewind Dale). Absolutely incredible game... best, most expansive story ever in a game. It has more text to read than any game I have ever seen... and, IMO, that is a good thing because it really gets interesting.
Of course if you want games to be hard and more action-focused, its the wrong game because it really isn't either of those. What it is is just amazingly good.. if you like the style. It is very hard to explain... except to say it even beats out Baldur's Gate, otherwise probably my favorite RPG. Its great story and plot stuff beats out Baldur's Gate's much longer and harder game.

edit: Oh, and I'm only about 5 hours into Lost Kingdoms, and haven't run into barriers like that yet... the rental runs out next Monday, so we'll see how far I get by then. Right now i'm in a level in a mine... after the non-level in the third castle.