Real Talk: How Xenoblade & Monolithsoft Saved the JRPG! - YoVideogames
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Well, more than any catastrophic collapse, it was more that the preferences of the japanese public changed. JRPGs were always, largely, a budget genre of game. There were titans like Square-Enix who would crank out top-of-the-line graphics and cutscenes for maximum specatcle, but for every one of them there were a dozen or more games that used mid-tier graphics engines, and constructed their cutscenes using minimalist graphic novel style cut-outs. It was a genre that didn't really need to sell in the millions to be succeesful, so it happily occupied its niche in the gaming world, and only seemed to die out because the spectacle of the rest of the gaming industry exploded during the PS3/360 era. Contrary to popular opinion, those consoles saw plenty of JRPGs released pretty consistently throughout their life cycles.
While we are seeing fewer console JRPGs these days, I'd argue that has less to do with lack of desire for them, and more to do with how that desire is sated in Japan... namely, mobile games. While gachapon games are, rightly, somewhat stigmatized in the west, Japan has no such stigma on them, and has largely adopted mobile as the future of gaming without issue. For the low-to-mid-tier JRPG makers, making a modest profit off of a console game that sells a couple hundred thousand copies is nice... but it doesn't really compare to making a mobile title for a fraction of the cost, and making about the same amount of profit from a few addicted whales. The risk to reward for console projects has just lost its luster.
As someone who plays JRPGs more than all other genres combined, I'm not really worried, though. Persona 5 *did* sell millions, and more than proved there was a market for both the genre and the aesthetic. There'll always be a company willing to roll the dice on that market, so while the genre may shrink, I don't think it'll ever vanish.
While we are seeing fewer console JRPGs these days, I'd argue that has less to do with lack of desire for them, and more to do with how that desire is sated in Japan... namely, mobile games. While gachapon games are, rightly, somewhat stigmatized in the west, Japan has no such stigma on them, and has largely adopted mobile as the future of gaming without issue. For the low-to-mid-tier JRPG makers, making a modest profit off of a console game that sells a couple hundred thousand copies is nice... but it doesn't really compare to making a mobile title for a fraction of the cost, and making about the same amount of profit from a few addicted whales. The risk to reward for console projects has just lost its luster.
As someone who plays JRPGs more than all other genres combined, I'm not really worried, though. Persona 5 *did* sell millions, and more than proved there was a market for both the genre and the aesthetic. There'll always be a company willing to roll the dice on that market, so while the genre may shrink, I don't think it'll ever vanish.
I'd hesitate to say Xenoblade saved anything. The video game industry doesn't really pay attention to things for being good. The Witcher 3 showed everyone how sidequests in an open world were done yet its contemporaries still used copy and paste sidequests after the Witcher game out.
Its not about what's a quality product but about what sells and what's easy to make. And on this metric I doubt any publisher would be impressed by Xenoblade. Nintendo itself had so little faith in the game that they didn't even bother to release it in the States even AFTER it was already localized. And while Xenoblade was a success it was a modest success, not the absolute game changer the industry demands its titles to be.
Its not about what's a quality product but about what sells and what's easy to make. And on this metric I doubt any publisher would be impressed by Xenoblade. Nintendo itself had so little faith in the game that they didn't even bother to release it in the States even AFTER it was already localized. And while Xenoblade was a success it was a modest success, not the absolute game changer the industry demands its titles to be.
It's funny, I feel like JRPG's have gotten better. I'd rather have a handful of well made, experimental JRPG's then a massive glut of games about a "young adventurer with strong sense of justice who fights an evil empire with his childhood best friend love interest and edgy rival." Taro's games have always been interesting, as have persona and fromsoft.
I didn't want to create a whole new thread for this, but I've played Xenoblade Chronicles over the weekend and have sunk a couple of hours into it. 99% of that has been grinding because the game gives you quests right out the gate that you can't handle.
Which kind of boggles my mind in how this game has gotten so much praise. Your main character returns to his home of Colon 9 with an ally and the combat on the way there is smooth and fairly simple. But once you get to town your ally leaves the party (for now) and you are told to visit the shops and gather the quests around town. These quests are typical MMO-RPG shit. Gather a couple herbs, kill a couple of monsters, and then a quest to kill 1 big monster.
Tracking these quests is thankfully easy which I am greatly thankful for. However venturing out without extra party members quickly reminds me as to why I hated Xenoblade 2. Each monster (even those lower level) have hundreds if not thousands of HP and it becomes a war of barely winning, or losing. There was a basic crab that kicked my ass and it was TWO levels lower than me. Now at this portion of the game there aren't a lot of tools or tricks that you have as a player and this seems unreasonable.
However I went right back to give that monster another try, thinking something must have gone wrong for a level 4 monster to hand my level 6 character his ass, nope nothing wrong. I died even faster, so apparently that's the way the game works. You just get fucked up by shit when you are alone. These are the first fucking quests in the game, I understand giving you quests for later, but the first quests? That's not how games are supposed to work.
Ah, but this is a JRPG and there isn't anything you can't handle if you are willing to grind. So grind I did. Killing monsters 3-4 levels lower than me for both speed and safety to get my character up to level 10. Now my level is twice as much as the level 5 elite monster that the game has asked me to kill so surely I should be able to stand a chance......oh I got one shot. Well alright then, fuck me I guess.
I will say this, the combat here is much more straightforward (for now) than Xenoblade 2. Attacks are clearly labeled, and it isn't hard to kind of figure out the best way to use your attacks. Of course once you get party members I'm sure it gets complex, but at least i am enjoying the combat a bit which is something that I never enjoyed at all in Xenoblade 2. So I can at least give it credit for that. I just don't understand why the Japanese have to make everything so obtuse and a hassle. It's like they can't even find fun in a game if the game doesn't involve work in some fashion.
Which kind of boggles my mind in how this game has gotten so much praise. Your main character returns to his home of Colon 9 with an ally and the combat on the way there is smooth and fairly simple. But once you get to town your ally leaves the party (for now) and you are told to visit the shops and gather the quests around town. These quests are typical MMO-RPG shit. Gather a couple herbs, kill a couple of monsters, and then a quest to kill 1 big monster.
Tracking these quests is thankfully easy which I am greatly thankful for. However venturing out without extra party members quickly reminds me as to why I hated Xenoblade 2. Each monster (even those lower level) have hundreds if not thousands of HP and it becomes a war of barely winning, or losing. There was a basic crab that kicked my ass and it was TWO levels lower than me. Now at this portion of the game there aren't a lot of tools or tricks that you have as a player and this seems unreasonable.
However I went right back to give that monster another try, thinking something must have gone wrong for a level 4 monster to hand my level 6 character his ass, nope nothing wrong. I died even faster, so apparently that's the way the game works. You just get fucked up by shit when you are alone. These are the first fucking quests in the game, I understand giving you quests for later, but the first quests? That's not how games are supposed to work.
Ah, but this is a JRPG and there isn't anything you can't handle if you are willing to grind. So grind I did. Killing monsters 3-4 levels lower than me for both speed and safety to get my character up to level 10. Now my level is twice as much as the level 5 elite monster that the game has asked me to kill so surely I should be able to stand a chance......oh I got one shot. Well alright then, fuck me I guess.
I will say this, the combat here is much more straightforward (for now) than Xenoblade 2. Attacks are clearly labeled, and it isn't hard to kind of figure out the best way to use your attacks. Of course once you get party members I'm sure it gets complex, but at least i am enjoying the combat a bit which is something that I never enjoyed at all in Xenoblade 2. So I can at least give it credit for that. I just don't understand why the Japanese have to make everything so obtuse and a hassle. It's like they can't even find fun in a game if the game doesn't involve work in some fashion.
@CriticalGaming If you wanted to create a whole new thread, I wouldn't have mind. Thanks anyway. And for those that disagree with Simmons, basically all of you, I agree with you. At times (mainly 80%), I only take what Simmons says with a grain of salt. He may have a good amount of insider information from the game industry, but he don't know everything. Similar with Max too, but he knows better. That is mean why I brought up the video. A chance of discussion. I knew most of you would not come close to agreeing with him.
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Yeah but I figured I could bury my critique here and maybe the Nintendo Hardcore wouldn't see it.
I literally did not have any trouble with that, apart from trying to fight a Unique Bunnit as a 2 man party, which was resolved literally 20 seconds later.
Why didn't you wait until you got Reyn back? Having a tank in the party makes it a lot easier than trying to facefuck everything with Shulk alone.
because i have no idea when i would get Reyn back. The game told me to quest after he left the party. So why wouldn't i do what the game told me to do?
