Do you dislike JRPGs? (Flamewars unwelcome)

[RaikuFA]

I would personally say it's the turn-based combat that puts me off. You'll spend more time thinking outside of the moment rather then in it similar to actual combat and such. If that changes to something more tolerable then crunching numbers while on a timer then I'll take a look.

Now, I'm not asking for full on Mass Effect style but it's a good canidate on what I'm looking for. You know, beat'em ups, shoot'em ups, tactical action games, etc that rely on ability stats and skill on how the player utilizes them.

I just said it, Shin Megami tensei. Its extremly easy to learn to play(5 minutes tops, just for basic controls and negotiating wth demons) but hard to master(buffs and debuffs are your best friend in this series)

 

[Kahunaburger]

I would personally say it's the turn-based combat that puts me off. You'll spend more time thinking outside of the moment rather then in it similar to actual combat and such. If that changes to something more tolerable then crunching numbers while on a timer then I'll take a look.

Now, I'm not asking for full on Mass Effect style but it's a good canidate on what I'm looking for. You know, beat'em ups, shoot'em ups, tactical action games, etc that rely on ability stats and skill on how the player utilizes them.

Japan has a lot of ARPGs you might like - a Ys game just came out on steam, and there's always the souls series.

 

[Eddie the head]

Theres also The World Ends With You, which Yahtzee himself loved.

I would't go that far there is a difference between saying yeah you might like it. And I loved it. Just saying.

 

[RaikuFA]

Theres also The World Ends With You, which Yahtzee himself loved.

I would't go that far there is a difference between saying yeah you might like it. And I loved it. Just saying.

I loved it too, the last Square game I bought and enjoyed. And a must have for every DS/JRPG player.

 

[Eddie the head]

Theres also The World Ends With You, which Yahtzee himself loved.

I would't go that far there is a difference between saying yeah you might like it. And I loved it. Just saying.

I loved it too, the last Square game I bought and enjoyed. And a must have for every DS/JRPG player.

I didn't play it, I was trying to say..... You know what never mind.

 

[NiPah]

Unlike say - fighting games, FPS games, hack 'n slash games or pretty much any other game ever made...

I don like fighting games that much either, though FPS has changed more then JRPGs in the last 15 years.

They went from non-linear, health pack, 10 weapon games to linear regen health and 2 wepon games.

The change want for the better but it was more change then JRPGs have had.

I can't help but think you're over simplifying those several different types of JRPGs, sure there are action JRPGs, SJRPGs, and turn based JRPGs... But those are extremely varied even within the last several years:

Spoiler

And it's not just pretty graphics that changed, these games have become extremely epic in their scale and details. In one game you can plant farms and build your own home up, later settling down with a wife and havign a child. In another, the game has spread across multiple generations with the choices you make having true repercussions for the ending. Sure they were experimenting with these ideas back in 1997, just as they were with any other genre, but they have been refined and added upon over the years to make amazing games.

 

[LilithSlave]

Wheres that Citizen Kane clapping gif? We need it here.

I've seen that meme around quite a few places. And I'm not sure whether to feel flattered and shut up as to not ruin the moment of praise. And being given one of the most emotionally striking claps in history.

Or, given that I've seen Citizen Kane, worry what I have done wrong as to be bestowed upon one of the most awkward claps in history. And compared to horrifyingly terrible Opera singer. Who tries desperately, but cannot succeed in her desired field.

I'm hoping for the former. And you have my thanks if you actually read all that and felt that way.

 

[Rol3x]

Megaten looks very interesting to me, I dont own a DS or any other portable gaming device so ill get a PC based game and get stuck in, thanks very much

 

[RaikuFA]

Megaten looks very interesting to me, I dont own a DS or any other portable gaming device so ill get a PC based game and get stuck in, thanks very much

Sadly, theres only the MMO. Its not bad and its free, but not one I'd reccomend to start with. If you have a PS3, Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 is heading to the PS2 Classics on the PSN.

If you have Steam, there's Breath of Death 7 and Cthulu Saves the World, very cheap and funny.

Wheres that Citizen Kane clapping gif? We need it here.

I've seen that meme around quite a few places. And I'm not sure whether to feel flattered and shut up as to not ruin the moment of praise. And being given one of the most emotionally striking claps in history.

Or, given that I've seen Citizen Kane, worry what I have done wrong as to be bestowed upon one of the most awkward claps in history. And compared to horrifyingly terrible Opera singer. Who tries desperately, but cannot succeed in her desired field.

I'm hoping for the former. And you have my thanks if you actually read all that and felt that way.

It is the former.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

Jrpgs as a genre cast a massive umbrella under which the subcategories can barely be reasonably called the same genres. You can't really draw any more reasonable comparisons between Kingdom Hearts and FFT then you can between Halo and Chess.

Jrpg genres;

jrpg traditional (strategy based, open world exploration, in other words an Ultima clone.)

srpg ( a turn based strategy game)

arpg (action game)

jmmo (same as mmo)

Zelda/ Ys clone

Japanese role playing game (doesn't exist outside of tabletop as far as I'm aware)

SO WHY DO JRPGS SUCK? Bear with me lol, I'm gonna have to make some generalizations here.

Text, cutscenes, padding. Jrpgs are a massive waste of time, in the time it takes for KH2 or Persona 4 to become challenging I could have played several dozen Fighting game matches, over a dozen FPS matches, a handful of RTS matches and quite a few attempts to improve my high score in any given arcade or pinball game. But their faults on a purely mechanical level...

Grinding. It sucks and ruins game balance and pacing. Games with high complexity and skill ceiling don't rely on grinding.

Dice roll. Good games that people take seriously will keep random chance elements to a minimum. Contrast Mario party, Kart or smash with items turned on.

Weak tactics elements. I'm not an expert but the local authority on TBS had a pretty poor opinion of these games. I can see why, comparing FE to Civ is a joke even just on the surface level. And I doubt many people who can beat disgaea are on par with even diamond lvl SCers.

Weak action elements. Several exceptions in this category.

12 yr olds w/ huge tits.

Demon's Souls is a good game sure, but who wants to PVP with a maxed out asshole. And is the leader-board literally consistent of ppl spending 100 hrs grinding, lol. I'd rather play a game where I have a relatively equal chance to win against my opposition, or a game with a good scoring system to compliment the challenging mechanics.

 

[Skoldpadda]

I love JRPG's, but I realized something yesterday, when I started playing Blue Dragon: you kinda have to approach them with a sense of irony. It's the only way to overcome the density of exaggerated emotions and weird otherworldly symbology.

I'm from Europe, JRPG's are from Japan. There's a difference in culture. I've heard that in the original Japanese, the whole Necron-thing in FF9, to give an example, didn't come out of nowhere at all. It made thematic sense, but this was lost in translation and went over our heads. And I've also heard that this strange phenomenon of always having giant wasps as early enemies, has to do with the fact that Japan has some pretty fucking giant wasps. They're the equivalent of the WRPG's rats. I find this interesting, and as long as it stays interesting and there's some depth to the gameplay, I'm not going to dismiss this entire genre because of some overly emo characters.

I started out frowning over the early sequences of Blue Dragon. None of it made any sense and Shu, the main character, was annoying, spouting "I won't give up!" the whole damn time. I got close to being done with the game, when the characters were thrown out of an airship, falling towards the ocean, and then Shu yelled "GAAAHHH I WON'T GIVE UP!", and they just flew back up to the airship. Shu exclaimed that he knew why this happened: "It's because I said I won't give up!"
It was too ridiculous even for my taste.
But then something happened.
The characters escaped in a smaller flying contraption, and crashed it. When the machine was nosedown in the sand, all three were jammed into each other in the front of the cockpit. The machine lay still, smoke coming out, and Shu, buried under his two companions, stammered: "I won't...give...up!" I smiled, and proceeded to enjoy the game.

These games often don't take themselves nearly as serious as they appear to do, but you have to be willing to see it.

They're different. Most people don't like things that are different.

 

[TorqueConverter]

I do not dislike JRPGs as I have not played any of them, but everything I have seen makes me rage at the screen. Why in the fuck are these people named shit like Cloud and Lightning? What fuck would they name a pet cat, Bag of Dirt? Why do they dress like clowns?

What is happening!!! Can I blame it on Japan???

I would need some serious convincing to get me into these games. I'm sure they have their merits.

 

[NiPah]

I do not dislike JRPGs as I have not played any of them, but everything I have seen makes me rage at the screen. Why in the fuck are these people named shit like Cloud and Lightning? What fuck would they name a pet cat, Bag of Dirt? Why do they dress like clowns?

What is happening!!! Can I blame it on Japan???

I would need some serious convincing to get me into these games. I'm sure they have their merits.

The funny names from from the Japanese language, given the limited number of hiragana characters used in most names. The name lightning (Inazuma) comes from 4 characters, and is actually a normal (maybe not common) Japanese name. The name dirt bag was most likely Tsuchi, which is actually a normal name. The issue comes when you have to translate but want to include the Japanese pun, which is sometimes handled poorly.

 

[kaioshade]

I absolutely adore JRPGs. All the cliched plots, characters, everything. There is a nice joy i get in them, but i also understand most people consider them stale. My GF constantly says how bland and generic they look and will never understand. But at least she doesn't judge me for playing them.

Recently there has been this large movement of JRPG hate that i cannot fathom. Maybe in a few years we will start seeing articles like "The FPS is dead" or something. Who knows.

Well your viewpoint is a bit demeaning towards non-jrpg lovers. You said "my gf .... AND WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND" Understand what? How amazing the games are compared to everything else in existance? Can't she just...I dunno, not like a genre and be done with it? Just because someone doesn't "get it" like you do, doesn't mean there is a lack of understanding the genre, its just they don't care for it. I know tropes associated with jrpgs and just don't care for them. Simple as that.

I'm seeing a lot of dislike towards wrpgs "lack of main characters", which can be answered simply. You know those extensive character creators that you can make your own character for a more personal experience instead of riding on the coattails of a protagonist you may or may not like so no 2 playthroughs are the same because people like being different because diversity and customization are fun? Think about it for a minute......

You should read what i said more closely.

You quote one part of what my gf said and twisted it for the sake of a counterpoint. Allow me to repeat it:

My GF constantly says how bland and generic they look and will never understand.

These were her words, not mine. She said she will never understand. And As i continued to say, she does not judge for them.

I dont judge anyone. I adore WRPGs and can enjoy them just as much as JRPGs. You do not see articles proclaiming "The WRPG is dead" every other month. Look around other sites. There has been a large influx of articles parroting the ideal that "Japanese development is dead", "Western development is taking over", "Japan needs to be like Western gaming", etc. It is quite frankly, irritating. Let people enjoy what they like without feeling the need to tear it down every chance you get.

 

[Kahunaburger]

I dont judge anyone. I adore WRPGs and can enjoy them just as much as JRPGs. You do not see articles proclaiming "The WRPG is dead" every other month. Look around other sites. There has been a large influx of articles parroting the ideal that "Japanese development is dead", "Western development is taking over", "Japan needs to be like Western gaming", etc. It is quite frankly, irritating. Let people enjoy what they like without feeling the need to tear it down every chance you get.

Whenever anyone declares the JRPG to be dead I always see a [citation needed] at the end of their article. What they're actually saying is that people outside of the JRPG target market don't buy that many JRPGs.