There's actually a template for that kind of shit you know? Not really copying as in using the same company's cash-in design.Cenequus said:
Is Mass Effect an jRPG?
- Thread starter Cenequus
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well let's see...
does it have a shitty story about crazy-haired androgynous tweenagers angsting their way to victory?
does it have combat that smacks your hands away every time you try to touch them?
no?
then it's not a JRPG
does it have a shitty story about crazy-haired androgynous tweenagers angsting their way to victory?
does it have combat that smacks your hands away every time you try to touch them?
no?
then it's not a JRPG
I'm sorry but its not even close to a jrpg, in fact its barely an rpg (the second one that is) But that doesn't mean the game isnt fun.
Since Mass Effect wasn't made in Japan, NO it's not a JRPG. The single most obvious defining characteristic of all JRPGS, without which they could not be JRPGs, is that they are MADE IN JAPAN!! If it's not made in Japan it's not a JRPG regardless of whatever other tropes it uses.
As i said for this thread i suspended my hate(more like dislike I'm not actually a hate person)of jRPGs. As i said I really liked it.inFAMOUSCowZ said:
In the end it doesn't matter the genre and I only play a certain type of games because of mechanics not of it's label. If jRPGs would be like Mass Effect that's the only type of games I'd play(they aren't and not because of the people saying it's not made in japan so it's not but those 2-3 people that actually wrote something smart). Same goes for FPS,if developing a shooter someday will mean rich story and freedom of choice I won't ignore them just because it will be called call of Duty 10 and not Mass Effect 10.
No, Mass Effect 2 is not a JRPG. It is a WRPG. I get where you are trying to go with this, but no.Cenequus said:
Atmos Duality said:
Though in humanity as a whole's defense, I'd like to point out that the only way we're able to remember what we do at all is because we group things together. "Bird" conjures up thoughts of planes (keyword: wings) and clouds (keyword: sky) because we link them accordingly.
But I understand how frustrating it is when people don't switch off autopilot, and refuse to articulate proper, meaningful sentences. /end superficial rant
(Excuse me if I did this wrong, too; it's my first time actually interacting with another poster on a thread).
No.
It contains no japanese design elements, does not use japanese style story telling, use japanese imagery, is not influenced by japanese themes, nor does it use a japanese-style system of conflict resolution.
It is in no way a JRPG, a J-like RPG, or even a J-kinda-tickling RPG.
It contains no japanese design elements, does not use japanese style story telling, use japanese imagery, is not influenced by japanese themes, nor does it use a japanese-style system of conflict resolution.
It is in no way a JRPG, a J-like RPG, or even a J-kinda-tickling RPG.
Well, it's an action RPG instead of turn based, and it's not made in Japan. So no, it is absolutely not a JRPG and has little to nothing in common with them.
Those character traits you mentioned? Not limited to only JRPGs. They're cliches of every genre of every medium, not just JRPGs. Two characters with daddy issues doesn't make something a JRPG.
Those character traits you mentioned? Not limited to only JRPGs. They're cliches of every genre of every medium, not just JRPGs. Two characters with daddy issues doesn't make something a JRPG.
You get a +1 for the short anthropological teory.WeakEnd said:
I find otherwise the subject finite and beyond the almost 100 post of "it's not made in japan so no it's not" there were a few posts really worth reading with enough insight.
As someone pointed labeling is pointless and maybe I was just shook up by my visit on the ME bioware forums(I'm not a masochist so it's the last).The real question is:"Is Mass Effect a good game?"And for me there's only one answer...yes it is.
Well first off, since it isn't a game made in Japan it can't be a JRPG (seeing as the J stands for Japanese).
Secondly, while the overall story is rather liner (but then of course most games stories are rather liner) it isn't to the level of JRPGs. In JRPGs you're given a bunch of premade characters and then told to control them occasionally while they go through the preplaned story. There is no difference, you do not change their personality, it always ends up the same. You're just along for the ride. Mass Effect is not like that. You choose what Shepard acts like and what he does. And in ME2 your choices are beginning to have actual consequences that change the gameplay you get. It looks like that's going to be even more so in ME3.
And as for the fanboys loving their character so much, that happens in any fandom. It might just seem more so because you were smack-dab in the middle of the fandom and also that you have a chance to romance several of the characters, so naturally people are going to develop stronger ties to them.
Secondly, while the overall story is rather liner (but then of course most games stories are rather liner) it isn't to the level of JRPGs. In JRPGs you're given a bunch of premade characters and then told to control them occasionally while they go through the preplaned story. There is no difference, you do not change their personality, it always ends up the same. You're just along for the ride. Mass Effect is not like that. You choose what Shepard acts like and what he does. And in ME2 your choices are beginning to have actual consequences that change the gameplay you get. It looks like that's going to be even more so in ME3.
And as for the fanboys loving their character so much, that happens in any fandom. It might just seem more so because you were smack-dab in the middle of the fandom and also that you have a chance to romance several of the characters, so naturally people are going to develop stronger ties to them.
I will open by making the claim that any RPG developer worth their salt is inspired by Final Fantasy. It's pretty much a requirement.
Secondly, it is not made in Japan, so it is not a Japanese RPG (JRPG).
Thirdly, you're making the same mistake many people make when it comes to JRPGS themselves; characters trying to cope with emotional baggage based on a difficult past does not make them JRPG cliches, it makes them good characters. And even then, just because characters are similar to other characters from JRPGs does not make it a JRPG; that's like saying Star Wars is a book because of its ties to Greek mythology and The Odyssey.
Fourthly, "there is fanfiction and the players care about the characters" has absolutely no bearing on genre. None whatsoever. There is fanfiction for everything. You should see the gigantic amount of fanfiction for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, some of it is even incredible. Check out the amount of fanfiction for Star Wars, or Halo, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all American things across mediums. If people like it, it will have fanfiction, and there is no more meaning to garner from that.
Fifthly, the gameplay of Mass Effect 2 is exactly the opposite of how a JRPG typically works. JRPGs are about a linear story with little to no player input when it comes to the protagonist's personality and strategic turn-based combat that is more about the stats and strategy than the actual act of battle itself (speed, accuracy, etc. are handled by the system, the player simply strategizes and commands). These are both good things; absolutely nothing wrong with them. But Mass Effect 2 dropped most of the stat-based RPG elements in favor of a more action-centric battle system and has huge amounts of player control of the protagonist's choices and personality.
This discussion was over as of that second point, but I figured I'd point out the other issues. I'm sorry, but this argument simply doesn't hold up.
Secondly, it is not made in Japan, so it is not a Japanese RPG (JRPG).
Thirdly, you're making the same mistake many people make when it comes to JRPGS themselves; characters trying to cope with emotional baggage based on a difficult past does not make them JRPG cliches, it makes them good characters. And even then, just because characters are similar to other characters from JRPGs does not make it a JRPG; that's like saying Star Wars is a book because of its ties to Greek mythology and The Odyssey.
Fourthly, "there is fanfiction and the players care about the characters" has absolutely no bearing on genre. None whatsoever. There is fanfiction for everything. You should see the gigantic amount of fanfiction for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, some of it is even incredible. Check out the amount of fanfiction for Star Wars, or Halo, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all American things across mediums. If people like it, it will have fanfiction, and there is no more meaning to garner from that.
Fifthly, the gameplay of Mass Effect 2 is exactly the opposite of how a JRPG typically works. JRPGs are about a linear story with little to no player input when it comes to the protagonist's personality and strategic turn-based combat that is more about the stats and strategy than the actual act of battle itself (speed, accuracy, etc. are handled by the system, the player simply strategizes and commands). These are both good things; absolutely nothing wrong with them. But Mass Effect 2 dropped most of the stat-based RPG elements in favor of a more action-centric battle system and has huge amounts of player control of the protagonist's choices and personality.
This discussion was over as of that second point, but I figured I'd point out the other issues. I'm sorry, but this argument simply doesn't hold up.
Wow! Someone's a presumptuous asshole fanboy! I've played Final Fantasies 1,6,7,8,10; Tales of: Eternia, Symphonia; Shin Megami Tensei 1; Xenogears; Xenosaga 1; SMT Persona 2: Original Sin, and Persona 3. Some of these games are good, but none provide a proper role playing experienceDefense said:
Of those games, only the SMT let you make choices that influence the game. But the thing about SMT1 is that if you choose anything other than the "neutral" path, you miss out on some of the best parts of those games (it was released on SNES, though so I can't really fault it). And the Persona games do offer more choice, but all of the characters are based off of tropes, and they rely more on what you know about that type of character as opposed to the characters themselves to do the actual development. And the Persona gameplay is so drab and repetitive, I could barely bring myself to continue playing it (solely because I was promised that the story "gets better". SPOILER: the story does not get better at all).
Based on your use of the term "waifu" and your adamant defense of a stale genre that not even Atlus can save, I can tell that you're more than a little bit of a weeaboo. This colors your reason-free argument a shade of the most unconvincing and embarrassing color possible.
RPGs are about playing a role in a game (enlightening, isn't it? It's almost like an acronym <--sarcasm). JRPGs are about thrusting the role into your face like an unwanted crotch. Sometimes the crotch is kept at a distance (e.g. SMT), but I prefer to play my games without a threat of rape, thank you very much.
They don't call it the:
They call it a a jRPG.
Japanese.
Beyond that I find it kind of silly you are using jRPG to define "Gaming flaws", some of the more known companies have become stale with much of their recent work but there is a lot to like in the genre, it's just not for everyone (which can be said for any genre).
I'd then like to note that Role Playing is a very sketchy definition that can be applied to basically every game that exists right now. A large portion of RP is not stat building but character building, so all of your dialog and friends are what define Mass Effect as an RPG.
AMCwOSWaaloTATAaOCPLaFBCAtFLNPtOVECwTBCaSBERPG
Androgynous Main Character With Over Sized Weaponry and a lot of Teen Angst That Accompanies an Overly Convoluted Plot Line and Fetish Based Character Archetypes that Follow Linear Narrative Progression to Overcome Very Evil Corporations with Turn Based Combat and Stat Building Exercises Role Playing Game.
Androgynous Main Character With Over Sized Weaponry and a lot of Teen Angst That Accompanies an Overly Convoluted Plot Line and Fetish Based Character Archetypes that Follow Linear Narrative Progression to Overcome Very Evil Corporations with Turn Based Combat and Stat Building Exercises Role Playing Game.
They call it a a jRPG.
Japanese.
Beyond that I find it kind of silly you are using jRPG to define "Gaming flaws", some of the more known companies have become stale with much of their recent work but there is a lot to like in the genre, it's just not for everyone (which can be said for any genre).
I'd then like to note that Role Playing is a very sketchy definition that can be applied to basically every game that exists right now. A large portion of RP is not stat building but character building, so all of your dialog and friends are what define Mass Effect as an RPG.
Uh.. Sorry but no.. Mass Effect is not and has never been a 'JRPG' series.
As far as I've ever been concerned, its a Space Opera with RPG/Shooter "elements" as the basis for combat. The lack of side quests doesn't matter really because its a very rich story with massive character interaction beyond most other games.
As far as I've ever been concerned, its a Space Opera with RPG/Shooter "elements" as the basis for combat. The lack of side quests doesn't matter really because its a very rich story with massive character interaction beyond most other games.
I think you're confusing a fan base's wants for aspects of the game itself. Yea, there's a lot fanfiction out there, it's because a lot of them really love the Mass Effect universe and they did a fairly good job at developing interesting characters for the romance. In WRPGs, there's typically a way to make your character more of a reflection of you, rather than completely preset. That's evident in the fact that you're making choices with real impact. While I don't think there's anything wrong with JRPGs personally, this is definitely not one. Plus the fact that it didn't come from Japan. That's part of it.