Japanese Developer Enthusiastically Teases Revival of JRPGs

[Break]

[sub](I'm not actually so reactionary that I'd condemn a company for some questionable design choices in what is already an incredibly weird game, especially when they're one of the few people who're actually showing some enthusiasm about trying to rejuvenate a genre I personally have great affection for. Nonetheless, the idea that these people are talking about the negative image JRPGs have internationally, while making a game where you spank underage anime demon girls, has too much delicious irony for me to ignore.)[/sub]

I find it mildly (read: fucking brilliantly!) hilarious that you wrote about spanking underage anime demon girls and delicious in the same sentence.

Oh- oh, don't be silly, you don't need to read into things so much, it was simply a slip of the tongue. There... There are no conclusions to be drawn from how I happen to have worded things, or how easily I may have been able to find that picture, or how long I've stared at that smooth, uncovered shoulder while imagining all the sounds she's going to make when my pre-ordered copy of the game arrives and I can press the "spank" button as many times as I... Uh, I mean, haha. Yeah. Funny coincidence. Ahaha. Yeah. We should all laugh at my silly little Freudian Slip. Ahahaha.


[sub]Oh god I'm so lonely[/sub]

 

[Erana]

If they put their money where their mouth is (their yen where their yaps are?), then I'm all for the enthusiasm.

All their Yens, Yip Yip Yap?

 

[MattAn24]

Oh- oh, don't be silly, you don't need to read into things so much, it was simply a slip of the tongue. There... There are no conclusions to be drawn from how I happen to have worded things, or how easily I may have been able to find that picture, or how long I've stared at that smooth, uncovered shoulder while imagining all the sounds she's going to make when my pre-ordered copy of the game arrives and I can press the "spank" button as many times as I... Uh, I mean, haha. Yeah. Funny coincidence. Ahaha. Yeah. We should all laugh at my silly little Freudian Slip. Ahahaha.

[sub]Oh god I'm so lonely[/sub]

Hehehehe... Slip of the tongue. Smooth, uncovered shoulder.. Hehehehehe..

[sub]I'm so immature...[/sub] xD

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I actually don't have a problem with jrpgs, people complain the genre is having issues, but people also say that about the fps genre.

Since all the genres seem to be merging into each other
In the future there will only be one type of game. That is "action adventure"

 

[RandV80]

My #1 problem with JRPGs is that the characters are all anime-based, and I find 99.9% of all anime character archetypes annoying. Paper Mario showed us how to do a proper JRPG. I find a bad story with unlikable characters worsens a game more so than if it had no story at all.

If I can elaborate on this, I don't think it's so much that it's design has become so anime based, but rather that it has become shounen anime based. Shounen for those unfamiliar with the term being for anime/manga targeted towards adolescent males. Atlus for example makes RPG's like the Persona series that could be seen as being heavily anime based, I mean they take place in a Japanese high schools of all things, but they take a decidely more mature approach and it becomes a much better game, like comparing Dragon Ball Z to Cowboy Bebop. Or a game like Dragon Quest VIII has a fairly anime-ish design to it, but it maintained that more classic obscure feel that the older generation of JRPG's had.

I also feel the other key problem with the genre is the perception that it's stagnated and needs to keep evolving, often perpetuated by gamers who are not JRPG fans to begin with. It's like the other guy said, you wouldn't expect a sequel to Halo to be a 3rd person action game would you? First of all the belief that JRPG's have long been stagnant is ridiculous. I've been there from the start with the original Dragon Warrior/Quest and Phantasy Stars, and have seen it go through a vast number of changes, styles, and gameplay types. Just because you have this new technology doesn't mean you need to use it, like for example 2D platformers. A series like Golden Sun was successful by sticking for close to it's JRPG roots and focusing on simply doing that well. In contrast, a game like Suikoden IV tried to go more 'modern', with high quality 3d graphics and proper voice acting, and they didn't seem to have any budget left to focus on making it an actual good game, and it was by far the worst in the series. You don't need to mimic Final Fantasy's production values to be a good JRPG.

 

[Ravek]

If I can elaborate on this, I don't think it's so much that it's design has become so anime based, but rather that it has become shounen anime based.

You know the classic JRPG, Chrono Trigger? Character design by Akira Toriyama.

It hasn't become anything that it wasn't already.

 

[Disembodied_Dave]

That's one of the best ads I've ever seen! So Absurd.

But yeah. More JRPGs need to be like Altas games and less of the same thing over and over. While even Persona and the other SMT games aren't void of the JRPG tropes at least they usually do something interesting with them.

 

[Hellz_Barz]

so November 24th is now jrpg day as well as my birthday?
hooray.

 

[likalaruku]

If someone makes a game out of SLAYERS using D&D rules, I'll concider myslef a JRPG player.

Unfortunately my precious "Dungeon Siege" series was purchaced by a Japanese company to be experimented on; they'd better not f**k it up.

 

[Xander_VJ]

Geez! This a text-book example of inferiority complex. Get over yourselves, JRPG developers! Hell, that goes for the entire f***** Japanese video game industry!

The sad part about this issue is that, like someone has already said, has been perpetuated by people who has NEVER liked JRPGs in the first place.

They just saw the JRPG loss of momentum and took the chance to bash it. And yeah, this kind of people keep believing "JRPG = Final Fantasy".

People who has REALLY played tons of this games (in and OUT of the FF/DQ/KH series) KNOWS the critiques the genre receives are, either major exaggerations, or utter bullshit.

The problem is that developers are actually BELIEVING them.

Not that they have any other choice, though.

 

[mr_rubino]

-about 12 posts much longer than they needed to be-

Y'know, I think more people would reply to your grievances if you stopped running to the end of your chain and barking furiously at everything under God's creation like the stereotypical JRPG nut every time someone mentions the stagnation of the genre. Apparently Japan itself can't get you out of that mindset, so most people probably see no point in addressing you.
Why don't you take all that stuff about how your opinion is unassailable and apply it to everyone else's. It'll make you happier in the long run.

 

[antipunt]

"WE DO NOT THINK SO"

aite, cool

wat?

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

I take it that nobody has been paying attention to Atlus as of late. They're the ones who've become the critical/cult darlings with their offbeat, eccentric titles. Plus Yasumi Matsuno has made his grand return so Square has at least ONE guy who's a stellar writer/director. The genre needs to be deconstructed and go to some new locales.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

Possibly you have lead a much more blessedly sheltered life than I as regards Japanese popular culture and therefore think that this concept is somehow novel or experimental, but in fact it is not. This kind of pandering bullshit is exactly what's been destroying the genre and stopping it from progressing. A good sign would be if they were experimenting with completely new gameplay systems, interesting and unusual visual styles, and writing and characterization beyond what is commonly seen in video games. Classic JRPGs are so fondly remembered for their stories and characters because they were so much more advanced in that regard than the average game at time. All the other genres have now caught up to or exceeded that level, so they're really going to have to push the envelope if they want to make something worth playing again.

Wait, so you're suggesting the typical ill-informed shtick that JRPG's are ALL THE SAME and NOTHING IS EVER CHANGED OR REVAMPED EVER?

Hm.. Let's see here..

FFX Battle System (2001/2002): http://i42.tinypic.com/9sb8km.jpg
FFXII Battle System (2006/2007): http://rpgaming.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/adb.jpg
FFXIII Battle System (2010): http://www.joshuakennon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/final-fantasy-13-battle-system.png

Yes. Yes they're TOTALLY THE EXACT SAME THING WITH NO CHANGES AT ALL. Bloody ignorance.. Yes, they happen to have names, HP, etc in the corner, but the entire play-style is different for ALL three of those games, which are several years apart.

There's also the constant misconception from WRPG nuts that assume that Final Fantasy I-XIV is the SAME game, and are direct sequels to each other. As it is constantly stated, they are all totally different games, with completely new ideas and concepts. There are certain minor "traits" that stick through the series, but here's the kicker, no one (that actually gives a shit about the series) really minds. It's PART of the series. They're just done in different ways! Which is also why no one is forcing anyone to like EVERY GAME IN THE SERIES. SE's always trying different things and often sticking with the things that people enjoy. A lot of Westerners apparently enjoyed XII because it was real-time. No transitioning to a battle screen. That's all well and good, but of course the games are far from perfect. People are going to prefer certain ones. Hell, I'm sure there are FF fans that hated the early games and love the recent ones as well as lovers of the early games and haters of the recent ones. It doesn't matter. Just play the one/s YOU want to play. They aren't meant for everyone, just like Mass Effect and Fallout isn't meant for everyone.

No. I've played almost every Final Fantasy and I realize they're all different, I just think every one other than Tactics is kind of shit. All of them up to VII are at least good for their respective times even if they haven't aged well, but VIII onwards always ruin whatever good ideas they have with a metric ton of useless crap. I'm complaining about sameness in writing more than gameplay, as I see a distressing trend to crib tropes from bad anime (and yes I DO actually watch anime. A lot of it) and just throw them together without rhyme or reason. I actually like quite a few JRPGs (I spent at least a year on Shadow Hearts 2 and I haven't put down Demon's Souls completely since its release) and I don't play WRPGs at all, so I feel like your responding more to imagined arguments (to be fair, they are common) than to what I actually said. I didn't mean that JRPGs don't ever change their gameplay, just that that's the kind of thing I'd like to hear about in this kind of announcement. Also, the people who the visual style and concept that game is using are designed to pander to are really creepy, just in case you've had the good fortune not to have met them.

 

[Sanglyon]

The JRPG will be revived the exact moment Persona 5 is out.

Though the portable space has been pretty good for JRPGs. Consoles definitely need a revival. It'd help if Namco actually releases a Tales game in North America as well.

I second that ! Also, Catherine.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

Even Final Fantasy XIII [http://www.amazon.com/Final-Fantasy-XIII-Playstation-3/dp/B000FQ2DTA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290021032&sr=8-1-spell], the latest from a series that leads the way for JRPGs, was a disappointment by many accords.

According to you, as well as the usual JRPG-bashing group.

Final Fantasy games always get the bashing treatment. When XIII was done and dusted, XIV came out and everyone moved on to insult THAT game. It will happen to Versus XIII and it will happen to whatever comes next.

Hell, people DESPISED Final Fantasy X, but then when XII came out, the hate towards X pretty much subsided and the XII bashing started. It's a never-ending cycle.

You may like to say that it was a "disappointment by many accords", however there are MANY who strongly disagree with you.

SquareEnix don't stick to the same exact gameplay styles for any Final Fantasy games. There are similarities in the concepts, but the battle systems are completely different, the style varies each time. Just because one particular game earlier in the series is "good" for one group of people, it certainly doesn't mean it's the best for EVERYONE. Hell, people actually love Final Fantasy VIII, with it's Mary Sue/whore-biscuit, Rinoa, and it's utter lack of a plot (or an extremely poor attempt at trying to explain it by last few discs)..

Seriously, it's one major issue I have against the WRPG dipshit fanboys (who really are no better than JRPG fanboys). Bear in mind, I am neither. It is incredibly funny, however, that WRPG fanboys will *****, MOAN AND COMPLAIN consistently about how "horrendously bad" the JRPG sub-genre is.. Yet I have NEVER seen/heard a JRPG fanboy do the same against WRPGs. Y'know why? Because they DON'T GIVE A SHIT. JRPG gamers will play their games, WRPG gamers will play their games. Why is it always "such a big fuckin' deal, you guys~!" It's just pathetic..

It's not really that deep, man. I've loved every Final Fantasy game, but Final Fantasy XIII disappointed me personally. Many people agreed, if you look around, and the game got some surprisingly low reviews. This had nothing to do with it being a JRPG, but with its mechanics. Final Fantasy XIV also has mechanics that are also just not good, and I really wanted to like it. Sure, people liked FFXIII, but many fans of JRPGs like myself were also very disappointed with it.

I actually liked XIII very much. It's one of my favorite games now.

I only own a 360, so XIII was my first play of the FF series though.