JRPGs

[Keepeas]

I actually have a hard time getting into the the western ones like Dragon Age, the Witcher or Mass Effect.

about the only Western RPGs I like so far are Fallout and Borderlands.

What is so bad about games like Final Fantasy (except VII, I do see plenty reason to hate on that one), Tales of Symphonia, Disgaea, and Kingdom Hearts?

yeah I have the same problem, and Fallout and Borderlands are FPSrpg's so...I don't think they count.

I love the JRPG's that I've played:
Tales of Symphonia (love it to death)
Chono Trigger
Paper Mario 2
etc.

But I think the label of JRPG hurts it along with lack of advertisement for JRPGs in the west.
I mean the only time you really hear about one is from a fanboy or a hater...

Also I loved Symphonia...but I can't get into the 2nd one because of that whining crappy main character...does anyone know it gets better...I mean Lloyd was a perfect main...

 

[IWCAS]

If you don't like JRPG's Play Persona 4. You'll change your mind. If you DO like JRPG's and have never played an SMT title... Well go fucking get one. NOW

All opinion. I thought Persona 4 was just bad. I didn't like half of the characters. The ending to me was absolutely awful and infuriated me to no end.

Sorry for not including details but i still have a soul and i dont want to spoil the game for others.

Well actually you are right on the characters. As far as GAMEPLAY goes P4 takes the cake. I predicted that... Well you know who was the killer from about the middle of the game too. I loved the shit out of FES and my avatar reflects that; P3 was just more interesting but it was harder and wasn't quite as perfected in the dungeons.

P3's ending was FUCKING AMAZING and Shinji made my cry like a little baby. That shit was sad.

 

[infohippie]

My problem with JRPGs is that historically they've been console-only, so as a PC-only gamer, I never played them as I was growing and my taste in games was maturing. However, I did play a lot of western RPGs as well as read a lot of western fantasy novels and played a lot of pen & paper RPGs. Now that some JRPGs are on PC too, I just can't seem to get into them since I didn't really get exposed to them growing up. Also, I like my party members to be more the western archetypes and not a bunch of androgynous kids.

If Japanese developers didn't have such a hard-on for consoles all the time, they might be able to really expand their customer base.

...and then lionizing those same to Narnia and back.

Nice turn of phrase, but I move that it be shortened simply to "Aslanning them."

 

[ecoho]

Ok, so I hear it all the time on Yahtzee's reviews and from a lot of other people on the forums, but I generally do want to know what people seem to have against JRPGs.

I actually have a hard time getting into the the western ones like Dragon Age, the Witcher or Mass Effect.

about the only Western RPGs I like so far are Fallout and Borderlands.

What is so bad about games like Final Fantasy (except VII, I do see plenty reason to hate on that one), Tales of Symphonia, Disgaea, and Kingdom Hearts?

its mostly setting and the teenage thing kinda grates at you. now thats not saying that JRPGs are bad they are just bad for people who like you know D&D.

 

[ecoho]

I actually have a hard time getting into the the western ones like Dragon Age, the Witcher or Mass Effect.

about the only Western RPGs I like so far are Fallout and Borderlands.

What is so bad about games like Final Fantasy (except VII, I do see plenty reason to hate on that one), Tales of Symphonia, Disgaea, and Kingdom Hearts?

yeah I have the same problem, and Fallout and Borderlands are FPSrpg's so...I don't think they count.

I love the JRPG's that I've played:
Tales of Symphonia (love it to death)
Chono Trigger
Paper Mario 2
etc.

But I think the label of JRPG hurts it along with lack of advertisement for JRPGs in the west.
I mean the only time you really hear about one is from a fanboy or a hater...

Also I loved Symphonia...but I can't get into the 2nd one because of that whining crappy main character...does anyone know it gets better...I mean Lloyd was a perfect main...

it doesnt i went out and traded mine for $20 when i could and never looked back and i put 15hours into it.

 

[johnstamos]

I don't play em.
Glad i could contribute to this thread.

 

[redspud]

I like them both.

I play a JRPG when i get bored of WRPGs and vice versa

 

[Javarock]

If you don't like JRPG's Play Persona 4. You'll change your mind. If you DO like JRPG's and have never played an SMT title... Well go fucking get one. NOW

No.

I Have saw the art style for that game, And to me it appears animeish, I'm not otuching it with a ten foot pole.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Seems alot of people pull the ignorance hat over their head and not actually talk about JRPGs.
We all like our games and all our games have faults, so let's talk about what they are, otherwise they can never improve.

So JRPGs:
- story, characters, text is all straight up anime, very entertaining and over the to but make no sense, the characters are completely unrelatable because there is no single person in the real world who acts or talks like them

- rubber stamp characters, if you are doing the silly thing don't just reuse the same characters put something new in (and no anorexic crack whore Dante is not the answer to that)

- random battles, you couldn't possibly find anything to make the game feel more mechanical and not like a consistent world

- turn based combat, when I'm not doing anything for 90% of the combat time you need to fix some things, I want to participate not wait

 

[Chibz]

So JRPGs:
- story, characters, text is all straight up anime, very entertaining and over the to but make no sense, the characters are completely unrelatable because there is no single person in the real world who acts or talks like them

- rubber stamp characters, if you are doing the silly thing don't just reuse the same characters put something new in (and no anorexic crack whore Dante is not the answer to that)

- random battles, you couldn't possibly find anything to make the game feel more mechanical and not like a consistent world

- turn based combat, when I'm not doing anything for 90% of the combat time you need to fix some things, I want to participate not wait

Except not even every FINAL FANTASY game is like that.

1. Most of the characters from 4 and 6 are relatable. Admittedly most real people won't act like them, but that's more due to you simply not knowing people in such situations.

2. Um... What? In the good final fantasy games the only reused character name was Cid. Due to popular demand. And that's due to popular demand.

3. Not every FF game has random battles. Mystic Quest for example, you know where every single encounter is.

4. What's wrong with turn based combat? Maybe you aren't cut out for the genre...

 

[Smooth Operator]

Except not even every FINAL FANTASY game is like that.

Ya some games improve on some things, I was talking in general where JRPGs go wrong and most don't even attempt to move forward.

 

[Cenequus]

RPGs are all about immersion and jrpg characters are most of he times effeminate angsty whinning emo teenagers. I could never identify myself as one or imagine them in a war scenario. No matter how fantasy or supernatural an RPG is you don't send kids to save the world.
Graphics are very annoying and just try to rape your eyes. Don't get me wrong I hate on the ame way grey or monochrome landscapes sometime WRPGs do(the muddy Morrowind is a good example) but in jrpg the colour just seems random generated.
Story,maybe it's the strongest part but it is the same across different games of different developers. Also many times is stretched to the point where it seems to be watching a soap opera. I remember some te ago trying to play final fantasy(7 or 8 don't remember) and after playing for about 5 hours I not even didn't knew anything about the main story but each 30 mins cutscene we're just like watching some random MTV teenager program with stuff happening hat not only had no relation to the sory but no relation to a game in general,was lie watching some random anime.
Gameplay: random encounters and turn base strategy. I don't know if they still do this things but they are obsolete. They were obsolete 10 years and annoying 20 years ago,and I'm talking about wrpgs so really don'tuse them.

 

[Chibz]

Ya some games improve on some things, I was talking in general where JRPGs go wrong and most don't even attempt to move forward.

Except most quality JRPGs don't fall under any of those "flaws". If you want to try some good JRPGs, I've got some recommended playing for you... (take it to PMs with me, first PM should include which systems you have/are willing to buy).

final fantasy(7 or 8 don't remember)

They were obsolete 10 years and annoying 20 years ago,and I'm talking about wrpgs so really don'tuse them.

You started playing JRPGs with FF7 or 8? Gross. You know what? I'm extending you the same offer.

Most Wrpgs also feature random encounters. It's just more subtly hidden.

 

[The Madman]

Last console I owned before the current generation was a Sega Genesis. I never played 'JRPG' simply because I've always been more of a PC gamer and it's a relatively obscure niche on the PC largely consisting of terrible ports and weird disturbing fetish games from what little I know of them. Creepy!

That said I have tried a couple. Final Fantasy 6 I actually really enjoyed in yonder olden days and bought to play on DS a few years back and enjoyed immensely. I kinda like turn based combat and the lighthearted fairy-tale approach to storytelling was fantastic. It was a fun experience.

The problem with most anything beyond that however is simply that I don't like anime. It's nothing grand, I'm still fine with small doses like in Advance Wars and the like. But honestly I'm just not a fan of the art style nor the approach to storytelling which from what few examples of games I've played seems to be overly melodramatic and moody without any real context or reason. I don't like that at all and it's a sure way to ensure I ignore that product. And the more modern the graphics get the harder and harder it is to ignore those cartoony anime influences. Which is odd, you'd think the style would be better represented in 2D, but no, everything after little pixel sprites just seems to be getting more and more outrageously anime to me.

Admittedly I'm stereotyping here and I've absolutely no doubt whatsoever that there are exceptions to what I just stated. No doubt to a whole lot of people who read this I sound like an ignorant idiot, which is fine because on this subject I am. There are almost certainly a great, great many exceptions to what I just said.

Problem is I've no clue what those are and even if I did I get the feeling I missed this proverbial train a long long time ago. It's just too late for me to enjoy this stuff now, leave me behind, I'm done for.

 

[Nieroshai]

(except VII, I do see plenty reason to hate on that one)

Just out of curiosity, why?

OT: I love the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Heart series, but they're the only JRPGs I've played and liked. Others...well meh.

The problem is (and FF is not excluded from this) is that JRPGs do follow a lot of clichés. Whilst sometimes this works...a lot of the time it gets tedious. Also, character archetypes are generally the same. Looking at the last few Final Fantasy games, you can easily pick out similar characters:
The Spunky Girl: Yuffie, Selphie, Eiko, Rikku, Penelo, Vanille.
The Lone Warrior: Cloud, Squall, Amarant, Lightning.
The Love Interest (and usually White Mage): Aeries, Rinoa, Garnet, Yuna.
The Evil Overlord of some sort: Rufus (Shinra), Edea, Brahne, Seymour, Vane, Galenth Dysley/ Baldanders.

I mean, these archetypes obviously work, but they do get a bit samey.

Additionally, I do find that a lot of the games tend to over complicate things that could probably be made easier, such as menus. After a while you get the hang of it, but at first it can be a bit daunting. And turn based combat is a bit...meh. I did like FFX-2's though.

Correction: even IF you dated Aeris in ff7, you still got the romance dialogue with Tifa before they descend into the crater and through the whole game it continuously expounds on how much Cloud means to Tifa, so Aeris is really just there to be the martyr and messianic figure who saves the heroes from beyond the veil. All she did was die and make Cloud wear a dress.

 

[Chibz]

That said I have tried a couple. Final Fantasy 6 I actually really enjoyed in yonder olden days and bought to play on DS a few years back and enjoyed immensely. I kinda like turn based combat and the lighthearted fairy-tale approach to storytelling was fantastic. It was a fun experience.

Tell you what, send me a PM with consoles you own/JRPGs you enjoyed. Similar games you enjoyed, too and I'll hook you up with some fun JRPGs. Or die heroically trying.

I always wanted to be a martyr, but I always end up a Marty.

 

[MacChris1991]

I think one of the biggest things are that only a few jrpg titles make it to the states (and not necessaraliy the better ones) . And even the better games suffer from poor translations, censorship and simple (but nearly insurmountable) cultural differences that leave most players scratching their heads.

 

[T.D.]

Here's a list of things I don't get.

Why there are so many threads about JRPG's
Why so many care about the art style (Would TF2 be any better with different graphics)
Why so many are opposed to Turn Based Strategy (NOT FF13 variation of it I can understand the hate for that)

What I can answer are things like these,

Why there are so many angsty characters in JRPG,

This is why,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_Japan

Why hasn't JRPG's evolved,

Has FPS's evolved? Not really. Evolution in gameplay mechanics usually only change when technology allows them to do what they want. JRPG's were one of the first console games and their game mechanics mirror this. You can't really improve upon TBS with technology beyond graphics.

Why the characters are so often copy&paste in JRPG's,

I don't think you can complain only at JRPG's for this, every genre has these character issues.


On Random Encounters,

Yes they are annoying, and technology today dictates alternatives (e.g. at least seeing the enemy), but they can add a sense of desperation and fear if done correctly

 

[Baralak]

I actually have a hard time getting into the the western ones like Dragon Age, the Witcher or Mass Effect.

about the only Western RPGs I like so far are Fallout and Borderlands.

What is so bad about games like Final Fantasy (except VII, I do see plenty reason to hate on that one), Tales of Symphonia, Disgaea, and Kingdom Hearts?

yeah I have the same problem, and Fallout and Borderlands are FPSrpg's so...I don't think they count.

I love the JRPG's that I've played:
Tales of Symphonia (love it to death)
Chono Trigger
Paper Mario 2
etc.

But I think the label of JRPG hurts it along with lack of advertisement for JRPGs in the west.
I mean the only time you really hear about one is from a fanboy or a hater...

Also I loved Symphonia...but I can't get into the 2nd one because of that whining crappy main character...does anyone know it gets better...I mean Lloyd was a perfect main...

I loved Dawn of the New World. Beat it with a friend, we loved every minute. I'm a fan of Emil and Marta, they're both highly relatable to me, and their romance felt genuine. That said, you do get all the characters from Symphonia back into your party, although you can't customize them.

 

[Cenequus]

final fantasy(7 or 8 don't remember)

They were obsolete 10 years and annoying 20 years ago,and I'm talking about wrpgs so really don'tuse them.

You started playing JRPGs with FF7 or 8? Gross. You know what? I'm extending you the same offer.

Most Wrpgs also feature random encounters. It's just more subtly hidden.

Hey it wasn't something I randomly choose,I was told t was the best that this genre offered(press X tono have fun ).

Wasn't my only experience when I was a kid(the days of the nintendo)and some on PC,I tried Chronotrigger,Secret of Mana,Final fantasy 1-4, Knights of Xentar and several similar games. I think there was actually an rpg creator that made similar stuff. Some I finished some just didn't feel like continuing.

Now like I said those were the times of random encounters and turn base strategy in all rpgs so I had no problem with that then. Also graphics were what were at that times so no bright blinding colours so that was ok too.The story was the same as the jrpgs today but since back then it wasn't that used it didn't bothered me that much. Characters we're kinda the same but interactions were few and far twn that it wasn't that annoying. ow the reason while I didn't like them back there either:boss fights. The less annoying type was fighting the weaknes and exploit it for the next minutes(nd this was the better one) or what i always hated and will never understand it was the kill tentace 1 then 2 then 3 then X then damage the body then finally attack the head for the kill. Now don't get me rong I've seen this even on wrpgs but usually on titles that were bad games anyway. One recent example that comes to my mind is Daggerdale(which I actually thought was ok untill the final fight...the rage kill claws then head then QTE flying dragon)...the horror.