Poll: East vs. West: RPGs

[Doug]

Erm, man or woman?

<url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtCiP8B2xpc&feature=related>Does it matter?

Erm, yeah. Wasn't all that impressed with the video, to be honest.

Did it at least irrevocably answer your question?

Well, the voice sounded male, but his face looks rather womanly still.

Certainly does. Makes him all the more impressive, really. Dare I ask why, again?

How more impressive? Just tells me the JRPG fans just like generic sexually ambigous characters. And meh, technically no, but its certainly something bizzare about JRPGs. Why the obsession with underage lady-boys? And come to look at the drawing again, what's he doing with his hand?!

Yep. The androgynous middle-aged snarky badass is just so generic. He's just like that Cloud idiot from those other games! JRPGs, I tells ya...

I'll grant the drawing isn't obvious on one thing, though: he's summoning a spear.

His left hand, lol. Anywho, to be honest, Western FPS' have a similar problem with the generic 'Space Marine/guy with biceps bigger than their heads' characters. But their still fun to me inspite of the character problems...well, most of the time, heh. JRPGs, where the characters and story are the main focus...oh dear.

 

[-Seraph-]

I still fail to see how turn based combat is "wrong". It may be an old mechanic, but it's not outdated, and it's by no means bad gameplay. There is nothing wrong with turn based gameplay, it's different, it still works, it just requires patience, which seems to be a virtue most gamers don't seem to have... If it aint broke don't throw it out, just give it some tweaks.

 

[NeutralDrow]

His left hand, lol. Anywho, to be honest, Western FPS' have a similar problem with the generic 'Space Marine/guy with biceps bigger than their heads' characters. But their still fun to me inspite of the character problems...well, most of the time, heh. JRPGs, where the characters and story are the main focus...oh dear.

I'm kind of the opposite. I'm willing to forgive gameplay problems for the characters (the main reason I finished FF6).

Agree to disagree?

 

[NeutralDrow]

Anyway, Western RPGs for me. I absolutely do hate JRPG combat.
Not because of Yahtzee *glaressssss* but because it's just not fun for me.

Which JRPGs, out of curiosity?

 

[Cortheya]

I recently bought Blue Dragon 2 days ago and returned it today, so my once better opinion of JRPGs has been tainted but to me they're more cheesy than they used to be

 

[Sternenschweif]

I love RPGs, both west and east, but I'm trying to decide which I love more and why. And I do have problems considering some games as RPGs because they either focus too much on action (i.e. mindless clicking of Diablo, which is one of my favorite games by the way) or strategy (i.e. Ogre Tactics, another beloved game from my past.)

Over-all, there's been a lot of productive input for both sides, but there's also been a lot of ignorance portrayed. I think there's too many people who are too condemning of a game-type they haven't really tried. But there have also been a lot of negative things stated concerning the over-all of both sides I'd also have to agree with. Which just helps to make the original question more thought provoking.

Thank you to everyone who's given actual criticism and not just mindless crap.

Oh, and yeah I was just giving a "few" examples. I could have spent all day listing series but I didn't have all day so I just listed what popped in my head at the time. I did like KotOR and NWN and Fallout, though I do have to admit I haven't played Mass Effect yet. Waiting till I've finished Fallout 3 for the third time, this time as true-neutral (hard since you actually have to worry about Karma.)

The major problem here why not even be able to have a usefull discussion about it that, is that more than 75% of the people doesn't even know what a RPG is. All the time i see Fable, Diablo, Dungeon Siege, Fallout 3, Mass Effect, Witcher, etc. THEY ARE NOT RPG! They classified as Action-RPG. To compare an Action-RPG with a JRPG is complete nonsence, because it's not the same. The Japs never really made any Action-JRPGs. And the wierdest part about this is that people just don't care about that fact, because it was mentioned many times.

So short:
-JRPG are for those people, who want a good story and some simple entertaiment
-Western RPG are for those who want to effect their envoirment and explore a big universe

Both sounds fine to me, because related to my mood i just play what i would have fun with at the point of time being. Fairly on critics JRPGs never would be able to look good, but something about them still keeps people playing. Else the Japs would just keep those games for themself. That could make the emo western-RPG fanboy happy for a little moment, but it won't happen.

 

[Doug]

His left hand, lol. Anywho, to be honest, Western FPS' have a similar problem with the generic 'Space Marine/guy with biceps bigger than their heads' characters. But their still fun to me inspite of the character problems...well, most of the time, heh. JRPGs, where the characters and story are the main focus...oh dear.

I'm kind of the opposite. I'm willing to forgive gameplay problems for the characters (the main reason I finished FF6).

Agree to disagree?

Well, same for me - what I meant was, I don't like those characters (And in the case of one JRPG I tried, their squeek, painfully high voices didn't help). I suppose you could class Anachronox as a JRPG in gameplay, but that the brilliant [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLwEUlqp0B0] - they only game I've seen that has a shrunk planet run by an over-the-top voting system as a main character

 

[VonVirgo]

also as long as it isn't turn-based outside of Pokemon.

This has always bugged me for some reason. WHY is pokemon the exception to the whole turn based combat!? why is it acceptable for pokemon to be turn based but not other games!? It just doesnt make any sense and is just so hypocritical. Sorry I am not trying to be a jerk or anything, it just baffles me that there are some turn based haters out there, but tolerate pokemon for it.

That's a good question actually. I 'Unno.

 

[Knonsense]

Western RPGs often provide at least an illusion of free will, and you play the role of a character you created. JRPGs seem to entail fixed characters that don't develop or develop in a very specific way, as though the role playing had been completely extracted from the RPG system.

EDIT: Also, are we including pen and paper?

 

[Twilight_guy]

I wouldn't be surprised if many people here were biased because of Yahtzee. Meh, I wouldn't ask that question here But I'd have to stick with japanese RPGs, minus Final Fantasy. Tried a lot of them from the SNES times up until PS2, and only was able to enjoy FF12.

I think that even outside of Yahtzee a lot of people here are biased against JRPGs. I've never seen particularly good overall felling towards them here. The poll results so far seem to confirm this.

 

[Doug]

also as long as it isn't turn-based outside of Pokemon.

This has always bugged me for some reason. WHY is pokemon the exception to the whole turn based combat!? why is it acceptable for pokemon to be turn based but not other games!? It just doesnt make any sense and is just so hypocritical. Sorry I am not trying to be a jerk or anything, it just baffles me that there are some turn based haters out there, but tolerate pokemon for it.

That's a good question actually. I 'Unno.

Well, to me, turn based combat is still workable. It's just not popular these days because alot of the console kid generation where efficiently told it was rubbish. Also, there is the 'fratboy effect' lately, where if its not fast (insert 'including in bed' joke here) its not worth it.

Ah, maybe I'm just rabbling.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Anyway, Western RPGs for me. I absolutely do hate JRPG combat.
Not because of Yahtzee *glaressssss* but because it's just not fun for me.

Which JRPGs, out of curiosity?

I've played a few, but not for very long. I think they were both Final Fantasy games...
In one, the protagonist had a tail. In the other, he was like a sports star or whatever? There was a huge bubble and they played ball in it...that part was kind of fun.

Final Fantasies 9 and 10, I think.

Well, same for me - what I meant was, I don't like those characters (And in the case of one JRPG I tried, their squeek, painfully high voices didn't help). I suppose you could class Anachronox as a JRPG in gameplay, but that the brilliant [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLwEUlqp0B0] - they only game I've seen that has a shrunk planet run by an over-the-top voting system as a main character

I keep watching that and thinking "Sin City meets Mystical Ninja." Looks interesting...

 

[Gladion]

Please stop quoting me for a particular statement I made (naming people following Yahtzee and thus hating JRPGs). If you read my post with your brains turned on, you would have noticed that this was even less than a suggestion: "I wouldn't be surprised if [...]". I didn't state anything as a fact, and don't you think I'm talking about any specific person.


If you don't like japanese RPGs that's fine by me, it's not like I gave two fucks and neither should you about me preferring JRPGs because The elder scrolls and KOtoR bored me to death I couldn't play for more than a couple of hours. Fallout on the other hand, I liked, though I never got to play the first game - damn win XP-incompatibility

 

[Doug]

Well, same for me - what I meant was, I don't like those characters (And in the case of one JRPG I tried, their squeek, painfully high voices didn't help). I suppose you could class Anachronox as a JRPG in gameplay, but that the brilliant [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLwEUlqp0B0] - they only game I've seen that has a shrunk planet run by an over-the-top voting system as a main character

I keep watching that and thinking "Sin City meets Mystical Ninja." Looks interesting...

Not sure what Mystical Ninja is. As for the Sin City bit, sort of I suppose. The game is mostly about humour with a sci-fi and 'Noir' theme. The grahpics are sadly verrrry old (Quake III engine, I believe) but it was still fun. Didn't sell well sadly, as it was apart of the games that where tainted by the Eidos-Daikatana brush.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Well, same for me - what I meant was, I don't like those characters (And in the case of one JRPG I tried, their squeek, painfully high voices didn't help). I suppose you could class Anachronox as a JRPG in gameplay, but that the brilliant [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLwEUlqp0B0] - they only game I've seen that has a shrunk planet run by an over-the-top voting system as a main character

I keep watching that and thinking "Sin City meets Mystical Ninja." Looks interesting...

Not sure what Mystical Ninja is. As for the Sin City bit, sort of I suppose. The game is mostly about humour with a sci-fi and 'Noir' theme. The grahpics are sadly verrrry old (Quake III engine, I believe) but it was still fun. Didn't sell well sadly, as it was apart of the games that where tainted by the Eidos-Daikatana brush.

The graphics look better than Summoner or FF7. That's good enough for me.

Mystical Ninja (at least, the one I played, I think it's a series) was an adventure-platformer ala Mario 64, on the N64 console. It was...exceptionally quirky, I think the best descriptor would be, but fun as all get-out. It also had, strangely, some of the best giant robot fights I've ever played.

Western RPGs often provide at least an illusion of free will, and you play the role of a character you created. JRPGs seem to entail fixed characters that don't develop or develop in a very specific way, as though the role playing had been completely extracted from the RPG system.

That's why they're called something different in the first place. JRPGs just use video game RPG elements to tell a certain story.

Using your words, they consider the illusion of free will to be a distraction and don't bother with it.

 

[cj_iwakura]

A lot of times I see people speaking on bad experiences with the JRPG, they're always the bad ones. Try some Persona or Devil Summoner.

 

[NattyMichael]

east cause they hav pokemon xD lol

no really west cause of games like TES oblivion/morrowind just because of them...and im not much for it (cause i wont play it cause of the price lol) but world of warcraft is like a massive amazing game according to a lot of people (the 7million odd people on it)

but then i dont like any of them apart from TES really and i like zelda, final fantasy and pokemon so overall east...:/