Okay, barely a month ago I stated quite boldly on the "Do you hate JRPGs"-thread that
"Nowadays it's just the combination of poor/barely acceptable story, uninnovative characters and a combat systems that is old (granted, it works, but I'd expect someone to try something new every now and then) in addition with unskippable attack animations. Put it together with crayon-bright colours and you usually end with a product that's practically a clone of the other who-knows-how-many JRPGs out there.
It's not that they're all bad, it's just that we've seen everything they have to offer at least 5 times already. I feel like the JRPG genre is afraid to try anything new and that it has been stagnating for the past decade or so."
and said that I'd be willing to try one or two games during summer months, recommended to me with the intent of proving me wrong.
Here it is ladies and gentlemen. After having played both Tales of Vesperia and The Last Remnant (though only Vesperia all the way through at this point) I will humble submit that I was wrong. A month was all it took.
I WAS WRONG.
Indeed, I'm not entirely too sure what it was about those games but they have sparked a renewed hope and even, on some level, admiration for the JPRG-genre. Having thought that I'd see it all with the decline of FF series, I was pleasantly surprised by these games. The Last Remnant certainly was over-the-top (way, way over the top)but it was fun, perhaps more because of that instead of despite it. Perhaps it was also the few years of hiatus from JRPGs that also helped. While there certainly were issues and some of the things I hate about JRPGs stay persistently, the games were at least innovative and mostly even fun, allowing me to dismiss and ignore the more boring parts. Vesperia consistently even made me keep playing for that dreaded 'one more hour', despite an already short sleep cycle.
So, thank you Escapists for managing to turn my stiff RPG-loving neck 180 degrees and special thanks to all who recommended games to me back then. I feel like I'll be buying a few more JRPGs in the months to come.
No other point to this thread, just needed to admit that as per the unspoken and unwritten agreement made a month ago.
"Nowadays it's just the combination of poor/barely acceptable story, uninnovative characters and a combat systems that is old (granted, it works, but I'd expect someone to try something new every now and then) in addition with unskippable attack animations. Put it together with crayon-bright colours and you usually end with a product that's practically a clone of the other who-knows-how-many JRPGs out there.
It's not that they're all bad, it's just that we've seen everything they have to offer at least 5 times already. I feel like the JRPG genre is afraid to try anything new and that it has been stagnating for the past decade or so."
and said that I'd be willing to try one or two games during summer months, recommended to me with the intent of proving me wrong.
Here it is ladies and gentlemen. After having played both Tales of Vesperia and The Last Remnant (though only Vesperia all the way through at this point) I will humble submit that I was wrong. A month was all it took.
I WAS WRONG.
Indeed, I'm not entirely too sure what it was about those games but they have sparked a renewed hope and even, on some level, admiration for the JPRG-genre. Having thought that I'd see it all with the decline of FF series, I was pleasantly surprised by these games. The Last Remnant certainly was over-the-top (way, way over the top)but it was fun, perhaps more because of that instead of despite it. Perhaps it was also the few years of hiatus from JRPGs that also helped. While there certainly were issues and some of the things I hate about JRPGs stay persistently, the games were at least innovative and mostly even fun, allowing me to dismiss and ignore the more boring parts. Vesperia consistently even made me keep playing for that dreaded 'one more hour', despite an already short sleep cycle.
So, thank you Escapists for managing to turn my stiff RPG-loving neck 180 degrees and special thanks to all who recommended games to me back then. I feel like I'll be buying a few more JRPGs in the months to come.
No other point to this thread, just needed to admit that as per the unspoken and unwritten agreement made a month ago.
