Kotaku: "Consider this a primer on JRPGs, your introduction to the genre and a piece designed to answer many of your burning questions. Whether you're an expert on all things Atelier or you don't know the difference between Final Fight and Final Fantasy, allow me to help you develop more appreciation for an under-appreciated genre."
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Cross is the sequel to the holy grail of RPG's: Chrono Trigger.
i've played some great rpgs during my time from eastern/western developers and no other rpg has managed to top the love i have for FF6(3)
edit
i love the disagree lol
I have to say, I think Ni No Kuni is going to be the game to fill that void for me. That is the one JRPG that I have been waiting for a long time. And I want that more than any other RPG coming out any time soon.
EDIT:
Also if anyone has not played these classic JRPGs, I highly recommend:
Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Chrono Trigger
EVO: The Search for Eden (This Fish Frenzy style game meets evolution and created one of the most unique games I have ever played. I highly highly recommend this one and I would love a remake!)
Both sub-genres have contributed incredible games to the industry.
because people Persona4, that's why. :)
Great jrpgs
Lunar 1&2
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Legends of Dragoon
Skies of Arcadia
Arc of the Lad
I agree with Ockbar. Only hardcore JRPG fanboys would agree with your statement. Since I'm sure this article will attract them, I'll go ahead and expect many disagrees.
And they are a nostalgic bunch.
JRPG - Locked on rails story from a creative fiction writer's wet dream. Simple interface and mechanics.
WRPG - As little story as possible, mostly focused on creating a living breathing world where story evolves as the player interacts with it. Deep, inter-related mechanics, complex interface.
JRPG's have demonstrably more focus on their story than their mechanics, which is why JRPG's haven't evolved for 20 years or so. They figured out how to railroad in a 20 to 1 cutscene to play ratio and hardly look back.
WRPG's are often seen as buggy and unprofessional by comparison because there is so much more depth that it's more difficult to give everyone a perfect play experience.
Get a room of ten people together, have them play any final fantasy for 10 hours, then have another group play any fallout for 10 hours. The first group will have virtually identical experiences, the latter group will likely feel like they were all playing different games.
I'm probably just on an incoherent tangent. I think they both bring great things to the table, I love both, but they have their obvious strengths and weaknesses and sometimes it feels like we're comparing apples to oranges.
I honestly don't care about the lack of options in the story which WRPG's have, just like I don't care that my favorite novel "The Game of Thrones" doesn't have the option: To save Winterfell turn to page 67, to destroy it turn to page 133.
People knew that's what we wanted, and idk why, they started to deviate from it.
Give us an open world, give us equipment upgrade, give us a leveling system, a well written story, and characters.
The formula has been done to death, and at one point, back in the ps2 days, you could pick up any JRPG and know it'll be good. Then some guy decided to reinvent the wheel and move from what they do best to copying other genres.
Ugh, I miss those days.
"Good" JRPGs are hard to find. JRPGs are already rare as it is, forget finding a "Good" JRPG.
I hear Xenoblade Chronicles is amazing, but I don't have a Wii.
Valkriya Chornicles was a really good game. And I hear good things about Tales Grace F (I plan on getting this soon).
I will never forget them either ever
Sadly I had a falling out with JRPG's this gen, mainly because it seemed like everyone forgot what made them good and decided to try be more western with their gameplay and 2 dimensional story.
FFVERSUS13 is what ive been holding out for to restore my faith, but I'm beginning to wonder if we'll even see that game this gen. Square havent made a good FF since 10, 12 for me was the final nail in the coffin and I skipped 13, and just knowing about what 13 promised but ultimately became was enough to put me off trying ANY JRPGS this gen, so please, if anyone can turn me on to one that is as good as the best of the best JRPGS last gen, let me know cos I'd love to play one now :P
EDIT: @Alndoria I never understood peoples dislike with FF8, music gameplay and story were up there with other entries to the series, and there was plenty to explore and discover on your own that enriched the main plotline, more people need to start loving FF8 and hating the new butchery that is FF games this gen.
I wish Hironobu Sakaguchi could somehow pry the IP from square-enix's cold greedy hands.
That's a bold claim. One that I'd certainly disagree with. The most important aspect of a game is gameplay, and "battle systems" are weak.
I never really thought about it, but now that I am. I noticed that's one of the biggest things that bugged me about WRPGs.
Most jrpgs games are just really stupid and childish, and limits you too hard. From my eyes, most Jrpgs aren't even rpgs, they have zero choices. You just do what ever the main character does, it's supposed to be the other way around.
Personal i HATE the weapons in most Jrpgs their freaking stupid, and don't do what they were made to do, For Example Two-handed swords. They get swung like daggers, which nerfs Daggers, I mean who loves Sniping Shotguns??
And I'm not saying that these 2 are bad games but that their presentation is hard to stomach if you aren't a weaboo.
give me a jrpg over an wrpg any damn day of the week.
As for childish, I can only think of Kingdom Hearts as MAYBE being a series more for kids; most JRPGS tackle some rather mature themes. And because the scope of what you can do is so "limited," the stories are almost always deeper than what you find in WRPGS.
As for your issue with weapons... whatever. That sounds like you just made up something. Who in what game swings a two-handed sword like daggers?
Just another person who has no clue what they're talking about.
As to your actual points.. I mostly agree and have the same principle problems facing JRPG's.
-I /hate/ Kawaii (cutesy anime/high pitched girls).
-I prefer customization (of characters/classes).
-I hate being given no options (story-wise).
If anything good were to come out of Japan, it would be the endless amount of anime where theres something for everyone, not JRPG games.
Though saying that, really cant wait for Ni No Kuni.
[Highschool of the Dead] xD
Maybe they like them simply because they do. No need to justify "why" for anyone.
I myself loved JRPG before I even knew the term JRPG from my days playing the old FF games and dragon warrior (aka dragon quest) games on the NES.
And I continue to play them on the PS3 to this day. And I'll keep on doing so until they stop making the genre. Which I hope they never do.
Final Fantasy series..Versus???
Dragon Quest series..
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Cross
Grandia
Skies of Arcadia
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Xenoblade
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
Ni no Kuni
Jrpgs best video game genre...i think..art,story,battle system,characters,exploring,se crets,adventure....
granted my favorite JRPGS are still
Crono Trigger
Mother Earth 2(Earth Bound)
Final Fantasy 6 (3 in NA)
and Tales of Symponia
and of course Phantasy star1&2
Why not just NOT like anything?
Don't get me wrong - I've been enjoying JRPGs ever since the firsts final fantasy, phantasy star, dragon warrior and others, but back in those days, you were actually playing a game most of the time... (oh boy, I sound like an old gamer now...)
Secondly, I've never played a game where I spent more time watching the cutscenes than actually playing. No, not even FFXIII, which people hate all the time for just that(among other things).
Such gross generalizations more or less prove that you don't play much in the way of current titles, but rather get the majority of your information secondhand.
Great days really for some of those special games but the more obvious cultural differences in script etc and the necessity for often over quirky and teen based characters seems a bit silly these days. And this is an opinion that is largely shared these days by all but the most hardcore fans because the yare being largely ignored in favour of western design
Where in games do we get loli personifications of consoles battling against piracy?
Where in games do characters shoot themselves in the head to summon gods to battle?
Where in gaming does a scientist, frog warrior, cavewoman, robot, travel through time to stop an alien parasite?
Where in games do we see Donald Duck, Goofy & a spiky haired boy go through various Disney locations to find a Heart?
Where in gaming do you find a band of stereotypes go on an epic journey to defeat a mommy's boy hell bent on destroying the world?
In JRPGs that is where & that is why we LOVE them!!!
*shoots head*
If this doesn't explain why, then nothing ever will.
*Clap* *clap*
Regardless of the quality of this particular write-up (which people in this thread are wasting zero time crapping on), people who dislike Kotaku are going to dislike Kotaku. If you honestly believe that this write-up is changing anyone's opinions on them (especially the people involved in the mass exodus that's been taking place there in the past few days) you're delusional.
Also, for the record, the media is not the sole determining factor in a site's quality, and Kotaku is THE perfect example of that. One of the aspects of running a site that people enjoy visiting relies on your relationship with the community, which has completely gone to shit over at Kotaku. If Hitler wrote beautiful poetry should we judge him on that?
Believe me, Kotaku does not end and begin at this article.
And likewise, I'd think it appropriate to see something here that reads: "Kotaku is a horrible site, but this article has merit."
Anyway you're reaching at this point, stop it. He shouldn't have to list every aspect of his analysis of Kotaku to give his overall opinion, and he certainly shouldn't have to do it every time he gives his opinion. He thinks they're irrelevant. He said it. You wanted to talk about there article. You missed his point, and now you're trying to act like you took it into account this whole time.
If you stand by what you're saying though, then I'll be looking forward to NEVER seeing you offering a simple opinion on anything. You won't ever say "I loved this game, the gameplay was great", right? You will also tell us how you felt about the graphics, music, storyline, and interface, won't you? Or will you just admit that you're inventing standards of speech right now just to make yourself look right?
Much like I think Phil Fish is a tactless and unprofessional public figure, but I will not discredit the merit of his work on Fez after having experienced it.
Jason Schreier that was extremely retarded of u, ok we get it u prefer FFVI over FFVII but dont go and write this crap on an article idiot, your ironic & moronic way of mocking FFVII show how biased u r.. what's the point to write an article with advices for JRPGs when u write this ridiculous stuff about the KING of the genre? show some respect for the game that make JRPGs popular out of JPN to all over the world and cut this ironic comments.
Love it or hate it i do not care. But to deny the fact what that game did for the genre of JRPGs in the west is asinine.
I guess those who were old enough to be around when FF 7 launched understand the impact the game made in the success of the PS one (this game literally sold consoles) , the success of Squaresoft, the success of JRPGs, & that gaming can be an experience like no other.
Like yours is, here.
If we wanted wrpg, we'd BUY wrpg. Jrpg needs to stay true to what they are and NOT try to be what they aren't.
WRPG games get the hype they do because most of the are action games or fps games trying to be passed off as RPG just because they have rpg elements.
"WRPG games get the hype"
You contradicted yourself there.
WRPGs have more RPG elements than JRPGs do, because WRPGs are more like the original pen and paper RPGs than JRPGs are. Add co-op to a game like Skyrim and the result would be the closest thing to those old school role playing sessions we've ever seen in videogame form. Major changes would have to be made to any JRPG to achieve the same result.
I briefly experimented with JRPGs because of all the hype they used to get, and found them to be not what I was looking for in a role playing game. I know JRPGs have lots of fans, so I hope someone continues to make good ones, but I don't care about them.
They didn't steal any "thunder" because Jrpg have ALWAYS been niche. They still get the same kind of sales, publicity, and attention they ALWAYS did. No more, no less. So unless you're sitting here saying the JRPG was ever a "big" thing, it's not a contradiction.
I enjoy both (Oh I know, a foreign concept here.) and beyond the obvious gameplay differences, both games more or less set out to do the same thing just in a different way.
One genre IS NOT better then another, and really none of you "Harcore" defensive JRPG types have made a compelling argument for it.
Kingdom Hearts is an action RPG.
What "compelling" argument needs to be made?
you NEVER saw me say one was better than the other. And what "elements" are present in one over the other comes down to nitpicking at individual games?
I CAN make "arguments" here if you REALLY want. But I don't waste my time because I've seen MORE than enough of the N4G landscape to see people read and believe what the want to read and believe to waste my time with that
WRPGs featuring Oblivion, Skyrim, Mass Effect 1 and 2(not 3), Fall out 3 GOTY and GTA IV(not an RPG but open world game with choices.
Past JRPG games FF 5-10, Chronno Trigger, Xeno Blade, Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 and many others were good/great JRPGs.
Current generation JRPGs have been a let down, big time.
As a long-time WRPG fan, I am quite disappointed with the direction such games are going. If you had been a long time Elders Scrolls, Diablo, Fallout fan and WRPG in general, you'd possibly see how disappointing Oblivion (then the further dumbing down in Skyrim), Diablo 3 and Fallout 3 were.
Mass Effect is a great series I won't deny it, but not a great rpg series.
It's all a matter of opinion I guess.
Man the delusion and ignorance is just ridiculous. If you haven't played the games or didn't even exist, shut your ignorant mouth.
Kinda funny you mentioned some JRPG's that borrowed from MMO or had a more action RPG style to them. Try harder.
Mind blown with that type of statement. Mind blown.
Seriously, Planescape is still on a level all its own. Even compared to games from today. Writing, design, gameplay concepts. Hell, BioWare is still stealing gameplay concepts from that game.
Mind blown.
You know, just a thought...
Sure, they're pretty to look at the 1st 2 or 3 times but after that you just want it to be over and done with. Needless to say, i didn't bother finishing the game. And the whole turn based fighting just makes me cringe now. I like my rpg's to be more heavy on the action, ala' the zelda games...and my main reason for not liking rpg's is No Replay Value. That's right, once you finish it there is no incentive to play it again...maybe if you forget about it after a year, but other than that, no thank you.
The magics in 7 doesnt take too long, only summomns take long and they are ENTIRELY optional (Unless you want to take down the hardest Bosses).
Some games have replay value, like the persona and growlanser series, so your points are nule.
Go back to Call of Duty.
as far as you saying "unless you want to take down the hardest bosses in parenthesis", that completely negates your "ENTIRELY optional" statement.
Saying SOME is a lot less than most which my complaints address, so therefore YOUR defense is how you put it...nule.
I take it that people that don't like rpg's automatically like call of duty?? Well aren't you the intuitive gamer. Sherlock holms got nothing on you.
Just because some of us fxcking want to and we enjoy them.