Japanese RPGs vs Western RPGs

[the AJman]

I know this could potentially became a wildfire of fanatical fanboyism to the extreme going out of control, but I think I'll risk it anyways and start this topic.

This is to discussion the two in relation to each other and of course what we prefer and why. The floor is now open for debate.

[Roto13]

I think I might be bored of them both. :P It's interesting how there's such a difference though. JRPGs and WRPGs are each choking on their own set of cliches. xP

[Laddy]

Gameplay=WRPG's
Story/Characters=JRPG's

[Madame Adequate]

Gameplay=WRPG's
Story/Characters=JRPG's

What.

[Vermachtnis]

Gameplay=WRPG's
Story/Characters=JRPG's

I disagree, since the character in a WRPG is essentailly me it has the best character ever! :p

[Laddy]

Gameplay=WRPG's
Story/Characters=JRPG's

I disagree, since the character in a WRPG is essentailly me it has the best character ever! :p
Though the WRPG's in which 'you' have any plot depth is minimal. Most WRPG'S had little customization in terms of the main character.

[Karellen]

There is enough crap on both sides that I can't really pick a favorite out of the two. For every Nocturne there is a Xenosaga II and for every Fallout there is a Ultima IX. I will say that I find early JRPGs much more fun to play then early WRPGs but at the same time I think the more recent (as in, 2000+) WRPGs have been a lot better then their Japanese equivalents. This is mostly due to serious interface issues in early WRPGs and serious lack of effort in recent JRPGs.

[Madame Adequate]

Gameplay=WRPG's
Story/Characters=JRPG's

I disagree, since the character in a WRPG is essentailly me it has the best character ever! :p
Though the WRPG's in which 'you' have any plot depth is minimal. Most WRPG'S had little customization in terms of the main character.

What

Do you have these two terms confused or something? Are you making consistent typos?

Because the sub-genre you are accusing of having little customization is the one which has games like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Mass Effect, whereas the sub-genre you imply has good customization is the one with games like Final Fantasy IX, Legend of Dragoon, and Chrono Trigger.

[Laddy]

Gameplay=WRPG's
Story/Characters=JRPG's

I disagree, since the character in a WRPG is essentailly me it has the best character ever! :p
Though the WRPG's in which 'you' have any plot depth is minimal. Most WRPG'S had little customization in terms of the main character.

What

Do you have these two terms confused or something? Are you making consistent typos?

Because the sub-genre you are accusing of having little customization is the one which has games like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Mass Effect, whereas the sub-genre you imply has good customization is the one with games like Final Fantasy IX, Legend of Dragoon, and Chrono Trigger.I meant in terms of personality/plot.

[Markus. D]

I can't choose either.

[Bolivar]

I agree with karellen to an extent, older JRPGs for me blew every WRPG I ever played back then out of the water. Recently, that's been starting to change, with the quality obviously being better, a few of the big hitters have been named in this thread already, and even JRPG's (even main flagship franchises like Final Fantasy) have been taking cues from their cousins across the Pacific.

I would still be of the persuasion that I just flat out like JRPG's better. More imagination, creativity, fantasy is much more dynamic to those developers IMO, whereas from a Western game I've consistently gotten the same genres i've been exposed to time and time again, whether it be D&D regurgitation, space opera, or whatever.

[Wolf Kanno]

I agree with karellen to an extent, older JRPGs for me blew every WRPG I ever played back then out of the water. Recently, that's been starting to change, with the quality obviously being better, a few of the big hitters have been named in this thread already, and even JRPG's (even main flagship franchises like Final Fantasy) have been taking cues from their cousins across the Pacific.

I would still be of the persuasion that I just flat out like JRPG's better. More imagination, creativity, fantasy is much more dynamic to those developers IMO, whereas from a Western game I've consistently gotten the same genres i've been exposed to time and time again, whether it be D&D regurgitation, space opera, or whatever.

I agree with this statement. :cool:

Western fantasy is so inbred that its practically all the same. Sci-fi comes in two flavors (game wise) when it comes to RPGs: Star Wars or Star Trek.

[Moon Rabbits]

I think most RPGs have sucked lately. I'm all up on the RTSs, adventure, and simulation games, at the moment.

[Vivisteiner]

I want good stories in my RPGs, usually. And from what I've heard, Western RPGs dont tend to have them. Which is why I've never played one.

[Roto13]

JRPGs don't have them either, though. :P They suck for different reasons. JRPG stories are stupid and childish, WRPG stories are generic infested with orcs.

[LunarWeaver]

I agree with Roto that both have problems. I do feel, however, that W-RPGs are going in a better direction these days. Too many J-RPGs are content with remaining the same. Dragon Quest is going to be the same game until the day I get AIDS and die.

Besides, many Western-RPGs do have very good stories. Mass Effect crafted a very cool world with a really good plot. I would say its sci-fi world stands out a lot from Star Wars and Star Trek. The characters are also so fleshed out. Bioware's games in general have really good stories. The Diablo games are pretty good gothic fantasies. I suppose the plethora of sidequests in Oblivion offer interesting miniature tales, though the main story is pretty lol.

I dunno. I've gravitated towards Western-RPGs a lot more these days. I don't know if it's because I didn't give them much chance before so it's a bit newer to me, or if J-RPGs just interest me less. I think when my interest in anime went poof so did my interest in what J-RPGs tend to offer. I'm sure it depends on the person to decide which is the bee's knees and which is not.

[Ryth]

Both suck now. Both have incredible title, but are both mostly made up of http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif games.

[Big D]

If a game's good, I really don't care which country produced it. I'm against bandwagoneering in all its forms - the traditional weea</>boo "omg it r JAPANESE, it r da best", or the similarly-unconvincing "I'm so UNIQUE and BADASS 'cause I hate Japanese stuff and I'm totally original for doing it!"

I haven't played many western rpgs, and many of my favourite games are indeed Japanese, but if I enjoy a wrpg I'll certainly play it.

[Karellen]

I want good stories in my RPGs, usually. And from what I've heard, Western RPGs dont tend to have them. Which is why I've never played one.
Play Planescape: Torment. Nothing that's come out of Japan even begins to compare.

Baldur's Gate II is also pretty good for story-telling/character development.

[Madame Adequate]

People in this thread are making statements which suggest to me they originate from alternate dimensions. :confused:

[ShunNakamura]

I want good stories in my RPGs, usually. And from what I've heard, Western RPGs dont tend to have them. Which is why I've never played one.
Play Planescape: Torment. Nothing that's come out of Japan even begins to compare.

Baldur's Gate II is also pretty good for story-telling/character development.

I played BGII but never really thought much of it. Of course I LOATHE real time combat systems so that definitely colors me. However, the story never really leapt out to me. It wasn't bad, but I don't think it was particularly great either.

Of course most games don't have a great story. So I guess I can't say BGII is much worse, if any, than so many others I have played. But incompatible game system makes it a far worse game as far as I am concerned.



Anyhow I am not even entirely sure what these genres are exactly.. is it just dependent on nation... or form? I mean does Utawarerumono constitute as a J SRPG? If so I think it trounces a good number of RPG's made by companies I recognize as western. But it also trounces most games made by companies I recognize as Japanese.

[Karellen]

The overarching story in BGII isn't anything special but it's relatively well written, features a great cast of memorable characters and executed in such a way that there is always something of interest happening. That's about as much as I want out of a RPG story and it's consistently more then I end up getting.

If I had one complaint it would be that the sense of urgency imposed upon you in the second chapter is a little counter-intuitive considering that it's much more enjoyable to take you're time and do all the sidequests. I skipped a lot of them the first time through and regretted it later.

[Wolf Kanno]

To be fair, I do recognize that JRPGs are in decline when it comes to quality, once again, I'm back to researching and shoveling through filth (mostly Tales games) to get to the rare gems that make me love the sub-genre (Persona 3 :love:).

Lately, it seems that Western RPGs have been making the more groundbreaking and interesting games. I tried my hands at the Baldure Gate series back in the day and found them to be boring and tedious. I also can't stand Morrowind and Oblivion's game set up (I need a strong plot motivator, I can't stand sand box gaming). But games like Jade Empire and Mass Effect have caught my interest. I've also been meaning to play Fallout as it has always been a game that intrigues me despite my absolute hatred of first person perspective games.

Course, I still hope to play Lost Odyssey eventually, and I will probably check on FFXIII despite my total lack of caring (I might be pleasantly surprised). Yet it still seems that JRPGs are caught in a rut as of late. I prefer JRPG structure but I crave WRPG mechanics sometimes.

[aquatius]

I like my random encounters.

[Laddy]

I want good stories in my RPGs, usually. And from what I've heard, Western RPGs dont tend to have them. Which is why I've never played one.
Play Planescape: Torment. Nothing that's come out of Japan even begins to compare.

Baldur's Gate II is also pretty good for story-telling/character development.
QFT. BG is one of the best games ever.

[escobert]

I don't like games based on where they come form but rather on how fun they are to play :p

[Nominus Experse]

I like an RPG that can actively and thoroughly engage me. I don't seem to have any preference in Western or Japanese RPGs.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I'll play either, so long as it's good. Of late, JRPGs have failed to impress me in most cases, they seem to have fallen in a rut of unoriginality and samey, dated gameplay.

[Nominus Experse]

I don't know if Western RPGs are becoming more original and exciting in their game play and dynamics, or if the JRPG scene is diminishing or simply stagnant...

[ljkkjlcm9]

I'll just go with the culmination of all things
Strategy RPG's such as Fire Emblem....
The strategy is great, the stories may be "generic" but they're in depth and the characters have a lot of depth too. It has easily become my new favorite type of game.

I never really got into WRPG's... Open ended is nice... but then there's too open ended IMO. I typically preferred JRPG's because there was a set story and path to follow, but there were sidequests as well. Now though, most RPG's are crap, and an occasional enjoyable one comes along, like Tales of Symphonia, or The World Ends With You.

THE JACKEL