The only critically acclaimed JRPG this generation...

is Demon's Souls.

Some say though, that despite the fact that it was MADE in Japan, it is still a "Western" RPG because it is one in style.

To any who have played Demon's Souls, do you think there is anything about the game that makes it feel "Japanese."

Also, many game editorial writers are claiming the JRPG is done for and if they want to survive they need to change. Some of them think JRPG developers should use Demon's Souls as reference in good JRPG making.

Does the JRPG need to change? Is Demon's Souls the kind of game that can satisfy JRPG fans? Are JRPGs just in a rut and will make a comeback without sacrificing what makes them unique? Discuss.

That's really not the only critically acclaimed JRPG this generation.

this whole idea that RPGs from Japan have to conform to certain different styles than RPGs from the US is ridiculous in itself. There's good RPGs and there's bad RPGs and lately it's the ones from Japan that have been failing to be good because they can't break out of their own cliches (either that or they just plain suck).

JRPG's this year have gotten Golden Sun and Atelier Rorona off the top of my head. And while a Hater like Wolf will scoff at those being good games, they are both awesome. We are in no 'JRPG Drought' this year. :p

I'll go more into why the suposed critics are wrong after work.

Pretty sure Mist Walker's games were well received. Though I do agree that a lot of JRPGs are too cliche and boring. Though its not the tropes that turn me off. Its how they're handled and presented. Writing, music, possibly voice acting. Even a really great game can get bogged down by repetitive combat and/or a boring combat system that would turn me off of the game. JRPGs don't necessarily need to learn from the west. They need to learn how to write and be compelling, or entertaining, or dramatic, or something on their own accord

Valkyria Chronicles I + II as well as Lost Odyssey were all highly critically acclaimed and I can personally vouch for VC1 as as highly innovating the SRPG subgenre.

I don't know if I would say Demon's Souls is western. It's definitely vanilla high fantasy, which is what many western devs stick to, so I could see it on the aesthetic level, although it's still a superficial characterization. Instead, Demon's Souls stood out to me as Japanese as Japanese can get. It reminded me of Ghouls & Ghosts/Goblins/whatever-port-you-played from back in the day, where you start from the beginning, each time memorizing the order the enemies come at you, and taking each one down, in the confines of its own system. It's an action-RPG, but it's not a free-flowing game, the speed and strength of your attacks, as well as dodging, have their own parameters to them and it's very much evident with how it plays out.

Western RPG's this generation have been characterized by one thing: selling out. These games have "streamlined" themselves by forsaking what made them great on computers in the 90's and instead become more like action and shooter games on the 360 now in the 2000's. Older fans of Fallout cried foul on Bethesda's bastardization of the game into a shooter (although a lot of them like New Vegas now better), and Bioware really went hard with making a third person shooter with Mass Effect 2. I remember playing Fallout 3, with its static characters who look like they're standing still, even when they're moving, being bombarded with hundreds of choices and menial tasks to begin, none of which I could possibly care less about.

Personally, the East-West debate in the media has gotten so played out, and I'm so tired of hearing it, it just makes me lose faith in the direction video games as a medium are heading. Every time a self-proclaimed "journalist," or, worse yet, "analyst" claims that Japanese developers need to borrow elements from Western games, I wanna let them know how much they're coming off as the anti-christ, because I don't want Japanese developers making Western games, I'd rather them creating new genres of gaming we've never thought possible, and have the Westerners rip off of it for every penny its worth. Even worse is when they suggest Final Fantasy or such should be more like W(annabe)RPG's.

Because those games aren't fun.

Games like Dragon Age never appealed to you I take it? I don't consider it selling out. Though you admit that the old Fallout games and probably Baldur's Gate had a good thing going. And though Dragon Age may not appeal to everyone, it did a lot of things right, and accomplished most of what it set out to do. Though what it set out to do may not have been your flavor. Some people really want to play hard fantasy Dungeons and Dragons, or Conan The Barbarian type stories. Its generally going to be darker, grittier, and more (possibly too) serious compared to extremely pretty, anime inspired backdrops with a less traditional take on fantasy, with multi-colored eternally good hair days and stuff. Unfortunately for me, a lot of JRPGs seem so middle of the road, they spent the better part of the PS1 & 2 days copying each other, and flooding the market. Now they need to go to extremes to differentiate themselves, and usually they go extremely into direction that fail to interest me. Though honestly I would not pick Fallout 3 or Mass Effect as pennicle examples of WRPGs either way. I enjoyed them, but I could never classify them as anything above merely "enjoyable". The last stellar WRPG I played was the KOTOR games. But somehow those stood out to me, because I wouldn't even put the Baldur's Gates of Fallouts up there with those two. Most of my stellar gaming experiences did happen with JRPG games. But the Xenogears & Chrono Trigger games are extremely hard to come across

What confuses me is people buying JRPGs and then whining about how much they are like JRPGs. Whether or not a game conforms to a lot of JRPG cliches is usually obvious enough that you can tell without playing. If it's not your thing, then don't buy!

(Also, I quite liked FFXIII, Persona 3 and 4, 358/2 Days, and TWEWY to name just a few.)

What sucked about Dragon Age is that it was basically a Mass Effect mod set in fantasyland, except they actually took a step backward with the gameplay and story. I loved Mass Effect and how it took the whole conversation thing to the next level. Then Mass Effect 2 came along which sucked gameplay-wise because they wanted to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the Xbox-360 audience, but at least it still had a good story and an awesome space opera atmosphere. It was still better than FF13 despite it's flaws, because that game sucked on almost every level.

I agree with Vyk in that the KOTOR games are better than basically all the RPG's I've played in a while, but I have always loved the star wars universe, so I'm probably biased.

I'm not all that familiar with Demon's Souls (I played it for like ten minutes when JKTrix brought it over) but I actually thought it WAS a west-developed RPG until I read this thread.

Easy way to define Demon's Souls as 'JRPG' or not (it's not):

Is it a role-playing game made in Japan, or is it a role-playing game that uses specific conventions in battle, exploration and storytelling? If it's the former, then the categorization is based on nothing except where the game was developed. In other words, if From Software just took a trip to Australia to make it, people wouldn't even be considering the J. Calling DS a 'JRPG' is as silly as calling Mortal Kombat a 'WFighter' or Gran Turismo a 'JRacer'.

The latter properly communicates the actual type of game. A JRPG is Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, SMT, etc.

Conclusion: Demon's Souls is just a straight up Action RPG developed in Japan.

As for JRPGs 'needing' to change - the entire claim is just marketing/consumer bull:bou::bou::bou::bou: and based entirely on trends. If Japanese RPG developers want to make money over here, they probably SHOULD change their style. But there's nothing inherently wrong with the style as it is, which is what most people will wrongly tell you these days. Usually this comes from young gamers (and the journalists who pander to them, because the us vs. them thing usually leads to an explosion of hits and comments) who have grown up with Mass Effect and Oblivion - there's nothing wrong with any of this, of course, but it's the same prejudice as when I was 17 myself and thought that only dumb people played anything other than RPGs. This necessity for JRPGs to change really just stems from the fact that the style is no longer in vogue and the quality of the recent output from the genre as been... off. Hell, I'd even argue that JRPGs have strayed too far from what made them initially good.

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

Older fans of Fallout cried foul on Bethesda's bastardization of the game into a shooter (although a lot of them like New Vegas now better), and Bioware really went hard with making a third person shooter with Mass Effect 2. I remember playing Fallout 3, with its static characters who look like they're standing still, even when they're moving, being bombarded with hundreds of choices and menial tasks to begin, none of which I could possibly care less about.

Personally, the East-West debate in the media has gotten so played out, and I'm so tired of hearing it, it just makes me lose faith in the direction video games as a medium are heading. Every time a self-proclaimed "journalist," or, worse yet, "analyst" claims that Japanese developers need to borrow elements from Western games, I wanna let them know how much they're coming off as the anti-christ, because I don't want Japanese developers making Western games, I'd rather them creating new genres of gaming we've never thought possible, and have the Westerners rip off of it for every penny its worth. Even worse is when they suggest Final Fantasy or such should be more like W(annabe)RPG's.

Because those games aren't fun.

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See, the meshing of genres is a tough thing to consider. The games aren't bad, but they certainly aren't the same style of game anymore, and are generally made in the hopes that they can reach a broader audience (huge budgets require huge sales, naturally). I suppose this is, by definition, selling out (BioWare's marketing campaign of Dragon Age II reeks of this sort of thing, and not in a good way). I'd say that Fallout 3 or NV are not sell-outs though. Bethesda didn't bastardize anything - they bought the Fallout name and made it into a game they know how to make. Fallout 3 has more in common with the Elder Scrolls than any shooter.

As for journalists and their opinions - most of them just repeat what the others say with no substantiating reasoning to back it up. It makes them come off as more than a little ignorant. Not only that, but the readership begins to think Japanese games = :bou::bou::bou::bou: because they are not like our games. I dread reading articles about interesting new games coming out from Japan because the comments section usually degenerates into a xenophobia/racism parade.

Is JRPG unnecessary?
Is JRPG old fashioned?
Did you get tired of JRPG?

We do not think so!

I have never felt that JRPGs were outdated, but I have felt that they aren't making good ones anymore. I haven't played a JRPG that I consider truly excellent this decade.

And the notion that JRPGs are all turn based is absolute garbage. Looking at me current gen video game shelf I see: Disgaea 3, Eternal Sonata, Final Fantasy 13, White Knight Chronicles, Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery, Last Remnant, FF7: Crisis Core.
Over 50% of those are some variety of real time.

IMO JRPGs need to do away with the idea that they have to be real time and fast. I have yet to enjoy one of these systems as much as a more traditional turn based one. It isn't the slow turn based systems that give JRPGs a bad name, it is boring turn based systems that give them bad names, replacing it with a mediocre 'real time' system isn't any progress forward. Especially when they then have to make my other party members AI, completely removing the ability for any highly detailed encounters. (Though I don't often praise FF12, giving the ability to modify your AI is a gigantic step forward)

Is a JRPG going to be a mega-hit in North America nowadays? No, I highly doubt that they can make anything to go up against Halo or CoD. But their attempts to make the games 'faster' aren't going compete either. They should just focus on keeping their existing fanbase happy.

To start off, no I don't consider Demon's Soul to a JRPG. It's more like an action adventure game with RPG elements but I feel it lacks every convention that makes a JRPG and only has a few elements of the actual genre. Despite that, its still a great game but I wouldn't call it a JRPG.

Also, Bolivar, how can you criticize Mass Effect and Fallout 3 for genre melding and then praise Valkyrie Chronicles in the same breath; when that title did the same damn thing of merging third person shooter elements into a SRPG? ;) So onto the more important topic...

I think Flying Arrow said my sentiments about the real issue being more of JRPGs not being in vogue, there is nothing inherently wrong with them, it's just that WRPGs have gotten the spotlight and now people are concluding that JRPGs are failing when in reality they are doing pretty nice thank you.

I'll admit, I do side with VeloZer0 to a point, in which I feel the genre has stagnated but I also think a lot of it has to with being overwhelmed with new series. The Tales franchise was releasing games almost quarterly for awhile and when they all feel like variations of the other, I kinda feel the genre is stagnating a bit. I'm actually tired of the anime escapades (ironic since my favorite JRPGs of the last decade are heavily anime inspired) and its getting to the point where seeing a flashy dressed guy in a trenchcoat with a big sword; his big eyes, big breasted companion, whose suppose to be a sorceress but is wearing an outfit even hookers would say is too risque; and any number of other anime/RPG tropes such as annoying hyper girl, cat girl, angel swordsman etc... I'm just turned off, I overindulged in the buffet that was the PS1 era and early PS2 ear and now I want something a little more classy and a little more... different. This is not to say that anime inspired stuff is out, but if you are going to use it, you need to start making it different looking. If I grabbed a few Tales, Ar Tornelco, and Atelier titles and showed someone the covers but removed the names, only the Babes Society could probably name them all correctly. ;)

Major franchises have either faltered or just quit (Wild ARMS, Suikoden, BoF) and even attempts to bring back series don't go over so well (how is that remake of Lufia II people?) It doesn't help that SE has been kinda batting zero on the console front. Infinite Undiscovery, Last Remnant, Star Ocean IV, and even FFXIII haven't been making the usual "OMG!!! GREATEST GAME EVAH!!! *dies from gaming orgasm* spiel you usually hear. Really, the handheld market is where the genre is thriving as of late, (KH:BBS, DQIX, GS3: DD, and all the ports and remakes) It's having issues with the consoles it seems, whereas WRPGs are thriving.

JRPGs are not dead, they are just in other mediums. Sure the old guards has either disappeared or seems like they are resting on their reputation more than their skills but at the same time, I usually feel the genre does better in the second half of a consoles life cycle. I don't really feel their were too many exceptional RPGs on the PS2 until 2005 with the exception of Suikoden III. So, I'm kinda hoping to start seeing more console titles that are peeking my interest such as The Last Story has been doing.

This topic is a lot larger than this simple explanation but really the issues with JRPGs are plentiful and I don't believe their is one "magic bullet" that's going to fix everything. The genre has several problems from identity, game structure, innovation, and even marketing. I only provided my main issue with the genre as of late.

I haven't played it yet, but I'd like to say that I'm gearing up to buy Resonance of Fate and I fully expect to enjoy it from what I've seen. I've heard the story is a little lacking, but hopefully the gameplay innovations make it a refreshing play.

I hear Lufia 2 is awesome, though I've yet to play it. My buddy Sean is picking it up though, so I'll have a first hand opinion on it in the near future.

I like Bolivar's description of Demon's Souls.

Actually, now that I have been playing it, I have to agree. It does feel very Japanese... I also think the concep is similar to other games Atlus has developed/published such as Eternal Poison and the Megami Tensei series... In Eternal Poison you go to a demon realm and you can harvest fallen "Majin" (essentially demons in the game) souls and in megami tensei games characters can summon demons... The game plays like an oldschool Castlevania to me...update that with modern mechanics and graphics and add RPG character progression and it can compete with the Oblivions of the world :p

I actually find it somewhat frustrating that today's WRPGs are representing RPGs to the majority of people. I think Mass Effect, and Oblivion are good games and I even enjoy other games with RPG elements such as Borderlands. However, it annoys me that Oblivion is heralded for being a masterful RPG game with a large, dynamic and changing world. Some elements of Oblivion were innovate and neat but there was Ultima VII before Oblivion and, I'm sorry, you could do A LO more in Ultima VII. There were many other vast, open world RPGs in the past that make Oblivion feel like a medieval FPS (sure, there arent guns, but all FPS have melee, and since I play a mage, I have to shoot a lot of fireballs). It doesn't help that in Oblivion, it doesn't matter what level you are because the monsters levels are relative to your level. Lots of exploraion, but no true sense of character creation. Mass Effect, is actually very story driven but I do feel like I am playing Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six in the far future at times rather than an RPG. I haven't played Dragon Age, Fable, Fallout 3 or NV.

I think myself, and some other JRPG fans, just want to see a new big, shiny JRPG that is on top of the pack again. JRPGs are becoming more of a niche genre than they use to be. Games such as Chrono Trigger, Suikoden, Final Fantasy VI, VII, VIII, IX, and even X and many other games had cross appeal. Also, these games did not have the ridiculous Otaku anime style *cringe*... Though there are a few great games that have this art style but it is now the dominate approach to an HD JRPG... That is what I appreciate about FF as the art style is anime INSPIRED instead of cel-shaded anime whackiness. I am still a fan of the Star Ocean series though but I think it mixes in enough realism and anime to avoid offending anybody.

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Originally Posted by eternal essence

I haven't played it yet, but I'd like to say that I'm gearing up to buy Resonance of Fate and I fully expect to enjoy it from what I've seen. I've heard the story is a little lacking, but hopefully the gameplay innovations make it a refreshing play.

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It just likes to hint at plot through a lot of it. Most of the game is carried through characterization. And for what it lacks in plot development early on, it more than makes up for with that characterization. I haven't completed the game myself, 'cause I burn out quickly on any game. But it carried me a lot farther than I thought possible. I loved the characters and they were worth spending a lot of time getting to know. So here's hoping you do enjoy

I'm just going to say it, Demons' Souls is ridiculously awesome, but after I beat it once, I was uninterested in it.

Tales of Graces F has a pretty neat battle system, just the story sucks so bad I wanted to ...

Oh yeah I did skip most of it ...

To be honest though I'd probably put Tales of Vesperia over DS, liked both games but the only reason I felt Vesperia got panned in reviews is because anime blah blah flat chested girls that don't know how to cook are good for nothing

1. Sorry for my rant against WRPG's, and Dragon Age actually is a game I do want to pick up eventually.

But I am seriously surprised no one in this thread has yet brought up White Knight Chronicles!!!

Dear Lord in Heaven, THANK YOU for White Knight Chronicles...

I just got this game this weekend as an early Christmas present and I am practically creaming. After 3 years of playing shooters and racers, a few very good but unconventional JRPG's, and being disappointed in FFXIII, this game is such an unbelievable joy to play. I'm like smiling all giddy because I'm actually buying swords and armor at a shop in a town then going out in the field to check them out. I'm spread skill points gained after levelling across multiple skill trees where I can choose to build up attributes or gain new abilities. And to top it off there's this insane online mode that I haven't even touched yet.

I can understand why the mainstream media gave it such a lukewarm reception - they're all idiots who have been playing the Elder Scrolls, Fallouts, and Mass Effects for the last few years and their head cannot fathom how a game can be called an RPG if you can't choose one of four pre-set responses when a female NPC asks you if her ass is too big. Yes, the story is archetypal and almost campy, but I NEEEDED a fantasy story like this where the characters look and talk the way they do while the music is exactly what I would want.

Honestly, it almost feels like this is Level-5's spiritual successor to what they did with Dragon Quest VIII - a home console game set in a bright, beautiful world with tons of places to explore, with the typical greens fields, blue rivers, white skies, and grey castles you'd expect in one of these games.

Anyone still playing it or thinking about starting a new file?

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Also, Bolivar, how can you criticize Mass Effect and Fallout 3 for genre melding and then praise Valkyrie Chronicles in the same breath; when that title did the same damn thing of merging third person shooter elements into a SRPG? ;) So onto the more important topic...

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Shame on you, Wolf Kanno! People here know you've played at least two of those games (Fallout3 & VC1), so the answer should be obvious enough to you:

Real-time vs. Turn-based.

In Valkyria Chronicles, when it's a character's turn, the enemies do not move. They do not seek you out. The only time they shoot at you, is when you come in their peripheral vision radius. You get one shot to pull the trigger, then that character's done. Elevation, cover, and distance are not gameplay factors to take to into account - they're parameters that go into a mathematical equation that determines how much damage will be done.

Shame on you, Wolf, you should know better ;)

Yeah, for some reason White Knight slipped my mind, which is odd cause I set it as my second favorite game of the year. :p

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Originally Posted by Bolivar

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Also, Bolivar, how can you criticize Mass Effect and Fallout 3 for genre melding and then praise Valkyrie Chronicles in the same breath; when that title did the same damn thing of merging third person shooter elements into a SRPG? ;) So onto the more important topic...

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Shame on you, Wolf Kanno! People here know you've played at least two of those games (Fallout3 & VC1), so the answer should be obvious enough to you:

Real-time vs. Turn-based.

In Valkyria Chronicles, when it's a character's turn, the enemies do not move. They do not seek you out. The only time they shoot at you, is when you come in their peripheral vision radius. You get one shot to pull the trigger, then that character's done. Elevation, cover, and distance are not gameplay factors to take to into account - they're parameters that go into a mathematical equation that determines how much damage will be done.

Shame on you, Wolf, you should know better ;)

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You missed my point Bolivar old chap. :doublecolbert: You're original post makes it sound like the fact Bioware and Bethseda did some genre melding was bad but then say VC was great despite also doing it, when you're new post has you actually clarify the real issue is that Sega did a good job of melding whereas the other two failed to implement them together properly, making them instead feel like action game/FPS with RPG elements.

I just caught you in a blanket statement, since you failed in your original post to explain why VC is an example of good melding since it keeps true to the SRPG formula. :p

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

You missed my point Bolivar old chap. :doublecolbert: You're original post makes it sound like the fact Bioware and Bethseda did some genre melding was bad but then say VC was great despite also doing it, when you're new post has you actually clarify the real issue is that Sega did a good job of melding whereas the other two failed to implement them together properly, making them instead feel like action game/FPS with RPG elements.

I just caught you in a blanket statement, since you failed in your original post to explain why VC is an example of good melding since it keeps true to the SRPG formula. :p

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It's not that I think they're genre-melding. The only thing that makes Valkyria Chronicles like a Third Person Shooter is that the characters happen to have guns. The other two games have been both criticized and praised for stripping away (or streamlining) RPG elements in order to appeal to a broader audience. My point is just that WRPG's, particularly the most popular and critically acclaimed this generation, have been guilty of dilution. That doesn't mean they're not amazing games, as many people think they are. However, the only praise Valkyria Chronicles has gotten has been on the merits of its strategy, unique battle scenarios, deep (if a bit cliched) plot, and characteristic art style. Not because "it's like Geers of Warr, lulz"

On another note, I played my first couple online quests in White Knight Chronicles last night and my affection for this game is compounding. After noticing the similarities to DQVIII it seems like Level-5 added in the online questing aspects that they would eventually implement into DQIX. It just cements for me that this is their new IP for home consoles that they want to place in the pantheon of the Final Fantasies and Dragon Quests. After checking out both the single player and multiplayer, neither one of us could fathom how it got such mixed reviews.

We came to the conclusion that it's because it doesn't have guns. Thanks for sticking up for those games, Wolf. You're contributing to the destruction of our beloved genre (or just calling me out on my contradictions (which are non-existent)).

You missed the part about VC utilizing cover to minimize damage and protect units. You know, that new element that all them FPS and 3rd person shooters love so much that's become a standard feature now for the genre. I don't even play those types of games and I spotted that one. ;) Its a element that is missing in most SRPG titles but abundant in the 3rd person shooter genres so I guess my comment means more than just them having guns.

Also, you don't play WRPGs so there's no reason for you to be bitching about them being diluted by Bioware. :p

As for keeping the genre we love alive, I feel I do my duty like calling out BS on XIII which did more to unmake the genre than anything else, and to actually support MegaTen who have actually been breaking new ground with the genre while also keeping true to their roots. What have you been doing lately besides making sweet love to Killzone 3 screenshots? :razz:

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

As for keeping the genre we love alive, I feel I do my duty like calling out BS on XIII which did more to unmake the genre than anything else, and to actually support MegaTen who have actually been breaking new ground with the genre while also keeping true to their roots.

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What :\ ?

He's saying FF13 sucks balls and the MegaTen is better. Personally I can't decide which one of them sucks harder.

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

You missed the part about VC utilizing cover to minimize damage and protect units. You know, that new element that all them FPS and 3rd person shooters love so much that's become a standard feature now for the genre. I don't even play those types of games and I spotted that one. ;) Its a element that is missing in most SRPG titles but abundant in the 3rd person shooter genres so I guess my comment means more than just them having guns.

Also, you don't play WRPGs so there's no reason for you to be bitching about them being diluted by Bioware. :p

As for keeping the genre we love alive, I feel I do my duty like calling out BS on XIII which did more to unmake the genre than anything else, and to actually support MegaTen who have actually been breaking new ground with the genre while also keeping true to their roots. What have you been doing lately besides making sweet love to Killzone 3 screenshots? :razz:

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1. Actually, cover systems are not yet standard in FPS games! Killzone has it, I think Brink will have it, but I can't think of any other games that do unless you count the peak/lean function on PC FPS. But EVEN THEN cover in Valkyria is really just the "Defend" action. You don't pop out constantly to take pop shots or blind fire, most of the time you use it at the end of a turn. We're splitting hairs at this point all I can say is that an argument that VC adopted shooter elements to appeal to a wider audience is ridiculous. Maybe someone'll find an interview with the director saying that, but the game is so far towards SRPG on the sliding scale it's a moot point.

2. There really is no point in me calling out the state of WRPG's for any reason, but it's pertinent to this thread b/c the perception is that they've taken over while JRPG's have fallen off. Personally, they've "taken over" because they appeal to the jock/hipster gamers of today, by making them more accessible, which, AGAIN, is NOT NECESSARILY a bad thing, and has been praised by many fans and critics. But I've seen a lot of innovations in JRPG's, from the SRPG subgenre with VC, the multiplayer integration of Dragon Quest IX, and the online features of Demon's Souls and White Knight Chronicles. And I can't hold anything against Bioware, I still want to get Dragon Age and will probably end up playing Mass Effect 2 sooner than later.

3. OBVIOUSLY if you look in my last few posts responding to you, I've been playing White Knight Chronicles and loving the hell out of it. I also purchased some Valkyria Chronicles DLC not too long ago. And I'm spreading the word! I've said my critiques of FFXIII like you, but I still voice the facts that were good about it that made it an enjoyable game overall. Yes, I've been playing the crap out of Call of Duty: Black Ops, Gran Turismo 5, Dante's Inferno, but I still get my hours of losing myself in White Knight Chronicles in when I can.

And I've already played some of the Killzone 3 campaign, in 3D and with Playstation Move at PAX Prime, and played the multiplayer beta there and at home, so I don't need to drool over screenshots, I already know it's gonna be THA BOMB!!! (see you online).

Having cover systems in FPS games is smurfing ridiculous and only shows how games are becoming more and more retarded. What's the point in having a stupid context sensitive button for taking cover when you have buttons for crouching behind obstacles and walls? Is that becoming too hard for people nowadays too?

Been gettin crazy into Valkyria Chronicles 2, that's another amazing game recently and I'm pretty sure it got great reviews, but because it's on PSP it's only more evidence how "generation"'s utility as a classification is eroding.

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Originally Posted by kotora

Having cover systems in FPS games is smurfing ridiculous and only shows how games are becoming more and more retarded. What's the point in having a stupid context sensitive button for taking cover when you have buttons for crouching behind obstacles and walls? Is that becoming too hard for people nowadays too?

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I can't speak for Brink (I think it may only have a slide button) but in Killzone the cover system is 1) more immersive (actually leaning out and aiming at an angle) and 2) more functional to keep popping out than strafing from behind or crouching then standing is.