They do seem to have very distinct styles, much like the differences between 'comics' and 'manga'. I haven't played too many 'Western' RPGs, but the ones I have were top-of-the-line. The stuff that comes out of Bioware and Bethesda are quite different than what would come out of Square-Enix.

Each style has things about it I enjoy, some more than the other. I'll take 'em both.