Western RPGs vs. Japanese RPGs

**Howlin Mad Murphy** · 07-16-09, 02:29 PM

im a jrpg man myself, but keep in mind, that does not mean i love them all, man there are some shitty rps's out there, but traditionally i prefer them

**Tick** · 07-16-09, 02:33 PM

The last JRPG I was able to get into enough to complete was Chrono Trigger for the SNES. :P

Something about the gameplay just completely turns me off of JRPGs. Half the time I feel like the game is playing itself for me. Fights are usually dull, and boss battles usually amount to a bunch of flashing lights and lasers and explosions to differentiate themselves from regular fights. Admittedly, I haven't played many of them, and haven't even attempted to play any released in the last few years, so maybe I'm missing something, but in the mean time, I'll stick to games with good gameplay and storytelling.

**Blakeman** · 07-16-09, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by PizzaSHARK!

You pretty much hit the nail on the head with me, though I tend to not like steam or high tech mixed into fantasy settings at all, as I see that as a potential theft from using magic as the device instead. I'm not an anime fan so that might have something to do with it.

Why can't I have a dwarf forge some things together and then have the mage enslave some fire elemental to serve as the heat source for a steam-powered turbine?

I've always wondered about things like that... if everyone's so smart, why are they acting so damn dumb?

Yup, oil burning streetlamps but you can cast perpetual flame on a torch... um... ok.

It only makes sense in cases where magic is so rare or so expensive (items required for use etc) that more conventional means are easier/cheaper.

Chrono trigger was a good game, Final Fantasy 2 (US) was ok, but lost me when it got to the whale ship that goes to the moon...

**PizzaSHARK!** · 07-16-09, 11:06 PM

Something about the gameplay just completely turns me off of JRPGs. Half the time I feel like the game is playing itself for me. Fights are usually dull, and boss battles usually amount to a bunch of flashing lights and lasers and explosions to differentiate themselves from regular fights.

This is how I always feel, looking back at the Final Fantasy games I've played. The boss fights are fun when you first do them, but if you happen to be playing through the game again later, the boss fights aren't really very deep. Some bosses might have a particular gimmick (like that one boss in FF7 you can nuke with healing spells or the phoenix down item), but overall they're fought pretty much the same way regardless of your party's makeup.

Then I compare that to an RPG like Baldur's Gate II, where bosses often have some pretty nice tactical depth (particularly on the hardest difficulty settings and even moreso with some mods in use) and it's just not on the same level, especially since there's a very obvious difference between a fighter and a mage in your average Western RPG, while most JRPGs I've played tend to blur that line somewhat.

Hell, even Fallout 3 (which is closer to being a hybrid than a pure RPG) has a lot of available tactical depth, especially with modding and on harder difficulties. On the mods and difficulty I play on, a straight up fight without use of traps and a little ingenuity is almost guaranteed suicide... even with some of the best weapons and armor in the game

**Red_Lizard2** · 07-16-09, 11:11 PM

haven't played a lot of either but of what i have played, i enjoy western more.

now if you ever give me a rg or mmorpg with an insanely detailed crafting system (i mean detailed with a plethora of options) i don't care what style it is.

**PizzaSHARK!** · 07-16-09, 11:34 PM

Well, murmorpurgers are their own style of RPG, typically trading role-playing depth and story depth in exchange for social interaction with other players and the ability to play in "another world." They're all fun until the immersion wears off and you become aware of the treadmill you've been paying to use

**KeYYeK** · 07-16-09, 11:48 PM

When I think of Western I think Elder Scrolls, which is an excellent series. I think that western RPGs are much better and usually incorporate action game elements to make them feel like you are controlling your character more. In my experience they also provide a much broader game experience, character construction, but are weaker on the story line. (Less epic moments, if you will.) JRPGs have very cookie cutter characters, but unfortunately there has been very little originality in terms of the base storylines... Japan has been cranking out the same stuff for years and will continue to do so while people are still buying it. Make no mistake, the details that each game provides to the storyline are all very different, Chrono Trigger being my absolute favorite, but as was said, they all boil down to a bunch of teenagers destroying demons.