Console Wars: The Clone Wars

[Kuciwalker]

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[flash9286]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker

Probably won't help the 360s lackluster sales in Japan, but the more jrpgs the better

Why? As far as I've seen, the jRPGs on the 360 are universally terrible.

Lost Odyssey got decent reviews. Also just because the first batch of jrpgs sucked doesn't mean the second batch will be bad. The first batch of shooters on the 360 were lackluster and now we have some of the best, the same could happen for jrpgs.

[Asher]

Terrible is in the eye of the beholder. My SO's played a bunch of them and enjoyed them.

Personally, I think all JRPGs are terrible by design and definitoin.

[Felch]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker

Probably won't help the 360s lackluster sales in Japan, but the more jrpgs the better

Why? As far as I've seen, the jRPGs on the 360 are universally terrible.

I agree. Would the Japanese have any interest in Mass Effect or Fable 2? They seem to have awful taste.

JRPGs still haven't made the jump to incorporate story with the game, like Half-life did about ten years ago. It's always play the game for half and hour, watch a cut scene for half an hour, repeat.

Asher, have you played any Tactical JRPGs (Final Fantasy Tactics, Shining Force, etc.)? They have that same problem with awful stories, but the gameplay is a bit more interesting than the dungeon crawlers.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Asher
Terrible is in the eye of the beholder.

Thank you for this stunning insight.

My SO's played a bunch of them and enjoyed them.

Your SO must be immune to terrible dialogue, plot, and level design. He's a lucky one.

Personally, I think all JRPGs are terrible by design and definitoin.

That doesn't preclude evaulation in genre. Hell, even Yahtzee managed to recommend a jRPG.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Felch
JRPGs still haven't made the jump to incorporate story with the game, like Half-life did about ten years ago. It's always play the game for half and hour, watch a cut scene for half an hour, repeat.

That's not necessarily bad. Done well, it can be enjoyable if you actually appreciate the plot and the gameplay enough. It's just usually done poorly.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Your SO must be immune to terrible dialogue, plot, and level design. He's a lucky one.

He watches anime, of course he's immune to terrible dialogue and plot.

[Felch]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
That's not necessarily bad. Done well, it can be enjoyable if you actually appreciate the plot and the gameplay enough. It's just usually done poorly.

True, but the plots are usually sprawling messes of double and triple crossing clichés, badly told, featuring stock characters (gloomy hero, grizzled veteran with heart of gold, spunky rebellious princess, et al). The gameplay is sometimes good, but they're too conservative in making any real changes. Most games are just Dragon Quest clones, with a new feature or two every iteration.

JRPGs suffer from the stagnation of their culture. Too much deference to authority, too much groupthink, and not enough of a desire to look beyond their own shores. Americans play tons of Japanese games, but the Japanese don't seem to play any American games. Thus we benefit from stealing their best ideas, while they just keep making the same games over and over.

[DrSpike]

I thought the early jRPGs on the 360 looked weak, but have bought Lost Odyssey and will get around to it at some point. It looks pretty good.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Felch
JRPGs suffer from the stagnation of their culture. Too much deference to authority, too much groupthink, and not enough of a desire to look beyond their own shores.

I was interested in Japan 25 years ago, when they were taking over the world. My daughter is studying Japanese in High School, and from what I can gather, they have changed dramatically in the last couple of decades. And they have absorbed alot of western influence (beyond what theyd already absorbed) there seems to be more rebelliousness, more sheer whimsy, etc than one would have expected from Japan. Perhaps it hasnt filtered out into the gaming industry, but I dont think its cause it isnt there.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Felch
True, but the plots are usually sprawling messes of double and triple crossing clichés, badly told, featuring stock characters (gloomy hero, grizzled veteran with heart of gold, spunky rebellious princess, et al). The gameplay is sometimes good, but they're too conservative in making any real changes. Most games are just Dragon Quest clones, with a new feature or two every iteration.

JRPGs suffer from the stagnation of their culture. Too much deference to authority, too much groupthink, and not enough of a desire to look beyond their own shores. Americans play tons of Japanese games, but the Japanese don't seem to play any American games. Thus we benefit from stealing their best ideas, while they just keep making the same games over and over.

Agree, but the stock format for the genre - gameplay / cutscene / gameplay / cutscene - is not inherently bad, as most detractors claim. I don't like most JRPGs, but I have enjoyed several (notably Chrono Trigger and FF X).