/epic sideshow bob rant
You know, these days just about every game offers RPG elements of some sort, heck even FPS now eagerly vomit out experience points to encourage more replay value. I strongly feel that in the last few years the RPG genre has evolved and the best thing to happen to RPGs since Baldur's Gate has recently came out... Skyrim. But JRPGs? What have they accomplished in the last decade? Jack squat. To me, it seems quite obvious that the Japanese style of RPG has lost favor with western gamers where former "blockbusters" like Final Fantasy struggle to remain relevant in the era of Skyrim.
It's clear as day that JRPGS have lost a lot of ground in the last decade and many gamers shun them automatically since it's... the same old crap. If they want to reclaim some ground, they're going to need to take some pages out of Demon's Souls' textbook and bring back the dark dungeon-grinding epics of old. Hard fantasy is very popular in the western world. Lord of the Rings, Swords and Magic, Game of Thrones. That's where the fuck it's at and frankly, a magic little girl whose stuffed animal companion turns into a sword doesn't seem very appealing, especially for one who gets laid regularly.
Seriously though, JRPGS have some sort of weird fetish for watching unrealistic teenagers or children save the world AND ALWAYS THE FUCKEN WORLD. Japanese developers are seemingly unaware that most teenagers are too busy exploring their bodies to even get their homework done let alone save the world and the fact that the main protagonists have shit for reaction to things from having their range of reactions to things go from blissfully gay to emo within seconds is NOT NORMAL. Need I remind you the laugh scene with Titus and Luna in FFX? That was painful to watch. Even more when someone else is in the room with you.
Now, I didn't say the western media isn't doing this as well. There's plenty of epic stories where kids are discovering their destiny and setting off on a quest to destroy the ancient evil. The thing is that these stories at least paint the kids as confused adolescents, often in need of an older hand to guide them. Luke Skywalker had Obi-Wan Kenobi, Harry Potter had that Dumbledorf or whatever. Heck, we even got posters here who write those type of books. They feel human. They feel flawed.
Yet JRPG casts seem to be comprised entirely of high school freshmen and when play these games and I hate it.. I'm not 12 anymore. This game feels fucken retarded. What am I doing? How does this girl of 15, who somehow happens to wear thigh high stockings and 5 inch heels is able to "save the world" and not be able to dress appropriately or not talking like a twat?
This is where I close my eyes and I think of naked middle-aged Japanese men going, "Kinatai...oooh" and rubbing their tiny peckers as the cutscenes play out.
I'm sorry but I'll pick on Final Fantasy some more, since they've been shit as Tress mentioned for the last decade (if not more). I always manage to play a few hours of it (borrowed from same friend when he's done with the game) and promptly proceed to wipe the tears of my raped childhood and try to remember the good ol' days.
For example, FFX... the game's entire cast tops out at the age of what.... nineteen? And I'm sure that happens in all their games with maybe the occasional adult here or there. I can't hardly believe that I'm the only one thinking this given that the average age of gamers is around 35 years old and JRPGs seem entirely marketed towards the Twilight crowd, encouraging the ridiculous "youth = awesome" myth that really doesn't appeal to an audience suffering from male pattern baldness. It's time for some more age-appropriate heroes IMO, if not... realistic ones.
And I'm sorry Blamv3, JRPG's are simply an RPG with just a J in front of it. We all know what J stands for, Japanese. We do forget what RPG stands for. ROLE PLAYING GAME.
This means that I want to role play your game and put myself in that character. I've done it with a smile on my face where I was the Dovahkin, I did it with my Shepard(s), I did it with my Dwarf Noble in Dragon Age (even Human Noble). I make choices and these choices matter. I get to choose an option and something happens and the storyline changes, even if it changes slightly. JRPGS rarely have this choice.
Let's be honest, is there a SINGLE real role playing choice you take in Final Fantasy? Can I tell the bad guy, Hey... you're right. I want to serve you... or what's in it for me? No...no... let's help the kids automatically like good Japanese boys." JRPGs are simply a training manual for Japanese children.
Oh.... and someone mentioned cutscenes... thank you SO MUCH.
JRPGs have made me HATE cutscenes.
HATE THEM.
This complaint is definitely pointed squarely at Final Fantasy again....a series which seems to blow the majority of its budget on ridiculous action cutscenes which are utterly incomprehensible the majority of the time. I can't help but wonder if the time and money they spent animating these needless skits might've been better spent on making the game not suck a dick.
There was a time when awesome CG cinemas were an actual selling point for games (ex : Diablo, Starcraft). Heck, we've now gotten to the point where even in-game graphics look better than cutscenes... I don't knwo about you but I just don't want to watch "Lightning" look mad as usual with nothing important to say for 10 minutes every half an hour with awkward physical motions and acting and mediocre voice acting or having the 14 year old attention whore giggle and laugh in the scene. Always a fucken Lolly in their games... always a fucken Lolly. But hey.... Lightning sure looks fuckable though. The Japanese middle aged men agree. So those cutscenes stay to torment the fuck out of me.
Here's the first lesson of Modern Game Design 101.
If you're unable to advance your plot without a twenty-minute cutscene, please stop making video games. Players today expect to be involved with the events of the game and being unable to interact with story sequences completely breaks any sense of immersion.
This breaks the concept of what an RPG is.
Japan really needs to take a look at immersive Western RPGs games like Skyrim or Fallout. Don't just show the player something awesome, let them actually take part in it. Make their actions change the world.
Do you remember how entire scenes would play out in front of you in Western games and you had a choice to make and then you'd make a decision and the game totally went with it and made you felt involved? This meant more than "reload last save, grind more to beat boss".
Honestly put, JRPGs feel like the early 90ies with prettier graphics. We start the quest, we save our game, grind, buy armor/weapons (since our enemies we kill don't give shit most of the time, only in JRPGs of course) and got our quest hook from "the old man". These days though we've been spoiled by Western RPGs offering lush fully-realized villages almost more fun to explore than the dungeons themselves. There many characters build upon the game's plot with their own small snippets of unique dialogue, each tavern and guildhall offering various side-quests and story hooks. I spent an ENTIRE DAY looting and talking and interacting with every NPC in Whiterun. What do you get in Fur-ville? 6 different NPC skin models repeating the same 1-2 lines, in some games, then force you to play a TERRIBLE CARD GAME.
Games like Skyrim are one step away from my dream game. A world that runs independently without you. A Mount & Blade with more options and better graphics would suck my life out.
And lastly, let's talk about hallway quest and you know what the fuck I'm talking about. I played FF 13 last year for a few hours. I cried. I laughed. I seethed.
I loved their maps where it was literally described as "A CRAZY BATTLEGROUND" and you simply ran 200 yards in a direct line through enemy troops. No immersive world, options to take... nope... only the "long hallway towards the boss or next 20 minute cutscene".
This is not a role playing game.
It simply is not.
If you think it is, you need to take your hands off this keyboard and think before you reply, my response to you will not be kind.
Back in the day, Dungeons & Dragons was the first role-playing game and essentially provided the template for what the RPG genre was originally all about... letting the players build the story. Letting them craft their own unique characters and role-playing them in whatever fashion they chose. The problem was that early computers were obviously unable to offer the constantly diverging plotlines of pen & paper RPGs. Many of these JRPG games barely deserve the RPG label as when your characters' every action within the plot is pre-determined, there's really not any role-playing taking place.
The moral dilemmas of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic are an excellent example, players able to embrace either the light or dark side of the force depending on their actions, opening up relationships and different quests accordingly. Also allowing players to break from the storyline and explore the world their leisure is a goddamned necessity. As Ravenbeard pointed out, SWTOR has sucked my life for 3 weeks.
It looks to me that western developers seem to understand how much fun it is to explore a virtual world and the runaway success of games like Minecraft proves that even stumbling across a simplistic lego cave is a goddamn thrill. Letting players take charge of discovering new towns and dungeons creates the sense of adventure RPGs should strive for, something much more fun that simply riding the rails towards the next predetermined area.
Heck, in Final Fantasy 12? they implemented a "macro system" that allows the game to control your battle for you in battle. What the fuck am I playing this for? The cutscenes? The hell?
/end rant
There goes an hour of my life.
