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Honest Question. WRPGs and JRPGs.

Zombra

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Seems like I read a lot of complaints about how there aren't enough turn-based western RPGs, they're not tactical enough, they're lite crap, blah blah blah.

I got to thinking. Why aren't these complainers playing JRPGs? Our Eastern friends have been refining turn-based tactics for decades without ever stopping. These mothers are as crunchy as it gets, and nowadays tons of them are even being ported to PC so you don't have to sully your sense of superiority by buying a console. And there are so many of them available, and so many receiving critical acclaim, it seems impossible that you couldn't find one with gameplay just right for you.

So to bring this back around as a question to the western forum, what is it about WRPGs that makes them superior to their Asian counterparts, despite relatively crap gameplay? (Or is it?)

I'm curious to learn how you view the comparisons and contrasts.
 

boot

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You should strengthen your OP with examples.
 

Mustawd

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I'm curious to learn how you view the comparisons and contrasts.

Some of the things I want are present in JRPGs, yes. Turn based combat is one of them. As well as blobbers (Wizardry). But to me a lot of jrpgs tend to have issues that make them annoying to play

1. Grindy,. and not in a good way (Dragonquest series)
2. You only control the protagonist, and beyond choosing his name, do not have options on looks, sex, etc.
3. Combat is meh in general, and you get the feeling that the focus was story first. I had this experience with FF6 recently. Combat was meh as hell.
4. Anime style turns a lot of ppl off. I'm ok with it, but it's a thing
5. Due to #4, characters and themes usualyl follow anime conventions. In other words, a lot of it is teenage angst BS (Persona series)


these are generalities of course, but tend to be things that I've heard or stopped me from playing a lot of JRPGs. Personally, I prefer WRPGs, but looking to expand my play of JRPGs moree
 
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mbv123

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Like others said - anime artstyle
It all looks cringy as fuck and there's no way in hell I'm investing dozens of hours on a game that looks like it was made for 5 year olds
 

sser

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Poorly designed combat anchored with forced grinding. JRPGs are for masochists who have an affinity for bright colors and round heads.
 

Kyl Von Kull

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I haven't played many JRPGs since I made it through puberty, but assuming the genre hasn't changed much since the PS1 era I've got two big differences:

1: Unlike the best western RPGs, JRPGs tend to be linear as fuck. To the extent there is side content, it's inconsequential.

Which leads me to 2: lack of meaningful C&C.

Perhaps the genre has matured in the last twenty odd years, but I haven't seen much evidence.

PS. Still, given all of the lo-fi looking games that are beloved on this site, "because JRPGs look like anime" is a bullshit reason not to like them.
 

InD_ImaginE

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Because they don't know a good game when they see one :troll:

Nah honestly, JRPG isn't just for everybody. When people complain about the lack of TB RPGs, they either means the grid movement RPG or blobbers. In case of the former, eeeh it is rare enough these days. I can't even recall good Japanese ones made in the last 5 years? In case of blobbers: what Mustawd said. A lot of people are allergic to insane grind. premade characters (muh PC customization) and anime tropes (weebz xd).
 

Roguey

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I'd only play a turn based jrpg if it had combat that played very much like a wrpg. Valkyria Chronicles was pretty great, but most are not like that.
 
Unwanted

Janise

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Why aren't these complainers playing JRPGs?
Im not a pedophile. Thats a real complaint.

> Our Eastern friends have been refining turn-based tactics for decades without ever stopping.
No they havent. They are fucking autistic and keep regurgitating the same shit over and over and over again INSIDE ONE AND TEH SAME GAYME.
 

Exhuminator

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I enjoy WRPGs and JRPGs equally, both offer their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Yes I'm a fence sitting asshole, but I'm an honest fence sitting asshole.
 

almondblight

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"I don't like how PoE has the same encounter copy and pasted 6 times in a row."
"You should play a JRPG! It has the same encounter copy and pasted 60 times in a row!"
 

HoboForEternity

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most jrpg has meh combat, especially the turn based one. few exceptions like FF tactics but they're considered strategy RPG because those don't have blobber like combat, which i find generally boring.

one exception is trails series of course. i love that series very much. well written, well translated and you can see the passion and love by everyone involved in making those games.

TRAILS.ARE.THE.BEST
 

Jacob

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Valkyria Chronicles is a must play for anyone who claims they can "look past the artstyle."

That said anime artstyle being a turnoff is seriously a thing. I'm fine with it myself but I (and some other people on the codex, it seems) gets turned off by "huge muscle and shoulder paldron thing" artstyle popularized by WoW so I can understand why they'd be turnoff.

Turn-based random encounter combat found in Final Fantasy games (and friends) also usually have some gimmicky mechanic, slower thanks to animation, have fewer party slots, and in general feels less lethal than Wizardry clones. (The bonus bosses or some early-mid game bosses can be challenging but that's it)

I do enjoy JRPGs sometimes because I'm such a weeaboo storyfag (like hobo above, I agree Trails is very enjoyable because of the writing), but often the gameplay mechanics are... so-so, they have some interesting mechanics but it is hardly the main appeal and it is very hard to recommend to other people, since it is considered boring by both gamer who enjoy reflex-based gameplay and gamer who loves strategy.

Shin Megami Tensei games are the few exception, too bad the most easily obtainable games are somewhat dumbed down (Persona) or have super fucked-up gimmick (Strange Journey).
 

HoboForEternity

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Valkyria Chronicles is a must play for anyone who claims they can "look past the artstyle."
agreed. it is a great strategy/RPG thing with unique take of turn based combat. i hope people look past the artsyle (which isn't that bad, then again i like some anime so i dunno) and the cringy writing (like it's bad. really bad. tales of. . . bad) but the core gameplay is solid. it's unique and fun while providing good challenges and it had good level. i hope the later games are translated, and i hope the newest one die in hell burning forever with whoever had the idea making it a hack and slash action game.

but often the gameplay mechanics are... so-so, they have some interesting mechanics but it is hardly the main appeal
while i agree, it is still cut above most JRPG by adding a battlefield into it. the quartz system is fun to mess up with too, remidned me of the djinns from golden sun.

then again, i grew up with jrpg and didn't play most wrpg till my late teenage years, so while i have grown out of most jrpg tropes, i have high tolerance for it.

you might want to check resonance of fate as well. it has interesting setting, but awful story. the appeal is the combat system imo, which is really great and challenging as wacky as it is.
 
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I'm curious to learn how you view the comparisons and contrasts.

There's nothing specific that makes one genre better than the other. Both have notable strengths and weaknesses that play heavily to taste.

That said, Japanese games have been in a generalized decline, because they are games made by the older otaku generation for the younger twitter/mobile generation.

Formerly, games/anime were made non-okatu creative types who grew up watching Astro Boy but as adults read great works of literature, making shows like Mobile Suit Gundam, Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Berserk, Cowboy Bebop, The Big O, and various other creative works.

Persona 3/4 were sort of like Neverwinter Nights II: Mask of the Betrayer, the end of an era.
 
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