Can someone summarize to me the appeal of JRPGs?

[Reinhardt]

So for example, under these rules I refuse to play any Persona as they are centered around teen high school drama & the art style is typical low effort anime. However, I enjoy Final Fantasy 8 as while it starts with high school drama theme it blends it with plenty action, hi-tech, sci-fi and fantasy themes from the get-go. Soon enough you're on a globe-spanning adventure visiting hi-tech futuristic cities, discovering ancient mystical burial sites, or even engaging in some fantastical time-travelling. The art is high effort as fuck, and the gameplay is rather complex and engaging despite its flaws, especially with mods.

so you missing best persona gaem - 2, because later games went school angle and instead play retarded ff 8 full of retards. way to destroy your own narrative.

 

[n0wh3r3]

SaGa Frontier - Open world game where you can assemble your own party with 7 different starting characters with their own scenarios, something like 30 total characters, and some are mutually exclusive and it varies by who you started with and there's a ton of sidequest type stuff. The character growth mechanics are crazy and vary from mechs which have their stats determined entirely by equipment (and they have many slots and can equip literally anything) to monsters which change forms and absorbs spells from dead enemies, to humans that learn sword or kungfu skills in moments of inspiration at random in the middle of fights.

How is SaGa Frontier 2 compared to the first?

It's better IMHO.

 

[n0wh3r3]

Funny I never gave the Romancing Saga a try. Maybe the only one I ever saw in a USA catalog started with 3 or 4 so I said meh. I don’t even know if 1-2 is the start or on NES/famicom. They’d possibly be english romhacks by now. I’m not even sure that’s the same thing now. ROTK is a TBS game so maybe there is another game using Romancing I am unaware of.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms Series

Lessee
Romancing Saga Series

Well, I never heard of it so damn. New to me now.

I think it's missing Unlimited SaGa.

 

[n0wh3r3]

Should I play Legend of Mana? I am so intrigued by that game but I can't really decide...

 

[Vic]

Should I play Legend of Mana? I am so intrigued by that game but I can't really decide...

play it extremely drunk, vomit all over your keyboard, find it hilariously funny, go to sleep and wake up the next morning swearing you'll never drink (or play this game) ever again

 

[n0wh3r3]

Should I play Legend of Mana? I am so intrigued by that game but I can't really decide...

play it extremely drunk, vomit all over your keyboard, find it hilariously funny, go to sleep and wake up the next morning swearing you'll never drink (or play this game) ever again

Seems like a plan. It is funny how I never considered it! Thanks!

 

[Athena]

Utopian settings, attractive people, the power of friendship, tons of heterosexuality.

 

[La vie sexuelle]

JRPGs are usually mixtures of grotesque, gore and humor (sometimes without the latter), where the girls are sexy and the fights are turn-based. What more could a man want?

That's why I ask - why exactly would anyone dislike JRPGs? Because they are colorful? The new Dragon Age promises to be a "bleak" game, just like Bloodlines 2, and there is not an ounce of heterosexuality in them.

 

[JarlFrank]

why exactly would anyone dislike JRPGs?

I utterly despise cutscenes.

I have a hard time getting into western "cinematic" games for the same reason.

So much time of playing JRPGs is wasted clicking through completely linear dialogs filled with pointless banter, or watching overly long cutscenes.
I would probably enjoy JRPGs if they all had a button to instantly skip all of that shit and let me get back to the actual GAME.

 

[Ba'al]

I utterly despise cutscenes.

I have a hard time getting into western "cinematic" games for the same reason.

So much time of playing JRPGs is wasted clicking through completely linear dialogs filled with pointless banter, or watching overly long cutscenes.
I would probably enjoy JRPGs if they all had a button to instantly skip all of that shit and let me get back to the actual GAME.

Try some of the older ones. I tried a few JRPGs before but couldn't stomach the dialogue and the general focus on "story". Somewhat recently I tried Final Fantasy, Ys and Phantasy Star, and was surprised how little dialogue there is and how quickly you get to actually play the game.

On a similar note I tried the original Legend of Zelda and it's the same thing - you immediately start playing the game and if there's any text it's useful. Compare that to later ones that spend way too much time with shit like explaining how Z-targeting works.

 

[Reinhardt]

why exactly would anyone dislike JRPGs?

I utterly despise cutscenes.

I have a hard time getting into western "cinematic" games for the same reason.

So much time of playing JRPGs is wasted clicking through completely linear dialogs filled with pointless banter, or watching overly long cutscenes.
I would probably enjoy JRPGs if they all had a button to instantly skip all of that shit and let me get back to the actual GAME.

japanese at least usually bother to show something cool in cutscenes, like fights, or explosions, or heroic sacrifice.
compare to debora wilson talking to another debore wilson in western "games".

 

[La vie sexuelle]

why exactly would anyone dislike JRPGs?

I utterly despise cutscenes.

I have a hard time getting into western "cinematic" games for the same reason.

So much time of playing JRPGs is wasted clicking through completely linear dialogs filled with pointless banter, or watching overly long cutscenes.
I would probably enjoy JRPGs if they all had a button to instantly skip all of that shit and let me get back to the actual GAME.

You're probably thinking of Final Fantasy and the like, but that's not all. JRPG is actually an American label for very different games. See, for example, the Japanese Wizadry and compare it with Linda3:

 

[Damned Registrations]

Try some of the older ones.

To be fair some older JRPGs have a lot of cutscenes as well (Breath of Fire would be an example there), but yeah they were way more gameplay oriented as a rule. Besides, the older game cutscenes were just dialogue you could quickly read through; not this modern shit where everything is not just voice acted, but even if you can skip that you gotta wait for them to finish waving their arms around or whatever after every sentence.

I think Phantasy Star 4 is among my favourites for JRPGs before the era of accursed discs. It has some cutscenes but the way they're done is really cool, and they're not that common or long (probably because they were higher quality and therefore harder to make at the time.) Sadly the gameplay is fairly shallow, but it's got such good aesthetics in both visual and audio that it's worth a play just to zone out and enjoy the show.

There's certainly some more modern entries where you can skip the cutscenes too, but it's not nearly as common a feature as it should be. I think like FFX lets you do this in newer versions for example?

I think where JRPGs really shine though is when the cutscenes aren't something you want to skip to begin with. BoF3 has it's fair share, but it's got an original, charming story, and rarely derails for long. As long as they aren't intrinsically bad or overused, cutscenes are a good way to adjust pacing along with random encounters, shopping, looting and boss fights. As much as I love the combat in say, Troubleshooter, it's just too exhausting to bang out mission after mission in that game.

 

[luj1]

So much time of playing JRPGs is wasted clicking through completely linear dialogs filled with pointless banter

this

 

[JarlFrank]

I think where JRPGs really shine though is when the cutscenes aren't something you want to skip to begin with.

Doesn't exist for me, I hate cutscenes, especially when they're frontloaded.

 

[Ash]

Castlevania: SotN, Final Fantasy 5, Dark Souls. Definitive gameplayfag JRPG starter pack. Minimal story & cutscenes in the case of each, but good gameplay as well as plenty charm elsewhere.

The true starter JRPG is probably pokemon, but that's more ideal for kids arguably. To adults, start above.

So for example, under these rules I refuse to play any Persona as they are centered around teen high school drama & the art style is typical low effort anime. However, I enjoy Final Fantasy 8 as while it starts with high school drama theme it blends it with plenty action, hi-tech, sci-fi and fantasy themes from the get-go. Soon enough you're on a globe-spanning adventure visiting hi-tech futuristic cities, discovering ancient mystical burial sites, or even engaging in some fantastical time-travelling. The art is high effort as fuck, and the gameplay is rather complex and engaging despite its flaws, especially with mods.

so you missing best persona gaem - 2, because later games went school angle and instead play retarded ff 8 full of retards. way to destroy your own narrative.

Hey, I am simply unawares of Persona 2. I was actually considering it the other day, but was unaware it departs from the high school drama and romance shit, so thanks for informing me! It will try it. Whether it is actually good or not with genuine substance is another matter, we'll see.

 

[n0wh3r3]

Castlevania: SotN, Final Fantasy 5, Dark Souls. Definitive gameplayfag JRPG starter pack. Minimal story & cutscenes in the case of each, but good gameplay as well as plenty charm elsewhere.

The true starter JRPG is probably pokemon, but that's more ideal for kids arguably. To adults, start above.

So for example, under these rules I refuse to play any Persona as they are centered around teen high school drama & the art style is typical low effort anime. However, I enjoy Final Fantasy 8 as while it starts with high school drama theme it blends it with plenty action, hi-tech, sci-fi and fantasy themes from the get-go. Soon enough you're on a globe-spanning adventure visiting hi-tech futuristic cities, discovering ancient mystical burial sites, or even engaging in some fantastical time-travelling. The art is high effort as fuck, and the gameplay is rather complex and engaging despite its flaws, especially with mods.

so you missing best persona gaem - 2, because later games went school angle and instead play retarded ff 8 full of retards. way to destroy your own narrative.

Hey, I am simply unawares of Persona 2. I was actually considering it the other day, but was unaware it departs from the high school drama and romance shit, so thanks for informing me! It will try it. Whether it is actually good or not with genuine substance is another matter, we'll see.

Why is romance considerate bad in games?

 

[La vie sexuelle]

Castlevania: SotN, Final Fantasy 5, Dark Souls. Definitive gameplayfag JRPG starter pack. Minimal story & cutscenes in the case of each, but good gameplay as well as plenty charm elsewhere.

The true starter JRPG is probably pokemon, but that's more ideal for kids arguably. To adults, start above.

So for example, under these rules I refuse to play any Persona as they are centered around teen high school drama & the art style is typical low effort anime. However, I enjoy Final Fantasy 8 as while it starts with high school drama theme it blends it with plenty action, hi-tech, sci-fi and fantasy themes from the get-go. Soon enough you're on a globe-spanning adventure visiting hi-tech futuristic cities, discovering ancient mystical burial sites, or even engaging in some fantastical time-travelling. The art is high effort as fuck, and the gameplay is rather complex and engaging despite its flaws, especially with mods.

so you missing best persona gaem - 2, because later games went school angle and instead play retarded ff 8 full of retards. way to destroy your own narrative.

Hey, I am simply unawares of Persona 2. I was actually considering it the other day, but was unaware it departs from the high school drama and romance shit, so thanks for informing me! It will try it. Whether it is actually good or not with genuine substance is another matter, we'll see.

Why is romance considerate bad in games?

Some people feel embarrassed when it comes to romance and sex because they touch on intimacy and delicacy (it's not always these two reasons at the same time, many people like romance without sex, but porn without romance).

 

[Ash]

Why is romance considerate bad in games?

It depends on the execution and the quantity. If it is 10% of the game and handled well (e.g is from the male's perspective and not simpy), I am good with it. If it is 30% of the game, simulated roleplay of romance, and lots of sex scenes (even one is pushing it), then it is for lame virgin dweebs and women.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

And if it is 90%?

 

[Ash]

Degenerates.

 

[Raghar]

It's love comedy. Look for example on some funny visual novels. Totally 90 percent of funny stuff that were romances. Or you can look at Lula sexy empires PC game. That was 90 percent about SEX MOVIE MAKING. 10 percent was about blackmailing competitors to remove them from business.

This kinda reminds me about movie where someone was screaming "erotic" repeatedly to ensure people stop ignoring what he was saying.
Alas, or luckily, RPGs made in Japan were not about romances.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I suppose the PC-88/98/etc line had a rather large influence in eroge VN. I recall for early DOS a company translating eroge JRPGS called Megatech. They must've been sending out snail mail flyers or I subbed to some magazine that got me on the list (maybe I saw an add.. fuck if i know). The only games they had at the time was:

• 1992: Cobra Mission: Panic in Cobra City
• 1993: Metal & Lace: The Battle of the Robo Babes
• 1994: Knights of Xentar
• 1995: Power Dolls

Jap names, dunno. I started getting adverts in 93 and ended in 96 was the last one i saw (so maybe I had a total of 4-5). I looked at them and went meh except for Xentar which obviously isn't the first in that series. And unless a game was on a console I had no clue what japan was peddling. X-com art threw me for a loop as I thought "Is this a japanese port game?"

 

[S.torch]

I think where JRPGs really shine though is when the cutscenes aren't something you want to skip to begin with.

Doesn't exist for me, I hate cutscenes, especially when they're frontloaded.

Western RPGs have longer cutscenes than JRPGs. The main difference is presentation. WRPGs dump wall of texts, JRPGs try to play a bit with character motion. But JRPGs usually don't have prose, so reading time is smaller.

Most dialog in JRPGs is made by characters. If you don't like the characters, you will bore.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I was going to say:
Anime-esque art
Titty & booty
A bossy bitch
A joking hero
A crazy crew
No character creation (usually)
Kill the big foozle who has 2+ forms
Lots of character chatter back and forth
Short cutscenes
Combat based off of favorite cult styles the japanese have locked into which is usually wizardry style with no tactical arena

I'd be off though because modern days are a bit different. If there was a spreadsheet of all the key points in rpgs and if that game used that it might help but some games do weird shit with their gaming mechanics. And mix genres happen. There are some I thought were RPGs but mostly are VNs with little choice and consequence. Sometimes your choice foesn't even matter. And I hate games that just give you a short little snippy reprimand and force you to "choose again" for the intended and only "choice."