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Above: It is direct related with this.
Above: The truth is, few people can relate with him.
Above: She is a great, well developed character, that I can root for and even relate with.
Above: Traditional, but great.
Above: Something western and japanese might think as cool.
I always feel like someone who's looking in from the outside when it comes to the discussion of JRPGs recently. They've never appealed to me and my brief plays with them haven't left me wanting to explore the genre.
However, I think it's interesting that Japanese developers seem to have a urge to appeal to Western audiences more than they already did. Most people would argue that they didn't need to, but I'm sure from a business perspective, the developers need bigger successes.
I think what you suggested, in maybe Westernising some parts of the game wouldn't hurt, but I think there would be a hardcore of JRPG fans who would strongly object.
My question is, why don't Western developers feel the need to explicitly appeal to Japanese as well? Is is because they're on a more financially sound footing?
However, I think it's interesting that Japanese developers seem to have a urge to appeal to Western audiences more than they already did. Most people would argue that they didn't need to, but I'm sure from a business perspective, the developers need bigger successes.
I think what you suggested, in maybe Westernising some parts of the game wouldn't hurt, but I think there would be a hardcore of JRPG fans who would strongly object.
My question is, why don't Western developers feel the need to explicitly appeal to Japanese as well? Is is because they're on a more financially sound footing?
@Ali D: I agree that westernizing the games would drive alway the hardcore fan, but to them, we have companies like Gust and NIS who bring to the us those niche games. I do not think they should get ready of the anime design or cultural references. Just that they must give games where you don't need to be japanese to appreciate, like Persona. The western developers will not try to expand their market if they have profits here, but would not hurt also if they try.
I have only ever played one JRPG: Blue Dragon. Perhaps you have a point; perhaps there is a true divide between Western gamers and Eastern gamers.
And unfortunately, I don't believe it was us, the gamers, who create this divide, but the companies with their market research.
I enjoyed reading that, and I agree on most of your points. Turn based battle systems are almost certainly not on the way out; games like Valkyria Chronicles have proven that minor changes to the formula can be just as dynamic and exciting as any other game type. Hell, Pokemon is still hugely popular almost everywhere and it's a turn based game at its core.
Looking back at some of the more successful turn-based RPGs of the past, androgyny wasn't as much of a hallmark as it's become. I'd love to see a return of some older JRPG titles in more traditional forms. The Front Mission series comes to mind immediately, and I'm not talking about that bastardized shooter they drummed out.
Looking back at some of the more successful turn-based RPGs of the past, androgyny wasn't as much of a hallmark as it's become. I'd love to see a return of some older JRPG titles in more traditional forms. The Front Mission series comes to mind immediately, and I'm not talking about that bastardized shooter they drummed out.
I picked up Resonance of Fate recently. It blows my mind that this didn't get enough attention. For a JRPG, it punished you for button mashing and relied on you having hit your marks every time. For what amounted to a 100 hour play time, my attention never lagged because of that combat system.
The story was tough to love, but it was the gameplay that sold me, with less reliance on grinding and more on tactics to defeat a tougher boss. It felt rather fresh, engaging and new.
Sadly, it was just bad timing and it couldn't go against the advertising juggernaut that was FFXII. It says a lot what a brand can do to the lesser, yet superior, titles on the market.
The story was tough to love, but it was the gameplay that sold me, with less reliance on grinding and more on tactics to defeat a tougher boss. It felt rather fresh, engaging and new.
Sadly, it was just bad timing and it couldn't go against the advertising juggernaut that was FFXII. It says a lot what a brand can do to the lesser, yet superior, titles on the market.
It may have more to do with the state of the entire Japanese game industry. There was a recent article in GameInformer that suggested Japan no longer has the excess resources to take the creative risks of the younger generation and it's the older generation who "cling to old ways" and have the final say. In doing so, they failed t. innovate the RPG genre.
Good JRPGs definitely still exists, but good console JRPGs? They are a bit rare, the genre mostly sticks to handhelds now since it's less expensive and thus more safe.
I never really played any of the famous series like Breath of Fire, Dragon Quest, or a large majority of the Final Fantasy series though. Around those times the only RPGs I was were the Pokemon ones. I could never understand why people talked about the "golden age" of JRPGs like that as if JRPGs were dead now.
I never really played any of the famous series like Breath of Fire, Dragon Quest, or a large majority of the Final Fantasy series though. Around those times the only RPGs I was were the Pokemon ones. I could never understand why people talked about the "golden age" of JRPGs like that as if JRPGs were dead now.
Good JRPGs definitely still exists, but good console JRPGs? They are a bit rare, the genre mostly sticks to handhelds now since it's less expensive and thus more safe.
I never really played any of the famous series like Breath of Fire, Dragon Quest, or a large majority of the Final Fantasy series though. Around those times the only RPGs I was were the Pokemon ones. I could never understand why people talked about the "golden age" of JRPGs like that as if JRPGs were dead now.
I never really played any of the famous series like Breath of Fire, Dragon Quest, or a large majority of the Final Fantasy series though. Around those times the only RPGs I was were the Pokemon ones. I could never understand why people talked about the "golden age" of JRPGs like that as if JRPGs were dead now.
