I haven't finished reading the entire thread, and I'm a late comer to this interesting discussion, but I've got one question, has there been any japanese making a statement here so far? From what I've read, and granted I haven't read much, it's pretty much a third party perspective of what Japan is.
I haven't finished reading the entire thread, and I'm a late comer to this interesting discussion, but I've got one question, has there been any japanese making a statement here so far? From what I've read, and granted I haven't read much, it's pretty much a third party perspective of what Japan is.
The 1up article does have some Japanese developers talking about the differences.
maybe you mean sprung. Which is one of the best games ever.
Fix'd No opinion required.
I never actually played it, but I bought 16 copies on clearance at 97p each, which when traded in paid for a DS lite + NSMB
Exactly. I did a similar thing in the states, but a friend about a year ago bought it with three dollars left on a gift card and we went through it. The girl part was easy, but being a guy involved this tricky as shit memorization thing that is not well explained at all. It's a terrible game, but awesome at the same time. You know your system is a winner when it has a launch dating sim.
I continually do and will choose Japanese Games until I die. If I wanted a borefest, a D&D game "Oh look I threw a D20, I got armour save! Lets meet Girls! I throw a D6 and got "How You doing!"", or a snorefest, I will choose and spoil my collection with American Games.
Until then I shall Choose JRPG/SRPG/Fighting Games/Any other games from Japan to put into my collection.
I continually do and will choose Japanese Games until I die. If I wanted a borefest, a D&D game "Oh look I threw a D20, I got armour save! Lets meet Girls! I throw a D6 and got "How You doing!"", or a snorefest, I will choose and spoil my collection with American Games.
Until then I shall Choose JRPG/SRPG/Fighting Games/Any other games from Japan to put into my collection.
I continually do and will choose Japanese Games until I die. If I wanted a borefest, a D&D game "Oh look I threw a D20, I got armour save! Lets meet Girls! I throw a D6 and got "How You doing!"", or a snorefest, I will choose and spoil my collection with American Games.
Until then I shall Choose JRPG/SRPG/Fighting Games/Any other games from Japan to put into my collection.
Call it whatever you like, I just find more Japanese games that have better stories and better graphical styles than American games.
And I have played Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate. Guess how long that lasted? Especially in ID? "Oh yeah I got the sword of +5 when I am near the lake. Oh wait the game in centered around the Lake!" Thats the most stupidest weapon I ever saw. And Baldurs Gate had the most stupidest story. "Oh I am a God, Can I be good or evil?" Thats the most common story around. around a day or two, I got what the story would turn out to be and said, "Well that lasted a couple of days. Maybe they can make games where I can just be God or the Devil. A two minute game."
And I have played Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate. Guess how long that lasted? Especially in ID? "Oh yeah I got the sword of +5 when I am near the lake. Oh wait the game in centered around the Lake!" Thats the most stupidest weapon I ever saw. And Baldurs Gate had the most stupidest story. "Oh I am a God, Can I be good or evil?" Thats the most common story around. around a day or two, I got what the story would turn out to be and said, "Well that lasted a couple of days. Maybe they can make games where I can just be God or the Devil. A two minute game."
This post must be written in Engrish, because I see words, but they make no sense.
I don't understand how you can say Japanese games have better stories since the large majority of them are incomprehensible at best unless you put a serious amount of time into unravelling them. Longer does not make it better.
Call it whatever you like, I just find more Japanese games that have better stories and better graphical styles than American games.
And I have played Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate. Guess how long that lasted? Especially in ID? "Oh yeah I got the sword of +5 when I am near the lake. Oh wait the game in centered around the Lake!" Thats the most stupidest weapon I ever saw. And Baldurs Gate had the most stupidest story. "Oh I am a God, Can I be good or evil?" Thats the most common story around. around a day or two, I got what the story would turn out to be and said, "Well that lasted a couple of days. Maybe they can make games where I can just be God or the Devil. A two minute game."
Thats a valid complaint with infinity engine games, personally I'm not a fan of them either. But there is much more to the american RPG scene than ones by bioware.
Call it whatever you like, I just find more Japanese games that have better stories and better graphical styles than American games.
And I have played Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate. Guess how long that lasted? Especially in ID? "Oh yeah I got the sword of +5 when I am near the lake. Oh wait the game in centered around the Lake!" Thats the most stupidest weapon I ever saw. And Baldurs Gate had the most stupidest story. "Oh I am a God, Can I be good or evil?" Thats the most common story around. around a day or two, I got what the story would turn out to be and said, "Well that lasted a couple of days. Maybe they can make games where I can just be God or the Devil. A two minute game."
Thats a valid complaint with infinity engine games, personally I'm not a fan of them either. But there is much more to the american RPG scene than ones by bioware.
Nothing that I saw interested me. Thats why I didn't pick an XBOX. The only reason I am picking a 360 is to get the JRPGs/SRPGs that are coming out otherwise, I wouldn't touch it.
Hmm... a brief look at my collection reveals that apparently I like French games.
I'm pretty certain a lot of the perceived differences between American and Japanese games arise because we focus on the most different parts, or the weirdest ones. I mean, no one goes out of their way to import a standard beat-em-up. I'm sure it would be "oh wacky Americans" if all Japan imported was Big Mutha Truckas.
And I have played Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate. Guess how long that lasted? Especially in ID? "Oh yeah I got the sword of +5 when I am near the lake. Oh wait the game in centered around the Lake!" Thats the most stupidest weapon I ever saw. And Baldurs Gate had the most stupidest story. "Oh I am a God, Can I be good or evil?" Thats the most common story around. around a day or two, I got what the story would turn out to be and said, "Well that lasted a couple of days. Maybe they can make games where I can just be God or the Devil. A two minute game."
This post must be written in Engrish, because I see words, but they make no sense.
Call it whatever you like, I just find more Japanese games that have better stories and better graphical styles than American games.
And I have played Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate. Guess how long that lasted? Especially in ID? "Oh yeah I got the sword of +5 when I am near the lake. Oh wait the game in centered around the Lake!" Thats the most stupidest weapon I ever saw. And Baldurs Gate had the most stupidest story. "Oh I am a God, Can I be good or evil?" Thats the most common story around. around a day or two, I got what the story would turn out to be and said, "Well that lasted a couple of days. Maybe they can make games where I can just be God or the Devil. A two minute game."
You... what?
Alright, I get it. You turn off as soon as something doesn't have girls with giant tits and purple hair, effeminate male leads, and, arguably, a character driven story. Nevermind that the characters in JRPGs tend to be 2d and excessively sappy, but whatever.
I will give you that visual styles differ greatly in Western games and Japanese games. They're very different, and that can be chalked up to taste. I know what your problem is, though. You've done that thing where you associate everything Western with anything bad in America, but fantasize and romanticize everything involving Asian people. Just by the virtue of being one or the other, something has already received your judgment. Western means bad to you, and Asian means good to you, regardless of what's real about the product.
Yeah, America is big fat oppressive white materialistic uncivilized boors, and Japan is happy-go-lucky bright and shiny freedom for all your personal desires. Ignore the fact that there are vending machines that dispense used and stolen women's underwear in Tokyo and that their game market is positively flooded with mediocre to shitty clone RPGs just like ours is flooded with Madden and FPSs. Whatever.
And I have played Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate. Guess how long that lasted? Especially in ID? "Oh yeah I got the sword of +5 when I am near the lake. Oh wait the game in centered around the Lake!" Thats the most stupidest weapon I ever saw. And Baldurs Gate had the most stupidest story. "Oh I am a God, Can I be good or evil?" Thats the most common story around. around a day or two, I got what the story would turn out to be and said, "Well that lasted a couple of days. Maybe they can make games where I can just be God or the Devil. A two minute game."
This post must be written in Engrish, because I see words, but they make no sense.
Welcome to the world of Katchem_Ash.
I don't like that world. We can blow it up, right?
.......Ignore the fact that there are vending machines that dispense used and stolen women's underwear in Tokyo.......
I think the rest of your post could stand a look at the fun racism which has typified the thread until now, but I just wanted to mention that I've never seen one of these in all the years I've lived in Japan.
poshniallo on
I figure I could take a bear.
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Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
edited September 2007
Has anybody got a working translation of Ketchem_Ash's post yet?
.......Ignore the fact that there are vending machines that dispense used and stolen women's underwear in Tokyo.......
I think the rest of your post could stand a look at the fun racism which has typified the thread until now, but I just wanted to mention that I've never seen one of these in all the years I've lived in Japan.
It's essentially an urban myth. I think there was an English guy who mentioned thinking about doing it, and then it just picked up and run with.
Mojo_Jojo on
Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
.......Ignore the fact that there are vending machines that dispense used and stolen women's underwear in Tokyo.......
I think the rest of your post could stand a look at the fun racism which has typified the thread until now, but I just wanted to mention that I've never seen one of these in all the years I've lived in Japan.
I've been following the thread a bit, I know. Any of the over racism in my post was a poke at Ash's insane mischaracterization of the D20 RPG games.
As to the vending machine, I was directed to it in one of those capsule store things while bar-hopping with my dad while he was stationed there a few years ago. Some of his Japanese friends figured we'd get a kick out of it.
I thought I had material for a great post about the differences, but when I started writing I realized that I'd describe them as "Western: lots of combat between story elements, Japanese: lots of combat between story elements".
So instead I'll write something about how western-style RPGs typically have customizable characters (or an entire party) while Japanese RPGs have pre-constructed characters with very little customization, apart from some games where the same character can choose between different archetypes (mage, warrior, chocobo humper etc).
I'd say that you're actually playing a role in the better Western RPGs, since you get to create and, more often than JRPGs at least, define your character by their actions. It's limited in some, but the beautiful thing about BG2 was that your options were much more open without having to be all sandboxy like the ES games.
Oh, I didn't mean you were being racist, I just meant K_A's one-sidedness pales in comparison to the crap earlier in the thread.
Interesting about the machine. I heard there are some in Kabukicho (the red light district of Tokyo), so I wonder what the place you were drinking in was like. I'm 100% sure they're very rare, in contradiction of the urban myths about them.
Once a month I look after new arrivals in Japan and there's always someone who's a self-appointed Japan expert. I have to really restrain myself from ripping them to bits (verbally) for all the urban myths they spout. I've noticed hikikomori has started to become an English word (among US J-geeks), meaning massive amounts of bullshit on the subject.
One more salient pointy thing - The d20 system is all very well, but it's a lot more suited to Pnp than CRPG.
This is the only difference I've ever noticed. The Japanese won't play big, over muscled guys with an overabundance of testosterone because they think they're homosexual and the Americans won't play anything BUT because someone may think THEY'RE homosexual.
Oh, I didn't mean you were being racist, I just meant K_A's one-sidedness pales in comparison to the crap earlier in the thread.
Interesting about the machine. I heard there are some in Kabukicho (the red light district of Tokyo), so I wonder what the place you were drinking in was like. I'm 100% sure they're very rare, in contradiction of the urban myths about them.
Once a month I look after new arrivals in Japan and there's always someone who's a self-appointed Japan expert. I have to really restrain myself from ripping them to bits (verbally) for all the urban myths they spout. I've noticed hikikomori has started to become an English word (among US J-geeks), meaning massive amounts of bullshit on the subject.
One more salient pointy thing - The d20 system is all very well, but it's a lot more suited to Pnp than CRPG.
Yeah, i wouldn't doubt that they're rare. The point still stands that he's incredibly myopic about anything bad involving Japanese people or culture. I'm far from a... J-geek - that word alone makes me feel all dirty and greasy - but I'm thorougly convinced that most of it, as Americans are concerned, stems from an unrealistic romanticising of Japan while simultaneously being extremely jaded with anything Western. Ash seems to be like that.
Oh, I didn't mean you were being racist, I just meant K_A's one-sidedness pales in comparison to the crap earlier in the thread.
Interesting about the machine. I heard there are some in Kabukicho (the red light district of Tokyo), so I wonder what the place you were drinking in was like. I'm 100% sure they're very rare, in contradiction of the urban myths about them.
Once a month I look after new arrivals in Japan and there's always someone who's a self-appointed Japan expert. I have to really restrain myself from ripping them to bits (verbally) for all the urban myths they spout. I've noticed hikikomori has started to become an English word (among US J-geeks), meaning massive amounts of bullshit on the subject.
One more salient pointy thing - The d20 system is all very well, but it's a lot more suited to Pnp than CRPG.
Yeah, i wouldn't doubt that they're rare. The point still stands that he's incredibly myopic about anything bad involving Japanese people or culture. I'm far from a... J-geek - that word alone makes me feel all dirty and greasy - but I'm thorougly convinced that most of it, as Americans are concerned, stems from an unrealistic romanticising of Japan while simultaneously being extremely jaded with anything Western. Ash seems to be like that.
No, Ash is just being ridiculous. When choices get to be too much for some people they start inventing reasons why the choice they make is not only superior, but monumentally superior. Ash can't even verbalize his choice suffiently much less back it up.
And I have played Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate. Guess how long that lasted? Especially in ID? "Oh yeah I got the sword of +5 when I am near the lake. Oh wait the game in centered around the Lake!" Thats the most stupidest weapon I ever saw. And Baldurs Gate had the most stupidest story. "Oh I am a God, Can I be good or evil?" Thats the most common story around. around a day or two, I got what the story would turn out to be and said, "Well that lasted a couple of days. Maybe they can make games where I can just be God or the Devil. A two minute game."
This post must be written in Engrish, because I see words, but they make no sense.
Welcome to the world of Katchem_Ash.
This has to be a troll post. I have known "ADD, sugar inhaling, oh god I lost my ritalin" types who got into Baldurs Gate. Or at least every I've ever known to play it at least liked it for a little while. I mean its a great game! Next you'll tell me that Morrowind (on PC) sucks or something.
Wow. I just read some of the articles linked to, and they contain some of the oddest/dumbest assumptions I've ever seen.
Forget the way that games, like other entertainment and art, have their own tropes and forms. Japanese people don't accept fixed cameras because that's how past games have been, and that's what they're used to. No, no, it's because they don't love freedom.
As to 'better writing', well it's cultural innit? Both types have cliches running through them. People just don't notice the ones from their own culture so much.
There's one thing that I have noticed - rock scissors paper is such a huge part of Japanese culture that I see the pattern repeated in loads of Japanese games.
Agreed, I thought the entire article was extremely interesting and brought up some very valid differences, but the reasoning behind the differences was often strange.
There's always a hang-up in discussions like these on 'writing'. For me it's just part and parcel of the entire game. Of course BG2's story was easy to 'figure' out (if you've played the first game, you already know what you are and what your eventual task will be anyway). That's not the point; it may be cliché, but for me it's about the story. I've always liked the environments and atmosphere that Bioware have created with their games - found it very immersive. Their dialogue isn't so hot and their stories are predictable but I personally still prefer them to the Japanese RPGs I've attempted to play, which I've never found myself drawn into, all for a variety of gameplay reasons. On the other hand I can't get enough of the Phoenix Wright games and only wish Western countries hadn't been so quick to abandon the adventure genre. I enjoy and embrace the clichés found in stories in both Japanese and Western games. I'd say 'American' games only all of the roleplay and adventure games I can recall playing have been either Canadian or British.
I thought I had material for a great post about the differences, but when I started writing I realized that I'd describe them as "Western: lots of combat between story elements, Japanese: lots of combat between story elements".
I was trying to quantify the differences between different countries' RPGs and have been finding it equally hard.
All I can come up with are things like 'well, random encounters feel less random in Western games' or 'Japanese stories/cut-scenes feel more static'. I just find it easier to immerse myself in Western-style RPGs; it's probably the combination of many small differences.
Nope, I just don't care for Western Games no matter how you look at it. give me my JRPG/SRPGs and I shal be happy forever.
It's down to the lack of anime style characters/graphics really though isn't it? There can't be any other reason for it since the Western world has produced just as many stellar games as the East.
Nope, I just don't care for Western Games no matter how you look at it. give me my JRPG/SRPGs and I shal be happy forever.
It's down to the lack of anime style characters/graphics really though isn't it? There can't be any other reason for it since the Western world has produced just as many stellar games as the East.
Nope, I just don't like the stories. Art work aside, I don't really get a pull from Western Games. For example, I though God of War's story was stupidly done, could have done much, much better. It came out to me like one guy crying because he couldn't understand it was his fault.
Nope, I just don't care for Western Games no matter how you look at it. give me my JRPG/SRPGs and I shal be happy forever.
It's down to the lack of anime style characters/graphics really though isn't it? There can't be any other reason for it since the Western world has produced just as many stellar games as the East.
It most definitely is, but he's too stubborn/stupid/proud to admit it.
If I would have said I liked the art style only, I would have, but thats only one spectrum. I like the Story, the Controls and the grinding. Its all what makes a good JRPG/SRPG.
Also I meant Baldurs Gate 2 + Expansion/Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale 2 + Expansions.
Nope, I just don't care for Western Games no matter how you look at it. give me my JRPG/SRPGs and I shal be happy forever.
It's down to the lack of anime style characters/graphics really though isn't it? There can't be any other reason for it since the Western world has produced just as many stellar games as the East.
see, i can kind of understand his point, because i'm somewhat the opposite. It's not necessarily a rule for me, but i find in general, i can't make myself interested in most japanese games. There are exceptions, the likes of Dead Rising or RE4 are great, but i still don't like the story or its delivery as much as other games. Then you get onto JRPGs or whatever, and my eyes just glaze right over. I even gave the Eternal Sonata demo a shot the other day, and it certainly looked fantastic, and i could play it, but something about it just didn't grip me. I just always get the feeling with japanese games, that the story elements feel a lot more forced and contrived, like certain plot and story elements feel more shoehorned to make the game fit. I'm not saying every Japanese game is like that, or that i even expect anyone to agree. Like with Eternal Sonata, the whole "Chopin's dying in bed, and recedes into a fantasy world inside his mind" plot. It sounds like a means to get some of the guy's music in there, and have him battle pumpkin monsters and giant onions.
Just so many times it feels like someone on the story department sticks a hand in bag A, and a hand in bag B, and puts the two elements together. "What if.. dogs... had psychic powers!"
Nope, I just don't care for Western Games no matter how you look at it. give me my JRPG/SRPGs and I shal be happy forever.
It's down to the lack of anime style characters/graphics really though isn't it? There can't be any other reason for it since the Western world has produced just as many stellar games as the East.
It most definitely is, but he's too stubborn/stupid/proud to admit it.
I fall on the JRPG preference side too but I like JRPGs production values. Even the menus are classy and animate well. As for story quality, they're both good but I have to say I'm starting to prefer Western over Eastern. How many amenisiac antiheroes protecting a dim witted blonde girl with a special amulet/ring/bracelet whose parents are dead can I take?
Posts
The 1up article does have some Japanese developers talking about the differences.
I never actually played it, but I bought 16 copies on clearance at 97p each, which when traded in paid for a DS lite + NSMB
Exactly. I did a similar thing in the states, but a friend about a year ago bought it with three dollars left on a gift card and we went through it. The girl part was easy, but being a guy involved this tricky as shit memorization thing that is not well explained at all. It's a terrible game, but awesome at the same time. You know your system is a winner when it has a launch dating sim.
Until then I shall Choose JRPG/SRPG/Fighting Games/Any other games from Japan to put into my collection.
Don't they have a word for people like you?
weaboo
And I have played Icewind Dale/Baldurs Gate. Guess how long that lasted? Especially in ID? "Oh yeah I got the sword of +5 when I am near the lake. Oh wait the game in centered around the Lake!" Thats the most stupidest weapon I ever saw. And Baldurs Gate had the most stupidest story. "Oh I am a God, Can I be good or evil?" Thats the most common story around. around a day or two, I got what the story would turn out to be and said, "Well that lasted a couple of days. Maybe they can make games where I can just be God or the Devil. A two minute game."
This post must be written in Engrish, because I see words, but they make no sense.
Thats a valid complaint with infinity engine games, personally I'm not a fan of them either. But there is much more to the american RPG scene than ones by bioware.
Nothing that I saw interested me. Thats why I didn't pick an XBOX. The only reason I am picking a 360 is to get the JRPGs/SRPGs that are coming out otherwise, I wouldn't touch it.
Perhaps his tiny eyes caused him to misenterpret the text.
skate, halo 3
I'm pretty certain a lot of the perceived differences between American and Japanese games arise because we focus on the most different parts, or the weirdest ones. I mean, no one goes out of their way to import a standard beat-em-up. I'm sure it would be "oh wacky Americans" if all Japan imported was Big Mutha Truckas.
Welcome to the world of Katchem_Ash.
You... what?
Alright, I get it. You turn off as soon as something doesn't have girls with giant tits and purple hair, effeminate male leads, and, arguably, a character driven story. Nevermind that the characters in JRPGs tend to be 2d and excessively sappy, but whatever.
I will give you that visual styles differ greatly in Western games and Japanese games. They're very different, and that can be chalked up to taste. I know what your problem is, though. You've done that thing where you associate everything Western with anything bad in America, but fantasize and romanticize everything involving Asian people. Just by the virtue of being one or the other, something has already received your judgment. Western means bad to you, and Asian means good to you, regardless of what's real about the product.
Yeah, America is big fat oppressive white materialistic uncivilized boors, and Japan is happy-go-lucky bright and shiny freedom for all your personal desires. Ignore the fact that there are vending machines that dispense used and stolen women's underwear in Tokyo and that their game market is positively flooded with mediocre to shitty clone RPGs just like ours is flooded with Madden and FPSs. Whatever.
I don't like that world. We can blow it up, right?
I think the rest of your post could stand a look at the fun racism which has typified the thread until now, but I just wanted to mention that I've never seen one of these in all the years I've lived in Japan.
It's essentially an urban myth. I think there was an English guy who mentioned thinking about doing it, and then it just picked up and run with.
I've been following the thread a bit, I know. Any of the over racism in my post was a poke at Ash's insane mischaracterization of the D20 RPG games.
As to the vending machine, I was directed to it in one of those capsule store things while bar-hopping with my dad while he was stationed there a few years ago. Some of his Japanese friends figured we'd get a kick out of it.
So instead I'll write something about how western-style RPGs typically have customizable characters (or an entire party) while Japanese RPGs have pre-constructed characters with very little customization, apart from some games where the same character can choose between different archetypes (mage, warrior, chocobo humper etc).
Eh. I got nothin'.
Interesting about the machine. I heard there are some in Kabukicho (the red light district of Tokyo), so I wonder what the place you were drinking in was like. I'm 100% sure they're very rare, in contradiction of the urban myths about them.
Once a month I look after new arrivals in Japan and there's always someone who's a self-appointed Japan expert. I have to really restrain myself from ripping them to bits (verbally) for all the urban myths they spout. I've noticed hikikomori has started to become an English word (among US J-geeks), meaning massive amounts of bullshit on the subject.
One more salient pointy thing - The d20 system is all very well, but it's a lot more suited to Pnp than CRPG.
This is the only difference I've ever noticed. The Japanese won't play big, over muscled guys with an overabundance of testosterone because they think they're homosexual and the Americans won't play anything BUT because someone may think THEY'RE homosexual.
The Americans just seem stupider about it.
Yeah, i wouldn't doubt that they're rare. The point still stands that he's incredibly myopic about anything bad involving Japanese people or culture. I'm far from a... J-geek - that word alone makes me feel all dirty and greasy - but I'm thorougly convinced that most of it, as Americans are concerned, stems from an unrealistic romanticising of Japan while simultaneously being extremely jaded with anything Western. Ash seems to be like that.
No, Ash is just being ridiculous. When choices get to be too much for some people they start inventing reasons why the choice they make is not only superior, but monumentally superior. Ash can't even verbalize his choice suffiently much less back it up.
This has to be a troll post. I have known "ADD, sugar inhaling, oh god I lost my ritalin" types who got into Baldurs Gate. Or at least every I've ever known to play it at least liked it for a little while. I mean its a great game! Next you'll tell me that Morrowind (on PC) sucks or something.
Agreed, I thought the entire article was extremely interesting and brought up some very valid differences, but the reasoning behind the differences was often strange.
There's always a hang-up in discussions like these on 'writing'. For me it's just part and parcel of the entire game. Of course BG2's story was easy to 'figure' out (if you've played the first game, you already know what you are and what your eventual task will be anyway). That's not the point; it may be cliché, but for me it's about the story. I've always liked the environments and atmosphere that Bioware have created with their games - found it very immersive. Their dialogue isn't so hot and their stories are predictable but I personally still prefer them to the Japanese RPGs I've attempted to play, which I've never found myself drawn into, all for a variety of gameplay reasons. On the other hand I can't get enough of the Phoenix Wright games and only wish Western countries hadn't been so quick to abandon the adventure genre. I enjoy and embrace the clichés found in stories in both Japanese and Western games. I'd say 'American' games only all of the roleplay and adventure games I can recall playing have been either Canadian or British.
I was trying to quantify the differences between different countries' RPGs and have been finding it equally hard.
All I can come up with are things like 'well, random encounters feel less random in Western games' or 'Japanese stories/cut-scenes feel more static'. I just find it easier to immerse myself in Western-style RPGs; it's probably the combination of many small differences.
You made Planescape:Torment cry. This does not sit well with me.
Currently playing: GW2 and TSW
Thread over! It's done, guys, we can go.
Put the chairs up on the tables, turn off the lights, and lock the doors when you leave.
Eh, I didn't like the other two, so I don't think I want to throw away money at another one of those games.
Nope, I just don't like the stories. Art work aside, I don't really get a pull from Western Games. For example, I though God of War's story was stupidly done, could have done much, much better. It came out to me like one guy crying because he couldn't understand it was his fault.
Other two? You mean Baldur's Gate? or maybe Fallout?
Currently playing: GW2 and TSW
It most definitely is, but he's too stubborn/stupid/proud to admit it.
Also I meant Baldurs Gate 2 + Expansion/Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale 2 + Expansions.
see, i can kind of understand his point, because i'm somewhat the opposite. It's not necessarily a rule for me, but i find in general, i can't make myself interested in most japanese games. There are exceptions, the likes of Dead Rising or RE4 are great, but i still don't like the story or its delivery as much as other games. Then you get onto JRPGs or whatever, and my eyes just glaze right over. I even gave the Eternal Sonata demo a shot the other day, and it certainly looked fantastic, and i could play it, but something about it just didn't grip me. I just always get the feeling with japanese games, that the story elements feel a lot more forced and contrived, like certain plot and story elements feel more shoehorned to make the game fit. I'm not saying every Japanese game is like that, or that i even expect anyone to agree. Like with Eternal Sonata, the whole "Chopin's dying in bed, and recedes into a fantasy world inside his mind" plot. It sounds like a means to get some of the guy's music in there, and have him battle pumpkin monsters and giant onions.
Just so many times it feels like someone on the story department sticks a hand in bag A, and a hand in bag B, and puts the two elements together. "What if.. dogs... had psychic powers!"
I fall on the JRPG preference side too but I like JRPGs production values. Even the menus are classy and animate well. As for story quality, they're both good but I have to say I'm starting to prefer Western over Eastern. How many amenisiac antiheroes protecting a dim witted blonde girl with a special amulet/ring/bracelet whose parents are dead can I take?