Americans or Japanese?

Most, if not all, the games I enjoy the most are the Japanese ones.

IMHO, Japanese games have better storylines, better character designs, better music, better replay value, better graphic designs... just downright better than any American game I have played, with few exceptions like GoW, GTA, The Curse of Monkey Island, etc.

Here are some great Japanese game titles/franchises:

Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy, Tales of Eternia, Legend of Dragoon, Bushido Blade, Tekken, Street Fighter, ICO, Shadow of The Colossus, Sonic The Hedgehog, Star Ocean, Dragon Quest, Metroid, Devil May Cry, Silent Hill, Kingdom Hearts, Castlevania, Xenogears, Vagrant Story, Pokemon, Mega Man, Okami

Originally posted by occultdestroyer
Devil May Cry

DMC is the most overrated pile of shit in gaming.

Originally posted by Retired Debater
Western RPGs completely lack the charm and magical quality of Japanese RPGs, and that my friends, is a fact. RPGs are fundamentally about storyline; you get games like Oblivion or Fallout 3, the stories of which are overly heavy and slow moving, with little real direction throughout the game, with a vast emphasis on gameplay and traversing the world map; games like Mass Effect or Knights of the Old Republic that don't appear able to actually depict a captivating Sci-Fi setting (it could take some serious tips from the Star Ocean Series for that), that ultimately ends up looking quite simply gloomy, with a typical Sci-Fi storyline that completely lacks creativity or originality to boot; you get MMORPGs like World of Warcraft which have absolutely [b]no plotline or direction; and then you get games like Fable that ultimately don't know how to tell a good story and try to make it unique by placing a large emphasis on player choice, that doesn't even present that large a storyline variance in the first place.

The only exception to my knowledge would be Secret of Evermore, and even that was presented in a very distinct Japanese style and developed and published by a Japanese Company (but by American Developers), making it an arguable JRPG anyway. [/B]

Originally posted by ThunderGodEneru
No, you're wrong. 🙂

Yeah, Jap games don't have any magic or charm on me.

Originally posted by Peach
I'm the same way. I like Guild Wars, but that's an MMO and doesn't really count, and Fable 2 was enjoyable but not great. But for the most part, western RPGs I've played have ranged from mediocre to "bored me to tears and I quit in less than three hours". Didn't like KOTOR all that much, greatly disliked Mass Effect, Oblivion was the biggest waste of time ever, etc. In my opinion, Bioware is one of the most over-rated companies to exist.

Also doesn't help that I just very, very dislike that style of gameplay.

Western RPGs also tend to have claims of "your actions can change the game!" but this is never actually true. No matter what you do, you're still locked into a specific course of action. Maybe two.

KotOR is overrated, I admit, but it still has more plot and depth than most JRPGs, which, other than a few exceptions, are just the same things over and over again. FFVII, VIII, and IX are all nearly the same in all ways other than story(cause VIII's was bullshit fail). Mass Effect had better gameplay than most JRPGs, and a far better plot than all but a few exceptions like Tales of the Abyss or Legend of Dragoon. Oblivion a waste of time? Why?

2. What style of gameplay?

3. I'll give you this, I was very angry at Fable 2 for its bullshit claims that you can change the game in so many ways when you...Can't.

Originally posted by ThunderGodEneru

3. I'll give you this, I was very angry at Fable 2 for its bullshit claims that you can change the game in so many ways when you...Can't.

Well it did have the most epic boss battle EVAR!

Originally posted by Wei Phoenix
Well it did have the most epic boss battle EVAR!

Originally posted by ThunderGodEneru
I am not amused.

Well take some slimfast and LIGHTEN UP! You get it?

Gothic's still the best game ever in existence and that's German, so **** you America, **** you Japan, we own you!

I disagree.

Earnest Evans is the greatest game to ever be created.

Originally posted by ThunderGodEneru
This is where your post lost all credibility.

DMC is the most overrated pile of shit in gaming.

BTW, I do agree that DMC is overrated, but it's still bloody fun!

Originally posted by occultdestroyer
Well, can you name me any American RPG/VS game that can trump any of those legendary titles that I mentioned?

BTW, I do agree that DMC is overrated, but it's still bloody fun!

World of Warcraft

😐

Originally posted by ChakraStrings

Also, look at some of the other games the States have produced.
The Halo trilogy, Gears of War, the GTA series,

GTA was made in Dundee initially and now in Edinbugh...both in Scotland.

Although DMA Design (The original creators) were taken over by a US company, the games are still made in Scotland.

Originally posted by King-Fingolfin
World of Warcraft

😐

Don't ever compare shit with great Japanese classic RPGs.

Originally posted by King-Fingolfin
World of Warcraft

Originally posted by ThunderGodEneru
is the most overrated pile of shit in gaming.

Originally posted by occultdestroyer
WoW is SHIT.

Don't ever compare shit with great Japanese classic RPGs.

You can call it shit all day, if you want. However, that doesn't translate to real world.

Why do so many millions continue to play it if it is so shitty? Why is just about every last person in my college program playing it except me?

Even if they call it shit, it's got the right shit to make them stick. 313

Originally posted by Retired Debater
Western RPGs completely lack the charm and magical quality of Japanese RPGs, and that my friends, is a fact. RPGs are fundamentally about storyline; you get games like Oblivion or Fallout 3, the stories of which are overly heavy and slow moving, with little real direction throughout the game, with a vast emphasis on gameplay and traversing the world map; games like Mass Effect or Knights of the Old Republic that don't appear able to actually depict a captivating Sci-Fi setting (it could take some serious tips from the Star Ocean Series for that), that ultimately ends up looking quite simply gloomy, with a typical Sci-Fi storyline that completely lacks creativity or originality to boot; you get MMORPGs like World of Warcraft which have absolutely [b]no plotline or direction; and then you get games like Fable that ultimately don't know how to tell a good story and try to make it unique by placing a large emphasis on player choice, that doesn't even present that large a storyline variance in the first place.

The only exception to my knowledge would be Secret of Evermore, and even that was presented in a very distinct Japanese style and developed and published by a Japanese Company (but by American Developers), making it an arguable JRPG anyway. [/B]

You are wrong. There is nothing in the definition of the RPG that requires the story to be the primary focus. The primary focus of an RPG is staying completely in a role of a character throughout the course of a game. Which is why many argue that games like Fallout 3 and Oblivion and even to some GTA games are more of an RPG than many Japanese RPG's, which tend to be more of an interactive movie.

Also, JRPG's have a different method of storytelling than American ones. You are right in that American ones do tend to be darker and bleaker, but that's not inherently bad. Japanese RPG's are extremely melodramatic, even the best ones, they are over the top while American ones tend to be much more grounded.

The focus is simply different. American RPG's like Fallout 3 is focused not on melodramatic storytelling but sheer exploration of its world. Its heart and soul is in the world it built, rather than the story, where as in JRPG's their soul is in their story rather than the world they built or exploration.

Frankly I pity those who call themselves RPG fans but can't enjoy a game that focuses more on exploring a world infinitely more detailed and nuanced than any game world any JRPG has ever created. Both types of games can be extraordinarily satisfying.

Originally posted by dadudemon
You can call it shit all day, if you want. However, that doesn't translate to real world.

Why do so many millions continue to play it if it is so shitty? Why is just about every last person in my college program playing it except me?

Even if they call it shit, it's got the right shit to make them stick. 313

Not that I think WoW is shit. It's quite fun as far as I recall.

WoW absolutely isn't shit. It's not for everyone, some people just don't like the style of MMO's, but the game certainly has quality there, it's world is the most complete and purely explorable world of any MMO out there and its attention to detail is simply amazing. And as far as storytelling goes, it's what you make of it. It does have some great story told through questlines that are pretty damn good. Frankly I think the only people who really complain about the lack of story is the ones who simply close the quest dialogue without reading it, just noting the objective, and then wondering why all the quests are boring.

Originally posted by ThunderGodEneru
MMOs are still RPGs.

KotOR is overrated, I admit, but it still has more plot and depth than most JRPGs, which, other than a few exceptions, are just the same things over and over again. FFVII, VIII, and IX are all nearly the same in all ways other than story(cause VIII's was bullshit fail). Mass Effect had better gameplay than most JRPGs, and a far better plot than all but a few exceptions like Tales of the Abyss or Legend of Dragoon. Oblivion a waste of time? Why?

2. What style of gameplay?

3. I'll give you this, I was very angry at Fable 2 for its bullshit claims that you can change the game in so many ways when you...Can't.

MMOs are a different breed of RPG, is what I meant.

KOTOR had depth? You're joking, right? It really didn't. It was just the same basic plot that's been done in SW EU time and time again. There really was nothing deep about the plot at all.

I don't like the sort of open action-RPG gameplay that most western games use. I'm more used to the sort of turn-based thing, and that's what I prefer. It always feels like it works better to me. If the game itself is enjoyable enough, then I can deal with the crappy gameplay (Fable 2 kept me entertained enough to play), but I'm not going to prefer it.

Oblivion was a waste of time in that I have never been so bored in a game before. I don't like how it was completely open-ended. I hate that in games. That's part of why I greatly dislike most MMOs, btw - and part of why I like GW, in that it's not, there is a definite plot and end to that plot.

Frankly I pity those who call themselves RPG fans but can't enjoy a game that focuses more on exploring a world infinitely more detailed and nuanced than any game world any JRPG has ever created. Both types of games can be extraordinarily satisfying.

They can be, but that doesn't mean they will be. Pointless exploration just for the sake of it bores me. I play RPGs for the story, and how it's presented. Just wandering around exploring a world is not in the least bit engaging to me, and is just tedious and boring.