JRPGs more appealing to the western eyez...

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

... or at least less disgusting. TRPGS included. I'll go for Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle: MotBQ, Tactics Ogre: LUCT and even FFXIII (do not laugh, it's much more tolerable than VII-VIII FFs) but I hope for more obscure stuff being mentioned.

Game must avoid or limit faggotry, childish cuttiness or typical unfunny japanese humour. Blood & gore are always welcome.

Discuss.

 

[Coriolanus]

Wait, you found FFXIII tolerable with your standards of

limit faggotry, childish cuttiness or typical unfunny japanese humour

Does not compute.

Anyway, from pure story/setting perspective:

Vagrant Story (PSX, Action RPG), Kartia (PSX, SRPG), Inindo (SNES, SRPG), Shin Megami Tensei 1/2 (SNES, crawler), Uncharted Waters 1/2 (SNES, RPG), Elminage Original (PSP, crawler);

I found FFTA endearing, personally. It's a children's book type of story, but executed well enough and rooted in its characters (like FFT, and unlike FF:XIII) that it never really stumbles over its own pretentiousness (like most JRPGs).

Then there are Nobunaga's Ambition and Tales of Three Kingdom series, these are strategy games mainly though.

 

[dnf]

From Software games

 

[nomask7]

What's wrong with FF8?

 

[deuxhero]

Black/Matrix!

Oh wait.. Crap...

Uh... The Ys series? The Ark of Napishtim, The Oath in Felghana and Origin have great combat (you can, and need to if you aren't playing on pussy difficulty, dodge every attack in the game, but unlike DS, everything moves really fast) and actually some of the few jRPGs built originally on the PC (Origin even remains PC exclusive!). Its also one of the few games to get selectable difficulty right: The game is made for the second hardest setting, and everything easier is just nerfs while the hardest is just kicking yourself in the groin repeatedly.

 

[Deflowerer]

Suikoden games are pretty consistent. Not very animu, stories and characters are great.

 

[SuicideBunny]

the dark spire
dragon's dogma

 

[felipepepe]

FFXIII (do not laugh, it's much more tolerable than VII-VIII FFs)

Did you ever actually play FF7, or you only read fanfic about it?

 

[Ebonsword]

dragon's dogma

Definitely Dragon's Dogma.

Another recommendation is Wizardry: Tales of the Forsaken Land.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

FFXIII (do not laugh, it's much more tolerable than VII-VIII FFs)

Did you ever actually play FF7, or you only read fanfic about it?

Just guess, even liken it during release date but now... :vomit:
Still find XIII less faggy than any FF since VII which doesn't mean it's 100% fagfree (not even close), just in the kingdom of the blind the one-eyed are kings.

 

[warpig]

Front Mission - "Tactical JRPG", sf, mecha (the "realistic" type not magical super robot), normal looking characters, consistent setting, not much faggotry in here compared to other J-games.

Suikoden 1 and 2 - cuteness, furries and general faggotry is present but at the average level, nothing too excessive. The story is kind of more 'mature' than in usual jrpg and the combat is really fun. It's my peronal favourite among jprgs (I'm not a huge fan of the genre).

 

[Rahdulan]

even FFXIII (do not laugh, it's much more tolerable than VII-VIII FFs)

I would actually rather go for FF12 instead which apparently a lot of people who don't even like JRPGs found appealing because of the changes to combat and overall structure with its focus on sidequests. It also lacks the obnoxious anime-inspired archetypes of FF13's characters, but pays for it with by being unfinished in the story department. If you're going to play FF12 get the IZJS version and get the fan translation patch, it changes many mechanical aspects and introduces an actual job system.

 

[DraQ]

Anachronox.

Spoiler

 

[SuicideBunny]

don't forget ps:t.

 

[DraQ]

don't forget ps:t.

Precision troll was precise.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Sengoku Rance

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I always find it fascinating that there's so many people on the Codex who complain about art styles and whatnot...

While at the same time no one remembers to complain about the fact Arcanum is a very hideous game to look at, or the very spartan look of Jagged Alliance 2.

Disliking a good game because of aesthetics is rather silly. You should rather make a question topic: "JRPGs that are really damn good games..."

 

[SCO]

Trails in the sky is one of the most 'down to earth' jrpgs i've ever seen, except for the very ending/epilogue, which ties back to the larger story of the world, which is, of course, retarded since this is a series ongoing from the 90's. It has, however, a prominent romance element and is very much linear and has 'character humor'.

 

[Hellraiser]

I always find it fascinating that there's so many people on the Codex who complain about art styles and whatnot...

He's not complaining about aesthetics (apart from kawaii moe crap), just about typical animu tropes which are trite shit (furries, harems, tsunderes). Arcanum as ugly as it sometimes was didn't shove retarded shit like lolis, moe, catgirls between all the serious stuff and the humor meshed well with the tone of the rest (see my rant about retarded animu things in regards to hellsing ultimate somewhere in the anime thread).

 

[DraQ]

I always find it fascinating that there's so many people on the Codex who complain about art styles and whatnot...

While at the same time no one remembers to complain about the fact Arcanum is a very hideous game to look at

I do.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I always find it fascinating that there's so many people on the Codex who complain about art styles and whatnot...

While at the same time no one remembers to complain about the fact Arcanum is a very hideous game to look at

I do.

Whenever I think of games I want remade just for the sake of graphics, Arcanum is always #1 on the list. Simply because Tarant DESERVES to be remade with a gigantic budget so it can really be the city where millions live and work like it was envisioned.

 

[laclongquan]

Valkyrie profile 1. Good shit.

Final Fantasy 8. The game that set the trend. Before it the heroes are mostly grizzled veteran or at least 25+. With it, they get pushed down to adolescent range. No trope either, unless you count on them setting the tropes up in the first place.

 

[SCO]

Valkyrie profile 1. Good shit.

Final Fantasy 8. The game that set the trend. Before it the heroes are mostly grizzled veteran or at least 25+. With it, they get pushed down to adolescent range. No trope either, unless you count on them setting the tropes up in the first place.

lulz

 

[Caim]

Both halves of the first Golden Sun. A good 2d JRPG with interesting elements in the towns and dungeons (using the abilities you get in-game to discover new locations), combat is interesting and has some flashy stuff for a GBA game and the characters were all but angst free (the one angsty member you meet in the first half of the game becomes a silent protagonist in the second half so that's good).

The final boss and the reveal afterwards were COMPLETE BULLSHIT though.

 

[Rahdulan]

Valkyrie profile 1. Good shit.

I really wish they made more use of the Sacred Phase between chapters. It had potential for more than just "send me heroic spirit with quality X" and reading a post mortem about what they did in Asgard. Interaction tidbits were funny, though.