Wyrmlord
Arcane
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2008
- Messages
- 28,886
way behind Western RPGs, it seems.
Playing the English translation of DQ5, which is supposed to be among the better JRPGs out there, I found it to be astonishingly backwards as compared to just about any Western RPG I have played, even the ones that people like to label as "dumbed down." I have tried a few other JRPGs on the PS2, but I didn't like them. People said that the Dragon Quest games are the true JRPGs, the good stuff, and I am still underwhelmed.
I mean, playing it has literally changed my perspective on the entire Western RPG genre. You can be virtually sure that Western RPGs are and have been superior to JRPGs in every respect. Everything that JRPGs try to do, Western RPGs have done better. That includes Bioware games, Bethesda games, all of them.
See, the starting of DQ5, you hear from townsfolk that some guy is missing when he went into the caves. I go into the caves. My 6 year old protagonist, by default, does 5-10 points of damage. The critters in the caves do 2-4 points of damage. These are all random encounters that keep happening everytime you take five steps. Finishing them was merely a quick bashing of the X-key, without any second thought. In the process of doing so, I automatically gained three levels, and a whole pile of money, that was enough to convince the shopkeeper to sell my 6 year old the best weapon that money could buy. And I only bought it because I wanted those fights to be finished faster.
So there you have it - ridiculously easy combat that requires no thought at all. And you can play this game without having any understanding of the ruleset. You can just walk around, keep pressing the X key when enemies attack you, and use the Heal Spell or the Medical Herb item to fully heal yourself. It's as ridiculous that every combat encounter produces money. Actually, it happens in some Western RPGs as well, but in Western RPGs, it's not like the amount of money you have is directly proportional to the enemies you kill. You would gain nominal money from enemies at best, and making real money means solving major quests and finding rare items. Not merely accumulation by walking down from one end of the cave to another.
I don't know what I am saying when I say "understanding of the ruleset", because there isn't any. A few basic stats (Strength, Hit Points, Magic Points, Defense) and that's it. Understanding them is a no-brainer. You don't need to, because when you level up, you automatically gain spells. Unlike Western RPGs, where you have to hunt for spells from shopkeepers or chests, or have to manually make your choice while levelling up. No, when you level up in this game, spells automatically appear onto your character's memory, simply because he went around and pressed X when he had to. The game does the job of customising your character for you. I used to have this notion that turn-based combat = superior, but the TB combat in JRPGs is extremely simplistic, and even pausable real-time Western RPGs involve more thinking.
But hey, aren't JRPGs about story? Characters? Settings? Scripted moments and cutscenes? How would those things concern a Western RPG person, who likes to read thick manuals, created a munchkined up character, explore gigantic maps, and optimize everything? Trust me, Western RPGs are still a million years ahead in terms of story, characters, settings, and cutscenes. DQ5's opening cutscene is of a king pacing to and fro in his castle, and then rushing to his wife when his child is born. Betrayal At Krondor's opening cutscene is of an assassin ambushing a camp, and then being strangled under chains of the prisoner there, who happens to be his kinsman. Even combat-focused Western RPGs have better stories, like Icewind Dale. This stuff about a six year old travelling with his adventurer father, killing easy critters, buying sharp and pointy weapons, having a gala time with it in a cave, and then being escorted by him to another town - it is absurd. Bioware's stories are so much more compelling and intelligent. KotOR's opening of a ship being attacked, and having to jump down from it, and hoping to land on the surface of a planet, on short notice; that is set years ahead of what any Japanese RPG developer could hope to conceive.
And while we are at it, there are a few JRPGs made in the West, right? Albion. That game had a rather dull opening, just like DQ5 in its ship at sea, maybe it is a JRPG convention that must be adhered to. But Albion was still more interesting. You could go around, have some interesting conversations, pick up some interesting clues, solve a puzzle about a mysterious death, before heading to the cat planet. I was a little unimpressed with Albion, but damn, it is far more interesting and engaging than a typical JRPG. Whatever the Japanese do, the West does better. If Bioware's games are technically adventure-JRPG hybrids, well goddamn, those Canucks have beaten the Japs at their own game.
So play a JRPG today. Come back to the world of Western RPGs afterwards, and see what a rich glorious world it is.
Playing the English translation of DQ5, which is supposed to be among the better JRPGs out there, I found it to be astonishingly backwards as compared to just about any Western RPG I have played, even the ones that people like to label as "dumbed down." I have tried a few other JRPGs on the PS2, but I didn't like them. People said that the Dragon Quest games are the true JRPGs, the good stuff, and I am still underwhelmed.
I mean, playing it has literally changed my perspective on the entire Western RPG genre. You can be virtually sure that Western RPGs are and have been superior to JRPGs in every respect. Everything that JRPGs try to do, Western RPGs have done better. That includes Bioware games, Bethesda games, all of them.
See, the starting of DQ5, you hear from townsfolk that some guy is missing when he went into the caves. I go into the caves. My 6 year old protagonist, by default, does 5-10 points of damage. The critters in the caves do 2-4 points of damage. These are all random encounters that keep happening everytime you take five steps. Finishing them was merely a quick bashing of the X-key, without any second thought. In the process of doing so, I automatically gained three levels, and a whole pile of money, that was enough to convince the shopkeeper to sell my 6 year old the best weapon that money could buy. And I only bought it because I wanted those fights to be finished faster.
So there you have it - ridiculously easy combat that requires no thought at all. And you can play this game without having any understanding of the ruleset. You can just walk around, keep pressing the X key when enemies attack you, and use the Heal Spell or the Medical Herb item to fully heal yourself. It's as ridiculous that every combat encounter produces money. Actually, it happens in some Western RPGs as well, but in Western RPGs, it's not like the amount of money you have is directly proportional to the enemies you kill. You would gain nominal money from enemies at best, and making real money means solving major quests and finding rare items. Not merely accumulation by walking down from one end of the cave to another.
I don't know what I am saying when I say "understanding of the ruleset", because there isn't any. A few basic stats (Strength, Hit Points, Magic Points, Defense) and that's it. Understanding them is a no-brainer. You don't need to, because when you level up, you automatically gain spells. Unlike Western RPGs, where you have to hunt for spells from shopkeepers or chests, or have to manually make your choice while levelling up. No, when you level up in this game, spells automatically appear onto your character's memory, simply because he went around and pressed X when he had to. The game does the job of customising your character for you. I used to have this notion that turn-based combat = superior, but the TB combat in JRPGs is extremely simplistic, and even pausable real-time Western RPGs involve more thinking.
But hey, aren't JRPGs about story? Characters? Settings? Scripted moments and cutscenes? How would those things concern a Western RPG person, who likes to read thick manuals, created a munchkined up character, explore gigantic maps, and optimize everything? Trust me, Western RPGs are still a million years ahead in terms of story, characters, settings, and cutscenes. DQ5's opening cutscene is of a king pacing to and fro in his castle, and then rushing to his wife when his child is born. Betrayal At Krondor's opening cutscene is of an assassin ambushing a camp, and then being strangled under chains of the prisoner there, who happens to be his kinsman. Even combat-focused Western RPGs have better stories, like Icewind Dale. This stuff about a six year old travelling with his adventurer father, killing easy critters, buying sharp and pointy weapons, having a gala time with it in a cave, and then being escorted by him to another town - it is absurd. Bioware's stories are so much more compelling and intelligent. KotOR's opening of a ship being attacked, and having to jump down from it, and hoping to land on the surface of a planet, on short notice; that is set years ahead of what any Japanese RPG developer could hope to conceive.
And while we are at it, there are a few JRPGs made in the West, right? Albion. That game had a rather dull opening, just like DQ5 in its ship at sea, maybe it is a JRPG convention that must be adhered to. But Albion was still more interesting. You could go around, have some interesting conversations, pick up some interesting clues, solve a puzzle about a mysterious death, before heading to the cat planet. I was a little unimpressed with Albion, but damn, it is far more interesting and engaging than a typical JRPG. Whatever the Japanese do, the West does better. If Bioware's games are technically adventure-JRPG hybrids, well goddamn, those Canucks have beaten the Japs at their own game.
So play a JRPG today. Come back to the world of Western RPGs afterwards, and see what a rich glorious world it is.
Which is actaually 3 boats if you count PnP. 
