JRPG version of Planescape: Torment.

[bylam]

We've got to rename our genre of games to WRPG. That way people will stop confusing JRPG, RPG (What Oblivion and its ilk are calling themselves), MMORPG and WRPG (A select few elite games).

 

[Lumpy]

I think QRPG sounds much better. Or YRPG. WRPGs are for wusses.

 

[Azira]

*delurks*

Interesting idea, since PS:T is basically a mix of CRPG and JRPG (don't deny it!).

Please enlighten the idiot here. What parts of a JRPG does Torment have?
Having never played a JRPG, what defines one such?

 

[bryce77]

The long-winded attack and spell animations, the rail-roaded linear storyline, the heavy emphasis on developing each character's backstories and their relationships with your PC, the effort the developers went through to design each party member to be flamboyant and unique and a story unto themselves, and the overuse of cinematics to move the story along.

Or I could just sum it up by saying that the main JRPG influence was simply the existence of an interesting and developed story and plot, which most western RPG's lack. In JRPG's you're there to experience the story and to watch the plot unravel, (watch being the key word here), and playing the game and having sound gameplay mechanics is a distant second for the game designers.

By the way, this is coming from a true-blue lover of JRPG's. I've played hundreds of them and will continue to do so.

 

[Azira]

Cinematics can be good as well.

The long-winded attack and spell animations, the rail-roaded linear storyline, the heavy emphasis on developing each character's backstories and their relationships with your PC, the effort the developers went through to design each party member to be flamboyant and unique and a story unto themselves, and the overuse of cinematics to move the story along...

Apart from the long-winded animations and the linearity, I like the sound of that. I hadn't realised it was the JRPGs that introduced, or monopolised this, seeing as that defines them?

Anyhoo, what's not to like about a better story and more flavour to the followers?

 

[Lumpy]

The long-winded attack and spell animations, the rail-roaded linear storyline, the heavy emphasis on developing each character's backstories and their relationships with your PC, the effort the developers went through to design each party member to be flamboyant and unique and a story unto themselves, and the overuse of cinematics to move the story along.

Do you mean the movie stuff, because there were like 3 of those in the whole game? Or do you include the engine-rendered stuff?

By the way, this is coming from a true-blue lover of JRPG's. I've played hundreds of them and will continue to do so.

Who the fuck are you anyway?

 

[Mayday]

Do you mean the movie stuff, because there were like 3 of those in the whole game? Or do you include the engine-rendered stuff?

And what's the difference from a gameplay point of view (the only one that matters)? If you can't control your character at the moment- this is the moment when it stops being a game and starts being a movie.

 

[Lumpy]

Do you mean the movie stuff, because there were like 3 of those in the whole game? Or do you include the engine-rendered stuff?

And what's the difference from a gameplay point of view (the only one that matters)? If you can't control your character at the moment- this is the moment when it stops being a game and starts being a movie.

The reason you couldn't control your character was probably because he didn't really appear in those cinematics.

 

[Mayday]

I meant that in a more general way.

 

[Jaesun]

it's even turn based!

 

[cuthbert]

Hey you left out the best part about JRPGs ypu know the constant level grinding, lack of customization, the over-dramatic scenes (in the most inappropriate times), the crappy plot twists and the horrible writing. By the way i have played many JRPGs and this is coming from former console player.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Seems like most people here have only played a few crappy JRPGs, and seem to believe that all others are crappy as well. Some are actually pretty good, such as Chrono Trigger, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Final Fantasy Tactics, etc. And why so much complaining about them having CG cut scenes? So what? What's so bad about them? Most only last a few minutes or less.

Anyways, I've known about this Lost Odysee game for a while now. It was announced almost two years ago.

 

[cuthbert]

Seems like most people here have only played a few crappy JRPGs, and seem to believe that all others are crappy as well. Some are actually pretty good, such as Chrono Trigger, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Final Fantasy Tactics, etc. And why so much complaining about them having CG cut scenes? So what? What's so bad about them? Most only last a few minutes or less.

Anyways, I've known about this Lost Odysee game for a while now. It was announced almost two years ago.

Actually i've played many JRPGs and a recurring theme seems to keep popping up "only teenagers can save the world" which was kinda cool when i was younger but as i grew up that shit got old quick. Look there are exceptions but it doesn't change the fact that JRPGs are in a state where they are afraid to try something new and move away from what the generic rpgs that are financially safe for them but unoriginal to the genre itself

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

Seems like most people here have only played a few crappy JRPGs, and seem to believe that all others are crappy as well.

Point me to some good ones that have gameplay at least more advanced than Wasteland, as most jRPGs don't. Because I've only played five that actually had interesting mechanics. And four of them weren't "real" jRPGs, and the other only had interesting gameplay a small amount of the time. That's not a lot considering the multitude of games out there.

Some are actually pretty good, such as Chrono Trigger, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Final Fantasy Tactics, etc.

Never got the buzz around Crono Trigger. Gameplay-wise it's pretty bland. It still doesn't beat games like Wasteland mechanically. As for the other two...never really heard of them. Care to share some information?

And why so much complaining about them having CG cut scenes? So what? What's so bad about them? Most only last a few minutes or less.

I don't mind them. They're actually kind of nice sometimes. Problem is, most of them suck and have godawful attempts at "drama" or such. Plus, when the gameplay is filler for cutscenes, a la most jRPGs, it's pretty sad.

 

[cuthbert]

Final Fantasy Tactics was a good one but the translation was pretty bad back then the new updated one looks better. That said, JRPGs tend to be more linear and story driven with simple combat mechanics, the most memorable that come to mind are the phantasy star games, final fantasy 7 (yeah i liked this game) and the grandia games.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Seems like most people here have only played a few crappy JRPGs, and seem to believe that all others are crappy as well.

Point me to some good ones that have gameplay at least more advanced than Wasteland, as most jRPGs don't. Because I've only played five that actually had interesting mechanics. And four of them weren't "real" jRPGs, and the other only had interesting gameplay a small amount of the time. That's not a lot considering the multitude of games out there.

Some are actually pretty good, such as Chrono Trigger, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Final Fantasy Tactics, etc.

Never got the buzz around Crono Trigger. Gameplay-wise it's pretty bland. It still doesn't beat games like Wasteland mechanically. As for the other two...never really heard of them. Care to share some information?

And why so much complaining about them having CG cut scenes? So what? What's so bad about them? Most only last a few minutes or less.

I don't mind them. They're actually kind of nice sometimes. Problem is, most of them suck and have godawful attempts at "drama" or such. Plus, when the gameplay is filler for cutscenes, a la most jRPGs, it's pretty sad.

Unfortunately, I've never played Wasteland so I don't know how its gameplay was like. So, I can't compare it to other games.

Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics are turn-based stragedy games. The combat is excellent with a large number of different classes to choose from. They also weren't made for graphic whores. The graphics are mainly very detailed 2D sprites. Story wise, Disgaea is mainly about comedy, and it takes place in Hell with demons everywhere.

Tactics has a very serious plot about a group of megalomaniacs who secretly control a holy church to start a civil war between two kingdoms, just so they can gather souls to ressurect the evil St. Ajora, a man the church lead the people to believe was a generous follower and son of god. Tactics' plot is much better than what's seen in most Final Fantasy games. It also uses the Zodiac signs in the game. When a day comes that is a character's birthday, depending on what sign he was born under, he will receive both positive and negative effects in his stats. There's also magic Zodiac stones that transform the holder into demons that resemble the Zodiacs. The game's villains grant these powerful stones to powerful people so they will become corrupted and easier to control.

I see what you mean about gameplay being filler for cutscenes. Unfortunately, many of the games made today do this.

 

[pkt-zer0]

Point me to some good ones that have gameplay at least more advanced than Wasteland, as most jRPGs don't. Because I've only played five that actually had interesting mechanics. And four of them weren't "real" jRPGs, and the other only had interesting gameplay a small amount of the time. That's not a lot considering the multitude of games out there.

Well, to be fair, it's not like Torment had terribly advanced gameplay - and it was great regardless. Though it still has its relatively non-linearity as an advantage over most JRPGs. Anyway, the only decent JRPG in recent memory having standard gameplay mechanics would be Last Scenario, a fanmade freeware game. The story is relatively interesting, the difficulty of battles is well balanced. Otherwise there are the more dungeon-crawling oriented games like Vagrant Story and BoF: Dragon Quarter, and action-RPGs like Valkyrie Profile or the Tales of... games, where the gameplay is good because it doesn't follow JRPG (or in the latter case, RPG) conventions. I actually liked the original Final Fantasy as well, even though if it is rather simplistic.

I tend to look at JRPGs as a weird off-shoot of the 'adventure' genre, with its story-oriented nature and lacking gameplay, nowadays.

As for the Torment / Lost Odyssey connection: an amusing find. I doubt they'll make terribly much of the concept, though. Sakaguchi's games aren't exactly famous for their depth.

 

[Baphomet]

Some JRPGs are cool. Most aren't. I'm willing to play a game where I get lead around by the nose. It's just that my preference is to have meaningful choices.

I'd be interested in playing a JRPG where you are the chosen one. You are fated to save the world, and you go on an epic quest to alter the threads of destiny and push your responsibilities on some other poor fool.

 

[psycojester]

Actually i've played many JRPGs and a recurring theme seems to keep popping up "only teenagers can save the world" which was kinda cool when i was younger but as i grew up that shit got old quick.

That always baffled me when i was younger, i kept of wondering why the fuck none of these guards that kept me out of palaces and stopped me from crossing bridges were doing anything about the oncoming apocalypse, their obviously a lot tougher than the hero as they can keep him out of all these places and you'd assume that professional soldiers would be better equipped, but no their to busy stopping me from crossing the river without a blue travel pass.

 

[Relayer71]

It has an amnesiac immortal.

And Jrpg's have never done a story about an androgynous amnesiac CHOSUN WUN! saving the world from complete destruction before.

Memory may be a bit fuzzy but, Chrono Chross had an amnesiac CHOSUN WUN.
He wasn't immortal or androgynous though.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

Posted 7-11-2007 3:16am

Finally a new orginal rpg story

Is that the special anal-only kind of orgy?

 

[Fat Dragon]

It has an amnesiac immortal.

And Jrpg's have never done a story about an androgynous amnesiac CHOSUN WUN! saving the world from complete destruction before.

Memory may be a bit fuzzy but, Chrono Chross had an amnesiac CHOSUN WUN.
He wasn't immortal or androgynous though.

Chrono Cross's protagonist was indeed a chosen one type of character, but he did not have amnesia. He was, however, forced to switch bodies with that demi-human villain guy.

 

[JarlFrank]

It doesn't look too bad on first look. That part with the girl and his hand reaching down was totally ripped off from Torment's intro, he even held his hand in the same way, but whatever... I know deep inside that there will never be any game with a story worthy of Torment's again, so better a ripoff than nothing!

 

[Fat Dragon]

It doesn't look too bad on first look. That part with the girl and his hand reaching down was totally ripped off from Torment's intro, he even held his hand in the same way, but whatever... I know deep inside that there will never be any game with a story worthy of Torment's again, so better a ripoff than nothing!

I never got the opportunity to play Torment, unfortunately. Is its plot really that good? You make it sound as if its story is the best thing since Jesus, which only makes me want the game even more.

 

[psycojester]

I wonder if we're gonna have Falls-for-Grace as the slutty older woman with boobs the size of air-craft carriers and Annah as a 12 year old girl in a leather costume that made her PS: T outfit look like a nuns habit.

Naturally both would giggle a lot and be totally in love with the hero because he's just so handsome and super cool.

D'akon will be ultra-ultra angsty and whine everytime he opens his mouth about the amnesimotral enslaving him.

Morte will just be off the wall wacky and slapstick, p5obably the same with Ignus and Vhailor.

Gods damn you Japan, damn you to belly of a giant radioactive Iguana.