1eyedking Japanese roleplaying games are...

[Melcar]

Most JRPGs are for the 15 and below demographic. There is no point in saying that they're stupid if you're outside that demographic. Granted, there are a few gems out there that can put most of the crap from the West to shame, but for the most part JRPGs are uncomplicated kid/teen fantasies.

 

[ghostdog]

How far have you played DQ5 Wyrmlord? The game has many things to offer along the way. If what you are looking for is a deep ruleset with branching skills and party building mechanics then this is not a game where you'll find these things. But it's unfair to bash a game of 1992 for not having cinematic cutscenes and superb presentation. I'll agree that the starting of the game is nothing special but it really gets a lot better along the way

The story is in fact very good and it's one of the best aspects of the game. You may start as a 6 year old but the story is branched between 3 timelines. The first chapter is taking place during your childhood years and it's the shortest one. The next chapter is during your late teens/first adult years (this is the biggest chapter) and the last chapter is during your 30's. The story is well done with a rather dark tone at time and the characters are well written and not the over the top types squaresoft mostly did.

The combat is simple but it's rather fun and fucntional. I like the way the turn based battle system is handled with the various spells you get to use. The combat isn't deep, but I find it quite entertaining. One other thing is that you'll eventually get the ability to capture and train monsters to aid you in combat. Granted this has been used many times in games since then, but I think this was the first game to implement this feature, and having a dragon as a party member is always cool. I must admit that he combat is rather easy though, easier than other DQ games. I also think this game started the trend with the secret optional boss that is harder to beat than the real ending boss.

There are also other diversions like playing games in the Casino and hunting for tiny metals and metal slimes. But of course if you detest the combat style you'll not like the game since you'll have to do much of it. I still consider DQ5 and 6 among the best jRPG's I've played and superior to the FF games. Of course Chrono Trigger is still the best jRPG I've played.

If you are looking for a more "hardcore" jRPG I would suggest trying Shin Megami Tensei.

 

[Chateaubryan]

Do you know any JRPG cutscene better than any of the above?

Not better, but let's just say "as good as" : the beginning cutscene of SMT : Nocturne

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=_O2BR5QLG-Q

Or this one, from Shadow Hearts 2 :

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=LoAxNZ2ven8

 

[Imbecile]

...Japanese!!!

Ooh, no wait, I know this one...roleplaying games?

 

[LeStryfe79]

Goddamn Nocturne was fucking awesome. I can understand why a pussy wouldn't like it since the game was hard, but in my honest opinion RPGs can't do much better. It DOES have an EMO premise. This understandably gets flack, but so should Torment and MotB for that matter. There is nothing wrong with a tragic storyline, so long as it's done well. Seriously, I can't imagine how Nocturne could have been made into a better game. The whole thing is a work of art with extremely satisfying tactical combat and party customization.

 

[Korgan]

The Infinity games cutscenes were crap. Plain and simple - crap. They dont have any feeling in them whatsoever. Except the PST intro, which was semi-good.

I dunno, BG2's dream sequences were OK, and I lol'd at the result of double-crossing Phaere.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

A jRPG made by Westerners is better than most jRPGs made in Japan.

For emphasis:

A parody jRPG made by a single Westerner as a hobby which has Charles Barkley as the PC is better than most jRPGs done by professional development teams in Japan.

Shut Up and Jam Gaiden represent!

 

[Glorm McGlorm]

... are japanese. Wonder what the Japanese think of WRPGs (Western).

 

[Applegate's Breasts]

The tremendous success of Fallout 3 seems to have made a particularly profound impact on Naora. "When we make a game that sells two million copies, that's always seemed like a tremendous success for us," he says. "But now we hear about Fallout 3 selling four million in just a few weeks, and it really surprises us. This is a game that doesn't even look like what we in Japan consider an 'RPG,' yet it's incredibly popular."

"Until about a year ago, we'd never even heard the term 'J-RPG' to distinguish our RPGs from Western games," he admits. Now he seems determined to sort out the defining differences between the two schools of RPG design. Does it mean stronger female characters? A first-person perspective? More realism?

http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=27883

 

[1eyedking]

If you are looking for a more "hardcore" jRPG I would suggest trying Shin Megami Tensei.

Sorry, but there's no way you can take those games seriously. Hitler with a spear. I mean, come fucking on.

It's not like they weren't that bastard's allies, either. And by the way combat looks utterly boring.

 

[JarlFrank]

I want to play this. But only if you can ally with Hitler.

 

[janjetina]

Then you'd get an alternate ending. After allying with Hitler, you are attacked by Russians, and you can choose suicide by cyanide, or a bullet in the head. Choices and consequences - JRPG style.

 

[Fat Dragon]

A jRPG made by Westerners is better than most jRPGs made in Japan.

For emphasis:

A parody jRPG made by a single Westerner as a hobby which has Charles Barkley as the PC is better than most jRPGs done by professional development teams in Japan.

Shut Up and Jam Gaiden represent!

Curious as to what this game is about I looked it up on Wikipedia:

The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic New York called "Neo New York", after a "chaos dunk" causes the death of millions.
Twelve years prior to the game, Charles Barkley, in an attempt to impress his son Hoopz Barkley, performs a Chaos Dunk -- and inadvertently kills almost everyone present. As a result, basketball was made illegal and nearly all great players were killed in "The Great B-Ball Purge of 2041" (a.k.a "B-Ballnacht")[2].
In 2053, another Chaos Dunk rocks Manhattan, killing fifteen million, and the blame falls on Charles, who is believed to be the only human capable of performing the Chaos Dunk.[2][4] With the help of the Ultimate Hellbane, Charles escapes his pursuers: the B-Ball Removal Department, led by ex-NBA all-star Michael Jordan. Charles follows Ultimate Hellbane through the B-Ball Catacombs to the tomb of Lebron James, discovering that the Ultimate Hellbane is actually Balthios - the Octoroon great grandson of Lebron James. James contacts Charles from the B-ball dimension, offering him a warning which tells him to "seek the Cyberdwarf."

I must play this.

 

[mondblut]

My 6 year old protagonist

6 year old protagonist

6 year old protagonist

6 year old protagonist

KILL...ME.....

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

The whole weeaboo crowd just isn't over their crush on Sephiroth yet.

After taking a look at the over detailed article in Wikipedia I'm convinced that they'll never be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephiroth

Sephirot [or "enumerations", Sephiroth, Sefiroth (סְפִירוֹת), singular: Sephirah, also Sefirah (סְפִירָה "enumeration" in Hebrew)], in the Kabbalah of Judaism, are the ten attributes that God (who is referred to as אור אין סוף Aur Ain Soph, "Limitless Light, Light Without End") created through which he can manifest not only in the physical but the metaphysical universe.

So the Jews are responsible for JRPGs :!:

:zionistagents:

 

[Crichton]

There are a lot of really great japanese RPGs, but sadly most of them are for little hand-held systems; Since all I own by way of gaming systems is a PC, I play what I can on emulators.

I can personally recommend (in order of goodness)

Tactics Ogre (PS)
Final Fantasy Tactics (PS)
Rebelstar: Tactical Command (GBA)
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA)
Front Mission (SNES)
Tactics Ogre Advance (GBA)
Vandal Hearts (PS)
Shining Force 1+2 (Genesis)

I've heard good things about:

FFTA2
D&D Tactics

but haven't played them. (tried once, couldn't find a PSP emulator or roms, me cry)

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

My 6 year old protagonist

6 year old protagonist

6 year old protagonist

6 year old protagonist

KILL...ME.....

It was probably just one of those prologue sequences the Japs and Petar Molynexu love

 

[Volourn]

"Do you know any JRPG cutscene better than any of the above?"

FF8. It has awesome cutscenes starting with the best ever cutscene - its opening cinematic. It simply can't be beat. Maybe matched. But, not beat.

 

[pkt-zer0]

Rebelstar: Tactical Command (GBA)

Julian Gollop, the JRPG developer! Yeah.



Anyhow, I think Final Fantasy 1 is a pretty nice dungeon-crawler lite. Vagrant Story, and Yasumi Matsuno's games in general, are fairly different from your average JRPG, and are quite good. You could complain about the sometimes ridiculous character designs, I guess. Tales of Destiny 2, Tales of Rebirth, and the PS2 Tales of Destiny remake are action-RPGs with solid combat mechanics, in order of increasing quality. I'd say ToDr quite easily beats Western action-RPGs on the combat front - it's actually "good", as opposed to "passable", the best WRPGs have to offer.

Also, FF4/6/7/8/10 kinda suck. FF + trying to have a somewhat serious story = fail.

 

[Volourn]

"as opposed to "passable", the best WRPGs have to offer."

Fuck you, asshole.

 

[DraQ]

Is FF8 the one where the beyond retarded gunblades are present?

 

[elander_]

JRPGs are tactical TB combat games with a very linear story and anime looking character graphics and if you are lucky their heads aren't the same size as their bodies. They only call it rpgs because of TB combat and stats.

So play a JRPG today. Come back to the world of Western RPGs afterwards, and see what a rich glorious world it is.

Actually most western rpgs are crap, except for very few games that are true rpgs with balls.

 

[pkt-zer0]

Fuck you, asshole.

You do have a point, "passable" might be a bit too generous.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Is FF8 the one where the beyond retarded gunblades are present?

http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/category/final-fantasy-viii/

 

[mondblut]

JRPGs are tactical

Are you kidding?

Actually most western rpgs are crap, except for very few games that are true rpgs with balls.

After 1995, very few indeed.