BioWare Co-Founder Accuses JRPGs of Stagnation

[ryuutchi]

They do have a point, this goes back to the Ultima 3 days.
Over world to explore no connect the dots games...

Then Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior all level up connect the dots games where your forced into a linear story and can only explore the world right before the end boss battle.....and always on a airship.

With a git named Cid.

TBF, JRPGS don't begin and end with the Final Fantasy series. Personally, I think Atlus does a pretty good job of toying with the JRPG set-up in the Persona games. Although whether you like it or not probably depends on your tolerance for ridiculousness, and whether you like dating sims.

 

[shadow skill]

Persona 3 is proof that the major developers of JRPGS have pretty much fallen flat on their faces baring a few exceptions like Valkyria Chronicles. The Witcher is the proof that Bioware is full of shit in this case. Granted it uses a classic WRPG setting but that is inescapable because of the source material. It's the one WRPG where the medieval setting isn't annoying, where they don't try to bullshit me with some open world nonsense that translates to "We didn't want to flesh out the story here so we made a sandbox, that ironically demonstrates how limited this game actually is." The choices in The Witcher for the most part do not feel forced or otherwise inconsequential so far. I can't even immediately pick out what is the best choice for myself since the game doesn't try to bullshit me with a worthless good/evil system. The thing that annoys me the most about the game which other WRPGS like to do as well is the size of the world. It takes so fucking long to get from place to place that I have trouble sitting down and playing the game. It is too in love with the technology for it's own good.

 

[GestaltEsper]

Has this been posted yet?
http://gza.gameriot.com/content/images/orig_320200_1_1257581825.png

 

[Flamezdudes]

Has this been posted yet?
http://gza.gameriot.com/content/images/orig_320200_1_1257581825.png

I realize they do sort repeat in many area's but its the narrative and worlds that they create for each game that i think matters. It's the same principle but still very different.

 

[sanzo]

I hate JRPG 's, they are always the same, feature linear and boring gameplay, turn based combat, a lot of 12 year old characters and a lot of sexual tension, And silly hair! I think the Bio ware guy is right, they need to spice it up in the east. Though he really should't say much, last thing bioware made is Dragon age, a game with so much cliches and overused combat its nothing new to the table.

So, by "JRPGs" you mean "old Final Fantasy games". No offense, but if you're gonna complain, at least be informed

 

[Carlston]

They do have a point, this goes back to the Ultima 3 days.
Over world to explore no connect the dots games...

Then Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior all level up connect the dots games where your forced into a linear story and can only explore the world right before the end boss battle.....and always on a airship.

With a git named Cid.

TBF, JRPGS don't begin and end with the Final Fantasy series. Personally, I think Atlus does a pretty good job of toying with the JRPG set-up in the Persona games. Although whether you like it or not probably depends on your tolerance for ridiculousness, and whether you like dating sims.

True they do break it up, but many JRPG's seem to have pretend overworlds, where if you don't go from point a to b....well you don't go anywhere.

I enjoyed the old ultima games, DnD Krynn series where if you felt ballie at level 3 to wander over to Red dragon level 12 areas just cause you want to...

 

[Tyrannowalefish_Rex]

He's certainly right with FFXIII and The Last Remant. If you've ever seen one Anime, Manga, or japanese videogame, regardless of quality (only they shouldn't be too good or exceptional): those games are nothing new; same characters, music, story, worlds, issues... And I haven't even played it, it's just so damn obvious.
Bioware could also try a little harder sometimes, I think. But then, they make solid games, each with a slightly different feeling to it, that only fail to fascinate me personally for long. It's obvious that many love them for what they are, however.

 

[Always_Remain]

You can complain all you want about how persistent JRPG is with making a choice, or mentioning their linearity, but at least I'm not being bombarded with text options that take more than 10 minutes to get thru for one trivial conversation.

I'm sorry, but when I think of RPGs in general, the leveling and stats are the only things that come to mind. And with story coming runner-up, the fleshing out of your own character's personality falls flat because half the time it doesn't matter what your opinion is in the game.

. . . story and characters are at the heart of every form of media. They no runner-up. They are the MOST important thing. Definitely in RPGS! And the whole choice thing, yes games do stay the same but I feel that the whole "choice fad" is going to open up a new type of game were your choices change the game's story ENTIRELY. Different plots lines, mission, etc. Be open minded.

Story is runner-up, in my opinion. How did I come to this conclusion? Because most recent games, with the exception of Dragon Age (which I have not played), haven't met my expectations when it comes to the length of the story as a whole. I could give a flying toss about being forced to go back to find the nooks and crannies. I remember a day when I played a game for weeks on end just to get through the story; no unnecessarily needed side-missions/quests and no alternate endings that end in black or white.

With the budget of new games being released getting higher and higher, my feelings for singularly longer stories might as well be a scuffed up homeless child on the sidewalk with douche-bags like Bioware prancing about with their rectum full to the brim with money.

I agree with you about the "choice fad." That's what it is; a fad. Sooner or later a game with the most compelling storytelling will come along that will not include choices that determine whether a game ends in five different kinds of black and white. And the "choice fad" will be left in the wake to shrivel up and be force-fed with Bioware's feeding tube.

You called Bioware douche-bags? Well I better stand over there and be different before I flame.

 

[TheOscarer]

Nothing wrong with Linear games, you can do it all in one play through. In a free roaming RPG, you will never do it all.

Did anyone else think mass effect was VERY repetitive on the second play through?

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

See, I prefer the linear route towards gaming. I don't want much choice if I have to sacrifice a whole lot of story just to accomadate my indecisive brain. I also like the fact that I don't get lost. I recently played BioShock, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but I kept finding myself going in circles looking for little sisters and to find something small that I had overlooked. My style leans towards linear games, however a good, open-ended game can sometimes be a nice change. I like how JRPGs are, and have done since my sprogghood. It'd be nice if they stayed the same for a little while longer.

Edit
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Could I also note that around 5 people I have seen posting on this thread have pretty much copied Yahtzee's arguement, without any thought as to what they have said or any opinion established on a solid basis? Seriously, if you have something different to say, say it. I enjoy Yahtzee's work, but my opinions differ greatly to his quite often. He is not a deity, he is just a very funny man. People quote him like the bible...

 

[CJ1145]

As long as the target audience of the JRPG is happy with the formula, why change it?

That's like claiming that bees are very happy with their lifestyle. Happiness is not a factor, it's just all they know.

 

[GestaltEsper]

^And that's like claiming that they only like JRPGs because they don't know anything else.

 

[Sylocat]

Judge me stupid for this but my first ever experience with Japanese style cartooning(which elements also go over to the games) was Digimon and Yu-gi-oh. Basicly these show ran on one of our commercial channels every morning as part of the children programm. So i watched it and even enjoyed it until i faced a characteristic of the style. Overuse of dialouge. Basicly with every 2 sec a random guy says a random stuff inbetween the battle's. I started to hate those because i wanted some action also but when it came it was just broken by some boy saying his encourageing words all over again. Feel's the whole show is a shouting arena with little action.

Ironically, that has more to do with localization than anything else... not saying they were completely different genres in Japan, but American butchery of Japanese imports has a tendency to insert the exact same hackwork business into every anime they can find.

 

[Ironwampa]

What that guy from Bioware seems to want isn't for JRPGs to change but instead publicity for his own games which he has gotten with all this about past current and soon to be released Bioware games. So everyone on this thread including myself are just giving an attention whore attention.

Also I like the Linear story telling and turn based combat commonly associated with JRPGs.

 

[GestaltEsper]

The thing that gets me is half the time people say they want jrpgs to "innovate" they really mean "be the same as wrpgs."

 

[Spiner909]

It's good that company leaders aren't afraid to express opinion!

 

[Velocity Eleven]

but from my perspective, JRPGs are the most varied and interesting genre of the lot with their constant enhancement of gameplay features

And maybe some people actually PREFER linear stories

I seriously dont want to have to play through a game 50 times just to see a slight change in the story everytime... at least give me some perspective of what the overall most positive and canon result is

The thing that gets me is half the time people say they want jrpgs to "innovate" they really mean "be the same as wrpgs."

this