Does anyone else here like JRPGS?

[Shepard's Shadow]

Yes, but only Pokemon and Final Fantasy. Beyond those two I haven't played any JRPGs I liked.

 

[StarofAzura]

See, I like RPGs. There are JRPG's that I like (Pokemon and Dark Cloud, among others) but that isn't *because* they're Japanese. It's because I enjoy gameplay, and I couldn't care less where the game came from as long as it's good.

Then there are JRPGs that I hate, mostly grouped into the "Final Fantasy" category, which I wish would just crawl under a rock and die painfully. It's over, I'm tired of seeing it, and really by the time you reach the thirteenth title in a series (and I'm not even counting Tactics or anything that isn't numbered, sheesh), it's time to take it out back and shoot it.

I find the American obsession with Japanese culture kind of embarrassing and I really don't get it. I've been surrounding with way too many American girls (and boys) trying SO HARD to be Japanese that you just feel bad for them, almost, and most of them are Final Fantasy fans, so maybe that's coloring my opinion.

 

[Sakurazaki1023]

I'm getting a bit tired of this sites hatred for jrpgs. Are there any jrpg fan here including Final fantasy?

To completely answer the OT:

Yes, there are many of us. We just usually don't make JRPG threads because WRPG fans usually start posting and start up very retarded arguments. The first page or two consists entirely of JRPG fans discussing their favorites, then a few people post that all JRPGs are shit, and then the original topic is lost under a flood of uninformed opinions and ignorance (And occasionally racism). This happened to me last time I posted a JRPG thread, it has happened before, and it happened here.

If you don't like JRPGs, stop posting on a JRPG thread. The OT was to see who in the community liked them, not an open invitation to see who didn't. Anyone who wants to argue how shitty JRPGs are should make another post, because putting it here is nothing but trolling.

Seriously people, I was under the impression that the The Escapist was better than this. This shit has got to stop...

 

[Songbird-O]

I am quite the Dragon Quest fan.

Most JRPGs I just stay away from. But every now and then, the occasional Baten Kaitos Origins, Golden Sun, or Dragon Quest V will come along to brighten my day.

I like all my games to be lighthearted. No angsty heavy blah blah Final Fantasy crudskies. I like the JRPGs that make you feel like the story was written for the player, instead of the other way around. Case in point, my favorite Final Fantasies are III and IV.

If you prefer your JRPGs with some humor in them, try Shadow Hearts: Covenant. It has so much humor in it that the only way to take it seriously is as a parody of JRPGs. The combat system is original and the plot is so hilariously overdone it's like nothing you have ever seen(one of your party members is a gay vampire professional wrestler who talks like a he got rejected from a super hero audition and another member is Anastasia Romanov... yes, that one).

Essentially it's what you would get if you took a history book, combined it with a JRPG plot and added in the Lovecraft mythos (Lovecraft is even a minor character in the third installment of the series) and a massive amount of references and homages to classic horror and literature.

Sounds like Eternal Sonata... Except instead of Chopin, there's H.P. Lovecraft.
I've never played Eternal Sonata, for the record. It looks GROSS. It's like tri-crescendo had some Sakuraba compositions left over from Baten Kaitos and decided to make a game about them.

Lighthearted does not equal humor. That is an important distinction to make. Lighthearted games can have humor, but they also know when to take themselves seriously. In my opinion, Dragon Quest VIII did this very, very well.

Gay wrestler vampire, eh?

I prefer Baten Kaitos Origins' androgynous two-voiced magic-casting ancient deadpan snarker robot puppet that looks and moves like the lovechild of Dr. Frank N. Furter from the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Soul Calibur's Voldo.

And he had an amusing personality, well written lines, an interesting backstory, and some of the most kickass attacks ever. Guillo for the win.

This is by no means lighthearted. It's actually a fairly dark game, it's just lightened up with a quirky sense of humor and some interesting set pieces (and a very sarcastic protagonist). Here is a couple of trailers for Covenant and it's sequel, From The New World. The quality isn't great, but it's Youtube so you can't expect much.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Doesn't seem like my kind of thing. Not because it's dark, but because it doesn't seem like my kind of thing.
This supports what I said before. Humor does not equal lighthearted, and vice versa.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was lighthearted. However, it had one of the darkest stories in the Zelda Series.

In the world of JRPGs, Final Fantasy III DS is a good example of the lightheartedness I like to see.

Spoiler

No verbose messages. No faux philosophy. Just a short sequence that says "Welcome to our wold. You are going to have fun."

Even a game like Baten Kaitos Origins, which deals with more complex story matter, can be lighthearted. It knows when to have fun, and it knows when to take itself seriously. The transitions are nearly flawless, in my opinion. And you come out of the game knowing that it didn't try to teach you something. It just wanted to tell you an interesting story.

Then there are games like Mother 3 that are lighthearted, despite the drama that takes place within.

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

Yep, I love JRPGs. I regard pretty much all of the Final Fantasy games in high regard, as well as the Dragon Quest series, those two being my favourites. Having said that, Earthbound is made of all kinds of awesome, and Chrono Trigger is one of the best JRPGs of all time in my opinion.

 

[Darth Pope]

Yeah, I have much love for RPG's, both J and W.

On a separate note, am the only one who doesn't care if a game is linear? Games that go down a straight path tend to have tighter narratives I've found. (Bioware being the exception.)

I can see your point, but I much prefer the freedom of being able to wonder off course, it adds alot to games for me. Creates the feeling of a living, breathing world rather than a large series of corridors.

A little freedom is good;even a linear game can have at least some degree of freedom. (Metroid springs to mind.)

 

[Plurralbles]

No poll? Thread failed!

Anyway, yes, I like them a good amount.

 

[The_Decoy]

A little freedom is good;even a linear game can have at least some degree of freedom. (Metroid springs to mind.)

Yeah, fair point, and you've automatically won by mentioning metroid <3

Curios as to what you thought of FFXII. Not really all that linear, but the story wasn't bad and I personally loved the ability to wonder into areas with very high level monsters, and thinking that eventually you'd be able to fight them but right now they'd mash you.

As a side note, it was also fun to play a game without level scaling (I mean I love Bethesda, but it ends up making things kind of samey).

 

[C117]

Ahh, Grandia II, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VIII... all great games AND JRPG's.

 

[Ed.]

im not really a major JRPG fan but i still like some of them

Skies of Arcadia being a favourite I know the magic is horribly broken but the game is great despite that

 

[Rewold]

I just hope the japanese never stop selling their games in the west too..And add those japanese voices there too!

 

[SovietSecrets]

I do! Whats not to like? After you mute the characters the game does become fun.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

I don't hate JRPG's, though I usually like other games better...

 

[Hollywood Knights]

I'm a big fan, although I do need to expand my horizons beyond games made by Square Enix more often.

Incidentally, recent research has suggested that a gaming diet heavy in JRPGs promotes good looks, flawless skin, charisma, charm and minty-fresh breath. Similarly, a deficiency in these games is thought to cause weight gain, dandruff, flatulence, an obsession with the 'superior' storytelling techniques of Valve, and hives. I can't back any of this up, I'm afraid, but it's true. Honest.

 

[CheckD3]

I'm not an over huge fan of the JRPGs, never really got onto the FF bandwagon and while I've played at least a bit of all the KH games, 358/2 is the only one I've gotten super into so far and I might eventually like KH2 but it hasn't sold me. I'm a pokefan, but that's nostalgia gripping me by the balls so I love it always, and overall, JRPG doesn't stand as tall and firm in my hand as the Western RPGs do, or even a fantastic 3PS

 

[darthspud]

The Final Fantasy series is my favorite but i really like Chrono Trigger too.

 

[^=ash=^]

Woooo JRPGs .. i think thats all the input i need to use, but just to be safe

last played: Magna Carta II
soon to get: Final Fantasy XIII