Square Enix on Low Western FF13 scores

[Irridium]

Mr Toriyama have you ever heard of:
Fallout
Dragon Age
Mass Effect
KOTOR
Elder Scrolls 4

These all do an excellent Job of telling amazing stories in an open world. Anyone else want to weight in?

Those games aren't exactly perfect either.

Fallout game's stories haven't been that great. The humor was the best part to me.

Dragon Age wasn't that open, there were a few areas in the world where you could go. But you couldn't actually "explore" in the traditional sense.

Mass Effect has quite a few plot holes, and some choices were just unbelievably stupid. Especially the choice at the end of the game.

KOTOR was actually really great.

E;der Scrolls 4 story was decent at best.

 

[Aura Guardian]

It never seems like a goood idea to explain why people don't like your game. It comes across as being indenial or rationalizing.

Just look at how Tony Hawk responded to reviews of his last game, Ride. He said they weren't giving it a fair chance, and were biased against it.

Tony Hawk ride was one of the worst because the motion sensor didn't detect anything. I have the Wii Fit Balance board and games like Skate It and Shaun White Snowboarding got fantastic reviews because of the how it played. And, those three games are fun! Ride..isn't.
By the way. I'm half asleep so errors might happen.

 

[Icecoldcynic]

Mr Toriyama have you ever heard of:
Fallout
Dragon Age
Mass Effect
KOTOR
Elder Scrolls 4

Hence why he specified a COMPELLING story. All of those games are fun and all, but the storys are rather drab. Also KOTOR is hardly free at all, it's very linear.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

All of the Fallout games have terrible story, Fallout 3 wasn't even good to begin with. So your whole point is moot.

But aside from that, I think he's very much correct. It's hard for reviewers to separate a WRPG from a JRPG.

exactly, that point was null, and mass effect and kotor aren't super open worlds, dont get me wrong i love bioware and their games to death, but they stick to a main storyline which i absolutely love, everything you do progresses you in the main story just about, which fallout/TES all had sucky ass main stories, they weren't a story, just a line in the beginning that gave little to no purpose

 

[Burningsok]

I read some of the reviews and I was SHOCKED, seriously, this game actually got good reviews. It's about time We really needed a good JRPG. No i haven't played any recent JRPG's, but it has been awhile since I've sen one get such high scores. GameInformer gave it a 9.25

plus... That is TOTAL BS.
Mr. Toriyama, just for that statement; you should be shot and pissed on. So fucking biased i bet he has never played our version of the RPG. Plus putting a character in an open world and having good playability is more important for games then a story, although story does add a good deal to the game's overall feel.

 

[j0z]

Mr Toriyama have you ever heard of:
Fallout
Dragon Age
Mass Effect
KOTOR
Elder Scrolls 4

lol

I loved Oblivion, but its story sucked.
KOTOR had a good story, so does DA and Mass Effect.
Never played Fallout, except for 3, and it wasn't that great (story-wise)

 

[BloodSquirrel]

"We think many reviewers are looking at Final Fantasy XIII from a western point of view," says Toriyama in a recent issue of Xbox World 360. "When you look at most Western RPGs, they just dump you in a big open world, and let you do whatever you like..." Toriyama adds that it "becomes very difficult to tell a compelling story when you're given that much freedom"

I guess it's kind of hard for a reviewer who plays all types of games to review something from an isolationist, xenophobic, stuck-10-years-in-the-past point of view.

 

[LeonLethality]

Fans don't want Final Fantasy to change.

Just look at the community's reaction to FF12.

I loved XII, the change was nice and XIII had amazing changes too. if fans do not want change they should stay far away from XIII. people always say every JRPG is the same but in my experience most WRPGs (especially biowares) are pretty much copy pastes with small tweaks.

FF makes a huge effort to change itself up and that gets mixed feelings, but the same happens if they do not change so that pretty much puts square in a position where it just cannot please everyone.

my main problem is people comparing the two genres as they are completely different despite having RPG in the name. it is pretty much like comparing LoZ to gran turismo

 

[Woodsey]

KotOR and Mass Effect aren't open world games, which makes both the OP and the guy who's been quoted wrong.

EDIT: Neither is Dragon Age!

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Oh look...a JRPG hate thread.


GO GO JRPG DEFENSE RANGERS!

Not again Onyx...please...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

my main problem is people comparing the two genres as they are completely different despite having RPG in the name. it is pretty much like comparing LoZ to gran turismo

Epnoa vs Ferrari.

I'd watch that race...

 

[LeonLethality]

my main problem is people comparing the two genres as they are completely different despite having RPG in the name. it is pretty much like comparing LoZ to gran turismo

Epnoa vs Ferrari.

I'd watch that race...

... That made me laugh so damn hard at how off topic that was.

Hats off to you sir.

 

[LeonLethality]

I read some of the reviews and I was SHOCKED, seriously, this game actually got good reviews. It's about time We really needed a good JRPG. No i haven't played any recent JRPG's, but it has been awhile since I've sen one get such high scores. GameInformer gave it a 9.25

plus... That is TOTAL BS.
Mr. Toriyama, just for that statement; you should be shot and pissed on. So fucking biased i bet he has never played our version of the RPG. Plus putting a character in an open world and having good playability is more important for games then a story, although story does add a good deal to the game's overall feel.

But a huge part of the core of FF is the story, it isn't FF without one. so while the gameplay is a focus (and it clearly was because the gameplay is awesome) the story and presentation is much more focused on. it is what makes the game so enjoyable.

 

[SturmDolch]

That bigoted attitude with the rush of JRPG fans in this thread saying how all WRPGs are shit (and that you're a xenophobe for liking them) remind me of why I dislike these games and the culture around them.

If you think that Fallout 3's story was shit, maybe it's because you've been turned into a mindless drone going from part A to part B and can't function anymore in an open world, losing track of the story after the first conversation choice? The story of Fallout 3 isn't just the main story, it's all the small side stories combined with the main one. Look at it as the sum of its parts, not just at a part of the whole. I don't play a JRPG's first level, quit, then say, "THAT GAME WAS SHORT LOLZ What a shit story, it didn't even get concluded!"

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Oh look...a JRPG hate thread.


GO GO JRPG DEFENSE RANGERS!

Not again Onyx...please...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

Huh, wassat? I'm just taking a stand against baseless JRPG hate around this site...

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Oh look...a JRPG hate thread.


GO GO JRPG DEFENSE RANGERS!

Not again Onyx...please...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

Huh, wassat? I'm just taking a stand against baseless JRPG hate around this site...

We spent a good portion of yesterday discussing power rangers. Let us not do the same thing again.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Personally I think he has a point with saying the Western 'open world' rpgs lack in storytelling. They may have a story, and often a good one at that, but they seldom are as immersive as Final Fantasy. In FF, you're constantly on the story, while many western games want to create more atmosphere and let the story be told by gameplay and surroundings. Compare Oblivion or Fallout to FF. Oblivion's and Fallout's atmosphere may be great, but when you sit down and look at the story itself, it's kinda meagre. Same with Dragon Age and Kotor actually. A good story is told, but it's very basic and lacks some depth. FF by contrast has a lot of depth and emotion in the story, but lacks the fun of an unrestrained environment.
Personally I like both western and Japanese. Western for fun gameplay, moral choices and doing what the hell I want; Japanese for great story, grinding (I actually like grinding) and visuals.

 

[Walkchalk]

Oh look...a JRPG hate thread.


GO GO JRPG DEFENSE RANGERS!

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/JRPG-Defense-Rangers

Since all the good ones seem to be tacken Ima have to call tyranasaurus. RAWR!

OT: I dont really care about the reviews Im buying this anyway. As long as its not XII then Im all for it.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Oh look...a JRPG hate thread.


GO GO JRPG DEFENSE RANGERS!

Not again Onyx...please...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

Huh, wassat? I'm just taking a stand against baseless JRPG hate around this site...

We spent a good portion of yesterday discussing power rangers. Let us not do the same thing again.

I'm not. Well...not as much. I'd made my point yesterday.

 

[Burningsok]

I read some of the reviews and I was SHOCKED, seriously, this game actually got good reviews. It's about time We really needed a good JRPG. No i haven't played any recent JRPG's, but it has been awhile since I've sen one get such high scores. GameInformer gave it a 9.25

plus... That is TOTAL BS.
Mr. Toriyama, just for that statement; you should be shot and pissed on. So fucking biased i bet he has never played our version of the RPG. Plus putting a character in an open world and having good playability is more important for games then a story, although story does add a good deal to the game's overall feel.

But a huge part of the core of FF is the story, it isn't FF without one. so while the gameplay is a focus (and it clearly was because the gameplay is awesome) the story and presentation is much more focused on. it is what makes the game so enjoyable.

And from what the reviews tell me is that FF13 has an amazing story. It's about time. Really, I have been hoping for a while that the FF series could get it's self back on it's feet. JRPG's get picked on way to much, but really i would go with our version of the RPG just simply because I'm more familiar with them. So in all I'm happy FF has it's groove back.