Why do people pick on JRPGs?

[Akihiko]

Okay, I take it back. People like to hate on JRPGs, because like every other species, genus and sub-genus of fanboy, the JRPG fan is annoying as hell, and watching them seethe is nothing short of amusing.

JRPGs are also a very visible, and easy to hate target, since there's a lot of things silly and/or just plain ridiculous in pretty much all of them.

Well, fanboy or no, people will shout at you if insult someone for liking a certain game. I certainly don't appreciate it.

To answer the thread - Some people don't like them, and they just can't help but share their hate, be it justified or not.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

I adore JRPGs, and rank a large quantity in my top gaming list. There is however a noticeably qualm that the majority seem to be unable or perhaps unwilling to realize. When you are queried as to what are some of the best JRPGs. Do you not immediately cite Final Fantasy X, Xenogears, Suikoden II and etc? Now if I were to query the WRPG fans that same question about their genre. They would reply with Mass Effect, Dragon Age and etc.

See a pattern? No? Alright then. What is the release date of the aforementioned games? Upon locating it, you shall have your answer. Simply put, developers of JRPGs seemingly have refused to evolve their genre and in astonishing irony, refuse to retrace their steps to when they created masterpieces. Final Fantasy is arguably the most definite example. FFX was critically acclaimed as not only the best RPG available on the PS2, but one of the best games overall. It was widely praised and to this day still retains a fanbase that could rival even Mass Effect. Yet for whatever reason, Square has relentlessly shifted in their design concepts from FFX. Some of these new features are a welcome addition, although in turn, many are lacking.

Furthermore, while I personally appreciate a game driven by story. I can understand the qualms people had with the linearity of FFXIII, which was worse than FFX. Even the most story yearning gamer desires to play the game. This was a critical backfire with FFXIII, wherein the game felt horrified if you so much as touched it. Another aspect, is the sheer arrogance of designers. FFXIII's producers openly claimed they had a story to tell and intended to do so in their way despite the concerns voiced by the fanbase when mention of towns being removed and NPC interaction was scarcely limited. They may have a story to tell, however if we do not derive pleasure in experiencing it. What purpose does your story serve?

Much as a love them, JRPGs need to accept that the RPG genre as a whole in progressing and they must follow suit. This does not necessarily mean a morality system or the illusion of choice be implemented. Simply put, they have to dedicate more to originality and opened gameplay, while not causing a hindrance to the story. I guarantee had Xenogears or Chrono Cross been released in 2011 instead of their respective years. They would be praised in much the same way they are today. Of course, with necessary updates to mechanics and such.

And Square, your graphics are good enough. Hell, FFXIII is arguably one of the best looking games released this generation. Cease your focus on graphics and work on other aspects of the game.

 

[Eric Rizz]

I think you will find one of the main reasons people would be interested in the concept of a jrpg is that it would be different and a cultural shift.

One of my mates had a discussion with his Japanese tutors about this sort of thing, and the tutor said, that the Japanese aren't so great at originality, however they excel at taking an existing concept and ramping it up. not a personnel conviction but still food for thought.

 

[Brawndo]

I loved JRPGs on the SNES, because it was all so original to me back then. But I haven't touched a classic JRPG since FF8, because the genre is extremely cliched and repetitive, even between series.

JRPG developers know what kind of audience they are making these games for, so they pander to them heavily. Most main character line-ups are interchangeable between games - they all have the lovable animal, the tank with a soft side, the cleric/healer, the brooding hero, etc, etc. Not to mention the ridiculously predictable love triangles... have you noticed that despite the hero often being a jaded, emotionally-dead person, most of the female characters fall for him? Yeah, I wonder whose fantasies are being played out here, lol.

Classic JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and Final Fantasy 4-6 will always have a special place in my gaming history, but with age I've largely moved on to computer RPGs, which are much more open-ended and allow me to create my own story, so I can take on the role of an insufferable piece of shit if I want to be one.

 

[CheckD3]

Because they don't have anything else to defend themselves with.

Think about it, an FPS can get away with a short campaign, but have an in depth multiplayer experience to pad it out, see Call of Duty and Halo. Also fighting games are meant to be played with friends, and that co-opness instilled leaves a happy taste in your mouth no matter the genericness of the game. Westerns are usually rarer, but the good ones get adoration because as a genre, they're harder to come by, and those select few in the category are shined well

JRPGs, however, are a breed on their own, and have 1 thing to support them, the story. They don't have fancy online matches or a lot of times even co-op play and have just you playing through a story. Because of this, the story is looked at more closely. CoD gets a free ride since MW2 and BO's seemingly disappointing stories because those who played it didn't pay for that, they payed to play online and shoot other players. They just play through the story and shoot things, mindless. But a JRPG is meant to have YOU get into the story, and failure to do so not only ruins the story, but the game, since story is what the JRPG single player extravaganza is all about.

The problem is, there's no real way to make a JRPG that's original, or at least that's worth the risk to push the envelope, when you can slap on the right company label and you're guaranteed decent sales. But the good JRPGs out there will take the basic formula and add something new, whether it be less combat, weakened combat, take away or give you control of the order of the story, few or lots of characters, it's about what the game does to push the envelope. But risks aren't good money deals and that's the problem, though Square Enix has enough overflow from their FF franchise that is they wanted to, they COULD make a good JRPG with some crazy new things, and if it fails then lauch FFXviD and it'll sell (see what I did thar? lol)

It's about how indepth you look at the game, FPS and fighters don't have much to look at and the target audience doesn't care about looking at it, JRPGs have to survive being examined 100%, full body cavity searches

 

[pharaoh malik]

Personally, I only hate on Final Fantasy, given how it is pretty much everything I hate about JRPGs. Casually browsing over my previous history will reveal that I am a huge fan of Star Ocean: The Second Story and the Persona series, so I'm a bit more charitable towards the genre.

I want to ask if you've actually played any of the final fantasy games. I just think it's impossible to judge a game without playing it. :| And I dunno, while some of the FF games are just meh to me, I've played a couple fantastic ones that really just knocked my socks off.

(Though I do agree the Persona series is excellent and probably one of the best RPG's out there.)

 

[LogicNProportion]

Recently it has been apparent some people have been picking on JRPGs. Why? They are saying that they are repetitive, understandable, but if you're going to pick on something for repetitiveity why JRPGs? Other genres aren't even trying mainly (the bulk of) FPSes, Fighters and Hack and slashes (not sure if thats the right name but things like Bayonetta, Devil may cry and darksiders). If we changed the game mechanics halfway through a game like street fighter people would complain, would they not? What is the difference with JRPGs who actually try to change it more then any other genre. (see Renasonce of fate, Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 and (sigh) Final Fantasy 13)
[/rant]
What are your thoughts?

Ha...

Hahaha...

HAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHA! <-- Me laughing at everything I made bold-font.

I wanna point out real quick that JRPG's are one of my favorite genres...but clearly my friend, you have not done some research.

1. Recently? Man, the hate has been going on JRPG's since little after the Playstation hit America.

2. While it IS hack n' slash, Bayonetta did change things up a little bit. The combo system is wonderful, and the whole style of the game was a big risk on the developer's credit. The appearance of the game made people judge it immediately after previews were shown for it. And thus, many people who haven't given it a chance dismiss it as crap that was made only for eye-candy.

This is bullshit. Bayonetta was FANTASTIC, in my opinion. It was better than any DMC game I had ever played! I still vote it as my game of the year, and I got it when it first came out. I see many people on here agree with me, also.

PS. Darksiders wasn't really hack n slash. I felt it was much more of an Adventure game. Not quite Zelda, but it did play a lot like it.

3. They apparently DID change some things up in the new Street Fighter, and a lot of fans DID rage! I haven't played it first hand, but I do know they kept one thing around from the series. They just keep shoving out full-priced, slightly-altered versions of the game over and over again. I was never into Street Fighter, and thus I came late on the scene for Street Fighter 3 and ALPHA, but I still see what's happening here...

Sorry I had to pick on those few things, and I do support the noble JRPG, and most of what they stand for.......but your argument which contained these few examples kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.

As for why people often hate on JRPG's:
-Too weird for them.
-Too linear.
-Too dramatic.
-Some people do not appreciate story or characters.
-The genre is generally slow moving (at least the classic ones <- my kind) and as such, modern gamers shy away from them.
-When they make the genre faster (FF13) the only ones who were buying them (the classic players) usually shun them.
-Quality is usually just all kinds of bad nowadays, no matter how pretty they are. This is why even the Japanese are starting to hate JRPG's. FF13 had massive returns within days of FF13 being released, and so I am told, FF14's landscapes are being left barren as no one plays it. (Plus FF14 required a pretty RWAR computer for an MMO.) The genre has become stagnant, plain and simple.

It makes me sad, too.

 

[spartan231490]

I have no big problem with jrpg's over thier repetitiveness, but repetitivness isn't about gameplay machanics, it's about tone and feel and setting. My problem with JRPG is twofold:
1) I find turn-based combat to be repetitive and unimmersive, but that's just my taste
2) When I play RPG's I like to be much more powerful than other characters adn to be almost a god among men. I don't like the addition of a group to that. I like supporting character, but I don't want them to be as powerful as me, nor do I want to have to control them. Once again, just my style

On a somewhat universal note, I find that most games that make you control multiple characters, (i'm looking at you mass effect and dragon age) lead to way way way too much micromanaging and the control systems to dictate the npc actions in combat tend to act retarded more often than not. I haven't played many jrpg's only kingdom hearts, and some ff13, but I would imagine they mostly have similar problems. FF13 I also disliked because you had no direct control over the actions of the characters, not in any practical sense. you had to kinda let them do thier own thing because you don't have enough time.
anyway, just play what you like, if that's jrpg's more power to you, but I won't be seeing you in the release day wait lines. guess that's one less person between you and the game right?

 

[ShatterPalm]

It's final fantasy's fault. that is literally all I have to say. other JRPG's like TWEWY and Fire Emblem and amazing while what is arguably the most popular series in the world outside nintendo franchises is so focues on great graphics and brilliant scenery that they forget to include good stories, good storytelling that makes it easy to follow, and most importantly, relateable characters. Terra from FFVI and Luso from FFTA2 were probably the most relateable characters in the entire franchise because they actually had character development. Characters like Leon, Lightning, and ESPECIALLY Tidus really only annoy the player becuase they aren't likeable under any circumstances. and you know what? I BLAME YOU, CLOUD! Don't get me wrong, I still like Cloud, but I swear they use him as a base template for all their main characters. Anywho, people who hate JRPG's just aren't looking for the right ones or just hate JRPG's for the same reason I hate FPS. I wouldn't really worry about it tho'. Whether or not people like a game is soley their opinion, and I assure you that there is one game in everyone's preffered genre that they hate.