Your Top 5 Western RPGs and Your Top 5 JRPGs (Single Player)

[Kajt]

-snip-

Dragon Age was very... meh.

 

[Riku'sTwilight]

Western - Oblivion. (Thats it seriously, only one I liked)

JRPG: Tales of Vesperia, FF 7,8,9 (All as one option there), Lost Odyssey Baten Kaitos, Tales of Symphonia.

Most JRPG's are similar sure, but not all of them. There are a few diamonds in the rough.. you just have to search for them.

When I was reading this thread, the same western rpg's come up again and again. Sure they may be great, but seriously are there only like 6 or 7 out there?
(Also western rpg's have their own pitfalls too, you just have to look)

 

[Syntax Error]

Tetsuya Nomura games are really good in my experience. If you don't mind the seriously overcomplicated stories.

The World Ends With You is definitely his best. The men are quite clearly men. As well as a ridiculously fun combat system that has you actually looking for combat just for the fun of it.

Hrm...

Is Demon's Souls a WRPG for the style of it or is it a JRPG for coming out of Japan?

The only Tetsuya Nomura games I've played were Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2. And I agree with you. While very fun, the stories left a lot to be desired.

 

[undyingdh777]

WRPG: KOTOR, KOTOR 2, Oblivion, Fallout 3, Morrowind

JRPG: The World Ends With You (note the avatar), Golden Sun 2, Final Fantasy IV, Pokemon: Red Version, Pokemon: Silver Version

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Dude, that's not all of them. Just 95% of the ones in the past decade. When they all tried to copy Final Fantasy. I should know, I used to play them, and stopped when this shit happened. And no only play a select few.

True that may be, I just havn't really come across any good JRPGs in my time.

Well, the ones on my list are mostly different than the standard ones (I have different tastes than the usual JRPG fans), except for Chrono Cross (turn based) and Lost Odyssey (turn based, but an original cast and story, with few archetypes). But Grandia, Legend of Mana, and Star Ocean 3 work well.

Star Ocean 3's main character is this, judge him on his girly factor. Also, full on real time combat, with character swapping for when the AI just don't wanna listen.

 

[mindlesspuppet]

WRPG: Planescape Torment, Oblivion, and Deus Ex nothing else really even comes close to these three in my mind... BUT I will toss Icewind Dale and Baulder's Gate II out there too.

JRPG: The only Japanese games worth playing are 2D Fighters and Survival Horror. Though, there was this quirky JRPG on Dreamcast that was pretty fun. I can't seem to remember it's name unfortunately.

ALSO
I sense an argument claiming Deus Ex doesn't count could be incoming...

 

[More Fun To Compute]

When I was reading this thread, the same western rpg's come up again and again. Sure they may be great, but seriously are there only like 6 or 7 out there?

The market for western RPGs has been boring for a long time. Last decade was like a desert compared to the one before and even titles like Fallout, which are the oldest that younger gamers care about, marked the end of the golden era and the start of the current era.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

Western RPGs:

-Fallout 3
-Mass Effect
-Fallout
-Fable TLC
-Umm...err...I'm struggerling here.

I didn't play many RPGs until recently, I'm not a huge fan.

The JRPG list is even shorter:

-Final Fantasy X

...That's it.

 

[Zacharine]

When I was reading this thread, the same western rpg's come up again and again. Sure they may be great, but seriously are there only like 6 or 7 out there?

Says the person who only likes Oblivion.

There are tons of Western RPGs, but there are only a dozen or so true gems among them.
Here's a few more, compiled quickly from the top of my memory. You jugde if there are only 6 or seven....

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption
Divine Divinity
Fable 1&2
Deus Ex 1&2
Neverwinter Nights 1&2 (plus expansion: Shadows of Undrentide, Hordes Of The Underdark, Kingmaker, for NWN 2: Mask Of The Betrayer, Storm Of Zehir, Mysteries Of Westgate)
The Elder Scrolls Series (spanning several games, including Dagerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion)
Baldur's Gate 1&2 + expansions Tales Of The Sword Coast and Throne Of Bhaal.
Icewind Dale 1&2 + Heart Of Winter
Fallouts 1-3
Knights Of The Old Republic 1&2
Diablo 1&2 (Hey, If Fallout 3 gets to be called RPG, so does Diablo)
Shadowrun (For the SNES)
Dragon Age: Origins
Mass Effect

EDIT: And how could I forget: The Witcher, Arcanum:Of Steamworks And Magick Obscura and Hard To Be A God.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

The JRPG list is even shorter:

-Final Fantasy X

...That's it.

Well, at least you liked one, and didn't just post "lol. JRPGs suck."

*gives you cookie*

 

[hermes]

Western
- Fallout 3
- Diablo 2
- Oblivion

Japanese
- Final Fantasy X
- Dragon Quest VIII
- Persona 4
- Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
- Tales of Legendia

 

[SomeBritishDude]

The JRPG list is even shorter:

-Final Fantasy X

...That's it.

Well, at least you liked one, and didn't just post "lol. JRPGs suck."

*gives you cookie*

Well, I certainly liked it when I was a kid. I have no idea what I'd think of it now...

And thanks for the cookie. *takes it and nibbles like a rodent*

 

[Woem]

The classics:
- Fallout 1 and 2
- Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 with both expansions
- Planescape: Torment
- Arcanum

The indie:
- Eschalon: Book I

The oddball:
- Stonekeep (1995 by Interplay). This game was an absolute revolution! And here's the sad part: Black Isle Studios worked on a sequel called Stonekeep 2: Godmaker for five years before cancelling it in 2001.

 

[Axeli]

In no particualr order:

WRPG:
Fallout 1
Fallout 2
KoTOR
KoTORII: The Sith Lords
Mass Effect (as much as it is pain to mention the same game twice)

JRPG:
Chrono Trigger
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
+ Shadow Hearts: Covenant (due to too much FF on this list)

Western-
Morrowind
Oblivion
Fallout 3
KOTOR
?????
Japanese-
None, Turn Based combat can go die with Mario and Freeman.

Oh, awesome. First post flamebait.

You seem to have issues with turn based (funny that, with KOTOR being turn based and all), but I see really fricking shallow WRPGs on your list. I mean, take VATS for example. A really horrible FPS with a shallow RPG mechanic glued on (for the record, FO1 and FO2 are turn based and they are awesome).

And JRPGs have sucky stories? Oh please, it's much better than a mess of oddjobs without any kind of narrative or pacing. It's tedious even in FO3, the only game which setting the sidequest padding actually somehow works for.

Also, while JRPG main characters rarely are too gruffy (usually justified by their age... which is another pet-peeve entirely, I have to admit), isn't that a bit shallow thing to complain about? Very much unlike the complaining about the fact the WRPG main character tend to be just player avatars and Mary Sues with no actual personality and the inadequate conversation systems always ruining any chance of believability in character interaction. I.e. At least I'm playing as an actual character in JRPGs.

And because no one will catch on without me saying it there, the above was not without a hint of irony. Props if you see the point.

 

[Shock and Awe]

I don't have a list, so Ill just name some,

Japanese
Pokemon Red
CHRONO TRIGGER
Final Fantasy VI
Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones(If it counts)

Western
Fable II
Fallout 3
Mass Effect