Lost odysseys: are JRPGs about to explode?

I’ve been playing JRPG’s since the mid-90′s, first on SNES, and then PS & PS2. Now, between my DS, PSP, Wii & PS3 I’ve got more than I can handle. Actually, there’s always been more JRPG’s released than I could ever play.
Missed out on too many to list–entire series even–but Rogue Galaxy looked particularly promising. Anyone ever play that?

Ah, the musical brilliance of Nier is burned into my brain. I can hear it now.

I look forward to getting Ni No Kuni ASAP.

@Da Man: What’s your favorite Final Fantasy game?

FF IV.

@51 – Rogue Galaxy is a game that starts off great and then falls apart halfway through the game. The first 15 hours, I was in love with the game. The last 20 or so, I just wanted it to end.

I’m pleased Level 5 got this out before PS4 was released. Perhaps this one won’t slip under the radar like Rogue Galaxy.

Lost Odyssey>Everything else.

@50 – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I do not get the love that Eternal Sonata gets. I found that game’s story and characters so tedious, even if the battle system was pretty fun and the graphics were nice.

On the other hand, I don’t get all the hate that Star Ocean: The Last Hope gets, so different strokes, I guess…

@54 – As I said, I think Rogue Galaxy was on a lot of people’s radars, but there was bad word of mouth from a lot of the first day players, like myself. I remember a big deal being made about the game, but then all the hype drying up once people got to play it. I think there’s definitely a group who love the game, which I guess you’re a part of, but most people I know who have played it say it was underwhelming and that’s a view I share about the last half of the game.

#54 – I always relate Eternal Sonata to games like Flower on the PS3. It’s one of those “play to relax” type of RPGs.

My problem with Star Ocean: The Last Hope is that the boss battles can get excessively long (the final boss took about an hour to beat) and the limited save points was such a pain in the butt.

Saving anywhere should be a standard for JRPGs today.

JRPGs are forefathers of the genre?

I’d say the western RPGs were born from the pen and paper scene. Rogue was directly inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, Stackpole and Pavlish from Wasteland were both pen and paper writers, and Black Isle famously jumped on DnD with a vengeance.

Well, while we’re here and discussing JRPG’s might as well go into what got me into them… I had actually played the first Final Fantasy on the NES and was really, really bored by it. I had played text adventures and Kings Quest before that, so I was totally into the idea of a game that focused on story, but the first FF was just boring. I never finished it. Rented it, played it for about 3-4 hours and then returned it for Fester’s Quest or something like that.

It was until I was an avid reader of DieHard Gamefan and they were really hyping up Lunar: The Silver Star for Sega CD, so I figured I’d give it a try, and that game blew me away. I had never gotten so emotionally attached to videogame characters before. So, from that point on, I was a fan of the genre. I got all the Sega CD JRPG’s and then started on the Phantasy Star series.

I liked FFVII, thought FFVIII was awful, and absolutely loved FFIX, but what I think the best thing about Final Fantasy during the PS1 days is that its sales created such a huge boost in the genre. The PS1 days were so amazing. Every month, there’d be like 2 or 3 new JRPG’s to play. There were so many, I ended up missing out on Suikoden II when it first came out.

Anyway, since we also seem to be making lists, here’s my top 15 of all time JRPG’s.

15. Final Fantasy X (PS2)
14. Persona 4 (PS2)
13. Xenogears (PS1)
12. Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast)
11. Tales of Graces F (PS3)
11. Phantasy Star 4 (Genesis)
10. Persona 3 FES (PS2)
9. Final Fantasy IX (PS2)
8. Xenosaga I (PS2)
7. Ni No Kuni (PS3)
6. Suikoden V (PS2)
5. Lunar: The Silver Star (Sega CD)
4. Shadow Hearts: Covenant (PS2)
3. Suikoden II (PS1)
2. Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)
1. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS2)

@58 – I’m of two minds about saving anywhere. I think it’s pretty annoying when I can only save at churches or whatever, like in Dragon Quest, but I don’t think you should be able to save anywhere in a maze.

Perfectly okay with saving anywhere in a town or on the world map (remember those?), but in an actual maze, there should be save points.

#48 As you can see, Cu**pula’s level of intelligence can be obvious from their passionate list of favourite japanese computer software..

@59 – Yeah, I’d assume they’d both, WRPG’s and JRPG’s, come from the Dungeons and Dragons type stuff and then from the early computer RPG’s, like Wizardry and stuff like that. The ones that were all text and you had to make a map of your own. Then that concept was expanded upon. Ultima and the like…

I had always thought that JRPG’s were the Japanese attempt at making a Dunegons and Dragons type game in video form. I mean, if you look at stuff like Shining in the Darkness or Phantasy Star I, how different is that from some of the American computer RPGs of the time, you know?

@56 Entirely agreed. Eternal Sonata was pretty damn tedious. It has a nice idea going for it, but it suffered from every bad anime cliche possible. The storytelling was aaaaawful, and that’s saying a lot consider how bad a lot JRPG stories are.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope had some great gameplay, but fuck, whoever created those characters and those cutscenes was a raging pervert. Another one or those horrible anime stereotypes that the medium is (rightfully) blasted for. It doesn’t benefit the medium in any positive way whatever.

@60 Shin Megami Tensei 3. Yum. What a fucking masterpiece that game was.

FAK!11 Must be really boring in the kitchen, lolcon . N33d sum medium to ease the pain of inferiority.

@64 – Fun fact about Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne: It was the game that made me start playing the Devil May Cry series after having Dante try to fuck me up through half the game. I loved SMT 3 so much, I wanted to know more about the character that was stalking me.

I like Eternal Sonata because of how easy it was to just pick up. When I played it I was to busy with a new job to concentrate on a demanding RPG but still had that urge to play one. Eternal Sonata done a good job at fulfilling that.

I never played Star Ocean: The Last Hope. I did purchase a copy for £3. The back of the case reminded me of Infinite undiscovery and I quite enjoyed that.

@59 couldn’t have said it better myself.
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@Dave I never cared for JRPG, as I said many time in the past. It just isn’t for me. So, please don’t mix up JRPG with CRPG Dave, they have two very different fan-base, and if someone enjoys one of them, it’s not a guarantee that they will enjoy the other. Sinking hours into Skyrim is a lot more different than going through hours of insufferable amount of bishounen art works.

A History of Western RPG, a good read if nothing else. The forefathers of RPG is in fact Pen and Paper, and goes way beyond the era of graphical advances of video games. We used to play text based RPGs like The Legend of the Red Dragon (1989) way before any JRPs were born. There were older PLATO based titles that I haven’t played myself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Western_role-playing_video_games

@68 – You are completely right on the different fan-bases. I found Oblivion to be one of the most boring experiences I’ve ever attempted to suffer through, videogame-wise.

Fallout 3, I liked, but the majority of Western RPG’s just are, as you put it, insufferable.

@68 I wasn’t getting them mixed up, I know the differences

Id like to see some players of western RPGs getting into JRPGs too. More sales for jRPGs on these shores is always a good thing – more localisation, greater interest from publishers etc. It’s a good thing.

@70 – It would be cool if more people got into them over here. I keep bringing up how awesome the PS1 days were. i think we certainly have a glut of WRPG’s right now.

Then there’s games like Mass Effect, which are third person shooters, being called RPG’s for some reason. I love the Mass Effect series, don’t get me wrong, but the only one that really tried to seriously implement role-playing elements into it was part one and that did it very sloppily. Once it just accepted that it was a cover-based third person shooter with more story than usual, it was a lot better game, imo.

I hope they make a comeback.

I still remember when I was 12 years old, literally hunting for my copy of Phantasy Star on the master system. It’s a wonder they released it in the UK at all! Found it eventually, good times indeed.

My favorite JRPG is Xenosaga 1, which sadly never came out here.

For FF, I agree with Da Man that FFIV is the best of the lot. I feel FFIX was the last “good” FF game.

The phantasy star series is good, four is an average end to them though. Three is the black sheep, but still enjoyed it. PS2 is rock bloody hard, I wonder if anyone here has completed it.. I have, but only after obtaining a hidden “save anywhere” item for the last boss.

A good JRPG is basically an interactive story with memorable characters. Gameplay, I daresay, hardly matters at all. I mean it has to be playable and non-buggy, but any fancy battle mechanics (FF13, sigh) just take away from the experience.

@72: Yes, I completed Phantasy Star 2. My problem with it, iirc, was the randomness of the difficulty. You could get killed summarily in one advanced encounter, or sail through it. Enough repetition conquered all of them.

That was my first PS game. I later tried, but could not get into, PS1. I played through PS3 and enjoyed it. 4, not so much.

I have pretty much lost interest in Japanese adventure games, as they are usually that and not really an RPG. The linear paths, the same old gaming experience in 90 percent of the games. I have rented quite a few this gen and found them all boring and lacking.

I loved the genre on SNES, PS1, and Dreamcast but after getting an xbox and then the 360, i found myself not enjoying them, preferring western RPG’s instead. Im happy that games like Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma and Dark souls exist now, but would love to see game in the genre transcend the gameplay of old. IF I want a retro game with that gameplay, my IOS devices have that covered.

I liked this article. I will say this, “I didn’t come away from it feeling like I’ve been pitched to.”

@74 I’m not sure what JRPGs you’re playing, but “90% of them” have completely different systems and gameplay mechanics to them.

There is far more diversity and experimentation in most JRPGs than you’ll ever find in… say… Bethesda RPGs, which are all very similar experiences in slightly different shells.

I’ll agree on the linearity thing, but thats very much a matter of preference, I think. Freedom and linearity both have different benefits and cons.

@72 – Phantasy Star II was the only game I’ve ever needed a guide to beat. Luckily, it used to come with one. I’m not sure if that was from the first run or if they eventually packed in the guide because people were bitching about the difficulty, but I remember using the guide because the maps were incredibly confusing. Most JRPG’s at the time saved their teleporter mazes for the part leading up to the final boss. Phantasy Star 2 had the first maze be one. I hate using guides. I have not used one since or before, but I remember going in circles in the second maze for about an hour before I finally just gave in and started using the guide. And every maze afterwards, I’d say I wasn’t going to use it, only to get completely lost by the tiled graphics and end up using it.

Also, the way to find the unlimited saves was absolutely ridiculous. You couldn’t buy it. You couldn’t find it anywhere. You had to bring a certain character to a certain shop and hope that she would randomly shoplift it.

Of course, that is the one thing I will give Phantasy Star 2 over every other RPG I’ve ever played with a thief character: the thief was an actual thief. She’d shoplift on a regular basis and I’m surprised no one since has ever taken that idea.

But yeah, I beat Phantasy Star 2 on the Genesis, but I did need a lot of help to do so. Phantasy Star 4 was actually my first of the series. If I had started on 2, I’m not sure I would have bought the rest.

Final Fantasy I and II are on sale for iOS right now. For those of you, who dig the oldschool pixelated stuff.

FF I $3.99 instead of $8.99
FF II $3.99 instead of $8.99

I know it’s not strictly a JRPG but IGN just gave the new Fire Emblem 9.6 which sounds like more Japanese loveliness!

Problem with these types of games is they drain too many hours of your time!

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/01/30/fire-emblem-awakening-review

@mistermogul: thx for posting that the review is online! great score. will read it now. cannot wait for this game. really nice games coming out atm.

ANACHRONOX
ARCANUM: OF STEAMWORKS AND MAGICK OBSCURA
BALDUR’S GATE
BALDUR’S GATE 2
DARKLANDS
DIVINE DIVINITY
FALLOUT
FALLOUT 2
GORKY 17
ICEWIND DALE
ICEWIND DALE 2
INQUISITOR
LEGEND OF GRIMROCK
HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC 3
NEVERWINTER NIGHTS
NEVERWINTER NIGHTS 2
PLANESCAPE: TORMENT
SPELLFORCE
STAR WARS: KOTOR
STAR WARS: KOTOR 2
TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL
TITAN QUEST
TORCHLIGHT
TORCHLIGHT 2
WITCHER
WITCHER 2
VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE: BLOODLINES

…I could go on forever. Those are proper RPG’s and none of that fucking JAP crap every other numpty on here seems to love.

@81 You must be great at parties.

@Da Man – I honestly didn’t expect you to answer what your favorite FF game was. I was under the distinct impression that you hated the entire Final Fantasy series, JRPG’s, Japanese-made games, and perhaps even anyone who played them. I guess I was mistaken.

IV, eh? I’m partial to VII myself.

Ha.

Yep, pretty much one of the last few good FFs. Didn’t try to be art or leverage the nonexisiting medium. Then they started releasing FFs aimed at overgrown nerds who make friends on the internet.

That pretty much sums up everything i don’t want to see in any JRPG ever again:

http://youtu.be/0e727H81IAs?t=2m10s

I want to hurt myself.

Oh well, FF games are not trying to be RPGs anymore. If you don’t get that, you probably won’t enjoy them to the fullest. I’m amazed that some people are happy a game “didn’t try to be art”! If you want to play a RPG with no ambition, just go for Tales of.

Final Fantasy is still a good series and I don’t see why main titles should be affected by crappy side games such as All The Bravest. Some people are *really* too passionate there.

Tales of, despite that they used to have gameplay, and generally still have (which is rare in post Snes jrpgs) are for.. a certain niche audience.

You play this game, so that makes you an inbred tax-avoiding baby-rapist. Your butthurtedness knows no limits DM.

Your presumptuous judgemental attitude will see you go far in life, for sure.

Now now, let’s not rrod ourselves there by trying to figure out why adults who play Tales, analyze Mgs storylines and watch anime tend to be inferior, if not mental. Keep fighting the Apple system and brainwashed casuals instead.

One of the more fun jrpgs I played was Vampires Dawn for mobile phones a few years back. reminded me of their golden era, when they used to have more gameplay than 3 second long midi loops and passionate cutscenes.

#81 – As expected from an anti-JRPG PC gamer.

Can someone explain how WRPGs are so “innovative” and uncliched? I always look at them as being just as equally cliched as JRPGs.

Go from Point A to Point B while hacking and slashing enemies = WRPG.

@89 In fairness, there are plenty of well written, well designed WRPGs, with great gameplay system. Likewise there are plenty of JRPGs with the same.

Of course, both sides are just as guilty of cliched ideas as the other. Neither is better or worse.

@77 Haha, yes those mazes were utter bitches. The only time I ever used a guide was to beat the second to last boss, and it was then that I discovered the save game item. I think PS2 took me 60 hours to beat, a huge chunk of that was spent learning the mazes for sure.

I forgot to give an honorable mention to the original Grandia, also on my favorite list.

I think one massive difference between JRPGs and WRPGs that is almost always overlooked is musical score. I think back to practically any scene in any of my favorite JRPGs and I have the full audio track in my head, start to end. I cannot say the same about any WRPG. I feel music is important in games and good music makes games more memorable and enjoyable.

@91 – good point on the audio.

Skyrim aside, I don’t have any Western RPG soundtracks stuck in my mind like I do with pretty much EVERY jrpg I’ve touched. I’ve still got some tracks from Terranigma knocking about in my head, and that shit was way back in my youth.

I think with the arrival of Skyrim most Western RPG devs will now pay a lot more attention to the soundtrack. The only caveat to what you said is that the Skyrim soundtrack beats Dragon’s Dogma hands down. I guess maybe Capcom were trying to ‘Westernize’ their OST on this one? Bar a couple of tracks, it really hasn’t moved me.

The Uematsu days are all but gone. From what I played of Lost Odyssey the soundtrack to that game was fantastic.

From my experience then, the JRPG’s generally have the more memorable score. All preference at the end of the day though. Music is a pretty broad field eh!

@82 – I doubt he’s ever been to a party that didn’t have “LAN” in front of it.

@91 – The original Grandia was a lot of fun, but the translation and dubbing were so incredibly bad that they ruined a bit of the fun for me. I had been used to voice acting in JRPG’s coming from Working Designs, which, while not exactly AAA quality, still put a lot of personality into their English dubs. Grandia’s was almost Resident Evil 1-quality. The gameplay and the story were very cool, but that dub…ugh.

And I’m not even one of these people who insist on everything being in Japanese. I tend to play my JRPG’s with English voices. But wow, was that one bad.