I was considering picking up Star Ocean 4 at one point. I told myself, "If the game gets good scores, I will probably get it." Well guess what? It got the same scores as every other fucking RPG released on a current generation console since 200fucking5.It seems that every single JRPG since then for 360, PS3, and Wii, score somewhere in the mid to high 70s and sometimes low 80s. Sure enough, Star Ocean 4 is sharing in the mediocre glory. Are the games actually worse? Does Japan need to step up and release "great" games instead of just "ok" games? Yeah Final Fantasy 13 is coming, but I have this feeling it will only be the exception and everything will go back to being "ok". Yes, there have been a few (very few) exceptions. I thought of Valkyria Chronicles and how amazing that game was. Sure enough the game sits around with low to mid 80s on Gamerankings... sadly pretty high for the genre these days. The only recent standout has been Persona 4 at around 93%, but that is a PS2 game.
So I started to wonder...
Are these games really worse than they used to be?
Are review outlets just harsher on the genre now that consoles are dominated by AAA western developed games?
If the same people were reviewing JRPGs back in the 90s in the current video game climate, would all of those games be getting "high 70s" at best?
Chrono Trigger - 82%?
Secret of Mana - 78%?
Final Fantasy 6 - 84%?
Suikoden 2 - 72%?
Breath of Fire 2 - 77%?
Xenogears - 76%?
Vagrant Story - 79%
Parasite Eve - 68%?
Would these be the scores of these games if they received scores from 50-100 outlets by today's reviewers?
NO, those would NOT be the scores.
JRPGs ARE actually worse these days.
SQUARE ENIX: GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR FUCKING ASS AND START MAKING "GREAT" GAMES AGAIN!!!
Namco: Stop making Tales cash-ins.
Konami: Make Suikoden 6, and don't make it shovelshit for the Wii.
Capcom: How about not killing your biggest RPG franchise?
Atlus: How about making games for consoles released this century.
Sega: How about releasing and actually MARKETING Yakuza in this country for once. Believe it or not... a lot of people live here.
Intelligent Systems: Still doing SNES graphics? Really?
To the rest of you: Grow some balls and start making your JRPGs for something besides handhelds.
To all japanese developers: WRITE. A. DECENT. FUCKING. STORY.
AND TO ALL OF JAPAN: If you keep buying the shit, they will keep making shit. (READ: DYNASTY WARRIORS)
Brad
8 comments:
It's pretty fucking obvious that JRPG's are taking the bullet-train to shitsville.
Western RPG's and just western games in general have been consistently better in my opinion these past 4-5 years. There are a few exceptions where a Japanese RPG or just a japanese game shows some real promise, but what happens to them? They get marketed like shit and no one ends up knowing about them.
Western Developers market their games like crazy, they make sure that even if you don't own the console, you know about the game. Even in the rare case that a good Japanese Game does make it here, it gets lost in the crowd and labeled as just another JRPG.
The lack of good games from the region is leaving a horrible impression on consumers as a whole and fucking it up for the few good Japanese games that actually try something innovative or bring in a good story.
Japanese Developers really need to try something new and interesting, I've seen so many JRPG's on handhelds with exactly the same graphical style, characters and gameplay. I honestly cannot tell the difference between those 150 handheld JRPG's, that's because there HARDLY is any fucking difference.
Sadly, it's what they need to make a quick buck. The way Square's going, "new" ideas like the Last Remnant isn't going to do well because they're still in that "Oh, we're so famous that we're going to release something new for the kids until Final Fantasy 13 comes out" phase.
Seriously I don't know what's their problem about making things better, it just seems that they always do something to devastate the whole experience of a JRPG.
Let's hope they can get their minds out of the gutter and make something that is mindblowing.
i have yet to play a next-gen jrpg that has made an impact on me besides Valkyria Chronicles, and that's a strategy jrpg. i was really hoping Star Ocean 4 could rise above the rest, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
jrpgs played such an big role in introducing me to quality games and my overall game playing experience. with trends like hand-held rpgs and crap effort being put into stories, i'm disheartened and scared for the future of jrpgs.
You are absolutly right.
Squeenix thinks they are sooo awesome, and their ego is simply boosted because people ALWAYS buy their games simply because of who they are buying from.
Sadly, I usually ONLY play Jrpgs (sad, ain't it?) so the crappy games being put out don't help with my game collection.
I just hope SOMETHING turns this all around.
I do agree with the whole SquareEnix thing going around. It's a shame that Square, a company I grew up with and loved so much is going to Shit.
The Last Remnant's battle system in my opinion actually was a step forward in creating a next gen battle system to appeal to the masses. However the horrible execution of the game, and it's plain sloppiness is an insult to all JRPG's everywhere. If the Last Remnant was more polished, and the battle system was fixed, this game had the potential to greatly improve our opinion of square enix today.
I agree that these games are worse these days. These new JRPG's have got to get new, solid stories for us to give a shit about them. I want that same epic feeling i felt when i played the old FF games. Like i was actually making a difference in the world, and that same character development that made me care so much about someone in the game. These qualities are the ones that define a JRPG from the rest of the games we play. But nowadays, I just don't see this in new JRPG's
Although i'm not saying that ALL JRPG's in 2008 were crap. Mistwalkers Lost Odyssey was the last game that realy felt like a true JRPG. The heart touching story, beautiful cut scenes, the old school battle system, and the majestic score, made this game in my opinion, one of the greatest JRPG's of all time :)
With western RPGs selling like hotcakes, I have a gripe about these choose your own adventure games. In my opinion i think it limits the game in many ways by not experiencing what the developer wants you to experience. Depending on who you are, you might have a totally different experience in Fallout 3 than someone else because you had the option of choice. I don't want to worry about what choice I'm going to make. This is why JRPG's are so much different than western ones. and this quality should never be lost in the video game world.
So who are we to look to in these troubled times for JRPG fanboys? Personally, I still have faith in Square Enix, and awaiting to play the new star ocean game. But seriously, Square has got to start shaping up. I know you guys can do it! If you think that FF13 will save your ass, think again. two years is a long, long time.
Stereotypes. I can see so many of them with jrpgs today.
Most of them have:
The same convoluted story
The same emo haired male main character
The same ridiculously stupid outfits
The same battle systems
Linear as fuck
et cetera.
I never really cared about this before but this can be tossed in there too:
TERRIBLE VOICE ACTING.
It's a terrible trend jrpgs have taken on, and it's their biggest problem. ITS ALL THE SAME. Thats why Western RPGS are doing so much better. Pick up any generic JRPG and I bet you the fucking story would be "OHOHO THE BIG BAD GUY IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER/STEAL LIFE FROM THE UNIVERSE/PLANET YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO IS ABLE TO STOP HIM RAWR!!~"
I used to buy up every jrpg last gen but I've all but given up on the genre this gen because it's all the same retarded bullshit. Star Ocean 4 was definitely a breath of fresh air and it's one of the only jrpgs im gonna finish atm but it still follows the stereotypes I mentioned earlier. Terrible voice acting, convoluted story, emo main character, whatever. I really hope they fix this shit cause I'm sick and fucking tired of the fact that my entire collection of games is almost entirely goddamn FIRST PERSON SHOOTER. FUCK.
Personally, Brad, I've just been bored of JRPGs lately. When it comes down to it, a large portion of them are simply about campy characters posing and staring blankly. That's just another reason I can't stand "Final Fantasy" anymore - the older games included (though the SNES ones are still great).
Just like how "The Matrix" ruined action movies forever with bullet-time and posing, "Final Fantasy" ruined JRPGs with angst and posing. Nowadays, JRPG developers seem to think that all a game needs to be successful is a lot of flashy, sometimes outright silly costumes, and pieces of CG cutscenes where the main characters strike poses.
That's all there is to it.
As for ratings and scores, I don't even trust gaming sites anymore. The biggest ones are all paid off for their best reviews anyway. Either that, or they end up getting high scores just because they're the next in a series of overrated games, such as Halo or Final Fantasy.
Really, when I want info on games, I come to you guys. Here, I can actually watch someone play them, and then get a thorough and honest opinion.
I completely agree that we need to stop simply buying whatever we're handed when it comes to video games - not just for the sake of the industry, but for the sake of our wallets. Personally, I don't buy a game anymore until I know just about everything about it, both good and bad (not counting story, of course).
I'll just leave you with this one last comment. Give Wii games a chance, Brad. I've seen and experienced what all three consoles have, and I can happily say that I enjoy just having this one. Yes, there's a lot of shovelware. Yes, the graphics could have been better. However, you usually have lazy developers to blame for those things - the Wii is capable of a lot more than what people think.
You say to stop buying whatever Japan makes. I agree. Now, I say to start giving Wii games a chance. I advise you to begin with Elebits - something you claimed to be shovelware. It has its flaws, like any game does, but trust me, it's worth a shot. The same with games like No More Heroes - as flawed as it is, get it anyway, because it's a truly enjoyable experience.
The Wii, just like JRPGs, needs help through the gamers. We need to start dismissing half-assed JRPGs before they come out, and start trying games on the Wii that deserve recognition.
Though I know neither will happen in the long run. In the mind of the average gamer, I know the Wii will always remain a kiddy console with sub-par graphics, just like I know the average gamer will just keep on buying these crappy, half-assed JRPGs. Nothing can change if WE don't change, Brad.
I'm with you on this one. I have been into RPGs for quite some time and a good JRPG can go a long way. I like to play through these games time and time again. However, it is a shame that it seems the quality of the RPGs from the past few years has been dropping exponentially and, frankly, it's pissing me off. I would look forward to games before, but now it seems like I will have to wait a while before I even get a chance to see the next great JRPG. Hopefully, the sales of these recent games will be a wake up call and tell these developers to straighten up and get their heads out of their asses.
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