I am not gay, but I’m pretty sure I know what it feels like to be one of them. Like a teenager raised in a conservative Christian household who finds his gaze lingering just a little too long on the Ryan Reynolds cover of Men’s Fitness, I too feel very conflicted inside, questioning everything I thought I knew. I’ve always thought of myself as a hardcore JRPG fggt, to the point where I wouldn’t even touch a game if it had a Western name on the box, but lately I’ve come to the uncomfortable conclusion that I think I like Western games better now :(
Final Fantasy XIII (that’s pronounced ‘eks-eye-eye-eye’) is the ultimate example of the Japanese ‘decorated line’ design philosophy, in which the game consists of the player walking from the beginning of a line to the end of it while pressing X a lot
It all started when I got a PS3, which has no Japanese gaems. With no JRPGs to choose from, I picked up a bunch of random used games that got good reviews on 1UP because yolo: Just Cause 2, Red Dead Redemption, and some other sandbox-y games. At first I was liek, ‘No angsty protagonist with spiky hair? NOT VIDEO GAME,’ but my butthurt slowly gave way to addiction. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, those games were sweet. Especially the part where the game doesn’t force you along the path of its cliched, predictable narrative: “Do u want to saev da kingdom? Answer yes or I will keep repeating myself forever.” After I got Arkham City, Skyrim and Fallout 3 I was completely ruined… I sank over 100 hours into my Khajit thief/archer, and I can barely even look at a JRPG anymore :(
The best part of Just Cause 2 is that your character is named Scorpio, and when you liberate a village of savages they chant “SCOR-PI-O! SCOR-PI-O!” and you feel like you just conquered the fuk out of them
I feel like I am betraying someone, but after spending a few hundred hours on Skyrim it is completely obvious to me why their game industry is in shambles: non-linearity is fucking awesome, and Western developers are way better at making non-linear games than they are. I still think the art direction in most Western games is shitty (y u no use colors other than brown, grey and olive green??), but games like Borderlands 2 suggest that the West is catching up to the Japs in that department too. I hate to say it but dear Japan, unless u change and fast, I have no choice but to leave u :( I think we’re growing apart.
Wat u think brahs?? Are the Japs dunzo? Will they learn how to make modern games, or just keep using the same basic design as Dragon Quest 1 with better graphics and make themselves completely obsolete?? Will I ever be able to go back to the warm, familiar territory of Fire Emblem and Super Robot Wars, or has Skyrim ruined it for me? Halp!
I’m actually getting a little tired of R* styled sandbox games.
I am very late to the party, so they’re still new to me. I’m basically the kid who just got into Killswitch late year.
You should check out this sweet new game called San Andreas.
San Andreas was where it felt like they were taking a step sideways, IMO. I’ve still loved every Rockstar game I’ve played though.
racest
Is it because carl johnson is black?
Still wood smash the new GTA when it’s out though.
Balance is the key to everything. You have simply had an overdose of japanese games, discovered a whole new world of western games, will be enthralled by them for a while, eventually go back to playing japanese games, but also playing western games. Once the balance has been achieved, you will reach gaming nirvana.
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m48g835NBk1qk4ssy.png
like 80% of the games I play on my 360/ps3 are indie games D: I feel like a faggot but I thoroughly enjoy games like Monday Night Combat, Skullgirls (which sarge might like haha), etc. Indie and pc games are going to create some noise in the next years for sure.
I feel like a total fggt for saying this but I’m getting more and more into indie games. They essentially play the role of what Japan used to be: the source of innovation and bleeding-edge experimentation that’s just never going to come out of the giant studios (for obvious reasons). Now Japan produces the most stale, formulaic games in the world- what a sad and unexpected turn :(
Miss u, VIB RIBBON, REZ, LSD, and other reminders of what Japan used to be :(
By LSD are you referring to that “dream emulator” game? I read about it on a cracked article I think and it looked super interesting, but no idea where/how to find a copy.
Thats the one! Its fucking insane, i actually have a physical copy in a binder somewhere. Truly baffling game.
It sounds nuts! Idk if I can find some type of emulator or anything for it, but I gotta play it somehow haha.
I rented REZ off a blockbuster around ten or so years ago and immediately thought the japanese were fucken high and/or crazy when they made that game… and then me n my friends would get drunk n high and bump a mixed cd (member morpheus teehee ;-D) while playing it… good times =]
if only games were sick as fuck like dat nowadays… i think the new pikmin coming out is gonna be the closest thing to it IMHO… everything else is “new” rehashes n shit.. but watevs…. bright ass colors should not be cute but should cause you seizures and/or make you try hallucinogenics/depressants n shit =D
Skyrim I the fucking shit! If u like that get oblivion it’s te same series. I have a dumner theif and I’m in the dark brotherhood. Just walking around and fucking shit up. You jelly? Yeah you jelly
1) Skyrim was something else. I had just finished exams a few days before it came out and was only working part time, so i literally played that game about 5-10 hours a day, every day, for 3 weeks. However, once my char got OP i petered out and never finished the main quest.
2) I think that the “big picture” is that video game design in the last 5 years has become massively open ended, and many just arent content with going from A to B, killing X, Y and Z any more. I was wondering when Diablo 3 came out whether it would be a flop because the gameplay is so repetitive and essentially rooted in 1997.
3) I think the good part about JRPGs is that it is very easy to make them challenging, because your character will always be at level X at part Y. I think that JRPGs may appeal to ‘gamerz’ more in the long run because they are harder, as long as you like the combat system.
Idk, JRPGs are just as easily broken as any other game imo- for example, Orlandu in FF Tactics, who can win almost the whole second half of the game singlehandedly
FUCKING ORALANDU oh that’s a good dash of nostalgia
or that fight with Wiegraf
oh my god
that was the worst thing ever
“Draw your sword, Ramza”
fuck that shit
Am I the only one who thinks that Skyrim gets boring really fast? don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fun to play but the quests seem to be super repetitive :(
you’re not alone. I didn’t like it that much either. I guess it just wasn’t for us…
It does, but at least i lasted a good 75 hours before it started to feel samey. Cant ask for much more than that!
ANY WRPG AFTER BALDURS GATE 2 = ACTUALLY CRAP
half srs
Planescape: Torment <3
Here’s to hoping the BG: Enhanced Edition will be mindbottling.
pshh… homeworld and rainbow six: rogue spear motherfuckers!!!
>=D
Only dating sims are real
Sarge, did you follow E3 at all? Excited for anything coming out?
Watch Dogs looks amazing!! Havent been this excited for a game in ages
yup troo dat shit!!! loox like a hot ass stripper i would bang/10
Sarge, check out Valkyria Chronicles. Definitely the best JRPG on PS3.
I played the fuck out of VC2 for PSP, ill prob pick up the first one at some point
Original one on PS3 is excellent, very nice art style.
Eternal Sonata is also pretty great. Pretty good story, chill mechanics, just an all around fun time
I know what you mean bro. PS1 era Japan was something spectacular to behold, they kept holding it down for the PS2, but these days Western games are bringing the figurative mosh. 5 years ago I’d be throwing down in Devil May Cry 3 or Wild Arms / Persona, something like that, but these days I’m jamming stuff like Max Payne 3 and Skyrim.
There’s also a lot to be said for the backwater, child-slavery parts of Yurop, they’re making a lot more non-broken games lately. Stuff like STALKER, X3: Terran Conflict, and the DayZ mod for ARMA2 are all keepers of the ridiculously nerdy and timewasting faith.
sad2say, Japanada mite b irrelevant in 2day’s gaming market :( pls be safe japan, I kno u have the ability and u r good and lovely, don’t let anyone tell u u r not beautiful, those gamers don’t deserve u n e way, just b urself cuz ur grate.
You said it dude– late PS1 was such an awesome era for Japan. I think it was summer of 2000 Square put out Front Mission 3, Legend of Mana, Brave Fencer Musashi and Threads of Fate?? That was about the last time they did anything noteworthy that didnt say FF on it :(
I’ve finished Gears of War 1-3 in co-op online more than a few times with my brother. Best game to play together since Street of Rage. That’s where Japanese developers could learn a lot from Western developers.
Still, currently playing Asura’s Wrath and Japanese developers are still miles ahead in style and design.
Japanese developers are still miles ahead in style
Totally agree– I just want to combine awesome Western gameplay ideas with the Japs’ sense of style… is that so much to ask?? That SHOULD have been what happened with the Bionic Commando remakes and when they handed DMC off to those Euros, but instead it ends up being the worst of both worlds in a way. They need to keep the reigns to the art direction away from the Westerners!
Unforunately insecure teenage boys think playing anything other than a grizzled soldier or sports personality, preferably a white person with brown hair and stubble, is “ghey” (see also: full colour palates, characters with emotion beyond “grizzled determination”) so good luck waiting for visually interesting games becoming the norm :(
Lol, playing skyrim as a sneaky arrow-shooting giant catman is still pretty much a jrpg
Except that the catman looks really gay and tacky
Yes. Khajiits are full faggot status.
Anytime I play video games and I have the choice to be some crazy race that isn’t human, I go with it, so I’m naturally down with cat man, but they just look so dumb. sigh. Orc and lizard man it is, I guess.
I’d recommend Dragon’s Dogma bros, it’s an RPG made by Japanese developers but it’s in a Western style. I recently finished playing it and really enjoyed it, it’s surprisingly difficult to start with but once you get in to it then it gets awesome.
I also lol’d IRL when one of the characters said ‘please, be wary’.
PLZ B WARY
Import Super Robot Wars OG2nd whenever that comes out for the PS3. Dem high def battle animations drooling/10
I probably have a dozen SRW games in my ‘stuff ive been meaning to play’ pile :/
speaking of western games…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3HfmcDRbn8&t=1m14s
Awww it wouldn’t let me do a time link, I set it up so that it starts playing right before she says “PLEASE RESPOND”
Holy shit, this looks sweet.
Sarge I think you would like journey for your ps3 it’s colorful as fuck but I suggest doing a line or two of coke before you start it up because that’ll enrich the experience
I’ve been meaning to cop it– the hype is justified?
I have to say, Minecraft might be my favorite game ever at this point. Having played w/ Legos as a kid, it was like getting a huge digital set on some level. Add in multiplayer servers where I could fuck around w/ family members who live far away and it was worth every penny. (esp. buying in at the beta price).
I was way into JRPGs during my PS2 days. You ever play Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King? That was my shit.
Relevant to this post, an older video article I watched a couple days ago that thoroughly delves into the JRPG/WRPG schism, some of you other game nerds might be familiar:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/western-japanese-rpgs-part-1
http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/western-japanese-rpgs-part-2
Will watch, thanks! Dont care for their comics but those guys generally know whats up
Japan has lost The Ability, but IMO so has most of the US. I want to see fun, stupid games again, like Gauntlet. Sick of this trend of the GAMES ARE SERIOUS ART which misses the entire point of what makes games good. Games are only art inasfar as they are fun
Man, I have such a short attention span that Sandbox-y games end up being a disaster for me. I usually end up trying to see how many times I can hide in the bathroom and kill the police in Red Dead or how many sweet cars I can fucking wreck in that one game where you play a detective and it’s all noire themed. As you bros can probably tell, I’m not much of a gamer if I can’t even remember the titles of games I’ve played! Hell, the only thing I find entertaining about LoZ:Windwaker is getting those pigs to chase you. No care about completing the objectives or anything.
I would be into RPG’s except that I’m not the filth of gay. The only game I really rep is Paper Mario, but that game is totally rad. Casual “gamer” to the core, CoD is the epitome of a good game IMO.
how many sweet cars I can fucking wreck in that one game where you play a detective and it’s all noire themed
Does it take place in L.A.?
Holy fuck do I feel retarded. >all noire themed. For some reason I thought it was set in NY and it srs didn’t occur to me that noire was part of the title. Believe it or not, srs, honest mistake.
BUT BRO!!!????? Shining Force……..will always be in my heart, fuck what you think.
</3
Man, i played the FUCK of out SF 1 and 2 as recently as 2004, but when i try playing them now they seem so primitive and shallow :( Still love the art tho!
Dude now that you mention it, although i do fucking love a great JRPG circa 86 – 2001, i will admit the gameplay is VERY primitive, the thing i always loved about those games (especially 2d) was the vibrant colors, artwork, and amazing cinematics that made defeating every enemy sooooo worth it. The art style and design is probably 85% of why i still play games made before 1997. I honestly feel like they tried more when designing a character, and went really in depth with the world they lived in. Now its really just bland, grey, brown, with some swampy dull green every now and then. With the main character having no backstory, no real original design, and NO character development what so ever. I’ll admit busting some ferrel ghouls in fallout is a hell of a lot funner than pressing the same button over and over again in RPGs. But to see young characters play out from start to finish in a beautifully detailed world, with a linear story is a true pleasure, and satisfies my dick everytime i watch them succeed (or not?), and that ending cinematic finally plays, For those few moments, life is fucking sweet
OH!!! AND DAT MUSIC!!?? JRPGS litterally have some of the best musical scores to ever play out in any game, PERIOD.
Fcuk this, i only play runescape.
Never was massive on JRPGs but indie games are backed hard. Fairly sure you will have seen it before, but if not the Humble Bundle is pretty awesome. Every couple of months or so they do a pay-what-you-want dealio for a handful of indie games, the current one includes Psychonauts (platformer about having psychic powers, has good humour and the ability), Limbo (creepy as fuck) and some other things I’m yet to play, and if you pay over the average of what other people have paid then you get more shit, including Braid (puzzle game with time travel mechanics) and Super Meat Boy (actually difficult platformer, but super-fun). Zero fucks given if this is super-nerdy, it’s the bomb. http://www.humblebundle.com/
p.s. “y u no use colors other than brown, grey and olive green?” COULD NOT BE MORE TRUE esp. with regards to “mainstream” gaming. If there’s one thing I’d like Westerns to steal from JRPGs it’d definitely be a more liberal use of colour.
im still excited as fuck for KINGDOM HEARTS 3D
NFG if filth of gay
At this point, games that are non-competitive bore me. I’d hands down rather watch a competitive match than play anything else. A few times a year I’ll play old console games emulated on my computer an hour or two, but that’s about it.
I can totally relate to guy’s comments on Diablo 3, but then again, if a formula works, why change it?
BTW, totally appropriate post for MLG weekend.
Sarge (or anyone else) follow esports at all?
I just realized its June… Skyrim has actually caused me to not notice the passage of time for seven months, I think I might have a problem bro.
damn the last time i felt this time lapsed due to gaming was when san andreas came out =/…..
can’t wait for someone to call me an oldfag when i bust out wcw vs nwo world tour =/
Bah, I was at a wedding all weekend and I’m just now seeing this post and I know you all care about my opinion very much. Sarge, you are onto some next level shit here.
All the games you grabbed and started playing are all fucking gold. I find that I go through phases, and I need to hop back and forth between linear, narrative-driven games (Naughty Dog for the fucking win…also Last of Us = E3 2012 game of show for super double srs) and then open-world, wacky havoc stuff like Bethesda/Rockstar/Volition games.
I think Japanese developers are hurting because they have the exact same mentality that bros who are solely into dinosaur metal have: “fuck change, you will play a game without real-time physics and overly complicated controls and you WILL like it, faggoooot!” All of the innovation is happening in via Western developers now. I’ll still get down here and there with a Japanese game (Bayonetta was sweet, I’ll play anything Itagaki makes via being a masochist, and I have an almost George Lucas-level of apologist sympathy for Kojima…but I’m usually playing a game from anywhere else in the world…because, well, they’re just more fun.
Indie games are awesome and PC seems to really be the most lively breeding ground for them. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of high-profile indie games on XBLA and PSN: Bastion, Braid, Limbo, Super Meat Boy –but PC is the ultimate delivery matrix. But whatevs, it doesn’t matter what platform you choose, as long as you’re having fun.
Sarge, if you are still on the Western RPG train, and you haven’t already, check out the Witcher 2. You don’t really need to have played the first one to get what’s going on in this one, and the first one was “good, not great” anyway.
Special Runner Up Mentions: For Dark/Demons Souls and Dragon’s Dogma for being RPGs from Japan that were pleasant surprises via breaking the mold.
#tldr
Best RPG made (recently) by Japan by far is Dark Souls, Its hard as balls but so rewarding.
Borderlands is my favourite game of this gen. Pre orded the loot box edition of number 2 can’t wait.
I’m more of a 2d side scrolling fan but Ill play anything if it’s fun
Dark Souls is incredible and has a great art design. Will restore your faith in Japanese developers/10.
I didnt play any FF games past FFX. They started turning into one big cutscene that you occasionally got to take part in. I guess that was cool on like FF7-9 because it was still new but I feel like even then, I was actually playing the game instead of watching an interactive movie. Im kinda to the point where I only play Mario games via having a Wii instead of PS3/XBOX. I really like the newer Zelda games for some reason doe – Skyward Sword/Twilight Princess/Phantom Hourglass etc.