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Which do you like better, western RPGs or Japanese RPGs?


IceBrand
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Which do you prefer?  

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  1. 1. Which do you prefer?



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I dunno, classifying Demon Souls as a WRPG implies that JRPG's are inherently defined as being the current crop of anime trash, which seems unfair.

I also forgot to mention Xenoblade.

Because that's what they are, those are what the terms "WRPG" and "JRPG" are describing. JRPG does not mean all RPGs that are made in Japan. The W and J are meaningless, they just describe a different variation of the RPG. It has nothing to do with region, they were only named that way because those types of RPGs were popularized in that region.

DS/BB are RPGs made in Japan under the influence of Western RPG style and standards. So they fit into the WRPG label, which was created because people like to label things.

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I'd say older JRPGs > older WRPGs, but newer JRPGs < newer WRPGs. I prefer Dragon Age, Witcher and Skyrim to the likes of Neptunia, Brave Fencer and other stories full of weak plot and moe waifus. But I'll pick Earthbound, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy over old WRPGs with grimdark silly stories and overly complex gameplays.

What do you mean by Brave Fencer? I'm pretty sure you're not talking shit about Musashi, so...?

I'm not too experienced with WRPGs I guess...I haven't really played any with a combat system much like the one Dark Souls has. For me, the closest thing to Dark Souls gameplay I can think of is Monster Hunter, though there are many substantial differences.

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I'd say older JRPGs > older WRPGs, but newer JRPGs < newer WRPGs. I prefer Dragon Age, Witcher and Skyrim to the likes of Neptunia, Brave Fencer and other stories full of weak plot and moe waifus. But I'll pick Earthbound, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy over old WRPGs with grimdark silly stories and overly complex gameplays.

I tend to agree. Newer WRPGs just look more interesting these days, while newer JRPGs are pretty much doing the same thing they've always been doing. 15 years ago, it was the other way around.

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Also, the "anime trash" label isn't acceptable for defining JRPGs. Not all JRPGs are "anime trash", there is just some anime trash among JRPGs. The Tales games are decent JRPGs, for example. I guess Xenoblade also fits.

Since WRPG and JRPG simply mean "western/japanese styled RPGs" instead of "RPGs made in the west/Japan", the label will only change when the western/japanese style changes, and it requires a majority of japanese games to change.

--

I actually meant Fairy Fencer, my bad.

Edited by Rapier
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Because that's what they are, those are what the terms "WRPG" and "JRPG" are describing. JRPG does not mean all RPGs that are made in Japan. The W and J are meaningless, they just describe a different variation of the RPG. It has nothing to do with region, they were only named that way because those types of RPGs were popularized in that region.

Yeah I get that, but the problem is that when you remove the geographical region from the equation, differentiation between the two seems extremely subjective and malleable And it looks like people are defining JRPG's as "games that look like genei ibunroku" which I don't agree with.

Edited by Radiant head
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Yeah I get that, but the problem is that when you remove the geographical region from the equation, differentiation between the two seems extremely subjective and malleable And it looks like people are defining JRPG's as "games that look like genei ibunroku" which I don't agree with.

They aren't. You can't honestly play a game like Skyrim or Fallout and think it's too similar to a Persona title to tell the difference between. WRPG and JRPG are quite distinct, that's why the terms are used to begin with.

SMT x FE is a JRPG and there are many many many JRPGs like it. There are no WRPGs like it.

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They aren't. You can't honestly play a game like Skyrim or Fallout and think it's too similar to a Persona title to tell the difference between.

That's a meaningless example though; not all WRPG's are Skyrim or Fallout, and not all JRPG's are Persona.

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the distinction used in 99% of cases is WRPGs let you create your own character and explore an open-ended fantasy world and do whatever you want. they favour action-based gameplay interfaces. JRPGs follow a set story and cast of characters, and typically use turn-based or other more passive gameplay interfaces.

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Surprise surprise, I'm gonna have to go with JRPGs. There's just something about the way that WRPGs are designed that I can't "get" in to. If anything I guess it would be focus? When I an Elder Scrolls games, I just end up going around murdering everyone and stealing everything. I know this is the way these kinds of games are supposed to be played, but it makes, for me at least, a much less satisfying experience.

I'm given the task of doing anything, and frankly I find it a bit off putting. I rarely feel a genuine sense of satisfaction or progression through any of my actions, because most of the game is open up to you from the start. People always go on about more engaged gameplay too, any this really may just be fan-boying, but I also personally find them more engaging. A lot of the WRPGs I've played have been simple hack-n-slash affairs that have left a very similar, if not worse, feeling to a bare bones turn-based battle system commn in many JRPGs.

Though it's important to note that I don't actively dislike WRPGs, I find them fun now and again and are great "chill out" games. Though I'd never expectantly antcipiate a release or hold in them in high favourabilty, although there's nothing wrong with a game that's just "fun", I obviously just don't find them as "fun" as other people do.

Also cute anime grills.

TL;DR - Too much freedom intimidates

Edited by Splodge
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see this is one of the things the game development community is trying to address: this idea of a universal concept of 'fun'

the language we use when making games now is 'engagement'. different players are looking for different kinds of engagement at different times in their life. sometimes you want to just lose yourself in a new world and become so familiar with it it feels like your own. sometimes you want character drama. sometimes you want to outsmart an opponent and feel clever. all of these things are called 'fun' when people describe why they like them, but that's not very useful for nailing down what exactly they enjoyed and why

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Let me break the norm here. Western RPGs.

Bioshock takes the cake as pretty much the best WRPG to exist but Fallout 3 and Borderlands 2 both put up good cases.

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I like JRPGs only slightly more than WRPGs

While I do like me some Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, sometimes I get bored of them and switch to playing games like Fallout or Skyrim

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If i am being serious here I played more JRPGs than WRPGs but i seem to find myself on the fence on this one. Theres just something about each of them that appeals to me that the other seems to not provide. Be it more freedom in WRPGs or more story content in JRPGs. I simply cant choose.

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Well, considering that, unlike pretty much any other game type, WRPGs and JRPGs are two entirely different genres that happen to share some superficial similarities thanks to their origin (D&D), that is inevitable.

Extra credits have a good trilogy of videos on the subject

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_rvM6hubs8

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Well, considering that, unlike pretty much any other game type, WRPGs and JRPGs are two entirely different genres that happen to share some superficial similarities thanks to their origin (D&D), that is inevitable.

Extra credits have a good trilogy of videos on the subject

B- I prefer to define them as two disparate children from a single parent

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I'm certain my vote is perhaps a little more biased than it should be, since I really haven't played any WRPGs in my life (except Neverwinter Nights a loooong time ago), but I rarely see any that appeal to me. I get that they're trying to be more realistic, and I'm certain that they just factually are more realistic than a lot of JRPGs out there, story-wise, but the overall tones of most all WRPGs I see tend to come off as far too cynical to really draw me in. The level of open-endedness in some of them can also be a bit intimidating to me. Additionally, although I know not all games use this and a good number of the ones that do allow you to turn it off... I have tried first-person perspective games in the past, and honestly? That PoV just really doesn't work for me. (Also what's the point of customizing a character's appearance if you're only going to be seeing their hands and equipped weapon for probably 90%+ of the gameplay?) So, while it's petty, minor, and I'm sure even disable-able in a good number of cases, that's a thing, too.

I guess the tl;dr version is that I've always thought of most WRPGs as games that are probably great if they're the kind of game that you enjoy, but they don't really seem like the kind of game that I'd enjoy. I will grant, though, that an "avatar" character who you actually get a good amount of control over in storyline and cutscene contexts as well as gameplay is a good idea.

Call me a sap, but I honestly kind of prefer more idealistic stories, probably because I'm more than a little idealistic myself.

And, also, I tend to like the general appearance of Eastern art styles more, because I tend to prefer more pretty/cute sorts of aesthetics... Although don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of Eastern art styles that I haven't really cared for. Honestly, I really don't mind anything that doesn't fall into any out of ultra-moe, Real Is Brown, or I'm Pretty Sure This Artist Draws Porn In Their Spare Time, (or Borderline Clip-Art Quality).

So I guess I just like the general style of JRPGs more. I'm not saying I think they're objectively better or anything, but I personally am fond of them.

Edited by Starlight36
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I like both and each has its own charm, it's tough for me to make a set decision on one above the other. I like how I can go for one or the other depending on what I'm in the mood for. I guess if I have to, for purposes of threads like this one, I'll say JRPGS but only because it must be one and because that's what I started out with.

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I prefer to spend most of my time on a game playing and enjoying it, not searching through the Internet on how to fix the bugs in it.

This is even more ridiculous once you considered the fact that JRPGs usually have better and deeper game mechanics than WRPGs simplistic ones.

For me, it have nothing to do with their setting or atmosphere and more to do with the quality of their release.

I do admit that WRPGs have some games with good narrative design and themes and I enjoyed them, bugs and all.

So, yes I prefer JRPGs more than WRPGs

Edited by FuriousGamer87
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