Way back in the olden days, when Hans suggested starting a video game-centric blog, one of his ideas was that we would have a ‘point-counterpoint’ kinda feature that we woulda called Trading Hit Points (and in fact Hans tried to get one started here). One of the things I absolutely love to do is argue, so I’m gonna try and give this a go: Which do you prefer, Western-style RPGs like Oblivion & KOTOR, or Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest? A few years back, I would’ve said Japanese style hands down, but now I’m gonna go with the Western developed ones, as they generally give you more freedom to customize, explore, or just play however you feel like playing. (Yes, I know this is a broad generalization, but for the sake of argument, I’m making it) I’ve gotten bored of playing as a 15 year old kid who looks like he should be a member of Dir En Grey and constantly whines about everything. I don’t like having every detail of the whole story scripted out for me. If someone in a game is a dick to me, I like the fact that I can stab him or break into his house while he’s sleeping and rob him blind (or ideally, both!). But enough of what I think, what do you think?
Throwing down the gauntlet
– August 13, 2007Posted in: Trading Hit Points
I think they both have their pluses and minuses. Some Japanese RPGs still have some great charm with its character growth and story. The simplicity of its gameplay versus American ones are good every now and then when I don’t want to think about managing stuff as much.
I agree with you where Western RPGs are growing on me. Oblivion is case in point. I love that game and play it like crazy. The freedom and flexibilty is staggering. It never feels overwhelming either.
I basically see Japanese RPGs as good for story, character development, and usually awesome soundtracks. Western RPGs are great when you want a lot of depth and more free roaming gameplay. In short, then, both have their places.
Japanese. All the way. Hands down the best story lines and soundtracks. Sure Oblivion is fun, and they have their place in the market, but I have so many fond memories of great series such as Final Fantasy, Chrono trigger, Dragon warrior, and so many others. The complexity always kept my interest. My RPG days ended when my getting laid days began. High school girls are hard up, but like Eazy-E said, college chicks are easy. I began Final Fantasy 8, and then discovered the costly, yet rewarding world of women. Funny how I’ve come full circle. I’m getting married soon and am playing more video games now than I have in my entire adult life. Still doesn’t compare to the 12 hours per day we used to do in grade school. Anyhow, I got way off topic. Japanese RPG’s ftw!
Ok, I’ll weigh in on this. While I too agree that there is a place for both in the market, I think I’d rather play an open-ended, Oblivion-style RPG.