Role playing games have been around for quite some time. During the Super Nintendo era, we were blasted with J-RPG after J-RPG and huge fans were created at that time. The West, however, wanted to make their own epic RPGs and, while they took some of the better points from their Japanese brethren, they left out a lot of things that just didn’t fit with the West’s taste. With major J-RPG franchise’s like Final Fantasy unable to find their footing recently, and newer W-RPGs like Mass Effect and Dragon Age dominating the market, one has to wonder which will prevail. Some gamers lean more towards the J-RPGs and others prefer W-RPGs. Chris Penwell and Jerry Dobracki are going to discuss what side they take and why their side is better.
Jerry: I remember when I had first gotten my PlayStation and conquered the early Resident Evil games. I was frantic for new games to play. A little title named Final Fantasy VII was on my radar after I had escaped Raccoon City, and I decided to save some of my minimum wages to purchase this title. I remember rushing home from Comp USA, removing the wrap from my game, and popping the first disc in. I was in awe of the graphics and the cut scenes, but then I got to the battles, and they confused me.
When I was in high school, I was in a couple of fist fights and never in my life did I punch my adversary and then just stand there waiting to be punched back. That is exactly how turn-based fighting is – instead of moving around trying to dodge an attack, you stand there and patiently await a strike. If you’re lucky, they may miss. It all just depends on the roll of the dice in the game, but to me that is the worst way to battle and it keeps me away from J-RPGs. In W-RPGs, you fight in real time, like any normal human being would. That is what draws me to Fallout and Elder Scrolls.
Chris: J-RPGs have become a niche in recent years, and it’s a shame. Character-based storytelling has taken a backseat to mediocre Western RPG characters that are instantly forgettable unless it’s from BioWare or The Witcher 3. The grand, overarching story is what brings people to Western RPGs but, for me, a lot of lore is a bit of a turn off. Rather than being buried by tons of text, mythical races, and multiple story threads, J-RPGs offer a more refined narrative with characters that are remembered for years to come, less complex story paths, and a more engaging world.
I would much prefer to explore the worlds of Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Persona, Dragon Quest, and Ni No Kuni. They’re bright, colorful, and have plenty of personality. Do you remember anything about the worlds of The Witcher or Fallout? Not really. Do I remember the first time I explored Besaid, Traverse Town, or Inaba? Yes. They’re vivid in the mind, and with W-RPGs, they’re just as forgettable as the characters that inhabit it.
While I personally enjoy turn based games (I like to think of what my next move should be, like a game of Chess), that isn’t all that J-RPGs are. There are action-RPG combat systems in games such as Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy XV, and the Tales of… games. There are also strategy systems in Suikoden, Project X Zone, and Fire Emblem. J-RPG’s aren’t the stereotype that many people think they are. You might be surprised.
Jerry: I will never forget the time that I nuked an entire city in Fallout 3, or when I slayed my first dragon in Skyrim. To say that W-RPGs are throwaway experiences is somewhat insulting; there are people to this day who are still playing Morrowind, for crying out loud! That says something about the staying power of W-RPGs.
Saying that turn-based fighting in J-RPG’s isn’t the norm is somewhat false; Every J-RPG I have ever picked up has that terrible battle system or a variation of it. I understand thinking about your next move in Chess but, in Chess, someone isn’t about to hit you with a broadsword or some poisonous slime. You can make a decision while you are dodging your foes’ attacks. I chose to shoot you in the face as I strafe left to avoid your crossbow. When fighting Super Mutants in Fallout, you cannot just run in there like Dirty Harry. You have to plan. I set up mines around their perimeter in sneak mode, then begin to snipe them out. A drastic Chess move, but an effective one.
Chris: It’s very rare for Western RPGs to provide as beautiful of a setting as you see in the standard J-RPG. I’m definitely not saying that Western RPG’s are throwaway experiences. There are some that are truly remarkable. I previously reviewed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for BagoGames, and I loved how the open world was created. It had deep characters (even in the side missions) that I can invest in, and the game is “jaw-dropping” beautiful.
I also remember my experience with Super Mutants in Fallout 3. I began to run away from them into a settlement and then, when I arrived, I thought I was safe. Instead, I endangered the people around me as they unleashed rockets upon the townsfolk. I felt responsible, but I was too weak to handle them. I had to run away and leave a decimated town behind. That was a mindblowing moment to me as my actions actually had an effect on the outcome of the world around me.
What I want to point out is that we both want a different experience out of our RPGs. I find most Western RPGs too derivative, lacking in personality, and the story stretched thin with very few memorable moments. However, you find the freedom of Western RPGs and combat systems from that genre incredibly engaging. The overhanging narrative of the world in pieces of lore spread across the world and conversation trees can also be deeply impactful.
I love the more direct J-RPG style. I like being told a story through dialogue, through cutscenes, and through the colorful environments. I like playing turn-based games with more strategy and action RPG’s that have flashy combos and abilities. I like the more fantastical, the more cheesy, the more lighthearted nature of J-RPGs. Both have their place. I just wish it was spread more evenly over the past two generations. Thankfully, we will have Final Fantasy VII Remake and XV, Persona 5, Soul Saga, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom and, maybe one day, Kingdom Hearts III in this generation. I just hope that, after a drought of J-RPGs over the Xbox 360/PS3 generation, people will give them a go.
Jerry: I will agree with you that last generation had very slim pickings for J-RPGs. As someone who was trying to get into them, they were hard to find. Which is probably why I shifted to W-RPGs instead. They were more readily available, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic made me a man when it came to RPGs in general.
I also agree that the Wasteland in Fallout isn’t a very pretty setting, but the buildings and cities in Oblivion and Skyrim more than make up for that. Frostcrag Spire was one of the prettiest buildings in Oblivion, both inside and out. I remember how I would go there after beating some quests to organize my loot and rest for the next adventure ahead. It felt like a home, with the candle flickering on the wall, my comfy bed made, the bookshelves filled to the brim, and so on. W-RPGs are just as gorgeous as anything a J-RPG can come up with.
Games are meant to be enjoyed by everyone. While some of us have different taste on what type of RPGs we enjoy, we are still gamers. Chris has played some W-RPGs and I have played some J-RPGs. What we both seem to look for is quality and enjoyment. I’m sure Chris will continue to wander the wasteland, getting innocent settlers killed, and I will try my luck wielding the Key-Blade for the umpteenth time. I’m still going to gravitate to games like Elder Scrolls and Mass Effect because that is what I cut my teeth on in RPGs. Chris is still going to be sitting on his doorstep waiting the long wait for Kingdom Hearts III and we’re going to love every minute of it.
Chris: Darn you, Jerry. Darn you…