What Would You Want In An RPG Game?
 

The J-RPG style of playing a story? Maybe the western 'true' RPG style of constructing your character and driving the story yourself? FMV or realtime cutscenes? Voice over or text? Streaming world hub or loading world 'folders'? Turn based or real time?

And so much more elements... Sound off!

A first-person RPG with a perk system? And in this case, perks would be welcome, as they are essentially buffers anyway. I imagine a game where you take time to set up your perks and prepare to shoot it out with a specialized enemy class. How about saving a 'perk set' and switching between two or three when fighting a varied group of enemies? That would be cool.

Are you talking JRPG or WRPG? Betting Western, eh?

I haven't played video games in ages, but I always liked it when you could have like a house or a castle in RPG games.

Are you talking something like Harvest Moon or Fable? World management in RPG's isn't new but I think we can go further (though I think Fable 2 fucking nailed it).

What I felt was lacking was the 'in-fiction' context of owning a space in an RPG. "So I have a house? What now?" Wouldn't it be more interesting to find yourself having to defend that house or castle from a mob of bad guys?

I only played first part of Fable. I was talking more like Baldur's Gate 2. I consider BG the best RPG game series I have ever played. And Fallout, too.

You're a Western RPG guy then. You like driving the narrative, yeah?

Yeah, make my own character, select his abilities and all that. I don't think I've ever played a JRPG game, though, except for FF7.

Well in any case WRPGs are on the rise so there's not much reason to check out JRPGs now (unless you like awesome).

Would you play a highly customizable first-person WRPG with special emphasis on buffer-sets?

I never cared for FPP RPGs. Heard Fallout 3 is good, so I think I'd give it a try.

Oh and I also can't stand anime, so the graphics would probably piss me off.

I wouldn't call Fallout 3 (or Oblivion) 1st Person RPGs, they just happen to have that viewing option.

Not all JRPGs have that anime look, actually very few do. They do share uniform styles because of their origin, but there is a difference. Final Fantasy games don't look like anime, for instance.

You wouldn't call oversized swords, spiky haircuts and huge eyes anime?

No, I'd call them cliches and conventions among Japanese superheroes. Huge eyes is indicative of anime/manga style, but as I said many JRPGs don't have that style (or at least downplay it).

Even the oversized sword thing slowed down.

You know i really don't get people that can't stand anime. I'd really like to know the true reasons why they hate it or are indifferent towards it. Is it really those big eyes and spiky hair?

J-RPG > W-RPG

The PlayStation 1 era of Japanese RPGs is the "perfect" type of game for me. In-depth story, big world map, turn based, text-driven games. I like how they sorta combined turn based and action RPG like in Parasite Eve, but I've never seen it done in any other game, and it is hard to make those battles too complex. I hate voice acting in games and it has to have really good music. A lot of optional sidequests. And nothing like Sixx mentioned where you get your own house or castle and get to decorate it. Unless that affects how the game is played, it is pointless.

I think you kind of answered your own question there.

It's a cultural thing, I guess. I try not to be condescending and say "they don't get it" but it would help if we got some elaborated responses other than the old 'big eyes, spiky hair' card. Those elements barely define anime anymore so there's an ignorace to take in as well. Certain things for certain folks, though - but for somebody to say they can't stand it... There's something beneath all that. lol

I gotta admit, I kinda miss the old style JRPGs. I'm just not that crazy about voice acting like the industry is. I didn't give a shit when SvR started doing it in Season Modes, and I appreciated FFX (on down) going that route but it's not like I hated 'reading' for fuck sake.

I'm watching Gundam 00 now and it's awesome. Random tidbit.

I think if Japan approaches JRPGs like they do anime it would help, actually. There's not enough JRPG-anime productions. Sixx did say he retired from gaming for a bit so I understand if he believes JRPG = anime.

How so?

The whole attitude of JRPG/anime fans who make the assertion that simply being Japanese makes it superior to its Western counterparts(or to clarify, the attitude of saying a few good examples makes an entire genre superior to another). That's way more annoying to most folks than a lifetime supply of spiky hair and oversized swords.

How does that put people off the genre? I'd call that a weak reason. I like rock even though rock fans are prejudice against rap and even sub-forms of rock. I wouldn't let the community put me off the content.

I'm not prejudice against rap, but I am prejudice against many, many rock genres.

Point stands.

Well, but you can't say I'm prejudice against JRPG games. It's not prejudice when you just don't like something for a reason you don't enjoy it. That's the story with me and that japanese style.

I was referring to your comments on anime, I don't think you have beef with JRPGs at all. It's just your posts about 'spiky hair' and 'oversized swords' seemed like an over-generalized stab at that style. Then Nowhere Man gave his 2cents and here we are.

Oh. Well about anime, there hasn't been a single one that I ever enjoyed so I guess that's why I'm not into even trying to watch any more.

No, wait. Afro Ninja drawing style was a bit anime-ish to me, and this cartoon ruled.

You ever checked out Big O?

Nope, just googled it.

I tried watching Deathnote, cause my friend is a big fan, but really couldn't get into it.

Deathnote is pretty straight-up anime...

I bought up Big O because it's an 'anime' with many Western elements. I think it would be very assessable to you.

I want WELL MADE tactical/strategy role playing games. ie. A real sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics and the branching off into new franchises with solid gameplay and a well written story.

The FFT Advanced games were bad.

At this point, that's my favorite RPG type. Where positioning matters. Long ranged attacks actually differentiate from short ranged melee attacks, which are completely different than spells.

Beyond that, anything that can recreate the feeling of the NES/SNES Final Fantasy games and other various earlier role playing games. Characters felt different, they didn't all use the same weaponry and all use the same magic or whatever... hell, most newer age RPGs barely bother with gear at all anymore.

Also, I hate the blending of fantasy and current age or even futuristic settings.

People with swords shouldn't be trying to fight people with machine guns.

Gunblades must have pissed you off.

I'm going to let you guys finish your thread here, but I just want to say that Super Mario RPG is the greatest RPG of all time.


So more like that I guess.

The first Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games were good as well. Not as good, but still pretty good. Haven't played any of the sequels. Mainly because I don't have a DS.

Ya know when I was younger and I imagined how RPGs would be during the advent of 3D, what I imagines still isn't being produced.

Just give me an RPG that's fucking longer then 8 hours, don't care if it's made by Bioware or Square Enix.

Went back and played Jade Empire since I never had to time to play it when I bought it back when it first came out, 14 hours to beat and I didn't do half the side quests or the character stories. That's what I want, 14+ hours to beat.

I think 20hrs is a nice round number for RPG length. If it's gonna be shorter it should have much replay value. Most WRPGs go the 'short but replay it' route, JRPGs are longer but offer little once you finish the story.

HATE Turn based RPG's.

We have an action-RPG man (probably dislikes board games).

For a time I believed real-time combat to be a progressive RPG trait, but I relented. I think there will always be a place for turn-based style.

I'd like more interactivity with the environments in terms of exploration in more traditional turned based J-Rpgs. Some of the environments in those games are simply breathtaking and its a shame that they only serve as backdrops. Perhaps if they took some elements from the Legend of Zelda series like Link's inventory. Imagine each item or weapon (hookshot, boomerang, lantern etc.) as an actual character in your party you needed to help you through certain areas. No more useless characters I guess. Also dual and triple techs from Chrono Trigger. I can't beleive no one else tried to implement that mechanic in other games.

My dream would sort of be a cross between them. I'm not too big on creating my own character. In RPGs, I often go with the default. I like the breadth of the stories in RPGs, but I absolutely hate getting lost and not having any direction. There sort of has to be something linear there for me to bite on to.

I guess I like the guided nature of the J-RPG filtered through the scope of its western component.