Which genre is better? JRPGs or WRPGs

needler420

needler420

Banned
Time to start a JRPG vs WRPG war.

Which one do you prefer and why?

This is the results of the poll on gamefaqs.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/927750-playstation-3/64784633

I pick JRPG.

When I think of Japanese games, I think of Mario, Link, Cloud, Crono, Moogles, Snake, Ryu, Ken, and on and on. So many memorable characters and creative fantasy worlds.

When I think of Western games, I think of faceless soldiers and generic men with guns, Tolkien ripoffs and lots of browngrey. I really want to like more Western games, but the lack of creativity and variety just bores me with most games
 
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Both are so different, don't think I could live with only one country's games. However, I do tend to prefer linearity, so the Japanese style is easy for me to get into, as are the more linear WRPGs we see now like the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises. Shit like the Witcher or Elder Scrolls just has too much going on at once for me to appreciate.
 
WRPG for me. Haven't played JRPGs for years--FFX was probably the last one I played. I don't like anime style settings/stories, hate turn based combat etc.

I prefer the real time (or semi real time) combat of games like Skyrim, Mass Effect etc. a lot more, love the more open worlds and quest log systems etc. (relaxing to just veg out and wander around exploring and doing quests) etc.
 
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I prefer JRPGs, but I do love me some Torchlight. I also enjoy JRPG-inspired WRPGs (Rain-Slick Precipice series, everything Zeboyd makes, etc.).
 
They're both extremely broad genres with some awesome shit and some fucking terrible shit. Xenoblade Chronicles aside, I haven't actually touched a recent JRPG in ages, but I can't really vote for WRPGs given how uninteresting they've been lately.

In conclusion, burn all videogames.
 
WRPGs are a lot better than anything else. Nothing beats choosing the gear and items my character can use in Call of Duty. The story is okay but there are many choices in Black Ops 2. It's so good. Anime characters are dumb.

Srs: Although I like WRPGs like Mass Effect, Fallout, and KotoR, I rarely find myself actually caring about a character in 'em, which is not the case in a JRPG (not all the time, of course). Then again, I haven't bothered playing many this gen JRPGs so meh. They both do have their pros and cons.

FPS > RPG.
 
So now you've started your own thread, huh?

I like how the whole purpose of the thread is about WRPG vs. JRPG, but then half of the characters you mention have nothing to do with RPG's(and three of them don't even really talk!). Not only that, the only ones you mention that actually are in real RPG's are all in Final Fantasy(except for the Crono nod, which has also been around forever).

I'm not sure why you think 95% of all Western-developed games are so bad and have unmemorable characters... I think the Western side of things is generally much better at story-telling and having more fleshed out characters(although there are obvious exceptions). Sometimes the Japanese just make things too weird.

All that being said, I couldn't pick one over the other. I love them both. You're hatred for anything developed outside of Japan just baffles me.
 
To be fair, he could be referring to Capcom's other, less profitable Ryu.

DQXOb.jpg


I mean, he totally wasn't, but he could have been.
 
[quote name='Luxuria']What are you talking about? Ken and Ryu are JRPG characters.[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah, they were in that one with Duke Nukem & Kirby, right? How could I forget.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']To be fair, he could be referring to Capcom's other, less profitable Ryu.[/QUOTE]

Dammit, where's Breath of Fire VI, anyway? It's long overdue :whistle2:(

ETA: I found the Ken!

3xQFe.png
 
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[quote name='The Crotch']To be fair, he could be referring to Capcom's other, less profitable Ryu.

DQXOb.jpg


I mean, he totally wasn't, but he could have been.[/QUOTE]

Lol, you should have kept that under wraps... Now he's going to insist that's what he meant.
 
Hmm, this is tough, especially for me as RPGs are my favorite genre of games and I'm an avid retro game fan and modern gamer. The problem is, the best JRPG's by far came out in the pre-PS2 era which IMO is still part of the retro game era. This last few years have seen far far less quality JRPGs (at least in the US) than say, the mid-nineties, with the exception of Xenoblade, which is MINDBLOWING. While WRPG's have been flourishing, with the pinnacle that is Skyrim, but also the inclusion of RPG elements into nearly every genre now (Darksiders II, Borderlands, are a few that come to mind but there are many more).

To me it seems that JRPG's future will always live in its past, it will always be a nostalgic "throwback" or a comparison to older titles, kind of like newer adventure games or 2D platformers. WRPG's future lies in creating new inventive gameplay, or making a huge open-world, or mixing itself with other genres to create a unique experience. Don't forget that strategy games such as XCOM, Fallout 1+2, Civilization are WRPG's too.

Because of this, to me this is an argument of retro (JRPG) vs. modern (WRPG). All my favorite JRPG's are old while all my favorite WRPG's are fairly recent. In the end, though I can't live without having both, I chose JRPG's because I have much more fond memories of them than WRPG's.
 
[quote name='mr.ratburn']Hmm, this is tough, especially for me as RPGs are my favorite genre of games and I'm an avid retro game fan and modern gamer. The problem is, the best JRPG's by far came out in the pre-PS2 era which IMO is still part of the retro game era. This last few years have seen far far less quality JRPGs (at least in the US) than say, the mid-nineties, with the exception of Xenoblade, which is MINDBLOWING. While WRPG's have been flourishing, with the pinnacle that is Skyrim, but also the inclusion of RPG elements into nearly every genre now (Darksiders II, Borderlands, are a few that come to mind but there are many more).

To me it seems that JRPG's future will always live in its past, it will always be a nostalgic "throwback" or a comparison to older titles, kind of like newer adventure games or 2D platformers. WRPG's future lies in creating new inventive gameplay, or making a huge open-world, or mixing itself with other genres to create a unique experience. Don't forget that strategy games such as XCOM, Fallout 1+2, Civilization are WRPG's too.

Because of this, to me this is an argument of retro (JRPG) vs. modern (WRPG). All my favorite JRPG's are old while all my favorite WRPG's are fairly recent. In the end, though I can't live without having both, I chose JRPG's because I have much more fond memories of them than WRPG's.[/QUOTE]
Burn all videogames forever.
 
[quote name='elessar123']
3.png


street-fighter-x-final-fantasy1.jpg
[/QUOTE]

[quote name='blueshinra']Dammit, where's Breath of Fire VI, anyway? It's long overdue :whistle2:(

ETA: I found the Ken!

3xQFe.png
[/QUOTE]


Ahaha, you guys are the best!

Side note: SMRPG is one of the top 3 best SNES games.
 
I enjoy them both so I choose them both. I've played just about every RPG that has come out this gen and the last couple gen's and I have only had a few I didn't enjoy out of the bunch.
 
I meant for the poll to say both not goth lmao.

And for the record I don't consider mass effect a rpg. One day ill be responsible for changing every interwebz and gaming magazines etc. to take mass effect out of the rpg genre.
 
[quote name='GhostShark']To be fair, Waffles have more character and tension than JRPGs.[/QUOTE]


You mean WRPG. So far people like waffles more then WRPG still. JRPG is the winner which was expected.
 
I think if you'd have added a "I like them both" option then that would be the one with the most votes.

I really need to stay away from this thread...
 
[quote name='Mixer236']I think if you'd have added a "I like them both" option then that would be the one with the most votes.

I really need to stay away from this thread...[/QUOTE]


This is a war. You have to choose sides. You can't fight for both sides.
 
[quote name='needler420']This is a war. You have to choose sides. You can't fight for both sides.[/QUOTE]

What are you, 12?

These are games, not political matters... I can't pick one over the other and I think lots of people are in the same boat.
 
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I chose waffles, too, because really. I personally prefer JRPGs, but I'm not going to shit on WRPGs simply because most of them aren't to my taste. Neither genre is "better" than the other.

[quote name='mr.ratburn']Hmm, this is tough, especially for me as RPGs are my favorite genre of games and I'm an avid retro game fan and modern gamer. The problem is, the best JRPG's by far came out in the pre-PS2 era which IMO is still part of the retro game era. This last few years have seen far far less quality JRPGs (at least in the US) than say, the mid-nineties, with the exception of Xenoblade, which is MINDBLOWING. While WRPG's have been flourishing, with the pinnacle that is Skyrim, but also the inclusion of RPG elements into nearly every genre now (Darksiders II, Borderlands, are a few that come to mind but there are many more).[/QUOTE]
Every time I see an argument like this, I think, God damn, this person's really missing out on the fantastic JRPGs exclusive to portable systems.
 
[quote name='blueshinra']I chose waffles, too, because really. I personally prefer JRPGs, but I'm not going to shit on WRPGs simply because most of them aren't to my taste. Neither genre is "better" than the other.


Every time I see an argument like this, I think, God damn, this person's really missing out on the fantastic JRPGs exclusive to portable systems.[/QUOTE]


You don't have to vote to shit on WRPG. Saying that was good enough lol.
 
Until recently, I liked JRPGs more. That changed after Fallout 3/Mass Effect though, and now I like both. JRPGs have been on the decline since the PS1 days but there have been a few gems (Radiant Historia, Xenoblade Chronicles, Tales of Symphonia, Shadow Hearts 1/2, etc.).

Still, if you asked me for my favorite RPGs, the list will be mostly populated with JRPGs.
 
Generally WRPG, since the combat is typically more interesting.
The story and characteres within JRPG's are the big turnoff for me, since they assume I am a 13 year old anime fan -- JRPG plots seem shallow and cliché compared to some stuff that has come out in WRPG's recently.
I also favor that most WRPG's portray your character as merely an exceptional person, not some guy that in the next cutscene will run up a 100 foot tower, triple backflip off while wielding 4 samurai swords and destroy an army of 500 guys in the blink of an eye (while you spent the last 2 hours slogging through small groups of enemies in the actual game).

In an interesting turn of events, two of my favorite games that I played this year are "western" style RPG's made by Japanese studios (Dark Souls, Dragon's Dogma). They also have almost no plot to them, but I still feel that is an improvement over your typical JRPG storyline.
 
Mass Effect and Final Fantasy are my two favorite series so... waffles. :lol:

Honestly I like different elements of both. My favorite WRPG series are Mass Effect and Dragon Age, which lean a little closer to the JRPG mold of well-defined characters and a more linear/guided experience. Final Fantasy XIII is one of my favorite games this gen. Although I had a lot of fun with Kingdoms of Amalur and right now I'm enjoying Skyrim too. So in conclusion, waffles.
 
[quote name='gnargnargnar']Generally WRPG, since the combat is typically more interesting.
The story and characteres within JRPG's are the big turnoff for me, since they assume I am a 13 year old anime fan -- JRPG plots seem shallow and cliché compared to some stuff that has come out in WRPG's recently.
I also favor that most WRPG's portray your character as merely an exceptional person, not some guy that in the next cutscene will run up a 100 foot tower, triple backflip off while wielding 4 samurai swords and destroy an army of 500 guys in the blink of an eye (while you spent the last 2 hours slogging through small groups of enemies in the actual game).

In an interesting turn of events, two of my favorite games that I played this year are "western" style RPG's made by Japanese studios (Dark Souls, Dragon's Dogma). They also have almost no plot to them, but I still feel that is an improvement over your typical JRPG storyline.[/QUOTE]

The souls games are nothing like a WRPG. A WRPG is Skryim and mass effect etc. The souls games are JRPG.

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/topic/28952948/for-those-in-denial-dark-souls-is-jrpg-not-a-wrpg

Its a JRPG just based on the fact you can see the game has Japanese culture not western.

The difference between the two genres is the culture not mechanics.

Just because a game has a turn based combat system doesn't make it a JRPG nor does just because a game have a massive open world make it a WRPG.

I barely consider mass effect a rpg. The only thing that makes that game a rpg is the fact you can role play and pick choices. It's a third person shooter.

Soon COD games will add a leveling system and let you role play with choices and you noobs will be calling COD games a FPS/hyprid rpg. Pathetic.
 
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What in all of holy horse cocks?

Is Jade Empire a Chinese RPG?
[quote name='needler420']The only thing that makes that game a rpg is the fact you can role play and pick choices.[/QUOTE]
Sweet Jesus.
 
[quote name='needler420']This is a war. You have to choose sides. You can't fight for both sides.[/QUOTE]

In that case Western RPG's win hands down. The war's been over for years now since Japanese RPG's are basically dead.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']What in all of holy horse cocks?

Is Jade Empire a Chinese RPG?

Sweet Jesus.[/QUOTE]


You can add role playing to any genre. You can add role playing mechanics to Grand turmiso that doesn't turn a racing genre into a rpg nor would I call it a hyprd. People get too literal with the term "role playing"

What happens is people take anything they read on wikipedia as the holy grail written in stone. When it's western biased.

Just because you add "role playing" to a game doesn't make it a RPG.


You can add " role playing" to puzzle games. That doesn't turn the puzzle game into a RPG.

Literally you can add choices to a tetris game and role playing mechanics. Seriously character and all. Look at the generic clones like dr. mario. At the end of the day it's still a puzzle game.

That's exactly why even in this new generation where JRPGS are lacking they are still dominating clearly from the polls. Not just on here but a general consenus.

It's new generations and the young kids that don't comprehend that along with casual players.

The West invented the RPG. The East perfected the RPG.

If skyrim had guns would it be a FPS? jUst based on the fact you can shoot guns in first person?

Just because you take mechanics from one game and put them into another doesn't change that games genre.

In first person shooters when you get to drive vehicles and sometimes even race them, does that make it a FPS/Racing hybrid?
 
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You keep saying "this isn't a WRPG" without saying what one is. And I haven't pushed on that until now because "what defines a genre" is a balls-out boring conversation, but unless you start actually defining your terms, this is going to remain Terrible Opinions: The Official Thread (alternate thread title: 4X games are basically Ultima, right?).

Also, I haven't voted in the poll. In theory, I prefer WRPGs. I'd rather play a "perfect WRPG" than a "perfect JRPG" because I prefer the conventions of one subgenre to the other. But I can't vote for WRPGs because the only major bright spots in the last five years have been Mask of the Betrayer and The Witcher 2 (maybe Alpha Protocol), and even those are both flawed as all hell.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']You keep saying "this isn't a WRPG" without saying what one is. And I haven't pushed on that until now because "what defines a genre" is a balls-out boring conversation, but unless you start actually defining your terms, this is going to remain Terrible Opinions: The Official Thread (alternate thread title: 4X games are basically Ultima, right?).

Also, I haven't voted in the poll. In theory, I prefer WRPGs. I'd rather play a "perfect WRPG" than a "perfect JRPG" because I prefer the conventions of one subgenre to the other. But I can't vote for WRPGs because the only major bright spots in the last five years have been Mask of the Betrayer and The Witcher 2 (maybe Alpha Protocol), and even those are both flawed as all hell.[/QUOTE]


uhh i named a few WRPGS and even stated what defines them besides game mechanics which is culture. Some more WRPG to name is star wars knight of the old republic, Jade Empire, Dragon age, Fable, Baldurs gate.

Go and ask the developers of Skyrim is their game a WRPG or JRPG. Then Go ask the developers of dark souls is their game a WRPG or JRPG.

I bet I know their answers. Which I do because I already looked it up before hand.

Typically the genre is based on where the rpg originated from as that's where the game will have its culltural differences. More so then the mechanics of the games. Though Mechaincs still play a part as each culture favors different ones. Hence why people think just because it has a turn based combat system that it has to be JRPG which isn't the case.

Baldurs gate is actually one of my favorite WRPG and I consider the quality on par with JRPGs.

Also to get accurate data you should vote. For people that say it's not fair then pick I like waffles. That basically means you like both genres equally.

I already know what the polls will look like but I want people who other wise wouldn't. Most know. It's obvious that I have a bias against western games. I don't have to admit it, it's clear as night and day. My goal is to know your guys bias with my poll.
 
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This thread's been dodging telephone polls from the beginning, man.[quote name='needler420']uhh i named a few WRPGS and even stated what defines them besides game mechanics which is culture. Some more WRPG to name is star wars knight of the old republic, Jade Empire, Dragon age, Fable, Baldurs gate.[/QUOTE]
A silly assertion with absolutely no backing. Why is "culture" suddenly the core of the game rather than the everything else that's more important that makes up the game? What of the many JRPGs set in Europe and based on European history? Is Jade Empire a Chinese RPG?

Anyway, you still haven't really answered my question. You've said what differentiates a JRPG from a WRPG, and it was a silly answer, butfuckwhatever. But you still haven't said what one actually is. And no, I don't mean "an example of a WRPG". What one is.
[quote name='needler420']Also to get accurate data you should vote.[/QUOTE]
And yet somehow, I will continue to survive.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']This thread's been dodging telephone polls from the beginning, man.
A silly assertion with absolutely no backing. What of the many JRPGs set in Europe and based on European history? Is Jade Empire a Chinese RPG?

And yet somehow, I will continue to survive.[/QUOTE]


Jade Empire is a WRPG developed by the west with Chinese culture implemented into the game.

It's in no way shape or form A chinese RPG. It's biased from a western developer. It's what the west perceives of the east.

If the Chinese developed the game then there would be no bias. It would be them perceiving themselves. Which if that was the case we'd have a new genre called CRPG. Chinese Role playing game.

Go on a hardcore gaming site like gamefaqs or gamespot etc. ask them what genre of RPG is Jade empire. You'll get the same answer I'm telling you.
 
[quote name='needler420']That's exactly why even in this new generation where JRPGS are lacking they are still dominating clearly from the polls. Not just on here but a general consenus.[/QUOTE]

That's great, a few more people have voted for JRPGs than WRPGs in this thread... Which proves nothing. You assume JRPGs are the best and have also assumed that most other people would agree with you, but sales numbers don't back that up. How do you explain that WRPGs generally sell better than JRPGs if your everyday JRPG is so much better than it's Western counterpart?

The (well, YOUR)idea that all WRPGs are similar, look the same, and aren't all that original can be said for most JRPGs as well. Most of the characters are at least anime-inspired, exist in a brightly colored world filled with many unbelievable aspects, dress like they would belong in a circus troupe from 2099, and are so convoluted(just for the sake of being convoluted) that it can be hard at times to even give a crap about their existence.

They both have pros & cons, and the cliches are more than overplayed in your precious JRPGs as they are in WRPGs.
 
[quote name='needler420']Go on a hardcore gaming site like gamefaqs or gamespot etc.[/QUOTE]
I love everything about this thread god damn yes.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']I love everything about this thread god damn yes.[/QUOTE]

I should leave and not come back, but I just can't help it with this guy... lol
 
[quote name='Mixer236']That's great, a few more people have voted for JRPGs than WRPGs in this thread... Which proves nothing. You assume JRPGs are the best and have also assumed that most other people would agree with you, but sales numbers don't back that up. How do you explain that WRPGs generally sell better than JRPGs if your everyday JRPG is so much better than it's Western counterpart?

The (well, YOUR)idea that all WRPGs are similar, look the same, and aren't all that original can be said for most JRPGs as well. Most of the characters are at least anime-inspired, exist in a brightly colored world filled with many unbelievable aspects, dress like they would belong in a circus troupe from 2099, and are so convoluted(just for the sake of being convoluted) that it can be hard at times to even give a crap about their existence.

They both have pros & cons, and the cliches are more than overplayed in your precious JRPGs as they are in WRPGs.[/QUOTE]

I'm not arguring the sales of either genre. I would think sales would be higher with WRPG as it's catered to western consumers and vise verca.

Also look at my gamefaqs poll in the 1st post. You'll see a major difference.

That's like asking why is COD sales so high in the west and so low in the east. I consider that common sense. The developers cater to what is going to sell.

Typically from what I see specially dealing with rpgs which every one knows are time consuming games, is that the so called "hardcore players lean toward Japense games in general not just rpgs. And the casuals make up the market for western developed games.

Bascially the people who buy the same sports game every year with a new roster or a new COD game with new guns. Which most everyone knows.

I don't mean to knock these people I myself play COD games a lot. Though I hate sports games. I'm just stating what I see in video games.
 
[quote name='Mixer236']I should leave and not come back, but I just can't help it with this guy... lol[/QUOTE]
Don't fight it, man. It's like lurking on Free Republic the day after the election. God put trainwrecks on this Earth for us to watch.

If I didn't know better, I'd say this was an alt-account of JSP trolling us. But it isn't. And I fucking love it for that.
 
For those of you in denial who think gamefaqs or gamespot are small time gaming sites or whatever ill show you something.

I mean lets be real here. Tell me bigger gaming websites then gamefaqs or gamespot? You don't have much. IGN?

Like I said unless your in denial then you know what's up.

Any way to continue. On gamefaqs.

227 votes picked WRPG
752 votes picked JRPG
386 votes like waffles
45 votes think both genres suck.

Go ahead and keep calling me a troll though. Like my poll on gamefaqs and gamespot and even other big time gaming sites mean nothing.
 
[quote name='needler420']I'm not arguring the sales of either genre. I would think sales would be higher with WRPG as it's catered to western consumers and vise verca.

Also look at my gamefaqs poll in the 1st post. You'll see a major difference.

That's like asking why is COD sales so high in the west and so low in the east. I consider that common sense. The developers cater to what is going to sell.

Typically from what I see specially dealing with rpgs which every one knows are time consuming games, is that the so called "hardcore players lean toward Japense games in general not just rpgs. And the casuals make up the market for western developed games.

Bascially the people who buy the same sports game every year with a new roster or a new COD game with new guns. Which most everyone knows.

I don't mean to know these people I myself play COD games a lot. Though I hate sports games. I'm just stating what I see in video games.[/QUOTE]

So, you state in your post that hardcore gamers mostly play Japanese titles, and casuals play Wester-developed games such as CoD... After which you back pedal and state that you play CoD a lot. Classic, guy.

You're still avoiding the matter at hand which is, as a whole, Western games ARE more popular. They aren't always better, but as a whole here lately they have been. Capcom has been slacking outside of fighting games(I don't anyone would refute that), Squeenix is nowhere even close to what it used to be, and with age games developed on this side of the globe have only improved.

Also, in my own experience, most hardcore gamers play everything.
 
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