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N. American vs European vs Asian/Japanese RPGs
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Motoki
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**warning long post **

What do you think of N. American RPGs vs European RPGs vs Japanese RPGs

*edited because apparently the original was "long and boring" and someone felt compelled to tell me this in spite of the warning at the top there*

[ This Message was edited by: Motoki on 2002-04-11 06:19 ]
Post Mon Apr 01, 2002 1:48 am
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Val
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Zzzzzzzz...*snort*...Huh, oh... um... I agree. Oh wait, what was the question?

I like most of the RPGs I've played. Although I've always had a preferance for the isometric top-down view, like in BG2, Ultima, Torment and Fallout. I really don't play many 3D games. The only 3D ones I have are Ultima 9: Ascension, Blade of Darkness, Alice, Gothic, Wizardry 8, and my bro got me Unreal for Christmas. As of right now I've only completed Gothic, Wizardry 8, and Alice. People think the control scheme was bad in Gothic? Ascension had me pulling my hair out in frustration. FTPs aren't really my thing. And one day I do plan to finish BoD.
But overall, I find 3D kind of irritating. Although Gothic has softened my heart towards it. So many be I'll try some others like Morrowind when it comes.
And I'll agree that I didn't like the way women were treated in Gothic. I was hoping the hero could rescue them and have them for party members or that they would have some type of role in game other than being slaves the entire time. But no such luck. Oh well, there's always Gothic 2...

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Post Mon Apr 01, 2002 4:11 am
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Jaz
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Asian RPGs are a bit too... corny for my taste (those slapstick scenes, anybody?) while most American RPGs (I said most!) are a bit too superhero-like for me. But what do you expect a dark, gritty, (fe)male Euro to say ?

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Post Mon Apr 01, 2002 6:42 am
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Joey Nipps
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But Jaz, you don't look dark in your photo here !

But seriously, I am American and find that I also enjoy most with the exception of Japanese. I truly love the dark look of Gothic - but (for me) the general play of the game was most important.

As Motoki said - it takes all kinds (well, at least there ARE all kinds ). It would be a dull place indeed if we all liked precisely the same things.

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Post Mon Apr 01, 2002 12:30 pm
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Motoki
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Val, I liked Alice too, which is strange because I don't general like those FPS games at all, but I guess because it was so different. The story and atmosphere kind of drew me in, though the jumping kind of gave me bad flashbacks of Ultima 8.

Ultima 9 was a letdown. It was part Tomb Raider, part Zelda, and very little Ultima, imo.

Oh and I agree the Japanese RPGs can get a little corny at times. I guess it's just different tastes. Also I think they need an infusion of something a little more different and innovative since a lot of their games have, imo, been stuck in a rut for so long and all sort of just copy off of one particular style.

As for American games being a bit superhero-ish, I guess they can be. And now with Freedom Force and City of Heros you can just out and out play a superhero. I wasn't impressed with the Freedom Force demo much though. I didn't like the way the combat worked, it felt almost like a simulation game. As for me, well when I played Ultima online I always preferred to play a tailor or fisher or merchant to any hero types, but maybe I'm just a weirdo.

-MO

[ This Message was edited by: Motoki on 2002-04-01 07:16 ]
Post Mon Apr 01, 2002 1:10 pm
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Gig
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I love 3D, it so adds to the immersion factor for me. As far as a preference goes, I wouldn't know the difference. I do know that I don't care for the ones that look like dopey cartoons. You know, like Oni, they just seem silly to me.

Gothic may have turned you off but it had just the opposite effect on me. It turned me on to the CRPG genre of games.

The women in Gothic just seem unfinished to me. It feels like the hero was supposed to rescue them or something. You can't interact with them or play a female character, it doesn't feel like a slight to me, just incomplete.

Just on a sidenote, I find it interesting that you didn't like Gothic but you did like wizardry 8. On the other hand, I loved Gothic and can't imagine a bigger waste of developers time than Wizardry.
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[ This Message was edited by: Gig on 2002-04-02 11:56 ]
Post Tue Apr 02, 2002 5:51 pm
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The Hulk
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I prefer pc rpg's that have complexity and let you have lots of choices, like the Elder Scrolls series(Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind). I don't like games where as you said, it just seems like you're along for the ride and can't really make many decisions of your own. I also don't like watered down or simplistic rpg's. I still say one of my all-time favorites is the cd version of Betrayal at Krondor. I wish more Fantasy authors would make pc rpg's based on their fantasy novels, the way Raymond E. Fesit did.

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Post Tue Apr 02, 2002 7:24 pm
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Baalcipher
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Japanese RPG's are mostly based on European mythology. Notice?

They then add 2000 colors, a few pagodas, and a samurai sword that has properties of Excalibur.

Nevertheless, they put out more RPGs than anyone else on the the planet, so theres room for more errors.
As for this "dark" RPG:
Gothic is like a German car; long-lasting, luxurious, and high quality. The parts are more expensive too.
Post Tue Apr 02, 2002 8:00 pm
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Motoki
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Gig: Why did I like Wizardy? Well, one of my favorite things was the variety of characters you could pick and the different personalities and voices and how they would comment on different things and sometimes say really funny or surprising things. I especially liked my ranger, a white female Felpurr with the "You lookin' at MEEEEE!!!???" voice. Also I liked the full voice. I have to say, after Wizardy 8 kind of spoiled me on that and now when I go back and play other games I'm like "It doesn't have full voice?" *sigh* But if the game's good I get used to it.

Also, jiggle factor of Vi and He'li aside, I thought the women came off pretty well in Wiz 8. Plus I just liked the variety, lots of different characters, races, classes etc. and you could pretty much go where you want and do what the heck you want for the most part.

As for the Japanese, true, they are kind of the Baliwood of RPGs, churning out more than anyone else. Trouble is, they all seem to copy off of each other and aren't very original. I'd prefer quality over quantity. Of course I say this now when a gazillion really good RPGs have either recently come out or will be doing so soon. Ask me again when there's a dry spell and I am going through serious withdrawl and my answer might be different.

-MO
Post Tue Apr 02, 2002 11:55 pm
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Gig
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Mo, just for the record, I wasn't judging your prefs. I was more or less just commenting on the irony, you know, the I say tomato, you say tahmahto thing.

It even comes up again in your last post when you mention that Wizardry "spoiled" you in certain ways. Again, if I had played Wizardry first instead of Gothic, I would have come away feeling like CRPG was just another genre I couldn't stand. I'm that way about RTS games, I find absolutely nothing enjoyable about them. They almost seem like homework more than entertainment.

Anyway, I didn't ask why, I totally respect your choices. You certainly don't need to justify your point of view to me. I just thought the difference between us was kinda fun, so I brought it up.

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Post Wed Apr 03, 2002 4:15 am
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ShadowMage
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The Final Fantasy series has always provided hours of entertainment - with the exception of FFVII.

The Japanese stile RPG's are what I find most fascinating and fun. They may be a tad to linear, but the playing the games themselves are like being the lead actor in a movie. Also, the rich personalities and deep stories are what keep me going down to the shop and by the newest in the line.

Also games like BG, Torment and such really deprive me of sleep.

Games as Wizardry don't really appeal to much that much. Maybe I just haven't really taken the time to study them enough, but I don't find them interesting enough to play through them.
Though I have played M&M VI – VIII, but frustrations and disappointment stopped me from completing the last. I think I just got tired of flying around and shooting down dragons when lasers (if they also exits in the new game – I’m gonna cry).

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Post Wed Apr 03, 2002 7:18 am
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Motoki
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Gig: Don't worry, no harm done, I wasn't offended, it just made me think 'hmm, why do I like Wizardry?' because I had never really stopped to think about it before, so it was as much for me as for you. And as you said, tamato/tamato(h).

-MO
Post Wed Apr 03, 2002 12:17 pm
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Bigpapa
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So far there have been only few rpg games that have addicted me badly, Outcast, Blade of darkness, Gothic, Diablo and HOMM series(eh, fantasy stradergy, but had to mention it ).
And i don't give a *hit where they made them, only if i find it being suitable game for me, is that matters most. Oh yes, it's just my opinion

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Post Thu Apr 04, 2002 7:28 pm
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Devil in Disquise
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I did not like Final Fantasy vii and first, it was too cartoony; but then I found myself always going back and playing it. I liked the horse races; also like the place where you went down a ski slope really fast.

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Post Fri Apr 05, 2002 4:28 pm
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Shrapnel
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that initial post was way too long, I only read the 1st 60=65 pages then got bored.
Anyway, american rpgs are too candy coated
Japanese rpgs are too abstract, they always go off on idealistic tangents and weird (VERY) weird philosophies...maybe its just the translation that goes awry.
When I think of RPGs, the first thing that comes to mind is Gothic, then Ultima IX...these are fully immersive games to me that blend reality and fantasy into something that can keep the interest of an adult without trying to use weird plots or bright colors that try to 'wow' you. I would say Im the total opposite. After playing RPGs for so long, I look for that gritty realism in my game, something I can look at and it makes me feel like it was based on reality...
Chocobos dont do it for me
16yr old spiky headed kids saving the world dont do it for me either
Post Tue Apr 09, 2002 1:17 pm
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