"The most exciting RPG games you've ever played"-thread

[Froge]

I honestly think JRPGs are really really bad. Mainly because they most of the time (with a very VERY few exceptions) are streamlined, linear, one-button mashing fests that take you an average of 50 hours to complete, which is astoundingly long and dragged out for a game of such nature, I haven't played one whole JRPG (except FF2, mainly because of the character development) because they are tedious and the storytelling is more complex than the story itself really is, which is typical for Japanese narration as far as I'm concerned, and I'm not a huge fan of it.

I feel the game is patronizing me when it explains every single detail about things that I can perfectly comprehend on my own without a stupid narrator to tell me that the guy on the screen used his fist to physically hurt another guy by moving it in a fashion that involves speed and force (damn it's getting onto me) to inflict damage to the said guys torso.

Oh and not to mention the grindfest, don't get me started on that, JRPGs involve more grinding than any MMO combined twice, and that's not all, in JRPGs you MUST grind to progress, in MMOs, at least you can progress in a steady pace and only to get the little extra (like better stuff for your guy), you must grind, but not to actually progress in the game storyline, see where I'm going with this?

I could go on about how much I despise JRPGs but I think I've ranted enough for tonight lol xD

You are probably looking at the wrong games. The only "streamlined, linear, one-button mashing fests" JRPG I've played was Final Fantasy XIII, which even the majority of the FF fanbase said was shit (with the exceptions of SE diehards). Better JRPGs, such as the Chrono Trigger / Cross games or earlier FFs require a significant amount of strategy and provide many options for customization, and they most certainly do not require 50 hours of gameplay to complete. I also don't find lengthy storytelling to be a problem if the plot has depth and the characters are relatable and well developed. The best example I can think of is FFVI, which was an absolute astounding game when it came to amazing characters and story.


Patronizing the player is a thing with current gen JRPGs. That's why I say modern JRPGs have become terrible.

I've also never, ever had to grind in JRPGs before except for the very old games made in the late 1980's. I have no idea why you think that JRPGs require a ton of grinding. In fact, most current gen JRPGs are almost pathetically easy. The one notable exception I can think of is Eternal Sonata, which had very difficult bosses. Good JRPGs usually provide lots of creative and innovative ways to defeat bosses if they are particularly difficult, and I have no problem with a game making you think, since, well, that's an incentive to keep playing.

That said, I also enjoy many western RPGs, particularly the Heroes of Might and Magic series. HOMMIV was my favourite because it had fantastic campaigns and extremely deep stories, but I also liked HOMMIII for its challenge since some of its campaigns were harshly difficult. I haven't played many MMO RPGs, though.

The one problem I have with lots of western RPGs is that they very frequently incorporate themes, mythologies, settings, characters, and plot models from the very overused Tolkien and D&D. I'm talking about elves, dwarves, dragons, knights, castles, wizards, etc. JRPGs, being from the other side of the world, usually incorporate new and interesting cultural takes on the fantasy setting. Yes, many JRPGs do also have knights and wizards and dragons and the like, but the good games like Chrono Trigger or FFVI invent their own mythologies and create fascinating worlds for the player to explore. Then there are JRPGs like Eternal Sonata with worlds that are so over-the-top ridiculous yet still entertaining to play because you've just never seen such ideas before. I enjoy this type of innovation. It's just that JRPGs have indeed gone to shit lately, especially Square Enix, because of how greatly they patronize the player and are unable to keep my attention with a well developed plot and characters.

If you want to play some good JRPGs, I highly recommend FFVI, which I would consider to be an objectively good game. I have not met a single person IRL who dislikes it.