Google+

Western RPGs vs Japanese RPGs - Great Debate

Which role-playing genre will reign supreme?

Words: on September 20, 2012
Back to Article

104 comments

  • RonnyLive19881 - September 21, 2012 1:24 p.m.

    WRPG's are slightly polished trash imo. I have yet to play all the way through one(besides Mass Effect's 1&2, I'm saving 3 for the Wii U) but own many Lol It is painfully clear Hollander hasn't played any recent JRPG's, he'd of never made the comment of them having bad music if he had played Xenoblade, The Last Story, Lost Odyssey, Dragon Quest IX, Tales of Vesperia or Eternal Sonata. Saying you like western RPG's these days are like saying you perfer shooters or button mashers like God of War over RPG's... True JRPS's from this generation(though NOT all of them) seem to be ditching the open world set up and it would be kind of neat to see a Mass Effect level of character and story(although that is part of the reason it is HARD for me to get through those games) but in the end JRPG's still end up having better characters and stories so it's not like we are missing anything.

  • zombi3grim - September 21, 2012 9:06 p.m.

    "I have yet to play all the way through one(besides Mass Effect's 1&2, I'm saving 3 for the Wii U) but own many Lol" Do I....do I really have to say something about this sentence? Can I just let it speak for itself?

  • IamTheBalance - September 21, 2012 9:47 p.m.

    Yea Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U? More like Pee U. amirite?

  • RonnyLive19881 - September 22, 2012 9:36 a.m.

    It'll be the best version and it's on a console I am looking forward to so I waited. Now if your saying I only think this because I have only finished the Mass Effects... you do realize Kingdoms of Alumar, Dragons Dogma, Witcher, Dark and Demon Souls, Fable and Skyrim are pretty much all riffing off of each other right? Same tone, setting, mission/quest structure, types of spells, hoarding... Unlike the JRPG's that share similarities they are all boring and feel to same-y... all of these "WRPG's" feel of the same developer or series. JRPG's you don't get this unless the games are of the same series and even in that case most of them are widely different from title to title. I'd compare WRPG's to the Dragon Quest series... DQ is the clear winner in the comparison BUT what they share in common is YOU KNOW when you are playing a game of the series just from a glance or even a clip of a sound clip, same could be said with a bunch of WRPG's you see/play one you've basically played them all, they just don't have the charm of bringing you back for the next one and most people that do enjoy them have OCD and a LOT of time on their hands. That's the way i see it at least Lol

  • zombi3grim - September 22, 2012 11 a.m.

    STILL not what I'm talking about. My god, you're a fucking idiot....

  • RonnyLive19881 - September 22, 2012 9:54 p.m.

    Be rude if you want, not helping the conversation at all. Try explaining? Ugh. Hating on me for loving Nintendo is pretty stupid if that is what it is. best video game company in the world...

  • RonnyLive19881 - September 22, 2012 9:57 p.m.

    Oh, is it that I own a bunch of games I haven't beaten? They are boring but they do add to the collection Lol

  • zombi3grim - September 23, 2012 6:36 a.m.

    "I own a bunch of games....." "They are boring" Way to add to the human race.

  • RonnyLive19881 - September 23, 2012 11:15 a.m.

    So I should just sell them? At an unfair price? How is that smart? I buy them to give them a chance... not to just let them collect dust although some end up doing that because of their boringness. I don't buy them thinking, this game is going to be a real turd... I buy them hoping they will be great. I can't help that I end up not liking them.

  • cwdd47 - September 21, 2012 10:27 a.m.

    I just can't enjoy turn based gameplay. In fact, I ignorantly stayed away from any game that was considered an rpg simply because I assumed all rpgs were turn based combat. I with I had known better, I missed out on some classics.

  • tyler_14_420 - September 21, 2012 1:13 p.m.

    Have you ever tried Paper Mario? It's a great example of a very approachable turn-based game. I'm someone who's had trouble getting into the Final Fantasy games, but Paper Mario absolutely drew me in, and I love the game to the core. The Thousand Year Door is an excellent sequel as well. If you haven't, give it a try.

  • winner2 - September 21, 2012 5:27 p.m.

    I second the Paper Mario recommendation, it's a great game. Especially if you can play the original (although thousand year door is obviously more accessible).

  • Sjoeki - September 21, 2012 10:12 a.m.

    JRPG's are much better in the fantasy department, WRPG's are more serious, in my eyes. And depending on the mood I'm in I prefer the one over the other.

  • MetroidPrimeRib - September 21, 2012 9:51 a.m.

    There have been far more excellent JRPG's then WRPG's this gen, why is this even a question. Also using Mass Effect as an example for Choice Driven Narrative? Lol. You act like Mass Effect invented (and did best) choice.

  • asspills - September 21, 2012 2:46 p.m.

    JRPG is an ancient Genre, i wouldn't put quantity as a main bulletpoint. Its also important to note that sheer amount of shovelware that exists. It's daunting, really. For every great JRPG (not trying to knock the good ones here) theres hundreds upon hundreds of duds. Plus, I would argue that a list of the best RPGs ever would contain alot of WRPGs in the top 5. KOTOR shouldn't slip memory, and Deus Ex is hard to push aside. System Shock and Jade Empire, the Elder Scrolls games, and alot of great action RPGs on current gen. But, even more than that, I would argue that WRPG and JRPG are two different genres.

  • BladedFalcon - September 21, 2012 4:10 p.m.

    I'm curious... care to share what are the supposed "excellent" JRPGs that have come out this generation? So far, I can only think of The World Ends With You as a truly excellent one, I enjoyed Tales of Vesperia a lot too, but i'd be hesitant to call it "excellent". Unless of course, you included Demon/Dark Souls into the equation, but again, I'd barely consider those RPGs.

  • zombi3grim - September 21, 2012 9:09 p.m.

    Look at you! Shoving your opinion off as fact! You're SO COOOOOL! I mean, how can anyone argue with this? I mean its not like "excellent" isnt a subjective term that means different things to different people or anything.... My god, how do you keep doing it! Fucking AMAZING! So smart, yet coming off as a pretentious dick every time you post something! Wow!

  • avantguardian - September 23, 2012 midnight

    It truly is a gift!

  • MetroidPrimeRib - November 12, 2012 11:24 a.m.

    The World Ends With You Demon's Souls Dark Souls Lost Odyssey Shin Megami Tensai: Strange Journey Shin Megami Tensai: Devil Survivor 1 and 2 Persona 4 Valkyria Chronicles (RIP) The Last Story Xenoblade Chronicles Nier Bowser's Inside Story Radiant Historia Tales of Vesparia Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together The Dragon Quests remakes (don't count as this generation, but notable) The Final Fantasy remakes (also don't count, but also notable) Compared to WRPGS amazing games this gen: Mass Effect 1 The Witcher 2 Dragon Age: Origins Deus Ex: Human Revolution Now you can say "THERE WERE MORE JRPGS THIS GEN!" And there were, but there were also a lot of SHIT JRPGS. Like- Hyperdimension Neptunia 1 and 2 Resonance of Fate Star Ocean IV (Absolutely Terrible) Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Final Fantasy XII (This hurts the most, XII-2 is almost terrible) Eternal Sonata Enchanted Arms Cross Edge But you know, the Japanese are willing to try and that counts for something. Western Devs will only make a game that is AAA and will sell 5 million copies - and that's why there are pretty much no WRPG's.

  • ObliqueZombie - September 21, 2012 9:15 a.m.

    I voted for WRPG, ONLY BECAUSE I haven't played enough JRPGs. For one, I'm not partial to the combat (not because I'm dumb--though I could be) being unbalanced during beginning Boss Fights. Now, any of the Tales games, well... that's an exception. As far as story goes, I am a little more partial to a great narrative rather than a malleable one. I'd rather finish on a strong, resounding end than an open basket left for interpretation--though those can be good, too. Choosing my story only makes me stress about not messing up, and usually ends up with my reloading a save to do so. I'd rather see my character fail on his own, making both him and I think we were doing good, than try and choose a "lesser of two evils" grey area. But again, both are great. In the end, I like and love both, though I have more access to WRPGs in terms of time and money. Great points, Henry and Cooper, I enjoyed this debate very much.

  • Tulkastaldo - September 21, 2012 8:58 a.m.

    I played all the way through FFXIII after not playing a single JRPG since Shining Force II. It occurs to me now that the cultural differences have lead Japan and the west to actually look at the words "Role Playing Game" and interpret them differently. It's actually a question of semantics. When the Japanese first played D&D in the 70's-80's, it seems like they latched onto the character and equipment progression, same as westerners. But the real difference came in their idea of playing a role. I know the real divergence came well after tabletop RPG's, but in broad generalization JRPGS are more about characters playing a useful role in a group and a story arc, WRPG's more about your single character representing you as an individual and becoming unique god hero unto him/herself in as many ways as you see fit. I feel both viewpoints can and should learn from each other.

  • someonetgsn - September 21, 2012 1:57 p.m.

    I like your comment, but I feel as if I should add something. JRPGs and WRPGs are both different sub-genres of the same thing. To compare them is like comparing two different kinds of Metal music. To say one is better than the other is simply a way of providing a platform for fanboys of both to squallbble over nothing. Both provide the gamer with a different experience. I play Skyrim and Mass Effect to immerse myself in a fictional world where I can "role-play" as an epic character in a deep world, where my choices have an impact in said world etc. I play FFX, FFXIII/XII-2, so I can immerse myself in a grand story, where I feel as if I am a part of the struggle. I could go on about the pros and cons about each game, and what they contribute to the genre, but I know that there is a finite amount of time that anyone will spend reading comments. TL;DR (for you newbies xD) In conclusion,"apples and oranges" I don't know which is the apple and which is the orange, all I do know, is that they are both tasty.

  • NullG7 - September 21, 2012 8:50 a.m.

    I honestly cant vote on this. I mean I prefer the western stuff but I have to concede that both sides of the argument have valid pros and cons . I think that the real problem is that the developers from either side of the isle rarely take inspiration from the other side anymore.

  • mayday991 - September 21, 2012 7:26 a.m.

    I love Henry! Most of coopers arguements had me wondering if he has ever played a jrpg. Also final fantasy 13 plays like an mmo? What mmo has he been playing.

Showing 41-60 of 104 comments

Join the Discussion
Add a comment
(HTML tags are not allowed.)
Characters remaining: 5000

Connect with GamesRadar


Featured Guides

Connect with Facebook

Log in using Facebook to share comments, games, status update and other activity easily with your Facebook feed.