Western RPGs vs Japanese RPGs - Great Debate

You know, I have an unhealthy love for RPGS, from both sides of the world. I've always considered story to be one of the most important components of any game, only behind gameplay. That's one of the reasons I love Mass effect, because it focuses on characters and story as much as it does choice. Yet, it's also the reason I prefer Japanese ones. The more I know about a character, the more I care about the game. Sheena Fujibayashi and Naoto Shirogane are some of my favorite characters of all time and that reflects in my love of their respective games, and yes I love Tali too. And truthfully, I never found Kingdom Hearts all that confusing. Just me. On the subject of music, my ipod is stacked with Persona, Ys, Ar Tonelico, Final Fantasy, Kingdom hearts, et cetera. I really do love them.

I'm giving my vote to Cooper. Role-Play is much deeper in western RPGs. It is the difference between Theater and LARPing. You play a role in both, but the difference is in one you stick to a script, and the other you create your own character. The JRPG's I've played, you are always stuck to the path of the character you are playing. Playing Mass Effect or Fallout 3, there are times I remember where making a decision was extremely where the "right" decision seemed to be against my morally right decision, or where I made a bad decision, but because the emotion of the moment got to me. That is role-playing.

1-1-0 vs 0-1-0 ? How does this work exactly?

I assume they tally up the comments for the 2 debaters.

No, I believe it's based on debates each editor has taken part in and who won each one. So I've only taken part in the Mario vs Sonic one so far, which I won, so it would be 1-0-0 for me.

Dumbed-down MMO's? So Xenoblade plays like an RPG meant to be played by humans, as opposed to machines. As repetitive as standard encounters are in Xenoblade, MMO combat is simply impenetrable to anybody who doesn't have/ want to have a calculator and spreadsheets from the internet constantly on hand, so I don't really see a problem with that. Does it always seem to be a problem with the big projects on 360/ PS3? Tons of cg and impossibly immaculate hair, flashy combat, questionable writing. While Persona 3 and 4 (and most SMT games recently) are consistently acclaimed, both of those came out on PS2 when just about everybody else was developing for PS3. Radiant Historia is just a DS game, and one that came out as people were saying the DS was at the end of its life, and it's one of the most smartly-written games I've played. Why are the projects using older technology better-received and you might say, better written than their big-budget counterparts? I think Skyrim is a pretty damn good game, but as an RPG, it definitely has problems. Storyline is boring and has no reason for you to be invested. Combat is straightforward and often just plain shallow. Elder Scrolls was always about character-building as opposed to the actual fighting. I would put it on a "best games" list if I had to make one, but not a "best RPG's" list. It's a good game that happens to be an RPG, but doesn't really feel like an excellent RPG. As for Mass Effect 3, the story does give you a reason to be invested, but drops the ball all over the place with the writing. Really inconsistent quality, especially with completely uncontrollable moments that turn Shepard into a big softy regardless of how you tried to play your character. The combat takes another genre and drops it into RPG trappings, and while I think the series did it pretty damn well, I can't really say they "created" a compelling RPG battle system. I guess they "assembled" it. I don't want to hail The Witcher 2 as the pinnacle of RPGNess, since that's already been done. But it does go with tougher issues than most other games. One of the problems with JRPG's is that they seem to be so afraid of realistic and adult themes. It feels like villains always fall into "pure evil" or "good intentions, extreme, convoluted method" and it feels pretty contrived. They also seem absolutely terrified of anything other than "pure," sterile romance between two beautiful people.

you sir, is the voice of reason.

It is hard, and with all due respect to both sides, they did awesomely and had their trips, they both bring different things on the side of the table, it's like comparing comics to Manga, both are 2 different substance of a theme that take it to different experiments and results. If I had to be forced to choose, it'll be JRPG, only because it takes certain games to outstanding deep meanings through it(Mario Rpg's for example) and are built from the ground up as rpg's while most WRPGS's are simple approaches with a slapped choices and exp systems then call themselves rpg's, of course there ARE Fantastic WRPG.a that really shined and were built from the ground up, and I have appreciation for many. Really and truly honestly, these 2 are really fantastic in their own works.

I haven't played any JRPGs for a while, or many Japanese games for that matter, but as far as what should really be classified as RPGs they are the best. Amalur was an action game really, Elder Scrolls and Mass Effect are pretty much, too, the only reason they get called RPGs is because you play a character who talks to other characters. Which the JRPGs focus on better, giving you their story, and using a set type of battle. Once you get very far into the action direction I don't think you can still call it an RPG. Western "RPGs" are great, action-packed fun, but JRPGs earn the tile of RPG best.

Hmmm... I think that this is so far the toughest debate for me to pick a side on... I mean, I honestly find I greatly enjoy both types of RPGS, and both bring different, and cool stuff to the table. Now... I think that JRPGS as of late (And in this generation overall) have been in kind of a decline. I really didn't like FFXIII and I really doubt FFXIII-2 would change my mind, and honestly, in this generation I think the only JRPG I've really enjoyed is Tales of Vesperia (Also, some people might consider Demon/Dark Souls to be an RPG, but i honestly wouldn't, they feel far more like action games than RPGs, honestly, same with Dragon's Dogma.). In comparison, I had a blast with the Mass Effect Series, and I enjoy my time with the Elder Scroll games. THAT being said... I think my vote ultimately goes for JRPGs still, because even though they haven't been in the best shape lately, I still overall like them more than WRPGs when you take into account older games. Every single Mario RPG is fantastic, and FFVI remains my favorite RPG of all time, while Tales of Symphonia, Final fantasy X, Dragon Quest VIII have also left a big impact on me. That, and ultimately, I think RPGs stand out the most for their narrative and characters, and while both genres have done great AND badly in this regard, i find that more often than not, JRPGs tend to be the ones that remain ingrained in my brain the most. (that, and I honestly prefer a more focused, linear narrative over the artificial choices WRPGs give you.)

I can't imagine only having one or the other. Having both western and eastern RPG's really allows us to take what we love from one, and, when tired of the flaws, switch over to the other side for a while. I feel that other rpgs deserve a mention though. Look what Korea and China have been bringing to the MMORPG genre. They might be heavily inspired by Japanese entrepreneurship, but some of their games really do try to innovate, sometimes by drawing upon concepts we consider "western." One thing I do have to say about linearity or openness of story lines: I love JRPGs for their linearity. Sometimes, I don't want to be the main character, and I want to engage in a story the way I would for a book or a film. I don't flip out when a book doesn't let me decide how the plot progresses. Linearity allows for a tighter, focused narrative, and that can include thoughtful and engaging character development. Having a world map and side quests is really just an effective way to disguise this linearity. Western RPGs and MMOs give me more chances to power trip, make my own character, and mold the world/universe to my liking... or otherwise beat the crap out of it. What's not to love about either of these approaches? RPGs will always be my favorite genre. The more flavors it comes in, the better. Currently, I'm working through the PSone era of JRPGs... it's been awesome! Next on my list is Suikoden 2... what I've played so far of it marks it as one of the best JRPG's I've ever experienced. On the Western front, I've been waiting for that enhanced edition of Baldur's Gate to drop... always wanted to get into that series... especially since the future of Bioware seems to have darkened over the past few years.

I'm inclined to the WRPG since there is more variety in basic gameplay and conventions. While I do like JRPGs to, I can't bring myself to play any where near as many since in some cases it's "played one, you've played them all" type situations. For example with the biggest of their genre there are more differences between Mass Effect and The Elder Scrolls than Final Fantasy and Persona (and yes I know there are differences with those to). But then again as others have said, to each their own. The funny thing is, the best Japnese-made RPG I've played recently, Dark Souls, seems be something of a Japanese-WRPG... confusing really haha!

Different strokes for different folks. There, I win. Also, the term RPG has been reduced to meaning your character - whether predefined or customized - simply levels up. Most RPGs have you experiencing a role more than you are "playing" it.

While I do enjoy some WRPG's, JRPG's are still my fave. They've always been more memorable experiences, with moments that almost always trump Western counterparts. I can't say that I really have any fond memories from Mass Effect or Dragon Age, even if they are great series, but I can say that I still remember moments from Phantasy Star 4 or Final Fantasy X that still are fondly remembered in my gaming history.

This is the kind of debate I enjoy. They aren't simply throwing biased nonsense at each other. Each statement and rebuttal obviously had some knowledge behind it. Both of them were right about certain things and it really made me think. But, I will always love JRPGs over any other. I simply find them more enjoyable. Even if they are all filled with teenagers with spiky hair and an eye for crystals.

I can't really say I have a favourite to choose out of the two different takes on the genre, for the most part JRPG's have better more memorable classics in my opinion, but WRPG's have had the edge for the last few years, but despite all that Henry absolutely smashed Cooper in this debate.

Say what you want, but I still firmly believe that JRPGs are superior to WRPGs. I do give credit to WRPGs for trying to innovate more on the RPG formula than JRPGs but that's actually the problem. The more WRPGs try to innovate on the formula, the more they stray away from being technically "RPGs". As a preference for myself, I find JRPGs to be much more challenging on occasion than WRPGs. Trust me, play Star Ocean: The Last Hope International and you'll truly see what I mean!

omg!! that's so true!! the post dungeons totally kick your ass when you first wander into them!!

Indeed, even at all my characters at about lv.80 I lost so many times especially against Gabriel Celeste.

Star Ocean, Phantasy Star, and the like took me forever to beat. I like them, but they were such a grind. Challenging.... perhaps, but I was bored to tears trying to drudge through it. Not to say it was bad in any means, just not for some I seen.