WRPGs Vs JPGS

Now that the ps3 rpg library is expanding, I wanted to do a comparison on the two main types of RPGs, Western Role-playing games and Japanese Role-playing games.

General Western RPGs common characteristics/cliches

• player controls a user created character

• Usually a dark fantasy (elves and orcs) or science fiction setting

• mostly real-time combat

• Open ended, nonlinear plot structure

Popular WRPGs

Elder scrolls

Diablo

Baldur's gate

Fallout

Starwars Knight of the old Republic

General Japanese RPGs common characteristics/cliches

• mix of like or dark setting, with themes based on Asian history, Anime, or even Science fiction

• young lead character, low character customization

• Turn-based/real-time

• Strict and linear storyline

Popular JRPGs

Final Fantasy

Star Ocean

Dragon Quest

Persona

Which type do u prefer and why?

The biggest difference imo is that 99% of the JRPGs are party based, while 99% of WRPGs are solo based. Thats also a difference between western and eastern cultures, where East prefers group work and westerners prefer doing things alone. kenshinhimura10

Never thought about it like that, but u are very right..... maybe thats why i prefer JRPGs more, aside from the story differences

JRPGs all the way!

[QUOTE="kenshinhimura10"]The biggest difference imo is that 99% of the JRPGs are party based, while 99% of WRPGs are solo based. Thats also a difference between western and eastern cultures, where East prefers group work and westerners prefer doing things alone. marcl18123

Never thought about it like that, but u are very right..... maybe thats why i prefer JRPGs more, aside from the story differences

I love having a party, specially when they are cool characters that you can relate with or attach to. I guess thats why among all the WRPGs, the only ones I like are Diablo and KOTOR and Mass Effect.

I always enjoyed JRPGs far more than the western style. Chrono Trigger, FF series, DQ series among a few others have been some of my favorite games. I like the amazing stories, tight gameplay and varied artistic direction these games bring to the table. While jrpgs tend to give less freedom they are done with higher quality. Wrpgs give you lots of freedom, but often times at the expense of poor quality and little depth. Not saying this is always true, but usually it is.

Also this is an old opinion of mine. Really I don't like either style too much anymore. Most jrpgs have become anime style, or some metro-sexual emo style with cliche stories and god awful va. Most wrpgs also follow the same cliche style over and over again.

If we could go back to having jrpgs like the ones that spanned the SNES and PS1 generations I would be very happy, but those days are long gone.

JRPGs because of the stories and parties.

The biggest difference imo is that 99% of the JRPGs are party based, while 99% of WRPGs are solo based. Thats also a difference between western and eastern cultures, where East prefers group work and westerners prefer doing things alone. kenshinhimura10

but of course, look at our president and his "go at it alone" policy

[QUOTE="kenshinhimura10"]The biggest difference imo is that 99% of the JRPGs are party based, while 99% of WRPGs are solo based. Thats also a difference between western and eastern cultures, where East prefers group work and westerners prefer doing things alone. thanos723

but of course, look at our president and his "go at it alone" policy

Who is your president, sorry but I know many countries that fall under Western.

Gotta say I love both.

Oblivion is a great game. and Fallout will be another great game.

But I loved FF10, FFXII, Folklore.

So, I don't know which to choose.

[QUOTE="thanos723"]

[QUOTE="kenshinhimura10"]The biggest difference imo is that 99% of the JRPGs are party based, while 99% of WRPGs are solo based. Thats also a difference between western and eastern cultures, where East prefers group work and westerners prefer doing things alone. kenshinhimura10

but of course, look at our president and his "go at it alone" policy

Who is your president, sorry but I know many countries that fall under Western.

Think hes talking about george bush

[QUOTE="kenshinhimura10"][QUOTE="thanos723"]

[QUOTE="kenshinhimura10"]The biggest difference imo is that 99% of the JRPGs are party based, while 99% of WRPGs are solo based. Thats also a difference between western and eastern cultures, where East prefers group work and westerners prefer doing things alone. TehSonofUgly

but of course, look at our president and his "go at it alone" policy

Who is your president, sorry but I know many countries that fall under Western.

Think hes talking about george bush

yep

I'm a big fan of JRPGs and not terribly into WRPGs.

I don't mean to be entirely dismissive, but WRPGs like Oblivion or World of Warcraft play like hack and slash dungeon crawlers, which is not at all my thing.

JRPG storylines are sometimes insane, but they often play out like an anime, which I can be persuaded to enjoy in the right circumstances and turn based combat feels strategic, but even JRPGs like Odin Sphere or GrimGrimoire which are not turn based just feel a lot better than what you get with most WRPGs.

the Japanese are just crazier, and no where is that more evident than in a game like Metal Gear where it's a Japanese take on western machismo. where in the west we just make Splinter Cell or Ghost Recon, where the gameplay might be fun, but the story is totally forgetable.

I HATE JRPGs, imo they suck. I know everyone is gonna hate me for saying this but, hey i get to share my opinion and there it is. I mostly hate them because they are too over exagerated and very annoying to watch some jack*** with a huge sword thats bigger than a skyscrapper.

Sorry if you dont agree, but I do like the stories.

I HATE JRPGs, imo they suck. I know everyone is gonna hate me for saying this but, hey i get to share my opinion and there it is. I mostly hate them because they are too over exagerated and very annoying to watch some jack*** with a huge sword thats bigger than a skyscrapper.

Sorry if you dont agree, but I do like the stories.

INeedAids

jackass with a big sword? you mean devil may cry? heavenly sword? any number of games that isn't an rpg? do you see where I'm going with this?

myself, i cant stand JRPGs

i like choices, open worlds, customization, and real-time action based combat.

ive put like 170+ hours into oblivion, played through mass effect twice and im half way through a third.

cant wait for fallout 3 and fable 2!

JRPGs seem to take all control away from me.

stories are generally very linear with almost no choices.

and combat makes me mad, i like to be in control and make my own mistakes, i hate to watch my character slash at an enemy only for the camera to switch to a view of the enamy and see a "miss" pop up. to tell the truth i would much rather have slashed at him myself and missed then watched it and it be all the way out of my control.

so basically im American, ive got to control everything

JRPGs easily for me, I grew up on games like FF1, FF2(IV now), FF3(VI now), chrono trigger, etc.

People complain about them being linear, but when a game tells a great story I dont really care how much control I have. I dont need to control the story if its being told properly. At the same time games like Star Ocean are fun because you can slightly alter the game based on what you do.

JRPGs can get cliche however with the story, but its usually pretty minor stuff.

I really don't have a preference to be honest. Just give me a quality RPG with a great story, great characters and of course fun gameplay. Whether it's Western, Japanese, turn based, real-time, action, traditional etc. it doesn't matter to me. My top 3 favorite RPGs are FFX, KOTOR and Deus EX three very different RPGs.jdt532

Very well said, I'm all for a good Role Playing Game.

I do find myself a little more drawn towards Japanese simply because of some very memorable characters and story.

i generally prefer JRPG cause of better graphics, better gameplay, better characters. i may not be a fan of any rpg games but i prefer the story to be linear than to choose mani options which leads to mani answer, why go to the trouble of playing mani times, one time is tedious enuff for me. i also grew up in JRPG games so i might bias towards WRPG tends to be boring, horrible or nt interested. Nt tat i like playing solo, i prefer party based system.

i nt going to change my sig until the moderator promote me to another level

No question about it, JRPG for me.

Take it a little further with P2P (all f2p are junk) MMORPG I prefer MMO's made by asians to. I cant stand western MMO's (WoW included) FFXI imo is the best MMO out there, especially in its prime.

All this do it yourself stuff is bogus in MMO's and in WRPG. I like the grouping aspect that asain games bring to the table. The story is also a plus but sometimes the story is junk and hurts the game.

No question about it, JRPG for me.

Take it a little further with P2P (all f2p are junk) MMORPG I prefer MMO's made by asians to. I cant stand western MMO's (WoW included) FFXI imo is the best MMO out there, especially in its prime.

All this do it yourself stuff is bogus in MMO's and in WRPG. I like the grouping aspect that asain games bring to the table. The story is also a plus but sometimes the story is junk and hurts the game.

toddze

I agree with u on not liking western mmo's (i dont like orcs and elves), but there are some really good F2p mmorpgs.

WRPGs - I just simply don't like the turn based style of play to me gets to be boring. I love the FF story just don't like the turn based gameplay. I love Mass Effect, Oblivion, and Fable. In WRPGs the the action never stops which I find very intriging for games that give you so many options in storyline.

"Condemed in each life to be hated, feared, scorned, punished, and obliterated!!!!!"

Yeah, name me ONE Western RPG that can come CLOSE to topping that evil line.

JRPGs for the win.

The biggest difference imo is that 99% of the JRPGs are party based, while 99% of WRPGs are solo based. Thats also a difference between western and eastern cultures, where East prefers group work and westerners prefer doing things alone. kenshinhimura10

I don't believe that westerners prefer being alone necessarily. Star Wars: KotoR and Mass Effect had party-systems, and Diablo & WoW both encourage teaming up with other players.

What differentiates Western RPGs is that they allow players more freedom. The main character is typically a unique avatar created by the player. Their abilities, traits and statistics can then be manipulated and customized during the course of the game. But most importantly, branching storylines, alternate endings, and extremely varied approaches to combat allow players' choices to drastically affect the outcome of the story and the way the game is played.

I started by playing JRPGs like Pokemon and Final Fantasy and fell in love with FF7 and Chrono Trigger/Cross, but ever since FFX I've begun to lose interest in JRPGs. They simply don't hold my interest the way games like KotoR, Oblivion, Mass Effect, Fable, Bioshock and Fallout 3 (when it releases -- I can't wait!).

JRPGs on the other hand, are very linear affairs, and in that sense they can deliver a more focused story. However, if the player isn't drawn into the game's plot or doesn't care about the characters (like FFXII for me) then the story loses its impact. It's the consequences or rewards for my choices that suck me into a game. Choosing to save or destroy the Little Sisters in Bioshock, or deciding which of your teammates in Mass Effect will die -- these choices make me care about the story far more than the death of a certain flower-girl at the hands of a certain gray-haired baddie.

There was a time when all I knew of RPGs was Pokemon and Final Fantasy and I never thought anything would surpass them. But as I've grown more mature, I simply don't enjoy JRPGs anymore. I'm hoping to like FF XIII when it eventually comes out, but I seriously doubt I'll enjoy any JRPG as much as I enjoyed Mass Effect or Oblivion.

I prefer WRPGs even though I'm a huge anime fan. Japan makes at least 10 times as many and most are pretty much clones of each other with all the same cliches. I think the Final Fantasy series is over rated which means I'm not going to like pretty much any other JRPG. Phantasy Star 1 + 2 had the best stories I've seen though even if a lot of things were copied from Star Wars.

As for WRPGs (why not just say American RPGs since Europe hasn't really come out with anything except Fable) - Elder Scrolls, KOTOR, Might & Magic, Ultima (in its time), Shadowrun, and Everquest were some of my favorites. You get more variety with American RPGs although there are way too many influences from Dungeons and Dragons and the JRR Tolkien novels before that especially with all the WoW/Everquest clones coming out.

A lot of the WRPGs have misleading freedom. People get to make key decisions at branching points in the game and they think they are controlling the entire story.

Personally I think the best of both worlds is JRPGs with multiple endings(chrono trigger). But I dont care what genre of video game you are playing, if the story is well done the freedom becomes overrated and in some cases will water down the story.

well i used to be a big fan of both, but looking at it I much prefer jrpgs. There just hasnt been any wrpgs since arcanum that have excited me, oblivion was a let down, for me it has reached the point where I feel there is nothing left fo me to get out of it.

I have actually been getting the old rpgs I used to enjoy on ps1 to play again. vandal hearts 1 and 2, FF 1 - 9, front mission 3, harvest moon.

JRPG's of course... and taking that we're in a mostly western populated forum I come to realize there's something wrong with the game producers.

Seems like there's a lot more fans of JRPG's than I thought and it makes me wonder why the Japanese companies can't get some stats like these... they always seem to fear their games will fail miserably in the West and for what i see they would do better than the usual crappy WRPG's we get year after year.

does an english translation paralel to the development of the game hurt that much?

i wish they would read this and start bringing more and more JRPG's here :)

I prefer WRPGs even though I'm a huge anime fan. Japan makes at least 10 times as many and most are pretty much clones of each other with all the same cliches. I think the Final Fantasy series is over rated which means I'm not going to like pretty much any other JRPG. Phantasy Star 1 + 2 had the best stories I've seen though even if a lot of things were copied from Star Wars.

As for WRPGs (why not just say American RPGs since Europe hasn't really come out with anything except Fable) - Elder Scrolls, KOTOR, Might & Magic, Ultima (in its time), Shadowrun, and Everquest were some of my favorites. You get more variety with American RPGs although there are way too many influences from Dungeons and Dragons and the JRR Tolkien novels before that especially with all the WoW/Everquest clones coming out.

jsh55117

Three words: Misinformed.

JRPG's have always had better stories (Lost Odyssey was amazing), but there have been so many of 'em that some big cliches have developed over time.

• Young, spiky haired, somewhat emotionally distant protagonist
• Protagonist is personally wronged by the main villain in some way (loved ones, haters will NOT shut up about the "destroyed home town" cliche)
• Sexually confused characters (guy or girl? choose your words carefully....)

WRPG's usually have more entertaining combat, but their stories almost always fall flat (Mass Effect being one of the few exceptions, of course)because of the priority shift. I have no problem with turn-based combat, it's just that some of the more recent turn-based RPG's haven't grabbed my interest as some of the real-time ones. I actually asked my brother the other day what he didn't like about RPG's (he's a close-minded idiot)and all the negatives he mentioned were common in JRPG's....

There definitely are some future JRPG's I'm excited about though (Valkyria Chronicles. RESERVE IT. NOW.)

[QUOTE="jsh55117"]

I prefer WRPGs even though I'm a huge anime fan. Japan makes at least 10 times as many and most are pretty much clones of each other with all the same cliches. I think the Final Fantasy series is over rated which means I'm not going to like pretty much any other JRPG. Phantasy Star 1 + 2 had the best stories I've seen though even if a lot of things were copied from Star Wars.

As for WRPGs (why not just say American RPGs since Europe hasn't really come out with anything except Fable) - Elder Scrolls, KOTOR, Might & Magic, Ultima (in its time), Shadowrun, and Everquest were some of my favorites. You get more variety with American RPGs although there are way too many influences from Dungeons and Dragons and the JRR Tolkien novels before that especially with all the WoW/Everquest clones coming out.

Symphonycometh

Three words: Misinformed.

Unfortunately, there's always someone who is....

I personally prefer JRPGs, they seem to have a more abstract feel to it and the concepts are very unique compared to WRPGs. Not to say WRPGs are unoriginal but they seem to have a similar feel to each other sometime, especially when it comes to romance.

When it comes to endings, JRPGs give a feeling of emptiness yet at the same time, a sense of fulfillment. At first you get confused but later you tend to understand it better and appreciate it more. As for gameplay, JRPGs like to add a good mix to make it feel fresh.

Though I'm leaning more on JRPGs.