Japanese or Western RPGs?

[SuperMasterGamer]

What do you guys prefer in terms of quality? Western Role-Playing Games or Japanese Role-Playing Games? Or do you like both or neither of them?

To me, I prefer Japanese ones because I grew up with them (Wild Arms, Final Fantasy, etc.) and I'm not fond with Western RPGs a lot.

[MexicanAnime]

Both are fine, though my favorites tend to be JRPG's, so that.

[Mass Distraction]

Japanese all the way. I get bored even watching any western RPGs, apart from maybe Borderlands.

My favorite genre of RPGs, the strategic kind, also usually tends to be Japanese in origin.

[Psychospacecow]

I'll go with both. I don't like drawing lines in the sand, so to speak.

[GameWizard001]

I would say both only because my taste has been leaning slowly in Western direction. It started with JRPGs with Final Fantasy games and later games like Chrono Trigger or Legend of the Dragoon. I even got into Xenosaga and Star Ocean too.

But lately it has been games like Skyrim and the Elder Scrolls games, Borderlands (a FPS RPG sure but a RPG all the same). Right now I'm playing Mass Effect again too. I think games like that tend to fluctuate off and on, one moment JRPGs are the greatest thing and the next they are more geared Japanese culture and hard for a Western audience to get behind beyond a few really die-hard fans of the genre.

Then again you also have Western games like Dark Souls which are only really good for the first few months before their audience abandons it cause they already beat it multiple times and no need to do it again. Newer audiences don't get to experience it the same way cause the online capabilities of the game are no longer maintained so it is empty.

So I take it on a case by case basis and try not to think too much in absolutes.

[Hexadecimal*]

I've never played a Western RPG; they all look exactly the same to me.

I'll admit that a big draw for me is neat looking characters. Western RPGs just have far too realistic, boring, male characters to play as. I want to play as some animu looking character with funny colored hair.

Thankfully Japanese RPGs also usually have a fun story as well so I haven't ended up throwing away money thanks to my stupid tastes.

[JiraiyaSennin]

I will always go with JRPGs. The only WRPG that I actually have played and kind of liked is Skyrim, they just don't have the same appeal to me as JRPGs do.

[CLXcool]

I'm a little of both. Depends on what mood i'm in.

[Combat Lobster]

Western RPgs because of this character interaction:

[GameWizard001]

I've never played a Western RPG; they all look exactly the same to me.

I'll admit that a big draw for me is neat looking characters. Western RPGs just have far too realistic, boring, male characters to play as. I want to play as some animu looking character with funny colored hair.

Thankfully Japanese RPGs also usually have a fun story as well so I haven't ended up throwing away money thanks to my stupid tastes.

That's true. Most games made by a Western company usually go for the biggest macho look they can. Look at Gears of War.

Also with JRPGs you have the hilarious moments of wondering if a character is a guy or a chick, especially if they don't have voice acting to give you a hint. Some of those dudes are way too pretty.

[Hexadecimal*]

That's true. Most games made by a Western company usually go for the biggest macho look they can. Look at Gears of War.

Also with JRPGs you have the hilarious moments of wondering if a character is a guy or a chick, especially if they don't have voice acting to give you a hint. Some of those dudes are way too pretty.

I've never seen an English voice actor able to properly pull off an androgynous voice. I had suspicions right away that Naoto in P4 was a girl since "he" was too old to still have a voice like that.

If it's an older game, or there's zero voice acting, it's way easier to get confused.

[GameWizard001]

That's true. Most games made by a Western company usually go for the biggest macho look they can. Look at Gears of War.

Also with JRPGs you have the hilarious moments of wondering if a character is a guy or a chick, especially if they don't have voice acting to give you a hint. Some of those dudes are way too pretty.

I've never seen an English voice actor able to properly pull off an androgynous voice. I had suspicions right away that Naoto in P4 was a girl since "he" was too old to still have a voice like that.

If it's an older game, or there's zero voice acting, it's way easier to get confused.

Yeah, unless it is a young voice actor playing the part who still has a rather high voice so it could be a boy or a girl, you can't really tell unless the actor is older than the character. Like with Ellie from Last of Us. Ashley Johnson the actress playing her is 30 years old playing, what a 14 year old?

On story side, JRPGs always do have a lot more interesting stories to follow. Valkyria Chronicles alone is a great RPG. You can recruit a ton of characters along with the main ones to help you, you set up a squad based on who prefers to be with whom. They actually have a bit on their stat screen on who they work best with or what environment they excell at.

What was even more interesting was, if a character falls in battle and an enemy touches them, that character is dead and gone forever! Only can get them back when you start the game over.

[Mass Distraction]

On story side, JRPGs always do have a lot more interesting stories to follow. Valkyria Chronicles alone is a great RPG. You can recruit a ton of characters along with the main ones to help you, you set up a squad based on who prefers to be with whom. They actually have a bit on their stat screen on who they work best with or what environment they excell at.

What was even more interesting was, if a character falls in battle and an enemy touches them, that character is dead and gone forever! Only can get them back when you start the game over.

I am still yet to lose a soldier. Or, well, I lost Jann Walker once but I ended up losing the battle and had to start over so I managed to pull everyone through on the final try. It was really sad too, his dying words were something like "Largo, I hoped you'd hold me at least once" or something similar anyway and he was literally almost resting in Largo's lap when that happened.

[GameWizard001]

On story side, JRPGs always do have a lot more interesting stories to follow. Valkyria Chronicles alone is a great RPG. You can recruit a ton of characters along with the main ones to help you, you set up a squad based on who prefers to be with whom. They actually have a bit on their stat screen on who they work best with or what environment they excell at.

What was even more interesting was, if a character falls in battle and an enemy touches them, that character is dead and gone forever! Only can get them back when you start the game over.

I am still yet to lose a soldier. Or, well, I lost Jann Walker once but I ended up losing the battle and had to start over so I managed to pull everyone through on the final try. It was really sad too, his dying words were something like "Largo, I hoped you'd hold me at least once" or something similar anyway and he was literally almost resting in Largo's lap when that happened.

OH! Sad. Also the flying pig Hans was adorable, I want one so bad! Please science, make these creatures a reality!

[Mass Distraction]

On story side, JRPGs always do have a lot more interesting stories to follow. Valkyria Chronicles alone is a great RPG. You can recruit a ton of characters along with the main ones to help you, you set up a squad based on who prefers to be with whom. They actually have a bit on their stat screen on who they work best with or what environment they excell at.

What was even more interesting was, if a character falls in battle and an enemy touches them, that character is dead and gone forever! Only can get them back when you start the game over.

I am still yet to lose a soldier. Or, well, I lost Jann Walker once but I ended up losing the battle and had to start over so I managed to pull everyone through on the final try. It was really sad too, his dying words were something like "Largo, I hoped you'd hold me at least once" or something similar anyway and he was literally almost resting in Largo's lap when that happened.

OH! Sad. Also the flying pig Hans was adorable, I want one so bad! Please science, make these creatures a reality!

I actually hate that thing. It takes away from my weird war fantasy by being an unnecessary "mascot". I don't mind creatures like that in something more fantasy based like Final Fantasy but with what is basically a war game it's just kind of off putting. For me at least.