Do you think that it is an important part of a jrpgs ?

Does a lovestory give a breath of life into videogames ?

No offense, but...

What?

I thought this was going to be a thread complaining about the pervasive themes of love and friendship in JRPGs. I personally think it's overused and that's why seeing a trailer on Tales of Graces F about the power of friendship makes me worry.

My personal favorite JRPGs don't have a love story as the central theme, but it can be a part of it. Like in Persona 4 you can get a girlfriend if you like, or Valkyria Chronicles there was a love story but the most emotional parts of the game had little to do with it. If you're going to have a love story as the central theme I think it's better done in something like an adventure game where it can be the main focus and not worry about the cognitive dissonance of a love story between killing goblins or whatnot. Something like To the Moon does a love story better than I think any jrpg really could. Perhaps one day I'll see a jrpg that goes against the grain and really tells a fantastic love story and focuses on that more so than saving the world.

I think a good love story really can make a Jrpg feel more 'alive' than any other type of game, at their best the more overt Jrpg love stories like FFVIII and FFX make my favourite romantic themed fims look awful comparitively and at best I would say even stand up to, and exceed, the best classic romance novels (eg a large part of Jane Austens work) and the best love themed epic poetry (Eg, miltons Paradise lost).

More subtle love stories, where it is not the main focus of the narrative and is vague to the point of subjectivity (Eg an implied love or a relationshiop in a mature term (eg FFXII, i'm just trying to use FF's as examples as I know more people have played those), again much like a lot of the great classic romances) can work extremely well too and can be just as powerful.

But the way that Love as a concept is handled in gaming tales generally does tend to be unique to Jrpgs. Like all mediums there are plenty of bad, or just dull love stories in JRPGs too, but when the theme is done well it is definitely a huge drawcard for me toward the genre. As a female gamer I feel its something that Wrpgs have never picked up on with their more sparse, basic characters and bleak, less vibrant, landscapes. For me (in my personal opinion) It is possible to have an amazing Jrpg based on story alone (FFX is a great example, I struggled to like the gameplay in that game, yet the story is exceptional and makes it a truly amazing game, this would never happpen in other genres in my eyes), no other gaming genre (with the exception of the soul reaver saga in the action adventure field) has been able to do this for me. As far as immesiveness and 'creating interest' in the tale goes, from a personal perspective, I think its a hugely important part of Jrpgs.

Love stories don't have to be a centre piece but it's nice when they have one to keep things interesting. FFX is my fave but I don't feel the love story is the most important factor in the game.

love =/= romance. I consume Shonen anime like the Chinese eat rice and so tend to be quite enamored of the notion of the power of friendship, but a poorly done love story will turn me off powerfully quick

i like the theme alot in jrpg's, being that ff8,ff10 as great examples when its done correctly.
however though, my all-time favorite jrpg has death and feeling of loss as its central theme : lost odyssey. :)