As I've been playing through Ni No Kuni the last few days I've noticed the beauty and the great story behind this one of a kind game. I'm by no means a JRPG fan or am I into anime so when you hear me saying I like a JRPG then it must be good. My friend was asking me about it yesterday which led us into a big conversation about multiple titles, the problem they have had and why they were good.
He immediately asked me if it was good yesterday and I couldn't help but say that the game is amazing. It really is too bad that the market is not to big for these type of games in the states though. I look at it and everything about it is rich and beautiful but it doesn't end there. It has that Studio Ghibli touch on it and the gameplay is phenominal. It is actually like pokemon in many ways. He asked me about the gameplay mechanics and the story but I will wait to tell you about those things when I actually review the game. However it brought my attention to other JRPG's that I have played.
Pokemon and Persona 4 is the first two games that comes to my mind. I would say that Persona 4 not only is it the best JRPG I've ever played but it is one of the best games I've ever played and I would rank it around Pokemon if not higher. The way the story and gameplay mixes so well together is beyond good. But really what is it that other JRPGs are missing that Nin No Kuni, Pokemon, and Persona 4 has hit perfectly? The first thing tht came to both of our minds is they all seem very similar to one another. This goes to anime shows as well. When I think anime I see some guy with girlish features who has some kind of funky looking hair. So many games and shows has this same look, while Ni No Kuni, Pokemon, and Dragon Ball Z has all set themselves a part from the rest. When I was growing up I didn't even realize that Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon was even an anime show. It wasn't until much later that I figured this out. Even then when I watched the stories they all seem to have some kind of super natural power or another. They are special in other words, all for different or similar reasons. That is fine and all but to a point that you still need to make it original which I find that Anime and many JRPG's has lost it's originality, but instead following the same format that it has for years and years. It is almost like some developers are refusing to either let the series evolve or perfecting what they already have in front of them. Then it comes to my mind that Studio Ghibli is a company that could be considered Anime as well. At first glance yes you can tell it is japanese but the stories are original and the artsyles are beautiful. My favorite Studio Ghibli film that I've watched so far has been "The Secret of Arrietty". But it is unlike anything I've seen before. The story and art meshes perfectly together. Many studio Ghibli movies are like this and it really brings an interest to me when I am seeing or playing something that is original. Even pokemon for an example. Digimon is very similar as they both have pocket like monsters with a similar artstyle. However they are different enough that they were both able to be popular. Digimon never made a huge splash in the gaming market but the Anime worked for it's originality even though it was similar to pokemon it was still different enough. Im not sure which came out first though.
So even though I can't tell you why Pokemon, Persona 4, and Ni No Kuni excels I do know that they are different experiences in every way. Nothing else are like these games and they're only something you can experience by playing each and every one of these games. I have recently tried The Lost Odyssey as people say it is what Final Fantasy XIII should be but I hate it. Just like I hate Final fantasy. They are both corny in a way that I can't bear. Right from the beginning of The Lost Odyssey you are met with this guy who, you guessed it is some super soldier. He destroys enemy after enemy like it is nothing. You never feel any sense of danger and are basically a badass right from the get go. It just makes me roll my eyes at the entire experience. I get the appeal for certain people, but this kind of thing will not take off for a bigger audience either.
Now I'm no expert on JRPG games, as I said I rarely like any JRPG or Anime. I feel like I'm speaking from the bigger audience of gaming and community. Kind of like a casual player would with hardcore gaming you see? So tell me guys what you think makes a good JRPG or a good Anime. Maybe you guys can point me in the right direction. And by no means am I saying that their is not good JRPG games or good Anime shows. What I'm saying is that they don't reach a bigger audience outside of the audience it already has.
