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Forums - Sales - Mikami: JRPG's were never popular in the west -- is he rite?

Kenryoku_Maxis on 12 June 2010
Riachu said:
Kenryoku_Maxis said:
SmoothCriminal said:

I thinks it's partially because of the younger generation of gamers. I've never liked JRPGs, but that's just my personal preference, as I like games that require skill and strategy, and most JRPGs seem to only require strategy. I also find their stories to be too linear and restrictive for a Role-playing game (emphasis on the role-playing). The only JRPG I've ever like (outside of Pokemon) is Yakuza 3, and it may not even classify as a JRPG at all. That being said, I can see the appeal.

 

Now the meat of my argument is this: Younger gamers aren't patient enough. 

 

They don't want to sit through some long cutscene or use a battle-system that requires thought, they just want to play GTA and kill some bitches, or play CoD and call the other team bitches. Half the time, if a game isn't multiplayer, they don't even look at it. This isn't only happening with JRPGs, it's already happened with adventure games and "hard-core" computer (aka "western") RPGs. In fact, it seems that every genre is being dumbed down in some way. It's not a matter of JRPGs not evolving, it's that everything else is devolving.

/rant.

If anything, JRPGs aren't popular because they aren't marketed enough/well.  Not because 'young gamers aren't interested/patent'.

The evidence is in the sales.  What JRPGs are the most popular outside of Japan?  The ones that have the most consistent and highest amount of marketing.  Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon and Mario RPG series.

Also, if anything, WRPGs (and games like GTA that you cited) are flowing more to the trend of extra long cutscenes and catering to western gamers obsession with graphics.  JRPGs, aside from ones like Final Fantasy and Tales, are actually lowering their emphasis on graphics and cutscenes for more gameplay and content.

While WRPGs and JRPGs have a ton of cutscenes, WRPG have the dialouge choices to keep people interested.  JRPG cutscenes might as well be mini movies, not that it is always a bad thing.

I really don't want to start nit-picking between all the major JRPG/WRPG titles here, because as we well know, it'll just lead to a major debate.  Suffice to say, many WRPG games where they give you the illusion of 'choice' boil down to little more than choosing a series of pre-programed options that just slightly alter the outcome of that perticular scene.  Not the overall story.  And even some JRPGs have tried this formula.  You can even argue that such mechanics as choosing (or not choosing) to talk to certain characters or obtain certain items which lead to later characters/items being available later in the game (in such SquareEnix games as Final Fantasy X or Chrono Cross) are the exact same mechanic.



Six upcoming games you should look into:

 

  

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A203D on 12 June 2010
Riachu said:
A203D said:
Riachu said:


I highly doubt that.  The cutscenes in GTA are nowhere near as long as the cutscenes in something like MGS or SO4.  From my experience, GTA IV's cutscenes lated maybe 5 minutes at most.  This applies with the other GTA games and RDR.  I don't think they hate cutscenes.  I think they just hate ploddingly paced cutscenes that endlessly repeat the most basic plot points into the ground.  SO4 is a legend for having the most pointlessly lengthy cutscenes for a reason.

Yeah agreed, thats what i was refferring to with pacing. but i think a lot of people who get GTA are just kids who skip the cutscenes and go around killing people. some dont even bother after the first few missions. i know a few people who do that. and i know people who hate cutscenes in RDR and GTA also.

RDR's story is one of its highlights and people have the guts to hate the cutscenes.

Well i think its evident in sales numbers, a lot of people dont play games for the story. for example Super Mario Galaxy has a very thin story (Bowser kidnapping princess) and its one of the best selling games this generation. people dont care about the story.

or Call of Duty Modern Warfare, do you think the map packs that retail for £10 each sell by the bucket load because of their immersive story??

i think that the general gamer just plays stuff like GTA to drive cars, kill people etc, they dont really care about the story and thus they dont care for cutscenes.



johnsobas on 12 June 2010

eh, i owned tons of JRPGs on the SNES and PS1.  Since then not so many, just a few on PS2 and next to nothing this gen except Monster Hunter if that counts.  I'll probably get Dragon Quest 9, that's about it.  I'm sure a lot of people are in the same boat as me, i'd like to see how RPGs did in the west on the PS1, i think we're missing a lot of sales there. 



currently playing: Skyward Sword, Mario Sunshine, Xenoblade Chronicles X

miqdadi on 12 June 2010

He is right , Final fantasy and Pokemon (Best JRPG) Are exeptions but in total they make games that they like to play it's part of culture , They have a good market to sell their games in but if they want to go big budgets they will surley try and build games that the west will like , Now a days RPG wither it's western or Japanesse is not First person this is what is selling now market has changed and to think that Japanese companies can do great first person shooters 

Still 360 and PS3 has a small market so it is wise to make multi platform JRPG they will sell better



ps3_jrpg_gamer on 12 June 2010

FF VII says Hi  !!!



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FlyingLotus on 20 June 2010

Yeah he's right with the exception of big hitters like FF, pokemon stuff and Dragon Quest.



SOLIDSNAKE08 said:

its been confirmed today that GT5 has a weather system, track editor and go karts! seriously i think this is going to be the best selling in the series even beating GT3 sales of 14 million plus!