The Suffering....
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Pearl Jammzz
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ESPN Basketball.....GREAT basketball game, easily the best ever. I know you are gunna be like "sports games suck" or "they dont count". It's just a different mantality. Our cultures are different. Sports games and games like Tony Hawk sell HUGE here and in Europe (I think) yet in Japan they barely sell. Why is this? different cultures. The companies here make games for American audiences, in Japan they make them for everybody so to speak (more towards "gamers" and not "casual players" as they do here in the US)
Arrg, not this bloody discussion again. Name any recent Japanese games that really stand out.. not to say there aren't any, but I'm just making the point that there is a lot of crap coming out on both sides of the Pacific; of course, those of us not in Japan rarely see a lot of the Japanese crap because it's deemed unworthy of publishing elsewhere.
Anyway, if I had to pick an excellent, US-produced console title from the last couple of years, it would have to be Morrowind (especially the GOTY) edition. Definitely one of the best RPGs to come out in quite a while.
Dozens of crap games or dozens of good ones?
As for the RPG thing, the 'traditional' thing is debatable (as most RPG titles stem from the likes of Ultima and Wizardry), but I would probably enjoy Japanese RPGs more if they gave you more freedom of movement in the game world and more freedom of choice in creating your character (I believe the best characters are those created by the player). As it stands now, the only thing I really enjoy about them on the whole is the tactical combat systems that some games employ. The stories tend to be utter tripe though (with some exceptions).
As for the RPG thing, the 'traditional' thing is debatable (as most RPG titles stem from the likes of Ultima and Wizardry), but I would probably enjoy Japanese RPGs more if they gave you more freedom of movement in the game world and more freedom of choice in creating your character (I believe the best characters are those created by the player). As it stands now, the only thing I really enjoy about them on the whole is the tactical combat systems that some games employ. The stories tend to be utter tripe though (with some exceptions).
Pearl Jammzz
Established Member
most rpgs have shit story *cough FF *cough*. That's why I think stuff like Chrono Cross was so good, it's different. As for styles, everyone likes their own styles. sum like strategy based rpgs, sum like action style combat (tales series), sum like insane freedom (morrowind), others turned based, etc. Everything for the most part is opinion. and yes, we in the US dont see hardly any of the trash from Japan cuz it's not worth importing. To each their own I guess....just dont go say that one is better than another, it's all opinion
Americans are so in love with that "absolute freedom" they look in games... take for example, their RPGs, or the Grand Theft Auto games.
I think that good stories are better than "being able to do what you don't dare to do in real life".
Games don't need to be "badass" to sell.
I think that good stories are better than "being able to do what you don't dare to do in real life".
Games don't need to be "badass" to sell.
Morrowind was OK, for a bit. Daggerfall was way better, especially for its time. Even Elder Scrolls 1 (Arena) was pretty good. I enjoy both linear and non-linear RPGs. Sometimes I like being able to do whatever I want, but on the other hand linear RPGs by nature tend to have a much better story and characters that matter. But sometimes I like doing things my way, and being able to deal with obstacles however I please.
There have been good American games in the past (primarily PC games), but I'd have to say that recently there hasn't been much. Best Buy is crammed full of mostly crap titles. Although, Heroes of MM 4 was a recentish purchase of mine, along with Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries (which was actually a better follow up to MW 2: Mercs than I expected). Oh yeah, and lately I've been playing a lot of Natural Selection, but that is a free Half-Life mod. But it's still a game, and an awesome one at that (if you like FPS and strategy games), I think its the most popular non-valve mod. If only WON didn't have to die, Steam is pretty annoying.
Des-ROW: It's not so much doing what I wouldn't dare do in real life. In fact, it's kind of the opposite. I generally play a more-or-less good guy character, but I don't like being forced to do/not do something like in a linear RPG. If someone gives me crap, I'm going to let them know what I think. I think for me it extends from my days playing AD&D. Unfortunetely, no computer game can have a "good Dungeon Master", but they can still give me that open-ended adventure. Some games like Baldur's Gate and its sequels/spinoffs strike a balance between story and freedom. So again, as much as I enjoy the story of a good linear RPG (my favorites being PS series and Lunar on SCD), I also like to choose my own path, at times. BTW, GTA3 was fun with a kind of "wheee!" factor, but I got sick of it pretty quickly.
There have been good American games in the past (primarily PC games), but I'd have to say that recently there hasn't been much. Best Buy is crammed full of mostly crap titles. Although, Heroes of MM 4 was a recentish purchase of mine, along with Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries (which was actually a better follow up to MW 2: Mercs than I expected). Oh yeah, and lately I've been playing a lot of Natural Selection, but that is a free Half-Life mod. But it's still a game, and an awesome one at that (if you like FPS and strategy games), I think its the most popular non-valve mod. If only WON didn't have to die, Steam is pretty annoying.
Des-ROW: It's not so much doing what I wouldn't dare do in real life. In fact, it's kind of the opposite. I generally play a more-or-less good guy character, but I don't like being forced to do/not do something like in a linear RPG. If someone gives me crap, I'm going to let them know what I think. I think for me it extends from my days playing AD&D. Unfortunetely, no computer game can have a "good Dungeon Master", but they can still give me that open-ended adventure. Some games like Baldur's Gate and its sequels/spinoffs strike a balance between story and freedom. So again, as much as I enjoy the story of a good linear RPG (my favorites being PS series and Lunar on SCD), I also like to choose my own path, at times. BTW, GTA3 was fun with a kind of "wheee!" factor, but I got sick of it pretty quickly.
Pearl Jammzz
Established Member
well I think they do need to have sumsort of "badass" in em. Why do u think the big N stuggles so much? Mario isn't exactly "badass" anymore. and thye took all the "badass-ness" away from link, but it was still a great game IMO. Look at peoples favorite chars. in rpg games. almost ALL of them have an edge to em, some-sort of badass-ness.
but still once again.....it's all opinion. I for one enjoy Vice City A LOT! I find it entertaining in a number of ways, gameplay, story, open-endedness, etc. To each their own...it takes all kinds, definatly. Even revolution x, haha.
but still once again.....it's all opinion. I for one enjoy Vice City A LOT! I find it entertaining in a number of ways, gameplay, story, open-endedness, etc. To each their own...it takes all kinds, definatly. Even revolution x, haha.
Canada and France seem to be producing much more quality (and innovative ideas) than the UK and US at the moment.
I was under the impression GTA3 was selling pretty well in Japan though.. Toshihiro Nagoshi wrote his Edge column about it a couple of months back, saying how he really hopes it'll have an impact over there.
I was under the impression GTA3 was selling pretty well in Japan though.. Toshihiro Nagoshi wrote his Edge column about it a couple of months back, saying how he really hopes it'll have an impact over there.
Fine, im backing out of this arguement. My favorite games of all time came from american developers, and the fact (or general consensus anyway) that more great games come from japan or europe or canada doesnt really phase me. Good for them. I just say don't knock a certain game until you try it, especially when someone else who has tried it is praising it.
Yes, I agree, Daggerfall was a better game, even with all the bugs. I still haven't played Arena.
I don't think it's so much an obsession with freedom - I just like being able to create my own character for an RPG, so I can play the role I choose. Partially, I think, that's because I really don't identify with or care for the main characters in a lot of RPGs (most Final Fantasy games in particular). Also, if you really have no choice into where you go or what you do next, then it's not really in the spirit of role-playing, IMHO.
I don't think it's so much an obsession with freedom - I just like being able to create my own character for an RPG, so I can play the role I choose. Partially, I think, that's because I really don't identify with or care for the main characters in a lot of RPGs (most Final Fantasy games in particular). Also, if you really have no choice into where you go or what you do next, then it's not really in the spirit of role-playing, IMHO.
According to Game-Science, GTAIII sold over 300,000 up to the end of the year which doesn't sound bad at all considering many thought it would flop there. That makes it the 32nd best selling game of the year and it was released quite late as you said.
There are lots of American games that stand out, but most of them are developed for PC rather than for consoles, and thus don't necessarily appeal to console control schemes or the traditional console-buying market. The console gaming industry is pretty heavily centered in Japan. Microsoft is struggling to get any substantial amount of good exclusive stuff on Xbox. The talent here is just so PC-centered that there's nobody to properly support MS in this regard, and Xbox has been such a colossal flop in Japan that none of the major developers cares to really support it (i.e. from a non-port standpoint) except Tecmo and Smilebit.