[Alisia Lisha]

Naw, he's just emotionally immature. Would an emo brutally eviscerate his enemies and rip the heads off of gorgons? He's goal-oriented and driven to survive.

I'd argue that the story for GoW is less a backdrop and more of the scaffolding - it is rather integral to the experience to make the gameplay and environments coherent.

But his goals are pretty much ''I blame everyone but myself for what happened, so I must kill everyone''.

[krystal sowten]

But his goals are pretty much ''I blame everyone but myself for what happened, so I must kill everyone''.

I actually got the sense that he does blame himself. He says repeatedly whenever he sees his wife (or Gaia in the guise thereof) that he's sorry for what he has done.

He's pissed at the gods because he feels they didn't keep up their end of the bargain (freeing him from nightmares about what he did).

EDIT: and Ares did trick Kratos into killing his wife and kid.

[Cat Haines]

But his goals are pretty much ''I blame everyone but myself for what happened, so I must kill everyone''.

That's Greek tragedy for you - everything is against the person or people in the focus of the story. Incredible guilt that was heaved upon your own shoulders.

[Angelina Mayo]

I don't like them for the following reasons:

The battle music is cheesy
The English voice-overs are beyond horrific
The dialogue is horrendous
All the males will have choppy hair and an advlt voice despite looking 12 years old
All the females will wear sixually suggestive outfits despite looking 12 years old
The save system usually svcks
I don't like the busy arcade-style presentation with numbers flying everywhere and an interface that takes up half the screen
I hate random battles
The characters are annoying

This basically, allthough if the story being told is good then I can overlook most of that, usually though, it's the same trite story about some teenage guy rescuing some 14 year old princess from an unspeakable evil.

Don't even get me started on Blitzball...

[Ross]

Sonic? Star Fox? Metal Gear Solid?

Don't expect year after year that everyone has been around for such classics. The further we get into gaming, the further away the classics will be. Most people don't even know what Double Dragon is, let alone Act Raiser, or After Burner.

[Spencey!]

Don't expect year after year that everyone has been around for such classics. The further we get into gaming, the further away the classics will be. Most people don't even know what Double Dragon is, let alone Act Raiser, or After Burner.

Alright it's decided then

Kids can't play video games anymore

Only people who know what the classics are

Never heard of Pong? Sorry you can't play video games

[Nicholas]

Alright it's decided then

Kids can't play video games anymore

Only people who know what the classics are

Never heard of Pong? Sorry you can't play video games

To be fair, if you don't know what Pong is, you probably should get someone to lift the rock off of you so you can live somewhere else.

[josie treuberg]

Don't expect year after year that everyone has been around for such classics. The further we get into gaming, the further away the classics will be. Most people don't even know what Double Dragon is, let alone Act Raiser, or After Burner.

Well, I figured with sonic he's constantly being remade so there's that. And metal gear solid 4 is out on the ps3 and is one of it's biggest games. I figured those should be pretty recognizable.

[Rex Help]

To be fair, if you don't know what Pong is, you probably should get someone to lift the rock off of you so you can live somewhere else.

Ok fine

They at least have to have at least played http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Dribble_%28video_game%29 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_%281989_video_game%29 to be able to play any video games

[Alada Vaginah]

Ok fine

They at least have to have at least played http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Dribble_%28video_game%29 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles_%281989_video_game%29 to be able to play any video games

I owned a Genesis, not an NES. I'm not a gamer, even though I've been gaming since the early 90's?

[Justin]

If You haven't played Astynx(sp?) or Faxandu, You can't call yourself a real gamer! Yeah! lol

or or... Xexyz!

[Strawberry]

I don't play many truly out there games. And by that I mean, I enjoy games with a modicum of realism. Magic, and the races of creatures clearly definied in the lore of the game, I;m completely fine with. Actually, anything thats in the lore, and has good reading or detailed writings behind it, I like. All of the JRPG's I've encountered were despicably shallow, and not much more than a glam button masher. I don't like it because it's incredibly hard to immerse myself in that fantasy as well. I can't imagine myself as the 15 year old with huge hair and an even larger sword that would be impossible to wield and is probably 700 + pounds of pure metal... the hilt of the sword would snap off if you could even lift it. (And yet the hug swords still have a super sharp edge too.)

Also, this is some really specific stuff I feel is somewhat necessary to enjoy:

-Needs to have real time combat.
-Needs to have character creation.
-Needs to have an advanced and east-to-use system for magic, and a great UI.
-Needs to be well balanced, even if its easy.
-Needs to have a story that can be immediately identified.
-Needs realistic qualities. The "less is more" saying can apply. I'm not asking you to give me a legitimate reason why you're casting fireballs from your hands, I just want that heavy warhammer I swing at you to do damage, and to fatigue me. I don't want some fancy 1k pound blade being hurled into the air in some "dazzling" combo to do some basic moves.
-Needs to be mature, I care not for games that are "pretty and kid-friendly"
-Finally, some way to immerse me.

[Scott]

Way too linear for me, I want to play my own character, not some spiky haired git with a sword that rivals only his own hair in size.

Western video game company that produces a popular western RPG series has many fans of the western RPG-type gameplay and don't like JRPGs, what a surprise.

Basically the two types of gameplay are quite different and many fans of one don't really care for the gameplay of the other.

Pretty much both of those statements summarize my feelings on the subject.

[I love YOu]

I owned a Genesis, not an NES. I'm not a gamer, even though I've been gaming since the early 90's?

Depends

did you play all of the sonic games? Or all of the Road Rash games?

[Dezzeh]

Depends

did you play all of the sonic games? Or all of the Road Rash games?

They need to make more Road Rash games...

[Genevieve]

They need to make more Road Rash games...

The last one I saw was for N64

I don't know if they've made any more

[Myles]

They need to make more Road Rash games...

I think one was canned extremely early in development. Sebastian Bach leaked news about it on a radio station a while back. "I was recording music for some motorcycle game. Motor Rash or something."

But yes I too want more road rash. I only played the N64 version but launching off cows and jamming things into other racers spokes will never get old.

[Killer McCracken]

So in conclusion: JRPG's are crap.

[Multi Multi]

So in conclusion: JRPG's are crap.

I enjoy them.

[matt oneil]

So in conclusion: JRPG's are crap.

and yet jrpg's>wrpg's

really I can't stand the bland characters in western rpg's and the even blander stories

[lucile davignon]

I find with most JRPGs the writing is poor.

[Mistress trades Melissa]

really I can't stand the bland characters in western rpg's and the even blander stories

Ya,,,, yaa.... I too dislike the same character personalities being used in every game.... Having an annoying character that complains about every action you do doesn't make a game deep.

[Courtney Foren]

Ya,,,, yaa.... I too dislike the same character personalities being used in every game.... Having an annoying character that complains about every action you do doesn't make a game deep.

Not to mention when they begin to spout some ridiculous philosophical mumbo jumbo that really amounts to nothing by the director/writer playing with themselves, while the characters act extremely down and complainy the whole entire time.

I'd much rather have your run of the mill Spess Mehrens than some whiny, moody, and silly philosophical skinny kid.

[Jason White]

Why don't we just agree that both JRPGs and WRPGs appeal to different people, but are not necessarily inferior to the other?

[CORY]

Why don't we just agree that both JRPGs and WRPGs appeal to different people, but are not necessarily inferior to the other?

Works for me. Oh and hey, thread limit.