What the hell? The news mentioning terrorism not a sign of political bias -- it's answering a widespead question. It may be trite in some circles, but after September 11 people actually do think like that. Giant power outage, and the first question on everyone's lips is "Was it terrorism?"
If you don't know that, then I can't fathom how disconnected you are from the general populace.
Hmm..well, yeah. That and I don't feel like coughing up $180 for an X-Box to find out. That's money better spent on beer.:)
I actually haven't played it either (waiting for the PC version), but I haven't dismissed it out of hand.
Sense of greatness bullshit? You mean that when Doom came out, nothing seemed really special about it? [snip]
Ah, I see, only the most groundbreaking games will do. Games must be few and far between for you, then.
Don't get me wrong, Halo looks very nice. It's an excellent demo of the X-Box's graphical capabilities, and seems to have some good physics, too.
Actually, the most noteworthy thing about Halo is the AI, both in the enemies and in your CPU-controlled teammates. But I suppose breaking new ground in one category isn't enough to turn your head?
On a related note, I can only assume that you're passing up Half Life 2 when it comes out. From all accounts, the only groundbreaking part of it is it's nifty physics engine.
Halo is not popular, as nobody I know owns or has even played a copy
Soccer is not popular, as nobody I know watches or has even played it.
Technically speaking, 3 million in sales makes a game moderately popular. Plus, there also seems to be quite a lot of people anticipating it's PC release.
I want the last five minutes of my life back.
Since I was being a tad trollish, this comment made me smile.
I'm not a big fan of Halo myself. I've never played it. None of my friends have. There's just not that sense of greatness about the game that makes me feel like I really need to give a crap about it.
Translation: "Due to a mixture of preconcieved notions and biases, I have decided not to care about the game. Futhermore, I don't even feel like making up reasons not to play it. Thus I'll post up some bullshit about 'sense of greatness' or whatever, and leave it at that. Plus, rejecting things that are popular makes me feel cool."
don't pay any attention to professional sports because, really, what's so interesting about gigantic musclebound thugs slamming into one another? Or scratching their nuts and throwing a ball around? It's BORING.
I don't watch football, but from what I understand there is a good deal of strategy in all the various plays, counter-plays, etc. Certainly more depth than baseball or soccer, though I don't thumb my nose at those either.
Ironically, your stance on football reminds me of most people's stance on anime.
The guy above me is right, anime *is* mostly made for kids. What we get over in the U.S./Europe is not representative of the majority of anime produced.
Nor is inciting people into a passive complacency that threatens the stability of the entire society.
When you talk of passive complacency, I assume you're talking about the leaving of mad dictators and terrorist regimes in power.
After all, Russia, France, and Germany were perfectly happy smuggling Iraqi oil out from under the sanctions, using the massively corrupt Food-for-Oil program. The status-quo is profitable, who cares how many Iraqis die, right?
...nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sony has one of the most evil, decietful marketing machines in the gaming industry. They're worse than Microsoft and Nintendo put together.
They deal in rumors and incite speculation. They keep a project under wraps, release some small tidbit of information, and say something ominous like "it will change your life forever." The press laps it up greedily, and the overactive imaginations of the gaming community take it from there. (See the Playstation 2 release)
The marketing profession is full of weasels and sneaks as it is, but Sony's cynical hype should be especially ignored.
That's just a sidenote, though. The main beef I have w/ this article is that it's not a point/counterpoint. The second person is supposed to take the arguments of the first and refute them. (For example, take the point about lack of character customization in JRPGs and trot out Final Fantasy Tactics as a counterexample. Or counter the claim of Most of all, I want to be able to replay a favorite game and have a very different experience. with the example of Seiken Densetsu 3.
Just as a quick counterpoint, I think that extensive battle customization and the occasional branching path (like in those choose-your-own-adventure books) are quite different than the on-the-fly personality crafting of your typical CRPG.
Well, I don't want to get into an argument about the definition of "RPG", because nobody ever reaches a consensus on it. I was just grokking a list of sci-fi games that could be loosely-defined as an RPG, and not limiting myself to the classic definition of CRPG.
Also, does changing the perspective and battle system of an RPG suddenly mean it's not an RPG anymore? If Deus Ex is not really an RPG, then neither is Ultima Underworld. Yes, there is some action, but JRPGs mix in action all the time -- Star Ocean, Tales of Destiny, Secret of Mana, etc.
I haven't played Freelancer, but I have heard it is like an RPG. "Diablo in space" is actually what I heard. Yes, I am aware of Diablo's questionable status.
MMORPGs are, arguably, more RPG-like than any of your Fallouts or Final Fantasies. In an MMORPG you can gain an actual reputation among actual people. MMORPGs (and the MUDs that preceeded them) are much closer to the genre's pen-and-paper roots.
There are some I left out, also. There are lots of games that mix sci-fi and fantasy, like the Might and Magic series, and the early Ultimas.
I believe we also forgot to mention a little Western RPG called "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic."
The first guy had extensive experience with both JRPG and CRPG games. He stated his positive and negative experiences with JRPGs, then explained why he later learned to love CRPGs more.
The second guy admitted that he had no experience with CRPGs: "I'll admit that my experience with Western RPGs is comparatively limited." What the hell? Then he launches into a mushy rant where he describes the strong points of some JRPGs he has played, and hardly even mentions how CRPGs compare in those areas. Well, I guess he can't, since he hasn't played any. (He seems to admit that he fooled around with KOTOR a bit, or maybe just watched it.)
The very idea that a "Western" RPG can't have an engaging storyline is complete bollocks. Certainly Morrowind doesn't have the most engaging plot, but what about Planescape Torment or Fallout?
Maybe some people just can't get immersed in a good storyline if they have to make decisions in it (i.e. Role-Play). That indicates a certain lack of imagination, IMHO.
I often don't enjoy figuring things out in games - I want to know how the game is supposed to work and what I am supposed to do next.
My wife is exactly the same way. She likes linear role-playing games like Final Fantasy, but dislikes more open-ended ones like Fallout or Planescape Torment. She just wants to be entertained, and not have to make tough moral decisions.
Although, rpgamer.com says that composer Nobuo Uematsu talks Final Fantasy XII in his online journal [square-enix.co.jp] - but it's not in a language that I can read. Can anyone translate this?
KOTOR, while being an excellent game, is not the first RPG to give you tough, moralistic choices. However, it may be what popularizeses the concept with the console crowd. Seems they're just realizing that not all games put you on strict personality rails, like in most console RPGs. (I'm lookin' at you, Final Fantasy series).
For even more choice-riddled gaming, I suggest checking out Planescape Torment, Fallout 1+2, and Deus Ex, among others.
And everyone forgets how Sorceress Ultimecia wants to run WinZip on the universe. You know, to enable "time compression".
Plus, I can't think of a less fun way to replenish my magic reserves than to "Draw" from an enemy over and over, round after round. And then the junction system has it set up that every time you actually cast magic, one of your junctioned attributes goes down.
Also, that little stop-go game you play to boost the power of your summons? It sucks.
FF9 may have been more traditional, but it also turned out to be better.
That reminds me, does anyone think an RPG like Fallout would sell in Japan? They don't seem to go for that open-ended stuff, but I could be wrong. Has Fallout, or any similar RPGs, been released in Japan? If so, what kind of reception did they get?
A large portion of american women have expectations about "dating and finding the right guy" that are "largely unrealistic and are mostly composed of multiple-choice quizzes." Read a Redbook or cosmo sometime, It'll scare you.
But I... you see... well... damn. I walked right into that one, didn't I? That Redbook/Cosmo allegory fits perfectly.
I suppose it isn't that bad, though. Multiple-choice questions, some stat modifiers based on what you wear -- sounds like a glorified adventure game to me. Maybe you could take bathroom breaks with your friends to build up your "confidence meter".
All this concern about a lack of female-friendly games is really a non-issue. If there is money to be made on it, eventually someone will do it.
Furthermore, it's more likely easier said than done. War games, for instance, are much easier to conceptualize than a game like The Sims. (This is why I still admire Will Wright, despite EA's expansion-pack-a-thon.)
Sure, you can say "make a game about dating and finding the right guy". But, well, how? Where is the game? What exactly do you control? How should the AI engine work? Et cetera, et cetera. (And yes, I know dating games are big in Japan, but they're largely unrealistic and are mostly composed of multiple-choice quizzes.)
Slashdot Mirror
The researchers grab a random sample of kids and...[snip]
My question is, how old are "kids"?
since the number of murders in Japan is relatively low
Interesting fact: They don't count gang violence in that statistic. You know, the Yakuza and such.
Interesting fact #2: If a man goes berzerk, kills his family and then kills himself, all the dead are chalked up under "suicide".
It makes you wonder what Japan's murder rate actually is. If someone is attacked and dies a few days later, is that not counted as murder also?
What the hell? The news mentioning terrorism not a sign of political bias -- it's answering a widespead question. It may be trite in some circles, but after September 11 people actually do think like that. Giant power outage, and the first question on everyone's lips is "Was it terrorism?"
If you don't know that, then I can't fathom how disconnected you are from the general populace.
Hmm..well, yeah. That and I don't feel like coughing up $180 for an X-Box to find out. That's money better spent on beer. :)
I actually haven't played it either (waiting for the PC version), but I haven't dismissed it out of hand.
Sense of greatness bullshit? You mean that when Doom came out, nothing seemed really special about it? [snip]
Ah, I see, only the most groundbreaking games will do. Games must be few and far between for you, then.
Don't get me wrong, Halo looks very nice. It's an excellent demo of the X-Box's graphical capabilities, and seems to have some good physics, too.
Actually, the most noteworthy thing about Halo is the AI, both in the enemies and in your CPU-controlled teammates. But I suppose breaking new ground in one category isn't enough to turn your head?
On a related note, I can only assume that you're passing up Half Life 2 when it comes out. From all accounts, the only groundbreaking part of it is it's nifty physics engine.
Halo is not popular, as nobody I know owns or has even played a copy
Soccer is not popular, as nobody I know watches or has even played it.
Technically speaking, 3 million in sales makes a game moderately popular. Plus, there also seems to be quite a lot of people anticipating it's PC release.
I want the last five minutes of my life back.
Since I was being a tad trollish, this comment made me smile.
I'm not a big fan of Halo myself. I've never played it. None of my friends have. There's just not that sense of greatness about the game that makes me feel like I really need to give a crap about it.
Translation: "Due to a mixture of preconcieved notions and biases, I have decided not to care about the game. Futhermore, I don't even feel like making up reasons not to play it. Thus I'll post up some bullshit about 'sense of greatness' or whatever, and leave it at that. Plus, rejecting things that are popular makes me feel cool."
don't pay any attention to professional sports because, really, what's so interesting about gigantic musclebound thugs slamming into one another? Or scratching their nuts and throwing a ball around? It's BORING.
I don't watch football, but from what I understand there is a good deal of strategy in all the various plays, counter-plays, etc. Certainly more depth than baseball or soccer, though I don't thumb my nose at those either.
Ironically, your stance on football reminds me of most people's stance on anime.
The guy above me is right, anime *is* mostly made for kids. What we get over in the U.S./Europe is not representative of the majority of anime produced.
Nor is inciting people into a passive complacency that threatens the stability of the entire society.
When you talk of passive complacency, I assume you're talking about the leaving of mad dictators and terrorist regimes in power.
After all, Russia, France, and Germany were perfectly happy smuggling Iraqi oil out from under the sanctions, using the massively corrupt Food-for-Oil program. The status-quo is profitable, who cares how many Iraqis die, right?
*ahem*
I believe the whole "liberal media" thing has more to do with allegedly neutral news sources, rather than obviously biased ones.
...nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sony has one of the most evil, decietful marketing machines in the gaming industry. They're worse than Microsoft and Nintendo put together.
They deal in rumors and incite speculation. They keep a project under wraps, release some small tidbit of information, and say something ominous like "it will change your life forever." The press laps it up greedily, and the overactive imaginations of the gaming community take it from there. (See the Playstation 2 release)
The marketing profession is full of weasels and sneaks as it is, but Sony's cynical hype should be especially ignored.
That's just a sidenote, though. The main beef I have w/ this article is that it's not a point/counterpoint. The second person is supposed to take the arguments of the first and refute them. (For example, take the point about lack of character customization in JRPGs and trot out Final Fantasy Tactics as a counterexample. Or counter the claim of Most of all, I want to be able to replay a favorite game and have a very different experience. with the example of Seiken Densetsu 3.
Just as a quick counterpoint, I think that extensive battle customization and the occasional branching path (like in those choose-your-own-adventure books) are quite different than the on-the-fly personality crafting of your typical CRPG.
Well, I don't want to get into an argument about the definition of "RPG", because nobody ever reaches a consensus on it. I was just grokking a list of sci-fi games that could be loosely-defined as an RPG, and not limiting myself to the classic definition of CRPG.
Also, does changing the perspective and battle system of an RPG suddenly mean it's not an RPG anymore? If Deus Ex is not really an RPG, then neither is Ultima Underworld. Yes, there is some action, but JRPGs mix in action all the time -- Star Ocean, Tales of Destiny, Secret of Mana, etc.
I haven't played Freelancer, but I have heard it is like an RPG. "Diablo in space" is actually what I heard. Yes, I am aware of Diablo's questionable status.
MMORPGs are, arguably, more RPG-like than any of your Fallouts or Final Fantasies. In an MMORPG you can gain an actual reputation among actual people. MMORPGs (and the MUDs that preceeded them) are much closer to the genre's pen-and-paper roots.
There are some I left out, also. There are lots of games that mix sci-fi and fantasy, like the Might and Magic series, and the early Ultimas.
I believe we also forgot to mention a little Western RPG called "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic."
Deus Ex, arguably.
Freelancer definately.
Anachronox too.
Anarchy Online technically fits the bill.
System Shock 2, Fallout Tactics, Neocron, Wasteland, Earth and Beyond.
Heck, I'd say there are at least as many sci-fi Western RPGs as there are Eastern ones.
The first guy had extensive experience with both JRPG and CRPG games. He stated his positive and negative experiences with JRPGs, then explained why he later learned to love CRPGs more.
The second guy admitted that he had no experience with CRPGs: "I'll admit that my experience with Western RPGs is comparatively limited." What the hell? Then he launches into a mushy rant where he describes the strong points of some JRPGs he has played, and hardly even mentions how CRPGs compare in those areas. Well, I guess he can't, since he hasn't played any. (He seems to admit that he fooled around with KOTOR a bit, or maybe just watched it.)
The very idea that a "Western" RPG can't have an engaging storyline is complete bollocks. Certainly Morrowind doesn't have the most engaging plot, but what about Planescape Torment or Fallout?
Maybe some people just can't get immersed in a good storyline if they have to make decisions in it (i.e. Role-Play). That indicates a certain lack of imagination, IMHO.
My wife is exactly the same way. She likes linear role-playing games like Final Fantasy, but dislikes more open-ended ones like Fallout or Planescape Torment. She just wants to be entertained, and not have to make tough moral decisions.
Yes, like those stupid Alexandrians who got their library burnt.
Incorrect. Final Fantasy Legend 1-3 were SaGa games. Final Fantasy Adventure was the first in the Seiken Densetsu series.
Seiken Densetsu 2, for the SNES, was brought over and named Secret of Mana.
Seiken Densetsu 3, also for the SNES, was never translated, though a full (and high-quality) fan-translation of the game exists now.
Although, rpgamer.com says that composer Nobuo Uematsu talks Final Fantasy XII in his online journal [square-enix.co.jp] - but it's not in a language that I can read. Can anyone translate this?
/got nothing
It's morse code.
KOTOR, while being an excellent game, is not the first RPG to give you tough, moralistic choices. However, it may be what popularizeses the concept with the console crowd. Seems they're just realizing that not all games put you on strict personality rails, like in most console RPGs. (I'm lookin' at you, Final Fantasy series).
For even more choice-riddled gaming, I suggest checking out Planescape Torment, Fallout 1+2, and Deus Ex, among others.
Original games outpace sequels? What officially-licensed universe are you living in?
In my world, Final Fantasy 10 outsold Ico.
Mario Sunshine outsold Battlezone.
The Sims expansion #14 outsold Planescape Torment.
etc. etc.
* SPOILER WARNING *
And everyone forgets how Sorceress Ultimecia wants to run WinZip on the universe. You know, to enable "time compression".
Plus, I can't think of a less fun way to replenish my magic reserves than to "Draw" from an enemy over and over, round after round. And then the junction system has it set up that every time you actually cast magic, one of your junctioned attributes goes down.
Also, that little stop-go game you play to boost the power of your summons? It sucks.
FF9 may have been more traditional, but it also turned out to be better.
I can't even imagine the consequences of what would happen if the crazies in Israel used the Bomb on all their pesky neighbors.
Huh? They already have enough conventional firepower to take over all their neighbors, if they so choose.
Although the proliferation of nuclear weapons is always bad, it's kinda redundant in Israel's case right now.
That reminds me, does anyone think an RPG like Fallout would sell in Japan? They don't seem to go for that open-ended stuff, but I could be wrong. Has Fallout, or any similar RPGs, been released in Japan? If so, what kind of reception did they get?
A large portion of american women have expectations about "dating and finding the right guy" that are "largely unrealistic and are mostly composed of multiple-choice quizzes." Read a Redbook or cosmo sometime, It'll scare you.
But I... you see... well... damn. I walked right into that one, didn't I? That Redbook/Cosmo allegory fits perfectly.
I suppose it isn't that bad, though. Multiple-choice questions, some stat modifiers based on what you wear -- sounds like a glorified adventure game to me. Maybe you could take bathroom breaks with your friends to build up your "confidence meter".
All this concern about a lack of female-friendly games is really a non-issue. If there is money to be made on it, eventually someone will do it.
Furthermore, it's more likely easier said than done. War games, for instance, are much easier to conceptualize than a game like The Sims. (This is why I still admire Will Wright, despite EA's expansion-pack-a-thon.)
Sure, you can say "make a game about dating and finding the right guy". But, well, how? Where is the game? What exactly do you control? How should the AI engine work? Et cetera, et cetera. (And yes, I know dating games are big in Japan, but they're largely unrealistic and are mostly composed of multiple-choice quizzes.)