"japanese devs also have a thing where they need it to work, need it to work fast, but don't need it to work well".
I agree with everything in your post except for this.
Actually, in terms of business, the Japanese are very hierarchical and take their time when making decisions because they want to release the best product they can. A Japanese company would never release a product if it doesn't work well, it goes against their sense of honor...
Virgil doesn't seem motivated.
Lost Odyssey is one of the best JRPGs released this gen due to the storyline. Sakaguchi took the time to play with the tropes of the genre and it work.
I wish writers would take risks with the stories they create. It just that not only is it easier to write about teenagers -remember less 'real' issues to write about- but the stories tend to be timeless and easier to understand for younger audiences. It's still not an excuse though, I wish more games like Lost Odys...
It would be a bit refreshing playing a JRPG as a group of adults instead teenagers for once. There are more things you can explore in terms of themes and characterizations.
I just think it is easier for game creators to write about a coming of age story. Plus if you look at stories of the past, the focus has always been on young people simply because youth equals purity and hope. Old age is always viewed as being corrupted by the world, lose hope, and losing the ability to d...
As of right now, Xenoblade Chronicles is my GOTY, but there are still quite a bit of games to come out this year.
Sadly, that is the cover for NA and Europe. The Japanese cover is way better in my opinion.
REmake, 2, and 3 are the best ones in my opinion.
I bet if you ask a lot of gamers what their first RE was they would end up saying 4. If you look at the older REs, which are some of the greatest games ever, the gameplay style is too slow for most gamers today.
Many people don't want to solve puzzles, find key cards, read police reports, and have the feeling of dread around them. RE also feels like it is starting to take its self too seriously now. Playing through 4 & 5 and seeing the trailers for 6, it just feels li...
Honestly, I always thought it was the other way around. Western games tend to have better gameplay than Japanese games, but Japanese games tend to have better and unique visuals in there games. I guess each side focus on the weakest points just to get them out of the way.
Wow, spoilers would have made all of those games less special. Just because the folks at IGN needs everything spelt out for them, there suggestion is that every secret be blown. I'm so glad these jokers are not in the business of making games.
It's not about 'new hair color', it's about Ninja Theory ruining everything about Dante. In the old games, Dante was cocky, confident, funny, and just a pure bad ass. Even though he was a bit off a jerk, in real life Dante would have your back when shit hits the fan.
Enter Ninja Theory Dante. Sure he is cocky and confident, but he comes off as a pure ass instead of likeable. He isn't funny, and I just don't like the whole British punk vibe I'm gett...
It would be odd if Chrono Phantasma doesn't make it to Xbox, seeing as how the others have. Does anyone know how well BlazBlue sells for the Xbox, if the sales are too low, that might be the reason.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
Personally I think Skyrim has very bland fetch quests, the dungeons looks the same, combat never evolves, the story is boring, and player choice is almost non-existent. Those are really important for an RPG. My opinion might change if I look at it as an adventure game though.
Please keep in mind I'm not trying to rag on, I just have different expectations for RPGs. Either way, the bugs are not acceptable.
My biggest issue with Skyrim, or any Bethesda game, is that it is just plagued with bugs. I understand that their games tend to have really big worlds, but it is not an excuse to ship a buggy game.
Look at R* Games. GTA IV and Red Dead, though not as large as Skyrim, are open world games and they don't the amount of bugs Skyrim has. I can understand pop-in and some graphic clipping, but R* never has game ruining bugs in them.
I honestly don't unders...
Darksiders was great.
Enslaved was meh.
Alan Wake was interesting.
Xenoblade Chronicles was beyond great.
Sin & Punishment, I didn't play it.
Corpse Party was the first game I downloaded the Vita, and I loved it. There are a lot of great PSP RPGs you can download for the Vita. Hopefully with time the Vita will get some great RPGs of its own.
@FatOldMan
Rage was a really good looking game, it was just a bore to play in my opinion. The story was bland, the quests were repetitive, and the gamplay was not very smooth. It's like iD just released a tech demo instead of a game.
Hopefully this means Doom 4 will be an overall better experience than Rage.
EA should try to do more experimentation with Medal of Honor if they want it to stay relevant. Right now, it's just a lesser version of Battlefield. If they are going to have two games that are way too similar, then they should just put Medal of Honor to rest.
Out of list, I only know of Dragon Force and Misadventures of Tron Bonne.