Final Fantasy XIII (and XIII-2) and Skyrim are the perfect reason why we should stop calling JRPGs RPGs. They're not. You may as well compare Final Fantasy XIII-2 to Mario.
The fact that people insist on comparing Skyrim and Final Fantasy is exactly why they end up disappointed by one or the other.
Agreed! And I'll 1-up it and say that I don't think Mass Effect should be considered an RPG either. The mastermind behind The Elder Scrolls, Ken Rolston, had bid disagreements with Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk of BioWare on this exact subject at this past years GDC "RPG Influencers" breakfast. Rolston believes that RPG's should be games that the player "writes his own story" inside, instead of the offerings that BioWare uses: extremely heavy uses of dialog, story driven narratives with few player choices, movie-esque characters, etc. BioWare wants you to see and play what they want you to and you get the option of making a few major choices throughout the games - it's actually quite a linear affair.
I enjoy the Mass Effect series and would agree that it's an RPG-lite, but I don't agree that their games are full-fledged RPG titles at all. I don't think they should be considered as a leading RPG company. If that's so, then Quantum Dream should have included a skill tree in Heavy Rain and they'd be one too!
Something tells me I just opened a can of worms!
So if Final Fantasy and other games like it (Dragon Quest, Wild Arms, Blue Dragon, Persona series, etc.) aren't RPG's then what exactly are they? That's like saying Mario isn't a platformer, or Gran Turismo isn't a racing game, or Soul Calibur isn't a fighter, etc.
Why are RPG's so hard to pin down, yet other gaming genres aren't nearly as complicated to label?
It's like, I just love a cowboy
You know
I'm just like, I just, I know, it's bad
But I'm just like
Can I just like, hang off the back of your horse
And can you go a little faster?!
What's an RPG? Go look at Dungeons and Dragons. The pen-and-paper game, not the video games. That was the original RPG. The first RPG. And as such, the philosophy driving that game is the definition of RPG.
JRPGs are nothing like Dungeons and Dragons. JRPGs are not RPGs, though semantically, they're a useful term to describe the likes of Final Fantasy.
Doesn't make them RPGs.
(and now thanks to keyword loading, NintendoLife is going to be the #1 search result for "RPG" in Google. You guys owe me )
So if Final Fantasy and other games like it (Dragon Quest, Wild Arms, Blue Dragon, Persona series, etc.) aren't RPG's then what exactly are they? That's like saying Mario isn't a platformer, or Gran Turismo isn't a racing game, or Soul Calibur isn't a fighter, etc.
Except Mario is a platformer, by the definition of platformers. Soul Calibur is a fighter by the definition of fighters. JRPGs are not RPGs by the definition of RPGs.
I've go no need for explanations now thanks to you guys.
Back on the Skyrim topic. I finally decided to make my trek down to see the Greybeards and I got attacked by a dragon. I flippin' slaughtered it with like three hits with my new great-sword I built.
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If you've never been to Markarth, I highly recommend doing so. It looks so beautiful.
Sean Aaron ~ "The secret is out: I'm really an American cat-girl." Q: How many physicists does it take to change a light bulb? A: Two, one to hold the light bulb, the other to rotate the universe.
What's an RPG? Go look at Dungeons and Dragons. The pen-and-paper game, not the video games. That was the original RPG. The first RPG. And as such, the philosophy driving that game is the definition of RPG.
JRPGs are nothing like Dungeons and Dragons. JRPGs are not RPGs, though semantically, they're a useful term to describe the likes of Final Fantasy.
Doesn't make them RPGs.
(and now thanks to keyword loading, NintendoLife is going to be the #1 search result for "RPG" in Google. You guys owe me )
So if Final Fantasy and other games like it (Dragon Quest, Wild Arms, Blue Dragon, Persona series, etc.) aren't RPG's then what exactly are they? That's like saying Mario isn't a platformer, or Gran Turismo isn't a racing game, or Soul Calibur isn't a fighter, etc.
Except Mario is a platformer, by the definition of platformers. Soul Calibur is a fighter by the definition of fighters. JRPGs are not RPGs by the definition of RPGs.
See the difference?
Then what exactly are they? If they aren't specifically RPG's, then what genre do they fit into?
Sean Aaron ~ "The secret is out: I'm really an American cat-girl." Q: How many physicists does it take to change a light bulb? A: Two, one to hold the light bulb, the other to rotate the universe.
Sean Aaron ~ "The secret is out: I'm really an American cat-girl." Q: How many physicists does it take to change a light bulb? A: Two, one to hold the light bulb, the other to rotate the universe.
They're not actual RPGs, they're JRPGs — the Japanese took the basic RPG model and changed it so much that it's no longer an actual RPG model anymore. Thus the 'J' in that acronym. It's like 'folk rock' versus 'punk rock' — they've both got the word 'rock' in their name, they both share some similarities, but they are otherwise two very different styles of music deserving of their own separate genre titles.
If we could get back to the main discussion now — which is Skyrim, not labels and semantics — I'd greatly appreciate it, Tendoboy. Thanks in advance!
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[16:43] James: I should learn these site rules more clearly
[16:44] LztheBlehBird: James doesn't know the rules? For shame!!!
They're not actual RPGs, they're JRPGs — the Japanese took the basic RPG model and changed it so much that it's no longer an actual RPG model anymore. Thus the 'J' in that acronym. It's like 'folk rock' versus 'punk rock' — they've both got the word 'rock' in their name, they both share some similarities, but they are otherwise two very different styles of music deserving of their own separate genre titles.
If we could get back to the main discussion now — which is Skyrim, not labels and semantics — I'd greatly appreciate it, Tendoboy. Thanks in advance!
Very good example. Thank you.
Anyhow, I was curious if there are other people like me, where when you level up, you don't necessarily put your perk into a skill tree, but hang onto a bunch before using a couple. I tend to hang onto 2 or 3 at a time in order to get better perks later when my skills are a higher level.
Sean Aaron ~ "The secret is out: I'm really an American cat-girl." Q: How many physicists does it take to change a light bulb? A: Two, one to hold the light bulb, the other to rotate the universe.
They're not actual RPGs, they're JRPGs — the Japanese took the basic RPG model and changed it so much that it's no longer an actual RPG model anymore. Thus the 'J' in that acronym. It's like 'folk rock' versus 'punk rock' — they've both got the word 'rock' in their name, they both share some similarities, but they are otherwise two very different styles of music deserving of their own separate genre titles.
If we could get back to the main discussion now — which is Skyrim, not labels and semantics — I'd greatly appreciate it, Tendoboy. Thanks in advance!
Well thanks for clearing that up. I didn't realize Japanese RPG's were in their own separate genre. I always assumed they were all just RPG's.
The best thing I've done in my second play-through is kill the obnoxious priest by the Talos statue in Whiterun. Seriously, the Dark Brotherhood questline was cool, but man if that guy did not get on my nerves EVERY SINGLE TIME I walked up to the Skyforge. It also played into my whole Elven superiority thing so that was cool too. Nobody even lifted a finger to stop me or put a bounty on me so I guess I did us all a service.
we are but maaaaaagooooottsssss writhing in the fillllllttthhhhh of our own corrrrrruppppttiiooooonnnnn
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There can only be one, like in that foreign movie where there could only be one, and in the end there is only one dude left, because that was the point.
Anyhow, I was curious if there are other people like me, where when you level up, you don't necessarily put your perk into a skill tree, but hang onto a bunch before using a couple. I tend to hang onto 2 or 3 at a time in order to get better perks later when my skills are a higher level.
I did the exact same thing! At one point, I think I had 6 or 7 saved.
I hate getting hooked on games by my cousin, because I can only play them when I visit him (which, sadly, isn't often). Skyrim is the latest game he's hooked me on, and in the week I got to spend with it, I got absolutely hooked. I got so hooked that by the time I left I was level 34, sporting a full set of Daedric armor with a greatsword and bow to match (all upgraded to Legendary, of course). My man Faendal was wearing my old set of Ebony armor (also Legendary), but I had to give him a less awesome glass bow after he somehow lost the Legendary Ebony one that I'd handed down to him along with the armor (it seriously pissed me off, too)...
While followers are awesome, I hate having Faendal follow me around in dungeons. He tends to get in the way when I fight, even though he's using a ranged weapon, which has resulted in me having to reload previous saves at least three times because he was in between me and my opponent when I let off a power attack. I used to give him a melee weapon, but he does more harm than good with one equipped, so I stopped; I won't even let him carry excess weapons for me, because I know he'll ditch his bow for whatever weapon I give him...
Enough about the downsides, though. This game is huge and awesome and so far I've joined just about every guild (except the mages in Winterhold, whom I ditched while being given the tour of their college). The Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild are awesome, though, as well as the Companions. So far I haven't really advanced much on their quest, though, because I just like breaking out on my own and exploring or doing the Miscellaneous quests. The Dark Brotherhood's quests are particularly fun, but so far I'm at the tip of the iceberg there...
I don't know when I'll get to visit my cousin again, but I know that when I do, Skyrim will have my complete attention. I hope it does come to the Wii U, because if it does, I'm buying it...
"Don't make enemies, they'll stab your heart; don't make friends, they'll stab your back. Including me, including you, all men are trash. Don't love; don't be loved. Have nothing to do with other; live in isolation."
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Topic: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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