Post by Bytor on Apr 22, 2011 10:57:09 GMT -5
OK, off the bat let me say that certainly (at least mostly, lol) technology is a good thing. After all, how in the world would we live (and function!) without microwaves, cell phones and for that matter computers (beware all, after all it's only a matter of time before Cyberdyne takes over). I simply cannot imagine what life would be like without all of the conveniences that modern technology has bestowed upon us, not to mention all of the lives not only made easier and more bearable but in many cases actually liveable! However...(knew that was coming didn't you, lol?) I'm not 100% sure that the constant striving for excellence has necessarily been a good thing overall for the video gaming industry. To a certain extent I cannot help but wonder if we are sacrificing a quality story and great (or even good) mechanics in order to have a visual feast. I'm not going to lie, while I certainly enjoy a great looking game, and if I'm totally honest I have to admit there was a time where I would often not give a game a chance if the graphics were bad off the get go, I feel I have grown and now look at the overall picture. Now, don't get me wrong I still like certain aspects to be a tad stronger than others ( all things being "equal" I prefer a great story and strong character development a tad over game play) but while at one time I probably would not have given a game like Jeanne D'Arc or Tales of the Abyss much of a chance while God of War and Final Fantasy X would have captivated me instantly I now look more at the overall picture. I'm not so sure the gaming industry is totally in accordance with my mentality. It appears to me that more and more games are (taking a page from Hollywood) relying more and more on the usage of technology and gimmicks, think Killzone 3 and Call of Duty. Maybe it's me, but I doubt it, while there was a story (in some vague and simplistic way) these type games are much more about the visuals, and to a lesser extent the mechanics of the game. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing inherently wrong with this type of development in a game. It can certainly even produce a great overall game. After all certainly Borderlands and Fallout 3 are great games, but I feel both hooked the player more overall than a typical WRPG (so maybe there's hope for us here in the West). What is, however, wrong with the technological advance is that I'm afraid we're (read developers/gamers) ignoring games that focus less on the visuals and the story and more on the look of the game. If we can't blow things all to hell and back with twenty different weapons we don't want it! And of course if we don't see videos of the game splashed all over the media that blow us away we're not interested. It has to hook us at the start or we don't want it, or for that matter will probably pay attention to begin with, of course that is the idea of marketing and advertising, get 'em hard, get 'em fast. To reiterate, style over substance.
I read an article the other day on the death of JRPG's and the comments many were making concerning the article really got me to thinking. We here in the US, at least seemingly, are much more concerned with style over substance. That has rang the death bell (or at least the knockout bell) for the JRPG industry. In order to keep up they are going to be forced to emulate their Western counterparts, and I for one do not think it's a good thing. I simply cannot imagine playing Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 if the graphics looked like God of War III. I dunno, maybe it would be a great game even then but I really think graphics like that would detract from the overall gaming experience. A fine example of the attempt to "keep up" is Star Ocean: The Last Hope and Final Fantasy XII (with an *, I loved the story but it was certainly a much more "adult themed" storyline and not the fantasy type I'm used to in the Final Fantasy series). Both games look simply awesome, yes, there are some frame rate and clip in issues, but overall they both still look great! But, and after a lot of rambling there is a but, lol, my point is the story has suffered in both. Both games look great and the mechanics in both are solid examples of game play, but let's be honest, neither game is a Xenosaga or Digital Devil Saga in terms of story telling. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing necessarily wrong with either SO or FFXII there's just not in the same league as the aforementioned games. But of course based on the image and of course the sales figures of many games here in the States you cannot blame the JRPG industry in the least bit, after all according to one source I read Persona 4 sold 110,000 copies statewide while COD sold 13.7 million. Now I know that;s to a certain extent comparing apples and oranges both in terms of game types as well as merchandising, but the exorbitant range does illustrate my point to a certain degree. America knows what it wants, and Japan is figuring it out.
Now...what's the solution...? I'm not sure there is one, at least not in the short term future. America wants a quick fix, we love fast food, we want gourmet meals from the microwave and we want our movies action packed and at uber high speed. For now we're stuck (in a rut in my opinion) and culture is typically slow to change. So...I guess we're stuck with COD, Killzone and Crysis being available at your local convenience store and we'll have to be happy we can find copies of Eternal Sonata, Katamari and Tales Series (although certainly not all are here in the US), and hopefully Atlus will keep releasing games that are enjoyable and yet make us think. That's the key to me...did the game make me think. Did it draw me into the story and immerse me in the heroes struggles, fears and cares or did I just get to blow things up. Blowing thing up can be fun, but once it's all gone what then....? Indeed...what the... "When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer."
I read an article the other day on the death of JRPG's and the comments many were making concerning the article really got me to thinking. We here in the US, at least seemingly, are much more concerned with style over substance. That has rang the death bell (or at least the knockout bell) for the JRPG industry. In order to keep up they are going to be forced to emulate their Western counterparts, and I for one do not think it's a good thing. I simply cannot imagine playing Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 if the graphics looked like God of War III. I dunno, maybe it would be a great game even then but I really think graphics like that would detract from the overall gaming experience. A fine example of the attempt to "keep up" is Star Ocean: The Last Hope and Final Fantasy XII (with an *, I loved the story but it was certainly a much more "adult themed" storyline and not the fantasy type I'm used to in the Final Fantasy series). Both games look simply awesome, yes, there are some frame rate and clip in issues, but overall they both still look great! But, and after a lot of rambling there is a but, lol, my point is the story has suffered in both. Both games look great and the mechanics in both are solid examples of game play, but let's be honest, neither game is a Xenosaga or Digital Devil Saga in terms of story telling. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing necessarily wrong with either SO or FFXII there's just not in the same league as the aforementioned games. But of course based on the image and of course the sales figures of many games here in the States you cannot blame the JRPG industry in the least bit, after all according to one source I read Persona 4 sold 110,000 copies statewide while COD sold 13.7 million. Now I know that;s to a certain extent comparing apples and oranges both in terms of game types as well as merchandising, but the exorbitant range does illustrate my point to a certain degree. America knows what it wants, and Japan is figuring it out.
Now...what's the solution...? I'm not sure there is one, at least not in the short term future. America wants a quick fix, we love fast food, we want gourmet meals from the microwave and we want our movies action packed and at uber high speed. For now we're stuck (in a rut in my opinion) and culture is typically slow to change. So...I guess we're stuck with COD, Killzone and Crysis being available at your local convenience store and we'll have to be happy we can find copies of Eternal Sonata, Katamari and Tales Series (although certainly not all are here in the US), and hopefully Atlus will keep releasing games that are enjoyable and yet make us think. That's the key to me...did the game make me think. Did it draw me into the story and immerse me in the heroes struggles, fears and cares or did I just get to blow things up. Blowing thing up can be fun, but once it's all gone what then....? Indeed...what the... "When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer."