A non RPG-fan's impressions of Chrono Trigger (spoilers)

[GenesisOne]

Is it just me, or has the RPGs shown a familiar continuity of elements that exists in [almost] all of them?

1. You're introduced as a charismatic, hard-training youth to a world of endless wonder and splendor, not to mention the citizens and enigmatic creatures that reside in such a world.

2. You're suddenly introduced to a force beyond your control that threatens to annihilate the world you live in.

3. By some odd twist of fate or destiny, it is up to you to conquer the chaotic presence of the opposition, all the while gaining new allies and enemies along your journey as you grow stronger.

Anything beyond these three points will make me go into detail, but I think one gets the gist of what I'm presenting.  Perhaps this is why it's find and play an "original" RPG.

Who knows?  Maybe I'm wrong and most RPGs don't follow the above formula. What says you?

[Truthordeal]

Well, JRPG's anyway. To be fair, I can't think of a non-Japanese RPG off the top of my head.

[ZaichikArky]

Well, JRPG's anyway. To be fair, I can't think of a non-Japanese RPG off the top of my head.

Americans made RPGs before the Japanese started making them, however the definitions changed. First of all, there are table top games, which I think technically are the first RPGs. Then, there are those point and click adventures which are actually no longer even called RPGs. And also there are those text games like Zork which could also be considered RPGs. Personally, I never liked any of the American ones and I only like JRPGs.

[Sajainta]

FF 12 is the only rpg I've played that isn't old school.

I've heard FFXII is amazing.  Is it?  My boyfriend says it's his second favourite game (his first one being CT ).

[KebreI]

Well, JRPG's anyway. To be fair, I can't think of a non-Japanese RPG off the top of my head.

Americans made RPGs before the Japanese started making them, however the definitions changed. First of all, there are table top games, which I think technically are the first RPGs. Then, there are those point and click adventures which are actually no longer even called RPGs. And also there are those text games like Zork which could also be considered RPGs. Personally, I never liked any of the American ones and I only like JRPGs.

If you want a good western game I think "The Longest Journey" Is up your ally.

[alfadorredux]

FF 12 is the only rpg I've played that isn't old school.

I've heard FFXII is amazing.  Is it?  My boyfriend's says it's his second favourite game (his first one being CT ).

I found it a so-so game that was more style than substance, myself, although I did finish it
(I even did 90% of the optional sidequest stuff). The story started out promising, but
then sort of fell apart about halfway through, and I tend to play RPGs at least partly for
the story, so... ::shrug::

I did not particularly like the combat system, or, to be more accurate, I felt that placing
what was essentially an action RPG in the Final Fantasy series was misleading (actually, I've
had similar problems with every game in the series since FFX). FFX-2 had already seriously
damaged my interest in the series with its real-time combat setup, and FFXII all but
destroyed it. As a result, I will not be buying FFXIII unless I have an opportunity to test-
play it first, or at least to read the manual so I know what I'm getting into. However,
all the features of FFXII that made me dislike it might easily do the opposite for someone
who is not a heavy-duty RPG addict--the semi-realtime gameplay and lack of obvious context-
switching would probably make it more accessible to someone accustomed to action-type
games.

[Mr Bekkler]

Is it just me, or has the RPGs shown a familiar continuity of elements that exists in [almost] all of them?

1. You're introduced as a charismatic, hard-training youth to a world of endless wonder and splendor, not to mention the citizens and enigmatic creatures that reside in such a world.

2. You're suddenly introduced to a force beyond your control that threatens to annihilate the world you live in.

3. By some odd twist of fate or destiny, it is up to you to conquer the chaotic presence of the opposition, all the while gaining new allies and enemies along your journey as you grow stronger.

Anything beyond these three points will make me go into detail, but I think one gets the gist of what I'm presenting.  Perhaps this is why it's find and play an "original" RPG.

Who knows?  Maybe I'm wrong and most RPGs don't follow the above formula. What says you?

The short answer is yes.

The longer answer is that basic formula is applicable to any monomyth, or any "adventure story" for that matter.

[kingpingu30]

You'll find that most Japanese companies will stick to that formula because the Japanese market is all for that kind of stuff, and the companies find that it is what their market is familiar with, which in media terms, could be referred to as the codes and conventions of the Japanese RPG game. Also, look at the characters in a majority of these games. I could give a list of the stereotypes. And I will.

- The hero, usually teenage, and, as what has already been said, thrown into the adventure without a choice
- The female childhood friend
- the princess tired of a royal life, who runs away from the castle and eventually becomes the hero's love interest
- The disgraced knight, who flees from their kingdom
- The badass
- The big breasted tribeswoman

The list could go on. But, these are what define the Japanese RPG genre, as well as the innovative battle system and the great story. And, in the case of FFXII, they concentrated on what I think is a really bad battle system and the start of the story, and never put enough effort into the rest of the story. I know many people who have stopped playing FF altogether because of FFXII.

I won't stop buying them, but if SE continue to produce these games with their iffy battle systems and shallow stories, then I may be put off forever. The future of their fanbase depends on FFXIII, so if anyone from SE can see this, please get it right this time.

[Mr Bekkler]

Star Wars, The Matrix, The Epic of Gilgamesh, etc.

[Truthordeal]

To relate Pingu's archetypes to another game mentioned on this forum(FF12):

-Vaan

-Penelo

-Ashe(somewhat, Balthier could fit this archetype as well)

-Basch (Balthier could also fit this archetype) Anyone know how to do spoiler tags, or highlights, or w/e?

-Balthier

-Fran

[kingpingu30]

To relate Pingu's archetypes to another game mentioned on this forum(FF12):

-Vaan

-Penelo

-Ashe(somewhat, Balthier could fit this archetype as well)

-Basch (Balthier could also fit this archetype) Anyone know how to do spoiler tags, or highlights, or w/e?

-Balthier

-Fran

See, this is an example of a part that FFXII got right. Not that the actual characters were that interesting... But, thats my opinion.

[Radical Pan]

Lol, I'm actually not a fan of RPGs, it tires me having to train SO much, and doing it alone, that's why I've played like... 2 or 3 FF games, Lunar 2, and only beat one, I get bored easily; if my friends want me to play an RPG, they'll give me a hacked/game sharked one. Ironic as it is, I like MMORPGs, but with a fair amount of quests at least.

I believe that's the magic of the Chrono Series, I NEVER got bored playing, since you don't really have to train like crazy or anything, it has kickass stories, and the music is so friggin amazing I just end humming all the time while I play. Hail Mitsuda, I shall give him babies.

[kingpingu30]

Everytime the Magus battle theme plays, I just whistle away to its awesomeness. I NEVER did that with any other game.

I like to level up on RPGs. But, in the past, I would go on 3 level grinds in the 1st half of the game and still come off underleveled by the end.

[KebreI]

I consider any game that requires me to go out of my way and grind to level up completely flawed. I stop playing it shortly after, I want to have fun when playing a game and grinding isn't fun.

[alfadorredux]

@Radical Pan: To each his/her/its own. To me MMORPGs are anathema--I don't much like
interacting with other people in real-time...or anything else that pressures me to think
quickly on the spot, for that matter. Hence, my video games of choice are those that can be
played alone and don't require constant real-time interaction: JRPGs, turn-based strategy,
Roguelikes, some simulation and puzzle games, and the odd visual novel.

However, if you're playing a modern RPG (for values of "modern" meaning anything first
released in or after the era of the original Playstation), and you're having to do
significant amounts of grinding in order to make progress, something's wrong with the
game balance. Killing 98% of the monsters that pop out and attack you should be sufficent
to let you win the game without going out and looking for extras.

(And yeah, Pingu's archetypes are fairly common, but not 100% guaranteed to appear in a
JRPG--Koudelka and Persona II: Eternal Punishment have almost none of those character
types, frex.)