Role-playing ridiculousness revealed in Grandia III shots
by Dan Choi 
{ Jan 10th 2006 at 4:00AM }
Japanese games are great and all, but sometimes genre conventions can get a bit ridiculous at times, especially with certain titles from our Far Eastern neighbors.
Consider the latest batch of screenshots released for the game Grandia III (for the PS2). You've got your typical RPG card games and
We love that foreign game developers (and/or their localization specialists) have a healthy sense of humor, whether intended or not, but some game ideas definitely get lost in translation. Check here for the first page of the GameSpy gallery, and wonder at the suspension of disbelief games at times can require of us to enjoy them properly.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
zenprism @ Jan 10th 2006 5:30AM
Woah, go easy on my beloved franchise. You could call me a Grandia fanboy, and I'll say the series has always had a sense of humor (without being overly silly, and it does have it's serious points). I'll gladly hold Grandia up against any Japanese RPG series out there.
Please experience the game and it's unique battle system before jumping to any conclusions, people. It will be a great game.
Dan Choi @ Jan 10th 2006 5:36AM
Considering all the fans the Grandia series has amassed over the years, I certainly wouldn't want to knock the esteemed franchise in light of the other Japanese RPG series that are out there. I do think, though, that the fantastical elements of JRPGs in general can get pretty out there sometimes (and that counts for Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and maybe a few sci-fi series like Xenosaga, too).
PaulBlake @ Jan 10th 2006 7:08AM
Well, let's see. We've got Fishman Warriors, and Fishman Advisers. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that there's a Fishman race with a class structure. Most likely, there's a Fishman King/Queen/Emperor/Emperess (/Other Royal Title) with a team of advisers. They attack you, probably at the command of aforementioned royal, but perhaps not. I doubt it's an arbitrary name (like Malboro, using a Final Fantasy example).
Honestly, if you're going to accept the whole flying boats and dragons thing, Fishmen empires shouldn't be all that difficult.
slybri @ Jan 10th 2006 8:45AM
Those Fishman Advisors look a lot like Murlocs. Murlocs must die!
Zero_ @ Jan 10th 2006 8:59AM
Atleast this goofy dialogue didn't appear in Grandia 1. Man, that game was awesome.
Ryuukuro @ Jan 10th 2006 11:03AM
I'm still waiting for someone to fully marry the creativity and spirit of the Japanese console RPG with the character creation, modability, and more adult sensibilities of the American PC RPG.
Until that happens (and I can't figure out why it hasn't happened yet) I'll still compare Grandia and Dungeon Siege and say "That Grandia game looks way more fun!" even though I'll get more gameplay time overall out of Dungeon Siege.
And that dialogue? It sells the game alone! Could Grandia III have the next "Mustard of your Doom?"
zenprism @ Jan 10th 2006 11:07AM
Agree with Zero_, the original Grandia was fantastic, and ranks atop my personal favorite games ever list. My only gripe was the sub-par English voice acting compared to the awesome Japanese voices in the import version.
Can't wait to lose countless hours to #3.
calthaer @ Jan 10th 2006 2:15PM
No Japanese RPG will ever approach the genius that is the Ultima series of games. After the U5 Lazarus project, I doubt I'll ever play JRPGs again due to their inane / pointless / ridiculous / rambling plot, shallow characters, and lack of an engrossing world-experience on any sort of intellectual level beyond visuals.
The ZeroCorpse @ Jan 10th 2006 4:57PM
Japanese RPGs **are not RPGs!!!**
They are turn-based war games with super-deformed/anime characters and tons of cinematic cutscenes. It's a completely different genre from role-playing.
RPGs are things like Morrowind, Baldur's Gate (PC), Neverwinter Nights (PC), the Ultima series, and even the old Gold Box SSI games. They all have the primary ingredients for an RPG: make a unique character and give the player freedom.
If I play a Final Fantasy game, I'm playing SOMEONE ELSE'S CHARACTER and following a "track" throughout the game. There's no room to move, really. I'm just completing the battles to make the story go in the order in which the designers wanted it to go.
Japanese RPGs are the retarded cousin of "choose your own adventure" books. You really don't have a choice. If you pick "A" and win the fight, you go onward. If you pick "B" and lose the fight, the game ends and you start over to pick "A" next time.
Personally, I hope we see more actual RPGs on the 360, and less of these bad 8-bit game engine Japanese hangovers from the past. A Japanese RPG today is technically no different than one from 1983, with the exception that the anime looks a little better, the music sounds better, and they can cram 12 hours of video cutscenes on the disc. Once you get into gameplay, though, it's still NES/Master System all the way.
Even Atari "Adventure" had more freedom than your average Japanese RPG.
Stephen @ Jan 10th 2006 6:52PM
I can't wait to get this game.
Would be nice if XBOX 360 could get more games like this...
Zero_ @ Jan 10th 2006 9:17PM
ZeroCorpse:
It's the Japanese's interpretation of the term RPG
then, and regardless if you change it's genre title, it'll still be three times as popular as those 'RPGs' you speak of.
nzenprism:
Sub-Par? I thought it was pretty good. Not A+++ stuff, but A+ definetly. I've yet to hear the
Japanese voice actors, so I can't really compare. Regardless, it was still a magnificent game, and it too ranks up as one of my favourites of all time.
roflawl @ Jan 11th 2006 8:35AM
The original Grandia was a great RPG, way better than any Final Fantasy in my opinion. Too bad about Grandia II, though, and that terrible Grandia "X-Treme" game or whatever it was called.