Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The spoils of Atlus RPGs]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/the-spoils-of-atlus-rpgs/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/the-spoils-of-atlus-rpgs/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/the-spoils-of-atlus-rpgs/#commentsIn his weekly column, writer Bob Mackey will alternate between two of his passions: the Japanese RPG genre and classic games.

In recent years, Atlus' string of portable-bound RPG remakes has done an excellent job of showing off the developer's history with video games before the breakout success of Persona. Yes, if you're the type of person inclined to read a column dedicated to Japanese RPGs, you might be thinking, "Breakout success? But I've loved Atlus for years!" If that's true, then you probably remember an ugly past, making mandatory reservations thanks to the tiny quantities of Atlus games that once trickled into your local Gamestop - if they did at all - and the wallet-destroying eBay markups greeting those who didn't go to Herculean lengths just to buy a retail product.

As a result of the developer's growing fame, we're now seeing the release of games we only dreamed about playing in the 90s, and Atlus has tried their best to replicate the experiences we would have had back then - for better or worse.

Gallery: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (4/11/13)

Continue reading The spoils of Atlus RPGs

JoystiqThe spoils of Atlus RPGs originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 May 2013 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Atlusdevil-summoner-soul-hackersJapanese-RPGsJRPGsOpinionThu, 02 May 2013 19:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Remembering my favorite RPG: Valkyrie Profile]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/15/remembering-my-favorite-rpg-valkyrie-profile/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/15/remembering-my-favorite-rpg-valkyrie-profile/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/15/remembering-my-favorite-rpg-valkyrie-profile/#comments This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer.

Remembering my favorite RPG Valkyrie Profile
Around here, we have a bit of a tradition: If the resident JRPG columnist opts to move on, they finish their tenure by writing about their favorite role-playing game. Since this will be my last column with Joystiq, it's time to discuss how much I love Valkyrie Profile.

Valkyrie Profile has pretty much everything I'm looking for in an RPG. It has solid customization; visual flair; a strong story; great music; and a large cast. But what really takes it above and beyond for me is that little added twist; that certain je ne sais quoi that really makes it something special.

Continue reading Remembering my favorite RPG: Valkyrie Profile

JoystiqRemembering my favorite RPG: Valkyrie Profile originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>EnixJapanese-RPGsOpinionPlayStationSquare-EnixValkyrie-Profile-LennethFri, 15 Mar 2013 20:45:00 EST<![CDATA[At long last, Fire Emblem and Etrian Odyssey can be recommended to the mainstream]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/at-long-last-fire-emblem-and-etrian-odyssey-can-be-recommended/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/at-long-last-fire-emblem-and-etrian-odyssey-can-be-recommended/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/at-long-last-fire-emblem-and-etrian-odyssey-can-be-recommended/#comments This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer.

The average first-time experience with an Etrian Odyssey game goes something like this: You spend some time constructing a team; you venture into the forest for the first time, and you die. Then, unless you're a particular breed of RPG fan, you probably quit forever. Until now, anyway.

After three games worth of trial and error, Etrian Odyssey IV seems to have hit the 'Goldilocks Zone' of RPG difficulty. In other words, it's still pretty tough, but it's not impossible. And for that reason, it's finally reached the point where I can reasonably recommend it to someone other than a hardcore dungeon crawler fanatic.

The crux of EOIV's new accessibility is its casual mode, which makes it to the second high-profile 3DS RPG this year to feature such an option (Fire Emblem: Awakening was the first). The effects are relatively simple: when you die, you'll be whisked back to town, rather than having to start over. In addition, you will be blessed with an item that lets you leave a dungeon at any time.

This would seem to have the effect of making EOIV a tad too easy; but in reality, it makes it compulsive. Rather than getting frustrated by every cheap death and accidental counter with an F.O.E. - minibosses that roam the labyrinth - I've found myself simply rolling up my sleeves and trying again. The result has been much more rapid progress than I've ever experienced before, and a whole lot less in the way of cursing and throwing my 3DS.

Continue reading At long last, Fire Emblem and Etrian Odyssey can be recommended to the mainstream

JoystiqAt long last, Fire Emblem and Etrian Odyssey can be recommended to the mainstream originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsAtlusetrian-odyssey-4Japanese-RPGsJRPGsnintendoOpinionFri, 08 Mar 2013 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Why the PlayStation 4 reveal doesn't mean much for JRPG fans yet]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/22/why-the-playstation-4-reveal-doesnt-mean-much-for-jrpg-fans-yet/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/22/why-the-playstation-4-reveal-doesnt-mean-much-for-jrpg-fans-yet/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/22/why-the-playstation-4-reveal-doesnt-mean-much-for-jrpg-fans-yet/#comments This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer.

As we look ahead to the next generation of games, a lot of Japanese role-playing game fans figure to be looking somewhere other than the new PlayStation for whatever the future holds for the genre.

Seven years ago, that would have been inconceivable, but times have obviously changed. It's fair to assume that Japanese developers will stick with the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo 3DS for the time being, only occasionally venturing over to the next generation.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that Japan simply doesn't digest their games in the same way they did back in 2006. Mobile platforms have come to dominate what is a centralized culture that spends a lot of its time on trains, with home consoles increasingly relegated to a nerdy niche. The Nintendo 3DS, for instance, has reached 8 million units sold in Japan, and has already surpassed the lifetime sales of the PS3 on that side of the ocean. It's only natural that developers go where the customers are going, and that isn't likely to be the new PlayStation - at least in Japan.

Continue reading Why the PlayStation 4 reveal doesn't mean much for JRPG fans yet

JoystiqWhy the PlayStation 4 reveal doesn't mean much for JRPG fans yet originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Japanese-RPGsJRPGOpinionPlayStation-4PS4Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:45:00 EST<![CDATA[In search of a more eloquent solution to a second playthrough]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/in-search-of-a-more-eloquent-solution-to-a-second-playthrough/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/in-search-of-a-more-eloquent-solution-to-a-second-playthrough/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/in-search-of-a-more-eloquent-solution-to-a-second-playthrough/#comments This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer.

As soon as I finished Persona 4 Golden I thought hard about starting a new game. Saying goodbye to Persona 4's delightful cast after 60 hours was bittersweet to be sure, but I was also thinking about the social links I hadn't been able to complete. I felt like I could make a serious go at getting 100 percent, maybe even fuse a Persona like Thanatos. Of course, that would have required another 70 to 80 hours of my life; and sadly, I just didn't have that kind of time to spare.

So I'm packing away Persona 4 Golden for a while, even though there's plenty more to see and do. It makes me wonder: Is it a good idea to load up an RPG with a lot of content that can't easily be accessed in one playthrough? Especially when that RPG is more than 50 hours long?

My gut reaction is to say, "No, it's not necessarily a good idea." Not that I don't like extra content, or even replaying a really good RPG. It's the time commitment involved. And there are better alternatives than, say, forcing someone to keep multiple save files just so they can see every possible branching point without starting over.

Continue reading In search of a more eloquent solution to a second playthrough

JoystiqIn search of a more eloquent solution to a second playthrough originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Feb 2013 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Japanese-RPGsOpinionWed, 06 Feb 2013 19:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Three interesting trends found in 2012's JRPGs]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/21/three-interesting-trends-found-in-2012s-jrpgs/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/21/three-interesting-trends-found-in-2012s-jrpgs/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/21/three-interesting-trends-found-in-2012s-jrpgs/#comments This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs has to offer.

As both a columnist and a fan, I've felt relatively lucky this a year with plenty of JRPGs to play and enjoy in 2012, including Persona 4 Golden, Xenoblade Chronicles, and The Last Story.

I'm not exactly drowning in RPGs or anything, but this is probably the happiest I've been since 2008 or so, which was the year I discovered Valkyria Chronicles. I don't want to say that there was something for everyone, because it's a lousy cliché, and not really true either. But for those who were willing to look, it was a good year.

Is this the beginning of a return to form for Japanese developers? Well, maybe not. The accelerated growth of mobile gaming, an aging population back home, and outsized budgets are all substantial obstacles for Japanese studios. But a few interesting trends are taking hold that could have a substantial impact on the industry in the near future:

Continue reading Three interesting trends found in 2012's JRPGs

JoystiqThree interesting trends found in 2012's JRPGs originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 21 Dec 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Japanese-RPGsJRPGJRPGsOpinionFri, 21 Dec 2012 16:00:00 EST