Editing Role-playing video game (section)

====Criticisms====
Due to the cultural differences between Western and Japanese variations of role-playing games, both have often been compared and critiqued by those within the video games industry and the press.

In the late 1980s, when traditional American computer RPGs such as ''[[Ultima (series)|Ultima]]'' and ''[[Defender of the Crown]]'' were ported to consoles, they received mixed reviews from console gamers, as they were "not perceived, by many of the players, to be as exciting as the Japanese imports", and lacked the [[Arcade game|arcade]] and [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]] elements commonly found in Japanese console RPGs at the time.<ref>{{citation|first=Roe R.|last=Adams|magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]]|date=November 1990|issue=76|pages=83–84 [84]|title=Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is): An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines|quote=Last year also saw the coattail effect of traditional bestselling CRPGs being ported over onto dedicated game machines as the new market of machines blossomed into money trees. Games like Ultima, Shadowgate, and Defender of the Crown appeared to mixed reviews. These stalwarts of computer fame were not perceived, by many of the players, to be as exciting as the Japanese imports.}}</ref> In the early 1990s, American computer RPGs also began facing criticism for their plots, where "the party sticks together through thick and thin" and always "act together as a group" rather than as individuals, and where [[non-player character]]s are "one-dimensional characters", in comparison to the more [[fantasy]] [[novel]] approach of [[Square (video game company)|Squaresoft]] console RPGs such as ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]''.<ref name="dragon_ffii">{{cite journal|author=Sandy Petersen|title=Reviews: Final Fantasy II|journal=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]| date=November 1993 |issue=199|pages=56 & 58|author-link=Sandy Petersen}}{{dead link|date=December 2015}}</ref> However, in 1994, game designer [[Sandy Petersen]] noted that, among computer gamers, there was criticism against cartridge-based console JRPGs being "not role-playing at all" due to popular examples such as ''[[Secret of Mana]]'' and especially ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' using "direct" arcade-style action [[Role-playing battle systems|combat systems]] instead of the more "abstract" [[turn-based]] battle systems associated with computer RPGs. In response, he pointed out that not all console RPGs are action-based, pointing to ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' and ''[[Lufia]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Eye of the Monitor|author=Petersen, Sandy|journal=[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]|issue=208|date=August 1994|page=61|author-link=Sandy Petersen|quote=Not long ago, I received a letter from a Dragon Magazine reader. This particular woman attacked the whole concept of cartridge-based role-playing games very vigorously, claiming that games such as ''Zelda'' are not role-playing at all. Presumably, she thinks they are arcade games. ''Zelda'' has some features of the classic arcade game: combat is direct. Each push of the button results in one swing of the sword, which if it connects, harms or kills an enemy. In standard computer roleplaying games, at least until recently, combat is more abstract. [...] But all that is changing. [...] ''Ultima VIII'' requires you not only to control your character's every move in combat, but also his dodging of enemy blows, whether he kicks or stabs, etc. [...] The two forms of play: "arcade" and "role-playing" seem to be mixing more and more in computer and cartridge games. We'll see how far this trend goes, but I suspect there will always be a place for a game which is totally cerebral in combat, instead of relying on reflexes. For every ''Zelda'', or ''Secret of Mana'', there'll be a ''Final Fantasy II'' or ''Lufia''.}}</ref> Another early criticism, dating back to the ''[[Phantasy Star]]'' games in the late 1980s, was the frequent use of defined [[player character]]s, in contrast to the ''[[Wizardry (video game series)|Wizardry]]'' and [[Gold Box]] games where the player's [[Avatar (computing)|avatars]] (such as knights, clerics, or thieves) were blank slates.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Patterson|first=Eric L.|title=5 WAYS JAPANESE GAMING STILL RULES: ATELIER TOTORI|url=http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-feature5-ways-japanese-gaming-still-rules-atelier-totori/|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|publisher=EGM Media LLC|access-date=December 31, 2011|date=December 27, 2011|archive-date=29 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929220550/http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/egm-feature5-ways-japanese-gaming-still-rules-atelier-totori/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As Japanese console RPGs became increasingly more dominant in the 1990s,<ref name="barton_1571_12h">{{Harvnb|Barton|2007c|p=12|Ref=barton_1571}}</ref> and became known for being more heavily story and character-based, American computer RPGs began to face criticism for having characters devoid of personality or background, due to representing avatars which the player uses to interact with the world, in contrast to Japanese console RPGs which depicted characters with distinctive personalities. American computer RPGs were thus criticized for lacking "more of the traditional [[role-playing]]" offered by Japanese console RPGs, which instead emphasized character interactions.<ref name="hallford_xxiv"/> In response, North American computer RPGs began making a comeback towards the end of the 1990s with interactive choice-filled adventures.<ref>{{citation|author1=Neal Hallford  |author2=Jana Hallford |name-list-style=amp |year=2001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GslPb621eXQC|title=Swords & circuitry: a designer's guide to computer role-playing games|pages=xxiv & xxv|publisher=[[Cengage Learning]]|isbn=978-0-7615-3299-6|access-date=May 16, 2011}}</ref>

Several writers have criticized JRPGs as not being "true" RPGs, for heavy usage of scripted [[cutscene]]s and dialogue, and a frequent lack of [[Nonlinear gameplay#Branching storylines|branching]] outcomes.<ref name="GSpy_EastvWest">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/489/489047p1.html |title=Spy/Counterspy Case File 07: RPGs – East vs. West |last1=Turner |first1=Benjamin |last2=Nutt |first2=Christian |date=July 29, 2003 |website=GameSpy |access-date=August 14, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040616050230/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/489/489047p1.html |archive-date=June 16, 2004}}</ref><sup>[Turner]</sup> Japanese RPGs are also sometimes criticized for having relatively simple battle systems in which players are able to win by repetitively mashing buttons.<ref name="GSpy_EastvWest"/><sup>[Turner]</sup><ref name="GSpy_EastvWest"/><ref name="gamasutra_boyd">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-zeboyd-games-approach-to-jrpg-design|title=The Zeboyd Games Approach to JRPG Design|website=Gamasutra|publisher=UBM Tech|author=Robert Boyd|date=January 13, 2011|access-date=May 13, 2011}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Though some argue this has not been the case outside of tactical RPGs,<ref name="gama_rpgreboot">{{cite web|last=Doucet|first=Lars|title=Rebooting the RPG|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/rebooting-the-rpg|publisher=UBM Tech|website=Gamasutra|access-date=May 12, 2011|date=March 9, 2011}}</ref> while others argue that combat systems in JRPGs are too complex or lack accessibility.<ref name="gamasutra_boyd"/>|group="Note"}} As a result, Japanese-style role-playing games are held in disdain by some Western gamers, leading to the term "JRPG" being held in the pejorative.<ref name="gama_primer20">{{cite web|last=Kalata|first=Kurt|title=A Japanese RPG Primer: The Essential 20|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3581/a_japanese_rpg_primer_the_.php|publisher=UBM Tech|website=Gamasutra|access-date=May 14, 2011|date=March 19, 2008}}</ref> Some observers have also speculated that JRPGs are stagnating or declining in both quality and popularity, including remarks by BioWare co-founder [[Greg Zeschuk]] and writing director [[Daniel Erickson]] that JRPGs are stagnating—and that ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]'' is not even really an RPG;<ref name="gradar_jrpgs">{{cite web|author=PSM3 UK|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/are-jrpgs-dead/?page=2 |title=Are JRPGs dead? |website=GamesRadar |publisher=Future plc |date=March 16, 2010 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.destructoid.com/bioware-co-founder-jrpgs-suffer-from-lack-of-evolution--155782.phtml |title=BioWare co-founder: JRPGs suffer from 'lack of evolution' |website=Destructoid |date=18 December 2009 |access-date=September 15, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nunneley-Jackson |first=Stephany |date=2010-05-13 |title=FFXIII is "not an RPG", but an "adventure game", says SWTOR writer |url=https://www.vg247.com/ffxiii-is-not-an-rpg-but-an-adventure-game-says-swtor-writer |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=[[VG247]]}}</ref> criticisms regarding seemingly nebulous justifications by some Japanese designers for newly changed (or, alternately, newly un-changed) features of recent titles;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-xiii-not-a-jrpg-despite-being-a-jrpg-131175.phtml |title=Final Fantasy XIII not a JRPG, despite being a JRPG |website=Destructoid |date=March 16, 2006 |access-date=September 15, 2010}}</ref> calls among some gaming journalists to "fix" JRPGs' problems;<ref name="ign_fixjrpgs">{{cite web|last1=Brudvig |first1=Erik |last2=Clements |first2=Ryan |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/01/12/top-10-ways-to-fix-jrpgs |title=Top 10 Ways to Fix JRPGs |website=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=January 11, 2010 |access-date=September 11, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Brudvig |first1=Erik |last2=Goldstein |first2=Hilary |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/11/25/the-gameplay-mechanic-fixing-squares-rpg-machine |title=The Gameplay Mechanic: Fixing Square's RPG Machine |website=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=November 25, 2008 |access-date=December 19, 2015}}</ref><ref name="nextgen_fixjrpgs">{{cite web |url=http://www.next-gen.biz/blogs/whats-really-wrong-with-jrpgs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301064231/http://www.next-gen.biz/blogs/whats-really-wrong-with-jrpgs |archive-date=2010-03-01 |title=What's really wrong with JRPGs? |website=Next-gen.biz |publisher=Future Publishing Limited |date=January 24, 2010 |access-date=September 15, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Grenz |first=Brad |url=http://www.bitmob.com/articles/can-the-jrpg-be-fixed |title=Can the Japanese RPG Be Fixed? |website=Bitmob.com |publisher=Bitmob Media |access-date=September 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727035106/http://www.bitmob.com/articles/can-the-jrpg-be-fixed |archive-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref> as well as claims that some recent titles such as ''[[Front Mission Evolved]]'' are beginning to attempt—and failing to—imitate Western titles.<ref name="gzone_fmevo">{{cite web |title=Front Mission Evolved review |url=http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/front_mission_evolved_review |website=GameZone |access-date=May 12, 2011 |date=October 8, 2010 |quote=Japanese publishers have been singing the "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" song from The Jungle Book for the past few years and it's no longer flattering. Instead of borrowing elements and making them their own, the publishers have opted to assimilate and attempt to hide within the Western crowd. Herein lies the problem with Front Mission Evolved: It wants to be so much more than it has been in the past and ends up stalling at the starting line.}}</ref> In an article for ''[[PSM3]]'', Brittany Vincent of RPGFan.com felt that "developers have mired the modern JRPG in unoriginality", citing Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada who stated that "they're strictly catering to a particular audience", the article noting the difference in game sales between Japan and North America before going on to suggest JRPGs may need to "move forward".<ref name="gradarJRPGs">{{cite web |author=PSM3 UK |title=Are JRPGs dead? |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/are-jrpgs-dead/ |website=GamesRadar |publisher=Future Publishing |access-date=May 19, 2013 |date=March 16, 2010}}</ref> This criticism has also occurred in the wider media with an advertisement for ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'' ([[Obsidian Entertainment]]) in Japan openly mocked Japanese RPGs' traditional characteristics in favor of their own title.<ref name="escapist_fo3nvads">{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102584-Japanese-Fallout-New-Vegas-Ads-Hate-On-JRPGs |first=Tom |last=Goldman |title=News : Japanese Fallout: New Vegas Ads Hate On JRPGs |website=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |publisher=Defy Media LLC |date=August 4, 2010 |access-date=September 11, 2010 |archive-date=2 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302064536/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102584-Japanese-Fallout-New-Vegas-Ads-Hate-On-JRPGs |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nick Doerr of [[Joystiq]] noted that [[Bethesda Softworks|Bethesda]] felt that JRPGs "are all the same" and "too linear", to which he responded that "[f]or the most part, it's true" but noted there are also non-linear JRPGs such as the ''[[SaGa (series)|Romancing SaGa]]'' series.<ref name="joyq_doerr"/> Such criticisms have produced responses such as ones by Japanese [[video game developer]]s, [[Shinji Mikami]] and [[Yuji Horii]], to the effect that JRPGs were never as popular in the West to begin with, and that Western reviewers are biased against turn-based systems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=250381?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS |title=News: Japanese RPGs 'were never popular' – Mikami |last1=Robinson |first1=Andy |website=ComputerAndVideoGames.com |publisher=Future Publishing Limited |date=June 10, 2010 |access-date=September 15, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100814203455/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=250381%3Fcid%3DOTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS |archive-date=August 14, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.destructoid.com/mikami-japanese-rpgs-were-never-really-popular--175998.phtml |title=Mikami: Japanese RPGs were never really popular' |website=Destructoid |date=March 16, 2006 |access-date=September 15, 2010 |first=Jim |last=Sterling}}</ref><ref name="escp_dquest">{{cite web |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102039-Dragon-Quest-Creator-Western-Reviewers-Dislike-Turn-Based-Games |first1=John |last1=Funk |title=News : Dragon Quest Creator: Western Reviewers Dislike Turn-Based Games |website=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |publisher=Defy Media LLC |date=July 13, 2010 |access-date=September 15, 2010 |archive-date=11 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111205607/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102039-Dragon-Quest-Creator-Western-Reviewers-Dislike-Turn-Based-Games |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="ign_horii">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/07/10/interview-yuji-horii-and-a-lifetime-of-dragon-questing |title=Interview: Yuji Horii and a Lifetime of Dragon Questing |website=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=July 10, 2010 |access-date=December 19, 2015}}</ref> Jeff Fleming of [[Gamasutra]] also states that Japanese RPGs on home consoles are generally showing signs of staleness, but notes that [[Handheld game console|handheld consoles]] such as the [[Nintendo DS]] have had more original and experimental Japanese RPGs released in recent years.<ref name="gsw_whither">{{cite web |last=Fleming|first=Jeff|title=Opinion: 2009 – The Last Days of the Japanese RPG?|website=GameSetWatch|publisher=UBM TechWeb |url=http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/12/opinion_2009_the_last_days_of.php|access-date=May 12, 2011|date=December 30, 2009|archive-date=9 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909045903/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/12/opinion_2009_the_last_days_of.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Western RPGs have also received criticism in recent years. They remain less popular in Japan, where, until recently, Western games in general had a negative reputation.<ref name="1up_square_japan">{{cite web |first=Ryan |last=Winterhalter |url=http://www.1up.com/news/square-enix-devs-discuss-secret |title=Square Enix Devs Discuss Secret AAA Title and What They've Learned From the West |website=1UP.com |publisher=IGN Entertainment Games |date=September 6, 2010 |access-date=September 10, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629025244/http://www.1up.com/news/square-enix-devs-discuss-secret |archive-date=June 29, 2011 }}</ref> In Japan, where the vast majority of early console role-playing video games originate,<ref name="gspot_consolehist_h">{{Harvnb|Vestal|1998a|p="The First Console RPG"|Ref=gspot_consolehist}} "A devoted gamer could make a decent case for either of these Atari titles founding the RPG genre; nevertheless, there's no denying that Dragon Quest was the primary catalyst for the Japanese console RPG industry. And Japan is where the vast majority of console RPGs come from, to this day. Influenced by the popular PC RPGs of the day (most notably Ultima), both Excalibur and Dragon Quest "stripped down" the statistics while keeping features that can be found even in today's most technologically advanced titles. An RPG just wouldn't be complete, in many gamers' eyes, without a medieval setting, hit points, random enemy encounters, and endless supplies of gold. (...) The rise of the Japanese RPG as a dominant gaming genre and Nintendo's NES as the dominant console platform were closely intertwined."</ref> Western RPGs remain largely unknown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-xiv-director-is-not-worried-about-bethesda-181867.phtml |title=Final Fantasy XIV director is not worried about Bethesda |first1=Dale |last1=North |date=August 19, 2010 |website=Destructoid |access-date=September 15, 2010}}</ref> The developer [[Motomu Toriyama]] criticized Western RPGs, stating that they "dump you in a big [[open world]], and let you do whatever you like [which makes it] difficult to tell a compelling story."<ref>{{cite web |title=Final Fantasy XIII boss responds to review scores |date=February 16, 2010 |website=ComputerAndVideoGames.com |publisher=Future Publishing Limited |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/235030/news/final-fantasy-xiii-boss-responds-to-review-scores/ |first1=Tim |last1=Ingham |access-date=May 18, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210113120/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/235030/news/final-fantasy-xiii-boss-responds-to-review-scores/ |archive-date=February 10, 2011}}</ref> [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]] noted that "users like to categorise" WRPGs as "a sort of different style, born from first person shooters."<ref name="metro_sakaguchi"/> In recent years, some have also criticized WRPGs for becoming less RPG-like, instead with further emphasis on action.<ref name="gama_conund"/> Christian Nutt of ''GameSpy'' states that, in contrast to JRPGs, WRPGs' greater control over the development and customization of playable characters has come at the expense of plot and gameplay, resulting in what he felt was generic dialogue, lack of character development within the narrative and weaker battle systems.<ref name="GSpy_EastvWest"/><sup>[Nutt]</sup> He also states that WRPGs tend to focus more on the underlying rules governing the battle system rather than on the experience itself.<ref name="GSpy_EastvWest"/><sup>[Nutt]</sup> Tom Battey of ''Edge Magazine'' noted that the problems often cited against JRPGs also often apply to many WRPGs as well as games outside of the RPG genre.<ref name="nextgen_fixjrpgs" /> [[BioWare]] games have been criticized for "lack of innovation, repetitive structure and lack of real choice."<ref>{{cite web |last=Snell |first=Dave |title=Why I'm bored with Bioware |url=http://www.gamezone.com/editorials/why_im_bored_with_bioware |website=GameZone |publisher=GameZone Next |access-date=April 19, 2012 |date=September 27, 2010}}</ref> WRPGs, such as [[Bethesda Softworks|Bethesda]] games, have also been criticized for lacking in "narrative strength" or "mechanical intricacy" due to the open-ended, sandbox structure of their games.<ref>{{cite web |last=St. Clair |first=Pride |title=Why I Hate Big-Name, Open Ended WRPGs |url=http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/04/18/why-i-hate-big-name-open-ended-wrpgs/ |website=Pikimal.com |access-date=April 19, 2012 |date=April 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120423062810/http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/04/18/why-i-hate-big-name-open-ended-wrpgs |archive-date=April 23, 2012}}</ref>

Despite the criticisms leveled at both variations, Rowan Kaiser of [[Joystiq]] argued that many of the often mentioned differences between Eastern and Western games are [[stereotype]]s that are generally not true, noting various similarities between several Western titles (such as ''[[Lands of Lore series|Lands of Lore]]'', ''[[Betrayal at Krondor]]'', and ''[[Dragon Age]]'') and several classic Eastern titles (such as ''Final Fantasy'' and ''[[Phantasy Star]]''), noting that both these Western and Japanese titles share a similar emphasis on linear storytelling, pre-defined characters and "bright-colored" graphics.<ref name="joyq_evw">{{cite web |last=Kaiser |first=Rowan |title=East Is West: How Two Classic RPGs Prove the Stereotypes False |url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/02/16/east-is-west-how-two-classic-rpgs-prove-the-stereotypes-false/ |website=Engadget |publisher=AOL Inc. |access-date=December 19, 2015 |date=February 16, 2012}}</ref> The developer Hironobu Sakaguchi also noted there are many games from both that don't fit such categorizations, such as his own ''Chrono Trigger'' as well as the ''Mana'' games, noting there have been many other such Japanese role-playing games that never released in Western markets.<ref name="metro_sakaguchi"/>