The Perils of Reviewing
Some of my comrades are using their personal blogs for discussing of anything but games, but I don’t know that that’s a possibility for me. How do I separate my work from the rest of my life, when games are such an integral part of both? I don’t think it’s possible. In reality, I just wanted the freedom to speak my mind about any aspect of my life without the hassle of editing my thoughts for a GameSpot audience.
And face it, the subject of Japanese RPGs is fresh on my mind this evening as I reflect on my experiences with Lost Odyssey and the usual fanboy emails and private messages that inevitably result. There was a time when severe negative feedback truly disheartened me, and part of that’s just my very nature. I shouldn’t care what people think, but I do. The pinnacle of that depression came last year when my reviews of Blue Dragon, Lair, and Metroid Prime 3 were published in the same week, with scores of 6.0, 4.5, and 8.5, respectively. I literally received death threats, and the whole thing floored me. I expected negativity, but I don’t think I expected that kind of vehemence.
It’s more funny to me than anything else now, particularly because the fanboy blindness gets remarkably transparent. I certainly want to know if I have made a factual error, but the accusations become silly because they’re so baseless. Today, in particular, made me laugh, because someone responded in my GameSpot blog that he will be embarking on a crusade to spread the word of my anti-Xbox bias (an unusual one, because all too often we get accused of the opposite). Another sent me a note that he was leaving GameSpot because of my unreliable reviews, though his forum signature betrayed him as a No More Heroes fan–which leads me to believe that perhaps he appreciated the 9.0 that game received. Yes indeed, gamers are a fickle bunch. I don’t so much care about this kind of feedback anymore as much as I weed through the shit for something useful. If there are actual errors or contradictions, I need to know. Thankfully, the accusations are almost solely off-base rants from people who have decided upon a game’s deserved score before ever playing it, or use scores from other sites as some kind of proof of bias or lack of qualification.
But inevitably there come the accusations that I dislike RPGs, particularly Japanese RPGs. It’s a silly notion, honestly. After all, I lobbied heavily for Persona 3 to win RPG of the year at the site, and it was one of my favorite games all year. It’s the typical “shoot the messenger” tactic, and I’d be interested to know if movie and music reviewers encounter the same stupidity. In reality, I adore role-playing games, of both the Japanese and the western varieties, but JRPG fans are a strong-willed bunch. The thing is, Lost Odyssey is a good game–and a flawed one. Its best aspects are peripheral ones–unlocked memories, choice bits of dialogue, minor gameplay variants like aim rings and other minor tweaks that make it, generally, enjoyable.
But there is so much room to grow, and it’s a shame that so many gamers are happy to be spoon-fed unevolving gameplay mechanics, particularly when games like Eternal Sonata, Persona 3, and Jeanne d’Arc are paving the way to what I hope is a truly new generation of role-playing games. I can’t always pretend to understand why people continue to plunk down hard-earned dollars (or hard-earned dollars handed over by their parents) on games that ignore a decade worth of evolution, with Blue Dragon sticking out clearly in my mind. I don’t think Blue Dragon is a bad game, but it’s mired deeply in the past, and I can’t help think that if this hadn’t been a game created by such a respected team–and had it been made for a dwindling platform, like the PS2–it wouldn’t have been so well-regarded by so many.
Of course, Lost Odyssey is noticeably better than Blue Dragon. Yes, it looks into the distant past (at least, distant in gaming terms) for its inspirations, but the end result is a little tighter than Blue Dragon and features far better characters. But isn’t it a bit disappointing that the JRPG featuring the most evolved gameplay in the last year is for the PlayStation 2? In fact, I can name any number of PS2 RPGs that took more chances than any on the supposed next-gen platforms (Wild Arms 4/5, Persona 3, Nocturne, Shadow Hearts, Rogue Galaxy, Xenosaga 1-3, Dark Cloud 2, Suikoden 3, etc…), yet with games like that raising the bar, why does the general standard never seem to rise? I am not sure if it’s a matter of comfort, a willingness to overlook a lack of originality in lieu of the same old teen-saves-the-fantasy-world story, or if fans of the genre are simply more inclined to love any game classified as such, regardless of its quality.
It’s because I love RPGs that I expect something more than the same thing from every game. I want so desperately for something new to emerge and truly capture our hearts–another Final Fantasy VII, another Dragon Quest VIII, another Chrono Cross. Yet even when such a game appears, the whole genre seems to eventually collapse and return to its comfort zone. Why are we ok with that? With other genres doing truly new, fun things (and yes, this is why I think games like No More Heroes and Assassin’s Creed deserve kudos), why shouldn’t JRPG’s? Why do I have to look to five-year-old PlayStation 2 games when I want different, interesting features, when I have three current-gen consoles sitting in my bedroom?
I don’t think games need to do something new to be good, so don’t take this to mean that a game has to be innovative to be worth playing. Some of my favorite games of 2007–Command & Conquer 3, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, RE4 Wii Edition–were great because they were shitloads of fun. And yes, Lost Odyssey is worth playing, even if it liberally borrows from other games at the expense of anything new. But last year, I cried out to PC gamers not to let shit be shoveled into their mouths in the form of bad console ports (Capcom, you should be ashamed of your disrespectful PC ports of Onimusha 3, RE4, Lost Planet, and others), and now, I send out a heartfelt plea to stodgy JRPG fans that layer love onto any game in the genre with abandon: expect more.
I agree. I’m so jaded by JRPGs, mainly because it seems we’re getting the same stuff over and over again. Most haven’t even evolved in terms of characters and plot, which used to be selling points for a RPG. It’s sad when I can remember Bioshock’s story more fondly than something like Final Fantasy XII’s which, while fairly epic in scale, wasn’t very deep.
Good point. It seems that many people are losing site of what most games should be- Fun. On the topic of fanboys/haters, perhaps you could just get a new office eMail? I can’t imagine that the occasional positive review critique can’t be posted here or on your other blog, and I bet that your PM box will just fill eventually. That’s my two cents, at least.
Oh, by the way- Great job holding the site down with Ryan, Aaron, and Mechberg in the absence of Jeff and others. With Ryan resignation tendered, I can’t imagine things will get any easier, but I’ll still be reading GameSpot when I want a real, non-biased, accurate review.
I totally agree, but there is a problem in getting some JRPG fans to accept change. I remember when Final Fantasy XII came out and I had a couple of friends who hated it. One of them said that he was forever done with Square-Enix because of this (and a few other reasons). He’s in his late 20s and a major in Nuclear Physics. So, he’s a smart guy and not a forum kid. People are just naturally resistant to change and when you became a fan of something… uh-oh.
However, these same people gush over minor changes, like that guard meter in Lost Odyssey. That seemed to be Mistwalker’s goal from the start.
Of course, that population of hard-core JRPG gamers, isn’t large enough over here to fight back change. What concerns me is Japan. Japanese companies tend to focus on their country first when it comes to games. It seems like Capcom and Kojima production take the extra effort to cater to western markets. And while a very polished franchise, Dragon Quest has the prime example of no-change. I remember there was a big stink in Japan over the change in gameplay for Dragon Quest IX. I dunno.
I totally agree. Japanese RPGs just seem to be the same crap over and over. And the reason it’s like this is because Japanese people eat them up. Japan will buy anything as long as you can customize your weapons/armor and it has anime characters. Jeff Gerstamann was on X-Play just about a week ago, talking about this exact same subject.
Hey, we’re using the same theme
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I always found your review content justified the score you gave it, and in all video reviews, no matter the score you never talked the game down. I feel most people simply look at the score before they run off to the forums to spread hatred.
I think the industry as a whole was starting to get into a redundant loop up until this past holiday, good thing games such as Bioshock and Assassin’s Creed came along to change things up. It seems the bar has been raised for all games, you couldn’t have said it better than in that last sentence, we should expect more, that’s the only way these games will get better.
I think one of the things people forget is that reviews are about more than just a number. You absolutely must read the full text to understand what’s going on. Eh, I’m sure you’ve heard this one many times too.
I’d listen to your viewpoints, but your gamerscore isn’t high enough.
well, it seems you have your points but im not totally agreeing here. if this is what you truly feel, then the reviews for blue dragon, metroid, lost odyssey, dmc4, no more heroes makes sense. you do not want to see the same thing done well, you wish to see genres being reinvented or hoping for a “spin” in that gameplay. perhaps this is reasonable from a certain perspective but i hope that you’ll still appreciate things that arent totally new as long as they’re done well. sometimes things dont have to change that much, just look at fps, its the same stuff over and over again, just with minor changes (lock on, scope, more weapons, silencer, etc)
this may not be your fault, since U.S. gamers might not be so in to jrpgs like how japanese ppl arent thrilled for fps. maybe a broader culture range at gamespot would be good, but even so, that person would be affected by western culture. sometimes i wished that ppl with an interest in that game would review it, not some1 thats spectacle. sometimes something is just not your thing, u know?
imo, i dont really see jrpg companies trying to appeal to japanese ppl as a bad thing…i doubt the ppl making turok hoped that it would appeal to a large crowd. if ppl want to buy games that are similar, why is there a need to change it? like ppl say, every1’s utopia is different.
just some things i wanted to share.
I also wish there were more innovation in JRPGs. That’s why I loved Final Fantasy XII. The gambit system was a great step forward in the evolution of the genre and I’d like to see it adopted by more games. Of course, a lot of people hated it too… But to me, any RPG with turn-based combat will feel like a chore after FFXII.
I will still play Lost Odyssey though, for the story and art if nothing else.
I think theres a little masochist in every JRPG extremist…
Anyway indeed it would be nice if JRPGs would take a step or two forward as a group. It is a bummer because the style and various other aspects are quite different from many WRPGs. Heck I think the fact that a game like Eternal Sonata looks like a step forward for JRPGs is a bit sad. Not a bad game of course, but IMO it was only a minor step forward.
You named some really good RPG’s that did indeed take a chance, but Square-Enix took the biggest gamble of their careers with FFXII. I personally loved the fresh gameplay and loved the story based around politics, but alot of my RPG fan friends and alot of gamers hated that they changed so much about the series. They lost quite a few faithful fans with FFXII. Thats when Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey were announced and those same people were going “Yes, this game is going to be WAY better than FFXII because it is the same thing I have been playing for 20 years, and I love it!”. I am currently playing Lost Odyssey right now and rather enjoy it. I love turn-based games, but the pacing is slowly getting to me. There are stretches where you don’t have a single battle for an hour because of cutscenes, reading a memory, then some random fetch-quest, and it gets annoying. These are minor complaints in the grand scheme of things, but I still wish THAT part imparticular was what developers tried to weed out. I liked turn-based combat and will be sad the day it disappears completely, but everything else should definitely be takin into consideration. Change 3/4’s of the formula and see how things work out.
Your viewpoints remind me of Jeff and the Twilight Princess review. He received a lot of flack from Nintendo fans on giving the Wii version a paltry 8.8, but everyone else knew that Jeff was being honest, and no one else believed that until his controversial “firing”. I do agree with you about the “games-stuck-in-the-past” part. Seriously, the only JRPG franchise that seems to give me satisfaction is Shin Megami Tensei, which seems to stem from my love for Persona 3. It’s much more strategic than other JRPGs I’ve played, which says a lot. You are right, the genre needs to move forward, along with the others. (BTW, I still haven’t picked up Lost Odyssey, but I probably will tomorrow.)
-vgm
It bothers me when people get heated about a 7.5. I’m going to buy Lost Odyssey, because I’m a fan of Sakaguchi and his RPGs. The 7.5, given the context of the review you wrote, tells me that Lost Odyssey is a must buy (for me.)
Anyone that threatens you for providing them with purchasing advice is worthless, and I’m happy to see that they’re not getting to you in the least.
You know, I really can’t follow you on how JRPGs have made strides and “raised the bar”, etc. I haven’t beaten a JRPG since FFX. Most of them didn’t use turn based combat. It felt like change just for the sake of it in many instances. Even Persona 3, which had soul and charm to spare, didn’t keep my interest because I hated the combat engine. Then LO comes out, and I’m utterly addicted. I know full well I WILL beat this game, and it will be the first time I played a JRPG to completion since 2002. FF12 especially, was a digital abortion, and cost square a lot of fans, many of which see LO as a truer Final Fantasy game than 12 was.
I don’t need to expect more, I just need to expect a JRPG to grab me, and hook me so badly that I dread playing because I know it’s nearing the end, and I want to drag it out. If reaching back into the past and modifying a perfectly working formula is the way they have to do it, then so be it.
“I’d listen to your viewpoints, but your gamerscore isn’t high enough.”
LMAO. Oh scomer, you’re forever in our hearts.
Randolph, I am glad Lost Odyssey is grabbing you. The story is certainly good at drawing you in, thanks to a great cast of cool characters. Kaim takes a while to come into his own, but he makes a little early patience very worth it.
I am not against formula, but I think there are other problems at work here. I don’t think anyone could say “I liked the flower-gathering, stick-gathering side quest” and mean it. If you felt that lighting torches, navigating around (and falling into) holes, and sneaking past security robots (and having to endure the same unskippable scene multiple times if you got caught) was fun, I respect your ability to find enjoyment there.
I have a lot of respect for a game that plays to a genre’s strengths without reinventing it, which is what I was trying to get at with my ending comments. I just don’t believe that Lost Odyssey is memorable and refined enough to call it a “great” game. In fact, someone in the office that had already played a good bit of the game felt that a 7.5 was overstating its strengths. While I don’t know about all that, I definitely feel this is a game worth playing. But I don’t believe that it belongs in the upper echelons of its genre.
Fair enough, I’ll take a good game like this though over the better bulk of JRPGs between FFX and this one that I consider to be barely fair. :p
I can go with that! Trust me–I don’t expect that every gamer is going to come away with the same things from every review.
Someone asked me recently: “Why do you have to compare an RPG with other RPGs? Why shouldn’t it just be reviewed on its own merits?”
Of course, each game really is evaluated on its own merits, but games don’t exist in a vacuum. If every game was reviewed without regard for evolving standards, every game would be a 10, because such a system assumes that nothing has come before it.
I think this is really my point: that many RPGs really have been so good that they change what can and should be expected from the genre. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to just RPGs–it applies to every genre. If something like FFVII and Jeanne d’Arc comes along and evolves the storytelling standard, that standard finds its way into ongoing expectations. If Persona, Nocturne, Eternal Sonata, and FFXII (as polarizing as it is) come along and change what we should expect from a mechanical perspective, in large ways and minor ones, that creeps into our ever-evolving knowledge bank of possibilities.
But I hope, importantly, that the text of the review gives you the information you need to help decide if Lost Odyssey is right for you. Judging from your tastes, and what I wrote in the text, it surely is.
Oh,you’re review was good, Kevin. It helped nudge me in the direction of a buy, and it’s not a buy I regret in the least, so thanks a lot for that. You’re a regular workhorse over there at GS now, you deserve more kudos than you get.
Great post. I’m in the same boat as you, baffled by the loyalists who like driving in the same big RPG circle over and over again. I think your favorite generation of RPG is really only dependent on which generation you really got into games. I know my favorite gen is the PlayStation/Dreamcast generation, because that was the first one I really got into, and the PS2/GC/XBox gen showed me some nifty new WRPG tricks, and only a handful of JRPGs that were worth playing; I can literally count them on one hand. And what I’ve seen from JRPGs this generation is cause for disappointment, because a genre that I once saw potential in is comfortable just holding the line, not really evolving, and giving us another bloody Tales game, which actually makes me violently ill to think about. Where is the evolution?
I once asked JRPG’s to ship out or shape up on GameSpotting, and it’s a few years later, with no change in sight. Bleh.
The JRPGs of this new gen are bringing people back into the fold. It was the last gen games that were disappointing, and because they “evolved” for evolutions sake, and evolved into something that sucked. Sounds like you just need to give up and move on to something else. I can’t for the life of me understand this weird need for INNOVASHUN and “evolution” on a constant basis, but if it’s what you want, then it’s obviously not a genre for you right now. Sorry.
It’s as if no one reads the whole blog entry. I am not asking for INNOVASHUN for its own sake–I am asking for a genre to follow the lead of its best games and stop relying on its comfort zone. If some gamers are happy to spend $60 on games with the same old mechanics, go for it. Me, I watch other genres grow and evolve, while JRPGs and their most stubborn fans cling to the past. If its fun, fine, but mechanically, Lost Odyssey isn’t any stronger than any given by-the-book turn-based RPG in the last 10 years. Why is this ok?
And the thing is, LO is still a good game. But in another 10 years, would you like every JRPG to be the same as the ones you are playing now? And if so, do you think other genres should do the same? And if not, why is it undesirable for JRPGs to deepen, strengthen, and renew their gameplay mechanics while it’s desirable in others? I, for one, am glad that the games we play now aren’t just like Pac-Man, Galaga, and Pong.
Hey, I’m pretty sure I got the gist of it!
Really. I love the genre at its core and think it is capable of the best gaming has to offer. I’m actually excited to pick up P3 FES because everyone says it’s so great, and that means something for the genre; it means both fans and casual fans of the genre took notice. And when a JRPG is willing to swing for the fences and draw in more than its devoted fanbase, that means something to me.