Why are all homemade RPGs console style?
Since buying and enjoying every minute of Baldur's Gate, I have made some number of attempts to find homemade RPGs that are somewhat similar to this truly awesome game.
Unfortunately, I have basically found that 99.9% of all homemade CRPGs are all console-clones (in other words, either Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest clones). Arrrgh. So THIS is where Japan has made its mark...
Nowadays, I have really found that I enjoy US CRPGs like Baldur's Gate so much more than the Japanese console RPGs in general, and there are quite a few reasons:
1. PC creation (not just getting a crappy character you don't like)
2. No need to constantly read your game strategy book or FAQ
3. More realism (weapons, armor based on actual medieval types, characters painted realistically, etc.)
4. More freedom (lot of just roaming around wherever, finding people to join, different alignments, etc.)
5. I like dwarves, gnomes, elves, and hobbits. I DON'T like felpurs, robots, espers, and Lolita complexes.
6. I don't like to listen to background music ALL the time. (Neither does my wife...)
...and so on. I mean, Final Fantasy never made any sense - why does 'STEAL' obtain special items from monsters that you DON'T GET if you just kill them?! You should get anything they have (if a little bloodied) by killing them. But of course, logic fails the Japanese. Other stupid things - why is the sword so freakin' huge (like 10 feet long and 4 feet wide), how in heck did they ever think of these stupid monsters, why do they like to make furry humanoids all the time, etc....
Too much anime/manga influence, as well. Argh. Yeah. Anyway, back to the main program...
So, um, basically, all homemade CRPGs are Japanese RPG clones, even the ones people make from scratch. Dammit! I wanna see some good Baldur's Gate clones!
The only US-like RPGs people do make on their own are reaaaaaally old-fashioned Moria or the Bard's Tale/Wizardry-type games, which are a bit too old for me now... Maybe 20 years ago...
Unfortunately, I have basically found that 99.9% of all homemade CRPGs are all console-clones (in other words, either Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest clones). Arrrgh. So THIS is where Japan has made its mark...
Nowadays, I have really found that I enjoy US CRPGs like Baldur's Gate so much more than the Japanese console RPGs in general, and there are quite a few reasons:
1. PC creation (not just getting a crappy character you don't like)
2. No need to constantly read your game strategy book or FAQ
3. More realism (weapons, armor based on actual medieval types, characters painted realistically, etc.)
4. More freedom (lot of just roaming around wherever, finding people to join, different alignments, etc.)
5. I like dwarves, gnomes, elves, and hobbits. I DON'T like felpurs, robots, espers, and Lolita complexes.
6. I don't like to listen to background music ALL the time. (Neither does my wife...)
...and so on. I mean, Final Fantasy never made any sense - why does 'STEAL' obtain special items from monsters that you DON'T GET if you just kill them?! You should get anything they have (if a little bloodied) by killing them. But of course, logic fails the Japanese. Other stupid things - why is the sword so freakin' huge (like 10 feet long and 4 feet wide), how in heck did they ever think of these stupid monsters, why do they like to make furry humanoids all the time, etc....
Too much anime/manga influence, as well. Argh. Yeah. Anyway, back to the main program...
So, um, basically, all homemade CRPGs are Japanese RPG clones, even the ones people make from scratch. Dammit! I wanna see some good Baldur's Gate clones!
The only US-like RPGs people do make on their own are reaaaaaally old-fashioned Moria or the Bard's Tale/Wizardry-type games, which are a bit too old for me now... Maybe 20 years ago...