Could Operation Rainfall Revive the west's dormant love for the JRPG?
Patrick Kijek: For a bit of a rebuttal, it's probably important to mention the other jrpgs coming out this year, isn't it? NIS and Level-5/Studio Ghibli have huge titles coming out this year for the Ps3, and they are poised to be some of the top exclusives this year. There is a bright side. Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland, Legasista, Mugen Souls and Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch should all be on JRPG fanatics' radars.
Those titles seem just as likely to revive the genre, or maybe all of them and the Rainfall JRPGs make a revival when added together. We'll be getting six quality JRPGs in a year. In fact, I eagerly anticipate Ni No Kuni with the same or even greater level of interest as any of my favorite, establish role playing franchises. Studio Ghibli's name and resources might even be able to overcome the usual lack of marketing and hype to mainstream audiences, therefore opening up the genre to casual fans of the brand. I can't say that about either of Xenoblade or the Last Story, although they will surely aid the revival.
You might say that this revival is happening due to each of these development teams finally completing the development of works that they started at the beginning of the current generation of consoles. With such long story arcs and sprawling worlds, it takes these developers years to produce one game with a JRPGs amount of content. Time could be the real catalyst that's reviving JRPGs!
ND: I would like to say that those games aren't really hitting the public eye, Patrick. Despite the downswing of the popularity of the JRPG, people like NIS have kept series like Atelier coming fast and furious. We could say the same of Atlus and XSEED, but these titles are niche marketed at a niche crowd.
Operation Rainfall brought Xenoblade, Last Story, and Pandora's Tower to the forefront, so people are taking notice. And maybe, if these titles succeed, it says something about what titles companies should be advertising.
Furthermore, I think the fact that these are Nintendo titles makes all of it carry that much more weight. I love NIS, Atlus, and XSEED to death, but their industry clout is basically non-existent. Nintendo is a trendsetter, for good or bad, so it would make sense that Operation Rainfall could bring this genre back from the dead.
But back to my original point, I feel that the construction of the games is misleading. JRPGs at this point in time are just like the titles you've detailed, Patrick. They’re convoluted and complicated, inaccessible, steeped in series lore, and ancient in many ways. It would be great for other companies to take notice of this success and begin evolving the genre, as stated by others above. Truthfully, I just don't think it's going to happen.
Jason Ross: I think Operation Rainfall has sparked interest in more traditional RPGs, but I don't think that's the reason the genre has seen some trouble. I think it's more an issue with creativity and quality. With fancier graphics and more and more complex battle modes, a lot of these RPGs tend to overlook the more important aspects behind characters motivations and outright fun. I refer to Final Fantasy VI all the time when I talk about the more traditional RPGs. It performed well. It had a solid, enjoyable, yet simple battle system, and it had characters that were just fun to be around. By comparison, so many RPGs I've seen recently have flat, dull, or unlikable characters. The battle systems require tutorial upon tutorial upon tutorial to figure out, and often, in the end, the best method to do well is just to hit the attack button over and over.
Anyway, my point is that while Operation Rainfall could quell up new interest in the genre, it'll take more quality games to really drive passion for these RPGs. If the Tales series can continue on without any terrible flops like Tales of Symphonia 2, and if other companies can provide games that focus on solid characters and gameplay, then the more traditional RPG could wind up more or less revived. As it stands now, virtually any of these RPGs I pick up -- with rare exception -- grows dull quickly for me, and I believe the same is true with most gamers.
JM: There’s a lot to be said about quality driving this conversation. The reason that Operation Rainfall was started was because these were quality titles that North American gamers deserved a chance to play (you know, without modding their system to play a pirated or import copy). As such the titles really begat the movement that had a hand in them garnering a much larger audience.
Ultimately if the genre sees even a little growth here in the west due to Operation Rainfall, developers will take notice and start producing more quality titles that ditch some of the tired design traditions that have plagued the genre in the eyes of many gamers here in the west. This would by no means spell doom for the traditional JRPG, but it would signify the beginning of an evolution for the genre that it’s desperately needed – and if that does happen, we can thank Operation Rainfall for making that possible.
What are your thoughts? Do you think that Operation Rainfall could revive the JRPG here in the west? Make your thoughts known by sounding off in the comments section below!
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