borecast episode 1: episode 2 -- comin' soon, papangii

[tiesto]

Segment idea:  Please explain the allure of the JPRG.  Even some of the posters here that I most respect seem inexplicably attracted to these tepid mishmashes of archaic battle systems, animu wankery, mindless dungeon grinding, and teen fantasy indulgence.  And they aren't even loli-pedo-philes!

I'd come on to offer the anti-JRPG counterpoint, but I haven't played any recently enough to defend my admittedly shaky prejudices.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Special Guest: Andrew "Aerith = Hamlet" Vestal

[close]

I'd gladly come on to argue the pro-RPG counterpoint... then again if you haven't played any recent ones, you don't really have an argument honestly.

BTW I hate the word "archaic". Active combat in games has been around longer than turn based...

[E-DuB]

I'm jerking in anticipation

[TakingBackSunday]

I have not listened to these, but have me as a guest

[border]

I'd gladly come on to argue the pro-RPG counterpoint... then again if you haven't played any recent ones, you don't really have an argument honestly.

BTW I hate the word "archaic". Active combat in games has been around longer than turn based...

Maybe the Shin Megami series has turned things around, but the JRPG fans here are attracted to even DQ and its spiritual descendants (Blue Dragon, etc), which (if scuttlebutt is to be believed) still haven't evolved beyond the ages-old Attack/Magic/Item/Run turn-based menu system.....I'd be curious to hear what the draw is. 

[tiesto]

I'd gladly come on to argue the pro-RPG counterpoint... then again if you haven't played any recent ones, you don't really have an argument honestly.

BTW I hate the word "archaic". Active combat in games has been around longer than turn based...

Maybe the Shin Megami series has turned things around, but the JRPG fans here are attracted to even DQ and its spiritual descendants (Blue Dragon, etc), which (if scuttlebutt is to be believed) still haven't evolved beyond the ages-old Attack/Magic/Item/Run turn-based menu system.....I'd be curious to hear what the draw is. 

Well, DQ is my favorite (still active) game series so I'd be happy to tell you what my personal draw is in them. But it's relative, just like I can't get into certain genres of music at all (most rock) or certain genres of games... you either like them or you don't, I dunno. But I think what I overall love about the genre is I can get a fun traditional experience or a really innovative unique experience all in the same genre if I know where to look.

The one thing I never did understand (and this is a big problem on GAF) was why people want genres to change to conform to their whims when it's obvious the genre isn't for them in the first place. I don't like WWII shooters but I don't come into WWII shooter threads saying how the game should change its setting to a sci-fi future and throw in a mnml soundtrack and abstract graphics.

[border]

I'm an admitted WoW-phile (and was a minor Too Human junkie) so it's not as if I'm oblivious to the pleasures of gearing, spec'ing, and progressing a character or set of characters.  I just don't understand why you'd want to do such things in a game with relatively dull combat, tedious randomly generated dungeons, and an incessantly overbearing story.  The customization and stat systems have their appeal, but they come with so much overhead that it's just too much to bear.  WoW/TH have similar issues, but you can opt out of them pretty easily.

[Eel O'Brian]

i am never drinking again during the recording of this podcast 

[Grecco]

Get the Xfag emperor on this podcast, and ill dl.

[Van Cruncheon]

i'd like to have the xfe on sometime. perhaps we will do a videogame-and-booze special down the road.

[TVC15]

I'd gladly come on to argue the pro-RPG counterpoint... then again if you haven't played any recent ones, you don't really have an argument honestly.

BTW I hate the word "archaic". Active combat in games has been around longer than turn based...

Maybe the Shin Megami series has turned things around, but the JRPG fans here are attracted to even DQ and its spiritual descendants (Blue Dragon, etc), which (if scuttlebutt is to be believed) still haven't evolved beyond the ages-old Attack/Magic/Item/Run turn-based menu system.....I'd be curious to hear what the draw is. 

Most of the main DQ games are still kinda tough, unlike say, FF games.  Unlike SMT, they kinda tend to be grindy tough rather than strategix tough.

[Eel O'Brian]

we recorded so much that there will be two borecasts this week, one main and one bonuscast

[Van Cruncheon]

 

do we need to do an addt'l intro/outro?

eel o'brian, producer par excellence

[CajoleJuice]

 

 

[Eel O'Brian]

do we need to do an addt'l intro/outro?

no, i have a secret way of doing that which will bring the lulz and doesn't involve either of us, tell you in pm

[Van Cruncheon]

i'm actually kinda pumped to hear this one (unlike the mortal terror of last time), just to see how freakin' crazy-ass it is

you were drunk, i was doped up on sudafed, and we had ten zillion takes

this should be, ah, er, something, uh, special

[recursivelyenumerable]

Maybe the Shin Megami series has turned things around, but the JRPG fans here are attracted to even DQ and its spiritual descendants (Blue Dragon, etc), which (if scuttlebutt is to be believed) still haven't evolved beyond the ages-old Attack/Magic/Item/Run turn-based menu system.....I'd be curious to hear what the draw is.

I just don't think there's any one direction of "progress" in which all games should head, especially involving something like turn-based vs. real-time which each have their own pros and cons.  Whether a game's battles have any depth ultimately depend not on the general concept of its system, but on how well it's balanced.  If a turn-based game offers you only a few choices of Attack/Magic/Item or whatever, but there are interesting tactical considerations behind which option to pick in each turn, it will be fun.  If there's one obvious correct choice in every round, it won't.  But real-time/free-movement games don't actually change this --- even if they offer more options in principle, it's down to the game balance how many options will be viable in practice.  A real-time/free-movement game with one obvious tactic superior to others in every situation is exactly as boring as the equivalent turn-based game.  Sadly, many/most recent turn-based RPGs have broken balance, but the same could be said for real-time games.

[Van Cruncheon]

oh lord i sound so congested in it, stupid cold :'(

this will be up tomorrow i assume

[drew]

lolz drunk post