I know people are getting tired of this.
Believe me I've been tired of it for awhile now. The reason I am making these posts is because there is a landslide of slanderous misinformation out there and I need to set the record straight on some things.
Your anger is grossly misdirected.
Let me be clear: You got your own accounts terminated.
This is what I imagine the problem has been: For too long you have said whatever you liked to people on Youtube and at most, people have simply blocked you from their channels. This is probably the first time anyone actually flagged your comments and videos for review.
It probably hasn't helped that you openly said you were false flagging my videos and re-uploaded the ones that got Asa's account taken down.
Or your obsessive use of the word "faggot".
Do you seriously believe Youtube's employees can't see the messages you send one another? Everyone can see the ones you post into each other's channel comment boxes and video comment boxes.
Smooth criminals you are not.
I very much doubt your punishments have anything to do with my Youtube Partner status. I don't have any special pull with Youtube for taking accounts down. I merely submitted reports on the harassing, threatening and slanderous comments you have been making and once a live person reviewed your comments and videos, you were punished accordingly.
If you truly did nothing to get your accounts suspended then there would be nothing for me to report. You don't get to break the rules and then cry about how you are being victimized. I'm the one who is being harassed here.
An employee of Google reads every DMCA notice I send. A takedown is not an instantaneous process. I got asked questions on a few of them before the notices were sent to your accounts. The same with some of the harassment reports I filed on your accounts.
As for the "fanning the flames" comment I made on my Facebook account; yes, I said that......about a month ago. I did not say that recently. And the statement was made toward people who wanted to "debate" me constantly on my videos, trying to get a rise out me. It didn't bother me because, hey, they are trying to upset me but all they are doing is helping me out. To apply that statement to this situation is taking the comment out of context.
But I will admit that I don't see why I shouldn't find it amusing that those who try to hurt me end up having their efforts backfire.
That said.....Believe me when I tell you that if I block you, I could care less if you watch my videos anymore.
If I block you and then send you a message I am doing so out of a desire to encourage you to stop your continuing harassment and leave me alone.
As for comments on the Original-Gamer podcast, there are no logins for the comment section. Anyone can easily impersonate another and there have indeed been impersonations of me in the comments section of that podcast. I attempted to point this out but at this point I'm just giving up. It is too easy to impersonate on that site and I've let the owner know about it.
Concerning blip.tv , not only do I have a blip account myself but I also know where the DMCA takedown notice tool is on the website. I can as easily file notices there as I can on Youtube. The idea your copyright infringement and harassment will be safe on blip.tv is quite ridiculous. The creators of blip.tv have openly stated they are only interested in supporting people with original shows and who are going to create lots of original content. I doubt they are interested in random copyright infringing videos you are trying to hide because they were taken down by Youtube. It would not surprise me if you lose your blip.tv accounts without me having to do anything at all.
Actually I was invited to E3 last year. I didn't go due to college.
I was again invited to E3 this year. I did not attend due to my commitments to developing my upcoming web series and the purchase of studio space. These matters are much more important to the long term plans of my company and demand my full attention.
It was a hard choice to not attend E3 this year. I was invited to a lot of panels and closed events with developers. I was offered opportunities to interview people. These are things I would have liked to do but this is a critical time and I had to make the right decisions.
I hope to attend E3 next year.
In closing, my video response to Roo's JRPG rant is private. I did this myself for one reason only: I'm making a new scripted video that I believe will better clarify what my position on the matter is. Too many people are misconstruing what I was actually saying. Unscripted is probably not the way I should have handled it.
However, scripted or not scripted, I doubt the outcome would have been much different. It is clear to me that some people were looking for a fight and would have picked one no matter what. The problem is they didn't think I would be someone who would fight back and that is their own fault.
They underestimated my intelligence and overestimated how much crap they could get away with.
Click here to read all posts on this topic.
READ MORE
Believe me I've been tired of it for awhile now. The reason I am making these posts is because there is a landslide of slanderous misinformation out there and I need to set the record straight on some things.
Your anger is grossly misdirected.
Let me be clear: You got your own accounts terminated.
This is what I imagine the problem has been: For too long you have said whatever you liked to people on Youtube and at most, people have simply blocked you from their channels. This is probably the first time anyone actually flagged your comments and videos for review.
It probably hasn't helped that you openly said you were false flagging my videos and re-uploaded the ones that got Asa's account taken down.
Or your obsessive use of the word "faggot".
Do you seriously believe Youtube's employees can't see the messages you send one another? Everyone can see the ones you post into each other's channel comment boxes and video comment boxes.
Smooth criminals you are not.
I very much doubt your punishments have anything to do with my Youtube Partner status. I don't have any special pull with Youtube for taking accounts down. I merely submitted reports on the harassing, threatening and slanderous comments you have been making and once a live person reviewed your comments and videos, you were punished accordingly.
If you truly did nothing to get your accounts suspended then there would be nothing for me to report. You don't get to break the rules and then cry about how you are being victimized. I'm the one who is being harassed here.
An employee of Google reads every DMCA notice I send. A takedown is not an instantaneous process. I got asked questions on a few of them before the notices were sent to your accounts. The same with some of the harassment reports I filed on your accounts.
As for the "fanning the flames" comment I made on my Facebook account; yes, I said that......about a month ago. I did not say that recently. And the statement was made toward people who wanted to "debate" me constantly on my videos, trying to get a rise out me. It didn't bother me because, hey, they are trying to upset me but all they are doing is helping me out. To apply that statement to this situation is taking the comment out of context.
But I will admit that I don't see why I shouldn't find it amusing that those who try to hurt me end up having their efforts backfire.
That said.....Believe me when I tell you that if I block you, I could care less if you watch my videos anymore.
If I block you and then send you a message I am doing so out of a desire to encourage you to stop your continuing harassment and leave me alone.
As for comments on the Original-Gamer podcast, there are no logins for the comment section. Anyone can easily impersonate another and there have indeed been impersonations of me in the comments section of that podcast. I attempted to point this out but at this point I'm just giving up. It is too easy to impersonate on that site and I've let the owner know about it.
Concerning blip.tv , not only do I have a blip account myself but I also know where the DMCA takedown notice tool is on the website. I can as easily file notices there as I can on Youtube. The idea your copyright infringement and harassment will be safe on blip.tv is quite ridiculous. The creators of blip.tv have openly stated they are only interested in supporting people with original shows and who are going to create lots of original content. I doubt they are interested in random copyright infringing videos you are trying to hide because they were taken down by Youtube. It would not surprise me if you lose your blip.tv accounts without me having to do anything at all.
Actually I was invited to E3 last year. I didn't go due to college.
I was again invited to E3 this year. I did not attend due to my commitments to developing my upcoming web series and the purchase of studio space. These matters are much more important to the long term plans of my company and demand my full attention.
It was a hard choice to not attend E3 this year. I was invited to a lot of panels and closed events with developers. I was offered opportunities to interview people. These are things I would have liked to do but this is a critical time and I had to make the right decisions.
I hope to attend E3 next year.
In closing, my video response to Roo's JRPG rant is private. I did this myself for one reason only: I'm making a new scripted video that I believe will better clarify what my position on the matter is. Too many people are misconstruing what I was actually saying. Unscripted is probably not the way I should have handled it.
However, scripted or not scripted, I doubt the outcome would have been much different. It is clear to me that some people were looking for a fight and would have picked one no matter what. The problem is they didn't think I would be someone who would fight back and that is their own fault.
They underestimated my intelligence and overestimated how much crap they could get away with.
Click here to read all posts on this topic.
I would like to start this article with an image from Asa's second account. This image pretty much summarizes why Asa got his main account terminated;
Visual proof that Asalieri not only uses homophobic slurs but encourages his fanbase to false flag videos and harrass other Youtubers.
For those unaware, Asalieri was a Youtuber with 3k subscribers who ran a show called "Reviewing a Reviewer". He is also a contributor to the website Busy Street (which, I feel I need to point out, has other contributors who consider it to be perfectly okay to call people fags. I think that speaks for itself what kind of website it is). Asa decided that he so strongly disagreed with my viewpoints on JRPGs that he was going to "destroy" my channel, and proceeded to make four videos that slandered, harrassed and misrepresented my viewpoints (often by taking my statements out of context). He taunted me dozens of times using multiple accounts, telling me that unless I removed my opinion videos he would keep harrassing me. He actively encouraged people to harrass me, often by trying to flood my videos with profane comments (usually videos that had nothing to do with the JRPG debate) and video down-ranking.
Essentially, he was trying to censor me from my own channel because he did not like my opinions.
And he kept this up for a month, non-stop. The final straw was when he uploaded a video using my footage that called me a faggot and told me he would not "let up" until I apologized to him (for what? Probably blocking him from my channel but I can only speculate).
This kind of behavior is typical for Asalieri and is the reason he had multiple Community guidelines warnings long before I ever came along.
Anyone spending time on Google can see Asa has a long history of harrassing people, sometimes to the point he is banned from the forum. By his own admittance he even managed to get himself banned from the American Idol forums. And he has an easily researched history of harrassing people in multiple communities,
I want to quote something from this RPG Maker community link that logs a chat conversation from him;
(asalieri) I was unter the impression you WERE a faggot, Azn
Again, the supposedly "intellectual" Asalieri throws around homophobic slurs in effort to harrass and ridicule.
(Edit: Asa has claimed he uses "fag" the way it was parodied in the South Park Episode: The F Word. However, the above post on the RPG Maker community was made in 2008. The South Park episode was made in 2009. Nice try)
The question you need to ask yourself is this: if Asalieri says this kind of crap in public spaces, what kind of hateful speech do you think he uses when he believes nobody else is looking? What kind does he use in real life when he doesn't have a camera on himself? I imagine something much worse than what he says online but I can only speculate.
Asa claims that he is all about "free speech" but the fact of the matter is the only thing he is after is the ability to say whatever he wants to whomever he wants without any reprecussions, regardless of how his statements make others feel or what effects they have on those individuals. He has harrassed past Youtubers until they terminate their accounts. He gets a kick out of being a bully-- and what is more pathetic is that he's a cyber-bully. He doesn't have the guts to do this sort of thing in person to someone.
And for the record, I have received no counter DMCA notices from him. I imagine this is because for him to send a counter DMCA notice he must submit his personal information-- including his home address--to me so that I can file against him in federal court. I believe he is afraid to do so and for good reason, as I fully intend to defend my legal rights and reputation to the fullest extent the law allows.
Asalieri has made a wide number of fallicious statements regarding everything from my military background, to the existence of my company, to my use of donation funds. He constantly distorts my point of view on the JRPG debate. And he has such diarrhea of the mouth that he can't remember everything he posts for all the world to see.
Fortunately I took screenshots of his video descriptions and comment posts on not only his videos but those of others.
He phrases his accusations as if they were factual statements, not mere suspicions. Thus, based on how he has conducted himself toward me and others, I believe Asalieri is either one of two things; psychologically disturbed to the point he cannot differentiate between his own thoughts and reality, or knowingly lying. Either way he is making serious accusations he has no proof of and that is defamation. His so-called "parodies" are made with malicious intent, which is not protected under the fair use doctrine.
As for the accusations I am false flagging people or harrassing them, I am going to leave you with the following adage; that the proof is in the doing.
Asalieri and his fanboys are having their videos taken down and accounts terminated by Youtube staffers. This is because Asa and his fanboys keep re-uploading videos that are designed solely to slander and harrass me, and use footage from my videos in a way I do not consider to be fair use nor parody due to the slander and harrassment.
In comparison, my account and videos remain.
The only videos of my own that are down are the few I took down myself, primarily because I thought now was as good a time as any to clean up my account a little. I want to focus it more on the game reviews that are vastly more popular than my improv comedy sketches.
Asa has also claimed I've been losing subscribers since this all started. This is false. He also believes that, because in the past he said I was a good reviewer, that I owe all my subscribers to him. This is also untrue as I have never received a sudden inflation of subscribers; I usually get less than 10 a day. I owe Asa nothing.
(However, what is interesting is that I've noticed many of his subscribers who I've had to block from my channel due to their profane commenting have started subbing my channel. I will not be surprised if they intend to do some coordinated mass "un-subbing" to "prove" I'm losing subscribers but my channel's history on SocialBlade should speak for itself).
In closing, your rights end where mine begin. The allegations he has made are untrue and I am more than prepared to fight them fiercely because they are untrue.
PS: I recommend that other professional game reviewers seriously re-consider whether they wish to associate themselves with a man that has no qualms with calling people "faggots" and encourages his users to false flag and comment flood other people's videos.
Click here to read all posts on this topic.
READ MORE
Visual proof that Asalieri not only uses homophobic slurs but encourages his fanbase to false flag videos and harrass other Youtubers.
For those unaware, Asalieri was a Youtuber with 3k subscribers who ran a show called "Reviewing a Reviewer". He is also a contributor to the website Busy Street (which, I feel I need to point out, has other contributors who consider it to be perfectly okay to call people fags. I think that speaks for itself what kind of website it is). Asa decided that he so strongly disagreed with my viewpoints on JRPGs that he was going to "destroy" my channel, and proceeded to make four videos that slandered, harrassed and misrepresented my viewpoints (often by taking my statements out of context). He taunted me dozens of times using multiple accounts, telling me that unless I removed my opinion videos he would keep harrassing me. He actively encouraged people to harrass me, often by trying to flood my videos with profane comments (usually videos that had nothing to do with the JRPG debate) and video down-ranking.
Essentially, he was trying to censor me from my own channel because he did not like my opinions.
And he kept this up for a month, non-stop. The final straw was when he uploaded a video using my footage that called me a faggot and told me he would not "let up" until I apologized to him (for what? Probably blocking him from my channel but I can only speculate).
This kind of behavior is typical for Asalieri and is the reason he had multiple Community guidelines warnings long before I ever came along.
Anyone spending time on Google can see Asa has a long history of harrassing people, sometimes to the point he is banned from the forum. By his own admittance he even managed to get himself banned from the American Idol forums. And he has an easily researched history of harrassing people in multiple communities,
I want to quote something from this RPG Maker community link that logs a chat conversation from him;
(asalieri) I was unter the impression you WERE a faggot, Azn
Again, the supposedly "intellectual" Asalieri throws around homophobic slurs in effort to harrass and ridicule.
(Edit: Asa has claimed he uses "fag" the way it was parodied in the South Park Episode: The F Word. However, the above post on the RPG Maker community was made in 2008. The South Park episode was made in 2009. Nice try)
The question you need to ask yourself is this: if Asalieri says this kind of crap in public spaces, what kind of hateful speech do you think he uses when he believes nobody else is looking? What kind does he use in real life when he doesn't have a camera on himself? I imagine something much worse than what he says online but I can only speculate.
Asa claims that he is all about "free speech" but the fact of the matter is the only thing he is after is the ability to say whatever he wants to whomever he wants without any reprecussions, regardless of how his statements make others feel or what effects they have on those individuals. He has harrassed past Youtubers until they terminate their accounts. He gets a kick out of being a bully-- and what is more pathetic is that he's a cyber-bully. He doesn't have the guts to do this sort of thing in person to someone.
And for the record, I have received no counter DMCA notices from him. I imagine this is because for him to send a counter DMCA notice he must submit his personal information-- including his home address--to me so that I can file against him in federal court. I believe he is afraid to do so and for good reason, as I fully intend to defend my legal rights and reputation to the fullest extent the law allows.
Asalieri has made a wide number of fallicious statements regarding everything from my military background, to the existence of my company, to my use of donation funds. He constantly distorts my point of view on the JRPG debate. And he has such diarrhea of the mouth that he can't remember everything he posts for all the world to see.
Fortunately I took screenshots of his video descriptions and comment posts on not only his videos but those of others.
He phrases his accusations as if they were factual statements, not mere suspicions. Thus, based on how he has conducted himself toward me and others, I believe Asalieri is either one of two things; psychologically disturbed to the point he cannot differentiate between his own thoughts and reality, or knowingly lying. Either way he is making serious accusations he has no proof of and that is defamation. His so-called "parodies" are made with malicious intent, which is not protected under the fair use doctrine.
As for the accusations I am false flagging people or harrassing them, I am going to leave you with the following adage; that the proof is in the doing.
Asalieri and his fanboys are having their videos taken down and accounts terminated by Youtube staffers. This is because Asa and his fanboys keep re-uploading videos that are designed solely to slander and harrass me, and use footage from my videos in a way I do not consider to be fair use nor parody due to the slander and harrassment.
In comparison, my account and videos remain.
The only videos of my own that are down are the few I took down myself, primarily because I thought now was as good a time as any to clean up my account a little. I want to focus it more on the game reviews that are vastly more popular than my improv comedy sketches.
Asa has also claimed I've been losing subscribers since this all started. This is false. He also believes that, because in the past he said I was a good reviewer, that I owe all my subscribers to him. This is also untrue as I have never received a sudden inflation of subscribers; I usually get less than 10 a day. I owe Asa nothing.
(However, what is interesting is that I've noticed many of his subscribers who I've had to block from my channel due to their profane commenting have started subbing my channel. I will not be surprised if they intend to do some coordinated mass "un-subbing" to "prove" I'm losing subscribers but my channel's history on SocialBlade should speak for itself).
In closing, your rights end where mine begin. The allegations he has made are untrue and I am more than prepared to fight them fiercely because they are untrue.
PS: I recommend that other professional game reviewers seriously re-consider whether they wish to associate themselves with a man that has no qualms with calling people "faggots" and encourages his users to false flag and comment flood other people's videos.
Click here to read all posts on this topic.
Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE MMORPG Youtube Review
Review for the F2P online MMORPG 'Shin Megaten IMAGINE Online', developed by Cave and published by Atlus / Aeria Games.
The game client website is http://megaten.aeriagames.com/
This videogame is based on the popular Shin Megami Tensei (女神転生translation: True Goddess Resurrection) franchise, more commonly abbreviated as MegaTen ( メガテン ). The franchise is based on the novel Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani. The Persona games are spinoffs / gaidens to the main Megaten games.
This game appears to use the models from Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
This review discusses the gameplay of the MMO game, and of course, there is occasional humor and funny jokes!
Review for the F2P online Flash based RPG Fantasy Online by Pixelated Games. The game can also be played through Facebook. This is more of a casual MMO like Farmville or Frontierville.
I've been working on a review for Ragnarok Online and in the process decided to create a summarized guide to the Renewal changes. I also included a leveling guide.
You can find the guide here: Ragnarok Online Renewal FAQ and
Solo Leveling Guide
I've also added the guide to my Game Guides and FAQs section of the website, which can now be found listed under 'Reviews' for easier access.
READ MORE
You can find the guide here: Ragnarok Online Renewal FAQ and
Solo Leveling Guide
I've also added the guide to my Game Guides and FAQs section of the website, which can now be found listed under 'Reviews' for easier access.
Over the past week I've released three new reviews!
Dungeons and Dragons Online MMORPG
Atlantica Online MMORPG
Arcuz: Behind the Dark Online Flash Game
I've got a working laptop and while it's not a souped up gaming PC like I usually play on, I've still been able to get fraps running on it to make some PC title reviews.
You may notice these new reviews lack the usual sketch comedy segments and intro. Some users have expressed dislike of those segments, so I'm trying a more direct format for the videos until I create a better set to film them in. Let me know what you guys think!
READ MORE
Dungeons and Dragons Online MMORPG
Atlantica Online MMORPG
Arcuz: Behind the Dark Online Flash Game
I've got a working laptop and while it's not a souped up gaming PC like I usually play on, I've still been able to get fraps running on it to make some PC title reviews.
You may notice these new reviews lack the usual sketch comedy segments and intro. Some users have expressed dislike of those segments, so I'm trying a more direct format for the videos until I create a better set to film them in. Let me know what you guys think!
It's funny how even two weeks later people are still trolling my videos and my website, trying to pick a fight with me. I wonder what kind of tears they cry when they realize those long, hateful posts peppered with profanity and sensationalism took me half a second to erase?
I also find it very interesting that the people who accuse me of being arrogant are the same people who generalize "JRPGs" and "WRPGs".
I feel I should point out they are using the word 'arrogance' incorrectly.
Next time you want to insult me, pick up a dictionary and find one that actually fits.
Here, I'll make it easy for you.
In order to be arrogant one must be presumptuous. That means you are acting on a belief that isn't definitely true.
So really, who is being arrogant?
Am I, the person who has been researching computer RPGs for most of his life, arrogant for insisting I am correct about issues of publication history, use of genre terms and the diverse range of RPG game mechanics and graphics used by both Japanese and "Western" developers? Things that can be quite easily verified as being true by spending an hour on Google?
Or...
Are the people who insist "JRPGs" and "WRPGs" are unique "styles" of games being arrogant?
Are those who insist JRPGs are "mostly turn based" while WRPGs are "mostly real time" being arrogant?
Are those who insist JRPGs are "mostly linear" while WRPGs are "mostly non-linear" being arrogant?
Are those who insist JRPGs use "anime graphics" and WRPGs use "realistic graphics" being arrogant?
Are those who insist it is perfectly okay to make broad assumptions and stereotype thousands of games they have not played being arrogant?
All things considered, I'd rather be arrogant than be foolishly mistaken because I didn't bother to check the facts before I wrote an essay about how someone else was wrong.
Here's another definition for you: stupid."Lacking intelligence or common sense."
I think it's pretty common sense to actually do some research into a topic before you make a rebuttal video or blog. Not doing so and instead relying only on your personal feelings and limited knowledge about the topic is pretty damn stupid.
Edit: I do not have time for every wannabe Asalieri who wants to argue this issue with me. Unless you are able demonstrate you have actually researched this topic beyond what RPGs are for sale right now at GameStop I am not going to respond to you. I have a bunch of other videos I'm working on, none of which are about the "JRPG vs WRPG" debate. This is the last blog post I intend to make on the matter for the foreseeable future.
READ MORE
I also find it very interesting that the people who accuse me of being arrogant are the same people who generalize "JRPGs" and "WRPGs".
I feel I should point out they are using the word 'arrogance' incorrectly.
Next time you want to insult me, pick up a dictionary and find one that actually fits.
Here, I'll make it easy for you.
In order to be arrogant one must be presumptuous. That means you are acting on a belief that isn't definitely true.
So really, who is being arrogant?
Am I, the person who has been researching computer RPGs for most of his life, arrogant for insisting I am correct about issues of publication history, use of genre terms and the diverse range of RPG game mechanics and graphics used by both Japanese and "Western" developers? Things that can be quite easily verified as being true by spending an hour on Google?
Or...
Are the people who insist "JRPGs" and "WRPGs" are unique "styles" of games being arrogant?
Are those who insist JRPGs are "mostly turn based" while WRPGs are "mostly real time" being arrogant?
Are those who insist JRPGs are "mostly linear" while WRPGs are "mostly non-linear" being arrogant?
Are those who insist JRPGs use "anime graphics" and WRPGs use "realistic graphics" being arrogant?
Are those who insist it is perfectly okay to make broad assumptions and stereotype thousands of games they have not played being arrogant?
All things considered, I'd rather be arrogant than be foolishly mistaken because I didn't bother to check the facts before I wrote an essay about how someone else was wrong.
Here's another definition for you: stupid."Lacking intelligence or common sense."
I think it's pretty common sense to actually do some research into a topic before you make a rebuttal video or blog. Not doing so and instead relying only on your personal feelings and limited knowledge about the topic is pretty damn stupid.
Edit: I do not have time for every wannabe Asalieri who wants to argue this issue with me. Unless you are able demonstrate you have actually researched this topic beyond what RPGs are for sale right now at GameStop I am not going to respond to you. I have a bunch of other videos I'm working on, none of which are about the "JRPG vs WRPG" debate. This is the last blog post I intend to make on the matter for the foreseeable future.
I've said before that one of the reasons I'm passionate about game journalists giving games honest and insightful reviews is because game reviews impact the sales of games.
Not everyone agrees with this assertion. A lot of people (myself included) do not rely on game reviews to determine our buying habits.
However, the average consumer does rely on game reviews to determine which games are worth renting / buying and which should be ignored. And when we're talking about games that took thousands to millions of dollars to create, the average consumer is the one who needs to buy the game for the developer to stay in business.
There is some research to support the argument videogame reviews matter, but you shouldn't need a study to believe the obvious; if game reviews didn't matter then nobody would watch game review videos or read game review magazines / websites.
I will not shy away from issues where I disagree with the popular but incorrect opinions expressed by other game reviewers and journalists. I will not be intimidated into being silenced either.
Game reviews are not simply entertainment; they are meant to educate.
If I catch other reviewers misinforming the public about a game I will call them out so at least some people know they are wrong and shouldn't make purchasing habits based on flawed reasoning and poor fact checking.
READ MORE
Not everyone agrees with this assertion. A lot of people (myself included) do not rely on game reviews to determine our buying habits.
However, the average consumer does rely on game reviews to determine which games are worth renting / buying and which should be ignored. And when we're talking about games that took thousands to millions of dollars to create, the average consumer is the one who needs to buy the game for the developer to stay in business.
There is some research to support the argument videogame reviews matter, but you shouldn't need a study to believe the obvious; if game reviews didn't matter then nobody would watch game review videos or read game review magazines / websites.
I will not shy away from issues where I disagree with the popular but incorrect opinions expressed by other game reviewers and journalists. I will not be intimidated into being silenced either.
Game reviews are not simply entertainment; they are meant to educate.
If I catch other reviewers misinforming the public about a game I will call them out so at least some people know they are wrong and shouldn't make purchasing habits based on flawed reasoning and poor fact checking.
It has come to this. The only way to fight overwhelming ignorance is to show them the truth.
I have spent the past few hours listing every non-linear Japanese computer RPG I can think of. You can find the list here.
I have also started a list of non-linear "Western" computer RPGs but it is hardly complete and my gut tells me I'm missing a bunch. You can find that list here.
The lists are both incomplete (I know about a lot of games but I can't always recall every single one of them and I surely don't know about every CRPG that has ever been made) but already people who have been negatively commenting on my video should be able to see how absolutely wrong they are about "JRPGs" being games that have 100% linear narratives.
What they appear to be missing from my argument is that I'm correct because I know what I'm talking about.
I do not spam the internet with opinions I haven't verified against the facts like many other people are doing.
"What is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular."
I was able to list over 80 Japanese made computer RPGs that have non-linear narratives and that's just those games I was able to recall tonight. I am willing to bet dollars to donuts this small portion of games is way more than my detractors thought existed at all.
Please note that I defined what non-linear computer RPGs are in a previous blog, so if you're wondering how I'm determining whether a game is linear or non-linear, check that blog post out.
A summary;
Dynamic non-linear: The rarest type of non-linear narrative model. The player makes choices during gameplay that shape the game's narrative in a meaningful and critical ways so as to substantially change the direction of the game's narrative. There are either no or very few milestone events that the player "must" clear in order for the narrative to advance. The game offers a large number of narrative routes the player can choose to bypass and that will not prevent the narrative from moving forward (an example: Romancing SaGa: MS)
Static non-linear: The most common type of non-linear model. The choices made by the player do not alter the narrative in significant ways and the narrative generally travels in a single direction with few deviations. This kind of non-linear narrative is built around "milestone" events which HAVE to be passed through regardless of what "route" the player takes. The game's narrative cannot move forward if these milestones are not cleared. (an example: Persona 4)
But read the blog post I made on the topic, I've included images to better express the narrative model these games use.
I'll continue to update this list. If you know of a game that ought to be in the list let me know via Youtube or by commenting on this blog. I will check the game out and if it deserves to be listed I will update the page.
READ MORE
I have spent the past few hours listing every non-linear Japanese computer RPG I can think of. You can find the list here.
I have also started a list of non-linear "Western" computer RPGs but it is hardly complete and my gut tells me I'm missing a bunch. You can find that list here.
The lists are both incomplete (I know about a lot of games but I can't always recall every single one of them and I surely don't know about every CRPG that has ever been made) but already people who have been negatively commenting on my video should be able to see how absolutely wrong they are about "JRPGs" being games that have 100% linear narratives.
What they appear to be missing from my argument is that I'm correct because I know what I'm talking about.
I do not spam the internet with opinions I haven't verified against the facts like many other people are doing.
"What is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular."
I was able to list over 80 Japanese made computer RPGs that have non-linear narratives and that's just those games I was able to recall tonight. I am willing to bet dollars to donuts this small portion of games is way more than my detractors thought existed at all.
Please note that I defined what non-linear computer RPGs are in a previous blog, so if you're wondering how I'm determining whether a game is linear or non-linear, check that blog post out.
A summary;
Dynamic non-linear: The rarest type of non-linear narrative model. The player makes choices during gameplay that shape the game's narrative in a meaningful and critical ways so as to substantially change the direction of the game's narrative. There are either no or very few milestone events that the player "must" clear in order for the narrative to advance. The game offers a large number of narrative routes the player can choose to bypass and that will not prevent the narrative from moving forward (an example: Romancing SaGa: MS)
Static non-linear: The most common type of non-linear model. The choices made by the player do not alter the narrative in significant ways and the narrative generally travels in a single direction with few deviations. This kind of non-linear narrative is built around "milestone" events which HAVE to be passed through regardless of what "route" the player takes. The game's narrative cannot move forward if these milestones are not cleared. (an example: Persona 4)
But read the blog post I made on the topic, I've included images to better express the narrative model these games use.
I'll continue to update this list. If you know of a game that ought to be in the list let me know via Youtube or by commenting on this blog. I will check the game out and if it deserves to be listed I will update the page.
Updated: May 17, 2011
What follows is something I have been working on for awhile now. Given the recent discussion about "JRPGs" and "WRPGs", I've decided to let people read my notes to better understand the way I look at games and how I believe others should look at games when trying to quantify their elements.
While I have encouraged people to use the older terms of "console-style" and "PC-style" in place of "JRPG" and "WRPG" since the older terms are more politically correct, I do recognize the older terms are also misnomers and many people see no reason to stop using misnomers in place of other misnomers.
A recurring problem with videogame classification is that a lot of the genre labels we use for games are misnomers; even "strategy rpg" and the Japanese equivalent for the genre, "simulation rpg", are misnomers because all games require strategy and all games are simulations.
One of my core design principles for creating game mechanics is to make the design modular. 'Modular' means you can swap out parts of the design for other parts and the game will still function correctly (which is important so that new rules can be added to an existing game without upsetting its balance). Since I personally would prefer to see genre labels be modular I have attempted to create a modular system for identifying CRPG game genres.
Please note that this is a work in progress-- I think the labels I currently have here are a'bit of a mouthful-- but you can see the direction I'm going.
-----------------
Syntax of the definitions.
Modular systems require a syntax-- a pattern, if you will. The syntax I have created for defining computer RPG genres is as follows:
[Combat system] [narrative model] [target audience] [narrative genre] RPG
An example would be,
'Real time based linear Children's fantasy RPG'
With....
..."real time based" representing the combat system...
..."linear" representing the narrative model...
..."Children's" representing the target audience...
...and "fantasy" representing the narrative genre...
A 'Real time based linear Children's fantasy RPG' would be Secret of Mana.
Combat genres
In an attempt to best identify different types of combat systems that appear in combat RPGs, I have created the following terms:
Phased turn based : DQ and Wizardry system; at the start of combat the game waits for the player to decide the actions their character(s) will take when combat begins. These systems have combat time divided into blocks called 'rounds'. The combat system descends directly from the tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons, though the games use a more abstract concept of range than D&D did (example: Final Fantasy has a concept of a "front row" and a "back row"). In a Phased turn based system, the player's character(s) will always act in combat before the opposing NPCs can act.
Sequential turn based : A turn based system where each character (including NPCs) has a Speed rating that determines the precise order they will act during a combat round. The system is otherwise identical to Phased turn based combat. While the way turns are determined is more similar to D&D, the abstract nature of range remains.
Active turn based: Games using a system derived from Final Fantasy IV's Active Time Battle System. Unlike Sequential and Phased there is no "pause" between rounds; after taking an action, characters gradually accumulate points as time passes to fill a "bar" and when that bar is full they can make an action. However, like Sequential turn based, characters have a Speed rating that determines how quickly their bar fills up.
Real time based: Games where characters do not take turns. Instead action happens in real time. Characters may or may not have delays on what actions they may take but are capable of moving at any time and almost always have some meaningful action they can do during combat.
Pausable real time based: Real time combat games where players must pause the gameplay to issue orders to characters. Once the game is un-paused the orders are carried out by the characters. Some examples are Secret of Mana, Fallout 3 and Parasite Eve.
Wargaming turn based: Games using a system descending from tabletop wargames. These games tend to be called "strategy RPGs". The player controls a squad of characters who fight across a battlefield using a turn based combat system. They tend to have a more definite concept of range, whereas a Sequential turn based game like Final Fantasy only uses an abstract concept of range (the "rows")
Wargaming real time based: Games using a system descending from tabletop wargames. The player controls a squad of characters who fight across a battlefield using a real time based combat system.
Rogue-like based: A game that uses a combat system derived from Rogue. An example would be the Mystery Dungeon series of games.
Narrative models
Linear: The narrative travels in a straight line with no alternate routes. This is the narrative model used by the majority of fiction, such as novels, films, television shows and video games.
Dynamic non-linear: The rarest type of non-linear narrative model. The player makes choices during gameplay that shape the game's narrative in a meaningful and critical ways so as to substantially change the direction of the game's narrative. There are either no or very few milestone events that the player "must" clear in order for the narrative to advance. The game offers a large number of narrative routes the player can choose to bypass and that will not prevent the narrative from moving forward (an example: Romancing SaGa: MS)
Because I realize this can be a difficult concept for one to visualize I have created the following image to demonstrate what the narrative paths in a Dynamic non-linear narrative look like:
Dynamic non-linear narratives are rare in games because the model gives the writer less control over the flow of the narrative, making it harder for him to craft a meaningful story that hits all the correct emotional buttons in the player. The difficulty and additional time spent writing these narratives are, in my opinion, usually not worth the effort.
Static non-linear: The most common type of non-linear model. The choices made by the player do not alter the narrative in significant ways and the narrative generally travels in a single direction with few deviations. This kind of non-linear narrative is built around "milestone" events which HAVE to be passed through regardless of what "route" the player takes. The game's narrative cannot move forward if these milestones are not cleared. (an example: Persona 4)
I have also created an image to illustrate what the narrative paths of a static non-linear narrative look like,
Target audience:
Some people believe the intended audience of the game is not a core part of the game's design. This is incorrect; game companies do not invest millions into producing videogames unless they already know who the game will appeal to. Designing the game to appeal to a target audience is crucial and often determined before a single line of code of the game is ever written.
Here I am using the same labels as those used by the publishing industry, as I feel they are more appropriate given there is no international rating system at the moment.
Children's: Games intended for play by children up to age 12. They carry an ESRB rating of 'E'.
Young Adults : Games intended for play by teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17. They carry an ESRB rating of 'T'
Adult: Games intended for play by adults (18+). They carry an ESRB rating of 'M'.
Note that this does not mean the game cannot be enjoyed by other age groups; it merely means the developer intended the game to be primarily purchased by one age group.
Narrative genres:
Narrative genres are the same as those used in other creative works; Science-fiction, fantasy, romantic comedy, high school drama, etc
Examples:
Sequential turn based linear Children's fantasy RPG = Final Fantasy
Real time Static non-linear Adult science-fiction RPG = Mass Effect
Active turn based static non-linear Young Adult science fiction RPG = Chrono Trigger
Sequential turn based dynamic non-linear Young Adult fantasy RPG = Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song
Real time based static non-linear Young Adult science-fiction RPG= SW: Knights of the Old Republic
Active turn based static non-linear Adult fantasy RPG = Dragon Age: Origins
Real time based linear Children's fantasy RPG = Secret of Mana
Real time based dynamic non-linear Young Adult fantasy RPG = World of Warcraft
Notice that these new definitions are still very broad; Dragon Quest and Xenogears are both Sequential Turn based games but they possess vastly different combat subsystems from one another. It would be unwise for one to assume that just because a game has a similar type of combat system or narrative model that the games play identically or have similar levels of complexity.
That said, I believe these new definitions are more politically correct than "JRPG" and "WRPG", which express an "Us Vs. Them" mentality concerning games made by the Japanese and games made by Americans. I also believe they better represent the actual mechanics of the games than the older labels "console RPG" and "PC-style RPG", or any other terms I've came across which are misnomers that don't represent the actual mechanics or narrative genres of the games.
READ MORE
What follows is something I have been working on for awhile now. Given the recent discussion about "JRPGs" and "WRPGs", I've decided to let people read my notes to better understand the way I look at games and how I believe others should look at games when trying to quantify their elements.
While I have encouraged people to use the older terms of "console-style" and "PC-style" in place of "JRPG" and "WRPG" since the older terms are more politically correct, I do recognize the older terms are also misnomers and many people see no reason to stop using misnomers in place of other misnomers.
A recurring problem with videogame classification is that a lot of the genre labels we use for games are misnomers; even "strategy rpg" and the Japanese equivalent for the genre, "simulation rpg", are misnomers because all games require strategy and all games are simulations.
One of my core design principles for creating game mechanics is to make the design modular. 'Modular' means you can swap out parts of the design for other parts and the game will still function correctly (which is important so that new rules can be added to an existing game without upsetting its balance). Since I personally would prefer to see genre labels be modular I have attempted to create a modular system for identifying CRPG game genres.
Please note that this is a work in progress-- I think the labels I currently have here are a'bit of a mouthful-- but you can see the direction I'm going.
-----------------
Syntax of the definitions.
Modular systems require a syntax-- a pattern, if you will. The syntax I have created for defining computer RPG genres is as follows:
[Combat system] [narrative model] [target audience] [narrative genre] RPG
An example would be,
'Real time based linear Children's fantasy RPG'
With....
..."real time based" representing the combat system...
..."linear" representing the narrative model...
..."Children's" representing the target audience...
...and "fantasy" representing the narrative genre...
A 'Real time based linear Children's fantasy RPG' would be Secret of Mana.
Combat genres
In an attempt to best identify different types of combat systems that appear in combat RPGs, I have created the following terms:
Phased turn based : DQ and Wizardry system; at the start of combat the game waits for the player to decide the actions their character(s) will take when combat begins. These systems have combat time divided into blocks called 'rounds'. The combat system descends directly from the tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons, though the games use a more abstract concept of range than D&D did (example: Final Fantasy has a concept of a "front row" and a "back row"). In a Phased turn based system, the player's character(s) will always act in combat before the opposing NPCs can act.
Sequential turn based : A turn based system where each character (including NPCs) has a Speed rating that determines the precise order they will act during a combat round. The system is otherwise identical to Phased turn based combat. While the way turns are determined is more similar to D&D, the abstract nature of range remains.
Active turn based: Games using a system derived from Final Fantasy IV's Active Time Battle System. Unlike Sequential and Phased there is no "pause" between rounds; after taking an action, characters gradually accumulate points as time passes to fill a "bar" and when that bar is full they can make an action. However, like Sequential turn based, characters have a Speed rating that determines how quickly their bar fills up.
Real time based: Games where characters do not take turns. Instead action happens in real time. Characters may or may not have delays on what actions they may take but are capable of moving at any time and almost always have some meaningful action they can do during combat.
Pausable real time based: Real time combat games where players must pause the gameplay to issue orders to characters. Once the game is un-paused the orders are carried out by the characters. Some examples are Secret of Mana, Fallout 3 and Parasite Eve.
Wargaming turn based: Games using a system descending from tabletop wargames. These games tend to be called "strategy RPGs". The player controls a squad of characters who fight across a battlefield using a turn based combat system. They tend to have a more definite concept of range, whereas a Sequential turn based game like Final Fantasy only uses an abstract concept of range (the "rows")
Wargaming real time based: Games using a system descending from tabletop wargames. The player controls a squad of characters who fight across a battlefield using a real time based combat system.
Rogue-like based: A game that uses a combat system derived from Rogue. An example would be the Mystery Dungeon series of games.
Narrative models
Linear: The narrative travels in a straight line with no alternate routes. This is the narrative model used by the majority of fiction, such as novels, films, television shows and video games.
Dynamic non-linear: The rarest type of non-linear narrative model. The player makes choices during gameplay that shape the game's narrative in a meaningful and critical ways so as to substantially change the direction of the game's narrative. There are either no or very few milestone events that the player "must" clear in order for the narrative to advance. The game offers a large number of narrative routes the player can choose to bypass and that will not prevent the narrative from moving forward (an example: Romancing SaGa: MS)
Because I realize this can be a difficult concept for one to visualize I have created the following image to demonstrate what the narrative paths in a Dynamic non-linear narrative look like:
Dynamic non-linear narratives are rare in games because the model gives the writer less control over the flow of the narrative, making it harder for him to craft a meaningful story that hits all the correct emotional buttons in the player. The difficulty and additional time spent writing these narratives are, in my opinion, usually not worth the effort.
Static non-linear: The most common type of non-linear model. The choices made by the player do not alter the narrative in significant ways and the narrative generally travels in a single direction with few deviations. This kind of non-linear narrative is built around "milestone" events which HAVE to be passed through regardless of what "route" the player takes. The game's narrative cannot move forward if these milestones are not cleared. (an example: Persona 4)
I have also created an image to illustrate what the narrative paths of a static non-linear narrative look like,
Target audience:
Some people believe the intended audience of the game is not a core part of the game's design. This is incorrect; game companies do not invest millions into producing videogames unless they already know who the game will appeal to. Designing the game to appeal to a target audience is crucial and often determined before a single line of code of the game is ever written.
Here I am using the same labels as those used by the publishing industry, as I feel they are more appropriate given there is no international rating system at the moment.
Children's: Games intended for play by children up to age 12. They carry an ESRB rating of 'E'.
Young Adults : Games intended for play by teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17. They carry an ESRB rating of 'T'
Adult: Games intended for play by adults (18+). They carry an ESRB rating of 'M'.
Note that this does not mean the game cannot be enjoyed by other age groups; it merely means the developer intended the game to be primarily purchased by one age group.
Narrative genres:
Narrative genres are the same as those used in other creative works; Science-fiction, fantasy, romantic comedy, high school drama, etc
Examples:
Sequential turn based linear Children's fantasy RPG = Final Fantasy
Real time Static non-linear Adult science-fiction RPG = Mass Effect
Active turn based static non-linear Young Adult science fiction RPG = Chrono Trigger
Sequential turn based dynamic non-linear Young Adult fantasy RPG = Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song
Real time based static non-linear Young Adult science-fiction RPG= SW: Knights of the Old Republic
Active turn based static non-linear Adult fantasy RPG = Dragon Age: Origins
Real time based linear Children's fantasy RPG = Secret of Mana
Real time based dynamic non-linear Young Adult fantasy RPG = World of Warcraft
Notice that these new definitions are still very broad; Dragon Quest and Xenogears are both Sequential Turn based games but they possess vastly different combat subsystems from one another. It would be unwise for one to assume that just because a game has a similar type of combat system or narrative model that the games play identically or have similar levels of complexity.
That said, I believe these new definitions are more politically correct than "JRPG" and "WRPG", which express an "Us Vs. Them" mentality concerning games made by the Japanese and games made by Americans. I also believe they better represent the actual mechanics of the games than the older labels "console RPG" and "PC-style RPG", or any other terms I've came across which are misnomers that don't represent the actual mechanics or narrative genres of the games.
16-Bit Gems (a videogame review show hosted by Blistered Thumbs and Retroware.tv) recently did a rant about people who dislike the term JRPG.
I decided to counter the rant. Watch my response.
UPDATE: Roo (host of 16 Bit Gems) responded to my video in his comments for the video on Retroware.tv;
Roo: Fanatic, I'm actually rather disappointed that your video was not up to the normal quality of your other work, which I usually enjoy. Beyond the fallacies, opinions presented as fact, a whole lot of strawman arguments, little to no evidence, and some personal attacks peppered in for flavor, I found one salient point that I did not address in my video - and that's the question about games like Secret of Mana above.
As I said earlier to Cynic, I don't mean for the term JRPG to be an exclusive and monolithic term. In the case of Secret of Mana, I would call it a JRPG and an action RPG. Video games straddle genres and subgenres all the time. Look at Portal - FPS & puzzle. Lost Vikings - Action platformer & puzzle. Metroid Prime - FPS & action & adventure. You get the idea. Other than the turn-based battle aspect, it shares many other aspects of JRPGs, such as the simple level up system. Thus, it's a cross-genre game.
As for the "people who disagree with me are racists!" argument (I once again point to my video as a response, since you did not rebut it at all), that tactic is really old hat and goes a long way in destroying credibility when it's used superfluously. I'd suggest you tone that down if you want people to take you more seriously in the future. You are not some video game civil rights martyr fighting to right a inherent wrong in a governmental system. You are just like me - some guy on the internet who's arguing over the exact classification of a small subset of interactive entertainment. Step back and breathe a little.
And just to be clear, I don't know your history with Retroware, and in no way was my response related to the application you sent them months ago. I never even knew you reached out to RWTV. As I've had to say many times to several people: neither Retroware, nor Blistered Thumbs, nor Reviewtopia, nor anyone else but me has editorial control over my videos. If you have a problem with this particular site, I would suggest talking to John and/or Lance about it in private instead of taking it out on me through a public rant without fully understanding the situation.
Consider this my full and final rebuttal on the JRPG topic. For two reasons:
1.) If you can talk so much yet say so little on this subject for 20 minutes, then I doubt there's anything else of value to be brought to the debate.
2.) I really just don't care that much about this issue to go beyond the 3 minutes or so I talked about it in my previous video. I laid out my argument and haven't seen a good enough rebuttal to change my stance (though I can understand moderate positions on it - like Cynic's). I'm not interested in prolonging this e-pissing match for the sake of arguing. I can go to Fark for that.
Also... I generally keep my soap in the bathroom.
show more show less
Here is my reply;
RPG Fanatic: Roo, I covered this in my video but again, please respond to the following points:
1) Did you or did you not dismiss the term "console-style" and "PC-style" as if they had little use or history despite them used by GameFAQs, which has been in operation since 1995 and is hardly a small site. Despite this you called those who use the labels a "small movement".
You implied the terms "JRPG" and "WRPG" had history behind them, whereas "console-style" and "PC-style" did not. This is factually incorrect and demonstrates you did no research into the subject.
2) Did you not generalize "JRPGs" as having turn based combat systems when you know many of them are real time based?
3) Did you not point to relatively new games like Fallout and Mass Effect as being representative of "WRPGs" and completely ignore the overwhelming majority of "Western" made computer RPGs that have turn based combat and linear narratives?
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/list-48
Not a complete list but a good start.
The majority of computer RPGs simply do not have non-linear narratives, let alone the majority of those made by "Western" developers.
It is true that many game journalist claim "WRPGs" are basically games like SW: Knights of the Old Republic. These "journalists" do not cite their sources and largely expressing opinions based on their limited knowledge of computer RPG history. They also tend to completely ignore games not released by a large publisher. Anyone with actual knowledge of the genre knows they are wrong and I was extremely disappointed that you would tell your audience information you did not check the facts of because it just hurts the efforts of people like myself who are trying to get people to stop making assumptions that are hurting the industry.
Sure, you can argue that games "straddle" genres but that is just excusing that you, during a defense of the term JRPG, tried to define them and failed to adequately do so. You're also ignoring that definitions that are only good some of the time are not useful for classification; it just confuses people.
The three critical arguments of the "Stop calling them JRPGs" movement is that...
1) Japanese developers make too many different types of computer rpgs for one label to define them all.
2) American / Canadian / European developers make too many different types of computer rpgs for one label to define them all.
3) The term "JRPG" is used with the term "WRPG" as its opposite. This implies that "The West" or Americans, make games that are vastly different than the Japanese. This is actually false and anyone who does even a little bit of research can see that. It is not hard to find lists of computer RPGs, even Wikipedia (which I strongly dislike) has lists. The use of these terms imply an "Us Vs. Them" mentality that is absolutely 100% racist.
You ridiculed these three points. You did not give them the merit they deserve.
And even if you want to label games by their graphical style, there are many computer RPGs made by non-Japanese that have "anime-ish" graphics (examples: AdventureQuest, World of Warcraft, Farmville, Frontierville, and lots of the indie stuff by small places like Rampant Games or Zeboyd). Therefore graphical style cannot be used to classify them either because it's not a reliable method.
The only reliable method to classify games is by looking at their actual mechanics, not their nationalities. Even if there are differences in popular art styles or narrative devices, these devices are very inconsequential (games made for kids or meant to be comedic always look more colorful and cartoony regardless of what region they come from; games with narratives always have archetype characters common to the culture the game is primarily designed to appeal to). These elements really are not worth pointing out when trying to define game genres.
Now, Google "define:racism". One of the results is, "A set of incorrect assumptions, opinions and acts resulting from the belief that one race is inherently/genetically superior to another. It occurs when people are not treated fairly because of their cultural or ethnic differences....". This is most definitely how the term "JRPG" is being used. There are numerous editorials about how the "JRPG" industry is dying and the "WRPG" is being so gosh darn great and innovative. These editorials ignore actual facts like sales numbers of the big titles released by Japanese and American developers (they have pretty similar sales numbers) and the entire indie industry.
If you had only said that "JRPG means computer rpgs made by the Japanese" and nothing more, that would not be an assessment I'd take issue with. The problem is that you attempted to define "JRPGs" by mechanics that, in reality, a substantial number of them do not share and simply are not unique to the Japanese developers. This is the problem. This is where you expressed a racist viewpoint.
And what you did was indeed rant. Calm as it was delivered, it is clear you wrote it without any research into the topic and there are indeed portions of it where you were rather dismissive toward those of us who have done the research. By your own admittance you wrote it to, "...challenge this assertion before it gains too much steam."
I also took offense that you would dismiss the arguments without doing any research into the topic and clearly having not put much thought into it either. And then there is the issue of the "THAT'S RACIST!" ending the rant with a black kid shouting. Seriously, what the hell was with that?
I will admit that "console style" and "pc style" are not the best terms. However, they are certainly more politically correct. That said, I am attempting to come up with better definitions for computer RPGs that are not misnomers so as to lessen the extraordinary amount of confusion players have about these games when they use the currently popular terms.
http://cmartell.blogspot.com/2011/04/proposal-for-new-genre-classifications.html
READ MORE
I decided to counter the rant. Watch my response.
UPDATE: Roo (host of 16 Bit Gems) responded to my video in his comments for the video on Retroware.tv;
Roo: Fanatic, I'm actually rather disappointed that your video was not up to the normal quality of your other work, which I usually enjoy. Beyond the fallacies, opinions presented as fact, a whole lot of strawman arguments, little to no evidence, and some personal attacks peppered in for flavor, I found one salient point that I did not address in my video - and that's the question about games like Secret of Mana above.
As I said earlier to Cynic, I don't mean for the term JRPG to be an exclusive and monolithic term. In the case of Secret of Mana, I would call it a JRPG and an action RPG. Video games straddle genres and subgenres all the time. Look at Portal - FPS & puzzle. Lost Vikings - Action platformer & puzzle. Metroid Prime - FPS & action & adventure. You get the idea. Other than the turn-based battle aspect, it shares many other aspects of JRPGs, such as the simple level up system. Thus, it's a cross-genre game.
As for the "people who disagree with me are racists!" argument (I once again point to my video as a response, since you did not rebut it at all), that tactic is really old hat and goes a long way in destroying credibility when it's used superfluously. I'd suggest you tone that down if you want people to take you more seriously in the future. You are not some video game civil rights martyr fighting to right a inherent wrong in a governmental system. You are just like me - some guy on the internet who's arguing over the exact classification of a small subset of interactive entertainment. Step back and breathe a little.
And just to be clear, I don't know your history with Retroware, and in no way was my response related to the application you sent them months ago. I never even knew you reached out to RWTV. As I've had to say many times to several people: neither Retroware, nor Blistered Thumbs, nor Reviewtopia, nor anyone else but me has editorial control over my videos. If you have a problem with this particular site, I would suggest talking to John and/or Lance about it in private instead of taking it out on me through a public rant without fully understanding the situation.
Consider this my full and final rebuttal on the JRPG topic. For two reasons:
1.) If you can talk so much yet say so little on this subject for 20 minutes, then I doubt there's anything else of value to be brought to the debate.
2.) I really just don't care that much about this issue to go beyond the 3 minutes or so I talked about it in my previous video. I laid out my argument and haven't seen a good enough rebuttal to change my stance (though I can understand moderate positions on it - like Cynic's). I'm not interested in prolonging this e-pissing match for the sake of arguing. I can go to Fark for that.
Also... I generally keep my soap in the bathroom.
show more show less
Here is my reply;
RPG Fanatic: Roo, I covered this in my video but again, please respond to the following points:
1) Did you or did you not dismiss the term "console-style" and "PC-style" as if they had little use or history despite them used by GameFAQs, which has been in operation since 1995 and is hardly a small site. Despite this you called those who use the labels a "small movement".
You implied the terms "JRPG" and "WRPG" had history behind them, whereas "console-style" and "PC-style" did not. This is factually incorrect and demonstrates you did no research into the subject.
2) Did you not generalize "JRPGs" as having turn based combat systems when you know many of them are real time based?
3) Did you not point to relatively new games like Fallout and Mass Effect as being representative of "WRPGs" and completely ignore the overwhelming majority of "Western" made computer RPGs that have turn based combat and linear narratives?
http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/list-48
Not a complete list but a good start.
The majority of computer RPGs simply do not have non-linear narratives, let alone the majority of those made by "Western" developers.
It is true that many game journalist claim "WRPGs" are basically games like SW: Knights of the Old Republic. These "journalists" do not cite their sources and largely expressing opinions based on their limited knowledge of computer RPG history. They also tend to completely ignore games not released by a large publisher. Anyone with actual knowledge of the genre knows they are wrong and I was extremely disappointed that you would tell your audience information you did not check the facts of because it just hurts the efforts of people like myself who are trying to get people to stop making assumptions that are hurting the industry.
Sure, you can argue that games "straddle" genres but that is just excusing that you, during a defense of the term JRPG, tried to define them and failed to adequately do so. You're also ignoring that definitions that are only good some of the time are not useful for classification; it just confuses people.
The three critical arguments of the "Stop calling them JRPGs" movement is that...
1) Japanese developers make too many different types of computer rpgs for one label to define them all.
2) American / Canadian / European developers make too many different types of computer rpgs for one label to define them all.
3) The term "JRPG" is used with the term "WRPG" as its opposite. This implies that "The West" or Americans, make games that are vastly different than the Japanese. This is actually false and anyone who does even a little bit of research can see that. It is not hard to find lists of computer RPGs, even Wikipedia (which I strongly dislike) has lists. The use of these terms imply an "Us Vs. Them" mentality that is absolutely 100% racist.
You ridiculed these three points. You did not give them the merit they deserve.
And even if you want to label games by their graphical style, there are many computer RPGs made by non-Japanese that have "anime-ish" graphics (examples: AdventureQuest, World of Warcraft, Farmville, Frontierville, and lots of the indie stuff by small places like Rampant Games or Zeboyd). Therefore graphical style cannot be used to classify them either because it's not a reliable method.
The only reliable method to classify games is by looking at their actual mechanics, not their nationalities. Even if there are differences in popular art styles or narrative devices, these devices are very inconsequential (games made for kids or meant to be comedic always look more colorful and cartoony regardless of what region they come from; games with narratives always have archetype characters common to the culture the game is primarily designed to appeal to). These elements really are not worth pointing out when trying to define game genres.
Now, Google "define:racism". One of the results is, "A set of incorrect assumptions, opinions and acts resulting from the belief that one race is inherently/genetically superior to another. It occurs when people are not treated fairly because of their cultural or ethnic differences....". This is most definitely how the term "JRPG" is being used. There are numerous editorials about how the "JRPG" industry is dying and the "WRPG" is being so gosh darn great and innovative. These editorials ignore actual facts like sales numbers of the big titles released by Japanese and American developers (they have pretty similar sales numbers) and the entire indie industry.
If you had only said that "JRPG means computer rpgs made by the Japanese" and nothing more, that would not be an assessment I'd take issue with. The problem is that you attempted to define "JRPGs" by mechanics that, in reality, a substantial number of them do not share and simply are not unique to the Japanese developers. This is the problem. This is where you expressed a racist viewpoint.
And what you did was indeed rant. Calm as it was delivered, it is clear you wrote it without any research into the topic and there are indeed portions of it where you were rather dismissive toward those of us who have done the research. By your own admittance you wrote it to, "...challenge this assertion before it gains too much steam."
I also took offense that you would dismiss the arguments without doing any research into the topic and clearly having not put much thought into it either. And then there is the issue of the "THAT'S RACIST!" ending the rant with a black kid shouting. Seriously, what the hell was with that?
I will admit that "console style" and "pc style" are not the best terms. However, they are certainly more politically correct. That said, I am attempting to come up with better definitions for computer RPGs that are not misnomers so as to lessen the extraordinary amount of confusion players have about these games when they use the currently popular terms.
http://cmartell.blogspot.com/2011/04/proposal-for-new-genre-classifications.html
Hey there fellow RPG Fanatics! Sorry that there hasn't been a video this month yet; I've been working on getting a house loan so I can do more with the channel (having a dedicated set and garage to work on videos would improve the quality considerably!) but I might release a mini-review without any live-action footage this month; if so, it'll be on Chrono Trigger.
Anyway, I'm trying to raise some cash by selling some games I don't really need. I have somewhat of a hoarder mentality when it comes to games but, when money is so tight, I need to sell off anything I don't really need.
http://myworld.ebay.com/therpgfanatic/?_trksid=p4340.l2559
Some of these games I have already reviewed, some I have footage recorded for but haven't made a review yet, and some I've never got around to recording footage for. But they are just games; I can always buy them again in the future.
If you wish to help me out and get some great games, please do bid on the auctions. With the exception of Actraiser 2, they all have the original case and instruction manuals, and are in pretty good condition.
If you wish, I can even autograph the game for you!
READ MORE
Anyway, I'm trying to raise some cash by selling some games I don't really need. I have somewhat of a hoarder mentality when it comes to games but, when money is so tight, I need to sell off anything I don't really need.
http://myworld.ebay.com/therpgfanatic/?_trksid=p4340.l2559
Some of these games I have already reviewed, some I have footage recorded for but haven't made a review yet, and some I've never got around to recording footage for. But they are just games; I can always buy them again in the future.
If you wish to help me out and get some great games, please do bid on the auctions. With the exception of Actraiser 2, they all have the original case and instruction manuals, and are in pretty good condition.
If you wish, I can even autograph the game for you!
