One of the biggest cornerstones and draw of the JRPG genre is the story.  The gameplay may be fun and interesting, but I think that those who buy JRPGs are looking for a good story to be told in conjunction with building a strong party.

However, through the years there has been obvious problems that have shown in the genre.  As technology has increased, storytelling methods have given game developers more freedom to express their stories.  Where once the game designer was limited to telling a story in 2D top-down sprites, can now be replaced with interesting 3D camera angles, lens flares and particle effects more similar to a movie experience.

At first, new technology covered the storytelling flaws that would have been more obvious in other genres such as movies and television.  But as technology has advanced and become an expected norm, the novelty has worn off and we see the stories as they really are – poorly told over-dramatized fan-fictions with multi-million dollar production teams.

As Hironobu Sakaguchi has shown, even the best game designers of the industry are not necessarily the best directors and storytellers.  The box office failure known as “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” is testimony to this fact.  Once the novelty of seeing 3D cinematics and distracting gameplay is stripped away, the audience desires an edifying and ennobling story to be told.  This is where many modern JRPGs (and some non-JRPGs like MGS4) fall flat.

Most especially glaring are cultural differences.  To the Japanese, the emotional “girly-men” character designs is very popular in Japan, also because it makes the character seem more approachable to an emotionally restrictive and generally reserved culture.  But to Western audiences, it just looks whiny and pathetic.

Dialogue and translations also fall somewhat flat to Western ears.  Where it may sound awesome to hear someone shouting in Japanese when they pull off their special move, translating it to English and having someone calling out their special moves sounds awkward, and sometimes even embarassing.  Even in the “Final Fantasy: Advent Children” motorcycle battle scenes, it is very out of place to hear “Where’s Mother?” during the motorcycle battle scenes while it sounds perfectly normal to hear it in Japanese and read it in subtitles.

I am hoping that Final Fantasy XIII and the new Dragon Quest for the Wii will change my mind about the direction of the JRPG genre.  But in the meantime, it seems like the best stories are being told not by JRPGs but by tactical and strategic games such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea, Jeanne D’Arc, and most especially Valkyria Chronicles.

Perhaps it is time for a Western developer and storyteller to take a stab at the JRPG genre?

After playing each ”Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” boss battle, I could not help but feel dirty.

I’m told that this woman I am fighting has severe psychological problems.  And it seems like my only recourse is to beat the living daylights out of her.  Once her armor is shed, I am greeting with a ”more-than-skin-tight” latex costume that leaves less to the imagination than a birthday suit.  And after successfully beating her into submission, she writhes in semi-ecstasy as I free her from the ”beast” she once was.  The camera doesn’t fail to fully display every part of body dripping with…lubricant.  And, after being physically abused, she throws herself on me in an embrace – which drains my life.  Apparently, she still needs a beating.

I think Hideo Kojima needs help.

The great irony of the encounter follows the battle.  After completely abusing this woman, and watching her body writh in classic pornographic camera shots, I get a call from Drebin, the arms dealer.  He proceeds to explain to me this woman’s skewed psychological profile and he explains to me this woman’s sad tale.  It is as if the game designers guiltily wanted to humanize the sexual object they have created and displayed even though they proudly publicize that the motion capture for these scenes were done with nude women and were originally inteded to be nude scenes.

The only thing the MGS4 shows you of Laughing Octopus's personhood.

But even the attempt to humanize the Beauty and the Beast Corps was a failure at storytelling.  “Show, Don’t Tell” is the staple of every good storyteller and Hideo Kojima violates that in almost every cutscene.  There are lots of movies that show the psychological profile of the villain and can humanize their struggle.  Many fighting-genre anime are known for showing the psychological reasoning of each villain and the reason they fight – only to be crushed and redeemed by losing to the main protagonist.  Yet, even in this sense, Hideo Kojima fails to imitate.  The best he can do is a series of lubricant fetish ass-shots followed by a sad monologue.

Even as a red-blooded male, practically every woman in the game cheapened the experience for me.  Even EVA, a woman who is probably in her 70s sports the cleavage of a perky 20 year old porn star with breast implants.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I had a difficult time stomaching “Big Momma”‘’s mammaries.  Maybe it is something about the Japanese and their strange oedipus complexes – and I’m not just talking about Otacon and his step mother (sorry, that was a spoiler from MGS 2).

Mei-Ling was one of the biggest disappointments in my mind.  This is a commander of a U.S. Naval Vessel.  She should exemplify respectability and authority.  Yet in her briefing, she can’t help but be cute, clumsy and camera fodder for an ass-shot.

The only woman who really made me happy was Meryl.  Even in MGS1, the camera shot from behind was justifiable, cute and funny.  The game teased you with a hint of sexuality that was respectful and humorous – something long lost to Hideo Kojima.

Watching my wife play videogames is like stepping into another world.  Firstly, because she is new to gaming, I get to see how I fell in love with the world of computer and video games all over again.  But secondarily, because I get to see gaming from the perspective of a woman.

My son and I love playing games with lots of action and bright graphics.  So when my mother bought “Animal Crossing: City Folk” for our new Wii, I was a bit skeptical especially because my son is so young.  So when his new landlord, Tom Nook, gave him a mortgage and a job in his little town we called “Doggy” I was very doubtful.

Since it was a very generous Christmas for us, I was more inclined to playing games that interested both me and my son and leave Animal Crossing behind with a polite “Thank You” to my mother.  But with a cancelled vacation and while I was hard at work, my wife took up the mantle and started playing Animal Crossing with my son.  She made her own persona and started learning about the town, its inhabitants, and all the things you can do.  After a few days, I was surprised to catch my wife sneaking away precious moments of personal time to play “Animal Crossing” when my son wasn’t watching or asking to play.

The game’s genius lies in its innocence and simplicity.  You spend your days collecting shells, digging up dirt, catching bugs, fishing at the river, and doing all the things that kids do – the things we reminisce about when we are outside rather than sitting in front of a screen.  In turn, the more interesting things you find in your adventures you can either sell to Tom Nook for money, donate to the museum, or keep in your house, which you can decorate with your own personal furnishings.  You talk to the interesting inhabitants and make friends with them, do errands for them, buy them presents, receive presents and just enjoy your time in this cute little world.

Personally, I would never have given this game a second thought, but when I see the delight in my wife’s face when she shows me the little things she’s done – paid off her mortgage, bought or found an interesting piece of furniture, I can’t help but smile and laugh – and even secretly want to make my own character to join in their fun.

What I found most fascinating is that the game works in real time.  One night my wife was telling my son that “We’d better hurry and sell the fish we caught.  Tom Nook’s store closes at 10!”  And you watch the landscape change with the seasons and daylight.  My son just laughed when they discovered that they can actually build snowmen.

On New Year’s Eve, my wife spotted a countdown clock by the Town Hall and received a party popper in the mail.  And throughout the day, everyone in town was wishing each other the best for the New Year – asking about their Resolutions, and generating a sense of expectation for a better year than 2008.

Late that night, with the boys asleep, we cuddled by the couch – tired from my cancelled vacation and the work we both had done.  I had a big smile when instead of turning on the TV to watch the ball drop, my wife flipped on the Wii.  For the last 10 minutes of 2008 and we watched the Countdown clock by the Townhall of the little town of “Doggy.”  When the game struck midnight, fireworks burst into the sky and my wife shot her party popper in delight.  I couldn’t help but laugh and kiss my wife.

It was a great way to start the New Year.