LogFAQs > #983041236

VioletZer0 posted...

What you said are my precise thoughts on Dragon Quest.

I wouldn't disagree. With DQ, I'd argue that a large part of its appeal as a franchise is tied to the fact that the original game was somewhat trend-setting (though there's always an argument that it didn't do anything that games like Ultima didn't do first), which in turn made it memetically good to the Japanese audience. Which in turn colored their opinions of every successive title. Dragon Quest became THE RPG franchise for them, because it WAS the original RPG franchise they'd lost their minds over, and from that point on nostalgia (both personal and cultural) influenced the reception of every successive game.

I'd argue that the same thing happened with Final Fantasy in the West. Especially once FFVII became the default "first RPG" for a lot of people.

Which actually makes it interesting that DQ never really caught on in the West the way it did in Japan. Potentially being evidence of just how much cultural expectations played a role in its phenomenal success in Japan.



VioletZer0 posted...

I agree that the concept of Chrono Trigger is rather simple but I think it is executed so well that it is a joy to play through. I didn't have any nostalgia for the game since I didn't have it growing up, I just don't think most JRPGs were as well made as Chrono Trigger is. The battle system is brilliantly simple that's built around specific memorable encounters, the story progression is super engaging, the characters are very fun and emotive and the set pieces are interesting with that unique Toriyama charm.

I'm not saying it's not a fun game. I'm just saying it's never been as "BESTEST RPG EVAR" as some people make it out to be.

And honestly, the Toriyama art is part of what I dislike about it. It's the same thing that always sort of left me cold when it came to Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest once the graphics got sophisticated enough to really make his style obvious. I just have zero nostalgia for DBZ, and I've never really liked his art much at all.

And as much as CT fans love to shit all over it, I've always seen Chrono Cross as the better game of the two.