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[My Arms Your Hearse]

And LotR, Chronicles of Narnia.

Frodo is over 50 you illiterate clout.

 

[Speevy]

Frodo is over 50 you illiterate clout.

Well in the movies, the hobbits appear to have human life spans, and Frodo/Sam are treated like teenagers by the humans. It's an interpretation that will surely find more popularity as an image than a 50 year old frodo or sam.

 

[west]

While we're at it, someone tell me the reason why anime kids always come from a broken home.

This is culturaly bound. In japanese culture it is considered bad not to place your family first. So in order for a character to run around the world on adventures he must be freed from the obligations normaly imposed on a Japanese person. This is why Japanese characters are often orphans, or have mysterious pasts.

The same applies to kid characters. Adults are expected to act according to rules, there is usually a drastic contrast between adults and children in anime/jrpg. This is why "crazy/funny" characters usually are the youngest. That makes irrattic behavior ok. It also a common story arch that the main character matures into adulthood at the end of the adventure, thus ending his/her adventuring career.

 

[karasu]

Give me an RPG with a lead like this...

Isn't a whole lot of Berserk actually about Gatsu's adolescence? Griffith and them were basically a bunch of kids.

 

[Doytch]

I don't know if this was asked yet, I don't feel like reading the whole thread...

I just finished my first jrpg (marios not inc), FFIV. Why is it that the characters are adults in the cinematics, have voices like adults, are supposed to be adults (I've read), but look like they're not even 10 in the game.

 

[leroy hacker]

I don't know if this was asked yet, I don't feel like reading the whole thread...

I just finished my first jrpg (marios not inc), FFIV. Why is it that the characters are adults in the cinematics, have voices like adults, are supposed to be adults (I've read), but look like they're not even 10 in the game.

Square's decision to design the in game character models following the SNES sprites is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen in a game. It's 3D! The original sprite proportions(big heads, tiny legs) are nonsensical and unnecessary, as shown in the CG models based on Amano's original art, which actually look good.

 

[MrHicks]

I don't know if this was asked yet, I don't feel like reading the whole thread...

I just finished my first jrpg (marios not inc), FFIV. Why is it that the characters are adults in the cinematics, have voices like adults, are supposed to be adults (I've read), but look like they're not even 10 in the game.

the final fantasy ds remakes are puke inducing when it comes to character looks

ugh

everyone looks 10 at most

 

[KTallguy]

Square's decision to design the in game character models following the SNES sprites is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen in a game. It's 3D! The original sprite proportions(big heads, tiny legs) are nonsensical and unnecessary, as shown in the CG models based on Amano's original art, which actually look good.

1. Good luck pulling anything 3d and detailed off on the DS.

2. Nostalgia dictates that they should have big heads and little bodies and all that jazz.

 

[Tellaerin]

1. Good luck pulling anything 3d and detailed off on the DS.

2. Nostalgia dictates that they should have big heads and little bodies and all that jazz.

Developers make the characters' heads disproportionately big so the player can make out facial features and expressions more clearly. That was the reason most oldschool RPG sprites had big heads in the first place. It also looks cute, and Japanese don't seem to share that bizarre Western view that it's only acceptable for females and preteens to like cute things.

 

[antiloop]

Target audience.

Nailed it. First answer too.

Isn't a whole lot of Berserk actually about Gatsu's adolescence? Griffith and them were basically a bunch of kids.

They were like 16 or something in the beginning. Now they are like 30 or something.

 

[leroy hacker]

1. Good luck pulling anything 3d and detailed off on the DS.

2. Nostalgia dictates that they should have big heads and little bodies and all that jazz.

1. Even on the DS, FFIV is uniquely misproportioned. It has nothing to do with details. Compare Cecil in the above post to any of the FFIII characters in the accompanying screenshot-only Cecil has a giant head and skinny legs that don't match the upper body.

2. Then why not in the CG too?

Edit: I have to admit though, looking at more screenshots, despite the fact that Kain and Dark Knight Cecil are abominations, most of the FFIV characters aren't unreasonably misproportioned.

 

[RockmanWhore]

1. Good luck pulling anything 3d and detailed off on the DS.

They should have make a PSP game then

 

[Haunted]

Isn't a whole lot of Berserk actually about Gatsu's adolescence? Griffith and them were basically a bunch of kids.

Only the first 8 volumes or so. They're up to 33 by now.

 

[Ravidrath]

I'm usually OK with kids as characters, but, man... IU's Rico and Rucha are fucking horrible.

Wanna give us kids? Give us interesting ones like Gau, or the kids in Tekkon Kinkreet, not obnoxious, cherubic bullshit factories.

 

[GrayFoxPL]

I'd love to play jrpg where the protagonist is an old fuck. That'd be so awesome. You couldn't equip armor of valkiria because you wouldn't move in it. You'd always deal 8 dmg and must stay away from any not wimpy enemies, God forbid bosses. The whole game you must take long way around danerous places killing snails and eating grass on the way. You must survive using your skills like being negative, cynic and snarky. Totally flegmatic in every conversation. You use depression technique to overcome obstacles. Then you die before the end of the game.

Great!

 

[lyre]

They should have make a PSP game then

That'll only give the game higher poly SD characters or be made with a Korean RPG maker; and also it wouldn't exist.

 

[The End]

This seems to be as good a place as any to ask...

Is Lost Odyssey worth it? The prospect of actual adults in a jrpg is temping, and it just dropped to $40.

 

[RockmanWhore]

That'll only give the game higher poly SD characters or be made with a Korean RPG maker; and also it wouldn't exist.

They could have added tons of zipper and overly feminine male protagonist. After all, a PSP version isn't such a great idea :lol

 

[Doubledex]

I mean seriously. Why are most of the main characters kids/teenagers? We see these dudes going to war, kill people, fight monsters, i mean wtf.

What's this obsession that japanese developers have in putting kids in JRpgs? Then it's how the goddamn characters behave, and how they sound, but then they are saving the world and going through all these dangerous events and fighting like man, but it all feels wrong.

I guess that might be one of the reasons why i'm so amped for FFXIII and Versus, and was excited about Lost Odyssey, althought that one didn't work out brilliantly.

Infinite Undiscovery has a kid as the main character, and other kids as secondary characters, Last Remnant is gonna be another "kid" as the main character. What's up with that?

I really would like to see more JRPgs having adult characters, you know, you can do more with the characters, you can make them more of a hero too, christ imagine if Aquiles was a 16 year old kid, i bet it would be lame as shit. Imagine watching Gladiator or Kingdom Of Heaven, and being about kids.

Seriously.

Target audience! You're too old for games! Quit gaming!!

 

[nathkenn]

This seems to be as good a place as any to ask...

Is Lost Odyssey worth it? The prospect of actual adults in a jrpg is temping, and it just dropped to $40.

I enjoyed it, but it's very old school jrpg style. I really liked the protagonist and his story but the villain was kind of weak...

 

[Althane]

Isn't a whole lot of Berserk actually about Gatsu's adolescence? Griffith and them were basically a bunch of kids.

At its current standing, there's 2 or 3 arcs at that age. A large chunk, to be sure, but that's to give you the backstory. Guts then wasn't like Guts now... and DAMN would an RPG with someone like Guts be awesome.

 

[dacuk]

I don't know if this was asked yet, I don't feel like reading the whole thread...

I just finished my first jrpg (marios not inc), FFIV. Why is it that the characters are adults in the cinematics, have voices like adults, are supposed to be adults (I've read), but look like they're not even 10 in the game.

Because Super Deformed art rules?

 

[Kuro Madoushi]

I'm torn on this issue...

I admit some of the jrpg character and story conventions are getting old.

But it's what the Japanese are used to. Why should they change that based on what we want?

I guess some aspect of it is that since your character is young and it's an rpg, you grow older, wiser, and stronger each day, while it may not be true for older people (slower, weaker, etc).

What I'm more concerned with in jrpgs is the lack of a satisfying romantic subplot and the interactions between females and males.