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Post by jklinders on Feb 24, 2010 14:44:14 GMT 1
Zars left the boards a few days ago, Yargling. And yes, you refined what I just said to a great extent. I had to have reminded my brother more than twice that Tolkien was heavily influenced by Greek, Arabic, African, and Norse mythology. Thank you thank you thank you!!! Tolkien was many things but original was not one of them. Trying to say that to a Tolkien disciple is like smashing your head into a brick wall though.
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Post by stratomunchkin on Feb 24, 2010 19:20:50 GMT 1
His originality lies in basically being the first one to meld them all into something new and making a coherent world with actual languages and histories out of them.
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Post by Knightfall on Feb 25, 2010 3:44:47 GMT 1
Yes, and I believe he used many of his experiences from World War I in the novels as well. His originality lies in basically being the first one to meld them all into something new and making a coherent world with actual languages and histories out of them. And that's all originality need be: taking other concepts and making them your own. Enhanced interpretation, if you will. xD
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Post by Mister Buch on Mar 1, 2010 13:46:46 GMT 1
Yeah in Tolkein's case, I think he took a lot of existing concepts, themes and traditions and he put them together beautifully - made something that was more than the sum of its parts.
Yet often when writers make something out of a bunch of familiar parts - like the Harry Potter books - it just looks lazy and money-driven to me.
I guess there is a a fine line. Or maybe I'm just more sympathetic to JRR Tolkein because his work is older and I'm jealous of JK Rowling's success.
Hell, she even stole his idea of using first initials...
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Post by moonlight on Mar 5, 2010 21:09:25 GMT 1
I mostly have to agree with Zechuk. Most JRPGs are incapable of evolution. They've been stuck in the same concepts for what? Ten or fifteen years? The gaming industry is moving beyond the typical 'run-around-random-encounter-grind-kill-final-battle-angst' idea that most JRPGs stick to, and I think the main issue comes from the constant stagnation of the far larger 'flagship' series of JRPGs such as Final Fantasy, and the size of these kinds of series and success of them makes a kind of 'follow-the-leader' dynamic with JRPG creators unwilling to separate from the formula. I'm not sure if I'm making too much sense, but overall JRPGs NEED to progress and realize it isn't 1998 anymore before they're left alone as an artifact of the game industry.
Which is actually sad, because I KNOW that there are good, in fact, great JRPGs out there. The Mother games come to mind, which despite being restricted to 16-bit sprites, managed to convey a surprising amount of depth and emotion in it's storyline. Likewise for a game like FF6 (which has it's caveats in terms of gameplay against what I feel the Mother series, which gets rid of random encounters in it's entirety) or Chrono Trigger. The last island of hope I see with the JRPG genre is with Atlus and the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, specifically the Persona series of it. It's a surprisingly deep story with clever gameplay mechanics and great characters, although it's never done especially well... bah.
Okay, my splurge is done.
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Post by Tillian Panthesis on Mar 10, 2010 12:47:26 GMT 1
I've do agree about the minorities of JRPGS. Valkyrie Profile might been fustrating at times but the storyline is quite lovely, particually a nice twist with the Norse mythology and some deep philosiphy about life, death and those who are affect by it. Also the fact I like Valkyrie Profile due to the fact you don't have to play as "another-whiny-spiky-hair-dude-with-a-big-sword" hero. It's a shame I don't see many JRPGS that are varried or interesting in either the storytelling, gamplay or both.
The last JRPG I've really got myself into in terms of gameplay fun was Secret of Mana. Old game but it's a must for everyone. One of the few games that incorporate a action real time mechcanics with a power wheel menu for the usage of magic powers (Hang on a minute... I've know a recent game that is close to that scheme...). Also no bloody force shove random encounters. It's a shame most games now rely on the old dated mechanics along with a linear storyline that is on the verge of NOT being an RPG. Also, you are forced to date with some weak damsel in distress despite your protestion on not liking the lead girl. (See FFX's "choice" for romance).
But yeah, Japanese game developers really need to get the ball rolling with their audieance and fans. At least Capcom seem to get the right idea...
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