Things you can't bear in a JRPG

[Dincrest]

Joke answer:

What I can't bear is the Owl Bear from Phantasy Star, because it neither resembles an owl or a bear.  It's unbearable!  http://www.phantasy-star.net/art/screenshots/psi/monsters/owlbear.gif

[MonCapitan2002]

Although not a pet peeve or anything remotely detestable, I sometimes question the logic of rewards given after optional super-boss battles. 

For example, defeating Ragu Ragla in Wild ARMs gives you the Sherriff's Star. It's not a bad prize prize as equipping it as an accessory negates all status effects.  However, do you really need it?  You already defeated the game's most powerful boss without it and the final boss will be a pushover in comparison.

Yes.  It's even worse in Wild Arms 3.  You have to go through 100 floors of a dungeon where you can't save and must go through in its entirety in one session to fight Ragu O'Ragla.  You do get a Sherriff Star which enables every single personal skill on the equipped character, but you need to be level 100 to use it.  At that point, the reward is pointless.  Honestly, if it I wasn't playing the remaster on PS 4, I wouldn't have bothered.  At least you get an additional reward in the form of a trophy.

Still, winning an item that you really don't need as a reward is utterly pointless.  Seriously, it isn't worth it even with the remaster giving you a trophy.  If I couldn't put my PS 4 to sleep, I would've abandoned the effort.

Seriously, if you're going to put in a super powerful boss to fight in your game, you need to provide a larger reward than an accessory you don't need.

[Aeolus]

Seriously, if you're going to put in a super powerful boss to fight in your game, you need to provide a larger reward than an accessory you don't need.

Like say, having said super boss show up and defeat the final boss for you.

One of the four memorable things to come from DQVI (alongside Terry, the Murdaw fight and the Flying Bed).

[Dincrest]

And once again, we have old-school Dragon Quest showing us good ideas that more modern games still haven't caught on to. 

And this is more of a specific annoyance than anything else, but I feel like in newer Pokemon games (e.g. X/Y, Sun/Moon) the Legendaries were total gimmes and, frankly, kinda weak compared to many garden variety Pokemon in my roster.  I would like to see a return of is having to rise to some kind of challenge to get the Legendaries.  If I have to work for my Legendaries, I'll value them more.   

[Greganox]

And this is more of a specific annoyance than anything else, but I feel like in newer Pokemon games (e.g. X/Y, Sun/Moon) the Legendaries were total gimmes and, frankly, kinda weak compared to many garden variety Pokemon in my roster.  I would like to see a return of is having to rise to some kind of challenge to get the Legendaries.  If I have to work for my Legendaries, I'll value them more.

I take it you want the catch rates for the mascot legendaries raised up? They have been made considerably easier to get since Generation V.Taking the Sun and Moon ones as examples they both have the same catch rates as Oricoros.

[Dincrest]

And this is more of a specific annoyance than anything else, but I feel like in newer Pokemon games (e.g. X/Y, Sun/Moon) the Legendaries were total gimmes and, frankly, kinda weak compared to many garden variety Pokemon in my roster.  I would like to see a return of is having to rise to some kind of challenge to get the Legendaries.  If I have to work for my Legendaries, I'll value them more.

I take it you want the catch rates for the mascot legendaries raised up? They have been made considerably easier to get since Generation V.Taking the Sun and Moon ones as examples they both have the same catch rates as Oricoros.

I think you read me backwards.  I want Legendaries to be more challenging to catch than they have been lately.  Either with low catch rates or have some kind of grueling sidequest to get them.  Make me work for it. 

And then take a page from what folks have been saying about uber-bosses; make the reward (in this case the capture of the Legendary) worth the effort.  Superweapon Legendaries like Mew and Mewtwo are so worth the effort to get them because they're so powerful.  I don't like that the Legendaries in X/Y and Sun/Moon were total gimmes and weren't that great.  Yveltal and Solgaleo were pathetic.  I had garden variety Pokemon that were way better. 

And for more wishful thinking, I would like to see a future Pokemon installment go back to the jerk/bully rival.  Gary being an entitled "daddy's little rich boy" douchebag or Silver being a straight up criminal made encounters with them feel kinda "dangerous" and I wanted to strike them down.  Lately, the rivals have all been nice and friendly, and I almost felt bad trouncing them. 

[Der Jermeister]

Speaking of catch rates in Pokemon, I'd like it if games eased up on elements of randomization. Say you have a 1/10 chance of getting a certain item or catching a Pokemon. Typically, each time you try to catch a Pokemon or kill an enemy for want of an item, your chance each time is still 1/10, and doesn't get any better. RPGs could implement a type of counter system that activates, for instance, on your tenth kill of a specific enemy or attempt to catch a Pokemon if your prior attempts have been unsuccessful, where you're guaranteed a catch or item, in which case the counter resets.

[Aeolus]

And this is more of a specific annoyance than anything else, but I feel like in newer Pokemon games (e.g. X/Y, Sun/Moon) the Legendaries were total gimmes and, frankly, kinda weak compared to many garden variety Pokemon in my roster.  I would like to see a return of is having to rise to some kind of challenge to get the Legendaries.  If I have to work for my Legendaries, I'll value them more.

I take it you want the catch rates for the mascot legendaries raised up? They have been made considerably easier to get since Generation V.Taking the Sun and Moon ones as examples they both have the same catch rates as Oricoros.

I think you read me backwards.  I want Legendaries to be more challenging to catch than they have been lately.  Either with low catch rates or have some kind of grueling sidequest to get them.  Make me work for it. 

And then take a page from what folks have been saying about uber-bosses; make the reward (in this case the capture of the Legendary) worth the effort.  Superweapon Legendaries like Mew and Mewtwo are so worth the effort to get them because they're so powerful.  I don't like that the Legendaries in X/Y and Sun/Moon were total gimmes and weren't that great.  Yveltal and Solgaleo were pathetic.  I had garden variety Pokemon that were way better. 

And for more wishful thinking, I would like to see a future Pokemon installment go back to the jerk/bully rival.  Gary being an entitled "daddy's little rich boy" douchebag or Silver being a straight up criminal made encounters with them feel kinda "dangerous" and I wanted to strike them down.  Lately, the rivals have all been nice and friendly, and I almost felt bad trouncing them.

Yes. Lets make Legendaries so strong and hard to get that they become the most difficult challenge/most powerful Pokemon in the game again, just like R/B/Y's Mew~

Although not a pet peeve or anything remotely detestable, I sometimes question the logic of rewards given after optional super-boss battles. 

For example, defeating Ragu Ragla in Wild ARMs gives you the Sherriff's Star. It's not a bad prize prize as equipping it as an accessory negates all status effects.  However, do you really need it?  You already defeated the game's most powerful boss without it and the final boss will be a pushover in comparison.

~two....

[Dincrest]

But the final boss is never really the final boss in any Pokemon game.  You have the robust post game which is usually quite challenging, so actually using the "uber boss reward" from the main game is feasible. 

[Aeolus]

But the final boss is never really the final boss in any Pokemon game.  You have the robust post game which is usually quite challenging, so actually using the "uber boss reward" from the main game is feasible.

Except that specifically in Pokemons Red/Blue/Yellow, the post game mostly consists of the Unknown Dungeon, and the final challenge of the Unknown Dungeon is Mewtwo.

Ergo,


(Admittedly, the Master Ball exists specifically to chump Mewtwo, so both of our arguments are built upon flawed premises to begin with.)

[Dincrest]

Gotta love JRPGs and their logic defying conundrums. 

I have an explosive magic spell that can crush mountains, yet I need to find a key to unlock a door in a rickety dungeon. 

The villain withstands my barrage of meteor spells yet is killed by a dagger (for plot purposes.) 

With a few exceptions (Tales of Destiny being one), JRPG houses don't have bathrooms/toilets. 

Animals carry cash. 

But if a game is too realistic, it becomes dull and monotonous like ShenMue.  Best thing about ShenMue was this commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7yNonPzOio

[Aeolus]

But if a game is too realistic, it becomes dull and monotonous like ShenMue.

And speaking of Shenmue: https://gematsu.com/2018/08/shenmue-iii-launches-august-27-2019

[Dincrest]

I dare to blaspheme!

ShenMue was a gorgeous game with incredible music and some nifty ideas, but I felt like I spent the majority of that game just idling my time away.  And even then, nothing much really happened plotwise.  It felt like having an entire loaf of bread, but only 1 shmeer of peanut butter to use for all 12 slices.  ShenMue was an overhyped waste of time and money for me.  Great tech demo, sorry excuse for a game.  To me, it just felt like Yu Suzuki got too carried away with realism, and somehow forgot that everyday "real" life isn’t always fun and can be a slog. 

https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2000/11/15

Still, I'd say at least 90% of the pet peeves in this thread can be looked at on a case to case basis.  Although I dislike breakable weapons, there were games where I didn't mind and/or actually liked that mechanic.  In the random vs visible encounters debate, there are games that did visible encounters horribly wrong and I would have preferred random.  I'm not a fan of excessive grinding, but there have been games where I was okay with it.  And there are those annoyances that are specific to a particular game that would be a non-factor in others.  Conversely, there are cases like Legend of Dragoon that had a laundry list of flaws that would normally be dealbreakers for me, but I rather enjoyed that game. 

I think the only pet peeve I have that remains universal is "small text fonts with no menu option to make them bigger."  There is no getting around it, that is something that I dislike in all cases. 

[Arvis]

The Shenmue OST really is amazing.  I say that as someone who has never played Shenmue.

[Agent D.]

The Shenmue OST really is amazing.  I say that as someone who has never played Shenmue.

What REALLY bugs me about jrpgs is Arvis is STILL no back on discord to join in our legendary shenanigans. Hate when JRPGS do that.