Huber Syndrome - Episode 13: Make Me Emotional

A game that resembles in some way Grand Kingdom is a little gem called Heroes of Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes. Deep yet simple combat, lore for MM fans, but also a good and compelling story that puts much needed context and stakes througout what many would call grinding. Perfect game for handheld, but I purchased it for PC and had a blast. Check it out Huber!!!!!

LiquidEnder

I play a lot of RPG games and more and more JRPG's, I mostly like the Tales franchise, Tales of Xillia I really love for example, the second was still good but not the same. Graces F, Symphonia and Zestiria are still good games but don't capture the magic Xillia had for me. However a weird and special game that I finished completely (also all trophies) was NIER. It's something you can hardly explain and the story itself is exiting, funny and heartbreaking. You will want to explore every nook and cranny, find everything there is to do and still want more. Therefore I can't wait for the next game that is coming to PS4.

Always loved Dragon Quest VIII, really hope the US gets XI on PS4. Sometimes I miss the days that JRPGs were all over consoles, thinking of the SNES and PS1 for sure.

You should give Xenoblade Chronicles a try. The original one on Wii, not the spiritual sequel (Xenoblade Chronicles X), because that one is completely different from the original and does lack a good story and interesting characters. The original one has a fascinating world (it's set on dead titans!), interesting story and (mainly) likable characters. It's on the WiiU VC. While I agree with some of the others here that Xenogears is great, you should temper your expectations. This is a game from a time where most JRPG translations were terrible. I replayed it recently, and while the story is good, the way that it is brought (writing/translation) is subpar.

Good points Huber, I share your opinion with the exception of multi-player games. With MMO's like WoW, Destiny, and Division, I still need something that will invite me into their world and encourage me to explore it. However, it's a matter of taste that depends on why you play. I like playing games to participate in interactive story telling, but if you play certain games purely for strategy then that's cool too. You don't need a backstory to Chess, and I think that's why Overwatch is so successful. It undoubtedly has engaging characters with a ton of unrealized story potential but they focus on the purely strategic quality of the game, emphasizing it's merit as an e-sport most likely.

Don McKay

If you haven't already, you might want to give some Bioware games a shot. Namely their two big hitters: Mass Effect and Dragon Age, great stories, emotional investment, flexible main character.

Don McKay

i second this. xenogears and suikoden II

While that's a nice explanation of why you keep going, I have a completely opposite motivation. For me, RPG dungeons are like levels in Mario. They should be so well-designed that it's fun just to play through them. This is one reason I gravitate more towards portable RPGs, because they have more gimmicks, puzzles, hidden things, dungeon-specific challenges and so on than a lot of modern console RPGs do. I still enjoy going through the very first Wizardry games from the 80s because of their devious traps and challenges. I do think if you're going to have the story be the focus though, you need to back it up with solid gameplay and a riveting story is no excuse for poorly executed game mechanics.

Xenogears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SYSTEMID

You got me at the end there. Thought we were getting that sweet sweet Syndrome.

Gan Khef

My top 5 stories ever from playing games since Atari: 1. Xenogears 2. Xenosaga series 3. Nier (2nd playthrough and on) 4. Final Fantasy X 5. Planescape: Torment

alan roosen

I completely agree that a game needs a story to keep me playing, especially with RPG's and other games that you have to grind a lot. Strategy games for instance doesn't need that story element for me to keep playing, as long as the gameplay is good (think Civilization-series, Anno-series and so on). I would say the main Nintendo games often lack story, or at least a good story, but they make up for it in good and varied gameplay, especially the Mario games! They throw new mechanics at you all the time, that makes me wonder what they'll throw at me next!

I completely agree that a game needs a story to keep me playing, especially with RPG's and other games that you have to grind a lot. Strategy games for instance doesn't need that story element for me to keep playing, as long as the gameplay is good (think Civilization-series, Anno-series and so on). I would say the main Nintendo games often lack story, or at least a good story, but they make up for it in good and varied gameplay, especially the Mario games! They throw new mechanics at you all the time, that makes me wonder what they'll throw at me next! Also, thanks for the movie suggestion, I love Kubrick, but I haven't seen Barry Lyndon, so I'll have to rectify that! Keep up the good work, hype and positivity! :D

Video too quiet :)

danny betkowski

I agree a thousand percent with you Huber on Grand Kingdom. I wanna keep going because fighting system is perfect but i have zero interest to keep going because of the bland story. I can also see this with DQH but i completed it en enjoyed it very much despite the also bland story and grinding. I don't know why. Great episode 👌🏻

Huber, your hype is contagious.

This show is just too damn short lol it needs to be at least 3x longer.

Love your show Huber, but the sound effect for those wipes are too jarring. Especially when they come one after another. Maybe something softer or nothing at all?

Liteguard

You have to care about the characters. My biggest gripe with RPGs today are the ones where the plot setup takes forever due to unnecessary filler. They've taken a lot of tactics used in anime, and in most cases the results are the same for me. I either stop caring and give up - or the plot barely begins right before everything ends. Then I'm left thinking, "WTF?" Most animes are setup with the first two, three episodes setting up story - then you get filler until the rush the ending of the series. Looking at you MGS V - even though you're not technically an RPG, nor an anime.

Pet Rent is So Dumb

Huber doesn't care about Japan confirmed.

HUBER! love the new syndrome music

confusedhulk

Story implies an authored narrative, something games are usually terrible at -- because the player interferes. I prefer to think of games having "settings" within which players develop their own stories.

iconmaster

LOL ending was hilarious! Anyway, why have you decided to keep the "Syndrome" part after officially ending the video like if it's some sort of Marvel production? I'm not saying I don't like it, but it is a little weird.

I disagree with you, Huber. Mario has a story. It's just a very simple, and honestly, bad story.

Huber: Forever stay Huber!

Huber, you're not talking about story, you're talking about CONTEXT #Bosmandictionnary . Great Huber Syndrome as always.

Térence Caron

Just finished Life is Strange, probably one of the greatest game narratives I've played. It's been a long time since I've been emotionally attached to a game character(s) that has actually made me cry. But it kept me coming back for more. Walking Dead season one was another but not as much as Life is Strange. No sequel needed.

I totally understand Huber with this one. If you feel no connection to the characters in an role playing game than there is not much that keeps you going.

Right now, my favorite video game stories come from the masters over at Supergiant Games. Both Bastion and Transistor led you through their worlds beautifully, with the story and backstory developing around you as you played. And as a result, they were able to tug on my heartstrings better than any other game in recent memory.

Huber is turning into Bosman :D

I am way ahead of you, Huber. I left storyless drab long ago. I don't find interest in playing Mario, Zelda, Metroid games anymore since the early Gamecube days. I need good story to motivate me to keep playing an epic adventure, otherwise I feel like I'm wasting my time for an ending that's just "Congratulations you beat the game". I need to be enthralled emotionally and see my characters grow.

I feel the same way. Another problem is that the stories of many JRPG´s contains the same type of charachters. Its always a guy with the patented "hero haircut" with hes insecure "girlfriend" who sets out to save the world. Tales of Vesperia had a bit different main charachter, but it wouldnt hurt to try to shake it up at bit more than that. Great topic and video! :)

I agree completely. Game story and character arcs are so important to a RPG. I felt the same way with the Etrian Odyssey games. Great core turn-based mechanics, but no character development. I wanted to love it, but just couldn't.

ToastIX

heard that. when I think back to the JRPGs I love the most, I don't remember the battles themselves, I remember the environments, the music, the story, and the characters.

choco factory

To be honest I have the same problem with Western games. They usually have interesting characters but the character you play as, it's usually a gruff angry man. I suppose I'll like to care more about the character you're playing as, or at least shake up that trope a bit more.

Gonzalo Ruiz

I just finished Shining Force CD after playing it on and off for months and I feel exactly the same way about grinding and lack of story. Since it's a port of the Game Gear games there are no towns and barely any dialogue, so there's no motivation to tackle the next battle. 40 hour JRPGs with a captivating story, atmosphere, and characters I care about are my favorite thing in the world, but the grind alone isn't fun. There has to be a payoff.

Great movie pick with Barry Lyndon. Agreed it's a bit of a tough watch compared to some of his other works but the naturalistic cinematography and acting are fantastic. Cheers.