16-Bit Gems - #30: Rise of the RPG - A History

[@DragonGodXIII]

It's a shame he doesn't make content anymore, because he still holds the title of my favorite reviewer.

[@Demonskunk]

I didn’t realize this video was 11 years old until I saw your comment.

[@MaxMarriner]

As soon as Dragon Quest was announced to debut in Smash Bros, I knew exactly where to go. I miss this series, truly.

[@jonathansoko1085]

This may be depressing to some but the dragon quest mobile ports are great

[@MisterTipp]

@@jonathansoko1085 even 8?

[@eldritchteapot7753]

I used this video as a source for a report I did in high school on the history of RPGs Now I'm working towards becoming a game developer myself Thank you for being one of the many cultivators of my creativity Roo, hope you're doing well

[@Geraki0n]

I still come back to this video every year or so. Interesting, informative, and amazingly well executed. It's quite insane that Roo made this in *2012* era KZbin.

[@Pipeptar]

I’m honestly surprised this video is 11 years old. Didn’t realize until i read this comment, he was ahead of time indeed!

[@clayzulah]

This video is amazing! Usually when you read about early RPGs, the focus is D&D, Ultima, and then at some point Final Fantasy pops fully-formed out of nowhere - I've never seen anyone go this far in-depth in explaining the origins of JRPGs, their direct roots in Ultima/Wizardry, the influence of the manga industry, etc. I really wish there was more material out there about gaming history written and researched at this level.

[@Rfvansaun]

I used to play Dragon Quest all the time until Final Fantasy came out and then I was and still am hooked on Final Fantasy!

[@SebastianLundh1988]

*10 freakin' years!* It's a *decade* old! It's been here for about a third of the life I can remember having.

[@Glitch-Gremlin]

I know dude... its amazing how well this still holds up...

[@SebastianLundh1988]

@@Glitch-Gremlin I know, right?

[@Glitch-Gremlin]

@Dawn Razor Well, ive seen a lot of videos that were great when they came out, and then over time it felt like the bar has been raised and they're not as good as they used to be compared to how insane some other videos are, with the amount of information, content and the like going into them. but it feels like this video was really ahead of its time in how well made it is.

[@Neobelmont1]

Man I had to come back here. Today is special.

[@Hypeathon]

So despite me just recently discovering what's nearly a 5 year-old KZbin video, the presentation and earnest approach to the topic made me initially assume this came out in 2015 at the earliest as oppose to early 2012. That shows how well your video has aged which you know you did a fine job, ClanoftheGrayWolf. Also, at around 30:01, you probably summed up why JRPGs have *always* appealed to me from just a visual aesthetic point-of-view alone. As someone who has grown up with a fondness for animation, a medium that takes advantage of being visually exaggerated but believable and enticing in different ways, I appreciate the character designer's role applied to JRPGs. It definitely explains why when I curiously looked up end-credit videos for any of the Tales games, I would always see Kosuke Fujishima or Mutsumi Inomata as the character designer among the first names credited. Comparing this to Western RPGs, PC or console or single player or MMO, they all felt visually... samey. I would often hear how great games like World or Warcraft, The Witcher, Dragon Age, Fable or Elder Scrolls are and while I haven't played any of them, I'm very willing to believe in what the consensus says about the games. And I do intend to play at least a few of these games eventually. But as an *outsider*, the games in any of those series don't *seem* that unique from one another. It's not just that they all generally use the fantasy medieval setting, but that they seem to use them in all the same ways. Warriors and knights with heavy, similar-looking armor, neck-bearded wizards and sorcerers, grim-looking monster designs, constant use of the colors green, brown, gray, and red, etc., etc.. Considering how these game series have frequently been both commercially and critically successful compared to many JRPG series, I couldn't help but occasionally wonder if there was maybe something wrong with my taste and sensibilities in RPGs. But thankfully, the part of this video regarding the differences between Yoshitaka Amano's designs in Final Fantasy and Akira Toriyama's designs in Dragon Quest give the games their respective visual identities and sense of character that influences my ever-abundant curiosity for most JRPG series.

[@duane_313]

Reminds me of when I was 11 and my aunt asked how come I like the Japanese comics and not the American ones "It just looks kooler 🤷🏿‍♂️" lol

[@stanimirborov3765]

i cant watch the video it wants age confirmation ID card n stuff

[@GBAer64]

Hi, I came back to this video because of the news in Smash and DQ11 coming to the Switch. My friends don't know anything about Dragon Quest so I've been showing them this video for funs and learning. It's an amazing feeling seeing them learn and gain an appreciation for a great series they didn't even care about before. Thank you so much for this content you guys [Roo and co.]. Even after over seven years, this video (series) holds a timeless and amazing quality like the games that it highlights.

[@wolfan20]

Thank you for expanding the culture of respect

[@vikinglordsean]

I really miss this channel and Roo.

[@samuelward1148]

Sean French Dude, I feel you... :(

[@gbeach85]

Same.

[@everythingpony]

What happend? Did he die? I just subbed?

[@The__Leo]

Rainbow Dash No, at least not that I know of. Last I heard he was just busy with real life.

[@thatguyontheright1]

@@The__Leo and he saw that pod casts were easier than well thought out videos.

[@robdotgif]

This video is evergreen i swear i didnt realize its from 2012 until half way through when i glanced down for a second randomly

[@Anders010]

Wherever you are Mister Gray Wolf, we wish you are happy and in good health.

[@TheGameChasers]

Roo, you beast, you can teach me about videos games any day!

[@fiallos1]

Dragon Warrior was my first RPG I ever played, and since I was hooked to this genre!

[@habibk.2423]

This video is simply great! Your thoroughness is unrivaled. Appreciate it a lot! 🙏

[@boomblight]

I absolutely loved this video, you did a much better job describing jrpg's history than many others. I really miss this channel so much :'(

[@jcaston83]

Thank you for taking the time to create this, I loved it

[@nintenjoel]

One of the greatest videos ever made, in my opinion and probably the yt video I've watched the most through the years. This is comfy watching for nerds, in its purest form.

[@nintenjoel]

And here I am watching it again lmao

[@pru222]

no words for such quality and depth, a thousand thanks for the time you took to put all this up

[@Tzadeck]

I like that the sections of Japanese speech were actually spoken by a Japanese learner (who doesn't sound that bad), with English text on top (^^).

[@JesseDylanMusic]

Jeez, you guys did an awesome job with this video. Imagine if IGN did videos like this instead of their dorky videos with people bouncing around yelling.

[@MysteriousMrL]

Yeah, I've been seeing a shift recently. There are several KZbin channels I watch now that have more insight and credibility than any of the major gaming sites. This is the first video I've seen from this channel and it seems I just found another one.

[@ben-officialmassive7982]

Awesome vid man! Think I saw u in GameChasers? But yeh my dad used to read fantasy novels so I kinda have a soft spot for rpg's. I still gotta finish Zelda A link to the past but I've been told by purists that its not an Rpg? I dunno its similar style. Suppose its not traditional. I'm enjoying jrpg's a lot these days. Anyway enjoyed your vid m8, cheers!!!!! Should do a jrpg specifically. Peace!

[@CtheDead209-zt8tj]

Watch ACG he does no bs reviews.

[@Jotizs]

Ah, IGN, the game reviewer that rates every single fucking COD game 95+/100. Joke of a channel.

[@matthiasheartman1342]

This video is a timeless masterpiece. And I am still playing Wizardry 7

[@CtheDead209-zt8tj]

Its 2020 we need a roo comeback. These videos are done as hell. And you have a natural charisma.

[@PheseantNetsuke]

Definitly your best video and one of the best on KZbin.

[@Chuschannel]

This guy knows his stuff when it comes to the history of JRPGs and that area of videogaming.

[@faristhewanderer6571]

the level of hard work and dedication in this video is astounding! all while being incredibly entertaining!

[@qeynoshills]

Amazing 3 part coverage there from #30 to 32. Thanks a lot.

[@numinous4789]

Great, thoroughly researched vid. Thanks, man!

[@LeTetSpiN]

The introduction to final fantasy was perfectly clever and dude I lost it when i saw that illustration of an Warrior of Light OMG!! This was a really grate video man.

[@trollope4lyf2k8]

Your retrospectives on genres and obscure games like the satellaview and bs zelda are by far your most interesting and enetertaining videos, I always find myself coming back to these videos every few months to rewatch them and can only hope you touch on more of them.

[@Johell]

What a well researched and presented fan-made documentary! Loved every minute of it.

[@sharuko24]

Snes truly was my golden days!

[@theguest103]

This is by the far the best in-depth analysis of the history of JRPGS and WRPGS I've ever seen.

[@christophermiller3031]

This is the best episode that I've seen by you guys. Goodjob. Way informative :)

[@rotciv97]

roo, you've done a fantastic job and hands down my favorite 16 bit gem, to date. thanks guy!

[@RogueFox89]

I think this has been my favorite history gem yet! Especially with the turn this *rolling dice* to this *push button = happy Roo* scene!

[@JustinMBailey]

I don't know if anyone has seen this documentary before, but it's part 1 of a 3 parter explaining the entire history of the genre leading up to Dragon Quest and the impact it has had in the industry. It's quite good, it's worth a watch.

[@PaddyMcMe]

This is still probably the most enjoyable review series of any KZbin gaming channel. I particularly enjoy the excellent choice and speeding of the background music through out. If these COTGW episodes were released today you'd be the darling of the KZbin community.

[@chriswaller8780]

High quality video, high quality content, classy humor, high quality audio, proper build up. Subscribed.

[@mlrdmn]

Great Documentary!!! 16 bit :D

[@Casanuda]

In 14 months or so this video will be ten years old and the follow-up is still MIA.

[@morbozim]

really well made, enjoyable and professional stuff Roo, a milestone for your videos

[@Helvetica_Scenario]

Masterfully done. Can't wait to see more of these.

[@RCrider185]

Great video! really brings me back to playing FF1 with friends as a kid I still remember staying up the hole weekend grinding Golden golems lol. I also never new the Dragon Warrior sprite had diffrant look and movement than the Japan version Dragon quest

[@jaysonrogoz8822]

The only difference is the character Sprite. Famicom version has the style of PC-88 games. NES version improve the Sprite and has your character move all 4 direction

[@sargondp69]

Ultima smultima. 'That's whatever you were talking about for ya.' Level 21. Ericson, descendant of Erdrick, the mighty Dragon Warrior defeated the Dragonlord on level 21. A true hero. (I only broke one controller and ultimately damaged by NES beyond repair in the process). Hurtmore!

[@jc.1191]

Lol, it was tough

[@ClydeLeeM]

Major props are deserved for this video Roo.

[@FateReaper5]

great! and i mean great vid! It's obvious you put a lot of work into your videos. I appreciate the info, humour, and varied gameplay/music/clips you put into it. Thanks very much for being so entertaining!

[@BubblegumCrash332]

2022 still watching

[@InazumaDash]

This is still one of my fav videos on YT and I just came back to watch it cuzz I dunno just felt like it.

[@aenoire]

This video actually made me cry in awe... subscribed

[@tarquinnff3]

An excellent video that I come back to from time to time for repeat viewings.

[@mrmarzo]

Let me just say that you have a great voice for documentaries, voice-over, and narratives.

[@loganmiles3911]

Too bad Toriyama's Dragon Balls or what it's called project didn't take off.

[@aquadonkey.]

it was shit anyway, at least he had games as a backup plan

[@Zero-di9mz]

yeah i mean call like vegetables the characters was a pretty bad idea, he did lost Odyssey one of my fav rpgs

[@Robinhudloom]

i call that bullshit

[@mredwardgibbon]

@@Zero-di9mz You mean games like Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom? I liked that game

[@CtheDead209-zt8tj]

@Proto Razor toriyama had no hand in lost odyssey at all that's was most walker and the creator of final fantasy... toriyama does dragon quest art and blue dragon he doesnt actually make the games...

[@runnersdialzero333]

So cool - I've always wanted to see a documentary on RPGs such as this, but have never really found much. Nice job, and thanks!

[@CorSmith94]

Words cannot explain how informative and overall excellent this retrospect was. Thank you from an aspiring game dev.

[@Shu_BLN]

Amazing video!!!!

[@CarrowMind]

Videos like these is why I subscribed to this channel, now I'm seeing more and more shitty podcasts, and only very recently have you uploaded a new 16-Bit Gems, let's hope you upload more and regularly, THIS is what made your channel, not podcasts!

[@SageOwl]

Now you don't see shit. RIP :( .

[@soccerjockey]

amazing video, exactly the kind of deep dive I wanted to go on tonight. a great presentation, and top tier use of historical b-roll. Can't believe this video is 8 years old, feels completely modern!

[@RetroRupp]

Well done Roo! I can always count on your videos to be very entertaining and informative. =)

[@Duptar]

Roo, please make more great content like this!

[@muddyduck64]

Love your presentation, but saddened that you never mention the text based adventures that came out previous and even sold during the early years of Ultima. I'm talking about Zork.

[@aquadonkey.]

Strong Bad: And you'd be all like, "get ye flask", and it'd say "you can't get ye flask", and you'd just have to sit there and imagine why on Earth you can't get ye flask! Because the game's certainly not going to tell you!

[@tjlnintendo]

He did mention them, but focused more on what lead to modern jrpgs.

[@CampingMIG]

This is one of your best videos yet and a great history lesson man. Keep those JRPG gems coming!

[@cabanaho]

Growing up in Japan in the 80's and 90's, this video highlights and brings back all the greatest RPG games I enjoyed. Thank you for your great presentation video that covers these games in great depths.

[@browsertab]

Would you say the popularity of Final Fantasy in the West over the East explains the direction of games following VII? More cinematic, focus on cut scenes, QTEs and strict linearity?

[@esoterik45]

I would say that is pretty spot on.

[@Painocus]

Final Fantasy's focus has almost always been first and foremost on the plot. That was the mission statement from the first game onward. With the new technology came the ability to have more plot without forcing the player too read absurd tons of text. Also FF VI was the game with the most QTEs and almost all the game are linear (strangle people don't notice when they have an arbitrarily sized part of the word map to move around in rather than a "corridor" despite the contents being the same). The only freedom they lost was backtracking.

[@Souls4Roca]

FF always was like walking inside a novel and the action scenes were the feelers, now we can just have longer cinematics

[@ZerogunRivale]

I know i'm replying to an old topic, but I thought i'd throw in my two cents. The answer is producer and directors. Sakaguchi was in charge of FF1-5. 6 was sort of like a project made by many people. 7 and 8, the first two to begin being very cinematic and linear were directed by Yoshinori Kitase. 10, 10-2, and the 13 trilogy - the really linear games that were dependent on cinematics were produced by Kitase and directed by Motomu Toriyama (10 also had two additional directors). Final Fantasy 9 and 12 were directed by Hiroyuki Ito, though it should be noted 9 was made with Sakaguchi (the original Final Fantasy games' creator) heavily invested in the project. The information kind of speaks for itself.

[@baigandinel7956]

FFVI for example was equally "cinematic" to FFVII. They just didn't have the tech for FMV. Which may have been a blessing in disguise, because it felt integrated to gameplay as it should...

[@captyr2099]

Inspiring history, thanks for doing all this research... actually how the f did you get all this information? A+

[@WiseGuy3683]

This was totally one of the most awesome videos I've seen!

[@LightFykki]

Watching your videos is like watching a true gaming channel. You say all the useful information, presentation is great and you show it in the best way possible. This video was not only interesting, but quite helpful too.

[@peacezzz]

is that Wil Wheaton playing dnd at 3:45?

[@diyapia]

peacezzz yes, he tried to make something of his stardom with a web show where he plays and reviews games....

[@connaisseur4373]

Are you guys planning to do 16 bit-gems again? I feel like you were a couple of years too far ahead of the curve with these. Now that high-quality, long-form content like Extra Credits and Nerdwriter is popular and bankable, you might find much more of an audience now.

[@samuelward1148]

connaisseur I completely agree dude. COME BACK ROO!!!!!!

[@SaberXFencer]

Awesome video. I never knew about RPG game history to appreciated what it went through to hit my shelf.

[@ahmedusman811]

nice vid dude, I applaud you for how much work you put into this

[@Viva_Reverie]

It's actually a pretty accurate way of pronouncing it, that's exactly how a Japanese person would say it.

[@TheDevilBurning]

fucking good god damned video man.

[@EthanReadsHisBooks]

Expertly made report on the history of rpgs. Very impressed.

[@benergizer6368]

Amazing video, very well put together and researched. Awesome work man!

[@ericemme747]

Where is Roo 2019!

[@Nattywulf]

Asking for 2020

[@LeynosJehuty]

Falcom had Dragon Slayer in 1984 and was an action RPG thus the first JRPG and missing in this video.

[@scissorman44]

That's like saying Hydelide was the first JRPG. It was an early attempt but it didn't codified much. You could call it a proto-JRPG if you will, because it was Dragon Quest which did change the game

[@RamblingJosh]

Great video, very well done. I already knew pretty much all of this, but just hearing the names of those legendary developers, and the sound of those iconic tunes fills me with joy and tingles.

[@exodojosuetcg1909]

I just love the dedication you put ibto your videos, it moves me someone gives so much for their work man, you are number one!

[@suiken3149]

We will see another JRPG renaissance this gen with many game coming, all in one year. If Bloodborne, Xenoblade Chronicle X, Persona 5 or Final Fantasy XV wins a GOTY award this year, it will boost confidence of Japanese developers to make a quality JRPG or Japanese games in general for international audiences.

[@joelmonteiro1419]

Roldan Celestino Bloodborne is a WRPG, despite being made by a japanese studio. As for the rest, looks like Persona 5 and Xenoblade are the ones actually releasing this year.

[@suiken3149]

So Kings field is wrpg now?

[@joelmonteiro1419]

Roldan Celestino Never played it,have no idea.

[@suiken3149]

kings field is way back from 1994 and its the ancestor of souls series. so you tellin me that souls series copied wrpgs?

[@joelmonteiro1419]

Roldan Celestino "Bloodborne is a WRPG, despite being made by a japanese studio." These were my EXACT words. How did you go from that to me telling you "that souls series copied wrpgs"?!?!

[@Jamie-kg8ig]

chunsoft actually worked on the pokemon mystery dungeon series, just a fun fact

[@Holykael1]

Good stuff. Feels and sounds like a very professional documentary! This should be on TV!!!

[@sonichog]

Awesome. Just awesome. Really glad I started to listen to your podcast that brought me here.

[@LordOfTheWhores]

How come Megami Tensei never reached that level of popularity? I just checked an it seems it came out 2 months before Final Fantasy. Starting to wonder why they waited till Nocturne to bring it to the West unless you count Persona.

[@scissorman44]

Religious themes, Censorship on Nintendo platforms. Does any of that rings a bell with you? There was NO FUCKING WAY Shin Megami Tensei II would get a release back in the 90's

[@ChadWSmith]

HANSON?

[@halwakka504]

mmmhmmbop.

[@sargondp69]

Greatest Hard Rock band of all time!

[@xazax2641]

Exhaustive and informative, this explains so much of the past and current games we play. Thanks.

[@Sir_Loin_Tippe]

I have to say, this was an amazingly well thought out and researched overview of rpgs.

[@xPrecisionx]

Final Fantasy is a great series, no doubt. However, I don't like how it's the only jrpg americans play. I really wish dragon quest was the final fantasy of the U.S.

[@michaelrate7693]

Shin Megami Tensei deserves it more

[@MisterSpeedStacking]

pokemon is a jrpg that everyone and their mother loves, right?

[@michaelrate7693]

Too many dismiss Pokemon as 'childish', far more than even sonic or mario, let alone other jrpg's, so.... not really.

[@Jeffari1]

Yeah, and Dragon Quest is super popular in Japan. In the U.S. however hardly anyone has even heard of it. I mean, come on, Akira Toriyama, the guy who created and animated Dragon Ball/DBZ fucking did the animation for the Dragon Quest series, (as well as Chrono Trigger) if more Americans at least knew that fact even I am sure more people would get into it. It sucks how it is so obscure over here in the U.S.

[@scenic3181]

Jeffari1 it's because enix did the dumb move of using generic western rpg artwork instead of Akira Toriyama's art.

[@segamon]

Truly a wonderful video that took a lot of time. However, why was Phantasy Star 1 was never mentioned? Did I have a dream and the game never existed? Other than that, thank you so much for the wonderful information. I feel much smarter now. :)

[@suiken3149]

Yeah, definitely. Phantasy Star 1 definitely contributed something in the RPG industry. Two reasons: 1. The are one of the top players around that time, competing with Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. 2. They are the very first to make a female main protagonist in the genre.

[@luisugalde6956]

Tonal Bliss Well, they were talking about the origins and the boom during the 16-bit era I guess.

[@tbb033]

Origins? PS1 came out before either of the squeenix games in America. PS2 was part of the 16 bit boom.

[@segamon]

@@tbb033 And if we are talking about the 16-bit generation, Phantasy Star 4 was a truly awesome and influential title.

[@Berserkerkitten]

This was incredibly pleasant to watch and listen to. Awesome background music, as well. Lotsa great classic tunes from amazing games.

[@Happytreefriendsfan3]

I will buy some snacks and enjou watching this 16 bit gem episode. Thanks for the efforts Roo,i love all your videos,keep them coming :D

[@Morgil27]

Anyone else find it weird how he keeps saying "Jampu" instead of just plain Jump?

[@gorimbaud]

super weird. it's a loan word to start with, just say "jump" for christ's sake

[@psychokinrazalon]

Morgil He’s pronouncing it as the Japanese do.

[@MiguelBaptista1981]

2:38 Wow. I cannot fathom the imagination, time, effort and devotion players used to need to have to play those games. The reward when playing must have been amazing. Most mechanics had to be memorized, and winning was a true mental effort. Now, everything is so streamlined and on auto-pilot. With neon lights and primary-school color schemes. Its a clear sign to how much of human imagination is being lost to the machines and easy to consume mentality, and for me, a clearly dangerous indication of the mental capacity for abstraction in present, and future generations.

[@frogmama8954]

It has sort of become necessary with screens flashing in our faces 24/7 people not getting enough sleep and ads being plastered on top of ads it's just so much more information then we were ever naturally intended to take in and our focus suffers for it.

[@samuelward1148]

It's not less imagnation, it's just different. I do enjoy both old and new games, but I too prefer older games. But a bad thing to do is to fetishise nostalgia or the whole "old is better than new" thing. It can make you miss out on A LOT of great things and make your creative enjoyment completely stagnant...

[@Joshnpk]

This is such a high quality peace of content, keep it up man,

[@jacobgray9077]

This is perhaps the best video game documentary I've ever seen. It's a shame not too many people know about it.

[@FakeGarbage]

"Phantasy Star" was released 1987 and its light years ahead in terms of graphics and sounds (The "SEGA Master System" hardware is way better than the nes hardware, just compare Fantasy Zone 2... ) ITS A GREAT VID... BUT INCOMPLETE AND PARTIAL. I know, back in 87 nobody in america knew the existence of the SMS...

[@finallyanime]

more like dilapidated pillars about to crumble under their own weight...honestly no one really cares about FF or DQ in North America anymore relatively speaking. In Japan i cant say, i bet they're still carrying the flag as always, but honestly, the first game I really REALLY played was Super Mario RPG as a kid and for fucking sakes I could NEVER BEAT THAT DAMNED CAKE!!!! JFKLF;DAJ;LFDA But anyways, after getting past it after the 30th try RPGs were my favorite and still are my favorite genre next to fighting games and supernatural FPS games (Dishonored/BioShock)...but lets be real here...when was the last time Final Fantasy created dialogue? X & XII. X-2...even did debatably, but after that it just went downhill. They need to follow suit with these other companies and get a frickin reboot. SERIOUSLY. no FF14....Whatever. Just Call it "The Final Fantasy" & hook that shit up.

[@aquapendulum]

Representing the state of the JRPG genre by the latest Final Fantasy games are objectively speaking, willfully dishonest and terribly inaccurate.

[@thatguyontheright1]

Even Final Fantasy X, X-2, and XII were bad...don't even get me started on XIII. But the more recent Dragon Quest games, namely IX on the DS was a phenomenal game. Maybe SquareEnix should do to Final Fantasy what they do with Dragon Quest and have an outside developer do it. It's clear the original team has largely run out of steam. I've love to see a Final Fantasy as good as VI again. IX came close, but..androgynous pre-teen furies.

[@bubbysitch]

***** DQIX was amazing totally seconded

[@InanisNihil]

Fuck that cake... whats worse is how stupid you felt finally beating the cake and realizing how simple it really was... Imma bake me a cake right now and punch the shit out of it

[@savigy1301]

This video is so interesting and informative. Definitely going to check out more videos soon.

[@artojhannula]

Wow. That was really something! Your videos are pure gold!