Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has crossed two million copies sold

You're just shooting yourself on the foot with these comments. We're criticizing these Square Enix games because many of us paid money, spent time and have been disappointed time and time and time again with mediocre experiences. To say Expedition 33 is melodramatic and predictable while praising Octopath is the craziest take I've ever seen here and it's clear you have a bone to pick with this game.

You originally said that people who are looking at Expedition 33 probably never went past mainline FF games...not true. I guarantee I've played more JRPGs than you and most people here. Expedition 33 deserves the praise because it is something that is missing that we see so much in the genre. It's missing the mediocrity, anime tropes, EXCESSIVE hand holding, retarded characters who mostly act like they're 13 years old, extremely "cringe" writing and dialogue of modern day JRPGs.

You can also throw in other things it's missing too, but there's no point since something tells me you're going to say it has all of that anyway. So yeah, pointless...

But to each their own. I really hope we start seeing more companies (especially Square) who seem less and less passionate about their projects take more inspiration from these actual gamers who go into development with the mentality and goal to make something they'd love to play as well.
Well said. It is a bit rich to have someone whose idea of top-tier JRPG storytelling is Xenoblade 3 tell me that I've probably only played FF. I remember when JRPGs actually had stories worth a damn, and one of those JRPGs was Xenogears, a game I was absolutely blown away by as a kid even though I barely understood a quarter of what it was saying. Now the same creative lead behind that game is making absolutely execrable trash like Xenoblade 2-3. The greatest video game scenario writer of all time, Yasumi Matsuno, was forced out of the games industry after he wrote masterpieces like Tactics Ogre, FF Tactics, and Vagrant Story. The same studio that created the brilliant minimalist narrative of SMT Nocturne currently churns out nothing but power of friendship slop (I literally can't remember anything about the story of Metaphor Refantazio). There has been such a clear regression in the quality of JRPG narratives over the past two decades that a game like Expedition 33, which wouldn't have been particularly impressive on the PS1 in terms of its story, actually does stand head and shoulders above anything coming out of Japan, with very, very few exceptions.
 
You're just shooting yourself on the foot with these comments. We're criticizing these Square Enix games because many of us paid money, spent time and have been disappointed time and time and time again with mediocre experiences. To say Expedition 33 is melodramatic and predictable while praising Octopath is the craziest take I've ever seen here and it's clear you have a bone to pick with this game.

You originally said that people who are looking at Expedition 33 probably never went past mainline FF games...not true. I guarantee I've played more JRPGs than you and most people here. Expedition 33 deserves the praise because it is something that is missing that we see so much in the genre. It's missing the mediocrity, anime tropes, EXCESSIVE hand holding, retarded characters who mostly act like they're 13 years old, extremely "cringe" writing and dialogue of modern day JRPGs.

You can also throw in other things it's missing too, but there's no point since something tells me you're going to say it has all of that anyway. So yeah, pointless...

But to each their own. I really hope we start seeing more companies (especially Square) who seem less and less passionate about their projects take more inspiration from these actual gamers who go into development with the mentality and goal to make something they'd love to play as well.
You're just shooting yourself on the foot with these comments. We're criticizing these Square Enix games because many of us paid money, spent time and have been disappointed time and time and time again with mediocre experiences. To say Expedition 33 is melodramatic and predictable while praising Octopath is the craziest take I've ever seen here and it's clear you have a bone to pick with this game.

You originally said that people who are looking at Expedition 33 probably never went past mainline FF games...not true. I guarantee I've played more JRPGs than you and most people here. Expedition 33 deserves the praise because it is something that is missing that we see so much in the genre. It's missing the mediocrity, anime tropes, EXCESSIVE hand holding, retarded characters who mostly act like they're 13 years old, extremely "cringe" writing and dialogue of modern day JRPGs.

You can also throw in other things it's missing too, but there's no point since something tells me you're going to say it has all of that anyway. So yeah, pointless...

But to each their own. I really hope we start seeing more companies (especially Square) who seem less and less passionate about their projects take more inspiration from these actual gamers who go into development with the mentality and goal to make something they'd love to play as well.
Well said. It is a bit rich to have someone whose idea of top-tier JRPG storytelling is Xenoblade 3 tell me that I've probably only played FF. I remember when JRPGs actually had stories worth a damn, and one of those JRPGs was Xenogears, a game I was absolutely blown away by as a kid even though I barely understood a quarter of what it was saying. Now the same creative lead behind that game is making absolutely execrable trash like Xenoblade 2-3. The greatest video game scenario writer of all time, Yasumi Matsuno, was forced out of the games industry after he wrote masterpieces like Tactics Ogre, FF Tactics, and Vagrant Story. The same studio that created the brilliant minimalist narrative of SMT Nocturne currently churns out nothing but power of friendship slop (I literally can't remember anything about the story of Metaphor Refantazio). There has been such a clear regression in the quality of JRPG narratives over the past two decades that a game like Expedition 33, which wouldn't have been particularly impressive on the PS1 in terms of its story, actually does stand head and shoulders above anything coming out of Japan, with very, very few exceptions.
In the end I highly disagree. I don't think it's required to (or even correct) to say (not literally but it's the vibe I'm getting from posters and the media) we are living through a sea of mediocre JRPGs to try to get Expedition 33 to exist on its own pedestal above all other games. E33 is a good game, but to me I think the narrative that this surpasses every JRPG in recent years and that the industry should learn from it is pure honey moon period nonsense.
 
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In the end I highly disagree. I don't think it's required to (or even correct) to say (not literally but it's the vibe I'm getting from posters and the media) we are living through a sea of mediocre JRPGs to try to get Expedition 33 to exist on its own pedestal above all other games. E33 is a good game, but to me I think the narrative that this suppresses every JRPG in recent years and that the industry should learn from it is pure honey moon period nonsense.
You are obviously either an adolescent or someone with the cultural sophistication of an adolescent.
 
I'm 12. Thanks for the lesson, old man.
Get a PS1 emulator on your phone or PC (Duckstation is good) and download Xenogears and Vagrant Story. The gameplay in both is pretty shit and it'll be a slog to get through them (honestly just use cheats to give yourself max stats or whatever if the gameplay is frustrating you). Vagrant Story's translation is spectacular but Xenogears' is really bad. Persevere and I think you'll understand what we Gen Xers and Elder Millennials are talking about when it comes to the downwards trajectory in JRPG storytelling.
 
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I'm 12. Thanks for the lesson, old man.
Joined May 1, 2012
hahaha-mf.gif
 
Dang. I've been looking for ANY excuse to buy an XBOX for the past five years or so. This might be it.
Aside from QTE-lite action in battles, LO is still very much an old-school turn-based JRPG, something that fits in somewhere between FFIX and FFX. However, it's very similar to Exp33 in tone, as in it's more serious and has some really good writing. The OST is exceptional.

Probably worth watching a few reviews before shelling for a new console to play it :messenger_grinning_sweat:
 
I wasn't sure if I was going to return to this game, having beaten every boss except Simon. But, I wasn't ready to move on just yet (fitting for the story's themes).

I went back and beat "it" today. I used what some people are calling Maelle's "cheese" build, but I still wasn't able to one-shot win, so it seemed like a decent fight. Had to be able to at least dodge some of the moves to survive.

Now I'm kind of mindlessly grinding up my party to 99. I guess I'm delaying that post-completion void that happens with the rare great game that you know doesn't come along often.

Here's hoping Death Stranding 2 is another great one.
 
Dang. I've been looking for ANY excuse to buy an XBOX for the past five years or so. This might be it.

I enjoyed LO at the time, but it had a more mixed reception than E33 is getting. Average review score was 78%. The story and character development got a lot of praise - it was much more "adult" than most JRPGs of the time - but there were mixed feelings about the combat. I'm not saying it isn't worth playing. I enjoyed it. I just think we have a bit of nostalgia at work here sometimes. I wouldn't go into it thinking you're going to get something on the level of E33.
 
I enjoyed LO at the time, but it had a more mixed reception than E33 is getting. Average review score was 78%. The story and character development got a lot of praise - it was much more "adult" than most JRPGs of the time - but there were mixed feelings about the combat. I'm not saying it isn't worth playing. I enjoyed it. I just think we have a bit of nostalgia at work here sometimes. I wouldn't go into it thinking you're going to get something on the level of E33.
Good call. I'm not chomping at the bit to play it, or expecting it to be a masterpiece, but it's now on my "missed hidden gems" list.

Also, I didn't realize it was originally a 360 game. I actually have two of those lol
 
Dang. I've been looking for ANY excuse to buy an XBOX for the past five years or so. This might be it.
I never bought a Xbox series console but I still have my One X, honestly It's worth having for me just as a backwards compatible machine for the games that are supported. Quite a few are not even playable on PC with some of the games going back to the OG Xbox. Great thing is that you can actually use the discs (they act as a license) as well. Lost Odyssey is a 360 game by the way and I think was on like 4 discs.

You could probably find a Xbone for dirt cheap if you really want to play Lost Odyssey.
 
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Get a PS1 emulator on your phone or PC (Duckstation is good) and download Twisted Metal 1 and Twisted Metal 2. The gameplay in both is pretty shit and it'll be a slog to get through them (honestly just use cheats to give yourself max stats or whatever if the gameplay is frustrating you). Twisted Metal 1s translation is spectacular but Twisted Metal 2's is really bad. Persevere and I think you'll understand what we Gen Xers and Elder Millennials are talking about when it comes to the downwards trajectory in car combat storytelling.
New copy pasta?
 
As someone who's favorite genre in the 90s and early 2000s was Turn Based JRPGs, this game was such a breath of fresh air and really puts a spotlight on how dogshit storytelling in JRPGs has been in the past 20 years. I seriously thought for the longest time I was taking crazy pills when people would argue with me "Oh you CLEARLY haven't played a lot of JRPGs lately if you think that."
 
They feel really threatened it seems.

It's really bizarre. 99% of modern day JRPG's cater to them...finally we get something with more realistic and older characters, realistic dialogue and good writing that makes sense and people don't get it. This is what so many fans of this genre have wanted for years.

As someone who's favorite genre in the 90s and early 2000s was Turn Based JRPGs, this game was such a breath of fresh air and really puts a spotlight on how dogshit storytelling in JRPGs has been in the past 20 years. I seriously thought for the longest time I was taking crazy pills when people would argue with me "Oh you CLEARLY haven't played a lot of JRPGs lately if you think that."

Agreed. I was obsessed with JRPG's in the 90's and early 2000's. They were insanely good back at the time. I used to think maybe I grew out of them or maybe I'm also taking crazy pills cause everyone online kept boasting about these anime stories and characters and how they are peak writing and storytelling...

They just don't do it for me.... Expedition 33 does. Makes me feel like I'm playing Chrono Trigger or FFVII/VIII for the first time and being immersed completely.
 
It's really bizarre. 99% of modern day JRPG's cater to them...finally we get something with more realistic and older characters, realistic dialogue and good writing that makes sense and people don't get it. This is what so many fans of this genre have wanted for years.



Agreed. I was obsessed with JRPG's in the 90's and early 2000's. They were insanely good back at the time. I used to think maybe I grew out of them or maybe I'm also taking crazy pills cause everyone online kept boasting about these anime stories and characters and how they are peak writing and storytelling...

They just don't do it for me.... Expedition 33 does. Makes me feel like I'm playing Chrono Trigger or FFVII/VIII for the first time and being immersed completely.

I think for awhile I was gaslit into thinking maybe I just grew out of JRPGs as I got older. Even the highest rated JRPGs like Metaphor and Persona 4/5, didn't hit the emotional highs with me like games of old did. I mean they're good stories, but they're good in the sense that I just find them fun and entertaining. They still are victim to a lot of the same tired anime tropes we've seen so many times. I really don't think I can go back to JRPGs with anime aesthetics after this. I know you typically shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but after 20 years, I can confidently say those JRPGs just don't appeal to me.

I'm sick of the childhood friend/crush, I'm tired of the hot springs that all play out the same way (guys accidentally perv on girls, girls beat the shit out of them), I'm done with killing god, I'm over half my party behaving like autists, enough already. I want more of what we got from Clair Obscur. The 90s JRPGs treated me like an adult. The past 20 years, JRPGs have been treating me like a stupid horny teenager. Clair Obscur treated me like an adult again.
 
I'm sick of the childhood friend/crush, I'm tired of the hot springs that all play out the same way (guys accidentally perv on girls, girls beat the shit out of them), I'm done with killing god, I'm over half my party behaving like autists, enough already. I want more of what we got from Clair Obscur. The 90s JRPGs treated me like an adult. The past 20 years, JRPGs have been treating me like a stupid horny teenager. Clair Obscur treated me like an adult again.

That last statement is so true.

I always go back to the original FFVII from time to time...and even though I've enjoyed the "remakes" (primarily due to nostalgia)... it's exactly like you said. One of those games treat you like an adult, the other like a teenager.

Same with FF Tactics...which IMO has one of the best stories ever in gaming. The shitty child "sequels" or successors that followed FFT was a joke and they turned something that resembled an adult like Game of Thrones storyline and world building to a G rated Narnia for kids.

I can go on. But it's just annoying how my favorite games as a kid treated me more like an adult than the games being released today.
 
Lost Odyssey is good and has some similarities to Exp33, but I wouldn't describe them as especially similar overall.

'The Upstreamers' vignette from LO is worth watching if you can find it without the uploader reading it.
 
Lost Odyssey is good and has some similarities to Exp33, but I wouldn't describe them as especially similar overall.

'The Upstreamers' vignette from LO is worth watching if you can find it without the uploader reading it.

I can see the similarities. They are both turn based JRPGs with an active element to the combat (though it's way more basic in Lost Odyssey), with a story that has a melancholic tone that often deals with grief. But they are still quite different in terms of setting, combat and storytelling.

While I loved Lost Odyssey back in the day and still think it's a great game, I do think Expedition 33 is better in pretty much every way, except maybe the music which is equally amazing in both. LO instantly gets like 20 points deducted for having fucking random encounters too.

The best part of Lost Odyssey IMO is honestly the short stories, I always found it a bit disappointing that they are way better written than the actual story of the game. I actually always wanted them to release a physical book with a compilation of all the stories, but they sadly never did.
 
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