What is the superior style of gameplay in RPGs?

I had been thinking of making this topic for a week or so, culminating from my playtime with KotOR, and Bob Colayco of GameSpot wrote a new GameSpotting Article which hit on my feelings of the genre quite a bit of late. I don't know, maybe it's just the quality of KotOR and not representative of the style as a whole (not that I haven't played my fair share of both styles), but I've really been starting to think the general PC/Western/D&D/action/whatever style of RPG is just plain superior to the gameplay of the typical console/Japanese/turn based RPG.

I'm not talking about the story or the art/graphics or anything (though I do think console/Japanese RPGs are almost always better in the art department), just gameplay. It's strange, I mean, I still see and enjoy the draw of console/Japanese style RPGs. Turn based gameplay can certainly be very enjoyable, but I've just been finding the faults more and more prevalent.

I find the D&D rules of most PC style RPGs to be almost perfectly balanced, for one, but that's not the full point. The full point, is that these games are able to retain such a balance behind the scenes, but present it in a quasi-real time, fast paced environment that sates the instant gratification I desire. I don't really like having to engage enemies that I don't see every pre-determined amount of steps I take. I definitely don't like having to wait for each of these hundreds of encounters to load. And taking minutes during each to plan out and execute turns that I've planned out and executed a dozen times in each battle before it can get very tedious.

The structure of PC style RPGs, to me, is also more well done. Leveling up is more substantial and rewarding, character customization and creation is obviously much more robust, item management is more fun, and, in most of them, the mission-oriented story and sidequest systems (ie in-game journals or quest tracking menus) is an absolute Godsend.

Maybe my attention span has just decreased over time (I blame Sega ;)), but I think I've just grown to appreciate PC style RPGs much more, considering the console variety is what really got me into games in the first place, and I've only in the past year or two been introduced to the PC style. Anyway, this has ended up more like a rant than a topic, forgive the length :p Oh well; discuss!

Yeah, the PC style is definitely better. It's really time that the Japanese ditch the turn-based battle system, because other than that those games usually have everything going for them (although they might be too linear for some).

Keeping it realtime without having to go by some switch to fight gimmick, freedom to explore, and being able to develop your skills independently.

I hate random battles. Console games are downright known for this and it's gotten pretty old as of late.

I think trying to decide what is "superior" is pointless. If you want to discuss what you personally like better and why, that's cool. But one way - either way - is definitely not better than the other, simply because people enjoy different styles of RPG gameplay. So, maybe that means that unfortunately some games don't jive with some people, but at least there is something out there for everyone.

For the record, I vastly prefer the Japanese/console style.... and I don't even mind random battles. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm not the only one.

Just because I prefer that does not mean I think its superior or better though. Not at all. To each his/her own. :)

Which gameplay style do you "prefer" in RPGs?

That's the correct topic. ;)

Without examples, this becomes a very vague discussion. KoTOR *is* turn based, ultimately. I don't really find it all that much different than Grandia II...personally, aesthetics aside, I like the way it was handled in Neverwinter Nights better.

A game like Final Fantasy Tactics or Diablo II is pretty far removed from typical "rpgs" perhaps, but I love the gameplay in each. Vagrant Story is another turn-based Japanese rpg that eschews the conventions and has more a western feel, with all the trappings of a Japanese game.

While the openness is often a benefit of western rpgs, it's often too a detriment...this has been discussed many times before, and ultimately, I think it depends what any game in particular does with the style it uses. It would be neat to see a Japanese developed western-style game, though.

Like Gutsman said in another thread, both sides could learn from each other.

Japanese ones need to be less linear and have more actual gameplay and Western ones need to focus away from D&D and get better artists. Obviously I'm overgeneralizing but I think both sides need some variety injection.

Maybe I worded the title wrong, didn't mean to say anybody's preference is wrong or anything :p

To be honest I'm getting rather sick of the Bioware realtime style of combat. I just wish that someone else besides Bioware can step up and make some quality western style RPGs.
There's nothing wrong with turn based combat in general, it's how you execute it that makes it either exciting or a tedious bore.

To me the "perfect" RPG that mixes the best of both Japanese and Western RPGs would have:

Freedom in character creation, being able to choose from multiple classes/career types from the very beginning. Complete customization of your character's skills, equipment, spells, etc.

Turn based battles with the depth of that found in strategy RPGs

IN-battle graphics that are as flashy as those in Square RPGs.

NPC conversations that are as interactive and indepth as Western RPGs.

Japanese RPG quality music soundtrack.

That's not asking for too much is it?

Well, I've got no beef with turn-based RPGs, as they have their place, but I definitely dig action-style battles in RPGs, as they let me get more involved with the battles, and therefore, with the characters.