Has anyone else noticed this before? So many modern Western games try so hard to "emotionally engage" the player, but it always seems to fall flat. When I think about games where I genuinely felt strong emotions toward characters, I'd say older JRPG's (again maybe it's because I was younger) and games like Silent Hill 1-3, Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2 or even more recently NIER. They evoke something unique and really make you feel attached.

I generally only play games for gameplay, but when I do actually particularly want to go for "emotional" stories I will always go to old Japanese games.

Is it just that writers are so undervalued in Western game development?

I agree to a point but when you get to those tired, samey RPG's they release every month I think they fail miserably at it. However when they succeed they do a damn good job at it.

I remember getting emotionally engaged in the Yakuza series on more than a few occasions.

i'd say both excell at the opposite direction

Oh, Jesus Christ.. First thing that came to my poor mind reading the title is the terrible, terrible "Real Emotion" show at the start of Final Fantasy X-2.. And I'll be treated to it again with the recent remastering on my Vita, Oh Holy Lord..

But I agree, Japanese game design especially the ones you quoted is usually built with the most simple and raw emotions for the players, our Western offerings are more about moral choices and consequences with a lot of nuancing, more cognitive than emotional..

To state my overall feeling on this, I think you "follow" the story more with Japanese RPG Adventure games than "make your own" as Western games, early to later Elder Scrolls compared to same Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy are a fitting example to this difference. It is explained easily when you consider geographically the openness of the West to the isolated Island of Japan situation. Interesting topic.

Yes, that's exactly it, even when Japanese do it in a completely "cutesy" style sometimes you'll get surprised at some of the bombs they drop on you plot-wise, you find oh it looks like anime so it can't turn out bad.

Also, there's games like Persona 4 where part of the plot is actually engaging in romantic relationship with female characters, it's very... hmmmm. The gameplay in those games isn't something I even like, in fact I don't think I really liked the tank controls in Silent Hill, or the hack'n'slah in Nier, or the grindy simplistic JRPG combat, but yet the characters are so cute and story is compelling I feel like that I can't dislike it.

I find it so much easier to dislike say Western games because the order of the day is that the story is just bad, so I have no compulsion to cut them slack on bad gameplay.

Clearly you never seen the ending to Fallout 1, and I thought you were a true CRPGer :P (Just messing with you)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG_P086L5LU

Anyway I say Final Fantasy 6 makes strong emotions what with the music and such.

Well, Fallout does evoke emotion, but in a completely different way, something like convincing the Master that his plan will never work with scientific knowledge and speech. I dunno, games that require a lot of player input and are the most gameplay focused like Fallout are a different experience because the player is in control of the story, playing games like Silent Hill 2 or Metal Gear Solid feels like reading a really good book, but with some visuals. I wouldn't put them in the same category by a mile, games like Fallout have better gameplay by a very large margin, but they're about choice and roleplaying, while Japanese games have more passive stories.