[CoolNard]

I have a personality that enables me to quickly get over things, be they songs, habits, or games, regardless of how renowned or world-popular they are. I admit FPS games are quite entertaining on a short-term basis, but in the long run, the iterative gameplay and visuals can get, well, irksome.

Like Tyrien said, the story is the essence of RPGs, with the thrill of adventure in the air. Most of these games apply entirely different tactics toward different enemies, minigames, mazes in the realistic-like vastness of the virtual worlds. In comparison, FPS games are also based on constant, liberated strategic-thinking toward individual opponents, however, they are more than often military-styled.

Even so, when you've played an RPGs, you've played them all, until a couple of years later when technology advances and prior futuristic simulations are invented.

Whereas FPS games make you sustain much required mental attention throughout, on a common theme/interest whilst honing one's hand-eye coordination abilties, RPGs are usually known to be more relaxing and enjoyable in nature, with every new, unrelated twist around the corner (that is, until you've finished the game ).

So if you're wondering why the Japanese and Americans have such a generically understating gap (if any) in gaming tastes, then those would probably be the reasons.
Ultimately, I think a combination of both game genres would be for the best. Take Hellgate London, for example, though it doesn't really suffice...

Edited: I'm so irritated now. -.- I was typing up a much, much substantial comparison when I accidentally went back to the previous page and lost it. ~_~