Historical hallmarks of the JRPG genre

[Michi]

Wait, why is dragon quest 5 in the list?

Yes. Why that and Digital Devil Story over the many other Megami Tensei/Persona games?

Pray-tell, share your reasoning with us, Bone.

[Ack]

Wait, why is dragon quest 5 in the list?

Yes. Why that and Digital Devil Story over the many other Megami Tensei/Persona games?

Pray-tell, share your reasoning with us, Bone.

Actually I mentioned Digital Devil Story on the first page. It's the earliest example that I'm aware of involving catching monsters as a gameplay mechanic.

Speaking of which, shouldn't a Pokemon of some sort receive some kind of slot?

[Exhuminator]

Speaking of which, shouldn't a Pokemon of some sort receive some kind of slot?

Unfortunately yes.

[Michi]

Wait, why is dragon quest 5 in the list?

Yes. Why that and Digital Devil Story over the many other Megami Tensei/Persona games?

Pray-tell, share your reasoning with us, Bone.

Actually I mentioned Digital Devil Story on the first page. It's the earliest example that I'm aware of involving catching monsters as a gameplay mechanic.

Speaking of which, shouldn't a Pokemon of some sort receive some kind of slot?

Ah. Sorry. Must have missed it. Or I possibly forgot. It's been a tough week.

I was wondering about the Pokemon games, myself. Digital Devil Story may have introduced the 'catching' mechanic, but the Pokemon games are the ones that blew it into the stratosphere.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I don't play MMOs or "monster catching" games at all. Didn't really think about them while making my list.

[ElkinFencer10]

I want to know why the seven Hyperdimension Neptunia JRPGs aren't on this list?!? They're the ambrosia of gaming, gifts straight from the gods! I DEMAND A RECOUNT!!

[marurun]

Well, we probably need to clarify, then. What do we mean by "historical hallmark"? Is it simply mechanical innovation that leads to a sea change (Dragon Quest)? Is it a landmark release that changes the state of the industry in certain regions (Final Fantasy VII)? Is it a game that is critically acclaimed well after its release and generally acknowledged as the prime example of its genre (Chrono Trigger)? I think all of these can fall under that banner, but the definition is going to be important in deciding what is in and what is out.

I think 1 and 2 are important. 3 is not, unless that critical acclaim or popularity played into 1 or 2 somehow. Which is to say, simply being popular and/or critically acclaimed is, in and of itself, not notable, IMO, unless it results in some change in the industry. Did other companies try to knock it off? Did it change market dynamics? Did it change how RPGs were marketed and plotted? What was the effect of that popular or critically acclaimed game other than good reviews and money? If we can define that effect it belongs on the list. If we cannot, maybe it wasn't actually all that important to the genre.

Oh, and a minor historical tidbit... One of the most important programmers and designers at early Square was a non-Japanese dude: Nasir Gebelli. He is likely just as responsible for Final Fantasy 1 as anyone else at Square. West and east combine!

[BoneSnapDeez]

Any beat 'em up/RPG hybrids worth considering? Just a thought I had whilst playing Guardian Heroes. Or is that (sub-)genre too small and niche to even register.

[strangenova]

Wait, why is dragon quest 5 in the list?

Still curious as to this games inclusion.

[Violent By Design]

I was going to say, one could certainly level the Diablo claim at PSO, and it would stick to some degree. But it also feels significantly different from Diablo, despite the loot-run nature of the game. I can see cases for and against, but it feels more JRPG to me than not.

Valid point on Xenoblade, which is why I wonder if it's worth including or not. While its combat system is very much rooted in MMORPG conventions (buffs, ability cooldowns, etc), it plays out the rest of the way like an RPG, and many reviews claimed at the time that it revolutionized JRPGs. I don't think that's necessarily the case, but I certainly wanted to bring it into the conversation. I'm very much riding the fence on its inclusion/exclusion, and perhaps I give it more weight than it necessarily deserves.

(Furthermore, Final Fantasy XII also has somewhat similar combat, although it's a bit slower-paced.)

I think Final Fantasy 12 has a better argument, as it predates Xenoblade and is more known.


But really, I don't think using MMO mechanics in a first person game is all that innovative haha. But if I had to pick one, I'd probably pick FF 12 - Xenoblade is really more known for its lack of accessibility both in terms of localization limits and lack of copies.