Is this the worst generationf for JRPGs or what?

[MrPopo]

a few gems here and there (RoF)

I still can't get over someone think Resonance of Fate was good.

I think there are less JRPGS now because the market for them is dying, I mean take a look at the sales and reviews for the ones that are out already? Lets face it this generation is about shooters. If people play an RPG these days it's going to be a Fallout, or maybe a Dragon Age, if that. The industry is changing, and we get screwed as a result. Sure theres always going to be companies and gamers out there who make/want the games like these...but why bother when they don't sell as well as a Halo or a Call of Duty? Money talks friends.

I don't think that's correct. It's already been shown the market for JRPGs on handhelds is thriving. The problem is that the production values this generation are so much higher than last generation, so producing a JRPG takes a lot more time and money compared to a shooter. Then the JRPGs this generation that have come out haven't had the same impact as earlier games. Blue Dragon was one of the strongest traditional JRPGs (I consider XIII to not be traditional) and the story took a while to pick up and get a real purpose to it. It's not like the JRPG devs are suddenly pumping out shooters instead, they're just running into the reality that it costs far too much to make a console JRPG when they can instead put it on the handhelds.

[Flak Beard]

I wouldn't say this is the worst generation for JRPGs. Going back to the NES/Famicom era, you really only had the Final Fantasy and DQ series, with a handful of imitators to boot. Although the current generation may leave something to be desired, it is still pretty robust in comparison.

I honestly thought this generation was going to be stellar for JRPGs in general at first (especially for the 360). Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey and Final Fantasy XIII showed so much promise. Enjoyable games, but ultimately didn't feel like they lived up to the pedigree of the developers behind them.

At least we had some hidden gems like Eternal Sonata. Fantastic game in my opinion.

[johnblade]

I think it's mostly because those game company who are making JRPG are really using the "playing safe" formula. For them, to make something original or a new brand style of RPG is risky for them and might not make the money like the current brand. Why change the formula when the original one is doing fine and making money. That's why you see the same RPG brand coming out every time which is getting more stale now.

Also, I don't think the people in the JRPG game industry have any more new ideas of storyline to try out or want to use the same formula which cash out money. Why is it I am seeing the same story format over and over again. Boy live a nice life but found himself in a situation everything around him who are special to him are dead and he need to save the world and bring back normality and maybe a lover to spice a bit. We see this too often now in JRPG and I am starting to sick of it. Yea, they might be something different, same storyline but in space, forest, water, past, future, etc, but it's still the same.

What I do want from an JRPG is a god damn new storyline which is very different, never been done before or not often been done. Why we don't have a JRPG where you found out you have a power which bring back the death people alive and turn into zombie and you decide to put the middle finger to earth and turn the people into zombie and you fight against the civilian, police, or military army who are stopping you from your zombie carnage.

[MrPopo]

I think it's mostly because those game company who are making JRPG are really using the "playing safe" formula. For them, to make something original or a new brand style of RPG is risky for them and might not make the money like the current brand. Why change the formula when the original one is doing fine and making money. That's why you see the same RPG brand coming out every time which is getting more stale now.

This is specifically a problem for the console RPGs. For the handhelds we've seen a resurgence of various genres, such as the dungeon crawler and the roguelike, as well as games that don't really fit into any of the established models, like Infinite Space.

Also, I don't think the people in the JRPG game industry have any more new ideas of storyline to try out or want to use the same formula which cash out money. Why is it I am seeing the same story format over and over again. Boy live a nice life but found himself in a situation everything around him who are special to him are dead and he need to save the world and bring back normality and maybe a lover to spice a bit. We see this too often now in JRPG and I am starting to sick of it. Yea, they might be something different, same storyline but in space, forest, water, past, future, etc, but it's still the same.

This is no different than the other genres. The only reason it seems bad for RPGs is that one of their selling points is the story. I don't think anyone plays Gears or Mario for the highly cerebral plot. It's not like these were new storylines when the first JRPGs came out on the NES and SNES.

[ZeroAX]

If movies can't provide totally original stories I can't see games doing it.

Perhaps if writers start making more interactive stories (if I save her, she might fall in love with me, if I fail to save her I'll feel regret and then the player will have access to a level inside my psyche where I am being tormented by my failure to save her)

The I in that example = the character but I was too lazy to type character so many times.

[MrPopo]

If movies can't provide totally original stories I can't see games doing it.

Perhaps if writers start making more interactive stories (if I save her, she might fall in love with me, if I fail to save her I'll feel regret and then the player will have access to a level inside my psyche where I am being tormented by my failure to save her)

The I in that example = the character but I was too lazy to type character so many times.

It's not a bad idea, but it is hard to implement. The complexity of those kinds of consequences is something that needs to be kept track of and if you're doing it right it'll have an affect on future choices. This kind of tree can get pretty complex. Plus, there's always the concern that if you're doing a tree like that then your playerbase is going to need to do several playthroughs to see most of your content. A really immersive tree means that one playthrough only lets you see a small percentage of the game world, which is not something game devs like. It's similar to how most games aren't Nintendo Hard anymore; if your players can't reach level 5 then you might think you failed as a designer, especially considering the amount of effort that goes in to level 5 this gen.

[KillemallCFH]

You guys think I should try the original FFT? I heard it has a good story, as opposed to FFTAdvance

Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite game of all time. I've never played FFTA, but I assume the gameplay is pretty much the same (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

The story in FFT, in my opinion, is masterful, but it's not for everyone. There's a lot to take in. There's a good amount of names being thrown around which can confuse you if you're not paying attention, but if you are able to wrap your head around all of it, I think you'll find it is wonderfully crafted. Every time I play through it I find something little I never noticed before. Then again, it did take until about my 3rd play-through to really understand what was going on (Of course, I first played the game when I was like 8 and didn't understand any of it. I still loved the game though ). Also, music and graphics (and, of course, gameplay) are some of my favorite on the PlayStation.

[jfrost]

It doesn't help that every time a new JRPG is on the horizon, people start to bitch about anime aesthetic. "Yadda yadda teenage hero, lolis."

[ZeroAX]

It doesn't help that every time a new JRPG is on the horizon, people start to bitch about anime aesthetic. "Yadda yadda teenage hero, lolis."

Yeah, but at the same time I have to ask, don't Japanese gamers themselves want to see something new? Personally every time I see a western character who is original, the game gets my attention.

[AppleQueso]

there are about as many anime jrpgs as their are tolkien knockoff wrpgs