Is there any point in playing JRPGs?

[JayJaySut]

I guess my ideal would be a game that does to RPGs what Super Meat Boy did to platforms: make a good solid game but remove all that extra crap that nobody needs (senseless grinding, overly complex stories, long drawn out attack cut-scenes, skinner box type stuff,200 hour games for the sake of being 200 hours) Just get rid of all the stuff that makes you go aaaaaagh I have to do THAT?! There's probably something out there and I've yet to find a game that fits my vision perfectly but that's because it's just really specific. I still like JRPGs even if they do some things I don't understand I'm just looking for something I haven't seen before I'll try out some of these suggestions.

[ninjainspandex]

I also recommend the tactical RPGs like Shining Force, Fire Emblem, and Tactics Ogre, since they tend not to have random, throw-away battles and the tactical layouts lend themselves to thinking and not just hitting the attack button.

I've played fire emblem before and enjoyed it a lot. And as for Grandia that description seems more along the lines of what I'm looking for do you know of any goodports because I don't have a Saturn.

Its like $5 on psn

[jfrost]

I guess my ideal would be a game that does to RPGs what Super Meat Boy did to platforms: make a good solid game but remove all that extra crap that nobody needs (senseless grinding, overly complex stories, long drawn out attack cut-scenes, skinner box type stuff,200 hour games for the sake of being 200 hours) Just get rid of all the stuff that makes you go aaaaaagh I have to do THAT?! There's probably something out there and I've yet to find a game that fits my vision perfectly but that's because it's just really specific. I still like JRPGs even if they do some things I don't understand I'm just looking for something I haven't seen before I'll try out some of these suggestions.

[marurun]

I also recommend the tactical RPGs like Shining Force, Fire Emblem, and Tactics Ogre, since they tend not to have random, throw-away battles and the tactical layouts lend themselves to thinking and not just hitting the attack button.

I've played fire emblem before and enjoyed it a lot. And as for Grandia that description seems more along the lines of what I'm looking for do you know of any goodports because I don't have a Saturn.

Grandia's on the PS1 and, like ninjainspandex noted, on psn. If you have a GameBoy Advance or a GBA player for GameCube there's a large number of great tactical RPG games available like Fire Emblem, Tactics Ogre: Knights of Lodis, Zone of Enders: Fist of Mars, Final Fantasy Tactics (random battles and changing rules might rule this one out for you, though), and Super Robot Wars. PS1 has Grandia (not a tactical battle game but still awesome), Ogre Battle, Tactics Ogre, and Final Fantasy Tactics (no random battles or weirdness, unlike the GBA game). PS2 also has a number of these kinds of titles as well.

[BoneSnapDeez]

There are lots of great JRPGs that don't require that much grinding or dramatics or bullshit.

Play Falcom games.

[dsheinem]

Play Falcom games.

I am noticing a trend in your replies.

[noiseredux]

I guess my ideal would be a game that does to RPGs what Super Meat Boy did to platforms: make a good solid game but remove all that extra crap that nobody needs (senseless grinding, overly complex stories, long drawn out attack cut-scenes, skinner box type stuff,200 hour games for the sake of being 200 hours) Just get rid of all the stuff that makes you go aaaaaagh I have to do THAT?! There's probably something out there and I've yet to find a game that fits my vision perfectly but that's because it's just really specific. I still like JRPGs even if they do some things I don't understand I'm just looking for something I haven't seen before I'll try out some of these suggestions.

This game. I feel like this is always one of my first recommendations when someone gets a PSP.

[Pulsar_t]

I'm of the philosophy that if you don't like it, don't play it. It's simple really.

[marurun]

I'm of the philosophy that if you don't like it, don't play it. It's simple really.

See, there are many genres I generally don't like, but there are often standout titles that are either just a little different in the right way or break some of the genre rules that I really enjoy despite not liking the genre as a whole. That's what way I read this thread.

Here's how I paraphrase it in my mind:

"I don't like most JRPGs because of certain common characteristics, but I've played a couple I really liked that were a little different and want to know how to find more of those."

So that requires some discussion and digging about what tropes of the genre are problematic and what games either circumvent or eliminate them or otherwise do things differently.

[JayJaySut]

I'm of the philosophy that if you don't like it, don't play it. It's simple really.

I never said I didn't like JRPGs my main point was that a lot ofthem don't change much from game to game.