*MINOR SPOILERS* Seems the spoiler tag feature isn't working right. You've been warned.
What a great topic to revive. I've been skimming though it, and everything said rings true. I took a break from most AAA JRPGs for a number of years, and am currently playing both FFXV and Xenoblade 2 at the same time. It feels like modern JRPGs have lost something lately. In their effort to modernize with current treads in western RPGs (open world, active combat, AAA graphics, and deeper plots), Japanese Devs have hodge-podged everything together... and not in a good way.
Combat: If active style combat is here to stay, then it needs to be simpler. FFXV wants it's combat mode to be quick and responsive, yet it actively fights you along the way. Not having real armor, and relying on dodges to mitigate combat damage sounds fun on paper. But, the game sends so many monsters against your party at the same time, that you can't keep up. I just finished up the third "dungeon" Sword Tomb, and if I didn't have years of FF games under my belt, I would have had my first game over screen. Luckily I had stocked up on potions and phoenix downs, so I limped through it. Literally spinning your camera stick around constantly, trying to make sure every enemy is accounted for so you can constantly dodge isn't very fun. How am I supposed to handle mob control, when there's no room for error? Not to mention the four different meters, for four different attack systems... the 8 (10?) Ascension skill trees, obtuse purchasing menus that fight your natural instincts to find information.. I miss the little arrows that told you if a weapon was better or worse than what your party was currently equipped with. Stick to one or two combat derivatives, and slowly ramp them up over the course of the game. Xeno 2 hasn't been much easier, either. Played and loved Xeno 1, I shouldn't have to look at a series of jpegs online to understand the new combat mechanics in Xeno 2. That's a direct reflection on how poor in game tutorials have become. If we need instruction manuals again, then games should come with them. I shouldn't have to surf GAF to understand basic combat systems.
Open World: I'll keep this one short. If JRPGs are going to attempt open world games, then they need to have the content to fill them. Both games are still basically corridors or zones parading as "open world." There's nothing inherently wrong with zone or corridor styled games, just own it and do them right. Or, put in the effort and go full open world. Meaning unique and varied content everywhere, and real side quests. Not just fetch quests or monster hunts. Or artificial (literal - FFXV) roadblocks until you progress further along the main quest line.
Plot: Look, I'm a fan of anime and manga. But I can only take so much high school and young adult angst before I've had enough. The gaming "baby boomer" generation (those of us that fall in the 30 - 50 year range) is growing up. It's about time that gaming as whole grew up with them. Japanese media seems to be "stuck" centering on youth. By doing so, they continue to limit their plots to the same tired tropes. I'll give Xeno 2 a pass, because what I've seen so far is at least different. Although my current party's *combined* age probably isn't much older than myself. And the injection of anime styling into *everything* coming out of the East is getting old. It's time for some variety in ages for main characters, and along with that, variety in character motivations. FFXV falls into a trap that I've seen countless times - dumping you into the story without giving you a reason to care. The main character's father, and home town / kingdom gets destroyed within the first 30 minutes of the game, which sets off the main plot. The problem is, I could care less about either of them. And the reason for that is I've never experienced the giant city that gets pummeled to the ground, and I've only had one 2 minute encounter with the main character's father, before he kicks the bucket. The main characters in the game don't even seem to care. They just lost their home, friends, and family... and yet they continue to crack jokes while we all joy ride around in a pimped out Audi. And I don't give Western Devs a pass on this one either. Their answer is to make everything "dark" and "mature" and "deep." There needs to be a balance, there needs to be more varied plot setups, and for the love of Pete - there needs to be real game opening emotional setups... or world ending, main quest starting story points just fall flat.