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[Rahxephon91]

The only reason I held anything over your head is because it seemed like you were needlessly bashing the game. It's not fantastic, but it's definitely not "easily the worst jrpg this gen" by any means. That statement seemed more than a little hyperbolic to me,

Huh. Seeing as how this gen has had fewer jrpgs and since this is my own personal opinion, I'm not sure whats hyperbolic about saying the jrpg I played and liked the least is " one of the worst jrpg this gen'. And besides who are you to decide this? .

so I countered with an equally ridiculous one.

You'll have to explain to me how mentioning that I like FFXIII as a way to discredit my opinion was an "equally ridiculous" statement?

Whatever though this is off topic and stupid.

 

[tiff]

Oooh, good catch. Almost all RPGs would benefit immeasurably from this feature.

Almost all games would, period.

 

[Izayoi]

Huh. Seeing as how this gen has had fewer jrpgs and since this is my own personal opinion, I'm not sure whats hyperbolic about saying the jrpg I played and liked the least is " one of the worst jrpg this gen'. And besides who are you to decide this?

There are tons of JRPGs that have come out this generation. To say that one that is not an outright bad game is the hands-down worst of the generation seems ridiculous.

You'll have to explain to me how mentioning that I like FFXIII as a way to discredit my opinion was an "equally ridiculous" statement?

You would say that me stating FFXIII was the worst JRPG this generation is ridiculous, right? That's what I was implying.

Whatever though this is off topic and stupid.

I'm not sure how discussing JRPGs and how good or bad they are in a topic about JRPGs and how good or bad they are is off-topic.

 

[Rahxephon91]

There are tons of JRPGs that have come out this generation. To say that one that is not an outright bad game is the hands-down worst of the generation seems ridiculous.

Well first you seem to keep putting your opinion here. You think it's an ok game. I think it's a terrible game. It is a bad game to me. And when we look at this generation yes it is one of the worst jrpgs I have played. I like pretty much every jrpg I've played more then it. But then you must remember I'm not a handheld gamer here so I'm really only looking at console jrpgs. You think that's ridiculous, well you like the game so that's fine.

You would say that me stating FFXIII was the worst JRPG this generation is ridiculous, right? That's what I was implying.

If you said that I would take your post quote it, replace FFXIII with another game I dislike, and then say fixed.

I'm not sure how discussing JRPGs and how good or bad they are in a topic about JRPGs and how good or bad they are is off-topic.

No discussing jrpgs is fine, but we aren't doing that now. We are taking pot shots at each other.

 

[PsychoSoldier]

For consoles, this generation has been absolute balls for JRPG's. Them all being on handhelds doesn't help me because I dislike playing on handhelds (I have at one time owned both a DSLite and a PSP and sold both).

The only JRPG I got even a mild amount of enjoyment out of this generation of is FFXIII, and I didn't even like that enough to beat it (got close, though).

Everything else either has one annoying aspect that keeps me from enjoying it (see: Blue Dragon) or is just bad or utterly mediocre.

I'd go so far as to say I got more enjoyment out of last generation's C-tier RPG's like Tsugunai than I did out of the "best" of this console generation. The only RPG I haven't got around to playing is ToV, and that's a long story as to why I haven't been able to yet (I own it but I don't physically have it yet).

 

[thepotatoman]

I used to argue that huge development costs caused by underuse or misuse of game engines and middleware caused in the decline, as seen in the FFXIII town debacle. With how important setpieces and cutscenes are to break up the hugely long games and reward the player its a pretty big problem when you need to start cutting off huge corners. But...

This:

Yeah, I think in the US RPGs there is this funny, and vaguely fascist, idea about advancement/innovation - it's more about adjustments to a core model that amplify or improve the form. Add more options, add better graphics, streamline the interface, take down barriers that sit between the player and the experience. I can't think of a gameplay idea in a WRPG that is nothing more than a gameplay idea - they are virtually all about improving the interface or facilitating the player's capabilities. JRPGs are crawling with ideas that are just novel gameplay hooks and nothing else. WRPGs are much more about 'immersion'.

And this:

You cant fault the jrpg genre for not being unique. Every game is drastically different from the last. There are alot more varity in the jrpg genre than most. The problem with the genre is that they never seem to learn anything from what they or someone else did. There are thus very little progression. Its like they never analyses what works and what dont work. And when they make the next game. they throw everything out and start from scratch.

The opposite of the jrpg genre is fps. Its probably the most progressive genre out there. If someone comes up with an new cool thing. Like say sniper rifle. You can be sure as hell that not only the sequel will have a sniper rifle but just about every game in the genre will have a sniper mode. The leads to the genre feeling samey, but it also means the genre constantly make huge advances( in an undefined direction), so much so that relatively new games can feel completely dated.

If fps way of making games where applied to jrpgs. Things like separate screens for battles, random battles, seperate screens for maps etc etc would be long gone. The genre would have taken off with the things chrone trigger hade, a cohesive world and enhanced it.

Pretty much answers the question of why to me better then anything else I've heard before. The core for the most part hasn't evolved even though the shells have been constantly changing. Valkeria Chronicles and FFXIII both had a great core battle systems with some superficial flaws that i feel could have been copied and built upon by multiple Japanese devs, but you know those battle systems will remain completely contained in the VC and FFXIII and they wont be tinkered with or fixed at all no matter how iterations we see and we will only see gameplay mechanics just piled on top.

FFXIII-2 added a new encounter system and put quick time events into battles, but the problem of the Heal class making the game too thoughtless doesn't seem to be addressed at all. VC2 added a new class system based of class credits that you have to grind out which ended up being a complete time waste and a unnecessary barrier they added to the game just to add to the gameplay, but what they didn't do is address some complaints about how failures can feel a little unfair and are accompanied by to huge of a penalty, or how slow battles can feel.

Valkeria Chronicles, TWEWY, and Demon's Souls were all great games to be sure, but with the problems japanese game devs are having, pretty much everything sucks except those few that happen to get lucky. When almost everything jRPG related sucks it makes it harder for games like those to stand out both critically and financially, because we are now trained to think japan equals suck.

 

[Izayoi]

Well first you seem to keep putting your opinion here. You think it's an ok game. I think it's a terrible game. It is a bad game to me. And when we look at this generation yes it is one of the worst jrpgs I have played. I like pretty much every jrpg I've played more then it. But then you must remember I'm not a handheld gamer here so I'm really only looking at console jrpgs. You think that's ridiculous, well you like the game so that's fine.

Oh, I figured you were including everything from this generation. That's my bad.

If you said that I would take your post quote it, replace FFXIII with another game I dislike, and then say fixed.

Fair enough. I was aiming for a more implied, indirect route.

No discussing jrpgs is fine, but we aren't doing that now. We are taking pot shots at each other.

Well up until these two posts we were (discussing JRPGs, at least to some extent). I guess it's best we dropped it here, though.

 

[C.T.]

I'm playing Resonance of Fate right now. It has it flaws but the gameplay system and weapon customisation are fresh. Story tends to be on the wacky end though. Recommended.

 

[kokujin]

I'm playing Resonance of Fate right now. It has it flaws but the gameplay system and weapon customisation are fresh. Story tends to be on the wacky end though. Recommended.

This game blew me away, the art direction is awesome, it's gorgeous, it runs well, and it's challenging.The story is crap for the most part, but I didn't mind.I wish more games took risks with there battle systems.I also recommend it.

 

[Nostalgia~4ever]

This is what I played on Consoles this gen:

Tales of Vesperia - Not as good as Abyss, but still the best jrpg i played
Lost Odyssey - This game is pretty good except for the clunky battle system and meh villain.
Tales of Symphonia 2 - Total shit game if you compare it with the first. Emil and Marta are annoying characters. Should had only gone with the old cast.
Demon Souls - Very good game but it is a western style rpg made by the japanese
Eternal Sonata - Short and not very good
Blue Dragon - I havent played this, is it worth it?
Star Ocean 4 - Worst story ever? The battle system was quite good, but the characters and story were almost offensive.
Final Fantasy XIII - Total disappointment since FFXII was amazing. The game gets good in chapter 11, but disappointing again in chapter 12 and 13.

 

[kokujin]

This is what I played on Consoles this gen:

Tales of Symphonia 2 - Total shit game if you compare it with the first. Emil and Marta are annoying characters. Should had only gone with the old cast.

Does it have the same battle system, what exactly made it crap.

Eternal Sonata - Short and not very good

I actually heard this was good, what's wrong with it?

 

[archnemesis]

I actually heard this was good, what's wrong with it?

The biggest flaws are the annoying characters, the nonsensical story, the very linear dungeons, and the complete lack of enemy variety. I really enjoyed the battle system, but some people were down on that too.

 

[weeaboo]

I actually heard this was good, what's wrong with it?

The dungeons are awful and the battle system gets worse as the game progresses (a really unique issue here)

 

[kokujin]

The dungeons are awful and the battle system gets worse as the game progresses (a really unique issue here)

Wow, never heard of a game that had a system get worse through the game.I was planning on playing this after Last Remnant, but I'll pass on it.

 

[Hasemo]

Tales of Vesperia on the PS3 wasn't half bad. Hell, it was the best jRPG I played for a long time now and one of the few that I finished since high school.

 

[Nostalgia~4ever]

Does it have the same battle system, what exactly made it crap.

No it does not have the same battle system. The characters have lame moves and you can train monsters to use in battles which makes it totally broken.

 

[Suzzopher]

Like others have said, handhelds have given us lots of great JRPGs, home consoles have been woeful.

My favourites would Resonance of Fate and Valkyria Chronicles.

 

[Nostalgia~4ever]

tales of vesperia was really good for 2/3 of the game, but kinda fell apart at the end.

 

[Nemo]

Simply said, yes. The generations before this had way much more to offer.
Devs had less hw power to work with and could much easier get the most out of it. RPGs always had that extra value that came with them and that put them above all other games for fans and devs

Makin RPGs these days is hard.

 

[RooMHM]

Do this for every genre... It's the worst generation EVER.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

You cant fault the jrpg genre for not being unique. Every game is drastically different from the last. There are alot more varity in the jrpg genre than most. The problem with the genre is that they never seem to learn anything from what they or someone else did. There are thus very little progression. Its like they never analyses what works and what dont work. And when they make the next game. they throw everything out and start from scratch.

The opposite of the jrpg genre is fps. Its probably the most progressive genre out there. If someone comes up with an new cool thing. Like say sniper rifle. You can be sure as hell that not only the sequel will have a sniper rifle but just about every game in the genre will have a sniper mode. The leads to the genre feeling samey, but it also means the genre constantly make huge advances( in an undefined direction), so much so that relatively new games can feel completely dated.

If fps way of making games where applied to jrpgs. Things like separate screens for battles, random battles, seperate screens for maps etc etc would be long gone. The genre would have taken off with the things chrone trigger hade, a cohesive world and enhanced it.

I know one damn thing, going in two harsh, diametrically-opposed extremes has been polarizing at best for them. Set pieced stop 'n pop iron sights cover shooters have the benefit of massive popularity despite this (and its subsequent mountains of cashflow or financial backing) however, to make up for their short coming, whereas JRPGs do not any more.

Heh, remember when people on here would argue (not troll, genuinely believe) that JRPGs never changed from the early 90s and were all the same? Especially Final Fantasy? Good times, my how they change.

 

[Yuterald]

I find it funny that one of my favorite, if not favorite, RPGs from this generation is a game from 2004. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is, what, 7 years old now? And it's better than the majority of modern RPGs found on PS3/360/Wii? There's nothing else to say.

I will echo the fact that the portable scene is where it's at. I have a huge backlog of DS and PSP RPGs that have yet to be played, but from the handful I've finished, portables are the way to go.

I will say though that there are a few classics from this gen. Demon's Souls and Valkyria Chronicles are true gems in the crowd. You've got quirky, cool RPGs like Nier and Resonance of Fate as well. I'd also say The Last Remnant is the most 'hardcore' RPG around this generation. It's a shame the 360 version is such a technical mess, but the game itself is sooooo fucking cool. I'd wish we would have gotten a cleaned up PS3 version, but I guess there's always the PC.

 

[NervousXtian]

This game blew me away, the art direction is awesome, it's gorgeous, it runs well, and it's challenging.The story is crap for the most part, but I didn't mind.I wish more games took risks with there battle systems.I also recommend it.

RoF was really fun for about 20-30hrs for me.. then it just fell apart as the combat which at first seemed so complex and interesting turned out to be anything but. It needed 1 or 2 more complexities added to keep it fresh. Also, I probably burned myself out in the arena and collecting and unlocking all the darn pieces on the floors I'd unlocked.

I had a lot of fun for the time I put in, but ended up leaving it on my shelf for months before finally just giving it to a friend as I just couldn't get the urge to pop it in the PS3 anymore.

I would jump at a RoF that expands and opens the game up more, it had a great sense of style.

TWEWY is a true classic, at first I was all "wtf?" then a couple hours in I couldn't stop playing. Cool story, great music, awesome sense of style, let you play it the way you wanted too, extreme customization in combat, and the fact it changes the combat up multiple times kept it fresh through all the stages. One of the best handheld experiences I've every had.

 

[Monroeski]

The dungeons are awful and the battle system gets worse as the game progresses (a really unique issue here)

My main problem with the battle system was that it took too long to open up. I wish they would have added features much more quickly, because I was having fun with it at the end and now look back at the early parts and wonder how I dealt with such a limited system.

 

[TheBanditKing]

Not if you own a PSP or DS, thats where all the JRPG's went. There are some exceptions out there Valkyria Chronicles being one which completely blew me away the first time I played it.

 

[VillageBC]

It's terrible for jRPGs. Perhaps, I've moved on from the genre because I find very few that I read about interesting. No, I'm not interested in grinding out 40hr jRPGs on a handheld system either. I want to play them on my Wii/PS3 from the couch and not staring at a tiny screen while cramping my hands.

FFXIII was good. (Yup, there are better FF's but I still enjoyed this game.)
VC was awesome and then Sega killed it with a bastard PSP VCII highschool simulator release.
FF:WoT great story, but I think I don't like that style of sRPG and never finished it.
Disgaea another fun character interactions but just can't seem to get into that grid sRPG style.

That's what I've played. It's so sad. =(

Resonance of Fate is on the way shortly (Goozex) to try.

 

[NervousXtian]

VC was awesome and then Sega killed it with a bastard PSP VCII highschool simulator release..

I actually preferred VC2. Then again I liked Persona 3 as well, mainly because of that stuff.

I thought I'd hate it being dumbed down to the PSP, but it actually fit the format better for me than on the PS3. Just me maybe, as I'm not sure anyone else shares this opinion.

 

[VillageBC]

I actually preferred VC2. Then again I liked Persona 3 as well, mainly because of that stuff.

I thought I'd hate it being dumbed down to the PSP, but it actually fit the format better for me than on the PS3. Just me maybe, as I'm not sure anyone else shares this opinion.

I do need to try Persona and see if I like it. But I definitely don't share your opinion on VCII.

VCII negatives for me.

- Remove perma-death =(
- Many annoying, seemingly useless dialog amongst your classmates.
- The plot makes an appearance on a timescale similar to haleys comet.
- Grind Grind Grind for the certificates/diplomas which really.
- Every scenario.. Split your forces across multiple maps and hope you didn't put a lancer in the correct group.
- Nothing feels epic like VC one did.

Still pushing my way through it due to that good will the first one garnered itself. I do love that style of sRPG combat though.

 

[Reveirg]

I've been enjoying many JRPGs that I had missed this gen because I only recently acquired an XBox 360.

On the PS3, I did really like...

Valkyria Chronicles : Contrary to many others, the story really bored me. However, the gameplay was genius. The game overall felt fresh.

Demon's Souls : More than enough praise has been given to this game already... great game, can't wait for Dark Souls

Resonance of Fate : Quirky, fresh but really fun. I liked how you could dress up everyone differently (independantely from equipment), and how it shoed up in the cutscenes. It's a shame this game didn't have more of a story. For a while during the pre-release campaign, I thought it'd be a spiritual successor to Shadow Hearts (art style...) but this didn't show up in the final product. Still, great game with a very original battle and customization system.

NIER! : See other threads where I defended this game vehemently. My favourite RPG this gen by far.

Final Fantasy XIII : Yeah, sue me. I loved it! I think all the hate is unfair: Yes, it lacked a lot of traditionally essential JRPG elements. Yes, some of the characters and VA were irritating. BUT. I've never played a game where the artwork and visuals are so well implemented. The overall menu design, environments and characters were GORGEOUS. It also boasts one of the best video game OST ever. The battle system was also very enjoyable. So yeah, maybe the game wasn't overally designed as well as past FFs, but there was plenty of things to enjoy in the game.

Star Ocean : It was enjoyable but the story was crap... It started out okay but went downhill really fast with very annoying characters. This is the first time I've ever skipped cutscenes in a JRPG, I just couldn't bear it anymore around the end of the game. The dungeon exploration, battle system were pretty nice though. Soundtrack wasn't as good as SO3 but still very enjoyable.

Eternal Sonata : It was ok, I didn't finish it, got bored with the gameplay after a while as seems the case for many other people. The Chopin parts were a nice touch though.


Then came my XBox 360...

The Last Remnant : Very surprising! The dungeons are varied, there are a lot of cool gameplay elements (the Remnants themselves, digging aroung, quests, leader management, guilds, etc.)

Tales of Vesperia : Great classic RPG with nice exploration, a WORLD MAP (very rare this gen, which other game has one???), loads of quests, nice crafting and customization systems. Music was great by moments. I can't wait for Tales of Xillia! And I need to check out Tales of the Abyss on PS2, never played it.

Magna Carta II (which doesn't get mentionned a lot) : Very nice game! I just finished it. The gameplay and general feel of the game was reminiscent of FFXII -- not as well made but still. It had that MMO feel. The gameplay had its faults (ally AI was weird) and the story was cliched by moments, but I still cared about the characters. I suggest it to everyone who loves JRPGs and might have passed up on this one.

Lost Odyssey : I didn't like it as much as most people... It started out alright, but the villain was such an uninteresting character, and the gameplay went downhill really fast.


I also really enjoyed Arc Rise Fantasia on the Wii!

I still need to check out : Blue Dragon and Infinite Undiscovery


Overall, this gen is pretty far from PS1 and PS2-eras, with great series (FFs, Xenosaga, Shadow Hearts, Suikoden, various Shin Megami Tensei, etc.).
But with many promising titles up ahead (Xenoblade, The Last Story, FFXIII-2, Versus XIII, Persona 5?, Dark Souls, Tales of Xillia, etc.) this might change very soon!


As for handhelds, I don't really like playing games on them, mostly because I get neck pain and headaches pretty fast. But by hooking up my PSP to my HDTV, I really enjoyed many titles, such as Valkyria Chronicles II, The 3rd Birthday, TACTICS OGRE (wow. just wow.), Jeanna d'Arc (Level 5 needs to get more games out such as this one), Crisis Core, etc.

I recently picked up Trails in the Sky following the recommendations of many fellow gaf-ers, and will begin my playthrough once I'm done with Catherine!