• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

What's the future of console jRPGs?

I don't know how did this topic change to when did you last turned your console on
but I'll join :D

PS3 : when Infamous was released
X360 : 2 days ago to play Assassin's Creed :D
DS:Can't remember
PSP:Can't remember
Linux Ubuntu : today for some world of Goo
Wii : when tales of symphonia 2 was released (played it for about 4 hours then I quit :'( )

so going back to the topic :D
am I the only one who feels that Namco-Bandai is this generation JRPG King ?

Kagari said:
Didn't they just recently announce Grandia Online?
WTF! Grandia Online ???! Never hared of it .... can I have any more info ...plz

Looking back at this generation JRPG that I've played
-Lost Odyssey {Loved the story , hated the leveling system,Felt more JRPG than the real Japanese RPG's :lol }
-Tales of Veperia {This generation best JRPG }
-Valkyria chronicles {I'm not really into SRPG ,but loved this one}
-Infinite Discovery {played 6 hours before I return it to the store , the main reason was the bad voice acting}
-Last Remnant {See above}
-Star Ocean 4 {Had to finish it because it is a star ocean , It wasn't that bad but the voice acting SUCKED }
-Eternal Sonata {played it for some time , liked it , left it for sometime , now I don't wanna play it again for some reason}

can't remember any more
 
Wow, thanks for completely derailing the thread, Himuro. :lol

I'm wondering to what extent jRPGs are moving towards handhelds...will we see FFXV and Persona 5 and Kingdom Hearts 3 going to handhelds? Or will the biggest games still stay on consoles, just few and far in between?
 
vicissitudes said:
I'm wondering to what extent jRPGs are moving towards handhelds...will we see FFXV and Persona 5 and Kingdom Hearts 3 going to handhelds? Or will the biggest games still stay on consoles, just few and far in between?

Unless there's a huge change in Squeenix's development plan, FFXV will stay on consoles to push the hardware of the best thing available. If Nomura is still in charge of Kingdom Hearts by the time 3 comes out, it'll be PS3 exclusive. I feel like the reason the next one isn't 3 is because he's stalling for the PS3 to pick up or when Sony becomes dominant again but that's probably wrong. Persona 5 really could go anywhere.
 
cosmicblizzard said:
Unless there's a huge change in Squeenix's development plan, FFXV will stay on consoles to push the hardware of the best thing available. If Nomura is still in charge of Kingdom Hearts by the time 3 comes out, it'll be PS3 exclusive. I feel like the reason the next one isn't 3 is because he's stalling for the PS3 to pick up or when Sony becomes dominant again but that's probably wrong. Persona 5 really could go anywhere.
I think the next KHs by Nomura will be PS3 exclusive, but I don't think it'll be KH3. I think he'll end up giving that to another team to build for Wii.
 
stuburns said:
I think the next KHs by Nomura will be PS3 exclusive, but I don't think it'll be KH3. I think he'll end up giving that to another team to build for Wii.

I think he already said the next one isn't KH3 in an interview or something.

Edit: Seems like he said it's possible the next one won't be 3. At least that pretty much confirms he isn't working on it now or even any KH game beyond BBS.
 
SatelliteOfLove said:
I've been under the impression it had turned into console warz gloating long back.

You my good sir are partially correct. It's also a general X > Y thread at times.
 
charlequin said:

Inasmuch as there are elements of western RPGs that are "better" than those in jRPGs it's because the two genres aim to accomplish different end goals and focus on different areas to do so. If you want to play Oblivion, play Oblivion instead of trying to dictate that elements of it be shoehorned arbitrarily into completely unrelated games that aim to accomplish something different.
Well it's obvious that the majority of what the jRPG's goal's are on console's aren't selling. Which is why I was suggesting that they change. Regardless, I guess this was already discussed to death.
Dark Stalkers said:
What's the name of this mod?
It's a part of Martigen's Monster Mod.
 
Outside of SMT games, I've still had more fun with the more meager offerings this generation than last for JRPGs. Although the massive, mind boggling crushing disappointment of IU was not fun at all.

There's some great stuff on handhelds to be sure, but until they allow you to rig one into a tiny, makeshift console or just download their damn games onto Wiiware or PSN, I will never be able to bring myself to care. I just have no use for mobile gaming, unless I ever decide that turning my hands into withered claws by dumping 20-40 hours per JRPG with DS/PSP controls is a good idea.

Seriously, put a direct TV input and a controller IR on the next Gameboy or PSP and I'm there though.
 
can anyone tell me why the hell FFXIII took so long in development ?

I hared they are using the Unreal Engine , so the engine was ready since the beginning

From the trailers it looks good, but even XII looked good in trailers :D

do you think if -for some freakin I dont even wanna think about reason- FFXIII came out to be another flop , will the other JRPG go to handhelds or -since FF is out the way- the area will be clear for other companies to publish more shitty JRPG's that can be less shitty than FF ?
 
imail said:
can anyone tell me why the hell FFXIII took so long in development ?

I hared they are using the Unreal Engine , so the engine was ready since the beginning

From the trailers it looks good, but even XII looked good in trailers :D

do you think if -for some freakin I dont even wanna think about reason- FFXIII came out to be another flop , will the other JRPG go to handhelds or -since FF is out the way- the area will be clear for other companies to publish more shitty JRPG's that can be less shitty than FF ?
FFXIII started on PS2, then they canned it and started again, and no, it's not UE3, it's Crystal Tools which was is a multiplatform engine they had to build. And it's the best looking PS3 game so far.
 
Hobbun said:
I wish this thread was never started, it has only depressed me.
If it makes you feel any better, I wish I had a PS3 to play Valkyrie Chronicles. :)
stuburns said:
FFXIII started on PS2, then they canned it and started again, and no, it's not UE3, it's Crystal Tools which was is a multiplatform engine they had to build. And it's the best looking PS3 game so far.
When you say canned, do you mean they recreated everything as in characters/settings/system's?
 
Flachmatuch said:
Sorry for being rude, but this kind of overgeneralisation always gets to me :-( I disagree with you though, I don't think Western stories are really much better in general (they just use different patterns and stereotypes), and there are quite a few Japanese pop culture products with worthwhile stories, even games. Not even talking about classic stuff.


No problem.

It's not a generalization though, I've lived quite a while in Japan and tested my opinion probably thousands of times, I'm quite confident in it at this point.

Only good Japanese story I can think of (and it's one of my top five movies) is Akira.
 
Firestorm said:
This would be one of the worst things to happen to handheld gaming in a looong time.

Considering that even with the ability to do 3D, etc, now, we still have a ton of great 2D games on the handhelds, I don't think it will matter to much.

Better online capabilities would be welcome, though.
 
Hobbun said:
I wish this thread was never started, it has only depressed me.

Why? I think the fact we enjoy the hell out of what comes through/is available is a good indicator that we really have nothing to worry about.
 
Plywood said:
When you say canned, do you mean they recreated everything as in characters/settings/system's?
We don't know, that's what they claimed. I imagine the world/characters/story is as it was, just every asset was thrown away and rebuilt or something.

I'd love to see the PS2 version, it was in development for a couple of years, there must be enough video so as to make it worth including as an extra for FFXIII, but they're a conservative bunch the Japanese.
 
stuburns said:
I'd love to see the PS2 version, it was in development for a couple of years, there must be enough video so as to make it worth including as an extra for FFXIII, but they're a conservative bunch the Japanese.
Seriously, I love that Bungie went and had shown all the early builds of Halo, it is awesome to see a game go from what it was to what it is, so I hope they do include an extra showing that.
 
Urban Scholar said:
Why? I think the fact we enjoy the hell out of what comes through/is available is a good indicator that we really have nothing to worry about.

Because my favorite genre through my favorite means of playing is dwindling.

Don't get me wrong, I love my DS. I have 40(ish) games with it. Love the Mario & Luigi series, love the Etrian Odyssey games, love the Golden Sun series, love all the old school remakes that have been done on it. The DS (and PSP) has been a good fix for some great JRPGs.

However, it is just not the same playing a mainline game that has been established on a console and switching it to a handheld. You will lose something. Yes, the gameplay can be there, yes the story can be there. But you 'will' lose something. It just isn't as immersive as playing it on your tv.

It's kind of like watching Lord of the Rings in Imax compared to a normal theater. It is still enjoyable in a normal theater, but it doesn't have that 'wow' factor, or at least as big of a 'wow' factor.

I will adapt because I have to, but doesn't mean I won't think about what could have been when I see that next game in my favorite franchise go to a handheld instead of staying on the console.
 
Hobbun said:
Because my favorite genre through my favorite means of playing is dwindling.

Don't get me wrong, I love my DS. I have 40(ish) games with it. Love the Mario & Luigi series, love the Etrian Odyssey games, love the Golden Sun series, love all the old school remakes that have been done it. The DS (and PSP) has been a good fix for some great JRPGs.

However, it is just not the same playing a mainline game that has been established on a console and switching it to a handheld. You will lose something. Yes, the gameplay can be there, yes the story can be there. But you 'will' lose something. It just isn't as immersive as playing it on your tv.

It's kind of like watching Lord of the Rings in Imax compared to a normal theater. It is still enjoyable in a normal theater, but it doesn't have that 'wow' factor.

I will adapt because I have to, but doesn't mean I won't think about what could have been when I see that next game in my favorite franchise go to a handheld instead of staying on the console.

Yeah I totally get your point with the LOTR example.
 
Hobbun said:
Because my favorite genre through my favorite means of playing is dwindling.

Don't get me wrong, I love my DS. I have 40(ish) games with it. Love the Mario & Luigi series, love the Etrian Odyssey games, love the Golden Sun series, love all the old school remakes that have been done on it. The DS (and PSP) has been a good fix for some great JRPGs.

However, it is just not the same playing a mainline game that has been established on a console and switching it to a handheld. You will lose something. Yes, the gameplay can be there, yes the story can be there. But you 'will' lose something. It just isn't as immersive as playing it on your tv.

It's kind of like watching Lord of the Rings in Imax compared to a normal theater. It is still enjoyable in a normal theater, but it doesn't have that 'wow' factor, or at least as big of a 'wow' factor.

I will adapt because I have to, but doesn't mean I won't think about what could have been when I see that next game in my favorite franchise go to a handheld instead of staying on the console.

Adapting to a "downgrade" of your favorite genre is better than adapting to being without it. I totally agree with you but it could be a lot worse.

We also have hope that FF13/MH3/DQ10/TOG will revitalize the console JRPG market. We're in a slump, not a funeral.
 
Hobbun said:
Because my favorite genre through my favorite means of playing is dwindling.

Don't get me wrong, I love my DS. I have 40(ish) games with it. Love the Mario & Luigi series, love the Etrian Odyssey games, love the Golden Sun series, love all the old school remakes that have been done on it. The DS (and PSP) has been a good fix for some great JRPGs.

However, it is just not the same playing a mainline game that has been established on a console and switching it to a handheld. You will lose something. Yes, the gameplay can be there, yes the story can be there. But you 'will' lose something. It just isn't as immersive as playing it on your tv.

It's kind of like watching Lord of the Rings in Imax compared to a normal theater. It is still enjoyable in a normal theater, but it doesn't have that 'wow' factor, or at least as big of a 'wow' factor.

I will adapt because I have to, but doesn't mean I won't think about what could have been when I see that next game in my favorite franchise go to a handheld instead of staying on the console.

I dunno man, there was an RPG that kept me immersed so much that I actually stayed up 17 hours straight playing it.

It was Pokemon Yellow. :D

Hopefully (and you can probably bet on it) future handhelds will also have TV output (not unlike the current PSP).
 
Adapting to a "downgrade" of your favorite genre is better than adapting to being without it.

I don't think that the jrpg may dissapear in home consoles due the HD. The problem with HD is not a problem of the rpg, is a problem of all the japanese industry.

In this generation, all the japanese industries had problems with the HD. Western developers are more used to work thinking in the PC and downscaling to consoles, so they didn't had too many problems to adapt to the new development requirements. Even for some companies that had too many problems to adapt their engines to the XBOX or PS2, like Bethesda, this change has been for good.

But the japanese don't have the same PC culture (except some companies like Capcom, that has been the most successful japanese company in HD market), and they didn't adapted so easily to the HD. The lack of selling of the HD consoles in Japan has helped, also.

It's easy to see in the games. A lot of japanese games has been, basicly, upscaled PS2 games. Other games has suffered a lot of delays. They even had to use "western game engines", like the Unreal, because they were'nt ready to create a engine from scratch in the needed time. That has been told even by some japanese designers, like Kojima.

But, after some years, they are starting to get used with the new hardware. After they made some games and improved the engines, the new games come easier. Probably they will never be able to beat the western devs in graphics, or in realistic enviroments, but this is not so important, because the graphics in the japanese games are not usually as realistic.
 
DangerousDave said:
I don't think that the jrpg may dissapear in home consoles due the HD. The problem with HD is not a problem of the rpg, is a problem of all the japanese industry.

In this generation, all the japanese industries had problems with the HD. Western developers are more used to work thinking in the PC and downscaling to consoles, so they didn't had too many problems to adapt to the new development requirements. Even for some companies that had too many problems to adapt their engines to the XBOX or PS2, like Bethesda, this change has been for good.

But the japanese don't have the same PC culture (except some companies like Capcom, that has been the most successful japanese company in HD market), and they didn't adapted so easily to the HD. The lack of selling of the HD consoles in Japan has helped, also.

It's easy to see in the games. A lot of japanese games has been, basicly, upscaled PS2 games. Other games has suffered a lot of delays. They even had to use "western game engines", like the Unreal, because they were'nt ready to create a engine from scratch in the needed time. That has been told even by some japanese designers, like Kojima.

But, after some years, they are starting to get used with the new hardware. After they made some games and improved the engines, the new games come easier. Probably they will never be able to beat the western devs in graphics, or in realistic enviroments, but this is not so important, because the graphics in the japanese games are not usually as realistic.

Can someone tell us the Japanese games that succeeded in this generation ?
are MGS and RE5 the only good Japanese games out there ?
 
I miss the days of the PS2 as well. I've played some games this gen that have really caught me (like Fallout 3, Oblivion) and of course I'm not counting the Personas etc. because they aren PS2 and not really "this gen", but as a whole this generation has really disappointed. On the PS2 it was literally game after game after game after game.... I really think that was the golden age :(
 
firex said:
That's so not fair.

Yeah, that's why it wasn't really serious. (Though it does pretty much describe how I actually feel about the idea that jRPGs should be looking to Fable and Oblivion for a direction in which to evolve.)

But I think the biggest problem here is WRPGs are actually even more niche than JRPGs, and even more dominated by only 1-2 brands in the console space (Bioware and Bethesda) than JRPGs were during the 16-bit and PS1 generations, where pretty much all people want to talk about is Square's games.

Yeah, I pretty fully agree here. Part of my problem is always that when I think of "Western RPGs" my mental model is like "Ultima, Wizardry, Krondor, Eye of the Beholder, Might and Magic..." so when people cite qualities that are basically shared solely by KotOR and Oblivion it's pretty weird to me.

Excellent point about the paucity of actual real wRPGs nowadays, though. I would actually love to see something more like the olden days where there were multiple different D&D franchises, new IPs, different interpretations of gameplay, etc. (all created by people who are already familiar with this genre and therefore able to really push it in interesting and new directions) but it doesn't look like that's where the genre is right now. :(

(I also agree that SMT has a deep, important similarity to wRPGs, but I think almost anyone who habitually recommend jRPGs be "more like" wRPGs would probably find it too weird and Japanesey or whatever.)

HK-47 said:
So freedom equals bad, havent played many WRPGs and probably correct.

The point is really more that any superficial attempt by jRPG developers to "do what wRPGs do" is going to lead to exactly these problems. Developing an open world in which free movement is rewarding and leads to many different interesting results is really hard compared to making an empty expanse of boring, wasted space. Similarly, producing NPCs that develop in different directions over the course of gameplay is a fundamentally different skill from writing a script that builds character through the course of a linear storyline.
 
I would do naughty things to have The World Ends With You on a console....even the Wii. The first was amazing but playing on a portable is just a pain in the ass.
 
Host Samurai said:
I would do naughty things to have The World Ends With You on a console....even the Wii. The first was amazing but playing on a portable is just a pain in the ass.

I am hard pressed to think of a single game harder to port than TWEWY to any other system on the market. The game was quite clearly designed for the DS and nothing else.
 
Top Bottom