As a big fan of the genre I wanted to disagree but then I realized that I have only played one this generation, and while Lost Odyssey was great, that is not enough to declare a genre alive. However I am sure that there are other that I simply missed playing.
My question to you is are there any other current gen jrpgs worth playing?
@shadykx125: Nothing this generation at all other than Lost Odyssey honestly. Everything else was PS2. JRPGs are at the edge of undeath and this is even being said by Japanese game developers...
It pains to say that it kinda was garbage. I beat it top to bottom 1000 achievements points but the combat was stale and the story sucked. The only jrpgs that i've enjoyed this gen (and I've played almost all of them) are the mario rpgs. But those games have always been amazing and sort of westernized.
Persona 3 / Persona 3: Portable and 4 need to be played, last gen but so what. Best JRPGs in a long time I think, Atlus are probably the best developer of them now.
As someone who is kind of indifferent to JRPG's, Eternal Sonata was probably the best one I've played in a while, and does a great job of creating a really interesting world and combining that with the music of Chopin. Lost Odyssey was pretty good too. Those are the only 2 in the current gen that I have played and enjoyed at all though.
Giantbomb is knowledgeable about what they are interested in. Past that they let their personal opinion color what actually is happening. Hate to say it but it's true.
The thing is I havent been playing ANY RPG's, it's not a JRPG thing.
Basically when I play an RPG I want to know that I'll have enough time to finish it. Working full time and going to school full time prevents me from being able to enjoy RPG's
It's always been a niche genre in the US, Final Fantasy's inexplicable mass appeal notwithstanding. From a pure sales perspective, were they ever really alive?
" Valkyria Chronicles (kinda), Resonance of Fate, Vesperia. JRPGs are dead, undergoing rebirth. Publishers have no faith. It's up to J-Indie. Have faith. "
I don't think you can call Valkyria Chronicles JRPG at all, it has an anime styling, but it's a turn based strategy game...fucking awesome game though
" Only played 4 of em that I can think of for this current generation.Eternal Sonata FFXIII Lost Odyssey Blue Dragon Note: I haven't beaten any of em. "
" Resonance of Fate is goddamn brilliant - I don't think I've ever loved a JRPG combat system more. "
Like Valkryia Chronicles, isn't this a strategy? (Never played, but I am interested in that one)
So maybe I should ask...when people say JRPG, do they mean the traditional FF4 and 6 style game, the grinding and turn based battle? Or just developed in Japan RPGs?
They are just people. There word isn't the word of god that needs to be put in stone for all to agree with for all time. If you like them you like them. It's always been a niche market.
Wait, what? They're not really dead. JRPGs are doing very well in Japan, and we're still getting a lot of high quality ones. However, JRPG hate is more pronounced than in previous years, so I guess that's where it's coming from?
I've got news for those who think the GB guys are talking out of their asses: So have a lot of Japanese developers. There's a civil war (whose side are you on?!) going on right now seemingly between publishers and developers in Japan about modernizing their gameplay. So while I wouldn't say the JRPG is dead, it's clearly dying and in desperate need of a rebirth. They need to start trying something new rather than resting on their laurels, and I mean in a BIG way, not with a couple of games that sort of depart from the tried and true formula.
But they don't like it and have heard a couple times something is going on, so it must be dead. Same for pc gaming and rts games. These guys are smart when they talk about what they like, less so when they try to talk about anything else.
Lost Odyssey, Tales of Vesperia, Resonance of Fate, Eternal Sonata, FFXIII, and Versus is coming up this or next year... it seems like one every year or so we get a really, really good one. 2008 was good. While I do enjoy the RPGs that still come out. Playing through Nier now, having a great time.
" I wouldn't argue with that. They'll be back though. Fighting games were dead for awhile too, so were point & click adventure games. "
Fighting games weren't especially popular in the period between Street Fighter II and all its updates and Street Fighter IV, but they were certainly never dead (though it may seem that way to people who don't care about fighting games other than Street Fighter II and Street Fighter IV -- that is to say, most people).
" I wouldn't argue with that. They'll be back though. Fighting games were dead for awhile too, so were point & click adventure games. "
Fighting games weren't especially popular in the period between Street Fighter II and all its updates and Street Fighter IV, but they were certainly never dead (though it may seem that way to people who don't care about fighting games other than Street Fighter II and Street Fighter IV -- that is to say, most people). "
Maybe it was just me, but I didn't think any of the 3D PS2 Mortal Kombat games lived up to their predecessors, nor did the other fighting games I used to play, Tekken or Soul Calibur. I know there are more fighting games than just those four franchises, but I really wasn't into them, so yeah, probably was just me. Fighting games may not have been dead, but they certainly weren't thriving.
The giantbomb guys have mentioned a few times in podcasts that they think that jrpgs are dead or dying. Also i realize that they are just stating their opinions and these games are not their style, but it seems to me that they make a good point.
Good point to the ppl who brought up portable games, I have in fact played a few good 1s on portables lately.
By jrpg I mean japanese style rpg, not limited to ff6 style or turn based, but yea thats the idea.
Anyways thanks to the people had constructive things to say, im gonna check out a few of those recommendations.
Im curious as to why lost odyssey gets so much flack? It definately didnt do anything revolutionary but I thought it was a solid game with likeable characters and a decent story.
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