... what?

I'm a lapsed JRPG fan. I played the classics back on the SNES and PS2, but haven't touched the genre much this generation. Then I picked up Xenoblade. I've sunk 60 hours into the game, I'm not close to being done, and I'm still loving it.

I've rediscovered that JRPG itch, but I haven't kept up with what's out there, so I need your help. What's a good game to pick up after Xenoblade is done? I'd prefer to play on the PS3, but with Final Fantasy dying a slow death I don't know what names to trust.

I feel like there's a picture missing at the beginning of this post.

I know it's kind of obvious, but Xenogears and Xenosaga are the first one's I'd go for. Both very similar thematically, as you might expect.

Xenogears second half is a bit disappointing but still an excellent game. Story gets a bit crazy but if it's more Xenoblade you're looking for that should be a plus. Xenosaga is even more insane (I recommend the Perfect Works Translation) alongside/after playing the three games though, as the story and concepts discussed get utterly impenetrable.

Vagrant Story is excellent but not exactly a traditional JRPG. Really interesting crafting and levelling system. You gain resistance to healing from healing yourself too much, so if that sounds neat I'd definitely recommend giving it a try. Holds up surprisingly well visually as well.

Shin Megami Tensei: whatever is also a great choice. Nocturne, Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 for more traditional, or Devil Summoner for more action based combat. Also Persona, all excellent games.

Since I haven't actually suggested a ps3 game my choice would be FFXIII-2. I know plenty of people hate it (and XIII) but I absolutely loved it, and it was one of the few games I have 100% completed in years.

As far as acquiring these, Xenosaga and Vagrant Story are both on PS1 classics, Xenosaga is a bit hard to find (and requires buying three games). Some of the SMT stuff can found on the PSN (Persona, P3) and the rest are not too hard to find on Amazon and the like. Not the most popular games in the world so you can even find new copies for <$30.

If you'd prefer PS3, your absolute best bet is Ni No Kuni. It's fresh and current, but captures all of the depth and sidequesting you probably love about Xenoblade. It's engrossing and involved the way RPGs used to be. It looks kiddy, but is not, and has an old school challenge that is tough by the modern standard and will mess you up pretty directly if you just screw around. It is regarded as the prime heir apparent to the classic JRPG, whereas Xenoblade is more the modern evolution of the genre.

If you ever liked Ninja Gaiden, or if you ever got a kind of weird pleasure from stabbing yourself with a pencil or making little razor blade cuts on your leg: Demon's Souls / Dark Souls

SNES RPG Feel: Lost Odyssey

Active Combat: Tales of Vesperia, Eternal Sonata (get on PS3), Tales of Xillia (forthcoming)

Because you have a Wii and play RPGs: Last Story

Because everyone seem to love it, I haven't gotten to it yet: NIER

If you liked Xenoblade, Final Fantasy XII is the closest you'll get to the sames battle style and graphical prowess. I don't think it's as deep, but it's also got a tighter, more political focus.

If you go past the PSOne generation of RPGs, I'd suggest Dragon Quest VIII, Dark Cloud 2. Both are absolutely great Level 5 games. I haven't played Ni No Kuni. I also haven't played Last Story yet, even though I totally just ordered that game.

Thanks for the recommendations. I played the first Xenosaga and really enjoyed it. I liked the combat, and the multiple ways you could upgrade your characters - similar to Xenoblade. The crazy anime story had me sucked in, as well, massive cut scenes and all. I bought the next two games to see what happened, but I remember bailing after putting a couple hours into the second game. If I recall, the new combat system was not enjoyable and the story didn't see to have much continuity from the first game. I never got to the third game.

I played FFXIII, but didn't really enjoy it until the end, when the party arrived on Pulse. That's a big part of what I like about Xenoblade, it offers that open-ended gameplay almost from the beginning. If FFXIII-2 offers a little more variety in quest order and world layout, I think I could get behind that.

If you want open-ended then FF12 is pretty good.

You'd also like garbage

@maedhros925: You should give Xenosaga another shot. I had the same problem with the second game, but after some time you get used to the new combat system, and i cant remember exactly what happens in the story but there are links to the past game (i think in the first few hours you play characters you have never met from the first, but you end up meeting up with the old crew after the first big boss fight?). And by the third game they fix all the problems and keep everything good from the first two games, which makes me sad they didn't get to keep the Xeno story going with that series, but the footsteps in the third game will drive you mad.

And Xenogears is one of my favorite RPG's of all time, so i say play that if you have not.

Glad to see all the Xenosaga love on this thread. I was all about that series back in the day and I'd still consider it my favorite. It definitely suffered a little bit from the lack of clear direction within each game and from game to game, but the imperfections made it more beautiful in its own way. I was trying to recommend some more modern options, but I've spent 90% of my play time in the last 2-3 years covering old PS1 and PS2 entries that I missed, or replaying classics.