In a lot of reviews and discussions about J-RPGs people complain about most of these games being too traditionnal. I agree that they rarely stray from a lot of common concepts and plot elements but is there really any other kind of J-RPG.

Excluding "Western RPGs" (Oblivion for example), are there RPGs that are that innovative ? All I can think of are Action-RPGs, but in my opinion I would put those in annother category (action-adventure games with RPG elements).

There might be some truely innovative J-RPGs out there but aside from"The World Ends With You" Im pretty stumped... Any suggestions ???

no JRPGs are innovative, its all left to having a specific more interesting story or some elements others just don't have( the SMT series is a good example, those games are great) but you should know what to expect by now by Square or triaces games, because its the same story over and over again.

I think FFXIII will be pretty innovative, but I don't think it'll stray too far away from traditional JRPGs. Personally, I don't have a problem with traditional JRPGs, as long as they keep that great and compelling storyline.

Traditional JRPGs are an interesting case because there's clearly just a large market that's really into them.  Speaking for myself, I thought I was well and truly done with them forever, hadn't touched one in years, and I recently went back and played Lost Odyssey. 

I think an innovative JPRG alluded to in this forum would incorporate "best practices" from other RPGs.  Maybe FFXII's or Tales of Vesperia's combat system, combined with the ring element in Lost Odyssey, and the map system found in either.  Square, still has some of the best looking FMVs in the industry while Lost Odyssey's in-game engine looks spectacular.  I think that we are all looking for an experience that gives us the best this genre has to offer. 

I would like to see a JRPG with First-Person exploratory view accompanied with a discernable map, and a smooth-shifting transition from 1st to third person real-time combat (no loading screens or noticeable stalling).  Oblivion/Fallout 3 comes to mind the Japanese penchant for character development has a unique draw to it.  I love it.

The most innovative JRPG in the last 15 years was FF12, which basically copied a Western MMO and was ridiculously boring as a result.  I've enjoyed many a good JRPG in my day, but "innovative" is not the word I would use to describe them.  They largely play exactly the same as they did in the SNES days, just with better graphics.

"The most innovative JRPG in the last 15 years was FF12, which basically copied a Western MMO and was ridiculously boring as a result.  I've enjoyed many a good JRPG in my day, but "innovative" is not the word I would use to describe them.  They largely play exactly the same as they did in the SNES days, just with better graphics."

I find it funny that people are looking for innovation in JRPGs. It's the wrong place to look, much like shooters, as the tried and tested formula for them will always appeal to die-hard fans of the genre (such as myself).

While generic shooters are absolutely a dime a dozen, in the last 15 years the genre has moved forward in many ways in both gameplay, immersion, and storytelling, which is not something one could say for JRPG's.

I never liked JRPGs. They're really boring to me. My brother, on the other hand, loves them, but he has commented a few times on their policy against innovation. He enjoyed Persona 3 to death, though.

"While generic shooters are absolutely a dime a dozen, in the last 15 years the genre has moved forward in many ways in both gameplay, immersion, and storytelling, which is not something one could say for JRPG's."

Can't JRPGs be innovative while remaining traditional? Stick with what works, improve the weak points, and make appropriate additions.

The reasons I play RPGs are story, characters, unique worlds, battle systems, customization systems, etc. The most under-developed areas are story and characters. In contrast, battle systems and customization systems are over-developed. The best systems have already been done, they just need to be tweaked, not changed completely.

I'd love to see more exploration and less linearity. Japanese developers tend to get this wrong when they try it (see The Last Remnant for a recent example.) Usually they'll do something like add linear side quests, but they miss the point while doing so. Following the same path as Western developers in trying to make a game as non-linear as possible outside of the main path is the way to go. With careful consideration, Japanese developers should be able to have a solid central character(s) and still offer the player choices and paths in the side content.

Obviously, building on the characterization and story would be great. Lost Odyssey is a great example of deeper character development in a JRPG than has come before. Sadly, the story (while good by JRPG standards) isn't pushing the boundaries even a little bit.

Battle systems... argh. Personally, I prefer turn based or timer based systems. Real-time or pseudo-real-time systems can be good, but they rarely are in JRPGs. Realistically, the JRPG audience is a niche, it will never really expand much. Sticking with tried and true systems, then improving them, is the way I'd like to see people go. I enjoyed the battle systems in both Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. Mechanically they both had a gimmick and felt comfortable and familiar. On the other hand, they could have been a little deeper.

Customization is weird in JRPGs. Sometimes there is little or none. Sometimes there is a broken system that promotes making identical godly characters. All I can think is that they need to take a cue from WRPGs and trust the player more. I tend to feel as though the mechanics throughout JRPGs - battle systems or systems outside of battle - are designed to make any customization choices I am given, pointless.

WRPGs aren't as innovative as people make them out to be.  Most people who say that are only recently discovering WRPGs.  Ones from the 80s aren't really all that different than modern ones outside of graphical technology.