IGN reviews Chrono Trigger DS - 8.8

[DTG]

Khuutra said:

DTG said:
Well, I must admit I played the original only a few years ago, far after it had been released on the SNES. So the game felt really outdated for me in the story/script department and just wasn't able to hold my interest very long. I used to be a huge fan of SNES RPG's back in the day but RPG's have since improved by a huge deal in terms of their storylines and presentation so in 2008 a 16 bit rpg isn't all that impressive to me. Nonetheless I liked the unique, wacky characters in CT and think they would benefit from a script improvement because there's definitely originality and potential there.

 

JRPGs are one of the only genre that haven't made categorical widescale improvements over their predecessors in terms of narrative, at least since the 16-bit era.

There, I said it.

I can see where you're coming from and certainly there's a lot of crap, such as the Tales series (which I still manage to enjoy due to the scope). But there definitely has been a considerable improvement in terms of the complexity and scope of their narratives. Xenogears, Shin Megami Tensei come to mind, even FF games, while still being rather mediocre in their storytelling, they are definitely much more polished and complex than their fairytale 16 bit counterparts were (though that may not be saying much). That said, I wasn't only referring to JRPG's in my original post, but WRPG games as well such as Planescape Torment or Deus Ex (which is a hybrid of sorts). Either of those are head and shoulders above any 16 bit rpg every written.