Nowadays, I think turn based RPGs are a bit...archaic.

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

Soriku said:

Kenryoku_Maxis said:
Is it really time for this thread again....

As I say in every one of these threads, its not based on the type of gameplay, but how well the gameplay is done. Some games are turn based and do it well, and others are bad. The same goes for Action/RPGs, with some being nothing more than mashing the same button for repetitive sword slashes, while others are complex systems of skills, magic and attacks.

Frankly, some series I could never see as anything but Turn Based. Such as Dragon Quest, Chrono or Paper Mario. And its because they stuck with turn based and evolved it to a point where it became its own thing. But more importantly, its still fun.

I could see DQ as an action RPG working well (though I doubt it'd happen except for a spin off) but yeah about Paper Mario. I didn't buy SPM yet because it wasn't turn based :/ There are some games that need to stay turn based but ultimately I tend to find good action RPGs better than good turn based RPGs.

If you were a heavy fan of the Dragon Quest series, you would see that its pretty much the pinnacle of turn based combat.  Everything down to the balance of weapons to the pace of battle and the number value for attacks have been refined so well, its like a well oiled machine that few series can even hope to compare to.  There's a reason Japan threw a fit when they announced Dragon Quest IX would be chaging from turn based to a free motion/active battle system.  Its because its one of the few series that has stuck with the turn based system and gotten it right every time.  Even the latest DS remakes have made improvements to the system to make it faster and more balanced.

So when some people say they like turn based games, there's a reason.  Some of them just play so damn well, you want them to stay that way.

Again, this is not to say Action/RPGs or any other type of RPGs are inferior.  Some of them are excellent.  But those games and series are build for those styles of gameplay.  The truely good turn based RPGs are some of the best RPGs out there because they were built for that system.