Bodhesatva: Well this was just the logical progression of WRPG's on my opinion. They have always been alot about making choices and customizing. This is the single biggest difference between JRPG and WRPG. If you want a single coherent story to be told to you, stick with JRPG's, and if you want to make the story yourself to some extent, best go with WRPG.
So in essence I don't see this as the general progression of games, but just the natural progression of WRPG's as a genre.
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