Maybe they are just redefining what a JRPG is ;) After all, when you are king, who is to tell you that you are doing it wrong :)

Thanks Kitase! You just made more people to not want to go out and buy FF13. It doesnt look much different than GOW3 now lol

Nah - if anything it will sell more now due to the fact that they said it's more like a FPS than a RPG.

All the 360 fanboy's just did a 180

Why can't we rename the JRPG genre to something else. The 20 year old Pen and Paper RPG gamer in me get's brings a hostile reaction to the term that JRPG are RPGs. I like Japanese cinematic combat experiences, but I loath the genre definition.

So I agree with Kitase. It's not an RPG. Though it's also not an RPG from 10 years from now.

because thats what makes final fantasy so cool everyone thinks go back to the original but it would get boring after awhile that s why there are so many ffs cause there all different how many other ips have that many entrys not many

I second that. 

Kitase even said it....He's trying to make the game more like an 'interactive movie'.

"Now, the Dragon Quest series has stuck to the classical RPG format, and it's still greatly loved by fans," he notes. "The audience craves more of it! But that's because [Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii] is making a fun game that just happens to fit within that template. As creators, we have to think about how to combine many different elements and concepts into something that gamers will enjoy. After that, others can judge what genre it belongs to. With FFXIII, we've first and foremost pursued a gameplay style in which different situations and dramatic occurrences will be presented to players one after the other."

His comparing it to Dragon Quest just cements what most people have been led to believe. The Final Fantasy team has mostly been trying to distance themselves from 'traditional' RPGs in Japan by being the exact opposite. An 'interactive movie' you play. Exactly how the creator of Final Fantasy, Sakaguchi, described the series over 20 years ago.

To me, I don't really feel like they're adding anything 'new' to Final Fantasy gameplaywise to "think ahead to what RPGs will be like ten years from now, especially with the arrival of high-definition machines." If their idea of 'thinking ahead' is just make characters do even MORE flashy animations and MORE cutscenes...then what hope is their for the series?

Frankly, I have to say it, Dragon Quest IS doing more 'innovation' for the RPG genre than Final Fantasy is. And in many ways, it always has been one step ahead over the years. Perhaps that's why they're referencing it specifically.

Who are these people? I'll beat the shit out of them.

Indeed...FFVI got better and better as the game went on because its one of the few FF games that became more open-ended and let you explore more of the world as you go.  Same with FFVIII, though many people won't admit it.  That's what I liked about both games, and part of why those are both my favorite FF games.

There's never been a bad Final Fantasy game, and XIII won't be the first. Actually, I would be really hard-pressed to score ANY FF game less than 8 (including VIII with its hideous plot and characters -replayed it recently-)...and I've played all FF console games.