lolz! That was funny.

But really, JRPGs need to mature their storylines. They are waaaaay to cheesy. SE should just have two teams making FF series. One for the Japanese audience and one for America that borrows heavily from Bioware. See Final Fantasy Tactics. That game had a superb storyline and I consider it the best of any Final Fantasies!

I disagree that they need to borrow from any western developers but I do agree that some different themes would be a welcome change to the series.... change the setting, open things up a bit (not necessarily involving choice), and try a different direction. I don't have any problem with JRPGs staying with little in-game choice (maybe a little would be nice) but I'd LOVE to see them try something other than a bunch of freaky-haired teenagers going out to save the friggin' world. That schtick is so old that it's well past the point of being stale.

Basically, try to change things up a bit but not necessarily follow in the footsteps of western devs.

Alot of people share your feelings. That why am sure it will have a mass effect on us.

That's what made Lost Odyssey so great. You lead character was grown man. With the exception of your lead characters grand kids, the whole cast were adults. No teenager that has never picked up a sword owning 20 year military veterans with ease. That was cool 15 to 20 years ago. Not so much now.

I liked LO until it went emo. The game lost me at that point but the biggest disappointment in the game was playing Blue Dragon, seeing the EXCELLENT gameplay in that title, and then getting stuck with 1985 gameplay in Lost Odyssey. I wanted to strangle Sakaguchi.

And it's common for 35 year old "war-hardened" men like Raven from ToV to be called "old man" in these games. lol. I know that young men have played a large part in fighting for land and country throughout history but is an inexperienced 17/18 year old soldier going to be more competent than a more seasoned vet who is still in his physical prime? Especially when that solider is prone to emo meltdowns that could get yourself and your squad killed on the battlefield? No. Among the 17/18 year old soldiers/warriors, the most capable are usually those who are the most mentally strong and mature for their age.

mass effect....Pun Intended?

I bet that God of War III will be a much better game.

Indeed. And checkers is WAY BETTER than frisbee.

Depends on what genre you like. I would gladly play XIII over GoW3 anyday, and I am a big fan of the GoW series.