well, shooters are like they were in the 90ties also.. the only thing that has maybe changed is physics (=Destruction of Buildings, etc.) and Graphics (sick looking things n sequences).

they are the same shizz too, except for online multiplayer...

!^^

(If the RPGs were like FF1, and just now, a game like FF7/8 or.. dunno.. almost every other rpg out there would just come out for the first time, it would be declared a revolution. but since the storytelling is great since more than 10-15 years, the most valuable part of RPGs is already pretty awesome, while the things that matter for shooters are something that gets better and better with hardware, because it gets more realistic and complex everytime a new Console/Graphics Card comes out. look at FFXIII. it is the Shootergame between the rpgs.)

Destructible environments have been around in shooters since the 80s and 90s. The first recorded case of a shooter having Fully Destructible environments is a shooter made by Enix in 1983 called Kagirinaki Tatakai. 

The first FPS to have fully destructible environments was also made in the 90s, for the Sega Saturn, called Ghen war.

Also, if you take in account the fact that most FPS always had some sort of environment destruction, be it in some objects or pre-set locations, games like Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Blood 2 and so on, also had that system. 

wasnt red faction b4 the saturn?

The first Red Faction was released on the PSTwo.

Yeah after I posted I had a think about it. Considering Saturn was after Mega Drive that is a bloody good effort to have an fps like that. Then why the hell was Red Faction so possible because of wall breakage?

The Geo-Mod engine in the Red Faction games allows you a higher degree of destructibility in th scenarios, as it becomes much more procedural and dynamic, I believe.

You could, in theory, carve new pathways in the scenarios by using rocket launchers or other high yield weaponry or equipment, such as the drill in the early Red Faction levels. In practice it had much more limitations.

Nope.  They simply haven't grown in popularity in line with other genres, at least in the West.  There's also be a continued move towards JRPGs on the go via handhelds.

In some ways it's a shame, as it would be nice to see people chose to mix up more simplistic realtime game mechanics with the ability to have more complex, turn based mechanics that offer a different gameplay challenge.

So I do see that the nature of JRPGs vs the trends in gameplay in the West don't mix to well.  Most Western gamers want more immediate, realtime experiences and the majority don't seem interested in more complex turn based systems.

The traditional mix of gameplay vs long cinematics has also hurt the genre in the West vs current trends.

I do think some JRPGs are showing signs of a crysis trying to respond by simplifying the combat but leaving the cinematics, which is probably worse as they may actually be pleasing potentially less of their fanbase.  My view would be to leave the mechanics and deliver depth as a selling point but cut down the cut-scene length's considerably.

Pos	Game	Americas	Japan	EMEAA	Worldwide
1	Pokémon Diamond / Pearl Version (DS) Nintendo	6.70	6.02	4.99	17.71

Pokemon Diamond/Pearl says no

In some ways I think voice acting and better visuals have done some harm.

When we were all playing with 2D sprites, we never had the "guys look like girls, therefore I'm not playing it" stupidity.  I'm sorry, I just get tired of hearing that without any kind of research into the culture in why that's true.  Also, we never had to worry about bad voice acting.

Overall, I think the genre is going through what 2D platformers went through in the late 90s early 00s.  2D platformers have made a comeback this generation.  For a while, I think we will be seeing most jRPGs on handhelds / Japan only, which is sad.  I suppose it's what I need to learn the Japanese language better.

I'm not sure Western games have really evolved so much as they have become more accessible.  Previously, Western games were more for PCs - which had limited appeal.

For the next decade or so, I see primarily shooters and casual games ruling the roost.  It doesn't help that Japan is in one of the worst economic times ever since WW2.

Ar Tonelico 3, Hyperdimension: Neptunia, Valkyria Chronicles 3, Atelier Totori, WKC2, Trinity:Souls, plus many I have forgotten plus a gazillion portable ones.

I would venture there will be more JRPG releases on home consoles this year than any other this gen so far.