Yes, I would appreciate it if the game didn't have Mass Effect's texture pop-in.

Still, the recent demo looked a-grade and they said they still had things they were going to make look/run better even with that. 

Yes with a friend. Revenant Wings is a far better game.

Damnit what Final Fantasy CC are we talking about >_>? Crisis Core or Crystal Chronicles xD

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I have over 500 hours into Oblivion, so I don't think it sucked at all... playing linear, locked-to-the-storyline JRPGs suck, in my opinion, because it's closer to watching a movie and the joy of open exploration is removed, i.e. - you can do anything you want in a JRPG as long as it's exactly the same as what the creator of the game decided you wanted.

 You're right about it being in the eye of the beholder.  Personally I think it usually comes down to exploration versus story.  Oblivion is a great example of a game where I did all the side missions, became the guild leader for all the guilds, but never actually finished the game because the main story was just not interesting to me at all.  That's a strength I see in most JRPG's, they have a story that pulls me along to keep playing and finish out the game.  This is not to say that WRPG's can't have a good story, but it's difficult to allow someone to do whatever they want, and yet keep a good central story throughout the gameplay.

Wait, we're on the second page and still no mention of Disgaea 3?!?

Am I the only one who absolutely loves the series? If we are, indeed, including SRPGs Disgaea 3 has a great chance of battling Fable 2 for top spot of RPGs that are guaranteed this year.

The story is usually good enough (especially in number 1), but what keeps you engaged is that they are so damn funny. I would agree with Torillian that stories are often difficult to remain interesting once you're given the ability to do whatever you want. The story for me, and many other RPG fans, is what keeps pushing you through the grind, or in past generations - random battles. Disgaea certainly has all of the makings of a great RPG - what it lacks in story, it makes up in humour, a great battle system, tonnes and tonnes of extras to keep you occupied, multiple endings, and customizable characters.

Not to take anything away from Fable 2, I'm sure it'll be a great game in its own respect and to those who love those type of games. But it is as someone mentioned earlier, it's in the eye of the beholder. Being a HUGE fan of JRPGs and pretty much a nonfan of WRPGs, I'm much more excited by WKS and Disgaea 3.

Agreed. 

I'm personally more excited for Valkyrie Chronicles than I am for Disgaea 3, but I think that's because it's a new IP and I'm very interested to see how it ends out. WKS seems good but I wish they would release something more to keep me going. i really think they should have two categories for best RPG of the year, a JRPG and a WRPG section. Because to me the two are just too different to fairly compare.

wait, so you expect fable 2 to be the best rpg of '08 when the first one wasn't all that great?

Not too different from people expecting Killzone 2 to be great when the first was panned.