I would get FF X if you have a BC PS3, I am getting IU too, so I would probably recommend that especially as it is cheap, and tri-ace are really good

Assuming when you mean turn-based, you mean your characters doing nothing and waiting for your command whilst the enemies do nothing as well.... that rules our Lost Odyssey but I still recommend it as you will learn to appreciate turn-based combat.

Just wait for Infinite Undiscovery or check out Eternal Sonata. You must have some appreciation for anime style to really appreciate ES, but if you want more matured story and characters, IU is your best bet. ToV is obviously the next best choice but since you are in the UK, it doesnt come out till next year....

What do you mean by going backwards? Gameplaywise? If so then that really isn't a problem with Jrpgs. they changed even less than FPS have. You will be missing out on some of the best games in the genre though.

Get tales of vesperia for 360, and Tales of the Abyss for PS2.

If you want my advice, you ARE missing out, and you HAVE missed out on the best genre in gaming. You should buy a Playstation 2, and there are about 20 or 30 games you need to pick up with it. Your first stop should be Final Fantasy VII. If it's the best game ever, or if it's not, it is certainly the best JRPG to start with for a beginner. It's relatively easy and very easy to like. If you don't see what the big deal is after playing that game, then this genre isn't for you.

That said, let me get on topic here and do your recommendations that aren't Final Fantasy(since you said you didn't want to play them):


PLEASE don't use Lost Odyssey or Eternal Sonata as your trial game for this genre. Please, don't. I mean, they aren't that good, to be honest, and you know I'm not a Sony fanboy, lol.

If you have never played JRPG's, you certainly are missing out, bigtime.

Now, you say you don't like turn based games. That cancels out most of the classics.

I have a few recommendations for you, however, none of them are on current gen consoles:

A. Tales of Symphonia - Wii compatible. Very, very, awesome game.

B. Tales of the Abyss - The sequel in spirit to ToS, for PS2.

C. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time - This game meets your criteria, and while it isn't an outstanding JRPG, it is still a good one, and I think it does a good job of encompassing everything that a JRPG is, with an active battle system.

D. The World Ends With You - Nintendo DS, great game

E. Final Fantasy IV - Another great game, this one is turn based, but I can't let it go unmentioned.


Avoid Lost Odyssey, and Eternal Sonata like plague. If you refuse to play anything on an old console or handheld, then I would recommend Super Paper Mario. It's an action RPG made in Japan, it's not really representative of the genre, but it is a good game. Otherwise, just wait.

I really think the best upcoming JRPG on a next gen console will probably be Tales of Vesperia. Jury is still out on that one though, and it's just a guess by me.



Let me talk a second on why I recommend avoiding Lost Odyssey like plague.

First, the game doesn't let you grind levels through most of it. There are intermittant level caps. Random battles in the game are very tedious, considering it takes 10 seconds to load one and 10 seconds to return to your movement screen(and the battles themselves can take several minutes, I'm not kidding). The main character has a terrible personality, and character development is never what it should be. There are a lot of glitches in the game, and the farther you get, the longer the fights take to load. Trust me, this gets frusterating as hell. Also, you never get better stuff. Your attacks just do slightly more damage, like you'll be lucky to see 1000 damage sword swings in the game. You almost only ever swing your sword for damage, and there are no summons or cool spells really in the game at all. The game also suffers slowdown. For some reason late in the game, it becomes needlessly difficulty out of the blue. Your gameplay will consist of attacking with Seth and Kaim, while your back row healers buff and heal you.

There were some cool things about it. Jansen was a great, hilarious character. The VA was largely great, as was the sound design. The cutscenes are very well done, and Seth is one of my favorite videogame characters(and easy on the eyes too). The short stories are heart warming and emotional.

Overally, I would recommend the game ONLY to JRPG fans who are running short on things to play. It's certainly not bad, and brilliant in some parts, but if you don't make yourself love it, you'll just end up pissed off bigtime at the game.




Eternal Sonata is a bit less niche, and the battle system is actually quite fun. The light/dark aspects are cool, at first, and the system is fun and addictive, if a little shallow. The story is at least interesting, but certainly nothing to write home about.

The game simply fails to maintain your interest, however. It feels like Star Ocean lite. Once you realize how shallow the game is, you'll realize it shoulda been on a handheld. It has a nice start, but the game is just lacking in every area of depth that a JRPG needs to hook its audience. The story is airy and cliche, the characters are boring, the pacing is slow, the battle system is shallow and non-rewarding.


Frankly, despite my 360 fanboyism as of late, I'd be remiss to recommend either of these games to anyone. They really are over-rated by the 360 community and JRPG community at large. I would ordinarily let it pass, but since a new member of the JRPG community, I can't allow a ton of recommendations for mediocre games to go to the prospect without commenting. There are so many GREAT jrpgs out there, and any one of them could hook you to the genre. Neither of these will do it though.

Play real time JRPG's. Turn based JRPG's are boring.

Yes, everyone agrees with you. Every Final Fantasy game except XII was boring as hell.

I hope you realize that's sarcasm.

Oh, you know what. I got just the game for you kowenicki.

Get yourself ahold of a copy of Secret of Mana, in the usual ways forum goers go about getting ahold of great games that haven't been available for 15 years.

That is a fantastic game and a great introduction to the genre. It also isn't turn based, and fully represents everything that is good about JRPGs.

Yeah, I second SoM. It's a shame that with their love of rereleasing and rerereleasing things, Square hasn't gotten around to putting this on DS or something yet.

Gotta agree. It's usually this genre that decides what console I'll get... for now, I prefer a 360.