rocketpig said: This is why, slowly but surely, I'm leaving JRPG games on the shelves as they are released. Western devs like Bioware and Bethesda have just left them in the dust by continually evolving the way you play an RPG. JRPGs are really stagnating in my opinion. When was the last time you had a truly new experience in a JRPG? Bioware brought us the ability to tap into our inner devil with the openness of the KOTOR series and are offering some great new conversation ideas in Mass Effect. Bethesda has continually evolved RPGs into a wide-open adventure that virtually has no limits and I fully expect them to carry on this tradition with Fallout 3. Fable is attempting to allow someone to live their life in a realistic manner that allows you to choose your own ending. Other western devs are exploring the possibilities of RPG elements mixed with FPS and adventure games. Maybe it's just me but I'm growing very tired of playing another linear Japanese story with an effeminate male character/child that is put into an awkward situation where he has to save the world with a newer, bigger, better gun-sword-magic-thingy as his weapon. Blue Dragon's demo really let me down in this regard. I was hoping for something new but received more of the same-ol', same-ol' stuff. Lost Odyssey may hold something new but I ain't holding my breath anymore. I'll focus on lusting over games like Mass Effect and Fallout instead

 

I agree 100% with this.  JRPGs are a total bore, I played the Blue Dragon demo for 15 minutes. 

I can't wait for Mass Effect, Fallout 3, and Fable 2.

I really hope Mass Effect sales very well because they really deserve it. Seriouly Mass Effect looks awesome

Maybe it's just me but I'm growing very tired of playing another linear Japanese story with an effeminate male character/child that is put into an awkward situation where he has to save the world with a newer, bigger, better gun-sword-magic-thingy as his weapon. Blue Dragon's demo really let me down in this regard. I was hoping for something new but received more of the same-ol', same-ol' stuff.

+1, I aggry too about the non-innovation point.
Hope things will change.

oh Mass Effect is a Xbox360 exclusivity that will not be released on PC ?
I thought it comes on PC AND Xbox360.
If it is right, it will be good for Xbox360 so.

rocketpig said: Legend11 said: I've always preferred Western rpgs ever since the days of Bard's Tale, Ultima, Gold Box AD&D, etc... I just find they give you a lot more freedom than their Japanese counterparts. I think it boils down to cultural differences. Westerners love the "choose your adventure" type of gameplay that is being offered across genres while Japanese gamers still like to be spoonfed their stories. You even hear frustration on the part of some Japanese devs that change isn't happening over there. I think in the end, it will just be one more factor that turns Japanese gaming more irrelevent. I started a thread about this a few months back and was lambasted for it by a multitude of people.

Of course there is a cultural difference. In the west we are in love with this whole moral choice issue, where you can choose between good or evil. This simply isn't the case in Japan where the good side is expected to prevail no matter what. I notice you are not complaining about the influx of teamplay in western games be it online coop or controling NPC chars. This is a very Japanese trait that has been of great benifit for western games. Obviously in an ideal world we could take the best parts of both cultures and combine them to create a better game, but this isn't happening just yet.

As for Mass Effect, f*ck Halo 3, this is the must by game of 07 for the 360. This is probably in my top 3 anticipated games for the rest of this year.

Someone is forgetting Shin Megami Tensei..........

One of the first major games (and a JRPG to boot) that featured a huge moral delima.

Align with the "good" god, and try to deactivate the nuclear weapons from blowing Tokyo sky high, align with neutral, kill both gods and let it all play out, or become evil, kill the good god's incarnate form, and let the nukes fly, hoping to rule post-WW3 Japan.

Or did you not know this?

Game of the year candidate easily.

Indeed western RPGs are definitely on the rise lately.

This is one of the games that I bought the 360 for, way ahead of Halo 3.

Saiyar said: Of course there is a cultural difference. In the west we are in love with this whole moral choice issue, where you can choose between good or evil. This simply isn't the case in Japan where the good side is expected to prevail no matter what. I notice you are not complaining about the influx of teamplay in western games be it online coop or controling NPC chars. This is a very Japanese trait that has been of great benifit for western games. Obviously in an ideal world we could take the best parts of both cultures and combine them to create a better game, but this isn't happening just yet.

You mean like in the early pc Ultima games?  You know the ones that predate Japanese rpgs and in which they got most of their core ideas from?

And remember, it's gonna be a trilogy as well as downloadable episodic content. Now I wonder, will ME take more of my time then Oblivion, from the looks of it, probably :)