IGN basically wants JRPGs to be WRPGs. That's the western gaming media for ya!

Actually, something just came to my mind, though it will be quite controversial- have Square-Enix stop making RPGs. Yes, I'll bemoan the loss of my DQ series, but you'll stop having someone else making an RPG, and then bitching and not buying it because "it doesn't look as good as Final Fantasy." In fact, with removal of the giant, I do know that it will leave a hole that needs to be filled. We may see a few other Japanese companies, not having to compete with the king, now trying their hand at the market. And, as companies that have never made RPGs before, they might come up with some new ideas. Sure, some will be bad ideas, but there might be this breakthrough idea that we're not seeing because someone's afraid to compete with S-E on their own ground.

The biggest problem I have with Western RPGs is that, unlike more mainstream type RPGs like Final Fantasy, they focus solely on a target audience of power nerds and dungeon of dragons nerds. They focus on the same nerdy audience who has to play shooters online 90 hours a week and listen to lots of heavy metal music so they can feel uber 1337 hardcore badass (even though they probably can't even jog a half a kilometer without passing out and dying). That's why the more mainstream Japanese RPGs are more popular and will continue to remain so.

Clearly you didn't listen to my posts.  As I said, both JRPGs and WRPGs have their fair share of popular generic titles that everyone points to as being the pinnacle of their genres.  It just so happens that this generation, people are getting tired of playing the same JRPGs and looking for something new.  So they're jumping onto stuff like Fallout, Mass Effect and the recent Dragon Age.  And in the process, they think they're 'brand new'.  When in many ways, they're not, just like Final Fantasy VII-XIII wasn't brand new for its time.

The point is, there's JRPGs that do unique things in every generation.  But most people just focus on games like Final Fantasy or Tales because they're popular and have good graphics/advertising.  And as a result, when some of those games fail to impress them or end up being 'more of the same', they get angry and look for something else to play and blame all JRPGs for being 'generic junk'.  Instead of actually looking for a different JRPG series that does better.

It also doesn't help that this generation, nearly all the best (and almost all of the) JRPGs are going to the handhelds.  Leaving the rest of the JRPGs that would otherwise be 'high risk' to be put on the Consoles.

I ran out of time so i didn't get to read all the posts, however I wanted to make sure ToV got more credit. Personally I like the sketched interaction, its optional and builds character background as well as shows a growth in relationship between team members. It also doesn't really take away from gameplay with cinematics. However, this could have been done in a way similar to dragon age, where the members on the team will interact with oneanother simply by being in the group. Finally, ToV has multiplayer on the console, and the gameplay is unique to the Tales of series in that it isn't turn based but an active fighting style game. Good story too, can't wait till it is released on PS3 so I can play it again with added content.

Final Fantasy and Tales are not all JRPGs.  There ARE JRPGs that target markets beyond 10-18 year old males or preteen girls.  And no, Final Fantasy doesn't really do much to show that it does.  In fact, every time, it shows its trying to hit that market with a hammer bigger than Odin.

And by beyond you mean forum dwelling anime nerds?

You mean like you?

I'm talking games like Dragon Quest, Phantasy Star and Monster Hunter.  Which hit markets beyond that age group in Japan.  Even Pokemon can be argued to appeal to the adult market today, as most of its players are either over the age of 18 or below the age of 10.

Sorry but I hate anime. ;(

Those games are exactly the kind of games which appeal only to the anime nerds.