Did you read the list? It isn't just a list of what WRPGs do; as you've already pointed out the cliche argument can apply to RPGs from both East and West. They even highlight JRPGs that have been original and implemented what they are talking about to iterate there point (point 4 & 2). And take point 7 for instance, yes they mention Fallout 3 but the actual point they're trying to make is a return to the World Map screen of past JRPGs that seems to have been reduced recently.

To me it reads like a list made by an RPG fan that wants a little more originality and evolution from the Eastern games.

So they want us to "fix" Jrpgs. The distinction between JRPGS and WRPGS are important, we as gamers do not want all our games to be the same! In a genre as broad as this one, we need as much variety as we can get, so WE have the choice of what we want to buy or not. Screw you IGN, you just want everything to be the same so you can write an article and copy/paste it 40billion times (Im thinking they do some of this now).

Western media wants Japanese games to be more like Western games?? I'm shocked.

@ burning phoenix

Please, who is doing that? I certainly don't see it.

10 ways? That is not enough.

But they should really at least get rid of those kid anime characters.

Top 10 Ways to Fix WRPGs

1)no more american empire games(mass effect, fallout 3,etc)
2)no more marines torturing or killing "inferior especiies" (aka non americans)
3)no more pseudo arian race superiority talk (ign, gamespot,etc)
4)no more gray worlds.
5)no more :hip hop culture is superior to emo culture.(because is not)
6)no more macho steriotypes.

7)no more marines

8)no more marines

9)no more inocent people killing

10)no more marines

"Unfortunately, a number of JRPGs have relied heavily on the now dry tradition of the simple Attack, Magic, Item, Defend dynamic that we've seen for decades. This just doesn't cut it.

A good battle system needs a good hook -- something to set it apart from its peers."

I disagree completely. If a JRPG had the same gameplay as the early Pokémon games to keep it basic and not frustratingly complex, and instead focused on having tons of interresting enemies, characters and weapons etc etc. And having a extra long epic story and having awesome graphics and attack animations.

THAT would be the correct direction for JRPG games to go. The old battle system is not broken, and if developers try to fix it we'll just end up with another FFVIII *shrugs*
I'm all for action based battle systems though, like in Secret of Mana and the Tales games.

Yes! We don't want anime characters! More steriod induced, high power space marines!

FOOTBALL, RED MEAT, POWER TOOLS!

You forgot beer.

Yes beer! Yay beer!