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@Jason Chrono Trigger remains awesome to you (and me) because we played the original when it debut, and got blown away in the process. Its always forever easier to jump right back into an old favorite, call it 'comfort food' if you will, and never get sick of it. I feel the exact same way about a lot of 16-bit RPGs, but the ugly truth is they aren't *that* fantastic anymore to someone who plays it now for the first time.
To give an example. I watched the cartoon M.A.S.K as a kid, and loved it to death. I never had a chance to rewatch it for over 20 years till I recently obtained the series episodes. Frankly, now it looks, sounds, and watches like shit and even I recognize that. Yet I still love watching every single episode over anything that plays on contemporary TV, simply because I experienced its magic decades ago, and already decided years ago that I loved it. Nothing will change that. Same with Chrono Trigger/FF4-6/Earthbound/Mario RPG."
The gist to be had here is that complexity (for whatever its worth) is causing the traditional JRPG to die out. We could debate till the cows come home what 'traditional' means, but for all intents and purposes, its universally understood that it broadly refers to menu-driven turn-based gameplay that does not rely on any form of reflex or twitch reaction under normal conditions. And my point here is that 'complexity' (that a LOT of people like) is causing traditional (boring) gameplay systems to die out. Thing is, there are a good number of fans of mind-numbing JRPGs.
EK Thomson gave some recommendations for present-day 'traditional' JRPGs, which is great & all. However, other than Dragon Quest (and possibly Suikoden), its not unreasonable to say the other titles don't really represent the bedrock of the JRPG. Though some are genuinely excellent, why must these always be sleeper-hits confined to an underground community of rabid fans? Where are the similar offerings from the big-hitters? By all means, make all the FFXIIIs and ROFs you want in future, but at least have a random numbered FF given the pure traditional makeover appear once in a while.
To reiterate again, the issue is not that modern day JRPGs are bad; nor is the JRPG going down the shitter, but their uniquely complex gameplay systems coupled with typical western preference dominance is edging out the 'traditional' RPG from main consciousness, relegating it to the echelon of dating sims and train simulators."
There're even fucktards out there whining that the Wii lacks HD support, and from the way they express their dismay you'd think the SDTV never existed. Although I own a HDTV, but I truly empathize with your situation. Your friend is a victim of hype, not inadequacy."
Good read, although you don't really expand on the actual subject matter. After reading the entire thing, you hardly substantiate why JRPGs will die on consoles other than a quick Blue Dragon reference. You seem to imply that the JRPG will not exist on consoles in future because Blue Dragon (apparently) failed to appeal to the masses.
I was kinda hoping there would be more depth and scope for discussion. Nevertheless, thanks for the read.
Cheers
p.s btw, its 'Kang', not 'King'"
Of course, if you've set aside dedicated time to progress further in DQIX, it doesn't matter whatsoever which platform its on."
Whether the JRPG remains a viable product in future remains to be seen. The DQ series remains a major player even after 9 numbered titles, indicating that a base market exists for such a product. JRPG fans are also usually the most vocal within the gaming community. Heck, we're discussing about JRPGs right now aren't we? And let's not forget DQIX's ongoing success, suggesting that the JRPG market is still relatively healthy - its just not as ginormous as the FPS market."
As I've said multiple times before, Western RPGs are not necessarily 'better' by JRPGs now. It all boils down to dominant consumer preference. The western market is immense compared to the japanese."