The only critically acclaimed JRPG this generation...

[Pheesh]

I haven't played it yet, but I'd like to say that I'm gearing up to buy Resonance of Fate and I fully expect to enjoy it from what I've seen. I've heard the story is a little lacking, but hopefully the gameplay innovations make it a refreshing play.

[NeoCracker]

I hear Lufia 2 is awesome, though I've yet to play it. My buddy Sean is picking it up though, so I'll have a first hand opinion on it in the near future.

[Lamia]

I like Bolivar's description of Demon's Souls.

Actually, now that I have been playing it, I have to agree. It does feel very Japanese... I also think the concep is similar to other games Atlus has developed/published such as Eternal Poison and the Megami Tensei series... In Eternal Poison you go to a demon realm and you can harvest fallen "Majin" (essentially demons in the game) souls and in megami tensei games characters can summon demons... The game plays like an oldschool Castlevania to me...update that with modern mechanics and graphics and add RPG character progression and it can compete with the Oblivions of the world

I actually find it somewhat frustrating that today's WRPGs are representing RPGs to the majority of people. I think Mass Effect, and Oblivion are good games and I even enjoy other games with RPG elements such as Borderlands. However, it annoys me that Oblivion is heralded for being a masterful RPG game with a large, dynamic and changing world. Some elements of Oblivion were innovate and neat but there was Ultima VII before Oblivion and, I'm sorry, you could do A LO more in Ultima VII. There were many other vast, open world RPGs in the past that make Oblivion feel like a medieval FPS (sure, there arent guns, but all FPS have melee, and since I play a mage, I have to shoot a lot of fireballs). It doesn't help that in Oblivion, it doesn't matter what level you are because the monsters levels are relative to your level. Lots of exploraion, but no true sense of character creation. Mass Effect, is actually very story driven but I do feel like I am playing Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six in the far future at times rather than an RPG. I haven't played Dragon Age, Fable, Fallout 3 or NV.

I think myself, and some other JRPG fans, just want to see a new big, shiny JRPG that is on top of the pack again. JRPGs are becoming more of a niche genre than they use to be. Games such as Chrono Trigger, Suikoden, Final Fantasy VI, VII, VIII, IX, and even X and many other games had cross appeal. Also, these games did not have the ridiculous Otaku anime style *cringe*... Though there are a few great games that have this art style but it is now the dominate approach to an HD JRPG... That is what I appreciate about FF as the art style is anime INSPIRED instead of cel-shaded anime whackiness. I am still a fan of the Star Ocean series though but I think it mixes in enough realism and anime to avoid offending anybody.

[Vyk]

I haven't played it yet, but I'd like to say that I'm gearing up to buy Resonance of Fate and I fully expect to enjoy it from what I've seen. I've heard the story is a little lacking, but hopefully the gameplay innovations make it a refreshing play.

It just likes to hint at plot through a lot of it. Most of the game is carried through characterization. And for what it lacks in plot development early on, it more than makes up for with that characterization. I haven't completed the game myself, 'cause I burn out quickly on any game. But it carried me a lot farther than I thought possible. I loved the characters and they were worth spending a lot of time getting to know. So here's hoping you do enjoy

[Dignified Pauper]

I'm just going to say it, Demons' Souls is ridiculously awesome, but after I beat it once, I was uninterested in it.

[あるはずのないピカチュウ]

Tales of Graces F has a pretty neat battle system, just the story sucks so bad I wanted to ...

Oh yeah I did skip most of it ...

To be honest though I'd probably put Tales of Vesperia over DS, liked both games but the only reason I felt Vesperia got panned in reviews is because anime blah blah flat chested girls that don't know how to cook are good for nothing

[Bolivar]

1. Sorry for my rant against WRPG's, and Dragon Age actually is a game I do want to pick up eventually.

But I am seriously surprised no one in this thread has yet brought up White Knight Chronicles!!!

Dear Lord in Heaven, THANK YOU for White Knight Chronicles...

I just got this game this weekend as an early Christmas present and I am practically creaming. After 3 years of playing shooters and racers, a few very good but unconventional JRPG's, and being disappointed in FFXIII, this game is such an unbelievable joy to play. I'm like smiling all giddy because I'm actually buying swords and armor at a shop in a town then going out in the field to check them out. I'm spread skill points gained after levelling across multiple skill trees where I can choose to build up attributes or gain new abilities. And to top it off there's this insane online mode that I haven't even touched yet.

I can understand why the mainstream media gave it such a lukewarm reception - they're all idiots who have been playing the Elder Scrolls, Fallouts, and Mass Effects for the last few years and their head cannot fathom how a game can be called an RPG if you can't choose one of four pre-set responses when a female NPC asks you if her ass is too big. Yes, the story is archetypal and almost campy, but I NEEEDED a fantasy story like this where the characters look and talk the way they do while the music is exactly what I would want.

Honestly, it almost feels like this is Level-5's spiritual successor to what they did with Dragon Quest VIII - a home console game set in a bright, beautiful world with tons of places to explore, with the typical greens fields, blue rivers, white skies, and grey castles you'd expect in one of these games.

Anyone still playing it or thinking about starting a new file?

Also, Bolivar, how can you criticize Mass Effect and Fallout 3 for genre melding and then praise Valkyrie Chronicles in the same breath; when that title did the same damn thing of merging third person shooter elements into a SRPG? So onto the more important topic...

Shame on you, Wolf Kanno! People here know you've played at least two of those games (Fallout3 & VC1), so the answer should be obvious enough to you:

Real-time vs. Turn-based.

In Valkyria Chronicles, when it's a character's turn, the enemies do not move. They do not seek you out. The only time they shoot at you, is when you come in their peripheral vision radius. You get one shot to pull the trigger, then that character's done. Elevation, cover, and distance are not gameplay factors to take to into account - they're parameters that go into a mathematical equation that determines how much damage will be done.

Shame on you, Wolf, you should know better

[NeoCracker]

Yeah, for some reason White Knight slipped my mind, which is odd cause I set it as my second favorite game of the year.

[Wolf Kanno]

Also, Bolivar, how can you criticize Mass Effect and Fallout 3 for genre melding and then praise Valkyrie Chronicles in the same breath; when that title did the same damn thing of merging third person shooter elements into a SRPG? So onto the more important topic...

Shame on you, Wolf Kanno! People here know you've played at least two of those games (Fallout3 & VC1), so the answer should be obvious enough to you:

Real-time vs. Turn-based.

In Valkyria Chronicles, when it's a character's turn, the enemies do not move. They do not seek you out. The only time they shoot at you, is when you come in their peripheral vision radius. You get one shot to pull the trigger, then that character's done. Elevation, cover, and distance are not gameplay factors to take to into account - they're parameters that go into a mathematical equation that determines how much damage will be done.

Shame on you, Wolf, you should know better

You missed my point Bolivar old chap. You're original post makes it sound like the fact Bioware and Bethseda did some genre melding was bad but then say VC was great despite also doing it, when you're new post has you actually clarify the real issue is that Sega did a good job of melding whereas the other two failed to implement them together properly, making them instead feel like action game/FPS with RPG elements.

I just caught you in a blanket statement, since you failed in your original post to explain why VC is an example of good melding since it keeps true to the SRPG formula.

[Bolivar]

You missed my point Bolivar old chap. You're original post makes it sound like the fact Bioware and Bethseda did some genre melding was bad but then say VC was great despite also doing it, when you're new post has you actually clarify the real issue is that Sega did a good job of melding whereas the other two failed to implement them together properly, making them instead feel like action game/FPS with RPG elements.

I just caught you in a blanket statement, since you failed in your original post to explain why VC is an example of good melding since it keeps true to the SRPG formula.

It's not that I think they're genre-melding. The only thing that makes Valkyria Chronicles like a Third Person Shooter is that the characters happen to have guns. The other two games have been both criticized and praised for stripping away (or streamlining) RPG elements in order to appeal to a broader audience. My point is just that WRPG's, particularly the most popular and critically acclaimed this generation, have been guilty of dilution. That doesn't mean they're not amazing games, as many people think they are. However, the only praise Valkyria Chronicles has gotten has been on the merits of its strategy, unique battle scenarios, deep (if a bit cliched) plot, and characteristic art style. Not because "it's like Geers of Warr, lulz"

On another note, I played my first couple online quests in White Knight Chronicles last night and my affection for this game is compounding. After noticing the similarities to DQVIII it seems like Level-5 added in the online questing aspects that they would eventually implement into DQIX. It just cements for me that this is their new IP for home consoles that they want to place in the pantheon of the Final Fantasies and Dragon Quests. After checking out both the single player and multiplayer, neither one of us could fathom how it got such mixed reviews.

We came to the conclusion that it's because it doesn't have guns. Thanks for sticking up for those games, Wolf. You're contributing to the destruction of our beloved genre (or just calling me out on my contradictions (which are non-existent)).

[Wolf Kanno]

You missed the part about VC utilizing cover to minimize damage and protect units. You know, that new element that all them FPS and 3rd person shooters love so much that's become a standard feature now for the genre. I don't even play those types of games and I spotted that one. Its a element that is missing in most SRPG titles but abundant in the 3rd person shooter genres so I guess my comment means more than just them having guns.

Also, you don't play WRPGs so there's no reason for you to be bitching about them being diluted by Bioware.

As for keeping the genre we love alive, I feel I do my duty like calling out BS on XIII which did more to unmake the genre than anything else, and to actually support MegaTen who have actually been breaking new ground with the genre while also keeping true to their roots. What have you been doing lately besides making sweet love to Killzone 3 screenshots?

[ShinGundam]

As for keeping the genre we love alive, I feel I do my duty like calling out BS on XIII which did more to unmake the genre than anything else, and to actually support MegaTen who have actually been breaking new ground with the genre while also keeping true to their roots.

What :\ ?

[kotora]

He's saying FF13 sucks balls and the MegaTen is better. Personally I can't decide which one of them sucks harder.

[Bolivar]

You missed the part about VC utilizing cover to minimize damage and protect units. You know, that new element that all them FPS and 3rd person shooters love so much that's become a standard feature now for the genre. I don't even play those types of games and I spotted that one. Its a element that is missing in most SRPG titles but abundant in the 3rd person shooter genres so I guess my comment means more than just them having guns.

Also, you don't play WRPGs so there's no reason for you to be bitching about them being diluted by Bioware.

As for keeping the genre we love alive, I feel I do my duty like calling out BS on XIII which did more to unmake the genre than anything else, and to actually support MegaTen who have actually been breaking new ground with the genre while also keeping true to their roots. What have you been doing lately besides making sweet love to Killzone 3 screenshots?

1. Actually, cover systems are not yet standard in FPS games! Killzone has it, I think Brink will have it, but I can't think of any other games that do unless you count the peak/lean function on PC FPS. But EVEN THEN cover in Valkyria is really just the "Defend" action. You don't pop out constantly to take pop shots or blind fire, most of the time you use it at the end of a turn. We're splitting hairs at this point all I can say is that an argument that VC adopted shooter elements to appeal to a wider audience is ridiculous. Maybe someone'll find an interview with the director saying that, but the game is so far towards SRPG on the sliding scale it's a moot point.

2. There really is no point in me calling out the state of WRPG's for any reason, but it's pertinent to this thread b/c the perception is that they've taken over while JRPG's have fallen off. Personally, they've "taken over" because they appeal to the jock/hipster gamers of today, by making them more accessible, which, AGAIN, is NOT NECESSARILY a bad thing, and has been praised by many fans and critics. But I've seen a lot of innovations in JRPG's, from the SRPG subgenre with VC, the multiplayer integration of Dragon Quest IX, and the online features of Demon's Souls and White Knight Chronicles. And I can't hold anything against Bioware, I still want to get Dragon Age and will probably end up playing Mass Effect 2 sooner than later.

3. OBVIOUSLY if you look in my last few posts responding to you, I've been playing White Knight Chronicles and loving the hell out of it. I also purchased some Valkyria Chronicles DLC not too long ago. And I'm spreading the word! I've said my critiques of FFXIII like you, but I still voice the facts that were good about it that made it an enjoyable game overall. Yes, I've been playing the crap out of Call of Duty: Black Ops, Gran Turismo 5, Dante's Inferno, but I still get my hours of losing myself in White Knight Chronicles in when I can.

And I've already played some of the Killzone 3 campaign, in 3D and with Playstation Move at PAX Prime, and played the multiplayer beta there and at home, so I don't need to drool over screenshots, I already know it's gonna be THA BOMB!!! (see you online).

[kotora]

Having cover systems in FPS games is smurfing ridiculous and only shows how games are becoming more and more retarded. What's the point in having a stupid context sensitive button for taking cover when you have buttons for crouching behind obstacles and walls? Is that becoming too hard for people nowadays too?