Best JRPG's "last" generation?

[replayme]

As the thread implies, what would you argue were the standout JRPGs for the Wii/X360/PS3 consoles?

I know that Ni No Kino, Xenoblade Chronicles, Lost Odyssey are regarded as being staple choices, but what other games would you argue are worthy of being in a JRPG fan's gaming collection?

What about some of the Tri-Ace games (like Resonance of Fate), or even the Namco-Bandai stuff (like the Tales series)?

[soprano1]

The Last Story on Wii, and Tales of Graces f on PS3.

[Some-Mist]

If handhelds were included, I would definitely say Mother 3 with The World Ends With You as a follow up. Or Pier Solar (sega genesis).

If we're only talking about last gen consoles (though all titles I listed we're released in the previous gen).. I would say Nier or Xenoblade.

The handhelds would definitely be my choice though, because Mother 3 was a fantastic follow up to EarthBound and could very well be one of my favorite JRPGs of all time.

[shmuppyLove]

Tales of Xillia, and I think 2 is coming out next year?

Oh I should add I really like Infinite Undiscovery, but I might be in the minority on that one.

One other one I really need to get as I've heard it's excellent is Resonance of Fate.

[LtC]

Falcom's Legend of Heroes series for me.

I enjoyed Tales of Vesperia quite a lot as well.

[BulletMagnet]

Blue Dragon isn't bad, though I'd put Lost Odyssey a notch above it; you can get either for a song these days though.

I'll second Tales of Graces f - I've never been big into the Tales games but found myself having a surprising amount of fun with that one in the end.

I haven't played too far into Resonance of Fate, but while I did like several things about it (most notably its off-kilter sense of humor), I found myself hitting a lot of walls in terms of battles I couldn't figure out how to win. Probably just needed more time with it...

For my own Wall of JRPG Shame entries I actually rather liked Final Fantasy XIII and its sequel, but there are certain things (most notably the nonsense story) that you'll need to look past to enjoy them, so they're definitely not as big on mass appeal as their predecessors. Some of the Idea Factory/Compile Heart stuff (particularly the more recent releases) actually isn't half-bad either, though again you have to have a measure of tolerance for goofy fan service and occasionally-baffling design decisions.

On the portable front I'll recommend Radiant Historia on the DS.

[gbaplayer]

xenoblade and last story were definetely epic rpgs. never was a rpg world bigger than in xenoblade and the game itself had nice graphics, awesome soundtrack (just watch the "title screen" video on YouTube!) and a cool battle System. storywise it was also cool and i never forget the scene about fiora (or fiorung?). last story had a very nice atmosphere and also a good story and a good battle system.

every wii owner should play those both!

other good rpgs of the last era were final fantasy 13/13-2, tales of vesperia and lost oddyssey, but i generally prefer rpgs from all the generations before (psx/snes/pc engine times).

oh, radiant historia on nintendo ds was also awesome!

[Ruldra]

Does Valkyria Chronicles count as a JRPG? If yes, then that.

I bought Resonance of Fate and honestly I didn't like it. The combat system is certainly unique but it got boring really fast for me. Once you learn what works you just repeat it over and over again. Send machinegun guy to paint the target, then send pistol/grenade guy to deal damage. Then position the last guy for a tri-attack. Repeat for the rest of the game. Not much you can do besides that.

I don't particularly care about the story in most games, but in RPGs they're very important for me. And the story in RoF is...in one word, stupid. Sometimes it makes no sense, other times it's silly.

Reached about the halfway point doing every side mission, got bored, then made a push and tried to finish the main story but got stuck on the second to last chapter. After that I just said fuck it and traded it away.

[Xyga]

Better stick to the handhelds yes, there's nothing much left on home systems.
DS/3DS/PSP/Vita are loaded with honorable to fairly good titles.

As for the typical 'school' complete-with-a-huge-world classic j-rpgs, Vesperia was the last to be released (and translated) on a home system.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Of the aforementioned, I have only played Xenoblade Chronicles (more playable than Xenogears, but it's not saying much). Cannot unsee what they did to Suikoden and Golden Sun. No idea if the games are any good, but I can already tell the graphics would bother me.
Looking forward to playing Rune Factory: Frontier (that I have yet to unseal). At least its graphics look nice.
My The Last Story copy has been staring at me in anticipation pretty much since it came out in Europe, but I don't expect it to be any more of a jRPG than Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (that is actually pretty rad; just not really a jRPG).

[hail good sir]

The combat in Vesperia made me actually angry sometimes so I could never get very far into it. Really wanted to like it though since the voice acting seemed decent to me and that's been my rpg turn off since they started doing that. I tried most of them and FF13 and Blue Dragon were the only ones I was able to finish which seems kind of ironic because I'm not sure either were very good games. Maybe I'm just getting too old.

[Neathyr]

I generally hate jRPG, but I got to admit I found The Last Remnant to be "OK". Aside from Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume and Front Mission (DS), I'd say it's the only good thing to come out of SquareEnix this past generation.

never was a rpg world bigger than in xenoblade

Eh, let's not get carried away here.

Does Valkyria Chronicles count as a JRPG?

It's an SRPG. Otherwise, we'd have to include Fire Emblem, the majority of Sting's Dept. Heaven series, Super Robot Wars, among others.

[Formless God]

Celceta Sea of Trees? I haven't got around to it yet but I wouldn't doubt an Ys game.

The Last Remnant is great. I never really cared about turn-based RPGs since the PS2 era, but this game upgraded the formula to eleven, making it not completely stats-based anymore and even shits all over you if you grind.

Resonance of Fate has a cool combat system, but it gets really repetitive. It's like someone designed a fighting game character with one really satisfying combo and absolutely nothing else.

My attention span doesn't allow me to sit idly for more than one and a half minutes so I didn't really gave a fuck about the story, but I did sit through the short skits with the characters and I actually found the cast of this thing pretty amusing and likeable; the characters are absolute clowns instead of the typical angst factories or moralfags seen in the majority of JRPGs.

I'm still pissed we never got a proper Valkyrie Profile last gen.

[Ganelon]

I'd say the closest thing to a standout traditional JRPGs for last gen consoles was Xenoblade Chronicles. This past generation is often considered the weakest JRPG generation to date, and there weren't any heavily agreed-upon excellent RPGs. On portable systems, there are a lot more choices (e.g. Sora no Kiseki, Dragon Quest IX). However, when some of the best ones are remakes and ports (e.g. Growlanser, Lunar, Final Fantasy III-IV, Dragon Quest IV-VI), it's clear that breakthrough new JRPGs are in short supply. I'm in the "overrated" camp on Ni no Kuni; the game is wholesome but has no excitement. Brave Story on PSP has a similar feel but does everything except graphics better.

Overall, you have to know where you stand. I'm not as fascinated by JRPGs as I used to be: replaying some of my favorites, I had great fun but not the wonder I experienced back in the day. I also don't have the time anymore to play most RPGs to completion. They've got to hook me from beginning to end now whereas before, I'd stick with a game and grind it all the way. Consequently, I'm a lot more conscious on what RPGs I buy nowadays. On the other hand, the games themselves definitely don't try to appeal to the formula that folks used to love in the 1990s. JRPGs are often grittier now (e.g. NIER, Resonance of Fate) in a lacking attempt to accommodate older fans. Other JRPGs try to incorrectly replicate classics with moe characters (e.g. Atelier, Mugen Souls). Others add new battle mechanics that aren't at all fun (e.g. Last Rebellion, Infinite Undiscovery).

This shift in age/games is definitely mirrored by the fact that less than 5% of the people I remember discussing JRPGs with online in the past 2 decades are still around. Contrast that to a genre such as 2D shooters (or 2D fighters) where the game atmosphere hasn't changed so much and where a good deal of the Shmupsforum folks from 10 years ago still pop up now and then. Interestingly, in both cases, just as older members disappear as they find something more interesting than these games, the new folks who replace them know a lot less about the classics and appreciate them to a noticeably lesser degree (check the top 25 history here for proof).

[Pretas]

Remember that this thread is only about 360/PS3/Wii, not handhelds.

JRPGs on consoles overall took a dive in quality last generation. I found these to be the genre's best examples from the period:

Eternal Sonata/Trusty Bell - Pretty much an honorary Tales game with a unique semi-real time battle system, and the strange story hook of being set in Frederic Chopin's dream during his final moments (he eventually enters his dream to join your party). Thanks to its great pacing, combat balance and characterization, it outclasses the Tales series. The later PS3 version has added content that was never made available on 360.

Blue Dragon - Sakaguchi's three-disc epic was a standout early exclusive for the 360, and would have been a runaway phenomenon in Japan if not for the system's unpopularity. It plays like a refined version of FFX, and has the appearance of the most gorgeous Dragon Quest ever. The only real problem is that there's too much of it, and the plot sometimes drags.

I won't count Valkyria Chronicles, as it's really a turn-based strategy game with only marginal RPG elements. Likewise, NieR is a 3D melee action game with more stats than usual.

[BulletMagnet]

The Last Remnant is great.

I've been curious about this one, but never took the plunge on it; if memory serves the options given to you in battle are determined in part at random (which I have a very limited tolerance for), and the visual style takes a decided turn towards the angrybrown (IIRC it was done in Unreal Engine). Are my fears unfounded in this case?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Oh, if Baroque on Wii is as good as on PS2, it surely is among the best.

[Some-Mist]

Oh, if Baroque on Wii is as good as on PS2, it surely is among the best.

I was actually going to mention Borque, but I figured it didn't count.

[Moniker]

FFXIII *duck*

[Bananamatic]

FFXIII *duck*

Decent linear game for $15 with slightly challenging battles, definitely better than the incredibly anal sequel full of fetchquests, puzzles and other crap.
Was there anything better this gen? Even Tri-Ace managed to fuck up every release they did. And T-A was amazing in the ps2 days. I assume the Souls games count as action/WRPG?

[evil_ash_xero]

Well, there wasn't much.

Valkyria Chronicles was the big standout, if you want to count that as an RPG(it's an SRPG, technically).

Ni no Kuni was very good, although the age bracket it was designed for caused it to be not as good as it could have been(too easy, simple dungeons). The story got pretty interesting toward the end, although it seemed a bit rushed. The presentation was just amazing.

Haven't played enough of Xenoblade to say much about it. Last Story got boring, due to having too many cinemas.

I would have liked Tales of Vesperia, but once again, it had too many cutscenes. If you're not bothered by that, it was pretty good.

Resonance of Fate had an AMAZING battle system, but everything else wasn't very good.

[replayme]

I've never played a Tales game. Which would you recommend as the best PS3 title to get? Or is the Symphonia HD remaster worth holding out for?

[Obiwanshinobi]

I was actually going to mention Borque, but I figured it didn't count.

For whatever reason Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story have been namedropped since the first two posts, so why not?
Actually Pandora's Tower has got some role-playing traits. Think Onimusha 2. The real-time action is half-Ico, half-Onimusha, not as good as either so far (I'm working on the 2nd tower), but I gather you try to score with only one gal and your endeavours in this regard determine which ending unfolds.

[Xyga]

I haven't played Graces f but IIRC players didn't like the too cheesy/dumb characters and story.
This port however has got a lot of bonuses like a bonus scenario, no explorable 3D world map though.

Xillia is too far away from the classic Tales formula when it comes to the world you're supposed to explore... it's empty, with just a point-and-click map. Everything is focused ont he characters, story and battles.
Short game with a poor replay value.

Symphonia may look very outdated, the character art sucks and you can't roam freely during battles, but the background theme is rather serious.
It's big (huge content) and got a real 3D world map like in the good old days (looks bad though).

---------

Out of the 4 Vesperia is the best but it was not ported to the PS3 so...
Consensus criticism on that one in the end may be that you have to involve yourself a lot to squeeze out most of what's its got to offer, there are a lot of 'missable' things and the game is overall very time consuming.

[replayme]

Sorry. I just assumed that Vesperia was for PS3 also. I have both consoles...

[LtC]

Vesperia had an enhanced port on the PS3 with lots of extras. It just wasn't released outside of Japan.

[Xyga]

Just do all three; Vesperia, Graces F and Symphonia HD if you have a lot, really a lot of free time. ^^

[Obiwanshinobi]

Vesperia had an enhanced port on the PS3 with lots of extras. It just wasn't released outside of Japan.

Just the way it was with the PS2 Symphonia port. From what I know, the series is such a seller in Japan it would be foolish of Namco to keep it exclusive of the more popular platform over there.

[replayme]

Just do all three; Vesperia, Graces F and Symphonia HD if you have a lot, really a lot of free time. ^^

My ridiulous back catalogue states otherwise.

[gbaplayer]

never was a rpg world bigger than in xenoblade

sorry, my mistake, i meant JRPG world.

@pretas: thanks for counting eternal sonata in. right after my post i watched through my rpg collection and also thought about eternal sonata. also a very great game with nice graphics and Music.