Topic: General JRPG Thread

@Nephestinus
I'm quite jealous of you that you're able to experience all those games for the first time. There are some really great ones on your list!

@Shulkalot Yup! Most of those were recommended by a good friend of mine. Known him for 15 years, so he knows my taste and I know his in video games.
He also lent me his Xenosaga & Xenogears games to play through !

@Nephestinu
Believe me when I say you're in for a treat! 😊

@lizardbish I played Remake, beat it, went and beat Xenoblade Definitive Edition, played and beat it again after two months, then came back and beat Remake again yesterday. Playing a second time was very refreshing for both games. I made the mistake of spoiling VII's plot despite having never played the game, but I hope the next instalments of the remake continuity can change the plot (Yoshinori Kitase said initially said that wouldn't happen but later changed his mind).

@theJGG I personally don't mind if they change stuff or not. I've just enjoyed hanging out with the characters again. Can't wait for part 2.

@Wargoose I loved it and the direction they went with graphics, story and music was amazing. It'll have to be open world, so I hope Square Enix can make it a game to remember!

@Slowdive
I know the feeling. I often have to temper the urge to buy new games. I usually succeed by telling myself I already have plenty of games to play and don't need more right now. Sometimes the temptation is too big though. Like, if there's a new Xenoblade or Dragon Quest, I will buy it no matter what. But for the smaller titles, I can usually hold out on buying them until they're on sale.

Same for me. I was really blown away by how good Remake was, given how easy it would've been for them to screw it up.

I wasn't at all pleased with the last minute change in the story, but I'm crossing my fingers it won't have too much of a negative impact on things going forward, and I kinda hope they did it purely because they want a certain amount of mystery around what might happen next. Whereas if they'd finished everything in line with the original story, we would've been left with an almost complete certainty that we know what the next game will be like.

I just hope it doesn't take too long.

I love JRPGs, I just wish some of them weren't so long. I've unfortunately had to become very picky and only grabbing the ones that really catch my eye.

@Shulkalot I tell myself the same thing, and it sometimes works. XD There are blocks of time where I go well over a month before I pick up something. Then a sale hits....

Hiya guys, I changed my name and profile picture, but I'm still the Topic creator of this thread.

Anyway, I was wondering which role/class you prefer to play as in RPGs; DPS, Tank or Support?
I always gravitate towards the Tank class. There's something about being able to withstand a ton of damage, managing aggro and dealing out close range damage to the enemy that I really like. It makes me feel like the most important part of the group.

Despite my profile picture showing my love for JRPGs, I actually have to admit that, aside from Octopath, JRPGs these days annoy me more than they bring me joy.

I simply no longer care for the same story being told over and over and over again.

And I can forgive older games for their shortcoming, because they were shortcomings based on the technical limitations of the time, but it feels like these days developers treat these shortcomings of yesteryear as defining features of the genre.

It feels like the only thing that has changed is the graphics. Everything else has remained exactly the same, and I don't like that anymore. I suppose I grew out of it. I am 38 now, and I want my RPG storylines to be more down to earth, less epic, more realistic and waaaay less over the top.

I mean, seriously, who can do somersault attacks with a big ass sword like... all the time...

So yes, it's definitely me. I just wish that JRPG developers would explore different venues. Make the story smaller, more intimate, ditch the silly super moves for something more realistic.

So I am afraid I must admit I am kind of over JRPGs... except for the old school ones.

@Daniel36
I understand your feelings towards many modern JRPGs. They can get over the top, ridiculously so. It's one of the reasons why XC2 disappointed me so much and why Octopath Traveler was such a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed that game.

I'm curious though, have you played the first XC and if so, what did you think of that one? Because I think it finds the right balance between epic and intimate.

@Daniel36 Hey if you like older RPGs then the switch has a lot to offer.
There are two Collection with pretty good games from what I've heard.
Final Fantasy Legend Collection and the Collection of Mana.
I also came across the Romancing Saga 2 and Romancing Saga 3 games if you prefer the pixel art / oldschool feeling.

@Reynoblade I mostly play Mages since I really like Casting a ton of magic.
If there is no Mage class I usually go with Support.

@Nephestinus
That's awesome! I've often tried to go mage or healer but while I think they can be very cool, their gameplay style quickly becomes boring for me. But hey, that's just me of course. Also, MMOs would be impossible without people like you to back up the rest of us. 😅

I've always gravitated towards melee DPS in games I've played, though I don't mind offering some backup healing if a character is capable of doing so (and if there's time). I do enjoy tanking on occasion too, but it's not a role I like defined for me. I'm not into ranged DPS much as many of those characters, while powerful, are also glass cannons.

Just picked up Bravely Default from my library. Can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about.

@Daniel36 Have you tried Ys VIII and Grandia. I have the same issue with modern JRPGs not feeling grounded.

The Xenoblade series in particular irks me with its baffling character motivations and unnecessary plot twists. I think somewhere along the way Japanese developers mistook good story telling for super complex lore and characters with hidden agendas. I personally blame Kingdom Hearts 2, for the direction a lot of these games have taken.

I have played Xenoblade 2, and well, it was over the top right from the get-go. I didn't play the first one, but I have a feeling it will still be too over the top for me.

Never played Grandia but I am also not a huge fan of the more sci-fi RPGs. I like mine a little more medieval.

But honestly, I could play a SNES RPG that I haven't played before now and be annoyed with it all the same. The only reason I can replay old RPGs is because of the nostalgia factor. I can forgive those games for a lot of things. But even then, I recently restarted Breath of Fire, which was a huge favourite of mine, and well... it bored me.

So I really think it's me.

I think it's simply time for some old school homebrew D&D-esque tabletop RPGing for me.

Nope that's mostly just Xenoblade 2. Xenoblade 1 and Xenoblade X are both a lot more toned down. They're fairly in line with the style you'd find in most Final Fantasy games. Much more serious but with occasional comic relief thrown in. Whereas Xenoblade 2 has that comic relief counting for like half the whole game. That was one of my problems with it too, and the reason I didn't like it as much as the first game.