Hoping to make your life's design a bit more dynamic!

I saw this article on another website

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/11/08/si ... -consoles/

I usually buy consoles based off of the RPG library because most other genres are across platforms but this generation has been incredibly weak and disappointing. Its nice having so many RPGs on handhelds but I will always prefer playing games on a screen larger than a postcard. I wonder with the skyrocketing costs of making games for the newest systems if the JRPG genre will state of constant decline for consoles. Even worse, if the next generation of consoles cost even more to develop for, could all but the largest game publishers call it quits for consoles and just work on portables?

I don't have a large-screen console newer than a PS2 for this very reason. Right now, I see untranslated SFC/SNES as our goldmine of fresh material. Beyond that, maybe the PSx....

One can only assume it's a matter of time until someone creates a workable device or method of feeding an NDS signal into something grander than a peepshow. Rotating 50" plasma monitors, anyone? My gamecube has a connected base that takes GBA chips, but the dual screen concept killed that adaptation with DS, I guess. As long as console designers have their hair on fire to keep pumping out something new every few years - similar to Bill Gates cramming a new O.S. down our throats that we don't want or need - game developers won't have time to take full advantage of an existing platform's potential.

The traditional turn-based RPG (started by DW-I and FF-I) may indeed wither away, leaving an aging, dwindling crowd of what is increasingly being referred to as retro-gamers (although most of us are simply continuing to enjoy what we've been doing all along since the late 80s). I can imagine that a few scattered young people here and there will "discover" emulators and ROMs through the years, both released ports and amateur translations of RPGs. Therefore, classic JRPGs may live on in some fashion with fresh blood players, but likely just among random mavericks here and there, never again attracting a fairly large fan base that congregates at a few web sites, similar to what some of us did in the late 90s.

Hmmm... On the other hand, perhaps the next generation of Rom hackers will upgrade 16-bit graphics to play in PS3 and XBox emulators, and use our stories and menus along with their own introductions of FMV and voice over! What's left to develop anyway? Perhaps holographic systems and simulated real people in which we scan and inject our own likenesses? At some point, this whole cockamamie next generation crap has got to level out into something practical, enjoyable, and sustainable - or the whole commercial industry will die. So, I guess I would rather have it in my pocket than not at all.

Shoot, I can see myself playing classic RPGs on a handheld that somehow connects to a big screen in a rest home, hospital room, or assisted living environment someday, during my final years obviously, same as I watched my father and grandfathers pick up a newspaper or flick on a vintage B&W TV western.

"Anything you want us to bring you from home, Great Granddaddy?" I can hear my younger family members saying?"

"Yes," I'll reply. "Bring me my (universal hand-held console that's loaded with fully-functioning real hardware emulators for about 50 systems that extend from 8-bit to the PS9). Make sure my 250 terabyte nano-chip with all of my ROMs, ISOs, and game scripts I'm working on is inserted, and throw in my wireless docking module for the control center of my room's 120" in-wall display."

"Don't you carry that with you everywhere you go, Granddaddy, so you can can write stories on the go with your voice-recognition program?"

*Wildbill, fumbling through his jacket...* "Oh, yeah... Here it is... Seems I'm getting forgetful these days... Yeah, just bring the docking unit. This antiquated system in the room you got me doesn't interface with my account in the voice command satellite!"

"Gawd, Great-Granddaddy...! No one stores personal files in private, detachable media anymore!"

"No, especially since Google gobbled up worldwide control of the whole computer science universe, not to mention gaining political control of entire continents and establishing deploy-able standing armies that are led by the top echelon of Greenpeace, but this way I know that no one will ever steal my work!"

Me too, that's the reason I love my PS2. It has a very big RPG library. I already beat 41 PS2 RPGs, and there are still much more very good games.
I bought a DS something like 2 years ago, and even though it has a big RPG library, I don't really like playing on a handheld, but I guess it'll be my only option, on the future, and I'm thinking of buying a PSP, so I can play almost any emulator portably.

The reason I didn't buy this gen consoles, it's the abscence of JRPGs. Sure, there are some good ones, but the amount of them is very few, for a 4 & 5 years old console.

WildBill has pretty much stated my exact sentiments as well. I would also play JRPGs on a handheld rather than seeing it disapear all together. And like WildBill said, there are usually ways to get it on a big screen as well. The GBA -> Gamecube is a good example. I'm still stuck in the 16-bit era and will probably still be for the rest of my life. The SNES is still my favorite console of all time and forever shall be. I just hope that it doesn't completely fade away in time. There's not many young people who still play these games...

And I guess just too reinforce this point about handheld RPG dominance, Square just announced a new Lufia game probably for the DS. I really loved the SNES Lufias so hopefully the series is returning to that form instead of the game boy versions

You're too radical.

Sure, there are some very good RPGs on 16-bits, but there are some very good RPGs on newer systems too.

I agree with Lalakoboldslayer there.
Quality games exist in all eras and bittages, they just need to be harvested out.

Everyone talks about the lack of RPG's on next gen (current gen) systems. This is actually a pretty standard thing in the early lifespan of consoles. The playstation had nothing but Beyond the Beyond for the longest time after the systems came out (and even that wasn't close to a launch title. Not to mention it was a rushed and horrible game.) Eventually finally Suikoden and Wild Arms came along and then Final Fantasy VII and finally the flood gates opened.

The SNES and Genesis didn't initially ship with a bunch of RPG's. It was only after the full life cycle of the hardware that we saw a slew of RPG's (and quality RPG's)

The Dreamcast never had a slew of quality RPGs

Neither did the Saturn in the US (though it had a handful of gems, it was a much better system for RPGs over in Japan though)

The Playstation II was also the same. Do you remember the awful RPG's in the beginning of that system? Sure Final Fantasy X and Shadow Hearts came out pretty early (if a year+ is early) in the system cycle but a couple good RPGs does not a library make. And before that we suffered with crap like Evergrace, Eternal Ring, and Summoner. And one mediocre title Dark Cloud.

I realize the next gen systems are now really rolling in their life cycle, but I figure in the end they'll make RPG players happy eventually. The problem is that RPG production costs are threw the roof now. They take longer to make than other genre's. And usually much more manpower to make. Some good quality RPG's are really starting to crop up on all 3 of the next gen systems finally. And while a Final Fantasy might be running a bit later than previous console generations. It has been in the works and on its way pretty much since the next gen systems were a rumor. (Not that I personally care because FFXII was awful IMO and it is rumored to play similar.) Anyway, I certainly wouldn't shell out $300 for what few gems there are right now, but as hardware costs come down and quality RPG's become more plentiful. I probably will be buying a next gen unit. In fact the first next gen RPG I have a serious want to play is finally out now, that being Magna Carta 2. Koreans are every bit as good as their japanese counterparts at the gameplay and graphics. Hopefully they've come a little ways writing a story and it'll be a treat. Magna Karta 1 was a good game but kind of fell apart towards the end. As if they lost sight of the goal.

I certainly hope the future keeps improving for this current generation. One thing that kind of stinks is that the RPG crop is being split more evenly with all 3 consoles unlike the last generation where the PS2 dominated. This generation has been going for over 4 years for the Xbox 360 and 3 years for the other 2 systems and I think the selection of games was certainly better on previous generations.

I have an Xbox 360 and there is a reasonable selection of games although nowhere near what the PS2 had. The other problems though has been the lack of quality games and missing games from some of the best series (Suikoden, Dragon Quest, Grandia etc). I've finished 3 RPGs on the system and I'm close to a fourth. In my opinion only 1 game has been outstanding (Tales of Vesperia). Blue Dragon was average at best and Eternal Sonata had a good start but kind of fizzled out at the end. Infinite Undiscovery was average but seemed like Square rushed it out. I'm pretty sure I'll like Star Ocean 4 from what I have played. I'm not that excited about FF13. If I compared to the PS2, I would probably have at least a dozen RPGs that I thought were excellent compared to the 2 that I have for the X360.

I think with this being a longer generation than the past ones that the number of RPGs will increase and hopefully their quality will improve too. Square has yet to make an excellent RPG this generation for the consoles in my opinion. Namco does a far better job.

I have Magna Carta 2 and I'll probably play that after Star Ocean 4 and let you know how it is Taskforce.

This is a list of all PSX RPGS in it's early 5 years(1994-1998):

PSX:
King's Field(JP-94)
Arc the Lad(JP-95)
Beyond the Beyond(JP-95, US-96)
King's Field II(JP-95, US-95)
Suikoden(JP-95, US-96)
Arc the Lad II(JP-96)
King's Field III(JP-96, US-96)
Popolocrois Story(JP-96)
Persona(JP-96, US-96)
Shin Super Robot Wars(JP-96)
Vandal Hearts(JP-96, US-97)
Wild Arms(JP-96, US-97)
Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg(JP-96)
Breath of Fire III(JP-97, US-98)
Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon(JP-97)
FEDA 2: White Surge the Platoon(JP-97)
Final Fantasy VII(JP-97, US-97)
Final Fantasy Tactics(JP-97, US-98)
Front Mission II(JP-97)
The Granstream Saga(JP-97, US-98)
Master of Monsters: Disciples of Gaia(JP-97)
SaGa Frontier(JP-97, US-98)
Tales of Destiny(JP-97, US-98)
Azure Dreams(JP-98, US-98)
Atelier Elie: The Alchemist of Salburg II(JP-98)
Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena(JP-98, US-98)
Brave Saga II(JP-98)
Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon II(JP-98)
Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu(JP-98)
Kartia: The Word of Fate(JP-98)
Kasei Monogatari(JP-98)
Legend of Legaia(JP-98)
Monster Seed(JP-98)
Parasite Eve(JP-98, US-98)
Poporogue(JP-98)
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure(JP-98)
Shin Sedai Robot Senki: Brave Saga(JP-98)
Star Ocean: The Second Story(JP-98)
Suikoden II(JP-98)
Thousand Arms(JP-98)
Vanguard Bandits(JP-98)
Xenogears(JP-98)

Obs.: I listed the releases in the first 5 years, so if a game has an american release after that, it's not listed.

I'll not list the PS2 RPGs, but it's list is probably bigger. What made these systems have so many RPGs was what is now hugely known as "Final Fantasy Bomb"

To be fair, I don't have a complete release list of all RPG releases of PS3, XBOX-360 and Wii, but after searching for a while, I came to a conlusion:

The amount of RPGs on this systems were very few, until 2008, but 2009 made a BIG BOOM !!!
Lol, I mean, the amount of RPGs launched in 2009 for XBOX-360 is almost bigger than the amount of it's first 3 years together.
I'm guessing it'll be like this for a while, I mean, there are a lot marked for launch in 2010.