So what do you guys think? Where are the console RPG series headed from here what w/ next-gen. hardware? Will there even be RPGs?
Personally, I am quite scared for my beloved genre of gaming for several reasons.
1) I'm hardpressed to think of the last memorable RPG I've played on the current consoles. In fact, I'm playing Breath of Fire IV for the PSone right now (b/c I've never played it & had it since it came out...weird) which is quite outdated. Actually, I'm getting ready to go through a bunch of PSone RPGs like Vandal Hearts II, FFTactics again, Hoshigama, Xenogears, PE 1 & 2, etc,.
I have only a handful of RPGs on the PS2, none for Xbox, and none for 'Cube. The only ones I can think of for the PS2 are Suikoden3/4, Wild ARMs 3, Grandia 2, FFX (won't mention the other one), Breath of Fire V & the numerous strategy titles from Atlus like Disgaea.
Point being, the RPG selection of today is very lack-luster when compared to the PSone generation which saw many great additions to the RPG genre.
2) I haven't seen plans for any new RPGs in awhile and the ones that have come out thus far aren't enough to justify producing more titles. Capcom hasn't done anything w/ their BoF series since V's mediocore performance, Konami just got done bombing Suikoden IV, Final Fantasy is so few and far between...the only company still going strong is Atlus with its Disgaea-ish titles...and I don't particularly like those.
Their have been more titles as of late than their were for a while like Shining Tears, Ys: The Ark of Naphitism, Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity, Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, the new Shin Megami Tenesei...but those titles are all kinda weird to me. I guess I should probably just check em out, but they all just seem so boring...
In short, it looks like the turn-based RPG is finally being laid to rest after all its years of hard work. I just don't see the genre becoming a priority to alot of companies in the future. They'll be more focused trying to appease the FPS lovers (myself included) and online gaming. I hope that some companies remember their roots and invest the time and effort into quality RPGs and give us something. Suikoden V, BoFVI, FFTactics II, Parasite Eve III, all would be welcome. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Atelier Iris actually sounds like a fun game, according to reviews.
Kingdom Hearts 2 and Final Fantasy 12 is coming very soon. Also is Square Enix remaking Final Fantasy 7 for PS3?
If you can even find it, Persona was quite a decent RPG for the PS1 with turn based fighting. It really is quite an old game from what I remember. But, I still found myself hooked on it. I honestly don't think this genre, itself, will perish because of the next gen systems headed our way. But, the genre, as we know it anyway, will most likely change. Hell, it already has just over the past few years. This is what turns us game nerds into collectors, and forcing us to use old, worn out phrases like, "Boy, they sure don't make 'em like they used to". That's my two cents.