Top modern jrpgs?

[The Decline]

I enjoyed Xenoblade Chronicles X.

 

[Abu Antar]

You should play Japanese SRPGs.

Use an emulator and play:
Final Fantasy Tactics
Fire Emblem (Older ones)
Front Mission 3
Growlanser
Shining force 2&3
Tactics Ogre
Valkyria Chronicles
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
Vandal Hearts 1&2
Vanguard Bandits

For JRPGs:
Shin Megami Tensei series (Not Persona)
Vagrant Story
Valkyrie Profile 1&2

If these don't tickle your fancy, try some Chinese games: Tale of Wuxia series, Chinese Paladin, Prince of Qin.

If you're looking for recent game, I doubt that there is much that you would enjoy.

 

[Alkarl]

The last jrpg I played for the story was Persona 3. The combat wasn't terrible either, although once you know what you're doing it's a total faceroll.

I don't typically play jrpgs for the story, a lot of it is the same animu trash in every other game. So, I would recommend finding a game with decently enjoyable combat and exploration. I've been playing Shin Megami Tensei (mainline + DDS) and Dragon Quest/Warrior series for ages now. As far as recent releases go, the rerelease of Dragon Quest 8 on 3ds is p. good. Allows for various builds and customization while also being decently restrictive with what you can achieve. Not sure you can emulate it on 3ds, though you could try the PS2 version.

Maybe try Smt 3 or Smt: Digital Devil Saga 1 and see what you think. Those two are far less animu and way more combat centric than your average jrpg.

Along the same line as Dragon Quest, you could give Blue Dragon a try. I found it enjoyable the first time I played it. Art work is good, combat is similar in vein to Dragon Quest. Lots of exploration. I don't remember the story too well, but the final boss is King Piccolo from the original Dragon Ball. ..I think? Idk, whatever man.

 

[Hoaxmetal]

A lot of people complain that the game starts slow and nothing seems to happen at the start (plot-wise) but then they get hooked when the game really picks up the pace.

I'd be fine with that if the intro/slow start would take an hour or two but the starting town took way longer than that and by the end I was so bored with the game that I have almost no interest to give it more of my time, especially considering that most games I enjoy are fun right from the start.

 

[Vorark]

You could try the NDS Dragon Quest remakes, easily emulated. Keep in mind they all feature random encounters.

IV is chapter based;
V is a well rounded entry;
VI got a nice job system.

If you decide to give 'em a chance, I'd recommend either V or VI as a starting point.

 

[YES!]

They are all so great and filled with complexity and C&C it is virtually impossible to list the top ones. Just play them all and bask in their maturity and super heavy rpg systems. I hear the leaders of this site really love Pokeman so you may want to start there.

 

[Reinhardt]

Hi, I'm Roqua

I've never even heard of Roqua so please stop this nonsense.

Now i'm confused.

 

[Sigourn]

"Good JRPGs" is an oxymoron. If it is good, it is definitely not a JRPG. JRPGs are inherently shit. Like Alkarl said, JRPGs with good stories are as rare as they come. You are more likely to find a western RPG with a good story, which is funny considering one of the strengths of this fabulous subgenre is its great stories™. If it is not a cliché story, it is a convoluted mess that makes barely any sense. And it probably has kiddie characters. But what can you expect from a genre played mostly by anime fans?

If you want a great Japanese RPG, I encourage you to play Vagrant Story. Easily one of the best games ever made, console audience be damned that it is somewhat easy. Don't let the assless chaps fool you: Ashley Riot is as manly as they come.

 

[Saark]

For JRPGs:
Shin Megami Tensei series (Not Persona)
Vagrant Story
Valkyrie Profile 1&2

Pretty much the 3 most important ones. Lezard Valeth is easily one of the best villains in gaming.

Japan also produced way better dungeon crawlers during the last decade, with a few western exceptions.

 

[Arthandas]

"Good JRPGs" is an oxymoron. If it is good, it is definitely not a JRPG. JRPGs are inherently shit. Like Alkarl said, JRPGs with good stories are as rare as they come. You are more likely to find a western RPG with a good story, which is funny considering one of the strengths of this fabulous subgenre is its great stories™. If it is not a cliché story, it is a convoluted mess that makes barely any sense. And it probably has kiddie characters. But what can you expect from a genre played mostly by anime fans?

I think I've finally came to terms with that. Even the supposedly best jrpgs of all time like chrono trigger, earthbound, ff6, smt:nocturne, TitS etc are all total shit so I don't know what I was expecting. Even the latest mediocre and uninspired crpgs like PoE, Numanuma, Tyranny or DA:I are lights years ahead of this diarrhea. Ii's hard to believe those games are being made by adult human beings.

If you want a great Japanese RPG, I encourage you to play Vagrant Story. Easily one of the best games ever made, console audience be damned that it is somewhat easy. Don't let the assless chaps fool you: Ashley Riot is as manly as they come.

I beat it on psx when it originally came out. Just like Dark Souls, I don't consider it a jrpg.

 

[Saark]

You know you're on the codex, right? You don't have to arbitrarily re-define genres so they fit your agenda in order to be able to say "all jrpgs are shit, except for those 10-15 but I don't consider them jrpgs". You can just call the entire genre shit and noone will bat an eye.

Also surprised noone suggested PS:T yet.

 

[Sigourn]

I think I've finally came to terms with that. Even the supposedly best jrpgs of all time like chrono trigger, earthbound, ff6, smt:nocturne, TitS etc are all total shit so I don't know what I was expecting. Even the latest mediocre and uninspired crpgs like PoE, Numanuma, Tyranny or DA:I are lights ahead of this diarrhea. Ii's hard to believe those games are being made by adult human beings.

To be honest I'm not sure how much of my hate towards JRPGs is because my tastes have changed, or because of the animu, the tropes, or because I simply long for a time when I had a lot of fun with them but that time has long since passed. As controversial as it may sound, I don't think I ever enjoyed a western RPG as much as I enjoyed Final Fantasy IX, for instance. But nowadays I cringe at the idea of playing a game like EarthBound.

I beat it on psx when it originally came out. Just like Dark Souls, I don't consider it jrpg.

Same. I consider myself fortunate I experienced such a great game by complete accident. I was around 12 when a schoolmate lent me his pirated copy of the game, and I fell in love instantly. I don't know of any game that has made grinding so fun: crafting the ultimate weapons of each category was a game of itself.

 

[Great Deceiver]

If ever a game was deserving of a re-release it's Vagrant Story. Adding a well thought-out realtime menu system to it would do wonders.

I played it on release obsessively and still replay it every couple of years. It's an exquisite game, well written and with great systems - just having to pause every time I want to switch weapons is fucking annoying as shit now.

 

[Saark]

Honorary mentioning of Terranigma.

 

[Ash]

You know you're on the codex, right? You don't have to arbitrarily re-define genres so they fit your agenda in order to be able to say "all jrpgs are shit, except for those 10-15 but I don't consider them jrpgs". You can just call the entire genre shit and noone will bat an eye.

Also surprised noone suggested PS:T yet.

This.

Vagrant Story most definitely is a JRPG. No revisionist history and genre redefinitions to suit your ignorant narrative please k thanks fuck off.

 

[Sigourn]

Vagrant Story most definitely is a JRPG. No revisionist history and genre redefinitions to suit your ignorant narrative please k thanks fuck off.

It definitely doesn't feel like one.

On another note: I began playing Valkyrie Profile. Does this shit actually get good? So far it's been pretty much dialogue after dialogue with poor voice acting and nothing of interest.

 

[Saark]

How far in are you? The first VP has a ridiculously long prologue, about 60 minutes if you don't skip through the dialogue.

 

[Sigourn]

How far in are you? The first VP has a ridiculously long prologue, about 60 minutes if you don't skip through the dialogue.

Yeah, I just managed to get through that and finally found a save point. Gonna call it quits for today, will see how it progresses tomorrow.

 

[Saark]

Make two saves, because depending on how much you like the game you will want to achieve Ending A (the "best" ending) after running the game once, and getting Ending A without a walkthrough is almost impossible to do. With two saves you don't have to sit through the first hour of the game twice.

 

[Arthandas]

It definitely doesn't feel like one.

Because it isn't. Weeaboos think anything made in Japan is inherently jrpg no matter the style or mechanics. They'd say Baldur's Gate is a jrpg if it was made by Square Enix. Years spent wearing tight naruto headbands shrunk their skulls and brains so they're often confused by the simplest things.

 

[Reinhardt]

It definitely doesn't feel like one.

Because it isn't. Weeaboos think anything made in Japan is inherently jrpg no matter the style or mechanics. They'd say Baldur's Gate is a jrpg if it was made by Square Enix. Years spent wearing tight naruto headbands shrunk their skulls and brains so they're often confused by the simplest things.

But Planet Escape is a jrpg.

 

[Ash]

It definitely doesn't feel like one.

Because it isn't. Weeaboos think anything made in Japan is inherently jrpg no matter the style or mechanics.

It is you tard, in the same way WRPG is RPGs made by western devs. And then under that umbrella, you have the usual subgenres LIKE SO (doesn't include JP 1st person blobbers, as I've never played one outside of Phantasy Star).

Calling a specific subgenre of Japanese RPG "Japanese RPGs" is fucking pants-on-head retarded and not what anyone with any authority and intellect would ever do. When people not-retarded say JRPG, they are referring to literal Japanese Role-Playing games and anything that may fall under that definition. If you want to be specific about the supposed "JRPG" sub-genre of JRPG it is you do not like, say "turn-based JRPG". Add "cutesy and simplistic" also, so people know for sure what you're talking about when you spew your hatred, and because not all turn-based JRPGs are as described (e.g Koudelka is not cutesy. You play as an Irish gypsy in a dark gothic setting).

 

[Arthandas]

in the same way WRPG is RPGs made by western devs

So according to you, games like this or that are wrpgs? It's unethical to insult people who are actually mentally handicapped so you're getting a pass.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Don't let the assless chaps fool you: Ashley Riot is as manly as they come.

Are you implying that Ashley is manly despite the chaps and not because of them?

in the same way WRPG is RPGs made by western devs

So according to you, games like this or that are wrpgs? It's unethical to insult people who are actually mentally handicapped so you're getting a pass.

I mean, yeah. Sudeki is a game made by the west but they made it as JRPG-y as possible to get some kind of weeb appeal for the Xbox since the PS2 was killing the console due to all the japanese RPGs it had and was getting. Back in the day the dominant console was defined by how many Japanese RPGs it got, and that rule still held true up until now in the handheld market with the DS and 3DS utterly crushing the PSP and Vita due to all the Atlus support Nintendo got.

I hate to get repetitive but calling a game a jRPG as a genre is nonsensical since most people default jRPGs as "boring ass game with shitty turn based combat", which is such an umbrella that it would include games like Wizardry and Fallout. And even here, despite both FO and Wiz being turn based, they are very different. Calling them both a wRPG as a genre doesn't really do either game justice.

 

[Ash]

according to you, games like this or that are wrpgs? It's unethical to insult people who are actually mentally handicapped so you're getting a pass.

lol so what you're saying is that it is now exclusively ART STYLES that is the metric that defines game genres in their entirety.

Yes you dumbass. That is called a western RPG with Japanese anime art inspirations. Does the game in the first image even have RPG elements? Could merely be a puzzle game for all I know, but apparently we define genres exclusively based on art styles now. And the second image barely even looks anime/typical Japanese. It's cartoonish, that must mean JRPG guys!