What Happened to Old School RPGs?

In the last several years, there's been an evolution in RPG games that has seen some of the oldest concepts of the genre forgotten and treated as bad words. But is this necessarily a good thing? PushStartSelect looks at what's happened to RPGs and why a return to old-school dynamics may be best for the genre.

[fluffydelusions]

From what I hear most classic type RPG's reside on handhelds now but I dunno but I don't own any until PSV comes out that is.

[Army_of_Darkness]

Hopefully it gets classic style JRPG's like the PSP:)

Come on chrono cross 2!!!

[darthv72]

the evolution of gamers happened. We old folks that remember the good times of phantasy star and final fantasy have been passed up by the younger more demanding gamer.

If the systems do 3d and hd these gamers are going to want that.

What happened to the old school RPG?....nothing.

I have several I can pull out and play with game saves still in tact. My kids look at those and go...you played that?

[Godmars290]

Given all of its social and control features, I'm a bit concerned about JRPGs on the Vita. Yes with PSP BC there will be some one it, but what direct JRPG have been announced for it?

@darthv72:
What happened is that JRPG devs weren't ready to move on from PS2 production levels. They didn't know what to do, and yet they also had to deal with increased production cost and added effort besides.

[kevnb]

All the old style console games are almost dead, everything is more PC style now. Shooters, first person rpgs, hybrids that remind me of system shock. Sure there are still racers, fighters, and sandbox games... but overall consoles are doing what you used to need a PC for. Mind you I still prefer gaming on PC for other reasons, rts is still my main genre and I like game styles originally designed for PC best on PC. And above, plenty of those rpgs still get made and sold in Japan. They don't usually come over though, they wouldn't be worth the cost as any anime heavy RPG not named final fantasy has almost been a guaranteed flop in north America.

[Tuxedo_Mask]

@kevnb

I think the lack of support for JRPGs that aren't Final Fantasy has more to do with a lack of marketing than a lack of an audience. Final Fantasy games usually have great marketing campaigns, beginning with FFVII and growing larger from there. How many commercials have you seen on TV for Persona 3 or 4?

I don't think the anime style has anything to do with it either. One of the most successful JRPGs in the West has an actual anime series tie in as well as multiple anime movies. What is the name of this JRPG? Pokemon.

This is why Namco Bandai and other JRPG studios get so much criticism from fans, because if they actually took the time to market their game they might actually sell as well as FF games. I'm not saying that they should make an entire show for them like Pokemon does, but they could at least pay for a commercial or two.

[papashango]

Bethesda happened. Even as buggy as they were bethesda games killed old school rpgs

[guitar_nerd_23]

I guess I'm old too- I tend to agree with this article.

Classical JRPG goodness... those were the days...

[The_Nameless_One]

What happened?

Enix got bought by Square that's what happened.

[Der_Kommandant]

Square Enix killed them all

[ChocolateGiddyUp]

Play Lost Odyssey.

[Rai]

That was probably my favorite JRPG this gen. Way better then FF13. however i can deal without the random battles

[_Aarix_]

Dang I was going to post that..45 hours in and can't beat the blue dragon :(

@rai
It wouldn't be a jrpg with it :p

[kevnb]

Dual analog controllers let PC style come to console. Now outside of Japan that style has taken completely over. But I can think of two games on PC.that remind me of those old console rpgs, to the moon and cthulu saves the world are both awesome.

[anasurimbor]

Honestly there are still a lot out there. There's literally dozens of old school style JRPGs on the PSP and DS.

[wedgie]

I was not much of a fan of some aspects of the older final fantasy and sukoiden JRPGs PERSONALLY. Really enjoyed them, but I could not stand the random encounters, same with pokemon. Those were so irritating.

So when KOTOR came along, I loved it. That is my type of RPG. I consider it "older school" but none of the random encounter battles. Same for DAO, which is why I loved it so much.

Mass Effect 1 was pretty good, but as far as the change/shift in RPGs, for me that has mostly been seen in the games like Mass Effect 2 and DA2. Makes me sad. Hope ME3 is good, but we will see.

[Tuxedo_Mask]

DA:O had random encounters when you traveled on the map.

[Azurite]

Not all JRPGs had random encounters.
Like Soulblazer, Illusion of Time, Terranigma and Chrono Trigger.

[wedgie]

haha i call myself a gamer and yet have never played chrono trigger. I think I am going to have to try it then. Thanks for the info.

[josephayal]

Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey say HI

[belac09]

im 36 yrs old and i am still a fiend for old school RPG's. i am replaying FF 6 right now and im more involved with it than i am skyrim. not that skyrim is a bad game. i love it too.

[Megaman_nerd]

I just bought a PS3 and beside UMVC3, Uncharted 3 and Valkyria Chonicles I only own Jrpg's from the PS1 classics on PSN like all the FF games, Suikoden, Breath of Fire, Alundra, etc. and while I have played 3 or 4 current gen Jrpg's like Star Ocean IV, The Last Remnant and FFXIII I just can't enjoy them as much as the old-school ones. Valkyria Chronicles has been the only thing worth mentioning from the current gen Jrpg's if you ask me... And maybe Tales of Vesperia.

[Hicken]

They're "old-school." Where do you expect them to be? Here in the new school?

Don't get me wrong. My favorite RPG of all time is FFVIII, which would be considered old-school. But those games can only be the primary subgenre for so long. And with evolutions in technology, gaming, and gamers, RPGs changed just like everything else.

Changes aren't always for the better; we all know that. But the somewhat annoying problem now is that too many gamers that grew up with old-school RPGs refuse to accept anything else as a JRPG. Perfectly good- not necessarily perfect- games get trashed because they're not what people are used to playing.

I feel this is what happened to FFXIII. People never gave it a chance because it's not old-school, not because it's bad. They were hoping and/or expecting that Square Enix would continue the tradition, and were disappointed.

There's nothing wrong with still wanting that old-school style game to be made. However, I think it's stupid of people to expect a game that has no intention of following that formula to... well, follow that formula.

As I always say, judge the game on how well it executes being ITSELF, not on what you expected, or in comparison to some other game.

[Chrono]

DS and PSP had a gazillion old school RPGs.

[Ddouble]

PSP has loads. People complain but never look for them.