Did 2016 Truly Hold Up as a Comeback Year for the JRPG genre?

Earlier in February, I raised a question wondering if 2016 would be the best year for JRPGs since the late 90s.

[FallenAngel1984]

Why is there always talk of some comeback? Every year we get a wide array of great JRPGs.

[Summons75]

I agree, JRPGs never went anywhere. People's entitlement and ridiculous expectations only grew to unreachable heights. JPRGs on the other hand either adapted or grew to stay current with gaming. I can't believe how many spoiled brats expected FFXV to be an 8 bit turn based game on a modern day console where we can get awesome gameplay and visuals.

[Pennywise138]

I don't know where people get this idea that turn based RPGs can't be done on modern day consoles. Especially when you are talking visuals. For their time seeing a summons or advanced magic spell get cast in all the old final fantasy games were always epic, cinematic and beautiful. It was always so rewarding to watch a summoned creature come flying out of the sky or erupting from the ground. I'd love to see those cinematically on a modern console. Also turn based requires a level of skill and thinking that just can't translate to action based. Don't get me wrong I'm very much enjoying FF15 for lots of reasons but I'd be lying if I didn't say it's mostly button mashing and trying to not lose my character in all the frenetic action and wonky camera.

[cemelc]

Well i completed XIII pressing x to win, and when lightning got her final attack i was destroying bosses, so there is no strategy in that... way better than XIII

[majiebeast]

yeah a westernized garbage system that bores people to tears is much better.

[never4get]

Not for AAAs. Game Engine still a huge undelying problem for JRPGs developers. Unreal Engine 4 is still Epic Fail, Scalebound gone silent, FFVII remake gone silent, KH2.8 looks terrible. Hope Dragon Quest XI dispel UE4 curse. Or we could just wait for the PS5. 4k 60fps FFXV, DQXI. Greatness Awaits.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I blame the media's JRPGs are stagnant and need to change barrage of articles, we still get some fine games, a recent example for me would be WoFF, it's excellent with only a few flaws. I also enjoyed Neptunia V2 as a budget title, Legend of Heroes: trails of cold steel was good too (personally I don't enjoy it as much as I expected but most people can't say it's not a good game with just a few flaws).

[Derceto]

It did, until FF XV was released.

[Chaosdreams]

This topic again eh. Well, to answer the question. My wallet hurts.

Now, what one calls a true "JRPG" and how one refers to its "revival" "return" or so forth, is entirely opinion based. In the state of mind most people have, it's negativity central. So even if things are going great, people will still point and ask if it is "great."

It's kind of exhausting. Especially considering there's clearly a good chunk of games that have come out or are coming out. Some just don't get as much exposure as say, an FPS.

That's why it's just good to make your own judgement.

For me, I'd say this year was stellar, and 2017 is going to be even better. (a little research will show that's the case).

Also, one last point. I'm in my mid twenties, and this past year I've purchased more rpg/jrpgs than I have in my entire life. But that's based on my age, when I started gaming, so forth. So that also brings into question, how exactly would the "return" of the genre ever be ascertained and widely agreed upon?

If there was a golden age prior, and then a dessert of nothingness during last gen, then I'd say we're currently polishing silver cups as we eye the golden crown. A few dragons in our way.

I'd say the genre is back. Alive. Different than it used to be, but it's back.

[DualWielding]

No but 2017 will be

[hahaha]

2016 is Truly Hold Up as a Comeback Year for the Remastered!

[AnnaDea]

The golden era of rpgs was when they match or exceeded the other genres for that generation. People can bitch all they want but it doesn't change that FF XV is the only game that could hold a candle to Uncharted 4 etc. Too bad FF XV was a real wasted potential even though they're gonna patch that up in 2017.

Persona 5 isn't even trying to revive the genre. It's a game specializing for those that already loves the genre and trying to deliver the best experience of an already known formula. I will surely enjoy it, but that's because I fell in love with the genre back in the mid 90's.

[LIGATURE]

Not for xbone,ps4 has loads

[TheColbertinator]

Tales of Berseria on Steam will be quite a treat

[NotanotherReboot]

Nope. Inform me of a JRPG on the level of Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI/VII/IX that released this year.

[BlahBlahWhatever]

What Frinker says, this year was crap & as long companies bastardize all the classic JRPG series trying to cater to western audience we are going to see many more crap years ahead of us, this crappiness are nowhere near over yet imo, it's going to continue until the J from JRPGs removed & Japanese RPGs loose anything that make them Japanese-like, that's were we are heading currently, a whole genre is close to extinction, the games that can be called JRPGs anymore, original traditional JRPGs not modern ones that have nothing to do with how JRPGs used to be, are so few anymore that can be counted with the fingers in one of our hand.