What will bring RPGs back?

[TiamatNM]

To me, the shift to handhelds is one of the best things that could have happened to RPGs. The fact that handheld RPGs require less financial investment - and therefore leave developers free to take risks - is why, IMO, the best handheld RPGs this gen are better, fresher. and more interesting than their console counterparts from either the East or the West.

Etrian Odyssey, for example, is the kind of game that would never have seen the light of day without the handheld market, yet I can think of no RPG on consoles this gen that I found more enjoyable or inspiring.

I totally agree with this.  It really saves the wallet too when new games are retailing for $30-40 (usually 30) rather than $60.  This year I've gotten games like Infinite Space, Etrian Odyssey 3, Ys Seven, ZHP, etc.  My favorite RPG series this decade is the very innovative Dept. Heaven series from Sting, and that is on portables.  Basically I don't see the problem.  Sure most JRPGs are going to uncreative and lame, but most of any genre is going to be that way.  Developers are making JRPGs for portables because it's less expensive to make as others have said.  It's not even just a matter of competing with WRPGs on the home consoles, I think FF series is a problem too.  Everyone is just gonna buy FF because everyone knows what it is already and they always have crazy graphics, they aren't going to be nearly as inclined to buy a totally new jrpg with mediocre graphics.  Most RPG developers aren't gonna have the funds to do crazy graphics though.  

JRPG (God I hate having to call them that)

agree with that too

[OkamiGeisha]

there is a four step program for saving the jrpg

1. bring back the world map.  
2.  no random battles, and no battle screens to load.  
3.  npcs with nothing to add to the story or history of the world do nothing when you try to talk to them. every  npc you can talk to provide actual info on the history, back story, or optional/main quest info.
4.  stop relying on anime cliche characters.  

Arc Rise Fantasia did 1-3 pretty well.  It felt (and sometimes looked) like a game from a generation or two ago, and it wasn't very highly rated by some. 

I think the core (J)RPG fanbase isn't really in touch with what the mainstream wants, so we'll be in a position of taking scraps as we can get them.  That said, it would be really great to see the genre updated yet remain what was loved in the retro games that were highly rated in their day.

[macirex]

The developers should play and like their games before selling them to the public...

[Mickeymac92]

The developers should play and like their games before selling them to the public...

I could say that about all games, for better or for worse. Like being a chef: Don't make something you wouldn't eat.

[macirex]

The developers should play and like their games before selling them to the public...

I could say that about all games, for better or for worse. Like being a chef: Don't make something you wouldn't eat.

Nah... some developers only want a quick buck... like the movie and commercial brands tie-ins... but seriously if developers even say how they don´t like their games, how come they release it?

Case in point: Last Rebellion

[Tomara]

Nah... some developers only want a quick buck... like the movie and commercial brands tie-ins... but seriously if developers even say how they don´t like their games, how come they release it?

Case in point: Last Rebellion

My guess is they need to eat like other humans. Releasing a crappy game is a form of damage control. Put some boobs on the cover and pray for the best, you know?

[AJR]

It's the publishers that get to decide what goes and what doesn't though. I'm sure there are tons of developers who'd skip their current projects to work on something they're more passionate about. But like Tomara said, people gotta eat.