Few genres have seen a rise and fall like the once illustrious Japanese RPG. There still exists a strong core group of players dedicated to the JRPG, but could the poor showing of Japanese titles in 2009 be the death knell for a dying art form? Jeff Fleming think so. This week on the EXP Podcast, inspired by his recent opinion piece, Scott and I visit to the local genre hospital and discuss the health of JRPGs, DS confinement, teen angst, and the 'unicorn magic' of operatic storytelling. As always, you can find the original article in the show notes and we highly encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.Some discussion starters:
- How do you define a JRPG? Do you consider is a distinct sub-genre with a value all its own?
- Have Westerb RPGs superseded JRPGs? Do they satisfy all the sensations the Japanese RPG once provided in the days of yore? Will we miss the fantastical?
- Have we matured past JRPGs or are they just becoming what they always should have been, a niche market sub-genre?
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Show notes:
- Run time: 27 min 52 sec
- "The Last Days of the Japanese RPG?" by Jeff Fleming via GameSetWatch
- Music provided by Brad Sucks