"The most exciting RPG games you've ever played"-thread

[eliasfrost]

What I like in RPGs is:

• Player-dictated character development, from looks to attributes and skills, and what order I want them to progress
• Meaningful player input, such as branching dialogue that have meaning for the story and plot
• Non-linear gameplay, side quests, the ability to put the main objective on halt for a sec and go create my own storyline within the world without constantly being reminded that I need to go kill the big bad guy.
• Make the game react to my decisions, like my companions and how they feel about me, and how the world will shape by my actions.

Those are the criteria that makes an RPG for me, and JRPGs certainly don't apply to even half of those points, again these are my preferences. So the conclusion would be that JRPGs are too strict and hold the players hand throughout the game, not by making it easy, but guidance through the story and how it unfolds in strictly one way. For me, JRPGs are nothing more than Adventure games with brief RPG elements, much like how Bioshock is an FPS with brief RPG elements, not full fledged RPGs. Funny thing is that the initial idea about JRPGs was to create a streamlined one button presser for the early consoles, not to create a solid RPG experience (actual roleplaying, hence the name).