don't you think that the old RPG games are better then now?

[Cornel]

old rpgs stood out compared to other genres of the time: now many genres have graphics like ffx. ps: messages w/ psp are time consuming.

[lightuser]

old rpg-great storyline, extreme long games
new rpg-great graphic,short games(for some)

[IHateLois]

i belive it due to the fact that game makers are more focused on the way the game looks then the actuale story, before it was all about the story cause there wasn't much u could do with the graphics
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[Ron_Thomp]

Excellent topic lulubu!

To answer the question:

Absolutely.

Super Mario RPG
Chrono Trigger
Seiken Densetsu III
Tales of Phantasia (IMO the most advanced RPG made for SNES)
FF VII
FF VIII

Classics like these had substance, superb storylines, and engaging characters. Now, with games like Fantasy Star Online....it's just not the same. Like others have said, "The graphics are better, but the stories are usually not."

[subzero]

it is sad to see what happen when the rpg game change to new generation console...
like breath of fire... ps is great but the ps2 is...
Final fantasy the game are all the best in ps but then in ps2 FF x2 didn't make it well

but still ps2 also has some that is great like disgaea, FFX, dragon quest and other...
but the storyline in my oppinient the ps game is more interesting

n_n
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[the_waltz]

why, yes, much better...but that doesn't mean present day RPGs aren't good, nonetheless

[byrc]

Ah.....The thoughts of the jaded and the very young. I've been playing RPGs for a long time. I've went through stages of n00bness to jaded-ism. I thought like most older gamers that the older RPGs were of better quality. Yet, as time went on I learned that such ways of thinking are all relative. Most of you younger people (teenagers and tweens) remember the classic rpgs of the playstation 1 era. Yet, did you know that during the age of PSX many old school rpg fans looked down on PSX rpgs, as being derivative and lack of originiality and quality of storyline, that includes the FF series (during the psone days), suikoden, Breath of fire 3 and up, and of course the later Tales Series. To most of these jaded gamers during the late 90s', the psx rpgs did not even come close to the "greatness" of snes rpgs. This train of thought seems oddly familiar with our current generation of gamers.

What most people seem to forget that the majority of OUR classic favorites during the SNES-age are mostly IMPORTS. Most of what we called "good" rpgs were never released in the United States or in Europe. Yes, I do acknowledge that some were released in the US, but those are just a small representation of the large library of SNES rpgs. Any SNES rpg importer would tell you that there were many rpgs released, but not all of them were of good stock. Everyone has their favorite snes rpg, some are japanese imports (which most of us played on our emulators), and others were released world-wide.

It seems odd to me that we should romaticize the SNES-age, especially when we hear criticisims of our current RPGs. Many see our current situation to be stagnating, but what is the definition of stagnation, but the lack of innovation and originality. For every criticisim we have for our current rpgs, are the same criticisms that can be applied to the older-era of rpgs. Random battles, lack of character micro-management/development, turn-based battle system, and many others. These are understandable criticisms, but to create a shield of immunity for past games is unacceptable. Why are older RPGs better than newer ones, probably the same reason why newer RPGs are criticized.

Anyone who brings up that stories were better told during the snes and nes days are fooling themselves. As we play more and more rpgs, we get to the see the same themes ruminating over and over again. This causes us to see current storylines as uninspired and lack originality. It is understandable to grow bored with tried and true storylines and game mechanics.

Although we romaticize the past, we forget that not all rpgs of the past were great. The same goes with the current generation. We forget that of all the Console-ages, it is our current age that has created and distributed the most RPGs. I can not tell you how glad I am to see more and more RPGs released outside of Japan. Our past experiences in the past consoles have always been limited. The number of rpgs released outside of Japan were a scant few. Usually that scant few were particuarly picked to be released due to its high level of quality and commonality to Western sensitivies., thus the release of Dragon Warrior, Chrono Trigger, FF3, and a few others. It is now that we see a larger varitey of rpgs released. Their diversity ranges in both gameplay and in quality.

Face it folks, the more rpgs we play, the larger the pool of games we most tread through, so we can get to the polished ones. We live in a time that video games have now become mainstream, reaching and surpasing the levels of Japenese gaming culture. Although the mainstream gaming culture focuses on games like GTA and Need for Speed, we have never seen such a satuartion of games in the marketplace outside of Japan. We are seeing more games developed and distributed, and it undoubtly apparent that most of those games are of low quality. Yet, to say all new rpgs are of low quality is not only an exageration, but completely idiotic and illogical. There are few RPGs that fit the mold of excellence, yet those are the ones we will remember as we enter the next-generation of gaming. This has always been the case as we enter and exit each generation of gaming.
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[Cornel]

Graphics are quickly becoming more important as it has become apparent what chores the mirror neuron cells perform in our heads. Realistic images in movies, or video games can fire off MNCs so they create the sensation of performing an action while we may simply be watchign the action. Some people are wired in a way that they respond higher to this which may give some "hardcore" fan"tanics" the impress that people are graphic whores. If people where graphics whores, they would watch a cgi movie.
With graphics of today with the system of graphics of old gen, we can get more involved in the characters. You can see why people, such as myself, have had a seldom reaction to the end of Final Fantasy X, even though it did have random encounters and gimmicky side quests such of the likes of older rpgs. But with the impressive graphics and with the lenght of voice overs of Final Fantasy X, the brain of the player could be simulated in a way that old rpgs could not. Sure, imagination was important back then, but the gaming industry has grown since the translation of cartridge to disc. Disc format allows for cgi, so that whole compotent can be accessible to people who will have more activity of mirror neuron cells. This is why the psp will not be a failure and portable gaming will take the psp's lead to use disc gaming.

editted: when I played through FFX, I had so much fun watching the cgi movies. I loved the part when the gang was railing down two cores that were connecting two airships. It is not always that an older rpg will make me remember a certain scene, but ffx was easy to memory since the graphics must have caught by mncs.

[Krayne]

byrc and cornel have both made good points regarding this topic. As someone who started playing RPGs on the SNES I can identify with those who think the older games are better. SO many good games in the SNES, FFVI, Secret of Mana, Chrona Trigger are just some. But what many people don't realize is that in the US many games of lower quality was never released like Tenchi Muyo and Magic Knight Ray Earth.

And those who started playing on the PSONE most probably FFVII, lets just say in the beginning I didn't think highly of them. Why? Well because what probably sold them was the graphics as opposed to story. And the game was easy as hell specially compared to the likes of the earlier FFs. Heck I finished it in 2 weekends with out even playing during the weekdays. And on top of that I didn't even need to level.

But with the graphic the games becam more memorable. I can still pretty much recall scenes from the later games. And more vividly than older ones, except maybe the opera scene from FFVI.

more if I able...