Great post. Gotta love JRPGs :) I was first inducted into the world through Pokemon (Gameboy) and Suikoden II (one of my all-time faves). But I've grown fond of western games too - any game with good story and gameplay.
Time constraints aside, I'd enjoy playing those "classics". One not-so-old J-game that I recently enjoyed is Valkyria Chronicles. And 9 yrs after its release, it's still damn fun. But I do wish we'd get more new games of the JRPG mold in this generation, such as those in the likes of Ni No Kuni.
I agree, this is why I am such a huge fan of the Switch. It could be the JRPG juggernaut. I am looking forward to the upcoming Ni No Kuni 2 that is coming out on PS4.
Valkyria Chronicles - What are your thoughts on that one? I've seen some footage and it seems .... odd. To me it seemed a little like Final Fantasy 12 where your character had a line from the top of your head to the target....I couldn't stand FFXII.
I need to have at least one new-gen console, PS4 or Switch, mostly been playing on PC now. I've strayed far from my JRPG roots 😅
I haven't played FFXII but when I checked the gameplay vid, the overhead line seems unnecessarily complex? Like it's unintuitive for a turn-based RPG. Valkyria has those too but it's used to show enemy's line of sight which is essential for the shoot and cover turn-based mechanics. hmm, VC is a different breed of RPG because of its focus on Strategy, kind of like FF Tactics.
It looks like a beautiful game. I've always been hesitant to pull the trigger. If you think it's really worth it, I'll give it a go.