That would have to be without a doubt Etrian Odyssey IV. I've always been a huge fan of first-person dungeon crawlers and the Etrian series has refined the formula to be far less obtuse than its peers while staying challenging. I can't tell you how many lame Wizardry clones I've played where just making and equipping your party is a chore. The Etrian games make party management easy so you can focus on exploring and advancing your characters. I really wish more games would copy it instead of directly copying mechanics from decades old games. Thanks to Etrian and mainline Shin Megami Tensei games, Atlus has proven themselves to be masters of this sub-genre and I eagerly look forward to seeing what adventures the latest Etrian dungeon has in store for me. In reality most of the games I'm looking forward to this year are from Atlus. What games are you looking forward to?

It used to be that RPGmaker based games were generally mediocre but over the years and especially recently a lot of interesting indie games have come out of it. One notable one would have to be To the Moon which I suppose isn't even an RPG. We've also had some indie games with their own engines that provide gameplay in a similar fashion such as Cthulhu Save the World and the latest Penny Arcade Adventures from Zeboyd. I am equally sad that there is no RPGmaker for Final Fantasy Tactics styled games as I would want to make use of that as well. Perhaps someone will eventually fill the void?

That would be nice! I've been interested in game making software but it always seems to be well behind the times from a technical standpoint. I'm sure it would be pretty hard to create but people are still using the 2D RPGmaker so there must be an audience! There doesn't seem to be software with even PS1-era 3D capabilities. Oh well, we can only hope someone makes it right? Still, now you've got me interested in messing around with RPGmaker!

I disagree with that, as I've already seen games like that coming from Atlus, frequently even. If you mean more main stream games with HD graphics on home consoles then you're probably right in that regard (unless we see a Persona 5 on home consoles soon). These kinds of RPGs are out there, from Japan, just not coming from the usual suspects. Have you played Radiant Historia? Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey? Resonance of Fate? Heck, I think I could even list Trails in the Sky. They exist! What fanboys need to do is stop expecting new entries in the series that had these kinds of themes and look at some of the other series out there. Don't give up on these kinds of games!

While that was once the case that's begun to change a bit. The popularity of BioWare's games has helped more story focused games like The Witcher and the great storytellers at Obsidian seem to have a lot of things in the works. Games like Oblivion and Fallout 3 are highly popular for sure but efforts from other developers have produced less than ideal results. For that matter, Bethesda seems to have trouble with the design themselves as each new entry in the Elder Scrolls series seems to be buggier than the last. Even a spiritual successor to Planescape Torment is in the works. So while sandbox type RPGs continue to be popular I think BioWare's continued success may prompt more story focused RPGs in the future, or at least we can hope it does!

There can be a place for both Shining Force and Valkyria in Sega's catalog. They already showed this with the release of Shining Blade. I suppose that doesn't necessarily count given the game features battle similar to Valkyria Chronicles only set in more of a fantasy setting. Still Shining Force could easily be used as a lower budget SRPG series on portables and even mobile phones and they could keep Valkyria going on perhaps the Vita? As long as they don't make more games like Shining Force Neo.

It seems unlikely at this point. I don't think the classic titles have quite the following that the online Phantasy Stars have managed to gather. Since Phantasy Star Online 2 is a free to play title that may expand the audience for the online games even further. Despite that I could see Sega doing another story based Phantasy Star at some point. I'd love to see them team with someone like BioWare or Obsidian to make such a game, perhaps even tri-Ace. Perhaps they could even do a retro-styled Phantasy Star V? There doesn't seem to be any indication they're interested in making such a project but stranger things have happened.

Well I haven't played the first because I'm saving it for a "rainy day" when I really need a classic style JRPG to play. As far as the lack of a sequel goes I'm sort of surprised it hasn't happened yet. You can see with the inclusion of characters from that series in Valkyria Chronicles and the latest Sega Racing game shows that developers within Sega and/or working with Sega really enjoyed the original. That's generally a good sign that people really want to work on a sequel and I wouldn't be shocked to see it happen. Perhaps the first step would be for them to re-release the game on online services like they've done for other Dreamcast classics. They could even get the GameCube version on WiiU once Nintendo starts offering downloadable GameCube games. It's long overdue for a sequel but I honestly think this is one that could legitimately happen.

Why thank you! I'm glad you enjoy the column. Let's see what you've got on your mind!

Nights is just pure joy in game form. On a system without a proper Sonic game Nights was the go to game for many fans of the system. I'm not sure why it took so long for Sega to revisit the franchise, nor do I know if the sequel is any good, but the original still stands as a wonderful and unique game. I'm not a fan of the Sonic Adventure games but on Nights we are in complete agreement. I'm glad they have finally released it digitally so that everyone can enjoy it.

A wonderful gift! I'm sure you know how much I enjoy Resonance of Fate and its unique battle system. Though people complain that Sega didn't market it well enough, there's no denying that they graced it with one of the best localizations I've seen in some time with a brilliant selection of voice actors. As far as the Star Ocean series goes, it's more that I'm not a fan of the third entry in the series and that has stopped me from diving into the other titles. I'll give Star Ocean 2 a try.

I got somewhat of the same Final Fantasy VI vibe out of the game, but didn't feel much of the other two, unless we're strictly talking about the first Wild Arms. The mechanics are unlike anything else, relying on timing, strategy, and careful placement of each character all at once. I'd really love for them to make some kind of sequel at some point. After this game tri-Ace worked on a PSP game and a 3DS game for Konami, neither of which were localized. They worked a bit on Final Fantasy XIII-2 and are rumored to be working on the follow up as well. Other than that, their future projects are a mystery.

I don't quite agree with that. Don't get me wrong, there are amazing things that could be done with HD RPGs that new handheld RPGs just can't handle, but creative teams should be able to make fine games on portables, and so they have. I understand the reality of wanting great RPGs on a home console to enjoy. At the same time, would we ever even get retro-styled games like Etrian Odyssey that make a new experience with an old style? I'm not so sure. It'd be best if developers were focusing on both, but with the realities of the Japanese market that's not quite happening. I think we will see a Persona 5 on home consoles (and possibly Vita at the same time) but Chrono and Suikoden are seemingly dead series. Now that said if we strictly focus on Square Enix titles I think you'd have a point. The Final Fantasy series is still very popular worldwide but they've failed to get more than Final Fantasy XIII and its sequel out on HD consoles. I think that's a huge waste. A Final Fantasy VI prequel would be amazing, glad to hear I'm not the only one to think that. So long story short, I don't think handhelds rob games of potential (especially now that we have the 3DS and Vita) but I understand your desire to play new great RPGs on a TV. At the very least the PSP and PSP Go have video out options so you can play those games on a TV. Perhaps if the Vita catches on we'll see more JRPGs get dual PS3/Vita releases to please everyone?

Thank you sir! I do my best and I'm glad you enjoy the column. Keep writing in!

agree! Their digital releases have been great (except for perhaps Sonic 4 Episode II) and they put a nice cap on the year with a racing game that pays tribute to their diverse past. I'm looking forward to seeing what Sega does next. They seem to have gotten their operation into better order!