NYCC: Can Ni No Kuni Revive the JRPG?

When discussing the state of contemporary Japanese RPGs, people are split into two primary schools of thought. Some gamers think the genre has persevered, that JRPGs haven’t gotten worse, but that the once-core audience that feverishly played those games has largely moved on, leaving in their wake a lingering, dedicated niche. Others think that JRPGs have, for the most part, taken a nosedive, far removed from their glory days in the 1990s. These people look at most recent additions in the genre as derivative, uninspired and boring.

There’s no right or wrong viewpoint to be had here, and the very subject of the JRPG’s marked fall in popularity remains a contentious one. Then again, as an avid JRPG player in my younger years, I know where I stand. I want something that takes inspiration from the classics and less of what we’ve been given in recent years. And playing Ni No Kuni for a brief time showed me that this upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive, due out early in 2013, could be just what the doctor ordered.

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Originally written and published by at IGN PS3. Click here to read the original story.
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