Does anybody feel that modern RPG's need to become simpler.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

I can understand your concerns, but there are a lot of different RPG's out there, and not all of them are like that. If you don't like the more complicated ones, then just stick to the more simple ones.

Personally, I'd like to see RPG's make more strides in the realm of character customization. There are extremely few console RPG's that actually give you any control over how your character looks, or allow you to make any real choice in where the story goes aside from whether or not to take a sidequest, or which pre-programmed ending you get. I feel this takes most of the "role playing" out of the genre.

--Zero

Agreed on this one. I like the more complicated RPG's and the amount of customization they provide. I think they can be taken even further, and eager to see what the near future holds for RPG's.

I do like some classic RPG's, and I believe the point the OP brings up is a valid one. And agree that some RPG's are too long, which can be a good or bad thing. When you have a significant other, a house, a job, and kids (no kids for me yet), it gets hard to find 100+ hours to put into a game. I can do it but I really have to spread it out. My problem is I leave it for 7 months and have a hard to figuring out where I'm at when I get back.

I'm not a handheld gamer, so I really have no good opinion on this, but aren't there some simpler ones on the DS or GBA? I'm afraid the days of the simple RPG may be nigh though, as all the current gen consoles are obsessed with bigger and more is better. Except for the Wii maybe, but I don't know how many RPG's are on that one.