"Outgrowing" the JRPG

[mobiusclimber]

Lost Odyssey might be what I'm looking for, and it's definitely on my Christmas list. Where do the other current SE-related RPGs stand (Last Remnant, Infinite Undiscovery...)? I haven't really considered the other developers much, but Eternal Sonata, Star Ocean, and the like strike me as more of the same (would love to be wrong, though).

Here's the stack on my desk:
-Xenogears
-Xenosaga Ep1
-Final Fantasy IX (I got to the end, need to replay though)
-Rogue Galaxy
-Final Fantasy XII
-Dragon Quest VIII
-.hack//INFECTION

Given that I just stepped off of FFX, which of these would be the most satisfying to move onto next, given what I've said?

Eternal Sonata would have been the greatest JRPG on the 360 if it wasn't so darn linear. The story is a little cliche, but they find an interesting way to tell it. It's also one of the few 360 games that I've played for more than a week without quitting in total disgust and boredom.

I only played a bit of Infinite Undiscovery but I couldn't get the hang of the battle engine (you control two characters in tandem) and the story doesn't start off promising at all.

Xenogears, I hated it. Mostly it just doesn't feel playtested at all. The storyline is almost incomprehensible if you don't play the entire game in one sitting. There are certain design ideas that are just so mind-blowing stupid that they pretty much break the game (like having platforming elements in an RPG where you can get into random battles in mid-jump).

Xenosaga 1 is an anime disguising itself as a game. Don't be fooled. You'll spend more time w/ the controller resting on your lap than you will w/ it in your hands.

Dragon Quest 8 is a game that I really enjoyed, and it doesn't star a bunch of teenagers either. There is some real emotion to the characters and how they interact. I'd suggest this one if you have to choose from that pile.

Personally, I think JRPGs have been going downhill since the PS2 era, tho even there there was some great games (Shadow Hearts, for instance), but part of my problem is that developers got so into making 3D landscapes that they decided they just couldn't figure out a good way to connect all the forests and towns and dungeons so they made the overhead map into just points that you click on. I think this actually started on the PS1 but got a lot more prevalent on the PS2. It really destroys the feelings of wanderlust that older games engendered.