I am a massive RPG fan. A sheer nut for the genre, so it highly disappoints me when titles such as Tales of Destiny 2 and many more are released only in Japan. Even USA has Tales of Legendia and the Abyss. It's a shame for those who are fans of such games that never made it across the waters. Yes, some games have run into trouble trying to get across to a foreign market but with a growing number of gamers, I believe a reattempt can bring these companies back on their feet with their overseas fans.

There are so many great games such as the tales series, Star Ocean Blue Sphere, Last Ranker and so many more, that avid and true fans miss out on. I hope that there will be growing support to get these games across the ocean. I know I am not the only one who feels left out on such great titles. With the money companies generate now I hope that they can gain the backing needed and are finally swayed into releasing these must haves.

Don't get me wrong. It has been more so in the past rather than now, that western audiences did not accept RPG's so much, however this has changed a fair bit. Maybe not so much with the younger generations who are more used to more modern console RPG's but for us older RPG gamers who played the good old sprite graphics and hand held ports. We would even be greateful for remakes if it means being able to play these games. However again this is only my opinion and I do not speak for RPG users. I would be interested though, in hearing the thoughts of those who too long for more receptivity of eastern RPG's into the western market. I may stand to be corrected on some issues here I don't know but any info or potential hope is better than nothing.

If there is a will and way of making this happen I hope it arrives soon. Many stories and inspiration are derived from such games as well as some of the most awesome and beautiful music I have ever heard. Nothing quite gets the nostalgic feelings back of true adventure than a RPG and I am sure many RPG users now days miss that feeling.

Ok. I love RPG's my first was Alundra on the PS1. Since the year of its release I was hooked on the genre. Now I won't bore you (especially those who play RPG's too) so I'll get straight to it. To me it feels that a lot of today's RPG's just don't cut it compared to a lot of older console titles. Hell who hasn't heard of Zelda? Today's Zelda certainly has come a long way since it's much older releases from the original Gameboy and Nintendo. Where the graphics were sprite based and all you had was a d pad and an A and B button. Now we have a werewolf Link and masks etc. Not to say this is a bad style for a game let alone an RPG game but honestly, I feel it just doesn't live up to the same feeling as the old Zeldas. Final Fantasy. Yes I'm goin' there people. There was big transition from FF6 to FF7 from 2D graphics to 3D but even then, it kept that consistent feeling of a good meaty RPG full of LONG hours of gameplay and storytelling. Now from 7-9 still kept the series consistency of a good deep RPG. And then there was FFX not a bad game. I liked it for what it was but I didn't feel so immersed with this game as I did the others. That it wasn't as grand a scale as its older siblings in the series. The UI felt a bit too clean and modern and not to say the element of danger wasn't present (hell I know I'd at least raise an eyebrow if a bigg-ass whale lookin' thing was commin' my way) but in comparison to say FF9's Kuja battles...it wasn't so intense for me. Now let's talk about the Fable series. Is it me or from 1-3 did it seem that each game got a LOT shorter than the other? Now I know that during the period of these games that the world has evolved into an industrial age and with that there would be less magic in the world, but with that I think it also took away all feeling that the first Fable instilled within us all. I like all 3 Fables but I was disappointed with how short it was. It's all well and good that more recent games have additional content to DL on marketplaces or networks but it's still not the same as buying a good old RPG without all of that nonsense and enjoying it for what it is. Putting in hours of grinding to beat that boss who just wont go down. Or finding a much sought after summon or weapon. It just feels like a lot has been rushed and the stories are very much watered down. Another one I will say I liked is Infinite Undiscovery. It too was short for what it was but yet I felt it made a very good RPG. It brought back to me the feelings of Star Ocean and Final Fantasy and many other titles from way back. This game brought back that kid in me that played all these games and if more modern RPG's weren't so focused on having a futuristic feel then there could be every chance that for those who like the typical magic, swords and your old school Zeldas etc, that they will start emerging again.

I am an avid fan of the Star Ocean series and The Second Story was the first ever title I owned. It brought about lost feelings with in me and took me to a different place where all my troubles couldn't touch me even if they tried. So pretty much even to this day I love that game and yeah maybe not so much as the remake but you won't hear me say a bad thing about it. So as you can imagine many years later I hear of Star Ocean Till the End of Time and I couldn't wait. I was beside myself with anticipation. I played that game every day I could when I wasn't studying. It was a shame there was little reference to the games predecessors however I held out for the hope that this game could still carry on that 'Star Ocean' feeling. And to a point it did but whether that was out of hope more than anything it's hard to say. One thing was clear though, having been chronologically the last in the series of Star Ocean, I felt somewhat betrayed. Whether that's too strong a word or not, but for anyone who is a fan and has played the game, you will know what I am talking about. Now I won't spoil it for anyone reading who has yet to play the game. Don't get me wrong either Star Ocean Till the End of Time is a GOOD RPG, maybe not as good as the others in the series but a good game none the less, but that is my own opinion. For those who have played as far to get to the point I am talking about, I'm sure that fellow fans felt rather let down with the decision they made in the story line regarding the entire universe effecting my feelings on the previous games too. Like a wave of disappointment washed over that the characters we fell in love with were never really true. I hope SOMEHOW there is a chance for redemption in which there is some sort of counter-explanation. I don't know. I'm talking more out of hope there, but I would think that other SO fans would agree with me for SO series pretty much is one of a kind and set a lot of standards for some of the more modern RPG titles. With characters as such and crafting systems even the epic music would be sorely missed if SO ended the way it did. I believe with the creative minds they had to create SO in the first place, that they can bring it back from the brink and amaze us even further and end with something truly mind blowing.

Now we all know that some of the most wanted games out there and have been, have age restrictions on them. Not all of them, no, but games such as the Grand Theft Auto series, are very well renowned and sought after by a huge age range but are rated for 18's or Mature depending on your regions age rating system. Any who-it isn't just for the fact of the content within games that the age rating is in place for. No. Many games now days have online modes in which, for those who know little about online gaming communities, allows a person to play with other players online of the same game, with each other. Now this is where potential dangers can occur. Yes, dangers. It is not an exaggeration. I for one am a user of online games across a lot of the modern game consoles, and having experienced online play for myself, I can see other reasons as to why age restrictions are put in place. Now I won't dress this up, but there are abusive people that can be found anywhere and online communities be it a game or even on the internet itself from your PC, attract a lot of these unsavoury characters. Some of which may well be able to carry out what they say. This ranges from threatening and antisocial behaviour, swearing or even attempts to hack another's console. Some cases have resulted in bullying too. More often than not a lot of it is due to frustration towards the game itself, being that it is either too difficult to complete or in a large and ever increasing case-hackers. A very big factor in people's behaviour online. Other reasons also stem from a minor playing a game they do not understand or comprehend therefore frustrating more "hard core" gamers and bringing about some of these erratic characteristics mentioned above. However I state again I have experienced many different types of people's behaviour online for many years now and the fact is people are people and they will not change. I personally know someone who plays both MMORPG's and console games and his heart is in the right place but yet, even he swears very violently at people who, in most cases made a mistake by a simple misunderstanding. For instance shoot em' up games online can be hellishly frustrating due to time and effort put into ranking up through levels and earning new equipment etc. Now a hacker comes along and throws the match into disarray. Be it unlimited ammo or 1-shot kills. This spoils the online experience for legitimate players and can cause a lot of this unpleasant behaviour. Not only that but it does effect the games community itself. Updates and maintenance is often required for such games due to safety issues and the comfort of gameplay to be ensured. It is up to adults to make sure that their children or any minor important to them, do not play these games rated for those who it states on the box of the game. No one should be exposed to such behaviour when trying to enjoy their video games. It doesn't even matter if your child or friend etc. is 17 and is the most mature person you know, people will STILL rant that they aren't old enough for some of these games. Even if that person is aware and smart, there is always a person out there who will find a reason, or in some cases no reason to lay into you.