[Charity Hughes]

I think Xenoblade Chronicles is the best JRPG of this console generation, lots of exploration, great story and a marvelous soundtrack. Took me about 128 hours to play thru the game and do the majority of side quests, and was at level 96 by the end

The second best JRPG would be Radiant Historia for the Nintendo DS

It might be that I hate social links of most designs

[MISS KEEP UR]

Tried the demo for Eternal Sonata today. Really liked it, but not sure if the game holds up throughout.

Anyone recommend a purchase?

Definately.

One of the best and most beautiful JRPGs that I've ever played.

"Last Remnant" is a nice epic romp and "Ressonance of Fate" is wonderfully wierd and different and definately worth checking out.

Az

[Donald Richards]

SO what are some good JRPGs for a newbie to the genre to play?

Since you've got a PS2, I would recommend Dragon Quest VIII. It's fairly uncomplicated, and so shouldn't be overwhelming for someone new, and while it doesn't really do anything new to the genre it takes its core factors and does them pretty much flawlessly. Shadow Hearts: Covenant can be described similarly. Suikoden 5 and Star Ocean: Till the End of Time are also excellent JRPG's I'd say, though the latter can be divisive.

For backwards compatibility, the original Playstation had several excellent games as well, though they may be harder/more expensive to get. Star Ocean: The Second Story, Xenogears, Breath of Fire 4, Suikoden 1 and 2, and Final Fantasy 9 are all games I would recommend.

[Prisca Lacour]

I was never a big JRPG player growing up but recently I've tried to get into them. About a month ago I bought Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey and today I got a PS2 and picked up Kingdom Hearts. I've really enjoyed Blue Dragon so far but unfortunately it's been caught up in my game backlog but that should change once this semester is over. I played Lost Odyssey when it first came out but I only borrowed it from a friend for a week. Kingdom Hearts is a game I've been dying to play ever since I saw a commercial for it back in 2002.

SO what are some good JRPGs for a newbie to the genre to play?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RdbZeOxL2o&hd=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHJbE_kfybs&feature=topics&hd=1

[Alan Cutler]

I was never a big JRPG player growing up but recently I've tried to get into them. About a month ago I bought Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey and today I got a PS2 and picked up Kingdom Hearts. I've really enjoyed Blue Dragon so far but unfortunately it's been caught up in my game backlog but that should change once this semester is over. I played Lost Odyssey when it first came out but I only borrowed it from a friend for a week. Kingdom Hearts is a game I've been dying to play ever since I saw a commercial for it back in 2002.

SO what are some good JRPGs for a newbie to the genre to play?

Chrono Trigger is a good introduction to the genre. It's not very difficult, but it's fun, has a great soundtrack, and a pretty good story. I'd recommend finishing Lost Odyssey as well. That was a fun game (never finished it, unfortunately...)

[Caroline flitcroft]

SO what are some good JRPGs for a newbie to the genre to play?

You could pick the http://www.amazon.com/Sonic-Ultimate-Genesis-Collection-Playstation-3/dp/B001G33V8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336100327&sr=8-1 for 360/PS3 pretty cheap, Phantasy Star (mainly the 2nd and 4th games) and Shining Force are two great RPG series on there.