"You do realise, that Squall isn't even all that diferent from Cloud?"

Yes, in fact I do. But neither 7 nor 8 are anywhere near the top of my favorites from that series.

Hmm, an interesting read.

One point I can't understand, though. You say that the characters in modern RPGs "look more and more generic". As opposed to what? The tiny four-colored sprites of NES? The pointy-hatted wizards and fully armored knights of Ultima?

I say that character designs in RPGs (both Western and Japanese) is one of the things that has definitely improved over the years - not just because of the enhanced graphics, but also because there are ridiculously talented and imaginative artists working in the industry.

For a good example, just take a look at the character designs in the first Suikoden, and then compare them to the characters in Suikoden V. People dressed in dull one-colored tunics and plain armor versus people with costumes of all sorts of colors and patterns and adornments.

Sure, the costumes and hairdos might get overboard in many games (I don't mind, though, it adds to the fantasy feel of the games), but that's the exact opposite of being generic.

@Sami

Around '98-04 I was primarily a console gamer and I just felt like most of the character designs I was seeing for console RPGs (which for me was primarily made up of JRPGs) where all kind of melting together. Most of the games around then picked either FF-styled "realism" or DQ-styled cartoons as their looks without much variation between the two. It didn't help that a lot of Western RPG makers had just discovered anime around the same time and (in my not humble at all opinion) over-saturated the market with subpar games that featured subpar art.

One of the reasons that old games like Ultima get a pass from me on this point is that while the in-game graphics were very much of their time, they made up for it with insanely detailed cloth maps, books filled with illustrations, etc. Because these were real, tangible objects they allowed people with overactive imaginations to fill in the gaps, they allowed me to look past in-game art with greater ease than something released today. Sadly these types of in-box goodies are rare these days, slipped in quality, and are now called "preorder bonuses."

I'll agree that we've seen more variation in recent years, but the detail that you're describing is a double-edged sword. It's only a good thing if your vision of the game mirrors the art direction chosen for it by its creators. I love how Suikoden has developed over the years, but FF characters keep piling on straps and belt buckles as if they got a hot date waiting for them at the Folsom Street Fair. I'm sure that's somebody's idea of great character design, it's just not mine.

However, I am hopeful that RPGs will continue down its current path of providing a wide range of play styles, art direction, music, story types, and settings across as many different platforms as possible. That's something that past generations haven't been able to claim and something that should be cherished today.

I still play the original Final Fantasy, and am thrilled that Sega released Phatasy Star II (my favorite ever) on XBLA. I loved Ultima Quest of the Avatar on Nintendo, and remember trying to play Ultima VII (my first PC-based RPG), and thinking 'What am I supposed to do?' It's strange, because after the swing to full-freedom non-linear plots, the growing emphasis on extensive cut scenes lead to shallow games with VERY linear play #i.e. Final Fantasy VII on the PS1#. Now with MMO's, the RPG elements seem to get downplayed in favor of PvP mechanics.

I'm happily enjoying Phantasy Star II on XBLA, and encourage everyone to do the same.