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[Eugor]

Whenever I'm thinking of great games from my past for inspiration purposes, it usually ends with genres that magically disappeared.

Examples would be some SNES games like Terranigma (Classic ARPG?) and Goof Troop (Coop-Puzzle). I found those games to be my favorites on that console and a lot of people also liked them. Another example would be JRPGs on the PC and Jade Cocoon. One could argue that Pokemon is pretty similar, but that game didn't really change over the years and is probably just making too much money to stop.

So, what happened to those genres? Would they no longer be fun to play or did the developers just get tired of it? I know I would buy a Terranigma 2 on the first day, even if the gameplay didn't change.

One thing I noticed is that the PC is getting only games that are meant to be player with keyboard + mouse. Ten years ago people didn't care about porting a game to the PC and making the controls a little worse. Today devs seem to think that RPGs are best played on consoles, because a PC doesn't have an analog stick. I doubt anyone hated Grandia 2 on the PC only for the controls.

[Bree]

Most often it's due to the games not keeping up with consumer expectations, or else stagnating in quality. Old Man Murray wrote the best article to explain why the adventure game died out. It wasn't because "dumb gamers don't wanna solve puzzles, they wanna make things explode". It's because the adventure games that were being released included increasingly esoteric puzzles and tended to use an archaic interface. I'd bet that JRPGs have stagnated in the West because they began catering exclusively to the niche fans, tending towards more grind-intensive combat systems and the same hokey anime plots that they'd used years before. Final Fantasy XII and XIII have gotten flak because they're "too different" from previous titles, and XII especially for Vaan. The original protagonist was the middle-aged badass Balthier, but because execs were concerned that he was too different from the typical adolescent hero to sell, they introduced an entirely new and mostly obsolete character.

[SundownKid]

The original protagonist was (...) Balthier

Actually, Captain Basch was supposed to be the main character, not Balthier. They changed it because Vagrant Story didn't sell well, which is understandable but quite unfortunate considering, well... Vaan.

Action RPGs aren't dead. I'm making one right now! And I just played Nier, which is also an ARPG (albeit not a 2D one). They are still releasing JRPGs on PC in Japan (e.g. Legend of Heroes) but barely any in America save for stuff like The Last Remnant.

I have a PC controller so it doesn't matter to me whether it has KB/M anymore or is a bad console port. Some games, like TLR, play better with a PC controller.

According to Wiki, adventure games died out because of the rise of the new and flashy action games. Then, they became really a niche genre.

[s0]

Lack of PC ports is due to low interest and piracy I guess.

Also, in addition to what Theo said about JRPGS, I'd argue the release of the Xbox 360 changed the face of console gaming, which had pretty much Japanese-dominated since the mid-80s. With the 360, Two big "western" genres, FPSs and WRPGs, that used to be pretty much PC exclusive suddenly became extremely popular in the console market due to smart moves by Bungie and BethSoft, pushing Japanese games back.

[SirNiko]

For multiplayer Co-op, the Zelda: Four Swords games are really perfectly in the same spirit. The recently released Spiral Knights is the same concept. Top-down multiplayer co-op action plus simple puzzles.

I'd love for some more Terranigma (and SoulBlazer, which I thought was way better given how all the game was about rebuilding the towns) style action games with light RPG elements. Metroidvanias seem to have filled that niche. If you've not played it, I highly recommend you check out Brave Fencer Musashi for the PSX or Dark Cloud (1&2) for the PS2. They might scratch your ARPG itch.

I don't think these genres have died out, but they've taken the backseat to WRPGs and FPS for a while. You've just gotta look harder to find them.

[Bree]

Actually, Captain Basch was supposed to be the main character, not Balthier.

Poop, got the names mixed up. My bad. :C Still sucks that they had to change the character.

[adam_smasher]

Action games have sort of gradually accreted RPG elements nowadays, haven't they? Stat/equipment upgrades, shops, etc.? Besides, there are still quite a few "true" action-RPGs - Nier comes to mind as a recent example. And RPGs themselves have accreted action elements - think about the real-time FFXII, for instance.

How many good ARPGs did the SNES have? The Soul Blazer games, the Mana games, and...? Maybe a small handful of others. It's always been kind of a small genre, for whatever reason.

And the PC never really had JRPGs. C'mon.

[Aquin]

There are still ARPGs nowadays, but yeah they've never really been prolific.  (also Gunman's Proof is sweeeet)

I can't think of any genres that are dying, but I got my ear pretty close to the scene and pay attention to 'em all.  I play 'em all on a fairly regular basis.  Sure maybe some are more popular than others, but I can't think of any genre that'd be considered a rare breed.

Maybe some really obscure genres that are like odd takes on others...I can't think of many Umihara Kawase knock-offs for example.

[Coz]

Even though ARPGs are my favorite genre, they are a strange breed? RPGs are traditionally turn-based( which applies perfectly to a certain demographic ), and action games are fast-paced( which rocks the socks off male teens / young adults ). But it's harder to find people who are looking for both characteristics.

On the other hand, CO-OP never died. It just evolved into online multiplayer.

[speeder]

arpgs died...

Diablo III anyone?

[Bree]

I'd say 3D platformers aren't so much a dead genre as an assimilated genre- it got absorbed into the shooter/RPG hybrids (Ratchet and Clank) or else melded with big blockbuster action games (Uncharted). But the heyday of the hubworld collect-a-thons like Banjo-Kazooie, Mario 64, and Jak and Daxter seems to have long since past.

Music games seem to undergo periods of oversaturation and then quiet innovation, before they leap again into the public eye. Compare the trend of DDR to the rise and current fall of the Guitar Hero/Rock Band brands. Just Dance seems to be where the music genre is heading now, but who knows how long that will last.

[moi]

Most often it's due to the games not keeping up with consumer expectations, or else stagnating in quality. Old Man Murray wrote the best article to explain why the adventure game died out. It wasn't because "dumb gamers don't wanna solve puzzles, they wanna make things explode".

The real reason is that adventure games had terrible gameplay and interface.
Searching for what is the exact word to use is not fun.
Trying all the possibilities in an arborescence of possibilities in order to beat the game is not fun.
That's what most adventure games had to offer.

[Nystre]

Action games have sort of gradually accreted RPG elements nowadays, haven't they? Stat/equipment upgrades, shops, etc.?

Ugh, it bothers me so much that these are considered "RPG Elements"

I mean, technically they're features seen the most in RPGs, but most RPG fans do not like RPGs for these elements. The main draw for me in an RPG is promise of a focus on plot, but sadly that has died out in favour of grindfests. RPGs before the 360/PS3/Wii era had much more focus on storytelling than some dumb stat system.

[adam_smasher]

When the RPG genre first came about, the focus was almost entirely on the numbers game. Moreover, RPGs were the first to bring this into video games from pen-and-paper RPGs, so calling them "RPG elements" is both entirely sensible and entirely correct. And story back then was rarely more elaborate than "You're a hero! Go save the world!"

Not ten years ago, when games like FFX and Xenosaga were all the rage, "most RPG fans" couldn't stop whining about how then-modern RPGs focused too much on storytelling and not enough on, like, the gameplay, man.

[Mipe]

Action games have sort of gradually accreted RPG elements nowadays, haven't they? Stat/equipment upgrades, shops, etc.?

Ugh, it bothers me so much that these are considered "RPG Elements"

I mean, technically they're features seen the most in RPGs, but most RPG fans do not like RPGs for these elements. The main draw for me in an RPG is promise of a focus on plot, but sadly that has died out in favour of grindfests. RPGs before the 360/PS3/Wii era had much more focus on storytelling than some dumb stat system.

Just the plot? Then what does that make adventure games?

[superflat]

I'm making an action RPG!

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

action rpgs were always a small % of games, and i don't think that % has varied much over the years. the snes had secret of mana, terranigma, soul blazer, secret of evermore, and a few others. the ps2 had the three kingdom hearts games, dawn of mana, and a few others.

[Derakon]

So where does "action RPG" end and "beat-em-up" start? Is Devil May Cry an action RPG? It has realtime combat and upgradeable equipment, but I'd wager most would call it a 3D brawler instead of an ARPG. Do you need more plot? DMC3 had a fairly involved plot (at least as involved as, say, Secret of Evermore). More characters? "Town" segments where you can wander around and talk to people?

[shig]

Some genre-definig features get absorbed by other genres.

[s0]

I agree with adam_smasher. The notion that CRPGs are a "story genre" is pretty ridiculous tbh and ignores the vast number of RPGs that don't focus on story. I'd even argue they're the majority but w/e.