Uploading a picture rather than writing a full-blown post makes this whole blogging process much easier.
Hipsters now seem to loom large in the national (international?) consciousness for some reason or another. I could not define a hipster for you, but I know, too, that I couldn’t talk to one to save my life.
I came to the conclusion a while back that no matter where my life would take me, I would always prefer my RPGs in a western, rather than eastern style. That still holds today to an extent; however, I find myself increasingly drawn to the music, the art, and the story-telling of many traditional Japanese RPGs. A wave of self-loathing rolls over me every time I reread that last sentence. My middle school self will never forgive me—after all the hot air over the inherent superiority of WRPGs over JRPGs at the 7th grade lunch table, it shames me to admit my wrongheadedness. Swearing my absolute allegiance now to the other end of the RPG spectrum now tempts me, so forgive my lapses into slack-jawed infatuation with my new-found genre du jour.
Chrono Trigger—the game most responsible for this softening of my hard-line stance—deserves all the praise fans heap upon it. To play it for the first time, untainted by spoiler, is the greatest of joys. Having played other, more modern JRPGs prior to Chrono Trigger helped me appreciate it all the more. Here stands a game stripped of all superfluity. Nothing but the purest es
sence of gaming and storytelling exists within the confines of this cartridge. The music evokes the fresh spirit of adventure that I feel WRPGs lack, while at the same time undercutting its own cheerfulness with feelings of nostalgia and melancholy fitting for a game structured around time travel. Regarding the more substantive aspects of the game, the combat system holds a depth of strategic possibilities within a streamlined, intuitive interface, making combat surprisingly entertaining—and best of all, painless—a rarity in some of the other JRPGs I played prior to it. The absence of random battles and the time-based turn system make the game feel fresh and innovative, even after so many years. Although I usually prefer to rush through games, Chrono Trigger seems better savored than gobbled down.
Looking for a more modern counterpart to Chrono Trigger, I recently acquired Dragon Quest IX, the latest in the series, for DS. Neat additions, like character customization, FFIII DS-style vocations, and more clearly defined quests make for a somewhat more polished experience. Combat lacks the same pop, and I missed the multi-character dual and triple techs of Chrono Trigger in spite of the game’s attempt to emulate it through its chain combo mechanic. DQIX makes the same trade-off that many WRPGs are cursed by: party customization in exchange for greater individualization of characters. 
In theory, customization would provide for more uniqueness, but in practice, customized characters often end up generic in both story and combat. My priest in DQIX will have his pick of a variety of skills, to be sure, but no gameplay mechanic exists so far for special attacks native to the character, not just the class. I felt robbed of the quirkiness, charm, and personality of the cast of Chrono Trigger. Having some power over the statistical identity of a party member does not compensate for the removal of actual characterization. To its credit, DQIX shares an aesthetic style with Chrono Trigger, thanks to the superbly charming work of Akira Toriyama. The bouncy music, quite unlike Chrono Trigger’s darker soundtrack, cheers and spurs the player to explore the wonderfully vivid and exciting world unfolding before him/her. Where Chrono Trigger tantalizes with a mystery and sadness forgotten by time, DQIX beckons with the call to glory. While perhaps the more modern, more accessible, and more game-y of the two, DQIX fails to capture the more human, more tragic, and (dare I say it) more artistic spirit left behind by Chrono Trigger.
