I really have to disagree with Blizzard and ZaMullet. RPG quality is going way way up. Many RPGs have branched away from the traditional(read: boring) RPG formula. I've had alot of fun with games like Star Ocean 3, the Shadow Hearts series, and perhaps more notably Valkyrie Profile and Valkyrie Profile 2. I haven't played FFXII yet, but it also seems to take an innovative look at how RPGs should be played. Also, there is now a market in the United States for SRPGs. We've gotten quite a few of them recently and they are all delicious. I don't miss the days when I was a kid and the only SRPG I could get my hands on in english was Shining Force. Like Fu said, the Front Mission games are excelent, but the first one never even came to the US becuase there wasn't a market for that kind of game here. The future of RPGs is a promising one, and theres only room for improvement. Both gameplay innovation and graphics have taken giant leaps since the 16-bit days. There will always be a spot on my heart for the classics, but from what I've seen RPGs are only getting better and better.