Bioware hasn't innovated. They're just depserately trying to imitate BG2 – something they basically admitted to – because they can't actually make anything decent anymore. Innovation isn't the key. It's TALENT. :

They have BOTH declined in my mind, because of a general lack of talent. There's more talent int he modding community, most likely, than in Bioware, Bethesda, or any of the major JRPG companies.

Bioware is basically just making the same couple of games over and over, just with prettier graphics. They are completely guilty of what they claim JRPGs do.

If anything, it's JRPGs that win in innovation. There are a ton of different battle systems spread out among the various JRPGs, some turn based, some action based, some interesting hybrids. Just the Final Fantasy series alone has evolved far more than any Bioware game, in terms of coming up with new battle systems and character development systems. Persona 3 is a lot different from Persona 2. JRPGs tend to have more creative character designs, world designs that aren't just based off of Tolkien stereotypes, more interesting stories, and MUCH better art design.

The strength of WRPGs is just a couple of things: more character customization, and less linearity. But these qualities are heavily overrated by American game designers. More character customization means you are turning over the character designs to the player, which is not always a good idea. If you want better quality character designs, you're better off leaving it in the hands of professionals. Less linearity in storytelling and branching story, which great for replay value, is functionally irrelevant the first playthrough, and the downside is diluting the storytelling elements. There more branching paths there are, the harder it is to make them all interesting. Of course, I think Bioware realizes this, which is why most of the myriad choices their games appear to give you actually change very little.

JRPGs have thier weaknesses, to be sure. But overall it's American RPGs which are more direly in need of evolution.

He's also stereotyping jrpgs, considering that the majority of games on the market fall under this criteria. Not to be unexpected considering this is also the same company to release an asian influenced game with a made up language to “sound asian” (Jade Empire). Yeah, Bioware continues to evolutionize games with bigotry, I look forward to seeing something less ignorant.

A good game will speak for itself, not with some cheap PR tactics.

I'd have to disagree with you and say that BioWare has the right idea. With the amount of games out there nowadays you need to have something new or special, not just the same as 3000 other games from different developers.
:/

WRPG's will be stale one day as well, from what it looks like, but JRPG's haven't really advanced from last generation.

I agree with Bioware, but I'll still play almost any JRPG you throw my way.

RT
http://www.online-invisibility.net.tc