RPGs in this next, upcoming generation.

I have to agree with Goldfish. This genration of RPGs certainly had quantity. At least for the PS2 (the now dominant RPG gaming system, I believe), it almost seems like there's a new English RPG released every couple of months. I'm inclined to think the SNES and PS1 were not quite as productive at churning out RPGs. I have a gut feeling that this is attributed to increasing willingness to localize Japanese RPGs for English speaking gamers, and, of course, the RPG revolution started by FF7. If this trend continues, we might see more titles for the next gen gaming systems.

I also feel that, in terms of gameplay, there are more innovative RPGs for this current generation, thanks in part to FF. Gameplay has seen some interesting twists and turns to keep things refreshing for the most part. To keep gamers interested and appeal to a wider audience, I think it's inevitable that new innovations in gameplay will be made in the future. I have a feeling that we might also see more cross-genre titles (e.g. survival horror RPGs, FPS RPGs, platforming RPGs).

It's difficult to say if this generation's RPGs were better than the previous generation. Sure, the current generation might have better graphics and sound/music but other crucial elements might be missing or less than satisfactory. In some cases, better graphics actually adds to the gaming experience, so...

I guess the problem with current gen RPGs is having to meet increasing demands and expecations of gamers. The mainstream gamer would expect more cinematic RPGs brimming with flashy 3D graphics and motion-captured animations (FF, again, has to be credited for this). So it's not surprising that there will be an even greater focus in that department in RPGs, especially for the next generation of gaming systems. I'd say be prepared to play more movies, for better or worse.

Jam it back in, in the dark.