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[chronomaster5042]

So I'm going to divide this list in to two parts, games I have played and games I have heard are good (but believed it enough to buy them =P)

Part 1: Wild Arms 3&4 Persona 3:FES&4 (FES is an expansion of sorts which adds about 30hrs of gameplay so good to pick up if you can find it but 3 is good on its own), Xenosaga 1-3 (As others have said 2 can be difficult to get through, but 3 is worth it imo), Ar tonelico 1(I only recommend this if you like innuendo in your RPGs... cause there is a lot of it), Final Fantasy X&XII

Part 2: Tales of the Abyss, Shadow Hearts, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, Radiata Stories, Odin Sphere

As for the 360 I recommend Tales of Vesparia and Eternal Sonata

 

[RedHighwind07]

I know you said you wanted more of a more turn based affair, but Final Fantasy XII is an incredible game, IMO the best in the series and the best JRPG to date. Otherwise I'll join in the trumpeting of FFX like everyone else.

 

[bbobjs]

This post was perfect

The only good things that weren't on it are like maybe Star Ocean 3, Wild Arms 3, Suikoden 3/4/5/Tactics and Shadow Hearts 2... but by comparison they're all boarder line.

Seriously, good work mireko! /thread

 

[blizzaradragon]

I'm forming my Christmas list and trying to think of some good JRPG's to add since I've been getting into those lately. You may recommend some Xbox 360 ones too if you like, I'm more likely to get PS2 ones though since they are cheaper.

I have already played every game in the Kingdom Hearts series and loved them. If that gives you a good starting ground, I also do like turn-based depending how its handled. I prefer turn based when its handled like (and yes I'm going to compare it to this) Pokemon, since it allows me to take my time and settle on my moves before deciding on em.

So recommend away Escapists!

Alright, JRPGs are one of my most played genres so I'm going to throw some awesome games your way!

Some good ones to look for are Dark Cloud, Dark Cloud 2, and Rogue Galaxy. They are developed by Level-5, who while being better known for the Professor Layton games nowadays made some phenomenal RPGs before they started Layton's puzzly adventures.

Other good ones to check out but are more obscure and harder to find are Ar Tonelico 1, 2 and Atelier Iris. All three of these games flew right under the radar, but all 3 games are really well built and a blast to play.

If you like some strategy in your RPG, look no further than the Disgaea series. Challenging, fun, and witty, these games will give you plenty of fun while having you laugh your ass off. Plus who doesn't like playing as the evil demons with their army of exploding penguins?

If you want some likable characters and weird as hell but still awesome story, look to Persona 3 and 4. Both those games have some awesome combat, characters, and story, and while it takes some time to learn what all the spells mean you should have fun easily with this series.

Finally if you like the creature raising aspect of Pokemon, look for Monster Rancher 3 and 4. I've easily put a few thousand hours into those games, and they really make you feel connected to your monster. I shed a tear when my first monster(a Tiger named Blue Fury) passed away. The combat isn't turn-based, but it also is very slow paced for being real-time.

 

[Quaidis]

By the Gods, man! The ps2 is swimming with jrpgs. Which type do you like most? You can also put in ps1 titles since the PS2 is BC compatible.

Anything from the 'Tales of' is fun. Tales of the Abyss is on my list this winter.

Shining Force EXA is different, but very addictive.

Final Fantasy X and XII are also both fun and addictive, especially the latter if you enjoy it for the game-play and not the recycled plot-devices.

Any WildArms game is great. The first two are for the PS1, but you can get 'alter code F', which is a remake of 1 for the PS2, as well as 3-5. 5 is a little harder to find, but the plot hung me on.

Hold on *goes to check shelf* ...

Dragon Quest VIII is a must-own if you like jrpgs. It has everything original and fun to offer in the category.

I don't know if this falls under jrpg, but Dark Cloud 1 and 2 are both gems. 2 being the better of the two. It's more of a sim-builder/dungeon crawler with jrpg elements.

Grandia 2 (and 1 if you can find it), are also gems and deserve to be on a gamer's shelf. 3... Eh... Not so much. 3 has great gameplay, but the later characters, voices, and plot had me banging my head on a wall for relief. I don't know about the other Grandia games yet.




And... That's all I can come up with without going back to the shelf. A few I suggest you stay away from (unless you're a hardcore collector) are Ys: AoN, Rogue Galaxy (I'm sorry, it was the repeated same-same inspirational dungeons that did me in...), Growlanser (unless you like tactical stuff), and Valk Profile 2 (nothing like the original).

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Ninjaed by... everyone. Damn.

+1 to Persona 3 FES, Persona 4, Xenosaga 1-3, FF X...

Did anyone mention Dark Cloud 2? Am I actually the first to mention Dark Cloud 2? Wow.

Dark Cloud 2. Also, Dark Cloud (the first one) is okay too.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Suikoden V. I love it.

 

[targren]

For good, OLD school style JRPGs on the PS2, see if you can get a copy of "Growlanser Generations." It plays like the old 16-bit SNES style RPGs, and I love it.

Also, another vote for Shadow Hearts. One of my favorites and never seems to get enough love. Most of the others I'd recommend have already been recommended.

 

[Smeggs]

The .Hack//G.U. series. is great. Three volumes, each game usually takes me about...thirty, forty hours. Has a real-time battle system, and the combat and eveything improves from one volume to the next. I think if you liked KH you'd probably like this.

For 360 you should totally get Lost Oddyssey.

Easily one of the best RPGs I've ever played. It's TBS.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

Persona! 3 & 4.

I don't care if I was ninja'd, go buy them. Now. Best JRPGs I have ever played.

The stories are deep and rich with mythology and physchological mind-fuckery. Not to mention the voice-acting is good, the characters are great, the music is unique, catchy and the combat is hella-fun.

Persona 3 has a much darker narrative about life and death, and how to cope with special abilities.
Persona 4 is much more light-hearted but had me whailing like a baby from time to time. Not to say it's childish, it just has a much brighter tone than the third.


Also,

Dark Cloud 2. Also, Dark Cloud (the first one) is okay too.

This. Dark Cloud was a fantastic game.

 

[SargentToughie]

Can't believe no one has mentioned Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King.

Then again I don't think enough people know about it.

This... right here...

Dragon Quest 8 was a fantastic game. Fantastic characters, fantastic story, fantastic soundtrack, fantastic gameplay, fantastic set pieces...

Just... fantastic.

 

[Aircross]

Tales of Destiny Remake. Import it.

There's a translation wiki.

 

[Lunar Templar]

I have heard very good things about Persona 3 and 4, although I am yet to play them myself.

this, or rather just about anything under the Shin Megami Tensei lable