Good beginner RPGs

[TheAweDude]

Pokemon is actually a really good beginner RPG, in fact it was my first.

The great thing about it is: it's good for everyone. Once you get past the cutesy graphics, the battle system really opens up.

If you are a n00b, just spamming Same Type Attacks or super-effective attacks can get you through. If you are a pr0, go to the simulators like Pokemon Online or Pokemon Lab and learn how deep it really is.

But, be warned, it has no story what-so-ever. The first 4 generations literally had just you going on a linear path. Gen five is a bit better for story, but it is still "collect 8 badges, defeat the elite four, save the world."

 

[2xDouble]

This is gonna sound a little odd, but a good game to bridge the gap between action/adventure games and most RPG's is Resident Evil 4.

Resident Evil 4 uses much of the subtler RPG elements: inventory management (especially healing items), invisible/secret areas, items hidden just off screen, etc. without worrying about levels. I called it the "Final Fantasy mindset". RE4 maintains combat pacing much quicker than most RPG's but significantly slower than ordinary shooters, making an excellent bridge between them. And it does all of that without sacrificing the story.

Although for actual RPG's for "beginners", I can easily recommend any Final Fantasy, in particular: IV-X, Legend of Dragoon, Chrono Trigger (it's simpler than it looks to get started/hooked), Dragon Quest 8, and Pokemon (yeah, not really a Playstation game, but it is remarkable in both surface appeal and depth.)

 

[EllEzDee]

My first proper RPG was Fallout 3, followed by Oblivion. They're both ridiculously simple when compared to the likes of other RPG games, Fallout 3 in particular.

 

[Blights]

Uh, Eternal Sonata might be good, it's for the PS3.

Also, if you don't go and play Dark Chronicle now, I'll have to murder you. It's brilliant.

 

[Wayneguard]

Which is easier when first getting into the ocean - slowly dipping yourself in freezing your nuts off or jumping right in fully submerging yourself? Go straight for Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. It is the pinnacle of computer role playing in my opinion and it runs on anything modern. At first the game will feel slow; you'll feel lost and weak. But I promise that it will totally change your perspective on gaming.

 

[TonberryKing87]

Persona 3, Persona 4 are easy to get into. I prefer the latter but story-wise it doesn't matter which you play first. If you like shooters, I'd recommend the first Bioshock, since it has slight RPG-influences and the narrative plays an important part, a part every truly great RPG also has to it.

 

[mikeli4194]

For a great beginner RPG, I recommend Mass Effect 2.
When you want shit to get real, throw down and start playing Mass Effect 1

 

[mireko]

My first proper RPG was Baldur's Gate, but I wouldn't recommend you start there.

FFIX (PS1/PSP), Persona 4 (PS2) and Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) are all fairly intuitively designed, and they shouldn't be too difficult. But if you have FFVI and Dark Chronicle, start with those. It shouldn't be too difficult.

 

[Stuntkid]

post removed.

sorry: mistake.

 

[StellarViking]

I'd suggest starting with Oblivion. Pokemon is a good RPG starter, but it sort of doesn't really match up with other RPGs. The first one I played was Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for PS2, and then it was Diablo for me.

 

[Stuntkid]

Paper mario comes to mind. It's an already well-known franchise, it's not as strategic as most other RPGs, and it has great humor.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Amazing how people can ignore the OP. He has said the Playstation tree.

 

[TheBelgianGuy]

Knights of the Old Republic, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and New Vegas, the Mass Effect games.

KotOR needs the biggest understanding of stats of the lot of them, and its not exactly heavy on it by any means.

These are also just some of the best RPG's ever.

Although I wouldn't really call Mass Effect a pure RPG. It's a lot of things with RPG-elements attached.

I never thought KotOr was that hard. You can safely ignore more than half of all stats without messing up your game. Just read some guides before you start. Basically, just take the combat class, mainly improve strength, and then just take whatever abilities looks cool to you. That's how I play these games. I ABSOLUTELY HATE having to play a game where I am forced to take an ability I don't like, simply because it is the best (intended or not).

 

[Austin Howe]

The Persona series is NOT for begginers. Convolution is for people who have experience with the genre.
Final Fantasy IX
Chrono Trigger

Top two that come to mind. But one is overrated. Which? Well you'll just have to play them both!

(Hint: It's Chrono Trigger)

 

[briunj04]

If you happen to have a Gameboy or DS, I would suggest getting some games in the Mario and Luigi series. They're pretty simple, but extremely fun to play. Final Fantasy games are also pretty good beginning ones. If you're not into turn based combat, try Monster Hunter, although I don't think the online servers are up anymore...

 

[scorptatious]

I'd recommend one of the Pokemon games, such as Red, Blue, or Yellow. Or one of the Final Fantasy games. (My personal favorite being Final Fantasy IX.)

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Good beginner RPGs?
Hmmm...

Final Fantasy IX for the PS1, also available for ? 10 on PSN for PS3. A lovely fairytale with a great plot and a good balance between humor and drama. Also, it has less 'lost forevers' than for example FF VII or FF VIII (and also less plot holes). It has easier means of learning new abilities than those FF-titles and contains the most fun Chocobo mini-game of all.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant for the PS2. A great JRPG set in WW I (with a twist, of course), where you go from Paris to Mt. Fiji and run into characters like Gregory Rasputin and the Romanovs. The music is unbelievably atmospheric and the combat is both unique, awesome and fairly easy - you could probably finish the game without even one character knockout.

Eternal Sonata for the PS3. If you're into Tri-Ace or Tri-Crescendo games, these are RPGs that have a certain action-element in them. But still, this game is pretty good for a starter.

Other recomendations:
- Jade Cocoon (PS1 - monster raising RPG)
- Jade Cocoon 2 (PS2 - monster raising RPG)
- Final Fantasy X (PS2 - classic JRPG)
- Star Ocean: The 2nd Story (PS1 - Tri-Ace RPG)
- Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time (PS2 - Tri-Ace RPG)
- Legend of Legaia (PS1 - classic JRPG with a twist)

What you can try when you've had more experience with the genre:
- Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call (PS2 - magnificent monster training JRPG with an occult twist)
- Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga part 1 (PS2 - grimmy JRPG that revolves in large part around cannibalism, yum)
- Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga part 2 (PS2 - sequel to the above)
- Persona 3 (PS2 - JRPG meets real life simulator, it's a lot more awesome than it sounds)
- Persona 4 (PS2 - sequel to the above)
- Final Fantasy VII (PS1, also available for ? 10 on PSN for PS3 - classic JRPG)
- Final Fantasy VIII (PS1, also available for ? 10 on PSN for PS3 - classic JRPG)
- Resonance of Fate (PS3 - Tri-Ace RPG)
- Valkyria chronicles (PS3 - An RPG with a unique twist of tactical and shooting elements)

Titles that really depend on your personal taste:
- Final Fantasy XII (PS2 - JRPG that had the gameplay like an MMORPG, only you play it alone, offline, and has a lame story)
- Shadow Hearts (PS2 - I love this one to death, but from an objective standpoint, I could think of quite a few negative points, great story though)
- Legaia 2 (PS2 - not as great as the original, put if you really like the combat system of the first one, you might like this)
- Valkyrie Profile (PS1 - Tri-Ace RPG, dunno, it's a good RPG, but it never really spoke to me)
- Valkyrie Profile 2 Silmeria (PS2 - Tri-Ace RPG, same as above)
- Dragon Quest: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2 - very classic JRPG, with all the perks and flaws that come with it, depends on your tastes)
- Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land (PS2 - RPG that plays as a mix between old school first person perspective RPGs and modern JRPG)
- Odin Sphere (PS2 - old school 2D sidescrolling action/RPG, very beautiful, but not for everyone)
- Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1 - If you like Tactical RPGs, you'll like this one)
- Grim Grimoire (PS2 - tactical RPG with a style reminiscent of Odin Sphere)
- Breath of Fire V (PS2 - a unique RPG, if you want something 'different', this one won't disappoint)
- Kingdom Hearts (PS2 - RPG meets platformer, never really liked it, personal taste kind of thing)
- Kingdom Hearts II (PS2 - sequel to the above)
- Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2 - My gut feeling says "STAY AWAY FROM THIS CRAP", the graphics are a rehash of FF X, the music sucks and the story and characters are horribly lame. The only redeeming factor is the battle system. It's your choice)

Titles you should stay away from:
- Final Fantasy XIII (PS3 - it's just not worth it, try to read the review from EGDE if you get the chance)
- Shadow Hearts: From the New World (PS2 - probably the worst ending to an RPG trilogy)
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army (PS2 - just not that great, skip it)
- Magnacarta (PS2 - Kind of plays like a Tri-Ace game, but a lot worse)
- Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (PS2 - Probably a good recommendation as a starter RPG, but it's just so generic)
- Unlimited Saga (PS2 - it looks really nice, but it plays like utter garbage, keep away)
- Monster Seed (PS1 - I could recommend it as a tactical monster training RPG, but your monsters can die of old age, which kind of ruins it all)

 

[Cheesepower5]

Just play FFVI, you won't be disappointed, unless you have no soul or something.

 

[fates_puppet13]

a good beginner rpg would be one with choice
i've always enjoied the final fantasy series but i wouldn't say its a true rpg due the the lack of rp bit of the rpg due to the overall liniarity of the series
but is was really good at what it did

fable is an avarage standard game but it has a special place in my heart and is a good first rpg game because it allwas you to some extent impose your values on the PC

mass effect is also a good starting rpg due to the bog standard good evil duality of moral choices and the ability to customise your player

without a doubt one of the best rpgs i've ever played has to be the fallout series
and fallout 3 is an amazing way to get people into the rpg genre
it has fetures similar to other game genres such as shooters, stealth games
and it has a very dynamic choice system set up by perks
you can't beef yourself up on every area (not unless you plan it really well)
its a system that made play it for hours
and it is something that i haven't seen for years
last time i saw it was in oblivion
but that doesn't really count because they're both set up in a similar fasion

bioshock isn't an rpg as such but is worthy of mention because of its rpg features and its a great stepping stone between shooters and rpgs
there are better examples out there but i wanted to mention bioshock because it wasn't just a game claiming to be an rpg because of sandboxing

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Honestly? Pokemon. Its about as oldschool as RPGs get. But I'm guessing you want something more traditional, in which case I nominate Grandia II. Its easy, and a ton of fun with a great battle system and likeable characters. Plus, the story hits just about every JRPG trope as hard as it possibly can, so if you still enjoy the story after you get into it you will have a pretty good perspective on the genre as a whole. The only downside is that the game might spoil you with its awesome voice acting and terribly fun battle system. Grandia III is as a good recommendation, though its quite a bit harder than Grandia II and the story kinda falls apart in the second half.

Other good nominees:

Final Fantasy IX ("classic" style)
Final Fantasy X (Very easy to get in to)
Dragon Quest VIII (the newest "classic style" DQ game. Also one of my favorite RPGs. Warning: its oldschool but it can be fairly brutal if you don't like to grind)

Also, its not on your platforms of choice, but I highly recommend Skies of Arcadia.