In search of new (to me) RPGs
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Ninja'd, These are excellent RPGs that I can't recommend enough, the Golden Sun games are just...golden!(I'm sorry I had to do it. >.<)Doom972 said:
I'd happily recommend the first two Paper Mario games, which can be both played on the Wii, brilliant games if I say so myself.
I'll always recommend Pokemon if you're into that, particularly Black or White versions on DS.
yeah these threads appear every once and a while although thats because there kinda fun and a nice walk down memory lane. anyway i always recommend fire emblem in these threads, and since you mentioned ff tactics its pretty fitting. the actual story is never that great but the true stories lie in the support conversations between the characters(a very underrated narrative/gameplay mechanic). as for which entry is best i would say sacred stones for the advanced would be a good place to start.
They are, but they have some timing in order for attacks to have maximum damage and you can defend too.Anthony Corrigan said:
If you enjoy the Final Fantasy's on the PSX, check out 'Grandia' and 'Legend of Dragoon'. If you can't play it, at least check out the soundtrack for Grandia. It's amazing!JarinArenos said:
Even more obscure, but if you can afford the heavy price tag, Panzer Dragoon Saga.
Also, like Saga, if you own a Saturn, check out Shining the Holy Arc, and even Shining Force 3.
The GBA is a very good system for such games. As is the PSP and PS Vita (lots of PSP games are available for download on Vita now, with enhanced graphics and an additional analog stick).
Good luck!
Wow, thanks for all the responses! Let me see if I can address a few...
PC RPGs are an odd creature. There's a number that I've enjoyed, but it's really its own genre. A whole slew of different genres, honestly. And yeah... DF... heh. Real love/hate relationship on that one. Very familiar with it, though.
Tried a number of the Tales games, but it never hit that sweet spot, for some reason. Star Ocean seems to be unique in that regard, and honestly, I can't really play them myself. It's an oddity.
I was never able to get past the weird concept of the Persona games to actually give them a fair play. I'll have to give it another try sometime.
I'd been meaning to look into Golden Sun, but I accidentally bought a random sequel instead of the first game, and hadn't gotten around to correcting the mistake. Have to fix that one of these days.Doom972 said:
PS Games are getting harder and harder to find these days. Seriously, just try to find a copy of Suikoden 2. Chrono Cross I've played, and it... wasn't bad, by any means. But after Chrono Trigger, the bar was set almost impossibly high. I'd almost forgotten about Lost Odyssey; I played it and rather enjoyed it... but for some reason it never sticks in my head.Vern5 said:
PC RPGs are an odd creature. There's a number that I've enjoyed, but it's really its own genre. A whole slew of different genres, honestly. And yeah... DF... heh. Real love/hate relationship on that one. Very familiar with it, though.
Huh. I'd heard the title before, but I thought they were part of the Persona games. Have to check that out.ShinyCharizard said:
Never been able to get into the first-person dungeon crawlers. Lack of character identification, I guess. As for the RF series, we've both played the DS series to death (impatiently awaiting RF4). The other ones (RF:Frontier, Tides of Destiny)... not as impressed.madwarper said:
Legend of Dragoon was a fun, if grindy game. Might have to re-locate it someday. Legia I've heard of, but never played. Both a bit pricy to find nowadays, if better than Sk2.BQE said:
Radiant Historia... that looks intriguing. Though I can see that time travel mechanic getting confusing really quick. Chrono Trigger pulled off a minor miracle by somehow keeping things understandable, I think. Have Okami. Fun adventure game, but not exactly the same category of RPG either.Sir Christopher McFarlane said:
Few things kill a game around here faster than that sort of difficulty spike. =/tippy2k2 said:
Keiichi Morisato said:
Interesting. I wonder if I dare hope that there might be a renewing of interest in the classic style of RPG. Haven't seen all that many made this generation.Morsomk said:
Tried a number of the Tales games, but it never hit that sweet spot, for some reason. Star Ocean seems to be unique in that regard, and honestly, I can't really play them myself. It's an oddity.
I was never able to get past the weird concept of the Persona games to actually give them a fair play. I'll have to give it another try sometime.
Remember how I mentioned that character and story were the biggest focus? Yeah... basically got driven out of the TA series hard. Especially TA2.alfinchkid said:
Again, fun games, but very different. Almost NO character, and only a framework of story. One style you get to know the characters as they're written... the other, you ARE the characters and widely make your own story as you go.Arnoxthe1 said:
While the EO series has lacked individual personalities in their player characters, other than the ones provided by the player's imagination, as the player takes the role of a guild leader recruiting people of different classes. They're remaking EO1 with an enhanced story with unique player characters. So, that might make it an easier way to break into the series.JarinArenos said:
Agreed. Frontier would have been much better if not for the Runeys, and I just can't begin to understand Tides.
Also, according to GameStop RF4 should be released in August. :/
Well if you're into Strategy RPG's or at least open to the idea of playing them, I would definitely recommend Disgaea Hour of Darkness for the PS2.
Story wise, it's a fun game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and the characters are quirky and pretty endearing.
Gameplay wise, it's probably one of the deepest RPG's I've played. It works like Final Fantasy Tactics, except you can move all your units and have them attack, heal, ect. before you end your turn. Plus you have the option of creating one of one of dozens of different kind of generic character classes, archers, dragons, ninjas, ect.
There's a mentor/pupil system in which the mentor character can learn abilities from the pupil in question. For example, you have a cleric who has used her mana to create a mage, the cleric can learn that mage's spells to gain offensive abilities to coincide with her healing spells.
Plus, you have the ability to "Transmigrate" (or "Reincarnate" as it's called in later games) your characters and set them back at lv. 1. Depending on how much mana you spend though, they can keep most of their learned abilities and have higher stats then they did when you first got them. Essentially making them much stronger once you level them back up to where they once were.
It's one of those games that requires a lot of time and commitment, especially if you're going after the post game content, but it's definitely one of the most fun and addicting games I've played.
Story wise, it's a fun game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and the characters are quirky and pretty endearing.
Gameplay wise, it's probably one of the deepest RPG's I've played. It works like Final Fantasy Tactics, except you can move all your units and have them attack, heal, ect. before you end your turn. Plus you have the option of creating one of one of dozens of different kind of generic character classes, archers, dragons, ninjas, ect.
There's a mentor/pupil system in which the mentor character can learn abilities from the pupil in question. For example, you have a cleric who has used her mana to create a mage, the cleric can learn that mage's spells to gain offensive abilities to coincide with her healing spells.
Plus, you have the ability to "Transmigrate" (or "Reincarnate" as it's called in later games) your characters and set them back at lv. 1. Depending on how much mana you spend though, they can keep most of their learned abilities and have higher stats then they did when you first got them. Essentially making them much stronger once you level them back up to where they once were.
It's one of those games that requires a lot of time and commitment, especially if you're going after the post game content, but it's definitely one of the most fun and addicting games I've played.
Capcha: "Do a little dance" I'm going to take that as a suggestion for your prinny avatar.scorptatious said:
We have... one of the Disgaea games on the DS, somewhere, I think. Likely the first one (I know I've played it, anyway; fun memories of Midboss), but I'm not sure. Agreed, it's a very fun game with rather interesting characters. I wouldn't mind seeing more like that.
They're lying liars that lie. Gamestop and Amazon are just making up numbers that sound plausible at this point. Still no official announcement.madwarper said:
I really don't know much about console rpg, but I can recommend a few PC rpg done in console rpg style.
Anacronox for example is a fantastic story-driven comedy rpg with turn-based combat ala Final Fantasy. It's also cyberpunk, which has always been an under-appreciated genre though thankfully it's been getting a bit of a boost lately. Anyway it's a good game, I'd recommend it. Only played the game for the first time fairly recently so it's not nostalgia talking when I say the games held up quite well.
Septerra Core is a game I've never played before but I have heard about, and it seems like the type of rpg that might interest you. The main character has blue hair, that's good right? Again I don't know much about console rpg.
And... erm... well there's stuff like Cthulhu Saves the World and Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, they're retro style console rpg. Haven't played these ones either though so, erm, g'luck.
If you wanted recommendation for story and character driven PC rpg I could recommend a whole bundle, but those are the more obscure console style rpg I know of.
Anacronox for example is a fantastic story-driven comedy rpg with turn-based combat ala Final Fantasy. It's also cyberpunk, which has always been an under-appreciated genre though thankfully it's been getting a bit of a boost lately. Anyway it's a good game, I'd recommend it. Only played the game for the first time fairly recently so it's not nostalgia talking when I say the games held up quite well.
Septerra Core is a game I've never played before but I have heard about, and it seems like the type of rpg that might interest you. The main character has blue hair, that's good right? Again I don't know much about console rpg.
And... erm... well there's stuff like Cthulhu Saves the World and Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, they're retro style console rpg. Haven't played these ones either though so, erm, g'luck.
If you wanted recommendation for story and character driven PC rpg I could recommend a whole bundle, but those are the more obscure console style rpg I know of.
Golden Sun and Golden Sun: Lost Age for GBA (or emulator), both incredibly deep (and surprisingly long) games with a great mix of combat, puzzles and story. There's a third game with a "recent" DS release, but it's far shorter and not nearly as good. Easy combat, easy puzzles, and completely new cast make it seem like a reboot for a younger, newer audience except it still tries to carry over the plot from the first two, so it ends up being just kind of a mess.
Secret/legend of Mana; typical quality Square RPGs. Lots of sidequesting, lots of characters. Unfortunately not much depth, most are pretty single-faceted if you're used to the greater depth of ff6-9 characters.
Breath of Fire 1 & 2 both got GBA ports; decent enough JRPGS. Not as good as dragon quest or final fantasy, but not *awful*.
I know you mentioned you wanted "classic" RPGs, but any suggestion list from me wouldn't be complete without a few honorable mentions: Bethesda's recent Fallouts and elder scrolls (obliv/skyrim) both focus on a first-person exploration of various worlds and settings. The fallout games in particular have an excellent method of letting every aspect of the game add to the feel of a post-apocalyptic world, from scrounging for goods to repairing broken equipment to dealing with localized gangs, everything fits the game world to a T.
And of course, the Black Isle/Bioware games. Baldur's Gate (2) is the best one of the series, but you can mod up 1 to be played on the same engine, which basically gives 200+ hours of pretty complex RPG gameplay based on AD&D (2.0) rules and framework. Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights are in the same boat, but are not nearly as good. They are very different than your typical JRPGs, and given the dated D&D framework, it can be hard to get into, but it's very very rewarding if you do.
Secret/legend of Mana; typical quality Square RPGs. Lots of sidequesting, lots of characters. Unfortunately not much depth, most are pretty single-faceted if you're used to the greater depth of ff6-9 characters.
Breath of Fire 1 & 2 both got GBA ports; decent enough JRPGS. Not as good as dragon quest or final fantasy, but not *awful*.
I know you mentioned you wanted "classic" RPGs, but any suggestion list from me wouldn't be complete without a few honorable mentions: Bethesda's recent Fallouts and elder scrolls (obliv/skyrim) both focus on a first-person exploration of various worlds and settings. The fallout games in particular have an excellent method of letting every aspect of the game add to the feel of a post-apocalyptic world, from scrounging for goods to repairing broken equipment to dealing with localized gangs, everything fits the game world to a T.
And of course, the Black Isle/Bioware games. Baldur's Gate (2) is the best one of the series, but you can mod up 1 to be played on the same engine, which basically gives 200+ hours of pretty complex RPG gameplay based on AD&D (2.0) rules and framework. Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights are in the same boat, but are not nearly as good. They are very different than your typical JRPGs, and given the dated D&D framework, it can be hard to get into, but it's very very rewarding if you do.
A few different series come to mind. The very first one is Breath of fire that goes back as far as the SNES and I believe you can get all the games on the playstation vita (3&4 are on Playstation/Playstation 2) but the previous 2 were on SNES. You could also look into the parasite eve series which is much more modern but has great stories attatched to some interesting gameplay even though they are more actiony (both are for playstation/playstation 2). Dragon quest 8 (for PS2) is also a good one although I highly recomend you play the first 4 which were on the NES first, they unquestionably made the game more interesting for me. The Front mission series is worth a look if you like turn based RPGs with a kind of FF tactics feel only the characters are in giant mechs.
Im sure theres more but thats what I can think of off the top of my head
Im sure theres more but thats what I can think of off the top of my head
Ah. So you want to be told a story instead of making one for yourself. Got it. In which case... I dunno. I'm really not into turn based games besides Bioware's and even then, sometimes (like Dragon Age: Orgins) I'll only slog through it to keep the excellent story moving.JarinArenos said:
Captcha: Third time I got the "face the music" picture in a row. O.O
Which one? There are three games: Golden Sun, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, and Golden Sun Dark Dawn.JarinArenos said:
The first two are actually two parts of one long game. Golden Sun ends on a cliffhanger and you get a code to input when you start The Lost Age so that the characters will have the same items, stats, etc you finished Golden Sun with.
Dark Dawn is a Nintendo DS game and tells a new story 30 years after the ending of The Lost age. I haven't played it and I don't know if it's any good.
If you got Dark Dawn, I recommend buying Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age together if you can get a better deal by doing so because of them being two parts of a complete game.
I've only seen one recommendation for a Shadow Hearts game so far. I'd recommend Shadow Hearts: Covenant myself, easily the best in the series and in my opinion one of the best JRPGs for the PS2. From the new world was decent as well though. The first Shadow Hearts was decent as well, and does make the story for Covenant more meaningful. From the last world is a standalone title.
Others have recommended most of the games I would recommend, the Shim Megami Tensei games are mostly good (I didn't enjoy the devil summoner ones as much myself). I can also second the recommendation for the Xenosage series (PS2). They're not the best gameplay wise, but since you want heavy emphasis on story, these games are pretty much a must play. Xenogears for the PS1 has a great story as well, but it looks even more dated since it's a PS1 game.
Others have recommended most of the games I would recommend, the Shim Megami Tensei games are mostly good (I didn't enjoy the devil summoner ones as much myself). I can also second the recommendation for the Xenosage series (PS2). They're not the best gameplay wise, but since you want heavy emphasis on story, these games are pretty much a must play. Xenogears for the PS1 has a great story as well, but it looks even more dated since it's a PS1 game.
Not sure whether this qualifies as turn based or action, but the KOTOR series if you haven't played them. You move and so on in real time, but then it's turn based combat that's either discrete (if you set it to not pause), or explicit (If you set it to pause at end of round for example).JarinArenos said:
Best on PC, but also available on Xbox.