Poll: Retro JRPG's

[WorldCritic]

Depends on what you want I guess.
Chrono Trigger is more light-hearted, shorter, and easier than Final Fantasy III (VI) and also monsters appear on the map rather than random battles.

FFIII (VI) on the other hand has a darker plot, deeper (in my opinion) characters, and over all the more difficult and longer of the two.

Personally I would play Final Fantasy III (VI) but Chrono Trigger is also really good.

 

[Technicolor]

If your going to get Chrono Trigger I highly suggest getting the Nintendo DS version. Portability works well with JRPGs due to the lack of coordinated input. The DS version, has a better translation than SNES or PS1 version. The DS version has fully animated cutscenes like the PS1 version, but it has NO LOADING TIMES. Plus there extra stuff for when you beat the game, that 't wasn't available for previous releases.

Your probably going to ROM the game, and if you must, then get the SNES version. But the DS version is about 20 bucks or less, and really worth every cent, you wont be disappointed.

 

[Tipsy Giant]

Just started playing Chrono Trigger (Super Nintendo) today and I am loving it, the battle system is soooo much better than every other rpg. Trust me it is lots of fun and the story and characters are really well thought out.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy III (well, VI, actually)?

Tough choice, just play both. Flip a coin to decide which one you want to go for first:
- The one with random encounters, tons of different moves and summons.
- The one with on-map encounters, combo attacks and time travel?

Also, consider these:
- Final Fantasy II (well, IV, actually)
- Final Fantasy V (though there are quite a few who seem to dislike this one)
- Terranigma
- Earthbound
- Illusion of Gaia
- Tales of Phantasia
- Soul Blazer
- Secret of Mana
- etc.

And if you're going beyond the SNES-era into the PSOne age, well hot damn, there's even more:
- Final Fantasy VII
- Final Fantasy VIII
- Final Fantasy IX !!! Now THIS I recommend, an RPG from 2000/2001, but very close to its 'classic JRPG'-roots !!!
- Legend of Legaia
- Legend of Dragoon
- Chrono Cross
- Xenogears
- Vagrant Story
- Valkyrie Profile
- Persona
- Persona 2: Innocent Sin
- Legend of Mana
- Tales of Eternia (Tales of Destiny II)
- Dragon Warrior VIII (Dragon Quest VIII)
- etc.

It all depends on your definition of 'retro'.
Either way, there's tons of JRPG-gems in the past (way more than you'll find nowadays, anyway).

 

[Nieroshai]

Breath of Fire 2 is good. It's a lot like Final Fantasy, but it's the mythos that's fun and the unique character abilities freshen up the combat. I'd mute the music and add your own if I were you, but that's the only downside.

 

[TheBaron87]

Just play CT on the DS, it has a lot of extra content.

FF3 isn't the best, FFVI or IV are arguably the best pre-psx ones.

If your going to get Chrono Trigger I highly suggest getting the Nintendo DS version. Portability works well with JRPGs due to the lack of coordinated input. The DS version, has a better translation than SNES or PS1 version. The DS version has fully animated cutscenes like the PS1 version, but it has NO LOADING TIMES. Plus there extra stuff for when you beat the game, that 't wasn't available for previous releases.

Your probably going to ROM the game, and if you must, then get the SNES version. But the DS version is about 20 bucks or less, and really worth every cent, you wont be disappointed.

For your own sake, please ignore these people. Personally I'm feeling nauseous seeing CT (PS1) as a choice. You wouldn't understand until you've played CT on SNES and then tried the others. They're travesties. CT on SNES however is imo the second best game ever made, and I've played thousands (really, I own systems dating back to the TI-99/4A and Atari 2600, and about a year ago I sat down and put together a list of my 100 favorites out of thousands). FF6 and Super Mario RPG are also very good, but again, avoid remakes, especially Square remakes. There is no worse tragedy in gaming than someone who gets fooled into thinking a poor remake can fill in for playing the real thing.

And OP, I had no interest in jRPGs until I played Chrono Trigger. I had tried others and found them boring and lame, but CT converted me in a day. Don't play some other jRPG and then dismiss the whole genre, because they are not all created equal and they do not all make good gateway games.

 

[Technicolor]

Just play CT on the DS, it has a lot of extra content.

FF3 isn't the best, FFVI or IV are arguably the best pre-psx ones.

Your probably going to ROM the game, and if you must, then get the SNES version. But the DS version is about 20 bucks or less, and really worth every cent, you wont be disappointed.

For your own sake, please ignore these people. Personally I'm feeling nauseous seeing CT (PS1) as a choice. You wouldn't understand until you've played CT on SNES and then tried the others. They're travesties. CT on SNES however is imo the second best game ever made, and I've played thousands (really, I own systems dating back to the TI-99/4A and Atari 2600, and about a year ago I sat down and put together a list of my 100 favorites out of thousands). FF6 and Super Mario RPG are also very good, but again, avoid remakes, especially Square remakes. There is no worse tragedy in gaming than someone who gets fooled into thinking a poor remake can fill in for playing the real thing.

And OP, I had no interest in jRPGs until I played Chrono Trigger. I had tried others and found them boring and lame, but CT converted me in a day. Don't play some other jRPG and then dismiss the whole genre, because they are not all created equal and they do not all make good gateway games.

Now this may be your opinion, but I have played old school JRPGs on SNES and PS1 and still do occasionally. However in my opinion, JRPGs are very boring to play when just siting in front of the TV, particularly due to turn based combat. So it is much more fun to play wherever, whenever I want.

Secondly Chrono Trigger is actually among the easier old school JRPGs, so I rarely had one of those heart pounding moments when your fighting a hard boss. I have been on the edge of my seat trying to catch a pokemon more often than fighting a boss in Chrono Trigger. (FFVI is a different story however)

Now in your case CT was your 1st RPG that you liked, so maybe the gameplay was innovative to you. However to someone used to its gameplay, I was more stunned in how well the gameplay was supplemented and integrated into the story. I still call it my favorite RPG of all time however, Its strengths weren't in gameplay to me, so handheld play felt much more "right".

To each their own opinion though...

 

[LoFr3Eq]

FF6 is the best JRPG Eva!!!!!!!!!!!!111!!!!!Eleven!!!!!!!!

 

[Wayneguard]

FFIV is securely my favorite jrpg. I've said it before and I'll say it again - it is the quintessential ff game. Get that.

 

[TheBaron87]

Just play CT on the DS, it has a lot of extra content.

FF3 isn't the best, FFVI or IV are arguably the best pre-psx ones.

Your probably going to ROM the game, and if you must, then get the SNES version. But the DS version is about 20 bucks or less, and really worth every cent, you wont be disappointed.

For your own sake, please ignore these people. Personally I'm feeling nauseous seeing CT (PS1) as a choice. You wouldn't understand until you've played CT on SNES and then tried the others. They're travesties. CT on SNES however is imo the second best game ever made, and I've played thousands (really, I own systems dating back to the TI-99/4A and Atari 2600, and about a year ago I sat down and put together a list of my 100 favorites out of thousands). FF6 and Super Mario RPG are also very good, but again, avoid remakes, especially Square remakes. There is no worse tragedy in gaming than someone who gets fooled into thinking a poor remake can fill in for playing the real thing.

And OP, I had no interest in jRPGs until I played Chrono Trigger. I had tried others and found them boring and lame, but CT converted me in a day. Don't play some other jRPG and then dismiss the whole genre, because they are not all created equal and they do not all make good gateway games.

Now this may be your opinion, but I have played old school JRPGs on SNES and PS1 and still do occasionally. However in my opinion, JRPGs are very boring to play when just siting in front of the TV, particularly due to turn based combat. So it is much more fun to play wherever, whenever I want.

Secondly Chrono Trigger is actually among the easier old school JRPGs, so I rarely had one of those heart pounding moments when your fighting a hard boss. I have been on the edge of my seat trying to catch a pokemon more often than fighting a boss in Chrono Trigger. (FFVI is a different story however)

Now in your case CT was your 1st RPG that you liked, so maybe the gameplay was innovative to you. However to someone used to its gameplay, I was more stunned in how well the gameplay was supplemented and integrated into the story. I still call it my favorite RPG of all time however, Its strengths weren't in gameplay to me, so handheld play felt much more "right".

To each their own opinion though...

It has nothing to do with handheld vs not handheld, did you actually play the SNES and DS versions? I guess you're not aware, but CTDS is not a direct port. Whether it's on a handheld system or not has nothing to do with the quality of the game.

Besides, I agree CT is optimally played on a handheld, that's why I have it on my PSP.

 

[s0m3th1ng]

Aside from the obvious CT and FF recommendations...the two games I rented the most as a kid were Soul Blazer and its' successor Illusion of Gaia. Fantastic action RPG's. Illusion of Gaia had some of the best locations of any game I'd played and the plot was out there.