RPG thread 4 has leveled up into RPG thread #5!

[Rodimus]

I don't remember it very well, but I thought SV's story was indistinguishable from the story of I, II, and IV. Some asshole is starting a war, win it. Whereas III, there was a good, interesting reason for starting a war other than 'rraaaaah I want to own everything.'

That's the thing. I've always liked the stories in Suikoden, but SV was the best. But I think your synopsis of the villain's motive is way off. There are diffrent reasons throughout the series. Often the enemey wants to unify the entire country so there are no more wars. He just happens to piss off a few people in the process.

[tiggerkiddo]

Though it isn't my favorite RPG (Star Ocean 2 takes that spot), I was always partial to the Grandia story. I loved it a lot because for the most part, it was about Justin doing what he loves, adventuring. Course there was that whole save the world bit later on (Meh) but still overall, fun story.

[winterice]

Well, I just ordered ToV and did anyone else notice it drop to 55 dollars on Amazon? Is it going for that in B&M stores? I pretty sure it was going 60 dollars yesterday on Amazon.

[Chacrana]

I'll probably pick up Vesperia this weekend, since there's a 10% off coupon at Best Buy. That's not too bad.

[eswat]

I really need to play Deus Ex again...I should finish up Invisible War, just so I get an idea of what I missed before DX3 comes out (and hopefully turns out great).

Bah Warren. Why do you have to work on that silly Disney game?

[hankmecrankme]

I'm thinking about playing Phantasy Star IV this weekend. I haven't finished that game since it came out, so it's been a while.

[Chacrana]

I should finish up Invisible War, just so I get an idea of what I missed before DX3 comes out (and hopefully turns out great).

Bah Warren. Why do you have to work on that silly Disney game?

I really don't expect anything from Deus Ex 3... obviously I'd like to be proven wrong, but I dunno...

I couldn't get past Egypt in IW. Just too boring.

[Moxio]

Chrono Trigger had a good story too, now that I think about it.

[johnmirra]

My favorite rpg and rpg story have to be Final Fantasy 8, i dont know why but it just seemed to be so engrossing. Also im really enjoying the story and gameplay of tales of vesperia its probably working its way on to my alltime favorte rpg list.

[pete5883]

TWEWY and BoF:Dragon Quarter certainly deserve a mention for not being about saving the world.

[JEKKI]

my favorite games and story go to Digital Devil Saga and Shadow Hearts Covenant.

DDS is a game about a bunch of doods who dont really understand much about what the hell is going on and go around laying the smackdown on pretty much everyone

SHC is a game about a bunch of doods who dont really understand much about what the hell is going on and go around laying the smackdown on pretty much everyone

those games were incredible.

[Sarang01]

Meh I think the original "Shadow Hearts" was better storywise. I will say areawise and everything else in the second is presented better.

[heavyd853]

Plus in DDS don't they like, devour people and stuff?

Xenogears all the way!

[Rodimus]

Plus in DDS don't they like, devour people and stuff?

What's wrong with that? A guy needs EXP.

[StarKnightX]

My favorite rpg and rpg story have to be Final Fantasy 8, i dont know why but it just seemed to be so engrossing. Also im really enjoying the story and gameplay of tales of vesperia its probably working its way on to my alltime favorte rpg list.

Final Fantasy 8s story was pretty good except for the whole time compression thing , which was kinda stupid. The whole "modern day war" style was a refreshing take for the final fantasy series.

Plus in DDS don't they like, devour people and stuff?

Xenogears all the way!

Xenogears is awesome. One of my favorite PS1 rpgs. Have beaten it numerous times. I would love to one day see a remake of it that allowed you to have more control of the second act instead of just watching it most of the time though. Unfortunatly we will probably never see this.

[Chacrana]

What's wrong with that? A guy needs EXP.

It's true. Devouring an enemy and seeing your characters gain a ton of points was surprisingly satisfying.

[Chacrana]

Final Fantasy 8s story was pretty good except for the whole time compression thing , which was kinda stupid. The whole "modern day war" style was a refreshing take for the final fantasy series.



Xenogears is awesome. One of my favorite PS1 rpgs. Have beaten it numerous times. I would love to one day see a remake of it that allowed you to have more control of the second act instead of just watching it most of the time though. Unfortunatly we will probably never see this.

I'd like to see a PSP remake of Xenogears that does that... though I'm not one of those weirdos who think the game sucks because of that second disc, so even if they never change the second part of the game, I don't care all that much. I would like to see a better translation/voice acting, though... it kinda killed the ending.

[Chacrana]

Also, I'm going to say something slightly crazy, which is that I liked Final Fantasy X's story a lot. Like, a hell of a lot. Oh, I know, Tidus is so whiny and all that and... no, whatever, I don't care. The story was good. I mean, you can distill the thing to "you go from point A to point B", but when you're playing the game, it doesn't feel like that - it's one of the few games where you actually feel like you're on a journey.

[Rei no Otaku]

I'd like to see a PSP remake of Xenogears that does that... though I'm not one of those weirdos who think the game sucks because of that second disc, so even if they never change the second part of the game, I don't care all that much. I would like to see a better translation/voice acting, though... it kinda killed the ending.
I'm one of those weirdos. I didn't like Xenogears at all. If you want a similar story, but better, go watch Evangelion.

Also, I'm going to say something slightly crazy, which is that I liked Final Fantasy X's story a lot. Like, a hell of a lot. Oh, I know, Tidus is so whiny and all that and... no, whatever, I don't care. The story was good. I mean, you can distill the thing to "you go from point A to point B", but when you're playing the game, it doesn't feel like that - it's one of the few games where you actually feel like you're on a journey.
I agree. I liked FFX.

[StarKnightX]

I'd like to see a PSP remake of Xenogears that does that... though I'm not one of those weirdos who think the game sucks because of that second disc, so even if they never change the second part of the game, I don't care all that much. I would like to see a better translation/voice acting, though... it kinda killed the ending.

Agreed. In a way , even though the second disk is basically all narration with a few boss fights until the last dungeon , in a way it was kinda refreshing to see it done that way. Also , if your going to clean up the translation you need to clean p the graphics some too.

Also, I'm going to say something slightly crazy, which is that I liked Final Fantasy X's story a lot. Like, a hell of a lot. Oh, I know, Tidus is so whiny and all that and... no, whatever, I don't care. The story was good. I mean, you can distill the thing to "you go from point A to point B", but when you're playing the game, it doesn't feel like that - it's one of the few games where you actually feel like you're on a journey.

Agreed as well, even though I haven't beaten the game yet. I don't get a lot of the Tidus is whiny thing. I mean yeah he is kinda whiny , but not really any more than other characters in other games. Now Tidus being dumb , that I could more easily agree with.:lol:

The game being mostly linear doesn't really bother me much either , if only cause in the end , most rpgs are linear anyway , X just cuts out the world map which makes it seem "more" linear.

[Chacrana]

I'm one of those weirdos. I didn't like Xenogears at all. If you want a similar story, but better, go watch Evangelion.




I just did like a week ago. C'mon.

But let's be real, here, Eva is nothing like Xenogears, aside from that there's robots and some religious aspects.

[StarKnightX]

I'm one of those weirdos. I didn't like Xenogears at all. If you want a similar story, but better, go watch Evangelion.

Oh hell no. I like Xenogears , and I like Eva , but they are nothing alike. Xenogears is better anyways.:razz:

[Rei no Otaku]

Nothing? Oh come on now. I'm not saying they're the same, but if you're going to say the stories aren't similar you're crazy. Even the plot about humans being parts of a larger being is the same.

[Chacrana]

Agreed. In a way , even though the second disk is basically all narration with a few boss fights until the last dungeon , in a way it was kinda refreshing to see it done that way. Also , if your going to clean up the translation you need to clean p the graphics some too.


It sorta did make sense to shift to that sort of storytelling, because the characters had basically reached a plateau as far as their power goes. I mean, they were like mega-powerful. So I liked that the story basically told like how they got to that point, and then it sorta skipped over what could be drudgery if they made you play through every single dungeon.

Yep.

[Chacrana]

Even the plot about humans being parts of a larger being is the same.

The Japanese use that in every game. Fuck, even Mega Man 4 probably has that sorta shit buried in it somewhere.

[StarKnightX]

Nothing? Oh come on now. I'm not saying they're the same, but if you're going to say the stories aren't similar you're crazy. Even the plot about humans being parts of a larger being is the same.

Your right , after I typed that I realized I was incorrect. They are similar. I should have said there presentation was nothing alike.

[Rei no Otaku]

The Japanese use that in every game. Fuck, even Mega Man 4 probably has that sorta shit buried in it somewhere.
Out of curiousity, what other games have said humans are actually body parts of a larger, god being (in Xenogears it's literally called God, in Eva it is one of two gods)?

[Chacrana]

I think Xenosaga did.

...\\:D/

[Jest]

I played little bit more of FFX cause I didn't want to get up and change the game. I agree somewhat with the story. I wish RPGs didn't have to be so linear. I don't want an open-world sandbox game but just a little option. Also I really hate the characters of Tidus, Seymour, Wakka, and the voice acting.

I never played Xenogears before. is it coming out on PSP or should I just emulate it? I have so many RPGs I want to go back and play including Star Ocean and Parasite Eve.

[blueweltall]

Xenogears is just awesome. Nothing compare to Xenogears. It was also pretty sweet playing Xenosaga III and fighting Omega Universitas and Omega Id.:drool:

[depascal22]

I'm also a FFX fan. Great game all the way around but it seemed like that was blasphemous a couple years ago. If you didn't like IV, VI, or VII the most, you were run out of "town".

[Rei no Otaku]

While I liked FFX a lot, if you don't like IV the best you should be run out of town!

[willardhaven]

Xenogears was interesting but it wasn't very fun for me. I liked the story and the battle sprites, but the platforming was awful and combat was usually pretty boring.

FF IV and IX are my favorites, but I don't think I could chose between them.

[Moxio]

X was solid. I actually liked Blitzball.

[johnmirra]

Just Picked up Infinite Undiscovery , i wont be playing it though until im finnishe with ToV.

[depascal22]

I stopped picking up RPGs (and games in general) that I won't play right away. I'm stuck with a crap ton of PS2 RPGs that are still sealed. Yes, they've held value pretty well but I'm not so optimistic about the 360 RPGs for some reason. There's nothing to indicate that most of these games won't be easy to find next year.

[willardhaven]

This generation is full of overprinted games, it's awesome for us but really bad for the game companies.

I bet the next cycle will see a lot of games with small print runs.

[MSI Magus]

Anyone here play Rogue Galaxy? I kinda liked it at first but now im debating if I want to keep sinking time into it. Its getting a little repetitive...just one huge dungeon after the next and just spamming the same few skills. Know thats alot of RPGs....but this just feels like a grind.

[StarKnightX]

I stopped picking up RPGs (and games in general) that I won't play right away. I'm stuck with a crap ton of PS2 RPGs that are still sealed. Yes, they've held value pretty well but I'm not so optimistic about the 360 RPGs for some reason. There's nothing to indicate that most of these games won't be easy to find next year.

This generation is full of overprinted games, it's awesome for us but really bad for the game companies.

I bet the next cycle will see a lot of games with small print runs.

Part of the reason I almost never buy anything new or right away. Although RPGs tend to end up being more rare or hard to find down the road , it seems to be becoming less of a problem now. About the only games I pick up right away are Atlus / NIS games , since it's a gamble to try and wait for a price drop on them.

[62t]

None of the NISA games are rare or expensive aside from Ar tonelico, and that game got a reprint. with that m

[StarKnightX]

None of the NISA games are rare or expensive aside from Ar tonelico, and that game got a reprint. with that m

Were you going to say something else?:-k

Your right that NISA games are not really rare or expensive , I just usually lump them in with Atlus since they are similar publishers.

[Jest]

Got to the same part of FFX where I stopped the first time, after beating Yunalesca and before Sin... I remember that Yunalesca fight being a lot harder. This time I justed used physical attacks. I was an idiot and missed one of the Destruction Spheres though, no Anima for me :'(

[Poor2More]

Just Picked up Infinite Undiscovery , i wont be playing it though until im finnishe with ToV.

Same, TOV is great, I am enjoying it more then any other Tales game. Infinite Discovery looks interesting and fun, but I am not going to open it till I beat TOV :)

[tiggerkiddo]

Got to the same part of FFX where I stopped the first time, after beating Yunalesca and before Sin... I remember that Yunalesca fight being a lot harder. This time I justed used physical attacks. I was an idiot and missed one of the Destruction Spheres though, no Anima for me :'(

Unless you missed the one in Bevelle (Kind of hard since it wasn't optional), you can go back and complete the rest.

[lilboo]

I can post in this thread now 8-)

I'm playing Super Mario RPG for probably the 700th time. Just defeated Bowyer tonight. I love that Forest Maze, that song is great. Bowyer? 'NYA NYA NYA. :rofl: <3 him

VALENTINA, sip that martini and shake them titties.. I'M COMIN FOR U GURL! :whee:

[Jest]

Unless you missed the one in Bevelle (Kind of hard since it wasn't optional), you can go back and complete the rest.


WAAAAH?! Mind = blown. Now I gotta figure out which one I forgot :-P

[Rei no Otaku]

WAAAAH?! Mind = blown. Now I gotta figure out which one I forgot :-P
If you go to the area where you get Anima it shows which ones you got.

[depascal22]

Did you guys see that Super Mario RPG is getting released on the Virtual Console? Another game for me to get when I pick up a Wii eventually.

[lilboo]

GETTING? Dude it IS out 8-) It was released on Monday \\:D/

[depascal22]

My bad. I don't have the Wii so I don't stay on top of the news. I'll try to pick one up before Symphonia 2 comes out.

[lilboo]

:applause:

[Jest]

So how do I get access to the temples again in FFX? I just got the airship adheaded back to Kilika but there were two guys who wouldn't let me through.

[willardhaven]

Gamefaqs son:

[06] - I'm trying to get Anima, and I missed some treasures at the temples. Can
I go get them?
- Yes you can. However if you do not visit the Highbridge first you will
not be granted entry; so head there first.

I restarted Xenosaga for some reason this week. I bought it back in 2003 when it came out but I stopped playing shortly thereafter.

Should I skip Ep. II when I'm done or is it worth playing through? I've heard awful things about it in relation to the third game.

[Chacrana]

Naw, play through it. It starts really slow, but it does get better. While yes, it's definitely the weakest of the three games, it's still worthwhile.

[willardhaven]

I put down the first game because the cut scenes put me to sleep. I'm going to try to make it through this time because the game itself plays really well. The battles are particularly fun.

Plus I'm a sucker for an RPG without random encounters.

[depascal22]

Just drink alot of coffee when you're playing Xenosaga and you'll be fine... I keed, I keed. No, seriously, caffeine is the only way to stay awake through those cutscenes.

[kainzero]

that's funny, i stayed awake during all the cutscenes and fell asleep in the dungeons.

[willardhaven]

While the dungeons are nothing special the game has 2 things going for it:

1. The lack of random encounters makes exploration more of a game and less of a chore.

2. The battles are actually fun and load/play extremely fast.

I'll take a lackluster dungeon w/ on-screen enemies over a brilliant one w/ random encounters any day.

[depascal22]

True that. The take two steps and get attacked by monsters routine got old five years ago.

[johnmirra]

idk i realy never had problems with random encounters, i always felt they forced you to be at a proper level for what you were going to encounter later on.

[willardhaven]

Fighting all of the enemies you meet on-screen wouldn't?

[kainzero]

the only game where random encounters have pissed me off lately is FF4 DS. there are way too many.

[johnmirra]

yeah fighting all the enemies you see would, but some people may not do that and be far underpowered,im not saying i do that but im just saying it a reason it never bothered me

[fatbeer]

Random encounters arn't a huge issue with me. Most of random encounters in normal play through are recommended. If you play games old school games like Final Fantasy IV for snes or Dragon Warrior, you fight an enemy within a few steps. Now that is really annoying!


I still prefer seeing the monster than a random encounter because I have a choice to either fight or avoid them. Random encounters are really annoying if you have to retrace for folk paths, missing items or walking back and forth to activate a switch or trigger. Not to mention, it makes level grinding or monster drops much easier with monster appearance since you know there location, which is far easier than walk back and forth for a random encounter.

[johnmirra]

Agreed with the above post, i definatly like being able to see the enemies on screen.I was simply stating i never had the hatred for random encouters most every one else has.

[willardhaven]

They were fine when they were necessary, but they're antiquated at this point. The only reason they are still in some modern games is because of lazy developers and forgiving fans.

[Mr. Anderson]

So, Final Fantasy XI.... thoughts? I started playing again and it's roping me in much more intensely than before, I think mainly due to the fact that I finally have macros set up. :-#

[Rei no Otaku]

I was big into FFXI for awhile, but after so long I get tired of it. Started to feel more like work than fun.

[willardhaven]

I got into it for a while too but I'd rather pay 30-40 for an RPG that I can finish than pay an infinite amount for one that I cannot.

[johnmirra]

i played it for the month they used to give you for free, after that i felt like it was a little too much money for a game that basically requred you to have a pretty hefty team go on every mission with you

[Rodimus]

The only MMORPG I ever played was Phantasy Star Universe. I only played with my friends in the group so it was fun. But after hour 90+ it just got boring (plus I was only level 30). But I agree with willardhaven, I get more satisfaction out of actually beating games.

I have FFXI for the 360 but I've never even tried playing it. It was an impulse buy for $10. Anyone want it? $12 shipped :D

[thelonepig]

Xenosaga II is also the most convoluted story-wise in the series, IMO. I understood roughly what was going on in Xenosaga and I thought that Xenosaga III had some really fun conspiracy-theorist-like elements, but the only thing I came away with from Xenosaga II was knowing that Albedo likes little girls (cue Oingo Boingo).

[Chacrana]

Naw, we knew Albedo's err... goals in the first game.

Xenosaga II really felt like a transition game... like the story was there only to move you from Xeno 1 to Xeno 3.

[tiggerkiddo]

I just got done playing FF9 (Well more like running through the last area again and fighting the final bosses) and it was awesome. Anyone else like this game?

[willardhaven]

Yeah IX is awesome, it's my favorite Final Fantasy on the PS1.

[Chibi_Kaji]

I sometimes think that I'm the only person on earth that hated FF9...

[willardhaven]

I thought it was disliked by a lot of fans.

What didn't you like?

[Rei no Otaku]

I sometimes think that I'm the only person on earth that hated FF9...
While I didn't hate it, I definitely think it was a mediocre game at best. I did hate Zidane and Vivi though. Plus the final boss in that game was the most random thing I've ever seen.

The only really good thing about it was Freya. I love dragoons... Which I think is why I like Judith in ToV so much. She's essentially a dragoon (fights with a spear, and has tons of aerial moves).

[Chibi_Kaji]

It's been a while since I played. But I remember playing at least halfway through the game and forgetting why I was trying to save the world. And I didn't like the character designs at all.

[Rei no Otaku]

What I found hilarious about FFIX was that it was touted as a the "return of the crystal." The only crystal is mentioned at the very end of the game for a second...

[Chibi_Kaji]

The only really good thing about it was Freya. I love dragoons... Which I think is why I like Judith in ToV so much. She's essentially a dragoon (fights with a spear, and has tons of aerial moves).
Judith is my second favorite character in ToV( Number one goes to Rita). I love her even more after finding her maid costume.

[Ryuukishi]

I sometimes think that I'm the only person on earth that hated FF9...FF9 is by far my least favorite in the series. The character designs didn't appeal to me at all, the story veered awkwardly between self-parody and FF8-style angst, and overall the game was just disjointed and boring. I understand that they were trying to revisit and "sum up" the series to that point, but it's like they combined all of the worst aspects of the previous games instead of the best.

[Chacrana]

I didn't think it was that bad. I liked the game quite a bit, though I definitely didn't like it as much as the other PS1 games. But saying IX is actually worse than something like III, which is impossibly bad, would be quite a statement.

[depascal22]

I actually preferred FF8... It's mainly for nostalgic purposes but I didn't find it as bad as everyone says it was.

[johnmirra]

FF8 was the best on the ps1 in my opinion. Loved basically all the characters except Zell. The squall rinoa seifer triangle was great. I think it was sorta put down because it wasnt enough like FF7.

[Chacrana]

I actually preferred FF8... It's mainly for nostalgic purposes but I didn't find it as bad as everyone says it was.

I still don't understand the FF8 hate, other than that Squall was a bit emo from time to time... the story was great, and I liked that there was so much complexity, because when you learned to wrangle all that shit, you could do some awesome shit to strengthen your characters. People criticize the draw system all the time, but it's not like you have to do that...

[Rei no Otaku]

I almost stopped playing video games forever because of FFVIII...

[Chacrana]

NIS almost killed the RPG.

[Rei no Otaku]

I almost wish the RPG genre never existed just so I could never have had the experience of playing FFVIII.

[Chacrana]

Well I almost wish you never existed either!!!!!!

[Rei no Otaku]

Well I almost wish you never existed either!!!!!!
That was just mean T.T

[Chibi_Kaji]

I kind of liked FF8. But I think they could have at least let you have some basic spells instead of making you draw magic from everything...

[willardhaven]

I think the characters in FF IX used crystals to power their abilities.

I liked the (!) mark that ended mindless x mashing to get items. I think the locations were a lot more imaginative than in FF VII and VIII too.

I don't think X or XII lived up to IX, but I still like the whole series for the most part.

[Krymner]

Final Fantasy VIII is my fav of the PS1-era and the one I've replayed the most. But IX is good, but I do agree with Ryuukishi that the overall story was a bit boring. Still, it was the substories, especially the character-specific ones, than really made the game for me. And I also agree with what Rei said about the final boss. It was very mediocre. I will say this tho, if Squeenix ever remakes VII, and keeps it very faithful to the original and just updates the graphics, controls, and cleans up the story dialog, that would easily become my favorite FF game. As it stands now, 7 just hasn't aged as well as the other PS1 FF games, in my opinion.

I just finished playing thru Xenogears Ep1 and really enjoyed it. The greatest thing about the cut-scenes is the ability to pause. Whenever they got too long, I'd just hit the pause, take a break for awhile, (surf some internet, post here on CAG, make a sammich, drop the Browns off at the Super Bowl....something) and then come back and finish watching them later.

I don't have much problem with random encounters, unless they're too hard to run away from. My only problem with non-random encounters where you can see the monsters (like in Xenosaga) is when you're trying to grind for XP, gold, or both. There's only so many of them that spawn, so once you clear them out, you gotta go off onto another screen, wait for it to load, then go back onto the previous screen, wait for it to load, etc. It's just easier to grind when you're running around in a circle in the same place.

I'm playing thru FF X-2 right now, and it just seems kinda easy. But then, I'm only at 20% completion. I was just wondering if it gets more difficult later.

[Chacrana]

IIRC, X-2 does get a bit more difficult, but it's never all that tough of a game. It is a lot of fun though, ignoring that the story is essentially fluff. I thought it was good enough to finish playing through, and I'm still hanging onto the game, so that's a good sign, methinks.

[Rei no Otaku]

X-2 never gets hard. Especially once you get the dark knight and alchemist jobs.

[willardhaven]

NIS almost killed the RPG.

What do you mean?

[Ryuukishi]

I was playing X-2 for a while and really enjoying it. I guess I didn't do enough sidequests in the first chapter, because as soon as I advanced to the second chapter the difficulty ramped up substantially and I hit a wall. As in, it was hard to even grind for EXP because random encounters in the second chapter were as tough as boss battles in the first chapter, and I was getting wiped every other battle. That was pretty discouraging and after a while I just put it down to focus on Wild ARMs 5 and Persona 3 FES instead. I guess I'll pick it up again after I finish those two.

[willardhaven]

X-2? I wanted to put my head through a wall after 5 minutes.

I pushed on for a few hours but the game is as stale as it is vomit-inducing.

[thelonepig]

Count me in as one who prefers FFVIII over the other PS1 entries. I didn't enjoy VII or IX at all. The characters were grating and unfortunately that destroyed the story for me as I didn't really care what happened to them.

[Rodimus]

Wow, surprised to see all the FF9 hate. It's my favorite in the series. I think it's got some of the best music in an RPG ever. And you must be a very detached person to dislike Vivi.

[Krymner]

I actually hate Vivi. But not for any sane reason. When I was playing thru the game the first time, my ex was watching and fell in love with Vivi. She bugged the piss out of me about the little bastard every time I put the game in. "What's Vivi doing? Why is he not fighting? Where's Vivi? Awww, Vivi is sooo cute! Vivi is more of a man than you!"

Well, maybe not that last one, but I like Vivi about as much as I like my ex. Which is to say, I want to pour gasoline on them and taunt them with a bic lighter.

[Ryuukishi]

I hated Vivi too. I just thought the development of the character was ridiculous. I never empathized with the cutesy/childish personality he has at the start of the game, so when he does the 180 degree switch to this brooding, identity questioning, obsessed with death character it was doubly annoying. That's what I mean about combining the worst aspects of the other games; Vivi is, by turns, sickeningly twee, and more embarrassingly emo than Cloud and Squall ever were. Just IMO. :)

[willardhaven]

No one is more of a pansy than Squall.

Vivi was a kid, what do you expect when a little kid faces life and death, mature and rational growth?

[Moxio]

Here, I'll give the correct opinion:

FFVII is great.
FFVIII is eh.
FFIX is great.
FFX is solid.
FFX-2 is mediocre.

[JEKKI]

What do you mean?he means that he is a HATER!!!

[kainzero]

squall was aiiight. kinda emo but he got it together.

my favorite scene was when he gave the speech during the galbadia / balamb garden fight. to me that signaled his growth.

it's one of the more memorable scenes in rpgs to me, right up there with tifa helping cloud discover himself in ff7 and fei unifying his personalities in xenogears.

[Moxio]

You mean when Tifa was in Cloud's mind?

That entire concept was coooorny. :|

[kainzero]

You mean when Tifa was in Cloud's mind?

That entire concept was coooorny. :|
not so much the concept of SHE'S IN MY MIND, but i liked the story elements. playing nibelheim in crisis core gave me chills.

nowadays it's done to death. back then it was cool.

[Chacrana]

he means that he is a HATER!!!

It's true. NIS is the only RPG company that can be consistently bad and survive.

[keithp]

IX is great. Ya'll suck.

'cept Mox.

[Rodimus]

I won't say thet they're bad but NIS games have never appealed to me.

[Moxio]

IX is great. Ya'll suck.

'cept Mox.

I know. 8-)

[Rei no Otaku]

No one is more of a pansy than Squall.

Vivi was a kid, what do you expect when a little kid faces life and death, mature and rational growth?
I hated him because I hate those characters that get all emo because of their origin. Who cares? You are who you are now. Stop whining like a bitch about something in the past that you can't change.

I hated Vivi too. I just thought the development of the character was ridiculous. I never empathized with the cutesy/childish personality he has at the start of the game, so when he does the 180 degree switch to this brooding, identity questioning, obsessed with death character it was doubly annoying. That's what I mean about combining the worst aspects of the other games; Vivi is, by turns, sickeningly twee, and more embarrassingly emo than Cloud and Squall ever were. Just IMO. :)
Couldn't have said it better myself.

[johnmirra]

since its the topic ill give my "rating" on the ps1/ps2 final fantasys as i have played them all.

FF7- great but totally over rated at this point
FF8- My personal favorite and all together solid game, best story, best characters
FF9- Worst on ps1 but not a bad game, loved steiner,dagger and freya. the others not so much
FFX- Great story, loved the idea of Tidus following in his fathers footsteps didnt like tidus's attitude but who did?
FFXI- MMORPG so i dint dig it but i heard if i got farther then i did it might have been fun
FFXII- Finnaly modernized with no random battles but i didnt like the story of connect with any of the characters

[Jest]

FFIX was the best of the PS1 and PS2 era FF games :D

Vivi was awesome. He was young and sad and hatched out of an egg so someone could eat him. You'd be emo too if that was your life. Bitches.

[johnmirra]

again not that it was bad but your telling me you prefered a little rat boy as your main character then squall of cloud?

[Jest]

Yes.

[johnmirra]

haha to each his own i suppose, like i said i did like steiner and freya

[Rei no Otaku]

again not that it was bad but your telling me you prefered a little rat boy as your main character then squall of cloud?
I'd prefer a brick with a face painted on it over Squall. It would most likely have a better personality.

[Jest]

I'd prefer a brick with a face painted on it over Squall. It would most likely have a better personality.


I just woke my family up because I was laughing so fucking hard at that.


Ferya was one of my favourite characters. Amarant and Quina too.

[johnmirra]

I always sort of thought that the point was for squall to not have much of a personality for most of the game. He is quite and brooding until the relationship with rinoa starts to come to the forefront of the game. He loves her therefore changes his entire outlook in hopes of "winning" her love.... Or maybe i just looked way to far into this game haha

[Jest]

I did't really like any of the FF8 characters. Selphie stands out. S

[johnmirra]

Selphie and zell were both horrible but i loved squall rinoa quistis and seifer, plus all the laguna ect. characters

[Nephlabobo]

FFIX was the best of the PS1 and PS2 era FF games :D

Quoted for truth.

There are only two games in the entire PS1 rpg library I can think of that are worse than FF8.

Legend of Dragoon and Legend of Legaia. Must be something to do with the name.

Squall was a complete arse. Worst FF character *ever*.

[thelonepig]

There are only two games in the entire PS1 rpg library I can think of that are worse than FF8.

Shadow Madness.

[fatbeer]

You forgotten Diablo 1, Beyond the Beyond, Hoshigami, Eternal Eyes ,Torneko: The Last Hope, Shadow Tower or Grandstream Saga. These are just the really horrible ones. If you plug in the sub-par or meh games, the list is even longer. Many of ps1 rpgs didn't really stand up the test of time. Those early 3d polygon graphic look like an eye sore in today standards.

[Rodimus]

If you thought FFVIII was one of the worst RPGs on the PS1 then consider yourself lucky. Shadow Madness & Beyond The Beyond are two great examples of crappy/mediocre RPGs. but here's a few more thaat weren't mentioned: Alundra 2, Darkstone, Dragon Valor, Koudelka.

[Chacrana]

Also, Vandal Heart, Dew Prism (or whatever they renamed that to in the US), Chocobo Dungeon, Breath of Fire III and IV, and Brigandine. And this is all ignoring the fact that FFVIII is good.

[depascal22]

It's funny that people say that Squall is so emo and he's a little bitch. Did everyone forget that Cloud perfected that schtick in 7? Without Cloud, there would be no Squall. Hell, even in Advent Children, Cloud acts like a little bitch until Tifa and Marlene talk some sense into him. It's pretty sad that an 8 year old girl has to make you act more like a man.

Oh, and back to Tifa. I can't get the image of the ridiculous cowgirl outfit she had on in Crisis Core. What the hell was up with that crap?

Also, I started Eternal Sonata yesterday. I might need to go work in the garage or destroy something for a much needed testosterone boost after the last couple hours. It's a well made game with beautiful graphics but it's even more girly than FFX-2. I'd put it back up for trade but my daughter loves it and I really can't complain if she wants to hang out and play video games with her old man.

[Chibi_Kaji]

Oh, and back to Tifa. I can't get the image of the ridiculous cowgirl outfit she had on in Crisis Core. What the hell was up with that crap?
What did you expect? She's a tour guide.

I've been playing some ToV this morning. It seems that I missed one Costume I really wanted to get for Raven. Guess I'll have to get it when I replay it later. Also that Table serving mini-game in that Guild city is annoying.

[Rodimus]

ES had me checking my manhood at times also. I got about 40 hours in and couldn't take it anymore. It's not a bad game, the battle system was moderately interesting, and I did like the colorful graphics, but I can only take so much of that goody goody anime dribble.

I didn't think I would but I actually like the main character (Yuri) in ToV. Yes, he looks like a girl, but he's never been annoying. I really don't like Rita or Estelle, but Judith & Raven make up for them. I'm about 30 hours in so these are gonna be some major spoilers: Was anyone else shocked when Yuri killed both Ragou & Cumore? You don't usually see the main character of a JRPG take such a dark path. they're always so cookie cuter clean. This was defiantly a welcomed change.

[Chibi_Kaji]

I didn't think I would but I actually like the main character (Yuri) in ToV. Yes, he looks like a girl, but he's never been annoying. I really don't like Rita or Estelle, but Judith & Raven make up for them. I'm about 30 hours in so these are gonna be some major spoilers: Was anyone else shocked when Yuri killed both Ragou & Cumore? You don't usually see the main character of a JRPG take such a dark path. they're always so cookie cuter clean. This was defiantly a welcomed change.
I love Rita and Judith. Estelle is ok, but there are times when she annoys me... but she makes up for it with her healing spells. And Raven is a pretty cool guy. But I could easily see what some people don't like about him.

Yeah I was a bit surprised when that happened

[StarKnightX]

Also, Vandal Heart, Dew Prism (or whatever they renamed that to in the US), Chocobo Dungeon, Breath of Fire III and IV, and Brigandine. And this is all ignoring the fact that FFVIII is good.

Dew Prism was renamed Threads of Fate in the US.

Breath of Fire 3 and 4 were good and so was Brigandine , although it was hard as fuck.

Beyond the Beyond sucked horribly. Shadow Tower was a really shitty version of Kings Field.

[Rei no Otaku]

If you thought FFVIII was one of the worst RPGs on the PS1 then consider yourself lucky. Shadow Madness & Beyond The Beyond are two great examples of crappy/mediocre RPGs. but here's a few more thaat weren't mentioned: Alundra 2, Darkstone, Dragon Valor, Koudelka.
FFVIII is definitely not the worst game on the PS1. It's just the one I hate the most. Two different things. Btw, is Dragon Valor that side scrolling game where you go through various generations? If so, I kind of liked that game.

Also, Vandal Heart, Dew Prism (or whatever they renamed that to in the US), Chocobo Dungeon, Breath of Fire III and IV, and Brigandine. And this is all ignoring the fact that FFVIII is good.
BoF3, Vandal Hearts, and BoF4 were good games. They shit all over FFVIII.

As far as ToV characters, it's all about Judith...

Tried out Infinite Undiscovery today. It's actually not that bad. Problem is that the Fall is not the time to release an ok game. So much other great stuff coming out right now.

[Rodimus]

FFVIII is definitely not the worst game on the PS1. It's just the one I hate the most. Two different things. Btw, is Dragon Valor that side scrolling game where you go through various generations? If so, I kind of liked that game.

I know, I was actually addressing someone else in my previous post. FFVIII is my least favorite on the PS1 also. Squall is the worst.

Dragon Valor was a 3D action/RPG. I never personally played it but my brother owned it. I told him it was a waste of money. It came out pretty late in the PS1's lifespan.

And Judith is alot of fun. Her aerial moves makes me feel like I'm playing MvC2. I like to rotate using 3 characters: her, Yuri & Raven. Yuri is defiantly the easist to use.

[Rei no Otaku]

Yeah, Dragon Valor is the game where the story changes depending on who you marry in each generation. That game wasn't bad.

[Jest]

I think most main characters in FF games are lame. Zidane is just my favourite out of them.

[62t]

"Oh, and back to Tifa. I can't get the image of the ridiculous cowgirl outfit she had on in Crisis Core. What the hell was up with that crap?"

Guess it doesnt look so ridiculous when it was in PSOne?

If you are talking about the worst RPGs on PS1 you have to mention Master of Monsters. Alundra 2 was also pretty bad. However Koudelka was good but dated now

[Moxio]

My favorite FF main protagonist would have to be Cecil, followed by Cloud. Yes, Cloud was a weenie, but he definitely had some problems that were actually interesting.

[fatbeer]

I thought Dragon Valor was ok game as well. It certainly wasn't bad. Well, it is bad if your consider the other alternative action rpg or beat'em up(I consider this game as beat'em up than rpg) you can play. Story seem very similar to Castlevania. A whole generation of family members destroying vampires, but in dragon valor you destroy dragons.

[lilboo]

Aww! <3 Cecil!

[depascal22]

Tifa did look that bad on the PS1 but it still doesn't make it any better. While I didn't expect much, anything would've been better than that.

[Chibi_Kaji]

It seems I'm almost at the end game in ToV. I'm debating on looking for the fell arms now or waiting to do that in a new game+. The Boss you need to fight in order to unlock them seems nasty...

[Rodimus]

It seems I'm almost at the end game in ToV. I'm debating on looking for the fell arms now or waiting to do that in a new game+. The Boss you need to fight in order to unlock them seems nasty...

Just out of curiosity what level are your characters at?

[Chibi_Kaji]

Currently I'm in the mid 50's. I decided that I'm hold off on finishing it for a while and grind so I can defeat the optional boss(I can see the temptation of paying to level up right now...). I'll have to ask arounf if there are decent places to earn EXP.

On a random note I think I found a Tales of the Abyss reference in ToV. That's one of my favorite things in the tales games, you can also find some reference to an older game in the series.

[johnmirra]

i think i may be the only one who actually liked squall

[thelonepig]

i think i may be the only one who actually liked squall

From the responses that I've read, it appears that the whole VII/VIII/XI debate boils down to which characters one likes best. I'm with you though, I think Squall is a great character. In fact, VIII is the single FF game in which I like all of the characters - something that I can't say for even IV or VI, which happen to be the two I enjoy more than VIII. Also, I love the theme song from VIII.

It's been said before, so I echo this, but the reason I couldn't stand IX was because I hated Zidane. I hated Dagger. I couldn't stand Vivi. I was able to tolerate most of the remaining cast - at least enough to finish the game - but it just wasn't memorable.

[johnmirra]

ahh finally someone to agree with haha i feel exactly the same about IX by the way

[Jest]

Maybe RPG thread cares...

More Warhammer beta keys were given out. You can get them http://www.warcry.com/contests/register/warhammerbeta and http://www.mmorpg.com/betas/war_beta.cfm?bhcp=1


Back to FF
Out of the PS1 Final Fantasys I liked 9 the most because of the battle system. I love having each character play a specific role and have their own innate abilities. I also prefer a fantasy setting over a modern/futuristic setting. Each of those 3 games has their strong points that I enjoy more than parts of the others (for 7 its Golden Saucer, the Weapons, and Cid; for 8 its the story), but FFIX is personally my favourite, overall, of the three.

[62t]

Currently I'm in the mid 50's. I decided that I'm hold off on finishing it for a while and grind so I can defeat the optional boss(I can see the temptation of paying to level up right now...). I'll have to ask arounf if there are decent places to earn EXP.

On a random note I think I found a Tales of the Abyss reference in ToV. That's one of my favorite things in the tales games, you can also find some reference to an older game in the series.

There is also he cameo fight too. But yea they been making referece since Tales of Destiny 1.

[thelonepig]

I used to have a complete set of the Triple Triad cards. The local EB stocked the import trading cards when the game came out. Wish I could find them now, though I doubt I'd find anyone to play against. :)

[johnmirra]

I used to have a complete set of the Triple Triad cards. The local EB stocked the import trading cards when the game came out. Wish I could find them now, though I doubt I'd find anyone to play against. :)

I would kill for thta set of cards

[Jest]

It was the better card game. My EB Games had 2 imported dual pack figures of Zidane/Vivi and Stiener/Dagger that were $70 each but I wanted soooo bad.

Anyone ever try http://www.ttadvance.ca ? Or the triple triad homebrew for psp?

[Chibi_Kaji]

There is also he cameo fight too. But yea they been making reference since Tales of Destiny 1.

I know, I saw that while flipping through the guide I picked up. I think I'll try fighting next time. Apparently I missed an event I need to unlock the post game dungeon. So I'm just going to finish up the game.

I was looking through the marketplace and was surprised they didn't give you the ability to buy grade for ToV. As much as I'd hate to say it I might actually pay for that...

[LilPaintballer]

Whats the psp rpg, i just fixed mine and i know there some good ones out there.

[depascal22]

I'm guessing you're asking for best. I'd go with Crisis Core, Disgaea, or Jeanne d'Arc in no particular order.

[willardhaven]

It was the better card game. My EB Games had 2 imported dual pack figures of Zidane/Vivi and Stiener/Dagger that were $70 each but I wanted soooo bad.

Anyone ever try http://www.ttadvance.ca ? Or the triple triad homebrew for psp?

Those were dirt cheap back in 2001-2002. I got a Zidane/Vivi figure set for around 14.99. It's still sealed on my shelf, check Ebay.

[Chibi_Kaji]

You know the more I read about Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, the less interested I become in the game...

[eldergamer]

I prefered the more mature, older look of the characters in ff8. Liked the card battle parts too (for some reason). Making tough, uber characters didnt seem as difficult in 8 too. Disliked 9, far too cutesy and retro.

[thelonepig]

I prefered the more mature, older look of the characters in ff8. Liked the card battle parts too (for some reason). Making tough, uber characters didnt seem as difficult in 8 too. Disliked 9, far too cutesy and retro.

I remember playing the demo for VIII and being completely blown away by the fact that I could still control my characters during the cutscenes (to some degree). The end of Disc 1 was absolutely riveting as well. I agree with the mature look being a step in the right direction as well - something that was sadly scrapped for IX.

[Chacrana]

I remember playing the demo for VIII and being completely blown away by the fact that I could still control my characters during the cutscenes (to some degree). The end of Disc 1 was absolutely riveting as well. I agree with the mature look being a step in the right direction as well - something that was sadly scrapped for IX.

The last city on the first disc and all the shit that happens there is some of my favorite stuff in any game. I dunno what it is about it, but I love that part.

[Poor2More]

I am going to finally open up Infinite Discovery and give it a try tonight, some folks seem to be warming up to it

[johnmirra]

let me know how it is im saving that one for when i finnish ToV

[Poor2More]

let me know how it is im saving that one for when i finnish ToV

After an Hour of playing Infinite Undiscovery, and its not looking too good, Im going to throw some more time into it and let you know how I feel about it then

[thelonepig]

The last city on the first disc and all the shit that happens there is some of my favorite stuff in any game. I dunno what it is about it, but I love that part.

That was the closest any game had ever gotten to achieving a playable cinematic experience to that point, IMO. I really enjoyed how the game would switch you from one group to another at some climactic moment - it was a real tension builder. And the switch from standard gameplay to FMV + gameplay to full cutscene really helped keep you in the game.

[Chacrana]

God, I just wanna play FFVIII again now.

[Jest]

You guys are convincing me that I don't give FF8 enough love.

[thelonepig]

God, I just wanna play FFVIII again now.

You're telling me. I just added it to my want list (my little bro sold it while I was away).

This thread is dangerous.

[johnmirra]

haha good to see we can change someones mind about FFVIII, it was such a great game

[tiggerkiddo]

Only issue I had with the game was Ultamecia. I never cared about her and when it was the just the SEED vs. Edea/Galbadia...man that is when the game was at its best. Then you get to the final fight with Edea and it all goes downhill from there, darnit. Oh yea and the fourth disc, ugh.

Though the Sorceress angle was super cool.

[thelonepig]

I wouldn't say it's all downhill. The camcorder sequence during the credits was great!

[heavyd853]

That and the whole thing that Ultimecia is supposed to be some sort of twisted Rinoa that never found Squall in the time nuttiness that happened after they beat her.

Well, thats the rumor anyways.

[Moxio]

Ew, don't waste your time playing FFVIII again! Play a real PSX RPG. 8-)

[Chacrana]

Ew, don't waste your time playing FFVIII again! Play a real PSX RPG. 8-)

Only PS1 RPG I want to play that I haven't played yet is Vagrant Story. Which I've got, but just haven't bothered to play yet. But I've played through all the other essentials, so yeah.

I want to play FFVIII just because it kicks ass.

[Rei no Otaku]

You guys are convincing me that I don't give FF8 enough love.
Not convincing me. Rei herself couldn't do that.

[Ryuukishi]

I've been meaning to give FF8 another run-through one of these days. I played it when it came out and thought it was okay, but no FF7. The junction/leveling system was ultimately broken but at least it was an interesting attempt to do something different.

[depascal22]

Sealed copy of FFVIII (Greatest Hits) on my tradelist....I'd play it again but PS1 games look like complete ass on LCDs.

/end shameless plug

[Krymner]

Anyone know whatever happened to the Xenosaga Ep1&2 DS game that was announced a couple years ago? I think it came out in Japan, but I haven't heard anything at all about it in a long time. I was just wondering if there were plans for bringing it to the US.

[Chacrana]

Doubt it'll hit the US at this point, but that's a good thing, because the game was supposed to be terrible.

[kainzero]

On FF8:

-I hated the battle system. There was no reason to really level, since all the monsters leveled up with you. The draw system was boring, and it was either that or cardmodding which meant I had to play that damn card game. And oh yeah, easily exploitable limits led to really simple and boring battles that consisted of drawing and then limit breaking. I don't remember ever using magic except Aura.

-I liked the story... until Disc 3.
I honestly don't remember anything after Disc 2, but time compression, sorceresses, GFs erasing memory, Ultimecia being the Rinoa that never met Squall, it all got really weird. Before that it was cool. Raiding that parade at the end of Disc 1, or the train raid for Rinoa. Balamb attacking Galbadia, breaking out of the Prison, evacuating Balamb and the Missiles, it had pretty good scenario design.

-Characters were pretty decent
Except for the too-good-to-be-true Rinoa, I found all the characters pretty decent. Squall I like because of his growth. No one likes him because he's emo, but no one in the game likes him either even though they try to because of his talent. Although most of the characters don't have crazy backstories like a typical RPG, I remember they had decent development for not having that.

[Chacrana]

I'll agree with you about the story - it was definitely better for those first two discs than it was towards then end. I don't think it killed itself necessarily, but I wish it would've stayed away from the crazy shit.

With the battle system though, I thought the leveling system worked fine. You do get to the point where you can obliterate weaker enemies, and if you don't level up, chances are that you'll struggle with some of the bosses. At least, IIRC.

[depascal22]

You could still level up in 8. The bosses became much easier with a little grinding.

[willardhaven]

VIII was an okay game, the side quests and optional stuff were its saving graces I think.

[Krymner]

Okay, I have a question for the RPG-T. I'm in the process of building my PS2 RPG collection while many of the games are still easy to find relatively cheap. What would you consider to be the 5 best, must-own, non-Final Fantasy RPGs for the PS2 (no particular order necessary).

[Moxio]

Rogue Galaxy, DQVIII, Persona 3/FES, Tales of the Abyss, and then a Shadow Hearts I suppose.

[depascal22]

Go with Covenant.

[Chacrana]

Okay, I have a question for the RPG-T. I'm in the process of building my PS2 RPG collection while many of the games are still easy to find relatively cheap. What would you consider to be the 5 best, must-own, non-Final Fantasy RPGs for the PS2 (no particular order necessary).

Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne. Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga. Dragon Quest VIII. Xenosaga series (less necessary than the others, tho.) That's more than 5 games, but whatev.

[depascal22]

My five:

Disgaea
Nocturne
Tales of the Abyss
Shadown Hearts Covenant
Persona 3 FES

[heavyd853]

Shadow hearts 2 should be the first non FF rpg you get I think, or maybe the digital devil sagas (haven't played nocturne).

Covenant is just too cool to miss.

[Mr. Beef]

I'll agree with you about the story - it was definitely better for those first two discs than it was towards then end. I don't think it killed itself necessarily, but I wish it would've stayed away from the crazy shit.

With the battle system though, I thought the leveling system worked fine. You do get to the point where you can obliterate weaker enemies, and if you don't level up, chances are that you'll struggle with some of the bosses. At least, IIRC.
The game needed more Seifer shenanigans. Once Ultimecia reared her fat face, then the story got boring. I'm actually almost done with FF8, coincidentally. I did all my junctioning/drawing in the first disc, and that made the rest of the game a fuckin' cakewalk.

VIII was an okay game, the side quests and optional stuff were its saving graces I think.
<3 Deep Sea Research Center.

[heavyd853]

Yeah I loved VIII, it was my favorite ps1 final fantasy.

But! The junctioning system was sooooo exploitable, I had like 80 Curagas on 3 characters by the time I got to TIMBER@!!! I couldn't die!

[johnmirra]

on a side not why in the world is it so hard to find a complete tales of legendia in the wild, i have checked every game store in the wyoming valley of Pa and i still havent found one

[thelonepig]

My favorite five non-FF PS2 RPGs:

1) DragonQuest VIII
2) Shadow Hearts: Covenant
3) Persona 3/FES
4) Digital Devil Saga 1/2
5) Breath of Fire V

Honorable mentions:

Nocturne, Xenosaga III, Valkyrie Profile 2

[heavyd853]

Does Odin Sphere count? That was pretty awesome too, but it did get a bit repetitive.

[Jest]

I am watching the GT review of ToV but had to pause it to ask this, is the voice actress for Rita the same person who did Yukari in P3?

[heavyd853]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EWA5KMOTLk

Has this been posted yet?

Go Squall!

[pete5883]

Okay, I have a question for the RPG-T. I'm in the process of building my PS2 RPG collection while many of the games are still easy to find relatively cheap. What would you consider to be the 5 best, must-own, non-Final Fantasy RPGs for the PS2 (no particular order necessary).
DDS 1&2, Dark Cloud 2, Suiko III (if you've played I or II), and the Xenosagas.

[Rei no Otaku]

I am watching the GT review of ToV but had to pause it to ask this, is the voice actress for Rita the same person who did Yukari in P3?
Yes. Michelle Ruff. You may also know her as Rukia from Bleach.

Okay, I have a question for the RPG-T. I'm in the process of building my PS2 RPG collection while many of the games are still easy to find relatively cheap. What would you consider to be the 5 best, must-own, non-Final Fantasy RPGs for the PS2 (no particular order necessary).
1. Tales of Legendia
2. Tales of the Abyss
3. Suikoden 5
4. Suikoden 3
5. Shadow Hearts Covenant

[fatbeer]

Okay, I have a question for the RPG-T. I'm in the process of building my PS2 RPG collection while many of the games are still easy to find relatively cheap. What would you consider to be the 5 best, must-own, non-Final Fantasy RPGs for the PS2 (no particular order necessary).

1. Shadow Hearts Covenant
2. Disgaea 1
3. Persona 3 Fes
4.Kingdom Hearts 2(I would of chosen Kingdom Hearts 1, but Kingdom Kingdom 2 has more refined game mechanics, even if it's very button mashy .)
5. Suikoden 5

[Over easy]

Okay, I have a question for the RPG-T. I'm in the process of building my PS2 RPG collection while many of the games are still easy to find relatively cheap. What would you consider to be the 5 best, must-own, non-Final Fantasy RPGs for the PS2 (no particular order necessary).

Persona 3/FES
Kingdom Hearts series
Tales of Abyss

That's all I got. I didn't like Tales of Legendia very much. My list is short because I didn't get to play many RPGs on my PS2 once I got it. I also have Rogue Galaxy, but I didn't open it yet. I'm pretty sure I would like it a lot though.

[fatbeer]

I didn't like Tales of Legendia as well. I felt the game play, controls and content was stripe down version of Tales of Symphonia. I was expecting improvement or even more of the same. Or my expectations were too high? Perhaps the fewer content is due to the ps2 system limitation? Go look at Tales of Abyss it was suffering from loading times.

[Rei no Otaku]

Gameplay wasn't as good as the other games, but the characters more than made up for it.

[Moxio]

Persona 3/FES
Kingdom Hearts series
Tales of Abyss

That's all I got. I didn't like Tales of Legendia very much. My list is short because I didn't get to play many RPGs on my PS2 once I got it. I also have Rogue Galaxy, but I didn't open it yet. I'm pretty sure I would like it a lot though.

Open up and play Rogue Galaxy; game is amazing.

[Krymner]

Was Tales of Legendia the one not done by the usual Namco "Tales of" team? I remember one of the Tales games were done by a different dev studio.

Also, how does Tales of Abyss stack up to Symphonia? I loved ToS on the Cube. What's the main differences about it, or is it very similar gameplay-wise?

[suko_32]

Tales of Legendia was made by another team and is doing/done Tales of Symphonia 2.

Tales of Symphonia, Abyss, and Vesperia are made by another single team. I think most people agree if you enjoyed Symphonia you'd like Abyss as well.

[pete5883]

Legendia was made by the Soulcalibur team.

I loved Symphonia, anti-loved Abyss. Story was not nearly as good, the great puzzles and design of Abyss's dungeons were gone. But I'm in the minority.

[Chibi_Kaji]

I have a sealed copy of Legendia that I keep meaning to play just to see how bad/good the game is.

I was looking at the trailer for the CGI version of Tales of Hearts and I have to say... it just felt wrong. Not that the CGI look bad or anything(atleast for a DS game). It's just that when I think of a Tales game I think of anime cut scenes not CGI.

[MSI Magus]

When does Suikoden V take place in the Suikoden time line. I heard some people say it tied into the first 2 games in the series more then 3/4 did so was curios. I bought the game recently and even briefly started it but decided to replay Suikoden 1 and 2 first(might try replay III and IV as well but iv never finished either of them because how crappy they are).

[Rei no Otaku]

Suikoden 5 takes place like 5 years before Suikoden 1 if I remember correctly.

[willardhaven]

I thought Tales of the Abyss was better than Symphonia, but both were excellent.

Okay, I have a question for the RPG-T. I'm in the process of building my PS2 RPG collection while many of the games are still easy to find relatively cheap. What would you consider to be the 5 best, must-own, non-Final Fantasy RPGs for the PS2 (no particular order necessary).

Top 5 PS2 RPGs? Right now I'd say:

Persona 3
Nocturne
Tales of the Abyss
Valkyrie Profile 2
Disgaea 1

Honorable mentions: Breath of Fire V, Radiata Stories, Star Ocean 3 and Kingdom Hearts 2.

Popular choices I haven't played/given a fair shot: Disgaea 2, Digital Devil, Shadow Hearts series, Legendia or Rogue Galaxy.

On a different subject, FF IV DS is nice. It feels pretty new but still reminds me enough of the original.

[johnmirra]

sounds like tales of the abyss is a consensus top 5 i guess ill slot it in after ToV and IU.

[MSI Magus]

Suikoden 5 takes place like 5 years before Suikoden 1 if I remember correctly.

Ah so in between 1 and 2. Do many of the charcters from Sui 1 and 2 show up? Doubt their in it but would love to see Flik and Viktor again.

[kainzero]

DQ4 next week? Dang. Gotta shell out the money for that one.

Picked up FF4 DS again after putting it aside for a month. So many random battles, I got Float in the Tower of Babil... I usually have to grind to get that. And silly scenarios:

Imps: Oh no! You beat us! But if we destroy this console, the cannon will kill the dwarven tanks!
Yang: Get out of here, I got this!
Party: No!
Yang: Get out! BALRJAGLJADSHERHG
Party: Oh no! Yang! *cry*

*walks out like nothing happened*

The remake also lends itself to more silliness. How the heck can Cid detonate a bomb that can seal the underground at point-blank range and survive?!?

[MarkMan]

DQ4 DQ4 DQ4!

Also...

---

http://hoimi.us/up/img/banner-bello.jpg

http://tsumi.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/pankekku-eat/

[willardhaven]

I hate random battles too, but FF IV is a favorite from my childhood so I forgive it.

The new auto-battle makes it easy to level too.

I agree the remake's serious nature inadvertently makes it sillier. The Myst village scene was pretty funny.

Question: In the real version of FF IV (not the SNES) are there people in Myst as it burns? I recall there being only Rydia and her mother on SNES.

[StarKnightX]

I hate random battles too, but FF IV is a favorite from my childhood so I forgive it.

The new auto-battle makes it easy to level too.

I agree the remake's serious nature inadvertently makes it sillier. The Myst village scene was pretty funny.

Question: In the real version of FF IV (not the SNES) are there people in Myst as it burns? I recall there being only Rydia and her mother on SNES.

To the best of my memory , no , the only townspeople you actually see in Myst while it's being destroyed are Rydia and her mother.

Just got FF4 DS for my birthday the other day. Hope and plan to start it soon. My brother has been playing the GBA version of the game for the first time so now I have the bug to play FF4 again.

[willardhaven]

If you're not a purist it's awesome. I love the additions and the new graphical style.

[Gatsby]

I hate random battles too, but FF IV is a favorite from my childhood so I forgive it.

The new auto-battle makes it easy to level too.

I agree the remake's serious nature inadvertently makes it sillier. The Myst village scene was pretty funny.

Question: In the real version of FF IV (not the SNES) are there people in Myst as it burns? I recall there being only Rydia and her mother on SNES.

S-s-s-spoiled. And man, with my Ps3 I've unexpectedly run into the problem of having no RPGs to play, I've heard good things about Folklore, and of the upcoming Valkria Chronicles games, but right now it's looking like I'll have to hit Amazon and Ebay up to find some good oldies like Threads of Fate or Breath of Fire 3 on the Ps1.

[willardhaven]

I didn't know a 17-year-old game in the most popular RPG series of all time could be spoiled... Also it's within the first 20-30 minutes of play.

BTW BoF IV is much better than III I think.

[Chacrana]

If you're not a purist it's awesome. I love the additions and the new graphical style.

Yeah, the remake is great. Damn tough, too. But overall, I'd definitely say it's the best version of Final Fantasy IV.

[B.K.]

Ah so in between 1 and 2. Do many of the charcters from Sui 1 and 2 show up? Doubt their in it but would love to see Flik and Viktor again.

It's not between 1 and 2. It's set before the first game. The only character in the game that appears in any other game is Georg Prime, from Suikoden II.

[Gatsby]

I didn't know a 17-year-old game in the most popular RPG series of all time could be spoiled... Also it's within the first 20-30 minutes of play.

BTW BoF IV is much better than III I think.

Lowest I've played in the FF series has been 5, and I kind of disliked 5 enough to not delve any deeper.

I'll look into BoF IV though.

[willardhaven]

FF IV is much better than V and VI if you ask me. FF VI is still a great game though.

[Gatsby]

Yeah, my biggest issues with V and VI were just that their gameplay elements felt dated, so while VI gave me one of gaming's great storylines, it wasn't enough to keep my playing sadly.

V had the same problems, minus the good storyline, which I was I think I'll enjoy the IV remake when I do decide to get it.

[Moxio]

Woo woo DQIV. :bouncy:

[Rei no Otaku]

Ah so in between 1 and 2. Do many of the charcters from Sui 1 and 2 show up? Doubt their in it but would love to see Flik and Viktor again.
Suikoden takes place about 2 years after 1. Suikoden 5 takes place about 5 years before 1. It's not between the two.

[JEKKI]

Also...

---

http://hoimi.us/up/img/banner-bello.jpg

http://tsumi.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/pankekku-eat/


damn dood u beat me to that shyt...

http://xs129.xs.to/xs129/08285/lpt380.jpg

still needa beat Eternal Punishment -_-;;;

[Chacrana]

Innocent Sin's supposed to be better than EP if I'm not mistaken. So it should be fucking incredible/10.

[JEKKI]

nom nom nom nom nom!

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/1417/15358845mt6.gif

[kainzero]

I hate random battles too, but FF IV is a favorite from my childhood so I forgive it.

I agree the remake's serious nature inadvertently makes it sillier. The Myst village scene was pretty funny.
I don't forgive it.

Especially because in SNES FF2 I would run from a lot of battles, making it a lot less forced. It takes forever to run in FF4 DS, and you might actually die trying to run. So now I'm forced to slog through these easy as pie random battles and overlevelling. I'm level 40 ready to go to Eblan already, at the SNES version I'm level 40 at the Summoner cave just to get Float, and probably beating the game at 50.

I'm a huge fan of FF4 too because it was an eye opener when I played it in the SNES days. The gameplay was and is fine, but man, that story has aged badly =)

[depascal22]

Innocent Sin's supposed to be better than EP if I'm not mistaken. So it should be fucking incredible/10.

If that's true and they updated the graphics, I'm in.

[thelonepig]

FF IV DS really raised the ante. I had to run around grinding just to get all of Rydia's spells (level 65, IIRC) on the SNES version. I beat the game in the high 50s. Now I've got it saved before the final boss with all of my characters in the low 80s. I went to fight the boss the other day and the first thing he did was cast Big Bang and kill 3 out of my 5 characters. Before Rosa had a chance to heal, he cast it again and game over.

[62t]

Wow Innocent Sin and Mother 3 getting a translation in around the same time.

[Chacrana]

Innocent Sin is more important, though.

Goddamn, I'm so excited.

[willardhaven]

I don't forgive it.

Especially because in SNES FF2 I would run from a lot of battles, making it a lot less forced. It takes forever to run in FF4 DS, and you might actually die trying to run. So now I'm forced to slog through these easy as pie random battles and overlevelling. I'm level 40 ready to go to Eblan already, at the SNES version I'm level 40 at the Summoner cave just to get Float, and probably beating the game at 50.

I'm a huge fan of FF4 too because it was an eye opener when I played it in the SNES days. The gameplay was and is fine, but man, that story has aged badly =)

If you can forgive DQ, you can forgive anything.

[MarkMan]

Innocent Sin, Dragon Quest IV, Persona 4, Chrono Trigger DS

I came

I'm actually gonna sit down and play through these!

[pete5883]

Do Persona 2: IS and EP still have that "save point at the beginning of the dungeon, boss battle at the end" bullshit from P1?

[Rei no Otaku]

If you can forgive DQ, you can forgive anything.
Seriously.

[Chacrana]

Do Persona 2: IS and EP still have that "save point at the beginning of the dungeon, boss battle at the end" bullshit from P1?

Like, so you can't save while you're in the dungeon, leading to a shit ton of lost progress? No. Persona 2 lets you save any time. Just go into the menu whenever you wanna save, and do it. And you're set.

It's good like that.

And everything else about Persona 2 is good too. Cept the voice acting in EP, but for a game that's otherwise fucking incredible, I can deal. It's worlds beyond Persona 1 and honestly, I think it's far better than Persona 3, too.

[Rei no Otaku]

I think it's far better than Persona 3, too.
No.

[Chacrana]

Naw, as it turns out, Persona 2 is better.

I love the school bits of Persona 3, but as an RPG, it's just not as good. One dungeon, far less depth in the combat, worse soundtrack, storyline wasn't as good (though I still liked it - don't get me wrong), and just not as hardcore.

[fatbeer]

I hope they reramp the combat system for Innocent Sin because Persona 2 didn't really stand against the test of time. The last generation ps2 press combat system really set the standard for Shin Megami Series. Even some of basics like acquiring persona, requires a set amount of cards to summon them. In order to acquire these cards, you need to answer a series of question. Most of them are fix. Think about doing that over and over just to acquire one monster then multiple by 10+ times, now that's really repetative. Also, in Persona 2 the mana usage is based on level. It actually better to have some low level Persona due to their low mp cost especially when it comes to healers.

[Chacrana]

I just played it this Summer, and yeah, Persona 2's menus take a little bit to get used to, but once you know how it works, it plays fine... No, it's not press turn, but it works fine. I didn't think talking to demons was tedious, either... it was actually kinda fun to figure out what'll trigger responses from certain demons, and exploiting the hell out of that once I figured it out.

[pete5883]

Contacting demons in P1 seemed pretty broken, since neither the questions nor answers made any sense whatsoever, and success seemed to be random even if you picked the same thing twice.

[kainzero]

If you can forgive DQ, you can forgive anything.
I dunno why but I find DQ's system much more intricate and fun than FF4...

[fatbeer]

Contacting demons in Persona 1 is definitely fixed. You have to select the right combination of people with correct answers. I should know. In final dungeon, there is no save point near the last boss and it takes one hour to get there. To cut out the random encounters, I keep selecting the right individuals with correct answers. I didn't meet the level requirement instead of joining me, they drop items instead. The same goes for Persona 2 as well.

[Krymner]

I doubt I'll ever get around to playing P2:IS. Never have been much for fan translations.

But I am really looking forward to P4.

So, after Persona 4, what other PS2 RPGs are coming? All I can remember is Ar Tonelico 2 sometime next year. Is this finally the end of the PS2 RPG era?

[pete5883]

Didn't the phase of the moon affect success level for contacting in P1?

[Krymner]

New thread

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4839518#post4839518