General Role-Playing Game Thread

[depascal22]

New Persona PSP preview: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3175123

Looks like the music and localization will be completely re-done. Also, it looks like this will be a harder game since the Japanese have finally realized we love a tough game as much as anyone else.

[Chibi_Kaji]

Looks like the music and localization will be completely re-done. Also, it looks like this will be a harder game since the Japanese have finally realized we love a tough game as much as anyone else.
Where did you get that from in that article? If anything the game sounds like it will be slightly easier than the original release. Some of the features that have been mentioned are different difficulty levels, a rebalanced encounter rate and more save points + Quick save.

[62t]

That would actually be bad because the problem with the earlier Persona is that they are too hard.

[icebeast]

Where did you get that from in that article? If anything the game sounds like it will be slightly easier than the original release. Some of the features that have been mentioned are different difficulty levels, a rebalanced encounter rate and more save points + Quick save.

I think maybe he is referring to this part:
"Persona offers one final feature to help justify being released as a standard UMD rather than a budget retro title: the Snow Queen quest has been restored. The PS1 game's most infamous localization change was the removal of a massive side quest that was meant to account for a significant portion of the play time. Why it was cut remains something of a mystery (especially now that the team responsible for localizing the PS1 version has long since moved on from Atlus), but the PSP remake will be including this lost chapter in its entirety."

Whether it's addition would make the game harder or easier I can't really say as I haven't played either version, but you would assume that making a game longer would allow for more opportunities to increase the difficulty.

[62t]

Snow Queen quest was removed due to a penis shape monster so the game could get a KA rating

[Chibi_Kaji]

Snow Queen quest was removed due to a penis shape monster so the game could get a KA rating
That would be an awesome reason if it were true.

[62t]

The official reason is time constraint, which is probably also true since it is a 16 hours side quest

but take a look at this and I am sure it wont work in 1996

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em_EE93YtYc

[JEKKI]

Whether it's addition would make the game harder or easier I can't really say as I haven't played either version, but you would assume that making a game longer would allow for more opportunities to increase the difficulty.snow queen doesnt make the game longer by default.

It is actually a branch point in the game that completely changes the rest of the game and its ending.

...or so I hear...

[Chibi_Kaji]

The official reason is time constraint, which is probably also true since it is a 16 hours side quest

but take a look at this and I am sure it wont work in 1996
It looks a little suggestive but I doubt that would have stopped it from coming out.

[Rodimus]

That would actually be bad because the problem with the earlier Persona is that they are too hard.

I agree, the version we got was still pretty damn difficult. I couldn't imagine the torture the Japanese players had to endure with the higher encounter rate.

snow queen doesnt make the game longer by default.

It is actually a branch point in the game that completely changes the rest of the game and its ending.

...or so I hear...

This is true. Don't confuse the Snow Queen Quest as a side quest. It's a diffrent path you take with a diffrent end boss & ending all together. In fact by choosing this path the game actully become shorter.... I think...

But yeah, Mara the penis monster is shocking, considering he rips out of poor Chunks chest. I couldn't imagine how I'd react to that scene if they actully did release the Snow Queen quest over here on the PSX.

[Flak]

The more I hear about Persona the more I want to play. Maybe I should pre-order it to encourage a remake of Persona 2.

[Chibi_Kaji]

The more I hear about Persona the more I want to play. Maybe I should pre-order it to encourage a remake of Persona 2.
I'd be all for that if they brought the first part of the game over.

[Flak]

First part of which game, first or second?

[Jesus_S_Preston]

Persona 2.

[Rei no Otaku]

First part of which game, first or second?
Only the second half of Persona 2, Eternal Punishment, was localized. We never got the first part, Innocent Sin.

[Rodimus]

There is a fan made translation of Persona 2: Innocent Sin. I've been dieing to play it but I'm just not computer-saavy enough to get it to work.

Anyone get Devil Suvivior yet?

[Chibi_Kaji]

The reason why I haven't checked out that Innocent Sin patch is because I just don't like playing games on my PC.

I have Devil Survivor but I just haven't really sat down to play it. I'd like to finish up Super Robot Wars first.

[Rodimus]

The reason why I haven't checked out that Innocent Sin patch is because I just don't like playing games on my PC.

Same here, that's why I've been trying to figure out a way to play this on my PSX or PS2. I actually own the Japanese version so if I do find a way to do this it's legal... I guess.

[chibamm]

You could use a 360 controller....if that helps? I haven't tried it myself, I've always hated playing console games on PC, but that might help...

[Rei no Otaku]

There is a fan made translation of Persona 2: Innocent Sin. I've been dieing to play it but I'm just not computer-saavy enough to get it to work.

Anyone get Devil Suvivior yet?
I picked up Devil Survivor. It's pretty good so far. My only complaint really is that the music is kind of sub-par.

[icebeast]

I picked up Devil Survivor. It's pretty good so far. My only complaint really is that the music is kind of sub-par.

I'm almost done with the game now and I thought the music was good, it just wasn't amazing. The only thing that I'm not a huge fan of is the character design... to me they all just look too generic and don't really have that punch that the other SMT games have had, though it would make sense because the character artist was different. The plot in devil survivor is fairly cool though, reminds me a lot of SMT: Nocturne.

[Chibi_Kaji]

Man... I want to start Cross Edge but I'm looking at all the free DLC that will be released. I might as well wait an make the game easier... I kind of want to costume packs but I'm not sure if they do anything to my stats.

[depascal22]

Where did you get that from in that article? If anything the game sounds like it will be slightly easier than the original release. Some of the features that have been mentioned are different difficulty levels, a rebalanced encounter rate and more save points + Quick save.

I guess I just jumbled info from another article in with it. My mistake. The article just says that they will stay more faithful to the Japanese game for future localizations. I took that to mean we would be getting the game's difficulty as well instead of changed characters and deleted penis monsters.

Nocturne News -- I've committed to grinding for a while before I enter the Obelisk/Tower of Kagutsuchi. I'm maxing out every demon I can with the Mitamas. It's a good way to shore up low stats for some of my demons I know will be in the towards the end.

[ChibiJosh]

Man... I want to start Cross Edge but I'm looking at all the free DLC that will be released. I might as well wait an make the game easier... I kind of want to costume packs but I'm not sure if they do anything to my stats.

Costumes do a lot for your stats. And, it takes quite awhile in the game to get your first non-DLC costume.

[Chibi_Kaji]

I guess I might get a few. I'm going to play the game on hard.... it seems thats the only way all the post game content can be accessed.

[ChibiJosh]

I guess I might get a few. I'm going to play the game on hard.... it seems thats the only way all the post game content can be accessed.

You have to get the true ending to get any of the post game content. 5-1 is the last area of the story. Getting the true ending on normal will get you to 5-2, and hard will get you to 5-3. I played through on normal, but from my understanding 5-3 only has stronger enemies, it's not needed for any trophies or anything. After I saw the level of the 5-2 bosses, I stopped playing.

[Chibi_Kaji]

Yeah, I already know that since I have the Doublejump E-guide.

[Flak]

How rare are the PS1 Breath of Fire games? Someone is trying to sell me both complete games for $70.

[Zmonkay]

How rare are the PS1 Breath of Fire games? Someone is trying to sell me both complete games for $70.

Well, never played 3, but really liked 4. Pretty traditional JRPG from what I remember, but definitely NOT worth $70 imho. I payed 10 bucks for a used copy (this was years ago, did it go up in value suddenly?) and it was def. worth that though.

Edit: WOW! quick ebay search shows it about 35-40!? When the hell did that happen *runs off to sell his copy

Seriously, enjoyable game, but I don't feel it was worth that much

[Moxio]

Breath of Fire III and IV are two of the greatest RPGs of all time. I'd say they're worth it, but I'll be honest, I'd just get their ISOs and emulate them.

[Flak]

I'm gonna practice haggling then. I'm thinking I can talk him into both along with Zelda collection on GC for $45. I doubt he's getting any other offers.

[willardhaven]

BoF IV is great. The battles are fun and smooth, the graphics are great and the story is fairly interesting (you play as the hero and villain).

[Moxio]

P.S. Please realize you're getting an opinion about BoF from a guy whose avatar is from BoFIV. 8-)

[Rei no Otaku]

I thought BoF3 was ok, but BoF4 was great.

[Krymner]

Yeah the price for the BoF PSX games have gone up in the last couple years. The $70 price is about what they're going for, but if you want to be cheap about it, you might search around and if you're patient find them for about $30 each. Every now and then I search around for a new BoF III copy, cause mine's kinda scratched up (still plays tho) and half the instructions are missing, and I keep hoping to find it for about $20 but no dice so far.

Continuing my Nocturne quest. I guess I'm around halfway thru the game. I'll probably play for a few more days before putting it on hold for awhile again. Still need to get back to FFXII and finish it up.

So what is everyone here's opinion of the dot.hack series? I have the first one (infection?) but still haven't played it. How many was in the series? A local used shop nearby has several and I was wondering if they're worth picking up.

[Rei no Otaku]

I didn't think the first .hack series was that good. I really liked GU though.

The first series had 4 games, and GU has 3.

[ChibiJosh]

I'm sad that the Breath of Fire series disappeared. I <3'd it.

[icebeast]

Personally I didn't really like the first .hack game which is the only one I played... the story seemed like it had potential but the gameplay was just super boring since all the dungeons are randomly generated and there really aren't that many unique textures for the dungeons so they all just blend together.

Also I have to say that after watching all of the anime .hack//SIGN which I did after getting kind of tired of the game; I'm not really sure how good the story in the .hack games actually would be since in my opinion the ending to .hack//SIGN is just kind of blah.

[willardhaven]

I liked .hack//sign but was underwhelmed by the original .hack game. The dvd it came with was better than the game.

[ChibiJosh]

http://new.atlusnet.jp/

Altus teaser site.

[pete5883]

I really got sucked into .hack, mostly due to .hack//SIGN, but after 4 games I was so sick of the repetition, bad sound effects, and average gameplay that I stayed far away from G.U.

[Flak]

haha I can't read anything on that teaser site. All I see is a planet of some sort underneath the tiles.

[Draekon]

haha I can't read anything on that teaser site. All I see is a planet of some sort underneath the tiles.

It says worthless stuff such as, "What was that light?" and such. Also if you are quick enough with the mouse and pay close enough attention, you'll notice a big black spot on the bottom side of the planet.

[EXStrike]

Atlus teaser is 99.9% most likely a new Megaten game

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/07/16/atlus-teaser-site-reveals-shin-megami-tensei-strange-journey/

[ChibiJosh]

Hopefully, it's an actually Megaten game. A sequel to Nocturne and on a PS3/360.

[Chibi_Kaji]

So what is everyone here's opinion of the dot.hack series? I have the first one (infection?) but still haven't played it. How many was in the series? A local used shop nearby has several and I was wondering if they're worth picking up.
I really enjoyed the first 2 games in the series. But then the gameplay really started to get old but I did finish the last 2 for the for the story(I never did finish that bouns dungeon in part 2). As for GU... I thought it was shit.

[depascal22]

Finishing all four .hack games is a serious accomplishment. I'm not so sure it's a good one though. j/k

[Chibi_Kaji]

The only one that was a real chore was part 3. I lost my favorite party member(Thankfully they were nice enough to let me have her for the final battle in part 4) and had to replace her with a useless Wavemaster who would refuse to use healing spells. And iirc, the gate hacking got really tedious in this one as well.

[depascal22]

How long did the entire series take you? I tried part 1 but I got seriously turned off mostly because there were three more games to play to see the end of it all.

[Chibi_Kaji]

It's been years since I even touched the game. I do recall hearing that they were pretty short, maybe around 20 hours each?

[Rei no Otaku]

As I said, GU is a lot better. They fix most of the problems from the first series.

[Moxio]

Has anyone here played Infinite Undiscovery? I heard it was average, but I kinda want to try out a new 360 RPG but I've already played all of the good ones.

[Rei no Otaku]

You heard right. It's not terrible, but it's not great either. It's average in pretty much every aspect. The only thing is that it has probably the worst opening section of any game.

[Chibi_Kaji]

As I said, GU is a lot better. They fix most of the problems from the first series.
I'll have to take your word on that. I put a few hours in the game and it just felt too much like the last series to care.

[StarKnightX]

I'm sad that the Breath of Fire series disappeared. I <3'd it.

I've always wished that the BoF series returned as well. I have every game in the series , although I have yet to play 4 or Dragon Quarter. The first game is rather generic , but 2 and 3 are both pretty good.

I remember Toasty Frog doing a retrospective on the BoF series and mentioned how Dragon Quarter killed the series because it was just too much for most people.

[pete5883]

As I said, GU is a lot better. They fix most of the problems from the first series.
I read that they took away the ability to run faster than the default running speed - this was really the only thing mitigating the repetitiveness for me.

[Moxio]

Star Knight: play Breath of Fire IV.

[StarKnightX]

Star Knight: play Breath of Fire IV.

Yes yes I know. I just have to find it , buried among all my other PS1 games.

[depascal22]

I'm at a point in Nocturne where I don't know if I want to keep pressing on.

I'm in the Tower of Kagutsuchi and I've already bypassed the rest of the Kalpas. I warped out to head to the Bandou Shrine and get the final and best Magatama but I got my ass handed to me because I got turned around and the guide map didn't really help since I had no idea where the hell I was on the map.

I want to just finish the game but I have a bad feeling I'm severely underleveled since I didn't do everything in the game.



And 80ish hours for the first .hack series isn't so bad. I thought it was supposed to take longer than that.

[icebeast]

and get the final and best Magatama

Once you have that Nocturne becomes basically easy mode... power leveling can be mildly time consuming but it is simple.

Basically I decided I needed to remake my entire team before the final boss battle and wanted three of the four horsemen of the apoclypse (which is what I already had but I wanted them with better skills). They start out at around 50 and I decided they should probably be about 80. So all I did was warp to the save point in the Tower of Kagatsuchi where the Cathedral of Shadows and Heal Point is, I had my main character learn a hit all melee attack (and at that point I had finished the Kalpas so I had Pierce so it would always hit); plus all the horseman learn hit all magic spells so I could use that as well if need be. Then since I had no fear of basically anything doing much if any damage to my main character I obliterated everything in one to two turns running around that hallway healing up using healing spells and if I got low on MP I would just duck into the healing fountain. I think it took me maybe 3 hours of that type of power leveling to get them where I wanted.

[Flak]

How is Crimson Gem Saga? From what I've seen the voice acting is incredibly cheesy, and the encounter mechanics are nothing really new, yet everyone's raving about it.

[Poor2More]

Crimson Gem, is exactly that...a gem. This game has the old school charm from the golden era of RPG's SNES/PSX. Voice acting fits the characters very well. Battle System is quick, this game is great, give it a go.

[Poor2More]

Anyone got an eye on Magna Carta 2 for 360? I heard the first one was not good...

[depascal22]

Once you have that Nocturne becomes basically easy mode... power leveling can be mildly time consuming but it is simple.

Basically I decided I needed to remake my entire team before the final boss battle and wanted three of the four horsemen of the apoclypse (which is what I already had but I wanted them with better skills). They start out at around 50 and I decided they should probably be about 80. So all I did was warp to the save point in the Tower of Kagatsuchi where the Cathedral of Shadows and Heal Point is, I had my main character learn a hit all melee attack (and at that point I had finished the Kalpas so I had Pierce so it would always hit); plus all the horseman learn hit all magic spells so I could use that as well if need be. Then since I had no fear of basically anything doing much if any damage to my main character I obliterated everything in one to two turns running around that hallway healing up using healing spells and if I got low on MP I would just duck into the healing fountain. I think it took me maybe 3 hours of that type of power leveling to get them where I wanted.

Thanks for the tips. I'm power leveling in the same place but I'm not using the four horsemen. So far, I've been using a bad ass Kali, Beiji-Weng, and Titania (my healer).

[DarkSageRK]

Crimson Gem... really didn't do anything new. It wasn't bad. I mean, it was solid in its own way. But it's got a "been there, done that" feel.

[Ryuukishi]

I almost jumped on Crimson Gem when it showed up in my Quick Picks for $26.59, but then I decided that the game had "future DOTD for $12.98" written all over it.

[willardhaven]

I'm looking forward to Kingdom Hearts DS, seems like more of the same which is just fine.

[Chibi_Kaji]

I'm actually looking forward to the PSP game more. But the DS game is looking pretty nice as well. Although from what I read it seems a bit like a Monster Hunter clone. So I'm not sure how much I'll enjoy it.

[Chairman_LMAO]

I'm going to start playing Odin Sphere when I get home later. Any thoughts on it?

[ChibiJosh]

Odin Sphere is one of the most repetitive games I've ever played.

[Rodimus]

Visually Odin Sphere is amazing. Gameplay-wise I got bored after 2 hours, however I never gave it much of a chance.

[DarkSageRK]

I was playing Radiata Stories. It was going well for a while. Then I started getting bored and the next thing I know I'm in an inn in along with a dwarf. It's like I fucking autopiloted all the way there and I can't remember a single event that led up to it. It was fucking surreal.

Maybe I need more caffeine while playing RPGs... :/

[depascal22]

Odin Sphere was a huge disappointment for me. Great graphics......and that's it.

DarkSage, you're not the only one that didn't feel the need to finish Radiata. Another game with a nice visual style but not enough meat on the bone to make it worthwhile.

[willardhaven]

I didn't like Odin Sphere but I like the graphics.

[depascal22]

Muramasa: The Demon Blade does look good though. I'd consider it more of an action game though.

[62t]

Odin Sphere was one of the few games I managed to complete (with all 5 characters) back in 2007. I thought it was amazing

[willardhaven]

While I love the art of Muramasa I don't think I'll be playing it. The Wii is enticing me with Arc Rise Fantasia, Fragile and the new Tales of game.

[ChibiJosh]

Odin Sphere was one of the few games I managed to complete (with all 5 characters) back in 2007. I thought it was amazing

I beat it with one character and got through about halfway with the second and got annoyed that I was just playing the same thing in a different order.

[kainzero]

I was playing Radiata Stories. It was going well for a while. Then I started getting bored and the next thing I know I'm in an inn in along with a dwarf. It's like I fucking autopiloted all the way there and I can't remember a single event that led up to it. It was fucking surreal./
hmm. sounds like this.
Dude I met this hot chick in the bar and I started talking to her. It was going well for a while. Then I started getting bored and the next thing I know I'm in an inn in along with a dwarf. It's like I fucking autopiloted all the way there and I can't remember a single event that led up to it. It was fucking surreal.

[pete5883]

Odin Sphere got really frustrating at points. I remember constantly teleporting wizards being very annoying.

[Chairman_LMAO]

I'm about an hour and a half into Odin Sphere, and I don't hate it. Visually, it's damn beautiful, but gameplay wise, it feels like I've played it many times before. It feels like something Working Designs would have published in the 90's.

The story so far is pretty good, so I'm sure it will get at least one playthrough from me.

[willardhaven]

"I don't hate it"

Sounds like fun!

[62t]

There are lots of things you can do in Odin Sphere, such as alchemy, farming items, cooking, ect. Each of the characters control different enough to bring something new. Since we get this type of game every 2-3 years I can accept it being little repetitive.

[willardhaven]

Honestly, I can see Odin Sphere as a lot of fun for people who don't mind repetition. The lag is bad, but the graphics are good. The controls are not very responsive, but the game doesn't require too much precision. If you like to fight-create-farm-repeat it's a fine game, but I like to explore so it was a waste of my time.

[Moxio]

I've pumped in about 12 hours into Infinite Undiscovery for the past few days, and I've gotta say I'm really enjoying it. I'd definitely say it's above average, maybe like a 7.5 or an 8. Some of the party members are fairly shallow, but the gameplay is fun and the story is fine.

[willardhaven]

Infinite Undiscovery is really rough around the edges, but it's a creative game. It's just strange because Valkyrie Profile 2 and Radiata Stories were so polished as far as interface/mechanics go, and Infinite Undiscovery is so sloppy. I think it's pretty fun though and worth the 9.99 I spent.

[Mr. Beef]

So I finally have time to concentrate on Persona 4 again, but I haven't played it in almost half a year. Should I just start over from the beginning again? I already gotRise, and was getting ready to trigger the dungeon for the kid with the blue hat, and I wondering if starting over would be better or not, since I can barely remember anything about P4 at the moment.

[willardhaven]

The story in Persona 4 is really not that great and gameplay is formulaic so you won't be lost. I say just go for it and resume since it's so long. That said I enjoy Persona 3/4 just because I happen to like the field/battle interface and fusing.

[pete5883]

I stopped stopping in the middle of RPGs a long time ago. It just ruins it. Except for DQVIII... I needed a break from that badly.

[depascal22]

I'm with pete. If you stop and RPG, you might as well give it up for good.

Finally got the Bandou Shrine figured out with the help of the guide. I finished off half the bosses and left to go heal and recuperate. Hopefully, I can finish it tomorrow and finish the entire game by the end of the weekend.

[Chibi_Kaji]

Nothing wrong with taking a nice long break from an RPG. I'd say just keep on going and use the Internets to fill in what has happened earlier in the game.

[Mr. Beef]

Thanks for the input, guys.

[sbb]

I loved Radiata Stories. Great time for me, loved the design on Jack Russel's armor sets, loved the combat, loved the recruitment.


Odin Sphere, I just couldn't get into. There was just nothing to it BUT combat, and I didn't even like that. Nothing worth playing as far as I was conecerned.

[pete5883]

The battle music in Radiata killed me. I remember it being like clown baby music. It wasn't even remotely serious.

[depascal22]

I couldn't get into Radiata either. I tried starting it after I finished Eternal Sonata and it just didn't work out. ES was a great example of a good musical score, awesome graphics, and an interesting battle system turning a game with a piss poor story into an average to good RPG.

I think I'll be starting Blue Dragon after Nocturne. It's coming in from Goozex. I figure for 100 points, I can't lose.

[willardhaven]

Radiata is an awesome game, it's just different. It has its flaws, but I had a great time and beat it twice. The graphics in Eternal Sonata look like an HD take on Radiata's, which is strange since Tri-Crescendo only worked on sound for Tri-Ace.

[Rei no Otaku]

Radiata was terrible.

[Chibi_Kaji]

Radiata was a steaming pile of shit. I hate myself for even finishing the game.

[icebeast]

I couldn't get into Radiata either. I tried starting it after I finished Eternal Sonata and it just didn't work out. ES was a great example of a good musical score, awesome graphics, and an interesting battle system turning a game with a piss poor story into an average to good RPG.

I agree totally with your comment.

For me I couldn't get into Radiata Stories at all... maybe I'll try again sometime, but the story was seriously so cheesy that I stopped at the first save point because I decided that wasn't what I was looking to play at that time (which happens to me a lot actually... the first time I played Mass Effect I wasn't really feeling it but I went back and played it later and I loved it).

But I agree totally about Eternal Sonata, the story is fairly bad, but everything else about the game made up for it, which is kind of my feeling on Baten Kaitos which is also made by Tri-Crescendo... Baten Kaitos' story was only alright (completely unoriginal for the most part) but I loved everything else so much that I could forgive it.

[Moxio]

Ah, I loved Baten Kaitos even though pretty much no one else did.

Also, I totally reached a block in Infinite Undiscovery and am done with that game. :bomb: Ah well, I've been meaning to get back into Tales of Vesperia. I kinda forgot the story though so I'll have to read a synopsis or something. I'm at the part where you fight Estelle as she's under Alexei's control.

[pete5883]

I liked Baten Kaitos. Had a good enough plot twist, but otherwise the story wasn't very good. The battles and art design really made it.

[JEKKI]

got to play sum new games at comic con yesterday.

Sands of Destruction - awesome sprite graphics, but the battle system is like your turn is up so you hit X and Y to do attacks similar to I guess xenogears? other buttons do things like defend or use items, very basic but I am not sure if I have been exposed to more depth of the battle system.

Kingdom Hearts DS - it's basically Kingdom Hearts. good graphics, but A is attack and B is jump!! wtf they broke the golden nintendo game rule!!

[wildcpac]

I just purchased Tales of Vesperia and I am loving it so far. I really like the gameplay but it seems a little broken during the boss battles. I am going to have to play around with the battle settings. The game feels a little bit rushed due to the lack of voice acting in some areas.

My only problem is with the achievements. It feels like you have to play this game 3-4 times to get all of them and most are secret/hidden. I do not want to have to play a game while looking at $$$s/strategy guide to get something.

[depascal22]

Unfortunately, most of the RPGs on the 360 require multiple playthroughs for 1000 points.

IIRC, Eternal Sonata only netted you 340 or 370 points if you did everything possible in the first play through.

[JEKKI]

omg!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyqBAzSikSM

[Mr. Anderson]

I just recently started Final Fantasy VIII and then proceded to slap myself. How could I have missed out on this gem for over 10 years?! It evokes the same feeling of plaing FFVII for the first time. Genuine giddiness and glee. :D

I've gotten through three discs in less than a week, but I don't want it to end!!!

[Moxio]

Dang, really?

--

Looks cool, Jekkisona.

--

Anyways, I picked up ToV again. I remember the gist of the story but forgot some of the intricacies. I might do a NG+.

[Rei no Otaku]

I just recently started Final Fantasy VIII and then proceded to slap myself. How could I have missed out on this gem for over 10 years?! It evokes the same feeling of plaing FFVII for the first time. Genuine giddiness and glee. :D

I've gotten through three discs in less than a week, but I don't want it to end!!!
Be prepared to be let down. FFVIII is fucking terrible.

[StarKnightX]

Although not exactly rpg related , anyone have any good experience with the RPG Maker series? I've always been kinda curious about them but never bothered to check them out.

[depascal22]

Don't listen to the haters. 8 is good. I liked it even more than 7 and 9 but I played through with a buddy about nine years ago so I'm looking through rose colored glasses. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be as good today.

[suko_32]

omg!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyqBAzSikSM

I really like Ys games too o_O

[Rodimus]

Although not exactly rpg related , anyone have any good experience with the RPG Maker series? I've always been kinda curious about them but never bothered to check them out.

I played alot of the first one for PSX. I enjoyed it however it's very time consuming. I created 2 towns and 1 dungeon complete with weapons, armor, shops, inns, enemies, boss, side quests, etc. All that took me about 60 hours. I dabbled with RPG Maker 3 but was just overwhelmed with all the options and didn't feel like investing the time & effort to learn it. I'm pretty sure this version lets you type in your text with a PS2 compatible keyboard, the first one didn't.

I know they have RPG Makers for the PC. I've never played them but I understand that's what all the pros use.

[62t]

I remembered when the first game came out EGM ran a contest for the best game. They are actually worth checking out

[62t]

I just purchased Tales of Vesperia and I am loving it so far. I really like the gameplay but it seems a little broken during the boss battles. I am going to have to play around with the battle settings. The game feels a little bit rushed due to the lack of voice acting in some areas.

My only problem is with the achievements. It feels like you have to play this game 3-4 times to get all of them and most are secret/hidden. I do not want to have to play a game while looking at $$$s/strategy guide to get something.

Actually Vesperia has the most voice acting for a US released Tales game.

[Rodimus]

Unfortunately, most of the RPGs on the 360 require multiple playthroughs for 1000 points.

IIRC, Eternal Sonata only netted you 340 or 370 points if you did everything possible in the first play through.

I really hate this. I played 40 hours of Blue Dragon and was only at 15 points. But I think Vesperia got it right. When I finished the game I was around 700 points and that felt satisfying.

[suko_32]

I really hate this. I played 40 hours of Blue Dragon and was only at 15 points. But I think Vesperia got it right. When I finished the game I was around 700 points and that felt satisfying.

Yeah, I got around 820 points after finishing Vesperia.

[Jmclark]

I just got my first two RPG a few weeks ago, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. I'm on chapter two, but I can't go any further since I had to send my Wii into Nintendo.

But luckily, I got Kingdom Hearts a few days ago, I love that game. I'm about 4:40 in, and have beaten the second boss. Should definitely keep me busy while I wait for my Wii to come back.

[Mr. Anderson]

Be prepared to be let down. FFVIII is fucking terrible.

What's your reasoning behind this? The Ultimecia part is starting to get a little drab but the Junction System is FUCKING AWESOME. It's one of my favorite battle systems ever, and I almost (ALMOST, mind you) got emotional when Squall was holding Rinoa in the Ragnarok cockpit. Great stuff.

[StarKnightX]

What's your reasoning behind this? The Ultimecia part is starting to get a little drab but the Junction System is FUCKING AWESOME. It's one of my favorite battle systems ever, and I almost (ALMOST, mind you) got emotional when Squall was holding Rinoa in the Ragnarok cockpit. Great stuff.

I thought FF8 was great , disc 4 really being the only weak part of the game. The junction system was pretty well done , like a much more precise Junction system , although summons in the game were kinda meh (not because they sucked but because of how long and unskippable many of them were). Had a lot of fun not only with the card game mini game , but also doing a low level challenge. Playing the game never gaining a single level for any of the characters is an interesting way to play the game

[Rei no Otaku]

What's your reasoning behind this? The Ultimecia part is starting to get a little drab but the Junction System is FUCKING AWESOME. It's one of my favorite battle systems ever, and I almost (ALMOST, mind you) got emotional when Squall was holding Rinoa in the Ragnarok cockpit. Great stuff.
Well then you might actually like it I guess. Personally both those things I hated. The junction system is broken as fuck, and as for the emotional content it's non-existent. The love between the two main characters makes no sense and comes out of nowhere. Don't even get me started on the plot. There's so many holes and deus ex machina that it's beyond ridiculous. Same orphanage, say what?

I guess if you have a higher tolerance for non-sensical bullshit, broken gameplay, and just plain horrible characters (I couldn't stand that annoying as hell Zell, emo boy Seifer, or Squall "Talk to a wall" Leonhart) then it's an ok game at best.

[depascal22]

Are you really bashing a Final Fantasy game for emo characters and nonsense story?

[Rei no Otaku]

Don't get me wrong. Other than FF4 I don't like any of them. So if it makes you feel better you can apply that to the other games as well.

[StarKnightX]

Well then you might actually like it I guess. Personally both those things I hated. The junction system is broken as fuck, and as for the emotional content it's non-existent. The love between the two main characters makes no sense and comes out of nowhere. Don't even get me started on the plot. There's so many holes and deus ex machina that it's beyond ridiculous. Same orphanage, say what?

I guess if you have a higher tolerance for non-sensical bullshit, broken gameplay, and just plain horrible characters (I couldn't stand that annoying as hell Zell, emo boy Seifer, or Squall "Talk to a wall" Leonhart) then it's an ok game at best.

I agree on the love story being shitty , but the plot is no less ridiculous at parts than FF7 or many other RPGs are , save for the whole thing with the orphanage , which was beyond believability.

As far as the characters go , you have some interesting characters and some annoying/stupid characters. Personally I liked most of the cast of 8 (save for Selphie and Rinoa). Squall was also far more tolerable of a main than fan favorite Cloud. Cloud cries and acts stupid half the time. At least Squall keeps his mouth shut.

And Rei , before you say anything , I know you hate 7 , I'm not saying you like it , I'm just comparing 7 to 8 for ease of argument. And man , you dislike Final Fantasy AND Dragon Quest? Just knock out both of the JRPGs giants there don't you? ;)

[Rei no Otaku]

Yup, never liked FF or DQ. Though at least I can get through a FF game. I need every last bit of my willpower to make it through a DQ without falling asleep.

[62t]

Starting Tales of Hearts right now. Damn it is hard to go back to 2D battle after getting used to Abyss and Vesperia

[StarKnightX]

So Rei , if you don't like FF or DQ what would your favorite JRPG series be?

Also why'd you edit your post , I thought that comment was funny. :P

[Rei no Otaku]

I've been trying to be less abrasive recently, hence the edit lol.

My favorite JRPG series? Suikoden easily.

[StarKnightX]

I've been trying to be less abrasive recently, hence the edit lol.

My favorite JRPG series? Suikoden easily.

I've been trying to be more abrasive lately , but it just isn't natural for me.:lol:

Figures that the series you mention is one that I've never played any of the games from , although I do have the 4 PS2 games.

[depascal22]

I save my abrasiveness for the assholes in the vs. forums. This is like a little sanctuary of like minded folks here.

Rei, I respect you for saying you don't like FF and DQ. It seems that a lot of gamers will just say FFVII is the favorite PS1-era game of all time without ever trying Suikoden, Xenogears, or Vagrant Story. Personally, I'm not huge on the DQ series or the Suikoden series while the FF series has been pretty safe for me.

[SpecTrE3353]

I've been trying to be less abrasive recently, hence the edit lol.

My favorite JRPG series? Suikoden easily.

Wow Suikoden... I hadn't even thought about that game in so long. I wasn't a huge fan of the 100+ characters they threw at you but the whole idea of three different types of combat (1v1 duels, large scale army battles and then the regular combat) was very cool and a great way to keep things varied and interesting. I never played Suikoden II or III... were they similar in gameplay and quality?

Also while you guys are talking about RPG's aside from FF/DQ/etc that were good during the PS1 era... did anyone ever play Vandal Hearts? More of a strategy turn-based type RPG but I still loved that game.

Sorry if any of this has already been asked/discussed but I don't feel like reading earlier in this thread. I am a dickwad like that.

[kainzero]

what?
a final fantasy debate in an rpg thread?

NO WAY

[icebeast]

I agree on Suikoden 1, there were a ton of characters... but that meant that most of them didn't really have anything to do with the story at all, and the only time you really see them is when you recruit them and chilling in your castle. But the different types of combat is awesome.

And as far as Suikoden V, I didn't like how that game had maybe like 5 hours of nothing going on at the start, I mean you have a little bit of combat here and there but most of it is giving yourself self guided tours of places... then finally you get the coup d'etat of your family from the throne and it feels like the plot has decided to get started. I also have a feeling that there will be plenty of characters that will basically get no coverage because they're only purpose is to be a collectible star of destiny. The tactical battles were cool though, they reminded me of Ogre Battle.

Oh ya and I've also played Suikoden Tierkreis as well. I think the plot for that game could be really interesting, but it feels like they removed a lot of the funner parts of Suikoden.

[Rei no Otaku]

Suikoden 1-3 and 5 were great games. Definitely better than any other JRPGs out there.

We don't speak of 4...

[willardhaven]

Suikoden 1 and 3 were like watching paint dry.

[ChibiJosh]

I didn't think Suikoden 4 was all that bad. My biggest problem with it was that it was too short.

All the other ones were superb though.

[pete5883]

Suikoden 1, 2, 4, and 5 were like watching paint dry.

[Rodimus]

Come on Konami, give us Suikoden VI already. That series has the best ongoing story of any JRPG.

[DQT]

I always wanted to give the series a try. I'll get to downloading the 1st one on PSN eventually.

Speaking of nonsensical bullshit, I really hope SE changes the characters' names in FFXIII. We have Lightning, Snow, and now Hope as names for the main characters.

[Moxio]

Yeah, the characters of XIII could not look shittier. Changing their names to names that aren't completely insane might help though.

[sbb]

Be prepared to be let down. FFVIII is fucking terrible.

Yeah, I'm sure he'll be let down by the game he's already loved for 3 discs. Good god.

[Rei no Otaku]

Yeah, I'm sure he'll be let down by the game he's already loved for 3 discs. Good god.
:rofl:

[depascal22]

Must not look at gigantic boobs. I feel like a perv when I read your posts, Rei.

Started Blue Dragon yesterday. It's not that bad so far. Some of the sound effects are quite odd (anytime you're walking on metal, it sounds like the party has horseshoes on) but the graphics are great and the storyline is at least decent enough to get me playing after the first boss.

[Moxio]

Enjoy your 15 achievement points.

[DarkSageRK]

I agree with the gentlemen complaining about the ridiculous names of FFXIII's characters. Here's hoping they get renamed to something like Emily, Jacob and Emma. I bet the dialogue will be long, too. Fingers crossed for the localization to delete all the dialogue so we don't have to listen to them talk. Oh, and since the guys look kind of girly, I vote that there be moustaches localized onto all the male characters so there's no needless gender confusion. Now that I think about it, I don't think the battle system's going to work well here in America. Scrap that shit and make it open world. Kill the leveling system and make it a moral choice system instead.

Game now fix'd.

[62t]

how is Lighting worst than a girl named Dagger?

[icebeast]

how is Lighting worst than a girl named Dagger?

To be fair the princess in FFIX was kind of sheltered and it was a nickname that she choose for herself, it wasn't her name proper; and Garnet is a perfectly acceptable name. Personally I think Cloud Strife is a more mysterious name because it is his actual name and it is kind of in the same vein as the XIII names... i.e. naming people after objects, though the Strife part isn't an object but it is an English word that isn't commonly used as a name. Oh and you also have Butz from FFV... though that wasn't his official localized name.

On the topic of Blue Dragon sound effects... that damn robotic voice when you search and don't find anything annoyed the hell out of me.

[Rei no Otaku]

I agree with the gentlemen complaining about the ridiculous names of FFXIII's characters.
This series has had main characters named Cloud and Squall. Lightning isn't out of place at all.

[Ryuukishi]

I've been playing Tales of Vesperia for the past couple of days and really enjoying it. I almost passed because I hated Symphonia on GameCube and that was supposed to be the best the series had to offer, but the $22.49 price tag on Amazon pushed me over the edge. It began a little slow, but once Rita Mordio joined the party I really started enjoying the character interaction-- the post-battle bits between Estelle and Rita are hysterical.

Also picked up Infinite Undiscovery today because I found an Amazon Marketplace listing for it, sealed, for $9.98. Couldn't pass that up! Even if it's pretty bad I figure I can get $10 worth of enjoyment. Probably won't get to it until after I've finished Lost Odyssey, Vesperia, and Last Remnant though.

[chibamm]

Ok, I'm off tommorow and I'm determined to finish Persona 3 FES between tonight/tommorow. I've already logged 90+hours and almost in December. Is it even possible to finish it by Thursday evening? I've been playing on and off all summer, I keep getting distracted by my 360 :)

[Magus8472]

Speaking of nonsensical bullshit, I really hope SE changes the characters' names in FFXIII. We have Lightning, Snow, and now Hope as names for the main characters.

Why does Hope set it over the top for you? It's the most normal anglicized name the series has had since Edgar. Though attaching it to a male character is as strange as ever, I suppose.

[depascal22]

Enjoy your 15 achievement points.

No biggie. The time I get to spend with my daughter playing something that doesn't include headshots and chainsaws is worth the the low gamerscore.

[Moxio]

That's actually a nice mentality to have. Nice to hear that.

--

Ryuukishi, I'd say IU is worth $10 but not much more. ToV though is very good.

[DQT]

This series has had main characters named Cloud and Squall. Lightning isn't out of place at all.

I don't know why Lightning bothers me more than Cloud or Squall. I think to remedy the situation they should get Owen Wilson to do her voice acting and give her the ability to change into a car.

Why does Hope set it over the top for you? It's the most normal anglicized name the series has had since Edgar. Though attaching it to a male character is as strange as ever, I suppose.

You've got a great point. I guess my problem was the fact he was male. The first thing thing I thought of when I saw the reveal was SO3, whose main character was named Fayt.:roll:

My grievances are all completely subjective. To me there is absolutely no subtlety in these names. Lightning! Badass! Shoots lightning magic! Snow! Wears White and has blond hair! Hope! He's a kid! With Hope! Maybe I'm just running out patience for some of the absurdities of JRPGs or the fact that they seem somehow more amplified in the HD gen.

Final Edit: Dagger was a terrible name. I did think of her as Garnet. And yes in the grand scheme of things this is probably a pretty trivial thing to complain about.

[Rei no Otaku]

The thing is these are games being made for a Japanese audience where English isn't the main language. If the names were the same, but in Japanese it would be more equivalent to how they see it.

[willardhaven]

Garnet's name was actually Sarah. Also, in XIII doesn't Shiva turn into a motorcycle?

[Jesus_S_Preston]

I know one of the summons does, so prob.

[ninja dog]

just super annoying that the names are supposed to be symbolic of their personalities in such an obvious and corny way. FFXIII will be one of those "play with the volume turned down during cutscenes" games (that is, if you can't skip them altogether)

[Rei no Otaku]

Yeah, it's Shiva.

[willardhaven]

Who cares what their names are if the game is fun?

[Rei no Otaku]

Yeah I don't see the big deal with the names. I love to bash the FF series, but seems kind of silly to care about the names so much.

[willardhaven]

Final Fantasy III and IV on the DS are excellent and are both better than any current JRPGs (excluding Tales of Vesperia).

[Moxio]

Attn willardhaven: Final Fantasy III was awwwwwwwwwwful.

[Rei no Otaku]

Yeah I agree with FFIV, but FFIII was horrible.

[icebeast]

Add me to the FFIII dislike fan club. I don't know that I hate the game but personally I think it is probably the weakest of all of the FF games. I mean the story is just bland and barely there and I'm not a big fan of intentionally casting status ailments on myself to progress.

[willardhaven]

I think it plays great, what is so bad about it?

Icebeast, you have to cast Float on yourself in IV, what's the difference?

[Ryuukishi]

I had a lot of fun with Final Fantasy III on DS. Nice classic gameplay. I do wish they had incorporated some of the ability mix-and-matching from FF5's job system, and stuck in some more save points. The lack of save points in the last castle, causing you to lose 2+ hours of play time if you died on the final boss (which happened to me :bomb: ) was totally ridiculous in this day and age.

[icebeast]

Icebeast, you have to cast Float on yourself in IV, what's the difference?

As far as I know float is a beneficial status ailment that prevents you from taking damage from ground based attacks/traps.

My problem with the stuff in FFIII is that all the stuff you need to use is negative effects. For example not that far into the game you have to cast Mini on yourself in multiple dungeons which causes any melee class to become worthless which means that you basically have to grind up a spell casting job or just have useless people in your party.

Then again later in the game you are required to cast Toad on your entire party (which isn't really bad as you are only required to have it on when you enter the dungeon, which was never explained, took me a try as everyone toad to figure out since I didn't think I could undo it while in the dungeon and got destroyed, and was totally stupid as there seems to be no point to force the player to do something just to enter a dungeon.) On top of that I then had to go find a shop that sold Maiden Kisses which weren't cheap just so I could untoad my entire party only seconds after I intentionally toaded them all.

I mean I'm sure stuff like that didn't bother some people but it just kind of rubbed me the wrong way. But again like I said I don't think that the game is an atrocious game, in my opinion it was just kind of average and bland.

[Flak]

Why is it that the Dragon Quest DS games are expensive and/or hard to find?

[Rei no Otaku]

They're easy for me to find. It's just SE charges $10 more for their DS games.

[pete5883]

IV is easy to find and cheaper than V. IV got a price drop, and V didn't.

[kainzero]

For example not that far into the game you have to cast Mini on yourself in multiple dungeons which causes any melee class to become worthless which means that you basically have to grind up a spell casting job or just have useless people in your party.
if you play the original NES version you don't have to grind any jobs! just switch and go!

*sigh*
why they'd make the DS version harder, i don't know. it's like not even old school but they're making it seem so.

[willardhaven]

I am not that far into III (the frog dungeon actually) and I didn't have to grind anything. I just needed to buy spells and weapons.

[SpecTrE3353]

Yeah I don't see the big deal with the names. I love to bash the FF series, but seems kind of silly to care about the names so much.

Well I guess one of the big ideas behind RPG's is that they are not just about the gameplay but also the environment and atmosphere. Having characters with ridiculous names can sometimes hinder your ability to appreciate or get sucked into this atmosphere. That being said, after a short period of time, any name loses meaning and begins to sound normal (for instance, any nintendo console create in the past 10 years... how fucking stupid is the name GAMECUBE?)

[Ryuukishi]

Rogue Galaxy had a big problem with dumb-sounding names.

[Moxio]

I didn't think the names were dumb. The game itself was fantastic so I didn't care either way. If XIII is fantastic, I won't care about "Lightning" and "Snow" as much either.

[depascal22]

Don't judge by the name. It's like when you run into someone named Rain or Thankful (one of my old bosses). I don't think they're retarded, I just think the people that named them were really high when they were picking out names.

Hate a game for crappy gameplay or bland graphics but names should be the last thing that keep you from playing any game.

[DarkSageRK]

Honestly, what kind of names do you want? Just the most popular ones in America right now, or what?

[willardhaven]

Just got my own copy of FF III and TA2 from Newegg for 14.99 each. Square-Enix games are cheap and fun on the DS. I'm considering trying out The World Ends with You soon. Are there any other good RPGs on the DS?

[Furashu]

chrono trigger?

lately i find myself unable to get into RPGS.... anyone else feel this way? lol i just think.. crap 30-40 hours and dont even bother. =/

i last beat chrono tigger and goozexed Crisis Core.


i actually liked FF3 on the DS, the game play was fun and i enjoyed the boss fights. i cant compare it to the old school ones cause i never played them, but the battle system was solid.

[Lions]

Valkyria Chronicles and Tales of Vesperia seriously are the only "great" rpg's this gen, and that's sad, because there were a lot that came out...
Just my opinion at least.

[willardhaven]

I've got Chrono Trigger, FF III, FF IV and FF TA2. I'm definitely getting Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as I really like the Kingdom Hearts game play.

[icebeast]

Are there any other good RPGs on the DS?

I liked:

Etrian Odyssey II - Fun old school game that is fairly challenging. Mapping the dungeons is really fun and the game has interesting classes.

Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest V - Two really fun old school RPG remakes if your into the DQ series.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - Similar to Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario but with more timed buttons to press.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor - A fun SRPG that uses the SMT battle system... a total blast if your an SMT fan.

Suikoden Tierkreis - Feels slightly dumbed down compared to the main series (because some of the elements from past games have been removed), but still is a fun old fashion RPG with an interesting story.

Also I'd say get The World Ends With You, it has really unique and fun combat. The plot isn't the best, but it's still entertaining.

[JEKKI]

good DS rpgs!!!

SRW OG Saga Endless Frontier!!!

it's like the best game nobody played coz if they played it then they would no longer be able to bitch about how rpgs suck.

ppl hate not being able to bitch and complain imo.

[62t]

Tales of Innocence translation patch should be out any time now.

Soma Bringer actually got a complete patch

[Rodimus]

I've been neglecting Wild Arms 5 due to all these action & fighting games (Ghostbusters, Wolverine, KOFXII, MOTW, etc.) But I popped it back in last night and I'm glad I did. It's just what I needed.

[Rei no Otaku]

I've got Chrono Trigger, FF III, FF IV and FF TA2. I'm definitely getting Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as I really like the Kingdom Hearts game play.
I have to agree with Jekki. Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier is awesome. Easily my favorite DS RPG (not counting CT and FFIV which weren't on the DS originally).
I've been neglecting Wild Arms 5 due to all these action & fighting games (Ghostbusters, Wolverine, KOFXII, MOTW, etc.) But I popped it back in last night and I'm glad I did. It's just what I needed.
Same here. I forgot I was even playing WA5. I'll have to pop it in again soon.

[SpecTrE3353]

chrono trigger?

lately i find myself unable to get into RPGS.... anyone else feel this way? lol i just think.. crap 30-40 hours and dont even bother. =/

i last beat chrono tigger and goozexed Crisis Core.

Chrono Trigger DS only took me like 15 hours to beat but the fact that I've played the game 10 times before probably helped speed it up. Still like the best RPG I've ever played on any console and it holds up surprisingly well for a game that came out almost 15 years ago. Anyone who is looking for a DS RPG and hasn't played CT needs to go buy it and play it.

[Rei no Otaku]

It still shocks me that there are people out there that still haven't played CT.

[SpecTrE3353]

It still shocks me that there are people out there that still haven't played CT.

When I am finally awarded my rightful place on the throne as King of Earth, I will make it law that all of my subjects must play through CT at least once a year. Failure to comply will result in death by bludgeoning using a Final Fantasy Mystic Quest SNES cartridge.

[Rodimus]

^ Just force them to play FF Mystic Quest. I think that's punishment enough.

[Rei no Otaku]

^ Just force them to play FF Mystic Quest. I think that's punishment enough.
He wants to punish them, not traumatize them...

[Chibi_Kaji]

I have to agree with Jekki. Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier is awesome. Easily my favorite DS RPG (not counting CT and FFIV which weren't on the DS originally).
Oh man I keep forgetting about that game... I want to finish that up and start on Devil Survivor or FF4... or chrono tigger.At this rate I think I'll skip Disgaea 2: Dark Hero days for now. I don't need to spend more money on games I'm not going to play for a while.

[kainzero]

^ Just force them to play FF Mystic Quest. I think that's punishment enough.
FF MQ is underrated, way better than FF5 IMO.

[Chairman_LMAO]

^ Just force them to play FF Mystic Quest. I think that's punishment enough.

Hey, c'mon now. It's a honest, hardworking, unassuming RPG. It may not be as good as some, but it's above average. It's the Joe Sixpack of RPGs.

[Furashu]

anyone looking forward to white knight chronicles?

It still shocks me that there are people out there that still haven't played CT.


i actually never heard of it until like.. 6th grade lol( about... 8 years ago)
i tried to play it on PSP in 2003 and my file got corrupted so i never touched it again cause i had no motivation to replay through about 8 hours again lol

[SpecTrE3353]

Hey, c'mon now. It's a honest, hardworking, unassuming RPG. It may not be as good as some, but it's above average. It's the Joe Sixpack of RPGs.

It's like the AvP of RPG's.

Aliens was awesome. Predator was awesome. But AvP? Worst movie in the history of mankind.

Final Fantasy is awesome. Mystic Quests sound like they SHOULD be awesome. But Final Fantasy Mystic Quest? A horrific abomination that could only have been spawned by Satan himself.

[Rodimus]

Heh, to be honest I never played it. I always hear it's easy, short & stupidly simple. But it got me thinking what is the worst RPG I ever played. Possibly Saga Unlimited or Saga Frontier, but even those get some points for nice art style and from what I remember nice music. I gotta think about this one.... :-k

[SpecTrE3353]

Heh, to be honest I never played it. I always hear it's easy, short & stupidly simple. But it got me thinking what is the worst RPG I ever played. Possibly Saga Unlimited or Saga Frontier, but even those get some points for nice art style and from what I remember nice music. I gotta think about this one.... :-k

Off the top of my head, I would probably go with Beyond the Beyond or whatever that PS1 RPG was. I remember wanting a RPG when I got my PS1 but there nothing else really out yet so I bought it. I never played anything so tedious and generic in my life. Shining in the Darkness for the Genesis was pretty bad as well looking back on it now... at the time I thought it was awesome but I was just a stupid kid.

Now you have me thinking of that era of Genesis RPG's... did anyone ever playing Shining Force II? That game was awesome.

[icebeast]

FF MQ is underrated, way better than FF5 IMO.

I'll agree MQ is kind of underrated, it really isn't as bad a game as most people make it out to be. But FF5 is a better game IMO. I mean fighting 15 battles straight on the FF:MQ world map to win stuff was just kind of silly. And having the default for health being displayed in like 50 segments instead of a number was just kind of strange. The combat music ROCKS though.

JVlnj1lui6I

[Chairman_LMAO]

Heh, to be honest I never played it. I always hear it's easy, short & stupidly simple.

It was made for the American market. Take from that what you will.

[Rei no Otaku]

Worst RPG I've played? Final Fantasy VIII.

[Rodimus]

It was made for the American market. Take from that what you will.

I understand it was an entry level RPG. And it's funny cause I saw reviews when it was launched and it got decent scores around 7/10. I guess most RPGers found it insulting.

I also never played Beyond the Beyond, another one I always hear is terrible. Like most early PSX owners I was dying for an RPG and BB was the first one. However I read multiple reviews to stay far away. Some calling it Be-yawned the Beyond. Glad I saved myself for Suikoden, Wild Arms & Persona.

[kainzero]

I'll agree MQ is kind of underrated, it really isn't as bad a game as most people make it out to be. But FF5 is a better game IMO. I mean fighting 15 battles straight on the FF:MQ world map to win stuff was just kind of silly.
Hahah. But grinding battles to ... I dunno, fight Ramuh wasn't silly? I liked it because it was timed and you didn't have to depend on the luck of an RNG to get a drop.

And having the default for health being displayed in like 50 segments instead of a number was just kind of strange.Actually I kinda liked it like that. Graphically, in my mind it felt that when someone turned the bars to red (especially a lot at once!) it gave a better feeling that your guys were getting hurt. I always play like that, I tried it with numbers and I was just thinking... it ain't the same.

Heh, to be honest I never played it. I always hear it's easy, short & stupidly simple. But it got me thinking what is the worst RPG I ever played. Possibly Saga Unlimited or Saga Frontier, but even those get some points for nice art style and from what I remember nice music. I gotta think about this one.... :-k
I don't think it's THAT easy. I remember having trouble clearing the tree. The last boss is kind of a joke though because of a stupid loophole. And you can call it stupidly simple but I think most RPGs are simple; they just try to hide it by giving a title to their battle system, but in the end it's all the same thing: Use ridiculously strong skills, find out what their weakness is and cast whatever that is, use good buffs / debuffs, prepare for gimmicky bosses.

I like the SaGa games but the system is so uncompromising and difficult that if you don't play with a guide you miss out on the true depth of it. Makes me wanna try Unlimited SaGa again...

[62t]

I wont put Unlimited SaGa and Saga Frontier together. Saga Frontier is actually pretty good with bad graphics and Unlimited SaGa is just bad

[icebeast]

Makes me wanna try Unlimited SaGa again...

Ewwww, if we are going to talk about the worst RPGs we've played Unlimited Saga would be topping the chart. I played that game for maybe 2 hours and just couldn't continue. Mind you I got the game when it was $6 just to see how bad it was.

I was kind of fine (though I still don't understand combat at all and didn't realize until much later the only way to heal in a dungeon (which I don't think you can leave) is by pressing in R3). What got really bad was the second dungeon I had to do in the game had this weird fog of war effect where you could only see the space in the dungeon you were currently on (the dungeon maps are like board games in case you didn't know)... that wouldn't have been so bad except that I think there were probably over 50 spaces in the dungeon all connected together. Near as I can tell the only way to actually do the dungeon would be to make a map on paper... or be like me and randomly wander around until you finish it, which I did by finding the town I needed to get to, I saved the game and have never put it in again. I played as the fortune teller btw.

[pete5883]

I never actually beat Mystic Quest because I got to the last boss and realized I never picked up the Life spell for one of my characters. Naturally the character who had Life was always the first to die.

[Rodimus]

Frontier & Unlimited come hand in hand since I had similar experiences with both. The videos I saw looked very appealing (to me), but was sorely disapointed once I got my hands on them. I'll never trust the SaGa series again, and I really did give these games a chance.

[kainzero]

The thing that confuses me about Unlimited SaGa is that it sold 500,000 in Japan.

They must know something we don't! There has to be!

SaGa Frontier was great but only after I learned how to painstakingly play the game. The thing is that there's so much that you don't know about, like where to find quests and just things to do; they just drop you in a world and say "have at it."

But it's fun wandering around and doing the Rune or Tarot quests and getting Space or Time magic after finishing that, and then getting the weapons you need like the Kusanagi and the Asura... yep yep.

Same thing with Romancing SaGa (PS2) and heck, throw in Romancing SaGa 3 (SFC) while we're at it...

[Rodimus]

The thing that confuses me about Unlimited SaGa is that it sold 500,000 in Japan.

They must know something we don't! There has to be!

Either that or they just enjoy shitty games. I was in Tokyo when this game came out and you're not lying, there was a tremendius amount of hype for it. All that made me want to play it too, so kept my eye on it.

[ChibiJosh]

I also never played Beyond the Beyond, another one I always hear is terrible. Like most early PSX owners I was dying for an RPG and BB was the first one. However I read multiple reviews to stay far away. Some calling it Be-yawned the Beyond. Glad I saved myself for Suikoden, Wild Arms & Persona.

Oh, God. I still have Beyond the Beyond. I was never able to beat it because it was horribly boring.

[62t]

It is weird because everything else Camelot made been so good

[Rei no Otaku]

It is weird because everything else Camelot made been so good
Since they made Golden Sun I have to call your statement false.

[Krymner]

Bad RPG? Why do people always forget Tecmo Secret of the Stars? That game was so bad. Not only was it the biggest grind-fest of any RPGs I've ever played, but you had to level up 2 separate parties to grind up. Luckily (...or unluckily?) the encounter rate was so whack you could take 2 steps and be in a fight. The story and plot was so so bad it was funny. I mean, some of the earliest bosses you fight are Cat Boo and Badbad.

[Moxio]

Since they made Golden Sun I have to call your statement false.

Shut up.

--

I bought some used RPGs from GameStop with my credit to curb me over for a bit. Tales of Legendia, BoF: Dragon Quarter, Wild Arms, Xenosaga, and Dark Cloud. Should be fun!

[Rei no Otaku]

Shut up.
No.

[icebeast]

Since they made Golden Sun I have to call your statement false.

I liked Golden Sun a lot, it was one of the first games I played on the GBA. I thought the combat was fairly basic but fun (and amazing for a handheld game at the time) and I liked exploring the environments to try and find all of the summon creatures. The only thing that sucked was the ending... it reminded me a lot of Halo 2, you get on a boat to go somewhere and the game just ends. I never played the second game though I'm fairly sure it was a direct sequel so maybe it has better closure.

[Rodimus]

I've been itching to play Suikoden V again. So I've been thinking whether to play that again or Tales of Abyss after I complete Wild Arms 5. Suikoden V had so many great characters that I spent too much time thinking who I should put in my party.

[Rei no Otaku]

Golden Sun is one of the few games to actually put me to sleep. Boring characters, horribly cliched story, basic and boring combat system. It was like someone was on a mission to create the most generic and forgettable RPG possible. The only thing I'll give it are the graphics, which were good for a GBA game.

[Moxio]

GS2 closes out the game nicely, icebeast.

--

Cool, Rei, you hate Final Fantasy, Golden Sun, and like Lady GaGa. We get it.

[icebeast]

I think I will throw another game out there as being one that I really don't like, Phantasy Star I (SEGA Master System). The version I actually played was on the GBA Phantasy Star Collection game but it is basically just an emulated version.

All I can say is that the game has aged terribly, like I'm not bothered by NES rpg graphics like DQ or FF but Phantasy Star I's graphics are just hideous. On top of that I've never played an RPG where you can die in the first battle you fight (like it can seriously randomly give you three enemies when you can only really kill one before needing to go back to town and heal... if that happens you die and game over). And my god that game defines grinding... like you need to be level 5 before you even attempt to leave the first city apperantly... I didn't get that far. I mean the grinding is fairly bad in Phantasy Star II, like getting to the next floor of a dungeon and almost dieing, but at least you didn't have to power level to even get started with the game.

[StarKnightX]

I wont put Unlimited SaGa and Saga Frontier together. Saga Frontier is actually pretty good with bad graphics and Unlimited SaGa is just bad

Thank god someone else here likes Saga Frontier. I always feel like the only person here who doesn't think the game sucks.

SaGa Frontier was great but only after I learned how to painstakingly play the game. The thing is that there's so much that you don't know about, like where to find quests and just things to do; they just drop you in a world and say "have at it."

But it's fun wandering around and doing the Rune or Tarot quests and getting Space or Time magic after finishing that, and then getting the weapons you need like the Kusanagi and the Asura... yep yep.

Yep , there are a lot of tricks and secrets to learn in the game. If you don't figure them out the game will be hard as fuck , but if you do the game is quite fun and enjoyable. Learning to farm money is one of the most essential tricks to learn.

Oh, God. I still have Beyond the Beyond. I was never able to beat it because it was horribly boring.

I borrowed Beyond the Beyond from my cousin years ago. From previews of the game I always expected it to be something similar to Shining Force. Boy was I wrong there.:lol: Truly is one of the most boring RPGs ever. It also holds a poor distinction with me as being one of only 2 RPGs (that I can think of) that I had to cheat to beat. The other being Lunar.:oops:

Bad RPG? Why do people always forget Tecmo Secret of the Stars? That game was so bad. Not only was it the biggest grind-fest of any RPGs I've ever played, but you had to level up 2 separate parties to grind up. Luckily (...or unluckily?) the encounter rate was so whack you could take 2 steps and be in a fight. The story and plot was so so bad it was funny. I mean, some of the earliest bosses you fight are Cat Boo and Badbad.

I actually have a soft spot for Secret of the Stars. Sure the game was really generic and kinda boring , but I rented it a bunch of times back in the day and enjoyed it. Never did beat it though , which still pisses me off. Kinda wish they would release it for the VC so that I could finally beat the game (yes I know I could just download it).

[Chibi_Kaji]

GS2 closes out the game nicely, icebeast.

--

Cool, Rei, you hate Final Fantasy, Golden Sun, and like Lady GaGa. We get it.
Yeah, it also did leave room for a sequel... which we are finally getting. I hope it has some connection to the first 2 games.

speaking of lady gaga, I saw a picture of her with no makeup... I'm scared to close my eyes now.

[Rei no Otaku]

Cool, Rei, you hate Final Fantasy, Golden Sun, and like Lady GaGa. We get it.
I don't think you do. So expect to hear me keep giving my opinion around here.

[Rodimus]

Rei - Just out of curiousity how far are you in Wild Arms 5? I just got access to the trains and I'm on my way to a town called Tweilet or something...

[Rei no Otaku]

I'm at Honeysday I think.

[Rodimus]

I'm enjoying the story in Wild Arms 5 very much. It's a little cliche' (evil empire oppressing the normal folk) but it's enough to remain fresh. All the characters (even the villians) seem to have good motives so far. Rivalrys between the heroes & villians are being set up so I expect some epecic battle later in the game. Overall it's probably one of the better JRPG stories I've experianced in the last few years.

I love how this game handles puzzles. A nice difficulty not too easy & no random encounters in areas with puzzles. This is great cause it gives you time to think without losing track of what you were doing.

[Rei no Otaku]

You should try WA4 then. I think that one is much better than WA5.

[Rodimus]

Yeah, I probably will. It looks very similar. However from what I've read about WA4 I may not like the story as much. Any RPG where the cast is comprised of children who keep reminding the player "I'm a kid in a grown up world so my values are diffrent than an adult." annoys the hell out of me.

[pete5883]

I think I'm going to start Chrono Trigger DS on vacation, I'm wondering if the fetch quest stuff that they added on is self-explanatory, or something you need a FAQ to complete? By self-explanatory I mean does the game tell you where/how to get each item, or are they random enemy drops?

[Flak]

I think I'm going to start Chrono Trigger DS on vacation, I'm wondering if the fetch quest stuff that they added on is self-explanatory, or something you need a FAQ to complete? By self-explanatory I mean does the game tell you where/how to get each item, or are they random enemy drops?
Kinda both. Most of it is explained, but stuff like lumicite shards drop from the rock monsters that disable techs and items then potentially run off. If you really want to nab it, just max out Ayla's speed and equip her Alluring Top to steal it from him. But the Lost Sanctuary is just a tedious, long and boring fetch quest and the items aren't really worth it. I managed to finish everything in it and don't even in my life feel a need to do it again.

[Poor2More]

I think I'm going to start Chrono Trigger DS on vacation, I'm wondering if the fetch quest stuff that they added on is self-explanatory, or something you need a FAQ to complete? By self-explanatory I mean does the game tell you where/how to get each item, or are they random enemy drops?

Thats a good idea, I havent opened my DS version yet, what exactly is this fetch thing u talking about?

btw guys Final Fantasy: Chocoboo dungeon for Wii, is a pretty darn good rogue Dungeon Crawler, but of course I enjoyed the PSX version and Azure Dreams

[Rei no Otaku]

Yeah, I probably will. It looks very similar. However from what I've read about WA4 I may not like the story as much. Any RPG where the cast is comprised of children who keep reminding the player "I'm a kid in a grown up world so my values are diffrent than an adult." annoys the hell out of me.
It usually annoys me too, but it didn't bother me in WA4. Also the game has Raquel. One of the coolest RPG characters in recent memory. I thought it was pretty awesome how they made her the heavy hitter/tank of the party. That scene where she closes her eyes and blocks every attack from that time controlling guy was badass. Also the story is surprisingly dark at times.

My only complaint is that the game is kind of short.

[Rodimus]

After WA5 I plan on playing Tales of Abyss. During that time I'll look for a cheap copy of Wild Arms 4.

BTW I got the guide for Wild Arms 5 and for the most part it's good, not the best. However I found an error which made me waste a little time. I was looking for some guy who kept running away everytime I talked with him then appearing in a diffrent dungeon each time. The guide pointed me in the wrong direction. I thought I was doing something wrong until I stumbled across him in the same dungeon just a diffrent area. Good thing the game lets you turn off random encounters if you've completed the dungeon.

[pete5883]

Kinda both. Most of it is explained, but stuff like lumicite shards drop from the rock monsters that disable techs and items then potentially run off. If you really want to nab it, just max out Ayla's speed and equip her Alluring Top to steal it from him. But the Lost Sanctuary is just a tedious, long and boring fetch quest and the items aren't really worth it. I managed to finish everything in it and don't even in my life feel a need to do it again.
I thought it was required for the new ending though?

[Flak]

That I don't know. I haven't gotten the new ending yet. But if it isn't required I recommend avoiding it.

[kainzero]

That I don't know. I haven't gotten the new ending yet. But if it isn't required I recommend avoiding it.
I thought you said you recommended avoiding the ending.

...which makes sense, I don't know why you would tie in Chrono Cross to Chrono Trigger anyway. Different design teams means different intent of story and all that...

[SpecTrE3353]

I didn't really like Chrono Cross. Combat system was kind of cool but that is where I draw the line.

[Flak]

I thought you said you recommended avoiding the ending.

...which makes sense, I don't know why you would tie in Chrono Cross to Chrono Trigger anyway. Different design teams means different intent of story and all that...
I just said avoid the bonus dungeons. I haven't played much of the Vortex but I didn't really like that one either. I'm a whore though, if the new ending does require doing the bonus dungeons again I probably will.

[Rei no Otaku]

I don't believe the new ending requires the bonus dungeons.

[Rodimus]

You have to complete the Dimensional Vortex in order to get the new ending. Plus you get a surprise fight during your time in the DV. Without spoiling too much the new ending helps connect Chrono Trigger to Chrono Cross. As a fan of the series I think it's worth it.

[pete5883]

You just have to beat the DV and beat the game? Or are there more requirements? Does it have to be in New Game +?

[depascal22]

You guys think we'll get Chrono Chross on PSN? I'm still waiting for the flood of awesome (or even good) PS1 RPGs that I can play on my PSP. Suikoden and FFVII are nice but I'm really waiting for the rest or even a couple.

[Ryuukishi]

I'm waiting for Final Fantasy VIII. FF7 is such a great fit on the portable, it feels like it was made for PSP. FF8 seems like it's ready for a reevaluation.

[DQT]

I love Chrono Cross but I don't think there is a real need to put it on PSN. It's still easy to find and it just doesn't seem like anyone is clamoring for it. I'm indifferent either way. More options to buy it is never a bad thing though.

I would like to be able to experience Suikoden II though since I keep hearing it is the best in the series. It will also undo the ill will towards Sony they got when they wouldn't allow the 1&2 combo umd to be released here. I think the Tales games on PS1 would be good choices as well.

[StarKnightX]

I'm sure this question has been asked before , but since I've been thinking about it , and wanted to spur some conversation , what RPG (single game or series) would everyone like to see get a sequel or a revival?

A few series that I'd really wish would get sequels include Breath of Fire , Lufia and Ogre Battle. 2 of those 3 series haven't had games since the early GBA , and the other since the early PS2. While word that BoF might be coming back is positive , the other two series seem to have been abandoned. :(

Also , a quick question about the Chrono Trigger "Chrono Cross" ending. If you've never played Chrono Cross before , is it advisable to NOT get that ending or does it not really matter? Mainly I want to know if that ending would spoil anything.

[willardhaven]

Chrono Cross is still in print and all PS3s play it so it doesn't need a PSN release. With a cd copy you can play it until you die, with a PSN copy you play until your ps3 breaks or until Sony decides it's time for you to re-buy it.

[62t]

Chrono Cross is still in print and all PS3s play it so it doesn't need a PSN release. With a cd copy you can play it until you die, with a PSN copy you play until your ps3 breaks or until Sony decides it's time for you to re-buy it.

Well you can also play it on your PSP if it is on PSN. If you PS3 breaks, you can just transfer the license to a new system and redownload it.

[Rodimus]

What sequel would I like to see? That's easy, Suikoden VI. After that it's Persona 5. As for remakes: FFVI, Suikoden 1&2, Secret of Mana.

Also , a quick question about the Chrono Trigger "Chrono Cross" ending. If you've never played Chrono Cross before , is it advisable to NOT get that ending or does it not really matter? Mainly I want to know if that ending would spoil anything.

The few new elements were mainly placed in there to help link the two since the connections were vague. I would say beat CT fully then move onto CC. If anything it'll help make more sense of the messy story.

[StarKnightX]

The few new elements were mainly placed in there to help link the two since the connections were vague. I would say beat CT fully then move onto CC. If anything it'll help make more sense of the messy story.

I've already beaten CT plenty of times , I've just never beaten (or played) CC. That's why I was wondering whether seeing the new ending would spoil anything (not that I thought it would , I was just checking).

[Rodimus]

The few things they show you I wouldn't consider spoilers so I'd say it's safe enough not to ruin anything.

One thing I've always wondered about Trigger & Cross.Is Magus & Guile the same person?