PS1 or PS2 RPG recommendations?

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shelisheli

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Hi!

I have a ps2 and am looking for some good rpg's. I really liked Kingdom Hearts, Radiata Stories, Star Ocean, and of course the FF series. I'd like to find more that are similar to any of those.

Can you guys tell me your favorites and what you liked about them?

Thanks!


-Sheli
 
[quote name='shelisheli']Hi!

I have a ps2 and am looking for some good rpg's. I really liked Kingdom Hearts, Radiata Stories, Star Ocean, and of course the FF series. I'd like to find more that are similar to any of those.

Can you guys tell me your favorites and what you liked about them?

Thanks!


-Sheli[/quote]

Chrono Cross- This was by far my favorite Playstation 1 RPG experience. Read the Gamespot review for info:

http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/chro...t=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review

I remember especially liking the color combat/magic system and the lack of random encounters. (All enemies were seen on screen and you initiate combat by walking into them)
 
Final Fantasy X

It is the only jrpg I've loved from start to finish. And I'm not a big jrpg person.

I know it's not very popular with the hardcore ff fans, but that's because they hate change no matter how good it is.
 
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Great RPG's For the PS1/PS2:

Final Fantasy VII - Cool story, great combat system (I loved materia) and neat CG cutscenes. Has tons of play value as the game as well as all the side-games and quests could take you 100 hours easily.
Final Fantasy X - The best FF since FF7.
Chrono Trigger - You can get this on a PS1 disk... it's called Final Fantasy Chronicles or something like that. Chrono Trigger is my fave RPG ever.
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen - Originally a SNES game but ported to the PS1.
Vandal Hearts - A tactical combat RPG sort of like FF Tactics for the PS1. I loved this game and I think there may have been a sequel.

RPG's to AVOID:

Beyond the Beyond - I bought this early on when I had my PS1 because there were no other RPG's. It sucked.
Wild Arms III - I bought this one used and played pretty far in. I just couldn't get into it and I'm not even sure why.
 
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If you liked Final Fantasy Tactics, go for some of the Atlus S-RPGs. Disgaea, La Pucelle, Phantom Brave, Makai Kingdom.

For regular RPGs, Rogue Galaxy, Tales of the Abyss, and Xenosaga would be fair choices.
 
In addition to what's already been mentioned:
Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts Covenant
Shadow Hearts From the New World (for completion's sake)
 
PS1- Legend of Legaia. One of my favorite games of all time.
 
You might want to hit up the PS2 forums since there is a lengthy thread but I'll throw in my recommendations:

PS1
Chrono Cross - no random encounters, beautiful graphics, great soundtrack and a pretty good narrative.

Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX - good battle systems, relatively easy difficulty, great graphics (although VII has not aged well) and interesting plots/characters.

Breath of Fire IV - very good traditional RPG, nice sprite graphics, weak story but above average gameplay.

Star Ocean the Second Story - you like Radiata Stories and Star Ocean 3, so this is a no-brainer.

PS2

Valkyrie Profile 2 - you like Radiata Stories and Star Ocean 3, this is also a no-brainer.

Persona 3 FES - give it a try, it's unique and has a lot of story/dialogue, but the gameplay is smooth and addictive, very clean graphics.

Disgaea, Disgaea 2 - excellent strategy/JRPGs with a ton of character customization and very good character design, pretty funny games as well.

Tales of the Abyss - excellent fighting game style battle system, great graphics and a decent narrative, beware of long load times.

Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne - a difficult but well-made dungeon crawler, interesting style/story, pokemon-style gameplay with a very dark atmosphere.
 
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I think Vagrant Story was a noble effort, but the actual fights in that game really did not play smoothly. VS deserves a new approach and a more streamlined battle system, because it had some great ideas (weapon building/customization, heavy action).
 
Different strokes, but you must admit that a faster system with more responsive controls would be better. I think the game had good battles in theory, but as I played it I grew to hate them (changing weapons constantly, mashing the attack button as soon as the little ! appeared).
 
[quote name='DarkSageRK']If you liked Final Fantasy Tactics, go for some of the Atlus S-RPGs. Disgaea, La Pucelle, Phantom Brave, Makai Kingdom.

For regular RPGs, Rogue Galaxy, Tales of the Abyss, and Xenosaga would be fair choices.[/quote]

I've just started Rogue Galaxy and I LOVE it.

I've ordered many of the suggestions. I like to play with guides so I've ordered most of the guides as well.

Thanks alot for all of the replies. :D
 
[quote name='LeafPanda']Persona 3 FES all the way. I picked it up last Friday and I am way into it.[/quote]


I think we can tell :p

FES is great, although a bit different than the games you said you have played before. But its $30 (new) for upward of 100 hours of gameplay so you can't go wrong.

Also Vagrant Story, Legend of Dragoon, and Threads of Fate (more like KH) were some of my favourites on PS1.
 
I'd recommend some of the other PS1 RPGs by Square.

Threads of Fate
Saga Frontier 2
Chrono Cross
Xenogears
Legend of Mana

I think those would be up your alley.

Oh and also Grandia. (The first one)
 
[quote name='Nephlabobo']Oh and also Grandia. (The first one)[/QUOTE]

Also, the second one (Grandia II). Endearing characters, gameplay that manages to avoid becoming stale. Though the PS2 version of it isn't the greatest.

Front Mission 3/4 are good if you enjoy SRPGs.

Lastly, I feel like Wild Arms 4 and 5 are worth a look if only for their mix of an interesting battle system with a lot of traditional elements. The other three haven't held up very well.
 
Since no one has mentioned it yet, I'm going to put in a big plug for the Suikoden series.

1 and 2 are PS1 games; they run expensive, though. 1 goes for about $30 used, while 2 often runs over $100. If you can find any way at all to play 2, I highly recommend it - one of the best games I've ever played.

There are also a number of PS2 entries in the series, any of which can be found for under $20; Suikoden 3 is great, if a little slow getting started. Suikoden 5 is another fantastic entry in the series, and really calls back what made the PS1 games great, following the missteps of Suikoden 4 and Tactics.

In general, what I really enjoy about Suikoden is that, even though there is a very significant magical element to the series, there's more going on than that. If you enjoyed Final Fantasy IV and, moreso, XII for the political intrigue that entered into the plots, the Suikoden series really takes that to the next level. On top of that, the major component of the series is being able to recruit up to 108 characters to build up your fortress; impressively, many of these characters are interesting and have distinctive back stories and motivations for fighting. Additionally, you can carry save game data through from Suikoden 1 to 2 to 3, which opens up a few bonuses.
 
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Not really similar, but on the PS2 give Okami ago. It's an action RPG with great art design, an innovative twist on gameplay and overall was one of my favorite games of last generation.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Not really similar, but on the PS2 give Okami ago. It's an action RPG with great art design, an innovative twist on gameplay and overall was one of my favorite games of last generation.[/QUOTE]

Okami is one of the best games from last gen but it is NOT an RPG.
 
That's why I said it's an action-RPG--ala Zelda, and said it's not really similar.

Or you could call them adventure games I suppose, but that gets confounded with the PC point and click adventure genre so I prefer the action-RPG label.

But I wanted to recommed it as people who did RPGs often enjoy action-RPGs as well.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']That's why I said it's an action-RPG--ala Zelda, and said it's not really similar.

Or you could call them adventure games I suppose, but that gets confounded with the PC point and click adventure genre so I prefer the action-RPG label.

But I wanted to recommed it as people who did RPGs often enjoy action-RPGs as well.[/QUOTE]

Zelda isnt an RPG either though........an Action RPG is something like the mana series, Diablo series(though thats tehcnically dungeon crawl)or Star Ocean. Zelda is an Action Adventure.
 
Call it whatever you like. I don't see the need for getting that specific in genre labels. Its another of those taking something as stupid and banal as games way too serious things IMO. Zelda isn't that different from Secret of Mana.

At any rate, we just butt heads all the time, so I'll stop reading and responding to your posts so we stop pulling threads off topic with pointless debates.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Call it whatever you like. I don't see the need for getting that specific in genre labels. Its another of those taking something as stupid and banal as games way too serious things IMO. Zelda isn't that different from Secret of Mana.

At any rate, we just butt heads all the time, so I'll stop reading and responding to your posts so we stop pulling threads off topic with pointless debates.[/QUOTE]

Ermmmmmm we are in a topic asking for suggestions on RPGs.....so getting genre specific kinda is important when you mention.....a non RPG!

And Zelda and SoM are compltly freaking different, Zelda has much more in common with a GoW or even a freaking Jak game then SoM. In SoM you can actually miss when you attack an enemy, in SoM you gain levels, in SoM there is a skill system, in SoM there is a critical rate. SoM works on mathematics like the original RPG Dungeons and Dragons did. I always joke that RPG stands for roll playing game not role.....and this is exactly why. It keeps people from lumping games like Zelda in with real RPGs. Zelda doesnt even have basic traits...only reason people ever call it an RPG is because its a fantasy game where your charcter has a life system that evolves.

Again if you are going to call Zelda an RPG we might as well start calling Grand Theft Auto and pretty much every other game out there an RPG.

@ guinaevere- Great suggestion I definitely agree.
 
Like Magus said, Okami and Zelda are action adventure games. My faves from the PS1/2 (in no particular order):

Legend of Legaia -- really a copycat of FFVII but adds a few twists of it's own. Once you learn all the combos, it really gets good. From the makers of the Wild ARMs series.

Legend of Dragoon -- best graphics on the PS1, good combat system that is based on timing button presses to get bigger and bigger combos

Vagrant Story -- great customization, combat is a little wonky at times but a great game with great atmosphere

FFVII -- not my favorite FF but has to be mentioned because it really upped the ante. expands on the active time battle (ATB) system introduced earlier and brings in a crazy story that still doesn't really make sensce after Advent Children and Crisis Core.

FFVIII -- one of my favorites for sentimental value but some people hate it with a vengeance because they went to turn based combat and changed the magic system

FFIX -- culmination of the PS1 FFs, great story, great graphics

Xenogears -- great game with great graphics and a great combat system....reallly a must have for any RPG fan

FFX -- my favorite battle system for any turn based RPG. I love the ability to switch party members out during a battle

FFXII -- spiritual succssor to Vagrant Story, bare bones story, I really liked it after a couple hours into it

Legaia 2 -- sequel to Legaia but not as good IMO. not enough upgrades to justify being on the PS2

Disgaea -- best game on this list, strategy RPG with humor, great characters, great customization. you can easily spend over 200 hours on it like I have.

Odin Sphere -- not an RPG per se but a great brawler with RPG elements
 
[quote name='depascal22']Like Magus said, Okami and Zelda are action adventure games. My faves from the PS1/2 (in no particular order):

Legend of Legaia -- really a copycat of FFVII but adds a few twists of it's own. Once you learn all the combos, it really gets good. From the makers of the Wild ARMs series.

Legend of Dragoon -- best graphics on the PS1, good combat system that is based on timing button presses to get bigger and bigger combos

Vagrant Story -- great customization, combat is a little wonky at times but a great game with great atmosphere

FFVII -- not my favorite FF but has to be mentioned because it really upped the ante. expands on the active time battle (ATB) system introduced earlier and brings in a crazy story that still doesn't really make sensce after Advent Children and Crisis Core.

FFVIII -- one of my favorites for sentimental value but some people hate it with a vengeance because they went to turn based combat and changed the magic system

FFIX -- culmination of the PS1 FFs, great story, great graphics

Xenogears -- great game with great graphics and a great combat system....reallly a must have for any RPG fan

FFX -- my favorite battle system for any turn based RPG. I love the ability to switch party members out during a battle

FFXII -- spiritual succssor to Vagrant Story, bare bones story, I really liked it after a couple hours into it

Legaia 2 -- sequel to Legaia but not as good IMO. not enough upgrades to justify being on the PS2

Disgaea -- best game on this list, strategy RPG with humor, great characters, great customization. you can easily spend over 200 hours on it like I have.

Odin Sphere -- not an RPG per se but a great brawler with RPG elements[/QUOTE]

*hugs deepscal*

On topic. My reccomendation to you is pick the best games that are cheap and then move up the list. There are some games like Legend of mana($40 now i believe)and Suikoden 2(over $100)that are absoulte classics that I cant recommend enough to you. However it makes so much more sense to pick up titles like Dark Cloud 2, Parasite Eve, Summoner 2, Final Fantasy X and Disgaea which can be found for $5-$20 right now and then move up to the Suikoden 2 and Valkyrie Profiles.
 
Oh, and I can't believe I forgot the Persona series. Magus' avatar (Joker) reminded me of Persona 2. I didn't like it as much as 3 but the entire series is money. At $30, FES can't be beat.
 
[quote name='depascal22']Oh, and I can't believe I forgot the Persona series. Magus' avatar (Joker) reminded me of Persona 2. I didn't like it as much as 3 but the entire series is money. At $30, FES can't be beat.[/QUOTE]

*this*

Persona 3 FES should be one of the next games you buy right away. I dont think the price will go up on it, and it might even go down. But regardless you cant beat getting Persona 3 and FES on 1 disk for $30 new. Your looking at 100-200 hours of game easy. Not a AAA title but deffnitly a great title.
 
[quote name='Nephlabobo']Avoid Legend of Legaia and Legend of Dragoon. They're awful.

And Okami isn't an RPG.[/QUOTE]

*hugs for recognizing Okami/Zelda arnt RPGs*

However LoL was pretty good for when it came out and still isnt half bad. LoD I freaking LOATHED but its still not a bad game(overated as hell but not bad)
 
Traditionally, an 'experience' system is the defining characteristic, though now some non-RPGs incorporate an 'experience' (or 'level-up') system. Esentially, it's about a character that you assume the role of, that you're able to develop in multiple aspects.

Over the years, many have argued whether or not Zelda was an RPG. There's no experience system, and the only development of your character's stats occurs through 'outfitting'. Never seen 'HP' denoted in enemies, either.

Zelda's just an amazing fantasy series of action games.
 
[quote name='leveskikesko']Wow, I haven't heard anyone call Zelda an rpg since the 90's.....[/QUOTE]

I blame Nintendo. The problem is because 1. Zelda 2 had SOME RPG elements which ment it was often labled as one back in the day....and people never realized that the other games were different. 2. Nintendo Power had their Epic Center which was an RPG only section. They used to put Zelda in there, probally for months where they didnt have enough coverage of something else.

To this day ignorance remains among some people on the fact that Zelda isnt an RPG.....I seriously blame those 2 things.
 
I've never called it an RPG, just action-RPG. I used to call it adventure, but then you get nagged by people that like those lame point and click games. Guess action-adventure is the current "correct" term in the game nerd population. *sigh* I really hate that I like games sometimes. I more hate that I bother coming to sites like this....
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']I blame Nintendo. The problem is because 1. Zelda 2 had SOME RPG elements which ment it was often labled as one back in the day....and people never realized that the other games were different. 2. Nintendo Power had their Epic Center which was an RPG only section. They used to put Zelda in there, probally for months where they didnt have enough coverage of something else.

To this day ignorance remains among some people on the fact that Zelda isnt an RPG.....I seriously blame those 2 things.[/quote]

Yeah, and I think there were other major gaming sites calling them rpgs, so it was really confusing to your average gamer back then.

I'm not the biggest rpg fan, with a few exceptions. So, if I thought that Zelda was an rpg I would definitely be less tempted to play it.

It's not that we're being particular, it's just not an RPG...at all! Calling it one would be very misleading.
 
A lot of games that were great in their day (Legaia, Xenogears, Wild ARMs) just haven't aged well. It sucks because many games on the SNES hold up (Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana).

Be cautious when paying large sums for Playstation games, as there is a good chance you will not be able to enjoy them.

Personally, I've pitched a good portion of my PS1 games online because of their load times, horrendous polygonal graphic or poor controls.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I've never called it an RPG, just action-RPG. I used to call it adventure, but then you get nagged by people that like those lame point and click games. Guess action-adventure is the current "correct" term in the game nerd population. *sigh* I really hate that I like games sometimes. I more hate that I bother coming to sites like this....[/quote]

Oh please. I really hate that people use jabs at lifestyle to win an argument. Stop thinking you're better than everyone else because you value things differently. You said something wrong and someone else corrected you. You don't have to be elitist about it.

I'm sure there are plenty of things that you find important that most people find trivial and couldn't give a rat's ass about.
 
I don't think I'm better than everyone else. I know I'm better than everyone else. :D

I didn't say something wrong. I labeled something as I see fit and will continue to do. Even moreso if it annoys nerds who care about such things.

I love me some action RPGs like Zelda and Okami! :D
 
[quote name='GuardianE']Oh please. I really hate that people use jabs at lifestyle to win an argument. Stop thinking you're better than everyone else because you value things differently. You said something wrong and someone else corrected you. You don't have to be elitist about it.

I'm sure there are plenty of things that you find important that most people find trivial and couldn't give a rat's ass about.[/quote]

Exactly. It's not stuck up to know the right terms for things, and no one should feel bad about liking something as harmless as video games. Like I said, it's not like we're even being ultra picky.

Ultra picky would be forcing people to use percents on Zelda's genres 10%action60%adventure30%puzzle. YOU MUST KNOW THE PERCENTAGES!

Stuck-up is not accepting that you're clearly wrong.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I don't think I'm better than everyone else. I know I'm better than everyone else. :D

I didn't say something wrong. I labeled something as I see fit and will continue to do. Even moreso if it annoys nerds who care about such things.

I love me some action RPGs like Zelda and Okami! :D[/QUOTE]

*doesnt understand how he has been called arrogant and all sorts of other names but atleast he can admit he is wrong when presented with logic*
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I don't think I'm better than everyone else. I know I'm better than everyone else. :D

I didn't say something wrong. I labeled something as I see fit and will continue to do. Even moreso if it annoys nerds who care about such things.

I love me some action RPGs like Zelda and Okami! :D[/quote]


Doesn't annoy me, pal. I just said I hate it when people act this way, just like you hate being here, apparently.

Everyone makes mistakes or has their own opinions about something. They're entitled to them.
That doesn't justify acting like an asshole. You can call Barbie Horse Adventures a real time strategy game for all I care.

And it's pretty rich for someone who has Darth Maul as their Username to accuse others of being a nerd.
 
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OP you might enjoy the Alundra series (I'm not sure if this falls into the Zelda-action genre), but they are both on PS1 and feature action adventure elements and puzzle solving.
 
[quote name='willardhaven']OP you might enjoy the Alundra series (I'm not sure if this falls into the Zelda-action genre), but they are both on PS1 and feature action adventure elements and puzzle solving.[/QUOTE]

Alundra is a great game but again wouldnt call it an RPG since its the exact same as Zelda.
 
I just realized that while I've been monopolizing this guy's thread, I haven't even contributed in the way he asked. :whistle2:X

Out of the three I recommended (that weren't already listed) I've only beaten Shadow Hearts Covenant.

Shadow Hearts Covenant has a combat system involving precise timing of button presses and comboing allies' attacks together. It's interesting and keeps things from getting too repetitive. The story is engaging and unique (and has elements of humor that I have yet to see replicated in another JRPG), while the characters are totally loveable. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
 
[quote name='GuardianE']
And it's pretty rich for someone who has Darth Maul as their Username to accuse others of being a nerd.[/QUOTE]

Touche! Well played sir!

Though to be fair I deny having a level of nerdiness, I'm just not a "game nerd" which was the term I tossed out. ;)

The hell of it is, I don't even like the star wars prequels--though he was a pretty bad ass character. :D The name came from having a Maul figure that was a gift on my desk when I was signing up for CAG a few years ago and went with that as I suck at making up names. I used to just use my real name on forums, but stopped that after the practice of people googling names and seeing what popped up became so prominent.
 
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