RPG Thread V is really...grindy

Disgaea is the only game that made me come back for more. I'd say Etna's quest was worth it because it added an entirely new twist to the story. I've never even done a second playthrough on any other RPG. I guess it comes down to spending another 50+ hours running through the same exact story or I could put those hours into a brand new RPG.

As for final boss difficulty, here's what I'd like to see. If I don't grind at all, the end boss should be brutally hard BUT defeatable. I might be down to one guy with 1 HP but the credits will roll and I'll be left with a hell of a story to tell. Legend of Dragoon was like that. I can do a couple sidequests to beat the boss but he shouldn't be a pushover if I go get all the powerful stuff. I shouldn't nearly break the game if I'm level 99.

Or you could go the SMT Nocturne route. If you go through the game, you'll fight Kagatsuchi at the end. If you finish the Labrynth of Amala, you'll fight Lucifer for the True Demon ending. Two different ending for two different playstyles. The game might be brutally hard but it got this part dead on.
 
[quote name='depascal22']
Or you could go the SMT Nocturne route. If you go through the game, you'll fight Kagatsuchi at the end. If you finish the Labrynth of Amala, you'll fight Lucifer for the True Demon ending. Two different ending for two different playstyles. The game might be brutally hard but it got this part dead on.[/QUOTE]

Definitely agree with this. And the whole Labyrinth of Amala thing wasn't some randomly slapped together mess, either -- they put some real effort into making it every bit as good as the main quest.

I really hope they make SMT4 sometime soon...
 
I remember Nocturne being a lot easier than Strange Journey. I remember in Nocturne, for every boss I would debuff their agility as much as I could and buff my agility as much as I could, and they basically couldn't hurt me.

I got to the final dungeon in Strange Journey earlier today, and I was killed by the first boss after far too long of a fight.
 
[quote name='depascal22']Or you could go the SMT Nocturne route. If you go through the game, you'll fight Kagatsuchi at the end. If you finish the Labrynth of Amala, you'll fight Lucifer for the True Demon ending. Two different ending for two different playstyles. The game might be brutally hard but it got this part dead on.[/QUOTE]

See, now that is brilliant. Let "regular" gamers (do regular gamers play SMT?) skip the side quests and extras and grinding, and change it up a bit with added rewards and incentive for us hardcores to do everything and get an even better endgame.
 
[quote name='blueshinra']Regarding postgame content, there has been some that have drawn me in... and Tales of Legendia's character quests (which was just as long as the main game).[/QUOTE]

Well to be fair to ToL, the character quests were supposed to be part of the mainquest except the american version never put in all of the voice acting and such to make it on the same level. in Japan it is part of the main quest.
 
[quote name='Rodimus']I also don't care much for post game side quests. Even for games I really really like. Seeing the "Fin" at the end makes me feel content enough to drop the controller.

I think the Seraphic Gate had a couple talking scenes, but nothing that concerned the main plot. Quick question, beside Lezard who are the other character that will join you post game?[/QUOTE]

My sentiments exactly. As big of a Dragon Quest whore I am, I've never tried tackling the bonus dungeons.
 
[quote name='Midguy']I like having easy end bosses in games, especially in RPG's. I don't like grinding and I have enough problems finishing long RPG's and the last thing I need is to hit a road block on the last boss (not that I can remember that ever really happening). When I get to that point, I usually just want to finish the game and see the ending. If I can't beat the last boss, then there's a good chance I won't play the game again, simply because I don't like grinding.

The only game I remember having to grind for before the Boss in recent history was Persona 3 but that's wasn't such a big deal because I was so far behind the curve that I got tons of quick levels easy by taking out enemies that were way too tough for me in the bonus dungeon area. Also, that game was awesome.[/QUOTE]

I agree, but I think a possible solution/compromise is different difficulties like I've seen in games like The World Ends With You, Persona PSP, Disgaea and Tales of Vesperia. The grinders get their challenge and I get to play/defeat a game that I normally wouldn't get to. IMO, everyone wins when a game has difficulty levels.
 
[quote name='momouchi']Well to be fair to ToL, the character quests were supposed to be part of the mainquest except the american version never put in all of the voice acting and such to make it on the same level. in Japan it is part of the main quest.[/QUOTE]
How the hell does that work? The story in the character quests feels more like a self-contained sequel rather than a natural extension of the main arc.
 
Anyone recommend Wild Arms or Wild Arms 2? I'm considering getting one or both for the PSP, but don't know much about them. I enjoyed what I played of 3 (idk why I stopped, I remember being a decent way in) but other than that don't know much about the series.

If neither are good, I'll prolly grab Grandia, Suikoden, or Vagrant Story, but for some reason a Wild West RPG feels like it would be a nice change of pace if either is good. Suikoden is my second choice, but I'm almost afraid to play it without a guide or FAQ, as I don't want to miss all of those 108 stars of destiny I hear about in the series.

Thanks.
 
Well, I tried WA 1, and... not so much. Great music, and I like the sprite graphics, but the battle graphics and gameplay are rubbish. I can get over the bad graphics in battles, but they are very slow and don't look like they have much depth. I know it's an early PS1 RPG. I'll give it a bit more time (only played slightly past where the three characters join up) but I'm not overly optimistic.


Suko: DQIV is great. I can't speak for V (in the backlog, prolly play over summer) but I really really enjoyed IV. Grindy (it is DQ after all) but an enjoyable grind, and the way it is laid out with mini stories for each of the sets of characters, and then all coming together, was a very nice change of pace.
 
I liked WA1 a little better than 2 also. I remember really liking the dungeons in that game, and of course the music and setting.

And Suikoden 1 is actually pretty weak. I enjoyed it, but it might be hard to like if you're not a fan of the series. Play 3 or 5 first, if you haven't.
 
I don't really understand what people are talking about when they say "depth". I actually preferred WA1's battle system to all the other WA battle systems since I believe it was the only one to have MP and all the cool force powers. I think WA2 had the force powers, but no MP.
 
By depth I mean either some strategic fighting, more than just bashing attack, and occasionally using force powers. Or a level of customization of skills. Now I know I'm just at the beginning, but from what I've seen so far, it just seems very bare bones. Now, a lot of other "older", "classic" RPGs are similar in simplicity, but off the top of my head seem to go faster. It's the main reason I couldn't stand FFIII DS: slow ass battles/animations.

The music, setting, and 2d sprites are all great, and I can see where it was a good game, especially for its time, but I think I've just gotten spoiled with other releases :D That's ok though, I've got a bunch of PSN money from my Sony Card rewards, so I don't mind getting something to try it, even if I don't like it.
 
I love Wild Arms 1, infact I just got it in from Goozex this afternoon. Never did get into 2, but I was thinking about buying it off the PSN in the future. I must say I love WA2's intro.

I recently got SMT: Persona on the PSP. Comparing it to the original it's a huge step forward. Loading is fixed. The world map isn't a bunch of lame 3D blocks (plus it's condensed which makes going from end of the town quicker cutting down on frustrating encounters). Your progress in the dungeon is marked so there's no getting lost and unnecessary backtracking. The on screen map is also helpful. Weaknesses are displayed when attacks hit and the analyze feature makes exploiting them easier. Lastly the music is great. The battle theme gets me pumped every time. Overall I'm very pleased with it.

I'm doing the Snow Queen Quest so with the new translation it's like playing Persona for the first time.
 
Were you able to start the SQQ without a guide?

I'm curious after playing several RPG's lately that seem to have certain things so absolutely hidden it's impossible to get them. I was glancing at a guide for Tales of Vesperia and some of the things are just so ridiculous, I mean, how in the world do people actually find these hidden parts in games?
 
[quote name='blueshinra']It's probably all a conspiracy to sell more strategy guides.[/QUOTE]

I agree with that. For some reason, I don't remember the big PS1 RPGs having so much hard to find stuff.
 
[quote name='blueshinra']How the hell does that work? The story in the character quests feels more like a self-contained sequel rather than a natural extension of the main arc.[/QUOTE]

I don't know, but people got pretty mad at people when they asked about if they had to play the character quest's as part of the main quest. I think officially it is part of the MQ, even though it doesn't feel like.
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']Anyone recommend Wild Arms or Wild Arms 2? I'm considering getting one or both for the PSP, but don't know much about them. I enjoyed what I played of 3 (idk why I stopped, I remember being a decent way in) but other than that don't know much about the series.

If neither are good, I'll prolly grab Grandia, Suikoden, or Vagrant Story, but for some reason a Wild West RPG feels like it would be a nice change of pace if either is good. Suikoden is my second choice, but I'm almost afraid to play it without a guide or FAQ, as I don't want to miss all of those 108 stars of destiny I hear about in the series.

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Go for the remake of Wild Arms, Wild Arms ACF. I haven't played the original but ACF is much better in terms of graphics (using 3's engine).
 
[quote name='chibamm']Were you able to start the SQQ without a guide?

I'm curious after playing several RPG's lately that seem to have certain things so absolutely hidden it's impossible to get them. I was glancing at a guide for Tales of Vesperia and some of the things are just so ridiculous, I mean, how in the world do people actually find these hidden parts in games?[/QUOTE]

ToV pissed me off with the ridiculous side quests like seriously how am I suppose to know to run to the other side of the world randomly. It wouldn't bother me but almost all of them can only be done in a certain time frame. Worst of all I missed the bonus dungeon side quest so I have to play through the game an extra time because of this. :bomb: /rant
 
[quote name='VideoGamesIzFun']ToV pissed me off with the ridiculous side quests like seriously how am I suppose to know to run to the other side of the world randomly. It wouldn't bother me but almost all of them can only be done in a certain time frame. Worst of all I missed the bonus dungeon side quest so I have to play through the game an extra time because of this. :bomb: /rant[/QUOTE]

Abyss did the same thing. I had to have my laptop on gamefaqs next to me the entire time, otherwise I wouldn't know to randomly go to a backwater town and talk to one random person, etc.
 
Finally beat SMT: Strange Journey on the Neutral Path. I had a pretty good combo of demons spamming Jihad (Almighty damage + stat reduction) and my MC constantly using Chakra Drops to replenish their MP.

The ending was pretty lackluster for how much time I had to invest to get there, though that might just be the Neutral path; it did seem like it was the least interesting of the three. On the bright side, the NG+ sub-apps range from awesome (one lets you equip 6 sub-apps regardless of the space they take up) to more novelty (one changes your arrow icon on the map).
 
[quote name='Meremare']Go for the remake of Wild Arms, Wild Arms ACF. I haven't played the original but ACF is much better in terms of graphics (using 3's engine).[/QUOTE]

I disagree. The original over the remake. Being 3D doesn't make it look better.
 
[quote name='Rodimus']I disagree. The original over the remake. Being 3D doesn't make it look better.[/QUOTE]

The remake was better. Although, the battle system was a little less than the original for the reasons I mentioned before.

[quote name='Nirron']Finally beat SMT: Strange Journey on the Neutral Path. I had a pretty good combo of demons spamming Jihad (Almighty damage + stat reduction) and my MC constantly using Chakra Drops to replenish their MP.

The ending was pretty lackluster for how much time I had to invest to get there, though that might just be the Neutral path; it did seem like it was the least interesting of the three. On the bright side, the NG+ sub-apps range from awesome (one lets you equip 6 sub-apps regardless of the space they take up) to more novelty (one changes your arrow icon on the map).[/QUOTE]

I'm about half-way through the final dungeon on the light path. I got a little stuck on the midboss, so I've been wandering around leveling up and fusing.
 
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Beat Resonance of Fate last night. Finally I can get my life back. I did every single mission and did not expect to have any trouble with the end boss, but he still forced me to grind for about 2 hours. Overall, I'm very glad I played it and I'm very glad it's over.
 
[quote name='ChibiJosh']The remake was better. Although, the battle system was a little less than the original for the reasons I mentioned before.[/QUOTE]

The only thing the remake had over the original in terms of graphics were the character models for the battles. The orginal 3D models just don't hold up and look plain silly now, not that the PS2 game looked amazing. Everything else like towns and dungeons look nicer with that old school 2D feel.

I only played 10 hours of the remake before I quit. I remember having more fun with the original. But I do understand the remake had more content.
 
My latest RPG-related toy purchase, which was made tonight: a little stuffed Piplup at the Nintendo World Store for $10 (it's the same as this one). He's so damn cute! They had bigger ones of him and the other Diamond/Pearl/Platinum starters, but I'm short on space as it is.

Speaking of Piplup, no way I'm letting him evolve in my current Platinum playthrough. I want him to be as cute as he is forever.
 
whooo! I beat Final Fantasy!!

I honestly understood absolutely nothing about that game!!

the story doesnt make any sense,

I dont see what's so great about chapter 11, other than being the same linear shyt as the previous chapters except bigger,

I dont understand what weapon upgrading does,

and I dont get why the combat system is so deep coz I beat every boss in the whole game with no problem at all while ppl all over the neogafs cried about dying over and over again.

on the bright side, I like the music and I like Vanille!!

I started Persona PSP the other day btw, and that game is awesome!!!
 
[quote name='blueshinra']My latest RPG-related toy purchase, which was made tonight: a little stuffed Piplup at the Nintendo World Store for $10 (it's the same as this one). He's so damn cute! They had bigger ones of him and the other Diamond/Pearl/Platinum starters, but I'm short on space as it is.

Speaking of Piplup, no way I'm letting him evolve in my current Platinum playthrough. I want him to be as cute as he is forever.[/QUOTE]
Oh, you bastard. My only experience with Piplup is the assist trophy in Brawl, so I had to look up his evolved forms.

...

Rule 34 can go suck a big bag of dicks.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Oh, you bastard. My only experience with Piplup is the assist trophy in Brawl, so I had to look up his evolved forms.

...

Rule 34 can go suck a big bag of dicks.[/QUOTE]

Wouldn't that be an example of a "Rule 34" Rule 34?
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']Wouldn't that be an example of a "Rule 34" Rule 34?[/QUOTE]
There's an Xzibit joke in here somewhere...

Got the wagon in DQV yesterday; current monsters in my party are a hammerhood and slime knight, though I've recruited others. Also, metal slimes are cowardly little bitches who won't stick around to die and give me their sweet sweet XP, moreso than usual :p
 
[quote name='blueshinra']There's an Xzibit joke in here somewhere...

Got the wagon in DQV yesterday; current monsters in my party are a hammerhood and slime knight, though I've recruited others. Also, metal slimes are cowardly little bitches who won't stick around to die and give me their sweet sweet XP, moreso than usual :p[/QUOTE]
If you can get a healslime, you're set for the rest of the game.
Unfortunately I never got one. =(
 
I started Monter Hunter Tri last night, seems fairly cool so far, though it feels like there is way more tutorial stuff then was in Freedom Unite.

I'm kind of worried about the change in weapons though, since the only ranged weapons now are the 3 sizes of bowguns; and yet it seems like they still decided to have the armor segmented to Gunner or Melee... so it seems like you are really going to force yourself into a tight spot if you decide to go bowguns (since you will be forced to wear Gunner armor) whereas you have way more options for weapons if you decide to go melee.

One other gripe is that they have this system for adding enemy data to a Monster Journal, but for some reason you have to use the wii remote even if your playing with the classic controller/classic controller pro which is annoying since you have to basically lose most control of the game to pick up the wii remote just to do that.
 
I just received Demon's Souls as part of a trade today. It's the second time I've had the game(first time was the import version)and I'm excited to try it in HD. Maybe this time I can see what I'm doing against bosses. How many hours have those of you who own the game put into it?
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I just received Demon's Souls as part of a trade today. It's the second time I've had the game(first time was the import version)and I'm excited to try it in HD. Maybe this time I can see what I'm doing against bosses. How many hours have those of you who own the game put into it?[/QUOTE]

Around 80. The difference between SD and HD is vast; I have the brightness cranked to 10 on my SDtv, and I can see just as well in HD on 4 or 5.

If you need any help with multiplayer, I have a mid 30s character that I'd be more than willing to help with.
 
[quote name='icebeast']One other gripe is that they have this system for adding enemy data to a Monster Journal, but for some reason you have to use the wii remote even if your playing with the classic controller/classic controller pro which is annoying since you have to basically lose most control of the game to pick up the wii remote just to do that.[/QUOTE]

Wait, what? How's that work? You gotta point it at em before you kill em or something? Wow, that's... aweful. Hold on Lagiacrus, just stay still for a minute so I can snap yo picture...

Also, after trying to give Wild Arms another shot, I still couldn't get into it. Gameplay was just too generic outside of the Wild West atmosphere (which I did love, btw). I'm sure at the time it was fine, but I think I've just played too many traditional RPGs recently.

Started Vagrant Story though, and think it kicks ass so far. Very different from traditional style, which I think is a huge plus. I apparently have a thing for the weird ones: Last Remnant, FF8, FF12, Valkyrie Profile 2...
 
[quote name='Feeding the Abscess']Around 80. The difference between SD and HD is vast; I have the brightness cranked to 10 on my SDtv, and I can see just as well in HD on 4 or 5.

If you need any help with multiplayer, I have a mid 30s character that I'd be more than willing to help with.[/QUOTE]

But multiplayer isn't quite as simple as sending an invite to another player to join your game though, right? It involves dropping some sort of a hint at a specific spot that acts as a bridge between games, if I remember correctly.
 
The Ice Queen quest in Persona is no joke. Playing 5 hours in a SMT game with no save in sight is a scary thing. One more tower to go.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']But multiplayer isn't quite as simple as sending an invite to another player to join your game though, right? It involves dropping some sort of a hint at a specific spot that acts as a bridge between games, if I remember correctly.[/QUOTE]
Not simple as an invite and has some requirements. Basically if you were to summon a blue phantom to your world -
you need to be in Body Form,
not yet beat the boss of that stage,
and have be within 10 levels of the person that is summoning you.
(I believe by the time you are SL 100, that range extends to 20 levels). You also have to find their blue soul marker they drop in an area of that stage.

If you want to be summon as a blue phantom -
Soul Form, and within level range (you could have beaten the stage already and still help).
 
[quote name='guynextshore']Not simple as an invite and has some requirements. Basically if you were to summon a blue phantom to your world -
you need to be in Body Form,
not yet beat the boss of that stage,
and have be within 10 levels of the person that is summoning you.
(I believe by the time you are SL 100, that range extends to 20 levels). You also have to find their blue soul marker they drop in an area of that stage.

If you want to be summon as a blue phantom -
Soul Form, and within level range (you could have beaten the stage already and still help).[/QUOTE]

Ahhh ok. Thanks for the clarification on that. I remember playing the import Demon's Souls and someone 'invaded' my game. I was scared as all hell, figured the guy was going to obliterate me and steal my meager crap I had, then leave. Instead, he was like a bull in a china shop and annihilated almost every enemy in the world, then he just disappeared and left me to pick up all of what the enemies had dropped.
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']Wait, what? How's that work? You gotta point it at em before you kill em or something? Wow, that's... aweful. Hold on Lagiacrus, just stay still for a minute so I can snap yo picture...

Also, after trying to give Wild Arms another shot, I still couldn't get into it. Gameplay was just too generic outside of the Wild West atmosphere (which I did love, btw). I'm sure at the time it was fine, but I think I've just played too many traditional RPGs recently.

Started Vagrant Story though, and think it kicks ass so far. Very different from traditional style, which I think is a huge plus. I apparently have a thing for the weird ones: Last Remnant, FF8, FF12, Valkyrie Profile 2...[/QUOTE]

Nope that aint how it work, you take pics of monsters to learn info about them...not kill them
 
[quote name='Poor2More']Nope that aint how it work, you take pics of monsters to learn info about them...not kill them[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's what I meant. Even to get the info, I doubt the bigger beasties that can kill you in only a couple hits anyway will sit still long enough. Hell, I had trouble enough against the raptors and the small wyvern thing (first big hunt item) in the PSP game, and now I gotta stop to get a snapshot? Just really strange they didn't include a way to do it without the Wiimote.

But seriously, can't wait to play this game. Anyone have/recomment the classic control plus or whatever it's called? I have the regular classic controller, just wonderin if the handles make it significantly more comortable.

Console game list: finish Last Remnant, GoW Collection, GoW 3, Monster Hunter Tri. So hopefully in a couple of weeks will pick up Tri
 
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