Which SRPG for a complete newbie to the genre?

ne2eire

ne2eire

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Is Suikoden Tactics a good SRPG for someone completely new to the genre? I picked it up last week thinking it would be since IGN said it's fairly simple.

I'm also thinking of buying either La Pucelle or Phantom Brave since they're both $20 each locally.

So offer me some recommendations. I don't want to get Disgaea 2, since I never played 1, and I'm anal like that. And I don't want to pay outrageous amounts for Disgaea 1 regardless of how fun it is (just in case I can't get into the game).

Thanks everyone
 
[quote name='kaw']Pick yourself up a used copy of Final Fantasy Tactics.[/QUOTE]

I don't really want to pay out the ass for this, since it's another hard to find :(
 
Get FF Tactics since Ogre Battle 64 isn't on PS2 and Dragon Force is an import though if you have a trick to play them I'd suggest that first. It's not full Strategy but might get you into it. Disgaea would be like dropping you head first into a bathtub full of water and the same goes for La Pucelle. Phantom Brave I don't know about. I really think Dragon Force would be anyone's best bet even though it's not full Strategy like mentioned above.
 
Final Fantasy Tactics is arguably is the best strat RPG of all time. A GH copy shouldnt be too hard to find cheap.

Most people will disagree with me, but I thought Front Mission 4 was a pretty damn good strat rpg, and if you like mechs you'll like it.

I also think that Stella Deus is the best strat rpg currently on the PS2

Dave
 
Stelle Deus and Suikoden Tactics are both pretty easy. So is Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is pretty approach-able as well.

Being new to the genre you have to be prepared to do a lot of number crunching in general.

NIS games (Disgaea 1 & 2, Makai Kingdom, Phantom Brave) are not very difficult for the story aspect of the game, but the end game sidequestiong is very very deep.
 
Last time I say a copy, FF Tactics was $9.99 used at Gamestop. I think they stopped selling PS1 games though. Anyways, I would recommend that or Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones for the GBA.

Disgaea is mostly level grinding and even then only for the post game stuff. I beat the final boss when I was about level 50. I didn't get up to level 4000 until way, way after that.

Phantom Brave and Makai Kingdom aren't grid based like traditional SRPGs. Those two might not be the best games to start with.
 
[quote name='Chacrana']If you want something cheap, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding Phantom Brave or Makai Kingdom.[/QUOTE]

Yup. I believe the used price for Phantom Brave at Gamecrazy is only $7.99 now.
 
I am gonna disagree with some of the people who mentioned Stella Deus. Even for someone as "hardcore" as myself, I find the game to be almost painfully slow paced.

It will be expensive and hard to find, but I would suggest Growlanser Generations. 2 games, both of which have excellent battle systems that can be as simple or as meticulous as you want it to be.
 
Stella Deus is quite simple, if not repetitive, but still may kind of expensive. Suikoden Tactics is fairly simple as well and it's hard to beat it's price.

However if you really want to learn to love strategy RPGs then the Fire Emblem games are the only way to go, espeically if you have a GBA.
 
[quote name='cletus']Last time I say a copy, FF Tactics was $9.99 used at Gamestop. I think they stopped selling PS1 games though. Anyways, I would recommend that or Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones for the GBA.

Disgaea is mostly level grinding and even then only for the post game stuff. I beat the final boss when I was about level 50. I didn't get up to level 4000 until way, way after that.

Phantom Brave and Makai Kingdom aren't grid based like traditional SRPGs. Those two might not be the best games to start with.[/QUOTE]

Wow I didn't think I'd ever see a game propose to have a level up that high.
 
La Pucelle is my pick. It was originally released BEFORE Disgaea in Japan, so it's a little less complicated. I think Stella Deus is a decent starter SRPG, too. It lacks NIS' charm, but I think it's better than Suikoden Tactics.

I would not recommend Phantom Brave to start with -- though it is probably $20 at most places. The lack of a grid is annoying, as is not having your army at hand at the start of battle.
 
I wouldn't recommend FFT to a newbie of the genre, as it kicks your ass from the beginning and doesn't really let up at all.

Fire Emblem would be a good game to pick up for newbies and Front Mission 4 would be good if you're into mechs and deep customization.
 
Ehhh Frisky my only comment to that would be to tell him how the enemies get harder. If he knew that that corresponds to levelling up with the character I doubt he'd have much of a problem.
 
if you can find it vandal hearts 1 is an excellent game to start the genre with. It is a little more simple and not as deep as the other games mentioned. But it teaches the basics pretty well
 
if you can find FFVII play that(maybe a friend has it? borrow it) That's the RPG that got me into RPG's in the first place. Pretty straight foward. And the Materia System is easy to use and challenging to master. If you can;t find that, then try FF tactics.
 
[quote name='musicnoteless']if you can find FFVII play that(maybe a friend has it? borrow it) That's the RPG that got me into RPG's in the first place. Pretty straight foward. And the Materia System is easy to use and challenging to master. If you can;t find that, then try FF tactics.[/QUOTE]

Read the OP again. He's looking for a STRATEGY RPG.

FFVII doesn't count.

Nice try!
 
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. It's actually more user friendly than the original Final Fantasy Tactics. Plus the game was designed to play on the go so it really easy to pick up again.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']I am gonna disagree with some of the people who mentioned Stella Deus. Even for someone as "hardcore" as myself, I find the game to be almost painfully slow paced.

It will be expensive and hard to find, but I would suggest Growlanser Generations. 2 games, both of which have excellent battle systems that can be as simple or as meticulous as you want it to be.[/QUOTE]

I agree with you on Stella Deus, but Growlanser Generations is expensive and hard to find? On what planet?

It's $29.99 used at EB / GS and on Ebay they mostly go for $25 - $30, sometimes cheaper.

For an SRPG newbie, I'd stay away from anything NIS did until you get a grasp on the genre. Try out something that is painfully easy and kind of bare on features to get a feel for it, like Stella Deus or Suikoden Tactics.
 
also I hear the second one sucked but arc the lad twilight of spirits has a nifty story and the gameplay is pretty simple
 
[quote name='jlarlee']also I hear the second one sucked but arc the lad twilight of spirits has a nifty story and the gameplay is pretty simple[/QUOTE]
If you mean Arc the Lad: End of Darkness that isnt even a SRPG.
 
[quote name='62t']If you mean Arc the Lad: End of Darkness that isnt even a SRPG.[/QUOTE]
TOS is indeed an SRPG although quite a simple one
 
Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite game of all time, nothing comes remotely close.

Now, with no bias.. I think it's easy to play, but very hard to master. Easily a 40 hour first playthrough.

Once you get
Orlandu near Chapter 4
the game is a cakewalk.

Tactics Ogre and Ogre Battle 64 are runner-up, but Ogre Battle lacks the chess board style, though I still consider it a SRPG.
 
Get Gladius. I really enjoyed it. It can be found on the cheap. Also, Disgaea 2 can be played without playing the first, I am living proof. Also the first is coming to the PSP and more than likely to the US in English. Get the NIS games, they are damn fun.
 
I don't think the NIS games are really for an SRPG beginner, espically Disgaea 2.

La Pucelle, maaaaaaaaaybe, but NIS's games are usually full of layers and depth and might be too much for someone new to the genre.
 
I reccomend La Pucelle. Its cheap, easy to find, and its a great game.

Of course if you like it, I reccomend you go out and hunt down a copy of Disgaea. Worth the money at any price. Not only is it my fav srpg ever, but its just flat out one of the best games Ive ever played. Im currently 25 hours into the sequel and loving it.

And for those who are saying that NIS games are too hard for beginners, I disagree. Disgaea was the first srpg I ever got into. And what I found is that although theres a deep post game, and sidegame element, you dont need to get into that to have fun.

I beat Disgaea without reading any faqs and not knowing of powerleveling or any of the other exploiits of the game. I just enjoyed it for the story. Then when I beat it, I read up on what you could do and I thought 'wow, this is incredible'. And I got into that part of the game. But you dont need to do any of that high level endgame stuff to enjoy a well made srpg.
 
I recommend FFTA also. It was what got me into SRPGs. Then I played La Pucelle and that got me into N1 SRPGs. I would recommend playing that before Disgaea and not the other way around if you want to play both.
 
[quote name='ne2eire']Picked up FFT (PSX) going to start it this evening. Thanks for the recommendations everyone[/QUOTE]
good choice it is what I started with. A little advice keep about 4 different saves going sometimes you may get stuck and need to level up. So being able to go backa few saves is great. Also I would ensure your main character has long range capablities there is one irritating part of the game that this will help at
 
I would say for a complete newbie, to get Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.
It's also cheap (I got a used copy for $16+shipping), fun, really easy, and different.
 
[quote name='sprintsucks5892']I would say for a complete newbie, to get Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.
It's also cheap (I got a used copy for $16+shipping), fun, really easy, and different.[/QUOTE]
Though there's a modicum of strat in the combat, I still consider that a traditional, turn-based RPG. Same goes for the Lunar series and Enchanted Arms 360.
 
Can't believe Saiyuki: Journey West has not been mentioned. Classic storyline, great characters, and very accessible. If robots are more your thing, pick up front mission 4.
 
[quote name='MightySlacker']I can't believe I didn't mention Vandal Hearts. I'd also recommend that wholeheartedly

Dave[/quote]

QFT.

One of my favorite SRPGs. It's very easy to pick up making it idea for any new player and it's also very affordable.
 
[quote name='zionoverfire']QFT.

One of my favorite SRPGs. It's very easy to pick up making it idea for any new player and it's also very affordable.[/QUOTE]

it was my choice for the OP to start with. Although I have found the second Disgaea to be a lot easier than the first so far
 
To me, Suikoden Tactics just wasn't that good of a game, period. I also remember struggling a bit in some early battles, meaning it's got a learning curve going.
 
I'm having good fun with Suikoden Tactics, especially since it was about $10 at Circuit City.

People have said it's easy, but I've had to do some battles 3 times before I could beat 'em.. I'm still in the early battles though, maybe it gets easier later. :)

My first SRPG was Shining Force for the Sega Genesis. Awesome game, especially Shining Force 2. Go play it. :)
 
I don't really know but for stratergy games I suggest starting out with Ogre Battle or the original Fire Emble. You might buy them for low prices now but then again......

Ogre Battle was my first SRPG that I was really into. I never really got a super happy good ending since I kept trying to collect everyone. If you have no life check out Ogre Battle on the SNES or PSX. The PSX game has extras.

Then there was alot of fanstub Anime RPG games on the NES some of them was nice SRPG games.

You could also try and take your General skills to the web and play one of the many Online SRPG games out there.
 
[quote name='RegalSin2020']I don't really know but for stratergy games I suggest starting out with Ogre Battle or the original Fire Emble. You might buy them for low prices now but then again......

Ogre Battle was my first SRPG that I was really into. I never really got a super happy good ending since I kept trying to collect everyone. If you have no life check out Ogre Battle on the SNES or PSX. The PSX game has extras.

Then there was alot of fanstub Anime RPG games on the NES some of them was nice SRPG games.

You could also try and take your General skills to the web and play one of the many Online SRPG games out there.[/QUOTE]

When I worked at Funcoland (later bought by GameStop), Ogre Battle SNES went for over $100 used.
 
[quote name='ViolentLee']When I worked at Funcoland (later bought by GameStop), Ogre Battle SNES went for over $100 used.[/QUOTE]

That was probably around 1999. I think I picked up mine for $30 used or was it fourty?
 
[quote name='RegalSin2020']That was probably around 1999. I think I picked up mine for $30 used or was it fourty?[/QUOTE]A few years before that, bro. Between mid-'96 and late '97. Hell, I think we were taking it in trade for around $68.
 
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