For the love of (RPG) games

[Ennokos]

So this is my first forum that I want to be a part of for a long while and I couldn't find a particular topic I wanted to start on the actual writing side of things and I have never been good at just replying on posts that I have just become a part of, so I decided to post something near and dear to me instead.

I love RPG's, everything from the gambits from Final Fantasy XII to the more often than not frustrating RNG of Fire Emblem but there seems to be a severe lack of games coming out that are geared towards anything I find enjoyable. I have a PS3 and high-end computer but find myself going back to my GBA and PS2 to games that I played before rather than picking up anything new and shiny. When I bought Fire Emblem: Awakening it was my first purchase in a year and a half.

Are you guys enjoying new RPG's and what about them interest you?

 

[Philip Overby]

I'll make a list here of stuff I've enjoyed personally:

1. Replaying old Final Fantasy games on PSP (FFIV, FFV, and FFVI right now)
2. Dark Souls-if you like punishing RPGs that frustrate you
3. Witcher 2
4. Skyrim (of course)

Just a recommendation as I haven't played this, but I hear Ni no Kuni for PS3 is pretty good.

If you like the Fire Emblem games, you make like other strategy type games like Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics. There's also Ragnarok Tactics (which I haven't played), Disgea, Ygrrda Union (sp?) and any of the NiS games in general. Atlus puts out lots of great RPGs as well, but I heard they may have gone out of business.

 

[Ennokos]

I definitely love a lot of what you mentioned, the Ogre Battle series being my favourite series of all time. I have not played either of the Witcher's, and it seems that I am the only one that finds The Elder Scrolls games boring after a short time. I was just wondering what is attracting people to new RPG's that perhaps I was missing as especially the western ones hold no interest to me.

 

[Philip Overby]

For me the ability to customize my own character appeals a lot to me, something that JRPGs don't allow as much. Dragon's Dogma is a good blend of Western and JRPG in some ways (feels like Monster Hunter and Skyrim had a baby).

I think the appeal of JRPGs is the ability to have a distinct cast of characters that you can follow through their stories. Tactics Ogre is good because it allows some control of the storyline, whereas a lot of other JRPGs don't. So maybe that is what attracts a lot of people to the Western style. The ability to fully explore a world the way you want to and have the game turn out differently depending on how it happens.

It's unfortunate that classic turn-based RPGs are kind of going away, but I think some developer will continue to fill that niche one way or another.

 

[teacup]

I have to recommend playing final fantasy, though I wouldn't play anything past 10. They just don't feel like final fantasy anymore. (Play 9, it is perfect, imo.)
Dark souls is great. Hard, but with enough persistence anyone can do it, I think. The difficulty just makes it all the better.
Chrono trigger I've heard to be good, so I have that now.

 

[Devor]

Chrono Trigger is amazing, but that's very much old school. I only have a Wii, but I love games and my Gamestop tricked me into subscribing to Game Informer, so I know more than I want to. If I went out and bought a PS3 right now, the first game I'd want to go with it is Sly Cooper, Thieves in Time, followed by Bioshock Infinite. Take a look at those if you haven't.

 

[Ennokos]

Thank you for the recommendations, and personally any FF game set in Ivalice is my favourite (FF Tactics, FF Tactics Advance, FFXII, etc.), but I see a lot of older games in the suggestions aside from Bioshock Infinite. The main reason I posted was that I don't think I like where a lot of modern RPG's are headed, with me not being able to dive into them as I could even five years ago. Even a lot of indie games seem to be doing the fourth wall breaking setting which I find immersion breaking to put it lightly. Instead of playing Assassin's Creed I would rather play FFI, instead of Bioshock I would rather play Ogre Battle, not only due to nostalgia (but I would be lying if I would say there was none of it). What's in the newer games that were not in the older ones? I want to enjoy any game if I can but I feel that I'm losing interest to where the RPG games are heading.

 

[Rinzei]

For me the ability to customize my own character appeals a lot to me, something that JRPGs don't allow as much.

Phil, have you seen White Knight Chronicles 1 or 2? It has a real classic JRPG feel to it, but it allows you to play a silent customisable character. You're not the main character, but a member of their party, and living the story alongside them. You can also choose to control all the different characters in your party at any time, but that one character is customisable and is also your avatar for online play. I'd give it a rental, if you can find it. If you can find 2, get that one - it has 1 packaged with it, as it's intended for you to carry on to 2 right after completing one (not required by the game, but recommended for it to make sense).

 

[Philip Overby]

That sounds interesting Rinzei. It seems like I've heard of White Knight Chronicles, but I've never played them. I'll have to check those out.

Also, just some other recommendations. If you like JRPGs style, you can try the Shin Megami Tensai series, which I believe includes Persona. They always get rave reviews. I've only played Nocturne, so I can't speak for all of them. I really like the Star Ocean Games, Suikoiden II, and some of the Growlanser titles. Worth a look if you haven't played any of them.

 

[wordwalker]

Wow, somehow nobody's mentioned it yet: Dragon Age. (Mostly the original DA Origins and the half-size Awakening, with DA II maybe a decent followup to them.) Origins is simply the most epic, novel-esque game I've ever played.

For more old-school JRPG, I'd recommend the Grandia games for their more flexible combat system, and Grandia III is just plain fun.

Thanks for the other thoughts, I'd been looking for new stuff too!

 

[wordwalker]

Oh: Dragon's Dogma looked interesting to me, but I also heard it had a lot of same "frustration curve" that Dark Souls is known for. True?

 

[Rinzei]

I wasn't able to play much of Dragon's Dogma, unfortunately - the camera's sway game me motion-sickness. Not many games do - I've only found DD and the first Fable do it to me. But the customisations did look promising. I just wish I could have gotten through more of it without a migraine.

If you can find it, Morrowind on the PC is pretty good. Bit of a different style to Oblivion and Skyrim (a lot more stat-rolling!), but the style of it is unique and with how low the spec requirements are, most modern PCs can play it. You can also download a load of texture maps to make it more graphically intense.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Dragon Age games. I liked the setting and story of the series, but HATED the quests of the first game. They were just too long and tedious to me. Then again, I can have a 5-year-old's attention span sometimes, so don't let that sway you. I think I'm one of the few people who really liked Dragon Age II - the quests were better paced to me and I liked the combat a lot more. I'm eagerly looking forward to Inquisition to see how they've balanced the two games' playstyles out.

Another JRPG to try which fell under everyone's radar is Resonance of Fate. I really like it - there are a set of predefined characters, but there is a little custom dress-them-up element to it (completely optional) and the looks carry through to the cut-scenes. It's also more of a sci-fi or steam-punk feel to it than fantasy, including fighting with guns and an new way of doing turn-based. I'd give that a rental as well, definitely. Also, the cut-scenes in the clubhouse are hilarious.

 

[Philip Overby]

I'm a big fan of Dragon's Age (both of them), although I liked Origins better. Dragon's Age II had the better combat system though. I'm looking forward to what they come up with for the next installation.

Resonance of Fate sounds really good. I want to get a bunch of 360 and PS3 titles when I buy a PS3 this year sometime. I'm holding out on the PS4 until there are more titles.

Just throwing this out there, but has anyone played Magna Carta? It was always really expensive, but what I saw reminded me of FF10.

 

[Devor]

. . . . but I see a lot of older games in the suggestions aside from Bioshock Infinite.

I also mentioned the new Sly Cooper, which just came out in February. It looks like Dr. Who meets White Collar, meets Star Fox.

 

[Rinzei]

Resonance of Fate sounds really good. I want to get a bunch of 360 and PS3 titles when I buy a PS3 this year sometime. I'm holding out on the PS4 until there are more titles.

Just throwing this out there, but has anyone played Magna Carta? It was always really expensive, but what I saw reminded me of FF10.

If you try Resonance of Fate (or anyone, for that matter), make sure to go to the Arena as soon as you're able to on the world map. It's the (for some reason, hidden) combat tutorial. It will save you a lot of grief! Resonance of Fate is available for both Xbox and PS3, so it's your choice on which console you'd prefer to play.

I never got to try Magna Carta, but the art style always appealed to me. I heard 1 was better than 2. I could never find a copy of them to try though.

 

[Philip Overby]

I have so many games to get through now, but I'm hoping to buy a PS3 later this year, since I have a 360 now. I think the PS3 will drastically drop in price once the PS4 is released, so I'm hoping to take advantage of that. There are also a lot of PS3 exclusive RPGs I want to play, Ni no Kuni being first and foremost.

Anyone have a PS3 and can suggest some PS3 exclusive RPGs I could pick up? I'm hoping to get Final Fantasy XIV at some point, although I'm not a huge MMO fan, I pride myself on saying I've played every single Final Fantasy game. Beaten them is a whole other story.

So far I've beaten, 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 10-2, 12, and 13. I found FF3 to be incredibly difficult toward the end so I couldn't beat the last boss. FF5 I have now, so I'm going to give that a go later. And I really dislike 8 for various reasons, so just couldn't finish that one, although I want to at some point. I also have 13-2, but I'm having a hard time getting to the end of that one as well, simply because I'm lost in the storyline.

Sorry, went off on a tangent there. Any PS3 exclusive RPGs that are must-buys?

 

[Rinzei]

Sorry, went off on a tangent there. Any PS3 exclusive RPGs that are must-buys?

Ooh, let me have a looksy. Someone (might have been you, actually) mentioned Ni No Kuni - that looks good. There was Folklore when it first came out - I own it, but haven't had the chance to try it yet. The original Demon Souls was PS3 exclusive - not my cup of tea though. I rage-quit far too easily for that kind of brutality. White Knight Chronicles is all PS3 Exclusive, with the exception of one PSP prequel.

There are a few kitschy j-games as well, like the Atelier series, Trinity Universe, Time and Eternity. Those are a bit newer as well, so I've not tried them yet. A few older ones are Eternal Sonata, Last Rebellion, Valkyria Chronicles...

As for absolute must-buys, that's a bit difficult because a lot of the buys weren't exclusive. Mine would be White Knight Chronicles series, but that's because it's very much my style - story, custom characters, nostalgic feel, but with a bit more modern take on turn-based gameplay.

 

[Philip Overby]

Cool, thanks for the suggestions. Yeah, it was me that mentioned Ni no Kuni.

I may check out some of those titles if they are pretty cheap by the time I get a PS3. I don't want to pay upwards of 50 or 60 dollars at this point.

I also sort of rage-quit Dark Souls, although I did enjoy the game. I didn't really so much rage-quit as I was like "OK, really? Yeah, I'm done."

 

[Zero Angel]

If you like old-school games, there's a lot of enjoyable RPGs out now for Android and iPhone that play like SNES, and for that matter they're out on Steam and Kongregate and such. The Kongregate ones are usually no more than a few hours long, but the Android games are more in the 20-40 hour range.