back in the mid/late 90’s i started playing ALOT of rpgs and, out of the countless ones i played a few still stick out in my mind as the greats.
here is my list of rpgs i loved playing
Xenogears
Chrono Trigger
FF6,FF7 & FF8
ever since then i have been looking for games similar in story depth,plot twists and, in absence for better words absolute masterpieces. After playing multiple rpgs on ps2 i started to feel as if the genre had taken a dive as none of them lived up to or gave me the same sustenance or in other words, gave me what i wanted in an rpg. Perhaps it was the way they were made which felt as if they built up the plot way too much so i would lose interest after 10-15 hours into the game and yet, i would find myself forcing myself to play until the game got good.
So what im asking the members of SRK (i know this is a fighting game site) is, what RPGs would you recommend that will give that same sense that i am playing a good game
i have the following systems that are not packed away
XBOX360
PS3
PS2
WII
i have already
FFX
FFX-2
all 3 xenosaga games
star ocean till the end of time
FF12
Dragon Quest 8
Well, I guess I have a different sense of what a good story is, but I’ll try. For example, I do think that Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, and FF6 and 7 have good stories, but I think that for the most part, the stories are superficial.
In my opinion, a story is good when it has an underlying theme, message, point, etc. And I don’t think many RPGs (or even videogames) have that. Being epic, having a call story premise or plot twists, etc. doesn’t do much for me, because there’s only so much you can do to make your story original before it just becomes ridiculous.
That being said, here are a few RPGs I think pull off what I’m talking about:
Suikoden 2 (PSX) - Actually, this one is pretty epic too. I would def recommend this one to you.
Legend of Mana (PSX) - The actual ‘story’ is pretty bad, but the game has a really cool atmosphere, and the thematic material is such a good counterpoint to most RPGs.
Okage: Shadow King (PS2) - I can barely even recommend this RPG to anyone because the combat sucks. But, it’s short for an RPG (20 hours), it’s downright hilarious, and really insightful.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (PS2) - Most people will disagree with me on this, and maybe you will too. The biggest complaint I have about the story is that you have to play the game twice to see the whole thing. However, the game really cuts out the fat and just gets to the point. There’s not excessive amounts of needless dialogue, and the game uses direction better than like 99% of all RPGs I’ve ever played.
Again, besides Suikoden 2, I can’t really promise you’ll like any of these. However, it might be a good change of pace? Storylines begin to lose their flavor as you get older and read more books, watch more movies, and play more video games. On the other hand, a story that makes a point about something tangible to your own life in a remarkable has staying power like nothing else in literature.
If you’re looking for turn based RPG and don’t mind a challenge for 360 I would look into Lost Odyssey. Another good turn based RPG for 360 is Blue Dragon.
For the non-turn based battle system I’d try out Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery or Eternal Sonata.
You can find all of those for fairly cheap(all but infinite undiscovery for under 30 dollars) I hope that helps
Skies of Arcadia Legends wont be the most original RPG you’ll ever play, but I’ll go ahead and agree with ProfessorS about it having a great cast. Gilder is probably my favorite character ever in a video game. Everything he says and does is made of win.
Woah, woah… This section is for FIGHTING GAMES. But whatever.
I recommend some visual novels. Yeah, visual novels. You get the story without all the grinding. Sadly, most of them are eroge (erotic) but they have really intriguing storylines. Most happen to be dating sims unfortunately… However, here’s a list. http://vndb.org/v/all
The gameplay in JRPGs is FAR from compelling. Planescape Torment is a MUST. WRPG > JRPG for free.
You are aware that you can play GC games on the Wii by just plugging in a GC controller, right?
Skies of Arcadia Legends has already been mentioned, but it’s truly awesome so I’ll mention it again.
I really enjoyed Tales of Symphonia (GC) and it’s sequel (Wii) also - the story is kind of slow at the start but it picks up after awhile.
I haven’t really played all that many RPGs lately, because they really hit their peak on the SNES in my opinion. Your best bet if you want some really awesome RPGs is to get a SNES emulator (since most the the good RPGs aren’t on the wii virtual console). Some of the really good ones are:
Final Fantasy 4+5, Lufia II, Star Ocean, Earthbound, Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, Tales of Phantasia, Super Mario RPG…I also really like Sailor Moon: Another Story, but I’m guessing most people here wouldn’t share that opinion. I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch of other ones too.
Even if most JRPGs are linear and their plots insipid, there are plenty that have great battle systems that more than make up for it.
Star Ocean 2, Grandia, and SRPGs like Ogre Battle and Shining Force come to mind.
For anybody who thinks all JRPGs are mindless anime/J-pop fluff with no redeeming gameplay or story, I’d advocate playing at least Tactics Ogre, Ogre Battle 64, Earthbound, and Star Ocean 2 first.
You know, I agree with pretty much everything you said, except Star Ocean. Star Ocean really feels like the epitome of anime-ish JRPGs. Sure, the story might be better developed than other lame anime-inspired JRPGs, but it still isn’t all that better.
I’m also not saying “all anime-esque RPGs = crap”, either (although I think SO2 is one of my least favorite RPGs, but that’s neither here nor there). But, I just find it peculiar that you would mention Star Ocean as a means of dispelling that sort of stereotype.
I’m pretty much immersed in RPGs right now, on my 360 and PS3.
I’d say Tales of Vesperia and Star Ocean 4 are your best bets right now.
For PS3… I’d say just stick with PS2 games, since most PS3 RPGs are fairly short compared to them.
For PS2, i’d say… Have you ever tried the Persona series? Persona 3 + Persona 4 are two of the best games i’ve played in a while.
Odin Sphere is also a great side scroller RPG, if you’re into that.
For the Wii, if you can stick it out for a while… Oboro Muramasa is soon to be released… It holds high expectations being from the same company as Odin Sphere, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to disappoint.
Try those games out if you have a chance, i’ll try to edit this post a little more later on if I think or anything else.
I’m a huge Tales fan, so I’d recommend the Tales series. Of course the Tales series is not turn-based, so if you’re into turn-based, you might find the Tales series too fast for your tales. However, I think turn-based JRPGs are too slow now after playing the majority of the Tales series.
I’d recommend (localized only):
For 360:
Tales of Vesperia
For PS2:
Tales of Abyss
For Wii/GCN:
Tales of Symphonia (GCN)
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)
Of course the Tales series is larger, but I’m just listing my recommendations.
Note: I’m not including non-localized games… Tales of Destiny Remake/Director’s Cut for PS2 is my personal favorite
And you of course can’t go wrong with the Shin Megami Tensei Persona series. Especially Person 3 and Persona 4.
for ps2, the first shadow hearts. you’ll thank me later. published by midway, it has this weird arcade game-esque feeling to it. i can’t explain it, but it’s up there in my all time favorite rpg’s.
Gameplay, not story.
Yes, the story and character are the epitome of every negative JRPG stereotype. But the battles in SO2 are some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing any RPG.
I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch of other ones too.