RPG Thread

[Meelapo]

I've been wanting to start a thread like this for a while so I figured it might be best to start now as we approach the summer months of gaming where nothing decent gets released. I thought it might be a good idea to maybe start a general RPG thread where people could discuss any RPGs for any console (PS1/2/3, XBox/360, Gamecube/Wii, DS, PC, etc.) that they've been playing or have played in the past so that others who want to know what to play can get opinions from other players.

I'm more of a 3rd person sword and shield type RPG fan so I don't like the first person RPGs a great deal. That being said I'll start off with some of the notables I've played recently.

Fallout 3 (XBox 360) - I found this game to be okay. Lots of people love this game but I didn't think it lived up to all the hype. There didn't seem to be enough variety in the environments. I also wasn't too big on the whole first person perspective because with RPGs I like collecting items and seeing those items on my character. I've heard that Oblivion is similar to this game but set in a fantasy world so I might try that game one of these days (I bought it for $14 during Boxing Week at Walmart).

Final Fantasy 13 (PS3) - I'm really enjoying this game. I find the whole paradigm system to be challenging and quite fun. The game is very linear (which I don't mind) so if you're one of those people that likes open world games (Fallout 3 or Fable) then you might not like this. You basically have only one path to go down and that's it. From what I understand towards the end of the game it changes. My only complaint about the game is that so far the game is not very difficult. I remember playing FF7 and having a very difficult time with the first boss. I haven't yet experienced this so far in FF13 but I'm only on Chapter 8 so it might change.

Tales of Vesperia (XBox 360) - This is a great JRPG game. The combat is in real time and is quite fun and the story is pretty decent. There are many different environments and a ton of different enemies. You can see different weapons on your character(s) but their clothing armor stays the same for the most part(unless you find different accessories). I think I put in about 40 hours into this game and it was fun all the way through. It does have that cheesy/over-the-top JRPG dialogue so if you don't like that stuff it might turn you off. This game came out a few years ago so you can buy it for cheap.

Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) - This is probably one of the most fun RPGs I've played in a long time. If you're a fan of this genre and you have a PS3 you should definitely check this game out. Art style, sound, gameplay, everything is amazing. It reminds me of a game I used to play way back when on the PC called Incubation. This is also a fairly old game (couple of years) and you can find it for pretty cheap. I recommend this game.

My one question is what games can I buy, either from this generation of consoles (PS3/360) or last generation (PS2/XBox) that are like Valkyria Chronicles? I really enjoy the way the combat plays out; you have a set amount of action points to move and once you finish them up with all your players the opponent gets to go. I guess this is called a tactical RPG? I would love to play more of these games so if you have any recommendations please let me know!

[Hack&Lube]

After Oblivion, I think that every game should have the option to have both first and third person. Sadly, no games have this feature and therefore I rarely play them (I added a first person mod to GTA IV though and that changed the game to make it awesome). I guess Fallout 3 would count too but that game was terribly disappointing and I was colored by my memories of Fallout 1 and 2.


Back to the topic of RPGs, I kind of want to play Demon's Souls right now but I refuse to buy a PS3. Other than that, the only one I have played in the last 2 years is probably Neverwinter Nights 2 which I never completed but the fan made modules are fun. I can't stand the restrictive camera system though.

[icecube]

Go to nearest pawn shop or used video game store. Or e bay if need be, and grab these three titles.

Earthbound

Chrono Trigger

Final Fantasy III

Grab those three and get back to me in 4-6 months. You'll need two buckets. One for urine, the other for feces.

You"ll need a bulk pack of tissues because you will jizz in your pants more than a few times.

You'll need a phone with speed dial keys (dominos, chinese restaurants etc.)

You will need some form of caffeine. Jolt cola used to do the trick for me when they sold the stuff.

After you've finished them you will also need to get a life and a girlfriend. In the meantime though, ENJOY!

[Traditional_Ale]

I thought this was a thread about guns.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I thought this was a thread about guns.

A rocket propelled grenade is not a gun

[Traditional_Ale]

^

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by icecube

Go to nearest pawn shop or used video game store. Or e bay if need be, and grab these three titles.

Earthbound

Chrono Trigger

Final Fantasy III

Grab those three and get back to me in 4-6 months. You'll need two buckets. One for urine, the other for feces.

You"ll need a bulk pack of tissues because you will jizz in your pants more than a few times.

You'll need a phone with speed dial keys (dominos, chinese restaurants etc.)

You will need some form of caffeine. Jolt cola used to do the trick for me when they sold the stuff.

After you've finished them you will also need to get a life and a girlfriend. In the meantime though, ENJOY!

And since you'll already have the SNES, you should pick up A Link to the Past as well. It's easily one of the best video games of all time. OF ALL TIME.

[The Yen Man]

To this day, I still love traditional JRPG's. A part of it is the nostalgia factor. I remember being blown away by how deep FF1 was when I bought it for the NES. Even though I was only 10 or 11 at the time, I thought it was the most killer game I've ever played on my NES. Then I played FF3 (or FF6) and Chrono Trigger during my teen years, and man were those sweet games.

I know a lot of review sites talk about how random battles and grinding are dated, but I honestly don't mind it. I'm playing a couple DS JRPGS right now and I'm still loving how they feel, even when they have the aforementioned random battles and grinding.

Maybe it's because I'm resistant to change, but I find a lot of games these days way too complicated for my tastes. That includes some of the newer RPGs.

Edit: Just wanted to add that Xenogears is my all time favorite RPG. Could it have been better? It's too bad they ran out of funding and had to half ass the second disc, but the story more than makes up for any shortcomings it had.

[Roast Beef]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

To this day, I still love traditional JRPG's. A part of it is the nostalgia factor. I remember being blown away by how deep FF1 was when I bought it for the NES. Even though I was only 10 or 11 at the time, I thought it was the most killer game I've ever played on my NES. Then I played FF3 (or FF6) and Chrono Trigger during my teen years, and man were those sweet games.

I know a lot of review sites talk about how random battles and grinding are dated, but I honestly don't mind it. I'm playing a couple DS JRPGS right now and I'm still loving how they feel, even when they have the aforementioned random battles and grinding.

Maybe it's because I'm resistant to change, but I find a lot of games these days way too complicated for my tastes. That includes some of the newer RPGs.

Edit: Just wanted to add that Xenogears is my all time favorite RPG. Could it have been better? It's too bad they ran out of funding and had to half ass the second disc, but the story more than makes up for any shortcomings it had.

Xenogears was great. I never finished it however because around the 80 hour mark into the game something happened to my memory card and every saved game on it was corrupted. I just didn't have the energy to start again from scratch so I sold the game.

[FanIn80]

I'm disappointed that no one has mentioned the Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior in NA) series yet. It's widely considered to be the grandfather of the console JRPG.

I loved playing each game in the series... unlike Final Fantasy, where there are a few games that I was never able to get into.

Dragon Quest VIII on the PS2 was a bit easier than the earlier titles, but it was fun and showed a lot of promise for the series and its ability to cross over to the current gen systems. Unfortunately, though, it has yet to happen...

[icecube]

Originally Posted by Komskies

And since you'll already have the SNES, you should pick up A Link to the Past as well. It's easily one of the best video games of all time. OF ALL TIME.

Agreed 110 percent. But technically its not an rpg so I left it off the list.

warning: May need extra boxes of kleenex

[MickMcGeough]

I'm sure everyone is going to hit all the major console RPGs, so I'll stick to my all-time-must-play PC RPG list, in no particular order

Ultima VII (& pt 2)
Baldur's Gate 1, 2, 2.5
Neverwinter Nights
Morrowind
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I
Oblivion
Fallout 3 (yeah, missed the first two - still dig this game)
Dragon Age

[Frank MetaMusil]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

I'm sure everyone is going to hit all the major console RPGs, so I'll stick to my all-time-must-play PC RPG list, in no particular order

Ultima VII (& pt 2)
Baldur's Gate 1, 2, 2.5
Neverwinter Nights
Morrowind
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I
Oblivion
Fallout 3 (yeah, missed the first two - still dig this game)
Dragon Age

This one was the best, IMO:

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Roast Beef

Xenogears was great. I never finished it however because around the 80 hour mark into the game something happened to my memory card and every saved game on it was corrupted. I just didn't have the energy to start again from scratch so I sold the game.

I had a friend who loved this game, and I remember watching it and even becoming absorbed. The ending was awesome.

But the MUSIC is what made that game! Yasonari Mitsuda is equal to Nabuo Uematsu but doesn't get anywhere near the recognition and respect. When I was in Japan (omg, 10 years ago now! ) I remember being blown away at the racks and racks of Video Game Soundtracks at the CD stores. I bought FF8 soundtrack, FF8 as performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic, and Xenogears.

Guess which one I still listen to from time to time, as opposed to never?

[chalms04]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

A rocket propelled grenade is not a gun

I prefer the Carl Gustav anyways.

[Frank MetaMusil]

I don't know about the rest of you guys, but this was another one of my favorites in it's day:

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by Frank MetaMusil

This one was the best, IMO:

Possibly the best of that list - seems like too many apples & oranges to really pick one though.

[Johnny Canuck]

The Baldur's Gate 4 in 1 boxset is exceptional. You can get it for about twenty dollars these days, and can easily get 200 hours out of it.

Other RPG's that I've enjoyed over the years

Planescape Torment - PC
Shadowrun - SNES
Arcanum Of Steamworks And Magick Obscura - PC
Fallout 2 - PC

To the OP

Some Tactical RPG's you might enjoy are

Growlanswer: Generations - PS2
Gladius - PS2
Disgaea 1 and 2 - PS2
Suikoden Tactics - PS2
Vandal Hearts 2 - Xbox live arcade

[Cain]

Most have already been said, but I'll reiterate my favorites so you might see some trends in picks!
Computer:
Oblivion
Morrowind
Baldur's Gate 2 series

Console:
Final fantasy (american numbering) 2,3,7,X
Final fantasy tactics (seriously one of the best ff's ever. extremely underrated, very cool, but very different)
Xenogears

These are the cream of the crop imo, others are good as well, but these are the very top tier for me.

Edit: formatting is off.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I had a friend who loved this game, and I remember watching it and even becoming absorbed. The ending was awesome.

But the MUSIC is what made that game! Yasonari Mitsuda is equal to Nabuo Uematsu but doesn't get anywhere near the recognition and respect. When I was in Japan (omg, 10 years ago now! ) I remember being blown away at the racks and racks of Video Game Soundtracks at the CD stores. I bought FF8 soundtrack, FF8 as performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic, and Xenogears.

Guess which one I still listen to from time to time, as opposed to never?

I bought the Xenogears: CREID CD. Awesome CD. Mitsuda is great. I believe he is also the composer for Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, which also have killer soundtracks.