My intended RPG games

[Yuri]

Why hello, it's been a while. As some of you know, I am an avid RPG player. Lately I've, out of boredom, been listening to RPG music lists such as Underwolrd23's and SetyII's. This has introduced me to many titles that I'd never heard of. Many of them received lots of positive commentaries (I know it is Youtube, shut it). Since I'd long made a point to try and play classic RPG series and standalone titles, I figured I would write them down along with the new names. This is mostly a reference for myself.

So, I ask for your opinion on the series, things I should be aware and other input you judge relevant. There are probably other good ones that I am missing or am simply ignorant to their existance.

Here they are, separated by series name. I've only included the true RPGs titles (no pinball or other nonsense). Also excluded are tactical RPGs like Fire Emblem and Shining Force because I hate the genre. Some are there for the sake of completion, like MMMORPGs, that I dislike, Pokémon (lol) and current generation games, which I will likely take a long time to get my hands on. Unfortunately, the DS is also part of that. At least not the PSP though, which also happens to be my main platform for gaming these days, both native and emulated.

Between parentheses notes like only avaiable in Japan (JP), name of a remake, etcetera. In italics are other notes relative to gameplay. Also note when I say Famicom, I mean it. That is, it is Japan only. NES implies US and JP. Some platforms were deliberately ommited because they are mostly irrelevant (WonderSwan, for instance).

Breath of Fire

Breath of Fire – SNES, GBA
Breath of Fire II – SNES, GBA
Breath of Fire III – PSONE, PSP
Breath of Fire IV – PSONE, PSP
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter – PS2

Chrono

Chrono Trigger - SNES
Radical Dreamers – Satellaview (english patch by DemiForce)
Chrono Cross - PSONE

Dragon Quest (aka Dragon Warrior in West)

Dragon Quest - NES, SNES, GBC, Satellaview, Wii
Dragon Quest II - NES, Super Famicom, GBC, Wii
Dragon Quest III - NES, Super Famicom, GBC, Wii
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen - NES (DQ IV), PSONE, DS
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - Super Famicom, PS2, DS
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation - Super Famicom, DS
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - PS2
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, PS2
Dragon Quest X - Wii

Fallout

Fallout – Windows
Fallout 2 – Windows
Fallout 3 – Windows, 360, PS3
Fallout: New Vegas – Windows, 360, PS3
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel – Windows
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel – Windows

Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy – NES, GBA, PSONE, PSP, Virtual Console, PSN
Final Fantasy II - Famicom, GBA, PSONE, PSP, Virtual Console, PSN
Final Fantasy III – Famicom, DS, Virtual Console
Final Fantasy IV – SNES (known as FF II in West), GBA, DS, PSONE, Virtual Console
Final Fantasy V – Super Famicom, GBA, PSONE, Virtual Console, PSN
Final Fantasy VI – SNES (known as FF III in West), GBA, PSONE, Virtual Console
Final Fantasy VI: The After Years – WiiWare, PSP (PSP’s version has the original and an extra story)
Final Fantasy VII – PSONE, Windows, PSN
Final Fantasy VIII – PSONE, Windows, PSN
Final Fantasy IX - PSONE
Final Fantasy X – PS2
Final Fantasy X-2 – PS2
Final Fantasy XI – PS2, Windows, PSN (MMORPG)
Final Fantasy XII – PS2
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings – DS
Final Fantasy XIII - PS3, 360
Final Fantasy XIII-2 - PS3, 360
Final Fantasy XIV – Windows (MMORPG)
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - PSP

Golden Sun

Golden Sun – GBA
Golden Sun 2: The Lost Age – GBA
Golden Sun 3: Dark Dawn – DS

Grandia

Grandia – Saturn, PSONE, PSN
Grandia II – Dreamcast, Windows, PS2
Grandia III – PS2
Grandia: Parallel Trippers – GBC (version of Grandia)
Grandai Xtreme – PS2

Lufia

Lufia & the Fortress of Doom – SNES
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals – SNES
Lufia: The Legend Returns – GBC
Lufia: The Ruins of Lore – GBA
Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals - DS (re-imagining of Lufia 2 with modified story and characters, as well as being an action RPG)

Mana

Final Fantasy Adventure – Game Boy
Secret of Mana – SNES
Seiken Densetsu 3 – Super Famicon
Legend of Mana – PSONE
Sword of Mana – GBA
Children of Mana - DS
Friends of Mana – Mobile Phone
Dawn of Mana – PS2
Heroes of Mana – DS

Megami Tensei

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei – Famicom
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II – Famicom
Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei – Super Famicom (Remakes of Megami Tensei and Megami Tensei II)
Shin Megami Tensei – Super Famicom, Windows, Sega CD, PSONE, GBA, Virtual Console
Shin Megami Tensei II – Super Famicom, PSONE, GBA, Virtual Console
Shin Megami Tensei if... – Super Famicom, PSONE (side story to the main Shin Megami Tensei story)
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne – PS2 (Director's cut version entitled Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniacs released in JP, NA (Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne) and EU (Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call))
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey – DS
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga – PS2
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 – PS2
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner – Saturn, PSP
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers – Saturn, PSONE
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army – PS2
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon – PS2
Revelations: Persona – PSONE, Windows, PSP (Shin Megami Tensei: Persona)
Persona 2: Innocent Sin – PSONE, PSP
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment – PSONE
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 – PS2, PSP (Persona 3 Portable) (Re-released as Persona 3: FES with enhancements)
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 – PS2
Devil Children: Red Book/Black Book – GBC, PSONE
Devil Children: White Book – GBC
DemiKids: Light Version/Dark Version – GBC
Devil Children: Book of Fire/Book of Ice – GBA
Devil Children: Messiah Riser – GBA (RTS)
Revelations: The Demon Slayer – GB, Game Gear, GBC
Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible II – GB, GBC
Another Bible – GB
Last Bible III – Super Famicom
Last Bible Special – Game Gear
Majin Tensei – Super Famicom
Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis – Super Famicom, Windows
Ronde – Saturn
Majin Tensei Blind Thinker – Mobile Phones
Jack Bros. – Virtual Boy
Giten Megami Tensei: Tōkyō Mokushiroku – PC98, Windows
Shin Megami Tensei: NINE – Xbox
Aegis: The First Mission – Mobile Phones (based on Persona 3)
Shin Megami Tensei Online: Imagine – Windows (MMORPG)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor – DS

Mother

Mother – Famicom, GBA
Earthbound (aka Mother 2 in JP) – SNES, GBA
Mother 3 – GBA

Shadow Hearts

Koudelka – PSONE
Shadow Hearts – PS2
Shadow Hearts: Covenant – PS2
Shadow Hearts: From the New World – PS2

Phantasy Star

Phantasy Star – Master System
Phantasy Star II – Mega Drive
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom – Mega Drive
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium – Mega Drive
Phantasy Star Collection – Saturn, PS2, 360, PS3
Phantasy Star Generation 1 – PS2 (enhanced remake of Phantasy
Star)
Phantasy Star Generation 2 – PS2 (enhanced remake of Phantasy
Star II)
Phantasy Star Gaiden – Game Gear (JP)
Phantasy Star Adventure – Game Gear (JP) (text RPG)
Phantasy Star II Text Adventures – Sega Meganet (JP), Sega CD
(JP) (text RPG)
Phantasy Star Universe – PS2, 360 (MMORPG)
Phantasy Star Online series – too many to list and all MMORPGS

Pokémon

Pokémon Green – GB
Pokémon Red – GB
Pokémon Blue – GB
Pokémon Yellow – GB
Pokémon Gold – GBC
Pokémon Silver – GBC
Pokémon Crystal – GBC
Pokémon Ruby – GBA
Pokémon Sapphire – GBA
Pokémon Emerald – GBA
Pokémon Diamond – DS
Pokémon Pearl – DS
Pokémon Platinum – DS
Pokémon Black – DS
Pokémon White – DS

SaGa

The Final Fantasy Legend – Game Boy
Final Fantasy Legend II – Game Boy, DS
Final Fantasy Legend III – Game Boy, DS
Romancing SaGa – Super Famicom, PS2
Romancing SaGa 2 – Super Famicom
Romancing SaGa 3 – Super Famicom
SaGa Frontier – PS2
SaGa Frontier 2 – PS2
Unlimited Saga – PS2

Star Ocean

Star Ocean – Super Famicom, PSP (SO: First Departure)
Star Ocean: The Second Story – PSONE, PSP (SO: Second Evolution)
Star Ocean: Blue Sphere – Game Boy Color
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time – PS2
Star Ocean: The Last Hope – PS3, XBOX360

Tales

Tales of Phantasia – Super Famicom, PSONE, PSP, GBA
Tales of Destiny – PSONE, PS2
Tales of Eternia (aka Tales of Destiny II in US) – PSONE, PSP
Tales of Destiny 2 – PS2, PSP
Tales of Symphonia – GC, PS2
Tales of Rebirth – PS2
Tales of Legendia – PS2
Tales of the Abyss – PS2
Tales of Innocence – DS
Tales of Vesperia – 360, PS3
Tales of Hearts – DS
Tales of Graces – Wii
Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon – GBC
Tales of the Tempest – DS

Terranigma

Terranigma – SNES

Valkyrie Profile

Valkyrie Profile – PSONE, PSP (VP: Lenneth)
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria – PS2
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume – DS

Wild Arms

Wild Arms – PSONE, PS2 (WA Alter Code F)
Wild Arms 2 – PSONE
Wild Arms 3 – PS2
Wild Arms 4 – PS2
Wild Arms 5 – PS2
Wild Arms XF – PSP (Tactical RPG)

Xenogears

Xenogears – PSONE
Xenosaga Episode I: De Wille zur Macht – PS2
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse – PS2
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra – PS2
Xenoblade Chronicles – Wii

Ys

Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished – Famicom, Master System, Windows (Ys Eternal), DS (Ys Eternal)
Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter – Famicom, Master System, Windows (Ys Eternal), DS (Ys Eternal)
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys – Famicom, TurboGrafx-16, Mega Drive, SNES, PlayStation 2
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun – Super Famicom, PS2
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys - TurboGrafx-16 (Non-canon game developed by Hudson Soft. Also released under the title "Ys IV")
Ys V: Kefin, The Lost City of Sand – Super Famicom, PS2
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim – Windows, PS2, PSP
Ys: The Oath in Felghana – Windows, PSP (re-imagined remake of Ys III, intended to make the game's events fit in better with the overarching plot in later games)
Ys Origins – Windows
Ys Strategy – DS
Ys Online: The Call of Solum – Windows (MMORPG)
Ys Seven - PSP

 

[Fatecrashers]

I notice that the Megaman Battle Network and Mario RPG series are conspicuously absent from your list =(

 

[Alan]

explosives are a kind of cheap tactic in any game. :/

 

[Nastyjungle]

Mother is a fantastic but short series of games.

If you want an RPG game that will kick your ass and then some, try out the original Mother. It is insanely tough, and only being in Japanese (I can't find a working rom nor patch no matter how much I search) only serves to make it harder. I can't comment that much further because I haven't even come close to beating it because I am too shitty for it I guess.

On the other hand, I can't count how many times I have played Earthbound (Mother 2). I can probably say I have about 200$ worth of Earthbound/Mother 3 merchandise, not including copies of the game I own. I can't say much about it that hasn't already been said about it by other people, incredibly quirky and just fun overall. I love the characters and Porky as well as the final boss. While I would say that Earthbound falls short on gameplay compared to Mother 3, I'd say it has a great deal more personality and much better characters (I know lots of people will disagree with me on that).

Mother 3 basically improved on every single gameplay aspect of Earthbound. Just as fun to play, (if not slightly less strange) and with an engaging story that will make you emotional. I like it basically every bit as much as I like Earthbound, but I don't care for the main party characters (again, I know Mother fans will tsk me).

Lots of people don't care about the chronology of the Mother series and just play them in whatever order, but I would recommend to anybody wanting to give them a try to play Earthbound first (considering many people skip the original altogether, which I think is fine). All three of the games have a loose story line that crosses over all of them, but I feel like Mother 3 means a lot more when you've already played Earthbound in particular.

 

[Temperantia]

You may want to add to your list under Terranigma.

It is actually third in a series of loosely connected SNES games. Starting with Soul Blazer, continuing with Illusion of Gaia and ending with Terranigma.

Of the three I'd say Soul Blazer is the best because of its originality and interesting story; although, Terranigma is JP only, so I've never played it...

 

[Bologo]

Mother is a fantastic but short series of games.
If you want an RPG game that will kick your ass and then some, try out the original Mother. It is insanely tough, and only being in Japanese (I can't find a working rom nor patch no matter how much I search) only serves to make it harder. I can't comment that much further because I haven't even come close to beating it because I am too shitty for it I guess.

Just search for Earthbound Zero (the fan localized name). It was officially localized in English, it just wasn't released, and one person had a real version of the game (most likely a prototype) and people bought it off of him and hacked it onto a rom (the demiforce hack).

Mother 1 wasn't too hard as long as you had enough money for the new equipment in each town. It just has the old-game syndrome where level grinding is a must.

--

As for the list, the Legend of Heroes series is pretty good, at least from what I've played for the PSP. In Tear of Vermillion though, there are a lot of random grammar and spelling errors throughout it, but nothing that makes it impossible to read or understand.

For Breath of Fire II, please be aware that the original translation is absolute garbage and it makes no sense whatsoever. Literally, in the first sentence of the game, there's a grammar error. It starts getting incomprehensible later on. :/ There is a re-translation patch, so if you do plan to play that game, use that patch. It will make the game MUCH more bearable.

 

[Yuri]

Oh damn, I forgot the Mario RPG series. I am an heretic. Don't know about Megaman, I'd have to look into that.

I also forgot to mention that a number of them I've already beaten, namenly Chrono series, Breath of Fire series (except Dragon Quarter and yes, I plan to play the retranslated verion of 2 soon), Golden Sun series (minus Dark Dawn), Lufia 1, Fallout 3, Grandia 1, Super Mario RPG, Superstar Saga, Partners in Time, Pokémon Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Final Fantasy 1 and 2.

Currently playing Final Fantasy 3 and New Vegas. I am all for a substantially difficult RPG. It is really anti-climatic to walk a three-hours long dungeon to beat the boss without even trying. Let alone the last boss. Challenge makes the experience that much more enjoyable. Speak of which, I got my ass handed to me by the Salamander boss earlier today in Final Fantasy 3 three times. I tried slightly different approaches and failed in all of them. Then I said fuck it and switched everyone to Red Wizards because of the Magic Defense. That cost me almost all my money for equipment and half my Capacity points but heh it worked. Golden Sun in particular was well done in that regard as while the main quest is only moderately hard the optional bosses, in particular Star Magician and Dullahan, make you THINK instead of pressing random buttons.

 

[LonelyNess]

Battle Network isn't really an RPG in the traditional sense. It's a card (chip) based battle game. Kind of like Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories.

Also on that note, you're missing the Kingdom Hearts series.

 

[Nastyjungle]

Just search for Earthbound Zero (the fan localized name). It was officially localized in English, it just wasn't released, and one person had a real version of the game (most likely a prototype) and people bought it off of him and hacked it onto a rom (the demiforce hack).

Mother 1 wasn't too hard as long as you had enough money for the new equipment in each town. It just has the old-game syndrome where level grinding is a must.

Oh well now I feel stupid :( I found one that finally worked.
I swear every single rom for EB0 has not agreed with my emulator at all.
I have it on the Mother/Mother 2 GBA pack, but going through it first time with the Japanese was just a bit much for me. I try to avoid grinding at all costs so that is probably my issue with it.

 

[gingbino11]

The Elder Scrolls is another series that should probably go on this list.

 

[SEO]

The Infamous series is considered one of the best games on the PS3 right now. I would certainly give those two a shot.

 

[monkfish]

what, no Dragon Age: Origins??

 

[versailles]

no 9thquest.exe?

eh fuck it no one here will get that

 

[ungulateman]

If you don't mind needing to shoot things the original Mass Effect is nice

(the sequel is too actiony for the list but the original still fits)

 

[Glen]

ys is a fantastic action rpg series that really deserves a lot more love, i've always preferred its gameplay to zelda. the first few games are really alienating and haven't aged too well, but the psp releases (barring napishtim which is a horrid, horrid port of a great ps2/computer title) are addictive and well-polished.

i didn't enjoy secret of mana (i know, im a monster) but seiken densetsu 3 is arguably one of the best games of its era. the class system is so artfully set up and engaging, my only complaint is that there isn't more to do. not to say it's a short game by any means, it just goes so deep compared to most games of its length that you end up begging for more. despite the eye-popping number of classes, they're all surprisingly balanced and you can play through the game even hundreds of times without using the same team twice. another action rpg powerhouse.

lufia 1 sucks. i wish i could like it. the intro scene where you play as heroes whose stories are elucidated upon further in lufia 2 is a really cool element, very ahead of its time. unfortunately it has not aged well. the difficulty spikes are jerky and awkward, which normally i find endearing in games but it's compounded with unforgivable stuff like lack of a run button.

lufia 2, however, is one of the best rpgs ever made. charming and surprisingly difficult puzzles, bumpin' soundtrack, somewhat interesting plot. it also has the ancient cave which is undeniably a roguelike masterpiece. seriously, if you like pokemon mystery dungeon, play this game the 10-15 hours it takes to get to the ancient cave and then enjoy spending hundreds of hours trying to beat it fully. it's one of the best and earliest nods to truly hardcore players. you enter the cave, you're reverted back to level 1 with no equipment/items. there are 99 floors with enemies that go up in level as you descend, and there are red treasure chests containing items/equipment. very rarely, however, you'll encounter a blue treasure chest with an extremely powerful piece of equipment that you're allowed to bring outside the cave to use in the main game, and also bring back into the cave on later visits. there are no save points but at some point around floor 20 you'll have the option of escaping. it's usually your best bet to do several runs from 1-20 to get a few pieces of blue equipment before trying to make your way down fully. don't use save states for this one guys, it's one of the few genuine challenges in an oldschool rpg. let the anxiousness of death and a progress wipe soak in.

i have yet to play the lufia 2 remake but ive heard its a lot like recent ys games (right down to the flaming red hair lol) so id love to try it out.

 

[Doomsday]

Hey brasilian noob. Lately I've been giving my old PSOne a lot of use 'cuz my ps2 broke down :( so with this mind, I recommend you (if you haven't played them already) Legend of Dragoon, a final fantasy style RPG by sony with 4 CDs and a pretty cool timing based battle system and also Digimon World which is a combination of a tamagotchi and a fighting-monster RPG.

 

[capefeather]

Speak of which, I got my ass handed to me by the Salamander boss earlier today in Final Fantasy 3 three times. I tried slightly different approaches and failed in all of them. Then I said fuck it and switched everyone to Red Wizards because of the Magic Defense.

Which version are you playing? I've been playing the NES/Famicom version (and the 1999 translation, not the 2005 one) and I'm almost done, so I'll say that it's a very, very good RPG, almost on par with the SNES titles, even. Assuming you are playing the Famicom version (you did refer to Red WIZARDS), it might have helped to develop White and Black Wizards (throughout the game, even), so that they had higher magic attack multipliers (yes, they have them, too!) to make Salamander a bit more... fair.

Also, the final boss is so, so evil...

It is really anti-climatic to walk a three-hours long dungeon to beat the boss without even trying. Let alone the last boss.

I've always maintained that, in Final Fantasy I, the enemies are overpowered, rather than the bosses being underpowered. If you didn't have to grind to get through some of the parts, the bosses might have had a bit more presence... In FF2, it kind of sucks that you get ridiculously broken instant death spells (Toad/Mini in NES, Teleport in later versions because they were retarded enough to give it 50% base accuracy) to lol at both enemies and bosses.

"Aww man, guys, I told you we should have killed the Emperor instead of just turning him into a Toad..."

 

[WaterBomb]

Role Playing Games Games?

(to stay on topic, Final Fantasy Tactics and VI are the two best of that series, and Final Fantasy I is the most challenging)

Also, I know you hate MMOs, but I've been playing one called Nexus: The Kingdom Of The Winds for about 13 years now, and it's pretty cool.

PS don't ever waste your time with Legend of Dragoon. It sucks hard.

 

[Glen]

PS don't ever waste your time with Legend of Dragoon. It sucks hard.

agreed, i could not enjoy that game at all.

sorry doomers, but you know we're still on the same wavelength when it comes to digimon world 1 (which, by the way, is my favourite game for ps1. ive decided i like it a bit more than monster rancher 2 if only because its more immersive)

 

[Oglemi]

lol I love how the OP's name is Yuri and I'm currently (almost 100% completed) playing Tales of Vesperia (Yuri is the main character btw).

I've only played Tales of Symphonia 1 & 2 and now Tales of Vesperia for the Tales series, and I have to say that they are by far some of my most favorite games ever. The style, the music, the gameplay, the characters (though the comedy is severely lacking in ToV), pretty much everything. But really, the fighting gameplay in the Tales series is the real reason why I love them so much. If you are like me and don't really like turn-based fighting, then the Tales games are definitely for you. The live-action fighting (a la Super Smash Bros.) is fantastic, and unlike ssb, you have a fully dimensional field, not just a 2D one.

The only thing I don't like about the Tales games is, well the dialogue. The characters can at times be funny, but there are some moments in each of the games that I've played where what they say is sooooo cringe-worthy and LAME. Honestly if it wasn't for the fighting system, I'd mark the Tales series as some of the worst games I've played because of that. Thankfully, the creators of the games know that some of the dialogue is super lame and they make fun of themselves occasionally through the cast and voice acting, but, ugh, sometimes it's so bad.

Another thing about the Tales games is just so obnoxiously complex the storyline can get. Which, in some aspects makes it great because it gets you involved in the story and feel for the characters, but othertimes it just really stretches out the playing time, to the point where you can spend 2-3 hours (particularly the beginning of ToS 2) just running around and talking.

I haven't played any Final Fantasy games in a loooooong time though, except for the two Tactics games for the DS (which are fantastic). Does anybody have any recommendations for which of the FF games I should start with if I want to get into the series? (other than any for the NES).

 

[WaterBomb]

Does anybody have any recommendations for which of the FF games I should start with if I want to get into the series? (other than any for the NES).

The most universal starting point for the majority of FF fans is inevitably going to be VII. This game, when it was released in the US, took the country by storm and really popularized the series. I wouldn't say it's the best of the whole series, but it's in the top 5, and certainly among the most addictive. If you want to get hooked, start with VII. If you want to start with the best overall game, try VI (can get for GBA or PSone) or Tactics (PSone, NOT the GB version).

tl;dr start with VII and once you're hooked go from there.

 

[Layell]

I'll give my input on the tales games, I've only played a few. (EDIT: Even though I was ninja'd by Oglemi.)

I tried to get into Phantasia on the GBA but it was really hard, and I lost the game cartridge at some point. This one is really repetitive and if I remember correctly does involve some level grinding. Although it's plot ties into the Symphonia games.

Symphonia is a great game and much more fun, you have a choice to have your characters learn from I believe Tech or Strike moves as they level up. You may want to read a guide on that part because some characters shine with one set over the other.

Symphonia 2 is crap. The only thing it has over the first one is that the animation is more fluid. I think the graphics are worse somehow. There is no overworld, characters from the last game appear as "guest characters" and can't be leveled up while you have them. You can collect monsters and at a certain point they become just much more powerful than your human characters. You only ever have two human characters you can level up, and you can't control monsters (the other console tales games have multiplayer which can be really fun).

Vesperia is a nice game considering how RPG starved teh 360 was. The big thing with this is that you can learn skills from weapons, so while you can't chain combos like in Symphonia right away, as you grow you can learn more skills and really branch out.


With all the tales games don't be fooled by the standard RPG plot, most of the time it will flip it around on you and try to deconstruct it.

 

[Oglemi]

Symphonia 2 is crap. The only thing it has over the first one is that the animation is more fluid. I think the graphics are worse somehow. There is no overworld, characters from the last game appear as "guest characters" and can't be leveled up while you have them. You can collect monsters and at a certain point they become just much more powerful than your human characters. You only ever have two human characters you can level up, and you can't control monsters (the other console tales games have multiplayer which can be really fun).

I mostly agree with you here. I forgot about the no overworld (another thing that pissed me off) but I didn't mind not having more than two characters personally. I thought it was kind of neat to go around and have to collect monsters (tales trying to jump on the Pokemon wagon???), and getting all of the different evolution branches is a lot of fun (I still have to do a third playthrough to get all of them >.>).

I was super pissed I didn't get to play as Presea or Genis though... that part was major suckish.

EDIT: Also, Emil is by far the worst character of all time for any game ever, and unfortunately he's the main character >.>

 

[Tortferngatr]

Might as well link to the start of a gem of a series: http://www.kongregate.com/games/Pseudolonewolf/mardek-rpg-chapter-1

Mardek is probably the best series of Flash RPGs I've ever played. Save transfer is a godsend (as you get to keep your best skills,) the music is phenomenal, the graphics are clean enough, and it affectionately pokes fun at the JRPG genre. Plot isn't half-bad either. You need the guide for chapter 3 (especially the myriad secrets, and MAYBE the Chapter 2 secrets...) but I very much recommend it. (The fact that it has console-like playtime doesn't hurt either...seriously, a game from all three chapters can take well over 30 hours.)

 

[Doomsday]

legend of dragoon is pretty much a guilty pleasure for me. i like the battle mechanics and the story a lot, although the dialog is pretty shitty