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Golden Era of RPGs: SNES, PS1 or PS2?
- Thread starter enigmatic_alex44
- Start date
PhilipDoesMatter
Member
Hard question for me. FF6 is my favorite game ever. But I should recognize the PS1 era was meatier, my favorite being Legend of Legaia.
EightBit Man
Member
When it comes to Japanese RPGs, well, the Super Famicom without a doubt. The games were more complex, graphically pleasing, and had great story-telling in them compared to the generation before that. When it comes to that, I do have a soft spot for the Famicom and PC-88 as well. In fact, that era might be considered vastly more important as well, but I think the height of the genre was reached between 1991 - 1996.
When I think of great Super Famicom RPGs, I don't necessary think of the now so beloved Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire, or even one of the Dragon Quest titles. I think of games like Tales of Phantasia, Star Ocean, Rudora no Hihō (Treasure of the Rudras), Solid Runner, Shin Megami Tensei, Silva Saga II, Seiken Densetsu 3, Front Mission, Bahamut Lagoon, Romancing Sa-Ga 3, etc.
Games I couldn't play back in the day, but was certainly familiar with because of magazines. Seeing these games in them left a huge impression on me, leaving me saddened time and time again that the games wouldn't be released in the West (and particularly here in Europe). Particularly UK's Super Play was both a blessing and a curse to read.
I had to do it with Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire II, Lufia, Soul Blazer, Terranigma, and Illusion of Time. Great games, but it was terrible in the sense that these were the major Japanese RPGs available here in Europe (and weren't really doing anything - outside of SoM). Final Fantasy VII would be the first (officially released) mainline title of the series released here in Europe. And Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger weren't officially released here either, even though some big shops decided to carry import copies of these two games for absolutely ridiculous prices. I was a fan of these kind of games, but even that kept me off.
When I think of great Super Famicom RPGs, I don't necessary think of the now so beloved Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire, or even one of the Dragon Quest titles. I think of games like Tales of Phantasia, Star Ocean, Rudora no Hihō (Treasure of the Rudras), Solid Runner, Shin Megami Tensei, Silva Saga II, Seiken Densetsu 3, Front Mission, Bahamut Lagoon, Romancing Sa-Ga 3, etc.
Games I couldn't play back in the day, but was certainly familiar with because of magazines. Seeing these games in them left a huge impression on me, leaving me saddened time and time again that the games wouldn't be released in the West (and particularly here in Europe). Particularly UK's Super Play was both a blessing and a curse to read.
I had to do it with Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire II, Lufia, Soul Blazer, Terranigma, and Illusion of Time. Great games, but it was terrible in the sense that these were the major Japanese RPGs available here in Europe (and weren't really doing anything - outside of SoM). Final Fantasy VII would be the first (officially released) mainline title of the series released here in Europe. And Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger weren't officially released here either, even though some big shops decided to carry import copies of these two games for absolutely ridiculous prices. I was a fan of these kind of games, but even that kept me off.
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Virex
Banned
Because it's as detrimental as Blu-Ray is detrimental to the industry
TheGreatYosh
Banned
PS1 for sure. Not only is it the greatest era for RPGs, the PS1 had the greatest single genre of any console.
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SpiceRacz
Member
I grew up playing more of the SNES rpg's, but PS1 was insane. Xenogears, Legend of Mana, Breath of Fire 3, FF 7 8 & 9, Star Ocean 2, Final Fantasy Tactics, Suikoden, Grandia, Wild Arms, Lunar, Chrono Cross, etc. Outside of all of the heavy hitters, there's a ton of B-tier RPGs that are really good as well.
V2Tommy
Member
V2Tommy
Member
You're not being serious, are you?
existensmaximum
Member
SNES, easily. Super beautiful 2D graphics vs hideous 3D (both PS1 and PS2). Also, less cutscenes and fluff. Faster, more fluid gameplay.
CloudStrife_ca
Member
PSone for me, I suppose thats when I really got into RPG's as a gamer, FFVII was obviously a game changer and still my fav game of all time. I went on to find other Squaresoft (at the time) gems like Star Ocean The Second Story, Valkyrie Profile. I do really love the RPG's I went back to play on the SNES afterwards FFVI, Earthbound.
Starlight Lotice
Member
You should have done 16-Bit, 32-Bit and Sixth Gen instead as you are missing so many classics with the Mega Drive, Saturn, N64 at el.
Pokemon is also not in any of those. (if you discount the DS)
Pokemon is also not in any of those. (if you discount the DS)
cartman414
Member
PS2>PS1>PSP=NDS/3DS>SNES.
PS2 when the genre was on fire and every console had to have a killer JRPG to compete, personally i cant go back to SNES JRPGs i get bored of them quickly.
On a final note Chrono Cross> Chrono Trigger.
See Ya don't @ me.
Heathen. SNES had the better FFs (only FF12 and to a lesser extent FF9 could hang in the same tier).
STARSBarry
Gold Member
for me PS2 if only because I adore GUST specifically the Ar Tonelico series, sadly in Europe we never got Mana Khemia 2, I really am going to have to emulate and play through it, However Ar Tonelico 2 is a game I would recommend any RPG fan play, It does share lore and even a fairly important character (and by far the best girl) from the first game in the series but its not required. It also has the single best leveling system for an RPG EVER! there is no contest
WHY HAS THIS NEVER BEEN USED IN ANY GAME THEY HAVE PRODUCED SINCE?!?! its genius
WHY HAS THIS NEVER BEEN USED IN ANY GAME THEY HAVE PRODUCED SINCE?!?! its genius
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
I hardly played JRPGs back in the day aside from Phantasy Star on Genesis.... and maybe if you actually call Zelda games on NES and SNES true RPGs.
But around that 1990-2000 era, PC RPGs were awesome..... Eye of Beholder, M&M, Ultima Underworlds, even action fodder like Dungeon Hack.
But around that 1990-2000 era, PC RPGs were awesome..... Eye of Beholder, M&M, Ultima Underworlds, even action fodder like Dungeon Hack.
sid2vicious
Banned
Oh sure if someone else necrobump its fine, but if I do it I get a slap in the wrist lol. Anyway my vote is PS1, any other answer is factually wrong. PS1 was the RPG system, while it had other genre, it was primarily RPG that shined the most. SNES is a close second, definitely has some strong contenders, especially Chrono Trigger, but I say the SNES is more than a RPG system, it's more of a Platformer system. PS2 wins in quantity but not quality, I'm literally still playing through them all as we speak and I'm bored shitless.
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MrCunningham
Member
This thread should be re-titles "Golden Era of JRPGs". There were a lot of PC/ micro computer style RPG's released around those periods as well.
SNES had the best FFs.
9 would sit at the same table, but it missed the bus due to battle speed and transitions.
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sid2vicious
Banned
Rean no Kiseki
Banned
FF12 is THE worst modern FF, it should be retiteld wasted potential the game, everything that this game did caused the decline of FF, single player MMO like battle system was done right in Xenoblade, the story is bad although the lore is great, characters are un-developed except for Balthier and Ash.
AND WHO COULD FORGET ABOUT STAR WARS!
FFXIII Trilogy being ridiculed and 12 being praised to high heaven will never not piss me off.
Supreme nostalgia goggles vision you got there friend, you can like and feel nostalgic about the 16bit Rpgs, but i for one don't yern for the days of primitive story telling, enemy AI, still enemy pixles and Woolseyism /Working Designs-ism.
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cartman414
Member
FF12 is THE worst modern FF, it should be retiteld wasted potential the game, everything that this game did caused the decline of FF, single player MMO like battle system was done right in Xenoblade, the story is bad although the lore is great, characters are un-developed except for Balthier and Ash.
AND WHO COULD FORGET ABOUT STAR WARS!
FFXIII Trilogy being ridiculed and 12 being praised to high heaven will never not piss me off.
Supreme nostalgia goggles vision you got there friend, you can like and feel nostalgic about the 16bit Rpgs, but i for one don't yern for the days of primitive story telling, enemy AI, still enemy pixles and Woolseyism /Working Designs-ism.
No, the decline of FF began with them spreading themselves too thin with FFXIII (though part of that could be blamed on PS3's development complexity spike).
FF12 was at least a lot more risky and inventive, even though the execs at SE messed with it by trying to stick Vaan in there, and the departure of Matsuno.
Also, if you try telling me FF8 is superior to FF5 you lose a testicle.
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Rean no Kiseki
Banned
It is superior, in everything but the battle system.
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FF12 is THE worst modern FF, it should be retiteld wasted potential the game, everything that this game did caused the decline of FF, single player MMO like battle system was done right in Xenoblade, the story is bad although the lore is great, characters are un-developed except for Balthier and Ash.
AND WHO COULD FORGET ABOUT STAR WARS!
FFXIII Trilogy being ridiculed and 12 being praised to high heaven will never not piss me off.
Supreme nostalgia goggles vision you got there friend, you can like and feel nostalgic about the 16bit Rpgs, but i for one don't yern for the days of primitive story telling, enemy AI, still enemy pixles and Woolseyism /Working Designs-ism.
Hell to the nah., neighbor.
FF6 is still the best FF of all time.
I play it often - sometimes twice a year.
It holds up beautifully.
As does FF4 (arguably a NES title?).
FF5 has a basic as can be story, but the mechanics are Godlike.
Nothing in the 3D games is even close, except 9, maybe Tactics.
It is superior, in everything but the battle system.
No story is still a better story than FF8's story.
FF8 is so awful, it was designed with sucking in mind.
FF6 was trash!
Your master wants its bait back.
sid2vicious
Banned
That's some strong crack you smoking. FF6 best of all time? Then why is Chrono Trigger regarded as the best RPG on the system? I tell you why because even Chrono Trigger would be a better Final Fantasy game than 6 was.
Wolfgang Jr
Banned
SNES > Dreamcast >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Everything else.
Rean no Kiseki
Banned
To each their own, will agree to disagree.
A JRPG with no story is an under-developed one.
We can sit here and debate all day long but the fact that remains is FF7-10 was the series hay day critically and commercially and not amount of kicking and screaming is going to change that, it's the same with RE4 some fans are still pissed that it's more succeful then REmake.
FF6 fan sudden declaration of it being the best FF was a knee jerk reaction to FF7 sudden shift to PlayStation and it becoming the most succeful JRPG and the face of the genre on a new platform, old Nintendo fans and Yamauchi never recovered from that.
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I cannot tell you why someone would view Chrono Trigger as the best RPG on the SNES.
It isn't.
Chrono Trigger was decent for what it was.
But its battle system was utterly lackluster, being inevitably held back by its 3 character party limit.
Its character beats were good, but not FF6 good.
FF6 was a masterpiece, and one of the three best games on the SNES (the other two being ALttP and Super Metroid).
The top 3 SNES RPGs would be FF6, FF4, and Lufia 2, imo.
Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3 are right up there.
sid2vicious
Banned
Opinion aside, in FF6 the enemies don't even animate! I mean how cheap is that? In Chrono Trigger and every subsequent FF game had enemies that were programmed to move! I don't want to play a visual novel, I want to play a videogame!
Rean no Kiseki
Banned
I agree. FF5 was an underdeveloped RPG.
FF8 was a BADLY developed RPG.
As was FF7, albeit to a lesser degree.
There is no knee-jerk reaction, here. Get a grip. I played all of them, each when they released.
FF6 is god-emperor of them all.
(No Ke[f]k-a)
Maybe, someday, another FF shall come along that shall supplant FF6's place as king of the heap... but that day hasn't come yet. And 2 decades out, it doesn't look llikely.
Grandia 2 has THE best battle system in any JRPG, ever - hands down.
And Skies of Arcadia had epic exploration.
Those are a couple of very compelling points - particularly the first.
But beyond those two games?
Yeah.
I've got nothing.
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sid2vicious
Banned
Lets talk about FF6 settings for a moment. Other than towns > caves > castle > more towns > more caves > towers? What else do I have to look forward to?
Wolfgang Jr
Banned
Well, that's I really need
EDIT: I lie, I sank a LOT of hours into Phantasy Star Online.
And well, there is Shenmue.
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Rean no Kiseki
Banned
Grandia 3's battle system surrpassed it, and that was back in 2003-4 since then JRPG battle systems has evolved and are better then they were, Tales of Graces F alone mops the floor with both, i suggest you play more JRPGs and take off those nostalgia goggles, FF1-9 has a place in history but they've long been surpassed, they are still great game but the genre is ever evolving and clinging to the past too much will do no good to the genre or new games in the series.
Grandia 3's battle system surrpassed it, and that was back in 2003-4 since then JRPG battle systems has evolved and are better then they were, Tales of Graces F alone mops the floor with both, i suggest you play more JRPGs and take off those nostalgia goggles, FF1-9 has a place in history but they've long been surpassed, they are still great game but the genre is ever evolving and clinging to the past too much will do no good to the genre or new games in the series.
Nah.
Grandia 3 did no such thing.
Tales of Gaces F had suck a godawful story, it made FF8's Barf's Tale almost reswallowable, comparatively. My god, what a steaming pile of wasted character renders, was that. And the battle system was still lesser than Grandia 2's.
FF6 is still eminently playable to this very day.
You couldn't PAY me to waste my time playing FF7 or 8... much less the ironically numbered least of the Grandias, far less Tales of Assmell.
Oh, so now you're reduced to reducing it to its environments, are you?
A floating continent, for starters.
2 distinct Worlds.
The Veldt.
An Opera House.
Plenty of forests (mind the T-Rexes).
And lots more if I could be arsed to think of them at 12:15 a.m. on a work day.
But I can't. So yeah.
EDIT:
Oh yeah.
A Ghost Train.
...that your Monk can suplex to death.
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sid2vicious
Banned
Riiiiiight... Well let me know when FF6 revolutionize something the same way FF7 did. Also comparing a late gen game like FF6 to early gen game like FF7 isn't exactly fair, comparing it to 6 to 9 and 4 to 7 would be more appropriate. Meanwhile Chrono Trigger managed to overshadow FF6 on same gen console, while early gen FF7 revolutionize JRPG as a whole, wake me when FF6 does the same.
cartman414
Member
It is superior, in everything but the battle system.
In short, FF5 is a better game, period.
You want story, read a book, watch a movie, or heck, play a play novel.
cartman414
Member
Riiiiiight... Well let me know when FF6 revolutionize something the same way FF7 did. Also comparing a late gen game like FF6 to early gen game like FF7 isn't exactly fair, comparing it to 6 to 9 and 4 to 7 would be more appropriate. Meanwhile Chrono Trigger managed to overshadow FF6 on same gen console, while early gen FF7 revolutionize JRPG as a whole, wake me when FF6 does the same.
Are you for real? Only thing FF7 threw into the mix was 3d and FMV cutscenes.
It was simply a doubling down of trends starting from FF6, only with less character differentiation (materia system made them largely interchangeable).
Also, non-animated sprites for an RPG from its era is such a dumb complaint.
FF5 was still better than FF4 as well.
When you have something that replayable, who cares if the story is forgettable?
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Riiiiiight... Well let me know when FF6 revolutionize something the same way FF7 did. Also comparing a late gen game like FF6 to early gen game like FF7 isn't exactly fair, comparing it to 6 to 9 and 4 to 7 would be more appropriate. Meanwhile Chrono Trigger managed to overshadow FF6 on same gen console, while early gen FF7 revolutionize JRPG as a whole, wake me when FF6 does the same.
FF7 absolutely revolutionized mediocrity.
Before FF7, most gamers would give bland, anemic games a hard pass.
FF7 brought polygon hair and acceptance.
Rat Rage
Member
They are not "more like" action adventures. They ARE action adventures!
Rodolink
Member
Yeah of course, that's what I meant xD I remember how in magazines of the 90s they were called RPGs but it's just a matter of genre, still a matter of discussion in game studies.