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Help me decide which old JRPG to play next...

F

Fusebox

Banned
Guys I'm trying to figure out which JRPG I should sink my next 60 hours of gameplay into. I've already got the following games, I've checked out the start of some of them but still can't choose which one to stick with. Which of these would you play first?

Trails in the Sky
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Suikoden
Xenogears
Legend of Mana
FFIII-VI

Or something else? Would prefer it to be compatible with Vita or n3DS so I can play it everywhere.

I like games like Tales of Eternia, Persona, Jeanne D'Arc, FFVII, Chrono Cross, SMT Strange Journey - etc.
 
N

nivorae

Member
wouldn't categorise Trails as an old JRPG but it's my favourite in the list, or Suikoden

both had a lot of impact after half of the game
 
D

Dio

Banned
The best game on that list is also one of the greatest remakes of all time: Ys Oath in Felghana.

It's an Action RPG, though, so you're not going to get turn-based combat or anything or an indepth story - it's all about super hard bosses, badass music and twitch reactions.

If you value story over game mechanics, Trails has the most indepth story out of any of them and leads right into its sequel, Trails in the Sky Second Chapter which might as well be the second half of the "duology" which is thought of as one game since saves carry over.

nivorae said:
wouldn't categorise Trails as an old JRPG but it's my favourite in the list, or Suikoden

both had a lot of impact after half of the game
Click to expand...

Trails came out 11 years ago, I'd say that's pretty old.
 
S

Se7enSword

Banned
Ys The Oath in Felghana is one of my favorite Ys games and is at most 20~25 hours long. it's all about the gameplay for this title.

Trails in the Sky Series is amazing, but I assume you have both games, FC and SC. If you get hooked onto it...you'll be sinking more than 60 hours easily :p

It has amazing lore, great characters and an overarching plot that spans several games!

If you like turn-based gameplay, go with Trails in the Sky series. If you like a high speed action RPG, go with Ys.
 
S

Sophia

Member
Oath in Felghana probably won't last you 60 hours, nor will Suikoden. Xenogears will, but the later part of the game has more reading than gameplay.

Trails in the Sky is great. Maybe start with that one? Or Oath in Felghana.
 
A

AshamanX

Neo Member
I'm a big fan of Suikoden. If you can follow it up with Suikoden II, that is one of my favorite games of all time.

Runner up, Xenogears.
 
StereoVsn

StereoVsn

Member
Trails FC is the right answer, followed up by Trails SC. Alternatively Suikiden, followed up by Suikoden 2. However, you just should go for Trails.

FFVI is great but Vita version has slow loading times.
Edit: Saw OP played Chrono Chross but no mention of Chrono Trigger. That's another option.
 
D

Daouzin

Member
Since you mention 60 hours+ I recommend Xenogears, but personally of all those I think Suikoden is best because you'll get sucked in and will need to play Suikoden 2 which is GOAT material.
 
L

Lumpy Onion

Member
Se7enSword said:
Ys The Oath in Felghana is one of my favorite Ys games and is at most 20~25 hours long. it's all about the gameplay for this title.

Trails in the Sky Series is amazing, but I assume you have both games, FC and SC. If you get hooked onto it...you'll be sinking more than 60 hours easily :p

It has amazing lore, great characters and an overarching plot that spans several games!

If you like turn-based gameplay, go with Trails in the Sky series. If you like a high speed action RPG, go with Ys.
Click to expand...
Actually Ys Oath is closer to 10 hours on average from my playthroughs. 20-25 is overshooting a bit IMO.
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
Awesome replies, thanks guys. But what's Trails SC and FC? I just have The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for PSP.

Also Ys doesn't sound like something I'd be into, I think it'd just frustrate me more than anything.

At this stage I'm thinking Trails following by Suikoden 1 and then 2.
 
C

Chillz0r

Banned
Difficult to choose one from that list, they are all fantastic games, would put FF3 and Legend of Mana a bit below the rest though.

Depends on what subgenre of jrpg you want i guess, Felghana is much different than a turn based FF.

My personal choice would be TiTS for "notsoold" games and FF6 for older games (not sure how the loading times on the PS1 classic emulated on Vita are though)
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
If you want action combat: Ys
If you want turn-based: Suikoden, then follow it up with Suikoden II. The first one is short, so the two together should give you about 60 hours.

Edit: oh wait, no, go with FFVI first.
 
S

Sophia

Member
Fusebox said:
Awesome replies, thanks guys. But what's Trails SC and FC? I just have The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for PSP.

Also Ys doesn't sound like something I'd be into, I think it'd just frustrate me more than anything.

At this stage I'm thinking Trails following by Suikoden 1 and then 2.
Click to expand...

What you have is probably FC, or First Chapter then. The game has a direct sequel called Trails in the Sky SC/Second Chapter, which just came out in English.

At least give Ys a try. If nothing else you can put it on Easy/Normal and blaze through it.
 
D

Dio

Banned
Fusebox said:
Awesome replies, thanks guys. But what's Trails SC and FC? I just have The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for PSP.

Also Ys doesn't sound like something I'd be into, I think it'd just frustrate me more than anything.

At this stage I'm thinking Trails following by Suikoden 1 and then 2.
Click to expand...

There are three Trails in the Sky titles - the third one is an epilogue after FC and SC.

What you have is "Trails in the Sky: First Chapter." Trails in the Sky Second Chapter was localized and released very recently, and is the 'second half' of the Joshua and Estelle story.

It's laid out like this:

jamsy said:
So....is this a sequel FC/SC? Or Memories of Celceta?
Click to expand...

There is a long-running since 1989 series called Legend of Heroes.

As of the sixth game, they started making them in a new universe.

The first game in this universe, set in the country of Liberl was:

Trails in the Sky FC. This is the one you have.

Then Trails in the Sky SC, the sequel.

Then they made a epilogue:

Trails in the Sky the 3rd.

Then they moved countries, to Crossbell, to start a new duology:

Trails of Zero.

Then, Trails of Azure.

Then they moved countries, to Erebonia to start a new trilogy:

Trails of Cold Steel.

Then the sequels, Trails of Cold Steel II and upcoming Cold Steel III.

Does this help?

All of them are connected.
Click to expand...
 
C

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
If you are looking for something gameplay oriented Ys is amazing, and FFV is great.

Trails and Xenogears are good story heavy options, I'd imagine Suikoden is too.
 
W

Worldshaker

Member
Ys: The Oath in Felghana

It's not that long though, so if anything knock that out and then move onto something else (I would say go for Suikoden afterwards!)
 
E

Etria

Member
Fusebox said:
Awesome replies, thanks guys. But what's Trails SC and FC? I just have The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky for PSP.

Also Ys doesn't sound like something I'd be into, I think it'd just frustrate me more than anything.

At this stage I'm thinking Trails following by Suikoden 1 and then 2.
Click to expand...

FC = First Chapter
SC = Second Chapter
I'm assuming you have FC (if you bought it a while back since SC was released pretty recently on PSN).
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
Ah kk yep I just have TiTS FC.

Even though Ys sounds a bit hard for me the fact it's shorter than average JRPG length means I'll still keep it in the backlog.

I intend to get through all of these games eventually, starting with TiTS FC, thanks for the ace suggestions and info everyone
 
S

Se7enSword

Banned
GrumpyAlien said:
Actually Ys Oath is closer to 10 hours on average from my playthroughs. 20-25 is overshooting a bit IMO.
Click to expand...
I was using statistics based on my steam friend list. >_>

Also, I did say at most! :p
Sophia said:
What you have is probably FC, or First Chapter then. The game has a direct sequel called Trails in the Sky SC/Second Chapter, which just came out in English.

At least give Ys a try. If nothing else you can put it on Easy/Normal and blaze through it.
Click to expand...
Yes. Please listen to this post.
 
T

Tenebrous

Member
VI is the game I often refer to as my all-time favourite, but I honestly think if you played it right after playing Trails in the Sky, you might find it underwhelming. Trails is just a lot more advance in what it can do (writing especially), so be careful if you're going TitS > VI.

But I would pick either TitS or VI. Both are awesome.

Fusebox said:
Ah kk yep I just have TiTS FC.

Even though Ys sounds a bit hard for me the fact it's shorter than average JRPG length means I'll still keep it in the backlog.

I intend to get through all of these games eventually, starting with TiTS FC, thanks for the ace suggestions and info everyone
Click to expand...

Oops! Missed your post by seconds.

Great choice. Enjoy it!
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
I'm so impressed with the dialogue at the start of TiTs, they talk like actual people! Especially Estelle, she has some great lines and delivery. I can't remember the last JRPG I played where the dialogue was so warm and realistic (within this fantasy setting of course) but yeah, loving the setup.
 
S

Sophia

Member
Thanks OP, you inspired me to reinstall Ys. >_>;

http://abload.de/img/ysf_win_dx92015-12-19duzok.png

http://abload.de/img/ysf_win_dx92015-12-19j3xdd.png

Fusebox said:
I'm so impressed with the dialogue at the start of TiTs, they talk like actual people! Especially Estelle, she has some great lines and delivery. I can't remember the last JRPG I played where the dialogue was so warm and realistic (within this fantasy setting of course) but yeah, loving the setup.
Click to expand...

Yeah the dialogue of Trails in The Sky is the highlight of the game. It's fantastic. Make sure to talk to every NPC.
 
D

Dio

Banned
Fusebox said:
Phwoar, is that Ys on PC or something? Why does it look so good?!
Click to expand...

Yes. Ys: Oath in Felghana and Ys: Origin (along with Ys 6: Ark of Napishtim) all have PC versions localized by XSEED (who also did Trails, which you're reading right now) and all support 60fps 1080p and widescreen. Even higher resolutions, actually - I've played Origin at 2880x1800.
 
S

Sophia

Member
Fusebox said:
Phwoar, is that Ys on PC or something? Why does it look so good?!
Click to expand...

It's the PC version of Oath in Felghana, running at 2560x1080

Also I'm totally playing it with an SNES controller. >_>;

Dio said:
Yes. Ys: Oath in Felghana and Ys: Origin (along with Ys 6: Ark of Napishtim) all have PC versions localized by XSEED (who also did Trails, which you're reading right now) and all support 60fps 1080p and widescreen.
Click to expand...

They have near perfect support for 21:9 widescreen too. It's fantastic. :D
 
TriAceJP

TriAceJP

Member
Legend of Mana is a special treat of a game that hold in very high regard. It's not for everyone, though.

Suikoden I and II are two of the best JRPGs out there.

Final Fantasy IV - VI are all very good. I don't like the story in VI but the battle system is very good, a precursor to IX. V is an excellent game with it's job system.
 
Paltheos

Paltheos

Member
Don't be thrown by the "action RPG" title - Oath in Felghana is decisively an action game with light RPG elements. It's spectacular, and I highly recommend it, but if you're looking specifically for an RPG now, it's not it.

I like Xenogears the most out of the other games you've listed. The story is long and involving and a great ride, but the battle system is a little simpler than some of the preferred games you listed. If you're playing it, your primary motivation should be to follow the plot.

Xenogears is available on the Vita. Having replayed it on my own Vita last year(?), it plays great on it.
 
R

rtcn63

Member
I owned the FF Anthology on PS1. The games were playable (beat VI), but I can't say how bad the loading was since it was ages back.
 
S

Sophia

Member
Dad said:
I'm going to strongly recommend against FFV or FFVI if you plan on playing the PS1 versions
Click to expand...

Tenebrous said:
This is the most overblown thing I see on GAF. A little bit of loading isn't the end of the world.
Click to expand...

FFVI PS1 is fine. There's some minor loading times, but people greatly exaggerate how bad it actually is.

FFV PS1 is a different case because while the loading times aren't bad, the translation is... less than stellar. :p

Another screenshot from the beginning of Oath in Felghana.

Sadly, this one animated cutscene was done in 4:3 and gives massive black bars on 21:9
 
T

Tenebrous

Member
Dad said:
It is when it's literally every time you need to look at the menu
Click to expand...

I'd understand if it was some sort of 3-5 second load each time, but it's nowhere near that bad. Could it be better? Sure, but the PS1 version is still a very good version of an excellent game.
 
B

bomblord1

Banned
Riviera the promised land on PSP (is available on Vita)

It's an oddly forward looking game however nothing it did ever actually caught on.
 
mikestrife

mikestrife

Member
So close between FF6 and Sukoden (maybe jump right to Suikoden 2 If you end up loving it you can go back to 1, It's a great game too, but if you'll only play one 2 is the one to play).

In my opinion Suikoden 2 and FF6 are some of the best JRPGs ever made.

For Suikoden: There are minor connections between 1 and 2, but not so much that you need to play them in order. The later games in the series are good too, but the pacing is ruined in the jump to 3d.
 
D

Dad

Member
Sophia said:
FFVI PS1 is fine. There's some minor loading times, but people greatly exaggerate how bad it actually is.

FFV PS1 is a different case because while the loading times aren't bad, the translation is... less than stellar. :p
Click to expand...

Tenebrous said:
I'd understand if it was some sort of 3-5 second load each time, but it's nowhere near that bad. Could it be better? Sure, but the PS1 version is still a very good version of an excellent game.
Click to expand...

I mean, the PS1 version is obviously better than not playing at all, but it's still probably the worst way to experience them (iOS is arguably worse because of what they did the the art style). I just think it's fair to point out the problem with the port in a thread specifically asking for opinions
 
T

Tenebrous

Member
Dad said:
I mean, the PS1 version is obviously better than not playing at all, but it's still probably the worst way to experience them (iOS is arguably worse because of what they did the the art style). I just think it's fair to point out the problem with the port in a thread specifically asking for opinions
Click to expand...

Playing the iOS version on PC at the moment, and honestly, the UI is the only real thing wrong with it. I got over the sprites pretty quickly, and find myself appreciating the manual-like character art.
 
R

Rad-

Member
Suikoden but go right to 2. Suikoden 2 is top 5 JRPGs ever made.

Suikoden 1 is okay as well but can be boring at times.
 
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