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Help me decide which retro JRPG I'm playing next
- Thread starter heringer
- Start date
KillerDark
Member
Lots of good choices but I highly recommend Xenogears. I just played it for the first time a couple years ago and found the world/characters engrossing and enjoyed the battle system a lot. Has some awesome music too 
. Definitely recommend!
Second choice would be Suikoden II and third would be Valkryie Profile
. Definitely recommend!Second choice would be Suikoden II and third would be Valkryie Profile
Sir_Crocodile
Member
There is a timeskip, yes. Don't want to go into too much detail, as the reasons for it are fairly major in the plot.
I don't know if it helps, but my favorite JRPG's of all time (not counting SRPG's) are: Xenoblade Chronicles, Vagrant Story, FFVI and Chrono Trigger. After that, the order constantly changes.
Anyway, the count so far is:
Xenogears: 11 votes
Suikoden: 5 votes
Grandia 2: 4 votes
Star Ocean 2: 4 votes
Trails in the Sky: 3 votes
BOFIV: 2 votes
Valkyrie Profile: 2 votes
A bit surprising. Didn't think Xenogears was so loved around here.
Anyway, the count so far is:
Xenogears: 11 votes
Suikoden: 5 votes
Grandia 2: 4 votes
Star Ocean 2: 4 votes
Trails in the Sky: 3 votes
BOFIV: 2 votes
Valkyrie Profile: 2 votes
A bit surprising. Didn't think Xenogears was so loved around here.
Squall ASF
Member
Some great options in that list but the answer has to be Xenogears. It is in my opinion a must for all JRPG lovers. It has the most vast, ambitious story and is probably my favorite in all of gaming in that regard. For that reason alone it's worth playing but the battle system is very solid and fun, good characters, some nice worthwhile side quests, etc. While it's a shame they had to make so many sacrifices for disc 2, you get a nice long satisfying portion from the first disk while the second disk is more or less the wrap up leading to the final boss. Don't let comments on the second disk scare you, this is truly a must play if you enjoy JRPGs.
A comment for Trails in the Sky, only play it if you're prepared to follow up with the sequel. The first game is a pretty slow burn until the end setting up the characters and world building but it has a big cliff hanger at the end and the second game is where all the big pay off hits. It's pretty awesome and makes playing the first game worthwhile even if you don't care for slow burns. I definitely recommend playing Trails in the sky 1 and 2 when you get the chance. Great characters and a series known for good story and world building.
I have to ask, have you played Skies of Arcadia?
A comment for Trails in the Sky, only play it if you're prepared to follow up with the sequel. The first game is a pretty slow burn until the end setting up the characters and world building but it has a big cliff hanger at the end and the second game is where all the big pay off hits. It's pretty awesome and makes playing the first game worthwhile even if you don't care for slow burns. I definitely recommend playing Trails in the sky 1 and 2 when you get the chance. Great characters and a series known for good story and world building.
I have to ask, have you played Skies of Arcadia?
sixteen-bit
Member
Suikoden 2 is awesome and not too long
I have not. I considered adding to the list, but was put off when I learned about how frequent the encounter rate is.
Squall ASF
Member
This was fixed with Skies of Arcadia Legends which released for the Gamecube (Original version released on Dream Cast). The Legends addition fixes the encounter rate, the issue with acquiring gold for a certain part in the story, added bounty hunt side quests, weapons and items, and a special side quest that is interesting and delves a little bit into the past of the main character showing how he got his scar. Even with the encounter rate and gold issue, the original was still my second favorite JRPG and Legends improved the experience so much. It's an extremely charming game with fun characters, cool locations, a solid story, plenty of exploration but also, who doesn't want to be a sky pirate? If you can acquire Skies of Arcadia Legends I HIGHLY recommend it. Add it to your list for future play, sir.
Vincent Grayson
Member
Xenogears, for all its flaws, is basically the most epic JRPG ever. It's so long, and there's so much going on with a huge cast of characters and important NPCs, a wide variety of locations, and a plot that spans millennia that it's hard not to feel like it's a big deal that everyone with an interest in the genre should play.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
http://www.romhacking.net/translations/1384/
I replayed Arcadia recently. Legends encounter rate is still a bit too high imo.
In that case, you may want to stay clear of Breath of Fire as well then.
I wrote this post in another topic a few days ago.
Just remember that if you play TitS FC you will want to play SC immediately.
Play Skies of Arcadia Legends (Gamecube) whenever you can. It's amazing
Not to steal your thread, but I'm in a similar situation and creating another thread suggesting old JRPGs seems unnecessary.
I also have Grandia 2 in my backlog and I could probably be convinced to buy Trails in the Sky, but beyond that my list is:
- Shin Megami Tensei 3: I've actually already started this and fought this guy once (pretty sick battle actually, harder than many final bosses of other JRPGs), but for whatever reason I've dropped it for about 2 months now. I like the setting though, and the world has lots of visually and thematically interesting stuff going on.
- Odin Sphere (PS2): Honestly, I don't know anything about this game. I saw it on a thrift shop month or two back for 3, vaguely recalled hearing good things about it on Gaf, and seeing Atlus' logo on the box I was pretty convinced that it was worth grabbing.
- Front Mission 3 (Vita): Bought it about 2 years ago and played few missions. I actually really liked it's combat system and Mecha customization, but dropped it regardless. I dunno, I guess I got little overwhelmed after hearing that the game has 2 +60 hour paths.
I also have Grandia 2 in my backlog and I could probably be convinced to buy Trails in the Sky, but beyond that my list is:
- Shin Megami Tensei 3: I've actually already started this and fought this guy once (pretty sick battle actually, harder than many final bosses of other JRPGs), but for whatever reason I've dropped it for about 2 months now. I like the setting though, and the world has lots of visually and thematically interesting stuff going on.
- Odin Sphere (PS2): Honestly, I don't know anything about this game. I saw it on a thrift shop month or two back for 3, vaguely recalled hearing good things about it on Gaf, and seeing Atlus' logo on the box I was pretty convinced that it was worth grabbing.
- Front Mission 3 (Vita): Bought it about 2 years ago and played few missions. I actually really liked it's combat system and Mecha customization, but dropped it regardless. I dunno, I guess I got little overwhelmed after hearing that the game has 2 +60 hour paths.
Just a suggestion, get Odin Sphere on PS4 instead of PS2. I haven't played the new version, but as far as I know, it fixed a lot of boring things with the original.
And get on trails asap.
Paltheos
Member
Good fun. GameArts were at their peak in Grandia 1, but Grandia 2's a fun game too and has many of the elements that make the original a classic: A fantastic turn-based battle system whose style hasn't been imitated (for some reason) and sharp character writing. The lead pair are the standout players, as Ryudo is a snarky bastard and Elena a compassionate if uptight saint, and they play off each other well. The main plot is kinda... plain, and a certain supporting cast member is insufferable, but those are the game's biggest drawbacks.
Yup. Nothing in the genre has dared much the scope of Xenogears. And yeah it doesn't succeed at everything, but it does enough to make it interesting. Second disc YMMV. I don't really care that much since it still tells the story but some people can't stand the style. Also has that Mitsuda soundtrack although one thing you'll notice once you play is that some (great) tracks see like one use, a few areas get nothing but ambient SFX, and allot of music is repeated. It's all used well so it's not a big deal though.
Yeah, I notice allot of people praising the sprite work on this one and looking back on it, yeah. Capcom did good work. Switching back and forth between Ryu and Fou-Lu is pretty neat (and Fou-Lu is awesome) as you wait for the inevitable collision, and BoF4 deals with more mature elements than previous entries (and pretty smoothly). A general weakness is that the first and second acts are slow burns, both for the story and some elements of the gameplay (dragons!) although maybe this is a YMMV thing as the game is pretty comfortable with itself. The battle system is pretty good, as it allows you to stack and combine attacks and spells, and swap characters on the fly in battle - Something done in earlier titles of the series but not common for games in the genre and that era.
I haven't played this one.
A touch... overrated. The praise for the character writing and atmosphere building is largely on point and the gameplay continues to be simple but fun, but people often neglect to mention that the plot drags at a snail's pace compared to the original Suikoden. Sending the leader of the revolutionary army on a covert mission to get some dude is not exciting, guys! (just for an example). Nor is artificially and without warning or reason limiting who you can bring on your team. It could have been structured better for sure. Very good climaxes though.
I like the writing on this one but the game itself did not hold me past the first few hours and the battle system is... frustrating (which is the real reason I stopped). It relies allot on movement but you don't have adequate control over how you move and have to plan around the game's constraints. I couldn't work past it.
The greatest of all time. #1 on my RPG list, without question. Valkyrie Profile is the unique alignment of the stars to create an unmatched masterpiece in the genre. There have recently been imitators actually, but nothing else does or... can match the spirit of Valkyrie Profile. A fantastic premise excellently framed and paced filled with exciting gameplay, a (used to be unique) and fun battle system, a top notch soundtrack that varies from melancholic and reflective to off-the-wall rock, gorgeous artwork, and vignettes always predictably tragic but all-the-same engaging. It's the best game tri-ace has produced and my #1 recommendation to play immediately.
The time limit thing isn't really an issue for most of the game - You have plenty of time in most chapters to do everything, which is usually pointed out to you in your chapterly meditations. All the same, it's one of the few games that I recommend playing with a guide. Captain K's on gamefaqs is great, and it (the act of using a guide) doesn't detract from the experience at all - It helps really because the battle system's almost certainly something you're not accustomed to, and some of the rules of the game aren't clear - In particular, how to qualify for the A ending. Play on Hard. Normal, ironically, handicaps you by locking you out of postgame content and not allowing you to optimize your team, although the difficulty levels also have some different dungeons available.
timetokill
Banned
Throwing in my vote for Grandia 2. Best gameplay in the bunch you listed. The battle system is fantastic.
You have a command to move the characters >.>
Unless you are talking about normal attacks (which you will move close to enemies) or crafts which some of them change your positioning.
Either way, I always recommend you searching for tools that speed up the battle system. It makes the experience better.
Paltheos
Member
This uses up your turn, no? My sticking point is that when I hit enemies, they're knocked back, which is fine, but I can't command my character to move around them and then attack, putting either my attacking character or the enemy into a better position (i.e. usually they're knocked out of range of somebody else when my1st attacker might be point blank but can't walk around to thwack him that turn).
John Kowalski
Banned
Second xenogears disc is great, don't listen to the naysayers. It's great.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Solid list except for SO2 which I'd avoid. Weird that you'd have a problem with the visuals in Trails in the Sky, as it's by far the best looking game in that list.
I'd also second the Saturn RPG recommendations but I'm guessing you're unlikely to have a Sega Saturn.
Out of that list I would prioritize Suikoden 2, probably. But you should play 1 first. It sets the tone of the world and story, and it's short enough. People already told you why Suikoden great, but yeah, it's an epic story with tight world-building, the recruitment for your base is fun and rewards exploration, and the combat is fast-paced (though also quite easy). Also, beautiful art and glorious soundtracks in both.
I'd also second the Saturn RPG recommendations but I'm guessing you're unlikely to have a Sega Saturn.
Out of that list I would prioritize Suikoden 2, probably. But you should play 1 first. It sets the tone of the world and story, and it's short enough. People already told you why Suikoden great, but yeah, it's an epic story with tight world-building, the recruitment for your base is fun and rewards exploration, and the combat is fast-paced (though also quite easy). Also, beautiful art and glorious soundtracks in both.
SO2 is the only game in that list that's actually bad, lol. Awful game with awful combat.
Dude no, get it on PS4, not PS2. The PS4 version improves on every aspect and also contains the original game if you're so desperate to play the old one.
Frustrating how? It's intuitive enough (except the quartz system which takes some experimentation I guess) and it's not that difficult.
What on Earth? You can 100% control your character's movements if you want...
Solid list except for SO2 which I'd avoid. Weird that you'd have a problem with the visuals in Trails in the Sky, as it's by far the best looking game in that list.
I'd also second the Saturn RPG recommendations but I'm guessing you're unlikely to have a Sega Saturn.
Out of that list I would prioritize Suikoden 2, probably. But you should play 1 first. It sets the tone of the world and story, and it's short enough. People already told you why Suikoden great, but yeah, it's an epic story with tight world-building, the recruitment for your base is fun and rewards exploration, and the combat is fast-paced (though also quite easy). Also, beautiful art and glorious soundtracks in both.
SO2 is the only game in that list that's actually bad, lol. Awful game with awful combat.
Dude no, get it on PS4, not PS2. The PS4 version improves on every aspect and also contains the original game if you're so desperate to play the old one.
Frustrating how? It's intuitive enough (except the quartz system which takes some experimentation I guess) and it's not that difficult.
What on Earth? You can 100% control your character's movements if you want...
Oh c'mon, it absolutely is not! Those characters skating, the poor 3D and drab colors, ugh.
Playing the original Suikoden really is that important? I guess I'll dock a few points from Suikoden 2 then, not really interested in the first game.
RayearthRob
Member
Terranigma, Sailor Moon Another Story orDragon Ball Z - Legend of the Saiyans!!!
Let me reiterate and emphasize:
But okay, I guess PS4 it is.
witchedwiz
Member
I'll get burned, so my flameshield is already up and ready, but if you appreciate vp i would go next step with vp2 sa well
That being said, your list is solid,so pick whatever...
And so2 bad...
Ehhh i still liked it quite a bit
That being said, your list is solid,so pick whatever...
And so2 bad...
Ehhh i still liked it quite a bit
It's crucial. 1 is also better. 2 felt more dragged out to me.
sir_kevith
Member
Suikoden 1 is short as hell and still pretty entertaining. I replayed both a couple years back and got through them easy. Combat is so fast paced in those games.
KevMan1815
Member
I'm biased towards Xenogears and I'll pick it when I see these topics everytime.
Grandia 2 is way too heavy handed with the themes of atheism but it's still a fantastic game and so that would be my recommendation. The graphics are good, the battle music might literally be the GOAT and of course the combat is fun. The world building and story are solid too, apart from what I mentioned in the first sentence.
KuwabaraTheMan
Banned
Trails in the Sky is definitely the one to go for. Great characters, great combat, and great music.
Holundrian
Unconfirmed Member
Honestly try Trails all the other choices are fine and great games even but none of them I believe have any sequel hopes.
Supporting Trails right now in the case you're going to enjoy it is going to help a great deal for future titles to make it over/making sure these type of games that focus on story and characters continue to find their way into the west.
But of course that only has value if you're going to enjoy them otherwise that point is moot for all you care.
I say this as someone that has no stake in this given that I can play them in JP just fine.
That said Suikoden 2 is probably my fav out of the list.
Supporting Trails right now in the case you're going to enjoy it is going to help a great deal for future titles to make it over/making sure these type of games that focus on story and characters continue to find their way into the west.
But of course that only has value if you're going to enjoy them otherwise that point is moot for all you care.
I say this as someone that has no stake in this given that I can play them in JP just fine.
That said Suikoden 2 is probably my fav out of the list.
Funkybee12
Member
Out of the list I would choose Xenogears.
And funny thing is I've played only the demo back in 1999 or smth when I happened to get my hands on a psx demo with many games on it. & I remember the beginning and the main char had a long pony tail and at the time I was mainly rocking 3 arcade centers in the hood and hooked up on the king of fighters 96 and he looked just like Robert Garcia. Also the battle system where you can land some cool combos by mixing the buttons was something new to me and totally awesome. Loved the demo and been waiting for a possible remake of it but I guess I'll just play the original.
Out of the list, I almost read all the posts here and I'm shocked how nobody mentioned Chrono Cross???!!
GAF has no love for Chrono Cross?
I know Chrono Trigger is a classic and period but personally I have some great great GREAT memories with that game. I just fucking loved it. And the OST from Yasunori Mitsuda is just pure heaven. Been listening to that OST every single day for so many years and never ceases to make me sentimental.
I don't know what GAF thinks of it but to me is one of the most memorable games.
Also I read about Lunar eternal blue that came up some time after Lunar Silver Star Story Complete which is definitely in my top 5 fav jrpg of all time. It's one hell of a game. Solid story, great characters, beautiful battle system (boss fights might go longer than 30 mins at least from my exp). Eternal blue just didn't stick to me for some reason.
Also I will also recommend you my 1st ever jrpg game which introduced me to the amazing world of jrpg games and I won't say anything about it except that It's the only game ever that I've finished 4 times so far (every 4 years or so) even recently.
Thousand Arms.
And funny thing is I've played only the demo back in 1999 or smth when I happened to get my hands on a psx demo with many games on it. & I remember the beginning and the main char had a long pony tail and at the time I was mainly rocking 3 arcade centers in the hood and hooked up on the king of fighters 96 and he looked just like Robert Garcia. Also the battle system where you can land some cool combos by mixing the buttons was something new to me and totally awesome. Loved the demo and been waiting for a possible remake of it but I guess I'll just play the original.
Out of the list, I almost read all the posts here and I'm shocked how nobody mentioned Chrono Cross???!!
GAF has no love for Chrono Cross?
I know Chrono Trigger is a classic and period but personally I have some great great GREAT memories with that game. I just fucking loved it. And the OST from Yasunori Mitsuda is just pure heaven. Been listening to that OST every single day for so many years and never ceases to make me sentimental.
I don't know what GAF thinks of it but to me is one of the most memorable games.
Also I read about Lunar eternal blue that came up some time after Lunar Silver Star Story Complete which is definitely in my top 5 fav jrpg of all time. It's one hell of a game. Solid story, great characters, beautiful battle system (boss fights might go longer than 30 mins at least from my exp). Eternal blue just didn't stick to me for some reason.
Also I will also recommend you my 1st ever jrpg game which introduced me to the amazing world of jrpg games and I won't say anything about it except that It's the only game ever that I've finished 4 times so far (every 4 years or so) even recently.
Thousand Arms.
It depends if you are playing for gameplay or story. For story, my list would be
Breath of fire 4: very little jpg tropes used. Main villain is refreshing and has actual backstory motivation instead of just because I am evil.
Suikoden 2: very interesting story involving friendship and politics. Not your usual save the world jrpg story
Trails: love how the world is. Each Npc has name and actually feel part of world instead generic guy who just wonders around. Slow to start.
Grandia 2: average story IMO and has quite a few jrpg tropes. Nothing horrible but doesn't top my list either
For gameplay:
Grandia 2: I like battle system and how you can cancel or delay enemy attacks.
Breath of fire 4: The ability to switch party members in combat and able to combo attacks is neat
Suikoden / trails: both have uniqueness to the gameplay but nothing that truly shines imo. Both are still fun tho.
Never played xenogears, star ocean or Valkyrie profile. Not interested in robots, sci fi, or time constrained games myself. Side tangent, Breath of fire 3 is worth playing too but I do feel boo 4 has the better story and gameplay.
Edit: read some other posts above - I love Chrono Cross but I cannot recommend it especially if the person asking has played Chrono Trigger and is expecting a sequel. CC is good game but horrible sequel.
Breath of fire 4: very little jpg tropes used. Main villain is refreshing and has actual backstory motivation instead of just because I am evil.
Suikoden 2: very interesting story involving friendship and politics. Not your usual save the world jrpg story
Trails: love how the world is. Each Npc has name and actually feel part of world instead generic guy who just wonders around. Slow to start.
Grandia 2: average story IMO and has quite a few jrpg tropes. Nothing horrible but doesn't top my list either
For gameplay:
Grandia 2: I like battle system and how you can cancel or delay enemy attacks.
Breath of fire 4: The ability to switch party members in combat and able to combo attacks is neat
Suikoden / trails: both have uniqueness to the gameplay but nothing that truly shines imo. Both are still fun tho.
Never played xenogears, star ocean or Valkyrie profile. Not interested in robots, sci fi, or time constrained games myself. Side tangent, Breath of fire 3 is worth playing too but I do feel boo 4 has the better story and gameplay.
Edit: read some other posts above - I love Chrono Cross but I cannot recommend it especially if the person asking has played Chrono Trigger and is expecting a sequel. CC is good game but horrible sequel.
Out of the games you listed, yeah I would say Trails is the best looking game of those lol. Also you definitely should be playing Suikoden 1 before 2, alot of stuff transfers over between the games and their are some important characters shared between the games.
Also I see you listed BOF4, have you played BOF3 by an chance? Beautiful spritework and really fun dragon transformations. The psp version should work on Vita as well
ShadowgeistX
Member
You can probably play Grandia 2 AND another game on that list. Grandia 2 is short by JRPG standards. Not only that, but you will be having fun the entire time because the battle system is amazing. I'll even say that it's more fun than Grandia 3.
Suikoden 2 and Trails in the Sky would be my other picks. Both great games with awesome stories overall. Trails series is a huge time investment though.
Valkyrie profile is good too, except for the part where you practically need a guide to get the true ending.
And I don't even understand the hate for SO2. Best game in the series, leagues above the garbage that is 3 and 4.
I did play Chrono Cross and enjoyed very much what I played. However, due to real life problems I ended up not playing games for some time and I lost my savegame. I stopped at the part where
Serge switch bodies with the villain
Tell me more about Thousand Arms.
Imp the Dimp
Member
Suikoden 2 is the most fun out of these and certainly aged the best. Xenoblade is pretty fucking slow and not particularly entertaining but that might just be me, no idea. I don't see where its incredible reputation comes from in all honesty.
Also be careful with Grandia 2. The game is not good by any standards. It might just be the single most generic and easiest game in JRPG history. I did not lose a single character in any fight over the course of the whole game. I can't think of a game more average than this. 5/10 is being generous.
And maybe to add some suggestions of my own (no idea if you have access to them or not), here are some games that were not only good at their time (Grandia 2 wasn't even) but are still enjoyable today (late 90s to early 2000s output because that seems to be your targeted time):
- Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
- Breath of Fire 3
- Final Fantasy IX
- Chrono Chross
- Valkyrie Profile
- Dragon Quest 7 (if you got the time to spare; game is slow)
Also be careful with Grandia 2. The game is not good by any standards. It might just be the single most generic and easiest game in JRPG history. I did not lose a single character in any fight over the course of the whole game. I can't think of a game more average than this. 5/10 is being generous.
And maybe to add some suggestions of my own (no idea if you have access to them or not), here are some games that were not only good at their time (Grandia 2 wasn't even) but are still enjoyable today (late 90s to early 2000s output because that seems to be your targeted time):
- Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
- Breath of Fire 3
- Final Fantasy IX
- Chrono Chross
- Valkyrie Profile
- Dragon Quest 7 (if you got the time to spare; game is slow)
It's a turn based jrpg, it just has a few positional based things in the combat system.
Kind of like a turn based Grandia
I would vote Xenogears, but any other story after that would feel rush or empty... you should go with suikoden.
HerroRygar
Member
Xenogears. Such an epic story, I can't imagine what it would be like to experience it for the first time now. The translation is pretty good - maybe not quite perfect, but more than good enough to get the point across. The presentation of the second disc slumps a bit compared to the first, but it's not THAT bad. I mean, it certainly doesn't ruin the game or make it not worth playing. Great soundtrack, variety of characters and personalities, combat is fun, and the story is so, so epic. Complex, thoughtful and heartfelt.
Valkyrie Profile on hard with a minimalist guide, as somebody else recommended, is also something you should treat yourself to at some point (after Xenogears). 😄
Valkyrie Profile on hard with a minimalist guide, as somebody else recommended, is also something you should treat yourself to at some point (after Xenogears). 😄