Freyjadour
Member
Aeana said:
No image can convey my broken heart.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Favorite RPG battle system
- Thread starter dr3upmushroom
- Start date
No image can convey my broken heart.
Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profile 2
Resonance of Fate
One might say I like tri-ace's (non-Star Ocean) combat systems. Normally I am not that much into JRPGs, but somehow the above three games have extremely satisfying combat mechanics that I can withstand the genre's grinding without it being too much of a detriment to the experience.
Valkyrie Profile 2
Resonance of Fate
One might say I like tri-ace's (non-Star Ocean) combat systems. Normally I am not that much into JRPGs, but somehow the above three games have extremely satisfying combat mechanics that I can withstand the genre's grinding without it being too much of a detriment to the experience.
This can't be said enough. It's definitely an issue found in some kinds of SRPGs, and it's one of several aspects of Jeanne D'Arc that totally rubbed me the wrong way.erragal said:
I'd be interested to see how many SRPG fans enjoy other games that handle generics well. My mind keeps going to good but flawed games ranging from stuff as popular as Pokemon to as niche as dungeon-crawling RPGs like Etrian Odyssey. I can also imagine games like Diablo or full-fledged MMOs appealing to the same group of people. It's these kinds of games where I'd draw most of my enjoyment from class balance/skill tree analysis/team building.
This is somewhat unrelated, but now that I think about it, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that a good loot system is also an auxiliary part of some RPGs' battle systems, something many traditional JRPGs tend to do poorly or completely lack. I don't want to edit my original post but that would also be a quality that contributes to my enjoyment of some RPGs as it is directly tied to a sense of meaningful and highly motivational progression.
Oops, I totally missed your mention of PB! That's actually one of the few NIS games I have yet to play so I will add that to my gigantic backlog along with VH2 for some day in the future.erragal said:
Looking at this thread, there are so many great RPGs that each put their own spins on things, and it's totally okay that some are bound to appeal to certain people instead of others. It's an amazingly varied genre. And even other genres that only contain RPG elements aren't too far away, either. I'm not the biggest roguelike fan, for example, but those games heavily stress a player's ability to adapt to vastly differing situations. That's something I also enjoy in regular RPGs: the thrill of adapting to and overcoming some previously unforeseen challenge, something SatelliteOfLove just explained while describing the Press Turn system.
This on-your-feet adaptability is also something I find so amazing in something like the criminally ignored Phantom Dust, a multiplayer arena "card" battle RPG. It could be better, sure, but it's rooted in very, very strong fundamental design mechanics, so it's sad to see some games not getting sequels when they have nowhere else to go but up. It's also sad to actually get sequels that take the series in weird directions. Valkyria Chronicles would be a perfect example. The original had so many things going for it that the sequel both improved on (more fleshed out jobs) and made worse (arguably, segmented and repetitive maps).
The opposite looks like it's going to happen with Dark Souls. Demon's Souls, which I consider an action RPG, is brilliant but lacking and flawed in terms of character building, leading to some very obvious builds for optimal characters that will probably be addressed in the sequel. This, maybe unsurprisingly, is something of a problem generally found in most popular western RPGs as well, albeit in a slightly different manner. Thinking of Elder Scrolls, I feel the problem is the other way around; the character building seems fine (but slowly becoming less and less expansive with each iteration), yet it's the combat that has issues.
I have a similar complaint with Disgaea. I think the series is amazing but sitting on so much potential. It's off the charts in terms of things like longevity but needs more meat in core areas that other SRPGs already tend to have covered. For example, I believe it took until Disgaea 3 to make job classes a little more meaningful beyond cold, hard stats by adding threadbare passive abilities, and there will always be a problem with nuance and careful strategic design found in tamer (sometimes duller) games given the nature of the series.
I guess there's a give and take with everything, but there's certainly room for all kinds of RPGs for people to enjoy.
Final Fantasy XIII because it did all the micromanaging for me, while allowing me to freely change up the tactics at any pace I wanted; staggering enemies never got old; watching Lightning slice and dice through enemies was cool; changing up paradigms was always interesting. It was a thoughtfully realized battle system and easily one of the best I've ever played.
I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
FF8's junction/draw/GF boost system is my favorite of all time.
Radiant Historia's system is my favorite of this generation.
Radiant Historia's system is my favorite of this generation.
Parallax Scroll
Banned
My favorite would have to be the battle system in Panzer Dragoon Saga. I've never seen another RPG with a system quite like it. Flying behind enemies to hit them in their weak spot with homing lasers never gets old. <3
NeededSleep
Member
Resosance of Fate! Such a fun combat system. omnomnom
First I'll get the obligotory mentuions out of the way:
Grandia Series - For reasons already explained in the thread.
Chrono Trigger - for being One of the two best iterations of the ATB system.
FFX-2 - For being the other great iteration of the ATB system.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - For taking a simple turn based mechanic and making it anything but.
Mother Series - The rolling health counter is a stroke of genius and the fact that it hasn't been shamelessly ripped off ever since its debut is a disgrace.
And some of my personal favourites:
Pokémon Series - Possibly the deepest battle system in an RPG ever, with a level of customisation that is truly unparalleled.
Panzer Dragoon Saga - For Being the most cinematic battle system in an RPG ever. pretty much every boos fight feel like you're playing a cutscene. FFXIII, eat your heart out.
Fire Emblem Series - Being an SRPG I'm not sure if it counts, but I want to mention it anyway. It's an easy to learn, difficult to master system that still gives you the freedom to try things however you want.
Grandia Series - For reasons already explained in the thread.
Chrono Trigger - for being One of the two best iterations of the ATB system.
FFX-2 - For being the other great iteration of the ATB system.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - For taking a simple turn based mechanic and making it anything but.
Mother Series - The rolling health counter is a stroke of genius and the fact that it hasn't been shamelessly ripped off ever since its debut is a disgrace.
And some of my personal favourites:
Pokémon Series - Possibly the deepest battle system in an RPG ever, with a level of customisation that is truly unparalleled.
Panzer Dragoon Saga - For Being the most cinematic battle system in an RPG ever. pretty much every boos fight feel like you're playing a cutscene. FFXIII, eat your heart out.
Fire Emblem Series - Being an SRPG I'm not sure if it counts, but I want to mention it anyway. It's an easy to learn, difficult to master system that still gives you the freedom to try things however you want.
BannedEpisode
Member
I havent played that many JRPGs but I would say that I enjoyed the system in Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4.
RustyNails
Member
A few years ago, I developed my own battle system called the Pinwheel. It was based on usual stats and buffs, but when it comes to critical hits, luck came into play. It was really great, but I did not document it and after a couple of years only the name remains with me 
^the luck came into play based on how you rotate the pinwheel!
^the luck came into play based on how you rotate the pinwheel!
bgassassin
Member
My favorite - Chrono Trigger
Honorable Mention - Hybrid Heaven
Honorable Mention - Hybrid Heaven
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
I really enjoyed Grandia III's battle system, although the story and characters are another matter.
Also liked FFXIII, although it did feel like the game played itself at times, it was still pretty good.
And I'm really liking Radiant Historia's battle system. It's really innovative for a turn-based system that makes it feel fresh. I think the new strategy element keeps it from being just another turn-based RPG.
Also liked FFXIII, although it did feel like the game played itself at times, it was still pretty good.
And I'm really liking Radiant Historia's battle system. It's really innovative for a turn-based system that makes it feel fresh. I think the new strategy element keeps it from being just another turn-based RPG.
Blue Dragon you assholes.
- It's the only turn-based game I know of that allows for proactive, rather than reactive, strategy. You cast your heals before you take damage, you cast your buffs and debuffs before the old ones expire, and when you key in your attack command, it's not to hit the enemy now while he's protected, but two turns later when he's vulnerable. If you're a skilled player, you'll be operating three moves ahead and you won't get touched; if you're not, you'll get punished for every miscalculation you make and get stomped into the ground, or you'll try to play it like every other turn-based RPG out there and find that the only way you can win is to grind up levels and brute-force your way through every difficult encounter.
- The Charge system is the main thing that elevates the game. When you charge an action, you can choose how much to charge it up (increasing its effectiveness) before it takes place. You can choose to take the action immediately, to charge it up to its maximum power, to hit a 'sweet spot' which is usually somewhere in the middle but brings your next turn more quickly and saves MP. Or you can choose to make it as powerful as you can while still taking place immediately before the enemy (or one of your other party members) takes their turn; you can also wait until immediately after any enemy or party member takes their turn, if it would be more advantageous to wait until they move first. And you're given this range of choice with every single spell or physical attack you make.
- The spells themselves are very well designed. Fire and Water are not simply the same spell with a different graphic and different elemental effect. Fire spells are single-target, Water spells hit an entire row, Earth hits all targets (except those that fly), and Wind spells affect a circular radius that grows larger as you charge the spell (offering another few convenient breakpoints on the charge gauge to go with the ones outlined above: Charge just until your spell affects a certain number of enemies. More importantly, though, is that choosing an elemental attack spell just isn't as simple as it is in most games. In Final Fantasy, or even in Nocturne, there's no actual strategy to it: There's simply a correct spell to use, and an incorrect spell to use. Here, you have to consider which enemies you'll be able to hit, and how strong those enemies are to each element; there's no sharply defined 'right' and 'wrong' choice. The Wall spell is another superbly-designed one; with the Wall effect up, a character will be able to nullify one incoming physical attack. The spell itself, however, can only affect the front row, and begins as a single-target spell that extends out to the sides as you charge it up. Your spellcasting characters are thus given two options: Stay in the back row, where they'll generally take less damage from everything, or move them up into the front row, where they take full damage, but can't benefit from Wall's effect.
- A lot of the boss designs are also built not around 'tradeoffs' rather than 'solutions'. In games like Lost Odyssey, every boss is basically a puzzle; you figure out the puzzle, and you'll never lose, or you don't figure it out, and you'll have a massive uphill battle on your hands. Even in Nocturne, there's a huge preponderance of boss fights that essentially boil down to "this boss only uses [element A] attacks and is weak to [element B] attacks, so make a party that can't be killed by [element A] and can cast [element B] and you've won before you've even started". And while not all the bosses in Blue Dragon are quite so elegantly designed, there are enough of them where the game overall feels like a matter of skillful execution, rather than all-or-nothing preparation. A good example is fairly early on in the game, where you have to fight a boss called the Ghost King. He's a pretty standard boss in terms of how powerful his attacks are, how much damage he takes, etc, but the 'gimmick' to his fight is that every now and again, he'll go into a very obvious 'charging up' animation for a few turns. You can interrupt his charge by attacking his crown. If you let him complete his charge, he summons in a huge group of about six fast-moving minor enemies that you have to defeat before you can attack the boss again. But if you don't let him complete his charge, he almost immediately gets a free turn, in addition to his normal place in the action queue. It then becomes a question of whether you'd rather have to fight through the minor enemies, or whether you'd chance letting him have two turns nearly in a row. The enemies can put a huge drain on your combat resources, while if you get unlucky with the boss's actions during his two turns, he can completely devastate or even outright wipe your party. Depending on what you're prepared for, both can be completely viable options.
In an action game, a very skilled player can utilize movement and timing to defeat enemies using only the most basic arsenal of attacks, to defeat tough enemies at very low levels of power, etc. There aren't many turn-based games that allow player skill to tip the balance in such a drastic way. Thanks to the charge system, Blue Dragon is one of them. It's a simple system, but the amount of depth in it is almost unparalleled by any other turn-based RPG; as much as I love Nocturne and Dragon Quarter, I think Blue Dragon eclipses them both.
- It's the only turn-based game I know of that allows for proactive, rather than reactive, strategy. You cast your heals before you take damage, you cast your buffs and debuffs before the old ones expire, and when you key in your attack command, it's not to hit the enemy now while he's protected, but two turns later when he's vulnerable. If you're a skilled player, you'll be operating three moves ahead and you won't get touched; if you're not, you'll get punished for every miscalculation you make and get stomped into the ground, or you'll try to play it like every other turn-based RPG out there and find that the only way you can win is to grind up levels and brute-force your way through every difficult encounter.
- The Charge system is the main thing that elevates the game. When you charge an action, you can choose how much to charge it up (increasing its effectiveness) before it takes place. You can choose to take the action immediately, to charge it up to its maximum power, to hit a 'sweet spot' which is usually somewhere in the middle but brings your next turn more quickly and saves MP. Or you can choose to make it as powerful as you can while still taking place immediately before the enemy (or one of your other party members) takes their turn; you can also wait until immediately after any enemy or party member takes their turn, if it would be more advantageous to wait until they move first. And you're given this range of choice with every single spell or physical attack you make.
- The spells themselves are very well designed. Fire and Water are not simply the same spell with a different graphic and different elemental effect. Fire spells are single-target, Water spells hit an entire row, Earth hits all targets (except those that fly), and Wind spells affect a circular radius that grows larger as you charge the spell (offering another few convenient breakpoints on the charge gauge to go with the ones outlined above: Charge just until your spell affects a certain number of enemies. More importantly, though, is that choosing an elemental attack spell just isn't as simple as it is in most games. In Final Fantasy, or even in Nocturne, there's no actual strategy to it: There's simply a correct spell to use, and an incorrect spell to use. Here, you have to consider which enemies you'll be able to hit, and how strong those enemies are to each element; there's no sharply defined 'right' and 'wrong' choice. The Wall spell is another superbly-designed one; with the Wall effect up, a character will be able to nullify one incoming physical attack. The spell itself, however, can only affect the front row, and begins as a single-target spell that extends out to the sides as you charge it up. Your spellcasting characters are thus given two options: Stay in the back row, where they'll generally take less damage from everything, or move them up into the front row, where they take full damage, but can't benefit from Wall's effect.
- A lot of the boss designs are also built not around 'tradeoffs' rather than 'solutions'. In games like Lost Odyssey, every boss is basically a puzzle; you figure out the puzzle, and you'll never lose, or you don't figure it out, and you'll have a massive uphill battle on your hands. Even in Nocturne, there's a huge preponderance of boss fights that essentially boil down to "this boss only uses [element A] attacks and is weak to [element B] attacks, so make a party that can't be killed by [element A] and can cast [element B] and you've won before you've even started". And while not all the bosses in Blue Dragon are quite so elegantly designed, there are enough of them where the game overall feels like a matter of skillful execution, rather than all-or-nothing preparation. A good example is fairly early on in the game, where you have to fight a boss called the Ghost King. He's a pretty standard boss in terms of how powerful his attacks are, how much damage he takes, etc, but the 'gimmick' to his fight is that every now and again, he'll go into a very obvious 'charging up' animation for a few turns. You can interrupt his charge by attacking his crown. If you let him complete his charge, he summons in a huge group of about six fast-moving minor enemies that you have to defeat before you can attack the boss again. But if you don't let him complete his charge, he almost immediately gets a free turn, in addition to his normal place in the action queue. It then becomes a question of whether you'd rather have to fight through the minor enemies, or whether you'd chance letting him have two turns nearly in a row. The enemies can put a huge drain on your combat resources, while if you get unlucky with the boss's actions during his two turns, he can completely devastate or even outright wipe your party. Depending on what you're prepared for, both can be completely viable options.
In an action game, a very skilled player can utilize movement and timing to defeat enemies using only the most basic arsenal of attacks, to defeat tough enemies at very low levels of power, etc. There aren't many turn-based games that allow player skill to tip the balance in such a drastic way. Thanks to the charge system, Blue Dragon is one of them. It's a simple system, but the amount of depth in it is almost unparalleled by any other turn-based RPG; as much as I love Nocturne and Dragon Quarter, I think Blue Dragon eclipses them both.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Not enough Grandia mentions. WTF, I thought this would be universal.
It's like the farthest thing from traditional. Hell, I wish it was considered traditional because then the Grandia battle system would be considered standard, and therefore all games would have awesome battles as they would be taking its cues from the standard-bearer. ;P
watdr3upmushroom said:
It's like the farthest thing from traditional. Hell, I wish it was considered traditional because then the Grandia battle system would be considered standard, and therefore all games would have awesome battles as they would be taking its cues from the standard-bearer. ;P
NinjaBoiX
Member
Lost Odyssey - Really deep and tactical. The mortal/immortal trade-off, the ring system was cool as well.
FF XIII - It has it's problems, namely being a little too hands off, but it was quick, slick and exciting. Had almost a rhythm-action vibe to me, and the stagger mechanic was great.
I haven't played loads of RPG's, but those to stand out in an admittedly small selection!
FF XIII - It has it's problems, namely being a little too hands off, but it was quick, slick and exciting. Had almost a rhythm-action vibe to me, and the stagger mechanic was great.
I haven't played loads of RPG's, but those to stand out in an admittedly small selection!
googleplex
Member
I haven't read the entire thread, so I'm sure these two have already been mentioned, but..
Final fantasy X2's dress sphere system.
Final Fantasy tactics job class system.
Final fantasy X2's dress sphere system.
Final Fantasy tactics job class system.
I'm probably the first and last in this thread to say Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light.
The AP system accomplished two completely opposite goals at the same time. On one hand, it made resources more or less infinite, so you can't run out of MP halfway through a dungeon, rendering your mages useless. In fact, a mage can cast a basic healing or damage spell for the exact same cost as a melee attack. On the other hand, it made the available resources for each battle feel more limited, which made each battle feel more dynamic and important, as you were constantly managing how much AP you want to spend or if you want to boost to use a better ability. By only having 6 slots to equip abilities you got to pick what was important for each character and have it right there all the time with easy access, no wading through spell menus.
My only complaint is the lack of ability to choose your own target, particularly with healing items or ethers.
Second place would have to go to Pokémon. There's just been something solid and "right" about the Pokémon battle system from the start, and yet they still manage to make it feel better in every single generation.
CHEERS
If it counts, Fire Emblem. Very speedy for a TRPG, maps are small and varied enough to make positioning important, and everything is super straightforward and intuitive.
I also had a jolly old time with FFX when I started learning how to steamroll through certain battles.
JEERS
Pokemon just feels so mind-numbingly slow and procedural to me. I have a hard time enjoying them because of this.
FFTA and FFTA2, just because of the horrifically slow AI and inability to use any sort of shortened animations. Let me enjoy my TRPG at a reasonable pace, please!
If it counts, Fire Emblem. Very speedy for a TRPG, maps are small and varied enough to make positioning important, and everything is super straightforward and intuitive.
I also had a jolly old time with FFX when I started learning how to steamroll through certain battles.
JEERS
Pokemon just feels so mind-numbingly slow and procedural to me. I have a hard time enjoying them because of this.
FFTA and FFTA2, just because of the horrifically slow AI and inability to use any sort of shortened animations. Let me enjoy my TRPG at a reasonable pace, please!
cleveridea
Member
Grandia 3 by far
Xenosaga 3 was great too
Shadow Hearts series
Xenosaga 3 was great too
Shadow Hearts series
DidntKnowJack
Member
I loved Persona 4's combat system. It's probably my favorite.
That said, I have never played a Grandia rpg.
That said, I have never played a Grandia rpg.
Urban Scholar
Member
SatelliteOfLove said:
Coxswain said:
God yes!
This is what I immediately thought of when I saw this topic. The gameplay in Blue Dragon is simply amazing. And this doesn't even touch the class-leveling system, which is the other third of what makes Blue Dragon awesome (the final third is, of course, Eternity)
It's also a testament to the gameplay that it makes the game a blast to play, despite the godaweful characters and story. Considering the game includes Marumaru, the video game equivalent to Jar Jar Binks, that's saying a lot.
If I could just merge Blue Dragon's gameplay and class system with Mother 3's storytelling, characters and setting, it would be the single greatest RPG to ever be.
THE Caffeinated
Member
Final Fantasy X / SMT: Nocturne
I don't like fast battle systems in JRPGs, I like taking my time and planning ahead.
I don't like fast battle systems in JRPGs, I like taking my time and planning ahead.
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
I'm not sure about my favorite. There are two that stick out though: I liked the fast pace of FFX-2's battle system and the dual techniques in Chrono Trigger.
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Grandia III has the greatest turn-based combat system conceived by man.
Too bad the rest of the game blew, and GameArts is just a shell of it's former self now, meaning we'll likely never see a Grandia IV.
Ar Tonelico II has a fucking sweet battle system too.
Too bad the rest of the game blew, and GameArts is just a shell of it's former self now, meaning we'll likely never see a Grandia IV.
Ar Tonelico II has a fucking sweet battle system too.
Vagrant Story.
The risk/reward payoff for having a high 'risk combo' rating during battles was awesome. Combined with the levelling system of the weapons... sogood.gif But that's to be expected, as VS is easily one of my favourite games ever.
MarioRPG.
The rhythm of bopping enemies on the head was toe-tappingly great.
The risk/reward payoff for having a high 'risk combo' rating during battles was awesome. Combined with the levelling system of the weapons... sogood.gif But that's to be expected, as VS is easily one of my favourite games ever.
MarioRPG.
The rhythm of bopping enemies on the head was toe-tappingly great.
Witchfinder General
punched Wheelchair Mike
Infinite Undiscovery
The game may have had its faults but the battle system was the greatest I've ever played. The fact there were no "battle screens" just seamless action with heaps of enemies onscreen meant that the game was never dull. Add to the fact that the moves and spells you learnt were fantastic to look at and that at times your group would be split up and play alongside you kicking the shit out of enemies meant that I leveled everyone up to Level 255.
Please, Tri-Ace, give me sequel with a decent budget!
The game may have had its faults but the battle system was the greatest I've ever played. The fact there were no "battle screens" just seamless action with heaps of enemies onscreen meant that the game was never dull. Add to the fact that the moves and spells you learnt were fantastic to look at and that at times your group would be split up and play alongside you kicking the shit out of enemies meant that I leveled everyone up to Level 255.
Please, Tri-Ace, give me sequel with a decent budget!
Kuro Madoushi
Unconfirmed Member
<3Aeana said:
FindMyFarms
Member
Suikoden 2 because it's fast as fuck. Also any other fast system.
IoCaster
Member
For a pure, adrenaline fueled bit of chaos I'd have to go with an ME2 Vanguard. Charging around the battlefield and alternating melee with shotgun blasts to the face just doesn't get old.
For a turn-based system I have to go with The Last Remnant. There is a depth and complexity to it that keeps me replaying the game to this day. I took out the Jhana Royals and Enlightened Seven earlier this afternoon. The combination of battlefield positioning, combat and/or mystic arts, buffs/debuffs, tactics, items (shards, traps, explosives, etc,..) and Arcana make it one of the most complex and satisfying systems I've ever used. I'm still learning new tricks and techniques every time I play.
For a turn-based system I have to go with The Last Remnant. There is a depth and complexity to it that keeps me replaying the game to this day. I took out the Jhana Royals and Enlightened Seven earlier this afternoon. The combination of battlefield positioning, combat and/or mystic arts, buffs/debuffs, tactics, items (shards, traps, explosives, etc,..) and Arcana make it one of the most complex and satisfying systems I've ever used. I'm still learning new tricks and techniques every time I play.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
I can't pick one, sorry OP. (Not counting SRPGs)
Grandia's battle system
Tales of Graces' "Style Shift-LMBS"
Tales of Rebirth's "Three Line-LMBS"
Shadow Hearts's (1/2/3) "Judgement Ring" battle system
Resonance of Fate's "tri-Attack" battle system
Final Fantasy X's "Conditional Turn-Based(CTB)" system
Final Fantasy X-2's variation of the ATB/job system
Final Fantasy XII's "Active Dimension Battle (ADB)" system
SMT/DDS's "Press Turn"system
Persona 3/4's "Once More" battle system
Valkyrie Profile 2's "Advanced Tactical Combination (ATC)" battle system
Chrono Trigger's "ATB 2.0" battle system
Radiant Historia's "Grid System" battle system
The Last Remnant's battle system
Genso Suikoden I, II and V's battle systems... V's variations were interesting (because you can change formations and those formations can enhance your battle strategies).
Honourable mentions to Mother, Valkyria Chronicles, Legend of Legaia, The Legend of Dragoon, and Baten Kaitos Origins.
Grandia's battle system
Tales of Graces' "Style Shift-LMBS"
Tales of Rebirth's "Three Line-LMBS"
Shadow Hearts's (1/2/3) "Judgement Ring" battle system
Resonance of Fate's "tri-Attack" battle system
Final Fantasy X's "Conditional Turn-Based(CTB)" system
Final Fantasy X-2's variation of the ATB/job system
Final Fantasy XII's "Active Dimension Battle (ADB)" system
SMT/DDS's "Press Turn"system
Persona 3/4's "Once More" battle system
Valkyrie Profile 2's "Advanced Tactical Combination (ATC)" battle system
Chrono Trigger's "ATB 2.0" battle system
Radiant Historia's "Grid System" battle system
The Last Remnant's battle system
Genso Suikoden I, II and V's battle systems... V's variations were interesting (because you can change formations and those formations can enhance your battle strategies).
Honourable mentions to Mother, Valkyria Chronicles, Legend of Legaia, The Legend of Dragoon, and Baten Kaitos Origins.
legacyzero
Banned
Need some XENOGEARS gifs in here! STAT!
Was it just me, or was Star Ocean: The Second Story SUPER hard? I loved the shit out of it, but it was difficult as hell to me.
MikeTyson said:
Was it just me, or was Star Ocean: The Second Story SUPER hard? I loved the shit out of it, but it was difficult as hell to me.
Freyjadour
Member
BooJoh said:
I'm probably the first and last in this thread to say Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light.
The AP system accomplished two completely opposite goals at the same time. On one hand, it made resources more or less infinite, so you can't run out of MP halfway through a dungeon, rendering your mages useless. In fact, a mage can cast a basic healing or damage spell for the exact same cost as a melee attack. On the other hand, it made the available resources for each battle feel more limited, which made each battle feel more dynamic and important, as you were constantly managing how much AP you want to spend or if you want to boost to use a better ability. By only having 6 slots to equip abilities you got to pick what was important for each character and have it right there all the time with easy access, no wading through spell menus.
My only complaint is the lack of ability to choose your own target, particularly with healing items or ethers.
Second place would have to go to Pokémon. There's just been something solid and "right" about the Pokémon battle system from the start, and yet they still manage to make it feel better in every single generation.
I really liked Four Heroes as well. I had pretty low expectations going in from GAF impressions, and I was pleasantly surprised. Not without faults for sure.
Freyjadour
Member
While most of the Grandia games play pretty much the same, I really didn't like the switch to the coin system from the awesome usage-based weapon/magic experience system in the original game. However, Xtreme improved on Grandia 2 in just about every aspect of gameplay.
I would say that my favorites are pretty much the usual suspects.
- All of the Grandia titles really deserve a mention here. I felt that Grandia III was the best without going a little bit too far into the deep end like X-Treme (even if its battle system was pretty good too). Hell, with a story that fell apart as badly as Grandia III's, it takes a special kind of battle system to still keep one heavily enthused to play.
- Out of the Valkyrie Profile games, I would say that I liked 2's battle system the best. Sure, the field movement wasn't implemented as best as it could have been, but I definitely liked the increased variation on the attacks and combos you can pull off in comparison to the first (and I guess Covenant of the Plume).
- Shin Megami Tensei titles and the Press Turn system... Too many people have explained this thoroughly enough.
- In terms of SRPGs, I love how Valkyria Chronicles does things entirely too much.
- Say what you will about the stories for both, it is absolutely criminal that not many got to experience the Tales of Destiny Remake and Tales of Rebirth. The former is fun and strategic but definitely discourages massive spamming of moves. Destiny Remake is... definitely spam-happy, but it allows you to do lots of cool things in the process. Thank God Graces F is coming over to break the chain of Team Symphonia titles that usually only require you to stun-lock enemies in corners.
- All of the Grandia titles really deserve a mention here. I felt that Grandia III was the best without going a little bit too far into the deep end like X-Treme (even if its battle system was pretty good too). Hell, with a story that fell apart as badly as Grandia III's, it takes a special kind of battle system to still keep one heavily enthused to play.
- Out of the Valkyrie Profile games, I would say that I liked 2's battle system the best. Sure, the field movement wasn't implemented as best as it could have been, but I definitely liked the increased variation on the attacks and combos you can pull off in comparison to the first (and I guess Covenant of the Plume).
- Shin Megami Tensei titles and the Press Turn system... Too many people have explained this thoroughly enough.
- In terms of SRPGs, I love how Valkyria Chronicles does things entirely too much.
- Say what you will about the stories for both, it is absolutely criminal that not many got to experience the Tales of Destiny Remake and Tales of Rebirth. The former is fun and strategic but definitely discourages massive spamming of moves. Destiny Remake is... definitely spam-happy, but it allows you to do lots of cool things in the process. Thank God Graces F is coming over to break the chain of Team Symphonia titles that usually only require you to stun-lock enemies in corners.