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[SantaC]

But never the opposite.

I have played several rpgs where the game is average or downright bad, but kept going because the battle system is fun.

Tales of graces f comes to mind, or Star Ocean 4.

What other examples are there? For me Final Fantasy XV is on the opposite side. The battle system couldnt carry me in that game.

 

[Ferdimage]

Grandia 3 comes to mind, I dont mid playing it annually.

 

[KàIRóS]

And on the other hand, terrible combat is really detrimental to the experience, I almost quit the Witcher trilogy due to the horrible combat.

On JRPGs yeah I agree there are a bunch of examples: Grandia 3, The Last Remnant, Arc Rise Fantasia, Mario&Luigi franchise, Enchanted Arms, Shadow Hearts: From The New World, Legend of Legaia, FFXIII Lighting Returns, FFX-2, almost all of Gust's RPGs.

I'm also inclined to say Shin Megami Tensei and Pokémon but I really don't want to get into a massive argument so...

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Entire Disgaea series. Throwaway story but exceptional mechanics.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

But never the opposite.

I have played several rpgs where the game is average or downright bad, but kept going because the battle system is fun.

Tales of graces f comes to mind, or Star Ocean 4.

What other examples are there? For me Final Fantasy XV is on the opposite side. The battle system couldnt carry me in that game.

Yeah, in regards to FF15, the battle system is the only reason I haven’t completed the game. I got about 15 hours in on PS4, then about 22 hours in on PC thanks to Game Pass and despite how absolutely beautiful it looks (with some tweaks) and runs, I just can’t stand the combat. It’s sloppy and just not fun. I usually love over-leveling and grinding mobs over and over but this game killed that for me

 

[Xenon]

Yes.

 

[Hendrick's]

I hated Ni No Kuni and DQXI because of their shit combat. Such a shame really.

 

[Lady Bird]

I hated Ni No Kuni and DQXI because of their shit combat. Such a shame really.

DQXI combat is pretty good as far as turn-based RPGs go.

 

[Gargus]

Destiny is pretty much a shit game. Its story is pointless and uninteresting, the upgrades are boring, the characters are all pretty flat and boring, it's too repetitive, environments are uninspired, music and sound are solid but nothing special or memorable.

But man is it fun to run, jump, shoot, throw knives in the heat of combat and so on. The game itself really sucks but the gameplay is fantastic.

 

[Exentryk]

Yeah agreed. Games like XIII-2 and LRXIII are good examples.

A good game can also carry an average combat system (DQXI, Xenoblade 2).

But if the combat is poor, then it becomes harder for even an otherwise great game to carry it. For example, I wouldn't play Last of Us simply because shooter gameplay doesn't appeal to me. Same goes for Uncharted, Call of Duty, etc.

 

[Hendrick's]

DQXI combat is pretty good as far as turn-based RPGs go.

It's really simple and the game way too easy. It amounts to just clicking through battles and yawning.

 

[SpartanN92]

Mass Effect 3

 

[Myths]

That’s always been the case though? The game is at the forefront, so it’s battle system/mechanics and character progression system are paramount.

 

[Danjin44]

It's really simple and the game way too easy. It amounts to just clicking through battles and yawning.

You do know you can customize the difficulty in draconian quest....right?

OT: I'm not sure I would agree, SO4 had good combat but in my opinion but everything else was so bad its entire experience suffer for ur as the result. I mean Original NieR had very flawed combat but overall experience was pretty good so I enjoyed despite of flawed combat and I'm sure most feel same way about Witcher 3.

 

[V2Tommy]

Grandia 3 comes to mind

Nice try. Grandia 3 is the best one in the series and shouldn't be part of this thread.

 

[synchronicity]

 

[Verdanth]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The only reason I played that game until the end was because of its battle system.

 

[ULTROS!]

Tales of Graces f, Star Ocean 4, and FFXIII.

I love these 3 games just because of the fun battle systems.

 

[OmegaSpear]

Eternal Sonata had a great story imo.

 

[synchronicity]

Eternal Sonata had a great story imo.

I didn't hate it, but it was a bit..busy, if I'm to be kind. But I love its imagery, sound (obviously) and battles.

 

[Vawn]

But never the opposite.

I have played several rpgs where the game is average or downright bad, but kept going because the battle system is fun.

Tales of graces f comes to mind, or Star Ocean 4.

What other examples are there? For me Final Fantasy XV is on the opposite side. The battle system couldnt carry me in that game.

Final Fantasy XV is a case where a bad battle system can't make up for a bad story, bad characters, etc.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

I don’t outright agree but examples are few and far between. The best I can conjure is FFIX and FFX-2 (they provide the most pronounced examples I can think of).

 

[Grinchy]

Octopath Traveler was one where the battle system wasn't good enough to carry me through the atrocious story. And the system wasn't bad, but it needed to be really good to overcome the simplistic non-connecting stories.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

I never played Grandia III or Xtreme but I really enjoyed Grandia II (on the Dreamcast) for its battle system and would later play the original although I personally still prefer Grandia II because I thought it had a better story.

 

[Ferdimage]

Nice try. Grandia 3 is the best one in the series and shouldn't be part of this thread.

Yes its a good game, but the story is pretty bad compared to the first two.

 

[VertigoOA]

Dragon’s Dogma?

 

[GreyHorace]

Dragon’s Dogma?

Hell yes. It's story is bonkers frankly but the gameplay is so good. I really wish more fantasy rpgs had combat like this.

The opposite is also true unfortunately. Take Alpha Protocol. I loved the story but goddamn I couldn't finish it because the gameplay was shit.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Combat system in rpgs are tied to a lot of things like difficulty balance, progression and abilities etc.

If this much of an rpg is well sorted, no way is it a mediocre rpg.

 

[D.Final]

But never the opposite.

I have played several rpgs where the game is average or downright bad, but kept going because the battle system is fun.

Tales of graces f comes to mind, or Star Ocean 4.

What other examples are there? For me Final Fantasy XV is on the opposite side. The battle system couldnt carry me in that game.

It is actually a union of the 2 things. And depending on what one prefers then he will have his desire for entertainment. Applies to all types of games and not only to RPGs.

I love Final Fantasy XV both for the gameplay and also for is story, Lore, characters and OST.
On the other hand, I don't like games like FF XIII, Persona 5, and Resonanse of Fate, because I don't like the story of these games, and sometimes I didn't like even their gameplay at all.

But this does not make a preference or a choice unambiguous. Because if that's why I also love games like Ni no Kuni 1, Dragon Quest XI, and Chrono Trigger, mainly for their storyline and not just for the gameplay.

So the appreciation of a game can come both from the plot and from the gameplay, but also from both aspects of a video game.
It is up to the player to know what his preference is.

 

[Lupin3]

Mario&Luigi franchise

A truly great example.

 

[Perrott]

That's a good way to describe The Witcher 3.

Oh wait, the combat also sucks in W3.

 

[Rean no Kiseki]

I'm also inclined to say Shin Megami Tensei and Pokémon but I really don't want to get into a massive argument so...

I'll agree with you on Poke a man because i agree, but SMT?

 

[Ballthyrm]

Good RPGs often go on even with mediocre combat.

The entire Elder Scroll series for example.
Witcher 1 and 2, even 3 (they really improve a lot in the 3rd even if it is still not there)

 

[Mista]

I hated Ni No Kuni and DQXI because of their shit combat. Such a shame really.

Thats not called shit combat. They both have SOLID combat system. Maybe you dislike TB?

 

[TheGreatYosh]

Legend of Dragoon and Legaia have great combat systems, but I also liked the stories.

 

[DelireMan7]

Partially agreed. Atmosphere, character progression, story should still be a minimum interesting.

I loved Octopath Traveler combat but drop the game after 20h because of the stories and not great character progression.

 

[Joyful]

tbh even a good ost can carry a bad rpg

 

[Starlight Lotice]

But never the opposite.

A Mediocre RPG can't carry a Great Battle System?

Doesn't NieR do that though? Glitchy as hell battle mechanics but great story?

 

[GymWolf]

I get bored if the combat is not at least good.

 

[MasterDerico]

A good battle system can carry ANY game!

 

[darth.shrimp]

Nice try. Grandia 3 is the best one in the series and shouldn't be part of this thread.

How about Grandia 2 then? Pretty cliché story, really short for a JRPG, but the battle system is one of the greatest I've ever experienced.
The characters and dialogues were great, too, though.

 

[V2Tommy]

How about Grandia 2 then? Pretty cliché story, really short for a JRPG, but the battle system is one of the greatest I've ever experienced.
The characters and dialogues were great, too, though.

Grandia II is great, especially at the time. It wasn't considerably worse than Skies of Arcadia in any way. Grandia Xtreme is the only bad one and belongs in this thread.

 

[Elektro Demon]

Mass effect Andromeda had pretty good combat but it was still a shit game.

 

[Griffon]

RPGs can easily be ruined by boring or badly balanced battle systems.

In general, RPGs could do with a lot less battles than they currently have. I often find myself more interested in the story that the repetitive overabundance of fights.

 

[Fbh]

As an RPG it didn't do much for me. The characters are nothing special, there's basically no "main story" for the vast majority of the game and it doesn't really have a lot to do outside of battles.

But the combat system was really fun and kept me playing

 

[Animagic]

I hated Ni No Kuni and DQXI because of their shit combat. Such a shame really.

same. There’s no getting around a bad combat system.

 

[Ar¢tos]

Good combat alone is not enough sometimes. Kingdoms of Amalur had a good combat system but the (lack of) difficulty made it a joke, even on hard mode. It's only hard until you start getting gear drops with gem slots, after that it becomes ridiculously easy when you start socketing gems.

 

[HelpYouFall]

I didn't care one bit for the story in Nioh (hell I had no clue what the hell was going on or who was who half the time haha), but I replayed some missions over and over and over. I'll play Nioh 2 day one as well, no doubt.

 

[Aion002]

Not every time...

I pre ordered Persona 5 and played for 42 hours. While I liked almost everything, I still can't finish it, the terrible dungeon design that takes so much time bores me beyond belief.... I finished Haru dungeon and I simply don't have the strength to continue. The same happened with Assassin's Creed Odyssey... So many quests and so much repetitive stuff... Both are still there on my ps4.... Waiting for the day that I will have the patience to deal with their faults.

 

[VertigoOA]

Not every time...

I pre ordered Persona 5 and played for 42 hours. While I liked almost everything, I still can't finish it, the terrible dungeon design that takes so much time bores me beyond belief.... I finished Haru dungeon and I simply don't have the strength to continue. The same happened with Assassin's Creed Odyssey... So many quests and so much repetitive stuff... Both are still there on my ps4.... Waiting for the day that I will have the patience to deal with their faults.

that happened to me with persona twice.. I pulled away and went back to it and was having moderate amounts of fun... and then its boring as gameplay loop, braindead battle strategies and ps2-era dungeon simplicity made me give up to where I now say it’s a pretty mediocre jrpg after hour 90. Fuck that game. Beyond overrated.