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[Dragona Akehi]

That never would run for me! ****ing Windows 98!

 

[Avalon]

Here is a question, what exactly makes a game like Final Fantasy X or Xenogears/saga an RPG?

They don't really have role-playing elements or story interaction. Is stat based progression the only thing that makes a game an RPG?

 

[Chris Remo]

Here is a question, what exactly makes a game like Final Fantasy X or Xenogears/saga an RPG?

They don't really have role-playing elements or story interaction. Is stat based progression the only thing that makes a game an RPG?

They're pretty much just called RPGs by convention. In video games it more describes game mechanics than an actual philosophy towards structural design or narrative, unlike in "traditional" RPGs where both aspects are a factor.

 

[Fragamemnon]

Huh, no mention of Oblivion yet?

The lack of any interesting characters along with a horrendous story makes me rank this as more of an Adventure game than an RPG. It's all about combat and exploration, just like Zelda. No one seems to agree with my assessment, though.

Zelda doesn't have mudcrabs, disgusting creatures that they are. +1 Oblivion.

Actually, maybe mudcrabs are really some sort of baby tektites. At least you don't have to fight Stalfos with level 99 armor at the end of the game, which I'm sure Bethesda would have you do if they had their way with Zelda.

 

[jarrod]

STATTZ

 

[Gigglepoo]

Chrono Trigger is pretty much the ultimate Japanese style RPG. As someone else in this thread mentioned, JRGPs generally limit your freedom. You follow the set storyline and you have little impact in how characters develop. CT gives you a little more freedom, letting you tackle the quest how you see fit. It's not exactly Fallout, but it does offer enough choices and variety that it is still compelling today, even without the fancy graphics.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

ask {Mike}. he knows a lot about rpgs

dun
dun
dun
dun

In that case, his "holy shit!" senses should be going crazy right now.

VIII, not VII.

VIII. I know that's what you meant though.

Changed : )

Are you kidding me?

No, are you kidding me?

Huh, no mention of Oblivion yet?

Don't want nothin to do with Oblivion, Everquest, Guild Wars, or Wow.

When you're feeling more confident I'd also suggest wading into FFXII.

That won't be a problem. I bought it at launch but gave it to my really hot girlfriend to play while I ate into Gears of War and Viva Pinata.

I'd buck your JRPG trend and say that you need to get your hands on a copy of Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic.

Tried it, didn't like it.

 

[Sinatar]

That never would run for me! ****ing Windows 98!

If you still have your copy and want to play it, look up a program called "Exult", lets you run all the Ultima VII games flawlessly in windows.

 

[Chris Remo]

Huh, no mention of Oblivion yet?

The lack of any interesting characters along with a horrendous story makes me rank this as more of an Adventure game than an RPG. It's all about combat and exploration, just like Zelda. No one seems to agree with my assessment, though.

You don't get to decide what genre a game is in based on your own opinion of its storytelling quality. I find quite a lot of Japanese RPGs to have horrendous stories and a lack of any interesting characters (and I say this as somebody who used to play a lot of JRPGs so I'm not jumping to conclusions here) but in video games being an RPG has more to do with gameplay mechanics than anything else.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

Get Chrono Trigger even if you have to play it on an emulator, it's my best game ever.
Oh and don't get the PS1 version. Sure the cutscenes are pretty, but it's impossible to play with the loading times.

Which one should I get?

 

[Sinatar]

Don't want nothin to do with Oblivion, Everquest, Guild Wars, or Wow.

Why lump Oblivion with the others, Oblivion is 100% single player, the others are multiplayer only.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

If you still have your copy and want to play it, look up a program called "Exult", lets you run all the Ultima VII games flawlessly in windows.

Is there anything for OSX? I dumped Windows like the sleazebag it was! I still have it somewhere, plus the awesome Ultima Underworld game collection. Damn I want to play them now.

 

[Chris Remo]

No, are you kidding me?

No. Everyone in this thread who's familiar with Fallout says it's great, and all of the YouTube comments say it's great. What exactly is the problem there? If you don't have any interest for other reasons, that's one thing, but this seems silly to me.

 

[Sinatar]

Is there anything for OSX? I dumped Windows like the sleazebag it was! I still have it somewhere, plus the awesome Ultima Underworld game collection. Damn I want to play them now.

http://exult.sourceforge.net/ is the site, and yep they've got a Mac OS client.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

http://exult.sourceforge.net/ is the site, and yep they've got a Mac OS client.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

[Fragamemnon]

I really need to hunt down the OSX versions of the games... I'm looking at my Fallout 1 & 2 case right now. Such awesome games.

I played them both about four months ago while detoxing from a really bad WoW binge. Great stuff, so easy to hop in and play. I didn't have the time required to do a full BG2 smorgasboard like I wanted to, and they really hit the spot.

I can't wait for Fallout 3. I'm sure I'll have fascinating converstations like :

"I saw a radscorpion the other day, disgusting creatures"
"I saw a radscorpion the other day, disgusting creatures"
"I saw a radscorpion the other day, disgusting creatures"
"I saw a radscorpion the other day, disgusting creatures"
"I saw a radscorpion the other day, disgusting creatures"
"I saw a radscorpion the other day, disgusting creatures"
"I saw a radscorpion the other day, disgusting creatures"
"I saw a radscorpion the other day, disgusting creatures"

Ahjdshgjshgkjchgdgjfhg

 

[Gigglepoo]

You don't get to decide what genre a game is in based on your own opinion of its storytelling quality. I find quite a lot of Japanese RPGs to have horrendous stories and a lack of any interesting characters (and I say this as somebody who used to play a lot of JRPGs so I'm not jumping to conclusions here) but in video games being an RPG has more to do with gameplay mechanics than anything else.

I agree, I shouldn't have passed off my assessment of Oblivion with just a sentence like that. I mean, Grandia II is certainly an RPG and the story is, to say the least, questionable. I don't consider Oblivion an RPG because of the focus. The game is about exploration and combat. That is the main selling point. The reason to sink 100 hours into the game. One of the most important characteristics of RPGs (at least in my mind) is that the focus is on the characters and story. The quality of the story and characters can be questioned, but it's obvious when the game is centered around that aspect.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

No. Everyone in this thread who's familiar with Fallout says it's great, and all of the YouTube comments say it's great. What exactly is the problem there? If you don't have any interest for other reasons, that's one thing, but this seems silly to me.

I watched this and it didn't seem like I'd enjoy it. Not for my tastes and that's simply it, I'm sure it's a good game but not one I'll know.

However, this is educational. Now I know of one more RPG previously a question mark to me!

 

[PantherLotus]

You almost might be better off starting with the original Dragon Warrior. That will help you establish exactly everything that came after that. Turn-based battles, character stat upgrades, weapons/armor/magic, save-the-world (or girl in this case) storyline, and upgrading versions of enemies with a nice boss at the end.

Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior up until VII in the US) is pretty much the foundation of what RPGs are "supposed to be." There are many variations, mostly in the battle and upgrade systems that make different games like DQ and FF stand apart. Also, then character designs and storylines are top-notch. Definitely go with Dragon Warrior VII if you want a stand-alone game that does a pretty good job of hitting all the high notes of the past 20 years of JRPGs while offering a glimpse of what the future might hold with RPGs as they enter 3D.

Final Fantasy as a whole are much the same (up until FFVII). Great stories, characters, enemies, and upgrade systems offer something new with each release. In-jokes become common and more funny the more you play each of these games. I think FFVI is your best bet if you can find it. It is amazing.

 

[Avalon]

I watched this and it didn't seem like I'd enjoy it. Not for my tastes and that's simply it, I'm sure it's a good game but not one I'll know.

However, this is educational. Now I know of one more RPG previously a question mark to me!

There is a world of difference between Japanese and traditional Western RPGs (not Oblivion). Fallout offers far more customization, freedom and strategic gameplay then most JRPGs, but it's at the cost of being less accessible gameplay.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

I think FFVI is your best bet if you can find it. It is amazing.

I misread that as FFVII. (I thought we weren't allowed to say that here!)

This is a very good start. I've been replaying Paper Mario 2 and enjoying every minute of it, so I'm going to sit back down and move forward there. I'll look back later to see if anything new has come up, and tomorrow I'll have to start looking for a few games!

There is a world of difference between Japanese and traditional Western RPGs (not Oblivion). Fallout offers far more customization, freedom and strategic gameplay then most JRPGs, but it's at the cost of less accessible gameplay.

Ah. No, I like my RPGs to be more linear and story-driven than all willy nilly with the world-saving.

 

[agent069]

I see a lot of people mentioning Chrono Trigger but it's a very unique RPG. Any DQ seems like a much better answer IMO, they are the originals anyway (as far as japanese RPG goes, western RPG sucks ). DQ8 seems like the natural choice.

 

[Avalon]

Ah. No, I like my RPGs to be more linear and story-driven than all willy nilly with the world-saving.

Your missing out (at least give them a shot).

 

[Eric P]

i'm replaying fallout 2 now

it's fun.

still.

 

[Fireblend]

Which one should I get?

Well, it would be ideal if you played it on a SNES. I guess if you have no option you can get the PS1 version, but in my opinion, I just couldn't tolerate the load times in that version.

 

[Fragamemnon]

I misread that as FFVII.
Ah. No, I like my RPGs to be more linear and story-driven than all willy nilly with the world-saving.

I think FFXII is easily the best choice on the table for you next, given that (and that you didn't like my last suggestion!). DQ8 is another good bet if you're looking for something meatier and more "traditional".

I'm also going to don some abestos and say that if you like Paper Mario 2, Kingdom Hearts 2 isn't a bad game. Just don't try to play through it in five days like I did-I swear I'm going to go full bore magazine rack next time I see "The Nightmare Before Christmas" at the local Blockbuster.

 

[Ace 8095]

Fallout demo

http://www.download.com/Fallout-demo/3640-7539_4-866542.html?tag=tab_ur

I know I'm amazing.

(Note, very slow download speed)

 

[tanasten]

True RPG's as videogames doesn't exits. A Rol Playing Game is a table game in which some players takes the rol of a imaginary cast, and goes trought and story developed for the Master, a person who creates the storyline of the game based on a ruleset.

In videogames, RPGs are know as story driven games in which the players adopts a character and keeps becoming stronger trought the story in order to solve the problems they're supossed to solve.

Under this belt, there are a lot of diferent "RPG" types: Action RPGs (The Legend of Zelda, Alundra), Turn Battle RPGs (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest) , Simulation RPGs (Fire Emblem, Front Mission), Dungeon RPGs (Diablo, Mysterious Dungeons) and Massive Multiplayer Online RPGs (Guild Wars, World of Warcraft) are the most common.

 

[Scott]

Castlevania is not an RPG. That's all I know.

It's ok, man; I already gave up posting regularly, so there's really no need to push for that anymore.

 

[Amir0x]

It's ok, man; I already gave up posting regularly, so there's really no need to push for that anymore.

Haha, actually I was trying to summon ethelred. How are you doing, though?

 

[Scott]

Haha, actually I was trying to summon ethelred. How are you doing, though?

Oh, he thinks that too? ...Damn, maybe Scarlet is onto something when she says we're similar.

As for your question? Short answer: meh. Consider it like a gwarg, only with a little less bitterness to it.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

HEY! A "gwarg" isn't necessarily bitter!

 

[Vaporak]

I'm looking for the best RPGs in gaming history. I'm trying to stick to consoles

Does not compute, take 3 doses of Baldur's Gate saga and 1 of Planescape: Torment and call me in the morning. They've got the best epic storytelling, characterization, writing, deep game mechanics, AND side quest exploration all rolled into one.

 

[Speevy]

Dragon Quest 8 and KOTOR.

Play em' both, and your life shall be complete.

 

[dirtmonkey37]

Dragon Quest 8 and KOTOR.

Play em' both, and your life shall be complete.

I need to play those two. I can play Kotor on 360 BC, and DQ8 is only 20 bucks new.


Anyways:

RPG's you in particular will most likely enjoy (I haven't played all of them myself):


1. Skies of the Arcadia
2. Final Fantasy VII
3. Kingdom Hearts 1/2 (you'll dig this one coming from a non-RPG background)
4. DQ8
5. Oblivion
6. KOTOR
7. Grandia II

From what I've heard those are all pretty good games. I've only played three of them myself (not too big of an RPG fan...considering most of them are 40 hours long....)


Next on my list of RPG's to play: KOTOR and DQ8/Skies.

Personally, I

There's a nice little list!

 

[Alts]

Up until college, I played table top RPGs very regularly, but I don't get caught up in the "more true to the spirit of RPGs" etc crap. The title seems to be used now for any game with stat building and a greater emphasis on story than other games.

Suggestions:
Fallout (original, not 2. both rule, but I prefer the first)
Tales of Symphonia (haven't opened up Abyss yet)
even though it's a SRPG, I adore Final Fantasy Tactics
Chrono Trigger

I feel like for a lot of people who haven't played many RPGs, the deciding factor for tolerance will be the battle system (and random battles GAF crusade ZOMG!!). But seriously, Fallout is phenomenal. You must try it.

 

[Tarazet]

GAF can eat it. Paper Mario is probably one of the better RPG franchises. Period.

It absolutely is, but it's also not typical of the RPG experience in many ways. It's almost like a turn-based action game.

 

[Speevy]

RPGs would be 100x better on average if they were just more accessible.

Simple menus, straightforward combat, varied gameplay.

The reason most of these games get put down before they're even tried is that you can't see yourself enjoying

A) The combat
or
B) The characters/story

That's why Level 5 is one of my favorite developers. They can build a big adventure that's very easy for the player to understand.

 

[PantherLotus]

Can anybody tell me about Baten Kaitos, Disgaea, or other non-Square/Enix RPGs that I might be missing?

I would consider a go at a game with a great upgrade/battle system with cool enemies. I love level grinding, and don't particularly care if its action or turn-based, although I'd *kinda* prefer turn-based over action for long sets of grinding. I love dungeons, bosses, and great stories. I don't care if they're the save the village/world type or if they have romance. I do like having multiple party members, multiple storylines, GREAT music, and I love to buy new weapons and armor. Also, character design and enemy design are extremely important to me. Any non-SE suggestions?

Also, somebody please tell me what is so great about the Paper Mario series? I am interested in SPM on the Wii because of its platforming elements but honestly the thought of turn based mario makes me gag a little. I know I hear everyone talk about how great it is buy I never really hear why. I tried playing it a little on SNES(9X) but my platforming soul cried out in pain. Was I wrong?

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Also, somebody please tell me what is so great about the Paper Mario series? I am interested in SPM on the Wii because of its platforming elements but honestly the thought of turn based mario makes me gag a little. I know I hear everyone talk about how great it is buy I never really hear why. I tried playing it a little on SNES(9X) but my platforming soul cried out in pain. Was I wrong?

That's because you played the absolutely vomit-inducing Super Mario RPG, not a Paper Mario game.

Paper Mario is for the N64
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is for GameCube.

Both are by IntSys and are amazing titles. Super Generic RPG Involving Mario is by Square and the best thing about it was the crazy singing female Piranha Plants from the Japanese commercial. In other words: pure doodie.

 

[Speevy]

Super Mario RPG was pretty much every cliché you'll find in a Square-developed SNES game, but set in the Mario universe.

Of course, the characters in that game at least seemed to have an important mission. Also, the art designers for PM2 quit before you arrived at

Spoiler

Poshley Heights

 

[PantherLotus]

That's because you played the absolutely vomit-inducing Super Mario RPG, not a Paper Mario game.

Paper Mario is for the N64
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is for GameCube.

Both are by IntSys and are amazing titles. Super Generic RPG Involving Mario is by Square and the best thing about it was the crazy singing female Piranha Plants from the Japanese commercial. In other words: pure doodie.

OH SHIT

WHAT DID I MISS?! Please describe the gaming goodness of Paper Mario to me!


also: non-SE recommendations from you (I know you know) are appreciated.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

Also, somebody please tell me what is so great about the Paper Mario series? I am interested in SPM on the Wii because of its platforming elements but honestly the thought of turn based mario makes me gag a little. I know I hear everyone talk about how great it is buy I never really hear why. I tried playing it a little on SNES(9X) but my platforming soul cried out in pain. Was I wrong?

Filled with in-jokes, Nintendo humor, amazing artistic direction, and great gameplay/music/story to boot. Read at least one review and you'll be sold, or watch this!

 

[Dragona Akehi]

OH SHIT

WHAT DID I MISS?! Please describe the gaming goodness of Paper Mario to me!


also: non-SE recommendations from you (I know you know) are appreciated.

Just read this. It's pretty much one of the best RPGs in the generation.

As for non SE RPGs, Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos II. Get them. Breath of Fire V. Romancing Saga (yes it's a SE title but no one gives it a chance). There're lots more but that's enough to get you started on it.

 

[Gigglepoo]

It's almost like a turn-based action game.

Buh?

 

[Doomgaze-MWFR]

Chrono trigger ok.. but DQVIII ? WTF ?
You better start with CT and FF7, really

 

[Speevy]

Recommending Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter to anyone should come with a disclaimer that most people won't like it. (even if it is a unique and quality game)

 

[Speevy]

Chrono trigger ok.. but DQVIII ? WTF ?
You better start with CT and FF7, really

Dragon Quest 8 is just about the most straightforward and fun RPG that someone can play. It has high production values and minigames as well as an enormous main quest.

 

[PantherLotus]

I was hoping for a little more explanation of why I might like those games...how are the:

1. battles
2. upgrade systems
3. enemies
4. characters
5. storylines
6. music
7. bosses
8. sidequests

?

Not necessarily in that order.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Chrono trigger ok.. but DQVIII ? WTF ?
You better start with CT and FF7, really

HISS