I dunno. The chi system for attacks was a total mind fuck, poorly explained and implemented, and the combat was really dull, for a system that lets you move your characters around
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Worst JRPG you have ever played.
- Thread starter Dark_castle
- Start date
I dunno. The chi system for attacks was a total mind fuck, poorly explained and implemented, and the combat was really dull, for a system that lets you move your characters around
Weltall Zero
Member
Not sure about the worst, but these stand out:
Paladin's Quest
Guardian Crusade
I actually liked Persona 1 back then, it was so unique (it was obviously my first MegaTen-related game and I loved the ambientation, Persona-summoning and demon-negotiation). Never finished it though, game was tough as nails and Final Fantasy VII arrived not long after it.
BoF V is an extremely unique beast, with counterintuitive mechanics and a game flow that's impenetrable unless you spend a lot of time thinking and optimizing its mechanics. I can completely understand how it might not be everyone's, or even a majority's cup of tea. I still liked it more than either BoF3 or what little I played of BoF4.
Azure Dreams was a quite competent roguelike, but again, I can understand how it might throw people for a loop.
... I give up. >_>
Paladin's Quest
Guardian Crusade
I actually liked Persona 1 back then, it was so unique (it was obviously my first MegaTen-related game and I loved the ambientation, Persona-summoning and demon-negotiation). Never finished it though, game was tough as nails and Final Fantasy VII arrived not long after it.
BoF V is an extremely unique beast, with counterintuitive mechanics and a game flow that's impenetrable unless you spend a lot of time thinking and optimizing its mechanics. I can completely understand how it might not be everyone's, or even a majority's cup of tea. I still liked it more than either BoF3 or what little I played of BoF4.
Azure Dreams was a quite competent roguelike, but again, I can understand how it might throw people for a loop.
... I give up. >_>
I played dozens of them, from FF to Neptunia games.
When there's no rendered characters models for dialogue, just portraits where the only moving aspects are heaving breasts and awkward mouths... just so bad.
I greatly dislike ffx, but I don't think it's anywhere near the miserable quality of the argarest games
A lot of mentioned games are pretty decent.
Worst JRPG I played is probably Dragoneer's Aria. The graphics were solid, but everything else was so bad. From the recolored mobs to the slow combat.
I'd also like to point out Tales of Symphonia. I will never understand the love for this garbage. Combat system might have been ok, if I didn't play Abyss before. Only being able to move linearly sucked so much. Didn't help that the story and characters were very boring. I only finished it to play DotNW, which I prefer over the original ToS.
No one really considers SSH to be the best version. Depends on the person, but its either TSS for Sega CD or SSSC for PS1.
Worst JRPG I played is probably Dragoneer's Aria. The graphics were solid, but everything else was so bad. From the recolored mobs to the slow combat.
I'd also like to point out Tales of Symphonia. I will never understand the love for this garbage. Combat system might have been ok, if I didn't play Abyss before. Only being able to move linearly sucked so much. Didn't help that the story and characters were very boring. I only finished it to play DotNW, which I prefer over the original ToS.
No one really considers SSH to be the best version. Depends on the person, but its either TSS for Sega CD or SSSC for PS1.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Personal favorites I've seen mentioned in this thread:
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Final Fantasy X
Paladin's Quest
Tales of Graces F
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
Pretty much every Persona game
I happen to think that Beyond the Beyond was mostly just generic and released too late (when it came out, everyone wanted a PS1 RPG that showed off the system's capabilities, not something that looked like a Genesis RPG), but that one thing you mentioned was a truly boneheaded design decision.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Final Fantasy X
Paladin's Quest
Tales of Graces F
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
Pretty much every Persona game
I happen to think that Beyond the Beyond was mostly just generic and released too late (when it came out, everyone wanted a PS1 RPG that showed off the system's capabilities, not something that looked like a Genesis RPG), but that one thing you mentioned was a truly boneheaded design decision.
And then when you finally uncurse him, you almost immediately get a better character and just end up replacing him anyway
Probably one of the many forgettable DS JRPGs I tried. They are so interchangable/generic that I even forget their names. Even Cross Edge is more memorable than that.
This increases my hype for your game, Dragon Quarter is one of my all-time favourite JRPGs!
Star Ocean 3/4 are both up there, but the combat mechanics are good, so it's tough for me to slam them. I thought Magna Carta was not supposed to be terrible but looking it up it's clear I must have been thinking of a different game. 
I kinda liked what I played of Quest 64 (the first half), but I haven't played it since it was new, so it might be a steaming pile of garbage if/when I pick it up again.
I guess Enchanted Arms might be mine too?
I kinda liked what I played of Quest 64 (the first half), but I haven't played it since it was new, so it might be a steaming pile of garbage if/when I pick it up again.I guess Enchanted Arms might be mine too?
Prince Vultan
Banned
I almost did the same. First game was definitely crap to play, but you should give any other game in the series a shot. The improvement after the first is quite dramatic, with only the dungeon repetition being the main holdover from the first.
There's a remake of the first using the improved design/battle system of the sequels coming at some point this year in fact, isn't there? Could be worth a look.
Just saying. Not an amazing series by any means, but it'd be a real shame to dismiss the whole thing based on how bad the original game is is all.
Did anyone else play Aria and see weird filtering pixels at the lines where parts of the scenery met? I'd get these rainbow pixeling effects, and on top of the utterly mediocre gameplay and one dimensional characters, I was not impressed
Karsticles
Member
I think that the worst RPG I have ever played is Grandia Xtreme or Quest 64. I list both of them because I beat Xtreme and can actually evaluate the entire game, while I just kind of forgot about Quest 64, and that is not something I do. Quest 64...I don't remember anything but grinding to raise stats before getting bored. Grandia Xtreme had a horrible plot, cast of characters, and the most atrocious voice acting I have ever heard. It had fantastic Grandia combat, which is why I played through the whole thing.
Shoutouts to FFVIII for being a special kind of awful, as well.
Shoutouts to FFVIII for being a special kind of awful, as well.
To be fair, this poster also admitted he doesn't play jrpgs and that was his first.
Riviera is a harem anime wannabe rpg. Its short, mediocre and cute at best.
There's a lot of mediocre games but there's bad ones. Quest 64 is still king of BADNESS for me lol. I honestly thought 3D rpgs is just simply not possible after that fucking game.
I now solemnly swear to never buy any Zeboyd Games. I'm sorry. You made this happen yourself. I didn't want to do this, but...
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Heheh, I know, I know. Everyone I know who played Robotrek (all 4 of us) besides me loved it, but I just could not stand that game.
Can't say for LotD, but Magna Carta was very different from shadow hearts.
Be it only because of the gameplay of the fights.
Ugh, the fights. I never ever have seen such a bad idea for fights. They are just so slow, it takes forever to move anywhere, and two third of your team basically do absolutely nothing while you're playing another character.
The rest of the game I found actually somewhat engaging, but I couldn't bring myself to bear with those atrocious fights for more than a few hours.
FFX- it was like a insert a very bad dvd in my ps2 that just won't stop, the battle system is brainless & dull like your typical FF battle system now with an awful overacted story with VOICES!!!.
FF12 -I thought this was going to be the FF that finally does away with the dull, mindless, un-engaging battle system but sadly I was wrong it got even more un-engaging to the point your player input felt like it had very little matter to the outcome of the battles.
Ninokuni - beautiful visuals, Amazing music but your typical Level 5 gameplay, little to no fun to be found in the gameplay i.e battle system.
FF12 revenant wings - game sucks the fun out of unsuspecting victims, it looks good but would leave you bored out of your mind.
FF12 -I thought this was going to be the FF that finally does away with the dull, mindless, un-engaging battle system but sadly I was wrong it got even more un-engaging to the point your player input felt like it had very little matter to the outcome of the battles.
Ninokuni - beautiful visuals, Amazing music but your typical Level 5 gameplay, little to no fun to be found in the gameplay i.e battle system.
FF12 revenant wings - game sucks the fun out of unsuspecting victims, it looks good but would leave you bored out of your mind.
Omegasquash
Member
Has anyone said Granstream Saga? Not sure if it counts as an RPG (it's an ARPG at best). I confess to playing it fully through. Twice.
Oh I just remembered Koudelka now. I really tried to like the game but its really too slow. It takes like 3 minutes for each turn. It makes Skies of Arcadia seem fast.
Wouldn't say its the worst JRPG though.
It wasn't very well explained, but again it is mechanically no different. Ultimately you just end up repeating what you had been doing in a different way.
They could have made the title more interesting if the positioning was more relevant.
QuantumZebra
Member
What a mature and well-thought out response.
pillowtalk
Member
Shining Wisdom and Albert Odyssey on Saturn.
I've played shittier jrpgs in the 16bit era, but those I never spent more than a few minutes on.
I've played shittier jrpgs in the 16bit era, but those I never spent more than a few minutes on.
Omegasquash
Member
If it makes you feel any better, I tried to like it but didn't.
Disabling characters in a direct command input setting (Valkirya chronicles uses a different twist on this idea) is really no different mechanically than turn based orders issued. The command timing inputs is really the only main aspect here, since once you are in position, it really doesn't change much of anything. The older games in turn based systems just skipped that whole aspect (barring top down tactical/strategy games).
AdventureMike
Member
Arc Rise Fantasia
I have a high threshold for mediocre or bad elements in games (or tv shows/movies for that matter) and I'm VERY forgiving. The VA in this game though is so much on the next level of shit that I could not play it for very long at all.
I lived through the PS1 era of voice acting and this is fucking offensive.
still more well thought out than FF13's plot, characters, art direction, gameplay & level design -_-
ShadowgeistX
Member
The Infinite Undiscovery hate saddens me. Sure, it was janky as all hell, but the story was better than SO4, the VO/cutscenes are at least bad enough to be entertaining, and the battle system was more fun than Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World.
That said, storywise I was ready to chuck my controller through a window while playing Star Ocean 4 and Tales of Graces f. Seriously, as decent as the battle system might have been, the story is downright bad.
Personally though, FF12 was the epitome of boring for me. That, and Glory of Heracles DS. I want my time back that I wasted with those games. =(
Arc Rise Fantasia
I have a high threshold for mediocre or bad elements in games (or tv shows/movies for that matter) and I'm VERY forgiving. The VA in this game though is so much on the next level of shit that I could not play it for very long at all.
I lived through the PS1 era of voice acting and this is fucking offensive.
I actually really want to check out this game some day. I can't remember who, but one GAFer has a love-on for this title and they completely sold me on the gameplay of it. Can the VA be disabled?
I can agree with this. SW is an action rpg with terrible combat mechanic. AO basically freezes a lot. :\ AO is more mediocre but I don't remember much else besides the terrible freezing I got from it.
Unlimited Saga. I tried, I really tried. Fantastic soundtrack, though.
I don't even know how to respond to this.
I don't even know how to respond to this.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
Arc Rise Fantasia
I have a high threshold for mediocre or bad elements in games (or tv shows/movies for that matter) and I'm VERY forgiving. The VA in this game though is so much on the next level of shit that I could not play it for very long at all.
I lived through the PS1 era of voice acting and this is fucking offensive.
At least you can turn off the voice acting in that game. Highly recommended to do so since the voice acting is indeed horrendous but the game itself is decent.
AdventureMike
Member
Another vote for Ephmeral Fantasia. My friend and I rented it and we just couldn't understand anything about the mechanics, and the game was ugly as sin.
As for Beyond the Beyond, didn't that manage to come out back during the phase when SCEA was all anti-RPG? How did it manage to sneak out in that atmosphere?
As for Beyond the Beyond, didn't that manage to come out back during the phase when SCEA was all anti-RPG? How did it manage to sneak out in that atmosphere?
moltonasty
Member
Lol @ everyone saying FFXIII. Sure, it had a lot of problems, but WORST RPG EVER? Come on. Most of you probably haven't played a lot of RPGS if that's the case. FFXIII is definitely better than FF Mystic Quest, Quest 64, or EGG, for example.
thewhitehawk
Member
To me the tutorial is not the issue. To me the issue is that the combat system is needlessly complex. Even simple movements require very specific key combinations that would have been done in much simpler interactions but are instead divided into two or three, not to mention that the simultaneous attack with the three members is so weird and complex to pull off that I have to return to the tutorial area or load up a page whenever I want to do it.
And secondly the game has very poor explanation of where you're supposed to go, or what you're supposed to do, it conveys that very poorly. When you add that to the fact that there's no way for you, as a player, to know where you need to do random encounters to get the "block" you need to progress in the map, or if you need to do a specific quest in order to do so, it just helps make the whole experience much worse.
I think that it's a game that suffers a lot from having the heart in the right place, but with a few too many poor game design decisions.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
I'm very lucky to avoid the turdbags some are mentioning in here. Mediocre? Horrifically binary? Disappointing? Oh yeah, but not SHIT.