In need of an RPG
 

Sorry if this is another cliche thread. Admins can delete it if you want. I can post it in my journal instead.

Anyways, I finished FFXII, which was good enough to pass the time. I started Odin Sphere, but it's been getting frustrating (On Book 2 alread) because, yes, I can't play this game for shit. I'm planning on taking a break from it (I was on the verge of slamming my controller >.>) but there are too many games to choose from. Whoever mentions FFX-2 should hang themself =P

I've played...
- All Shin Megami Tensei
- All of Xenosaga
- Shadow Heart I/II
- Disgaea I/La Puccelle <3
- Every FF game -- need more ><
- Kingdom Hearts I/II
- Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits

I have but haven't started:
- Tales of the Abyss
- Radiata Stories
- Dragon Quest VIII

Considering:
- Rogue Galaxy
- Grandia III
- Valkyrie Profile II
- Shadow Hearts III

I'm looking for something epic, story-wise -- not too simple. But I don't want the difficulty level of gamplay so outrageous that I want to pull a VT.

Any help would be appreciated. =)

Since you already have it, I strongly recommend Tales of the Abyss. It starts off kind of slow and loading on the world map is terrible (which you have to deal with a lot at the beginning), but once it picks up around the 10 hour mark the game is excellent. Definitely the best Tales story I've played.

Valkyrie Profile 2 is also well worth your time and money. Be prepared to do a lot of levelling at the start of each area. If you didn't play the first VP then you should read a synopsis or something though. I had someone to explain a few things since I'd only gone up to chapter 3 in the original, but it's still a fun game without knowing the details since it takes place before the first game, so don't let that stop you.

Since you're looking for a good story, avoid Shadow Hearts III. Dull characters and the story wasn't all that interesting from what I played. It's a huge letdown after the glory of Covenant.

Radiata Stories is nice if you're looking for something offbeat. I was surprised at how funny it was, even though the box art had me convinced it would be a snooze.

I haven't played Tales of the Abyss yet, but I've heard it's both better than Tales of Legendia (which wasn't all that bad) and a 3D Tales of Symphonia, and I really liked that particular Tales game. Like I said though, I haven't played it personally.

Dragon Quest VIII is amazing though. Runs about 80 hours, lots of stuff to do, cool characters, and it has an epilogue quest you can complete immediately after the first playthru that'll definitely provide a nice challenge. It's a great game -- couldn't recommend it enough.

Rogue Galaxy ranks slightly higher on my list though, if only because of the sheer difference in content. RG offers much, much more in the way of side quests and it has a bonus dungeon post-completion. Very, very cool game.

Grandia III was, in a word, alright. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Same great battle system with the addition of the Aerial Finish attacks, which are pretty cool and add a tad bit mroe depth to an otherwise deep battle system for what it is. Story's kinda weak, but getting the airplane and flying around the world map was by far one of the high points for me. It's super linear though with little else to do but beat the game. Still if you like Grandia, you'll like this one.

Valkyrie Profile II is goddamn beautiful. There's no other way to put it. It is slightly weaker overall than the first game though, but that's hardly a fault since VP1 was simply amazing. Battles are still fun and slightly more strategic since you can split up your party. I don't like the dungeons as much though, since they require you to micromanage orbs that, by either placing or removing them from bases laid throughout the map, can drastically alter the flow of events while traversing the dungeon and battling. It seemed to make VP2 unnecessarily tedious in my opinion, though some players will disagree with me. Still a great game.

Of the ones you listed, the ones I commented on I've played. Radiata Stories never struck me as something I needed to play, and I never got in to Shadow Hearts. But you did leave one game off your list that you've either played and opted to not add to your list, or you've never played it which should quickly be remedied before any of those other games.

Okami. If you haven't played it, it trumps these other titles if not by a mile, certainly by enough. For me t explain why would take all night, suffice it to say the game is awesome and deserves to not only be played, but to be owned and collected.

Now, beyond Okami, my top picks are gonna be Rogue Galaxy, Dragon Quest VIII, Valkyrie Profile II and Grandia III, in that order. That's a fair amount of RPGs to take in and unless you lack a summer job, you'll be playing these probably into the start the school year.

Gonna throw another post in for Tales of Abyss since you already own it and it's one of the best games in the series, probably one of the better games (rpgs anyway) on the console as well. If it didn't have such jaggy graphics (heeeyy, ps3 kinda fixes this now with the new smoothing option it added so coo') and rather lengthy save times and load times on the world map it really would be the best or at least very close to being so.

Still, even with some of it's glaring technical problems the game itself is very solid with a very nice storyline overall (just enough melodrama to feel epic but not horrifyingly annoying) and the battle system is all kinds of fun.

Valkyrie Profile 2 is a breathtaking visual, audio and gameplay experience but the storyline is somewhat below average; however it's a worthy sequel to the original game (which also had a fairly shallow storyline experience imo) and stands up on it's own legs just fine if you've never played it. You'll be a tad confused at the ending events, but otherwise it should be just fine.

I highly suggest those two of what you listed; Shadow Hearts 3 is a bit of a disappointment compared to the first two and I just couldn't make myself like Grandia 3, either. The storyline and characterization was like a dumbed down Grandia 2 and the game completely fell apart for me about halfway through. Radiata Stories is funny and is a pretty decent game too, though, but I'd go for Abyss and VP2 first honestly. Very sublime games right there.

And there you have it. My very unorganized two cents. I blame it on being 2:30am and on my lack of will to go over and make sure this came out coherent. :D

Damn. I was going to say that, too.... :)

No--I'm not going to suggest Suikoden. :twitch: I WILL however suggest playing one of the games you haven't started yet. I haven't played any of them (so why say something? you ask), but from what I've seen in reviews and what the others here are saying, they are very different than the ones you've already played.

And, ironically, they are all games that I've considered buying myself...LOL

You could try the two Kingdom Hearts games - I really enjoyed KHI but haven't gotten II yet. It might be worth a shot.

In addition, do try Grandia. I haven't played III, but I did beat II. Great game, very long, but it was pretty good. Also had quite a few challenge spots, but it was worth it.

Also, you didn't mention FFX, although it seems you have gone through it. If not, that's another choice...

Heh, why not? He said he wanted an epic game with a good story that isn't too simple. Frankly, that was the last RPG I played and got hooked on (144 hours, 2 runs...1 without 108 stars, 1 with). Of the ones listed, I have VP2, but I've been in the midst of Chapter 3 for awhile and haven't really gone back to it. I REALLY like the battle system, but I'm just not hooked on the game.

So I would recommend Suikoden V, as long as you don't mind picking up another game.

Thanks for the suggestions! It's official... I'm going to start Abyss =D And if I get bored of that, I'll just move down the list .__.''

I did rent VP1, and I thought it was good. A little hard, but good. I didn't get to finish the game though, fucking BS 3-day rental. But I'll definitely try VP2 after Abyss.

And screw Shadow Hearts 3 now. LOL. Same with Grandia 3. And I'm still hesitant with Radiata Stories.

Okami's an RPG? RPG-action? I was meaning to try that but I never found a decent torrent, I mean... no cash. =/

edit: Yeah, I played KH I/II. I didn't like II so I gave up on that. And I've played all of the FF =(

How about Suikoden III? It was one of the first games to come out for the ps2.

Shadow Hearts 3 is not that good IMO. I love the first two games, but Shadow Hearts without Yuri is not worthy. I quit playing it like after 15 hours and I'm not missing it.

Definitely try Valkyrie Profile 2, which is a very good sequel. The only problem with the game is that is not that difficult, but that's what you're looking for.

I would have if 3 games weren't already craving attention. :)

Additional Spam:
However...

Since you asked.....

Suikoden III is my least favorite of the series. If you played Suikoden I and II--you would understand why.

Battle Party: Grouped into 3 pairs (front and back)
Item/Magic Support: Unless specified for the whole group--only for the pair
Battle Combos: Again, unless it's a large group combo, paired combos have to be grouped front/back
Magic Combos: Gone
World Map: You cross it twice. (A little "you" walks across a map to your destination, then when you hit "accept" you get to do it in the actual world.)

Story: 3 viewpoints. Heh--this actually isn't bad. You get to choose the hero. But, truth be told--the story isn't as epic as you would like.

Weird factor: High--why are there two Vikis? And why are they under two stars? Why?

BUT--I will agree with Goldfish about Suikoden V. It passed II as my favorite Suikoden game. Like the others, there are multiple endings, but this time, they are influenced by your actions throughout the game as well as getting the 108 stars. (I don't mean killing someone--I mean whether you are a nice guy or a jerk.)

The story takes you in--I've played it several times, and each time I can't wait to see what happens next, and I've racked up over 200 hours of play. (Told you I like it.)

Shadow Hearts 3 is not a bad game on its own. The story is not that great, I have to admit, but the gameplay is the same awesome stuff that I loved in the second game, with the actual bonus that it actually poses a challenge now, and some of the bosses will seriously kick your ass, so if you are looking for a more difficult game, but don't mind the lighthearted story, it's a good option.

Radiata Stories is a bit meh. It looks really pretty imo (I'm a sucker for nice graphics), but the rest of the game isn't that great. Combat is pretty basic, you don't really have to think a lot about strategic battling, and the majority of the gameplay comes from collecting characters, which can be VERY time consuming, and it can get rather boring. The upside is the story, which is pretty fun, but also has a couple of serious moments, and as I said before, the graphics, which are just awesome.

I know someone already recommended Dragon Quest VIII, though I want to second it. Yes, even though you've made up your mind. Since you've played every Shin Megami Tensei game (I'm assuming you were enjoying yourself), I think it'd be the best RPG for you to pick up at this time. Especially after putting down Odin Sphere (which I admittedly only finished out of attrition).

It's very traditionalist, but the storyline is enjoyable and manages to strike a balance between having a decent epic line to the story and also not taking itself so seriously. It's a satisfying romp, provided that you like the more old school feeling it provides.

I actually cast a vote against Radiata Stories. Along with Grandia III, it was just one of those RPGs that felt like it was just... there. In my PS2. Literally wasting my time. You should sell them for money!

Okami's about as much an RPG as Ocarina of Time/Twilight Princess is, since it plays so very, very similar to those two. But it's also just a fantastic game. Couldn't recommend it highly enough, and quite frankly I'm surprised no one else in this thread has said anything. :/

I don't really, call me insane, hold Okami in the same definition. Given the "Adventure vs. RPG" genre bullshit Zelda tends to get, I didn't think someone would say the same of Okami. Apparently there are several Rare Ltd. RPGs I've never even played going by that particular methodology of labeling.

Yea I cant really recommend Suikoden III. I didn't like the story, the characters, the music, and while the combat was decent, it wasn't anything too outstandish. I will say though that Dragon Quest VIII is great! Granted its a pretty long RPG and it gets tough if you don't spend some time leveling but its really an awesome game.

I cast another vote against Suikoden III. This is one of those games I bought new & then let it sit on my shelf for about 3 years before trying it out. I hated the "overworld," I thought the castle areas were a joke... It just seemed like an N64-level game but with a bit flashier graphics. It's one of the few games I've played in the past few years that I instantly disliked.

I would recommend trying out Breath of Fire V. You should be able to pick it up dirt cheap if you can find it. (Or dirt cheap on Ebay.) This game's style is unique, the battles are most strategic than just picking which potion to drink next, and the music is great. Plus, it has the best intro sequence of any game imho...

I just have to ask. How far did you get into Kingdom Hearts II before you gave up? That game has made my top favourites list, but only after i passed some almost excrutiatingly boring bits. If you can get past that hurdle, the game gets soooooooooo much better.

I'm going to caution you about Grandia III. It's a good enough game, but it's frustrating as hell later on in the game, and the story, writing, and voice acting only deteriorates as time goes on. By the end of the game i wanted to kill each and every character i met because they were so one-dimensional and voiced terribly. But the high difficulty makes for a very satisfied feeling after beating the final boss.

Also, probably the second worst ending i've ever seen.

If you're willing to consider PS1 games, try Wild Arms 2. The plot, while not necessarily "Lord of the Rings" epic, has a nice way of unfolding multiple times to become something bigger and bigger, and has plenty of intricacies.

Overall the game's regarded by many WA fans to be the best of the WA series, and if you can forgive the less-than-stellar translation, there's a lot to like about it.

I actually prefer Symphonia to Abyss, but it's still good. Free Run is definitely better than Symphonia's system. The story isn't epic as you wanted though, but it's a pretty long game. Funny, but everytime I've recommended Abyss to other people wanting to play a new RPG, they always play something else instead, and I don't know why.

...what. Most people I know of think it's the worst or second worst. First time I've heard of this.

Anyways, throwing out nods to Tales of the Abyss and Suikoden V.

Stay away from Shadow Hearts III and Grandia III. They're gameplay games, not story games.

Add another vote for Tales of the Abyss. I think it's exactly the type of game you are looking for currently. The plot is long, involving, and I think the cast is very easy to get attached to. The battle system isn't very hard and standard fare for the Tales series. That could be good or bad in your opinion, but I've always thought the Tales games were fun. Abyss is arguably one of the best to date and you shouldn't definitely give it a try.

The only other game on the list of haven't started/considering I've tried is Valkyrie Profile 2. I aboslutely loved the first game, but I was sorely disappointed with the second. I'm sure there are plenty of people who love it for whatever reasons, but I wouldn't recommend it... especially if you are looking to avoid being annoyed.

I just started Dragon Quest VIII and Abyss. Abyss seems alright, the battle system is kinda like Star Ocean which I loved. The story seems interesting enough at the start -- very mysterious =O

Dragon Quest is fucking gorgeous O_O I spent 3 hours playing the game basically wandering the world map. I'm shallow like that. But it seems good so far. The story isn't very engaging. I think it's basically going to towns and helping solve that mystery, get the next clue, move onto the next area. I could be horribly wrong. Also, I hate that you can only save in the church and can only heal at the inn. I'm guessing the other DQ games are like this? It adds to the challenge, but it keeps me at the edge of my seat when I'm at critical and I want to get the hell out of there.

I'll continue to play these two games for now. Until one of them gets boring. =D

Oh, and about Kingdom Hearts II. I'm in the first visit to Aladin's world. My friend has the game but she's not going to give it back for a while. I think she sleeps with it. =S

Get Suikoden V..

Its pretty long.. 108 characters to recruit, get your own castle! New story, so you dont need to have played the others in the series.

Oh, I recommend Okami an Odin Sphere(action rpg, can give you 40+ hours too)

I take it you're not interested in excellent RPGs for other consoles at all, because other than ToTA, that's about all I would really want to recommend. Some of the other games on your list of unplayed titles are OK, but excellent RPGs are in the minority, and most of them have some kind of flaw that would prevent me recommending them with a clear conscience.

I also would like to endorse the recomendations for Suikoden V, Odin Sphere, and Okami, even though only the first one of those is an RPG in any sense of the term. If you're interested in RPGs on other consoles, then I could add a few more noteworthy recommendations, but maybe you already played them and you just aren't listing RPGs you played on anything but PS2.

I'm 12 hours into Tales of the Abyss, and it still bores me one way or another. I think the only time it gets "interesting" is during gameplay puzzles.

DQVIII is cool, though if you're not a fan of old-school format RPGs, you'll find this boring and dull. But it's worth the try.

I haven't tried VP2 yet. I'm hearing mixed things about this game, some say it's bad, some say it's good. I probably won't be playing it anytime soon.

Rogue Galaxy is a pretty cool game. I'm saying this because I'm still 2 hours into the game and it's been fun so far. It has an MMO feel to it, but nevertheless, it retains the RPG feeling when playing the game. Play this one.

I am, and it still did. I find the character designs completely unappealing, too. That pretty much killed any interest I might have in it. I tried really hard to like it, because it's the first DQ game to get a release in Europe (I think) so obviously I was excited. Then as soon as I saw the main characters, I knew that I wouldn't find it easy to like this game...

It's been a thing throughout the whole series of games -- churches are for saving, inns are for healing, period. However unlike many RPGs, you can opt to leave the dungeons at anytime by either, well, leaving, or using the spell Evac.

Actually, I too prefer Wild Arms 2 to most of the series, with WA 3 coming in a close second. But you're right, far as I've heard most people don't like Wild Arms 2 at all.

Wild Arms 2 had a pretty poor translation, but I think it's probably the best game in the series anyway. It's funny how the majority dislikes it and yet so many people here liked it a lot. (or never played it)

I have fond memories of Wild Arms 2, though I do remember never really taking the story seriously. It was just fun to play, even with puzzle boards having those GODDAMNED random battles. It struck a balance where you were usually always busy, even though admittedly I realize that a lot of the tasks were mundane. I could have fun with that sort of thing way back when, back when I wasn't asking myself if I had something better to do.

If you haven't done so already, going back to the classics will definitely enrichen your RPG experience. Final Fantasy Tactics is a game with a rich convoluted story, awesome combat system, interesting graphical and menu interface and wonderful music. Its pretty tough to beat in terms of how engrossing it is.

You may have already checked it out as it says you've played every Final Fantasy game, but there are always a few who don't consider FFT to be a true FF game. Regardless, if you haven't checked it out yet, you really don't know what you're missing!

Other than that, I really haven't much to offer you in terms of newer console RPG's. Many of them are nothing short of embarassing.

I was thinking the same thing! I remember when I first got the game and was walking around the map with nothing short of euphoria and wonder. Sunshine was streaking down through light fluffy clouds, through falling green leaves near a cliffside sea. I watched the sun go down. It was a very spiritual experience. Its unfortunate that this element of the game was so short-lived.

DragonQuest VIII was DECENT but that is terrifyingly disappointing with all the hype this game received before delivery. Its really just eye and ear candy without so much as a concept to tie it all together. Still, its superficially appealing, just don't expect its story to keep your attention from beginning to end.

I couldn't even bug myself to finish it. I am indifferent to the game itself and I think thats a characteristic I am finding all too familiar with most of the RPG's I come across nowadays. I am getting fed up with current RPG's. No one is really pushing things forward. The style of gameplay is always painfully drab, the stories are linearly intoxicating and the element of innovation just seems to be non-existent. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK! :p

LOL

I actually enjoyed WA2 (and WA3). I really wasn't too fond of WA1 the first time I played it, but I have it around here somewhere waiting.....

I REALLY enjoyed the millenium puzzles of WA3 over WA2. They were more fun, and a bit more challenging. It was one of the better sidequests of the game.

You should be glad to know that the gameplay does get better and that the story delivers on its promises.

Also of note is that if you die, you just get sent back to the church with half your money gone, so dying isn't AS big a deal as in other games (where you game over).


Regarding Wild ARMs 2, I find it to be the worst in the series myself, but not bad by any means. 4 is the best, I think, with 3 following right behind.

Im having a great time with the older final fantasies :P

Playing 9 now, then 8.. Ive only played them way back when they were released.

good times..

A bit late for it now, but out of the ones you mentioned, I can vouch for Rogue Galaxy, Tales of the Abyss and Valkyrie Profile 2, for being excellent games with plenty of stuff to keep you interested enough to finish it all the way.

Personally, I'd say wait with Valkyrie Profile 2 until you finished the first one, because you will not understand the story entirely, since they do have serious connections. You CAN enjoy the game greatly and understand most of the plot without it, but it's especially towards the end where you'll regret not playing the first one.

You made the right choice by starting with Tales of the Abyss. It's epic all the way till the end.

Not sure if they were mentioned or not, but I recommend you have a look at these games as well:

Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
Suikoden V
Ar Tonelico
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter

I wouldn't say that so easily. To you and me it might have been easy, but I for one was surprised to see how many people had problems with the difficulty of the game.

About Wild Arms 2, I had no problems with that game. I loved it, personally. It's second only to WA3. I'd rate them as WA3 -> WA2 -> WA4 -> WA1 -> WA:ACF. This doesn't mean I hated WA1, I just liked the others more. I did, however, hate Alter Code F.

I played Suikoden 1-5, and I certainly don't get why I would understand why it was less then the others.

You are naming bad points here, but honestly, what was so bad about the front/back system? If anything it was better.

I'm not trying to flame you here, it just seems to me that you can't really find any faults in the game. The ones you mentioned hardly seem like a good enough reason to hate the game. I mean are you seriously telling me you hate the game because it has no magic combo system? I'm not buying that.

I've never understood the hatred for this game. I was seriously impressed with it. Until I finished Suikoden 5, I considered it the best.

Stay away from Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana. The story is one big RPG cliche, battles will quickly become boring, menus are a mess to navigate, and the sidequests appear to be triggered randomly, which just sucks. The only redeeming factor can come out of the graphics. If you want to play an Atelier game, go for the secon one (Azoth of Destiny), which can be considered a huge improvement.

Really? I heard that Atelier Iris 2 was a slight improvement to the battle system, but that they ruined shop synthesis. Since that was my favorite part of the first game I never bothered with the second. Eternal Mana was pretty fun as long as you weren't looking for anything groundbreaking. What can I say, I love any game that allows you to alchemize bread pants.

Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana thrives on its characters, mostly. I didn't find shop synthesis that great, except that it gave you good scenes with the characters.

Atelier Iris 2 improves on the original in every way EXCEPT characters, which is why a lot of people don't like it, I think. They did take out shop synthesis, but instead you get better normal synthesis. Personally, I find that a winning trade.

I'd personally recommend Tales of Symphonia if you have a Gamecube or Wii around... if not my second choice would be Tales of the Abyss... 3rd Valkyrie Profile 2... but beware all 3 of these games are more difficult than FFXII. If you're looking for something a little close to FFXII Valkyrie Profile 2 is your game.

And to be clear... Tales of the Abyss starts not after 10 hours... but after Luke cuts his hair... thats when the real story begins :P (takes a while to get there though)

Better, yeah, but also easier...too easy, to be honest. You could change those items that all characters can equip into godly overpowered items with like +3 million hits or something stupid like that. All you had to do was use item x that has x rating into item y, and it would get that stat. It was only a matter of time before all your items had all the best stats.

Dont get me wrong here, I agree that it was better by a longshot, but it was just a bit too easy to get what you wanted. In the first one it took stupid amounts of time with that crappy card combo system. It was basically a endless trial and error system, but it at least took effort.

While I'm at it, love your avatar. This world needs more Misha love.

Personally, I liked the idea of being able to chain the properties from items to other items. That kind of twinking is really fun. It's not really that that makes the game easy though. Even without twinking and with keeping levels as low as possible, the game is a complete joke. The bosses die way too quickly and have pathetic damage. And then there's Break spam that just destroys them even more.

I mean, I agree the game is way too easy, but that's not really the reason why. The main reason is that bosses are just not durable enough and have really terrible damage.

The final boss is an exception to this, of course.

Random note: Atelier Iris 3 modified that system a bit. You can only get properties on equippable stuff (weapons/armor/accessories) and can only have 1 property (2 on weapons) at a time. Kind of a middle ground, I suppose. It's still pretty easy to get what you want on an item anyways. Not sure I like it more or less though.

It's also a harder game! (Still easy.)

There can never be enough!

The break system truly was a joke, most bosses get 1 or 2 actions at best if you keep spamming it right. I did, however, like the combo system that starts ticking once a mob is in break mode. As I recall the higher the combo, the more bonus exp you would get.

I wouldn't even call the final boss hard. There wasn't anything hard as I recall. At least it wasn't totally anti-climax like the first Atelier Iris. I really don't know WHAT was with the last boss in that game, but my Lita litterally one shotted him, and she wasn't even in overpowered mode.

The final boss of AI2 can actually overkill all your front-line characters at once if you're not careful (Crimson Split's resistance busts + Crimson Split's second stage). Of course, with the amount of broken you get in the game it's pretty easy to stop that from happening/recover from it.

As for AI1, that's because broken Lita is broooken. I think if that boss gets some turns he has some accurate instant death which could screw you over? Can't remember, it's been awhile since I played that game. I need to replay it.

I can't recommend Rogue Galaxy. I just did not find the game to be very enjoyable. I thought the loading times were amazing and the battle system was really cool, but I despised the story, the characters, and almost everything else in between. If you like action RPGs, I'd give it a try, but other than that, you might be disappointed if you're looking for a stellar story.

If you've never played a Dragon Quest game, then you owe it to yourself to play DQVIII. It's a great game, and challenging, too. Valkyrie Profile was good, too, if you don't mind getting your ass kicked. Be prepared to use your brain if you play that game.

I'm in the market for a good RPG myself, but I seem to have played everything. My options are limited these days...and there's no hope on the horizon, either. :(

Nobody has played everything. Somewhere along the line I am sure you missed out on a good game. Not sure what to suggest though since I don't even have the faintest idea what you've played. If you never got around to Growlanser Generations that's not a bad duo of games to try out. Lot of people totally ignored it when WD released it.

Ah, speaking of which, Forsety's post reminded me that there's another Growlanser game coming to the PS2, subtitled Heritage of War, I believe.

I'm curious, for those who've been recommending TotA. I rented it last night and am only about an hour or two into it and am already tired of it, namely due to the ridiculously laggy world map and long loading times.

I don't know if it's just not happy on my PS2, but trying to swivel the camera at all on the (ugly) world map results in horrible lag and stuttering. On top of that I dread going into battles on the map because the loading time to get out of them back to the map often takes three times as long as the battle itself. Pair those two technical issues with very iffy graphics (sometimes they look great, sometimes they look like cardboard cutouts) and I'm surprised it's been so highly recommended.

Is it just me who can't seem to get past those shortcomings? From what it sounds like the actual game itself and the story is fantastic... But to be honest if it gives me that much trouble just on the world map, my frustration level skyrockets and I have a hard time actually enjoying it.

m19

no, its not your PS2.. the world map is laggy, an takes like 15secs to rotate camera.. and stuttering also.

And yes, long load times too.

Wow, now I feel bad. I'm 15 hours into DQ8, and it has gotten extremely boring. I'm right where I get to explore the Western Continents.

It's time to try another game. xD

Amusingly, that's about where I got bored with DQ8. ;) I actually returned to it two years later and found it pretty fun until I got to a point where I'm being required to level up like mad.

When you get to the 20, 25 hour mark the game'll really start to pick up. If you can, keep playing. Once you get past that point, it'll really open up.

You list WA1 as your least favorite of the series--yet you don't hate it. I'm guessing it's because it has some elements of it that you didn't like. The same can be said for me. I don't hate Suikoden III--it's just my least favorite of the series.

Look at it this way--Chocolate is my favorite ice cream, followed by mint chocolate chip, strawberry, then vanilla. Although it's my least favorite--I DO eat vanilla ice cream from time to time.

Now that I'm taking a break from Odin Sphere, Dragon Quest, and Tales of the Abyss... I started Rogue Galaxy. xD It's my favourite out of the four so far. I'm praying it doesn't get boring... but whatever, I'll just start Valkyrie Profile 2. But hey, at least I can save ever 5 minutes, instead of going to the church. There's so many savepoints in RG I'm practically saving every 2 minutes anticipating a boss fight, but nothing. Except maybe a mimic chest that does extreme damange.

(Downloaded these two RPGS thanks to Premium account on Megaupload <3)

Not to forget 30 secs for saving.

However, I´m now ~20 hrs into the game, and enjoying it so far. The story is very intriguing as much as I can tell at this point, I always wonder about the background of my party members and their motifs. I guess there are quite a few surprises to be covered up. Gameplay-wise I don´t see too much of a difference between ToS and TotA, but since I liked the former, I can´t complain.

As far as the flaws mentioned above are concerned: Avoid unnecessary battles on the world map - it´s not that difficult (thank goodness there are not random encounters), don´t save too often (you have played either Silent Hill or Resident Evil, haven´t you?) and take a look at the map instead of just running around around aimlessly. That should keep the problems to a minimum.

Other than that, I´m glad I chose this one from my to-do list, thanks to your recommendations.