Suggestions for an RPG?
 

Hey all,

After having taken a break from my PS2 for a while, I've been feeling the urge to play a good RPG again and was hoping you guys might be able to help me out. I'm looking for a PS2 game along the lines of a Final Fantasy 6: really good story with twists, good gameplay system (I know that's subjective), etc. but have been out of the game loop for a few months and don't know "what's out" these days. I'd like something grand without being just a political plot: akin to FF6's world-altering stuff.

Here's a quick list off the top of my head of stuff I've liked or not. I'm definitely more of an RPG than action-RPG fan, if that helps:

Liked...
- Dark Cloud 2
- Dragon Quest 1-8
- Elder Scrolls: Morrowind & Oblivion (PC)
- Final Fantasy 1-10
- Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals

So-so...
- Final Fantasy 12 (gameplay was fine, storyline got boring)
- Rogue Galaxy (liked at first, then got repetitive)
- Shadow Hearts: Covenant (liked at first, found the environments too blah)

Not liked...
- Atelier Iris
- Kingdom Hearts 1 (controls stunk, gameplay not great)
- Star Ocean: TtEoT (horrible controls/gameplay)
- Xenosaga 1/2 (tedious, not fun to play at all)

I know it's all very subjective and personal, but I'm hoping based on that information, you folks might be able to point me in a good direction.

Thanks,
m19

Have you played Mother 2*, known as 'Earthbound' in North America? There is a perfect blend of humour, interesting storyline and fun gameplay. Its really a memorable experience.

I think you might also like the Secret of Mana series (for Snes) Known as Seiken Densetsu 2* and 3 in Japan. They are both superlative games. There is a very interesting organic component to these games that is simply amazing to behold. Great graphics, music and storylines make these games quite epic in scope and a masterpiece in the RPG realm.

Secret of Evermore (SNES) is fairly goofy and fun also and utilizes a similar interface to Secret of Mana.

Other Recommendations:

<Star Ocean> (SNES) <The original Star Ocean is beautifully done>
<Tales of Phantasia> (SNES)
<Bahamut Lagoon> (SNES)
<Terranigma> (SNES)*
<Breath of Fire 2> (SNES) <Interesting features for a role playing game at the time, such as town building, shaman enhancements and...cooking!>
<Chrono Trigger> (SNES)* <One of the great ones, if not THE great one>
<Shining Force 2> (Genesis)* <Great tactical action, wide assortment of character, fun world. GREAT MUSIC>
<Harvest Moon> (SNES) <This is a great little farming simulation published by the same company who created Lufia 2. (Natsume) Its vastly entertaining once you get into it. TRUST ME!>

Good luck finding good games.

What? You liked FF8 and FF10 but thought FF12 was "so-so"? You're loopy man, loopy!

Thanks for the suggestions and link, guys. I guess I should've been clearer-- I'm just looking for PS2 options at the moment. :)

And yeah, FF12's story just seemed so "blah" comparatively. 8 and 10 both seemed a lot grander to me; so even though 12 had a great (IMO) system behind it, having a boring story ruined it for me.

m19

Find Lufia 1 for SNES on ROM and beat that.
You should also check into the Lunar series.

You're not the only one. I, too, found FF12's story to be garbage after the initial godliness of the first 10 hours.

My recommendations:
Wild Arms Series
Terranigma
Chrono series
PS2 Shin Megami Tensei series (Nocturne, Digital Devil Saga 1&2, Devil Summoner. If you can stand high encounter rates and getting your ass kicked).

Anything that starts with "Tales of" and preferably ends in "Symphonia."

You could always try Disgaea, it's only $30 brand new at Nippon Ichi's official store now Here

Sure it's a strategy rpg and not a regular rpg but always enjoyable.

You are my new best friend. I have been trying to get Disgaea for a while--but it's been sold out.

Also, having a Dias Flac avatar doesn't hurt, either....

I know its not an rpg really, but have you played Okami?

Might be hard to find retail(ebay or amazon now)But it has great graphics, awesome story.. an hardcore RPGer liked it :) its like zelda kinda, but you're a wolf. give it a go

Any of the Tales games too..

I really enjoyed them all, even with abyss's techinal problems.. Tales of Legendia an Tales of Symphonia is not bad either

Scope out Valkyrie Profile too.
Either the first (hard to find) or the second (I see it around). They're both pretty cool.

The Suikoden series is pretty good.. I wouldnt play 4(it sucked IMO). But 3 an 5(specially 5) rocked

I rented both VP2 and TotA this weekend and have been disappointed with both. TotA because of its horrible techincal issues (lag, loading times, graphics) and VP2 simply because it's not my type of game.

I've been eyeing Suikoden V, though... Going to read some more reviews on it and see what other folks say. I've read through that other RPG thread and have a few ideas, but I'm really looking for a classic RPG rather than an action-RPG: something along the lines of FF or DQ, or a hybrid like Rogue Galaxy but not something as "actiony" as the Tales games. Rogue Galaxy was a lot of fun, and I would've liked it more if its story was better and its locales weren't so repetitive/bland. Which is odd, because I really enjoyed Dark Cloud 2. Go figure.

m19

I would get Suikoden V--if you can. It's a PS2 game, but it combines a lot of the elements of I and II, which were both PS1 games and are extremely hard to find or afford.

Suikoden III isn't my favorite of the series, and contrary to popular belief, that does not mean I hate it. If I did--it would be on ebay right now. It's the least "Suikoden-like" game in the series that I've played, but it does have a good story, which is a good thing.

I liked Suikoden IV. (sorry, crazied! :)) Sure, the sailing was a little tedious at times, but after Viki arrives, you don't have to worry about that....LOL (Viki--the travel agency of Suikoden). It provides a back story for many things and for one of the characters from Suikoden I.

What're people's thoughts on "Skies of Arcadia: Legends" for the Gamecube? Unless I'm mistaken, I understand the Wii (the only other console I own) has the ability to play GC games too?

Any thoughts? How's it compare to the FFs and DQs? Although not terribly serious, it looks like it might be a fun game.

m19

Personally, I found the game pretty bad. It drags quite a bit and the characters and story weren't all that great. And the battle system was pretty bad (pooled SP what the hell). Music is absolutely amazing though.

Though it seems I'm in the minority anyways.

If you had a problem with TotA's loading times, I doubt that Suikoden V will please you. I personally found both games interesting enough story-wise to forgive the technical flaws.

When it was originally released for the Dreamcast, it was the best looking RPG on the market. Obviously, it's pretty dated now and neither the plot or character development are high points (although they have their moments). Still, the game does have its charms and I found it pretty enjoyable. Music is terrific.

I also found the game bad. The story seemed cool to me, though. The characters were full of life. The battle system was really boring and slow paced to me. The music is some of the worst video game music ive ever heard..... and you are reading from a guy that loves all VGM. Perhaps JUST the main battle song is good .... good enough... Maybe I just don't like Skies' main electronic instrument they use for the music, hence hating it all.

Hmm... My PS2 options aren't looking very promising. :lol:

m19

So judge from your hatre toward Xenosaga and VP2 so I think you don't care much of epic story.:)

Have you ever tried Magnacarta 2? It's quite good smashing button game and somehow I found it challenging. But bad story warning.

Radiata stories has fun gameplay, in spite of horrible ending (both path you choosed) it fun to play.

Just for the hell of it--rent Xenosaga 3--you get to beat up Shion at one point....(and trust me, by that point, you want to...)

Earlier you said you were eying Suikoden V. Were there other titles you were considering? Maybe if you list them, we'll give you some ideas on them.

Or you can play/replay Suikoden 2! I can even give you a link to the ISO!

**Hidden Content**

Not true at all, in fact-- it's just that both examples' gameplay completely turned me off to them. I'm not going to play something if it has a good story, if I can't actually enjoy it.:p

Leknaat-- You know, I can't think of any off the top of my head but I'll think about. Lord knows you guys've been kind enough to think some for me, maybe I can return the favor. :lol:

m19