[General Discussion] Unexpected RPG Positive Experiences

Earthbound - I knew nothing about this game but the giant box and clay artwork made me curious. Going on a leap of faith *in Nintendo* and ignoring the doubts of my mother and sister, I picked it up. Needless to say, there was no way to know that I'd like the game as much as I did, and I liked it a lot. So unique, so comedic, so good in all the ways that make an RPG memorable. This is a top five all time favorite and it probably always will be. This game stinks...but it friggin rules as well.

Star Ocean the Second Story - I knew nothing about this one either but the screenshots on the backside of the case looked pretty cool. In an RPG era dominated by Square, I took a chance on this unassuming title. Quite unexpectedly, the wealth of gameplay in the game was considerable and the combat system was unlike anything I had experienced before. And so this game became an all time favorite while also contributing to the realization in my mind that Square games were not the end all and be all of RPGs.

There are other 'overlooked/hidden gem' games that impressed me, but many of them I checked out later on with the knowledge that a few seasoned RPGers found them enjoyable. Dragonview is one of those games, for example. Fun game that is totally different from it's predacessor (Drakkhen).

Originally Posted by Gechmir

King's Field --
This is an RPG in a sort of way. The whole series has been nifty, but the PS2 installment? Ohhhh. Sooooo good. What was really neat was how the creators hid shit so damn well. You had to look around everywhere to find all the good weapons and armor. It was amazing how some of this shit was stashed ='D

Hey, I found the PS2 game interesting as well (and the hidden stuff + sense of desolation gives the game a Metroid-esque quality, which suits me just fine), but I got stuck on something that maybe you can help me with... How do you swim? It sounds silly, but I could never figure out how (even when I searched online), and with no way of progressing further into the game, I had to drop it a year or so ago. I'm pretty sure that there's no other path available to me and so I imagine that I have to find a way past that water room in the sewers/catacombs. Yet I sink to the bottom everytime (even when I unequip all my stuff), run out of air, and am forced to run back up the steps and out of the water.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Gechmir

Heh. I haven't played it in a couple years, and my memory blows =( Well there are potions for underwater breathing, I believe. You just haul ass -- there isn't a way to swim. You plunge in, run, look for a ramp =O Doesn't happen too often in the game, if I recall right.

I'll just have to fire it up and search around again, I guess. I didn't know there were potions for underwater breathing, so maybe that'll help. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Manny Biggz

Drakkhen had a sequel!? I thought I was the only person in America that knew about that game!

I'll never forget how I learned about it because the guy who said it was good also maintained that Chrono Trigger was the second worst RPG of all time out of the one hundred plus RPGs he claimed to have played. I thought his opinion on Chrono Trigger was silly but I did take note of his opinion on Dragonview and proceeded to pick it up when I had the chance. That chance came at a Gamecrazy when I found it in a pile of SNES games they had there. Strangely enough, he was right about the game. It's very different from Drakkhen (which may help or hurt depending on your opinion of the original) but it's an enjoyable sidescrolling action RPG that went under the radar.

The game is called Super Drakkhen/Drakkhen 2 in Japan but they changed it to Dragon View in the states for some reason. Maybe they wanted a new start because of Drakkhen's mixed reputation. Instead the name change may have contributed to its obscurity.

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Originally Posted by Musharraf

Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. Everyone told me that it was a bad RPG. They were all wrong. Sure, the graphics were not that sensational back then, but I loved the gameplay and the soundtrack. Actually, I want to play it again sometime, I remember it didn't take too long to finish it.

Mystic Quest wasn't bad. It was just simple. If simplicity is inherently bad, then SMB is a bad game. Anyways, the only thing that sucked a bit was the repetitive colloseum battle element, but other than that I thought the game was fun too. It's no classic, but it's not the bane of all things good in an RPG that it's sometimes made out to be either.

Hopefully everyone has acknowledged at this point that the soundtrack is good. It's the one aspect of the game that truly stands out. Those battle themes are totally rad.

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Assuming that you're more or less okay with turn based systems that have a tactical flavor to them:

Fallout 1/2
Breath of Fire V
A boatload of SRPGs (Shining Force, FFT, Fire Emblem, etc; Although I'm not sure if the 'Player Phase' and 'Enemy Phase' ones count as turn-based...)

Also, the Star Ocean and Grandia series are always worth a look for folks who enjoy an exciting combat system, regardless of style. Most people like the combat system in Valkyrie Profile as well. Finally, it seems logical to check out Xenogears, what with how that combat system is kind of the precursor to the one in Chrono Cross.

I remember reading on an occasion or two that FFX's combat system was inspired by the one in Breath of Fire IV in some respects, and though I can't confirm it (I haven't played BoFIV), it might be worth checking out.

I almost forgot, but SMT Nocturne has a nice twist on the old turn-based style with its Press Turn system. It penalizes and rewards based on taking advantage of weaknesses and defending against them. There's also the Shadow Hearts series and the Judgment Ring stuff, which is worth a look.

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