[General Discussion] Unexpected RPG Positive Experiences

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I'm a huge fan of RPGs with strong turn based battle systems. Hence i love the Chrono Cross, as well as Mario RPG, and Final Fantasy X. I also enjoy ATB battle systems such as Chrono Trigger, and most of the Final Fantasies.

There seem to be alot of RPGs centered around hack and slash style battles. I generally find myself not enjoying RPGs that have alot of Hack and Slash to them. The only exceptions to this rule are Kingdom Hearts and Illusion of Gaia. Love those games. I've also been unable to wrap my head around Final Fantasy XII forever now. For me, that's the exact wrong way to do a battle system.

To stay on topic now, I've always been skeptical of purely turn based battle systems because i wasn't truly exposed to them until a few years ago. The game that first introduced me to them was Wild Arms which i've grown to love. I just wish they had put more time into their Creature designs, then i'd be much more willing to put the first two titles on my list of top favourites. Dragon Quest VIII was also a nice surprise for me. Golden Sun (which i bought purely cause my buddy kept badgering me to buy it) was also a very strong addition to my collection which i certainly don't regret.

As another aside to this post, i was wondering if anyone could suggest some more RPGs to me that have battle systems that are heavily influenced by ATB (either straight up, or altered akin to FFX), or are just totally different yet maintaining turn basedness (like Chrono Cross)? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

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.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I think it's a lot more uncommon to find a JRPG that *doesn't* have a turn-based battle system. FF XII is refreshing for this reason...it finally gets rid of the archaic "hold X" random battles and automates the process for you. If you want it to be turn-based, you can just press Pause whenever your gauge fills up. :P

That said, the Grandia series has the strongest turn-based battle system I've encountered so far. The IP gauge has some similarities with FFX's action queue that you might appreciate, and the canceling mechanic adds a whole extra layer of tactics.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Unexpected positive experiences eh?

Well, if you talk about unexpected, the first and most recent I can think of is FFVII:Crisis Core. I had not really had any big hopes for the game since I'm not the biggest fan of FFVII, but I thought that Crisis Core was quite a decent game after all. The fighting system had it flaws and could have been better, but somehow I didn't get bored by it. It was different from anything else that I'd played, so I guess that's why it kept my interest. The story had a boring start, but in the end it turned quite good IMO. I kind of like how the main character matured, and I really wanted to know how it all would turn out. A rather short game, but it was a nice break from other games.

Another one I can think of was Earthbound (although that was a much much more positive experience :P). I remember starting up the ROM at the computer at home and the title screen came up, "Earthbound, the battle with Giygas" (if I remember that right). I thought, man this game looks like crap at the first glance since the title screen was all but pretty. I was wrong. When I got my first look over Onett, I just knew it wouldn't be my last

Playing the first Mega Man Battle Network game. I didn't quite know what to expect when I started the game, but it turned that the concept was cool with running around in the cyber world and what have you, and the battle system was THE AWESOME. I loved the mix of action and strategy in the game and the addicting gameplay truly made me crave for more, so I played the second and third and they were just as good, the third being even better than the other two. The Battle Network games are truly underrated I have to say (well, at least the games up to the third are good, I haven't played the others but I've heard they're not as good), and I'd say that most people who say they don't like it haven't given the time needed to learn the system (which can take quite a while).

Buying Grandia II for the PC was just by chance. I was at the game store and saw the game in the bargain bin, I knew I had heard the name before but knew nothing more. So I bought it since it was a RPG and that the cover was kinda cool That game has one of the best battle systems I know of. I can't think of many games with as good battle systems like this one. Great game.

That's all I can remember right now, I'll think on it for a while and see if I can come up with something else.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Dhsu

FF XII

That reminds me! I didn't expect this to be great but after being badgered by someone to play it for a while, I caved--and it was a lot more sheer fun than I'd ever thought possible. Sure there were flaws--the predictable story, the phoned-in soundtrack, the wildly swinging difficulty--but I really actually had FUN just running around fighting stuff. The combat system was awesome, as were those charts where you "buy" your characters new skills.

Of course, I never did finish the game because I rushed through the earlier parts, and then got stuck at a fight that you can't back out of at a ridiculously low level. Hmf.

But still, I really had a lot of fun and I'd actually recommend it to RPG fans now.

FELIPE NO

Eternal Sonata, I didn't expect anything at all, since i figured it would be one of those Radiata game experiences.

Now that i have played, its hecka fun and Aya Hirano <3.

One thing i had minor complain though was only 3 people were allowed on the battlefield, Everyone is awesome in their own different ways ;_;

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by surasshu

But still, I really had a lot of fun and I'd actually recommend it to RPG fans now.

I forgot to mention FFXII! Probably because I've only got about 5 hours on it. But, I caved and printed out a FAQ to follow when I found out about the Spear item, and I'm starting over to make sure I can get it. I am really enjoying this RPG; haven't enjoyed one so much since Shadow Hearts in fact. It may not have the "emo" story of FFVII but so far I'm finding the gameplay much more enjoyable than just about every other RPG I've played.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Paper Mario turned out to be a huge surprise.

At the time I was being rather annoyed at pretty much every RPG I'd tried, and was honestly wondering if maybe I'd just gotten too critical. Apparently not, because the old N64 game is tons of fun. For a simple lighthearted storyline, it was varied and interesting enough to keep my attention the whole way through, and I was genuinely wanting to see what was coming next, instead of snoozing through yet another movie sequence.

The combat system has some meat to it as well. It's semi-action based, but there's more to it than simply mashing buttons. There's quite a bit of tactical depth considering the simplistic veneer, as the various special attacks you can equip via badges are for added utility, rather than big damage. And the boss fights are interesting, throwing more at you than just giant sacks of HP.

Paper Mario 2 is likewise pretty good. I don't think it's quite as good as the first, but doesn't stray far from the course.

There's nowhere I can't reach.