PSone/2 RPG/TBS list.

[Strazos]

Well, turns out that I'm going to have a PS2 for a little while, so I've decided to run through a LOT of the games I missed since I got rid of my own unit years ago. I'm primarily interested in Turn-based games such as FFT, though I'll take on more JRPGs if they are actually good. The list currently looks like this:

Final Fantasy: 8, 9, 10, 12. I might pick up a cheap copy of X-2, just for the hell of it.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.
(Yeah, I know some of them are PSone games. I never went through them)
I'll probably go through FFT, again, just for the hell of it.

Anything else I need to take a look at? I've been thinking of a few other things, but I thought I would ask first. I must defer to F13 on matters relating to the PS2 library.

[Rasix]

Turn based tactics game: Disgaea 2.  You don't need to play 1 (heh, it's probably more expensive than 2) to enjoy it.  It's leagues better than FFT.  It's just a great game and it's presented in a nice episodic format.

JRPGs to play:

Shadow Hearts 1: A very good, dark JPG that really doesn't take itself too seriously.  It's got some rough edges (pray you aren't red/green color blind), but overall it was a more enjoyable experience than any FF since 6.

Shadow Hearts 2: This may be the greatest console JRPG ever made.  It's outstanding on every level.  The only major problems I have with it are the liberties it takes with SH1's story (it assumes the bad ending, whitewashes one character's history), finding the ring souls (you have to search corners everywhere.. ugg), and how hard some of the sidequests are to find (fixable with gamefaqs, and there are a few good ones available).

The production values are top notch.  The environments are beautiful. The story is rather moving and well written. It's got a lot of humor (do the Japanese really find homosexuality this amusing?) and never takes itself too seriously.  It improved a lot upon all of the shortcomings of 1 and massively improved the battle system (along with a lot of cool metagaming aspects).

Shadow Hearts 3: I haven't played much of this one yet (won't get back to it for a while, likely).  I don't think it's as good as 2 based off initial impressions but the production values look decent.  Don't like the main character much although Native American Hot Chick is nice on the eyes.

I'm probably enternally in schild's debt for recommending the SH series to me.

Umm, skip FF8 & 9 unless you really just want to play 9 for the hommage to the earlier FF series.  I've yet to hear anything good about 8 and 9 was just subpar overall.  The story was absolute dog crap also.

I enjoyed 10 but the voice acting and Bliztball drove me into a homocidal froth.

More as I think about it. 

In order I'd play:

Disgaea 2
Shadow Hearts 1
Final Fantasy 12
Shadow Hearts 2 (give you a chance to get fuzzy on the plot details of 1)

[stray]

Gladius

Great game. Non-Japanese as well, so that might be good for a change of pace.

[StGabe]

I actually enjoyed FFVIII and FFIX was far superior to FFX in my opinion.  FFX was shinier but FFIX was much more interesting game-wise.  In FFX it is basically impossible to lose a story-based combat encounter (unless you try to) and the mini-games are the worst I've ever played.  Anywhere.  Take the crappiest Flash web game you've ever played and it is probably more interesting than the FFX minigames.  The only problem with FFIX as far as I could tell was that it seemed targetted at a slightly younger audience but it was still very good.  I also thought that the romance, if a bit more cutesy, was also the most realistically portrayed in a FF.

An overlooked monster-raising RPG for the PS2 that I really liked was Jade Cocoon.  It has one of the most interesting combat systems I've played in a JRPG (very tactical, if that's what you're after).  Unfortunately the overall world and story are pretty lackluster and it sold very poorly but it's still a great game.

Gladius was a turn-based strategy RPG for the PS2/GC/XBox that has faded from most people's memories already but was actually quite good.  It was a sort of Gladiator rip-off with the mythological creatures about.

I only played the first Shadow Hearts.  I remember it being good but not better than FFVII-FFXI

There's the Xenosaga games.  Xenosaga 1 was decent but nothing amazing (IMO).  I'd rate it as about as good as Shadow Hearts 1.  It's a pretty cool world and game system but they go a bit overboard with the story.  Maybe it's better if you're really into anime stuff.  I've heard good things about the third one but I haven't played it.

multiple edits: fixing typos, I is sleepy

[schild]

If you play Gladius, you can't play it after Disgaea 1 or 2. It simply pales in comparison. It is, however, quite good. Just not Disgaea good. The female lead in it is the lead chick from Grandma's Boy though.

[Rasix]

Stuff.

Your roman numerals are confusing the hell out of me, a nine is IX. I think an eight is VIII. (Thanks for fixing)

The romance in FFIX was good. Shockingly good for the tone they went for in that game.  The rest of the story was pretty damn bad.  Common, the genomes? (Vivi's story was OK)

Minigames in X were bad, minigames up until then weren't good either.  I'm glad XII has pretty much decided mini-games are a worthless addition and instead replaced them with an interesting series of sidequests.

Dunno, I guess I'm just one of those people that thinks XII is the only really good FF they've done since VI.  VII had it's moments, but it's just not a game that's stuck with me and any time I've tried to go back and play it just feels like a mountain of meh.

[Strazos]

Already played a bit of Jade Cocoon....didn't really like it, but oh well.

So I guess only Disgaea 2 is the only game of that series worth trying out (1 is impossible to get I hear)? What about 3, 4, and the tactics game?

[Rasix]

There is no Disgaea 3/4. Tactics game.. I think you're confused or thinking of the Suikoden series.   Disgaea 1 seems fairly difficult to find and tends to go for $55 bucks.

[Strazos]

Oh, my fault...

Well, how are those Suikoden games?

EDIT; Also, La Pucelle: Tactics?

[schild]

Suikoden Tactics isn't that bad. Suikoden 5 & 2 are the best in the series, imo. La Pucelle is pretty good. I'd stay away from Phantom Brave. If you can dig up some old tactics stuff on the PS1, Saiyuki is pretty awesome.

[StGabe]

Dunno, I guess I'm just one of those people that thinks XII is the only really good FF they've done since VI.

Well I agree at least in part.  FF12 is my favorite FF so far.  JRPG's are really just something I play because I ran out of Baldur's Gates and PS:Torments though.  The three-person line-dancing combat style got old for me a long time ago and I'm really glad that they came up with something new.  Although story is important I'm more concerned about the underlying game.

I do miss the minigames though.  I think minigames can add a lot to a game if they are done well.  I just think that SE has gotten really sloppy.  There is really no excuse for the minigames in FFX.  I like a lot of the card games they have done in the past and some of the better racing style games (chocobo racing in FF7 wasn't bad, chocobo racing in FFX was a farce).  All they need to do is rip off some successful games on JayIsGames or actually spend some small portion of their budget developing fun minigames.  While I think FF12 is the best one so far, I do think it could use more variety.  Rare monster kills, hunts, etc., are all just variations on the same combat game.

[SurfD]

Couple games on my shelf that i could reccomend:

PS1:
Grandia.  One of my favourite RPG's of all time.
Valkyrie Prophile (re released on PSP)
Xenogears.  I loved it, other peopel hate the second disk with a passion.  Your mileage may vary.
WildArms 1.  Great game, i believe they re released it in a "souped up, improved version" but i cant remember the Name or if it is for PS1 or PS2.

PS2
Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter.  Very unique design philosophy.  Lots of Replayabliity (actually, its required to finish the game :P )
Kingdom Hearts.  Some people hate the camera, It never bothered me, and I thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to finish.

[Rasix]

Kingdom Hearts.  Some people hate the camera, It never bothered me, and I thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to finish.

Yah, the camera did it for me.  FFXII camera, another pretty bad implementation, is Cylon Jesus in comparison.  Didn't much like the game otherwise.  Some of the areas and how you go about beating those areas was really weak.  "Run here, defeat this mob, run back to another area you were previously at, now run to this area, stand on this spot, go back to that area.. win!".  It's like some levels were designed around having limited art assets.

Story was passable, and the Disney cameos were charming. 

[Trippy]

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.

Do not bother.

[Daydreamer]

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

[tazelbain]

I'd stay away from Phantom Brave.

Unless you like painfully slow games and think sliding off the edge of maps is fun.  It had some interesting ideas, but quickly becomes an exercise in frustration.

[Engels]

Nobody mentioned Silent Hill yet?

[schild]

Nobody said Survival Horror either.

[schild]

I may do a PS1/2 RPG/TBS/Strat list like I did for the DS. Or I may just do a straight PS2 list and mention some NISA/Atlus/Square titles for the PS1 that still hold up today. Obviously this means Erhgheiz, Chocobo's Dungeon, and Hoshigami. I'm kidding! HOHO!

[Strazos]

Just for reference, Gamestop is doing their Employee Appreciation thing this week. If there's anything you're looking to pick up, look up you Gamestop/EB friends and have them buy it for you. Also, most stores should still be doing Buy 2 Get 1 Free on their used stuff.

Pending a job interview on Monday, I'm looking to pick up about 6 games later this week. And it's only that many because I cannot justify picking up more. Backlogs and all.

[Strazos]

Bump.

Finishing up Star Ocean 3. I gotta say....a lot of wasted potential. Also, the battles are far too easy. ALSO, the dungeon design is downright draconian. Anyway...

Was gonna pick up the following tomarrow: Suikoden 3, Suikoden Tactics, La Pucelle Tactics, Disgaea 2. I still also have FF 10, 10-2, and 12 to get through.

Anyone feel like suggesting a nice order to go through?  :-D

EDIT: Add Kingdom Hearts to the list as well.

[schild]

I'm gonna be posting my THING some time tomorrow night on ps1/ps2 stuff.

[Strazos]

That's great. And I'll really enjoy reading it, I am sure.

Still doesn't quite answer my question. 

[Trippy]

I'd say skip LPT if you are going to get Disgaea 2. I don't know anything about the Suikoden games so I can't comment on those. The FF games are a bit tricky. I liked the story and characters in FF X better than XII but the "in-place" combat system of FF XII where you don't warp off to a separate battle screen is much much better. If you are the mangina-type and don't mind "fluffy" storylines than you might want to give FF X-2 a try but play it after FF X since it is a real sequel and you won't understand large parts of the story.

[Strazos]

Why do you say to drop LPT? Is it bad or something, or simply because it's made by some of the same people as Disgaea 2?

[Trippy]

Why do you say to drop LPT? Is it bad or something, or simply because it's made by some of the same people as Disgaea 2?

I haven't played it but from what I've read it's basically one of their earlier, less polished, less refined SRPGs, and the story isn't as good as Disgaea 1 or 2.

[Strazos]

Eh...I need multiple good TBS RPGs, so even if it's not as good as Disgaea 2, it'll be ok. It might just make Disgaea 2 look that much better once I get around to it.

[schild]

I enjoy LPT. The only Suikodens I enjoyed were 1 & 2. My roommate liked V a lot though. Hated 4. Suikoden Tactics is pretty good, different animal than the N1 stuff though.

[schild]

Too many PS1/2 games, I sat down to do this  and after writing nearly a hundred titles I realized that what I was about to attempt was insane. I can't really do it by genre either, since the vast majority of my games are RPG/TBS or horror. As such, I'm going to make a top 25 list and explain for each one why it's included. This will be done and posted tomorrow about 11pm (Arizona/MST).

Edited to give planned time of post.

[Yegolev]

Finishing up Star Ocean 3. I gotta say....a lot of wasted potential.

I apologize for not coming in here and raving like a madman so that you might avoid this game.  It's ass.  Don't play Grandia III either.  I heavily endorse Shadowhearts 1 and 2 for your JRPG.

If you like the aesthetics of FFXII and enjoy a dungeon crawl with a FFXII-ish story, I recommend Vagrant Story.

About La Pucelle, it isn't bad at all but Disgaea 1 is pretty much the same basic game with improvements to everything, including characters and voice talent.

[Strazos]

Well, I won't be playing Disgaea 1, so I don't have that problem. 

And about Star Ocean...it seems that most of disc 2 is actually not complete garbage, and kind of interesting.



I still wouldn't recommend anyone actually play the game though.

[geldonyetich]

I've a similar impress of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.  The characters are likable, in a corny anime sort of a way.  (OMG, Pepita is voiced by the same voice actress that does Susami in Tenchi Muyo and Adray by Jett in Cowboy Beebop!)  However, the game breaks down into a bit of a grind for quite a protracted period.  Also, the invention (crafting) system is silly, just a bunch of experimentation unless you dig up a hint guide.  It probably says something for it that I was willing to finish it after some 50 or so hours of play, but it feels a bit like they had to stitch the whole thing together into a Frankenstein monster in order to get it released.  Knowing a little about the history of development, that's probably exactly what happened.

[Strazos]

I'll admit, I used a FAQ for the crafting. The system is practically useless unless you know the base prices of whatever you want to craft.

Also, I kept another FAQ handy just to make sure I was going in the right direction sometimes - some of those dungeons are just unnecessarily long. You could spend hours in the Sphere Corp. place if you don't know better.

[Strazos]

Too many PS1/2 games, I sat down to do this  and after writing nearly a hundred titles I realized that what I was about to attempt was insane. I can't really do it by genre either, since the vast majority of my games are RPG/TBS or horror. As such, I'm going to make a top 25 list and explain for each one why it's included. This will be done and posted tomorrow about 11pm (Arizona/MST).

Edited to give planned time of post.

I was just thinking that maybe you might want to just stick to PS2 games, as PS1 games can be exceptionally difficult to get through the normal channels.

[schild]

But I have all the RPGs and TBS titles for the PS1 already. And it makes me feel good to write about them. :P