Chrono Compendium
Zenan Plains - Site Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: PrincessNadia78 on June 05, 2018, 05:15:05 pm
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So I'm curious as to what other RPGs y'all enjoy. For me, I spent years trying to find a game I would love as much as I love Chrono Trigger and I've never found one. However, Dragon Quest is about as close as it comes for me, especially 5 and 6 and I also enjoyed Super Mario RPG. What about you guys? (And gals!)
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Well, my interest in RPG's is vast. I've played lots of them, across many types of RPG's, for many years and counting. I'd end up making a very long post if I go into detail. :lol:
Anyway, I'll admit, neither Chrono game is the top of the top for me. Not that I've ever ranked, since I'm not sure how good judgement I'd give, but they'd still rank high, I bet. In any case, my absolute most favorite RPG series is a Strategy one: Super Robot Wars. Those games are a BLAST. It's unfortunate the series is Japan-only, but my dedication to it is so high it's practically the only time I've resorted to importing games. THankfully, accesibility has been better these past few years, with the lack of region-locks on consoles like the PS3, where even older games in the PSN are fair game too. Even better, now they've started to give them actual English translations. Still only sold in East Asia, but now the last hurdle, the language barrier, is gone too. Hopefully.
Though yeah, I pretty much have a varied taste. I've played and liked series like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Suikoden, Ys, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Kingdom Hearts, Pokémon, etc.
I certainly like RPG's, heh. :lol:
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Super Mario RPG was my first ever RPG, and one of the games that got my hooked on the genre. I've liked the Suikoden series, although I still need to finish Tactics and 5. I've enjoyed the recent Persona games (3, 4, and 5).
I'm currently playing HyperDimension Neptunia: Re;Birth 1, and it's cracking me up. I'll have to play the rest of them.
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Chrono Trigger is my all-time favorite game (of any genre) and Chrono Cross is my second-favorite. I don't think anything will ever be able to dethrone them from those spots.
Calling Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen an RPG is a bit of a stretch (it's more of a strategy game with RPG elements), but it's my third-favorite game so I'll make an exception.
Super Mario RPG and Earthbound were both tons of fun. I only wish they had more replay value.
Final Fantasy 6 was pretty good overall, but I think Square attempted too many experiments in one game. Some of them paid off, but some failed hard. It's definitely worth playing, though.
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I have tried many Final Fantasy games and have been disappointed each time. Maybe I've been trying the wrong ones? If you ask me which ones I've tried though, I couldn't tell you. LOL
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Super Mario RPG by far is one of the greats from my childhood; definitely got me hooked on the genre.
It may be very obscure and apparently most haven't heard of it, but Final Fantasy mystic Quest was one of my favourites, with very little replay value unfortunately.
Final Fantasy 7 was too long to want to replay again.... or finish for that matter.
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The Old Ones (aka, Legends!):
Eternally Dueling for First Place:
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VI
My First RPG:
The Secret of Mana
Zelda! (Because it's totally an RPG and anyone who says otherwise is a lying liar who lies)
A Link to the Past
Ocarina of Time
The New Ones:
What I always liked best about RPGs is, nowadays, mostly contained in the walking simulator genre. They're like RPGs but with none of the hassles of combat. What I'm getting at is that I know there's an argument that the following games are not RPGs, but up your nose with a rubber hose!
Life Is Strange
The best game made in the past ten years.
Oxenfree
To date the greatest psychological horror game I've played.
Finding Paradise
Not terribly interesting for much of the game, then goes to an INCREDIBLE place; it's part of a series so if you want to do the series maybe don't start with this one.
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I can't believe I left Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 off my previous list.
If we're expanding the topic to action RPGs:
I really liked The Legend of Zelda (the original), A Link to the Past, and Link's Awakening. A Link to the Past was probably my favorite of the bunch.
I would probably enjoy The Adventure of Link, despite it being the "weird" one of the bunch (I have a similar fondness for Super Mario Bros. 2), but I've never gotten around to playing it. I really ought to remedy that.
Ocarina of Time was just "okay" to me. I don't understand why it's rated so highly. But my Zelda knowledge ends there, since it's the newest one I've actually played.
Secret of Mana was amazing. I'm eager to play the remake despite the harsh reviews.
Seiken Densetsu 3 had BEAUTIFUL graphics and music, but it sucked HARD. I know the topic is supposed to be "RPGs you enjoyed" but man... Such wasted potential.
Illusion of Gaia and Secret of Evermore were pretty decent.
I can't for the life of me figure out exactly WHY Diablo and Diablo 2 were so much fun, but they were.
Expanding the topic even further, my favorite tabletop RPG is D&D 3.5e.
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Ok agreed that if we are throwing in Action/Adventure RPGs then most definitely Zelda LTTP and OoT are dominant and right at the top. Majora's mask up on the list, but not the top. 8)
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Seiken Densetsu 3 had BEAUTIFUL graphics and music, but it sucked HARD. I know the topic is supposed to be "RPGs you enjoyed" but man... Such wasted potential.
I really enjoyed it. I think it got a lot of things right -- in fact, my biggest gripe was the fact that you had to choose only three of the six characters. I hate games that locks me out of portions of the game content in favor of replayability; if you don't have different motivators, it isn't worth it. Those motivators, for example, being New Game +, or different gameplay for each character, or wholly new storyline elements, etc.
I'm curious what irked you so much about the game. :)
I will say, though, that it is not the glorious glory that is Secret of Mana.
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I really enjoyed it. I think it got a lot of things right -- in fact, my biggest gripe was the fact that you had to choose only three of the six characters. I hate games that locks me out of portions of the game content in favor of replayability; if you don't have different motivators, it isn't worth it. Those motivators, for example, being New Game +, or different gameplay for each character, or wholly new storyline elements, etc.
I'm curious what irked you so much about the game. :)
I will say, though, that it is not the glorious glory that is Secret of Mana.
The level curve. Unlike Secret of Mana or Chrono Trigger where you're always the right level for the area you're in (provided you don't run from too many fights), you're ALWAYS underleveled when going into a new area in this game. You're constantly fighting uphill, but not in a fun "I've gotta step my game up!" kind of way. The monsters aren't dangerous at all (with a few exceptions—I seem to recall a ninja with an auto-kill ability), they just have WAY too many hit points compared to your damage output. It ends up feeling more like chopping lumber than battling monsters. So by the time I had finally ground my way up to the level of an area, I was much too sick of it to stay there and continue fighting the same old crap, so I would move on to the next area... And be underleveled again. It was beyond tedious. The only games I can think of that were "grindier" than this one were Breath of Fire and Breath of Fire 2.
That was the main thing, but I also found the story to be incoherent. That may have been due to the characters I chose (the knight, the witch, and the little cleric girl) intersecting poorly, but it didn't feel like anything I was doing was a part of something greater. It felt like three individuals who just happened to be traveling together, rather than a tight-knit party. Eventually everybody finished their unrelated personal quests, then the story abruptly switched gears to the Mana Land stuff. (And then the final boss required about an extra 20 levels of grinding. Ugh.) In all honesty it's probably better than I remember, but I just stopped caring about a third of the way through, so I most likely missed a lot of the finer details. Due to the unreasonable amounts of grinding required, I can't ever see myself playing through it again to see the other characters' stories.
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@Razig
That's a fair assessment. I've played through it twice, once when the English translation patch was first released (1999? 2000?), although I never got to the end. I played again about eight years ago and beat it all the way through. I say all that to say that my own memory of it could contribute to forgetting the leveling and HP-sponge aspects you mentioned.
I definitely agree on the story front -- the story felt sort of disconjointed and never completely pulled me in.
What I did love about it, though, was how progressive it was. SNES-era game with a true day-night cycle (with altering enemies for various time of days), a legitimate class-change system, another great Mana soundtrack, and stellar graphics all stood out to me as positives.
Regardless, all of that goodwill can be quickly undone with poor gameplay. I, too, hate level grinding. I have so little time for games these days that grinding eats away at my engagement of the story and my desire to wrap things up so I can move on to the next one.
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I don't mind grinding as long as it's strictly optional. For example, in a new playthrough of Chrono Trigger, the first thing I do upon reaching the End of Time is to take Marle to the Hunting Range in 65,000,000 BC and fight Nu until she learns Haste (the fact that the party picks up a dozen levels or so is just a bonus). Then when I get Ayla I'll do the same thing until she learns Charm.
If this were required for actual progression, it would drive me insane and Chrono Trigger very likely wouldn't be my favorite game of all time. But since I'm doing it by choice I find it much more agreeable.
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My favorite place to grind is on the side quest for Robo at the factory. I have played that chute more times than I care to admit!!
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Hmm, can't say "mandatory" grinding has ever bothered me much. Or even grinding in general. While sometimes I do want to move along with a game, I don't find the act of grinding itself too bothersome.
Either way, I do appreciate games where enemy strength scales to your own, avoiding the need to grind that much.
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What I did love about it, though, was how progressive it was. SNES-era game with a true day-night cycle (with altering enemies for various time of days), a legitimate class-change system, another great Mana soundtrack, and stellar graphics all stood out to me as positives.
Forgot to respond to this part.
Have you played Ogre Battle? It has:
• A day-night cycle which affects combat (good units are stronger during the day, and evil units are stronger at night).
• A class system based on level, alignment, and charisma (having a high alignment and high charisma is pretty easy to manage, but developing a low alignment while maintaining a decent charisma—a requirement for some of the more powerful evil classes—can be a challenge).
• A great soundtrack (although it's unfortunately a short one).
• The graphics aren't really anything to write home about, but three out of four ain't bad. The map screen where you'll spend most of your time is pretty bare bones. The in-battle sprites look nice, but the animation is very limited.
Like I mentioned previously, it's more strategy game than RPG, but based on what you've said here I think you'd enjoy it. It's not for everyone, but I'd definitely recommend that everyone at least give it a try.
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Have you played Ogre Battle?
I haven't, but the GBA remake is on my "to play" list. I enjoy strategy RPGs but have to be in the mood for them. Learning about the gameplay mechanics you listed make me excited to play it! I had no idea!
My favorite place to grind is on the side quest for Robo at the factory. I have played that chute more times than I care to admit!!
Same here! This is where I grind for the easy tech points (Gold Stud ftw) to get everyone's full techs. And then the Black Omen for the EXP.
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Have you played Ogre Battle?
I haven't, but the GBA remake is on my "to play" list. I enjoy strategy RPGs but have to be in the mood for them. Learning about the gameplay mechanics you listed make me excited to play it! I had no idea!
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis (the GBA one) is its own thing, not a remake. I haven't played it, so I can't vouch for it, but considering its pedigree I can't imagine it being bad.
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (the sequel to Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen) has radically different gameplay than its predecessor. It was remade for the PSP, which may be what you were thinking of. It plays more like Final Fantasy Tactics—or rather Final Fantasy Tactics plays like it, since it actually predates that much more famous game. That's because the same person (Yasumi Matsuno) directed all three; Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre at Quest, then Final Fantasy Tactics at Square.
Anyway, to distinguish between the wildly different styles, later games that played like the original were called Ogre Battle (Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber and the Japan-only Legend of Ogre Battle Gaiden: Prince of Zenobia), and games that played like the sequel were called Tactics Ogre (of which there was only Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis).
Unfortunately, I think we're unlikely to ever see another entry in the series, because Square now owns the rights to it and it doesn't have "Final" or "Fantasy" in the title.
:(
My favorite place to grind is on the side quest for Robo at the factory. I have played that chute more times than I care to admit!!
Same here! This is where I grind for the easy tech points (Gold Stud ftw) to get everyone's full techs. And then the Black Omen for the EXP.
My favorite spot for TP is the Mountain of Woe. Shortly after the first save point, there's a chain off to the right. Kill the group of Gargoyles and Bantam Imps that appear, then follow the chain to an island with a Rubble on it. Unlike other Rubbles, this one respawns when you re-enter the screen. Kill it, run back to the save point, save, soft reset, load, repeat. You'll have to fight that group each time, but it's easily dealt with. If you don't feel like resetting, you can leave the screen the same way you entered, but you'll have to fight an extra group of Gargoyles that way. At 100 TP per Rubble, you can get everyone except Magus all their techs fairly quickly. The only snag is that the Rubble's huge evasion means it will sometimes escape and leave you empty-handed.
For regular EXP, the Geno Dome conveyor belt is my favorite spot in the original game. You can't beat the convenience of enemies lining up to be killed! In the DS version, however, there's an even better spot in the 12,000 BC Dimensional Vortex where you fight two Snowbeasts. Each one is worth 2,200 EXP, they respawn if you leave the screen, and it's a very short walk to do so (although it's quite a long walk to get to this particular screen in the first place). They have a lot of hit points, but by the time you can access this area your (non-water) AoE techs should make pretty short work of them.
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Huh, the Ogre games are now property of SE? Interesting.
I think of those I've only played Knights of Lodis. It was certainly an interesting game, but I never made it far. I think the farthest I reached was like the half-way point.
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So I've been playing Dragon Quest 6 and I just found FF Exvios for free in the App Store so I'm trying that too. I'm still trying to find my keyboard since we moved so I can resume crimson Echoes too. LOL
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Final Fantasy Brave Exvius used to be really good, for a freemium game. Paying players had an advantage, of course, but free players could still participate and do well in every event if they were persistent. I was really impressed that a microtransaction-driven game wasn't pay-to-win... At least until last year's Halloween event. If you weren't a whale, you might as well forget having any success whatsoever. I dropped the game like a hot potato.
I hate to be negative, but don't expect too much from it unless you're willing to open your wallet.
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It’s free so I figured I’d try it and see how I like it. I’m not too invested in it right now too be honest. We’ll have to see how it goes!! Thank you for the input though, that’s good to know!
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Completely off topic -- and I'm about to depart and will be offline for about 5 days -- but I really want a Switch. After watching the e3 trailers and seeing the sprites firsthand (which do have a certain Chrono Trigger-esque feel to them), Octopath Traveler has me completely hooked. I mean, I loved the Bravely Default series, so I love the developer.
Just had to get that off my chest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1-BHwB5_rg
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WHAT?! Gone for 5 days? WHATEVER SHALL WE DO?? :lol: :lol: :lol:
I want a Switch sooooo bad. I really want to play the new Zelda game on there and I'm DYING to play I am Setsuna. Hopefully by the end of the year! Hubby's hours have been cut at work as well as mine so money is so tight right now. Ugh!
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Zelda! (Because it's totally an RPG and anyone who says otherwise is a lying liar who lies)
A Link to the Past
Ocarina of Time
If you're looking for a 2D Zelda RPG, I'd add Minish Cap along with A Link to the Past. For some reason it always gets overlooked, but I personally found it to be pretty enjoyable. When I started that game, I just couldn't put it down.
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That said, there are quite a few RPGs I really want to get into now.
First of which is Fire Emblem, because it seems like the kind of series that would really appeal to me.
Another is the Trails series, and here's why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaN2G-AEd9Q
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I can't believe I left out Fire Emblem, I'm heavily into that right now. Fire Emblem Heroes for mobile is good, not as satisfying as the platform games: radiant dawn, awakening, etc.
Also A friend of mine just got me into The World Ends with You. Amazing so far; definitely along the anime-genre so you may be into that also.
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I have Trails of Cold Steel I and II sitting in my backlog. I guess I should start on one of those.