The RPG Thread [Newcomers Welcome]

[Cal]

Anything by Lionhead or Bethseda can strawberry float right off. I need my RPG's emo or in space.

I take it you Star Ocean: The Last Hope, then? I didn't get on with it. After nearly four hours I just had to admit it wasn't 'doing it' for me, impossibly pretty boys with green hair or not.

[Winckle]

I too enjoy interactive film dvds

Come on, you know i'm right.

[The Alchemist Penguin]

I don't like the way real-time systems always seem to be reduced to button-mashing.

Interesting stuff, I take it your the kind of person who plays turn based games on "wait" mode as opposed to "active"? I always play on active, so if I sit there spending ages thinking then the enemy gets in a bunch of free hits. I prefer to think on my toes, plan as I play, so to speak.

Although I'd say that if you're playing real time RPGs that just collapse into button mashing then you're either missing out on the game's real depth, or you aren't playing the best the genre has to offer.

I've actually compared FFXII's real time system to chess in the past, as it requires the correct placement of your units and good use of proper attacks while a turn based system relies more on just the choice of attack. Any recent 3D Tales game is the same, and Eternal Sonata is swimming in strategy as the light/dark mechanic and movement can lead to some truly beautiful setups.

In all those games you could just grind your way past the strategy, but the same can be said of any turn based game too, and you really shouldn't be doing that as you really miss out. Actually! FFXII also has a wait mode, so although it's in real time you can basically "pause" the game and chain up all your moves whenever you want. I wouldn't recommend playing the game like that, but the developers did include it for those who preferred the older style turn based play so you might get along with that.

[Christopher]

Anything by Lionhead or Bethseda can strawberry float right off. I need my RPG's emo or in space.

I take it you Star Ocean: The Last Hope, then? I didn't get on with it. After nearly four hours I just had to admit it wasn't 'doing it' for me, impossibly pretty boys with green hair or not.

Sadly as a fan of the franchise I have played this a little at a mates and it's awful. After playing the first two on PSP back to back then moving to this should have been awesome. But sadly Last Hope is a terrible game

[SEP]

I too enjoy interactive film dvds

Come on, you know i'm right.

I think you're looking for the MGS thread.

[TheTurnipKing]

I don't like the way real-time systems always seem to be reduced to button-mashing.

Interesting stuff, I take it your the kind of person who plays turn based games on "wait" mode as opposed to "active"? I always play on active, so if I sit there spending ages thinking then the enemy gets in a bunch of free hits. I prefer to think on my toes, plan as I play, so to speak.

Although I'd say that if you're playing real time RPGs that just collapse into button mashing then you're either missing out on the game's real depth, or you aren't playing the best the genre has to offer.

I've actually compared FFXII's real time system to chess in the past, as it requires the correct placement of your units and good use of proper attacks while a turn based system relies more on just the choice of attack. Any recent 3D Tales game is the same, and Eternal Sonata is swimming in strategy as the light/dark mechanic and movement can lead to some truly beautiful setups.

In all those games you could just grind your way past the strategy, but the same can be said of any turn based game too, and you really shouldn't be doing that as you really miss out. Actually! FFXII also has a wait mode, so although it's in real time you can basically "pause" the game and chain up all your moves whenever you want. I wouldn't recommend playing the game like that, but the developers did include it for those who preferred the older style turn based play so you might get along with that.

Personally, i prefer "wait-time" RPG's like Baldurs Gate, where you can pause, rethink and issue orders, then watch it unfold in real time, and you can pause and readjust on the fly. I find this gives a pretty good flow to the battles, and allows you to control more units than you could feasibly manage in real-time. Increased numbers of units adds more depth, and allows the developer to really differentiate the classes.

This is also why I'm NOT a fan of Neverwinter Nights and Kotor. I find that neither game has a sufficiently large party, so the combat never really fires on all cylinders. Kotor's jedi's are some compensation, though, and Neverwinter Nights multiplayer really brings it back to life.

[Wedgie]

RPGs is one of my favourite genres.

My first one that I played properly is Final Fantasy VII - after reading a positive review of it in PC Gamer. I have to admit that I was underwhelmed by it all at first, but when my flatmate got hooked on it and progressed even further, I ejected him and start playing it by myself.

Ever since, I've played Final Fantasy VIII on the PC as well, then waiting for the PC version of FFIX which never happened. Then the pokemon hits UK for the first time and I brought a GBC just for Pokemon Red. When Final Fantasy X came out, I caved and brought a PS2 with a copy of it.

So I've played shitload of RPGs ever since. The last one that I completed was Oblivion on the 360 and my tastes in games have moved into action.

But I'm hankering for a good rpg right now.

Anyway my favourite of all time is Kingdom Hearts. It may have a lot of flaws but I absolutely loved it, and defeated the ultimate hard secret boss on the expert difficulty is the most frustating but rewarding experience. I it.

[Winckle]

I too enjoy interactive film dvds

Come on, you know i'm right.

I think you're looking for the MGS thread.

MGS has actual enjoyable (stealth based) gameplay between its overly long cutscenes. JRPGs do not.

[Prototype]

Great thread, Rubix

I just picked up Lost Odyssey for £9 and am looking forward to starting it.

I'm really not that good at RPGs but enjoy the storylines in them.

[Rubix]

I too enjoy interactive film dvds

Come on, you know i'm right.

I think you're looking for the MGS thread.

MGS has actual enjoyable (stealth based) gameplay between its overly long cutscenes. JRPGs do not.

What are you doing in this thread?

[jiggles]

Trolling, by the looks of things.

[SEP]

I completed Fable 2's story for the 5th time on Saturday. Working through the jobs and sidequests now, and rasing as much cash as I can to buy every building in Albion and Knothole Island.

[Winckle]

I too enjoy interactive film dvds

Come on, you know i'm right.

I think you're looking for the MGS thread.

MGS has actual enjoyable (stealth based) gameplay between its overly long cutscenes. JRPGs do not.

What are you doing in this thread?

I like RPGs. I am all over Oblivion and expansions, I've played all the Fallout games. But JRPGs are absolute trash.

[Rubix]

Your own opinion. I really like them

[SEP]

I love The Elder Scrolls games, too. Yet, strangely, I didn't get on with Fallout 3. I think it's maybe because I prefer to explore a lush green land than to explore a nuclear winter. I remember being stunned by how beautiful Oblivion looked when it first came out, and again by Fable 2. I was late to the party with the earlier TES games and Fable 1. Although Fable 1 still looks mighty fine.

[$ilva $hadow]

Tales of Phantasia
Chrono Trigger
Baldurs Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
Planescape Torment
Fable
Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic 2
Mass Effect
Deus Ex
Elder Scrolls Oblivion
Elder Scrolls Morrowind
Vampire: Masquerade Redemption
Vampire: Masquerade Bloodlines
Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 8
Secret of Mana 2
System Shock 2
The Witcher
Space Rangers 2 (just about gets onto the list, a fabulous game, flawed but excellent).
Fallout 2
Fallout 3

Some of the best RPG games I've played. Games like Star Ocean and the rest of the Tales series don't even compare with the stupid anime stock characters who spit out the same lines about friendship, love and bullshit while the protagonists female sidekick always has to have a crush on him yet vehemently deny it. The list of cliches goes on and even though the list above may contain those cliches, they're executed which such flair.

Don't even think about adding that turd of a game Tales of Symphonia to the list or adding any other gooseberry fool game and saying "corrected". There may be some games I forgot to mention but these are really the cream of the crop (apart from FF8, although it's much better than FF7 definitely), serious storylines, great characters, good gameplay and executed very well.

[Winckle]

I love The Elder Scrolls games, too. Yet, strangely, I didn't get on with Fallout 3. I think it's maybe because I prefer to explore a lush green land than to explore a nuclear winter. I remember being stunned by how beautiful Oblivion looked when it first came out, and again by Fable 2. I was late to the party with the earlier TES games and Fable 1. Although Fable 1 still looks mighty fine.

I enjoyed both, I tend to read a lot of sci fi that explores similar themes to Fallout so it was quite enjoyable for me to explore.

[TheTurnipKing]

I love The Elder Scrolls games, too. Yet, strangely, I didn't get on with Fallout 3. I think it's maybe because I prefer to explore a lush green land than to explore a nuclear winter. I remember being stunned by how beautiful Oblivion looked when it first came out, and again by Fable 2. I was late to the party with the earlier TES games and Fable 1. Although Fable 1 still looks mighty fine.

In that case, the green world Fallout 3 mod may interest you. You can put the trees back!



PC version only, natch.

[Dante]

Anything by Lionhead or Bethseda can strawberry float right off. I need my RPG's emo or in space.

I take it you Star Ocean: The Last Hope, then? I didn't get on with it. After nearly four hours I just had to admit it wasn't 'doing it' for me, impossibly pretty boys with green hair or not.

Sadly as a fan of the franchise I have played this a little at a mates and it's awful. After playing the first two on PSP back to back then moving to this should have been awesome. But sadly Last Hope is a terrible game

*2 months time*

Star Ocean: The Last Hope Remix for PS3 is announced

"Suzz: The game is awesome and as great as anything tri-ace has ever odne before"



I love the game tbh; hence the 150 hours I've put into it so far - I would have had it done today; but that *many rude words removed* secret 1st boss got in my way and my level 200 party got ass destroyed (to be fair, my tactics sucked and had mainly exp boosting armour/weapons)

I really wish Tales of... wasn't out this week, I need to not be playing RPGs at the moment, they just take up way too much of my time

[Agent47]

Personally I enjoy the action-RPG types such as Sacred/Sacred 2, Diablo and the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance games - not to mention the amazing Mass Effect (yes, it strawberry floating is an RPG!) but the ones that intrigue me the most, when I can actually get to grips with them, are the likes of Dungeon Siege (the original, not the piss-poor sequel), Fallout, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, The Witcher and Planescape: Torment.
These games all have the ability to pause the action and give out orders before, as has been mentioned already in this thread, watching everything unfold in real-time. This way you get the tactics of a turn-based system and combine it with a more free-flowing and well-animated battle system, which just feels... more alive than just watching two lines of adversaries take turns to just pummel each other as the rest look on helplessly until their turn.