[Jim-ie]

(Original post by Facticity)
Well if you liked FFXI that much I would strongly recommend FFXIV, it has all the charms of its predecessor however improves on the combat, the flow and overall the graphics look much more cut and stable. It is a very nice game which I think, if you're willing to pay the monthly costs, you could rack up hundreds of hours on. Whilst I don't have time for MMORPGs like FFXIV, I have played it somewhat and could not help but be impressed. I think it would be quite a nice buy.

Well, JRPGs expand much further out than Final Fantasy. Things like Dragon Age: Origins, Elder Scrolls, Fallout and Mass Effect being obviously western RPG. However in the JRPG section there is a diverse collection. From games like Eternal Sonata, The World Ends With You, Lost Odyssey to Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, Infinite Indiscovery, Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts. There is loads more as well, but I think as the name suggests they are just Japanese RPG but obviously there is a marked difference in the game style.

But if your a fan of any JRPG, join the soc and feel free to join in.

I wish I could play FFXIV but my laptop could barely run the benchmark. I might get it some day when I've a better computer and the game a lot more to offer, heard its full of glitches and little to do. Not really a big deal because they'll add more content over time. FFXI was horrible when it first game out, painfully difficult. Took them a good 3 years to turn it into a top mmo.

I played Chrono Trigger back in the day, a friend of mine imported it, but I'd never heard of Final Fantasy back then so hadn't a clue what to do, looking back, it seemed like a bastardised version of the old SNES FF games. Played it for a few hours then got bored, might play a ROM version see if its a good game or not. I just remember Zelda being lightyears ahead of it, me and the same friend played link to the past constantly for a long long time, probably took us a year to beat it. No internet back then to help.

[Psyk]

(Original post by kingrudding)
I think a lot of the time fans of a series grow accustomed to certain staples of a game. Look at FF up until 10, although you had different ways in which abilities were gained, the leveling structure was largely the same. With FFX, the sphere grid introduced a completely different way of levelling, where a character's stats could be customised depending on preferance. Of course, this did mean that in the end characters did work out near identical, with the exception of the limit breaks (I forget what they are called in FFX) and Yuna being able to summon. On the plus side though, FFX did have the greatest mini game in the entire series.

Blitzball was lame compared to FFVII snowboarding.

[Eru Iluvatar]

I've always had the same problem as others here, in defining JRPG... its very easy with most games to say whether it is or not, but hard to put an actual definition to it...

Anyway, my favourite JRPGs... Suikoden 2 (PS1), Star Ocean (Second story in particular, but like all of them), and Disgaea (1 and 2). Like the older FFs too obviously, but was very disappointed by the latest one.

[vin]

I noticed someone mentioned bayonetta/dmc(the inferior one) but do those really count? sure you level up ...learn abilities and improve your character as such but ....never mind I guess they count in a loose way they just seem more action adventure with rpg elements


I was playing Dragon Quest IX ... Liked it to beginwith but then having the other members of the party as some random guys with no past or personality just seems very boring ...not really that into it tbh.

But generally I dont have time for these kind of games because they tend to be very long. If you take a break you forget where you were and dont feel like playing I started lost odyssey a year ago stopped playing for a bit ...cant remember why because I liked the game ...those dreams ....but yeah I havnt been back since. On the DS they can be quite convenient because you can play them wherever whenever for a bit. i used to play it them in bed at night or when I woke up.

[FinalFlash]

(Original post by Facticity)
Never played it, it looks interesting, quite accuracy based.

Reminds me oddly of Zela taking on big foes

Is it being remade onto PS3?

(Original post by Liquidus Zeromus)
Heard of it, not played it.

I'm somewhere on Pokemon SoulSilver at the moment, as well as half-way through Final Fantasy XIII

It's a great game, with an awesome ost. Definitely my fav game on Ps2 after MGS3. I wouldn't say it's like Zelda, it's a bit more dark, the bosses are huge and it's almost entirely you and your horse...Where as in Zelda it usually involves a lot more characters.

It's being re-released on the ps3 along with ICO in a HD version in the summer, definitely worth a play.

[jacketpotato]

So so so so so good, best RPG ever

[Psyk]

(Original post by vin)
I noticed someone mentioned bayonetta/dmc(the inferior one) but do those really count? sure you level up ...learn abilities and improve your character as such but ....never mind I guess they count in a loose way they just seem more action adventure with rpg elements


I was playing Dragon Quest IX ... Liked it to beginwith but then having the other members of the party as some random guys with no past or personality just seems very boring ...not really that into it tbh.

But generally I dont have time for these kind of games because they tend to be very long. If you take a break you forget where you were and dont feel like playing I started lost odyssey a year ago stopped playing for a bit ...cant remember why because I liked the game ...those dreams ....but yeah I havnt been back since. On the DS they can be quite convenient because you can play them wherever whenever for a bit. i used to play it them in bed at night or when I woke up.

I stopped playing Lost Odyssey too. I think it was because I got bored of the battle system. I got to the point where lots of sidequests open up so I started doing them, but the fights just seemed to take ages and it was just boring. Maybe I'll come back to it one day.

[hogso]

I've been so disappointed with every RPG I've played this gen. Not a single one has really done it for me. But I remember thinking that last gen too...the best for me then was Legaia 2, probably.

I don't think Xenogears will ever be topped, though. I can't imagine another game will ever be made that goes so far to draw the player into the story, characters and world as that, it was practically perfect in every way.

[Susant]

Woot, a JRPG soc!

I'm going back to the PS2 for a while. Right now I'm playing Persona 3 FES. It definitely ranks highly for me, probably over my favourite FF IX. I want to try out Persona 4 and Persona 3 portable after this.

I highly recommend them, 1 + 2 seems to appeal more to the oldschool megaten fans, but I don't paticualrly like theml. I feel Persona 3 and 4 moves the franchise to a more modern younger audience. It feels like a sort of dungeoncrawler/pokemon/visual novel/sims gameplay. I'm crap at explaining it, it would be better to check out a review for it. But the storyline and sountrack are excellent, 3 is pretty dark in a way. Apparently 4 is a bit more light hearted, but need to play it to see.

And God Eater Burst hits America in March for PSP. I pre-ordered mine on Amazon for just £17, not sure why its so cheap.

[kingrudding]

(Original post by Facticity)
Completely agree. FFX was my favourite next to FFVII, I liked the new sphere grid, and whilst your characters could turn out quite identical in their stats, they did however vary quite greatly (if you plan right) and everyone could unlock their own specialised skill sets as well. Finally, Blitzball was single-handedly the greatest minigame I have ever played, no doubt it pushed FFX up a lot.

Blitzball sucked up many hours of my time as well. Then there was the monster arena and the dark aeon to contend with.

One thing I love about the sphere grid is that it is simple enough for beginners to be able to follow, but it comes into it's own in the hands of an experianced player.
I spent a lot more time playing FF than I should have, simply because of Blitzball.

[jacketpotato]

(Original post by hogso)
I've been so disappointed with every RPG I've played this gen. Not a single one has really done it for me. But I remember thinking that last gen too...the best for me then was Legaia 2, probably.

I don't think Xenogears will ever be topped, though. I can't imagine another game will ever be made that goes so far to draw the player into the story, characters and world as that, it was practically perfect in every way.

I feel exactly the same way as you. BUT there is an amazing RPG in this Gen - Tales of Vesperia. Eternal Sonata is good too

[Facticity]

(Original post by Psyk)
Blitzball was lame compared to FFVII snowboarding.

I disagree completely

Blitzball had so much depth and there was level progression and tactics. It took up loads more time than snowboarding.

[Facticity]

(Original post by vin)
I noticed someone mentioned bayonetta/dmc(the inferior one) but do those really count? sure you level up ...learn abilities and improve your character as such but ....never mind I guess they count in a loose way they just seem more action adventure with rpg elements


I was playing Dragon Quest IX ... Liked it to beginwith but then having the other members of the party as some random guys with no past or personality just seems very boring ...not really that into it tbh.

But generally I dont have time for these kind of games because they tend to be very long. If you take a break you forget where you were and dont feel like playing I started lost odyssey a year ago stopped playing for a bit ...cant remember why because I liked the game ...those dreams ....but yeah I havnt been back since. On the DS they can be quite convenient because you can play them wherever whenever for a bit. i used to play it them in bed at night or when I woke up.

I mentioned them

They are JRPG Just not in the sense like Final Fantasy and such, they are a lot more action centred obviously. But no one said RPG have to be tactical or revolve around a young band of youth getting those crystals to save the world.

I loved Lost Odyssey, it was very time consuming, as most JRPG are. For me its an attractive quality, a long and deep story and game. The longer the better

[Hylean]

(Original post by Facticity)
Well if you liked FFXI that much I would strongly recommend FFXIV, it has all the charms of its predecessor however improves on the combat, the flow and overall the graphics look much more cut and stable. It is a very nice game which I think, if you're willing to pay the monthly costs, you could rack up hundreds of hours on. Whilst I don't have time for MMORPGs like FFXIV, I have played it somewhat and could not help but be impressed. I think it would be quite a nice buy.

FFXIV is so fubar'd that the entire team has been replaced in an attempt to save it. I haven't seen a decent review anywhere.

Ah Disgaea, such a class game. Also like the Atelier series and Hack.. Gods, there are so many good games out there from Japan. I do think it's disappointing that the West doesn't really seem to have picked up much on TRPGs and has left them by the wayside. JRPGs are definitely more adventurous in their styles and types of gameplay, which is why I think I prefer them on the whole.

[vin]

(Original post by Facticity)
I mentioned them

They are JRPG Just not in the sense like Final Fantasy and such, they are a lot more action centred obviously. But no one said RPG have to be tactical or revolve around a young band of youth getting those crystals to save the world.

I loved Lost Odyssey, it was very time consuming, as most JRPG are. For me its an attractive quality, a long and deep story and game. The longer the better

I just dont have time to go downstairs to play it late at night ... the only time of the day the big tv is free it would mess up my sleep cycle even more

[Facticity]

(Original post by hogso)
I've been so disappointed with every RPG I've played this gen. Not a single one has really done it for me. But I remember thinking that last gen too...the best for me then was Legaia 2, probably.

I don't think Xenogears will ever be topped, though. I can't imagine another game will ever be made that goes so far to draw the player into the story, characters and world as that, it was practically perfect in every way.

I know exactly what you mean as well. I have played lots of JRPG this gen however they have not scratched the surface of the liked of Legend of Dragoon or Final Fantasy for me. Xenogears was an amazing game. I think I'm starting to recognise a pattern wherein as game technology increases, the emphasis is being taken off character depth and deep and amazing story line, and more onto things like scenery and graphics and such. Its exactly like Squeenix said, they probably will hold firm to the rigid linear mapping due to the size of the game videos. Especially with something like FFXIII.

So I think, all the old fans of many great RPG aren't as concerned with perfect graphics. Look at a recent game called The world ends with you. I really liked it for its very original play and in depth design, but the graphics were quite basic. Its an thought anyway...

[Susant]

(Original post by Facticity)

So I think, all the old fans of many great RPG aren't as concerned with perfect graphics. Look at a recent game called The world ends with you. I really liked it for its very original play and in depth design, but the graphics were quite basic. Its an thought anyway...

I thought the graphics were pretty decent for a DS game. I know that the portrait style doesn't appeal to a lot of people but I love it and Tetsuya Nomura drawing them was a huge bonus

[Facticity]

(Original post by Hylean)
FFXIV is so fubar'd that the entire team has been replaced in an attempt to save it. I haven't seen a decent review anywhere.

Ah Disgaea, such a class game. Also like the Atelier series and Hack.. Gods, there are so many good games out there from Japan. I do think it's disappointing that the West doesn't really seem to have picked up much on TRPGs and has left them by the wayside. JRPGs are definitely more adventurous in their styles and types of gameplay, which is why I think I prefer them on the whole.

Perhaps it is just my lack of playing FFXI. It seemed quite fresh to me. From what I saw of FFXI, it was much of an improvement. However, as I have heard of FFXI, that was terrible when it first appeared. Only after a few years and updates by Squeenix did it get good, so perhaps a similar (hopefully faster) process will occur for FFXIV. However, I was not drawn enough to buy it.

(Original post by Eru Iluvatar)
I've always had the same problem as others here, in defining JRPG... its very easy with most games to say whether it is or not, but hard to put an actual definition to it...

Anyway, my favourite JRPGs... Suikoden 2 (PS1), Star Ocean (Second story in particular, but like all of them), and Disgaea (1 and 2). Like the older FFs too obviously, but was very disappointed by the latest one.

I know, its very hard to define them mainly because there is a massive spectrum of JRPG. But anyway, definitely agree with Star Oceans and FF and Disgaea, can't say I have played Suikoden.

However, speaking of Disgaea, have you guys seen the latest one, coming out in Japan next month? Disgaea 4: Makai Senki



If anyone has a PS3, I could easily Recommend where to order it from. I regularly import games from Japan, saves me a half a year/year wait for many games. However, it would mean you would have to be able to read Japanese, unless it has an English subtitle option.

[Hylean]

(Original post by Facticity)
Perhaps it is just my lack of playing FFXI. It seemed quite fresh to me. From what I saw of FFXI, it was much of an improvement. However, as I have heard of FFXI, that was terrible when it first appeared. Only after a few years and updates by Squeenix did it get good, so perhaps a similar (hopefully faster) process will occur for FFXIV. However, I was not drawn enough to buy it.

I know, its very hard to define them mainly because there is a massive spectrum of JRPG. But anyway, definitely agree with Star Oceans and FF and Disgaea, can't say I have played Suikoden.

However, speaking of Disgaea, have you guys seen the latest one, coming out in Japan next month? Disgaea 4: Makai Senki



If anyone has a PS3, I could easily Recommend where to order it from. I regularly import games from Japan, saves me a half a year/year wait for many games. However, it would mean you would have to be able to read Japanese, unless it has an English subtitle option.

Suikoden is such an amazing series. I highly recommend it. Deep, immersive storylines, huge cast all with their own stories and side quests, wonderful worlds. Amazing series.

Now here's an even better question for you on the difference between Western and JRPG: if Legend of Zelda is a JRPG of the adventure sort, why is its clone Darksiders very much a Western RPG? The more and more I look at it, the more and more I think it comes down to art style and that's it. Though there is a strong tendency in JRPGs to have a developed lead whereas in Western ones not so much, though even Dragon Age 2 will have a fully developed lead.

[Psyk]

(Original post by Facticity)
I disagree completely

Blitzball had so much depth and there was level progression and tactics. It took up loads more time than snowboarding.

The way I see it you have the rest of the game for level progression and tactics. A good mini game should offer something different.