What JRPG are you currently playing?

ancapailldorcha · 01-10-2012 8:17pm

Finally got round to wrapping up the PSP version of FFT. Need to finish up FFVI next. Just about to enter

Kefka's tower

.

Retr0gamer · 17-10-2012 3:34pm

It's very much a western developed game but plays like a JRPG so screw it. I've been playing Costume Quest on the run up to Halloween. Excellent game with loads of charm and really good writing. It's short but really sweet and has just enough depth to keep it interesting for how long it lasts.

RedXIV · 17-10-2012 8:02pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

It's very much a western developed game but plays like a JRPG so screw it. I've been playing Costume Quest on the run up to Halloween. Excellent game with loads of charm and really good writing. It's short but really sweet and has just enough depth to keep it interesting for how long it lasts.

Costume Quest is brilliant!!! I loved it!

_Godot_ · 20-10-2012 7:21pm

I'm currently playing Pokemon Black 2. Currently in the sewers. I did play a bit of Star Ocean: Second Evolution and I'm currently at the field of might.

Retr0gamer · 22-10-2012 11:46pm

Started playing Parasite Eve there. I wasn't interested in the game because I had only played Parasite Eve 2 which was a very poor resi clone. Heard Parasite Eve was far better lately and one of the PS1's best games.

Anyway so far it's superb. Wonderful battle system. Basically you are free to move around and dodge enemy attacks and when the ATB gauge is full you can attack. It's a really wonderful system and I'm amazed it hasn't been used by Square in any other games. Vagrant Story comes close but this is far far better.

Also interesting to note is that the game is focused in a single city, sounds a bit like the initial plans for FFVII and was developed a little after FFVII. So far it's a very focused RPG and definitely a must play!

snausages · 24-10-2012 12:10pm

I honestly wasn't a fan. One of Square's weaker efforts. I found VS's system much more involved, in PE I found I was mostly just pacing back and forth waiting. The ATB and movement speed is too slow.

You can see why they didn't bother with a PAL conversion. With the standard 16.67% slowdown we got PE would have been painful to play.

Cool story though.

Retr0gamer · 24-10-2012 12:18pm

I thought it worked an awful lot better than Vagrant Stories system. Vagrant story allowed running around but it didn't matter because it was all still stat based. In Parasite Eve you can dodge attacks by moving around and have to take into account how long it takes to fire your gun. It's a much better use of the real time elements. I'm into Day 5 now and think it's one of square's best.

noodler · 24-10-2012 12:56pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

The first 5 hours are absolutely horrendous. It's starting to get better now but they absolutely destroyed the combat in the game with the parry move. Basically it's x to attack and x to parry. However the parry has not timing so mashing the x button is an I win button. Sure there's reaction commands as well but I see absolutely not reason to use anything other than the x button and reaction commands. A shame because the combat in KH1 was the perfect kind of challenging.

Play Birth By Sleep.

It is awesome.

I can say it honestly after playing KH1, KH2 and then BBT.

It benefits a bit from MGS3-syndrome (i.e. it is much easier doing a prequel stroy because you know where the end point is and so you aren't producing a scribbled mess with no direction!).

Not as hard as KH1 (from what I can remember) but certainly more challenging than KH2. I loved it.

Retr0gamer · 24-10-2012 1:07pm

I'll try to get around to it but I'm trying to play Kingdom Hearts 2 which is supposedly great but is in fact a pile of herpes.

ancapailldorcha · 24-10-2012 1:08pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I thought it worked an awful lot better than Vagrant Stories system. Vagrant story allowed running around but it didn't matter because it was all still stat based. In Parasite Eve you can dodge attacks by moving around and have to take into account how long it takes to fire your gun. It's a much better use of the real time elements. I'm into Day 5 now and think it's one of square's best.

I remember seeing someone play Parasite Eve 2. It looked like a poor man's Resi. Might give this a go if it's good.

noodler · 24-10-2012 1:23pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I'll try to get around to it but I'm trying to play Kingdom Hearts 2 which is supposedly great but is in fact a pile of herpes.

Really should be played on a harder setting me thinks. I also found it too easy after the (at times mindnumbing) difficulty with 1.

The production values, set pieces and controls are all far better but the story is a bit messy to say the least.

Retr0gamer · 24-10-2012 1:41pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I remember seeing someone play Parasite Eve 2. It looked like a poor man's Resi. Might give this a go if it's good.

Oh PE2 really is a poor mans Resi. I had only played that game previously and it's what put me off trying the first game since PE2 bored the arse off me. Parasite Eve however is a much different game and far better.

noodler wrote: »

Really should be played on a harder setting me thinks. I also found it too easy after the (at times mindnumbing) difficulty with 1.

The production values, set pieces and controls are all far better but the story is a bit messy to say the least.

The combat is fun if just a bit dull and the reaction commands destroy any sense of difficulty that the game has. I've no major complaints about that. The story and pacing are the problems. There's so much boring stuff between fights and the story trumps even MGS4 as the worst videogame story. I'll have to get back to it but I got sidetracked when I became addicted to Dragon Quest IX and currently I'm playing horror games for October which lead to me trying and loving Parasite Eve.

penev10 · 24-10-2012 4:32pm

Have started playing Nier. Awful start to the game with the confusing introduction to combat then the non-descript fetch quests but once you get going it's quite enjoyable. Music is fantastic. Story and setting are quite good too.

Was worried the combat would be monotonous but when you get used to the various abilities it works quite well despite fighting non-descript enemies 90% of the time. Bosses are suitably epic which makes up for the mobs.

Overall it feels like it could've done with a bit more time in development. A few rough edges both graphically and mechanically. Dialogue is good though which is usually the first thing to lose out when a game doesn't gestate to full term.

Retr0gamer · 24-10-2012 5:32pm

The main combat is a bit simplistic but the times when it starts changing genre wildly are great. Definitely could have done with a bigger budget but it's impressive what Cavia managed despite the lack of funds. Just make sure when you are finish to play the new game+ at least once.

ancapailldorcha · 24-10-2012 11:37pm

Just started the PSP update of the original Final Fantasy. Still need to clear FFVI as well.

Retr0gamer · 30-10-2012 8:43pm

So I finished Parasite Eve and absolutely loved it, definitely one of the best things Squaresoft has done on the PS1. Time to hit the Chrysler Building now. I wrote a review on my blog:

http://lifein16bit.blogspot.ie/2012/10/october-horrorthon-parasite-eve.html

snausages · 30-10-2012 9:14pm

What is it you enjoy about the combat? I'm surprised you praise it so much. For me moving on the spot hardly seemed to matter most of the time as you could just tank the attacks and heal. Some later bosses (like that f*cking spider on the roof) required a little more dexterity but for the most part it was basically just 'attack', 'wait and run around a bit' and 'attack' again. A lot of the Parasite skills pretty ineffectual barring some of the basic healing ones and the omnislash thing you get near the end. The "fixed" nature of enemy encounters wasn't great either, especially when you had to backtrack. At least with the sequel you'd engage with enemies as you see them à la Chrono Trigger. The XP system felt very fixed as well, like it really wasn't possibly to overlevel or underlevel your character. It didn't seem like it mattered which weapons you choose to upgrade either as you could easily import all the bonus stats anyway. As an RPG I found it kind of shallow and the odd Resi-inspired fuse box changing sections made it feel a little unfocused.

Fantastic presentation though. Very good looking game. Other than the CG character models I think the graphics hold up very well. The story is great in its own stupid way. I might give it another go to see the Chrysler ending but I'm not sure if my opinion on the game will change all that much.

Retr0gamer · 30-10-2012 9:37pm

I thought it played a bit like Secret of Mana were you would avoid attacks then have to choose the best moment to attack since you were stationary while attacking. There was plenty of depth, you had to manage your PE, if you used it too much you could get into trouble since it would take longer to charge and spells like haste were essential to avoiding attacks. It wasn't all that challenging to begin with but most RPGs aren't. However the last few bosses were very tough. The fixed encounters didn't bother me that much since after you encounter them first the chance to trigger that encounter again drops dramatically.

The meat of the game seems to be in the Chrysler Building were customising your weapon is hugely important and a lot of fun. You really need a game breakingly good weapon going into that place.

I think what I liked the most about it was how well it was paced. It zips along and there's no filler. It's just a heap of fun from start to finish except for the bull**** escape sequence at the end which wasn't fun at all.

penev10 · 05-11-2012 2:05pm

Bosses in Nier are great. Just beat the

big box fella in the sand temple

. My trigger finger nearly fell off! Block puzzles followed by bullet hell, who would've thunk it!

tyrion1234 · 05-11-2012 8:38pm

Decided to play through all the Final fantasy's that iv never completed. Just started on 9 today.

Retr0gamer · 15-11-2012 10:32am

Beat the Chrysler Building in Parasite Eve. My advice is to enjoy the main game and totally ignore this because it just isn't worth it and the alternative ending you get is awful.

Sephiroth_dude · 15-11-2012 2:54pm

tyrion1234 wrote: »

Decided to play through all the Final fantasy's that iv never completed. Just started on 9 today.

a Gem in the series,your a lucky man I wish I could replay it again for the first time

megaten · 16-11-2012 2:33pm

I wish I could finish ff9 but I need to grind a bit before I get to the end and I can't deal with the loading times anymore.

Darkglasses · 19-11-2012 11:05pm

Currently playing FF XIII...It's ok, but to be honest I've just a hankering to play VIII. Even went into Rage on Fade Street to see prices for a PS1 and a copy of the game

Is there any Xbox 360 games you guys would recommend for someone who misses the old FF games? I'm a bit out of the loop, are there any games that still use text instead of voice acting?

Retr0gamer · 19-11-2012 11:30pm

Darkglasses wrote: »

Currently playing FF XIII...It's ok, but to be honest I've just a hankering to play VIII. Even went into Rage on Fade Street to see prices for a PS1 and a copy of the game

You won't get a good deal on that game in there.

Darkglasses wrote: »

Is there any Xbox 360 games you guys would recommend for someone who misses the old FF games? I'm a bit out of the loop, are there any games that still use text instead of voice acting?

Most use voice acting now. The best machines for JRPGs now are the DS and PSP.

On 360 there's Lost Odyssey which is made by the old producer of the FF games. Not sure I can recommend it though. It's not great. I enjoyed it in the end but the game takes an age to get going. The story is a bit weak as well although the side stories are fantastic.

There's also Talesof Vesperia which has become a rarity unfortunately.

snausages · 20-11-2012 12:08am

Lost Odyssey is insanely overrated. Not much to recommend it by imo. The battle system is painstakingly slow and the loading issues do it no favours. Tales is best bought straight from MS's games on demand.

Darkglasses · 20-11-2012 12:20am

Retr0gamer wrote: »

You won't get a good deal on that game in there.

You're dead right, as I discovered! Couldn't believe some of their prices. GB Advance games for like 80 euro

Would sooner take a chance on something from Adverts.ie or a Cash Converters shop I think.

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Most use voice acting now. The best machines for JRPGs now are the DS and PSP.

On 360 there's Lost Odyssey which is made by the old producer of the FF games. Not sure I can recommend it though. It's not great. I enjoyed it in the end but the game takes an age to get going. The story is a bit weak as well although the side stories are fantastic.

There's also Talesof Vesperia which has become a rarity unfortunately.

Thanks very much, I may treat myself to a s-h PSP then, I see that FFVIII is available from PSN somehow.

martineatworld · 20-11-2012 12:28am

Tales of Vesperia got a reprint during the year so it's not quite as rare anymore. You can get it new for around €35 delivered, which isn't too bad, considering it used to go for over twice that.

I would highly recommend a PSP Go and going the cfw route, it really is a lovely little machine. Unlimited JRPG potential!

Retr0gamer · 20-11-2012 1:05am

If you are going the PSP route, get US PSN points and make a US account. The US PS1 titles don't have the awful PAL issues.

Zapp Brannigan · 20-11-2012 1:27am

Will be playing Persona 4 Golden tomorrow when it's released over here.

Darkglasses · 20-11-2012 4:30am

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. Honestly, I don't think I'm tech-savvy or committed enough to get into putting CFW onto a PSP. For now, I'm looking into getting a s-h PS2 and will look to pick up all the old FF games somewhere.

jaxdasher · 23-11-2012 9:25pm

Playing Final fantasy tactics on my xperia play. Found that there's a mod for it with higher difficulty and more content. Its amazing! Can't put it down. The mod is FFT 1.3 check it out.

Retr0gamer · 27-11-2012 5:19pm

Playing Phantasy Star 3 and I'm on the last generation. I'm really enjoying it and don't understand the flak it gets. The towns are boring and all the same but overall the game is less grindy than PS2 and the dungeons aren't a complete mess. It seems quite short, although there are 4 paths through the game. The storyline has finally started to get interesting although it's hardly amazing, I doubt it will have an amazing ending like PS2.

_Godot_ · 28-11-2012 2:34am

You're making me want to play Phantasy Star 3.

I've been playing Star Ocean: Second Evolution the last few days. I did the four fields and now I'm off to Minae Cave.

Retr0gamer · 28-11-2012 2:41am

To be honest it might be an improvement on Phantasy Star 2 in ways but it's still a little archaic. Phantasy Star 4 on the other hand is the real masterpiece. Far and away the best 16-bit RPG that isn't Earthbound.

Retr0gamer · 03-12-2012 10:15pm

Finished Phantasy Star 3 last night.

It's got some very interesting mechanics spoiled by disappointing execution and an interesting story also spoiled by lack of exposition. There's some real untapped potential in this game. I did enjoy the game and the dungeons were thankfully a whole lot less confusing than the ones in Phantasy Star 2. Battle system was quite week as well but at least it had the auto battle option so it was always fast paced.

rlsniper789 · 04-12-2012 6:15pm

In between playing WWE '13 and watching stuff, I tend to play Chrono Trigger quite a bit on my Wii, and I have to say, I'm loving it so far

(about halfway through it atm)

Retr0gamer · 05-12-2012 12:01pm

Started Phantasy Star IV and wow, is it a massive improvement compared to the sequels. It's much faster, random encounters are less frequent and the battle system is brilliant, particularly the macros system that lets you define AI for battles, a bit like the gambit system in FFXII but far less annoying to use. Previous games in the series lacked exposition but not this one. There's cutscenes in this game told in comic book style anime panels and they look absolutely gorgeous. In fact the whole games looks amazing, the in battle pixel art is some of the best I've ever seen. It's got a wonderful soundtrack as well.

The localisation is great, some of the characters thus far have been very enjoyable, particularly Alys. She has gotten a fair few laughs out of me already and she takes no nonsense from anyone.

It's been a long while since I played this game but I'm totally blown away by it even more now. Also people that have played the previous games will get a kick with how well it ties in with the others in the series.

At the moment I'm traveling in the footsteps of bad guy Zio and seeing the wave of destruction he has left behind. I get the feeling FFVII cribbed an awful lot from this game.

noodler · 05-12-2012 12:03pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I get the feeling FFVII cribbed an awful lot from this game.

You are relentless!

Retr0gamer · 05-12-2012 12:34pm

Play it, you'll see. There's stuff that happens later on in the game that FFVII quite clearly rips off wholesale and it's not just me, I've been having this discussion with someone else who started the game over on the arcade and retro forum.

Gunmonkey · 05-12-2012 10:33pm

Since I finally got me a PSP I'm getting stuck into Valkyria Chronicles 2, the school setting is a bit meh but gameplay is still great. Liking the changes they made to classes and skilling up to more focused roles.

On a side note, i know you have to delete the account when switching from a EU to USA PSN account, but what about stuff saved to the memory card? Can I download stuff from both accounts and then switch accounts and play the relevant games or is formatting involved?

Retr0gamer · 07-12-2012 5:31pm

Apparently it formats the whole card so you'll need a PAL card, US card and if you are even more unfortunate, a JP card.

megaten · 07-12-2012 11:11pm

That's only for vita. I think you can have content for different regions on the one card for psp but I've never tried it.

Retr0gamer · 08-12-2012 8:50am

Yeah you can but you have to activate a US account on the PSP to access US content and vice versa fir EU and JP stuff.

snausages · 08-12-2012 12:17pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Play it, you'll see. There's stuff that happens later on in the game that FFVII quite clearly rips off wholesale and it's not just me, I've been having this discussion with someone else who started the game over on the arcade and retro forum.

Even so I don't see why it's such a problem. There's a broad enough distinction to be made between imitative and inspired design.

Retr0gamer · 08-12-2012 6:30pm

snausages wrote: »

Even so I don't see why it's such a problem. There's a broad enough distinction to be made between imitative and inspired design.

Never said it was a problem. Phantasy Star 4 itself is quite clearly inspired the likes of FFIV in how it plays a lot more like a modern JRPG rather than the previous games that were more in line with wizardry. FFVII is a bit more blatant though when it comes to storyline cues. At the moment I'm following an evil guy through the world who wear black and leaving behind a wave of destruction, he might as well be Sephiroth. A few other scenes seem to be ripped wholesale from it as well.

I find it interesting seeing how these games evolve and think it's very interesting that Square were so influenced by a game on a console that made so little impact in Japan. If you want though you can think that I find it a problem and cover your head in the sand and pretend that it isn't true.

snausages · 08-12-2012 7:00pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Never said it was a problem.

[...]

If you want though you can think that I find it a problem and cover your head in the sand and pretend that it isn't true.

Saying that FFVII "ripped off wholesale" suggests to me that you're trying to find evidence of how derivative it is. Which, and I'm genuinely not trying to be smart here, is a common enough theme with your posts so I don't appreciate your tone. I haven't played Phantasy Star so who knows, maybe VII does borrow a lot of ideas from it. But even if it does that does anything to lessen how memorable and effective Sephiroth was as an antagonist.

But in any case I'm not going to derail this into an FFVII argument especially if we agree with each other. I might check out PSIV at some point.

Retr0gamer · 08-12-2012 7:59pm

You should, it's absolutely superb. I'd put it ahead of any 16-bit RPG that isn't Earthbound. And if you do you'll agree with me. I had the same conversation with some one else on the arcade and retro forum with me and he was saying as well how it's obvious how much FFVII is influenced by it.

Darkglasses · 12-12-2012 4:14am

Well, I got a S-H slimline PS2 a couple of weeks back, and this week I got my copy of FFVIII, and a couple of days off work. Sorted!

Started it up yesterday, all excited.

What am I forgetting?

Playstation 1 memory card. No point playing it til I get one. Ugggh...

Retr0gamer · 12-12-2012 1:52pm

Well Phantasy Star IV really knows how to do nostalgia well. I walked into a dungeon last night and was greeted with an awesome remix of the first games dungeon theme, got a character who was a reference to Nei in PS2 and found an optional dungeon which seemed pointless until you get to the end and realise it's a throwback to PS3. It makes MGS4's fan pandering seem as bad as it really is.

What JRPG are you currently playing?

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