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What JRPG are you currently playing?

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  • Registered Users Posts: 528 ✭✭✭Lahinchians


    My DS charger has bitten the dust :mad: Wont be playing anything till i get a new one. ebay here i come :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 528 ✭✭✭Lahinchians


    My DS charger has bitten the dust :mad: Wont be playing anything till i get a new one. ebay here i come :D

    got a spare charger off a mate along with radiant historia, which ye all seem to be raving about. thats next on my list, every thing else is taking the back seat until ive finished that.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 36,787 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    noodler wrote: »
    Playing PSP Version of Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

    Have finall gotten to grips with the dodgey camera angles and barely visable squares.

    Really am spending way too much time on menus though.

    Is it any good? I got it in the FF sale off PSN.

    We sat again for an hour and a half discussing maps and figures and always getting back to that most damnable creation of the perverted ingenuity of man - the County of Tyrone.

    H. H. Asquith



  • Registered Users Posts: 25,993 ✭✭✭✭noodler


    Is it any good? I got it in the FF sale off PSN.

    Its okay.

    The graphics could have done with a bit more spit and polish for the PSP version and the camera can be awkward to negotiate.

    The story is interesting so far (although it can be a little difficult to get to grips with the olde English names and clans etc).

    Save evey chance you get of course.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,703 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    Finished FFT years ago. One of the best games I ever played but damn hard. I heard the difficulty has been tweaked for the PSP release.

    I have heard people being disappointed with that game that had played Tactics Ogre first since it's a much better game but still think it's well worth playing.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,985 ✭✭✭animaX


    Is it any good? I got it in the FF sale off PSN.

    Tactics Ogre is a much better option in my opinion


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,896 ✭✭✭penev10


    Finished Persona 4 but got one of the crap endings :( Was sure I answered all the questions correctly. Will have to back and get the proper ending.

    Have moved on to Radiant Historia. Good story / characters so far. The time travel thing is nicely implemented too. Hopefully the combat develops a few more nuances.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,356 ✭✭✭seraphimvc


    playing chapter 3 of Orge Tactic on psp :D

    you can really tell that Matsuno excels in making amazing political style story if you let him have all the power on the script writing. also it seems that when his team moved over to Square, Square's battle system designer must have helped him out abit. I keep getting a strong feeling that FFT is like a streamlined version of orge tactic (as in menu/battle system/job system being distinct and better to play with), which makes perfect sense too since FFT is matsuno's later work. but FFT story is so much fail after the first half, maybe because he was forced to throw in some 'fantasy' element.

    i heard that the psp version improved/fixed alot of gameplay and i absolutely love the going back system and allowing you to save multiple quick saves (and some minor things like you are allowed to stop at any town between your destination) . There is one thing i dislike the gameplay very much is that the new recruit will be downgraded to the same job level that you currently have......and i notice that there are so many things to click in battle due to the clunky design of the battle menu. Overall i prefer FFT's battle/job system (duh, mages are useless in mid/late game but at least he can be a good healer but in Orge tactic they dont allow you to do so, i may change my mind when i get the Lord class) but orge tactic wins the story medal hands down, unless....the final boss is another flying succubus from some hentai.......

    some pros and cons in both game, i'd love to see what can matsuno create if he was given another chance to do another 'tactic' game.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,703 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    The only problem with the old tactics ogre was some severely bad balancing issues. Enemies levelled with the main character who always raced ahead in levels compared to the support characters making them useless unless you went into a training stage and leveled up for hours by throwing stones at each other :) The PSP version has been given a big overhaul.

    As for Tactics Ogre being a great political story, well it would want to be considering it's just a retelling of the 1990's war in the Balkan region with fantasy elements :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,993 ✭✭✭✭noodler


    noodler wrote: »
    Its okay.

    The graphics could have done with a bit more spit and polish for the PSP version and the camera can be awkward to negotiate.

    The story is interesting so far (although it can be a little difficult to get to grips with the olde English names and clans etc).

    Save evey chance you get of course.

    Getting a bit pissed off with it now.

    Stuck on a particular mission and the AI just seems to be cheating.

    Strength weak enemies taking just what they need off my characters with normal attacks to kill them (I have 23 HP the mage somehow takes exactly 23HP from me with his staff).

    Worse than anything else though is how often cure or other support spells miss. Its like 2/3 for me in favour of misses and in a tight battle its just stupid.

    Watching stupid cut scenes I can't skip everytime I have to repeat a battle isn't helping either.


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  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,703 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    The AI doesn't cheat in the game. The game is just very very tough. Make sure you pay attention to the battle time line that tells you when characters get a go.

    Expect to get stuck on quite a few levels and a bit of leveling up is advised. You'll want to keep your party quite small.

    You're going to have to use the game system to your advantage, stuff like stealing armour and weapons to weaken characters and gain good equipment for yourself.


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,993 ✭✭✭✭noodler


    Retr0gamer wrote: »
    The AI doesn't cheat in the game. The game is just very very tough. Make sure you pay attention to the battle time line that tells you when characters get a go.

    Expect to get stuck on quite a few levels and a bit of leveling up is advised. You'll want to keep your party quite small.

    You're going to have to use the game system to your advantage, stuff like stealing armour and weapons to weaken characters and gain good equipment for yourself.


    All good advice,

    But your spells constantly missing at crucial moments or weak CPU characters just happening to take the exact amount of HP of you is pretty suspicious.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,703 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    You've just got to time your spells right. Not so sure about the AI taking the right amount of HP, I never noticed it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,993 ✭✭✭✭noodler


    Retr0gamer wrote: »
    You've just got to time your spells right. Not so sure about the AI taking the right amount of HP, I never noticed it.

    I don't think its anything to do with the timing of my spells!

    The combat just seems very scripted when you are on the ropes.

    Its a really badly designed game in many ways, the length of time you have to wait between turns, the crap camera angle, convoluted controls, the fact you can't restart or quit an unwinnable mission without reseting the PSP.

    Really these are things they should have tweaked before making the port.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,703 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    I think you just have to plan your moves better, you run a risk when you don't target a specific character with a spell so have to be very careful about the timing. The game is rock hard, you're going to fail a lot in it. It's also a game like FF5 and FF8 where it is easy to break the games battle system but in the case of FFT you really are required to do so. I didn't notice any scripting in any fights unless it's some sort of crappy balancing they put in the PSP version but I doubt they changed it that much. In the PS1 version if you lost it was your own fault and it took a hell of a lot of strategy and retries to beat many of the story battles.


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,993 ✭✭✭✭noodler


    Retr0gamer wrote: »
    I think you just have to plan your moves better, you run a risk when you don't target a specific character with a spell so have to be very careful about the timing. The game is rock hard, you're going to fail a lot in it. It's also a game like FF5 and FF8 where it is easy to break the games battle system but in the case of FFT you really are required to do so. I didn't notice any scripting in any fights unless it's some sort of crappy balancing they put in the PSP version but I doubt they changed it that much. In the PS1 version if you lost it was your own fault and it took a hell of a lot of strategy and retries to beat many of the story battles.

    Not sure how 90% of what I moaned about above could be solved by "planning my moves better!".

    Its not very user friendly but I'm well into Chapter 2 now so I'll stick with it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,985 ✭✭✭animaX


    noodler wrote: »
    I don't think its anything to do with the timing of my spells!

    The combat just seems very scripted when you are on the ropes.

    Its a really badly designed game in many ways, the length of time you have to wait between turns, the crap camera angle, convoluted controls, the fact you can't restart or quit an unwinnable mission without reseting the PSP.

    Really these are things they should have tweaked before making the port.

    I take it we're talking about final fantasy tactics here and not tactics ogre?!

    In that case I agree with what you're saying. The psp port needed to be "modernised" in some sense to make it more playable. The psp port is really only playable due to the legacy of the game.

    I did manage to play though it all and ultimately I did enjoy it, but there were some stupid difficulty spikes. Also, about the HP thing, I think the game just shows 23 HP because that is all the HP that you have. Its not that the mage is doing 23 damage (he may be doing 30 damage), but its just showing 23 because that's all that was required to kill you. Though I could be wrong on that one.


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,993 ✭✭✭✭noodler


    animaX wrote: »

    In that case I agree with what you're saying. The psp port needed to be "modernised" in some sense to make it more playable. The psp port is really only playable due to the legacy of the game.

    Aye, obviously the PSP game is 5 years old at this stage but some of the stuff is lacking.
    animaX wrote: »
    I did manage to play though it all and ultimately I did enjoy it, but there were some stupid difficulty spikes.

    Just had a serious difficulty spike at the gallows. Followed by another one at the Castle Gate - had to google and apparently wearing one specific elemental piece of equipment for the battle in question negates all attacks. So the level was a cakewalk in the end.

    I did note the FAQ said I was going to have to go through a series of battles now without being able to visit a shop or change my equipmen/ability settings (end of Chapter 2).

    animaX wrote: »
    Also, about the HP thing, I think the game just shows 23 HP because that is all the HP that you have. Its not that the mage is doing 23 damage (he may be doing 30 damage), but its just showing 23 because that's all that was required to kill you. Though I could be wrong on that one.

    I don't think thats correct. I know for certain that if I use a 50hp spell to kill something thats only got 1hp left that 50hp shows up. I am 90% sure it works the other way too.

    The biggest problem still is the spells. Some of the support classes are rendered completely ineffective as they're spells miss two times out of three.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,356 ✭✭✭seraphimvc


    Retr0gamer wrote: »
    The only problem with the old tactics ogre was some severely bad balancing issues. Enemies levelled with the main character who always raced ahead in levels compared to the support characters making them useless unless you went into a training stage and leveled up for hours by throwing stones at each other :) The PSP version has been given a big overhaul.

    As for Tactics Ogre being a great political story, well it would want to be considering it's just a retelling of the 1990's war in the Balkan region with fantasy elements :)

    ah now, give the man some credit lol at least
    the death of that knight (forget his name, that one made Denim the head of resistance by killing the duke)
    was nicely done there.

    considering the remake is done after he left, i am so curious how will this remake turn out if he was there to direct the team.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,356 ✭✭✭seraphimvc


    noodler yup i think most people will agree that FFT's psp version could use more improvement of the system for the port, at least they did it right for the later orge tactic. but generally i think they reduced the difficulty of the psp version, some of the stages are wayyy broken in ps1. they added quite some new stuffs for the psp version while i remember both my play time on psp or ps1 have exceeded 200hours respectively lol

    the game is very simple if you chose the jobs right, ie the early-mid-late game balance of different classes is not very good. the general rule is pump Haste on your characters(get timemage), long CT spells/jobs like mages are useless, get ninja/dual hand asap, and equip that extra JP thing for some grinding before the mission stage (you only need 1/2 battles, use the attack+heal trick). Once you get Orlandu you will laugh til the end, may be except that duke+his 2 deadly assassins stage.....

    i thought the control/camera angle is fine D: the reset thing is annoying tho (same as ps1).

    oh and i forget, abuse Mustadio's ability lol


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,985 ✭✭✭animaX


    Another thing I had to use once was the speed up and strength up trick. It works if you are facing a boss battle alone.

    Basically you run away, use the speed+1 ability. Next turn, run away and use the speed+1 ability. Keep doing this until the speed stat is maxed out. By then you will be so fast that you take 2/3 turns in the time that your opponent takes one. With these extra turns, continue to run away but this time use the strength+1 ability. Keep doing this until you max out the strength stat.

    At the end of this painful half hour+, you will be so quick and powerful that you can defeat any boss with one or two attacks. Silly that it had to come to that but I didn't have much choice!


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,703 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    Train a knight up with Break Abilities, change class to Alchemist. You now have a unit that can break enemies weapons and armour with a pistol from over half the map away. Breaking FFT is even more fun than FF8 and doesn't exactly break the game considering how tough it is to begin with!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,356 ✭✭✭seraphimvc


    ah yes i forget the pistol+breaking weapon/armor is so damn broken LOL Mustadio is so abusive!

    didnt bother much with str/def up, haste is broken enough plus my Ramza has insane speed gain by leveling up with ninja. and i remember Monk is so imbalanced in some aspect, probably the best stat gain i think. i remember Dragoon is very good in early to early-mid game, mage killer.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,985 ✭✭✭animaX


    Getting slightly back on topic:

    are there any other unmissable ps2 rpgs/turn-based-strategy games other than persona 3/4, dragon quest 8, FFX/12, disgaea?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,896 ✭✭✭penev10


    animaX wrote: »
    Getting slightly back on topic:

    are there any other unmissable ps2 rpgs/turn-based-strategy games other than persona 3/4, dragon quest 8, FFX/12, disgaea?
    Yeah, I think the last 20 posts could be hived off to a FFT thread.

    Turn based strategy? look no further than Dynasty Tactics and it's more convoluted sequel. Lots of levels of strategy (especially in the sequel). Pacific Theatre of Operations (also by Koei) is another good one but quite hard to find.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭martineatworld


    My ps2 recommendations would be...

    Shadow Hearts. All 3 of them. Really overlooked spiritual successors to Koudelka, fantastic games, I really enjoyed them.
    Anything by Nippon Ichi - Phantom Brave, La Pucelle, Makai Kingdom, Soul Nomad.
    Grandia 2 (A port so doesn't really count)

    There's a few American ones also that weren't released over here but might be too much hassle to play.

    Never played Dynasty Tactics so will keep my eye out for them!


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,703 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    I'd skip Shadow Hearts 1, didn't enjoy it at all. Also I'd play Grandia 2 on the Dreamcast, PS2 version is a crappy port.

    If you liked Persona then check out Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 and SMT Nocturne/Lucifers Call.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,703 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    Posting on topic now :) The two JRPGs I'm currently playing are Gaudia Quest and Phantasy Star 2. Gaudia quest is an old school RPG that was made for the game Retrogame Challenge on the DS. If anyone has a DS you have to pick up this game. It's got a compliation of fake NES games that are good enough to be minor NES classics or even out and out classics if they were released back in the 80's. Gaudia Quest is a great RPG that's loads of fun and also isn't really all that long either.

    I got about halfway through Phantasy Star 2 a few years ago before my laptop HD crashed and I lost my save game. It's really grind heavy with some awful dungeon design (tip, use a FAQ!) but I was enjoying it. There's some nice innovations like the great battle system and a decent story for its time.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,896 ✭✭✭penev10


    Retr0gamer wrote: »
    Phantasy Star 2
    could probably win the award for worst graphics on the Megadrive. Horrible looking game, totally scared me off at the time. Sword of Vermilion was my RPG of choice for the MD but I could never figure out what to do next in it. Must've gotten stuck dozens of times without ever finishing it. Probably made a bad call so (as a 14 year old graphics whore:D)


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  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 50,703 CMod ✭✭✭✭Retr0gamer


    Yup Phantasy Star 2 looks crap. I'd like to say it was an early MD game from 1989 but it actually looks much worse than the first game on master system. The battle screens look ok but the master system one had much better background graphics. Also the top down dungeons look woeful compared to the amazing looking 3D mazes in the original.

    Anyway I want to get through the series so I can enjoy the absolute classic that is Phantasy Star 4.


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