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RPG Hangout

Trails series is a pretty unique thing to itself.

Its main charm is its writing. It's as good as reading a long fantasy novel is. Of course that also means it comes with a lot of text. A LOT OF TEXT. I mean you can talk to an NPC and he will tell you his life story. Talk to him again and he will continue. Of course, you can just ignore all NPCs, but then you are basically ignoring the main charm of the game and are left with a JRPG with a slightly above average combat system, okay-ish dungeons and mediocre graphics, where you just travel from town to town.

Whether you love it or be bored to death just depends on if you're up to it. If you really read all the dialogues and play it a lot every day, then the immersion is really strong and you start caring even for the most random of NPCs. But if you just play it say it a little some days the week, it feels like it doesn't progress at all and you won't get immersed enough to care.
 
Just for the updates. I was playing FF VIII on my PlayStation PlayStation Classic (which they do not have an icon for, does not count as a console?) But since the game crashed on me, I just went through the hassle of transferring my save to my PS1 memory card from the PSClassic and now I plan to play on my PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 from here on out.
 

thanosg

Banned
Played 5 hrs of Atelier Ryza. Damn, graphics and animations got a HUGE boost. You can see that's a totally new engine.

Also the new combat system is lots more fast paced and engaging. Pretty sure best RPG I've played this year
 
Played 5 hrs of Atelier Ryza. Damn, graphics and animations got a HUGE boost. You can see that's a totally new engine.

Also the new combat system is lots more fast paced and engaging. Pretty sure best RPG I've played this year

What system is that on? Haven't got this one on my radar
 
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hariseldon

Unconfirmed Member
I’ve had a stellar RPG year, finishing KOTOR 1 and 2 and having a whale of a time (2 especially is godlike) having previously bounced off them. Followed those with the magnificent Kingdom Come Deliverance which has ended up being one of my all time favourites. Finally got Mass Effect to click (finished 1, just started 2) and it turns out that’s fun too though it’s up against stiff competition.
 
Played 5 hrs of Atelier Ryza. Damn, graphics and animations got a HUGE boost. You can see that's a totally new engine.

Also the new combat system is lots more fast paced and engaging. Pretty sure best RPG I've played this year
I didn't like any Atelier games since Atelier Iris 1-3. The lack of large dungeons and exploration and the time limits are what ruined the other games for me.

I heard Atelier Ryza has had much higher budget, did that only go into the better graphics or were they any changes to the gameplay like larger locations to explore, which could make me like it?
 
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Which one do you not recommend? Sorry I mentioned two so I am thinking you mean Atelier.
Was referring to both. I know those games are popular among fans but I don't like either very much.

Bastion has a really awesome narrator, but its gameplay just didn't work out for me. Just felt it lacked some kind of flow that's fun to play. I have the same problem with the other games of this developer.

Atelier series is just gathering, crafting and slice of life. Which I don't hate by itself, but I really hate time limits (as in, get rank X in Y months or game over) and the fact that those games completely lack exploration (most gathering locations are just 1-2 screen size).
 
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hariseldon

Unconfirmed Member
Was referring to both. I know those games are popular among fans but I don't like either very much.

Bastion has a really awesome narrator, but its gameplay just didn't work out for me. Just felt it lacked some kind of flow that's fun to play. I have the same problem with the other games of this developer.

Atelier series is just gathering, crafting and slice of life. Which I don't hate by itself, but I really hate time limits (as in, get rank X in Y months or game over) and the fact that those games completely lack exploration (most gathering locations are just 1-2 screen size).

Agree with this. The narrator is brilliant, but without the narrator (and perhaps the devs having connections in the gaming press) I strongly doubt it would have received the attention it did. It's pretty, but there's not much to it.
 
Agree with this. The narrator is brilliant, but without the narrator (and perhaps the devs having connections in the gaming press) I strongly doubt it would have received the attention it did. It's pretty, but there's not much to it.

So, I just checked this out and it looks (graphically) amazing. Like watercolor designs of SaGa 2. So, is the Gameplay bland? I ask out of curiosity, as I might pick this up down the road, but will not if the gameplay doesn't have much to it.
 
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hariseldon

Unconfirmed Member
So, I just checked this out and it looks (graphically) amazing. Like watercolor designs of SaGa 2. So, is the Gameplay bland? I ask out of curiosity, as I might pick this up down the road, but will not if the gameplay doesn't have much to it.
It's just another hack and slash. I agree that it's pretty but there's really not much to the gameplay.
 

Trumpets

Member
I've no interest in the Atelier games, but Gust used to make other RPGs and that's what I've been playing recently.

After 15 hours of Ar Tonelico Qoga I've abandoned it for its sequel/prequel Ar Nosurge, and the jump in quality is profound. Looks, sounds & plays much better, and it tones down the fanservice to a tolerable level. It's a genuinely good JRPG and the plot is up there with the more interesting in the genre.
 
Just beat Dragon Quest 1 on switch yesterday. I loved it. I haven't played the game since 1989. All sorts of nostalgia and memories came back. Doing DQ2, which I never owned before, but played it at my friend's house as a kid.

I just bought dq11 switch after trading in my ps4 copy. I am regretting doing that. Why must these reviewers lie and say it's great on switch when docked mode looks like ass. You can't even go in first person mode due to them wanting to hide low res textures so they took the button out. I do like it portable though. Question is should I rebut it just to have in my collection. Man I am too ocd about these things. I think we'll maybe years from now I will replay it on ps4... But my backlog is already a mile long.

I still need to finish dq builders 2, pillars of eternity, divinity os1 and 2, elex, vampyr, disgaea 5, ys 8, valkyria 4, xenoblade, dq 2,3,4,5,6 and 8, ff 9, 10 and 12. Skyrim, fallout 4, star ocean 4, Nino kuni 1 and 2, And that's just rpgs.
 

drganon

Member
I've got ff12, ff10 and octopath traveler to play after I get through tales of berseria. That also only includes rpgs
 
I didn't like any Atelier games since Atelier Iris 1-3. The lack of large dungeons and exploration and the time limits are what ruined the other games for me.

I heard Atelier Ryza has had much higher budget, did that only go into the better graphics or were they any changes to the gameplay like larger locations to explore, which could make me like it?
I only played the first one on vita atelier rorona alchemist of arland (always think king Of the hill with that name lol). I don't remember a time limit and I remember there were dungeons and exploration. I heard the Ayesha was good too. , but never played it. Just looked it up there are 21 of these games going all the back to ps1. I thought rorona was the first, on ps3 and ported to vita.
 
I have to get a new ps2 to attempt xenosaga again

I am assuming that means you do not currently own a ps2. If so, you gotta get on that. Readily available and full of a great library of games. You could easily get away from that console generation with just owning a PS2 and missing out on very few "must own" games.
 

MadokaAngelWing

Neo Member
I am assuming that means you do not currently own a ps2. If so, you gotta get on that. Readily available and full of a great library of games. You could easily get away from that console generation with just owning a PS2 and missing out on very few "must own" games.
My ps2 stopped getting power and I've only just gotten a new job so I've not been able to get one yet but it is on my to do list along with completing the list of wiiu games I still need to get
 
My ps2 stopped getting power and I've only just gotten a new job so I've not been able to get one yet but it is on my to do list along with completing the list of wiiu games I still need to get

Bummer on the PS2, but getting a replacement for it should be relatively cheap if you have all hook ups, etc.. Also, on the Wii U, I have a "decent" library of Wii U games, and now it is mainly a shelf of regret. The reason to own a Wii U library is shrinking by the day, as Nintendo keeps porting any games worth playing on Wii U over to the Switch. By now, going by physical release, you really only need the Wii U for Color Splash, Start Fox Zero, and Devil's Third. There are probably some others that are "must plays" but who knows when Nintendo will port those as well.
I don't have any ill will toward Nintendo for doing this. It make sense, they have some great games that they took a lot of time and money to make, and not a lot of people played them. Now they have a major selling console and they are sitting on a lot of good games, so I would also port if I were in their shoes.
 

MadokaAngelWing

Neo Member
Bummer on the PS2, but getting a replacement for it should be relatively cheap if you have all hook ups, etc.. Also, on the Wii U, I have a "decent" library of Wii U games, and now it is mainly a shelf of regret. The reason to own a Wii U library is shrinking by the day, as Nintendo keeps porting any games worth playing on Wii U over to the Switch. By now, going by physical release, you really only need the Wii U for Color Splash, Start Fox Zero, and Devil's Third. There are probably some others that are "must plays" but who knows when Nintendo will port those as well.
I don't have any ill will toward Nintendo for doing this. It make sense, they have some great games that they took a lot of time and money to make, and not a lot of people played them. Now they have a major selling console and they are sitting on a lot of good games, so I would also port if I were in their shoes.
The only games I need for wiiu is Xenoblade Chronicles X and Fatal Frame
 
Why - just play it in emulator. It will look MUCH better + instant save anywhere.

Unless you have an old CRT TV, PS2 video output looks like ass on any modern TV.

I have an old "HD"CRT with component input. I play my PS2, XBOX and Gamecube/wii through component and the games look pretty dang good. Especially Eternal Ring. That game looks crazy on ps2 via component.
 

SpiceRacz

Member
Signed up for PSnow again. Started 2 RPGs I had been curious about for a while: Pillars of Eternity and Dark Cloud.

PoE is probably the first crpg to hook me in a long time. I'm usually not into the complexity of these games, but it seems like this one does less to overwhelm you. I also appreciate how well the game plays with a controller. Really enjoying it so far.

Dark Cloud feels like a mess of a game. It tries to be a mix between Actraiser and Zelda with randomly generated dungeons. The combat is bad. The story and dialogue are forgettable. Despite it's flaws, I love it and I'm not totally sure why.
 
PoE is probably the first crpg to hook me in a long time. I'm usually not into the complexity of these games, but it seems like this one does less to overwhelm you. I also appreciate how well the game plays with a controller. Really enjoying it so far.

I may have to give PoE another shot. Been playing Grim Dawn from the recommendation of many of my friends. Wow, boring. 15-20 hours and not impressed, really not sure what I'm missing? PoE seems to have enough meat to it like you said w/o it being a chore.
 
Yeah, Grim Dawn also didn't really resonate with me. Its exploration is way too linear and while there are thousands of viable builds possible, you can't change your build on the fly, so you're basically stuck using the same attack for the whole 300 hours play time it has. The only thing I liked was the good gamepad support and that it's DRM-free.

Pillars of Eternity was quite decent, although I still have problems with text-heaviness in that genre. I wish there were more games like Icewind Dale where dungeons are the majority of the game and towns only have a handful of NPCs you can talk with.

I bought Indivisible. Did not play it yet (my internet is with 0.3 MBit/s too slow at the moment to download it).

Today Alliance Alive HD releases. Thinking I might wish for it for christmas as it's pretty much the only game I want this year that's actually released as a physical product. I really want to play it right away, though... but maybe Indivisible will keep me busy until November 11th and then I play Romancing SaGa 3 anyway.
 
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thanosg

Banned
I didn't like any Atelier games since Atelier Iris 1-3. The lack of large dungeons and exploration and the time limits are what ruined the other games for me.

I heard Atelier Ryza has had much higher budget, did that only go into the better graphics or were they any changes to the gameplay like larger locations to explore, which could make me like it?

Yeah dungeons are much bigger now with deeper explorations and secrets. No time limit either.

Pretty sure you'll like it as it's surprisingly one of the best RPG this gen!
 

Kadayi

Banned
I know it's not technically an RPG, but I've fallen in love again with Crusader Kings 2 again since they introduced the Holy Fury DLC. Albeit there's endless scheming to the game (it's fundamentally a strategy game at the end of the day), I get a big kick out of the emergent RPG narrative nature of the game just in terms of the whole choice and consequences.
 
Hey everyone, thought I'd drop in since I just found this thread. Big fan of RPGs, try to play through a few each year (although it's getting harder as I age and have more things to do).

I also just finished up the original Dragon Quest on my Switch. Hadn't played it in a very long time so I actually forgot you only have one character. I enjoyed it, even if it was a tad grindy at parts and had to look a couple things up because I was stuck. It was fun to play a RPG where you only have a single character, you got to choose between fighting, healing or running. I think I'll download DQ3 sometime soon and go through that. Also just picked up DQ Builders 2 again, I got through the first two main story arcs before taking a break to do play some other games. Just got to the third main island. I'm really impressed with Builders 2; they really made a ton of improvements in both the ease of the game and just how much more variety there is. Definitely going to be high up on my GOTY list.

Lastly, I just started Etrian Odyssey 3. I actually bought it back in the day when it came out but never got around to playing it. I've played all the other entries though so I think it's about time for me to tackle this one. Always been a huge fan of the series and I've heard great things about this game.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I'm about half way through Oninaki on the Switch.

I like this game a lot for a lot of reasons, but man is it starting to feel like a real slog. The story is more or less pointless and seems wildly inconsistent and nonsensical. There have already been more "twists" in this than an M Night Shamalana movie. (Oh, this guy is a dick, turns out HE'S POSSESSED BY THE BAD GUY - queue dramatic music. Oh, the girl that's been trying to get your attention all game is actually A SECRET MURDERER. Your trainer / father figure is now POSSESSED BY THE BAD GUY. etc)

The combat, leveling system, daemon system, skill system, equipment systems, etc are what keeps me going as they're all pretty awesome and fun.
 
I am still playing FFV and FF VIII. Trying to beat one of these games some time soon. I am getting more into FF VIII than I have in the past. I also am trying to fight fewer battles and mainly level up via cards, etc. Pretty fun and neat way to play the game.
 
I started playing Indivisible yesterday. Wish the battle system had a wait mode. It doesn't even stop the timer when it shows you a tutorial!

Yeah, you have to exit out with the Home Button but I like how it has roots from Skullgirl's fighting games.

The game is one of the easier Plats to do it seems, and so far it isn't outstaying it's welcome. I am currently about half way through with more abilities to tranverse the map.

Oh. I got Dragon Force today!!! Excited to play it as it cost a lot!!!
 
Lucky! About 20 years ago I saw one copy loose (in generic case) at a Babbages. I didn't pick it up. Stupid me!

Thanks. It was at my local CEX shop and it is in surprisingly good condition! I know it goes for over £100 so I decided to get it.

It is one of the few SEGA RPGs I needed as I own almost all of their other stuff now.
 
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