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| Mosquiton 1699th Post
 
Tailored Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Member
 
    
    
    
    
|  "Re(1):RPG me" , posted Fri 23 Sep 07:28
quote:
I've got a week to kill, so I'm looking for an RPG to pass the time. Problem is, I see all these RPGs I haven't even researched and end up not buying anything. So will someone please recommend something to buy? Anything for PS2 or GC. Imports are okay too, but nothing too complicated (it's only a week after all).
Ah, THAT kind of RPG? Digital Devil Saga is a really well-produced, super-polished, totally solid game. I'm at the point where I've played so many traditional RPGs I can barely stand the genre, but DDS is really easy to enjoy, and there's a second one if you want to need to kill more time and liked the first one (and it's just as good, for the most part).
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne would be a little harder to get into but takes a lot more active effort. Not that DDS is braindead, but I think you can still kind of chill with it.
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| Pollyanna 1422th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(5):RPG me" , posted Fri 23 Sep 09:34
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and I am a bit too crotchety for MvC, et al, so maybe I'm already there :\
I don't think that's "crotchety", but the other thing that comes with old age...wisdom.
Also, I second Avatar Tuner. I don't know what you've played and haven't played, and it's no masterpiece (especially compared to SMT3), but it's the best recent RPG on the market. I just feel, after playing both parts of the game, that it's a Persona 2 scenario, where one has good gameplay and the other has a good story. The gameplay in the second part is fine, but many of the dungeon designs are horribly uninspired in comparison to the first game/other Megaten games.
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| Gojira 1848th Post
Silver Carpet V.I.P- Platinum Executive
| "Re(10):RPG me" , posted Tue 27 Sep 08:18:
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Radiata Stories is NOT a good game. It is a game with great presentation and the most boring battle system I can think of. As much as I wanted to like it, it bored me to tears. I somehow doubt the English dub is too hot, either.
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Radiata Story is okay. It has some promise and the storyline is cute and appealing to me, but yeah the battle system is blah. I hate the fact that there are so many characters...and you can only play as one of them. The english dub is fairly decent I wouldn't call it the best thing in the world but its alot better then some other stuff out there.
And Dragon Quarter is a good game. I <3 it I <3 it so much. It begins out hard and uhhh hard then ends alot easier. I recommend it, but don't listen to me, cause I'm special.
I did finish Dragon Quarter eventually, it just took me almost a year to get back into it. I still have yet to even try and get my ratio up; all I did was finish it once to see what would happen.
So Radiata Stories is like that, huh... that's a shame, I've liked Tri-Ace's games even though the last Star Ocean got ridiculous after a while. I wish they'd do a Valkyrie Profile sequel someday.
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That isn't to insult the series (I like Shadow Hearts), as I think it's an accomplishment to create a game that doesn't have anything irritating in it these days. I just feel that Shadow Hearts manages to do nothing wrong moreso than it manages to do anything right.
That's a fairly unique perspective. I'm tempted to write it off as wishy-washy though. Could you elaborate on that last part?
[this message was edited by Gojira on Tue 27 Sep 10:06] |
| Pollyanna 1437th Post
Red Carpet Executive Member
| "Re(2):Re(10):RPG me" , posted Tue 27 Sep 14:51
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That's a fairly unique perspective. I'm tempted to write it off as wishy-washy though. Could you elaborate on that last part?
What I mean is the Shadow Hearts is all fluff. At its core its a very simple RPG. All of its systems are nonessential. So while it looks like it's doing something interesting, it's really just covering up how basic it is by keeping you occupied.
I'm basing this on SH3, since everyone I know that's played it feels that it has the best system(s)...and I don't remember SH2 as well. They're -very- similar, though.
The judgement ring doesn't do anything but make you pay attention in battle...and you can turn that off with very few consequences. You don't even have to mess with Uru/Shania's transformations and you'll do just fine. They shouldn't even bother with (non accessory) equipment, because you always have enough money to buy the best stuff and there's never any point to buy anything else. I always got the best prize in the lotto, and taking pictures is just another thing to do. Two more button presses. Getting new weapons for Joachim/Frank gets you a scene, but if you miss it, you can just buy it in the shop 5 minutes later. The combo system is entirely nonessential and hardly requires any thought or strategy.
I could go on.
My point is, that the "spine" of SH is nothing more than the most basic of RPGs. It has a lot of fun distractions to hide that, but it's not doing anything impressive or interesting. If you look at a game like Avatar Tuner and try to take out the mantra/weakness-based battle system, you've essentially reduced the game to nothing because you've taken out its spine. If you try to play Minstrel Song without learning at least a few of the systems, you're doomed to quit before you get anywhere.
But Shadow Hearts is a good game, because it does nothing wrong. None of its systems are irritating. All of them provide you with something moderately enjoyable to do. They aren't deep, they don't make you think, but they're not the least bit bad. They all work.
I don't feel like a basic RPG like SH, is really anything especially good, but as long as it doesn't have systems that impede on the player's enjoyment (as many games do), then it isn't anything bad, either.
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| emagius
0th Post
New Customer
| "Re(1):RPG me" , posted Tue 27 Sep 22:45
quote:
I've got a week to kill, so I'm looking for an RPG to pass the time. Problem is, I see all these RPGs I haven't even researched and end up not buying anything. So will someone please recommend something to buy? Anything for PS2 or GC. Imports are okay too, but nothing too complicated (it's only a week after all).
I've recently had a lot of fun with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GC). Previous to that, the last console-style RPG I was interested in enough to complete was Breath of Fire III back in '98.
There were a number of things I liked about Paper Mario. It doesn't take itself seriously and is peppered with neat references to old-school Mario (you even get to play modified versions of several SMB levels as Bowser). Combat involves timed button presses and so is somewhat less boring than standard RPG fare. Enemies are visible on the field, can easily be avoided and don't respawn until you leave the entire area. There's very little back-tracking. About half of the main cast is likable. It also has a nice adventure-game feel to it (puzzles, dialog, etc.).
Then again, it might not be the kind of game for you. My brother, who is much more fond of traditional console RPGs than I (enough to play through FFX, not enough to play through FFX-2) thought Paper Mario was merely OK.
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and find that truly good cup of coffee.
