/vr/ - Retro Games

Beat 'Em and Eat 'Em

>>4471681
Playing Wild Arms

One of my favourite JRPGs of all time got released in English on several consoles last week. I'm replaying it, and plan on doing another playthrough right after I finish this one.

>Looking for recommendations?

Looking for light-hearted RPGs with likeable characters.
Something like Grandia, Skies of Arcadia and Lunar would be nice.

I recently played through Final Fantasy 1 and enjoyed it a lot, and I'm curious about the Dragon Quest series. Would DQ1 be a good starting point?

>>4472116
Yes. I recommend playing the I & II port for GBC. The last thread had a big discussion on Dragon Quest/Warrior. Some of the guys did a playthrough of the first game and posted updates. Was fun.

I own the PSP and GBA versions of Final Fantasy.

>>4471807
How is Wild Arms?

>>4472116
Yes, it would. It's super simple but you know that going in, I'm sure. And it's short, it will not take much time.

>>4472116
I would recommend the SFC version of DQ 1-3 instead of the GBC ones (unless you want some really comfy GameBoy gamin).

graphics and sound are a lot better with almost the same gameplay improvements.

Almost finished with the first Phantasy Star. Superior graphics and sound for the time, but I feel it is lacking compared to the charm of the original Dragon Quests. I guess it would be more comparable to the original Final Fantasy, maybe. Though I guess when it comes to monster designs and the compositions FF would edge out.

Still it's a really great 8-bit JRPG, ahead of most of the pack. The science-fiction fantasy meld is comfy and I'm a sucker for the aesthetic of 80s sci-fi anime. I'm excited to continue the series toward its culmination in Phantasy Star IV. Will probably continue to post updates here if these threads become a thing.

>>4471681
Playing SaGa Frontier.

It's pretty good. Still waiting for it to open up - I've been playing 4 hours and wasted 3 of those hours trying to figure out how to get out of the starting area.

>>4471937
holy shit nice. I tried playing RS3 from the SFC translation but it was so horrible I gave up.

>>4472423
Unfortunately the official RS2 translation is quite poor.

>>4472412

Depends on the character you're playing. Some open up right away, others are more......roundabout. I can help, I've beaten every route except Riki because fuck him, even though you get most of the decent characters.

You don't want to run through the character routes TOO quickly though, or you'll get fucking smoked hard. Take your time to level up and do the Junk Shop cheat for somewhat decent gear before you try anything else.

I've always wondered, if you were gonna start playing through all the classic JRPGs and some obscure stuff, where would you start? What would your first few games be?

I was thinking about writing up a infograph of a suggested order of games to play, in what order, and suggestions on why you'd want to play them in that order.

Any suggestions?

Now that mods are not looking, let's discuss GS, which should be considered a retro game a this point

>>4472554
There are good reasons why FF and DQ are considered the best jrpgs and the best entry points for jrpgs. Lufia II could do it too.

>>4472558
But anon... Golden Sun is a retro game. The GBA is considered retro.

Man... I replayed Golden Sun a couple years ago and really fuckin' loved that shit. It made me feel like I missed out on playing it back in the day. Is the second one just as good?

>>4472554

Since SNES was my first system, I'd start with FF4. Then-

Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, FF5, 6. Star Ocean, Secret of the Stars, Sailor Moon RPG, Tales of Phantasia, Mech Warrior, Lufia 1 and 2, and i'm sure there's more I don't remember, but that's your starter pack right there.

>>4472561
>Lufia II
lol no

Friendly remainder that this game exists.

Friendly remainder that this game exists.

>>4472590
THE GAME FROM LAST THREAD!
This shit looks dope as fuck

Care to give an elevator pitch on it? What're some key features?

>>4472595
-Classic greek setting
-Looks good
-Engaging/likable characters/world (in the vein of DQ)
-Body possesion system (different jobs through body possesion. To solve some quests you need to posses certain characters)
-Crafting system (collect different materials to build more powerful items. You can break items to recycle their materials).
-Not a hard game
-Fucking Plato.

>>4472562
yes, just as good

>>4472595
It's a better-than-average Dragon Quest clone for the Super Famicom. Best part is the very unique body possession mechanic which is unfortunately underutilized. Plot starts good but becomes boring and formulaic by the end.

Also one needs a translation patch to play it.

>>4471681
What are your thoughts on Ore no Shikabane wo Koete Yuke

Is it worth playing?

>>4472631
You need extremely good Japanese skills to play that.

>>4472631

>>4472447
Shit...Gonna watch some gameplay to see if its still worth a buy.

>>4472653
He's memeing you.

i always hated Rika for some reason

>>4472573

>Lufia II not a good entry-level JRPG

Ok, i'll bite. Why not anon?

>>4472705
It's too good, you'll get spoiled and never will be able to get back to mediocre games again.

>>4472708

>has some minimal story points while you just run through dungeons 95% of the game

It's good anon, but not THAT good, holy shit.

>>4472709
>>has some minimal story points while you just run through dungeons 95% of the game
That's fucking great. Fuck stories, I'm playing a game not a book.

>>4472712
>What is this town? why everybody say things?
>What did i lose control of my pjs? why are they speaking?
>Why don't this guy let me in? i just want to kill things!
>What is this sign referencing? The heck is saying about gods and shit? Just gimme the key!

This might not be the best genre for you then. Try castlevania.

>>4472631
Just so you know theres a sequel of this game on the Ps Vita called Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines. Its one of my favorites on the system, the generations system is great.

>>4472554
>Earthbound
>Phantasy Star IV
>Chrono Trigger
>Crusader of Centy (According to Sega, it's a RPG)
>King Colossus
>Super Mario RPG

Easy and straightfoward RPGs that everyone can pick and play.

>>4472554
Please, do ;)

>>4472554
If you want something super easy and chill that's also really cute check out Popolocrois.

Thank the Gods for another JRPG general. I loved the one over on /vg/ and can't get over the loss.

>>4472626
Do translation patches exist for all of them?

Best FF coming through.

>>4472705
It's entry-level but it's not that great to be recommended next to Chrono Trigger

>>4472798
Personally, I always thought that Earthbound is something you should play after you've tried a few other JRPGs from the time period. It would be hard to appreciate how unusual and unique it is without having been through a bunch of other RPGs with typical sword and sorcery medieval fantasy settings first.

>>4473270
Agreed. Great game, but much better with the context of what it was competing against / responding to.

One thing I never see addressed in FFT discussions is whether Ramza should be a fedora tipper. Considering he's already untouchable physically and that he's the only character who can become full atheist without deserting, are there any drawbacks to lowering his faith?

>>4473270
yea that's true. it pokes fun at a lot of RPG tropes

>>4473361
Not if you're making him a physical guy. He also can't be healed but if you're running auto-potion cheese no need anyway.

>>4473361
Troll harder, cumstain. It's high faith that makes people desert.

>>4471937
Is it worth playing the one they released? It looks like a phone port.

>>4472554
I think Final Fantasy IV is one of the best to start. The pacing is phenomenal, the story is good, and it's exactly the right difficulty level.

>>4473361
high faith and low bravery make people desert

>>4473025
I remember playing the PSP version when it was still new.
Sweet game but the depressing parts really hit me hard.

>>4473505
It's a phone port of a enhanced port of a SNES game.

>>4473618
I'll probably pick it up on switch then, been planning on playing some of these games.

>>4472412
Sounds like Asellus. Red is fairly railroaded at the start as well with the Cygnus but it is more obvious how to progress than trying to figure out how to escape as Asellus.

What's the best version of Dragon Quest 3 for someone who's never played it? Is there an english translation of the SNES rerelease?

>>4472554
Oh fuck, this is literally what I'm doing. The only game in the classic JRPG lineage I've ever played is Lost Odyssey and it convinced me to trace the genre back to its routes.
Never played FF, know a bit about 10 from a cousin who played it a lot and have only played DQVI on DS.

I picked up FFI/II: DoS but the difficulty is just so piss easy that even with basic background knowledge from watching ONE speedrun of the game I'm breezing through it, will probably try the 20th Anniversary port later.

Also looking at DQIII and then after that probably Romancing SaGa II which I understand is quite a leap in complexity but I like the ideas behind the central mechanics.

>>4471807
Wild Arms is great. Enjoy!

I really liked the characters. And that ending.

>>4472175
>How is Wild Arms?

Are you asking him how he's finding it, or because you're interested?

Wild Arms is terrifically fun. Great atmosphere, great music. The battle system graphics have aged super poorly, but the gameplay itself is just fine.

>>4472791
Oreshika is so, so good and it's a pity no one talks about it.

>>4472712
The gameplay isn't good enough to warrant so little story. If story isn't your thing, fine, but picking Lufia II of all things (generic JRPG gameplay with some Zelda puzzles) isn't going to get you the gameplay you need to fill that space.

>>4473075
For 2, 3, and 4 I think. Also for the more recent DS sequel. The first one still hasn't been translated.

>>4474415
>>4472554

(Making this list up as I go along, noting that there are obvious holes in my knowledge e.g. DQ)

>Classic/Square Canon
>(Yes it's heavily Square based. Sorry!)
FF 4/6
FF 7/9
Chrono Trigger

>Starter Exploration
>(Moving away from the Square canon, and start finding your own tastes.)
FFV
Breath of Fire I/II
Grandia
Wild Arms I/II
Tales of Phantasia / Destiny / Destiny II (Eternia)
Suikoden I/II

>Further Exploration
>(Moving further from the canon, following up on the flavors you like from the above)
Star Ocean: The Second Story
Breath of Fire III/IV
Live a Live
Xenogears
Secret of Mana / Seiken Denestu 3
Trails in the Sky

>"Modern"
>(Modern entries that will be closer to something you'll find coming out in the near future. Also more varied than the canon.)
Final Fantasy X
Persona 3/4/5
Tales of the Abyss / Xilia / Symphonia / Berseria maybe
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Ys VII
Dragon Quest VIII
Kingdom Hearts I/II
Bravely Default
Trails of Cold Steel

>>4472590
>>4473110
this "introduction panels" really help me.
I can see menu screens, combat screens...
Makes me want to play them :D

SaGa Frontier 1 vs 2

Discuss.

>>4472554
I always recommend Suikoden 1 as babbies first JRPG; it's piss easy, has the basic JRPG mechanics, has a decent political plot and is short enough that the player can decide if they don't like JRPG's or do without committing to 60 hours. In addition it can lead straight into Suikoden 2 if they do like it.

If someone isn't hooked after playing Suikoden 1 they probably aren't going to like the majority of JRPG's.

>>4474427
I tried it and got bored with it.

>>4474408
http://www.romhacking.net/?page=translations&genre=&platform=9&status=1&languageid=12&perpage=20&title=dragon+quest&author=&transsearch=Go

Anyone know any good places to discuss retro gaming and specifically JRPGs? I used to frequent a lot of forums and "shrine" sites, but everywhere that I used to frequent is dead. :(

Does anyone have the full mosaic from Breath of Fire 3's intro screen? I'd love to have it as a wallpaper.

>>4474732
1
Faster paced, races, cooler world, fun combos and Kenji Ito

>>4474709

>>4474709
And best DQ coming through.

I see gentlemen over here, I like this comfy club. Keep going!

>>4474845
I found that most of the people I knew from those kind of forums migrated to Discord.

The /r/JRPG and RPG Site discords are reasonably active.

>>4474845
I talk with myself mostly.

>>4475336
Man what's with discord taking over everything

>>4474732
SaGa Frontier 1 for sure.

>>4475523
children

>>4474845
I think there might be a JRPG general on /vr/, but I'm not too sure.

>>4474732
2 is prettier

>>4475892
Just talk here. We can talk about how the PS2 was the Golden Age for AA JRPGs.

>>4472590
How's 3 compared to this?

>>4475487
Greetings, son of man.

I still need to play SMTII honestly. I enjoyed SMTI fine but it really could be tedious and I admit I had to use a walkthrough a fair number of times. Strange Journey spoiled me, it was basically SMT perfection.

Enjoying Paladin's Quest's weirdness. Everything in this game is so pretty and interestingly designed, and the battle system has quirk - pretty much you equip different body parts with weapons/items and select one to use. You can even kick/headbutt shit if you want. The music's fantastic, as would be expected from Kohei Tanaka, and it has this 'hero unleashed an ancient evil and accidentally caused death and destruction' plotline that always leads to npcs asking what happened to the world without the protag being able to admit it was his fault.

Lennus 2 looks less arty and strange, but still interesting looking. Worth playing after?

I've been debating whether or not to get into Final Fantasy, and starting from the 1st game in the series, probably the PS1 version since I physically own it. Would it be possible to complete all 15 games in a year?

I'm also wondering if I should play Grandia 2, got halfway through it 4 years ago and then stopped, but I had a lot of fun with it. I found out my tablet can play Dreamcast games perfectly and I've been messing around with Skies of Arcadia and Grandia 2 a lot on it.

>>4472381
I've technically been playing Phantasy Star 1 on and off on my phone for the past 9 months. It's a cool game and all but I feel like it's kinda aged in regards to other JRPG's, still not sure if I'll finish it since I'm halfway through the game and it feels like a slog even with a guide. Although it feels like a game that would've been incredible back in the day, and I can respect it for that, plus all the points you've said, plus the game still looks really nice today.

>>4476904
>Would it be possible to complete all 15 games in a year?

Definitely.
I finished the FF, DQ, Suikoden, and Ys series this year alone.
But of course, I have no life outside work, so that depends on the person.

>>4472558
>>4472562
>>4472610
Currently watching HCBaily's play-through, When I get done with Romancing SaGa 2, I might pick this up

>>4476987
>watching HCBaily's play-through

>>4476904
Very possible if you commit yourself to it. Some can be beaten in a week and some can get Grindy.

>>4476993
>stores pictures of anime child.

>>4477010
>watches playthroughs

>>4473025
>>4473616
My brothers.

>>4471681
Currently playing Tales of Phantasia PSX on my phone. It's excellent - leagues better than the GBA version (which I played a chunk of as a child.)

It's very strange the game has received such limited attention. Easily as good, or better than most mainline Final Fantasy games like VI and IV.

Something I'd recommend? If anyone hasn't played Wild Arms 1 - definitely give it a go. Ultra comfy.

>>4476904
Skies of Arcadia runs well on android? I have a DC emulator installed on my phone and was wondering whether I should give it a go. PPSSPP runs 3D games perfectly.

>>4477175
Do you have the latest dev build? I think it's Reicast v6 or something, that's what I use. Don't use the one off the app store since it's apparently outdated by several versions.

And yeah, it plays pretty perfectly graphical glitches aside. You can also use a PS4 controller with an OTG cable with it. I've only played up to the Moon Stone crashing into the island, but it ran fine in battles and even looked good while riding around in the ship. The same can't be said for NullDC.

I've only tried Skies, Grandia, Incoming, Shenmue and Shenmue 2, and the only game to give me issue is Shenmue 2 running at around 20fps, but it's understandable as it's probably the best looking DC game.

>>4477175
>received such limited attention
Because it was only available in japanese for a long time. I doubt you would play it without the translation

>>4477175
I love 2D Tales, but for some reason can't stand the 3D games.

GO
GO
GO
BURIKI DAIOH!

>>4477298
>tfw Wantanabe still doesn't know about his dad.

>>4476993
His voice is annoying yes but he's very thorough and tried to not spoil anything.

>>4477290
Come on bro Tales of Vesperia is great. If you want 2d combat, try Legendia.

Is there a guide anywhere for party building in DQIII? I've checked gamefaqs but there's only a really barebones spreadsheet

>>4478035
You don't need any special min/maxing to do well in the game. A basic party of Hero, Mage, Cleric, and Warrior is fine.

>>4471681
currently i'm playing breath of fire iii, and i quite like it.
however i think i need to start over. Ryu is lvl 12 and Nina's 11, and am currently at Momo's Tower with a bronze sword.

>>4478090
>however i think i need to start over.
Why? The game is easy as fuck.

>>4478095
i'm under leveled (at least i think so).
>ryu level 12
>nina level 11
>currently at momo's tower
i also didnt utilize the fishing mechanic if that has any relevancy.

>>4478090
Look out for masters and skills

So, is SaGa general dead?
That really makes me sad.
I can discuss Romancing SaGa 2 here, right?

I just bought it on PS4. I've previously played SaGa Frontier, Unlimited SaGa, and Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song. Minstrel song in particular is arguably my favorite jrpg and I really like SaGa Frontier and even Unlimited (Even if it is hard to get into in comparison).

I think I'll like Romancing SaGa 2, I wouldn't have bought it if thought I might not. What can i expect though, in comparison to Minstrel Song?

>>4478148
The SaGa threads stopped here because of RS2 wide spread release so it could actually have some threads crop up on /v/. There has been like a 10+ hour thread on /v/ like once a day since release.

You will find Romancing SaGa 2 pretty modern. You unlock areas exactly like RS:MS. The thing is that some quests have various outcomes depending how you approach them or you might have unexpected results. Also life points actually matter in this game unlike any other SaGa game outside of Unlimited if you lack LP protecting gear. Generally you have very few if no means to recover LP since resting doesn't recover it so you can have your guys perma-die. I've had it happen when I was knee deep in a quest and decided to do the boss fight with just four characters.

Romancing SaGa 2 is better than SaGa Frontier. Up to you on Minstrel Song if you dig field skills, how the quests often come and go, and the battle mechanics involving battle points and item durability.

>>4478162
Great. That sounds pretty rough but I think i'll enjoy it. So I know about the emperors and heirs but can I end up with a completely unwinnable game if all my MCs die?

>>4478172
I don't know how often generation skips happen or how many you are allowed but if your emperor runs out of LP or you get a party wipe you will often pass off to the next heir without really activating the time skip so you can still attempt to get back on the horse. I think the common thing is with the BR making the game ultra challenging, but it is much easier to figure out what to do in RS2 compared to RS:MS. You will also have to be very perceptive of your attacks and enemies. Such as arrow attacks not working well on skeletons, or any sweeping attacks that stun like trip or that knee sweep move don't work on snakes, or that cross slash is very effective on unholy enemies since the game will often not tell you any of it.

>>4478173
Actually, I know of the Arrows not working well on Undead but Cross Slash being particularly effective on them from RS:MS. I really love that game, i've beaten it 2 times and actually am working on my 3rd playthrough (but I haven't played in awhile though).
AFAIK, the SaGa games have a down-to-earth logic to its mechanics that are reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons.

>>4478090
>>4478110
You should be fine, just keep playing. Fishing is more of a side thing, gets you some OP stuff but not required to do. More important is skills and masters. When you use examine it allows a character to potentially learn the skill the enemt just used, I believe only so.e characters can learn some skills though so experiment a bit. Masters are also important. You will meet various npcs who you can "apprentice" under. Doimg so will allow set stat boosts. So for example, a character like Nina wants a master who focuses less on physical attacks and more on magic.

The game is pretty easy but still enjoyable. BoFIV is where things get really good though, one of the best games I ever played.

>>4478148
Is it possible to play a Saga game without a game FAQ? Do people actually experiment with every possible combination and annotate the differences?

I've been in the mood to play some JRPGs like FF6, Chrono Trigger, etc. They don't really make JRPGs like that anymore though, so does anyone have any recommendations for some lesser known 90s JRPGs? They can be for any system really. Something with a lot of personality would be nice.
Someone threw up a pic related before he got banned, said it was a good starting point.

>>4478330
try Live A Live, Lufia 2 and Super Mario RPG if you haven't already

>>4478318
When I started with Frontier, I wrote down combos. Ultimately though it wasn't really necessary, though.

>>4478318
While all of that stuff is handy to know about, the games are very playable without knowing/noticing. It's just that if you want to triple down on autism and know everything about the game and do challenge runs, it helps.

>>4476290
Is this game worth it? i feel attracted byt its asthetics, but i read is not a good game. I have yet to read a review from someone who liked it.

>>4478586
It's average.

>>4478330
Live a Live fits in great, easily a candidate for the list. Just remember Don't kill any women in the Ninja secnario and wait for the lady who gives you a gift until she gives you a second.

Also Silva Saga 2 if you liked Dragon Quest 3's party building mechanic.

>>4478330
Play Metal Max Returns. Now.

What are some of the worst jrpgs of all time?

>>4478664
There are many bad jrpgs, but only Hoshi Wo Miru Hito or "Star Gazers".

Words can barely describe just how bad it is, but I'll try by summing up the problems you find just by starting the game.
>the first village you find is invisible, there is nothing to hint you of this
>some of the very first enemies are so powerful they can take zero (0) damage from your attacks
>there is no run option, once abattle begins you win or you die
>the game is so badly programed that despite your health having three digits the last digit is cut off so you can never actually see your full health
>the very first weapon you are given actually makes you WEAKER, and there is no way to unequip it unless you get a new weapon to replace it
>every time you leave a town you are put at th every beginning of the overworld. You could be in a completely different town and exit only to be put back right were you initially started

This is stuff you only notice upon starting the game, not even actually investing time into it.

>>4478750
Cover is nice, at least.

>>4478664
There are many bad jrpgs, but only Hoshi Wo Miru Hito or "Star Gazers".

Words can barely describe just how bad it is, but I'll try by summing up the problems you find just by starting the game.
>the first village you find is invisible, there is nothing to hint you of this
>some of the very first enemies are so powerful they can take zero (0) damage from your attacks
>there is no run option, once abattle begins you win or you die
>the game is so badly programed that despite your health having three digits the last digit is cut off so you can never actually see your full health
>the very first weapon you are given actually makes you WEAKER, and there is no way to unequip it unless you get a new weapon to replace it
>there is no save options, just passwords, which will reset your level each time
>when you equip a equip a new item you automatically throw away the old one, despite not knowing if the new one is actually better
>every time you leave a town you are put at th every beginning of the overworld. You could be in a completely different town and exit only to be put back right were you initially started
>key items have to be bought and are one time use, meaning you will have to repeatedly buy them

>>4478757
Sorry I deleted the initial post, left some stuff out. Was hoping no one saw it yet.

>>4478761
I was reading a review and they also say this;

>And yet, it has a small yet devoted fanbase. A hacker actually took the trouble to patch the game, redrawing and enhancing all of the graphics (using plenty of redrawn sprites from Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest), rebalancing the weapons, and increasing the walking speed. Another group actually created their own freeware homebrew remake for Windows, dubbed STARGAZER. The graphics have been redone to resemble the Genesis Phantasy Star titles, and all of the stupider bugs have been removed.

Maybe it has some obscure redeeming quality.

>>4478318
>Is it possible to play a Saga game without a game FAQ?
Actually it is one of those series that it is strongly suggested to not use one. I will say this, if you have been spending many hours upon hours and you have no clue where to go then refer to a guide, or if you are trying to figure out how to get a decent monsters transformation for the late game in SaGa Frontier it is fine. Otherwise you don't need a guide. Some of the mechanics are pretty intuitive.
>>4478330
You will be mostly playing games that didn't make their way to the west. Romancing SaGa 2 just came out last week and I highly suggest that if you haven't played it yet.

Amazing game.

>>4472112
>Something like Grandia, Skies of Arcadia and Lunar would be nice.
It's not 'retro' but I think you would like Rogue Galaxy for PS2.

>>4471681
Any recommendations for a normfag that just plays ff7/ff8 on repeat -- anything at all

>>4479078
Depends, do you like 3D games more than 2D?

Chrono Trigger is always good. Regardless of what others may say, Chrono Cross does have its own fun growth, customization, and battle mechanics. If you don't mind Gameboy games then Final Fantasy Legend II is pretty fun, especially since you can build your own party with various races that grow in their own ways. Super Mario RPG is good as well, with a bit more to do in between battles. Hybrid Heaven is an interesting N64 JRPG in which you learn skills from enemies and generally do one on one brawls to the death with them. Final Fantasy V is a great game in which you can mix and match two classes together.

If you want to dive in a bit deeper you can try out SaGa Frontier or Romancing SaGa 2, but be warned, they won't hold your hand.

>>4479078
Read the thread

>>4478330
Popful Mail isn't an RPG. It is like Ys 3 without experience points or levels.

>>4479057
You mean Langrisser II or Cho Aniki?

>>4479078
Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, and Earthbound should be on your go-to list.

Actually, you might also love Legend of Dragoon. It's got elements from FF7 and 8. Play some other stuff though, broaden your horizons.

any good snes and ps1 jrpgs that are 20 hours or less? dont have too much time to play these days

>>4479242
Chrono Trigger

>>4479242
Live A Live is separated, with most scenarios not taking long at all. You can finish one and come back to it later.

>>4479242
Suikoden.

>>4479253
You can also do this with Saga Frontier 2 most of the time, but unlike Live a Live they're much more related to each other.

>>4479242
Last time I played Final Fantasy II/IV, it took 15 hours to beat. That's a good length. Anything over 25 hours inevitably has bloat and padding.

What's the name of that western-made PS1 RPG that was marketed as the FF7 killer?
I think the main guy was a pirate or something? Google doesn't help.

>>4479268
V also takes about this long if you fast forward through the job grinding

>buying a multi-tap just to play this with my friends
>everyone already moved on to the PS2 gen and didn't care

Still hurts to this day.

>>4479270
shadow madness, it sucked

>>4479270
There were a lot of PS1 games named that at the time, even when they were made before FFVII.

I think Shadow Madness's cover art had the guy look like a pirate. It was shit though.

>>4479270
Shadow Madness

>>4479273
Next time I play that game, I'm going to stick with a few classes per character instead of doing the ridiculous freelancer min max grind. Its not on my list of regularly replayed games, though, so it might take a while to get around to it.

Shit like this should be illegal.

>>4479414
Didn't SF have one of things where the later you promote your character, the better their finals stats would be?

>>4479414
Don't they scale up higher once promoted?

What's the best retro-console Dragon Quest game to start with? Ditto for Fire Emblem.

I'm a longtime RPG fan adding games to my Pi from franchises I've never played. I like plenty of SNES era games but I definitely prefer the more modern comforts of PS1 and PS2 generation games, especially if I haven't played them before.

>>4479709
Mystery of the Emblem is the best FE game to start with, retro or not.

>>4479709
>but I definitely prefer the more modern comforts of PS1 and PS2 generation games

Start with DQVIII. If you like it try the older ones.

I was planning on continuing my BoF series playthrough since I finished the first during the summer and needed a long break from it. I know BoF2 ifs probably best with the retranslation patch on SNES, but for 3 or 4, is there any major differences with the PS1/PSP and PS1/PC versions respectively? I was thinking of going PSP and PC (the latter is already running find on my computer).

>>4479705
Yup, promoted growth is much better and I think they level faster for a bit as well

>>4479709

DQ 5 would be a good start.

Terranigma was my favorite rpg for the Snes. Beautiful story/world with fast action.

>>4478761
>>4478770
>Maybe it has some obscure redeeming quality.
While I won't dare claim it isn't bad, I played it through and can shed some light on this

Mostly, the genre was so new at the time that it did a few things that were way ahead of its time
>your characters' battle portraits change every 7 levels, making it look like they 'evolved'
>the amazing ability to 'jump' over/through solid tiles almost everywhere
>a mind read ability you can use on NPCs
>multiple random battle themes depending on where you're at
>a meter where you can choose the power/MP cost of ESP moves you use in battle
>switch the onscreen character with one button, each character has unique abilities they can only use when they're the leader
I unironically had a blast playing through it, with the original puke-textures and everything, because it starts to feel more like a weird art experiment than a game after a while

Actually, some of those downsides are a bit off the mark too:
>there is no run option, once abattle begins you win or you die
This one's only half-true; you have a teleport spell you can leave combat with, but it has a chance of fucking up and dropping you in the middle of a maze instead of where you last were, making you have to warp to a town and walk back to wherever you were at
>there is no save options, just passwords, which will reset your level each time
In my experience it actually keeps your level, but there's a catch: the passwords include a nightmarish combination of english characters, hiragana, and katakana (wherein katakana isn't used anywhere else in the game but this screen), making them take an eternity to enter
Pretty accurate otherwise though

That all said, it is indeed the worst out there, but only because it didn't know any better
If jumping through solid obstacles caught on and other JRPGs used it, the JRPG genre today would be vastly different than they ended up being
But I still wouldn't recommend anybody actually play it

>>4478761
>>4478770
This is great, but why take the effort of improving the game if it was bad for a start?

>>4480635
That's pretty interesting. It makes me feel like giving it a try, honestly. Sounds like a really ambitious game that just ended up falling short and could be fixed up fairly easily.

>>4474427
no one knows jap

Is any of the Shin Megami Tensei for the NES worth a play?

>>4480748
The one that anon was talking about got an english release. The original, no, but the Vita one, yes.

>>4480752
The NES ones aren't translated, but there's a compilation on SNES called Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei that was. They're decent, but they're 99% dungeon crawling and fighting battles, so if you're looking for story, I'd say just play SMT 1 and 2 on SNES instead. Those games are also mostly dungeon crawling, though.

I can't figure out if SaGa Frontier is shit or I'm just playing it wrong

It seems like there's just this (pretty big) empty world with nothing to do in it. I've found like five dungeons and 3 of them are in Shrike. The only real quests I've found are the magic ones to get tarot magic and rune magic.

I started as Asellus, is that the problem? I know she has kind of a weird story structure, and that's not the problem. The problem is that it feels like there's literally nothing to do in the game besides a few small sidequests.

Am I just doing something wrong or what? Half the towns I go to are completely empty and pointless aside from maybe a magic merchant.

>>4478148
Romancing SaGa 2 was really ahead of its time wasn't it?

>>4477506
Legendia is one of the few games in my life I've dropped miday. Way too boring

>>4480759
It took me a few tries for Frontier to "click" with me. IIRC, the main meat of the game isn't necessarily finding actual side quests so much as going into dungeons and looting them.

The main thing I recommend is just restarting and playing as Red. He's got a much more straightforward story than any other character, some cool unique mechanics (transform into a Sentai hero in battle, but it has some restrictions that make it neat). The main fun, for me, just comes directly from the battle system: sparking new moves, getting crazy team combos to happen, fiddling with all the different races and stuff available. So if you're not really enjoying the battles that much, it might not be the best SaGa title for you.

>>4480761
I love everything about RS2. It's seriously a masterpiece of game design. Sometimes, a JRPG just feels like the devs went, "okay, we have our big story, now come up with a few gimmicks for the battles and we're golden" without putting in a ton of thought. But RS2 feels like every single part of the game ties back into the battle system. It's awesome.

>Princess Minerva got translated
Neat.

what are some jrpgs where the battle system is actually fun for its own sake? For instance, if you didn't get anything out of the battle(money, items, xp, etc.) would it still be fun to fight in battles?

>>4480779
Not retro but I instantly thought of Megaman Battle Network series

>>4480779
Probably mostly SRPGs, if you're asking this question. To me, even very basic combat like in DQ is satisfying.

Maybe you'd like Valkyrie Profile? It does get a tiny bit repetitive, though.

>>4480674
It sort of has that "so bad its good" reputation in Japan, think something like Superman 64 in the West. The "fans" are more just people interested how this game turnef out to be such shit.
>>4480742
Honestly I think you might be romanticising it a bit. It is genuinely a fucking awful game, it's more interesting to play as the a sort of ultimate "what not to do" for a jrpg. I think an incomplete fan translation exists so maybe give it a try if you want, I just don't see you playing it for more then 10 minutes.

>>4480779
Hybrid Heaven. I just like going around and killing guys in that game. Learning skills and then using them on the enemy while pinning them on the floor with sleeper holds.

>>4480798
Oh believe me, I understand that much. It sounds really awful, repetitive, a slog, etc. But I do still think that kind of game is interesting to play, as you said. It has a lot of ideas, it just falls really, really short on execution. I might give it a swing some time, but as you said, I doubt I'd finish it.

>>4480759
A lot of towns have dungeons you can delve into, some are only there for gaining magic, and others get more usage depending upon the character you're playing as.

>>4480779
Treasure Hunter G, Grandia 3, Baten Kaitos Origins, Radiant Historia, Mahjong Taisen, The World Ends With You, Super Mario RPG, Mother 3, MMBN series
most of those aren't retro though

>>4480752
The SFC remake is great. I like the lack of story and endless grinding. The music in the NES version is just ridiculously good for the system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGEzqWGp2WA&t=2186s

>>4480873
Some peoe don't like them as tbe remake made some dungeons less complicated and the music for MTII got kimd of fucked. MTII used a special sound chip and had some of the best music on the system, KMT's music sounds a bit lackluster in comparison. I have only played KMT so I can't say anything myself but I hear people complain about those often enough to mention.

>>4480832
>Treasure Hunter G
How's the translation patch? Any bugs one should know?

>>4480886
I'm playing through it on snes9x and there don't seem to be any problems
got btfo'd by a seashell

>>4480774
I just wish that RS2 didn't make you spend so much time on reassembling parties and visiting the storage. I get that it's part of the inheritance system, but when I repeatedly have to recruit, equip and train every guy it eats a lot of time. I found the pace of the gameboy sagas and Frontier much more pleasant.

Anyone know of any really short retro JRPGs that can be beaten blind in a day or so? I am going to be in a car trip for about 8 hours both ways and I want to keep myself entertained. The only one that comes to mind is Final Fantasy Legend 1, but, I have already played that one recently and was curious if there are any others.

>>4479535
No, that is most unwise. Unpromoted level ups are an absolute waste of time, as you can see from that very screenshot chances are you'll get absolutley nothing out of it. Meanwhile promoted characters will get much stronger much quicker. It is true that if you waste time grinding them out to 20 before promotion and THEN continue grinding afterwards you will see a little improvement but this ruins the games pace for very little payoff. Waiting to promote is a meme of the worst kind.

>>4480456
> I think they level faster for a bit as well
Afraid not. Exp gains are the same. A promoted level 1 character is considered level 11 for exp gains regardless of what level they were promoted at. Their level always remains what is displayed + 10.

>>4480442
So googling around, the only differences I could really find were pretty minor so I guess it's w/e.

>>4481068
Again, Live a Live

>>4481068
Board game RPGs like Sugoro Quest or 100 world story are usually really quick.

>>4475048
dq vi is underrated. guess it has to do with following 5 which made a big impression.

I don't remember Shell Monsters being this awesome...

Hello folks, I want to try playing Star Ocean (the first one). Which version is recommended? The SFC original (it has a Eng fanTL right?) or PSP remake?

>>4481350
>it's EPIC FUNNY if it inserts politics i agree with!
Shit like this cant even be avoided in fan """""translations""""" any more. Why aren't you learning Japanese right now?

>>4481372
>spend years learning nippon
>games loaded with political references you don't understand
>nip memes about comedians

Don't think you can just win. You can not win. This isn't a game about winning.

>>4481379
gee what is wikipedia

>>4481379
I'm completely out of touch with pop culture in my own native language, and I've never bothered by missing out on that kind of gag, so I'm not worried about it. And as the other anon said, wiki exists. I'd much rather have pop culture referencesI don't understand than some random sperg screaming about DUDE BLACK PEOPLE LOL in my game.

>>4480581

>>4481385
Black face is all over japanese games my dude.

>>4481381
Going to wikipedia takes you out of the game. Its like wow man that Diet joke was dull and unfunny. What a waste of time. A joke about drumf or not a usa citizen obama does the same shit.

>>4473110
>posts a neutered version that makes it good and not the original famicom version

>>4480752
>>4480757
the remake was obviously outsourced and rushed in many places, too.

>>4481405
This was super sad and creepy and then my emulator bugged out too, so I thought I did something wrong because I was stuck in the cave.

I could use a recommendation. Looking for a jRPG that has fast, snappy combat. Little to no random encounters and an appealing visual aesthetic. I have a pretty weird taste, my favorite jrpgs are Grandia 3, Rogue Galaxy and FFX.

I couldn't get into Persona series, I couldn't get into old FF games, couldn't get into proper weeb stuff with anime girls either. Basically I just want something that is fun and that isn't a chore to play.

>>4481464
Sounds like you have shit taste. Have you played the FF13 series?

>>4481464
Sounds like you might just have to come to terms with not liking jrpgs, anon.

>>4481438
Is the definitive version. There is no reason for playing the original nes except for historical reasons or nostalgia.

>>4481270
Once you go full story-mode, you can't go back.

I need a new RPG to play on my PSP Go.

Preferably something that doesn't require much guides.

Please advise:

>BoF4
>Tales of Destiny
>Wild Arms 2
>Grandia (but I know I need a guide to find all of them eggs)
>Just about any other PSX JRPG really

>>4480779
Tales of Hearts R has its flaws, but I became hilariously overlevelled in that game because I liked battling so much

>>4482086
You'll have leftover eggs even if you don't use a guide.

>>4482351
Is that true? I'm guessing it's true up to learning magics that I won't use.

Are there still issues with emulating Xenogears?

>>4482354
There's 18 eggs in the game, and you'll only need 14 to get -all- magic on -every- character who can learn them (including temp chars).
Imo using them on temporary characters is a waste. Can't say more without spoiling the game.

>>4482375
Ah, didn't know that. Maybe I will give it another run then.

>>4482372
I went through the entirety in mednafen and had no problems

>>4482375
>>4482447
I'm curious about Front Mission 3 and ePSXe due to me using a mobile thing.

>>4472558
>>4476987

Golden sun fucking sucked

>>4482086

You don't NEED a guide for ANY of those games. You might want to peruse some hints at your leisure but there's nothing that requires a walk through.

BOF4 is great though

>>4482804
It's not bad, but definitely not as good as some people say.
I feel like it's the FF7 of the current generation of young adults who played it as kids and love the game mostly for it's nostalgia.

I'm trying to decide whether I should play Seiken Densetsu or SaGa first. I don't really know shit about either of them honestly, but I'm looking for a new JRPG series to get into. Any advice?

>>4471681

Kyra is a cutie!

I'm surprised they didn't censor this.

>>4481356
The original.
>(it has a Eng fanTL right?)
Indeed it does. If the first dialogue box you see has a disclaimer in it then you are playing an old version of the translation and should be sure to get the latest.

>>4481068
The first Dragon Quest

Unrelated question. How is it that this board has kept its quality over the many years active? Specially considering all the thing happening in other 4chan boards. I feel like I have to comment about it every so often so I don't forget this is a good thing.

Not that I'm complaining, this kind of community spirit is what I miss about /a/. It just makes me more enthralled about retro games in general.

Also, I bought FF6 on PS3, but the load times really are slow compared to the SNES. Are there many added cutscenes that make it worth playing on PS1? I avoid looking at them because of spoilers, but I take it that there are three cutscenes for beginning, middle (Kefka shenanigans) and end, is that right?

>>4483058
>Unrelated question. How is it that this board has kept its quality over the many years active?
You're kidding, right? Is this irony?

>>4483058
I hated the CG FMVs. Also all the SNES->PSX ports had awful load times, so people generally recommend against them.

>>4482917
I dunno, they might not figure out how to find all the items to make the rainbow bridge in a day if he's playing "blind"and not googling it. Some of the hints are kinda vague...

...a long weekend would probably do it though.

>>4483085

Yeah, I don't know what the hell he thinks-

>considers the condition of other boards.

Hmmm. Well....in the halls of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

>>4482829
Golden Sun 1 and 2 definitely fit that bill.

It's also partially the reason why Dark Dawn didn't make it. GS just didn't have that unique advantage of being one of the few non-ported big RPGs since the Square Ports didn't suck eggs anymore.

>>4483058
The barrier of entry. If someone who wasn't a kid during the time period of most of the games discussed here then they have a genuine interest in these games. Most others won't bother.

>>4482891
>Robot is spraying blood

>>4483185
It's red oil obviously.

>>4483185
Are you aware of the color of most hydraulic fluid?

>>4483192
Red is actually a very common color added to hydraulic fluid. If your piece of industrial machinery is leaking, it's good to know what system is leaking.

>>4483085
>>4483170
I understand you thinking like that if the only board you visit is /vr/, but I actually browse other boards and let me tell you it really is night and day.

>>4483262
/vr/ is merely slow and you're having a honeymoon phase.

JRPG with sim.

>>4482829
>everybody loves the game for the wrong reasons!

It was a good game, and not everybody has to love the same things. The game looks good, very interactive, great music, amazing dungeon design and combats that allow you to act in different ways, not to talk about the plot which always made sure to keep pushing you forward.

This idea that the game is bad or "not as good" and having to justify its success with retarded explanations ...

>>4483497
Not retro.

>>4483503
Oops, wrong image.
>>4483497
Correct pic, the dialogue was corny but very funny.

>>4483513

Dad. That's not mom.

>>4481350
iirc, there was another game that had shit added to it in a later patch, too

>>4483513
This some thousand arms?

Im playing the fan translation of Romancing Saga on the snes right now, if theres anyone who has played it before, is it true the last boss is practically unbeatable? The only guide I found on gamefaqs said he had to cheat to get pass the final boss because it was just broken beyond belief.

>>4484101
Given that you have played this far, what do you think on the game? seems like a unique one (more freedom and simplicity compared to later games) but always forgotten.

>>4484110
Im loving the open ended nature of it. I play it with a small notepad on the side to scribble down any particular interesting piece of info the NPCs give you.
Im playing as Gray now, currently on Melvir grinding a bit with Claudia in the sewers after beating the Saruin Cult.

I never played a RPG where you truly build your own adventure, it gives me this giddy feeling of true immersion I cant explain.

>>4484101
Never played RS1, butb I've watched a Let's Play of the game a couple years ago and the LPer had no problems defeating the final boss. He had to grind constantly, though.
Dude who made the guide needs to git gud before writing bullshit.

>>4482829
Battle animations are dope.
>>4472558
I actually just got TLA recently. Given that I never finished the first game and CBA replaying it, I'll have to watch the ending on youtube or some shit. It's been a while since I've touched this series.

>>4483925
Yeah, glad I'm not the only one who played it.

>>4482891
Why would they?
Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil were gory as hell and they didn't care.

Now, if we are talking about sexual content...

>>4483513
>can't romance my bro Muza

The girls were bland as hell. Muza is where it's at.

>>4484181
Worst battle system.

Good OP though

>>4480775
>You control a squad of nine female warriors trying to stop a another group of female warriors from turning every young girl in the kingdom into a monster girl.

Are we the baddies?

>>4482086
>tfw you love ToD but no one to share that love with

I'm at the last generation in Romancing Saga 2, but I haven't beat Wagnas or Noel yet. Am I free to finish up the Wagnas quest without issue or do I have a limit on how much I can do in the last generation?

>>4484839

Im here, friend.

>>4484839
The gameplay was still kinda clunky. I think Eternia is when they started to get it down

>>4484945

It was only the second game in the series, being a tad clunky is a bit to be expected, it was by all accounts just a really impressive SNES game. Plus you can still appreciate the characters and setting and stuff, clunkier games have held up with less.

>>4484953
Oh of course. Just meant to say that Tales hadn't figured out the potential of its battle system at that point.

I should play that game again, but I remember reading somewhere its difficulty spikes are all weird. (Never finished it.)

Sounds like you've finished it - anything I should take note of before going in?

>>4484958
>anything I should take note of before going in?

Well it's been a while since my last play through, but there's a couple BUGS to be mindful of.

1. In your battle formation if you put Stahn on vanguard no one ahead of him will attack the enemy. So put him in the middle.

2. One puzzle is fucked. It's the zodiac sign one I think. You can get through but just check a guide.

>>4484976

No one will MOVE AHEAD of him

>>4484865
Once you've killed all the heroes except one (including kujinshi 2.0), the last one will move elsewhere so you can't do that quest.

>>4484976
Wait so why in the middle and not in front

>>4485075

I wasn't clear.

If Stahn is between a character and an enemy then that character will just stand still not doing shit. This is fine for spell casters like Phillia and Rutee's heals but someone like Mary or Garr would be useless. So put Stahn in the middle that way when battle starts they'll gun for the the enemies too.

>>4485086
Ah I see. That's a really weird bug.

I'm playing Romancing SaGa 2 right now and one of my characters "Saw through Knee Split" and avoided the enemy's attack (Knee Split).
Is the chances of this happening dependant on a stat? In Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song, the Compassion stat can raise the chances of Guarding an ally from an enemy attack. I am hoping that this could be a similar mechanic in RS2.

>>4481464
Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, Chrono Cross

All of them are fun, pretty, and don't have random battles.

Of course, what you consider to be visually appealing may differ from what I like.

>>4485232

Dodge techs in Romancing SaGa 2 are a bit different, they're techs you can learn that make you always dodge that move when it's used as long as you have it equipped. IIRC they're learned the same way as other techs, where both the enemy and techs have a spark value, and the closer they are to each other the easier it is to learn.

>>4485064
Would it be better for me to go back to the previous generation and defeat Wagnas instead of Subier?

>>4480635
Do you have a link to the improved japanese fangame that fixed this?

Anybody played the wonderswan version of FFL?

>>4481464
there are some jrpgs that have enemies walking on screen that you need to collide with in order to battle. do you mean something like that?

>>4485465
I beat it last year. Was suppose to be my entry into playing most of the other SaGa games, but I got lazy and never went onto 2 or 3 despite having plans of doing the DS versions of both. Really solid game with some neat ideas for a GB RPG, though.

>no mention of Mystic Ark

It's a dreamy Oz-like RPG with unique worlds (cacti people) and a fairly unique party system based around carrying them as dolls.

Worth it for the music and atmosphere

>>4485360
I'd just keep playing. You can change the order in another run.

I really want to like this but just can't get into it

>>4485578
I think the radar mechanic from this and 7th saga was great, it turned traversing the overworld and dungeons into some sort of mini game

>>4485731
I spent countless hours playing this as a kid, great game but not for everyone

>>4485738
I like the story but the battle system annoyed me

>>4486537

All it really needed was a way to swap weapons faster

I got one of those mini SNES things a few days ago and ended up hacking it so I could put more games on there. Was looking forward to replaying SMT 1 and 2 but I dont think I have the patience for those games without some sort of speed up feature.

Unfortunately Dragon Quest 3 fantranslation doesn't work with it. That was what I was going to play next.

So now I'm looking for some more stuff to add. FF4 is even easier than I remember, but I hear the PSP/GBA versions are more in line with the Japanese version. Also which is better the GBA or SNES with fan translation for FFV?

>>4486561
SMT2 isn't too bad when I played it back on real hardware aside from a few glitches during the final boss I had that I think made the game goofy. SMT1's final dungeon is a fucking trail of dicks in terms of how slow it will take to get from point A to point B, esp if you're exploring it fully and have to go from bottom to top.

With FF4, you're probably better off using the Namingway hack or something else that isn't the original US FF2.

FFV is probably better with GBA, at least the the original dudes who worked on it think so. Both the original fan-translation, the legend of the crystals hack (basically grammar fixing for the normal fan-translation), or the GBA to SNES hacks are all decent, though.

all of this is imo so somebody will probably call me a faggot or something

>>4486561

Both translations are better than the PS1 one so you can really go with either. GBA has some extra stuff you may or may not care about. Personally though I can't stand the Amano portraits.

The guy's a talented artists, I ain't dissing his skills but his portraits clash wildly with the sprites and call me crazy but I don't really picture Butz as the wake up early to put on make up and silk shawls kind of guy. And purple faris is best faris

>>4486561
>>4486579
And here's the patches for shit I mentioned in my post:

SMT1 Orden: http://www.romhacking.net/translations/2616/

SMT2: http://www.romhacking.net/translations/687/

FF4 Namingway: http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/2337/

FFV OG FanTran: http://www.romhacking.net/translations/353/

FFV LotC: http://www.romhacking.net/translations/2600/

FFV GBA2SNES: http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3687/

have fun or whatever man

>>4486581
I feel the same about the portraits. I'd rather just have text in old RPGs than the portraits next to the characters.

>>4486584

I actually really like game with portraits, especially if they have a variety of different emotions. It's just that 5's are such a clash with the actual art style of the game it's immediatly jarring any time someone says anything.

>>4486589
Actually, the portraits being raised like that don't really bother me. I think it's just when they're in the fucking text box like 5's and partially what you said.

>>4486581
>>4486561
The upside is that you can just ignore the portraits. I play FFV once a year and it rarely bothers me. The game is just too good.

>>4487028
>The upside is that you can just ignore the portraits.

I really don't see how that's possibly. They eat up a lot of space and are quite striking.

>>4487032
I'm too busy enjoying the music and thinking about how to cheese the next boss battle with my excellent strats

In Romancing SaGa 2, I was playing as Gerard and I had defeated Kzinssie and it jumped forward a year.
The next thing I did was defeat the boss at the Canal Fortress in south Varennes. Immediately upon victory, the game simply advanced 97 years with no fanfare and I had to choose a new Emperor.
I almost feel like I had a mistake. Is this how this game works? You complete a certain amount of quests and the game will jump forward in time?

>>4486561
FF4 on GBA also looks great.

>>4487085
Afaik, this "black screen time skip" occurs whenever you conquer two regions.
It gets a little annoying since you need to make a new party each time it happens.

>>4487032
Abou the portraits, sometime ago a guy posted a patch from romhacking.net that replaces the portraits with either a simplified version based on the characters sprites or removes them altogether.
It might be worth looking for it. It was somewhere in the forum, iirc.

>>4471681

Any difficult JRPG's to recommend? I've pretty much played the ones that were considered "popular" in the 16-bit era, but I'm looking for titles that I missed.

>>4487642
It's weird to talk about difficult JRPGs. JRPGs usually have a built in "adjustable difficulty" which is grinding, so given the right attitude most JRPGs aren't difficult.

Which means the remaining "difficult" RPGs are the ones that constrain you or nerf your ability to grind, or are just tedious regardless of how powerful you get, which personally I dislike.

>>4487642
The SaGa and SMT series can be moderately difficult, imo.

>>4487642
I don't know, play the DS version of FFIV without grinding or using augments?
or play FF1 with four thieves

>>4487642
Not afraid to admit that 7th Saga kicked my ass when I played it some years ago.
Give it a shot.

>>4487239

That does sound neat. Ill give it a look.

>>4487842
The japanese version is a different story, except that the balance between characters is still shit.

>>4484101
A little late replying to this, but if you want a real guide for RS1 this site is as good as it gets: http://www8.plala.or.jp/alice4/

Yeah, it's moonrunes, but even running that through google translate will help you more than that gamefaqs guide.

>>4487714
This. JRPG is an inherently easy genre. While it can be "too easy", so that the game is fucking boring, it is not the place to look for challenging games.

I guess I'd say check out Phantasy Star 2, without using any guides, or go for the Langrisser 2 good ending (no heroes die ever, in any missioon).

So I started Lennus II straight after beating Paladin's Quest and these games are night and day. Paladin's Quest is a slow, grindy rpg that has terrible text shortening (what the heck is a Steel sh) and I only got through it on the strength of its music and just how nice the world looked/was put together. Even the world map doesn't feel like one.

Lennus II has much more plot focus, fricking adorable writing from whoever translated it (D-D, the team accused of being 'conservative' by romhacking.net sjws) and i'm just charmed every time I play it. The hirable mercenaries are much better and you can equip them now, the magic system and leveling it up makes more sense, there's some huge areas (Gloucester is comfy af) and just so many cute touches and callbacks to the original it made playing it worthwhile. Also you can run and the battles go by nice and quickly. It has a far more Squaresoft style which might upset fans of the original's Earthbound x french scifi art feel, but I like both games visually, and the use of muted color palettes give II an alien feel of its own.

This game should be raved about more.

>>4487964
There's a patch that aims to make magic users more useful overall, but given my recent run was Tetujin/Human Mage using the base japanese leveling patch, I felt one covered the other's shortcomings well. Also free healing.

>>4488118
>Lennus II

As the other guy said,
>So many characters with so little character

That's one thing that sucks about the second game, no one except the MC is relevant to the story.

>>4488195
I recruited a chick who wanted to kill a dude for murdering her husband and kid. I thought it'd have no relevance but she had a little bit of an epilogue and left the party upon beating said guy in a boss battle. Shame not everyone gets stuff like this but it was nice.

What would be the best way to play some retro-JRPGs on the go?
I'm mostly looking for those who got a fan-translation in the recent years, so something that can run those would be nice.

>>4488340
On a laptop computer, with a dual shock 4 controller and your emulator of choice.

>>4485465
It tells you what'll happen if you eat the meat?

>>4488430
Yeah, that's one of the big improvements to the remake. It's basically better graphics, bug fixes, and neat little QoL fixes like that.

>>4488340
PSPGo.

>Fits in your pocket
>Emulation + PS1
>Doesn't require memory card

Only issue is the screen is small.

>>4488826
>PSPGo

Ah, yeah, that's what I've been using since the mid-00's.
The problem is that I've already played most of the PSP and PS1 JRPG library and I'm looking for something that actually does SNES right.
I was thinking of a Vita with Retroarch, but the whole memory card issue is a problem.
How about the Switch? Any emulators? Is rom injection possible?

Man. I should stop with this autism of starting a new RPG when I have already started others.
On my PSP I got:
Dragon quest 3 SFC
Metal Max Returns
Romancing Saga 3
Vagrant story
Wild Arms
Xenogears

And now I dont know which one to stick to and in which order to finish them.
Careful with digital hoarding kids

>>4489207
random.org

>>4489207
I always have a hard time dropping the game I'm currently playing. Leaving things unfinished always messes me up.
It's also one of the reasons why I finished so many shitty JRPGs in my life. Just thinking about all that wasted time...

Anyone know any good DQ clones? Don't care how old they are.

I just wanna explore and grind. Currently working through Glory of Heracles II, good fun.

>>4472116
I personally think DQ1 is really great and will get you hype about the series.

>>4489664
BodyConquest I

>>4489769
Well, I wasn't expecting that. Didn't know the guys who made Bubble Bath Babes had a whole company of softporn games.

Shame the combat looks shitty.

>>4489664
If you haven't played Mother yet, I highly recommend it. Everyone is lying about it being unbeatable without grinding, you just need to use buffs and status spells properly.

>>4489664
jubei quest

so, is there something like "schools of JRPGs"?

i can very broadly identify some:
>the final fantasy school
>the dragon quest school
>the SaGa/kawazu school
>the tri ace/wolfteam school

what else is there that would qualify? stuff like phantasy star or the quintet games died too young.

>>4490031
Idk, the Falcom school?

>>4490078

GO FIGHT!

>>4489982
>Everyone is lying about it being unbeatable without grinding
I didn't realize people talked about it like that, but yeah it's more than doable if you play smart. A friend of mind ended up going through with the easy patch or whatever and still grinded to like level 40+ with his team like what the fuck man.

>>4489686
I think every jrpg fan should play DQ1, if only to see how everything started

>>4474732
SF1 for mechanics, setting, replayability, and nice balance of themes from the various saga games

SF2 for art, music, storylines, and duel system.

I greatly prefer 1 over 2

>tfw USaga is my favorite jrpg but there's literally no game like it in existence

It must be suffering to be one of a kind

>>4490031
The Megami Tensei/Atlus school of hard knocks

>>4490174
>>4490078
good points

>>4490031
I wouldn't call Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest different schools of thought. FF started as a ripoff of DQ but more aligned with Wizardry with the magic stocks instead of MP.

It wasn't until Kitase took over with VI that the series started to look like a different "school" one more interested in the spectacle of storytelling though film influences. I would argue that the "FF" school of thought is as much Kitase's as the SaGa's is Kawazu

>>4490163

I feel like I must have done something VERY wrong in SF2 because whenever I look back at conversations about I can't help but feel like half the game somehow eluded me.

>>4490031
But what is the difference among all these schools, what makes each one worth defining?
>>4490269
>FF started as a ripoff of DQ
Final Fantasy got green lighted due to Dragon Quest, but people at Square wanted to make a RPG before Dragon Quest was ever released but were denied that for the fact that higher ups didn't see a RPG as a good choice for wide spread appeal. Obviously they were wrong due to Dragon Quest's popularity.

I just loaded my SNES classic up with every RPG I could find. Aside from Mario RPG and Mystic Quest I never really played any RPGs until I got a PS1.

Either going to start with FF2 or more likely SMT as I've been dying to play SMT 1 and 2 at some point.

>>4490691
SMT rules. Incredibly strong start, that game. Just make sure to remember the power of buffs and status ailments.

>>4490691
SMT was pretty cool. Make sure you have the Orden patch as it fixes bugs and shit the original had, but is otherwise pretty much the same.

>>4490710
>>4490798
My biggest concern is mapping as I'm not usually a fan of first person dungeon crawlers. I have a feeling I'm going to be getting lost easily

>>4490819
There's a map in game, but it's kind of a pain in the first since you have to go through menus to open it. There's a patch that puts it on a button like the second game, though: http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/907/

>>4490819
I don't play them much either, but it's worth trying the game out to broaden your horizons.

>>4490031
Somewhat related - consider the Crystals vs. Summons schools of Final Fantasy.

Basically, FF plots used to be drive by Crystals, but pivoted towards Summons over time

FF1 - Crystals
FF2 - FF2 is an oddball that defies all conventions
FF3 - Crystals
FF4 - Crystals (Although it's the first time summons are plot relevant, I think)
FF5 - Crystals
FF6 - Summons (Start of an era. Yes, there's Magicite, but it's primarily about summons)
FF7 - Crystals (Materia)
FF8 - Summons (GFs)
FF9 - Summons (Eidolons. Crystals are an afterthought)
FF10 - Summons (On balance I have to say that FFX is more about Aeons than Spheres)
FF11 - IDK didn't play
FF12 - Crystals (Nethicite is more key than Espers)
FF13 - Summons (Again it's blurred, but I think it's clearly more about summons)
FF14 - IDK didn't play
FF15 - Crystals (I think this is the closest and hardest call. On one hand, the story is driven by the Crystal in Lucis. On the other hand, the story is made in large part due to Astrals)

Other:
FFT - Crystals=Summons (Zodiac stones/Auracites=Lucavi. Summoner summons are an afterthought)
FF Type-0 - Crystals
Bravely Default - Crystals

>>4490546
>But what is the difference among all these schools, what makes each one worth defining?
i was kinda hoping i'd spark a discussion here. my first pointers would be design sensibilities and gameplay/battle mechanics.

>>4490269
>I wouldn't call Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest different schools of thought. FF started as a ripoff of DQ but more aligned with Wizardry with the magic stocks instead of MP.
entirely true but they very soon started developing their own distinct idiosyncracies. makes sense for the two big whales having an intertwined past, though.

>>4491052
man, this is good and it kind of ties back to the other anon's kitase observation.

How long are Wild Arms 1 and 2?

>>4491447
35 and 55 hours, according to my save files.

Playing some Phantasy Star (the original Master System version) and it's amazing how it looks for the time it was released, especially when compared to DQ which came out like a year earlier.
Also, why is Odin, the man of "great strength", the weakest character?

Playing DQ3 SFC right now.
I just reached level 20 with all my dudes, my companions are fighter-cleric-mage
I was thinking of making my mage a sage, dunno what I should make my cleric and fighter, perhaps move my fighter to rogue and keep the cleric for now? I only have one zen book

>>4491608
If it was me, I'd turn the Fighter into a Warrior for extra survivability on top of all that speed, the Cleric into a Fighter for (again) some speed (a healer acting first is always useful), and my Mage into a Cleric after he learns all Mage magic, and only then Sage.
The MP/INT boost from the Mage and the all-around stats from the Cleric really makes me Sage stand out in the end.

So,
>Fighter -> Warrior
>Cleric -> Fighter (Warrior also works if you value defense over speed)
>Mage -> Cleric -> Sage

But anything works, really. DQ3 is simple enough that you can even finish the game easily without ever changing classes.

>>4491648
I messed up, I have a warrior not a fighter
But I guess the reverse works too.
but getting two fighters might be clunky

>>4491541
Is Wild Arms 2 good?

I liked Wild Arms 1 more than I probably should

>>4491660
Warrior -> Fighter or Fighter -> Warrior both work.
What you want is a physical character that balances the weaknesses of one class with the strength of the other

>>4491705
I thought it was. I'm probably not the one to ask, though, because I enjoyed all of them except Alter Code F and XF.

Wild Arms 2 has a pretty bad localization, unfortunately.

>>4491709
Not enjoying XF? You monster.

>>4491648
If I was following this I'd wait a while before changing the Cleric to Fighter, so to get as much MP as possible on it after it.
Maybe wait until you've reached Baramos' castle before making the switch.

>>4491705
I enjoyed it more than WA1.

>>4491608
Three dealers or bust. You don't want to be poor, do you?

>>4491705
It's great. It can get VERY -anime- at times but the hype is always real.
To this day I still can't forget how great that final battle and ending was.

>>4491707
>>4491713
Then I guess I will warrior-> fighter and mage->cleric
Wait for the original cleric to get good MP and go fighter.

>>4491743
Good plan. Because the newly minted Fighter will no longer gain MP on level up, and it'll be cut in half when you class change, so it's best to build it up.
This will also give it a chance to learn more spells, to make it a better emergency healer.

>>4491712
Here's an anon of refined taste.

>>4491753
I wonder if I should make the eventual warrior/fighter third class as a thief later down the line
To get that spell to lower random wncounters

>>4491768
To add to that: I kinda dont want to let go of another multitageting meele character
Warrior currently has a dragon whip and my MC has a fire boomerang
Oh well

>>4491737
Excellent, I do love me some anime.

Any tips going in?

>>4491829
Anon who finished Wild Arms 2 a couple weeks ago. I have some:

>don't bother upgrading Brad's accuracy (dude can use Lock On pretty much every round). Just go full Power with the guy, some bullets are okay too
>status resistance skills are useless. Ignore them.
>max HP UP for everyone ASAP, Parameter UP afterwards, MAtk for the mages, PAtk for the melee attackers, Defense after everything else

I think that's it.
Also, getting Kanon new skills can be painful, it's mostly all about luck and using the last ability you learned a bunch of times.
I think I fought 300+ battles to get her the last ability...

Is Final Fantasy Mystic Quest worth a play?
I'm aware it's not as good as some of the games from the main series, but I've been having this urge to play it lately after a familiar mentioned it last Christmas.

>>4492040
I mean, it's okay. It's got pretty rad music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZOQ8sLO-vU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2upPEhhzTTw

How was this green-lighted, man?
I've seen better art in fucking 00's porn games.

>>4492040

Despite being rather patronizing and easy it's not by any stretch a bad game

Is the GBA version of Final Fantasy II decent? I know I can emulate the original but the thought of spending hours smacking my own party members for HP isn't appealing and iirc the GBA version added normalized HP growth.

>>4493151
If anything, doesn't the original have the canceling exploit?

In any case I thought it was fine.

>>4493151
The biggest change in the GBA version is the removal of inventory limits. The original is retarded, with every plot item taking up a space in your inventory and never getting removed.

>>4493151
Yeah, contrary to FFI (no hard mode), FFII on the GBA is actually good.

>>4493151
It's fun, I played through it earlier this year. Hitting yourself in FF2 is a meme. As long as you USE FUCKING BUFFS FOR GOD'S SAKE USE THE FUCKING BUFFS DON'T IGNORE ME ON THIS USE THE FUCKING BUFFS you'll be fine.

>>4493151
you don't need to hit yourself in any version of the game, I finished the NES version with my characters barely having over 1000 HP, what you need is evasion
my Firion had 16 - 99% evasion and was near invincible

>>4493301
ignore this anon, buffs are shit.

>>4493325
wrf? berserk is brokenly overpowered
blink is also good

i don't mind hitting myself as i'm secretly suicidal and hate myself

>>4493345
but then you'll gain more HP and become harder to kill

>>4493360
Increasing max HP is detrimental in FF2 since most lategame enemies do damage as a percentage of your maximum HP.
The higher your max HP the more potions you have to drink to heal yourself.

What are the top 10 retro JRPGs?

>>4493562
do your own research youtuber scum

>>4491705
WA2 is awesome. I'll always remember the game by my first exposition to bro-sis incest in a vidya gaem.

>>4493686
Eh, that's an interesting topic to discuss.
I think my first was Lunar, but I'm not sure if it counts, since they are not blood-related. They grew up together since they were infants, though.

>>4493686
Tell me its none of that non blood related shit

>>4493686
>I have never felt closer to my brother than tonight

She got that right.

>>4493841
Pretty sure they are related.

>>4493686
You didn't play Pokemon?
With all the sibling breeding in G/S/C I wouldn't be surprised if half the Pokes were born retarded.

Alright so in the last decade I went from playing more basic stuff like the Dragon Quest series to games with some more content and sidequesting like Suikoden II. Last game that I could be interested by was Golden Sun. Right now I'm just looking for random shit but nothing has caught my eye so far.

Is there anything not so popular (as it is likely I probably played it before) that does have a lot of content and sidequests that you might recommend?

>>4494114
>Last game that I could be interested by was Golden Sun.

GS a shit

>>4494114
Make this fun. Throw us some favorites and dislikes.

>>4478586
Paladin's Quest is pretty average and can get pretty hard later on if you don't have the right characters in your party. I say it is worth a play through once though.

I still need to try Lennus 2, it looks better.

>>4494126
Aight let's see off the top of my head

I liked:
DQIV, V, VI, VII
FFV, VII, IX
GS1/2
Skies of Arcadia
Suikoden I and II
Earthbound

I disliked or couldn't really get into:
Wild Arms 1
Grandia
Phantasy Star 1
FFVI, don't ask me why
Saga Frontier (this one is not uninteresting I'm just a low IQ pleb)
Star Ocean
Tales of Phantasia

>>4488118
>romhacking.net sjws
First time I ever heard of this.

>>4494162
Wow your dislike list wipes out most of the non-traditional JRPGs.

Off the top of my head:
- Breath of Fire (I/II/III) is fairly "traditional" in some ways, so that might worth a shot.
- How do you feel about Lufias?
- Maybe give Tales of Destiny/Eternia a shot?
- You probably won't like Arc the Lad or Xenogears?

>>4494176
Regarding BoF I'm not sure, because everyone tells me to play a different entry in the series.

I remember liking Lufia a bit but I don't remember why I dropped it at all.

I'll give Tales of Destiny a try maybe

Forgot about Xenogears, I recognize its quality but not really that interesting to me

Many thanks

>>4494175
Not sure about the people in charge being like that but there's a few hacks there with "political corrections", if you could call them that. God forbid there's some word in some old game that might sound a little bit offensive to 13 people out there.

Boys, I really like JRPGs. I like them a lot, I like them a ton.

Is there any JRPG that made you genuinely laugh at least once

>>4494176
Breath of Fire I/II are fairly traditional, except with the MC having Dragon ability. BoFII gets more ability gimmicks later on.

BoF III has more systems, but it's super charming at the start. Hell, you should play it just for the first couple hours, it's super cozy.

>>4472116
Yes. Before you ask about the versions: GBC for 1-3 and DS for 4-6.

>>4471681
In 2018, I'll play the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy titles that I still didn't beat until fourth generation.
FF: II, III and IV
DQ: II, III and VI

>>4494193
out loud? no
but SMRPG did make me grin

>>4494193
I always laugh at how much of a jackass Ryudo is to everyone in Grandia 2.

How is Dragoon X Omega?

What are you guys playing this fine Réveillon?

>>4494183
Oh, I see what you mean. Don't even know why someone would waste time to do this and as I said before I never noticed anything like this.

I don't go there as often as I did. Just not playing a lot of hacks or new translations recently.

>>4494193
Tales of Abyss, though not retro. Only real lol moment was with Guy near the end of the game, but Jade really made that game great overall for multiple reasons.

BoF2's encounter rate is starting to wear on me in some of these dungeons.

>>4494423
I'm already used to high random encounter rates in older JRPGs, the thing that annoyed the hell out of me was the constant unfusing after a major plot scene.
>Oh, I guess I'll have to backtrack through the whole final dungeon to change my party and fuse everyone again, uh? Oops, boss scene, oops, unfused again.

>>4494430
I'm not even far enough to fuse. I'd be fine with the higher rate if battles only took a few seconds, but it's at least a minute per fight due to all the long attack animations against weak garbage mobs and I just want to advance the game.

>>4494430

Yeah that was straight bullshit. As soon as I unfused the first I let out a loud FUCK NO and just powered my way through the final stretch with normal mode characters. Thank fuck for Bleu