Retro JRPGs

[Anonymous No.4299356]

Wow I think I just came to the realization that I've never played a jrpg besides Pokémon.

Hell I'm the type of guy who likes anime and story focused games so I feel like I'm truly missing out.

If you had to pick your personal top 5 favorite retro jrpgs what would they be? For the purposes of this thread if pokemon is among them you can leave it out.

[Anonymous No.4299361]

Just google "top 10 jrps" and you'll find scores of lists with basically all the same shit.

[Anonymous No.4299362]

>>4299361
Or you could take 5 seconds to tell me about your personal list so hopefully my scop extends beyond chrono trigger and final fantasy 6/7

[Anonymous No.4299375]

>>4299356
>Hell I'm the type of guy who likes anime and story focused games so I feel like I'm truly missing out.
Can't help you there, we have radically opposite taste, but you'd be fine checking the franchises in your pic.

Besides, these threads usually end up in shitposting wars.

[Anonymous No.4299376]

>>4299362
Okay. Fine
Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy 9
Chrono Trigger

Go nuts.

[Anonymous No.4299382]

Games you must play:
- Chrono Trigger
- Final Fantasy 6
- Final Fantasy 7
- Earthbound
- Kingdom Hearts

My personal favorites:
- Panzer Dragoon Saga
- Suikoden II
- Xenogears
- Secret of Mana
- Super Mario RPG

[Anonymous No.4299384]

Panzer Dragoon
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy VII
Super Mario RPG
Chrono trigger

[Anonymous No.4299392]

Chrono Trigger
Shining Force 2
The Legend of Dragoon
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Skies of Arcadia

[Anonymous No.4299396]

>>4299356
Star Ocean series
Legend of Mana
Tales series
Grandia
Chrono Trigger

If you're just looking for that anime-ness:
Lunar
Sakura taisen (had an OVA and a TV series)
Dragon Quest
Thousand Arms
Wild Arms (specifically 2, it even had a prologue show called Twilight Venom)
Persona series
Final Fantasy series

[Anonymous No.4299401]

Can I just say that Chrono Trigger is infinitely better than Final Fantasy VI? It upsets me that they are regarded to be on the same level

[Anonymous No.4299406]

>>4299401
You can say it. It's wrong, but you can still say it.

[Anonymous No.4299410]

>>4299401
>It upsets me that they are regarded to be on the same level
They are, it might upset you all you want, but they are the same exact kind of product at the end of the day.

[Anonymous No.4299416]

>>4299401
FF5 > FF6 > CT >>>> FF4 as far as SNES Square JRPGs go

[Anonymous No.4299417]

>>4299401
I mean you're correct but neither of them are as good as Lagoon for SNES so...

[Anonymous No.4299419]

>>4299356
Star Ocean 2
Final Fantasy 7
Super Mario RPG

[Anonymous No.4299421]

>>4299416
funny, the reverse order would be more accurate

[Anonymous No.4299424]

>>4299419
oh i forgot one
Chrono Cross

[Anonymous No.4299429]

>>4299416
Ys 3 > Lagoon > Secret of Mana > Radical Dreamers > Chrono Trigger > Super Mario RPG >>>>>>>>>> Final Fantasy 4 > Final Fantasy 5 >>>>>>> Final Fantasy 6 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest >>>>>> Earthbound

Objective best SNES RPGs. No fucking debate to be had.

[Anonymous No.4299430]

>>4299396
almost forgot
>mecha anime tropes & references: the game

[Anonymous No.4299450]

Vagrant Story :^)

[Anonymous No.4299452]

>>4299429
>2 shitty ports of JP pc games with inferior video and sound = best SNES RPG???
>worst Ys game - a side-scroller what the fuck were they thinking!!!
>a sound novel because muh chrono

How about you name a game that is exclusive to the system, like Dark Law or Dual Orb 2?

[Anonymous No.4299453]

>>4299429
Huh. interesting to see Lagoon even mentioned, let alone that high on someone's list.

[Anonymous No.4299454]

>>4299416
Swap FF6 and CT and I agree. FF5 is awesome.

>>4299421
FF4 is the most skin and bones, basic RPG in history.

>>4299429
>>>/a/
>>>/jp/

[Anonymous No.4299458]

>>4299452
>Dual Orb 2
That's a pretty unremarkable game though, it does look very, very pretty, but that's about it.

[Anonymous No.4299467]

Judge whatever you want but it's undeniable that the best JRPG of all time is Final Fantasy VII

What Ocarina of time is to action adventure
What Mario 64 is to platformers

[Anonymous No.4299469]

>>4299452
Ys 3 is the best on SNES because of the controller and it being hard due to enemies taking off massive chunks of your health. The side-scrolling aspects make it stand out from the rest of the samey series.

Radical Dreamers is better than Chrono Trigger because it has wacky scenarios that are completely different.

Dark Law and Dual Orb 2 are two of the shittiest games I've ever tried. You criticize my taste yet yours is even more contrarian, good luck getting others to dickride your post now.

[Anonymous No.4299472]

>>4299467
None of those three games are good though, they just appealed to normies due to (((mass marketing))) and their quality is a myth, the public was brainwashed by (((them))) into believing they were good games.

[Anonymous No.4299475]

OP here

okay so I decided to start my jrpg journey with Chrono Trigger. Anything I should know before jumping in? It's a big time investment and I have a million games to play so it's not like I'll be replaying it in the next 10 years so I wanna ensure I get the most out of it. Just making sure I won't miss out on, let's say an important party member or a huge chunk of story by not doing some super obscure thing I'll never figure on my first playthrough.

[Anonymous No.4299482]

>>4299453
Nasir's great character development, the plot twists, unforgettable music that captures the tone of each area/scene, eye watering colors, depth added by the jump feature, and difficult to master combat system with chess-like limited movement make it one of the best games I've ever played.

[Anonymous No.4299486]

>>4299454
FF4 is so basic it featured character death, plot twists, a dozen playable characters with their own functions who develop and even change skills over the course of the game, a variety of music that is taught today in Japanese schools, hidden secrets with less than 1% drops, and more than one overworld. It's by far the best FF game other than 11.

[Anonymous No.4299487]

>>4299475
Don't play the PS1/PSP port. The access pauses are horrible.
Also, the enemy of your enemy is your friend. Consider NOT killing them if you have the chance.

[Anonymous No.4299493]

>>4299486
>FF4 is so basic it featured character death, plot twists, a dozen playable characters with their own functions who develop and even change skills over the course of the game
These are all true for every FF other than 1 and maybe 3 except "a dozen characters", which is dumb in the first place (give me 4-5 characters I love, not ten I only kind of get to know), and 6 did it better even though it's dumb then too.

[Anonymous No.4299494]

>>4299475
CT is the most replayable RPG in existence so it'll be tough. My only suggestions are...

>When you get a choice to fight Magus on a cliff, choose not to fight him
>Be mindful of your actions in the fair at the beginning of the game
>Do every sidequest you can at the end of the game if you can, you can talk to the Guru at the end of time and he'll tell you which ones are left
>New game+ mode requires you to only take a few hours to unlock every other ending
>The DS version and SNES version each have their pros and cons. SNES version has a cheesier but more memorable translation thanks partially to Frog's accent and better sound quality. CT on DS has some extra content and is a more direct translation. However the DS version has worse audio and the quality of the extra content is love-it-or-hate it. Don't even try the PS1 or iOS/Android ports.
>Press LARA on your controller when you get to that Lucca scene. You'll know what I mean when you get to it.
>Start using Ayla after you reach the ice area. She makes the prison area MUCH easier.

[Anonymous No.4299495]

>>4299454
I already use /a/ and /jp/ by the by.

[Anonymous No.4299507]

>>4299469
>Dark Law and Dual Orb 2 are two of the shittiest games I've ever tried.
Dual Orb 2 is unremarkable and so is the first one, but Dark Law is better than anything on your list, especially when you think a Sound Novel like RD is a RPG.
Also funny how you call other people contrarians and yet your first point is that YS3 is good because it's not like the other games in the series.

Then again, as I predicted the thread rapidly devolved in shitposting, so I'm not really surprised.
>>4299475
>Anything I should know before jumping in?
The game has checkpoint endings and one point where you can choose to kill or recruit a character, that's pretty much it, it's babby's first JRPG for everything else so don't worry about missing anything, it doesn't really have any replay value either.
>>4299486
>FF4 is so basic it featured character death
It didn't, none of those characters even die, and all of those were literally cloned from FF2, where they actually died too.
>plot twists, a dozen playable characters with their own functions who develop and even change skills over the course of the game
> hidden secrets with less than 1% drops, and more than one overworld.
All of this has been done before and better by a lot of games.

[Anonymous No.4299508]

>>4299469
>plays JRPGs that weren't released outside of Japan
>contrarian

[Anonymous No.4299510]

>>4299493
FF1 and 3 didn't have any main characters die. Nobody has ever gotten more than 30 minutes into 2 without killing themselves so it's impossible to verify those claims. 4 predated 5 and 6 so you can't use them to say 4 sucks for not doing it better. Also all of the characters in 4 are very well developed and three dimensional. It's no Lagoon or Radical Dreamers but it's still better than any (((classic literature.)))

[Anonymous No.4299518]

>>4299507
Radical Dreamers allows for turn-based combat but not in the way you'd expect.

Dark Law has a 3.25/5 on GameFAQs and the magic system alone ruins it. It's very disjointed because it's just a bunch of mini-scenarios, not as shitty as Live a Live though.

I never said my opinions weren't contrarian, but the fact is he tried acting like he was any better than me for having obscure opinions.

Also if nobody in 4 died, please explain Tellah and his daughter to start with. It doesn't matter if the others survived in the end because I still cried massive tears when I THOUGHT they died.

Again, you can't just say other games did it better because FF4 did it first, therefore it's better than them.

[Anonymous No.4299521]

>>4299487
>>4299487
Gotcha, thanks

Here's what I currently know about the game/been spoiled by years of browsing 4chan
- there's time travel
- the characters are notgoku, notbulma, a robot, a toad, a cavegirl and edgelord mcgee with a scythe
- there's a scene where they are all around a fire in the forest
- the end boss is a spiky green thing in the water

I'll report back later to give my impressions if this thread is still alive then.

[Anonymous No.4299523]

>>4299508
You're mainly a contrarian because you think games like Dark Law (which has a very low score on GameFAQS) are better than flawless masterpieces like Ys 3 and Lagoon.

[Anonymous No.4299524]

>>4299458
That's actually what I enjoyed the most about it especially the in-battle graphics, which was great because you pretty much fight an enemy every 3 to 4 steps. Too bad that besides the pretty graphics the battles are pretty boring, and not just because they are repetitive and numerous.

[Anonymous No.4299527]

>>4299510
>FF1 and 3 didn't have any main characters die.
No shit, I literally said that in my post. Where is your reading comprehension?

[Anonymous No.4299528]

>>4299524
I'd enjoy Dual Orb 2 more if it wasn't Jewish propaganda imo.

[Anonymous No.4299536]

>>4299527
Shut the fuck up you spineless brat, I was playing RPGs while you were still in diapers. Go back to Poogaymon, faggot.

[Anonymous No.4299537]

id recommend dragon quest caravan hearts for gameboy advance

not a top rpg by any stretch, but its one where grinding gets you nowhere, you have to figure out the story in order to progress

[Anonymous No.4299538]

>>4299523
>i tired a game but didn't play the whole thing so its shit
>oh wait no i just looked up the score on gamefags i never played it its shit

How the hell are the worst Ys game and Adventures of Wet Noodle Boy flawless? Lagoon is literally an early Ys ripoff but you can actually swing the sword and jump. It's really a shame that someone who plays and enjoys games outside the mainstream popular titles is contrarian for actually enjoying them.

[Anonymous No.4299545]

>>4299510
>Also all of the characters in 4 are very well developed and three dimensional
The only characters who have any sort of development in IV are Cecil, Kain, Rydia and Edge, and even among them only Kain has any significant development.
Gordon alone has more and most importantly, better development than any character in FFIV, I don't really get what you're getting at.
>Dark Law has a 3.25/5 on GameFAQs
What is that supposed to mean?
>the magic system alone ruins it.
The magic system is great, I don't know what you're talking about.
>It's very disjointed because it's just a bunch of mini-scenarios
Outside of that being not true, especially since the very first scenario alone explicitly ties into the main plot, that's not a negative point.
>please explain Tellah and his daughter to start with
I'll give you Tellah, but his daughter died offscreen, before the events of the game, do you also count Rydia's parents in the body count?
>It doesn't matter if the others survived in the end because I still cried massive tears when I THOUGHT they died.
And that has nothing to do with the basic fact that nobody but Tellah actually dies, or that FFII did it before, and better.
>because FF4 did it first
Take a deep breath and think before you post.

[Anonymous No.4299546]

>>4299538
I played 30 full minutes of it, I could've spent that time fucking my wife in the shower but instead I wasted half an hour I'll never get back playing a boring game that even GameFAQs confirmed is garbage for me.

I've already explained how Ys 3 and Lagoon are high-brow entertainment, kiddies like you just can't wrap your brain around their complexities.

[Anonymous No.4299558]

>>4299536
>has to resort to calling names because he can't read
Never played a Pokémon game and while I'm probably younger than you I probably make more than twice as much as you. Neck yourself.

[Anonymous No.4299571]

>>4299545
>Golbez has a plot twist where it turns out he's not brainwashed and is even Cecil's brother, it was very mindblowing to find out the biggest threat was the one with the biggest connection to the protagonist
>Cecil has a huge redemption arc. The transformation scene from Dark Knight to Paladin still brings tears to my eyes and he has to deal with losing his allies over the course of the game but must keep charging forward.
>Rosa has to deal with thoughts of her love Cecil being killed in action before becoming a competent companion herself for his sake.
>Yang is very devoted to his wife to the point of being willing to sacrifice his life for the world, plus he has men who are loyal to him for his actions.
>Cid is a great mechanic who happens to be friends with Cecil and steers him in the right direction like a mentor figure before being willing to sacrifice his life.
>Palom and Porom are overconfident and mature for their age despite their outward interactions, signifying hidden depths. This renders their sacrifice heartbreaking.
>Tellah's tale is an extremely deep and complex one of a man who seeks vengeance which only comes back to end his life.
>Edward goes from being a coward to putting his life on the line for his teammates' sake.

Really FF4 arguably has the deepest cast of characters in fiction. I doubt you've even played the game.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

That GameFAQs only confirms I was right. First impressions are everything and Dark Law failed to impress. The magic is complicated for the sake of being complicated. It's a negative point because unlike undisputed masterpieces like FF4, it renders the character development less interesting and makes it feel like playing unrelted games.

You literally find Tellah's daughter dead in the game. I'd count Rydia's parents as well.

How did FF2 do it better when the entire party died against the black knights and the rest of the game is a dying dream from Firion? It's the same story as FF8.

[Anonymous No.4299578]

>>4299521
IMHO, it's better to just play CT blind the first time through (just as with any game).
Also, don't feel obligated to play everything here. Just pick one that seems to be recommended a lot, then try it. If it's not entertaining you, try something else.

[Anonymous No.4299582]

>>4299546
>it's the best because of the controller
>wacky scenarios
>a game about running right the whole time while holding Y and then left sometimes while still holding Y is too high brow compared to a game with an actual plot and characters
>a game about waving a wet noodle at snowy owl is the next coming of macbeth

It's like watching the first 15 minutes of a hour and a half movie and walking out and saying "this thing is shit compared to those ones that i watched all the way through". It's like cutting a piece off a painting and saying "it's shit" because you only saw one tiny disconnected part of it. That's like hearing 3 bars of a composition and saying "ah this shit is fucking non complex and garbage" because you didn't listen to the whole thing.

Now I know you're full of shit because you bring in "your wife" and "kiddies". Go be a faggot somewhere else and let people actually talk about games.

>only lasting 30 minutes

[Anonymous No.4299583]

>>4299578
I'm actually glad he's starting with normie bait like Chrono Trigger so that when he does eventually get to high brow games like Lagoon, Secret of Mana, and Ys 3, he'll have a better frame of comparison.

[Anonymous No.4299603]

>>4299582
>Implying the controller isn't a legitimate factor in the experience
>Implying Lynx eating his own spaceship or a talking sunflower aren't wacky scenarios
>Implying Dark Law has actual plot or characters
>Implying Ys 3 doesn't require strategy and that sidescrolling isn't better than turn-based combat RPG-wise
>Implying that's the entire story and that MacBeth's story even remotely compares to Lagoon's or Ys 3's in quality

Nigga if I only watch the first 15 minutes of a movie and it's something like a painfully cringe-worthy (((Marvel movie))) then that's all I need to see. It'd still be better than Dark Law but that's not saying much.

Don't bring my family into this dick face, they have nothing to do with this.

I think it should count for at least a few days worth of play time, because while my Mac emulator said I had only been playing for over half an hour, it felt like an eternity.

[Anonymous No.4299608]

>>4299571
I don't really understand what you find in making shallow shitposting like that, it's not even funny and it actually works against you and makes this board a shittier place, you really sound like a redditor trying too hard with ironic shitposting.

[Anonymous No.4299616]

There is actually a pretty good ROM hack for Chrono Trigger, that Crimson Echos shit. Thank god they made it because the original game, while still a great game, was way to easy compared to some other RPGs. I mean by the time you get to Lavos the game is pretty much a joke, and he isn't the hardest boss to deal with. I think he is actually the only boss in the game that you actually have to strategize and improvise with on the spot. Now the hack, well the story is pretty bad actually since it is written by amateur writers from 3rd world countries but the combat took a turn towards a much needed improvement. Character skills and abilities are changed, enemies are much stronger and each type of enemy requires a different strategy aside from Attack until they die, healing items are much more difficult to find and more expensive so most of the time you are forced either spend that money on tents, explore to find items or rest at inn more so than just spamming potions or whatever.

[Anonymous No.4299635]

>>4299603
>brings family into conversation
>has nothing to do with it

Like I said you can't make a valued assessment of a contained work of art with just looking at it for a minute or two. You said you played the game for 30 minutes, which the game actually takes roughly 50+ depending on how you play it. How can you make an educated judgement on the plot of the game if you only saw the first 30 minutes of a 50+ hour game?

Also

>shakespeare is worse than lagoon and Ys 3

Wow now I know you're trolling.

[Anonymous No.4299637]

>>4299608
>I can't correctly pick apart your posts so I'll just say you're shitposting
>While I'm defending a game that has a 3/5 on GameFAQs of all places and nobody cares about even in the SNES RPG community.

You're the one making this place shittier by using buzzwords like shitposting to try and derail arguments.

[Anonymous No.4299643]

>>4299616
>playing jrpgs for the gameplay
lol

[Anonymous No.4299647]

>>4299635
Because first impressions are the most important thing.

And nah nigga I read Shakespeare in school it was the most boring shit ever, he plagiarized all of his works anyways so I don't know why you're whiteknighting his crusty old skeletal cock.

[Anonymous No.4299652]

>>4299647
>boring
>too stupid to understand shakespeare
ftfy

And that is why you prefer colorful Japanese toys made for 10 year olds

[Anonymous No.4299654]

>>4299571
>Really FF4 arguably has the deepest cast of characters in fiction

Is someone really taking this bait?

[Anonymous No.4299656]

JRPGs are one of those genres I like the idea of enjoying, but find myself largely disillusioned when actually playing. There are cool ones, but even those always drag on for too long and become tedious. If there ever was a genre that needed shorter, more tightly focused games, it's this one. The gameplay, in most cases, simply doesn't offer enough depth to keep me glued for 40+ hours like a 90s western RPG. I think I've completed like... 3 of them out of all the ones I've played, and those were all 8-bit.

[Anonymous No.4299657]

>>4299652
Explain how (((Shakespeare))) is "deep" faggot. Romeo and Juliet is about two teenagers who kill themselves because they can fuck (wow so three dimensional) while Hamlet is about a white privilege white boy who kills his uncle for cucking his dad. The only reason people pretend his works (which again, are plagiarized anyways) are deep is because nobody can fucking understand his shitty old English writing. They're basic stories people read a synopsis of on Wikipedia then act like they know the meaning of life.

[Anonymous No.4299660]

>>4299656
agreed

Undertale was successful because it removed the tediousness out of the genre

[Anonymous No.4299662]

>>4299654
Even if it's bait it's the smartest post in this thread :/

[Anonymous No.4299668]

>>4299660
Godly taste, anon. INB4 some faggot tries saying Earthbound was better.

[Anonymous No.4299671]

>>4299571
>How did FF2 do it better when the entire party died against the black knights and the rest of the game is a dying dream from Firion?
This is your way to avoid comparing FF2's cast with FF4's because you know which one would win.

[Anonymous No.4299679]

>>4299657
Shakespeare is appreciated because of his masterful handling of language and verse, not amazing plot development. There is no easy way to explain this without getting a feel for well-crafted poetry and meter. It's like Joyce writing a book that consists of nothing but mundane commoner life, but his prose is so fucking good that it's the best thing you've ever read. Generally, this is the main reason to read the western canon, if you just want muh plot you can easily stick with contemporary fantasy.

[Anonymous No.4299680]

>>4299356
>Final Fantasy 9
>Chrono Cross
>Parasite Eve
>Koudelka
>Legend of Dragoon

[Anonymous No.4299682]

>>4299671
The one with real characters beat Firion's dying vision with his imaginary friends. How am I avoiding it? Even If we pretend FF2 really happened beyond the intro, that dumbass Minwu sacrificed his life for a glitched spell, Ricard is worse Kain, Josef died to a boulder like a little bitch boi, and I can't even remember who else "died" because the characters are just that forgettable.

[Anonymous No.4299687]

>>4299679
(((Shakespeare)))

[Anonymous No.4299703]

>>4299682
>that dumbass Minwu sacrificed his life for a glitched spell
>Josef died to a boulder like a little bitch boi
Not to different from any other sacrifice in IV, you can see where did they get the inspiration.
>Ricard is worse Kain
Ricard is consistent. Who thought Kain made sense? "Now i'm your friend, now not, lololol!"
One of the strong points in 2 is that not every character has to be modeled after your teenager anime, where every character has some sort of trauma. Ricard fought in your side without the requirement of knowing if he was touched when he was a child or not.

[Anonymous No.4299713]

>>4299703
Kain went through brainwashing and had his dark secrets capitalized on to corrupt him, an arc that would reach its conclusion in TAY. Kain even looks to the sky in the end regretting things that weren't necessarily his fault. Ricard has no such qualities. Again, play the game.

Tellah went out by casting meteor in his daughter's name and managed to actually harm Golbez, which was the first hint to the player Golbez wasn't so invincible after all. It instilled hope in the player.

Cid launched a bunch of fucking bombs to close an overworld and Kain took an earthquake that split a continent apart. Those are way better deaths than basic shit in FF2.

[Anonymous No.4299717]

>Still replying to the redditor
When will you people learn when it's time to stop?
He doesn't want to have any serious discussion, he just wants your attention.

[Anonymous No.4299753]

>>4299717
I never used Reddit. I just want people to stop buying into hype culture and start looking at games with their own eyes. People only shit on my favorite games because they didn't have the same exposure or critical raving.

[Anonymous No.4299782]

Discuss

[Anonymous No.4299790]

>>4299753
What does that even mean? How do you judge a game in the terms you want it to be, other than your own appreciation and enjoyment?

[Anonymous No.4299796]

>>4299790
I think my opinions are some of the if not the best thought out because I played them when they were new and didn't have a pre-determined internet slate.

[Anonymous No.4299803]

>>4299356
Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG are usually the best start points. They're both made for beginners in mind

[Anonymous No.4299836]

My favourites include Fire Emblem 5, Romancing SaGa 2, Langrisser IV, and Front Mission 2. But I wouldn't recommend them at all.

[Anonymous No.4299841]

>>4299836
Is Langrisser 4 Der Langrisser?

[Anonymous No.4299843]

>>4299657
>this is the typical mentality and intellectual level of the average JRPG player

[Anonymous No.4299849]

>>4299841
No, Der Langrisser is the SNES version of Langrisser II. It's a great place to start the series, particularly for JRPG fans who aren't as fixated on TRPGs as I am, but I like gameplay and music in the mega drive version more.

Langrisser IV is on the saturn and ps1.

[Anonymous No.4299850]

>>4299616
Anyone played any of the rom hacks that just attempt to fix bugs and balance the gameplay of the original chrono trigger without fucking with the story? Something like FFVI's Brave New World

[Anonymous No.4299851]

>>4299836
>My favourites include Fire Emblem 5, Romancing SaGa 2, Langrisser IV, and Front Mission 2
My nigger

[Anonymous No.4299864]

>>4299843
Are you really offended because of brackets around your precious author's name? KYS.

[Anonymous No.4299920]

>>4299657
Stupid nigger doesn't even realize that Romeo and Juliet was just a retelling of Pyramus and Thisbe.

[Anonymous No.4299964]

>>4299656
It's the other way around for me, the only WRPG series with gameplay I liked was Might and Magic.
But I get where you're coming from, I dislike JRPGs with content bloat and too much story focus too, like DQ after the 4th game.

[Anonymous No.4299973]

>>4299920
Did you miss the part where I pointed out all of his works are just plagiarized?

[Anonymous No.4300012]

>>4299713
Yes, they are better deaths and backgrounds for edgy teens. In the future you will look FF2 with different eyes.

[Anonymous No.4300013]

>>4299964
Early DQs are also my favorite in the genre. I've always felt that for DQ, grindy random encounters and classic turn-based combat make perfect sense and the whole game is designed around making it interesting. Your inventory is limited, making long dungeon-delving an exercise in attrition. Every magic point counts, since you can't just quaff one of your 50 mana potions and erase the tension. Debuff spells are very useful and balancing them with necessary heals is a meaningful choice on an expedition. Also, the lack of auto-targetting in battle is another simple but very effective mechanic which stops you from mindlessly pressing attack. Finally, nattles are fast and without fancy bullshit and waiting around - it's amazing how many games fail to realize the basic fact that attacks should be quick.
If you removed any one of these things, the system crumbles, like in the remakes. Dungeons turn into tedium when you don't have to prioritize anything.
So, to me most later SNES/PS1 etc. RPGs feel like they're simply following a tradition, and the DQ combat is tacked on because lel it works. They could have had different combat just as well, because the encounters provide no meaningful value to the game. I'd rather play Secret of Mana than a failed DQ ripoff on the SNES.

[Anonymous No.4300042]

Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy 9
Chrono Trigger

[Anonymous No.4300092]

>>4299356
In no particular order
>Chrono Trigger
>Skies of Arcadia
>Super Mario RPG
>Dragon Quest 8 (not technically retro but in spirit it certainly is)
>Probably a Final Fantasy. Let's say 7, just because the atmosphere and music are based as fuck, and the materia system is probably the best gimmick square ever pulled out of their ass.

[Anonymous No.4300113]

>>4300092
Skip Chrono Trigger, it's an incredibly overhyped game by its rapid fanbase. Only the story and art direction are good, the game mechanics might as well not even exist. Every normal combat in this game is completely pointless and presents no challenge, not long into the game you get instakill moves that you can freely use on every monster. The things that happen in-between the story elements are total tedium. Ideally, I'd have just included the boss fights for a unique experience.

[Anonymous No.4300131]

>>4300113
>implying jrpgs are for the gameplay
If you're going to nitpick gameplay, then most jrpgs should be skipped, since 90% of a time it's just a vehicle to deliver story, music and atmosphere, which is where the real joy of a JRPG is anyway. I mean, if you're going to discount Chrono Trigger on those grounds, than you should probably write-off every other JRPG on my list. None of them are particularly deep or challenging when it comes to gameplay.

Besides, I'm not even a part of the "rabid fanbase". I only played it for the first time a few years ago (I hated RPGs as a kid), and it definitely holds up. The game has a great sense of adventure, mystery and progression, along with the amazing graphics and sound, it's just a fun game to play.

[Anonymous No.4300157]

>>4299356
I don't understand, are we listing our favorites for you to try or something? Because if that's what you want then my list would be very different but, in no particular order:

Valkyrie Profile
Final Fantasy VI
Grandia 2
Skies of Arcadia
Breath of Fire IV

If you like anime in your JRPGs then the Tales series (especially the later titles), Star Ocean and the Persona series (especially the later titles) would be great for you.

>>4300113
I'm not the biggest fan of Chrono Trigger but saying that the game mechanics "might as well not even exist" is pretty silly. Even if I agree that it's shallow, Chrono Trigger tried to do more with its gameplay than a lot of JRPGs at the time.

Chrono Trigger is only good from Zeal onwards. The rest of the game is a resounding meh.

[Anonymous No.4300170]

>>4300131
>just a vehicle to deliver story, music and atmosphere, which is where the real joy of a JRPG is anyway
you might as well say that you enjoy porn for the writing.

The reason I dumped so much time into games like FF5 and SaGa Frontier is the great gameplay design.

[Anonymous No.4300203]

>>4300131
A significant, even majority part of a typical jRPG is spent fighting monster encounters. By saying that jRPGs are only worth playing for the "story" and "atmosphere", you are essentially claiming that the entire mechanic of combat is extra busywork that serves no purpose other than separating the story sequences. How is that supposed to make a decent game? If the whole enjoyment of Chrono Trigger comes from things outside of combat, then it should have been made as an adventure game.

Look, I'm not saying they need to be hardcore dungeon crawlers. I'm saying that the whole purpose of monster encounters in a jRPG is to provide some kind of obstacle for the player during his travels, making him utilize the given combat options to mitigate his losses. During an expedition from one location to the other, encounters should steadily remove the player's available resources, whether health, magic or items, and increase the tension. Separate monster encounters, that on their own don't necessarily present a viable threat, cumulatively damage him. Relief, and therefore accomplishment, comes from reaching a destination that allows full restoration. There is *some* element of challenge.
These are all things that every good game in the genre provides, and they're not rocket science. Phantasy Star and Dragon Warrior figured this out.

[Anonymous No.4300209]

>>4300203
>you are essentially claiming that the entire mechanic of combat is extra busywork that serves no purpose other than separating the story sequences. How is that supposed to make a decent game?
That's exactly what I'm saying. JRPG is a terrible fucking genre.

[Anonymous No.4300210]

>>430020
cont.

My problem, therefore, is that Chrono Trigger presents no challenge from its encounters. None of them are even slightly concerning, nor is there a tense element produced by randomness since they're all scripted. The function of monster encounters is therefore pure busywork before reaching a goal. The only tense moments appear in a boss fight. Ultimately, the threat of dying is not provided by cumulatively taking damage during exploration, but from single powerful encounters which are preceded by a save point. This is absolutely fine in principle, but then *every* fight should have been designed like that, instead of boring busywork. Get me?

The thing is, too many jRPGs were designed like this, and are therefore boring beyond belief. This sucks because if NES incarnations of the genre fundamentally understood what makes such a combat mechanic tick, why did the supposed future masterpieces fail at it so much? This is my main gripe with the whole bunch.

[Anonymous No.4300260]

>>4299401
>Muh Chrono

Short, Linear, Easy.
CT is completely outclassed by FF6, which itself isn't even in the top 5 SNES RPGs.
Only reason CT is so popular (Reddit's favorite game) is because it has good presentation that keeps on flowing despite any lack of skill from the player.
Normies are wowed by CT for the same reason they were of FF7 on the PSX, good graphics and sound for the console.
FF7 at least has the materia system (CT has no meaningful character customization) and a fleshed out world (CT has a series of theme park attractions).

[Anonymous No.4300270]

>>4299571
>Dead people meme

I was following you, but then you went full retard.

[Anonymous No.4300271]

>>4299782
I liked it.

[Anonymous No.4300278]

>>4300210
Try playing the game at a lower level. You will find out a lot of spells you would never touch are suddenly really good.

[Anonymous No.4300323]

>>4300260
>weeb neckbeards trying to be elitist and pretending that any JRPG is actually difficult or requires any level of skill beyond simple resource management.
LOL.

[Anonymous No.4300394]

>>4300323
They're not particularly difficult, no, and there are many games you could play for a genuinely hard experience, like crpg blobbers.
But that's, for me at least, the whole artistry of a good jRPG game, providing you with real tension and resource management during an expedition, but within safe limits. And afterwards patting you on the head with some story/flavor. A sort of illusion of achievement.

Basically it comes down to a streamlined, casual approach to a classic dungeon crawl, and that's fine with me. Take for instance any dungeon in Dragon Warrior 3. Almost all of them, I'd exit with 0 magic points and battered characters, relief flooding me as I teleport or walk back to town. But what are the consequences here? After all, dying in DQ only sends you to a temple with halved gold and kept experience. But therein lies the skinnerbox, the mechanics wouldn't work nearly as well if they just made you load a save. If that was the case, I'd just keep it safe and grind easy monsters until I went mad. But no, you're supposed to go and find stronger spawns, taking your chances because it's worth the exp. Meticulously stocking up on a million restoratives before going into a dungeon, is uninteresting. Fuck it, just go into that dungeon, conserve your resources for healing, and fight the monsters as long as you can make it. Should you go back when you're getting weak on health, or risk losing gold to try and complete the dungeon? Your call.
The game, and much of the series as a whole, works so well because it beautifully works within simple jrpg mechanics. Even if it had no story it would still be fun. That's mastery.

[Anonymous No.4300436]

>>4299356
>chrono trigger
>grandia
>xenogears
>ff7 and ff6
>phantasy star 1
>dragon quest 5

[Anonymous No.4300449]

>>4299382
>- Kingdom Hearts
not a jrpg

[Anonymous No.4300735]

>>4300449
>Kingdom Hearts (Japanese: キングダム ハーツ Hepburn: Kingudamu Hātsu) is a series of crossover action role-playing games owned by Disney Interactive Studios and developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square).

>Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. (株式会社スクウェア・エニックス・ホールディングス Kabushiki gaisha Sukuwea Enikkusu Hōrudingusu) is a Japanese video game developer, publisher, and distribution company that is best known for its role-playing video game franchises, which include Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts.

[Anonymous No.4300772]

I've been reading through this thread and I can get a good idea of what I might want to play, but can anyone give me their best suggestions on a story-driven JRPG that fully immerses you? It's been years since I've played an RPG of any sort that I just didn't want to put down for hours at a time. Bonus points for having to travel the world over, in-game, a la classic Final Fantasy. Not a fan of games that just throw you into the area you need to go to.

[Anonymous No.4300951]

>>4300772
Dude, play Breath of Fire IV. It is a phenomenal game all around. Hell, assuming you like FFV based on your pic it even has a system where your party can enroll under a "master" and learn certain special abilities, it's a interesting take on a job system without making it a full job system. It has gorgous visuals, an amazing combat system that let's you creat combos, and a beautiful and meaningful story that had a lot of careful work put into it.

[Anonymous No.4300992]

>>4299356
I don't even need 5 since everything other than Chrono Trigger is a step down in almost every way.

[Anonymous No.4301028]

>>4300992
Dude, CT damn is good but other games have come out that are better. It's still a fantastic game but it's natural that even it would be improved upon.

[Anonymous No.4301062]

>>4300951
I have it downloaded actually, I'll have to go and play it. I just know some vague details about (end-game spoiler I assume) Ryu and the villain are like the same person or something? but I intend to play it anyway. I watched my brother play BoFII a long time ago and I liked the aesthetic of it. I guess I'll start it up this week!

[Anonymous No.4301119]

>>4301062
It is genuinely one of my favorite video games ever made, hope you enjoy it anon.

[Anonymous No.4301815]

>>4301062
Have fun, anon. BoFIV is one of my favorite games. If you enjoy it, there's also BoFIII and BoFII (with the retranslation) that are good games in their own right. BoFI is a little basic, but it's always a fun game to run through and does a good job of being more than what it is (a DQ clone).

[Anonymous No.4301863]

>>4300260
>the virgin chrono trigger
>the chad chrono cross

[Anonymous No.4301867]

>>4299356
Chrono Trigger
Breath of Fire IV
Seiken Densetsu 3
Shin Megami Tensei II
Front Mission 2

If you'll allow me to cheat and include remakes of retro jrpgs then Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions on psp and Dragon Quest VII on the 3DS are both up there too.

[Anonymous No.4302015]

>>4300951
>and a beautiful and meaningful story that had a lot of careful work put into it.
And then they scrapped it due to time constraints. The game is literally unfinished.

[Anonymous No.4302036]

Any isometric action RPG recommendations please?

[Anonymous No.4302045]

>>4301867
>Front Mission 2
Why the fuck does /vr/ suddenly like this clunky slog of a game?

[Anonymous No.4302107]

>>4302015
And it is still long as shit.

[Anonymous No.4302162]

>>4302045
Left Alive probably got people thinking about the series again

[Anonymous No.4302170]

It's time we dropped the term JRPG. Even as far back as the nes era it lost what meaning the people here think it has.

[Anonymous No.4302228]

>>4302036
Dark savior

[Anonymous No.4302241]

>>4299356
>Okage: Shadow King
>Star Ocean 2
>Final Fantasy 9
>Harvest Moon
>Earthbound

Runners up:
>Breath Of Fire 2
>Lufia 2:Rise of the Sinistrals
>Super Mario RPG
>Dragon Quest 8
>Live-a-live
>Chrono Trigger

If tactical RPG's count:
>Final fantasy Tactics
>Shining Force 1 & 2

These are my favorites from Snes/Genesis to PS2 era.

[Anonymous No.4302349]

>>4299362
Phantasy Star IV
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy 4 through 9
SaGa Frontier
Lunar 1 and 2
Lufia 2

[Anonymous No.4302384]

>>4299401
4, 7, and 10 are the only final fantasy games I legitimately like.

I always thought 6 was a mess, and the only thing I like about it is the soundtrack (which is pretty damn good). I hate having so many party members that you switch between every other hour, the story didnt do anything for me, and I hate the lack of battle animations.

Chrono trigger is great though. The story is so-so but it isn't nearly as self important as a final fantasy game so I don't really care, the dual and triple techs are really cool, and there's no need to grind so it's about as pick up and play and no bullshit as a jrpg can get.

[Anonymous No.4302391]

>>4299469
How does one pronounce Ys?
>yes
>yeez
>yizz
>ease
>why's

[Anonymous No.4302846]

Legend of Dragoon, Final Fantasy's 4 through 9, Rhapsody a musical adventure, Legend of Legaia, Wild Arms, Persona 2, Valkyrie Profile

[Anonymous No.4302869]

>>4302391
I think the proper pronunciation is E's, but I still just say Y's.

[Anonymous No.4303378]

>>4299356
Suikoden
Suikoden II
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete
Dragon Warrior III (NES)

[Anonymous No.4303397]

>>4302391
Eaze.

[Anonymous No.4303551]

Phantasy Star IV
Final Fantasy 3 (snes)
Breath of Fire 2
Vagrant Story
Morrowind

have fun

[Anonymous No.4303574]

>>4301028
Yeah, but nothing retro and OP wanted retro. I can barely tolerate early 3D so all the JRPG's I like are either Chrono Trigger or PS2 and up.

[Anonymous No.4303579]

>>4301863
If you have this meme please post it.
I need it to dispatch Triggerniggers back to Redddit.

[Anonymous No.4304331]

>>4299657
lol it's clear you only know how to appreciate plot in literature, fuck off underage fag

[Anonymous No.4304776]

>>4299429
The SNES port of Ys 3 is broken beyond fucking belief. Stick with the Genesis one at least if you aren't gonna be assed to emulate the vastly superior PC Engine CD version.

[Anonymous No.4304780]

>>4299643
>Playing games for the music and graphics

[Anonymous No.4306621]

Chrono fags are the worst scum of the earth

[Anonymous No.4306642]

I think jrpgs are cool but I haven't played a lot if them. I've only beaten Earthbound, Phantasy Star 1 and 4,Final Fantasy 2 and the first two Pokemons.

Some awesome modern ones I love are Fire Emblem on GBA and Valkyria Chronicles

[Anonymous No.4306654]

>>4306642
dark souls is a jrpg

[Anonymous No.4306742]

>>4304776
Genesis Ys 3 is the best version, not counting Oath in Felghana obviously

[Anonymous No.4306849]

>>4306621
Chrono haters*

[Anonymous No.4307659]

>>4299429

[Anonymous No.4307662]

>>4299668
>>4299660

[Anonymous No.4307672]

>>4299356
earthbound is great but its not like other JRPGs

[Anonymous No.4308068]

It's almost obscene how easily black market buffs cheese through bosses.

[Anonymous No.4308251]

>>4299356
Jrpg is not a genre.

[Anonymous No.4309701]

>>4308251
your mom is not a genre