Console RPG recommendations needed

[Jingus 0]

Another vote for Final Fantasy X here, as it satisfies all your specifics nicely, plus it's ballsier and deeper in storyline terms than the average FF entry. (But whatever you do, and whatever Sakura might say, I strongly recommend you avoid FF X-2, unless you want to essentially play Spice World: The RPG.)

[Highland 0]

Star Ocean 2 covers most of what you're looking for.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Crap, I was going to give my two cents, but now I'm afraid because the games I thought of weren't quite RPG-ish, but had a bunch of the characteristics she was looking for...

 

[EricMM 0]

I really really dis-recommend Xenogears these days. It uhm, doesn't stack up well...

 

If I hadn't seen Eva, I wouldn't have liked it as much, although having giant pink monsters cruicified is pretty awsome...

 

I'll chime in and say Final Fantasy X has a lot of what you're looking for. Especially in terms of character customization.

 

Final Fantasy VI (or III on the SNES) is again something thats old, but gold. Will you get CD quality sound? No. Is it the best Final Fantasy ever made? Probably. The only thing wrong with it now is the Mode 7 graphics. Granted, the stats aren't that customizeable, but come on. This is the story all other RPGs are trying to tell. These are the characters they're trying to create. Most others fail.

 

Suikoden is superfun. I'll just say it, finding Suikoden for my brand new PSX was some kind of dream (this was pre-FFVII) because it was so great. Any suikoden game will do, if you play one, play them all I suppose. Although you can't really alter stats at all, there are so many characters to choose from that you can drastically alter your party.

 

Disgaea is a Strat-RPG like Final Fantasy Tactics. I haven't personally finished it yet, but it certainly CERTAINLY has character customization. Out the wazoo. My word.

 

Everything I've listed is for a Playstation. Thats your RPG machine, no question.

[AndrewTS 0]

"Final Fantasy VI (or III on the SNES) is again something thats old, but gold. Will you get CD quality sound? No. Is it the best Final Fantasy ever made? Probably. The only thing wrong with it now is the Mode 7 graphics. Granted, the stats aren't that customizeable, but come on. This is the story all other RPGs are trying to tell. These are the characters they're trying to create. Most others fail."

 

The espers give you stat bonuses, so you can customize the stats for everyone but Umaro and Gogo. Stamina, Speed, Magic Power, etc. However, I wish HP and MP would automatically max out instead of needing to be boosted with espers.

 

Also, hang onto the Odin esper until you are sure you don't want anymore speed bonuses (once it is transformed, you can't get the speed bonus anymore).

 

BTW, until May 2nd, EB has a buy one, get one free sale on 16 bit games. So if you get two games the one of lesser value is free. So even though EB charges way too much, if you happen to find FFIII, FFII, or Chrono Trigger, get it and another good game and you'll be able to get a decent deal.

 

Load times on the FFC/FFA collections also are a bit annoying. If you can get the original SNES versions for a good price, get 'em.

 

"Disgaea is a Strat-RPG like Final Fantasy Tactics. I haven't personally finished it yet, but it certainly CERTAINLY has character customization. Out the wazoo. My word.

 

Everything I've listed is for a Playstation. Thats your RPG machine, no question. "

 

Yup, the classes may be a pain to deal with, but once you can mix and match abilities, you've got a sweet team. Also, yeah, PSX is your best bet for RPGs.

[therealworldschampion 0]

I'd recommend Xenogears(which I loved for the storyline,deep philosophical stuff)and probably Suikoden(I liked the army vs. army battles and recruiting people)

[AndrewTS 0]

I'd recommend Xenogears(which I loved for the storyline,deep philosophical stuff)

Instead: either watch EVA or read a book, which is better than waiting for the slooooowly scrolling text to go by.

 

*is a Xenophobe*

 

 

Suikoden(I liked the army vs. army battles and recruiting people)

 

Too bad the army battles are basically rock-paper-scissors (at least in the first one).

[Jer 0]

which is better than waiting for the slooooowly scrolling text to go by.

 

YES! Finally someone else that was annoyed by that. Seriously, Xenogears is like the only RPG in the history of the genre that doesn't even give you the option to speed up the text scroll speed. Even Dragon Warrior has it as like the first thing you choose. When you talk to a "key character" and you're forced to sit there and read five screens of slooooow text, it's so frustrating!

[chaosrage 0]

I really really dis-recommend Xenogears these days.  It uhm, doesn't stack up well...

How doesn't it stack up well?

 

And the text is annoyingly slow, but it really only affects replays, it's not enough to really hurt it. It didn't bother me at the first time through.

[AndrewTS 0]

And the text is annoyingly slow, but it really only affects replays, it's not enough to really hurt it. It didn't bother me at the first time through.

Slow reader?

 

YES! Finally someone else that was annoyed by that. Seriously, Xenogears is like the only RPG in the history of the genre that doesn't even give you the option to speed up the text scroll speed.

 

Heheh, you somehow missed the other times I bitched about it. Seriously, how'd they miss that?

[chaosrage 0]

Slow reader?

No, I admitted it was slow, but imo the story was so good it didn't matter that much.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Okay, let me specify what I'm looking for over here:

 

1. Random battles - gotta have 'em. I don't like games like Bahamut Lagoon where all the battles are set and you can't just wander around and look for trouble (and gold, and XP).

 

2. Stats allocation - this is a secondary priority, but still pretty important since random battles are fairly standard in console RPGs. Most games have automatic level-ups and automatic stats progression, like Chrono Trigger, but I like to make some decisions in character development beyond just buying the best equipment. The skills system in Star Ocean 2 is a good example. If the stats progression is set, it has to be standardised - I can't stand random stat increases, as in Lufia II.

 

3. Good battle system - the 2D fighting system in Tales of Phantasia is ideal, and the grid layout of Treasure Hunter G/FF Tactics are all right, but I'd settle for the usual Chrono Trigger/Final Fantasy action bars if the rest of the game made up for it.

 

4. Added customisation - anything like the gem-socketing system of Diablo II, or smithing, mixing, or creating items is a definite plus. Phantasy Star IV had it, as did Tales of Phantasia to a lesser degree.

 

If anyone with more console experience than I have could help me out here, I'd appreciate it. And if you could give me an idea of how the title you have in mind stacks up in each category, that'd be great. Thanks.

One game that I haven't seen mentioned yet that hits nearly every single category you have:

 

Revelations: Persona (Playstation 1)

• Random Battles - Persona has random battles and two different "overworld" perspectives: a first-person dungeon perspective, a la Phantasy Star I, and a ghetto birds-eye view as you wander around town.
• Stats Allocation - With each level up you get, you're given three points to put into your different attributes.
• Good Battle System - The Persona series has one of the most unique battle systems that you'll find in a game. Though the actual combat itself is relatively standard turn-based fare, Persona gives you the option of negotiating with enemies for a non-violent victory. While going around and bashing monsters with your baseball bat helps out your experience, winning certain battles through negotiation can get you little monster tarot cards, which leads directly into...
• Added Customization - Persona's magic based system involves the use of Esper-like Persona monsters that have certain attributes and magic spells. Like Final Fantasy VIII, the Personas gain experience and levels along with you, depending on how often you use magic. Even though all of your characters start out with a certain persona, the key to getting powerful techniques involves collecting monster tarot cards through negotiations and mixing them together to create new Personas. There's a large variety of possible Personas, each with many different attribute boosts and magic skills, leaving you lots of room to mix, match, and experiment.
• Though you didn't mention it, Persona also has the perk (or flaw, however you look at it) of a modern-day setting, complete with guns and crazy enemy designs.

Both Persona and its sequel, Persona 2, fit your specifications pretty well. Other options:

• Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2) - TONS upon TONS of item and character customization, wonderful FFTactics-esque battle system, and parody upon parody of RPGs and anime, but no random encounters. I can't emphasize enough, however, just how much time you can spend building up your characters and items.
• Final Fantasy X (PS2) - The turn-based battle system is lots of fun, there's a ton of character possibilities through the sphere grid (which is like a board game, where spaces have certain ability boosts and you get the ability to move about the grid with experience points), and the battles are random. Also, like Disgaea, there's a lot of room to build your characters up and the Arena provides challenges for a long time after you've beaten the game.
• Grandia series (PS2) - Phenomenal mixed turn-based/real-time battle system, but quasi-random encounters (Monsters are on the map, just like in Chrono Trigger, but how you approach them can determine initiative for the battle). There's a little bit of extra customization, through building and maintaining your mana eggs (which function, basically, as spellbooks).

Games to think twice about:

• Suikoden series (PS1/PS2) - I know they've gotten lots of recommendations throughout the thread, but for every one of your prerequisites they get right, they totally screw up two or three others at any given time. The battle system throughout all of them is dreadfully mediocre and, in Suikoden 3, encounters are downright weird and counter-intuitive, with your characters having to move in pairs. Suikoden 3 has a great deal of character customization, but the other two series involve pre-determined stat increases for level ups and little or no decisions in character development (other than what rune/magic they wield, which is mostly irrelevant). All of the games feature random battles, though.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Suikoden is superfun. I'll just say it, finding Suikoden for my brand new PSX was some kind of dream (this was pre-FFVII) because it was so great. Any suikoden game will do, if you play one, play them all I suppose. Although you can't really alter stats at all, there are so many characters to choose from that you can drastically alter your party.

 

You can edit a lot in the third.

 

Too bad the army battles are basically rock-paper-scissors (at least in the first one).

 

It changes for each game. The big battles in II & III are better.

 

    * Suikoden series (PS1/PS2) - I know they've gotten lots of recommendations throughout the thread, but for every one of your prerequisites they get right, they totally screw up two or three others at any given time. The battle system throughout all of them is dreadfully mediocre and, in Suikoden 3, encounters are downright weird and counter-intuitive, with your characters having to move in pairs.

 

The battle system in the first two is quite generic, but it is still more than adequate and the 6 member parties make up for it. The revamped system in III is great.

[EricMM 0]

Why don't I think Xeno stacks up? Because it's soooo cheesy! No game should aspire to be part of a seven part series. It's just bad for the game as a whole. When you play the game you know you're part of something bigger, and so it makes whats going on MUCH less relevant than the awsome shit going on in the intro, which is never really touched upon again.

 

I didn't mind the 2nd CD because I like to read. I did mind having to read so slowly though. I just don't recommend it based upon how shitty it looks these days. FFX is just a better game...

 

I will grant that the fighting in Suik 1 and 2 is generic, because it's the same old same old. Although the six char party makes it much better than some other games. But Suik 3's battle system was great, because you really had to plan out who to pair who with.

[chaosrage 0]

Why don't I think Xeno stacks up?  Because it's soooo cheesy!  No game should aspire to be part of a seven part series. 

I've actually heard that the Xenosaga series might be completely different. A whole new timeline. Which is good because Xenosaga sucks. Gears can stand on it's own.

 

It's just bad for the game as a whole.  When you play the game you know you're part of something bigger, and so it makes whats going on MUCH less relevant than the awsome shit going on in the intro, which is never really touched upon again.

 

I don't want to spoil, but c'mon, you've gotta be kidding...

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Xenogears & Xenosaga are linked, but Xenogears is not part of the Xenosaga series. Even if it is kept as canon, it takes place 10000 years after the entire Xenosaga series (not just Episode 1).

 

Xenogears is for all intensive purposes a completely seperate game.

[Firestarter 0]

Wow, so many games, so little time... honestly, I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the recommendations, but I think I've come to a decision - if I understand correctly, the PS2 can run PS1 games as well? - so I'll pick up a PS2 on Monday. KOTOR, FFX, and Revelations in particular sound great. Thanks a lot, guys - you were all really helpful, and I'd never have been able to make an informed decision without you.

I'll let you know how things pan out ASAP.

[Anya 0]

Not sure if you're aware, but KOTOR isn't on Ps2.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

If you ever get tired of reading and feel like running around and chopping fuckers up while still retaining customization and shit, check out Champions of Norrath for PS2.