Really digging my time with Wild Arms 2 on the bus to and from work every day. One of those "just want I needed" timing in games. Going back to a PS1 era RPG game really refreshes me for the current stuff every once an a while.
Looked up the dev team that made Wild Arms, no idea they are the company that makes Digimon Cyber Sleuth now! Hope we get another Wild Arms some day though, the setting is just awesome.
Man I am having a hard time finishing JRPGs these days:
1. Trails in the Sky SC - Quit this one because I found the OST literally sleep inducing. I enjoyed the writing and characters! I kind of want to know what happens in the story, but the combat wasn't enough (it's real slow paced) and I just felt like I had seen everything since it reused so many assets from FC. (~20 hours)
2. Fire Emblem Conquest - Finished this one! and I loved it! (~80 hours!)
3. Xenoblade Chronicles 3DS - This one technically doesn't count since I did beat it on Wii. I still plan on coming back to this, sometime... (~30 hours)
4. Bravely Second - Quit this one. I LOVED the first game and really enjoyed the even more refined battle system here. But like FC so many assets were reused it felt like I was seeing everything I'd already seen, and the OST is nowhere near as good as BD. I'd recommend it to anyone, but felt like it was time to move on to something else. (~50 hours)
5. Pokemon Sun - My first Pokemon game since Yellow. I actually really did enjoy it. But after a while I lost steam and got disinterested. I am still interesting in coming back to this someday... (~30 hours)
6. Dragon Quest VIII - I lost my file save about 15 hours in and had to restart practically from the beginning. But I was enjoying the game enough to actually do that! Now I'm about halfway through and lost steam on this one too. As enjoyable as DQ8 is, it really doesn't do any one thing super well. The OST, graphics, voice acting, and battle system are all average. It does everything okay, but nothing great, and nothing poorly. It's truly the "everyman" JRPG. I think I'll still come back to this. (~30 hours)
7. Cosmic Star Heroine - LOVING this game as well! I think I will come back and finish this out of everything on this list. But playing it on PC is a drag. My laptop is OLD and this game takes minutes to load, all that kills my enthusiasm for playing since it just takes forever on my laptop to actually get into playing the game. (~20 hours)
8. Fire Emblem Echoes SoV - Just started this up yesterday and I am loving it so far! Will this be yet ANOTHER JRPG that I add to this list and never finish? I don't know! I like it though!
.... at least there are no JRPGs on my radar for the rest of 2017 that I am going to play and everything here that I want to come back to is on 3DS (and one on Steam). Oh, and I own FE Revelation but haven't started it. I would like to actually play it. Maybe at the end of the year after FE Echoes.
Completed: 1/8 (FE Conquest)
Retired: 2/8 (Trails SC, and Bravely Second)
Still on the Backlog: 5/8 (Xenoblade, Pokemon, DQ8, CSH, FE Echoes)
Haven't started yet: 1 (FE Revelations)
Yeah, it's a dangerous business, I think, starting more than one JRPG at a time. Been deep into Tactics Ogre the past month, but I've got a copy of Odin's Sphere Liefthrasir sitting on my bookshelf still in the wrapper, as well as the new FE waiting in the wings. But I know if I start either of those games, that's it -- my interest in TO will wain. I'm just enjoying it too much. Gonna refrain for now.
Loving it, of course. The music is dope. I will say though, I feel like I remember SMT4 having a better atmosphere so far, but this game rocks regardless.
Persona 3 Portable - on the beach trip. Can't wait for Koro-chan to join
Finished up Persona 4 Golden a few days ago. Gonna go for Platinum for it after playing these games and also Persona 5 Plat.
Third attempt to finish the game, and I'm still not in love with it. Currently
on Day 2 of the third week, which is the furthest I've ever gotten.
I just don't find the story interesting at all. I have a friend who swears by it, so I'm hoping it starts to get more interesting the closer I get to the end...but at this point I'm not optimistic.
Third attempt to finish the game, and I'm still not in love with it. Currently
on Day 2 of the third week, which is the furthest I've ever gotten.
I just don't find the story interesting at all. I have a friend who swears by it, so I'm hoping it starts to get more interesting the closer I get to the end...but at this point I'm not optimistic.
Hope you stick with it. It really does delve into some great stuff, I think. For now, I say just try to enjoy the actual RPG elements. The game does some great stuff that no other RPG I can think of really did at the time (or since). The idea that the style of certain clothes either enhances or diminishes your characters' abilities in whatever area of Tokyo they're in because of the trends, or the way the food system works, the battle system...I mean, it's really clever, really fun -- to me at least. And the artwork is just very fun to look at. The menu system is awesome. Heck, even the idea of you picking up the thoughts of the people around you hints heavily at what you're in for later on in the story. No random battles. You just battle when you feel you need to...
I'm still working my way through Persona 5 right now, I think I'm more than halfway now? Sitting at around late August.
Overall I'm really enjoying it so far. I don't know if it's just me, but I'm finding P4s cast to be more likeable, or at least more instantly iconic. I don't know if it's just a factor of them having the limelight and room to breathe for so many years (what is it like 8 years?). I'm still digging this cast quite a bit though, and they're growing on me over time as well.
I also just got back from a week in Tokyo. It was my first time there, so coming back to the game and recognizing names and locations is actually a real treat. It's really adding something to the experience.
Also this is my very first post on GAF! Looking forward to chatting with you guys!
I'm still working my way through Persona 5 right now, I think I'm more than halfway now? Sitting at around late August.
Overall I'm really enjoying it so far. I don't know if it's just me, but I'm finding P4s cast to be more likeable, or at least more instantly iconic. I don't know if it's just a factor of them having the limelight and room to breathe for so many years (what is it like 8 years?). I'm still digging this cast quite a bit though, and they're growing on me over time as well.
I also just got back from a week in Tokyo. It was my first time there, so coming back to the game and recognizing names and locations is actually a real treat. It's really adding something to the experience.
Also this is my very first post on GAF! Looking forward to chatting with you guys!
I just finished P5 and while I like all the characters, 4 still have my favourite cast. I think maybe it's cos 5s cast feels a bit derrivative of 4, Ryuji feels like a mix of Yosuke and Kanji, Morgana has lots of parallels with Teddie etc
Along with FF7 I started playing Atelier Sophie and Shining Soul II this past week. Which means I'm playing an rpg from the 90's, 00's, and 10's! Now thats some variety!
Sophies off to a slow start since I have find out on my own how to make a bomb and have yet to do so. This games the Atelier where they dropped the time limit stuff right? I can aimlessly meander without running into a "you're outta time - game over" thing I hope? The game didn't come with an instruction book and I guess PS4 games don't have digital ones built-in or I haven't found it if there is one.
Shining has alot of big changes from the first one. For starters, the art and the music are waaay better. Like especially the music, cause Souls was forgettable/crap. Baddies are solid now so the tactic of attacking 'em then walking through 'em no longer applies. Building up magic resistance by getting hit by magic is dangerous but could prove useful! You can still be attacked by baddies while in your inventory or level up menu so thats still something ta be careful about! If the first game taught me anything its that dumping points into Dex is recommended unless ya wanna be missing a ton of your attacks, so thats what I've been doing so far!
I just finished Soul Hackers this morning. It was tedious and annoying, but there were also some stretches where I really enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the story and setting a good amount. I'm quite glad it's over though. It's definitely not a bad game, and I can see why some people love it, but it was pretty easily my least favorite Megaten I've played so far.
Right after that I continued my Nier Automata playthrough, and I'm fairly early on in route B.
I'm also going to continue Persona 2: Innocent Sin. I was a few hours into it when I put it on hold for a bit to finish up Soul Hackers, so I'm not too far into the game yet.
The Last Story and Digital Devil Saga are up next.
Just fihsing my stint with JRPG for now. Nailed the platinum on Tales of Hearts R was going to finish Berseria platinum but decided to instead now plat the backlog.
Doing the Assassins Creed games never played any before. Just finished first and now a good way into number 2. 7 more Creeds to go
I LOVED The Last Story. It's pretty "short" too, I think like 20 hours. Real fun combat system and good characters. It was such a nice change of pace after Xenoblade, the conflict was more local and it was a very "tight" experience, the problems of the characters never spiraled out of control and WE HAVE TO SAVE THE WHOLE WORLD. It was just a good game all around. If they ever did a WiiU VC release, I would replay it.
You're a crazy person. AC2 is the best. Awesome awesome story! I think you could probably stop there and be good (from what I hear from the rest of GAF).
I impulse bought Atelier Shallie Plus a couple of months ago (having never played any games in the series before). Now that I've played it for a bit, I don't regret it - it's pretty solid so far.
+ Sublime soundtrack.
+ Really nice character design and overall art style.
+ Battle system is pretty fun.
+ Looks like there's a ton of depth to the game systems.
- Framerate is kinda terrible (makes sense, being a PS3 -> Vita port).
- Although dual voice is nice, I don't like most of the voice acting in either language. Solle and Shallotte's English voices are good though.
- I still have no idea what I'm doing with the alchemy system - I think I'll have to look up a guide at some point.
- No costumes/accessories for male characters other than Logy is bullshit. On the upside, accessories are shared, so all the feminine hats make him look fabulous.
Hope you stick with it. It really does delve into some great stuff, I think. For now, I say just try to enjoy the actual RPG elements. The game does some great stuff that no other RPG I can think of really did at the time (or since). The idea that the style of certain clothes either enhances or diminishes your characters' abilities in whatever area of Tokyo they're in because of the trends, or the way the food system works, the battle system...I mean, it's really clever, really fun -- to me at least. And the artwork is just very fun to look at. The menu system is awesome. Heck, even the idea of you picking up the thoughts of the people around you hints heavily at what you're in for later on in the story. No random battles. You just battle when you feel you need to...
Well, I finished it. I'll start by saying that I can totally see why people like this game...but it did nothing for me.
I really should have trusted my instincts tbh. I first tried to play this game shortly after it released, and everything about the presentation - the artstyle, the character and noise design...even the music very much turned me off. I persevered because of the glowing reviews and because my friend wouldn't stop raving about it, but after getting
to the end of the first week and having it essentially reset
...I just couldn't keep playing.
Several years later I was at that same friend's house, and he convinced me to give it a second chance. He actually restarted his copy of the game so we could play through together, and I ended up getting up to midway through the second week before going home...and never loading up the save file again. My feelings hadn't changed at all. The game felt like a chore to play. The story was preachy and the grind was real. Running around Shibuya fixing everyone's boring problems wasn't especially fun.
A few nights ago, I decided that it was once again time to give it another go. A good story can absolutely redeem a game for me. I'd heard TWEWY's was fantastic, which was my main motivation for wanting to see it through. And I have to say...I wasn't all that impressed. None of the characters really spoke to me, and the larger story wasn't anything special, either.
It was all very predictable (save for the ending to a degree), and none of the many 'revelations' throughout the game landed for me. Take
Joshua and the gun, for example. When we are first introduced to Joshua, it's very clear there's more going on with him. He's shady as hell. I noticed that he referred to Neku by name shortly before asking for his name, and there were many other hints that he had an agenda tangential to the game. So when Neku remembers that Joshua shot him, it wasn't shocking at all. It was perfectly in line with how I felt about Joshua at the time. I just wanted to know why. A few chapters later, more of Neku's memory returns to him, and it turns out that no, Minamimoto shot him. Again, this didn't carry any real weight. I just wanted to know the reason for why Neku was killed, and now I also needed a new explanation for Joshua's shadiness. (and this instantly made him one of my top suspects for composer). The third time we return to this scene, we're back to Joshua being responsible. Only this time we also know that Joshua is essentially a god and he only killed Neku to use as a pawn. Yawn. Really? That was a lot of build up to a pretty dull explanation imo.
I'm also not sure how the game wanted me to feel about the Reapers? For example - there was a mission halfway through the game where I help 777, Tenho and BJ find who's responsible for the mic going missing, and they are all framed as reasonably likeable. Neku and Joshua help the band,
only for 777 to later attempt to kill us for the bounty later on. Upon sparing him, he offers his key pin, and Beat seemingly forgives him. It's just odd. Kariya and Pinky are treated pretty much the same. Are we forgetting that these people are erasing souls for sport just so they can cling to life themselves?
I don't know. I could go on and on here. At the end of the day it's easier to just say that it didn't really work for me. I will say, I did like some of the systems in the game though. I enjoyed leveling up and evolving my pins, and being able to lower my level to maximise my chances at better drops was a cool idea. The combat was also very unique and fun at times.
Man I am having a hard time finishing JRPGs these days:
1. Trails in the Sky SC - Quit this one because I found the OST literally sleep inducing. I enjoyed the writing and characters! I kind of want to know what happens in the story, but the combat wasn't enough (it's real slow paced) and I just felt like I had seen everything since it reused so many assets from FC. (~20 hours)
...I don't know. I could go on and on here. At the end of the day it's easier to just say that it didn't really work for me. I will say, I did like some of the systems in the game though. I enjoyed leveling up and evolving my pins, and being able to lower my level to maximise my chances at better drops was a cool idea. The combat was also very unique and fun at times.
Ah well, different strokes and all that. You gave it a fair shake at least. I've definitely been there, though. Plenty of games that were received well by both fans and critics that just didn't click for me personally.
I just beat Persona 5, so now I am looking to pick my next game. Thinking Paper Mario 64, Cosmic Star Heroine, Nier: Automata, something Monolith Soft (Xenosaga or BK Origins), or continue Wild ARMS.
Finished Final Fantasy XV yesterday. The story didn't really fill in too many gaps and so it felt like major things were happening but without any context. But I enjoyed my time with it, so it ended up being a good time.
I'm in the main city in Fendel in Tales of Graces F, don't really remember much of the game beyond this point. There's a lot of rubbish stories in the series but this is the only one where the story and the characters actively annoy me...
I'm in the main city in Fendel in Tales of Graces F, don't really remember much of the game beyond this point. There's a lot of rubbish stories in the series but this is the only one where the story and the characters actively annoy me...
Just finished Fire Emblem POR finally, got this game when it came out, but never finished. Great game and probably my favorite FE.
Started FE SOV, really loving it so far. I like the fully voiced script and the characters.
Bravely Default- I got this game a few years back along with SMT 4 and ended up only playing 10 hours and fell down the SMT and Persona well instead. Figured time to go back, really dig the music and the ability to alter battle frequency.
Final Fantasy XV- Played until chapter 3, combat is flashy and kinda fun. Think I'm gonna drop it though, the sidequests are awful so far, just go get X and bring it back, whether its a dog tag, gem or a tomato. Main quests are better but presented awkwardly, maybe because I didn't watch the movie...
Right now, Digital Devil Saga (and a platformer since I just went through a few RPGs straight). I like it so far, the story seems neat and I like how the Atma system allows me to build party members the way I want to. I'm a little worried about the HowLongToBeat times averaging 40 hours though... Things seem to be moving pretty quickly and I'm worried about potential fluff/necessary grinding later.
Finished Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana on PS4. Never played the Vita version so I have no idea what they added, did pretty much everything the game had to offer. Had a lot of fun, but Ys stories are getting too grand in scope now. I feel the events and consequences of one of Adol's adventures should be locally contained to the region the game takes place in but in Ys VIII it's like
battle the concept of all creation to save all of humanity! oh shit we accidentally the whole world! but no worries it got remade anyway! witness the birth of the new goddess of evolution!
It's like Frodo stumbled into a Xenosaga plot or something. He just wants to throw the ring into a volcano man, this is too much.
Just finished Persona 5 last night. It's the best jrpg I have ever played in the last few years..... maybe even the best Jrpg of all time. It's long but SO REWARDING. I want to play p4 now but.... I lack a vita and dont want one tbh and the best version is on that. I'm just going to have to pass. I'll start Berseria next and play more of NieR if my cousin brings it over again. Ugh, the depression from post p5 completion is going to be so real and eventually I'll probably play it again to clean up all the remaining trophies and to see social links I didn't max out yet.
Eventually meaning.... I'll probably do it very soon, lol. That's how much I enjoyed it. My favourite series of all time is Xeno but man P5 is really special and almost Xenogears level quality for me.
Persona 5. This is my first Persona game and although it's a bit of a slow start with a lot to pick up I'm generally enjoying it. The menu presentation and music are some next level stuff. Just hit the second mind palace.
Right now, Digital Devil Saga (and a platformer since I just went through a few RPGs straight). I like it so far, the story seems neat and I like how the Atma system allows me to build party members the way I want to. I'm a little worried about the HowLongToBeat times averaging 40 hours though... Things seem to be moving pretty quickly and I'm worried about potential fluff/necessary grinding later.
Don't worry, the main story is more like 20 hours. There's no need for grinding and the story never loses its momentum. Those +20 hours from HowLongToBeat likely went to side quests.
I'M playing Growlanser 4 right now after having finished Ni no Kuni (loved it). Too bad the graphic and music in Growlanswer are pretty low quality, the rest of the game is decent or solid (story, character design, pacing and battle system).
I sure hope I won't be disappointed by G 4 by the end of the game... crossing fingers!
Finally made it to disc two. Some of the writing and translation is clearly questionable but I'm enjoying a classic JRPG romp. Actually getting through it faster than I expected having started in late April. Find myself playing it on the commute to work for about 30~45 minutes some days, others playing it about 3 or so hours. Story took an interesting turn, especially since I have been watching Turn A Gundam at the same time. The story parallels are pretty amazing, and at the times they hit for me. The plot suddenly talked about nukes in Wild Arms, and suddenly nukes were discovered in the episodes of Gundam I watched the same day lol. Though Wild Arm's nukes have not really been well explained... it seemed more like a magic attack than a nuke missle/technology. So I find some random bits difficult to follow.
Also surprised how little the characters talk or express themselves/ personality. This point comes to mind when the characters do finally say or express themselves and its like "oh thats how they feel." It's not bad though, the world of Wild Arms is awesome and more than makes up for the lack of characterization. For Ashley and others being the main characters, the player gets to know very little about them compared to other JRPGs, but its also not a detriment because none of the story beats or dungeons feel too long so far. Game has a sense of progression and pacing the first game lacked (and why I gave up on it twice mostly )
Love playing this on the Vita but I do wish I could toss it on the big screen every now and then, making me consider buying a Playstation TV off ebay or something for this or my next JRPG, but that would be another device @.@. (Why no ps1 classics on PS4 still sony!?)
Also put Nier Automata on hold for things like Injustice 2, Tekken 7, and Musou Stars. Not on purpose it's just at the end of the day I play a fighter a bit then want to rest in bed with my vita lol. Need to get back on it though!
Started up Paper Mario 64 again and Trails in the Sky the 3rd for the first time in the hopes of combating the emptiness of finishing Persona 5. They are both great games, but it's not helping.
Finished Trails in the Sky SC. It was okay but probably should have been about twenty hours shorter. The first half of the game struggles hard to justify its existence and even once it got going, I found most of the finale to be extremely frustrating (mostly because I never grew to like the battle system in this series).
Might move on to Cosmic Star Heroine next because I want a shorter game but haven't decided yet.
Finished Persona 5. I have found myself on a Dragon Quest kick. Picked my game of DQ7 3DS from last year back up (now about 30 hours in). Bought DQ Heroes 2 but didn't finish part one so decided to start new.
Then decided to buy DQ8 3DS and DQ3 iOS. Want to at least finish DQ7/DQH before FF12 TZA drops.
