Exams are coming up, and will stretch for most of the summer. I haven't played an RPG in a while and have several in line; needless to say, I won't have much time to try them all out now, so I'd like suggestions on which to pick up and start playing on my breaks:

Suikoden V
Shin Megami Tensei - Persona 4
Wild Arms 5
Valkyrie Profile 2 - Silmeria
Vagrant Story

Thanks in advance ;)
(PS: Done the obvious, so FF's are not valid suggestions anymore. :P)

I'm actually at the very end of Valkyrie Profile 2 and I really recommend it, but I guess only if you've been able to tolerate enix games in the past.

The game is beautiful, the battle system is involved, but fun and not as boring as standard menu battle systems in most jRPGs, the storyline is superb.

The game is divided into chapters and one of the chapters in the middle of the game (actually, a bit early on because the first couple are relatively quick) is sort of a grind fest. There's little story development and you're basically going from one dungeon to the next. The few times I tried playing hte game before, this is the point where I'd get tired of it and stop playing. The next time I'd pick it up, I'd start a new game.

Anyway I finally picked up on one of my old games and I'm so happy I did. I think the burn out I experienced was more the result of playing intensely from the beginning to that middle part. If you break it up a bit, or if you can deal with that stuff a bit easier. I also mistakenly thought I was underleveled in these areas and had a rough time, but really, I didn't realize how much strategy and planning dungeons/battle takes. There's some neat features in the game that can make a dungeon a piece of cake if you're willing to work a bit to learn how they work.

If you've played the original valkyrie profile: you'll enjoy this game, even though gameplay is different. Battle is similar, but you're now able to move around the battle field and essentially avoid enemy attacks (but this isn't as easy as it sounds). Items and equipment are purchased like a standard RPG, although random crafting items and other equipment can be "broken off" an enemy if you target certain parts of its body. Certain attacks aim low, others aim high, certain skills make it more likely to break off body parts, and if you time your attacks right you can also improve your odds of breaking parts (someone does a lifting attack, the next one does one that cuts down and you can get a lower leg broken that otherwise would be a pain). Some enemies have an instant kill body part which makes battle a breeze and finishing battle up quicker = more experience. Anyway the crafting items can be used in towns to make some pretty spectacular equipment so there's a collecting aspect to the game which I didn't get too involved in, but if you like side quest-type stuff, there's definitely that.

Speaking of side quests, there are no real bonus dungeons, besides the infamous insanely-hard-dungeon-that-opens-at-the-very-end-of-the-game thing that Enix does. There are "side dungeons" that open up and you can do them, but they almost feel necessary anyway. There is less freedom in this game than in VP1. At the start, you only have access to places that have "opened up" for you, and by the end, you can pretty much go anywhere, but while you're getting to that point, you're really limited in where you can go and what you can do there.

And speaking of dungeons, there's no crystal building in this one. Instead, you can shoot photons, but they will only crystalize enemies (and more rarely, certain objects in the dungeon). This freezes them temporarily which is nice if you're not prepared for battle or just want to get the hell out. But you can also hit them with a photon again if they're frozen, and trade places with them. This is how the bulk of the puzzles in the games' dungeons work. A lot of them involve flying enemies, whose avatars (when frozen) won't fall to the ground, so you can reach much higher places than normal. I do like this system, but I think I liked the system in the original VP more.

Can't emphasize enough how much I'm enjoying the story line, which is an important part of a game for me. And usually I find gameplay keeps me from completing a game/story, but in VP2 the gameplay is pretty well done. The graphics are beautiful and another very nice soundtrack (although "softer" than VPs). The game's a side scroller too and works well as one. Didn't believe it til I saw it.

OKay this is super long now and I'm obviously a pretty biased fan of the game, but I did really enjoy it and its the first game I've actually played to completion in a long time. Unfortunately I can't comment on the others. I hear Vagrant Story and Suikoden V are also really good.

Sounds similar to VP1 but adapted to PS2 capabilities, I'll definitely give it a try, especially if it has a Seraphic Gate of sorts like VP1 and Star Ocean 3. ;)

Question though, when you say "less freedom than VP1", is it just because places are restricted due to the plot? I can live with that, it's normal in many RPGs, but VP1 was extremely restrictive even though you had an open map to travel due to the countdown to Ragnarok. You couldn't go back and forth between dungeons or towns whenever you felt like it because periods moved on. Does that feature remain in VP2, or can I take my time to do things?

Suikoden V

I finally received my copy of Persona 4 which I ordered a month ago. It's been really good fun :D

There is a Seraphic Gate.

And no, there's no time limit, and it's mostly just that "City A" or "Dungeon B" open up at particular plot points, which I suppose isn't all that bad.

Christ, Cassie, just recommend the game, not have a text orgasm...

Both VP2 and Suikoden 5 will take time to get into. If you can wait out the boring introductions(VP2 takes a little less time than S5, I believe), you will be treated to two awesome games.

If you want the good end for S5 though, I'd recommend using a FAQ for finding everyone...you will NOT want to go through the whole game again for a while(it's exhausting!).

Suikoden V... also, if you can find it, give Legaia 2 Duel Saga a try.