What's up, fellas. :)

I've kinda been on an RPG binge lately. I just finished Skies of Arcadia on my Dreamcast. Loved it to death, but I was a little dissapointed that I couldn't go back to doing more exploring after the final boss battle. Hella weak! It should've been one of those "never ending" rpgs. Oh well. Before SoA, I was playing XenoGears on my PS1, but the game started freezing on me at one point. I got pretty far too. Before that Suikoden II, which I really liked but lost interest in going back to it after I moved. I definitely want to finish it, though.

Anyway, I'm looking to play another PlayStation (PS1) RPG now. And, fortunately, I have a friend who has damn near every PS1 RPG that came out, I think. So, based on the previous RPGs that I've recently played, can you guys recommend me one to play next? Something not so popular or mainstream as, say, the Final Fantasy's??

Just to give you guys a hint of what I'm interested in, I really enjoyed finding/obtaining money or gold during battles and exploring to buy various upgrades and items in SoA. It gave me a lot of motivation to explore every inch of the world. Hella fun! Also, the turn-based combat was done really well, I thought, and was very enjoyable and at times "eye-candy". Vyse had some badass special moves! And the world in SoA was unbelievable. It'd be great to play another RPG with a vast world. Plus, the idea of recruiting members to join your crew (i.e. Suikoden II as well) was really cool.


Thank you!


EDIT: My bad. I should've posted this topic in the Role Playing Games section. lol

Suikoden I is well worth checking out, too. You still have the 108 characters to recruit, the weapons to level up, tons and tons of special attacks based on who's in your party, rune combinations, plenty of secrets and hidden stuff, the swooping crane camera in battles, plus a fun story that's paced pretty quickly. I've been meaning to go back to it and play through for my third time.

Been talking about merging rpgs and gg, forever, even recently. I'll leave it here, so it'll have a better chance of getting get some replies.

Thread moved to Role Playing*


Thousand Arms not the best but pretty good game... save the ending. :(

Mutiny!

Suikoden I is an option. Don't know why I decided to play 2 before 1.

Vangrant Story was another one that I really got into years ago. I'll need to go back and beat it soon. But for now, I'm not in the mood for a strickly dungeon RPG. I want to play something with a big world. Hell, I was thinking about playing FFIV again, and this time finishing it. We'll see. I'm still open for suggestions.

Suikoden's got a big world, too. And I forget the building-a-castle sidequest. :D

There's also Chrono Cross, and the Lunar series. But for simple pick-up-and-play enjoyment, I like Suikoden more.

WOW, jalvarez...you got into an area that I could recommend a LOT of stuff. I'll try to keep things on the slim side so you don't get overwhelmed, but if you want a ton of suggestions, I can give them to you. Also, must it be ONLY PS1 RPGs, or are PS2 RPGs permissible as well?

For the PS1 arthurgolden, sharp cookie that he is, has mentioned a number of games that I would have suggested already. I would also suggest games such as Vanguard Bandits(think an SRPG in the vein of Escaflowne, if you watch anime). It's another Working Designs game, who were(IMO) quite excellent with their pop culture references and humor. It has multiple endings, and a fleshed out dialogue system where, if you don't keep your party's morale up, you can get a 'Bad End'. Customization is generally limited to how you grow your character, which determines what skills you get and/or when.
Alundra seems to pop up as a suggestion a lot, but I have no opinion on it. You might want to consider that, if you're in an experimenting mode.
Dragon Quest will satisfy your need for exploration, mini games, and what not, but I'm not sure about the visuals for special attacks and what have you. Of course, it doesn't help that each DQ changes from the next, so you might like one, detest the next, and then literally barf on the disc of the one after that. Just as an example...try them out, but don't expect one to be like the other(s).
I am SORELY disappointed that no one has mentioned Legend of Legaia. I can't stress this enough: PLAY IT! RIGHT EFFIN' NOW! Experiencing its magic will do more than any review I could give you.
From what little I played of Jade Cocoon, it struck me as a grimdark Pokemon game(what with you capturing monsters and beating on other monsters with them, they level up and gain new attacks, etc). It wasn't my cup of tea, but maybe someone else could go more indepth.
Legend of Dragoon is a cool game, but you can only receive full enjoyment if you have good timing and reflexes, as the combat is interactive(ie, you have to time combos to get their full effect/damage, and the enemy can sometimes counter you OUT of those combos, so you have to be ready for that, etc). If you get tired while playing that game, don't trod on...you have to be fresh for that beastie.:D
Star Ocean is yet another good one(indeed, an EPIC SAGA) for RPG lovers. With item crafting, song composing, book writing, and painting as SOME of the possible side-activities, you could spend hours in the first quarter of this game(hint: the game is about half over, maybe not even, when you think it's at the end). That might very well fit all your criteria in one go. Be careful though...you won't be playing another game for a LONG time if you get sucked into it.
Tales of Destiny...hard to really say stuff about this. The interaction between characters is where it really shines, but the battle system is no joke(tremendously impressive visuals, even back then). It's played on a 2D plane, in a sort of 'team vs team' format. Your guys will do their skills or spells(intelligently, I might add), and you control your character however you wish, as you would Ryu or Ken from Street Fighter. Really fun to try at least a few times, and see if the story sucks you in at all.
Well, that's all of my opinions. Looking at GameFAQs, I've only scratched the surface, but between Star Ocean, Suikoden, and Legend of Legaia, you'll be busy for weeks, if not months. *smirk* Enjoy!

For the PS1 arthurgolden, sharp cookie that he is, has mentioned a number of games that I would have suggested already.

Well, I think you're pretty hip yourself. :)


Alundra seems to pop up as a suggestion a lot, but I have no opinion on it. You might want to consider that, if you're in an experimenting mode.

I thought Alundra was okay. :-\ I'll vouch for all of your other suggestions, though. Excellent choices.

I just spent the last two hours playing Suikoden, and I think I'm hooked again. Like I said, it's pretty fast paced. In the last two hours, I've covered 9 locations and started setting up my castle. Not to mention that the music is top notch.

@ChazA4: I'm just interested in firing up my PS1. Thanks for the suggestions. I'm leaning towards Alundra or Star Ocean. We'll see.

I agree with you, arthurgolden, about the Suikoden music. It's really good.

I would definitely second Star Ocean and Tales of Destiny, particularly the sequel ToD2. There's just so much more content to those games than other RPGs of that day.

I would also suggest Wild Arms 2. I like the game cos exploration is kind of manual. It's 3D like Xenogears but locations and treasure don't show up until you physically scan the area on the world map. Also, the dungeons are puzzle-based like LoZ or Alundra.
Combat is ok. Your protagonist can transform into a superpowered version of himself, which is awesome imo.

I think I'm gonna give Star Ocean: The Second Story a go. My friend recommended it to me today.

Thanks guys for your recommednations. I shall keep them in mind when I'm ready for another RPG experience (which should be right after I beat Star Ocean).

I reiterate my warning, jalvarez...get comfy, and prepare for a LONG haul!:D We'll expect you back in...maybe early 2011? lol

Actually, I've changed my mind today. I'm going back to Suikoden II. I miss that game. I would start with the first one, but my friend has already leant it out to someone. Oh well.

flip-flopper

Suikoden 2 takes place only 3 years after part one and somewhere around half of the characters are from the first game or something like that. The opening comes off entirely different if you've played part one first as well, plus there are the bonuses for transferring your save that I don't remember. If you're willing to change your mind again it's worth waiting until you can play it before jumping into 2.

Suikoden 2 takes place only 3 years after part one and somewhere around half of the characters are from the first game or something like that. The opening comes off entirely different if you've played part one first as well, plus there are the bonuses for transferring your save that I don't remember. If you're willing to change your mind again it's worth waiting until you can play it before jumping into 2.

The biggest bonus is that you get the hero from 1, Tir McDohl, as a party member. Believe me when I say that the rest of the game will whimper pathetically when you get him...he's THAT gawdly!

To be honest, I think that's really the only true bonus you get. Some people mentioned that some of the recurring characters start off at slightly higher levels, but I've never noticed that making a significant difference(if indeed it DOES happen).

Yeah, it can't make a difference in a game where it only takes a few minutes to bring characters up to your current highest levels. Some of their runes transfer over too though and their weapons are leveled up. I thought there might be things like extra bathhouse conversations too but I guess not.

But the main thing is knowing who all the characters are, I think. Seeing Viktor and Flik at the beginning of part 2 made the game for me, but if you haven't played part 1 they're just random guys, and the game is full of moments like that.

flip-flopper

Yup. I know. And I hate to do it again, but I started an Star Ocean game last night. I'd much rather play the first Suikoden before going back to the 2nd one. So...Star Ocean it is! And I have to say, the game is beautiful.

Yup. I know. And I hate to do it again, but I started an Star Ocean game last night. I'd much rather play the first Suikoden before going back to the 2nd one. So...Star Ocean it is! And I have to say, the game is beautiful.

Get ready for a treat...you're just enjoying the smell now, so to speak.:D

I could tell just from the beginning when Claude wakes up in the forest after getting transported that this is a quality game.