|
Post by Ex on Apr 26, 2019 16:00:23 GMT -5
Gonna go ahead and start this one a few days early, considering April's First Person Dungeon Crawling theme is dudding out.
- STRATEGY ROLE PLAYING GAMESAlso known as: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_role-playing_gameWell that's May's Club Retro theme folks. - Here's a few SRPGs I strongly recommend:
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2019 17:18:19 GMT -5
Some recommendations of my own: These are all 9/10 games in my book, pretty amazing stuff. Keep in mind they are all considered fairly challenging games, although you can select the difficulty level in Shadow Dragon. Still, as far as FE is concerned, Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem (2003) are the best entries for newcomers and I can definitely recommend both of them. In the same fashion, you probably want to play some of the earlier games before you try your hand at Front Mission 4. Front Mission 3 or the first game for the DS are good options. Devil Survivor is an amazing game that brought the press turn system from Nocturne and made it work very well in a SRPG. It also comes with the Law-Chaos- Neutral paths and endings you'd expect from a SMT game. Rondo of Sword's combat system is, uh, unique. Literally, there's no other SRPG that plays even close to it. Once you get the hang of it, it's fun, fast and very addictive. Other games I warmly recommend are Warsong - as well as Langrisser II/ Der Langrisser - Vandal Hearts and - I know nobody is probably going to play it, but I'd be amiss if I didn't mention it - Gorky 17. As for myself, I'm still giving Suikoden Tactics a shot, I'm eyeing Jeanne D'Arc and as far as broader SRPG series go, I'm looking at the Arc the Lad and Shining Force games.
|
|
|
Post by toei on Apr 26, 2019 19:02:33 GMT -5
I definitely want to participate this month, but I still haven't found what I'll play. All the series I'm really interested in - Shining Force, Langrisser, Arc the Lad, Growlanser - I've already played all the episodes available in English. I'd play Devil Survivor 2, but it's not eligible for HRG. I'm not interested in Front Mission at all, or Fallout Tactics for that matter (sorry Ex), and I'm pretty sure I've played all the other big PSX SRPGs (and some not-so-big ones), except for those awful Super Robot Wars games, so I'm kind of at a loss. It's either going to be some Fire Emblem, which I'm not crazy about, or I'll have to look at the PS2.
Of course I strongly recommend Growlanser - any of them, but 4 especially - and Langrisser, but here are some recommendations I haven't really talked about before:
Farland Symphony, PC. The Farland franchise began on the PC-98, but those early games are extremely easy and quite boring. After some Saturn and PSX entries, the series came back in the early '00s with this entry, which received a fan-translation, and it's a HUGE step up. Pretty standard gameplay, but well-paced and more reasonably balanced, more of a story (and a more interesting one), and things to do between battles. A solid game.
Blazing Heroes aka Mystaria: Realms of the Lore , Saturn. I played this one last year and talked about it a bunch. Very funky, mid-90s graphics that are to take at first, but it's a really cool game. It's like a non-linear Shining Force, in that you can walk around the world map and towns, but you can go through the different regions in whichever order. The main difference in terms of the battle system is that there's a huge amount of skills and abilities, which allow you to do some pretty crazy things. Also, there's a mix between shorter battles and large-scale battles where you travel between floors (basically SRPG dungeons).
Also, if anyone's interested in a PSX, tactics-style SRPG, Saiyuki: The Journey West is nice, and IMO more flavorful than Vandal Hearts.
EDIT - Actually, if anybody's played some good SRPGs for the PS2, GBA, DS or PSP, I'd like some suggestions.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Apr 26, 2019 22:00:55 GMT -5
I have been interested in trying Rondo of Swords eventually. As far as I know, it really is the only SRPG with that unique battle system it has. Devil Survivor I'll play someday via the 3DS port, with all the extra content. I absolutely LOVE Front Mission 4 - but I agree, it should not be someone's first FM. I think overall that Front Mission 3 is the easiest series entry I actually have played that one, although the version I played was entitled Odium. I played it for a few hours back in 2003. It gave me a hard time - largely because I didn't understand the combat system or some such. I should have read the manual. I do recall Odium's atmosphere being really strong, a survival horror SRPG. I wonder if it'd click better with me now. I own this game on disc as Odium and as Gorky 17 via GOG. > Shining ForceI was considering giving Shining Force II a try for this theme. I beat the first game many years ago - I thought it was merely "OK". But the sequel is supposed to improve on things quite a bit. Like maybe it will actually be challenging and a have a plot that's worth experiencing. or Fallout Tactics for that matter (sorry Ex) Darn. All I can say is Fallout Tactics really is amazing. That said - it is a very serious, deep, long and grim affair. With a post-apocalyptic aesthetic that certainly wouldn't be everyone's choice of a playground. A colorful Japanese SRPG it certainly ain't.
Played not so much, read good things about I can do...
On PS2 maybe consider GrimGrimoire or Stella Deus. GBA... Rebelstar: Tactical Command, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis, or Yggdra Union: We'll Never Fight Alone. DS... Blue Dragon Plus, Luminous Arc, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, or maybe even ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat (a full English patch exists). PSP... Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos, Metal Gear Acid 1 & 2, Wild ARMs XF.
There's other PSP stuff I'd like to recommend, but it's all too new for HRG.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2019 2:24:42 GMT -5
Yeah, Saiyuki is also very nice. Playing FFT on the PS1, but with the PSP translation is probably the best way to experience that game I'll probably play it that way, when I feel up to the massive undertaking that game is - or at least that's what it feels like.
Too bad for DS2, but I'd encourage Toei to give Rondo of Swords a shot perhaps since he doesn't like mechas and doesn't care much for FE. Ex gave you some good recs, although I wouldn't call GrimGrimoire a SRPG. I only played it briefly, but Eternal Poison is also a valid option for the PS2. There's also a large swath of NIS SRPGsI never actually played myself, but seem a bit on the grindy side, although many players don't mind it at all. La Pucelle: Tactics, the Disgaea games, Soul Nomad & The World Eaters and Phantom Brave.
There's also Sakura Wars if you have stronge resilience to VNs and dating-sims than I do. And I've been told by people on GameFAQs that I've played and beaten Tear Ring Saga wrong and that's why I didn't enjoy it, so you could give it a chance yourself, but I'm still not evil enough to seriously recommend it to anyone.
|
|
|
Post by Ex on Apr 27, 2019 9:41:26 GMT -5
Playing FFT on the PS1, but with the PSP translation is probably the best way to experience that game I'll probably play it that way, when I feel up to the massive undertaking that game is - or at least that's what it feels like. Yes. The way I personally beat FFT, was via the "FFT: Complete" patch (that I linked to above in the spoiler). FFT really is not a massive undertaking. I beat that game back in 2014 for the first time, and my HLTB shows it only took me 29 hours to do it. I did not use a walkthrough or strategy guide to do so. I didn't leave a review back then, just some quick thoughts: "Final Fantasy Tactics is hailed as a classic of the turn-based strategy genre, and for good reason. This game is simply a ton of fun to play, with bucket loads of strategic options at your disposal. Throw nice graphics, a phenomenal soundtrack, and a byzantine plot on top, and you can't help but love this one. 9/10"Some people get deeply into maxing out various jobs (classes) for their party members, making all kinds of crazy highly specialized teams. In doing so you can spend dozens if not hundreds of hours just min-maxing your life away. None of that is required to beat the game, it's just for eccentrics to toy around with. There are some interesting jobs, but one of them completely breaks the game's difficulty. I won't say which job it is for now, but I did not use it, because it was too much. True, it's more of an RTS. Now that's a good recommendation. I had forgotten all about that release. Sarge loves this game. ;p I own many, but have not played any, of all those NIS SRPGs. I've read before that all the grindy stuff is optional, just an option for folks who love to grind. Don't know how true that is, but I suppose I'll get around to first Disgaea some decade. Ha! This is actually gonna be my second choice after Little King's Story. I've had a sealed copy of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love sitting on my PS2 shelf for nine years now. I don't mind some waifus as long as the mecha battlin' holds up.
|
|
|
Post by toei on Apr 27, 2019 9:58:55 GMT -5
Yeah, Saiyuki is also very nice. Playing FFT on the PS1, but with the PSP translation is probably the best way to experience that game I'll probably play it that way, when I feel up to the massive undertaking that game is - or at least that's what it feels like. Too bad for DS2, but I'd encourage Toei to give Rondo of Swords a shot perhaps since he doesn't like mechas and doesn't care much for FE. Ex gave you some good recs, although I wouldn't call GrimGrimoire a SRPG. I only played it briefly, but Eternal Poison is also a valid option for the PS2. There's also a large swath of NIS SRPGs I never actually played myself, but seem a bit on the grindy side, although many players don't mind it at all. La Pucelle: Tactics, the Disgaea games, Soul Nomad & The World Eaters and Phantom Brave. There's also Sakura Wars if you have stronger resilience to VNs and dating-sims than I do. And I've been told by people on GameFAQs that I've played and beaten Tear Ring Saga wrong and that's why I didn't enjoy it, so you could give it a chance yourself, but I'm still not evil enough to seriously recommend it to anyone. What scared me off of Tear Ring Saga is what you wrote about constant enemy reinforcements making battles drag on and on. What should you have done differently, according to those people on GameFAQs? And yeah, the main thing I'm wary of with these NIS SRPGs is the grinding. I remember those being a big deal at the time, but I'm not really looking to spend 100+ hours on just one game, either. I wish Riglord Saga 2 and other Saturn / PSX SRPGs were translated. Those would be perfect.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2019 10:34:27 GMT -5
The way I personally beat FFT, was via the "FFT: Complete" patch (that I linked to above in the spoiler). FFT really is not a massive undertaking. Cool, maybe it won't be this month, but I'll definitely give it a shot down the line. What scared me off of Tear Ring Saga is what you wrote about constant enemy reinforcements making battles drag on and on. What should you have done differently, according to those people on GameFAQs? Well, I assume that in that very mission with infinite enemy reinforcements I was supposed to take the enemy boss down quickly so I wouldn't get overwhelmed by the constantly spawning enemies. However, that runs counter to most of the situations where you find yourself dealing with enemy reinforcements in the FE games, since they might be tough to deal with and seemingly relentless, but they are never actually endless. They are also an excellent way to level up your weaker units. It is risky, obviously, but I would often lead the enemy reinforcements to a chokepoint and take them down one at a time - and the extra experience would make things easier for me in later levels. Obviously, clearing levels in FE with as less turns as possible looks cooler and flashier, but it's not necessarily how you want to play them. In most of these games there are no optional missions, meaning you can only get your exp from story missions, so you might as well try and get the most kills. Not entirely true, because in some maps there are arenas. In arenas you can place bets and farm levels like no tomorrow, but those are very, very risky as you never know who your opponent is going to be and a death in the arena still counts as permanent death. So, inexperienced players are actually better off staying away from those. That said, that was just one mission. My issues with TRS run deeper than that. My second biggest issue were probably the blob-like enemies multiplying themselves and making enemy turns take exponentially longer. That was, like, torture in video gaming form. - As far as Saturn SRPGs go, you might want to take a look at Wachenroder. The game was translated, but unfortunately you'll have to read the translation from a txt file, as it was never made into a patch. I played a bit of it and it seemed strong on the atmosphere, music and art department, less so gameplay-wise. It was pretty easy.
|
|
|
Post by toei on Apr 27, 2019 11:30:02 GMT -5
I remember reading about Wachenroder in the Sega Saturn Magazine. I'd definitely play it, but a text file translation is not satisfactory for me.
I'll probably try Tear Ring Saga and see for myself.
|
|
|
Post by bonesnapdeez on Apr 27, 2019 19:00:00 GMT -5
Oooohhhh Wachenroder looks nice and thicc and tasty. And it's so so cheap. To the Want List she goes!
I like SRPGs just fine, but I tend to gravitate to traditional JRPGs and ARPGs.
Most of my favorite SRPGs are the "classics" you'd expect. Shining Force, Ogre Battle, Warsong... Never been huge on Fire Emblem. Really enjoyed the first Sakura Wars; I'd really like to sink my teeth into that series someday.
Oh, and the Micro Cabin SRPGs are boss.
|
|