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Post by Ex on Mar 30, 2018 17:00:04 GMT -5
 Can we talk about GameCube RPGs for a minute? To the best of my knowledge, these are the ones the USA got:Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
Baten Kaitos Origins
Digimon World 4
Evolution Worlds
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Gladius
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, The
Lost Kingdoms
Lost Kingdoms II
Mega Man X: Command Mission
Mystic Heroes
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II (Plus)
Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution
Pokemon Colosseum
Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Summoner: A Goddess Reborn
Tales of Symphonia
Virtua Quest
X-Men Legends
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
Yu-Gi-Oh! Falsebound KingdomWhich of those have you played, beaten, would like to play? Any of those particular great in your opinion? Any terrible? --- My experiences thus far:Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance-I have beaten this one co-op with my wife (albeit on PS2). It's a better Diablo than Diablo. 8/10 Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
Baten Kaitos Origins-I own but have not played either of these yet. Digimon World 4
Evolution Worlds
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles-I do not own, nor have I ever played any of these. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
-I own, but have not played this. I'd like to finish it this year, so I can sell it. Unfortunately I had a bad experience with FE. My first FE was Binding Blade, one of the GBA entries. It was hellish and bad. Later I learned it's actually known for being hellish and bad. So perhaps Path of Radiance can make me a FE believer. I mean there sure are a LOT of them.
Gladius-Owned and played this on Xbox. Didn't bother beating it. Very dry and boring TRPG. 5/10 Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody-I've not played these, and don't own them. I did buy the first two for my daughter when she was 8. She loved them. Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, The-I beat this co-op with my wife years ago, we both enjoyed it. It's a JRPG styled LotR game (but not made by Japanese), and it's actually rather good. Very recommended to series fans. 8/10 Lost Kingdoms
Lost Kingdoms II-These are character-plot driven CCG meets dungeon crawls, by FromSoftware. I've beaten both of them, and I had a great time with both of them. I think these are incredibly underrated games, although I'll admit they aren't for everybody. I'd give the first LK a 8.5/10, and the second LK a 8/10, something like that. Both games have amazing OSTs, and mysterious everything all the time. Play them if you are tired of the same old JRPG templates. Mega Man X: Command Mission-I own, but have not played this.
Mystic Heroes
-I do not own, nor have I played this.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door-I own, but have not played this. I enjoyed the N64 original though. I'd like to beat and sell this game this year. Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II (Plus)-I own, but have not played this. I originally bought it to play co-op with my wife. However the split-screen co-op mode sucks for reasons. I'll still try to go through it solo sometime. BoneSnapDeez has talked this game up to the rafters many times.  There must be something special about it. I'd like to beat and sell it this year. Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution
-I own, but have not played this. I think it's weird that I never read or hear anyone talk about this game, like ever. I guess folks just don't care for CCG-JRPG hybrids.
Pokemon Colosseum
Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness
-I do not own, nor have I played either of these.
Skies of Arcadia Legends-I used to own (later sold), and have beaten SoAL. I absolutely LOVED It. Fantastic JRPG that really captures a sense of palpable adventure. 9/10 from this guy.
Summoner: A Goddess Reborn-I own, but have not played this. Tales of Symphonia-I used to own this on GameCube, but I sold it and bought the PS3 HD port of it. I still haven't played the PS3 version though. I've sadly not yet ever beaten or really played any "Tales of" RPG. Which is sad, I know. Should I do something about that this year?
Virtua Quest-I own this on PS2, haven't yet played it. X-Men Legends
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse-I used to own these, and put some time into them co-op with multiple people. Neither one of these games held our attention long though. They're just grindy and repetitive lackluster dungeon crawlers. Overrated due to the franchise they represent. 6/10-ish Yu-Gi-Oh! Falsebound Kingdom
-I don't own, nor have I ever played this.
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Post by Xeogred on Mar 30, 2018 17:35:35 GMT -5
I've heard that the GC version of Mega Man X: Command Mission is way better than the PS2 one, sharper graphics and better loading times. Funny story about this one, I actually tried playing it last year after finishing off Legends 1-2 back to back. While Command Mission has great production values as well and seems like a fine game, it just wasn't pulling me in. The whole game is extremely linear without the towns element of most JRPG's (or heck Legends), and the whole game is just hallways and corridors. The combat is really basic too. Better music than the Legends games though, but yeah I didn't get far. But then Kyle Bosman of Easy Allies ended up doing a playthrough of the entire game throughout several weeks and I watched it to completion... had more fun that way haha. I say this all as a Mega Man diehard, but yeah this game was just maybe a bit too paper thin for me. Very interesting so many companies were on the JRPG bandwagon during the PS2/GC era, when I kind of fell off the genre for whatever reason. I'd like to check out Baten Kaitos since I'm a big fan of Monolith-Soft. Tales of Symphonia is probably the furthest I've ever gotten into a Tales game, but the vanilla plots and characters eventually wear off. Never finished it. Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II - I put 90 hours into this with a friend... offline. Amazing stuff. But the boss drops almost ruined friendships.  Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - I've heard this game is insanely hard. X-Men Legends and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles are fun co-op experiences but I would never play these solo. |
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Post by anayo on Mar 30, 2018 21:28:58 GMT -5
While acknowledging that RPG’s aren’t exactly my favorite genre, I really want to play the Gamecube versions of Fire Emblem and Paper Mario. I can overcome my usual antipathy for RPG’s when it involves moving troops around on a grid, probably because I’m so nostalgic for Shining Force. Paper Mario is just goofy, delightful, and such a breath of fresh air from the usual RPG tropes.
Story time: when the Gamecube was basically our main household game playing machine, my sister had zero interest in video games. The one exception was Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life. I think she specifically asked for it for Christmas or her birthday or something. She even got her own memory card so there wouldn’t be any disputes over save files or anything.
She got completely engrossed in that game, spending hours and hours raising crops and livestock. Her little farmer guy ended up getting married, having a kid, and retiring on his farm. The weird thing is my sister couldn’t be farther from being a “gamer”, but she lost her mind over that one Harvest Moon game.
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Post by Sarge on Mar 30, 2018 23:34:56 GMT -5
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - I played this on PS2. It was boss.
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean - This may be my favorite Gamecube RPG. I'm not a card combat guy, but dang if this system didn't end up pulling me in. Putting together chains of moves for tremendous damage ends up being really fun (and challenging), and I even enjoyed the plot. The whole thing is a polished affair outside of the voice acting.
Baten Kaitos Origins - I have played a decent amount of this, but the simplified combat system disappointed me. I know that a lot of folks thought the first game's was a bit too tricky, but as I say above, I was not one of them. It's still a very solid game, though.
Digimon World 4 - No idea.
Evolution Worlds - Combined port of the two Dreamcast games. It's... a bit bland.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Not much time (maybe three or four hours), but a compentent action RPG from what I've played.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - Not much time into this one, either. I never did really dive in because I still have the first GBA one to finish...
Gladius - I have this on PS2, seems like a decent SRPG. Very slow, though.
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life - No idea.
Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life - Also no idea.
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody - It's almost like I don't play Harvest Moon games!
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, The - Kind of a alternate take on LotR canon, a sort of "follow in the footsteps of the greats" deal. I played a decent amount, and it was a competent Western-developed console RPG. It feels a bit more like a JRPG in a lot of ways.
Lost Kingdoms - Interesting game that I haven't put a lot of time into. Sometimes the lack of direct control bothers me a bit when summoning creatures.
Lost Kingdoms II - Ditto, but seems even more polished than the first game.
Mega Man X: Command Mission - I have a lot of time into this, but stopped for whatever reason. Fun, and better than you'd expect. I do have the GC version, and I remember that it was considered superior as Xeo mentioned.
Mystic Heroes - Has a decent amount of Dynasty Warriors DNA. Didn't play a ton, though.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - Great, great game. Some consider it the best of the series. I liked the N64 one a little better, but that doesn't take away from this one. Lots of interesting characters and humor.
Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II (Plus) - Never did put a lot of time into PSO. Kind of a 3D Diablo, I suppose. Still wish we'd gotten Phantasy Star V.
Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution - I have this, and have barely played it. It may be good!
Pokemon Colosseum - No idea.
Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness - Yeah, I don't play much Pokemon.
Skies of Arcadia Legends - A game that I shouldn't like as much as I do. Doesn't do anything special, but executes at a high enough level in all categories to make it one of the best traditional RPGs out there.
Summoner: A Goddess Reborn - I have the PS2 version of this. The game's world is rather strange. The actual structure is a bit like an action-RPG KOTOR.
Tales of Symphonia - Oh, hey there, best Tales game. This and Abyss are both great, with Symphonia really giving you some options to rack up those combo counts! People ran down the plot at the time; I thought it was a'ight.
Virtua Quest - No idea. Have wanted it, though.
X-Men Legends - Do you like games like Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, except with X-Men? If the answer is yes, then this game is for you. I've played enough to enjoy it, but I do have to admit it didn't suck me in like BG:DA did.
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse - More polished version of the above.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Falsebound Kingdom - Maybe it's okay, but I just say Yu-Gi-No.
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Post by chibby on Mar 31, 2018 9:59:07 GMT -5
Of those on the list I own or have played:
Baten Kaitos: I was really enjoying it when I played it, but I didn't finish. I will someday. Nothing that seems exaggerated about the bad voice acting is an exaggeration, it's all facts.
Fire Emblem Path Of Radiance: It's the only Fire Emblem experience I've ever had, but it made me understand the hype. Also, now when I play Ike on Smash Bros I appreciate him a little more.
Gladius: I spent like a dollar on it, and only ever turned it on to make sure it works. Maybe I'll play it one day...
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age: Owned, never played. I might wait until I have someone around who wants to commit to co-oping it with me, that sounds like a good time.
Paper Mario: the Thousand-Year Door: I could have sworn I owned this but I just checked my collection and I evidently must have borrowed it. It's fun, there are a few updates but it closely follows the formula of the previous game so if you liked that, you'll probably like this.
Tales of Symphonia: I loved this game. HLTB says this is about 48 hours, though I found myself spending a hell of a lot more on it. It's fun and it's characters and interactions are generally a bit light/silly but occasionally rather dark.
Not on your list, but one that I own is Future Tactics: The Uprising. Some would argue that it isn't an RPG, calling it instead a turn-based tactical shooter, and that's maybe a fair point? I played a few missions and then never finished. I'm going to use this opportunity to suggest that the reason why I used to start so many games and not finish them is because I used to believe, in my heart of hearts, that I would play every game I purchase. Now that I'm wiser and realize that I probably never will, I'm a lot better about only starting games that I'm committed to also finishing. I still fall short sometimes, but I'm a lot better now. Anyway, Gamespot gave Future Tactics a 6.4 and I think that's probably accurate.
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Post by Ex on Mar 31, 2018 11:08:22 GMT -5
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - I've heard this game is insanely hard. Interesting, as I've often read the opposite. Or at least, it's often ranked lower in the difficulty spectrum of the FE series in totality. Of course that doesn't mean it's easy in general. At least this FE still keeps the permadeath always ON, unlike the new FE games that want everyone to be a winner if they wanna be. The weird thing is my sister couldn’t be farther from being a “gamer”, but she lost her mind over that one Harvest Moon game. I think the Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing games on GameCube stood as outliers for female players who usually never play games. Skies of Arcadia Legends - Doesn't do anything special, but executes at a high enough level in all categories to make it one of the best traditional RPGs out there I mostly agree with your statement, SoAL doesn't reinvent anything in JRPG land, it just does all the usual things extraordinarily well. I think perhaps SoAL is special in that it creates a sense of palpable adventure most JRPGs never achieve. I was hoping to get the same sense from Grandia, but when I played that game last year the beginning was such a slog I just put it away. Lord of the Rings: The Third Age: Owned, never played. I might wait until I have someone around who wants to commit to co-oping it with me, that sounds like a good time. I think this game is good enough to play single player. I certainly would have played through it single player. The co-op isn't very rich. All it does is let player two control a party member or two during turn-based battles (just like the old FF do). If you want a solid co-op LotR game, check out The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. It's too new for me to go into detail about, but I'll just say (as someone who's beaten it) LotR:WitN is an excellent local co-op experience. |
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Post by bonesnapdeez on Mar 31, 2018 12:26:44 GMT -5
I'd say I have strong opinions about three of these. Phantasy Star Online and Skies of Arcadia are solid 10/10's, two of the best RPGs ever. I prefer them on Dreamcast -- this could be a whole 'nother discussion, but when it comes to console stuff I vastly prefer original releases vs. enhanced ports and remakes. That said, the GC versions are phenomenal as well. As far as PSO goes, I could only handle about two hours of split-screen co-op. Sounds good in theory, sucks in practice. And with near non-existent online support, single-player is the way to go. Female human ranger is the best way to play, this is not debatable.  Now, the entire Tales of series is a bloated mess, with many same-y games and many sub-mediocre entries. Symphonia is one of the better ones. It's still sloppy though. The story is incoherent, and while the characters are charming they're all super baby-ish. The lead villain looks about six years old. The battle system is very busy, one of those "hybrid" systems like that of Star Ocean. Theoretically a lot of actions to perform, but it mostly just comes down to button-mashing. Beautiful graphics, typical boring ass 6th gen JRPG soundtrack. Game is 20 hours longer than it needed to be. I still enjoyed it, but you kinda have to leave your brain at the door. The combat is so mindless and frequent that the game almost ends up feeling like a pseudo-turn-based hack and slash. |
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Post by Sarge on Mar 31, 2018 15:06:44 GMT -5
Grandia has one of the roughest starts in JRPG-dom.  Great game, but it wastes your time early.
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Post by chibby on Mar 31, 2018 15:23:11 GMT -5
Now, the entire Tales of series is a bloated mess, with many same-y games and many sub-mediocre entries. Symphonia is one of the better ones. It's still sloppy though. The story is incoherent, and while the characters are charming they're all super baby-ish. The lead villain looks about six years old. The battle system is very busy, one of those "hybrid" systems like that of Star Ocean. Theoretically a lot of actions to perform, but it mostly just comes down to button-mashing. Beautiful graphics, typical boring ass 6th gen JRPG soundtrack. Game is 20 hours longer than it needed to be. I still enjoyed it, but you kinda have to leave your brain at the door. The combat is so mindless and frequent that the game almost ends up feeling like a pseudo-turn-based hack and slash. Though I maybe wouldn't have phrased any of this as harshly, I wouldn't necessarily disagree with anything you've said here either. Symphonia is the only Tales entry I've experienced but I can imagine that if the others are roughly similar they'd get old fast. Tales of Symphonia was also one of my earliest JRPG experiences (I'd played Shining Force but otherwise it was mostly Bioware titles that made their way into my home and they're... different.) so I think I was willing to put up with a little more from it than I might these days. That or I had some pent up bullying problems from when I was six, so fighting this guy felt somehow right to me.  Point is, I still loved it, but I won't dispute that it's kind of a mess. anayo can probably vouch that I'm a little happier checking my brain at the door than I might should be sometimes  Now that I think about it, it also makes a TON of sense why this game came as a recommendation from a friend who, as a rule, never plays anything with a M rating... |
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Post by anayo on Mar 31, 2018 15:47:28 GMT -5
The weird thing is my sister couldn’t be farther from being a “gamer”, but she lost her mind over that one Harvest Moon game. I think the Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing games on GameCube stood as outliers for female players who usually never play games. My sister never got a hold of Animal Crossing, however Mrs. Chibby made him hand over his smartphone so she could play the mobile version. |
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There must be something special about it. I'd like to beat and sell it this year.
Great game, but it wastes your time early.
Now that I think about it, it also makes a TON of sense why this game came as a recommendation from a friend who, as a rule, never plays anything with a M rating...