Say you have a friend who recently discovered RPG's and turns to you all "WOW WHO KNOW THERE WERE GAMES OTHER THAN DATING SIMS!?!?"
What games would you tell that friend they absolutely have to try as an example of the series?
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Say you have a friend who recently discovered RPG's and turns to you all "WOW WHO KNOW THERE WERE GAMES OTHER THAN DATING SIMS!?!?"
What games would you tell that friend they absolutely have to try as an example of the series?
I'm trying to think of RPGs that don't break the mold in some way, they just do everything an RPG does really well.
Skies of Arcadia
Final Fantasy 5 (I guess the job system is a little different)
Chrono Trigger
First or second Star Ocean
Final Fantasy 9
Good ones that go outside the mold to some degree
Shadowrun for SNES
Earthbound
Zelda (first one, LttP,)
Secret of Mana
Xenogears
Final Fantasy 6-8
Betrayal at Krondor
That leaves plenty of room for other recommendations.
Phantasy Star IV
Chrono Trigger
Tempted to say Dark Souls but then again getting absolutely destroyed might scare them off the genre and back to dating sims. I'd say FFX because it's easy to get into, got some good summery happy vibes and is just solid overall.
Depends on how committed they are. I could give them an entire RPG history lesson (starting with Dragon Quest 1, because my pre-DQ RPG knowledge of Ultima and Wizardry and stuff is poor) and currently ending with Divinity: Original Sin).
Or I could just pick out a few games I think are the best; or a few games that I think even a non-RPG player could appreciate, or whatever. There are a lot of ways to go. Or the most influential/iconic RPGs? I'd really have to evaluate the character of the person playing them.
On the other hand I actually kind of did this for my sister, and I made her play:
DQ1, 3, 4
FF6
CT
Earthbound
Xenosaga
Of course that was quite a while ago now so any new-ish games couldn't have been included, and she probably wouldn't have played more than about that many games.
Final Fantasy I might be a good one, except that it's Grind City until you get to Lich.
As Pete said, X might be the best choice. The graphics are great, the gameplay pretty simple. The most annoying parts (Butterfly & Lightning dodging) aren't necessary. It also has a fantastic story & characters. #FearTheSpear
FFVI, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest V, Secret of Mana and/or Seiken Densetsu 3, Suikoden II
I'd start with WRPG's honestly. Mass Effect series, KotOR etc.
They're just less of a jump from the action/adventure games most people are used to playing, and hell, those two I mentioned have some dating sims aspects in them as well.
Final Fantasy, Legend of Legaia, Legend of Dragoon, Breath of Fire, Super Mario RPG.
Wouldn't really care which entry of FF and BoF they'd want to try.
Chrono Trigger
Rune Factory 3
Shining Force II
Fire Emblem Awakening
Persona 3 (any incarnation)
Megaman Battle Network 3
My favorite RPGs consist of:
SMT I-IV and every spinoff (Persona, Digital Devil Saga, etc.)
MOTHER 1-3
Dragon Quest IV-VI
Final Fantasy IV-VII
Tales of Phantasia, the Abyss, and Symphonia
So I would definitely recommend those!
Try games with social aspects in them. Like an affection stat that gives you hidden scenes later in the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by shion
I'd honestly have to write off most of my favorite JRPGs and maybe even a few of my favorite WRPGs. Anything with a lot of micromanagement or busywork from bygone days is probably going to make a newcomer lose interest too quickly. So, sadly, we'd have to start with more streamlined pieces. Or things like Mass Effect, where the side quests have purpose, and everyone talks, and there's a lot of high stakes intensity to keep you interested and going. I don't think Baldur's Gate is going to have the same appeal to a newcomer as it did to hardcore PC gamers back in the day. Might be able to work up to that, but that would be far from my immediate goal
And old RPGs, especially NES ones would probably be off the table. I'd honestly question the legitimacy of appeal to new comers for games even on the SNES, and maybe even PS2. Because at least as far as JRPGs go, the random encounter rate was completely ridiculous until recently. And the only reason we trudged through them is because we were already fans. If I were to introduce someone to say Albert Odyssey, an amusing little starter RPG that has a reprehensible encounter rate that can quite literally get you into a battle every two steps, it's not going to have the same appeal. Hell I only endured it because I'd gotten used to it on better games like Final Fantasy VI and Phantasy Star IV. I built up that tolerance. And it makes me sad that even the redone Skies of Arcadia still has an encounter rate that just ruins the game for me anymore
With that in mind, I would agree that more modern WRPGs are probably better places to start. And with BioWare you get a lot of social aspects too. And a lot of "movie" moments, where you get the same intensity as watching a big budget movie on the big screen. Kudos to them for capturing that from time to time
I'm trying to think of more traditional games. I think maybe Xenogears or Xenosaga may be good starter JRPGs. They're big budget with large casts and lots of cinema and running around talking reading and learning and not a huge emphasis on random encounters. The encounter rates may still be a little ridiculous. But there's so much time spent doing other stuff between dungeons it may be more forgivable to a newcomer
Where could you even find this?Quote:
Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg
Chrono Trigger is probably the best place to start. If you don't like that game, then this isn't the genre for you.
I'm playing Skies of Arcadia now actually
Here. :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by Del MurderWhere could you even find this?Quote:
Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg
Chrono Trigger is probably the best place to start. If you don't like that game, then this isn't the genre for you.
I'm not sure if I'm missing something or what. Skies of Arcadia Legends for GameCube is the same game as Skies of Arcadia for the DC with some added sidequest content. The price has begun to go up over the past few years ($40-50 USD for a used copy), but it's still obtainable and affordable.
EDIT: I just checked to see and you can still find used Dream Cast copies for 70-80 USD. Not cheap, but not as bad as a lot of other limited production classics.
$50? For a Gamecube game?
Can I borrow it when you're done?Quote:
Originally Posted by shion
S'probably still cheaper or at the same price as when it was new. IMO it's worth the price. It's a great game. /shrug
I'd rather pay that price for a game that I know will be good than some of these new games that are coming out.
Of course I jumped on it when all the stores were trying to clear out their GameCube merchandise and it was 15-20 dollars.
Can Del borrow it when I'm done?Quote:
Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg
They reduced the encounter rate in the GameCube version. It still wasn't enough for me to tolerate finishing the game. But it's something to consider when buying copies. Either you want the original. Or the better version
Why not start with suikoden 1 first for story reasons?Quote:
Originally Posted by The Man
I also thought of legend of dragoon and legaia with suikoden as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by ToriJ
A few nobody has mentioned: dark cloud, it would be a good taste of what could be done in rpgs, parasite eve(can this be classified as an rpg as well?), gives the mind some crazy science stuff, and wild arms, because everyone should experience them once.
If he's interested. I'm sure a man with the name Del Murder is completely trustworthy.Quote:
Originally Posted by shionCan Del borrow it when I'm done?Quote:
Originally Posted by sharkythesharkdogg
Valkyria chronicles
Final fantasy 6 - 10
Fire emblem awakening
Disgaea 3 - 4
Persona 3 or 4 golden
Kingdom hearts 1
Bravely default
Etrian Odyssey IV
Now that I have a VitaTV I need to get Persona 4 Golden :( Outside of that I think Etrian Odyssey is the only one on your list I haven't tried. The description of the other games being maze-filled dungeon crawlers didn't really interest me. But I keep hearing that the addition of real characters and story has more than made up for that
I think I'll get a Vita TV too. I really want P4Golden and stuff.
Just be aware not every game is compatible, and a lot of games that are, would be better with a PS4 controller with the touchpad, though they generally allow you to emulate touch with one of the thumbsticks. But the list of patched compatible games is growing every day, and most of the newer releases are being released compatible. I doubt Persona 4 had a lot of touch integration though, it'd probably work perfectly with just a regular controller. It's also super cheap these days too. Can't wait til I get my hands on it
I would probably look for that sweet spot where quality meets accessibility and recommend games like Final Fantasy IX, Dragon Quest VIII, Skyrim, Valkyria Chronicles and Chrono Trigger.
If I'm introducing RPG's to someone with no experience in them, things like Etrian Odyssey would be the last thing I'd recommend.
Final Fantasy IX or X, full stop. I think Fallout 3 or Skyrim is a solid choice, with the much better New Vegas or Morrowind being a good place to go from there.
Dating Sims are 'IMMENSE'. After a life time of playing RPGs, I actually found that the main thing I liked about Persona 3 + 4 was the dating sim element. I guess I was always a lover and not a fighter. =) And hey, at least you find out a little bit more about the characters in a dating sim. I tried to play Demon Souls, and it was literately avatar-on-avatar sword swinging action. I don't care about saving the world. I care about individual people. :PQuote:
Originally Posted by shion
have you guys heard of this thing called
flappy bird
this is now a flappy bird threadQuote:
Originally Posted by krissy
what is everyone's high score? Mine is only 24 :(
Oh god you're right. This is the correct answer in this thread so far, but I want to add Deus Ex: Human Revolution to it. Then they can play the original.Quote:
Originally Posted by Laddy
edit: KotOR is another good starter RPG imo. The Star Wars universe is pretty familiar even to people who aren't turbonerds.