need a new RPG

[JKTrix]

Try Etrian Odyssey if your uber hardcore.

Shiren the Wanderer > Etrian Odyssey in terms of 'uber hardcoreness'.

With Shiren, you actually have to have the mindset of playing Super Mario Brothers instead of Final Fantasy when you play. Imagine playing Super Mario Bros for the first time, not knowing *anything* about the game besides the fact you can run and jump. You run forward a bit and then you hit a Goomba and you die. Start over, you see the Goomba again you go 'ok, don't hit the Goomba this time' and jump over it, not dying and continuing on. You might even jump on top of it by accident, and then you discover 'oh wow, I can kill it by jumping on it!' That's the kind of 'skill building' effect Shiren goes for.

You will come across enemies who will kill you. At times, the game does conspire against you and actively tries to brutally murder you, putting you in a randomly-generated room with over-leveled monsters that you can't escape from. And when you die, you start over again from the beginning. But as you play, you learn what each type of monster can do. After a while of playing SMB, as soon as you see a Goomba you know 'jump on it'. As soon as you see a winged Koopa, you know to time your Jump to knock it out, and then jump on it again to finally kill it. You see a fire-breathing plant, you know there's a certain spot you can wait and hide where it won't hit you, then move on past it once it goes back into the pipe.

Shiren is probably the deepest RPG I have ever played, period. It might seem very simple or that it's missing some features that you might like in an RPG (such as 'classes' or a 'party' or a 'story' :P), but it's very deceptive. If you do get the game, the first town gives you an incredibly extensive (and optional) Tutorial to get you more familiar with some of the devious things you can (and have to) do in the game.

It's probably not going to be for everyone, but I definitely consider this to be one of the RPG Classics.

Note: The full name of the game is "Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer". Do not substitute getting Shiren for one of the other recent 'Mystery Dungeon' games, like Pokemon or Chocobo. They are similar in essence, but extremely diluted.