Topic: Underrated DS RPGs?

Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals just came out but because it's a Lufia game, it's going to be underrated. Lufia and Lufia II on the SNES were just as good (and in some cases arguably better than) as the SNES RPGs that overshadowed them (Chrono Trigger, FFIV, and Secret of Mana).

The sequel to Chocobo Tales does away with the card game battle system, and instead features a kind of "flick" battle system - you use objects won through minigames to power up Chocobo, and flick him at the enemies to damage them. It's very classy, but if anything even more difficult than the original.

I think the Chocobo games in general get a negative response because while on the surface quite cute and casual-friendly, the reality is these games are using quite hardcore/ grind-heavy mechanics.

I agree with this. Clearly going under the radar here, but I'm not sure this is exactly what we are talking about in this topic in terms of RPG's? Not sure, maybe mickey will clarify for me. This is more of an action RPG now. No turn based combat. Many RPG elements though. You still level, equip weapons and armor and use several different characters. The combat though is more like Secret of Mana though or even more like Terranigma. Either way though this game is clearly not going to sell well, even though it's a great game and wouldn't be surprised if this ended the Lufia series.

@Vaynard I agree. In a overload of quality rpgs out for the DS this year this will get overlooked by many. Hopefully it will sell well enough to warrant another sequel. Not enough time for all these quality rpgs and none of them are short either!

Action RPGs are still RPGs, just like how JRPGs, CRPGs, MMORPGs, Card RPGs, and Strategy RPGs are all RPGs.

I worry for the future of RPGs, when it seems people become less and less aware of what the genre actually defines.

I've played many good RPGs (not so much with videogames, to be fair) where there's no levelling.

Fine, then they're RPGs in the context of this thread, because I don't give a $h!t what the real definition is. Nobody's being graded, so have at it. The purpose of this thread isn't to argue over definitions, it's just here so that we can talk about games that we like that few others ever talk about, in this case limited to "RPGs" since that's all I felt like talking about when I made it.

The fact that it's no longer turn-based has already given it an unwarranted bad rap. Granted I still haven't played it, but it's still high on my list of games to play, even higher than the original, since the DS version looks like it's more my thing.

Despite positive reviews, I still think The World Ends with You is an underrated game, some may be turned off by the Anime style and the fact that it takes place in Japan.

I'm afraid 535 User reviews tend to disagree. Believe me, just because it's not "main stream" doesn't mean it isn't heavily talked about within its own niche. S-E did a fine job of promoting it, and so did most major video game publications and websites, and honestly, I haven't seen an RPG thread where it wasn't mentioned. I'd say word of mouth has certainly put it towards the forefront of DS RPG conversation, and "word of mouth" is all I'm really using as the criteria here.

Oh, and I'm surprised no one here has mentioned Sands of Destruction. I just remembered that game when I realized it has an animated series based on it. Has anyone here even played it?

Fine, then they're RPGs in the context of this thread, because I don't give a $h!t what the real definition is. Nobody's being graded, so have at it. The purpose of this thread isn't to argue over definitions, it's just here so that we can talk about games that we like that few others ever talk about, in this case limited to "RPGs" since that's all I felt like talking about when I made it.

I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about the people who immediately state that an RPG has "levelling and equipment upgrades"

Well, no, or Dynasty Warriors would be an RPG.

@Mickeymac I mentioned Sands of Destruction a couple of pages ago but no, I haven't played it. It's supposed to be alright, but not great. The game is meant to be very short, and the story promising but oddly presented. Its battle system is Xenosaga-esque but too easy and totally broken. That's just me reading from one review, though.

I see what you're saying there. I guess you're right, but still, Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals is very much an Action-RPG because...well, I can't really say why. Action-RPGs are so weird to define. It just plays more like an RPG with action elements than an Action game with RPG elements the way Dynasty Warriors or Devil May Cry 3 are.

I remember there was somebody here who really liked Suikoden Tierkris.

I agree that Lufia is an action RPG, BTW

RPGs are pretty hard to define now because "RPG elements" have been fit into many other genres. We can be extremely specific and say only tabletop and tabletop-like games are RPGs, or we can be extremely general and even say that CoD:MW2 or Shantae: RR are RPGs (or even that any game where you play a character or role is an RPG... and that's almost everything). Of course both definitions are too extreme to sit well with most people.

I basically say that an RPG is a game which has stats and stories at its core, which define the game over any other feature it may have. Stats allow roles and actions to be distinctly defined (and they don't have to be just STR and VIT, or even numerical), and the story allows the role to be used in a coherent context.

Essentially every game has stats and stories at their cores though Stats are, quite literally, the mathematics that determines the success or failure of an avatar in both combat and non-combat situations. In other words, code. The numbers that we see on the screen are merely visual representations of that code.

And those few games without stories at the core (even Mario has a driving plot - you're out to rescue a princess), are usually puzzlers like Tetris.

RPGs are difficult to define because they really don't exist in video games. We now have all kinds of genres that are labelled "RPG" without actually being, RPGs.

But for the sake of discussion it's easier to call those games RPGs. I think the best definition of "RPG" as a result is games with a heavy emphasis on fantastic or magical settings, a stronger focus on story telling than is typical of games in other genres (even action RPGs typically have a stronger focus on plot than, say, Vanquish), the ability to customise your avatar or avatars, and strategic benefits in upgrading the equipment and statistics of your avatar or avatars.

This then differentiates "RPGs" from games such as Warriors games (little focus on story, minimal ability to customise your avatar, minimal advantage in upgrading equipment), or Zelda games (minimal avatar customisation, minimal upgradable abilities).

Haha, I meant stats and story are far more central in RPGs than, say, action, reflexes or solution-oriented thought. Pretty much every other game genre's basic gameplay stems from those and other features, but the enjoyment of RPGs comes from directly manipulating statistics in some fashion (speaking about the play aspect of RPGs only, not narrative), whether it's an attack power number or a saving throw.

I agree that character progression through levelling up or getting stronger equipment and such counts as a core part of RPGs. Character progression didn't exist in digital games until CRPGs introduced that. I don't think visual customisation is a distinct part of RPGs though. Many of them, particularly JRPGs, just give you a set of characters. I think character appearance is a little superfluous and customisation of that can be a major part of many other types of games. APB is one example of a game which wouldn't count as an RPG, but had great focus on avatar customisation.

I hadn't thought about it, but it's true that pretty much every RPG has fantastic or magical settings. Even sci-fi or post-apocalyptic settings count. I can't think of any that are set in the current day or a historical period without some fantastical change, e.g. steampunk or magical realism.

Real Life: The Game. I can see it now...

The most hardcore RPG you'll ever play.

I gave up arguing over what makes and doesn't make an RPG. You're not gonna change my mind, and there's no way I can change yours, so what's the point of arguing about it? That's kind of how I feel. Though I do get annoyed when people call Zelda an RPG since Nintendo themselves place it in the Action/Adventure category. X.X

Who cares man? Was that really necessary? You have to nitpick every little detail everyone states on this site.