I've only recently started getting into JRPGs. I never gave them a chance before, and ignorantly judged the book by the cover. Boy, have I missed out! My primary systems are PS3 and 3DS (I'd like to also say PS4, but so far it's a bit of a barren wasteland in terms of software), and so far I've gone through the majority of the Final Fantasy series, the delightful Ni No Kuni, and Bravely Default. Now I want more. If you folks could recommend some decent titles, I'd really appreciate it!
(Sadly the best version of Dragon Quest III - the Super Famicom version cannot be got outside Japan).
I don't like the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV (Didn't mind III). The best one to get is the PSP Complete Collection. (The price of a used PSP and the Game is probably less than a new game).
“30fps Is Not a Good Artistic Decision, It's a Failure”
Freedom of the press is for those who happen to own one.
Well, I guess it depends on how "niche" you want to get.
Fire Emblem: Awakening for 3DS is probably my favorite game for the system, and it's very accessible for those new to JRPGs. It has a quirky anime style to it, which can be a positive or negative depending on your tastes.
Also on 3DS is Shin Megami Tensei IV. It's a classic dungeon crawler with modern elements thrown in. As a warming, SMT games can be very difficult. Don't be surprised if a random encounter wipes your party in one hit when you get to a new area. Save often.
The developers of SMT, Altus, have supported the 3DS fairly well, also releasing Etrian Odyssey IV and Etrian Odyssey Untold on the system. Both are classic dungeon crawlers. Much of the appeal of those games are highly customizable parties and the task of "mapping" all of the dungeons yourself.
SMT: Devil Survivor and SMT: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers are also on 3DS. Both are spin offs of the regular Shin Megami Tensei games. Devil Survivor is a tactical RPG game, more similar to Fire Emblem. Soul Hackers is... I dunno, I've never played it. Port of a Sega Saturn game, anyway.
Rune Factory 4 is a more lighthearted RPG on 3DS. It's a spin-off of the Harvest Moon games, replacing farming with monster-killing. It has dating sim elements, which makes it a little niche, but if you're into more lighthearted games in general, then I think it's appealing enough to general gamers too. If you like Harvest Moon and RPGs, you'll most likely enjoy Rune Factory.
Moving on to PS3, the JRPGs on there tend to be much more niche. It's hard to really make recommendations because I mean... well, if I say that I really enjoyed Disgaea, you may go out and try it and get repulsed by the frequent sexual humour, sometimes directed at minors. I would stay away from games developed by Compile Heart for now... even for seasoned JRPG fan like myself, it's pretty over-the-top when the design of all of your games basically amounts to hypersexualizing teenage girls as a mechanic.
For games that would appeal to general gamers though, there's Star Ocean: The Last Hope. Its writing is bad at times, but the gameplay is great, and if you could tolerate the story in the PS3 Final Fantasy games, you should be able to tolerate Star Ocean too. By the same developers, there's also Resonance of Fate, which has some problems with its game design, but it's a neat concept. They tried to make a JRPG battle engine centered around gunplay, to varying levels of success.
There's also Capcom's efforts to make JRPGs that appeal more to Western gamers. Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, and Dragon's Dogma all fall into this category are were all well-received.
Possibly the best JRPG on the PS3 is Valkyria Chronicles. it mixes JRPG with several other elements like tactical RPG and FPS. Sounds like a bizarre combo, but it totally works in execution. It's a great game.
So Anakin kneels before Monster Mash and pledges his loyalty to the graveyard smash.
Plenty of those mentioned above have demos on the eshop for 3ds. EO4 and Untold both have demos that transfer to the full versions. Also give the Denpa Men a shot. All 3 of them also have demos on the shop that also transfer over all data to the full versions. Plenty of rpgs on the 3ds however very few in the Final Fantasy style though. Many more dungeon crawlers and strategy ones but almost all the 3ds rpgs are overall rated 7.5 or much higher on Metacritic!
PS3: Kingdom hearts 1.5. HD Remix, Valkyria Chronicles, Resonance of Fate (very underrated), Tales of Xillia
3DS: Fire Emblem Awakening, Bravely Default, Shin Megami Tensei IV, Kingdom Hearts 3D
If you don't mind outdated classics you can also try Persona 3 Fes and Persona 4 which are available as PS2 classics on PSN
DS
The World Ends With You
Radiant Historia
Chrono Trigger
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Final Fantasy III and IV
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Lunar Knights
Etrian odyseey 1-3 3DS
SMT 4
Bravely Default
Kingdom Hearts DDD
Tales of the Abyss 3D
Fire Emblem Awakening PS3
Valkyria Chronicles
Nier
Ni No Kuni
Tales of Xillia
Tales of Graces f
Eternal Sonata
Skip the FF games
Four more months until Bayonetta 2.
3DS Friend Code: 0705-3088-6988 | Nintendo Network ID: MANIAC64
Does anybody know where I can get Xenogears for less than $70? I bought a PS One from a friend for pretty cheap a few months ago, for the sole purpose of playing it (I was nearing the end of Xenoblade), but I greatly underestimated how rare the game is. If anyone has found a place to buy it cheaper than $70, it would be very much appreciated!
"The future doesn't belong to you!"
Waiting for: BOTW 2, Metroid Prime 4, Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Does anybody know where I can get Xenogears for less than $70? I bought a PS One from a friend for pretty cheap a few months ago, for the sole purpose of playing it (I was nearing the end of Xenoblade), but I greatly underestimated how rare the game is. If anyone has found a place to buy it cheaper than $70, it would be very much appreciated!
Well, I don't know if you have a PS3, or vita or not, but you can download Xenogears for $10 or cheaper off the PSN store. At least, that's what I would have done. I doubt if you'll be able to find physical copy for such a low price.
Lots of good recommendations, but I gotta add Phantasy Star II & IV, Wild Arms, and Grandia, All of those are playable on the PS3 via Sonic's Genesis / MD Collection and the PS Store. Though I'm not sure if the Phantasy Star games are really that great for beginners.
Well since we are mentioning Wii games now, get The Last Story if you can.
And on the 3DS, consider Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Many people hate it, and there is no actual leveling up or experience points, but I quite enjoyed it.
Also, get Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates for the DS (since the 3DS plays DS games). It's super cheap now, and it's really good.
Here are some eShop Games to consider:
Crimson Shroud (my favorite eShop game)
Legend of the River King (it's like Harvest Moon with fishing instead of farming, and there are battles with enemies like in most JRPGs. Very niche, but fun.)
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (hard)
Sword of Hope II
Dragon Crystal (hard)
Mario Golf (a golf RPG... I'm not a huge fan, but others seem to like it.)
And everything that everyone else listed seems to be good.
And Pokémon... no one has mentioned Pokémon. Pokémon is amazing.
New PS4 owner
Yeah, guitars are cool.
My musical project Comet Tail made a couple of recordings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0zUoWWO1v4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2evBddvrm2U
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Topic: JRPGs - Recommendations?
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