• 4 years ago
    Saved!
    I should play more of these.
    Loading …
  • 6 years ago
    Saved!
    Anyone else remember the days when JRPGs were so sought after, you just had to pre-order or buy them close to release or else you'd be shit outta luck?

    The most recent example I can still think of was Radiant Historia (now a 6 y/o game). I missed the boat initially, and people were trying to pawn them off on eBay at double the MSRP (whether they were successful, I don't know). Atlus then released a second batch a year later due to popular demand, and I was happy to pick it up then.

    Now you can go on Amazon and pick up a new copy for 25 bucks from some third-party seller (or, y'know, wait for the 3DS re-release). Heck, I was surprised at the selection of old games in stock at Amazon themselves.

    Need a factory-sealed copy of Harvest Moon: Magical Melody for GameCube? Sure, they have those at 20 bucks a pop. Wish I'd known before spending more than that on a used copy earlier this year... Suikoden Tierkreis, one of those DS games I thought I'd missed the boat on and would never own? Again, Amazon has it for 40 bucks. And how about a shiny new copy of Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne for PS2? It's only 15 bucks.

    It seems my entire collection has devalued by a lot in recent years. None of my PS2 games are worth shit anymore. None of my Atlus and Nippon Ichi stuff. Games that retained their value for many years, have now completely depreciated.

    New JRPGs coming out never reach that status of being a "rare" high-value item. After all, why pay 100 bucks for a physical copy when you can get it digitally for half?

    There's also less and less reason to own physical media in the first place. Games come in flimsy cases without manuals, and most games aren't even complete until the day 1 one patch. FF15? A wreck. Type-0 HD? It had that horrible motion blur effect. Dragon Quest Heroes I & II? Had a bunch of content locked away in patches.

    I was contemplating whether I wanted to pay 40 dollars for a physical copy of Cave Story on Switch (a game that is, y'know... free on PC), then the publisher goes and announces they'll patch in a "classic" graphics mode... At least the base game is complete, but if I can't pop it in 20 years down the line and have all the patched features without hacking my Switch and downloading them off Emuparadise, what's the point?

    Anyway, I've been on an FF stint as of late, so I think I'll be grabbing myself a brand new copy of FF4 DS for 25 bucks. Because apparently I can.
    Loading …
    • Silent Gamer
      Saved!
      Silent Gamer
      Editing … I've been feeling this way for a while now. I bought up a whole load of JRPG's because I thought they would be tough to find, or that they would fetch ridiculous prices from 3rd party sellers. But nope, thanks to PSN and Steam, most of them are available freely. Some are being remade, and the few that aren't can be found online at reasonable prices. In the end, I never paid much for any of my games anyway, and the ones I did oreorder, I've played most of them immediately, so it's all good.
      Loading …
  • 7 years ago
    Saved!
    I feel like I’m completely out of the loop on localized Japanese games. There used to be a time where I’d just buy everything put out by NIS America and Atlus, but as more and more of those companies started popping up, and their output became less than stellar, I stopped following them.

    Meanwhile, I shifted my focus towards buying my games while visiting Japan, as so many major franchises just weren’t being brought over. That’s mostly been rectified since then. There’s still a big gap in the Dragon Quest series on 3DS, but at least the new ones are being localized. Tales games now get released just a few months after Japan. And heck, we even got the latest 7th Dragon (kinda odd as it marks the end of the story, but whatever).

    Now when I visit Amazon, pick a random RPG, and look at all the other games people have bought with it, I don’t recognize any of them. Like Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault. What the hell is that even? I’m guessing some sort of strategy game, but it’s hard to tell from the screenshots. Meanwhile, the Neptunia series seems to have like 20 entries now. I only played the first game and thought it was garbage, so I never paid any attention to it since.

    I also intended to get into the rebooted Atelier series on PS3, but I kept holding off as I wanted to wait for the Vita re-releases with additional content. Then when they finally did get released, I kept waiting on a price drop as I don't like spending full price on digital games. Now I’m way behind and they’ve already moved on to PS4.

    At some point visual novels also became a thing. I’m guessing after the Zero Escape series became a surprise hit. For years I've wanted them to bring these over, and now there’s so many of them… DanganRonpa, Steins Gate, Psycho Pass, Root Letter… I think I even got Amnesia and Code Realize as part of my PS+ subscription. How will I ever catch up?

    Overall though I don’t think I’ve missed out on too much. There’s a lot of fanservicy games and first-person dungeon crawlers (often times they’re one and the same) which I probably wasn’t ever gonna buy anyway, but I’m kinda curious if I haven’t missed out on a couple of hidden gems. Like, that Sword Art Online thing seems to be doing really well, and I’m completely unfamiliar with the series. Will have to do some digging.
    Loading …
    • Silent Gamer
      Saved!
      Silent Gamer
      Editing … There is definitely a lot more out there than there used to be, and a lot easier to get hold of too. Sadly, this also means that a lot more sub-par/average titles are making it across too. I can understand that mentality of trying to get hold of them all, as you are used to them being this rare/niche thing that offers something wildly different from the norm. But I feel like those days are gone. With the advent of online stores and a shift in Japanese devs towards PC and handheld, these games are all the more accessible and I can only see this increasing with time. It seems more and more titles are coming to Steam each day, growing the audiences for these series. It's probably time to stop thinking of them as rare oddities to be explored and treat them like any other games.You'll never be able to play them all, and that's okay. It's easy to feel like you are missing out, but in the end you may never receive the same enjoyment from them that their fanbase did. Better to have fond experiences with a few than to waste your time playing tons of middle-of-the-road titles.
      Loading …
  • 7 years ago
    Saved!
    Ahh, auto-battle. I dunno how I ever survived without you :P
    Loading …
    • Caff
      Saved!
      Caff
      Editing … By fighting yourself. Duh.
      Loading …
    • rockshard PhD
      Saved!
      rockshard PhD
      Editing … I'm amazed auto battle was added to games that still don't let you disable random encounters. I don't even see why auto battle exists, how hard is it just keep picking fight.
      Loading …
    • Silent Gamer
      Saved!
      Silent Gamer
      Editing … Auto-battle helps you breeze through all of the wimpy enemies that you can kill in one hit. It is precisely because of random encounters that auto-battle is useful. If a game allowed me to avoid these pointless battles, I would. Until then, being able to end the battle with a single button press is a godsend.
      Loading …
    • rockshard PhD
      Saved!
      rockshard PhD
      Editing … Yep, treat the symptom and not the disease. Anything to avoid having to remove random encounters from the game or let player control the encounter rate. BTW you almost sound like you're implying random encounters are a flaw. Be careful, you night be imprisoned for heresy against the nerd consortium. EVERYONE knows random encounters are great. After all FF7 has them! So it will appear in future games forever and ever. Amen.
      Loading …
    • Axersia
      Saved!
      Axersia
      Editing … Whenever I play Dragon Quest I have auto-battle turned on for everything except bosses and Metal Slimes. I'm all about getting through games as fast and efficiently as possible, and auto-battle does that. Why would I want to manually input the commands if the A.I. will use the same? In fact, in a lot of cases the A.I. is smarter, as it knows what enemies are weak to things like Thwack (insta-death). The only way for the player to know is to use it on every enemy in the game to test what the success rate is, or look it up in a guide. Also, whenever games have a simpler physical-only auto-battle I tend to take advantage of that by keeping mages to a minimum. Some might argue you really need those in Shin Megami Tensei, but the fact is that battles do go faster by building towards physical and using auto-battle. But one of the coolest auto-battle types would have to be the one in Phantasy Star II and IV (and III?) where you set up macros. Every turn you just pick your preset macro that is most suitable for the situation. In a way it's the progenitor of the FF13 battle system.
      Loading …
    • Axersia
      Saved!
      Axersia
      Editing … Also, I always thought it was silly how Bravely Default was lauded for allowing you to control the encounter rate and treating it like an innovation when RPGs have been doing that for decades. Dragon Quest, Breath of Fire, Pokemon, Tales, Golden Sun... It's just that they all use an in-universe item/skill solution rather than a setting in the options. Of course, the only people who reviewed Bravely Default have only played FF, which I don't believe has ever had that option.
      Loading …
    • rockshard PhD
      Saved!
      rockshard PhD
      Editing … "It's just that they all use an in-universe item/skill solution rather than a setting in the options." Which by definition doesn't count. Why isn't autobattle an in universe item/skill in that case?
      Loading …
    • Dr Eggnog
      Saved!
      Dr Eggnog
      Editing … Auto-battle ruined Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy IV DS and Bravely Default for me. I want to feel like the game needs me.
      Loading …
    • Silent Gamer
      Saved!
      Silent Gamer
      Editing … XII took auto-battle to the extreme. I ended up playing the game without using the Gambits. It was more fun that way. Still sucks ass though.
      Loading …
    • Dr Eggnog
      Saved!
      Dr Eggnog
      Editing … I can't play without the gambits because I know the gambits are there.
      Loading …
    Loading …
    Load all comments 11
  • 7 years ago
    Saved!
    "A Ton of Games"

    JRPG #5/100

    #Shadow Hearts: From the New World

    Oh boy, I guess once you reach the top, the only way to go is down, eh? :( While there is still a good deal of fun to be had in From the New World, it suffers from the fact that it just isn't anywhere near as good as the other two. While the battles retain the improvements from the last game, this title also introduces a new mechanc which, in my opinion removes the tactical nature completely. Enemies and party members alike are given a "Stock" bar which fills up whenever they attack or receive damage. Once full, this bar can be expended to perform a "double attack" allowing two moves in a row without fear of retaliation. In order to prevent this, certain attacks can be used which deplete the bar. This brings a huge problem though. Enemies can perform huge amounts of damage to characters if allowed to use double attacks, leading almost every battle to be a case of lowering the enemies stock bar, while trying to increase your own. This means that every battle boils down to the same repetitive tactic over and over again, draining the battles of the varied, fun nature seen in #Shadow Hearts: Covenant. Despite this, the characters retain their unique nature and it can be fun seeing Ricardo using a flamethrower disguised as a guitar, or beating down enemies with Frank's giant kebab skewer.

    While the characters are definitely still cooky, they lack the charm of the previous protagonists and it is hard to become attached to them. Even worse still, is that the series' trademark fusion system has been largely removed, with a paltry 4 fusions being available, compared to Covenants 21. Fusions are no longer collected throughout the game and are instead picked up at set story intervals, removing yet another gameplay aspect; the collectible nature of demon-fusing.

    I did have fun with this game and at it's core, it is still a Shadow Hearts game, but it is hard to think back on it wothout remembering more bad than good. If you find it for cheap, maybe it will hold your interest, but in my personal opinion, I'd say skip this one.

    7/10
    Loading …
    • free fall
      Saved!
      free fall
      Editing … I like this game a lot but that might just be because it's about Murrica. I'd give it like an 8.5 actually, my second favorite after Covenant.
      Loading …
    • Silent Gamer
      Saved!
      Silent Gamer
      Editing … It did have its moments. Maybe I will give it another chance one day and see if my score changes :)
      Loading …
    • Silent Gamer
      Saved!
      Silent Gamer
      Editing … One thing I love about the Shadow Hearts series is the music. There's not really anything similar to it. I always liked the final boss music of From the New World. Especially the melody at 3:00 :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MRHV_Cf41E
      Loading …
    • free fall
      Saved!
      free fall
      Editing … They should make more RPGs nowadays with fixed camera angles, I really like that style a lot. It feels so PS1-ish.
      Loading …
    • Silent Gamer
      Saved!
      Silent Gamer
      Editing … Whole-heartedly agree :)
      Loading …
  • 7 years ago
    Saved!
    "A Ton of Games"

    JRPG #4/100

    #Shadow Hearts: Covenant

    The spectacular follow-up to #Shadow Hearts, this one improves on the formula in almost every way. The Judgement Ring mechanic has been refined and the game now allows you to customise the hit areas to your liking via the use of items. The game even offers several modes for players of different skill levels. The 'Practice Ring' for example allows the player to miss hit areas, giving them another chance at attacking but will remove the ability to perform critical hits. The Judgement Ring isn't the only way the battles have been changed up though. Shadow Hearts: Covenant adds in the ability to perform 'Combo' attacks, wherein characters forgo a turn in order to teamup for a combined attack later on, which may finish with a powerful 'combo magic' spell. Enemy position can also be manipulated, with attacks having the potential to knock enemies backwards, into the air or thrown to the ground, raising the effectiveness of future attacks. This new focus on positioning opens up the game to allow the implementation of 'Area of Effect" attacks also. Combine all this with the huge range of character abilites, and you have an extremely engaging and fun battle system :)

    A lot more light-hearted than the orignal, Covenant lays on the humour much more frequently and in my opinion is all the better for it. The comical moments and colourful characters give the game a unique charm that few other rpg's can offer. Dare you take on the "Curry Festival", a gauntlet of battles against half-naked wrestlers wearing plates of curry on their head? :P Or how about hunting the world to take down a secret society whose members include a whip-wielding dominatrix and......#Grigori Rasputin???? Overall, this is a tremendously fun game that never fails to amuse and entertain. These guys understood that the main focus of an RPG should be the battles, and when you actually look forward to getting into fights, you know an RPG has done something right :D Please, if you play any of the games I recommend here, give this one priority :) Oh, but defos play the orignal first :P

    10/10
    Loading …
  • 7 years ago
    Saved!
    "A Ton of Games"

    JRPG #3/100

    #Shadow Hearts

    A really fun title with an interesting battle mechanic, Shadow Hearts is a game I have a lot fo love for. Originally picking it up at a time when the only JRPG's I had played were #Final Fantasy games, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Shadow Hearts. Forgoing the typical tropes of medieval knights or anime-esque teens, the game takes place in an alternate-history Earth. Set in 1913, the game follows Yuri, a young man with the ability to "fuse" with demons, taking on their form. This provides an interesting dynamic to the battles, as you must decide which demons to equip and take into battle with you, with a max of 3 able to be equipped at any one time. Elemental weaknesses are a big focus in this game, so choosing the right forms against bosses can be critical. Battles are turn-based, but with a twist. The game utilises the "Judgement Ring" mechanic, wherein every player action starts a minigame of sorts focusing on a disc with a spinning pointer. The player must time their button presses, hitting the various "hit areas" as the pointer passes trhough them. This ensures that player skill is just as important as character stats. The Judgement Ring mechanic also brings added importance to status effects. Unlike other RPG's, status effects do not merely inflict favourable/unfavourable states on the characters, but the player as well. Some effects may make it harder to successfully use items/attacks by changing the size of the hit areas, spinning the pointer erratically or even removing both the pointer and hit areas from view completely. This makes the battles that much more engaging, as maintaining and utilising the Judgement Ring is crucial to victory.

    The game borrows a lot from Lovecraftian horror and does not shy away from the draker themes this may bring. The characters are all rather varied and interesting, with your party containing anything from old chinese mystics, to European spies, and even a vampire. There is also a good deal of side-content in the game and I will admit, I missed quite a lot the first time I played through the game. Thankfully, the game offers a New Game Plus option, which makes playing through a second time a breeze, allowing you to focus on the stuff you missed.

    Overall an excellent RPG, and on the shorter side at around 25-30 hours, I would recommend this to anyone who has access to a PS2. Sadly the developer is now disbanded and the game rights up in the air, so a HD re-release/port of this game is highly unlikely, meaning the orignal version is the only way to play. Trust me though, you will not be disappointed :)

    8.5/10
    Loading …
    • Papissama
      Saved!
      Papissama
      Editing … The character limit for opinions is gone. Did you know?
      Loading …
    • Silent Gamer
      Saved!
      Silent Gamer
      Editing … Ahh, yea, i did see your post! :D Well, either way I was posting it here because of my self-imposed challenge of beating 100 jrpgs. Maybe from now on, I will just write the opinions on the correct page and link to them here like I did with the Zero Escape series :) Thanks!
      Loading …
  • 7 years ago
    Saved!
    "A Ton of Games"

    JRPG #2/100

    #Undertale

    What a game! I knew very little of this game except the hype surrounding it and going in blind is honestly the best way to go. The art-style is a throwback to #EarthBound and although maybe not to everyone's taste, it gave it a charming feel. The strongest aspect of this game is definitely it's characterisation and world-building. For fear of spoilers, I do not want to go too into detail, but suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised with how this game turned out. As with all games that recieve heavy praise, I thought I would be left disappointed, or that it wouldn't live up to the hype. I was wrong, this is a game worthy of the attention it received. The great script, fun puzzle-like battle system and AWESOME soundtrack had me hooked. But without a doubt it was the ending that well and truly cemented this game's place in my all-time favourite games (#46). This is a game that fans of the genre just HAVE to check out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised :)

    8.5/10
    Loading …
  • 7 years ago
    Saved!
    "A Ton of Games"

    JRPG #1/100

    #Pokémon Red and Blue

    Pokemon Blue was my first ever experience into the world of JRPG's, or even RPG's in general. Like everyone else at the time, I got completely sucked into the Pokemon craze. Nothing appeals to a kid quite like collecting, and this game was a genius of design. Despite there being 150+ characters in the game, I remembered them all. Not only that, I still remember them all to this day. Very few games have ever achieved this level of attatchment to it's characters since. The use of HM's to progress through the game encouraged you to try out new Pokemon, and the constant theme of "catching them all" promoted experimentation and led you to seek new, more powerful creatures. Although incredibly simple and if I'm honest, painfully slow, the battle system was fun and watching that health bar drop just low enough to allow an easy catch was exhilirating.

    I'm not sure how much my enjoyment of the game was influenced by the "Pokemon Mania". Merchandise, toys, card games, tv shows, etc. flooded the playground and everyone was caught up in it, from kids to adults. This is perhaps the genesis of my love for game discussion. Everyone swapped ideas and rumours, tips and strategies, spoke of their favourite Pokemon and their best moves, had "races" to see who could evolve their pokemon first ro who could hit level 100 without rare candies. It was a great time to be a kid and it definitely had a positive effect on my love for games :)

    It seems ridiculous even recommending Pokemon, but if somehow you have been living under a very large rock your whole life, give Pokemon a go, you owe it to yourself :)

    8/10
    Loading …
  • 8 years ago
    Saved!
    Loading …
Deleted!

Alternative Names

Eastern-Style RPG
Japanese Role-Playing Game
Japanese-style RPG
JRPG

Page Info

Created 2013-07-07 12:48 am
Page creator Doubleagent
Views 2,036
Listed in, list of Lists as cards
Wide-tile list of VG-level Pages.
Wide-tile list of character Pages.
Simple text.