I need some good JRPG recommendations.

[JimmyCane]

I just realized how out of the loop I've been for the past few years when it comes to JRPGs.

Can someone recommend any awesome series or games, other than the obvious ones? I'm talking about basically looking into your JRPG collection and just start naming a few of your favorites. N.A. releases are preferred. I don't import that much, and I can't read Japanese.

They can be as old as Super Nintendo to as new as... well... today. PS2 games however are preferred. I'm getting a new one for Christmas and while I love my Xbox 360 (which has some great JRPGs and RPGs in general) and Wii, I want to go back to my JRPG roots. And the PS2 has plenty of them.

I've just stumbled upon Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia and it's sequel. And I've stumbled upon another series made by the same people... the "Alchemy RPG series that began with Atleier Iris; Eternal Mania" (as per GameFAQs).

Are these any good? Also, I've never gotten into the Arc the Lad games, are they any good? I've heard good things about them over the years. If I did pick the series up any specific places where I should start?

I already know about a majority of the Sqare, Enix and Sqare-Enix games and series. I'm pretty up to date with Namco and their games. So I was wondering about any other games that slipped passed my ADD infested game radar.

Thanks in advance!

[Cless]

My favorite RPG of last generation remains to be Valkyrie Profile 2. It can be brutally hard for some people, but the battle system is among the most strategic and satisfying I've ever experienced. And side-scrolling platform dungeons are fun and unique.

Shadow Hearts 1 and 2 was my favorite narrative (I practically consider them one game).

I've just stumbled upon Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia and it's sequel. And I've stumbled upon another series made by the same people... the "Alchemy RPG series that began with Atleier Iris; Eternal Mania" (as per GameFAQs).

Do you like cute anime girls? If yes, buy it yesterday. If not, stay as far away as possible.

It's a really weird game. It's not designed very well, and has a fairly mediocre localization. But damn, that game had some kind of crazy charm to it, yet it has so many problems, and an incredibly lame main character, but somehow I came out loving it. One of my highlights of 2007. I also loved the soundtrack. I await the sequel with great anticipation, which they say is even better.

[JimmyCane]

I'm not some super crazy "weeaboo" (kind of insulting to some people who are really into Japanese culture, but it's the only word I can think of) and I'm not super crazy on the "^_^ ^.^ ^_^ ^.^ OMG I AM SO OTAKU I LUV ANIME AND SUSHI!! " scene but I love the simple charm that anime RPGs have (and I do love a good anime from time to time), so I guess I would probably like the games. [super nerd]Plus, cute anime chicks are hot.[/super nerd]

If my post offended anyone, I'm sorry. Blame it on the endless surfing of 4chan in my younger years, which made me an internet bully/asshole.

Thanks for the input Cless, now I might have to buy it off Ebay soon. It's only 25 dollars.

[Goshi]

Utawarerumono - Its for the PC and PS2. A VN with a SRPG battle system thrown in. IMO, the SRPG parts aren't that great but the storyline makes up for it. The PC version contains h-content however whilst the PS2 version doesn't. The PS2 version also improves the SRPG parts though I'm pretty sure they're still pretty boring.

The PC version has been translated by mirror-moon.

The Men at Work! Series - They're a series of VN RPGs as well which are for the PC. I haven't played them yet but I plan to at some point. They contain h-content too so tread carefully.

Wild ARMs series - The only ones I've played are the 1st one and 2nd one. 1st one is pretty bad but the 2nd one if one of my favorite PSOne RPGs actually. The translation could do with some work but its a pretty good game and well worth looking into.

Chantelise - I personally didn't enjoy it but others have so I may as well list it. Anyway its for the PC and its a doujin game so Play-Asia probably might not have it. Anyway its an action RPG where you kill stuff and explore dungeons. There is one good thing about the game and that's the boss fights, they're pretty stunning especially for a doujin game. Go give it a look.

Hardcore Gaming 101 had a review written about it awhile ago if you want to find more info
http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/chantelise/chantelise.htm

Etrian Odyssey series - Dungeon crawlers which sport high difficulty and a lot of grinding. If you're into that sort of thing you might want to check it out. IMO, its the best NDS RPG in my opinion.

Don't use Hexers or abuse force skills in EO2 though... they make the game too easy =(

[ForceCube]

Second Valkyrie Profile 2 and the first SH (the second had such poor dialogue I couldn't bring myself to enjoy it... but I admit it's better than the first in pretty much everything else).

My favorite PS2 game by far is Wild ARMs 3. Not only PS2, but probably the best RPG I've ever played. I mean... I love it more than all Tales games together, and I'm a diehard Tales fan. It's really the game of my life. WA5 is pretty good too, but I'd skip 4 if I were you. It blows.

Suikoden V is my second recommendation. The best graphics of any game I've seen (not from a technical standpoint... I'm talking about itrs art style, character designs and overall feeling), a killer story, a beautiful soundtrack and the whole "build your castle" thing Suikoden games are known for are what make this such a masterpiece IMO. III has a great syory despite everything else sucking, and IV is worth a look.

I'd recommend the good PS2 Shin Megami Tensei games (that is, Nocturne and the two Devil Summoners), but with the recent Persona 3 hype I guess you probably know of these already. And don't bother playing Digital Devil Saga unless you can stand vomit-inducing dialogue. -_-

EDIT: I see you haven't played Ar Tonelico or Atelier Iris yet. So let me say it: GO BUY THEM NOW. AT is fairly good and AI is the best surprise I had with the (quite poor IMO) 128-bit generation of RPGs. I was expecting a huge pile of crap and ended up loving the game more than I'd ever dreamed I would. The item creation system is addictive as HELL. I spent hours and hours making new items, more than I did with any Star Ocean, for example. And exploring the world, doing side quests and finding new mana items feels so great. Really, AI is well worth your time if you give it a chance.

[JimmyCane]

Thanks for all the awesome feedback.

I'll have to look into all of these games.

And I've been looking into the Suikoden games for awhile, but never got around to playing them.

The original 2 for the PSone are pretty hard to come by for a decent price. Does anyone recommend I pick those up before I pick up III-V?

[ForceCube]

Thanks for all the awesome feedback.

I'll have to look into all of these games.

And I've been looking into the Suikoden games for awhile, but never got around to playing them.

The original 2 for the PSone are pretty hard to come by for a decent price. Does anyone recommend I pick those up before I pick up III-V?

For III, it's recommended but not absolutely necessary. The games are connected, but it's possible to enjoy one of them without knowing the others. As for V... not at all.

The first Suikoden is great, and is right next to V in my series favorites list, but if I were you I'd skip the second... not only you'll have to pay an arm and a leg for it, but it isn't a very good game at all. It's almost identical to the first one, except longer, more tedious and with an uninspired, sometimes just plain bad soundtrack. Fanboys, please spare my life.

[Joseph]

Because no one seemed to mention them:

The Breath of Fire games. III is the best, but you can't go wrong with the rest.

[lonerurouni187]

Try out Rogue Galaxy; one of the best rpg games I played since my beginner FF days. Fun battle system, and lots of extra sidequests/goodies that'll keep you busy. The story isnt EPIC, but its not bad.
The .hack//GU series is pretty good too, but its based off the first .hack series, which wasn't that bad either, but a little less spectacular... 

[JimmyCane]

Haven't gotten a chance to say thanks and respond to the new posts.

I've definitely heard of most of these, but my brain just needed refreshing.

Between this topic, and a topic (same exact topic, verbatim) I posted on another forum (another "Tales of" forum actually) I have like, 30 recommended games and series.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

[Cless]

I must say that Suikoden II was one of the few games that ever had a villain that REALLY riled me up. I wanted that bastard dead. DEAD. Man, what an ass he was. I never did finish the game though, but I did enjoy what I did.

[ForceCube]

I must say that Suikoden II was one of the few games that ever had a villain that REALLY riled me up. I wanted that bastard dead. DEAD. Man, what an ass he was.

One thing I really liked about him is that he fought the party as a human being in the final battle... unlike 99% of jRPG bosses who just have to turn into huge monsters after they're defeated.
The only other jRPG villain like that is Lezard Valeth in VP2, as far as I can remember.

[Cless]

I was referring to Luca Blight who was ambushed and killed halfway through the game or something. And it took a whole god damn army to kill him. That guy a was just a completely twisted freak from hell. I've yet to see a villain who's affected me as strongly as him in an RPG since.

[ForceCube]

I was referring to Luca Blight who was ambushed and killed halfway through the game or something. And it took a whole god damn army to kill him. That guy a was just a completely twisted freak from hell. I've yet to see a villain who's affected me as strongly as him in an RPG since.

He's the one I'm referring to. By "final battle" I meant just... well... his last battle. Because, let's face it, he IS the true villain of the game.

[Gamesoul Master]

Stumbled across this thread, and decided I *had* to show my love for Ar Tonelico (it's easy, yes, but very fun to play) and Suikoden IV (yes, I know most die-hard Suikoden fans shun this game for its departure from the series (gameplay-wise), but I felt it was fun and I enjoyed the storyline).

Hmm... trying to think of other fun games. Legend of Legaia (PS1) and Legaia 2 (PS2) were definitely fun to play, even if their storylines were not very deep. They were tolerable enough that you could enjoy the rest of the game without being too bored. All 3 Star Ocean games is an obvious recommendation, but I'm saying it just in case.

Wild ARMs 1 and 2 both fun... couldn't really get into the sequels, but Alter Code F was a rather fun remake of WA1.

7th Saga... a fun SNES grind-o-rama game (unless you download the patch to restore its difficulty to its (very surprisingly easier) original japanese version (weird to see a game that old be harder in the US, eh?).

Lufia 1 and 2... very fun SNES games. Fun all-around.

Meh... that's all the non-obvious stuff I can think of right now...

[ForceCube]

EDIT: Nevermind. It's better if I don't know, I guess.