Rediscovering JRPG

[JemyM]

As an unemployed Swedish student I of course do not buy everything I play. I play plenty of really bad games which doesn't really intrigue me, but that's more about my interest of gamedesign than entertainment. I also do not struggle to get games from bankrupted companies and feel no guilt for grabbing ancient roms such as Zelda from the web or PC games like Eye of the Beholder.

I tend to buy what I know is good, sometimes before and sometimes after playing the game, sometimes after. RPG's from Black isle, Bioware and Obsidian are companies which I have a complete collection for, except for Sonic. I usually buy them the first day they are available. Exception for this is the Icewind Dale series, the Fallout series and Lionheart, which I later bought in bundle packages. The FF games I grabbed before playing them much thanks to their reputation. I have FF IV-XII for PS1 and PS2. I also have the FFVII prequel for PSP and I consider to buy a DS for FF3, 4 and 12 Revenant Wings.

Interestingly I decided to not buy Oblivion. I finished the game just to see what the fuzz was about, wrote a hatefilled rant on the web, then my girlfriend bought it to me… So I have it in my collection. I also have F3 because I believed in it and I am in the group who think it's broken but still fun. I bought it the first day it was released too. I also have a legit version of all the DLC's.

 

[JDR13]

Interestingly I decided to not buy Oblivion. I finished the game just to see what the fuzz was about, wrote a hatefilled rant on the web, then my girlfriend bought it to me… So I have it in my collection.

So you pirated Oblivion and then complained about it?

That piece of information you should have just kept to yourself.

 

[txa1265]

So you pirated Oblivion and then complained about it?

That piece of information you should have just kept to yourself.

So much for my earlier assumptions ...

 

[Rithrandil]

I'll be honest, I've pirated games that either were not released here, or you have to pay exorbitant amounts of money to obtain (i.e. Suikoden 2 and final fantasy tactics for the PSX for a while) after losing my original copies.

I've also pirated games if my discs developed scratches or wouldn't load for some reason.

…other then that, I pirated the original FEAR, because the game WOULD NOT LOAD with my dvd drive, it kept saying my disc was faulty. ::shrug::

 

[Relayer]

JDR, make sure to play Rogue Galaxy.

I got back to it last night after 2 weeks or so and 18 hours in and the experience has so far been excellent. Level 5 is now on my short list of favorite developers (they also developed Dragon Quest VIII for SquEnix which I loved).

You just get the feeling while you're playing that they put a lot of love and care into their games, it's all in the little details.

I can't wait to see what they do with Dragon Quest IX.

 

[JDR13]

I've also pirated games if my discs developed scratches or wouldn't load for some reason.

…other then that, I pirated the original FEAR, because the game WOULD NOT LOAD with my dvd drive, it kept saying my disc was faulty. ::shrug::

Those aren't examples of pirating though... you owned original copies of the games.

 

[JDR13]

JDR, make sure to play Rogue Galaxy.

Damn, if only you knew how backed up I am with games right now.

I just finished Phantasy Star last night, and I was thinking of playing PS IV next. I really need to play KB: Armored Princess though.

Funny that you mention Rogue Galaxy though, I was testing some of my PS2 games on my PS3 the other night, and I almost stuck that one in. The only reason I didn't is because my copy is still factory sealed.

I'm considering Rogue Galaxy for the next time I play a console RPG, along with Skies of Arcadia, and a game called Eternal Ring.

 

[JemyM]

So you pirated Oblivion and then complained about it?
That piece of information you should have just kept to yourself.

Isn't it great that the market can convince even their critics to support them before they are allowed to complain? How's that for successful market strategy!

For the current business model selling is more important than making a good product, and that's more about consumer psychology than product quality. Complaints on the direction of the market doesn't at all require you to buy the product to be valid, that's one fat lie. The direct opposite is true; as soon as you purchase the product you prove yourself wrong since you shown that the market is indeed successful and heading the right direction, since you did exactly what you are wanted to do; you bought the product. It doesn't matter what you with the product after that, they are already on their next project for you to buy and complain about.

 

[txa1265]

Perhaps we should just drop the whole piracy discussion ... it leads to typical places that are non-productive, with the bottom line remaining the same: pirates continue to steal IP, companies keep trying unsuccessfully to protect their IP from theft, and legit consumers continue to get treated like potential criminals.

 

[JDR13]

Here's the first gameplay trailer for NIER, a new action-RPG being developed by Square-Enix.

http://www.ggmania.com/?smsid=28394

 

[JemyM]

Perhaps we should just drop the whole piracy discussion

I agree. This thread is for jRPG's.

 

[Benedict]

I agree. This thread is for jRPG's.

Although not entirely irrelevant, JRPGs do seem to have a bit of a thing about pirates.

Admittedly I've only played one final fantasy with waffle about the excitement of being a sky pirate and lost odyssey where one of the characters used to be a pirate and found it very exciting, but they still seem quite taken by pirates.

Kings Bounty seems quite pirate obsessed too, but in a very silly, tongue in cheek kind of way.

 

[Relayer]

Damn, if only you knew how backed up I am with games right now.

I just finished Phantasy Star last night, and I was thinking of playing PS IV next. I really need to play KB: Armored Princess though.

Funny that you mention Rogue Galaxy though, I was testing some of my PS2 games on my PS3 the other night, and I almost stuck that one in. The only reason I didn't is because my copy is still factory sealed.

I'm considering Rogue Galaxy for the next time I play a console RPG, along with Skies of Arcadia, and a game called Eternal Ring.

If you don't mind real time action combat, I really think Rogue Galaxy is better (so far) than SKies Of Arcadia (and they're both Pirate themed!) and I loved SoA.

And my backlog is bigger than yours! I have a ton of games I've been playing the last year that I haven't finished.

On the DS alone, recently started playing Zelda Phantom Hourglass which I got for Father's Day in 2008 along with Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon which I got Father's Day 2009 along with GTA: Chinatown Wars which I bought around the same time and to top it off last weekend I got Dragon Quest IV DS!!!

Actually hooked on DQ IV so will at least play it to completion soon but still have Rogue Galaxy and a few others not counting PC RPGs!!!

 

[JemyM]

Although not entirely irrelevant, JRPGs do seem to have a bit of a thing about pirates.

Admittedly I've only played one final fantasy with waffle about the excitement of being a sky pirate and lost odyssey where one of the characters used to be a pirate and found it very exciting, but they still seem quite taken by pirates.

Kings Bounty seems quite pirate obsessed too, but in a very silly, tongue in cheek kind of way.

There are a couple of reoccuring themes that comes in all the games, such as flying machines and chocobos.

 

[JDR13]

Actually hooked on DQ IV so will at least play it to completion soon but still have Rogue Galaxy and a few others not counting PC RPGs!!!

When it comes to RPGs, I only play one game at a time. I find playing multiple games simultaneously to be less immersive, and there's a lot less chance I'll finish them.

I remember playing DQ IV on the NES a long time ago. I finished DQ I-IV, but haven't played much of the series since, although I have VII & VIII.

 

[Relayer]

When it comes to RPGs, I only play one game at a time. I find playing multiple games simultaneously to be less immersive, and there's a lot less chance I'll finish them.

Well I try to stick to one... but something always ends up happening: get stuck or frustrated, burnt out or bored, or something new just begs to be played

I find that if I play one game for too long sometimes boredom sets in and if I step away for just a few days, when I start playing again I'm back to enjoying myself.

Like a tv show you absolutely love - get it on DVD and watch too many back-to-back episodes and no matter how much you love it, it will start to lose it's appeal.

 

[wolfing]

I also try not to start games until I finish others, but sometimes stuff happens
Right now, on the console side, I was playing Ar Tonelico 2 and was just about finished when I got in Star Trek Online closed beta. At about the same time I got DA:O on the PC. After 2 or 3 weeks I was almost finished (probably about 90% done) when I left for a month to stay with my folks. When I got back, King's Bounty was here and I couldn't resist the temptation. And this weekend I started playing Mana Khemia 2 in the PS2 (well PS3 compatible). And soon there'll Mass Effect 2 around *sigh*

 

[Relayer]

Well the plan was to stick to one DS game, one console, and one PC game.

DQ IV is a blast, sticking to plan so far.

Got back to Rogue Galaxy and there's a very good chance I will stick to it until completion (though I've read it's potentially 100 hours or so long… 25 hours into it so far).

And thought I was going to stick to Drakensang… but didn't play it for weeks and can't remember where I need to go

So instead of getting back to the M & M 4/5 game I started, I re-installed Jade Empire, just because I came across the box, lol. Only played about 4 hours into it previously and it wasn't a terrible game overall, just felt like too console-ish and more action RPG than anything.

Anyway, this time I won't think of it as a PC RPG (it did debut on the Xbox) and just try to enjoy it as an action/adventure game. I really need to stop comparing every Bioware game to Baldur's Gate II.

 

[JDR13]

Speaking of a game we recently talked about, I won an Ebay auction yesterday for an official Skies of Arcadia strategy guide. Cost me $30+ after shipping, but it's a very hard to find guide. I had seen other copies sell for $50+.

 

[Jaz]

I like Shadow Hearts: Covenant so far… easy to get into, the judgement ring system… and Sonny likes it as well :

I don't like it: I love it. It's absolutely fantastic