360 or PS3 for console RPG?

My favourite games are Might and Magic 4 and 5, Lands of Lore, Betrayel at Krondor, EoTB: Darkmoon, FF 12, Storms of Zehir, and KB:TL. Which console do you think suits me?

I'm sure 360 has more titles, but PS3 will be getting FF13 (Actually, I think xbox will as well.. foolish Square Enix). PS3 is a prettier console, price is not a pressing issue.

I am looking to get a console to play some quality RPGs while I work on my cpu ^.^

Can anyone recommend specific RPGs for either console?

Sorry if this is wrong forum/LC/unwanted/repost

TY

I don't really follow console RPGs, but two other points you might want to consider are :
- The PS3 is generally the more solid piece of hardware. It's less noisy and more reliable.
- The PS3 is still a very good Blu-Ray and DVD player. You cannot buy such a good player for 200$.

Both according to a close friend of mine who had both consoles and is usually pro-MS. So I'm absolutely willing to believe him.

I do follow consoles. My opinion is, if you're not interested in Bluray or don't have a high definition 1080p TV, get the 360. As far as RPG goes it has more than the PS3 (but marginally so), and it's cheaper. Quality sucks though, I'm not sure if it's been fixed but life expectancy of any 360 was measured in months (it wasn't a matter of "if" the console would break, but "when").
I have a PS3, but that's because I do love Bluray. Subscribe to Netflix or Blockbuster and you get to watch all the Blurays you want without paying too much (actually free for Blockbuster).

I have both (and a wii, which is outside the scope of this article). I personally am not a console patriot.

I love my PS3. I have one of the original launch models (the 60 gig). This allows me to play all of my PS1, PS2, and PS3 games on one big black death machine.

I love my 360. I have the Elite. It's easy to use, I actually have not had any hardware issues with mine (I've had it for about 2 years now), and I think their online services are far superior to the PS3s.

Now, on to RPGs.

It's kind of a mixed bag, really. Neither of them is a giant standout like the PS1 or PS2 was.

The 360 has Star Ocean 4, Infinite Undiscovery, The Last Remnant(but I'd get that on the PC), Mass Effect 1+2, and FF13.

My PS3, on the other hand, has, well...FF13? I guess? I have not actually ran into many console RPGs on the PS3, but I honestly have not been paying much attention.

Both consoles are getting Alpha Protocol (if you weren't going to use a PC for that or if you are even interested in that). Other then that...?

If you want to get into bluray movies, though, a PS3 is a great deal. My only issue is that the newer models do not have PS2 backwards compatibility, so you lose out on the ability to play a lot of great games.

Heres what I bought for xbox and would buy for ps3:

xbox360
-fable2
-lost odyssey

ps3
-valkyria chronicles

So there isnt much of choice. There are few more but they are not really good or you can get them for pc too i.e mass effect. Most games Ive bought for xbox are non-rpgs. FF13 is going to be released for both xbox360 and ps3.

As for build quality the latest versions of xbox360 are more durable and silent as well. PS3 has a nice bluray drive and upscaling for dvds and ps2 allthough current versions dont have ps2 support anymore. Also ps3 games cant be pirated so thats a nice bonus if you want to support it.

My first console for rpgs was actually ps2 slim that I bought for 120€. Xbox360 was allready available then but it didnt have much of rpgs when compared to what ps2 had. If you count in only the exclusives that is still true even today.

For console RPG's i say wait, and i am a huge console rpg fan having both consoles. Honestly if you havent already get a DS and Suikoden Teirkreis and The World ends with You. If you havent played them already, FF4, Chrono Trigger and DQ 5.

Coming up is Golden Sun DS (hopefully it will be as good as #2), DQIX, and Blood of Bahumut( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFRaZIccO-c ).

Console RPGs you say?
The DS I say.

Nothing on the 360 impresses me as far as RPGs (although I hear that Sega developed game with Valkyre in the title (forgot name) is supposed to be good but it's a strategy RPG) and the PS3 isn't even worth a mention.

That being said I will be picking up a PS3 as soon as FF13 comes out

But the DS is the RPG saviour.

I don't follow consoles but every time I think about it (and given that I don't do jRPGs), Fable 2 is the only game I can see I've missed - and I'm not that worried about that. From what I can see, though:

PS3 has a clear advantage as a bluray player
X360 has won the online war hands down

So, bluray vs online...do you value the player or multiplayer and easier DLC access?

I would also say that the DS is the best RPG system of the current generation by a long shot - especially since you like a combination of cRPG's and jRPG's.

X360 definitely has the best library, PS3 is better hardware and movie player.

But sadly, look at games like the just-released Ghostbusters, which is *much* better looking on X360 than PS3 in spite of the X360 being weaker hardware. Bottom line - all multi-console games are primarily targeted at the X360

txa1265 said:

I would also say that the DS is the best RPG system of the current generation by a long shot - especially since you like a combination of cRPG's and jRPG's.

X360 definitely has the best library, PS3 is better hardware and movie player.

But sadly, look at games like the just-released Ghostbusters, which is *much* better looking on X360 than PS3 in spite of the X360 being weaker hardware. Bottom line - all multi-console games are primarily targeted at the X360

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I dont think it is a case of targetting the 360 rather it takes more money and time to make the same product for the ps3. If even money is spent for both consoles then i believe that the 360 usually shoudl come top.

txa1265 said:

I would also say that the DS is the best RPG system of the current generation by a long shot - especially since you like a combination of cRPG's and jRPG's.

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I agree.

If you don't have any "special" titles for xbox360/ps3 that you want then don't buy them. I'd buy NDS (which you can take with you anywhere you can) and for rest of the money - I'd upgrade computer or eventually buy ps2 (it should be cheap now, and there's many good games for it already). Buying ps3/xbox360 for RPG player isn't very good idea, even if you like to play jRPGs.

Although I wasn't ever much into jRPGs. I just like to play them from time to time.

Damian Mahadevan said:

I dont think it is a case of targetting the 360 rather it takes more money and time to make the same product for the ps3. If even money is spent for both consoles then i believe that the 360 usually shoudl come top.

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That is most certainly part of it. The PS3 may have superior hardware but in order to really take advantage of it, you have to design your code specifically for it. For instance you have to allocate the processor core assignments yourself instead of letting an API handled it and while the end result can be great, it takes a lot of effort and time to do it properly.

The three main reasons why I don't have a PS3 is:

1) The amount of PS3 games compared to the amount of games for the Xbox is a clear win for the Xbox and since I already own an Xbox360 ... (I am of course talking about the amount of games I would consider playing).

2) The BlueRay player may be a pretty decent player but it is a region locked player and considering that my current DVD collection is something like 40% Region 2, 40% Region 1 and 20% Region 3 I simply can not use a region locked player. So for me, the BlueRay argument is moot.

3) The removal of the PS2 title support was a downright slap in the face and an exceptionally stupid move on Sony's part (IMO). Sure I already have a PS2 but with vastly inferior cabling compared to the HDMI of the PS3. The shift from my currently converted SCART connection to a HDMI connection alone would probably have increased the visual quality around 50% but that is not to be.

At some point I may crack and get one anyway due to exclusive titles (God of War 3 may be the proverbial straw that breaks this camel's back) but overall the PS3 doesn't fulfill any of the needs that my Xbox doesn't already cover.

So whats up with the DS, it's not too small to be frustrating or intricate gameplay? I do love those old games like Secret of Mana/Dragon Warrior/Breath of Fire/Phantasy Star,.... It seems like the DS kind of makes updated versions of those style games, since 2d fits it's functionality better?

Gutted said:

So whats up with the DS, it's not too small to be frustrating or intricate gameplay? I do love those old games like Secret of Mana/Dragon Warrior/Breath of Fire/Phantasy Star,.... It seems like the DS kind of makes updated versions of those style games, since 2d fits it's functionality better?

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You got to see for yourself. I have no problems with it... As for 2d, yes it does suite 2d better but that doesnt stop companies trying to put 3d on the system.

Gutted said:

So whats up with the DS, it's not too small to be frustrating or intricate gameplay? I do love those old games like Secret of Mana/Dragon Warrior/Breath of Fire/Phantasy Star,.... It seems like the DS kind of makes updated versions of those style games, since 2d fits it's functionality better?

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Personally, I don't like playing in handhelds. Yes, there are lots of RPGs made for them (DS and PSP), but the experience, at least in my case, comes nowhere close to playing on a TV (specially if your TV is 50" with a home-theater). But of course, if you spend a lot of time outside (like college and what not), handhelds have their own advantages.

wolfing said:

Personally, I don't like playing in handhelds. Yes, there are lots of RPGs made for them (DS and PSP), but the experience, at least in my case, comes nowhere close to playing on a TV (specially if your TV is 50" with a home-theater). But of course, if you spend a lot of time outside (like college and what not), handhelds have their own advantages.

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Same here. I dont see the point of playing from stamp-size screen on my hand when I have 52" sony next to me. If id have lots of work related travel on bus/train it might be useful but I dont.

Given the list of the original poster's favorite games, I immediately thought of the portable systems. The closest modern games to the old-school Might and Magics, Eye of the Beholders, etc. are:

1. Legacy (Pocket PC, Palm, or PC/Windows)



2. The Dark Spire (Nintendo DS)



3. Etrian Odyssey and Etrian Odyssey II (Nintendo DS)



4. Class of Heroes (Sony PSP).



Any of these should do a good job of evoking the classic first-person, class-based party building, turn-based combat/exploration feel that the games you referenced offered.

Additionally, purchasing something like a DS is a much smaller commitment than an XBox 360 or PS3. If you opted to try a DS, you'd also gain access to a metric ton of JRPGs and action/adventure games. Highlights would include Chrono Trigger, The World Ends With You, and Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

That said, I've owned an XBox 360 for around 5 years, and have never had any hardware problems with it. There aren't many (any) good RPGs for the XBox that aren't also available on the PC, however. But I happen to prefer playing games on the big-screen TV while relaxing on my couch, so I almost always buy the XBox 360 version of a game if it comes out in both formats.

The only RPGs that I can think of that are available on the 360, and not on the PC, are JRPGs, like Lost Odyssey and Star Ocean: The Last Hope. I actually loved Star Ocean, since I'm a huge sucker for space operas and I really liked the action-oriented combat gameplay. The Lost Odyssey wasn't really my cup of tea, though some of the "dreams"/stories in it were well written.

However, if you haven't already played a lot of the cross-platform titles on the PC, you might also want to try some of those titles on the 360, such as Mass Effect, Fable II, Oblivion, etc.

wolfing said:

Personally, I don't like playing in handhelds. Yes, there are lots of RPGs made for them (DS and PSP), but the experience, at least in my case, comes nowhere close to playing on a TV (specially if your TV is 50" with a home-theater). But of course, if you spend a lot of time outside (like college and what not), handhelds have their own advantages.

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Except that the generally simplistic graphics of 16bit RPGs don't require a 50" and don't make much use of a surround sound system. Not to mention some don't look good. It's bad enough that fairly recent titles like FFXII that look stunning on a CRT (had one until last year) look like crap on my 42" HDTV.

I love my DS. I can play it during my work lunch hour at my desk, I can sit on my bed and play for 20 minutes before going to sleep or play it on my kitchen table while I have a snack. I hardly ever play it while commuting, it's just a nice system I can get cozy with. It's like the difference between sitting in the living room and listening to my CDs through my stereo and lying on my bed with my Ipod/headphones.

Best of all I can play a lot of old school style RPGs (and the DS plays GBA carts too: Final Fantasy 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 weren't remakes but ports plus Golden Sun 1 & 2 not to mention non-RPG titles).

I very much understand the point of the folks talking about playing on handhelds versus a big TV ... it is analogous to me liking PC gaming compared to consoles. I was merely stating what I consider unassailable fact - the DS has the best RPG library that cuts across cRPG, jRPG, adventure and strat-RPG of any system in the years since its' release.

Hm, i have been thinking of a handheld system for some time. But in my view it was more or less the PSP. The DS i never thought off.

Now i have to re-think again and go for the DS. I just want something to play in my couch while watching my TV.

I love multitasking.