Baby's First JRPG

[SckizoBoy]

As the title would suggest: hit me!

Recently, I have been mulling over getting into the JRPG genre (mainly being an RTS/FPS/WRPG/OW person). To qualify, the reason is because they've somewhat intrigued me, and being a watcher of anime, I thought, why the hell not, but never actually did anything about it. And now I have, so: what would you recommend as a first JRPG title? And why (critical appraisal would be nice)?

 

[AngelArms]

Final Fantasy I

Its very simple, pretty well balanced on the GBA and very easy to get into

If you want something more story based then play Persona 3. It can be pretty hard but its certainly interesting and has a great story

 

[Traun]

Chrono Trigger.

There are several reasons for it.

1) It uses the (somewhat) classical RPG system, meaning that you can get used to it. However it puts an interesting spin on it, so it's a little above the "Press X and wait for animation."

2) It still has one of the best stories(not just for jRPGs) there is (not only from a personal expirience, it is always in top 10 rpgs)

3) It has an awesome music.

4) There is a reason the game is still played today.

5) Attack animations are short, meaning you won't have to wait 10 sec. or more before each attack (as is sometimes the case with FF).

Have fun!

 

[aPod]

Tales of Vesperia - Only Jrpg i played through twice ()

The combat is pretty fun, especially if you are not a fan of turn based combat.
The story is alright, it's typical jrpg fare though.

 

[hazabaza1]

Dragon Quest 9 on the DS is pretty good. It has multiplayer as well. The gameplay is fairly simple, but there's a lot of different classes and weapon types to individualise your characters with.
Also costumes!

 

[Stealthygamer]

Persona 4, just do find a copy and play it (It's for the ps2 btw)

It's easier than Persona 3 and has a really good story with likable characters though Kanji will kick your ass

 

[-Seraph-]

The best place to start is to take the ol'time machine back to the SNES era and play some of classics. They have earned their praise and mostly have aged well and give first times a taste of how fantastic the genre can be.

Some obvious recommendations would be FF4, FF6, Earthbound, Secret of Mana, and of course Chrono Trigger.

Definitely start with Chrono Trigger, it's just such a perfectly built game. It has a decent learning and difficulty curve that is friendly to newcomers. Gameplay is straightforward, but has a nice balance of speed, strategy, and is just fun.

The story is engrossing, whimsical , and overall very well told and memorable. The characters are charming, well developed, and full of personality; it's really hard not to like the overall cast as they all have their own unique contribution to the story. The story is also a nice lenghth and has some great set pieces that will just stick in your mind for ages, and is also in part beause of the striking visuals and excellent musical score.

It's just the best possible game to recommend to anyone looking to break into JRPGs.

FF6 is also good for all the same reasons, but it can be a little more difficult to break into. You should definitely play this after Chrono Trigger though, it's just a great step up from it.

Some more modern recommendations would probably be the Tales of Series and Persona Series. Stay away from Persona 3 though unless you ahve the patience to slog through is SLOW and awful pacing.

 

[Leemaster777]

I'll suggest the same one I started with: Pokemon.

Really, if you've never played it, Pokemon is a game I'd recommend anyways.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

I don't really like many JRPGs but the Pokemon games are really fun. Pick any of them they are pretty much all the same.

 

[LiberalSquirrel]

I'd suggest Infinite Undiscovery. While it isn't my favorite, it's a good little game, and it's the easiest way to ease into the genre. The battles are real-time, not turn based, and overall the combat system is more akin to Fable than Final Fantasy. But it's got the JRPG-style party system and a very JRPG storyline.

 

[MammothBlade]

Final Fantasy X. Simple turn-based interface, easy to get used to, has alot of staples whilst being graphically modern enough to wean people off advanced graphics. The difficulty is just right for a beginner.

 

[Ian Chachana]

Pokemon is everyone's first jRPG. I enjoyed pokemon but usually don't like jRPG's

 

[ms_sunlight]

You need to answer the following first:

1 - What systems do you have? (PS3, Wii, gaming PC, DS etc.)

2 - Do you want to play a classic or a reasonably accessible recent release?

If you can play them, may I recommend one of the Suikoden games for PS / PS2 (not 4, though; it's a bit of a low point). Suikoden 2 is an all-time classic and one of my favourite games of all time, but if you prefer something a bit prettier 5 is a lot of fun and accessible.

 

[kyogen]

What consoles/handhelds do you own? It's easier to make specific recommendations if you tell us the parameters. Many of the best recent JRPGs were released for handhelds because those are the most popular consoles in Japan.
1) Chrono Trigger is a great classic JRPG available on several consoles, including the DS. Cute sprites, basic but fun characters and story, classic and not overly complicated gameplay.
2) The World Ends With You (DS) has a great story and very innovative gameplay. The art design really makes the DS shine. Too new and different to be "classic," but it's a great game and might be a fun way to start exploring the genre.
3) Persona 3 Portable (PSP) is very good and has sliding difficulty if you're not used to JRPG gameplay (the original PS2 version is also good but less friendly to new players). It's a typical Japanese high school setting, so you get a mixed group of teens with issues who have to save the world from a fantastic evil. There's a bit of social sim involved as well.
4) Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) might be something to look at since you like RTS games. Anime version of WWII complete with sniping and tanks.
5) Any Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest (main series, not spin-offs) that happens to trip your trigger. DQ is the more classic series in terms of game design. Final Fantasy is less "bog-standard" JPRGish, but if one of them interests you, it's still a good way to try out the genre.
I'd advise looking up multiple user reviews and maybe some Youtube footage on any game you actually consider buying just to give yourself a better idea of what you'd be getting.

 

[nohorsetown]

You like anime and you've played WPRGs, so you don't really need a "baby's first" kinda game. I'd suggest:

*the Tales series - if you've got a PS2, Tales of the Abyss is pretty good. I think Tales of Vesperia is on 360, but I've never played it. They're RPGs with action-RPG battles. Very anime.

*the Persona series - technically a spinoff of Shin Megami Tensei, but they've upstaged the original series in popularity. Persona 3 and 4 are at least half dating-sim, whereas 1 and 2 (2 is split into two games) are straight JRPGs with deeper systems and lots of hidden stuff. The later games are more popular, and both are on PS2, so they're bound to be cheaper/easier to find. If you're gonna go with one of them, I'd recommend 4 over 3.

*the Dragon Quest series - the great-granddaddy of JRPGs, and still goin' strong. Dragon Quest 8, while one of the more simple games, system-wise, has great characters, well-paced story (for the most part), and captures the feeling of exploration that so many modern RPGs have lost. It's not very Japanese-y, for a JRPG. As a whole, the series is going for a more castles-and-knights kinda thing. Puns and wordplay abound.

*the Final Fantasy series - bleh, I dunno. Everyone's got an opinion on which ones are good. I think we can all agree it's a mixed bag, though. I tend to think the series has lost its soul, and it's all about slick production values now. If I had to recommend one, it'd be 6 (released as 3 in the west), for the good 'ol SNES. Most would recommend 7 or 10. Just remember, anything from 7 onward is gonna be angsty teenagers with big swords and bigger hair.

Good games which might not make good entry points: Disgaea, Valkyrie Profile (1 or 2), Earthbound, Suikoden (any except 4, but start at the beginning), Breath of Fire (2 onward), Etrian Odyssey (3 is the best), non-Persona Shin Megami Tensei (Nocturne is the best by far)


Summary: go with Tales of the Abyss, Persona 4, or Dragon Quest 8 (all on PS2)
EDIT: Oh yeah, how could I forget Chrono Trigger? You literally can't go wrong with Chrono Trigger. 10 out of 10. Get that one instead.

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

Earthbound end of story.

 

[MammothBlade]

Just remember, anything from 7 onward is gonna be angsty teenagers with big swords and bigger hair.

No, that's just VII and VIII. Zidane had two daggers, and Tidus hardly had big hair or even a big sword. Auron, though... he just has the big sword.

 

[Palademon]

Go play Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii.

Basic story: In a world of endless sky and water, two titans fought, the Bionis and the Mechonis, and they both died killing eachother. The beings that eventually grew on these two titans are at war. One of the greatest assets to the people living on Bionis is the Monado, a sword that was sued by the Bionis (somehow) that can show you the future. Being able to see the future actually makes for some great story telling in this game.

It's fun, epic in scale, no invisible walls, very un-punishing, encourages exploring, half the time you don't need to run back to a quest giver to complete it if it isn't a quest chain. Refreshingly has british voice acting. It's real time battling, probably a little to the vein of World of Warcraft in that you auto attack but use special abilities.
It's really very simple, and there's always an arrow to the next story part, so you know you won't have to have hours of battling just to get a token cutscene that adds nothing.
With most JRPGs I love the concept but get bored with how long it takes to progress. I think I'll actually finish this game.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

The Pokemon series was practically made to introduce people to JRPGs. It is pure turn-based combat. Alternatively, Persona 4 is great in the fact that it has actual RPing involved so it can be used to ease you into the genre. It is a great game to boot.