JRPG's that just got everything right

[SebbyGVS]

You got everything right there, but you missed Dragon Quest 8. I liked 9, but for me 8 was the pinnacle of the series. The massive world, the dialogue, the grinding was fun mostly, the plot was great, it was just fantastic. I wish they'd have done 10 on the PS3 and really shown us what it's capabale of, but I suppose that's up to FF, as ever.

Props for Eternal Sonata though, that was a gorgeous game with a really nice plot.

I actually just recently bought Eternal Sonata, and I am feeling a bit mixed on it. The game looks fantastic, and the plot seems fairly interesting (I am about 10 hours in). However, I kind of just wished it had a regular turn based system with more strategy, because the lack of a magic meter and the button mashy nature of the combat makes it feel very simple. I also can't stand the dialogue, I find myself actually groaning quite often during cutscenes. My question is, how long is the game, and will my interest in the plot sustain me throughout the whole game despite my distate for the dialogue. (I may have overstated my dislike of the combat, it can still be entertaining, but some of the longer dungeons have started to wear on me a bit toward the end.)

I understand completely , the game is about 30 hours long from memory. I played it a long time ago, i'm pretty sure plots gets better, and so does the combat.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

The only ones I thought that did really well that aren't mentioned are FF VI, VII and IX along with Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2. Also the Mana games were actually quite good.

Although in response to FFXIII they could have improved the combat so much with a better if they changed UI. Instead of that 2 column skill list it would be 3 columns of skills. I don't think the plot was too bad just most of the characters they could have done more with than what they did use them for. For example, Hope wasn't a bad character(overall) but he droned on about his revenge and its resolution took too long for my liking.

 

[Vivi22]

Persona 3 may be the closest thing to the perfect JRPG I've ever played with the exception of AI controlled teammates. I really want to play Persona 4 because it did away with those.

 

[zombieshark6666]

Chrono Cross - lots of different characters, sense of style, most dynamic battle system in an RPG, gorgeous visuals and music, etc.

And my favorite JRPG ever (so I'm always disappointed nowadays):

FF XII - gigantic areas to explore, many cities with very different styles, very hardcore hidden areas, sense of adventure and progression, mysteries, enchanted lands, lots of races and original gameplay ideas, cool weapons, customization, excellent mix of sci-fi and fantasy, interkingdomnal intrigue, well developed hunting sidequest, etc.

 

[JonnyHG]

One that I've recently enjoyed is Record of Agarest War. It's fascinating to see characters come and go throughout multiple generations.

 

[automatron]

I wouldn't say the persona series got everything right.
As someone who hadn't played them before and started with the 4th, the persona fusion system can be quite daunting.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE this game (played through like a quarter of it and it's already one of my favourites), but I just wish the persona system wasn't as confusing.

 

[bluegate]

Suikoden 2

This game got everything right in my book. The story is enthralling and interesting, graphics are highly doable for its age (2d sprites, the only graphics that age well.. ), it has very strong characters in it, nice easter eggs, lots of freedom to walk around and do random stuff, an interesting battle system and a decent leveling system.

This is a game I will recommend to every RPG player, although the experience is double if one plays the first game, as a lot of characters make reappearances, but the first game is a wee bit older and shows its age.

Spoiler: Screenshots and the opening cinematic

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8-wGndfd-Y[/youtube]

 

[dimensional]

I dont believe there has ever been a game in any genre that has got everything right but the
best JRPG out for a long time has been Xenoblade Chronicles absolutely superb game and apart from Valkyria Chronicles the best game I have played in over a decade (its my 3rd favourite game of all time now, so long street fighter 2 turbo).

Valkyria Chronicles is definitely worth a look although I would class it as a strategy game rather than an RPG.

FF wise VI - X are all pretty solid. IV,VI,VII and X being my top four.

Golden Sun is a great portable JRPG only played the first one so I am unfamiliar with the sequels.

Ar Tonelico 2 melody of Metafalica was also strangely enjoyable for me but beware its not for everyone and the characters really like to talk but I thought it was great just way to easy.

Disgaea Series is always worth look if you want a turn based strategy RPG.

I could say more but most of the ones have already been mentioned already, if I really had to narrow down a list to the JRPGs that were the closest to getting everything right I would say

FFVII
Xenoblade Chronicles
Persona 4
Valkyria Chronicles (if you want to call it a JRPG)

 

[michael87cn]

There's definitely something good to be said about JRPGs. I was really into them when I was a kid. They aren't afraid to do things different and that's a big plus. But on the negative side they often go WAYYYY out there, usually alternate universe/reality out there, and when every single game is like this it gets old after about a decade of playing them with no change in sight.

Now that I'm older I tend to stick by trust WRPGs, because I always know what I'm getting into and I've gotten emotional over enough 14 year old protagonists dying to save the world.

 

[FallenTraveler]

I love the persona games but haven't been able to play them all.

I say my favorite JRPG would definitely be Kingdom Hearts and KH2. The entire KH series combines my favorite elements of action games and the JRPG which is why it is my favorite.

I also really enjoyed the star ocean games, but I could not follow the story unless I played it all the way through... and even then it was kinda goofy

My other favorite series is dot.//Hack, great atmosphere and awesome characters. I fell in love with it from the first game and then played through the first series. I'm not sure I liked where they took it with GU, but I enjoyed playing the first game. I really hope that theyre new .hack game for the next gen consoles goes back to the old style.

Now that I think about it. action RPG's are much more inviting to me.

 

[Mark Ince]

Haven't played any persona games but I did really like Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call (Europe name of nocturne), had Xenoblade Chronicles for a while but didn't play longer that an hour due to playing it on an old tv (couldn't read anything! text too small).

Gotta say I'm dissapointed no one mentioned Tales of Symphonia, may favourite JRPG, think I spend over 400 hours on that game

 

[everythingbeeps]

FF XII - gigantic areas to explore, many cities with very different styles, very hardcore hidden areas, sense of adventure and progression, mysteries, enchanted lands, lots of races and original gameplay ideas, cool weapons, customization, excellent mix of sci-fi and fantasy, interkingdomnal intrigue, well developed hunting sidequest, etc.

I'll agree with that.

The only thing FFXII didn't do right (besides the atrocious sound quality) was making certain things impossible without using a guide. Not difficult, impossible.

Finding that one spear by avoiding certain chests? Impossible without a guide (unless you decide to avoid ALL chests, which just isn't much fun.)

And those recipes you need in order to craft the strongest weapons? No way do people figure that stuff out by simple trial and error, not without profoundly tedious amounts of grinding. We're talking thousands of hours of grinding.

 

[SebbyGVS]

You got everything right there, but you missed Dragon Quest 8. I liked 9, but for me 8 was the pinnacle of the series. The massive world, the dialogue, the grinding was fun mostly, the plot was great, it was just fantastic. I wish they'd have done 10 on the PS3 and really shown us what it's capabale of, but I suppose that's up to FF, as ever.

Props for Eternal Sonata though, that was a gorgeous game with a really nice plot.

I actually just recently bought Eternal Sonata, and I am feeling a bit mixed on it. The game looks fantastic, and the plot seems fairly interesting (I am about 10 hours in). However, I kind of just wished it had a regular turn based system with more strategy, because the lack of a magic meter and the button mashy nature of the combat makes it feel very simple. I also can't stand the dialogue, I find myself actually groaning quite often during cutscenes. My question is, how long is the game, and will my interest in the plot sustain me throughout the whole game despite my distate for the dialogue. (I may have overstated my dislike of the combat, it can still be entertaining, but some of the longer dungeons have started to wear on me a bit toward the end.)

I understand completely , the game is about 30 hours long from memory. I played it a long time ago, i'm pretty sure plots gets better, and so does the combat.

 

[JordanHavoc]

Persona 3 portable really fixes the few issues of Persona 3. Fantastic game.

 

[ThunderCavalier]

I cannot think of anything wrong with Final Fantasy VI. At all. If you can, find a way to play the SNES version (FFIII) or the GBA version. It's, imo, the best Final Fantasy game ever, and one of the best JRPGs ever.

 

[iamnoobie616]

I noticed you haven't listed Final Fantasy XII. It had a nice battle system,a decent story and enough exploration to keep you busy for weeks. The protagonist however, had absolutely no reason to exist in the game.

If you can get past this thing you have against outdated graphics, Chrono Trigger is one of the best JRPGs I have played.It truly was a game that got everything right.

I would recommend Persona 3, but seeing as to how you thought Persona 4 was repetitive,Persona 3 is not going to improve your opinion.But aside from that,it had a nice and immersive story and great game mechanics.

Play Kingdom Hearts, which technically is a JRPG. Be it on the PS2,the PSP or even the DS. I would recommend starting with the original Kingdom Hearts on the PS2 if you plan on doing so.

The two Dissidia games are two of my favourite JRPGs.It makes up for its mediocre story with a very deep and engaging battle system.

If you liked Tales Of Vesperia,you might want to try out the others. Tales of Symphonia and Tales of the Abyss have both earned my recommendation.

 

[chetoos]

I don't know if they count as "JRPG" in the strictest sense, but Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and A2 are some of the best examples of Turn Based Strategy I've ever seen, and their seamless integration of RPG elements I think qualifies them, though they are a bit easy to break and get too easy.

 

[DioWallachia]

I'm a huge fan of JRPG's, they're great at conjuring up emotions that no other type of game can. I've only really become interested in them in the current generation of consoles, although I do play some of the most popular from ps2 days. With every JRPG that I play though, there always seems to be something that's letting the whole package down. Sometimes this is purely a personal opinion, but other times it's a genuine problem that makes you wonder what the devs were thinking.

Here's a few examples. (Spoiler free)

Lost Odyssey had great characters, and a great plot, yet the game is very linear up until just before the final area, and the combat is fairly standard.

Eternal Sonata had a nice battle system, and a good plot, but the characters made me want to punch them in the face, it was all so goddamn cheesy.(My opinion) It was also quite linear.

Last Remnant had a great open world, full of lengthy side quests to take part in. It also had great music, but the battle system was partly broken and didn't let you have full control over squad position. Rush was irritating, reminds me of Naruto. (I hate Naruto) I never finished this game so maybe he became more likable towards the end?

Final Fantasy XIII, questionable plot, Vanille, completely linear in first half. Atleast it looked pretty? Battle system was quite nice too.

Resonance of Fate, deep battle system although I would have liked to see it evolve over the course of the game. Great customization, and I liked the characters. While I respect how the story was presented, it still didn't appeal much to me.

Tales of Vesperia, probably my favourite JRPG, while some characters annoyed me.(Estelle, Karol) Yuri more than made up for it. I loved the battle system and it was open world (which I think is a must)

Final Fantasy X, great plot, enjoyed the battle system. Tidus and Yuna annoyed me though, and it was quite linear. It was also very easy up until when the boss's became really cheap. (Turning me undead.)

Persona 4, Liked the battle system, great characters. The music was quite different but I still enjoyed it. Although I didn't enjoy the dungeon layouts much, got repetitive for me quite quickly.

As you might have noticed all of these are for Xbox 360, I'm looking to pick up a PS3 soon, as I want to play games such as the first Valkyrie Chronicles and upcoming games like FF Versus XIII and Tales of Graces F and (hopefully) Tales of Xillia.

I guess what I'm asking is what JRPG's have you played that you feel just got everything right? Based on what my preferences are above, what JRPG's could you recommend me? Bear in mind that this isn't every JRPG i've played, but just the ones i felt were good examples. I'm also aware that I haven't ventured into the earlier generations, where companies such as Square Enix still made good games. However I struggle to play games with poor graphics, yeah I know i'm probably missing out on some of the best...i'm flawed, alright?

No Persona 2 games??? SACRILAGE!!!

 

[Aurgelmir]

As you might have noticed all of these are for Xbox 360, I'm looking to pick up a PS3 soon, as I want to play games such as the first Valkyrie Chronicles and upcoming games like FF Versus XIII and Tales of Graces F and (hopefully) Tales of Xillia.

I guess what I'm asking is what JRPG's have you played that you feel just got everything right? Based on what my preferences are above, what JRPG's could you recommend me? Bear in mind that this isn't every JRPG i've played, but just the ones i felt were good examples. I'm also aware that I haven't ventured into the earlier generations, where companies such as Square Enix still made good games. However I struggle to play games with poor graphics, yeah I know i'm probably missing out on some of the best...i'm flawed, alright?

Valcyria Chronicles isn't a JRPG, do not let the Aesthetics fool you, it is a Semi turne Based strategy game. Mind you probably one of the more innovative games I have played in a while. The only thing that makes it feel like a JRPG is the character and plot, which is more an anime than anything else. Worth a play though.

Most of what you brought up about those games is generally always the problem with JRPGs imo...
If you have a Game Boy Advance/DS I could recommend you the Golden Sun games, they are very good. Best thing about older JRPGs is that they don't have voice acting, and therefore no horrible sounding kiddy characters Golden Sun isn't perfect, but it blew my mind away when I first played it.

Also one of my all time favorite JRPGs has to be Legends of Legaia on the PS1, Legaia 2 on PS2 was no where near as good imo.

 

[Aethren]

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