What are the best Nintendo DS RPG's?

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 1:52 am

Pulling this thread off topic since we had been discussing Wizardry...

I revisited the PS2 Wizardry game (Tale of the Forsaken Land) and was pleasantly surprised to find it better than I recalled. Fairly deep game play mechanics for what's going on here (though still not up to what was happening in Wizardry

. The game strangely keeps many of the quirks of the early Wizardry titles, which adds some charm, though doesn't necessarily help game play. Overall it is a surprisingly good title that most people missed.

Looking at Gamefaqs or PlayAsia, it seems that there were several sequels to this title in Japan, not a single one of them translated or ported. Oh well...

That said, it isn't though we have nothing to look forward to. I am very anxious to check out Baroque and Persona 3 next month (again, all PS2...as far as the DS, I am mostly waiting for Dragon Quest 4 and Etrian Odyssey 2.)

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 4:30 am

There is only one direct sequel to TotFL and that's Busin 0. There are many other Wizardry games for PS2 though, but they aren't related. I think they are also very retro, like in the style of the first few Wizardry games.

I'm interested in Baroque too... also want to see how Soma Bringer is for the DS (although that's an action RPG anyway).

MR_Soren · Post by **MR_Soren** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:56 am

Few comments related to recent posts in this thread:

I think there is still a place in the world for pure dungeon crawlers, and games like Etrian Odyssey or Shiren the Wanderer have things to offer that a game like Morrowind lacks. Just because one game has a whole world to explore, doesn't mean they all need that.

Baroque looks interesting, and I have pre-ordered the superior Wii version.

It's a shame Busin 0 never got released in the US, but the poor sales of Wizardry TotFL are the reason.

Orcs and elves was a nice diversion, but it didn't have much depth and it was far too short. I still enjoyed it and don't regret the $20 I spent on it, but it's not even a quarter as long as a lot of the $30 DS RPGs I've purchased.

Asherdude · Post by **Asherdude** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:27 am

I managed to find a single "new" copy of Etrian Odyssey last Monday. And to my surprise, it only cost $20! Twenty bucks for a rare gem. It's weird how their pricing structure works. But I'm pleased that it worked to my advantage.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 11:19 am

You say 'the superior' wii version of Baroque. Do we know that the Wii version will be better at this time? I haven't decided which version I will pick up but assume that the wii version will be better. Any evidence?

Yeah, I'm not entirely certain what I think of action rpgs, but I guess if they can have good atmosphere and are well executed (as Baroque looks to be) it might be a lot of fun.

MR_Soren · Post by **MR_Soren** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:30 pm

CMoon wrote:You say 'the superior' wii version of Baroque. Do we know that the Wii version will be better at this time? I haven't decided which version I will pick up but assume that the wii version will be better. Any evidence?

Unless Sting messes up and some bugs get into the Wii version, the two versions are identical with the following Wii-only additions:

* 480p support
* Widescreen support
* Optional motion control support

Granted, I'll probably play with the classic controller so I don't care much for the optional motion controls, but 480p and Widescreen will help future-proof the game a bit.

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:13 pm

But what if it's fake "chop a bit of the picture till it fits" kind of widescreen?

MR_Soren · Post by **MR_Soren** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:09 pm

Nuke wrote:But what if it's fake "chop a bit of the picture till it fits" kind of widescreen?

The screenshots I saw looked good. The top group is all widescreen shots from the Wii.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:36 pm

Second time I've pulled this thread from several pages back.

For those who care, Etrian Odyssey 2 is making it stateside in June

http://www.atlus.com/etrian2/

MR_Soren · Post by **MR_Soren** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 1:12 pm

CMoon wrote:Second time I've pulled this thread from several pages back.

For those who care, Etrian Odyssey 2 is making it stateside in June

http://www.atlus.com/etrian2/

... and that will be the best DS RPG when it's released.

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 1:58 pm

Any word if the music in the Baroque port will be the competent arrangement of the saturn/psx original or the horrendous midi mockery the forced on their Japanese fans?

Etrian · Post by **Etrian** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 2:06 pm

MR_Soren wrote:... and that will be the best DS RPG when it's released.

Yes, it will.

Although I'm a little biased, even naming myself after the labyrinth.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 2:27 pm

Word is that Etrian Odyssey 2 will essentially be the same game, however I'm liking what I've heard about a lot of the tweaks and it seems to in general be a more well-rounded effort. Regardless, this kind of game is exactly what hand-helds were made for and having two of them on the DS is a pretty strong reason to buy the console. Now if they can only port over Dragon Quest IV...

grovsnus · Post by **grovsnus** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:27 pm

I just read an interesting introduction to Shiren. I've never played a roguelike before, but that piece (@Play column) raised my interest.

I have never seen an RPG through in my life, mostly because I am easily bored with predictability and reading filler dialogue. These roguelikes seem to be of a different kind altogether. As I understand it, no grinding required, while tactics are required every step of the way. I think I will like that. Will scout for it around town tomorrow.

Anyone have any input on this title? I don't want to hear how much it sucks.

Etrian · Post by **Etrian** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:37 pm

grovsnus wrote:As I understand it, no grinding required, while tactics are required every step of the way.

Not true, you'll need to grind in order to upgrade a weapon. And you're going to die. A lot. Tactics help, but they can only get you so far before you end up dead somewhere.

Shiren's rescue system is pretty sophisticated though, so you can have people, REAL people, rescue you.

MR_Soren · Post by **MR_Soren** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:38 am

CMoon wrote:Word is that Etrian Odyssey 2 will essentially be the same game, however I'm liking what I've heard about a lot of the tweaks and it seems to in general be a more well-rounded effort. Regardless, this kind of game is exactly what hand-helds were made for and having two of them on the DS is a pretty strong reason to buy the console. Now if they can only port over Dragon Quest IV...

I think Etrian Odyssey 2 is exactly what a sequel should be. Don't change the core gameplay, just refine and tweak things, and give people a new dungeon to explore.

I figure that DQ IV port will make it to the states eventually.

grovsnus wrote:I have never seen an RPG through in my life, mostly because I am easily bored with predictability and reading filler dialogue. These roguelikes seem to be of a different kind altogether.

Yeah, roguelikes (and dungeon crawlers like Etrian Odyssey) aren't going to make you read through long scripted story sequences or anything. You're just going to get into a dungeon and fight your way through it with the occasional trips to town. Shiren's a good game, but it is tough.

markedkiller78 · Post by **markedkiller78** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:45 am

Octopod wrote:You could get FFV and FF1&2 GBA.

FF6 is the best RPG on any handheld (GBA)

grovsnus · Post by **grovsnus** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:58 pm

I found Shiren, traded Star wars CS for it, and now I'm on my way. I really like it so far, only about 4 hours of play though. I like the suspense when you're short on everything and surrounded by monsters in a dark place. By far themost interesting rpg I've played.

Edit: ...

grovsnus · Post by **grovsnus** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 2:43 pm

12 hours of play, and I want to say this game is awesome! On later levels, there is constant panic and it's so pleasing to get out of a jam using some improvised tactics.

The master of jars gave me a melding jar, and I thought I would take it to the mountain top town and store it there, but I screwed up and died. That was not my only shot at owning this most rarest of jars, was it?

MR_Soren · Post by **MR_Soren** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:50 pm

grovsnus wrote:On later levels, there is constant panic and it's so pleasing to get out of a jam using some improvised tactics.

Yeah, that is the essence of what makes a roguelike fun. Glad you're having fun with it.

icycalm · Post by **icycalm** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:52 am

This is by far the best DS SRPG:

http://insomnia.ac/reviews/ds/itsuwarinorondo/

Fans of the genre: don't miss it.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:02 pm

Translation: Rondo of Swords

Comes out in the US on 4/15

It seems to be a really busy time of year for rpgs. So many things either have come out or are coming out shortly I want to play.

lgb · Post by **lgb** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:04 pm

Etrian wrote:
grovsnus wrote:As I understand it, no grinding required, while tactics are required every step of the way.
Not true, you'll need to grind in order to upgrade a weapon. And you're going to die. A lot. Tactics help, but they can only get you so far before you end up dead somewhere.

Shiren's rescue system is pretty sophisticated though, so you can have people, REAL people, rescue you.

A bit difficult to grind at times, but yeah. Going from a standard RPG into a rogue-like was interesting though; rogue-likes tend to have something else that separates it from the rest other than random dungeons.
--------
Shiren and Front Mission. Going ahead and saying Pokemon Mystery Dungeon too.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:56 pm

Is the online rescue system in Shiren really necessary for the game. I've been thinking about this title, but this aspect is sounding a little too flaky to me. If it is essential for gameplay I may just avoid.

lgb · Post by **lgb** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:50 pm

CMoon wrote:Is the online rescue system in Shiren really necessary for the game. I've been thinking about this title, but this aspect is sounding a little too flaky to me. If it is essential for gameplay I may just avoid.

No. The original Shiren doesn't have it, and I think both Shirens are essentially the same in terms of difficulty and whatnot. The whole "rescue" thing came about recently. I think it started with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue, though I could be wrong.

Etrian · Post by **Etrian** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:50 pm

CMoon wrote:Is the online rescue system in Shiren really necessary for the game. I've been thinking about this title, but this aspect is sounding a little too flaky to me. If it is essential for gameplay I may just avoid.

It depends on whether you want to be rescued. If you don't have wifi, you can just exchange passwords on Gamefaqs or with someone willing to rescue you.

If you don't bother with it at all and die, it's going to make the game much harder for you in the long run.

MR_Soren · Post by **MR_Soren** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 3:12 pm

CMoon wrote:Is the online rescue system in Shiren really necessary for the game. I've been thinking about this title, but this aspect is sounding a little too flaky to me. If it is essential for gameplay I may just avoid.

It's not necessary, it just lets you cheat death a few times if you want.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:03 am

Dudes,

Dragon Quest IV, confirmed for US release on August 29th.

It's on!

http://ds.ign.com/index/release.html

jp · Post by jp » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:09 am

CMoon wrote:Dudes,

Dragon Quest IV, confirmed for US release on August 29th.

It's on!

http://ds.ign.com/index/release.html

THANK YA JESUS!!!!!!

MX7 · Post by **MX7** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:21 am

CMoon wrote:Dudes,

Dragon Quest IV, confirmed for US release on August 29th.

It's on!

http://ds.ign.com/index/release.html

Saucy.

Also, clicked on the Japan releases, and almost shat myself when I saw the word 'Cave' under 'developer' for an upcoming game. Unfortunately, it was just Princess Debut

:(:(:(:(