Any RPG fans here?

[CptRansom]

I've been wanting to get into Disgaea on my PSP for a while now. Unfortunately, I've never played it for more than an hour or so, because it just seems so inaccessible without some sort of guide (something that doesn't fly with me - especially for a portable system).

I'm also scared that - once I understand it - I won't be able to put it down. Maybe I'll give it another go when I steal my PSP back from my girlfriend this weekend.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I've been wanting to get into Disgaea on my PSP for a while now. Unfortunately, I've never played it for more than an hour or so, because it just seems so inaccessible without some sort of guide (something that doesn't fly with me - especially for a portable system).

I'm also scared that - once I understand it - I won't be able to put it down. Maybe I'll give it another go when I steal my PSP back from my girlfriend this weekend.

Huh? There is a pretty good tutorial in Disgaea. It's as hand-holding a game as hand-holding games go. One character in your castle even tells you that you don't need to know all that much about the game to beat it. This game mocks the most nerdy turn-based tacticals rather than is one of them.
I've played only the PS2 version, but there seems to be consensus that it suits the PSP better. You can play it in very small chunks, that's for sure.

[CptRansom]

Like I said, I'll give it another go. There's a pretty good chance that I was just trying too hard to understand everything about the game all at once. I'm retarded like that sometimes.

[sjewkestheloon]

On the subject of Disgaea, don't try to learn everything at once and stick with the story missions for a while. You can create characters with few consequences and if you don't like their abilities then just make a new one to level up.

I have no idea how reincarnation works yet and a very basic idea of how the Item World works but I am looking forward to experimenting and finding out the quirks and perks.

Last night I got slaughtered by one of the bosses and got a bad ending to the game, but I reloaded rather than starting a new cycle. I then decided to have a play with some Item World exploration and somehow lost 3 hours of my life. I also got a ton of new items, gained a few levels, got hold of a Legendary axe and subdues some specialists.

If I have time tonight I might have a play about with transfering the specialists to a more useful weapon.

Oh and I also unlocked at least 5 new character classes which need to be tried out, not including the higher tier versions of the classes I made early on...

Game is crack.

[cj iwakura]

Regarding Strange Journey, I was originally mixed on it(especially the changed battle system), but the route the story is taking continues to impress me.

Mastema and some of the cast are interesting characters, and I never get tired of Luc-...I'm sorry, Louisa.


Shame it feels like Kaneko phoned in the art design. He only designed a bunch of new demons and a handful of new characters. I highly doubt SJ produced any epic artwork along the lines of Nocturne's amazing pieces(like the drawing of Hitoshura taking on a demon army bare-handed, and grabbing an Oni by the head).


For the most part though, I highly enjoy it, and Meguro's score is growing on me. It's different, but in a good way.

Take some time to listen to Strange Journey's score outside of the DS. It has a very symphonic quality to it.


Oh, and the dungeon backgrounds are nice too.

Delphinus creeps the hell out of me.

[professor ganson]

Game is crack.

No question! The items alone were enough to have me hooked. Finding a rare piece of apparel, leveling it up in the item world, and sporting that piece of apparel on an otherwise meek character-- it's that sort of thing that gives one remarkable latitude in taking on the rough parts of the game.

The main thing to get about this game apart from its remarkable plasticity: it's a grind-fest. Yes, you don't have to know much to advance precisely because you can just grind it out by revisiting previously-played levels, especially ones that offer bonus experience. But grinding is pretty well necessary, I'm thinking. Perhaps there is a way to complete the game without grinding, but I'm doubtful. So if you don't enjoy the opportunities for leveling-up that the game offers, you're going to hit a wall and probably fairly early on.

[cj iwakura]

On Disgaea: reincarnation is your friend.

Use it on NPCs as soon as the second tier of their job class is available.


And Item World is godly for leveling up new characters.

-Enter a item that matches your strongest character's level
-Bring the weak links that you want to level up
-Set off huge geo chains
-Rack up massive XP bonuses
-???
-Profit!

[sjewkestheloon]

It is indeed a grind fest, but they made the grind the point of the game and then offered a multitude of entertaining ways to grind.

The satisfaction of beasting a boss that previously slapped you down is immense.

I think the fact that the PSP version tracks so many details about your game so far is going to be my gaming downfall. When I look at the list of bosses to take down and I only see Item General filled in with 12 spaces to it fills me with wonderment at the hundreds of hours of potential. I also am going to need to find at least one of every item in the game.

[PainAmplifier]

Like I said, I'll give it another go. There's a pretty good chance that I was just trying too hard to understand everything about the game all at once. I'm retarded like that sometimes.

Yes, you are definately "overthinking" the Disgaea games.

Playing through the story line missions doesn't require much grinding or thinking at all. Max out the shop rank to buy the best weapons/gear from the store and maybe reincarnate once or twice while leveling up a little bit. Otherwise just pay attention to the Geo effects on maps and everything else is just a matter of who has the bigger stats or better positioning. You should be able to beat the game between a character average of L80 to L100 at the latest.


It's in the "post game" that Disgaea really starts to become more about "BIG NUMBERS". And by then you should have a good grip on the game and then it's just a matter of grinding up your Gear/Levels to reach those obscene numbers. (And by then you should know if you find that kind of 'munchkin-ization' fun or not.

[CMoon]

Time to reboot this thread:

Let's not forget Golden Sun 3 and (for me at least) FF warriors of light.

Would like to hear more about the latter. I read a little bit and saw some videos, but still can't say much about it. I guess with Dragon Quest, I know more or less exactly what I'm getting. With FF I've no clue anymore.

And once again, the DS seems to be going out in style. I love it.

[iluvmonsterz]

huge stinkin rpg fan here, as of late my attention span has shortened so i ve been playing less and less..not so with the gf she will play shit for like 12 hours. we have had to have a system for her myself anf my kid seperatly since the ps2(3 tvs, 3 box 360s, 3 ds xls, 3 psps. you get the drift.) lemme tell you it gets expensive providing for 3 ridiculous gaming fetishes at once(natsume and atlus will DECIMATE your wallet/savings)...... as of late the new dragon quest for ds looks pretty swass.

[CMoon]

I don't know how many times I have to pump life into this thread...


Anyway, Etrian Odyssey 3 comes out in the US in a few days (Tuesday I think.) Yes, it is more of the same, but with an amazing new sub-class system that drastically alters the game. Finally there is no cookie cutter party and instead dozens of viable party combinations. There's 12 classes this time 'round, and I believe there's also a new system for forging magic weapons. Basically this one looks like a big step forward for the EO series. So, where's the hype?

[Obiwanshinobi]

In other news, FFX does not suck. I know, I know, don't thank me. I mean, it's rather decent for something this severely criticised.

[drauch]

I'm playing a decent number, but I am abusing them all terribly.

I did beat System Shock 2 awhile back, so that is something. But I've been playing Final Fantasy VI for months and months now. I absolutely adore it, yet I am just never in the mood for it. Same thing with Baldur's Gate. Restarted it for like the 3rd time but am never in the mood for it. Also was playing the poop out of Popful Mail, starting like a half a year ago. Probably would play this but I don't feel like taking apart my Sega CD for the 8th time and wrapping tin foil around a fuse (probably should just fix that the real way). Did just drunkenly start Ys Book 1 & 2 the other night again. Hopefully i'll get a little more serious with that one.

[sjewkestheloon]

I've been playing Resonance of Fate on an off for a few months now. It's enjoyable but grindy and I can only play it occasionally, certainly doesn't compel me to play it constantly like other Tri Ace games. It's refreshingly novel though and I can see it growing on me over time.

On the CRPG side I picked up Dragon Age Awakening a while back and I've hardly touched it. I imported one of my mages over and to be honest I've forgotten a lot of my skill combos and feel a little bit lost. I think I will start the main game over and play a character from start to finish a few times to get the different sides. There are still a lot of quests I've not seen the 'bad' side of, if you will, and I'd like to try doing a solo playthrough as well as a an attempt to do as little as possible for people. I like pushing these 'choices' games to their logical conclusion.

[Ruldra]

I've been playing Resonance of Fate on an off for a few months now. It's enjoyable but grindy and I can only play it occasionally, certainly doesn't compel me to play it constantly like other Tri Ace games. It's refreshingly novel though and I can see it growing on me over time.

I've reached chapter 11 and at this point I'm bored as hell with it. The combat system is fun at first but now I think it's too repetitive. And when I remember I still have all those side missions, Neverland, 500 arena battles and NG+ ahead of me, I quickly pick another game to play.

I'm seriously considering finishing the story missions and trading the game afterwards.

[drunkninja24]

Guess I'm on a PSP binge now. Just finished Ys Seven, and am now playing Valkyria Chronicles II and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. Both seem like great games so far (BBS especially, considering 358/2 Days really couldn't hold my interest for long), and they're keeping me from killing myself from boredom during night shift at work, so they definitely have that going for them.

[BryanM]

Kinda bummed SaGa 2 remake doesn't seem to be up for a localization. This was one of the gems of the golden era - what the hell else was there before Pokemon to play on your gameboy? Tetris?! Psssfffffffffff

Non-believers, read and reap:

* Four classes: Human, Mutant, Robot, and Monster. They all advance very differently: Humans are strong fighters, Mutants gain random abilities (in this version you can rearrange the order to "get rid of" stuff you don't want I've heard), Robots, I think, gain stats from their equipment, and Monsters evolve into different forms as they grow.

* In this game, you can kill god with a chainsaw.

* Really that should be enough, right?

Would like to hear more about the latter. I read a little bit and saw some videos, but still can't say much about it. I guess with Dragon Quest, I know more or less exactly what I'm getting. With FF I've no clue anymore.

The official site at least gives you the gist of the ~24 classes. Ye, it is a bit sad to make them so simplistic.

The game auto targets abilities - I guess it wants to be in the spirit of making combat speedy again.

I was just happy they were willing to finally make a new Final Fantasy game, but reception on this one seems luke warm. The remakes seem to pulled in hella more, so, so much for new things. (Though I'm sure it grossed more money for them than that other thing they just released.)

In other news, FFX does not suck. I know, I know, don't thank me. I mean, it's rather decent for something this severely criticised.

Lies. 3/5 at best. For some reason Cleavage Girl didn't even get her own scenerio. Very weak.

[CMoon]

So, no love for Etiran Odyssey 3? I guess I'll be picking up my pre-order....alone

[BulletMagnet]

So, no love for Etiran Odyssey 3? I guess I'll be picking up my pre-order....alone

I can only speak for myself, but as much as I love Atlus and their penchant for bringing niche stuff over here, if a dungeon crawler is too "pure" (for lack of a better word) I always find myself intrinsically turned off by it...somehow any bits of vestigial trimmings always seem to be utterly crushed by the feeling of "this game has lots of numbers and is really hard and that's pretty much the only reason anyone will ever play it". I can see why others would go for something like that, but it's just not my bag, personally...no reason for you to be too depressed though, as there are some nice pre-order Spoils attached to this one.

Personally I'm most looking forward to Atelier Rorona - I'm a bit of a sucker for Gust's item-creation-heavy style, and the company's "smaller-scale" feel, if that description makes sense.

In other news, FFX does not suck. I know, I know, don't thank me. I mean, it's rather decent for something this severely criticised.

I'll go even farther and say that, though it's definitely not a timeless classic, FFX-2 wasn't too bad either. Beat THAT. (Boy, I hope nobody here liked Unlimited Saga or Ephemeral Fantasia.)

[linko9]

Just skimmed through the thread, so sorry for the complete derailment. I started playing FF13 about a week ago. I was very hesitant, as I haven't really enjoyed a FF game since 6 (to be fair, I only played 7 and 8 after that and then gave up on the series). I'm very glad I decided to hop back on the FF train, as I'm really liking 13. Maybe it's just that the game is so gallderned purty that I'm willing to overlook the typical new-school JRPG bullshit, but I'm really hooked on this game, and am not really bothered by the story and characters, for the most part. I think the battle system is great, which is the most important thing about an RPG, at least in my opinion. These days, if it's not Dragon Quest, an RPG needs to have a pretty innovative battle system for the game to really hook me. After hearing so many negative opinions on the game, I was really surprised to see how much I liked it.

[sjewkestheloon]

Don't worry BM, I think I actually enjoyed X-2 more than X. It was flippant and lighthearted with a fun battle system and some jpop. Much better than whiny bitches with daddy angst.

Plus it was a little more balanced.

[MR_Soren]

So, no love for Etiran Odyssey 3? I guess I'll be picking up my pre-order....alone

I've got two copies pre-ordered. One for me and one for my wife. (I finally got her to try one of these.)

Not sure when I'll actually play it though since we are playing Dragon Quest IX a lot these days.


Saw a lot of Disgaea talk in this thread. I think I put over 200 hours into the DS version. Fun time-waster, that's for sure!

[professor ganson]

Now that I've gotten more serious about turn-based strategy games, srpgs without scoring systems and hard modes just aren't cutting it. Though I still like how Disgaea offers the player so many possibilities for completing its challenges-- so many opportunities for creative problem solving.

But while I'm getting a bit hardcore about srpgs, I remain a complete noob with respect to dungeon crawlers. I need to find one that is a good introduction to the genre, one that allows for saving at any time and isn't insanely difficult. Any suggestions?

And I've tried Etrian Odyssey II. That was not a good intro to the genre for me.

[BryanM]

You. Yes you. Go play Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden for me. Then tell me how awesome it was. I need to know this.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Persona 2: Innocent Sin (now playable in English) isn't a "pure" dungeon crawler, but it's got pretty good dungeons and allows you to save anywhere (you will need it as - at least patched and played on a PS2 - it freezes every now and then, but it's nothing ultimately game-breaking). The engine and interface might seem crude at the first glance, but it's actually quite refined under the skin. Don't worry, it's not a waiting sim like Persona 3. Having finished Innocent Sin you should be ready for the uncompromising delights of Digital Devil Saga and Nocturne/Lucifer's Call.

[professor ganson]

Cool suggestion. I wonder if Persona 1 will work just as well: I've got that one for PSP.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Didn't play the original Persona, but the series in general is supposed to have more of a mainstream appeal.
Man, is this theme haunting...

[CMoon]

You'd think I'd have a good suggestion for a basic dungeon crawler since I've been playing them my whole life. EO probably isn't the best place to start because of the weird classes, though it did let you save wherever you want (not everyone realized it was there.) I personally think EO3 will be better because the class system seems much more open. IMO the best dungeon crawlers were the old computer rpgs. Wizardry 7 is a favorite of mine--it's a high water mark that hasn't really been equalled--but it is very dated today. My favorite console dungeon crawler is still Nocturne, but it is very unconventional. Wizardry 7 was great for having a decent story, having a huge over-world to explore, being completely non-linear, a wide variety of possible parties, etc. I haven't seen any other dungeon crawlers (including Wizardry manage what 7 did.

Ultimately though, I think the weird love of dungeon crawlers comes out a love of the original D&D role playing game. It is ultimately all about numbers and probability and imagination--which is pretty much the opposite of what console rpgs have become. They are pretty arcaic and I can understand why most people don't like them.

[CMoon]

Didn't play the original Persona, but the series in general is supposed to have more of a mainstream appeal.
Man, is this theme haunting...

I've heard Persona 1 is a straight dungeon crawler. I definitely wouldn't look to 3 or 4 for dungeon crawling. I've given both a good shot but gave up on both. I'm not planning on picking up a psp, but would like to play the persona 1 port. I was waiting to play it on the 3DS.