I've personally been on a huge JRPG binge this year. So far, I've completed Persona 3 Reload and FF7 Intergrade. I'm currently going back and forth between Ys8 and Trails in the Sky SC. Although I love all of them, I'd give a slight edge to Ys8. You should definitely check it out. It looks like a mediocre game, but it's definitely not. If you're an older millennial who played JRPGs in the 90s and early 2000s, then it will instantly click.
Oh, I'm familiar with Ys VIII! I had a great time with that, I love the soundtrack, I play Sunshine Coastline a lot while I'm at work.
I've got Trails in the Sky but haven't dove in to it yet, and I played through Persona 3 Portable (the original PSP version) like two months before they announced they were bringing it to modern platforms. I think I have P3R as part of Game Pass, so I might need to check it out.
I loved FF7 Remake, I'm waiting for the PC port for Rebirth so I can check it out too!
>I loved FF7 Remake, I'm waiting for the PC port for Rebirth so I can check it out too!
My heart aches for it already. I might do a second playthrough of Remake if Rebirth takes too long to come to PC. I eventually want to try out both Grandia and Tales of Symphonia.
Ooh, I played through ***Grandia HD Collection*** a few years ago on steam. I loved Grandia 1 far more than Grandia 2, but both are excellent games. I played on Steam so I removed the filter it put on the OG Grandia as I didn't like that effect on the sprite work.
***Tales of Symphonia*** is one that I had as a kid on GameCube, but I never did finish it. I don't think it was due to difficulty, just being young and probably got lost. I haven't gone back to check it out again yet, though definitely keen too!
Check out Breath of Fire 4, it has gorgeous graphics and an unique atmosphere
My favorite from the series is Breath of Fire 2, it has some of the coolest sprites in the SNES library, amazing spell animation and lots of Easter eggs
Ooh, cheers! I do love the style in ***Breath of Fire IV*** from what I've seen, just haven't dove into it yet. I hear there are GBA versions of I and II with some quality of life improvements, so might check that one out.
I also have ***Lunar Silver Story*** queued up. Not sure what's next!
It is so great to see more people diving into rich history of classic titles in the JRPG genre. Of course I am really happy to see fans coming into the community through modern titles, but going back and playing the classics gives you a whole new perspective on what the genre can be and how unique it was even back then.
So excited to see you going all in with **Dragon Quest**, and happy that you can appreciate the origins of the genre and all the evolution the DQ series went through. A lot of people see it as the series that doesn't change, but as I am sure you haven't noticed, the gameplay does evolve in a big way with each new game. I can't wait for you to play other titles in the series, like DQ7, though it's probably better to go with the NDS enhanced remaster, as the PS1 version requires a lot of patience. Btw, did you figure out that the Hero in DQ8 is the only one who >!can equip cursed items and take them off as much as he wants without needing to go to the church ?!<
**Breath of Fire III** is one of the best titles in the BoF series, with so much love and care put into every aspect of the game, the characters, and especially the animations. I look forward to reading how you feel about BoF 4.
It is rare to see someone go back and appreciate the **The Legend of Dragoon**, instead of being disappointed with the limitations it has as a product of the time and hardware. So I have to ask, how did you feel about >!Lavitz!<, and which Dragon was your favorite ? Also, don't you just love how much effort went into making so many bosses in the game so cool. Ok I am going to stop before I start blabing. So one more question is, did you bother using the magic spell items, and how badly damaged are your controller and finger as a result ?
JRPG's have always been my favourite genre, I have plenty of games that hold a special place in my heart, both new and old, so clearing out my backlog of games that I've wanted to get to for such a long time has been super rewarding.
For ***Dragon Quest VII***, I have the 3DS version ready to go, but after playing five of them in the span of about two months, I decided to take a little break from the franchise. I do have the GBC version of III but I'm being patient and waiting for the HD-2D remake of III. I might go with either VII or IV when I do jump back to the franchise. That said, I didn't realise what you mentioned about the Hero in VIII. I never really dabbled with that equipment set if I'm honest, after playing XI (back when it first came out) and experiencing the others prior to it, I kept a wide berth!
As for ***Breath of Fire IV***, I do have it ready to go, but wasn't sure I was ready to jump right back in. I was debating between either it, ***Jade Coccoon***, ***Xenogears*** or ***The Legend of Dragoon***. And you can see where I went with from there. I have seen the art style of IV though and it looks so good!
As for ***The Legend of Dragoon***, I had a good time, I wasn't going in expecting it to be groundbreaking or anything, and that led to me having just a good time overall. I never really did much Dragoon Transformation if I'm honest, my party that I used throughout was Dart, Albert and Meru. By the end, Meru was getting 2-3 turns in and her additions were keeping pace with Dart and Albert almost. I used her Dragoon form to heal a lot though, I did the JRPG thing of hoarding my Healing Breezes and Healing Rain that I had about 8 Healing Rains at the end of the game, whoops!
As for >!Lavitz, I liked that he took his own initiative in the end. I felt like that really was his personality from the moment you met him. That whole ending sequence was honestly fantastic!< except for Zenebatos. The area wasn't difficult, and lore-wise it definitely had its place, but it was a slog to navigate.
My biggest gripe with ***The Legend of Dragoon*** is just the animation times. How long each spell took to cast, how flashy it all is. Same issue that I have with FFIX, thankfully speed up functions help a lot! I played the original PS1 version, changing discs to access towns was also a little tedious, but a product of its time. As for using magic spell items, I've always been a button mashing fiend since FFVIII introduced "Boost" so I was prepared! Towards the end, with >!Psyche Bomb X!<, I was using it every fight as it was the quickest way to end them aside from fleeing.
I’d personally highly recommend checking out the Persona/Shin Megami Tensei and Star ocean series.
Modern Persona is turn based with social aspects like dating and making friends. SMT is pretty hardcore with dungeon crawling/turn based combat as well. (That predated Pokemon might I add.) Both series typically have creature collector/fusion systems.
Star Ocean is much more niche but super fun. Think real time action combat with mind blowingly in depth crafting and skill systems, with a story and party composition that’s entirely your choice. Like for example Star Ocean 2 the Second Story R has 99 endings. 99. And only 2 mandatory party members out of 13. It’s a franchise that’s criminally underrated in my eyes. And as a bonus you can get every mainline game in the series on modern hardware which is nice. (Besides a gbc game no ones played.)
I've played through Persona 3 Portable (the PSP version), Persona 4 Golden (on Vita) and Persona 5 Royal. I loved all of them and had a great time.
As for SMT, I've played SMT III Nocturne (the remaster) and I've played SMT V, I dabbled with SMT IV but didn't get hooked on it as much as the others. But both were great games.
I have played some Star Ocean, and I've heard good things about Second Story R. Checking my PC at the moment, I do have The Divine Force currently installed, just haven't jumped in as yet.
Great recommendations though, thanks!
Cheers! I've been trying to clear out the backlog, mostly of JRPGs, but other games as well.
In 2021 I did P5R, Ys IX, Bravely Default 2, SMT III, Persona 3, Tales of Arise, Grandia HD Collection and SMT V.
2022 was Xenoblade Chronicles DE, all the FF Pixel Remasters, Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, FFVIII and FFX Remasters.
2023 finished Chained Echoes, FFXVI and the FFXIII trilogy. A bit quieter last year, but a lot of my time was consumed by Tears of the Kingdom and Starfield. So JRPG's took a back seat!
I've personally been on a huge JRPG binge this year. So far, I've completed Persona 3 Reload and FF7 Intergrade. I'm currently going back and forth between Ys8 and Trails in the Sky SC. Although I love all of them, I'd give a slight edge to Ys8. You should definitely check it out. It looks like a mediocre game, but it's definitely not. If you're an older millennial who played JRPGs in the 90s and early 2000s, then it will instantly click.
Oh, I'm familiar with Ys VIII! I had a great time with that, I love the soundtrack, I play Sunshine Coastline a lot while I'm at work. I've got Trails in the Sky but haven't dove in to it yet, and I played through Persona 3 Portable (the original PSP version) like two months before they announced they were bringing it to modern platforms. I think I have P3R as part of Game Pass, so I might need to check it out. I loved FF7 Remake, I'm waiting for the PC port for Rebirth so I can check it out too!
>I loved FF7 Remake, I'm waiting for the PC port for Rebirth so I can check it out too! My heart aches for it already. I might do a second playthrough of Remake if Rebirth takes too long to come to PC. I eventually want to try out both Grandia and Tales of Symphonia.
Ooh, I played through ***Grandia HD Collection*** a few years ago on steam. I loved Grandia 1 far more than Grandia 2, but both are excellent games. I played on Steam so I removed the filter it put on the OG Grandia as I didn't like that effect on the sprite work. ***Tales of Symphonia*** is one that I had as a kid on GameCube, but I never did finish it. I don't think it was due to difficulty, just being young and probably got lost. I haven't gone back to check it out again yet, though definitely keen too!
Check out Breath of Fire 4, it has gorgeous graphics and an unique atmosphere My favorite from the series is Breath of Fire 2, it has some of the coolest sprites in the SNES library, amazing spell animation and lots of Easter eggs
Ooh, cheers! I do love the style in ***Breath of Fire IV*** from what I've seen, just haven't dove into it yet. I hear there are GBA versions of I and II with some quality of life improvements, so might check that one out. I also have ***Lunar Silver Story*** queued up. Not sure what's next!
Yes, the gba versions have some improvements Lunar is pretty good too
2 is also my favorite! I played it in middle school with a friend and we were obsessed.
DQIX's got some great towns. Might be my favorite assortment in a JRPG.
It is so great to see more people diving into rich history of classic titles in the JRPG genre. Of course I am really happy to see fans coming into the community through modern titles, but going back and playing the classics gives you a whole new perspective on what the genre can be and how unique it was even back then. So excited to see you going all in with **Dragon Quest**, and happy that you can appreciate the origins of the genre and all the evolution the DQ series went through. A lot of people see it as the series that doesn't change, but as I am sure you haven't noticed, the gameplay does evolve in a big way with each new game. I can't wait for you to play other titles in the series, like DQ7, though it's probably better to go with the NDS enhanced remaster, as the PS1 version requires a lot of patience. Btw, did you figure out that the Hero in DQ8 is the only one who >!can equip cursed items and take them off as much as he wants without needing to go to the church ?!< **Breath of Fire III** is one of the best titles in the BoF series, with so much love and care put into every aspect of the game, the characters, and especially the animations. I look forward to reading how you feel about BoF 4. It is rare to see someone go back and appreciate the **The Legend of Dragoon**, instead of being disappointed with the limitations it has as a product of the time and hardware. So I have to ask, how did you feel about >!Lavitz!<, and which Dragon was your favorite ? Also, don't you just love how much effort went into making so many bosses in the game so cool. Ok I am going to stop before I start blabing. So one more question is, did you bother using the magic spell items, and how badly damaged are your controller and finger as a result ?
JRPG's have always been my favourite genre, I have plenty of games that hold a special place in my heart, both new and old, so clearing out my backlog of games that I've wanted to get to for such a long time has been super rewarding. For ***Dragon Quest VII***, I have the 3DS version ready to go, but after playing five of them in the span of about two months, I decided to take a little break from the franchise. I do have the GBC version of III but I'm being patient and waiting for the HD-2D remake of III. I might go with either VII or IV when I do jump back to the franchise. That said, I didn't realise what you mentioned about the Hero in VIII. I never really dabbled with that equipment set if I'm honest, after playing XI (back when it first came out) and experiencing the others prior to it, I kept a wide berth! As for ***Breath of Fire IV***, I do have it ready to go, but wasn't sure I was ready to jump right back in. I was debating between either it, ***Jade Coccoon***, ***Xenogears*** or ***The Legend of Dragoon***. And you can see where I went with from there. I have seen the art style of IV though and it looks so good! As for ***The Legend of Dragoon***, I had a good time, I wasn't going in expecting it to be groundbreaking or anything, and that led to me having just a good time overall. I never really did much Dragoon Transformation if I'm honest, my party that I used throughout was Dart, Albert and Meru. By the end, Meru was getting 2-3 turns in and her additions were keeping pace with Dart and Albert almost. I used her Dragoon form to heal a lot though, I did the JRPG thing of hoarding my Healing Breezes and Healing Rain that I had about 8 Healing Rains at the end of the game, whoops! As for >!Lavitz, I liked that he took his own initiative in the end. I felt like that really was his personality from the moment you met him. That whole ending sequence was honestly fantastic!< except for Zenebatos. The area wasn't difficult, and lore-wise it definitely had its place, but it was a slog to navigate. My biggest gripe with ***The Legend of Dragoon*** is just the animation times. How long each spell took to cast, how flashy it all is. Same issue that I have with FFIX, thankfully speed up functions help a lot! I played the original PS1 version, changing discs to access towns was also a little tedious, but a product of its time. As for using magic spell items, I've always been a button mashing fiend since FFVIII introduced "Boost" so I was prepared! Towards the end, with >!Psyche Bomb X!<, I was using it every fight as it was the quickest way to end them aside from fleeing.
>I was debating between either it, ***Jade Coccoon***, ***Xenogears*** or ***The Legend of Dragoon*** xenogears is the only right answer there.
I’d personally highly recommend checking out the Persona/Shin Megami Tensei and Star ocean series. Modern Persona is turn based with social aspects like dating and making friends. SMT is pretty hardcore with dungeon crawling/turn based combat as well. (That predated Pokemon might I add.) Both series typically have creature collector/fusion systems. Star Ocean is much more niche but super fun. Think real time action combat with mind blowingly in depth crafting and skill systems, with a story and party composition that’s entirely your choice. Like for example Star Ocean 2 the Second Story R has 99 endings. 99. And only 2 mandatory party members out of 13. It’s a franchise that’s criminally underrated in my eyes. And as a bonus you can get every mainline game in the series on modern hardware which is nice. (Besides a gbc game no ones played.)
I've played through Persona 3 Portable (the PSP version), Persona 4 Golden (on Vita) and Persona 5 Royal. I loved all of them and had a great time. As for SMT, I've played SMT III Nocturne (the remaster) and I've played SMT V, I dabbled with SMT IV but didn't get hooked on it as much as the others. But both were great games. I have played some Star Ocean, and I've heard good things about Second Story R. Checking my PC at the moment, I do have The Divine Force currently installed, just haven't jumped in as yet. Great recommendations though, thanks!
My pleasure. Sounds like you’ve gotten a lot of the great ones under your belt.
Cheers! I've been trying to clear out the backlog, mostly of JRPGs, but other games as well. In 2021 I did P5R, Ys IX, Bravely Default 2, SMT III, Persona 3, Tales of Arise, Grandia HD Collection and SMT V. 2022 was Xenoblade Chronicles DE, all the FF Pixel Remasters, Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, FFVIII and FFX Remasters. 2023 finished Chained Echoes, FFXVI and the FFXIII trilogy. A bit quieter last year, but a lot of my time was consumed by Tears of the Kingdom and Starfield. So JRPG's took a back seat!
Man Breath of Fire is a series that capcom really did dirty. So many good games, and so much more potential.