I need a Shadow Hearts game....

[Zendervai]

They're both good, but the first one is noticeably clunkier in gameplay, the voice acting sucks and it doesn't look that great. The story is still really good, but the story isn't everything.

[PotRoast]

Man, I've been turning over in my mind buying the Shadow Hearts games ever since they came out, but never ended up doing so. I might just do it now after reading this thread.

[LINK398]

I still haven't picked up any of these games even though I'm leaning more towards the second game. I just finished The Legend of Dragoon for PSX and it wasn't that great....I'd probably give it a 7 but I'm not going to go really in depth and review it. I decided to give the PS2 a break though and plugged in the Xbox 360 and started Deus Ex Human Revolution something a bit different. I figured also I need a little break from traditional turn based RPG's and Japanese style RPG's in general. (Final Fantasy VI Advance (again), Dragon Quest IV DS, Final Fantasy XII, The Legend of Dragoon) those are the last titles I've completed that I can remember so figured I'd give a try to a more western style RPG (even though it's more of an action adventure game shooter and stealth game with RPG elements) I guess I'll see how that goes

[cj_iwakura]

Although 2 is a much better game, just like with Persona, if you can play the original first, you'll appreciate 2's connections far more.

[Taelus]

I actually think the gameplay in 1 has held up pretty well. It's not as well-defined as 2, but it's by no means not fun, at least in my estimation. The voice acting IS goofy, but the writing is solid, so it's give and take. And while it isn't going to blow your eyeballs out, the art design is great-- and those line drawings for character portraits and on the menu are siiiiick.

and just like cj said, you will appreciate 2 so much more if you play 1 first.

[insertnamehere]

I played the second first and played the first one a few years after that, something about felt too clunky at first; aside from that the second game has several important plot twists that lose a lot of significance without context from the first game.

[cj_iwakura]

I actually think the gameplay in 1 has held up pretty well. It's not as well-defined as 2, but it's by no means not fun, at least in my estimation. The voice acting IS goofy, but the writing is solid, so it's give and take. And while it isn't going to blow your eyeballs out, the art design is great-- and those line drawings for character portraits and on the menu are siiiiick.

and just like cj said, you will appreciate 2 so much more if you play 1 first.

I played 1 AFTER 2(because I loved 2 so much), and I thought it aged just fine.

Roger Bacon is a much better villain than Rasputin, too.
(SH's Rasputin that is. RAIDOU's Rasputin is the ish.)

[Eusis]

I actually enjoyed SH1 more than I enjoyed SH2.

Still, if you can handle, say, the PS1 FFs then SH1 should be just fine.