RPGs for beginners

[OkamiGeisha]

At some point play FF IV (called II in the USA).  Going back that far gets more difficult and requires more trial and error, or a good walkthrough, but I believe that every RPG fan should play it.  I think it really set a standard for the series and RPGs as a whole.  It's not easy but not impossible either. 

[Yoda]

At some point play FF IV (called II in the USA).  Going back that far gets more difficult and requires more trial and error, or a good walkthrough, but I believe that every RPG fan should play it.  I think it really set a standard for the series and RPGs as a whole.  It's not easy but not impossible either. 

Fact. Its the game that made me an RPG fan back in the day.

[Hathen]

FFIV was great back in the day and all, but it's aged pretty horribly. Then again, that might just because the last time i played it was the remake, and I really hate it when game speed is unnecessarily slow. It's my biggest pet peeve with better graphics in games (Especially turn-based RPGs), because they force you to sit through characters walking and swinging their sword for 5 seconds apiece when in the good ol' days it took like 1 second.

So yeah, personally I'd play the original SNES version, difficulty purists be damned. The playstation version has awful load times and the DS has the aforementioned hair-tearing game speed.

[Eusis]

So yeah, personally I'd play the original SNES version, difficulty purists be damned. The playstation version has awful load times and the DS has the aforementioned hair-tearing game speed.

The Playstation version only has awful load times when loading/saving games, though those ARE pretty bad. Still, I think the positives outweigh the negatives, and until we somehow see a perfectly emulated SNES version of an English "Hard"-type it's my top recommended version, followed by the SNES version. Haven't tried the GBA one to know how that turned out for sure, but it's probably on the level of the SNES version for which to play.

I also still stand by that it's aged better than most of its contemporaries; my bigger problem is that I grew up since it came out.

[Hathen]

Oh yeah, there was a GBA version too. Guess I would recommend that one since it probably got a better translation and all, and being able to play on the move is a plus.

And don't get me wrong, I loved FF4 when I first played it, but out of the old FFs I'd rather replay FF5 for the gameplay or FF6 for the story, heh.

[kyuusei]

Well there IS the DS remake too. Not sure how hard it is though. I haven't exactly started a file.... My SNES version was buggy, but the PSOne version kicked my ass in the final dungeon. Great game though. I prefer VI though.

[GrimReality]

I never understood the whole "hardtype" business. I remember the game being plenty challenging back when I played it as FF II on the SNES. And this was way before I became a wuss about challenge in games. No way would I want to play a harder version.

[xXMelancholiaXx]

At some point play FF IV (called II in the USA).  Going back that far gets more difficult and requires more trial and error, or a good walkthrough, but I believe that every RPG fan should play it.  I think it really set a standard for the series and RPGs as a whole.  It's not easy but not impossible either. 

I already recommended Final Fantasy Chronicles a few pages back. It's a compilation of Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger.

Be warned that Suikoden games are not for everyone. I was already playing tons of RPGs and heard about the Suikoden series and that they were good. So I got Suikoden III and I hated every little thing in it. I even lent it to my cousin to see if he would find something to like about it or the problem was with me and we both hated it.

I had the exact same problem. I didn't like Suikoden III at all either. 

[MGShogun]

@Starmongoose: Aww *blushing*

@Kup: I sure hope not.

@Lard: Lmfao!

@Okami and Yoda: FFIV that really good? Should I wait to play this until I have few games under my belt?

@Hathen: Don't have SNES version. X.X

@Eusis: Interesting statement about FFIV.

Just bought PS2 today so I'm excited about it. Should get the games in couple of days or so. I honestly cannot wait to play those games. :D I feel like I'm waiting for Santa Claus to deliver the stack of gifts under trees for Christmas.

[Lazlowe1984]

Farron, I'm going to start off with FFX for my first RPG entry.

Kup, here's the list that I complied so far that I want to get:

FFX, Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest VIII, Dark Cloud 2, FFVII, Brave Fencer Musashi, Grandia 1 and 2, Chrono Trigger, Lunar series, Tales of Destiny 1 and 2, Tales of the Abyss, Fallout 3, Mass Effect 2, Star Wars Knight of the Old Republic, Legend of the Dragoon, Xenogears, Shadow Hearts 1 and 2, Xenosaga, Ar Tonelico, Suikoden 1 2 and 5, and Persona 3 and 4.

So far, I have placed an order for FFX, Kingdom Hearts, FF Chronicles, FF Anthology, and Legend of the Dragoon so far. Will get FFVII from my friend soon.

Each of those games were masterpieces in their time.I live,breathe and bleed the RPG genre due to those games.

You are fortunate to step into those games for the first time.

[xXMelancholiaXx]

If you don't have a Super Nintendo than the Playstation version of Final Fantasy IV should be more then adequate. There are some slight differences such as loading but it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

[MGShogun]

@Lazlowe1984: Sweet, I cannot wait to play those games. Hope the games I ordered are more than adequate to start me out in RPG genre. :D

@xXMelancholiaXx: Should I play few games first before I tackle on FFIV?

[Kevadu]

Can't find a copy of Alundra 1 for PS2 and I don't have access to PSN since I don't have PSP and PS3. X.X

I'm just going to go ahead and say it:  You should seriously think about getting a PSP.  They're not that expensive, and in addition to the fact that there are many great PSP RPGs, PSOne Classics are dirt cheap.  A lot of people have suggested PS1 games in this thread that will be rare, hard to find, and expensive if you do find them.  But a lot of these games are available for just $7 or $10 (for the more popular titles) off the PSN Store.  You might actually save money in the long run by getting a PSP.

[xXMelancholiaXx]

@xXMelancholiaXx: Should I play few games first before I tackle on FFIV?

If I recall what the other posters are saying it's pretty accurate. It's a fairly difficult game but it's not impossible. Though personally speaking I'd recommend going with some of the later entries like X or VII which are in my mind a lot easier. As a side note about Ar Tonelico, I thought I'd bring this up since no one else has yet, those games are known to be very buggy due to NISA's spotty localization. This is especially true regarding Ar Tonelico II which is known to have a terminal bug which causes the game to freeze while you are fighting one of the games final bosses.

[MGShogun]

@Kevadu: PSP doesn't fit with my current budget since I just splurge on PS2 and few games, LOL. But thanks for the advice. I'll save up to get PSP since it has lot of the classics that the folks in this thread are recommending.

@xXMelancholiaXx: I should hold off on Ar Tonelico, then?