RPG that hooks you right away?

[jay_red]

Hey guys, I want to get into RPG's more and have been reading through lists like crazy. There are plenty of titles that pop up over and over that I am sure are great, my question though, is which RPG has a great start that hooks you and keeps you going? Most of the time it seems that they need a bit of time to get setup. I don't have a ton of time to sink into games at the moment so I would like something with a little more "instant gratification" I feel if I can become invested in the story early on, it will be easier to keep going.

Platform is not specific, anything from Dreamcast and back would be cool since I can emulate that on my handheld (which is preferable) but im open to hear what you guys think.

[Sarge]

My answer will always be Chrono Trigger. I'm like a broken record at this point.

Also, the more action-oriented games probably are a good choice, simply because it has more visceral mechanics to draw you in while the story is ramping up. Games like Terranigma and Seiken Densetsu 3 are tons of fun.

[jay_red]

My answer will always be Chrono Trigger. I'm like a broken record at this point.

Chrono trigger is actually one of the RPG's I have finished. Played it on the DS and enjoyed it very much.

[ElkinFencer10]

Xenoblade Chronicles hooked me pretty early on, as did The Last Story. I think the one that hooked me earliest and stayed amazing, though, was the original Phantasy Star on Sega Master System. That's still my favorite game on that console as well as my favorite 8-bit RPG.

[Sarge]

Oh, shoot, should probably work the Genesis/SCD side of the equation. Phantasy Star IV is great, and I think it gets rolling pretty quickly. I'd also say that Lunar: Eternal Blue on Sega CD is one of the best of all time.

If you like action-battle systems, you might also want to give something like Star Ocean or one of the Tales games a shot. Anything Mario-related is also a good choice, with both Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario being excellent.

[Xeogred]

Secret of Mana for me. Minutes in and you've got a sword and are beating up evil rabbits. Love the pace to this and Seiken Densetsu 3, really addicting.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Final Fantasy VI. Starts right up with a gripping scenario. Excellent pacing throughout. Surprisingly deep story and character development, without any excessive fluff dialogue. Absurdly strong musical score. Moogles. Feels like a "sister game" to Chrono Trigger - both mechanically and aesthetically - so if you like that one you'll probably dig this as well.

Blew my balls off the first time I played it back in 1994. I still can't find them.

[laurenhiya21]

The first Suikoden had me instantly hooked for some reason.

I couldn't tell you what the opening was like but I can remember starting it up and then playing that non-stop until I beat it. That is VERY rare for me, since I usually play something for a few hours, and then switch to something else for a bit.

Suikoden 2 might also be a good one for that, but I don't know since I haven't played it yet. A lot of people seem to enjoy it though.

[marurun]

I second Phantasy Star IV. You don't have to have played the other titles in the series to enjoy it.

[ninjainspandex]

Persona 4, immediately very interesting even though it took a bit before I got into combat. TBH the combat is pretty boring and basic, but oh man dat story and dat music!