What RPG are you playing right now?

[RobertAugustdeMeijer]

Been derping around with the original versions of Ys I & II and I gotta say..... PC-88 sound chip was quite impressive!!

If you're used to modernized versions of Ys you'll be surprised by how truncated these feel. Short and sweet.

btw for those who want to dive into retro Japanese computers, I highly recommend getting on "Project EGG" for official emulation. Dunno why I waited this long.

Please share which games you discover on Project Egg. My knowledge of PC-88 is really bad.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Project EGG is a digital retro gaming storefront that specializes in retro Japanese PC games. The selection is fantastic, but there are some downsides. Everything is in Japanese (not just the games but also the website and associated client), and there is a $5-ish a month subscription required (though you thankfully keep everything once a subscription is cancelled).

I'm a big fan of this type of "official emulation" just as I'm a big fan of GOG, Arcade Archives, etc.

Here's their game selection:
https://www.amusement-center.com/projec ... /?oldplat=

And the PC-88 specifically:
https://www.amusement-center.com/projec ... nre=&name=
https://www.amusement-center.com/projec ... nre=&name=

As far as Japanese computer games go, stuff by Falcom, Bothtec, Compile, Konami, and Micro Cabin are usually safe bets.

[marurun]

I started Sega Ages Phantasy Star on Switch a few nights ago. It is a fascinating product. I'm playing in Ages mode because I'm not sure I'm hard-headed enough to play in original mode. It's both such a product of its time and yet so advanced for a console RPG. FF1, which came out 2 days before (approximately) holds up a little better in terms of general playability, but PS is in so many ways a much more advanced title, despite working with limited resources. The Master System is more powerful than the base Famicom but doesn't have mappers. FF1 and DQ2, the closest NES analogues, use the MMC1 mapper which offers comparable or more advanced memory management than the base Master System. Boy is the localization weird in places, though. The healing items are Cola and Burgers and are sold by First Food shops (which I'm assuming are a stilted translation of Fast Food). The Ages mode reduces encounter frequency and doubles XP and money rewards from combat, and that does speed up purchasing power and survivability, though the game is still quite difficult in places.

[BoneSnapDeez]

best 8-bit rpg evar

[RobertAugustdeMeijer]

Project EGG is a digital retro gaming storefront that specializes in retro Japanese PC games. The selection is fantastic, but there are some downsides. Everything is in Japanese (not just the games but also the website and associated client), and there is a $5-ish a month subscription required (though you thankfully keep everything once a subscription is cancelled).

I'm a big fan of this type of "official emulation" just as I'm a big fan of GOG, Arcade Archives, etc.

Here's their game selection:
https://www.amusement-center.com/projec ... /?oldplat=

And the PC-88 specifically:
https://www.amusement-center.com/projec ... nre=&name=
https://www.amusement-center.com/projec ... nre=&name=

As far as Japanese computer games go, stuff by Falcom, Bothtec, Compile, Konami, and Micro Cabin are usually safe bets.

Thanks!! This is a gold mine!

[prfsnl_gmr]

best 8-bit rpg evar

I think DQ3 edges it out, but only just barely. PS rules.

[SpaceBooger]

best 8-bit rpg evar

I think DQ3 edges it out, but only just barely. PS rules.

I second this (DQ3 or DW3 on the GBC is my favorite 8-bit RPG).
Crystalis is my favorite 8-bit ARPG, I just beat it for the first time a couple of weeks ago.

[BoneSnapDeez]

That's interesting. I just (re)played Crystalis and I like it less than I remember.

The "elemental" based combat system (and resulting enemy immunities) kinda sucks. Menus are clunky, as is the fact that you can assign a couple of things to the A and B buttons, and how one thing will supersede another. Most dungeons are not fun to navigate as they're just a series of narrow hallways. Virtually all dungeons -- with the exception of the Nausicaä forest and floating tower -- as aesthetically dull as well. Cool music and sprite design though, and I dig the overall "vibe" at times if that makes sense.

Still, I'd rank the super-simple ARPGs like X/Y/Z (Xak, Ys, Zelda) over Crystalis, though those can be maddeningly cryptic at times. The best "complex" 8-bit ARPG is Radia Senki.

[prfsnl_gmr]

The best "complex" 8-bit ARPG is Radia Senki.

My man droppin’ KNOWLEDGE!

[Limewater]

I second this (DQ3 or DW3 on the GBC is my favorite 8-bit RPG).
Crystalis is my favorite 8-bit ARPG, I just beat it for the first time a couple of weeks ago.

I loved Dragon Warrior III as a kid. I never owned IV, though I feel like westerners thought it was better than III, while easterners tended to prefer III.

I really enjoyed Phantasy Star when I played it as part of the Phantasy Star Collection on GBA. I didn't feel I had enough free time to try to continue the series, at the time, though. It looked really, really good, and had actual enemy animation during encounters!