SRPGs (or TRPGs) you've known and loved.

[laurenhiya21]

Thanks for the recommendations, Exhum. I was actually looking at getting Rhapsody the other day, but for some reason I didn't realize it had tactical battles. I must of been really out of it cause I thought it was a turn-based RPG haha.

[MrPopo]

That's the Japan exclusive FE 6, starring Roy. It came out before the one that came out in the US as the first US FE game. Exhum will say it's unfairly hard, but I think he's just not hardcore enough for it (full disclosure; I've only played one map).

[Xeogred]

When it comes to Fire Emblem and hard, I tend to hear the Gamecube game is the real monster.

I think the one I played was The Sacred Stones, which I recall being Shining Force 1 cakewalk easy. lol

[Exhuminator]

Which GBA Fire Emblem is that?

It's this guy:

http://www.romhacking.net/translations/854/

It was the first GBA Fire Emblem, and never came to the USA. The one that came out in the USA was written as a prequel to this one actually. Fire Emblem (USA) had different directors though, thankfully.

MrPopo, I made it almost to the very end of FE6. I only had 3 battles left to beat it. I quit FE6 because it was the most atrocious dipshittery SRPG ever. I implore you to play through it and experience the fun times! FE6 might be more manageable with a strategy guide, I don't know. It was my first Fire Emblem, and I chose a horrible starting point obviously.

What I really dislike about FFT is that most battles limit you to 3-5 units, but in TO you always get to use 10.

Then you may enjoy the PSP version (there are ways to play it NOT handheld btw), which allows you to use even more units on the field. (Among other differences: http://w11.zetaboards.com/Tactics_Ogre_ ... 7786365/1/ )

I played about 50 hours of Disgaea 2 and then dropped the controller

What I've read about those games, is you can spend 20-30 hours and beat them just fine without grinding. The super crazy grinding is supposed to be optional. Is that true?

best Matsuno game

That would be the very best PS1 game ever made:

Holy shit balls of joyous fuzzy glee do I love that game.

I didn't realize it had tactical battles. I must of been really out of it cause I thought it was a turn-based RPG haha.

It has turn based tactical battles via a grid format, it's kind of a hybrid:



It's a good stepping stone to say Shining Force, and from Shining Force going to Final Fantasy Tactics, and from there going full retard with NAtURAL DOCtRINE.

-=-

Where's the Advance Wars love? I thought that series was a big hit with millennials.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Another pretty good one is Crystal Warriors for GG, which I haven't beaten yet as it was surprisingly tough.

I love that game, but yeah... It's short, linear, and leaves little room for error. You essentially have to play it "correctly" from the get-go.

In reference to some of the other titles mentioned here... I tend to gravitate to sci-fi and fantasy settings and steer clear of the military and robot stuff (Front Mission notwithstanding) so Advance Wars, for example, is one I've never been motivated to try out.

I attempted the first two Disgaea games and they were a whole lotta nope. Long, grindy, with obnoxious characters. Pass.

The two Luminous Arc games I played were aight. Nothing phenomenal, but fun to play in small chunks on the DS. Dept. Heaven is one of the better recent-ish SRPG series. Those games are rad. Jeanne d'Arc was a solid standalone entry on PSP. (This genre seems to be moving to portables)...

Haven't ventured into Growlanser territory yet I'm sorry to say.

What about FALCOM you say? Well if you want to get your ass kicked check out Vantage Master for free.

[MrPopo]

When it comes to Fire Emblem and hard, I tend to hear the Gamecube game is the real monster.

Actually, the Wii sequel is even worse than the Gamecube game. Chapter 1 is an exercise in being underpowered at all times, chapter 2 is fair, chapter 3 bounces between an overpowered party and your hilariously underpowered party from chapter 1 (including one map where you fight the overpowered party), then chapter 4 is getting past a few hard but fair fights to crest the hill and then start taking names.

[alienjesus]

When it comes to Fire Emblem and hard, I tend to hear the Gamecube game is the real monster.

Actually, the Wii sequel is even worse than the Gamecube game. Chapter 1 is an exercise in being underpowered at all times, chapter 2 is fair, chapter 3 bounces between an overpowered party and your hilariously underpowered party from chapter 1 (including one map where you fight the overpowered party), then chapter 4 is getting past a few hard but fair fights to crest the hill and then start taking names.

Yeah, the Gamecube one is pretty easy, at least in the west where it was toned down a lot from Japan - our hard mode is their normal. The Wii one kept the original difficulty from Japan though, and is pretty brutal.

Of the ones I've played at least some of, I'd rate them in this difficulty order:

1. Radiant Dawn (Wii, western)
2. Fuuin No Tsurugi (GBA, Japan)
3. Fire Emblem (7) (GBA, western)
4. Path of Radiance (GC, western)
5. Shadow Dragon (DS, western)
6. Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari No Tsurugi (Famicom, Japan)
7. Sacred Stones (GBA, Western)
8. Awakening (3DS, Western)


4-6 are all fairly interchangeable in difficulty to be honest - they have their moments, but they're generally pretty simple compared to the first 3. 1 and 2 are quite a bit tougher than 3 aswell. The last two games are super easy due to overpowered units and mechanics, easy grinding and readily available weaponry.

[Exhuminator]

1. Radiant Dawn (Wii, western)
2. Fuuin No Tsurugi (GBA, Japan)
3. Fire Emblem (7) (GBA, western)
4. Path of Radiance (GC, western)
5. Shadow Dragon (DS, western)
6. Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari No Tsurugi (Famicom, Japan)
7. Sacred Stones (GBA, Western)
8. Awakening (3DS, Western)


1 and 2 are quite a bit tougher than 3 as well.

So I want to point out that 2 "Fuuin No Tsurugi" is the FE I was talking about being the only one I played. I think many westerners perception of the series difficulty was skewed to "kinda easy", considering they played Fire Emblem (7), Path of Radiance, Sacred Stones, and Awakening. All easier FE from the series. Also most folks didn't play Radiant Dawn, due to it being a smaller print run and on a system most hardcore players avoided. So I say to anyone looking for a challenging* Fire Emblem give this one a shot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Embl ... ding_Blade


*Notice I didn't say fun.

[Ack]

Let me think about this...

Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen
Front Mission
Bahamut Lagoon
Final Fantasy Tactics
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
La Pucelle: Tactics
Shadowrun Returns
Shadowrun: Dragonfall

Yeah, I haven't beaten so many of these. I have played a bunch more, like Front Mission 3 or Makai Kingdom, but I never got around to finishing them.

[marurun]

I think my faves in the genre are Shining Force III and Tactics Ogre: Knights of Lodis. Both of these games are varied and keep you on your toes.