Intro to the Genre

[dlmvii]

I think Lunar Silver Star Story for the PS1 would be a great introduction...it's simple, has a charming story, and is also AWESOME. If pirating isn't an option, it can be rather expensive, however.

I'm going to disagree. SSSC is good, but it can be brutal in the beginning. I would generally encourage people to try RPGs that don't kick their ass in the standard encounters.

Maybe my memories a bit hazy, but what part in the beginning was difficult? I can't seem to remember having much trouble, but like I said, it's been a while.

[MrPopo]

At the beginning I recall needing to heal a lot after battles. I also remember the first couple bosses (sewer dragon and the slime) were a real pain to deal with. There's also the fact that the combat system is somewhat unfriendly at the beginning where your guys can't walk far an sometimes screw themselves out of an attack based on the path they take (or what enemy they auto-select after the first one dies).

[dlmvii]

Oh yeah, the sewers under Meribia....I remember that. That sucked.

I thought of another one, Wild Arms. It's fairly cheap, 3D in battles, 2D everywhere else. A lot to do too, and an interesting story. I think it was my first real intro to the genre.

[PGchris]

Chrono Tigger or FF6(3) I'd say

[shadobeni]

I still remember when I was first trying to get into rpg. It took me a few tries to "learn" how to play an rpg and become comfortable with tracking stats and equipment and doing things besides "attack" in battles. It's not something I found intuitive in the beginning so in order to motivate you to make the extra effort you might opt for an rpg with a good story that hooks you in early and/or has some nice cinematic cutscenes and music. I know this is a bit shallow but for me the battle system was rarely what kept me playing an rpg. You probably don't want something too difficult initially.

Thus I would recommend Final Fantasy 9. It's a ps1 game but I think the graphics hold up pretty well and it has a gradual learning curve and the battle system I found was the easiest to grasp. Although it doesn't have voice overs. Certainly there are a lot of older 2d rpgs worth playing but they tend to be much more difficult than their 3d contemporaries.

I've been watching Grandia on youtube. That game looks like it could be a good intro to the genre.