Console RPG Recommendations

Off-Topic Games, Gaming and Hardware
1

Hey,

Was looking for any recommendations on good RPG’s for PS2 or PS3, preferably as close to FFVII-FFX as possible in terms of game play. I’m playing Persona 4, but am not a huge fan of the time sinks/gated play. I’ve also played DQVIII, but I think I’m just not a fan of the series. I feel like there’s no scaling, i.e. after 90+ hours I’m only doing 10x the damage I did when I started. I like to see appreciable progress. The story also wasn’t the strongest.

Thanks for any suggestions.

2

Shadow Hearts series
Star Ocean series
Rogue Galaxy
Digital Devil Saga Series
Grandia Series
Wild Arms Series

2 Likes
3

Also PS2:
Tales of the Abyss

PS3
Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Vesperia
Tales of Xillia/2
Tales of Graces F
Tales of Berseria
Tales of Zesteria
Valkyria Chronicle Series
Resonance of Fate

4

Thanks, I’ve been looking at the Tales series and will probably go with that.

5

They’re really some of my favorite. Sure, the formula is pretty much the same but the stories are fun and the characters are great.

A bit cliche sometimes, but genuinely fun. Some entries in the series are better than others, but overall still solid stuff. More arcadey than the other RPGs as they are not quite turn based, but the other stuff (world map, towns, gear, quests, etc.) are all there.

I also really recommend Shadow Hearts, but it is closer to Persona than the others. Also, Digital Devil Saga is in the same universe as Persona and has similar elemements. All of them are much darker than Persona.

6

I don’t know which RPG’s specifically on the PS2 and PS3 (never had a PS3 before) that i personally played, but maybe check out the Final Fantasy series on those two? :man_shrugging:

That’s a lot of Tales. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

7

They’re fun games, if not a bit formulaic

1 Like
8

What about Tales of Legendia?

I enjoyed the Xenosaga series, Dot Hack series, Dark Cloud series

9

legendia felt weird because of the 2d battleground. but its cool i guess.

dark cloud was amazing. i forgot about that one. upgrading weapons was really fun.

10

I’ll throw out a recommendation for the Xenoblade games. They’re made by Monolith Soft, the same developer behind Xenogears and Xenosaga… so you can expect a few things. If you’re familiar with their previous works, here’s a quick rundown of the differences:

  • All Xenoblade games are on Nintendo consoles… and to be honest, it has been mostly to their benefit.
  • The settings are HUGE, and almost open-world. XC1 and XC2 have multiple zones, but they’re absolutely massive. XCX is a single open map, and absolutely insane in size (it’s actually 400 km2). To use another game for context… this is team that taught Nintendo how to make Breath of the Wild’s open-world map.
  • The gameplay is actually pretty good, a good hybrid blend between MMORPG-style gameplay and a pseudo ATB system. Not too heavy on the action, but not entirely turn-based; it works out extremely well in most cases.
  • The plots aren’t as heavy-handed (and have a generally lighter tone) and they try to avoid the real-world religious symbolism… but as such, avoids the “convoluted” issue of their previous works. Mostly. One especially notable improvement is that the pacing is now rock-solid, especially for the first game.

Now, onto the specifics.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a 10 year old Wii game at this point, but let’s just say it single-handedly proved that JRPGs aren’t a dead genre. A “Definitive Edition” was released on the Switch a couple weeks ago, with updated graphics and improvements all-around while mostly keeping the original game intact. It adds in an epilogue chapter to wrap up some of the unfinished character arcs from the main game as well. You’re looking at a solid 60-80+ hours for a first-time playthrough of the main game and the epilogue.

Anyhow, it’s best to let the game itself to do the talking:

Xenoblade Chronicles X is an off-shoot of sorts. The biggest challenge here is that it’s on the Wii U, a console which was notorious for not doing well; finding both the game and the console to run would be easier said than done. Heavier emphasis on exploration and customization… and giant robots. Another notable trait is that there is FAR less emphasis on the story, though it is still present.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (also on the Switch) is closer to the first game in terms of structure, being a more story-driven RPG. However, like the FF series, it is actually a stand-alone title with only thematic connections and other homages to the rest of the series. You don’t need to play XC1 to enjoy XC2. A noticeable change is the even lighter tone, and heavier emphasis on the characters; the plot is still there, but the characters take centre stage in XC2.

There’s a prequel of sorts to XC2, not bundled with the main game, called “Torna: The Golden Country”. It fleshes out a major background event in the main game, but it’s best to play it AFTERWARDS due to how much it has to spoil to tell the story; finding out what happened during the events of the prequel is a big driving question for the main game.

I suppose the one caution to point out is the strong anime influence on all the Xenoblade titles… actually, better make that the entire Xeno meta-series.

… and I just realized that the question was for a specific pair of older consoles.

Huh… that’s a bit tougher.

The Xenosaga trilogy is on the PS2, but the quality is… eh, not the greatest. Not an easy set of games to recommend unless you REALLY want that type of plot-heavy game; and even then, interested in them mostly for the plot.

Final Fantasy XII is another RPG on the PS2, probably being the first single-player title to try the MMORPG style of gameplay… and to be honest, I think Xenoblade does it better (faster and more engaging). There is an updated version on the PS4, if you want to try it there.

The first two Kingdom Hearts games are there, and are actually pretty good… if being action RPGs with Disney characters mixed in. They’re generally better-received than the rest of the games which followed them as well, the plot hadn’t become absurdly and unnecessarily convoluted for one thing. I think there was a re-release / remaster on the PS4 for these games as well.

11

for PS2 xenosaga and ffx and .hack//OUTBREAK