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Right, so over the years I've amassed a collection of unopenned PS1 RPGs, and more and more I realize I don't have the 40 or so hours to complete each of them, So I'm thinking of playing one or two and sending the rest off to Ebay. Help a guy out and give me your opinions on these games:
Final Fantasy 9
Valkyrie Profile
Vagrant Story
Persona 2
Chrono Cross (just looking at the art I'm not too keen on the game)
Grandia
Dragon Warrior 7
Legend of Mana
Thanks! *-neo
Here are the ones I played:
Final Fantasy 9 - Very good game, a bit by the numbers though. I loved the artwork and the story moved quickly, so it was pretty entertaining, but it didnt like... reach for the stars, you know?
Valkyrie Profile - Highly overrated. Great art but gameplay is lacking.
Vagrant Story - I loved this. Great combat system and great graphics (at the time, they might blow chunks now.
Chrono Cross (just looking at the art I'm not too keen on the game) - If you do not play this game b/c of the art you are an idiot. Best RPG on PlayStation. Amazing game. Its in my top 10 of all time.
Grandia - Didnt like it. The combat system was ok but not as good as Chrono Cross, and had too much of that dopey ^_^ tee-hee stuff you see in Lunar and shit.
Dragon Warrior 7 - complete, total ass. Looks like it belongs in 1995, plays like it belongs in 1988. Not even worth looking at now. Ugly, boring, stiff, terrible story, horrible combat system...
I recommend Vagrant Story and Chrono Cross.
Valkyrie Profile
Vagrant Story
Those are the two I've heard the best things about. (But I'll buy Vagrant off you :P since it's pretty rare from what I've heard)
Everything else is average for the most part. 9 was good.
Legend of Mana... is actually quite fun, short, but plot wise it's lacking.
Actually I'll agree with DiffX Chrono Cross (not the best) is a really good RPG to submerse yourself in. Assuming you don't hate a main character that doesn't speak.
Final Fantasy 9 is my personal favorite one on the PS1, so it gets a big recommend. Dragon Warrior 7 is something I liked but requires huge amounts of time, and really is more of an RPG for the obsessive-compulsive character stat quester and nostalgia fan than the usual fare.
You'll probably get a strong recommendation on Valkyrie Profile from a bunch of people but for me it just never took. Loved the look, couldn't get into the game no matter how I tried.
As for the rest, I played Legend of Mana (very pretty but not very fun) and Grandia (wish it was better than it turned out to be) and Vagrant Story (liked the idea, hated the execution). God help me, that leaves only Persona 2 and Chrono Cross unplayed.
James
Final Fantasy 9 - pretty good so far I have yet to finish it. I"m somewhere in the second disc.
Vagrant Story - I need to try this game it gets nothing but praise.
Chrono Cross - good Game Its Not as good as Triger but Try it.
Grandia - I just finished this game in June. Its a bit lackluster towards the end but its a pretty enjoyable game. I beat in 35 hours.
Dragon Warrior 7 - I skipped this never to be played I really wanted to like it but didnt. For the same reasons diffusion x said plus I wasnt having fun.
Disagree here. VP is all about gameplay. It's got a great story too. Some ideas don't work perfectly, but it really tries to innovate and I give it serious props for that.Quote:
Originally Posted by diffusionx
Agreed. The graphics don't hold up quite that well (this game was jaw-dropping when it came out), but it's still got great style.Quote:
Vagrant Story - I loved this. Great combat system and great graphics (at the time, they might blow chunks now.
Agree 100%.Quote:
Chrono Cross (just looking at the art I'm not too keen on the game) - If you do not play this game b/c of the art you are an idiot. Best RPG on PlayStation. Amazing game. Its in my top 10 of all time.
I really enjoyed the story in Grandia. I loved the sense of exploration and wonder in this game -- you really want to keep playing to see what kind of things you'll discover.Quote:
Grandia - Didnt like it. The combat system was ok but not as good as Chrono Cross, and had too much of that dopey ^_^ tee-hee stuff you see in Lunar and shit.
Agreed, although the 'you've done this before' feel didn't bug me. The battle system is pretty slow which is the game's biggest knock against it but I highly recommend it. Just try to ignore the half-assed logic they use for the final battle, they really forced in something that had no place.Quote:
Originally Posted by diffusionx
Yes, CC is incredible. I haven't tried looking in a while so I'm not sure if there are better sound drivers but if so then I would highly recommend ePSXe or some other emulator. Running this game on the PS looks like crap but it's absolutely beautiful with a higher resolution, although the sound design is so great I wouldn't suggest sacrificing it if it doesn't work with an emu.Quote:
Chrono Cross (just looking at the art I'm not too keen on the game) - If you do not play this game b/c of the art you are an idiot. Best RPG on PlayStation. Amazing game.
I'll go against Valkyrie Profile being overrated (although I'm probably one of the people he got such an opinion from), I love the combo system combat and the sad stories make for a very different change of pace then other console RPGs.
I didn't like the micro-managment of Vagrant Story's weapon system which is why I ultimately stopped playing the game, but if I played it today I might hold a different opinion. Everything else about it was great.
Just to make sure, did you play Final Fantasy 7 or Final Fantasy Chronicles with FF2 and Chrono Trigger on it? If not, go try those first.
Otherwise just stick with FF9 and Chrono Cross. I still find Trigger much more enjoyable than Cross. I actually played Trigger through for the first time AFTER I played Cross.
diffx is pretty much dead-on about everything here.
FF9, for some reason, was a ton of fun despite the fact how generic and cliche a huge portion of it is. There's just something about it that's really charming and it was fun all the way through. Last FF I was able to say that about.
CC is also a wonderful game that a lot of people hate for the sole reason that it's not Chrono Trigger. No, it's not Chrono Trigger, but it was among the absolute best RPGs released for PS, with a fantastic combat engine, great soundtrack, and the only knock against it would be that most of its huge cast is pretty forgettable.
As for Dragon Warrior 7, I love the game. Despite the poor graphics (and hilarious CG videos), I had a ton of fun with it. Let me put it this way: if you're not a fan of the series already, this game isn't going to make you one. What I see as classic gameplay seems merely outdated to most people. If you're looking for a DW game to jump on with, wait for 8. I'm a bit nervous about how different it's going to be, but it looks very, very modern and very nice.
On a semi-related PS1 note, I grabbed FF Origins the other day and I'm enjoying the hell out of FF1. Very simplistic, but it's nice to play it in a form I can stand it in. I could never get into the original FF1, even as a kid, whereas DW was more my thing. I'm looking forward to actually finishing it, and giving FF2 a playthrough, as I never gave the rom translation more than a quick glance. For anyone who was interested and overlooked it, it's $15 at Best Buy now.
Final Fantasy 9-A solid game, and at least it was better than 8. The artwork was great, as others have said, and I consider the music to be the best of the PS1 FF's. It had great characters too. Vivi and Steiner, all the way.
Valkyrie Profile- I've spent the least amount of time with this game, so I don't really have much to say on it. Artistically and musically, it was awesome though.
Vagrant Story- Ok, the story, atmosphere and music of VS were nice. However, I think the combat system was broken, and you'll be doing alot of fighting.
Persona 2- Easily my favorite game on your list. Combat's only so-so, but the ability to converse with demons, and later equip them as Persona's, adds tons to the game. I also dig the art, music and characters here. This is a far different game than anything else you listed, and it's better for it. You should keep it, IMO.
Chrono Cross - I'll agree with what others have said here as well. I think it's superior to Crono Trigger too, take that as you will.
Grandia- The worst game on your list, I think. Combat's fun, but everything else was subpar, and I loathed the characters, though some of the worst voice acting I've ever heard may have had something to do with that.
Dragon Warrior 7- I'd say this was your other keeper, but that's because the game works pretty heavy on my nostalgia. I loved DW as a kid, and I enjoyed this. Nothing's changed though, and it's ugly to boot.
Legend of Mana- The mini-stories were actually pretty cool and the art's nice, but I think this is a throw away title. Not one of my fav's.