Lack of time

[gamevet]

my condolences

Grandia 2 on the DC was'nt that bad. It was'nt as great as Grandia on the PSX (Or Saturn if you imported), but it shared a lot of simularities with the first title. The characters were so simular to those of the first, that it seemed like you were playing the same game again, but with added FMV on special attacks. I can't comment on the subpar port for the PS2, as I never played it.

[frostwolf ex]

no gamevet, actually what bothered me about grandia 2 was the main character, after playign a wide eyed and hopeful kid, you were now stuck with a constantly annoying cynical twit. also the story arc seemed to be almost contradicting the first grandia's more upbeat and positive story of humanity comign back into communion with the spirits, grandia 2 went the opposite direction of humans just relying on themselves, including the trite as hell singing scene. It seemed that after loving grandia 1 so much, and likeing the gameplay and set up of g2, it just pulled the rug out of me,and had me pissed off by the final ending.

[AstroBlue]

Final Fantasy 9 - Most enjoyable Final Fantasy ever.
Vagrant Story - Great game if you like insane levels of customisation and strategy, but if you're looking for a fun easy-to-pick game... look on further.
Grandia - Annoying characters, great battle system.

[The_Meach]

Final Fantasy IX is in my Top Ten so I've no choice but to recommend it. Highly.

[Some Stupid Japanese Name]

I'd recommend Persona 2, just because it's a diferent setting than the rest, and Valkyrie Profile.

off topic (sort of): I'm actually playing through DC Grandia 2 again at the moment. Whilst it is quite a departure emotionally from the original, I loved Millenia. It's also one of the few RPgs where I look forward to battle. Did suck having a main character that I hated for the first half of the game though first time I played it.
Has anyone played the PS2 version? I heard it's supposed to have new cinemas, but was wondering if they were just tacked on crap, or actually added more story.

[Sl1p]

Final Fantasy 9 is the last FF that I know I'll enjoy and the only FF I would ever tell anyone to play. The entire experience of the game comes off as your typical, serious FF game but theres something about it that makes it feel as if it's some whacky, fun adventure. I can't quite put my finger on it but there is something undeniably fun about the entire trip.

Plus the main character, Zidane is pretty unique as far as FF games go. By that I mean that hes not an annoying, whiny piece of shit.

GoGoGo on FF9.
(PS: Best. Battle Theme. Ever.)

[kuro]

Final Fantasy 9 - Wasn't very memorable for me, but worth giving a run or two.
Valkyrie Profile - Didn't play
Vagrant Story - Bought it but haven't started it yet (playing Tales of Symphonia)
Persona 2 - Didn't play, but the theme seems awesome.
Chrono Cross - Not the best game ever, but it is a good one. It surprises me when people, especially Trigger vets, point out things they don't like that they never say there weren't enough techs.
Grandia - Good game with a great battle engine.
Dragon Warrior 7 - Great if you're in to old, old school RPGs, and have a lot of time on your hands.
Legend of Mana - I liked the battle system, the extreme depth of item customization, and breeding the perfect pet. You know a game's deep when you can name and re-name any of your weapons and armor. But the stories are a little shallow, but I didn't let that rain on my monster-slaying parade.

Really tough choice for me.

[blueskied]

Grandia on the PS and Grandia on the Saturn are like night and day, the Saturn rev is so much better in so many ways (loading times, GRAPHICS, etc.). I wouldn't bother with the PS version of Grandia. Sell it. Then use that money and hunt down a Saturn version, and play it. It was one of my fave RPGs on the Saturn back in the day. Loved it from start to finish.

Grandia 2 (DC, never played the PS2 rev but I've heard the graphics are awful in comparison, it's glitchy as hell, and is prone to freezing/crashing) was such a boring game, I was beyond disappointed. I tried so hard to like that game, and so hard to finish it, but I gave up about halfway through. It was just too boring and stupid, despite the nice battle system and snazzy graphics.

[haohmaru]

Final Fantasy 9
Of the recent (ie... Post SNES) FF's this is my favorite. 8/10

Valkyrie Profile
Beautiful to look at. Otherwise this RPG is highly overrated, IMHO. Some people swear by it, but I say it's a bore. 6/10

Vagrant Story
Of all the RPG's here, this is the one I'd play first. Great story, great combat system that keeps you "in the game", great score. Awesome. 10/10

Persona 2
Havent's played.

Chrono Cross (just looking at the art I'm not too keen on the game)
Perhaps the most criticized PS1 RPG of all, this one has an excellent story, great interface and incredible music. Forget about comparing this to Chrono Trigger, it stands up very well on its own. 9/10

Grandia
Play the Saturn version (JPN) if possible. Otherwise 7/10.

Dragon Warrior 7
If you start playing this one, you might not get to any of the others. This is an old school RPG that will take you a TON of hours to get through. I quit after 100+ hours because I just had had enough. 8/10

Legend of Mana
Haven't played it, but I recall many were disappointed with it.

Might I also recommend Brigandine as a fine choice.

[Jumpingflash]

FF9 - Great game.

Chrono Cross - Hideous game. The biggest dissapointment ever for me. Great graphics though. Probably the best graphics on the PS1, some of the boss battles are really cool. But overall, avoid like the plague.

Grandia - really underatted. I enjoyed it a lot, even though it took me 4 years to beat it.