gaming Underrated RPG's/JRPG's

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,291]

As the title implies, here we can discuss some RPG's or JRPG's that you find to be underrated or overlooked. 

 

Firstly, I think Golden Sun is one of these. While it's story is kinda cliche so far from what I have played, it truly feels like a classic JRPG and in that is incredibly refreshing. The game is solid and it has some interesting ideas, I have only played the second one on the DS, still early on in that game but I am enjoying it. 

 

Secondly, Final Fantasy X-2. The sequel that nobody asked for and for the most part, nobody seems to care about this one. The story is lame, yes, so there is that, but what I love about it is the gameplay. It feels very classic Final Fantasy but with an awesome take on the class system. That system alone makes the game worth playing to me.

 

 

[Megas 27,064]

I second Golden Sun, such a great series

 

Any Persona game that isn't 3 or 4. Everyone puts 3 and 4 on very high regard, yet no one ever talks about the first 3 games(which I love just as much)

 

Also Etrian Odyssey, a pretty fun dungeon crawler series on the DS/3DS

Edited November 14, 2015 by Megas75

[Mothra 543]

Phantasy star (Yes, spelt with a "ph" not an "f".) I dont remember which one, I only remember 2, 3, and 4 came on the sega games collection thingy for the ps3, and I remember playing one of those alot and having a ton of fun with it...if only I could remember which one it actually was...

[Lucky Shot 232]

• Baroque: essentially a realtime Mystery Dungeon roguelike; I recommend the Wii version as the PS2 version has errors that can make it uncompleteable

Chrono Cross: Sequel to Chrono Trigger, disliked for effectively retconning its story; requires several playthroughs to unlock all characters

Phantom Brave: One of the older NIS (Disgaea) titles, it received an updated re-release on Wii I think, and uses radial movement like Makai Kingdom rather than Disgaea's tiles

[Guest]

 

 

Golden Sun

 

Yes. 100% yes.

 

 

 

Chrono Cross: Sequel to Chrono Trigger, disliked for effectively retconning its story; requires several playthroughs to unlock all characters

 

I am still in the middle of Chrono Cross, but I definitely am not finding it as likable as Chrono Trigger. It's not a "bad" game, but with its predecessor being so freakin' great it's hard to not feel a bit saddened by how underwhelming it is. :c

[Lucky Shot 232]

I am still in the middle of Chrono Cross, but I definitely am not finding it as likable as Chrono Trigger. It's not a "bad" game, but with its predecessor being so freakin' great it's hard to not feel a bit saddened by how underwhelming it is. :c

 

I despise Chrono Trigger, so I can't really understand this other than that it totally ruins the story (which I never liked anyway.) Every single other thing about Chrono Cross is a dramatic improvement. =/

[Guest]

I despise Chrono Trigger, so I can't really understand this other than that it totally ruins the story (which I never liked anyway.) Every single other thing about Chrono Cross is a dramatic improvement. =/

What exactly did you despise about Chrono Trigger?

[Lucky Shot 232]

What exactly did you despise about Chrono Trigger?

 

Well first off, I played it on SNES. I think I would have liked it better on PlayStation or DS.

 

#1 "ugh" was combat. Really I don't particularly like combat in any classical JRPG, so many of the global reasons apply:

• The combat system itself is essentially Final Fantasy's SNES-era ATB... except that the positions of characters and enemies are vital to many of your attacks, and you have no fine control over those positions. I found this very frustrating when trying to use area attacks efficiently.
• The encounter rate is incredibly high, because of the plethora of respawning not-really-random encounter triggers on every map
• The game only has one "bad" music track in it: naturally it's the normal battle theme. It probably isn't really all that bad, it's just that you kind of hear the first ten seconds over and over.
• Bosses and even slightly tough normal enemies consume progressively more hours to kill, which the player does by endlessly repeating the same actions each turn over and over

Like I said, mostly global to JRPG's there.

 

Other relatively minor issues include:

• A generally bleak and depressing "empty" atmosphere everywhere that was not whatever the present was
• Ugly character designs other than Frog and Robo
• As a completionist, I am extremely hostile to missable content in JRPG's that lacks adequate warning, specifically, those sealed boxes that trick you into opening them right away rather than in the future
• Well-hidden and frustrating sidequests
• That mother@*!#er Spekkio
• As a completionist, I actually don't care for the game's 30+ endings and would prefer to have like, 3
• I generally dislike time travel stories; Chrono Trigger was better than average except for what I presume is a continuity error (many fans have made up very indepth conspiracies for why Marle disappears when Leene is kidnapped despite no other time-traveling people or items being affected by grandfather paradoxes)

Now the thing is that Chrono Trigger really wasn't bad. I just didn't like it. I finish any game that isn't really bad because I can't rate its narrative fairly if I don't complete said narrative, so I completed Chrono Trigger too.

 

There were definitely some good spots in Chrono Trigger thematically, most of them revolving around Frog and the Kingdom of Zeal, which I understand most people feel are the high points of the game and I'm inclined to agree.

 

However, it's the global elements of the game not really appealing to me and its natural limitations as a console JRPG of its era that brought the experience down for me. The game still suffered from grinding and drawn-out boss fights.

[Quinch 1,119]

I volunteer Anachronox. While not strictly speaking a JRPG {having been developed by Ion Storm}, it's a very Final Fantasyish kind of game, though {in its favor, I think} it has a very rollercoaster atmosphere.

[Guest]

 

 

Well first off, I played it on SNES. I think I would have liked it better on PlayStation or DS.

 

The DS version is the best, the Playstation version you may have actually liked even less because the load times on it suck.

 

 

 

 

#1 "ugh" was combat. Really I don't particularly like combat in any classical JRPG, so many of the global reasons apply:

 

Well that boils down to opinion, so fair... I can't really say anything about that. If you don't like the style of game, it is what it is.

 

 

 

The combat system itself is essentially Final Fantasy's SNES-era ATB... except that the positions of characters and enemies are vital to many of your attacks, and you have no fine control over those positions. I found this very frustrating when trying to use area attacks efficiently.

 

A valid criticism. I mean I found the instances where the positions became a problem to be fairly low, but I can see how in some instances it would be annoying.

 

 

 

The encounter rate is incredibly high, because of the plethora of respawning not-really-random encounter triggers on every map

 

Really? I always felt that since you know where the enemies are and they are not random encounters that made them easier to AVOID when backtracking through areas. That and no monsters on the overworld. This also helps in reducing time spent on encounters because battles start instantly instead of a cutscene happening. It's also useful for farming items.

 

 

 

The game only has one "bad" music track in it: naturally it's the normal battle theme. It probably isn't really all that bad, it's just that you kind of hear the first ten seconds over and over.

 

Any song will sound bad if you hear it over and over. However the game had quite a few battle themes. And the rest of the sound track is amazing.

 

 

 

Bosses and even slightly tough normal enemies consume progressively more hours to kill, which the player does by endlessly repeating the same actions each turn over and over

 

I always felt the opposite was true. Bosses required you to rethink your normal battle tactics and focus on hammering them with attacks that will weaken them. Knowing when to find the opening to cast haste, etc. I felt the bosses were a change of pace.

 

 

 

A generally bleak and depressing "empty" atmosphere everywhere that was not whatever the present was

 

The game was about a monster that has been playing God since the dawn of time, so naturally it'll be bleak.

 

 

 

Ugly character designs other than Frog and Robo

 

... The characters are designed by Akira Toriyama, the creator of DBZ.

 

 

 

As a completionist, I am extremely hostile to missable content in JRPG's that lacks adequate warning, specifically, those sealed boxes that trick you into opening them right away rather than in the future

 

The items you get from those boxes by waiting can be obtained by other means...

 

 

 

Well-hidden and frustrating sidequests

 

Literally all of the side quests near the end of the game if you talk to the guru of time who blatantly says "hey come over here" when you enter the end of time will give you pretty obvious hints on where to go for them. If you haven't found them by then, then it's literally just talking to the one guy and you know where they all are.

 

 

 

That mother@*!#er Spekkio

 

You just need the right party to beat him.

 

 

 

As a completionist, I actually don't care for the game's 30+ endings and would prefer to have like, 3

 

Then just don't bother getting the others? Also the game had only 13 endings.

 

 

 

I generally dislike time travel stories; Chrono Trigger was better than average except for what I presume is a continuity error (many fans have made up very indepth conspiracies for why Marle disappears when Leene is kidnapped despite no other time-traveling people or items being affected by grandfather paradoxes)

 

 

It is more than likely an error, however the most plausible theory is that Marle got sent back in time by accident, thus she did not yet have time traveler's immunity. It is implied that the immunity does not apply unless done intentionally. This could also explain why Janus, who becomes Magus' fate is unaffected by the heroes, because then it would have made Magus not exist.

 

Another theory is that time is lenient except when it comes to messing with things directly related to your own existence.

 

I mean you're free to your opinion, I was just curious and I won't start a debate about it. I'm sorry for even making this post. Carry on.

 

I still need to finish Chrono Cross.

[Grtxkkyz 387]

Golden Sun, Infinite Undiscovery, Lost Odyssey and Chrono Cross deserve more love

[Light Diamond 950]

Valkyria Chronicles is a true gem that is very underrated.

[Shanks 10,811]

Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos Origins: both are relatively obscure games released for the Gamecube. They have a very interesting story revolving around a race of angelic like humans living on floating islands. It utilizes a rather unique card based battle system that had its share of flaws and some people didn't like it but it was good.

 

Golden Sun games: The first two were among some of the best games on the Gameboy Advance and the 3rd game saw the same quality.

 

Dragon Quest series: It has legendary status in Japan but seems to live in Final Fantasy's shadow in America.

[Grtxkkyz 387]

Another underrated RPG I love is Nier. It's a tragic yet wonderful experience. The graphics may not be the best, but they certainly add a depressing atmosphere to the game's already emotional story. I know Nier:Automata won't continue the events of the first game, but I still look forward to it nonetheless.

[Tao 6,735]

I think parasite eve is a but under the line in some ways for RPGs a lot given the depth of the story and how it paces,  also Radiata Stories on the PS2 always had a place in my heart.

[Jammo 986]

Landstalker on SEGA Genesis. It's a Zelda clone, really fun, challenging but rewarding. It is held back by a very frustrating isometric perspective with an emphasis on tricky platforming. Worth at least trying.

 

Final Fantasy Adventure (the first Mana game) on Gameboy. Glorious soundtrack, satisfying gameplay, a real underloved Classic.

 

Magi-Nation on Gameboy Color. Before the franchise was bought out and radically shifted in tone, this was a monster battler with a very fascinating lore and surreal, smart-ass sense of humour that means to worth checking out.

[Celli 4,332]

Would Dragon Quest 8 count? That's like, my all-time favorite JRPG. It doesn't seem all that mainstream, especially compared to Final Fantasy, which I find to be overrated. I wish they'd stick to a consistent gameplay formula.

[Discordian 6,013]

I knew entering this topic was a mistake. I knew when I did it would be flooded with some of the most popular RPGs of all time that people think are underrated because they've seen a limited amount of people talk badly about the game. I knew my chances and I took them.

 

Games like Dragon Quest, Parasite Eve and Golden Sun are often considered the height of the RPG genre even to this day.

 

But maybe that's just me being snobby about the whole thing and I should leave everyone alone. <.< >.>

[Magnum Flare 553]

Hmm I'll sum what I've played and add some more.

 

Parasite Eve 3rd Birthday

Dragon Quest 8 (3DS port baby!)

Blue Dragon

Infinite Undiscovery

Resonance of Fate  (RPG with Guns)

The Last Remnant (Great music and lots of hard boss battles, like I swear there's a boss that could kill a union by overkill)

FF XIII and XIII-2

Magna Carta 2

Nier Gestalt

Rogue Galaxy

Grandia III

Edited December 4, 2015 by Magnum Flare