RPG Suggestions?
 

Either here or in the Suggestions forum, but I figured it wouldn't be that bad here since all of the MMO suggestions threads are here anyways. If I'm wrong, I'm sorry. The stickies didn't say anything about suggestions, and the Suggestions forum seems to only deal with anime/manga/music.

Consoles: Nintendo Wii/Gamecube, PS2.

I'm looking for games with a good story and character development. One of the biggest problems I couldn't finish games like Super Mario Galaxy and the Twilight Princess was because I quickly grew disinterested in the lack of a compelling story [Character development? Mario and Link?], even if the gameplay was enjoyable. I'm a horrible quitter sometimes, sorry.

As for the gameplay, I probably wouldn't mind whatever it is [After all, visual novels are fine and they don't have much in terms of game play.]. That being said, I couldn't stand FFXII because of it's battle system.

But to be picky, I don't want to play an SRPG.

I don't mind graphics as much as story, but it'd be nice if the game didn't look like something from the N64 or the PS. Anime-styled is a plus; it's a personal preference.

Music is always a treat. I probably wouldn't notice as much if the music was average, but I would love it if the game had nice music.

I don't play a lot of games, so I can't give good examples of games I've liked [Of if I've played, so recommend anything you'd like. I'll listen even if I've already played it, since it gives me insight.], but I enjoyed Tales of Symphonia if that helps at all.

I heard about the game Ar tonelico, and I'm curious as to if it's a good game. I've heard complaints about all the dialogue [Like a visual novel?] and that it's really easy, but it seems like it hits some of the things I'm looking for.

Sorry if I seem really picky, but I tried to be specific. Thanks for reading the post.

Edit: Current recommendations:

Tales of the Abyss ( 1 )
Tales of Legendia ( 1 )
Skies of Arcadia Legends ( 1 2 )
Persona 3 FES ( 1 2 3 4 )
Ar tonelico ( 1 2 3 )
.hack games ( 1 )
Final Fantasy 4/6/7/9/10 ( 1 1 )
Dark Cloud ( 1 )
Legend of Legaia 2: Dual Saga ( 1 )
Dragon Quest ( 1 )
Kingdom Hearts ( 1 )
Star Ocean: The Second Story ( 1 )
Mana-Khemia ( 1 2 )
Baten Kaitos ( 1 )
Digital Devil Saga ( 1 )
Valkyrie Profile 2: Slimeria ( 1 )
Xenosaga ( 1 )
ChronoCross ( 1 2 ) ( -1 )

Shadow Hearts/Shadow Hearts: Covenant ( 1 )
Suikoden V ( 1 )
Odin's Sphere ( 1 2 )
Rhapsody ( 1 )
Rogue Galaxy ( 1 )
Dark Cloud/Dark Cloud 2 ( 1 )
Parasite Eve 1/Parasite Eve 2 ( 1 )
Phantasy Star Series ( 1 )
Brave Story ( 1 )
Suikoden II ( 1 ) Note: 250 - 600 dollars.

I don't have an SNES, so I can't get some of the SNES recommended games. Also, my computer probably can't handle Oblivion. I don't have a Japanese Wii, and I'm not looking for an SRPG. Sorry about those.

If you liked Tales of Symphonia you should definitely check out Tales of the Abyss for PS2. As the name suggests it's part of the same series, and the battle system is pretty similar, albeit with a heavier emphasis on 3D movement. I don't think the story was as good as Symphonia's (though I've found that a lot of people hated that one for being unoriginal but meh), but it has a great cast of characters, especially Jade who is easily cooler than the entire cast of Symphonia combined.

You could also try Tales of Legendia, though the battle system in that game is fairly unexciting and pretty much just button mashing, and it has a different "feel" than the rest of the series. It does have an amazing soundtrack though, and the character quests really flesh out the backgrounds of all the party members.

For GC I have to recommend Skies of Arcadia Legends (assuming you can even find it nowadays), which is still my favorite RPG to this day. Has a very unique setting and atmosphere that's difficult to describe in words, and again a great cast. Also a heavy emphasis on discovery and adventure. The ship combat system is also pretty unique, I have never seen anything like it since.

What consoles do you have? I can provide some good responses for PS2/PS1 games.

PERSONA3 FES
Ar tonelico is really good
Skies of Arcadia Legends is hard to find but good
the dot//hack games are kinda good

I'm not sure I can find Skies, but I'll try Tales of the Abyss. I'm interested in this 3D movement thing.

Nintendo Wii/Gamecube, PS2

Skies has been mentioned twice, so it's probably really good.
I'm glad Ar tonelico is good. It sounded good. I'll look up Persona 3, since I've heard about it, but I don't know anything about it.

Skies of Arcadia Legends
Ar tonelico
Tales of the Abyss

Thanks for your replies. ^__^

Final Fantasy X, Dark Cloud, Legend of Legaia 2: Dual Saga, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts.

Talk about a coincidence! At the time I was reading this, I had yet again just finished watching a tool-assisted speedrun of the game (credits are about to roll), and writing a review because I found it laying around in some old boxes here and there (in fact, the SNES cartridge is sitting right next to me this very moment).

Go for Mana-Khemia if you don't mind the whole alchemy(?) system used in Ar tonelico.

How about PSP, Which game do you recommended?

The Baten Kaitos games are a must! They have interesting battle systems and stories (even though the first game's story is a bit slow to pick up in the beginning).

Oblivion, if you have a good computer that is.
There's a whole lot of mods for it too.

As for Hack n' Slash, Titan Quest is a good choice which resembles Diablo very much.
Both of these games aren't very strong in story part though but do have good gameplay at least for a while.

Is it a japanese Wii you got? If that is the case , Chunsoft's Shiren 3 (Fushigi no Dungeon: Furai no Shiren 3) is being released next week. And of course Tales of Symphonia: Knight of Ratatosk in a months time.
If you want to try a tactical RPG, Fire Emblem both games on the GC and Wii are well recommended. It is different than other SRPG and imo more challenging. I don't know how to describe it, but it is definitely a good game and has good character developments, unless you let them get killed.

for PS2
Ar Tonelico
Ar Tonelico
Ar Tonelico
Ar Tonelico 2 (if you can read Japanese)
Ar Tonelico

also...Ar Tonelico

:P Very beautiful world based around hymns...best vocal soundtrack (next to AT2) in any game thus far imho.

What I'm currently playing (and enjoying) is Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. Though if you don't like non-standard battle systems (I'm assuming that because of your distaste for FFXII) then it probably isn't your cup of tea. Also, it helps if you played the first one for the PS1, which was also ported to the PSP as Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.

Also, archetypal animu-like character development isn't exactly the forte of this series of games, either.

I second Persona 3 FES. You get what, the original P3 AND the expansion for only 30 bucks? What a steal, for what I consider to be the best ps2 RPG to date.

If you don't mind something very graphic and mature, then also try the Digital Devil Saga. Suikoden V rivals Suikoden II (which many consider the best in the series) even in the hardcore Suiko-fan's eyes, so definitely check that out as well (note that you don't need previous suiko knowledge to enjoy it). Ar Tonelico also gets a second from me, as Misha's character is the most touching I've seen in recent memory.

If you don't mind SRPG, then by far and away Jeanne D'arc. Simple yet fun battle system, and a story that puts a twist to the tale of Joan.

A more interesting battle system though would be Wild Arms XF, as the hex grid plus their heavy emphasis on the class system was something refreshing from the the typical SRPG. As for a 'pure' RPG non-remake, then Brave Story would be the best IMO.

It is old but I'll suggest Xenosaga. I've only played the first game, but I thought the story line was pretty good and the battles weren't always grindfests, but instead you had to sometimes use actual tactics to win a fight. The character development was present but not great...it is the first of three games, so I'd suspect more of that shows up later. It has very long cut scenes, sometimes past 30 minutes...so it has much more of an anime feel than most.

Plus there's all kinds of fun stuff in there. One of the characters gets a quest to summon a giant robot...basically Voltron. Another is a magical girl, pretty much...I think she's based on Cardcaptor Sakura from a few hints in the game. A third is pretty much angel...yeah it is cool. There's tons of "mini" games, but none are really necessary to complete the game. There's also a poker game you can play for money and a collectible card game to boot, all included. It is a fun game.

A couple of other suggestions for the PS1/PS2 beyond the usual ones:

Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Great scripts with great characters and even a few historical personages. The games are set just before and just after the onset of World War I, but the world they inhabit includes a few additional items like monsters, demons, and warlocks. It also employs a somewhat non-standard battle system, though it's turn-based like most JRPGs. The third game in the series, Shadow Hearts: From the New World, is a pale imitation of the first two, especially because it lacks those games' male protagonist, Yuri Hyuga, one of the best game characters ever written.

Wikipedia page; warning, there be spoilers here, matey!

ChronoCross
Perhaps the best RPG for the Playstation 1 despite what the Final Fantasy fans might want to say about those games. A wide array of characters (perhaps too many actually), beautifully drawn worlds, and a spectacular score by Mitsuda make this one of my favorite games. It's one I've replayed at least three times now. Some people criticized the game for not being sufficiently faithful to its predecessor, ChronoTrigger, but I played the games in reverse order, and it mattered not a whit.

Wikipedia

Chrono Cross still rates as the best RPG I've ever played.

Rhapsody (PS), of course, completely forgot that one, it is a TRPG, but the battle are usually pretty short.

Odin's Sphere (PS2), a 2D action RPG, how cool is that. I reckon if you like the the Tales series battle systems, you will probably enjoy this one. Plus it has amazing sprites, animation and music.

Persona 3 FES (PS2)..., school sim and dungeon brawler.

Dragon Quest 8 (PS2). It is dragon quest and by level-5, so try it out.
Rogue Galaxy (PS2). Another game by level-5.
Dark Cloud & Dark Cloud 2. Yup level-5.

Parasite Eve 1&2 (PS). Survival horror with RPG elements.

Phantasy Star Series, plus the online games PSO and PSU. I think PSO servers are offline now, but it is still a nice dungeon brawler.
Some Phantasy Star titles are on VC and you can get Phantasy Star Complete Collection for the PS2, only as import, but it has english text as well.

Really? I heard that, for Radiant Dawn, they replaced the Support feature with specific characters with similar support system, but they're generic and with all characters.

Time for a list so I can compile my thoughts!

Tales of the Abyss (1)
Tales of Legendia (1)
Skies of Arcadia Legends (2)
Persona 3 FES (3)
Ar tonelico (3)
.hack games (1)
Final Fantasy 4/6/7/9/10 (1)
Dark Cloud (1)
Legend of Legaia 2: Dual Saga (1)
Dragon Quest (2)
Kingdom Hearts (1)
Digital Devil Saga (1)
Xenosaga (1)
ChronoCross (2)
Shadow Hearts/Shadow Hearts: Covenant (1)
Suikoden V (1)
Odin's Sphere (1)
Rhapsody (1)
Rogue Galaxy (1)
Dark Cloud/Dark Cloud 2 (1)
Parasite Eve 1/Parasite Eve 2 (1)
Phantasy Star Series (1)
Brave Story (1)

Constrained for time, so I'll scan through the recommendations again later and edit the list. Thanks a lot for replying you guys, it's really helpful for seeing what games to look for.