Good '' old '' RPG's ?

[Dist]

I'm dying to get my hands on some good old RPG's, but I have no idea of the titles and what may be good or not. What I'm looking for is 2Dish RPG's like Chrono Cross, the first FF's or Wild Arms 1. The Story should be atleast somewhat interesting, and game should be difficult. Like, puzzles etc. Not just straightforward beat em up game.

The consoles the RPG's should be in are ; NES, SNES, N64, Dreamcast, Ps1. I suppose PC is fine too if there's any good ones out there for PC.

Thanks in advance ^^.

[Daniel E.]

Not many people dig it, but I think Vagrant Story is one of the best games Square (now SquareEnix) ever made for the Playstation.

A very good story, interesting characters and a curious battle system that actually requires some thinking to get the hand of. The game is set up so that not all the areas (and skills) are available during the first playthrough, so there's certainly a reason to play the game at least twice.

[the.Merines]

Tales of Symphonia (GC), Xenogears (PS1), Star Ocean 2 (PS1)

[Shadow Kira01]

Here are some suggestions:

Dreamcast
-Grandia II
-Langrisser Millennium
-Phantasy Star Online
-Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2
-Sakura Taisen 4

NES
-Digital Devil Monogatari: Megami Tensei
-Digital Devil Monogatari: Megami Tensei II

PC
-Breath of Fire IV
-Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Mokushiroku
-Grandia II
-Megami Ibunroku Persona: Be Your True Mind
-Phantasy Star IV
-Phantasy Star Online
-Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst
-Ragnarok Online
-Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine

PSX
-Breath of Fire IV
-Chrono Cross
-Final Fantasy VIII
-Grandia
-Growlanser
-Koudelka
-Legend of Legaia
-Persona: Be Your True Mind
-Persona 2: Tsumi
-Persona 2: Batsu
-Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
-Shin Megami Tensei
-Shin Megami Tensei if...
-Shin Megami Tensei II
-Spectral Blade
-Spectral Tower
-Spectral Tower II
-Star Ocean: The Second Story
-Suikoden II
-Tales of Phantasia
-The Legend of Dragoon
-Thousand Arms
-Vagrant Story
-Valkyrie Profile
-Wild Arms 2
-Xenogears

SNES
-Chrono Trigger
-Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei
-Last Bible III
-Lufia
-Lufia II
-Record of Lodoss War
-Shin Megami Tensei
-Shin Megami Tensei if...
-Shin Megami Tensei II
-Star Ocean
-Tales of Phantasia

[Dist]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I'd like to express that what I seek are games like Chrono Cross and such graphic wise. I don't know what's the term but I guess it's something like 2D ? ( Tales of Symphonia definitely is not 2D; plus I didn't want games for GC as I don't have it and I've played ToS five times anyway. )

[CeDeR]

Lunar silver star story
Breath of fire 3
Lunar 2
Secret of mana
Legend of mana
Illusion of Gaia
Earthbound
Xenogears
Dragon WArrior 7
will add more later...

some of them are 3d/2d i mean u can rotate the map but it is till 2D
like xenogears and BoF3

[Saber Cherry]

I'll second Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, and Secret of Mana, probably my 3 all-time favorites.

Valkyrie Profile is worth getting, if you can find it, but that's unlikely.

[Dist]

Well it's rather obvious that I'm playing all these on emulator, so '' getting '' it is not a problem.

Anyway will do.. This should be enough games for a while in fact. Now I just need to find a good game amongs these ; Good unique story, + music is very important for me. WA1 music for example is awesome ( Though it may be only because it's nostalgic.. first rpg I ever played ).

[Saber Cherry]

Originally Posted by Dist

Good unique story, + music is very important for me. WA1 music for example is awesome ( Though it may be only because it's nostalgic.. first rpg I ever played ).

No, Wild Arms music is not just nostalgia - it really is awesome. Wild Arms 2 is a pale shadow.

Similarly, Chrono Trigger is a much better game than Chrono Cross, and also has much better music; Xenogears has excellent music and an incredibly good storyline; and Secret of Mana has quite good music, as well.

Final Fantasy 3/6 also has good music and is a fun game. I consider it to be the last game for which Uematsu wrote good music (and also the last good game in the Final Fantasy series).

Though they are not traditional RPGs (more like action/adventure, but the characters do become much stronger through the games), you might try Zelda III (A Link to the Past), Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Super Metroid. I enjoyed their music, and they're all excellent games.

[Dist]

I agree on Wild Arms 2 lol. Throughout the years I've wanted to play WA2 so bad because I didn't have the possiblity for PSX emu yet ( bad pc ). Now I tried it and wtf ... it was so crappy. ( I wanted to play WA2 cos I thought that was the game I played, but seems that it was the first one >.< )

The new Wild Arms are quite horrible too. I didn't try the fifth one but the fourth one was really boring.

And yeah I'm definitely looking to play FF6 aswell, since that's probably the second rpg I played and I only remember a little. I also remember it being really hard, but that's probably only because I was really bad at english back then. What's the number for 6 though in letters.. it's VI isn't it ? ( I searched but I didn't find it... )

I also tried Chrono Trigger a bit earlier but the character graphics didn't impress me. ( And I don't mean because it's old game.. ). I'll give it another go later though, but I guess I should complete one game at a time.. WA1 for now.

[Saber Cherry]

Originally Posted by Dist

And yeah I'm definitely looking to play FF6 aswell, since that's probably the second rpg I played and I only remember a little. I also remember it being really hard, but that's probably only because I was really bad at english back then. What's the number for 6 though in letters.. it's VI isn't it ?

Yep.
1 - I
2 - II
3 - III
4 - IV
5 - V
6 - VI
7- VII
8 - VIII
9 - IX
10 - X

I also tried Chrono Trigger a bit earlier but the character graphics didn't impress me. ( And I don't mean because it's old game.. ).

Chrono Trigger's graphics were actually pretty good for the time. The character design, I understand, is by the artist from the Dragon Ball series. But it really sets itself apart in gameplay and story - it's just very fun, and particularly, the battle mechanics are much more interesting than in most RPGs.

[Arkuatic]

If it must certainly be OLD games ignore this suggestion.
You can try final fantasy tactics on the GBA or A2:grimoire( also FFT) which gives the same feeling like the old RPG like Snes with modern updates so you dont suffer the flaws of past RPGs. Really good gameplay and story is ok but gameplay is what counts(unless you like to roleplay IRL)

[jedinat]

You seem fixated on graphics as a major deciding factor in what you will play... the problem is you haven't made clear what you're looking for. "Chrono Cross 2D Chrono Cross 2D" Chrono Cross does not have 2D graphics... Wild Arms does, but not in battle... both are very different looking games... Almost all these older RPGs can fall into this wide "2Dish" category you have created.

I've gone through a bunch of retro RPGs over the past couple years... (I don't think I actually beat any of them, lol, but that's beside the point...) Most of them I would say are not worth your time. But the ones I might consider are: (PS1: Grandia, Lunar Silver Star Story, Xenogears (undub), Final Fantasy 9; SNES: Terranigma)

If I were you, I would get yourself a Saturn emulator and play Panzer Dragoon Saga. It doesn't really fit in your "2Dish" mold, but if I had to play one pre-PS2 JRPG right now, I would play it. For one, it's in Japanese with subs, and that... well that is something indeed for this era RPG, lol.

[Dist]

Actually I got the idea of playing more games like these from the A2 Grimoire on DS. Since I don't own DS and it doesn't play well on emulator I thought to try some older games.

And no I'm not fixated on graphics, but I didn't like the character design on Chrono Trigger. ( Mind you, it probably is indeed because they're like DBZ, and I hate DBZ over anything else in anime world ) And to be honest, I haven't played Chrono Cross ( yet ), it was just a example of what I am looking for.

And I know the battle in Wild Arms is different but I picked it up, being the first RPG I ever played years ago I just had to play it.

As long as the graphics stay simple. Example of what I do not want ; Wild Arms 2 or such. Though the battle is '' similar '' to WA1 and everything, it's trying to be even more like 3D and being an old game, it doesn't succeed well. It looks disgusting. ( Well the game sucked too really though.. )

[Kuraudo]

Some of my favorites:
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy V/VI
Secret of Mana
Zelda: A Link to the Past

[DragoZERO]

Final Fantasy 10-8, 10, 12. Can't lose.

[synaesthetic]

You guys need to turn in your gamer cards.

Nobody's suggested any of the best old CRPGs!

All of these are for the PC and all of these are both good and old. A lot of them can be purchased from GOG.com, direct download for $5-10 US each. All of them can be found in various "bargain bins" at software or computer stores for $10 each (though Planescape is a tad hard to find sometimes).

Anachronox
Fallout
Fallout 2
Planescape: Torment
Baldur's Gate/Tales of Sword Coast
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Deus Ex
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Arx Fatalis
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

[Xion Valkyrie]

Originally Posted by synaesthetic

You guys need to turn in your gamer cards.

Nobody's suggested any of the best old CRPGs!

All of these are for the PC and all of these are both good and old. A lot of them can be purchased from GOG.com, direct download for $5-10 US each. All of them can be found in various "bargain bins" at software or computer stores for $10 each (though Planescape is a tad hard to find sometimes).

Anachronox
Fallout
Fallout 2
Planescape: Torment
Baldur's Gate/Tales of Sword Coast
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Deus Ex
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Arx Fatalis
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

I find that a lot of people who really like JRPG's don't like WRPGs, and vice versa.

Anyways, I second Valkyrie Profile. My favorite RPG ever. If you do play, play on Hard and use a guide for the good ending.

[synaesthetic]

Yeah well there's always time to expand one's horizons. These games are all great games and a good place for a console fanboy to check out the dark side of RPGs. ^^;

[Satsuki Yuuhi Ramius]

For Me
Legend of the Mana
Legend of Legaia
Xenogears
Final Fantasy IX