RPG series that you couldn't quite get into.

[Sushi_b]

Are there any RPGs that you have had trouble enjoying. Perhaps you've tried numerous games but none of them tickled your fancy.

I know for myself the biggest one has always been the FF series. I've purchased and own a fair number of them but I just haven't been able to get into any of them. I've put in a number of hours into FF VII (maybe 80 hours?) and then I just deleted the file before finishing it. Final Fantasy IV was like that. I put in a number of hours just to stop playing it. I can't get into FF games for what ever the reason and I've never bothered to finish a single one of them.


Suikoden series is a little bit the same except that I've only had a chance to play the first game and the 3rd one. I didn't mind playing the first one for a while but I didn't finish it. The 3rd game was really disappointing to me. I got really tired of the trinity system very quickly and didn't find interest in it. I remember that it cost me about 90 dollars to get the game new at the time and I was quite displeased. I wish I could have a chance to try more of the other games just to give it another go.

Shining Series: This is referring to anything outside of Force. I just have no interest in those other games at all. I wish Sega would just release a new Shining Force game in the classic Strategy RPG format instead of all the action RPG's that they've been making.

Any series you've had trouble enjoying?

[Atlas]

Dragon Warrior. The first one was cool, but they're rather bland.

[Sushi_b]

That's understandable BF. I can see a lot of reasons why people wouldn't get into the Dragon Quest series. If there are 2 games I could mention that could change your opinion though it would be Rocket Slime adventures (DS) and Dragon Quest: Swords (Wii). Rocket Slime is just one of the neatest ideas to come out of the DQ universe and it's different then the main series entirely except for the monster designs. Swords is a nice easy approach to the main series that's simplified and fun to play (aside from some annoying motion capture issues).

[drunken monk]

Dragon Warrior. The first one was cool, but they're rather bland.

I agree with that completely. The original DQ was the first RPG I ever played so I finished it but I never got into any of the other games. I really tried to get into VIII but I just couldnt bring myself to beat it. Its the worst grind fest ever. Every single time you get to a new area your forced to train for an hour or two and then repeat the process over and over with barely any story progression. I invested about 30 hours into it and felt like I accomplished absolutely nothing. If you put that much time into an RPG you would expect the story to start unfolding but no. The game really gave me no reason to finish it.

I cant really think of anything else right now. There is plenty of RPG series that I never got into but it wasnt by choice. I just cant afford to buy everything.

[Borg1982]

Dragon Warrior. The first one was cool, but they're rather bland.

DW2 featured a melee class (no magic), and a "white & black" mage... much less bland than part 1.

DW3 featured the ability to pick any classes you want like FF1. Not bland.

DW4 featured 5 total chapters and more than 12 characters of unique types.

DW5 featured a full length storyline, yourself starting out as a baby and ending the game as a married man with kids. (Note: About time the storyline aspect of DW games finally came up to par with FF).

DW6 and 7 featured the ability to be all the classes at the same time as in FF5.

DQ8 featured a voice storyline and is comparable to FF10 in terms of that, and it includes skill points like Diablo 2 has.

There is nothing bland about any single of the games except maybe part 1... the haters just don't like random battles or earning their "keep" starting out with 50 gold, being in level 1 and wearing nothing whatsoever.
Every DQ requires grinding, but their contents aren't bland. Remember that Japan cares more about DQ than anything else.

Now that I'm done defending Dragon Quest, there are probably many series I haven't been able to get into, and I can tell you for a fact that if I had played 80 hours of a game that would have meant I liked it a lot because if I truly can't get into a series I only end up playing 5 or less.
Also, the series I'll end up picking are mostly going to be games that are opposite of Dragon Warrior games... games that you read storyline more and you don't have to work for anything, the difficulty is generally easy and there isn't much of a feeling of fulfillment.

I could barely get into ANY Tales Of video games, Star Ocean games, Mana games, or Fire Emblem games. I haven't played enough of Fire Emblem but it does tend to talk too much by giving tutorials.

[Jarrid]

Dragon Warrior games bore the hell out of me. Ugh. . .

Xenosaga series, .hack series, Dark Cloud, and a few others I can't quite think of right now.

[Borg1982]

Before I have to put up with seeing the above answer from every post, I just want to know..... is it the grinding & random battles?

There's no other explanation... parts 5 and 8 have huge storyline emphasis (for a change) and every other game did what FF did -- picking classes in 3, changing them to anything you want like in FF5, skill points in 8, etc. So it's got to be grinding... ?

[Cyrus the virus]

Now that it's been mentioned, I'm going with .hack. I forced myself to play until the third game of the first series, but just couldn't bring myself to find and play the fourth one. I was SORT OF into it, I suppose, but my god... I had to force it.

[Sibek]

.hack and Xenosaga come to mind.

.hack just had some really bad AI members that had very little customization aside from complete manual overriding.

Every aspect of Xenosaga moved way too slow to my tastes and made the entire idea of interacting in a game seem like the game interacting with itself and I'm the person pressing the X button.

Also, I share the same thoughts with Borg on the DQ series.

[BAMAJAMA]

Hello folks, I am back

the .hack series got tiring after the first series. I finished them but it was a trial. I tried to start the second series(just because of the lack of many new RPG's coming out for the PS2) but didn't make it past the first game of the second series(it was just a rehash of the first series, no improvements made to the series)

I am an admitted lover of FF and Suikoden series. I like some of the DQ games and hate others.

[Sushi_b]

There is some serious .Hack hate out there. I never realized that people disliked the series that much. I can understand that the games didn't change at all but that was always the point. Bandai had always stated that the game was just going to be time released.

Now I wish that they would have just released it all as one game (which was something they could have easily done) instead of trying to get extra money out of the series by releasing them all with in about a year and half time frame. The games probably wouldn't be so disliked if they were just on one game disk.


As for DQ, I think that a lot of people don't like the pacing of the games. DQ always relys on searching, level grinding and slow progression to the end. I don't mind that at all but most people quickly get frustrated and are impatient.


[Edit] Sibek, I forgot about Xenosaga. I tried playing through some of the first game but nothing was happening. Some people complain about MGS 4 being like a movie, I wonder if they ever played the first Xenosaga game.

[Cyrus the virus]

I loved the first Xenosaga, for some reason, but I did get a bit tired of the longer cutscenes.

[Ges]

I give kudos to anyone who trudged through Xenosaga Ep. 2. The first was decent. The second was a shitting cat and the third was awesome.

Oftentimes I hear this is just me, though.

Anyway, I'm having trouble getting into Star Ocean myself, even though I want to. The 360 one coming out looks quite snazz. I'm stuck in SO3 somewhere and it got boring for me.

[Borg1982]

As for DQ, I think that a lot of people don't like the pacing of the games. DQ always relys on searching, level grinding and slow progression to the end. I don't mind that at all but most people quickly get frustrated and are impatient.



It's pretty easy for me to know the pace since I grew up with those games. I can understand how its easy to feel good pace in games now because you get a storyline scene and visit a new cave & town.

For me pace is about how much I leveled and not really the storyline. Gameplay is more important to me than Story.

[Sushi_b]

It's pretty easy for me to know the pace since I grew up with those games. I can understand how its easy to feel good pace in games now because you get a storyline scene and visit a new cave & town.

For me pace is about how much I leveled and not really the storyline. Gameplay is more important to me than Story.

With that said though there are lots of games that can combine both but aren't as simplistic as what we would normally see in a DQ game. Button combinations, timing and speed of imputs have become more popular in an attempt to give RPGs more player interaction. Sometimes it's nice to have a simplified game and other times it's nice to be engaged.

[Ges]

Kinda deviating from the thread here, but...some of the least talked about RPGs were the two Golden Suns on the GBA. I loved them. Not really complicated at all.

I guess not a whole lot of people played them, maybe. They are good, cheap games now if you're looking for something to play.

[Sushi_b]

They are good Ges (because Camelot also made Shining Force), I remember buying the first one as soon as it came out in 2001, shortly after the GBA was released. It was the first RPG for the system (unless you want to argue Megaman: Battle Network which came out something like a week before it).

I even replayed the first game last year because I finally bought the second one. For some reason though I never got into the second game even though I had transfered my file over from the first game. I just stopped playing it. I should restart it.

There have been rumors of a third game for some time.

[BAMAJAMA]

There is some serious .Hack hate out there. I never realized that people disliked the series that much. I can understand that the games didn't change at all but that was always the point. Bandai had always stated that the game was just going to be time released.

Now I wish that they would have just released it all as one game (which was something they could have easily done) instead of trying to get extra money out of the series by releasing them all with in about a year and half time frame. The games probably wouldn't be so disliked if they were just on one game disk.




BINGO-That was one of my main gripes about the .hack games. They were a novel concept but they wore on me after awhile and after $160 put into the first series.

I give kudos to anyone who trudged through Xenosaga Ep. 2. The first was decent. The second was a shitting cat and the third was awesome.

Oftentimes I hear this is just me, though.

Anyway, I'm having trouble getting into Star Ocean myself, even though I want to. The 360 one coming out looks quite snazz. I'm stuck in SO3 somewhere and it got boring for me.

I agree mostly with that assessment of Xenosaga. Really liked the first, hated the second, loved the third.

The SO series is pretty good. I have played SO2-A Second Story for the PS1 and both of the PS2 titles.

[Cyrus the virus]

Anyway, I'm having trouble getting into Star Ocean myself, even though I want to. The 360 one coming out looks quite snazz. I'm stuck in SO3 somewhere and it got boring for me.

SO2 is incredible. My disc 1 snapped in half. I should re-buy it.

[Ges]

Is SO2 in any way the same as either of the two PSP titles? Or are those remakes of the original SO?

[Trillian]

I could never get into Zelda games. I know some people don't consider them RPGs, but it's the only series that comes to mind that I could never really get into. I've owned every single one of them that was released on the N64, Gamecube, and Wii, but I always get stuck and simply don't care to continue and so I stop. Generally, getting stuck doesn't bother me because I don't mind tedium in my games, but for some reason Zelda games don't inspire me to care about progressing the story so I stop and do something more fun and never look back. Usually this only happens to me when I die and don't want to go through cutscenes or dialogue again, like every time I've tried to play Xenogears. Which is a game that I would like to try to play again now that I'm older and have more patience, but my PS2 doesn't work.

There are also so many series that I've never even touched, like most mentionned in this thread to be honest: .hack, Star Ocean, Xenosaga, Golden Sun (which I almost always want to call Golden Axe....), and the list goes on. Suikoden I liked, but have never even entertained the thought of buying any of the sequels.

[Borg1982]

I could never get into Zelda games. I know some people don't consider them RPGs, but it's the only series that comes to mind that I could never really get into. I've owned every single one of them that was released on the N64, Gamecube, and Wii, but I always get stuck and simply don't care to continue and so I stop. Generally, getting stuck doesn't bother me because I don't mind tedium in my games, but for some reason Zelda games don't inspire me to care about progressing the story so I stop and do something more fun and never look back.


Same here, with Zelda, now that I think of it. I like HP/MP and equipping weapons and armor so much more, and I realize Zelda is different but I still couldn't get into it. Ones I consider the best I suppse are LA & LTTP (GB & SNES).

[Sushi_b]

Is SO2 in any way the same as either of the two PSP titles? Or are those remakes of the original SO?

Yeah they are remakes of Star Ocean and Star Ocean: Second Story. HEard that they are alright and might be worth checking out if you have a PSP and like them. I've been considering getting the first one since I never played it before and my PSP is dying for some attention.

[Ges]

So the two PSP games are just SO1 and SO2? I'm guessing Second Story is 2?

[Sushi_b]

So the two PSP games are just SO1 and SO2? I'm guessing Second Story is 2?

Yeah, Star Ocean 2 was actually called Star Ocean: The Second Story (PSX). None of the Star Ocean games have tagged a number onto them except for this one (not including the remakes). So if you missed out on the first game (like me) it seems worth while to get it. The second one would be nice as well simply because most of us probably haven't played it in a really long time. I remember the great whimsical music well.

[Cyrus the virus]

Is SO2 on the PSP a direct port? I really miss that game.

[Contagion]

Is SO2 on the PSP a direct port? I really miss that game.

I think they added cutscenes and another character. Other than that, same old SO2.

[Cyrus the virus]

Ooooooooooo. Might need to borrow a PSP.

[WOTON]

I never really got into the Mana/Seiken Densetsu series. I played a bit of the snes ones and never finished them. It's not that they were bad, they just didn't hold my interest.

[Void]

Suikoden and XenoSaga. XenoSaga was just too damn boring, and Suikoden, I never got around to. I didn't even really start thinking about it until after PS2 was released, and by then it was like "Suikoden? Who cares?"

[Devil King]

Xenosaga.

[TheSilentSeed]

I tried but I can't seem to get into the persona series. Maybe its not for me but who knows.

That and I really never enjoyed the Suikoden series.

I forgot to mention kingdom hearts! Maybe I am just to old to get into it or something but I had to play the first game 3 times before I forced myself to beat it. I have tried to play the second game twice and each time I get to the little mermaid world for the first time and Then the game just loses me its so bad... seriously...

[Sen]

In all honesty, I couldn't get into most. JRPG series that quickly come to mind that I couldn't get into include Suikoden, Dragon Quest, Star Ocean, Tales, Shin Megami Tensei, SaGa, Phantasy Star, Mana, Wild Arms, and a whole bunch of others I'm sure. Western RPG series I've tried unsuccessfully to get into include Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, World of Warcraft, Fable, Everquest, Elder Scrolls, and Diablo. Then of course there's the several titles that have yet to become part of a series that I couldn't get into, but I won't name those.

[King Zeal]

Xenosaga.

Hell, Xeno-anything.

[Sen]

No love for the Xenogears there, Zeal? I liked that one and the first Xenosaga. The second wasn't very fun, but I thought the third was alright.

[King Zeal]

No love whatsoever. I hate Xenogears.

[twerp]

No love whatsoever. I hate Xenogears.


Wow. That's a bit surprising coming from you.

[Phakiel]

.hack, I am not going to buy 4 games to get the full punch of it all, now these days i guess they are cheap but still, not cool.

Wow. That's a bit surprising coming from you.

Whats really surprising is that Zeal actually liked Final Fantasy X-2.

[twerp]

Oh God!


Well I liked the battle system in X-2, but everything else was crap.

[Phakiel]

Yeah, the battle system was indeed not that bad, fun even. But the rest ugh.

And Zeal dont you dare start ano0ther argument over this, I always end up saying the same thing over and over again until my balls are busted and we agree to disagree.

[twerp]

1000 Words was a kickass song though...

[Void]

Yeah, the battle system was indeed not that bad, fun even. But the rest ugh.

I like a few things from the game. Outside of the battle system, that is (which I agree, is FUN - mostly because of flashiness). There's one scene where a guy does a blitz ball move that looks cool. And also, there is a scene which I've seen in several movies involving a three-way standstill that is cool for about ten second. And the soundtrack is okay to enjoyable at times.

Final Fantasy X-2, four. Everything else in the universe,∞.

[Atlas]

Although I deeply appreciated all of the effort put forth into the Xeno games, I couldn't help but feel a great deal of anxiousness all throughout. So much to contemplate--too much! The game's a fucking anthology, for fuck's sake.

[twerp]

I had to take notes when playing Xenosaga 2 just to keep up.

[Void]

There was a time when I thought just having that many details was what made a game. Well, it is good, if you actually let the player in on what the hell everything means. And thus, I bring you the Codex, in Mass Effect.

[Blackdragon]

I couldn't get into pretty much all the final fantasy games, except tactics. I just couldn't get into the battle system and I usually hate random battle rpgs as a whole.

[twerp]

I never understood the hate for random battles. You know you have to fight to level up, so what's the big deal? Is it just because the fight's not on your terms?

[Trillian]

It's because sometimes you're just trying to get somewhere and those stupid, freaking battles keep getting in your way! Grrrrr... I actually don't mind random battles, but I remember many occassions cursing them for slowing down my progress when I just want to get somewhere FAST! Perhaps other people feel this way all the time? It does feel like more of an interuption than when you just bump into an enemy to fight him, or if you fight enemies in real time.

[Blackdragon]

They can just be a real hinderance when you're just trying to explore. I don't mind fighting and leveling up. I spend most of my time grinding relentlessly in rpgs, but when I'm trying to relocate, I don't need everyone and their mama attacking me every other step I take. Though some games were tolerable, like Skies of Arcadia and Legend of Dragoon.

[Void]

I never understood the hate for random battles. You know you have to fight to level up, so what's the big deal? Is it just because the fight's not on your terms?

I used to like random encounters, but by and far. I'm not including random encounters in action/RPGs though. There's a fundamental difference. That being that a random community in the over world at large is sparse. Where in a turn based RPG they just all of a sudden are there in front of you, and you have to run away if you don't want to fight. Well shit, why would you even let a Behemoth get that close to you before you tried to run away?

[King Zeal]

Wow. That's a bit surprising coming from you.

Why? I've been saying how much I hate Xeno games for years now.

My main problem with the games are the characters. Yes the story is rich with symbolism, religious metaphor, and complex relationships . . . but the characters are just awful.

At one point in Xenogears, I remembered seeing all of the characters sitting around a table, discussing their plans to fight against the bad guys. As an experiment, I tried to cover up the part of the dialogue box that showed a picture of the character and let you know who was speaking. And sure enough, I couldn't tell 90% of the time. They all sounded the same.

Every character in Xeno games speaks with dialogue sprinkled heavily with exposition. It makes the characters sound like they're more concerned with explaining the plot to the audience than actually interacting with one-another. I mean, imagine if conversations went like this in real life:

"Hey, Billy. I heard from Sarah that your mother had developed cancer."

"Yeah, Charles. The doctors at Northwestern University say that there may be a chance to save her, but I'll need to come up with two thousand dollars in order to pay the expensive surgery."

"Two thousand dollars! But Sarah told me that your family just went through financial bankruptcy!"

"Yes, that's true. When our shoe business closed down, we lost everything. But don't worry! I've got a plan to make it all work out..."


You see what I mean? The dialogue tends to sound extremely robotic at times, and characters don't react the way normal people would simply because the story needs them to tell it properly.

[twerp]

Why? I've been saying how much I hate Xeno games for years now.

Yeah but considering I don't think I've ever disagreed with you when it came to gaming tastes it was surprising. Plus, I always thought you just hated the Saga games.


I see what you mean about the dialogue style, but I guess I was just so enveloped in what the characters were saying I ddin't notice how they were saying it. Still doesn't really bother me.

[King Zeal]

I've never played any of the Saga games, actually.

And yeah, I'm fully aware that my dislike of Xeno titles is based solely on my preferred method of storytelling. For the same reason, I was able to stomach FFX-2 because I could appreciate some of the more subtle character and story quirks despite how corny the game and the characters were. To me, the game is like the 60s Batman show: campy as hell, implausible as shit, and completely retarded...but fun all the same.

[TheSilentSeed]

I've never played any of the Saga games, actually.

And yeah, I'm fully aware that my dislike of Xeno titles is based solely on my preferred method of storytelling. For the same reason, I was able to stomach FFX-2 because I could appreciate some of the more subtle character and story quirks despite how corny the game and the characters were. To me, the game is like the 60s Batman show: campy as hell, implausible as shit, and completely retarded...but fun all the same.

I enjoyed Xenogears until disk two. I also enjoyed Xenosaga but not 2 or 3. X-2 on the other hand I beat but never found any love for. It had its purpose I guess but to me that game spelled out the end of the era of Final Fantasy.

[King Zeal]

You know, I've never understood the whole "era of Final Fantasy" stuff. Everyone wants to lump the entire series of games together like they correspond to a king's reign or something.

For me, I've always taken each Final Fantasy game for what it was. The first game I ever played in the series was FFVII (like many Americans), and I enjoyed each successive installment of the main series. Even XII and VIII, my two least-favorite entries, are still pretty decent. I went back and played FFIV, V, and VI (never played the first three) and I found them to be pretty fun, but not as much so as the later games. Yeah, the story was innovative and had less fan-servicey cliches, but the characters chewed scenery like my cat chews couch pillows. In my opinion, FFX-2, despite its flaws, was still a lot more fun than FFIV or FFV. Not saying it was a particularly great or meaningful game. It's just that people look at the series through rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia, so they always want to lump a particular section of the series (whether it be the NES era, SNES era, PSX era, or beyond) into a nice safe cage.

[twerp]

I'll give you FFX-2 was *more fun* than FFIV, but in no way does it make it a better game. I think you have to look at games in the context of when they were released as part of the judging process. At the time, FFIV was incredibly groundbreaking. The only reason you have a funky fresh battle system in X-2 is because IV introduced the Active Time Battle system. It had an incredibly engaging storyline that was completely character driven. Not to mention the SNES finally let Nobuo compose some really quality tunes for the time.

And the way people talk about Final Fantasy and console cycles is the same way any fan of a sports team talks an era of success. The newer games face more criticism because they've got a tough act to follow and when you are used to high quality product, anything *less than* is disappointing.

[King Zeal]

You've kind of touched upon my point. Some games are "classic", but not "timeless". RPG games are indigenous to that line of thought, I think. Most ancient role-playing games are good throwbacks worth experiencing, but lack a lot of the refinement that people used to the new generation appreciate. The problem is even worse with first-person shooters and sports games, though.

[twerp]

Yeah the RPG genre definitely holds up better than others.

[Itaska]

I never understood the hate for random battles. You know you have to fight to level up, so what's the big deal? Is it just because the fight's not on your terms?

Maybe because it's a cheap way to extent the games life?

[Cyrus the virus]

There are two things about random battles that kill me.

1 - When they are too frequent. Hello end of Breath of Fire II. Jesus.

2 - When I go back somewhere and have to fight enemies 10 levels below me. Wild Arms had a good way of dealing with that sort of thing.

[Save Point]

In my opinion, FFX-2, despite its flaws, was still a lot more fun than FFIV or FFV. Not saying it was a particularly great or meaningful game. It's just that people look at the series through rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia, so they always want to lump a particular section of the series (whether it be the NES era, SNES era, PSX era, or beyond) into a nice safe cage.
Sorry, my liege. FFV isn't worth defending, but to pretend FFX-2 was "more fun", let alone "a lot more fun", than FFIV is a disservice to RPGs everywhere. Sure sure, its your opinion, but you know many of us put a lot of stock into your views. Now you may as well skip the rest of this post because I don't have a point anymore and really just feel like a good ramble. I don't really plan on going anywhere with the rest of this.

Now, I know you're a notorious Yuna-lover and I'm not, which granted had me walking into FFX-2 on guard. But the game brought absolutely nothing to the table that made me feel like I was spending my free time enjoying a game. Likewise, I vividly remember pretending to be sick in order to skip school and play FFIV. The game did so much with so little. And its not just nostalgia, because I had the same enjoyment playing FFIV: The After Years.

In FFIV, the characters are better, the music is more enjoyable and the plot is actually memorable. All I can tell someone about FFX-2 is that I got a dorky poster with the game, that the gameplay is borderline embarrassing and that there is no point in finishing the story. FFX-2 really was the dagger that killed the new breed of RPGs for me.

Yes, there are gems - but it seems, like any good business, that since games can be churned out with little to no thought that we've been given a lot of junk lately. As in movies, sequels generally seem to be the worst offender. Tales of Symphonia? Excellent. Takes of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World? Blowtastic.

Give me a refreshing game like Opoona over a graphic-fest go-nowhere money pit like FFX-2 any day of the week. Give me something new and exciting like The World Ends With You or Dragon Quest Swords. You may have noticed that I keep bringing up Nintendo stuff... I don't have the time or energy to immerse myself into video games anymore. The Wii and DS give me more than enough bang for my buck, without the hassle of trying to swim through the mess of "look at me look at me" that comes out on the PS3 and X-Box 360.

Bah. Still haven't really made a point. Just venting.

And RPG series I couldn't quite get into, eh Sushiniski? I guess Breath of Fire after BoF II. I've played the beginning of BoF3 like 4 times and I lose interest within 5 or so hours of game play. I tried BoF: Dragon Quarter and I think within an hour I had decided it would be more productive to cut myself.

[Sushi_b]

Give me a refreshing game like Opoona over a graphic-fest go-nowhere money pit like FFX-2 any day of the week. Give me something new and exciting like The World Ends With You or Dragon Quest Swords. You may have noticed that I keep bringing up Nintendo stuff... I don't have the time or energy to immerse myself into video games anymore. The Wii and DS give me more than enough bang for my buck, without the hassle of trying to swim through the mess of "look at me look at me" that comes out on the PS3 and X-Box 360.

Bah. Still haven't really made a point. Just venting.

And RPG series I couldn't quite get into, eh Sushiniski? I guess Breath of Fire after BoF II. I've played the beginning of BoF3 like 4 times and I lose interest within 5 or so hours of game play. I tried BoF: Dragon Quarter and I think within an hour I had decided it would be more productive to cut myself.

Opoona seemed kind of interesting and a good fit for the Wii. Never gotten around to checking it out as of yet but I will eventually. Especially since the Wii is desperately needing RPGs.

There is no question that there are lots of 360 RPGs (which generally are being ported to the PS3 or having a similtaneous release) that lack that certain edge and appeal. However Mass Effect, Blue Dragon and Tales of Vesperia have all filled that void fantastically for me. Lost Odyssey to a much lesser extent as well. There is no questioning the absolute awesomeness that is Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3 as well, which is the best Japanese flavoured RPG out right now.

The DS has a pretty strong library with lots of classics reappearing and some fresh stuff as well. The PSP is a little lacking in that second area, lots of remakes yet finding a new RPG is a much bigger challenge overall.



As for the BoF series, I've always liked them but have had to hold my breath in that same sentence. There are great aspects from each of the games that are noteworthy yet I can't stress enough the lack of achievement felt when playing them. It always feels like leveling up in them is pointless because I never feel as if my characters are any stronger by the end of the game. BoF II and III were particularly bad for this.

[Cyrus the virus]

I felt pretty strong when my Ryu could turn into a Tiamat dragon thing!!!!!!

You and me are going to fight to the death over this Breath of Fire III business.

Which reminds me of how awesome the whole coliseum bit with the dudes holding you above the lava was.