The SRPG thread

[zinger]

I'm running out of 16 and 32 bit action games to play, eheh, so I've been slowly branching out and started to play other genres. I'm currently enjoying Fire Emblem: Seisen no keifu a lot (roughly half-way through I think); some of the units get overpowered quickly which takes a way much of the tactical ("simulation") aspect away, and the maps are so big it sometimes gets quite tedious just moving about... but compared to the typical JRPG grinding fests, this game is incredibly fun; it packs tons of cool ideas (many of which I believe I have yet to discover; I need to study the manual better), the campaign is epic in proportion -- and overall it looks and sounds great too!

I'm really looking forward to explore the genre more, and have already purchased some more games that I'm curious to try (Wachenröder, Black/Matrix, and Shining Force III). I pretty much know all the titles availiable for the main 16 and 32 bit systems, by name at least, after watching videos or briefly trying them out in emulators (not counting personal computers), but now I'd like some personal recommendations from trustworthy gamengai people.

I've already cleared Shining Force and Shining Force II long ago (simple, but very charming from what I can remember, especially the sequel) and I've played the first two Langrissers enough to get the gist of them (I need to revisit those, and try to complete them, though). I'd be curious to hear some opinions on the rest of the Langrisser series though, as well as any hidden gems or personal favourites you happen to have played.

[sven666]

have you played Gun Hazard? fairly short and linear and not terribly challenging but very good while it lasts.. i'd highly recommend it.

sometimes its nice to play thru a game once and be done and satisfied with it aswell..

[layzee]

Personally, I lean more towards smaller scale (in terms of amount of playable characters and map size) RPG Strategy games as opposed to larger scale ones (due to the aforementioned potential tediousness). Doubly so if it has separate battle/melee screens. Triply so if there are long loading times. So naturally, games similar to Final Fantasy Tactics would be my preference.

The Front Mission series are one to go for. Good stories, fast game play (quick player/enemy movement, skippable battle scenes), and meaty sound effects. Gun Hazard is of course the black sheep of the series but if you're hankering for Assault Suits Valkan style 2D platformer mech action, then go for it. There's also Alternative but I haven't examined that properly yet. Suffice to say that it is the black sheep out of other black sheep.

Square's Bahamut Lagoon are some top quality 16-bit (graphics, sound etc) SFC SRPGing mixed with a bit of monster-raising mechanics.

Also on the Super Famicom is Taito's pretty damn unknown Energy Breaker, a 3D isometric RPG/Strategy game with fluid battle transitions. No separate battlefield screens, the enemies just pop up instantly. Some of the staff also worked on the Estpolis/Lufia games previously.

The underrated Vandal Hearts by Konami, released on PlayStation very early on, is also one of my favs. Sure it's simple, but it has its charms. A memorable and mature age cast (none of them teenagers, if I remember correctly), a similarly mature and dark plot with many surprises, a fitting bombastic military-style soundtrack, and last but not least, the fountains of blood.

Also the following majority RPG franchises have RPG/Strategy spinoffs: Valkyrie Profile, Gensou Suikoden, Wild Arms, Ys, etc. It is likely however, that your enjoyment of those will probably depend on how devoted you are to the respective franchises.

[zinger]

Thanks for the replies! I will definitely try all of those when the timing is right, and will probably pick up Front Mission next time I'm shopping for games. I'll make sure to report back with my impressions, too!

[ryu]

As much as I'm into JRPGs, I've never really gotten into SRPGs somehow.

Played the Fire Emblems on GBA, liked them a lot but at the same time thought they were kinda tedious. Some maps I really had to force myself through, and when I tried to get back into the franchise with Shadow Dragon I just lost interest a couple of missions in before the game even really kicked off.

Also played Final Fantasy Advance. Gave up after roughly 20 of over 200 missions (battles) because the battle system somehow really annoyed me in that one.

In that sense I'm really disappointed that most RPGs on the Saturn are SRPGs. :/

And yet I recently purchased Stella Deus because that one looks really interesting. Didn't have the time to check it out yet, and probably won't have for a while.

[Gaijin Punch]

Not got a lot of experience w/ this genre, but the first couple of Langrissers are apparently the bees knees. I played through Black Matrix on the Saturn (liked it). Black Matrix Zero I believe on the GBA as well was good. The 3D ones... not so much. The only series I played most of was Sakura Taisen. Quite fun, but could have done w/o the dating aspect.