Gaming RPG with decent storylines?

Icealote

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Looking for RPGs with decent story lines, if not, any RPGs that actually show your characters with different armor/weapons when you change it? Kinda makes me go aww...crap when I get awesome gear and I expect it to be epic looking but its always a default look :(

I've completed LoH:TitS and can't wait if SC will ever release. The list below are the games I've got so far and I'm playing Star Ocean 2 at the moment. Any recommendations for which game I already have in the list to play next?


Fate Extra
Cladun
Corpse Party
Dungeon Siege - Thrones of Agony
Gods Eater Burst
Jeanne d'Arc
KH BBS
Lord of Arcana
Lunar Star Harmony
MH Freedom Unite
Persona 1, 2, 3
The 3rd Birthday
The Warriors - Completed
Valkyria Chronicles 2
Valkyrie Profile Lenneth
White Knight Chronicles
Silent Hills Origins
Ys Seven - Completed
Alundra 1 & 2
GTA Liberty City Stories
MGS Peace Walker - Completed
Breath of Fire 3
Star Ocean 1 & 2 - Completed the first one. Now playing the second one.
Tales of Eternia
Tales of the World - Radiant Mythology
Brave Story New Traveler
Hexyz Force
Manhunt 1 & 2
Legend of Heroes 1, 2, 3
ZHP
 

zygie

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I've only played a few, but I found that the following games have pretty good storylines:

Jeanne d'Arc - good reimagining of the Joan of Arc story.
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - decent story w/ Norse myth elements
Fate Extra - I played this without knowing much about the Fate universe and surprisingly I liked it. I like the existential struggle.
Corpse Party - this one is just great.
 

DS1

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Valkyrie Profile. Not only does it have an overarching story, the game itself is made up of several self-contained character building stories, each of which are CRAZY good. Great voice (English) acting as well. You don't see changes in weapons or armor (that I can recall), but they do change your special attacks, which you'll be spamming a lot. I would recommend playing it with a guide, though, because honestly you'll miss out on nearly everything if you don't (and probably end up getting a game-over/bad ending after several hours of what you thought was hard work)
 

xist

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The ones from your list that i have personal experience of and fulfil your criteria are in my opinion (and ignoring the one's you've written Completed beside)

Jeanne D'Arc (it's a nice SRPG....not difficult but interesting and full of character)
Valkyrie Profile (although as DS1 says, use a guide! And as a side not the PS2 sequel is A M A Z I N G !)
Perhaps Star Ocean 2....although it's nothing classic...

Sadly most of the others (not counting those you've put completed beside) just don't stack up as well in terms of stand alone plotting. That's not to say they're bad games per se, just that i'd try the others first.
 

Icealote

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The ones from your list that i have personal experience of and fulfil your criteria are in my opinion (and ignoring the one's you've written Completed beside)

Jeanne D'Arc (it's a nice SRPG....not difficult but interesting and full of character)
Valkyrie Profile (although as DS1 says, use a guide! And as a side not the PS2 sequel is A M A Z I N G !)
Perhaps Star Ocean 2....although it's nothing classic...

Sadly most of the others (not counting those you've put completed beside) just don't stack up as well in terms of stand alone plotting. That's not to say they're bad games per se, just that i'd try the others first.

Sorry what's PS2 sequel? It's hard to follow up on abbreviations unless you're saying the playstation 2 sequel lol :S

Yep I'm 6 hours in Star Ocean 2. The first one was too easy since I got stuck one area and ended up overleveling which made the last boss like snapping a twig.

Aww so there's no game where the character model changes if you equip it different armors and weapons? I am a sad panda :(

I'm not missing any other hidden gems in the RPG department?
 

xist

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Valkyrie Profile Silmeria....

Persona 3 is great, but if you're after story then i'd recommend the PS2's Persona 3 FES which story wise destroys P3 on the PSP because of The Answer.

The trouble is that many of your games are good, but it gets to a point where story lines get similar and have less impact. I've enjoyed many games which don't blow me away with their story because of gameplay touches or characters...the story has to be "good enough" in those cases. However Valkyrie Profile, in my opinion, does something that's original and because of that it makes it memorable. (and Jeanne D'Arc's real world spin is also interesting...)
 

Icealote

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Ah right. Yeah well I kinda have a theme going on there eh? haha Okay I'll jot that down to extend the library lol

I get real confused when people mention Persona games. I don't know the order to play it in?So is the Persona 3 FES available to play on the PSP? And Eternal Punishment, is there an English release and available for PSP?

I have read that many people advise I just play straight to Persona 3 because its the best of the series unless I want a decent story then I should go for Persona 2.
 

xist

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The SMT games can be confusing if you don't know anything about them....order by and large is irrelevant....

If you're going in from scratch it depends if you want hardcore old-school JRPG dynamics with MANY random encounters and a difficulty level that can get excruciating at times requiring grind. If you're up for that then there's the basic entry point of the first game SMT - Persona (originally on the PSX). Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment are directly related to each other (in a parallel world kind of way) and feature the same characters, and both are follow on's from the first game. They're more refined than the first Persona although are still relatively hard, old fashioned JRPG's....WITH MANY RANDOM ENCOUNTERS. Eternal Punishment and Innocent Sin are both more or less stand alone however....both have PSP releases and i believe both are in English, although the Fan translation of Innocent Sin on the PSX is excellent.

Persona 3 and 4 are unrelated to any of the other games and are not related to each other. P3 FES is PS2 only and fully finished the story in the game...the PSP release simplifies the games method of dealing with non dungeon exploration and adds a female main character as an alternative. All in all the PS2 version is better. Also NO RANDOM ENCOUNTERS. If you have a PS2 play P3 FES...if not the PSP version is fine, although i'd say less rewarding. (and naysayers, the AI is fine...)

P4 is Scooby Doo. Less interesting characters than P3, worse dungeon system, bizarrely worse encounter system (no idea how that happened) and just a bit blander. It has it's moments but for all it's refinements P3 feels better, and is certainly more grandiose. Golden is just a Vita release.

If you're going in cold on the PSP then start at either Eternal Punishment (old school) or P3 (fun, less old fashioned JRPGisms).
 

Gundam Eclipse

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Don't start at Eternal Punishment, start at Innocent Sin :V Eternal Punishment's JP version is out, but the localization hasn't happened yet.
For Persona series, go like so:
The first list is for, as it says, a complete experience. Second is old school style, 3rd is the newer games.
1. Complete experience:
SMT: Persona, PSP version. The very first Persona game, originally for the PSX, was remade for PSP. Gameplay wise I would say its the worst of the lot, but the story still manages to be interesting.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Better than the first Persona. Story is great, and gameplay more bearable.
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, while technically this could be played on its own, the experience is much more better after Innocent Sin, storywise. The US release of the PSP version hasn't happened yet.
Persona 3, FES if you have got a PS2 or the Portable version. The story is weaker, not bad, just a bit weaker than P2, but the gameplay is oh so much better.
Persona 4, if you have got a Vita, then get the Golden, dunno if its out in NA yet(the Golden that is). The Golden AFAIK has several additions, such as more social links and epilogues for the endings. Otherwise just play the original PS2 version, assuming you have a PS2. The story IMHO is on par with P3's. When it comes to tone, its happier than P3's.

2. Retro:
Persona
Persona 2 Innocent Sin
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment(When NA version comes)

3. New
Persona 3 FES or Persona 3 Portable.
Persona 4 the Golden if you have a Vita, or the original PS2 version if you don't have a Vita but have a PS2.

I have written this in a hurry, so its likely that it will confuse you, if so, tell me what you need clarified and I will attempt to do so :V
 

xist

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Don't start at Eternal Punishment, start at Innocent Sin :V Eternal Punishment's JP version is out, but the localization hasn't happened yet.

Which means fan translated PSX, which technically isn't currently available PSP....and whilst the translation is good and it's not exactly too difficult to convert to PSP, the way the two games are related means that either could be played. Plus EP is faster to play (due to animations being customisable to off) and slightly darker in tone...ultimately for an English speaker i'd say the EP is as good a place to start on the PSP than Tsumi/Innocent Sin...there's very little in it.


http://hardcoregaming101.net/megaten/megaten.htm
 

Gundam Eclipse

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Don't start at Eternal Punishment, start at Innocent Sin :V Eternal Punishment's JP version is out, but the localization hasn't happened yet.

Which means fan translated PSX, which technically isn't currently available PSP....and whilst the translation is good and it's not exactly too difficult to convert to PSP, the way the two games are related means that either could be played. Plus EP is faster to play (due to animations being customisable to off) and slightly darker in tone...ultimately for an English speaker i'd say the EP is as good a place to start on the PSP than Tsumi/Innocent Sin...there's very little in it.


http://hardcoregamin...ten/megaten.htm
Bit confused here, sorry if I misunderstood your post, please correct me if that's the case.
Innocent Sin's PSP version has already been localized, and Eternal Punishment's JP PSP version is out(Came out last May or June IIRC), only localization remains, which should hopefully come soon :V
Wouldn't it be better to just play Innocent Sin first, and then either play Eternal Punishment's PS1 already localized version, or wait for a localization of the PSP version? :V
Again, I am pretty sure I misunderstood something here, so correct me if so >>;
Also, can't access that site, 'tis blocked here :V
 

xist

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Bit confused here, sorry if I misunderstood your post, please correct me if that's the case.

Actually it's me.....i may have gone slightly mental as i own the PSX versions of EP and Tsumi and got lost in the localisation differences between the PSX and PSP (EP was localised, IS wasn't, now on the PSP it's EP which is lagging behind...). Given that i'm totally wrong when i thought EP was already out in English on the PSP of course IS is the only choice (EP came out on the PSP in May but it's still only in Japanese) However, bar a few references they're not essential games to play in sequence...

BUT, i'd still say play Persona 3 first to get a feel for the Demon recruitment and fusion system...

Sorry for the confusion Gundam Eclipse...my fault entirely...
 

Icealote

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Okay with you two conversating there, I completely lost the plot =.=

Correct me please. This is what I could understand from both your posts which I greatly appreciated!

Persona 1
Sin
Eternal
FES
Persona 3
and Persona 4 if I have a Vita?

My thought process on playing it in sequence is that I've read it kinda gets easier as you play the sequels? Is that right?

I'm not sure which Persona 2 game I got. I'll have to check my *cough* hard drive *cough*.
 

Gundam Eclipse

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There's no true order to the games, its almost like Final Fantasy with each game having its own plot with minor relations to each other.
At least that's the case for Persona 3 and 4, 1 and 2 have more connections and character relations with each other. In other words, in the end you can play them in any order, its up to you. I would still suggest following my post with lists, the first list if you want both the oldschool and new experience, or the other two lists if you only a specific experience.
Also, let me attempt to clarify your confusion regarding Persona 3 FES and Persona 4, hopefully I succeed >>;

Persona 3 originally came out for the PS2, and was then rereleased as Persona 3 FES, with an additional storyline called the Answer. After that came Persona 3 Portable, or P3P. However, P3P does NOT contain the Answer, in its place it contains a additional female main character with her own social links, and also improvements to the battle system.
Therefore, storywise Persona 3 FES is the most complete, while P3P contains the original Persona 3's story plus and additional perspective. This is why we recommend that you play Persona 3 FES if you have it, otherwise Persona 3 Portable is fine as well, though you will miss out on the Answer which is only in FES.

Persona 4 like P3 came out on PS2, however it very recently was rereleased on the Vita as Persona 4 the Golden, I am not sure if the english version of the Golden is out yet.
The Golden adds new things such as a new town, social links and epilogues for the endings in the games, its kind of the FES for Persona 4, kind of. Therefore, if you happen to have a Vita, its recommended to get Persona 4 the Golden instead of the original PS2 version. If you don't have a PS Vita however, just get the original Persona 4.

As for Persona 1 and 2, 1 is pretty much standalone, PSP version recommended as it has the complete story. Worst gameplay wise.
Persona 2 has some returning characters from Persona 1, but that's not a big deal, so you can play it well enough. Innocent Sin comes first, then Eternal Punishment.
Innocent Sin PSP has already been localized, so you can buy it, no word on Eternal Punishment's localization yet though, so you can either wait for a PSP localization, or you can play the original Playstation 1 version, its your call.

TL;DR
Play like this:
Persona 1 PSP
Persona 2 Innocent Sin PSP
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment PSP, once it gets localized
Persona 3 FES if you have a Playstation 2, or get Persona 3 Portable if you don't.
Persona 4 the Golden if you have a PS Vita, or Persona 4 if you don't.

I hope this helps, tried my best to explain stuff :C
 
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xist

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And if you want to dive into the Innocent Sin/Eternal Punishment combo asap you could always use the US PSX release of Eternal Punishment (which is about where i lost the plot up there....)
 

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I always been interested in the Persona's video games series, but I never had enough time to fully play them.
I wish one day I could do it.
I have them on PS1 and PS2 (with fan trad from Devil Hacker's team).

I don't know what relation they have with SMT main series, which I never played. both are about super natural power, ESP, etc.
I know persona is more about your inner self, and SMT about demons, right?


Valkyrie Profiles are also game I want to play someday.
Possibly in the chronological order.


Alundra 1 is more Action Adventure than RPG.
It was a good game (you enter people's dreams to heal them). It plays like Zelda/Landstalker.
Alundra 2 had a completely different feeling (gameplay wise) and I didn't play it yet.


Breath of Fire games are good, but I played and completed only the first one.

Hingdom Heart BBS is the prequel to the story. There are 3 characters (3 different stories). I completed only the first one, the last boss was hard as I didn't do any side story things (mixing/creating items/skills/etc.)
At least, that game you can see your equipement change ;)


You have games I don't even know in your list.
I should check what they looks like :P
 

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Hm... there are quite a few good RPGs that are on the PSP. I'll state my favourites (that aren't on your list) here then.
Xenogears (it has quite a few flaws, btu the game is quite good despite them)
Chrono Cross (good story, bad characters)
Wild Arms XF (the game is hard, but it has a good story)
Disgaea (the huge amount of damage you and enemies can deal are quite annoying, but I like the humour in this game)
I can't think of many more at the moment.
 

Icealote

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There's no true order to the games, its almost like Final Fantasy with each game having its own plot with minor relations to each other.
At least that's the case for Persona 3 and 4, 1 and 2 have more connections and character relations with each other. In other words, in the end you can play them in any order, its up to you. I would still suggest following my post with lists, the first list if you want both the oldschool and new experience, or the other two lists if you only a specific experience.
Also, let me attempt to clarify your confusion regarding Persona 3 FES and Persona 4, hopefully I succeed >>;

Persona 3 originally came out for the PS2, and was then rereleased as Persona 3 FES, with an additional storyline called the Answer. After that came Persona 3 Portable, or P3P. However, P3P does NOT contain the Answer, in its place it contains a additional female main character with her own social links, and also improvements to the battle system.
Therefore, storywise Persona 3 FES is the most complete, while P3P contains the original Persona 3's story plus and additional perspective. This is why we recommend that you play Persona 3 FES if you have it, otherwise Persona 3 Portable is fine as well, though you will miss out on the Answer which is only in FES.

Persona 4 like P3 came out on PS2, however it very recently was rereleased on the Vita as Persona 4 the Golden, I am not sure if the english version of the Golden is out yet.
The Golden adds new things such as a new town, social links and epilogues for the endings in the games, its kind of the FES for Persona 4, kind of. Therefore, if you happen to have a Vita, its recommended to get Persona 4 the Golden instead of the original PS2 version. If you don't have a PS Vita however, just get the original Persona 4.

As for Persona 1 and 2, 1 is pretty much standalone, PSP version recommended as it has the complete story. Worst gameplay wise.
Persona 2 has some returning characters from Persona 1, but that's not a big deal, so you can play it well enough. Innocent Sin comes first, then Eternal Punishment.
Innocent Sin PSP has already been localized, so you can buy it, no word on Eternal Punishment's localization yet though, so you can either wait for a PSP localization, or you can play the original Playstation 1 version, its your call.

TL;DR
Play like this:
Persona 1 PSP
Persona 2 Innocent Sin PSP
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment PSP, once it gets localized
Persona 3 FES if you have a Playstation 2, or get Persona 3 Portable if you don't.
Persona 4 the Golden if you have a PS Vita, or Persona 4 if you don't.

I hope this helps, tried my best to explain stuff :C

Yes that explains it well for me to understand. Thank you very much for that!

Hmm well I just checked my memory card. It appears I already have the Persona 1, Sin, P3P. Unfortunately I dont have a PS2 (or any other home consoles which makes me a sad bear) so crap! Looks like I'll have to skip the Answer part. I'll get a Vita maybe end of the year or next which depends how eager my debit card is lol

@xist Yep sure I'll get into getting the PSX version then!

I always been interested in the Persona's video games series, but I never had enough time to fully play them.
I wish one day I could do it.
I have them on PS1 and PS2 (with fan trad from Devil Hacker's team).

I don't know what relation they have with SMT main series, which I never played. both are about super natural power, ESP, etc.
I know persona is more about your inner self, and SMT about demons, right?


Valkyrie Profiles are also game I want to play someday.
Possibly in the chronological order.


Alundra 1 is more Action Adventure than RPG.
It was a good game (you enter people's dreams to heal them). It plays like Zelda/Landstalker.
Alundra 2 had a completely different feeling (gameplay wise) and I didn't play it yet.


Breath of Fire games are good, but I played and completed only the first one.

Hingdom Heart BBS is the prequel to the story. There are 3 characters (3 different stories). I completed only the first one, the last boss was hard as I didn't do any side story things (mixing/creating items/skills/etc.)
At least, that game you can see your equipement change ;)


You have games I don't even know in your list.
I should check what they looks like :P

Awesome thanks Cyan lol Yeah I remember playing Alundra when I was much younger and its atmosphere was amazing. Mainly the fact it was so interesting that you couldn't hit or kill anything besides stealing stuff til you get to a village lol
Thanks for confirming about equipment change on KH BBS. I know that game gets a lot of flak but I want to try it first.

Wish there were more games with equipment changes >.<


By the way, why are Sin and EP separated? Are they connected since they share the Persona 2 title? Or its like a spinoff or something?

Wait... I can't find an Persona 4 iso to work on PSP?
 

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