J/RPG Recommendations?

I finally decided to pull the trigger on a new console purchase and over the last couple of days my playstation super slim, copy of demon's souls and copy of ico/shadow of the colossus arrived. I think I'm going to order the god of war saga as well. I usually game only on PC (plus a bit on my SNES and 3DS and I used to own a 360) and haven't played many JRPG's as I usually prefer games that are more mechanically focussed, but now I own a PS3 there are lots of games of a type I've not played much available to me so I want to try one or two. Can anyone help with some recommendations for really great PS3 JRPGs? I would prefer one with interesting combat mechanics.. so not just select attack from menu.. watch attack, even if strategy is involved. What I really want is lots of interesting mechanics such as the timing based attacks in the stick of truth, etc., I also want a good story and I don't want unnecessary grinding or anything too repetitive. And I tend to get bored watching cutscenes so would prefer if they are good enough to want to watch/not too cutscene heavy. Am I asking too much? Does something like this exist?

Alternatively any non JRPG games you would consider great that I would've missed. I'm really only interested in the very best games that you would describe with words such as truly great, epic or masterpiece since I'm revisiting older games and have a beast PC and a very long list of games on steam and 3DS I own and want to play.

Resonance of Fate sounds like it would be right up your alley.

I dont know if this is what you are looking for, but as a child I played Breath of Fire III obsessively on the Playstation. There was a period of time post final fantasy 8 where there was NOTHING for a poor lad with no money in the middle of nowhere to play. A gift of a bunch of games from a cousin led me to this gem.

Honestly, it's the best JRPG I have ever played outside of the Final Fantasy series, and it still holds up. There is a serious amount of depth in the combat that I only appreciated when I got older.

Not sure if it's on PSN in any form, but Chrono Trigger is held up by many as the greatest JRPG of all time.

Mother 3 seems to fit your specifications. It has a rhythm-based combat system. It is also a pretty great game overall. It's not a PS3 game though.

Holy crap, all Breath of Fire games look the same. I've only ever played Breath of Fire IV, but I had to look that up and make sure I wasn't mistaking it for this game.

How about Eternal Sonata and Valkyria Chronicles?

Eternal Sonata had some cool combat. Resonance of Fate was mentioned, and I enjoyed the mechanics there a great bit.

Vagrant Story.

For PC you should try The Last Remnant.

Disgaea, maybe? It's an RPG/Turn-Based-Strategy series. I've only played the first and second one, but I enjoyed them a lot.

I've heard quite a few complaints about the story in that one. Is the combat good enough to motivate you to the end?

Whatever you do DON'T PLAY 3, it's a soul sucking lifeless husk of a game. 4 is fantastic though.

Nobody has said Persona or Shin Megami Tensei yet. Persona 4 is the best of them but Persona 3, SMT3 Nocturne, SMT4 and Devil Summoner are all great.

@splodge: I would pay $60 to play BoF 3 again, sadly it seems they will never port it to a PSN, Steam, or any other digital medium at all.

This doesn't fit your criteria in regard to the combat but Persona 3 FES and Persona 4 are downloadable on PSN and those are the two best RPGS I've ever played in my life. Many people here would agree those two are incredible games.

You'd be making a mistake to pass them up just because it's turn based combat.

@aegon: The story is okay/standard JRPG fare, the combat is super interesting though rather deceptive in its design. The PC version is vastly superior to the 360 one.

JRPGs

• Final Fantasy XIII
• Final Fantasy XIII-2
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
• Valkyria Chronicles

Other mechanics-focused PS3 games

• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Batman: Arkham City
• Bayonetta
• Darksiders
• DmC Devil May Cry
• inFamous
• inFamous 2
• The Last of Us
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
• Resident Evil 5
• Vanquish

Tale of Graces F is pretty good. The combat is pretty fun and can be challenging on higher difficulties. The story is so-so but I like the characters. Everything out of Pascal's mouth is gold.

Thanks for the recommendations.. Good point about Eternal Sonata, I played that on 360 in 07/08 and never finished it so I might try that again. I remember thinking it was very polished and impressive compared to other games I was playing at the time. Persona 3/4/Disgaea/Valkyria Chronicles seem like they're worth investigating more. Could I jump in to Persona 4 without knowing much about the storyline? It's tempting to give it a try because of all the reviews but what I;ve read about the story puts me off more than anything. RoF looks interesting but mixed reviews, I might watch some YT videos. Sadly I have to be very selective, I wish I had more time. I don't know what to think about Final Fantasy, especially XIII (I've never played a FF game). People say they're the best JRPGs ever and that they're terrible. Brads review doesn't fill me with confidence. A brief scan of reviews tells me I should maybe try FF X/X-2 remaster as my first FF?

I think I've spent more time researching which games I want to play than actually playing games the last few months. It's hard to find games that really pull me in to their world in an addicting way like games used to.

I might have to look into alternative methods for playing BoF3.

Starvinggamer your mechanics list is polarising for me. I got bored or frustrated with and gave up on arkham city, darksiders, dmc and I loved bayonetta (and NG1/2 even more). I think I would like vanquish but I've played a lot of that style of game in the past and just recently so need a break. I'm not going to touch the last of us because it would really hurt to play game like that at 30fps knowing a better version is available regardless of me having no plans to buy a PS4. I've been spoiled by owning a very powerful PC and 120Hz monitor.

@ianh83: The persona games are fairly dull combat wise. It's the story that you're playing them for. You can jump straight into P4. It takes a little while to get going though. There's a lot of exposition to get out of the way.

Valkyria Chronicles is an excellent choice. Mechanically not very many other games do what it does. The artwork is timeless. There are a bunch of story sequences, both cutscene and visual novel style, between each battle, but they aren't that long if I remember correctly. Some are even optional.

I would not play FFXIII as your first FF game. Maybe as your fifth or sixth one. Each one is unique and different, which is why it's very easy for fans to argue about which one is the best. Personally I'd say XII is the best but that's not an option for you. I guess I'd go with either VII or X if I were you, then try some of the 2D ones afterwards.

Persona 4 and Valkyria Chronicles hold spots in my top 5 all time games, so of course I'd recommend them despite knowing that they have problems.

@ianh83: FFX and X-2 are great games. It's the first FF where the mechanics really began to shine. The graphics and VO will feel a bit dated, so that may or may not end up working for you. You're actually better suited for playing FFXIII than most people, I'd imagine, as you wouldn't have all the baggage of wanting it to be just like older games in the series. It has, in my opinion, the best combat system of any rpg I've played. It has tons of room for min/max obsessiveness and is flexible enough to let you beat enemies significantly stronger than you if you're good enough. XIII-2 is a much more open game, but it just kind of drops you in both mechanically and narratively, so it may be too bewildering a place to start. Lightning Returns has an entirely different a wholly unique combat system that is worth experiencing, although the game can feel a bit meandering and unfocused.

As for the rest of it, Revengeance isn't going to blow your mind (OK, the crazy story might), but the strong focus on parrying is something relatively unique to the genre that gives the game a unique feel. I'm pretty sure you haven't played anything like Vanquish recently, it's hard to think of any other shooters where you should be spending a majority of your time rocketing around the battlefield and any cover you see is really just a trap. The inFamous games just have solid action and traversal and dole out new powers at a fantastically tuned carrot-on-a-stick rate. RE5 is a weird one. If you can approach the gameplay on its own terms and not expect it to be something it isn't, it can be immensely satisfying with the push and pull of managing your environment and enemies within the limitations of your own mobility. It's one of the few games I have beaten then immediately started playing again because it was so much fun.

@ianh83: FF X/X-2 are my two my favorite FF games and the remaster is awesome, but if you don't want something cutscene heavy, then the first 10ish or so hours of FFX might drive you insane. I think the story and characters are great and are totally worth watching...but there's a lot. So just be warned if you decide to go with that.

Persona games are like FF games in that they're self-contained stories. They do take place in the same universe, but aren't continuations of each other. So, yeah, Persona 4 is very accessible. I personally favour Persona 3 over 4, but 4 is an absolutely great game too so you can't go wrong with that.

@ianh83: FF games sort of the Rorschach for the JRPG crowd. For example, I have a history of liking every other single player FF that comes out. I loved VII, hated VIII, loved IX, hated X, loved XII, hated XIII. Needless to say, I have high hopes for XV.

Unfortunately, I don't think any of the the ones I'd recommend are in the PS3 era. Provided you aren't opposed to anime-style characters, then I'd go with either Eternal Sonata or Tales of Vesperia. Eternal Sonata has the single-wierdest story concept I've ever come across and the combat is a little slower/more strategic than Tales. Tales combat plays a bit more like a fighting-game lite, with specific button combinations for moves and such, but I had a blast playing it.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope has a very good active battle system, and exploration aspect, as well as an interesting premise, and good story.

Digital Devil Saga and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner are both PS2 classics on the store, I believe. Devil Summoner's combat is a bit clunky as far as action-RPGs go--also pretty high encounter rate. Digital Devil Saga will probably require a little grinding here and there, but it also has a high encounter rate so it's never a big deal if you fight all the battles you come across. It is, however, a completely turn-based game with no action commands/timed hits. The stories of both are interesting and don't have a big focus on cutscenes (fair amount of dialogue boxes though).

I agree with the Resonance of Fate recommendation: mechanics-heavy, character-focused story. I found it pretty solid, and had a lot of fun playing it.

Eternal Sonata has good, interesting combat and a cool story.

As far as FF goes, I would go for FF9 on the store (PS Classic) over FFX/X-2. It captures the essence of what Final Fantasy was pre-7, so you understand why people liked the series, has a solid story that generally doesn't take control away from you for too long at a time (but it can and will at times), and a great cast, but the battle system doesn't have anything in the way of timed hits. It's supposedly Sakaguchi's (the father of FF) favorite FF game, and it's definitely mine. FFX, on the other hand, is pretty cutscene heavy (unskippable, btw) and was also the first to feature voice acting and it shows. FFX has little in the way of combat mechanics that you're interested in (I think it's just in the Overdrives that can be used when a "rage" meter fills over the course of a handful of battles), since FFX is a turn-based game like 9 (although 9 is ATB-driven, so your characters can take their turn as soon as a meter fills, and every character/enemy has a meter that fills at different rates (and as long as two characters have their turns ready, you can choose who goes first).

Edit: Of course, I can't forget Tales of Vesperia. That game's a pretty awesome action-RPG. The plots in Tales games aren't the most clever ever, but people come to those games for the characters who are generally likable and well-developed.

A lot of people seem to really like Nier (a more action oriented JRPG), so it might be worth checking out. I loved anything that Working Designs got their hands on, way back when, such as the Lunar and Arc the Lad (available as a PSone Classic) series; although those are more turn-based and less actiony. If you liked Ico, then I would say at least take a look at Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. I ended up liking that game more than I probably should have.

I've only just started Ico and it's drawing me in. I get the same kind of feeling I get from dark souls, i.e., the world feels like it has been sculpted with love and talent, time has been taken over the details and it's a pleasure to take time exploring.

Lot's of research to do. I've placed a bid on ebay for copies of resonance of fate and eternal sonata.

@jeust Star ocean looks really interesting. Really hard to tell what the combat is like from a gameplay video but I like the look and the story sounds good.

You say you have a PC right? Try these:

• Xenosaga (Played on the Dolphin EMulator using a purchased Disk), its a badass RPG and this is by far the best version of the experience. Modders have even given the UI an update to accomodate HD resolutions and Xbox controller prompts.
• Legend of the Heroes: Trails in the Sky - This is a recently released JRPG on Steam and it is one of the better JRPG's since the PSX era

PS3 JRPG's

• Get copies of Suikoden 1+2 on ebay or something, those games are legitimte contenders for the best examples of the genre. Suikoden II is certainly a top 5.
• Disgaea 4 has more content than any game ever, it is just the game that never ends.
• Tales of Vesperia is kinda like Disgaea only a lot more approachable due to its third-person shooting mechanics. I thought that the battles took too long, making grinding even more repetitive than usual, but people love this game.

@ianh83: Go through all of the classic PS1-era Final Fantasy's. Maybe skip 8, I never gave a crap about that one. If you're looking for something more modern, get Child of Light. It's absolutely stunning visually and audibly, but don't expect too much from the story or characters. It's a good way to waste 10 hours and has an interesting, if sometimes frustrating tactical battle system.

Aside from that, there's Eternal Sonata and FFXIII, though I eventually stopped playing both of those from lack of interest.

Best JRPG's were on the PS1 era, my friends. It hurts to say it but they're a dying breed.

The combat was one of my favorite parts of Persona 4, I don't know what game some of you played.

@ianh83: I can't think of many games like vanquish. Yeah it's a third person shooter, but man the sense of speed is damn surreal and a great twist on that style of game. Also, speaking of Mikami games God Hand (I think this is the 2nd day in a row I've recommended this game to someone lol) is a great, challenging beat em up that I highly, HIGHLY recommend ($10 on psn).

Valkyria Chronicles is probably as good as you are gonna get. Can honestly not think of much else that has both a decent non-menu combat system and a good story without relying too much on cutscenes. Maybe a Tales game, I enjoyed Xillia a lot, though I dunno if I'd recommend it to you specifically.

I think only one person ITT said they weren't into Persona 4 combat.

I'm into it. Of course I'm still expecting them to significantly improve on it in 5.