@efesell: Thanks! Trails in the Sky comes in 3 parts, correct? Would I need to play all 3 to get the full picture, or are they fairly standalone?
@slag: I never had a Dreamcast, and the Cube port of Skies of Arcadia eluded me in the day, and seems pretty rare/expensive now. So there would be some extra hurdles to this one. Sounds like you enjoyed the tone/setting of the game- did the combat and/or story stand out to you?
The only "Xeno" game I tried was the first Xenoblade Chronicles, and could not get into the combat (which was the majority of that game). Any idea if Xenogears' combat is similar? Sounds like the story is really the draw for that one though.
What do you like about Valkyrie Profile? And thanks for your other feedback, and pointing to other experts! :)
@zombiepie: Oh lord have I, for better or worse ;) Just finished 15, which keeps my streak alive of playing all the "main" numbered single player entries in tact. In fact, playing so many games like that is why I feel the need to gather more information on other RPGs, particularly of the "J" variety. There's a lot of them that are well loved, and that accounts for a lot of hours... hard to parse.
@thatpinguino: Thanks! That's one thing I'm trying to suss out here, it sounds like the gameplay of Lost Odyssey is traditional, which is something I've experienced a lot over the years. Grinding through long, standard-ish JRPG combat loses its shine after a while ;) It sounds like the story hooks are the big draw on this one. I'm sure it's long, but would you say it's longer than average? And does it get very repetitive and/or grindy with the combat?
@sparky_buzzsaw: I did enjoy Symphonia quite a bit when I played it (around release). But it's also very long (as most of these are), and I don't know how worth it would be to keep playing the series if it's mostly more of the same, as I always assumed it is. This is one of those things that I'd definitely do with ample time... which I never have close to enough of course ;) It sounds like Vesperia is very similar mechanically, with the characters as a highlight, and above Symphonia in your view.
How similar is Ogre Battle 64 to the Tactics Ogre games? I've always assumed they're mostly the same mechanically, but don't really know. As for Disgaea, that's another series I've had my eye on. Any thoughts on where to jump in if I only try one of those? I feel like they made a bigger splash with the earlier ones, but the newer ones perhaps make smart modern adjustments?
Thanks for the rest of your feedback Sparky, very helpful!
@dr_monocle: Thanks! Do you think Lunar would hold up pretty well today? Might be tough to call, but your best estimate is appreciated :)
@lawgamer: Can you put a finger on what Vesperia did for you that Zesteria and Berseria didn't? Just curious!
@monetarydread: You may totally be right that I won't enjoy any of these today. But I've liked the genre enough over the years to feel the need to at least perform my due diligence ;) I appreciate the feedback though! (made me chuckle too) I get the impression you think a lot of these were novel at the time for fairly specific reasons, and may not hold up too much today, with a few exceptions. All good to know.
@mrslaphappy: Thanks for the feedback! I'm not a MGS guy, so the comparison falls a little for me (though I get it ;) ). But Xenogears is getting enough praise that I might just have to find out for myself someday. It sounds like Dark Cloud 2 may be very long and grindy? That's perhaps my biggest worry with most of these games (if not the genre at large). I've played FFT and some of the Tactics Ogre games, so it sounds like the consensus is that Ogre Battle 64 may not be worth it unless I just really, really want more of that style. And I don't if it doesn't do much different- despite liking those games, I have limits. But these are the reasons I want that feedback, much appreciated!
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