Gaming World Forums
General Category => Entertainment and Media => Topic started by: Rone Rivendale on August 09, 2009, 10:45:39 pm
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My best friend is a gamer but he has never been able to get into RPGs. He plays puzzle games and action games as long as they don't have too many buttons. He told me he wants to get into RPGs but he wants a sort of 'starter' RPG to help him get into it.
So what is an easy RPG that doesn't involve alot of reading, or alot of extras? He has a short attention span so Final Fantasy type stuff is just going to put him to sleep.
He has a PS2, a DS, a Wii, and a SNES.
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POkemon. :welp:
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FF7 is where it started for me but I have seen many a friend get tired and sack off the reactor scenes to begin. RPGs require patience as a genre, it's pretty fundamental so you may be fighting a losing battle here mate.
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Perhaps he should play an Action RPG like Diablo 2 or Titan Quest.
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I've seen many people pick up Oblivion or Fallout 3 whereas they'd never touch a Final Fantasy. A fan of FPS could pick it up and not really have to worry too much about stats and number values.
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Puzzle Quest for the DS seems to be a good mix of what he wants. I think he would enjoy it.
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How far back is your friend willing to go? If he's willing to play an SNES RPG, he might like Live a Live since it's a collection of smaller stories that play relatively differently. It's not that difficult, it's one of the best SNES games, and it's pretty easy to get into because he can pick whichever scenario he's most interested in first. If you can't coerce him to play it, just tell him it was made by the same company that made Final Fantasy.
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Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario are pretty good and simple starters. If he can't deal with that, I don't think he can cut it with any other RPG.
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Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario are pretty good and simple starters. If he can't deal with that, I don't think he can cut it with any other RPG.
Super mario RPG maybe, but I wouldn't say paper mario would be something that I would recommend. I've only played the first one that was for the N64, but I thought the plot was terrible (Even more so than your regular run of the mill mario plot line), and while I realize that this isn't an important aspect of an RPG that uses Mario as the protagonist (the fact that a story exists is irrelevant anyways), but for somebody who is starting out, this may not be the best thing. Also, I never at all liked the battle system of Paper Mario. The timed hits thing can be fun, but SMRPG did it so much better, and it wasn't as annoying or as bulky/slow as it was in Paper Mario. Also SMRPG doesn't have characters that are made of fucking paper
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Don't listen to ATARI, the plot/gameplay/music/writing in Paper Mario 1 and especially 2 are amazing
what a heathen that atari
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Yeah, the Paper Mario games are great, and so are the Mario & Luigi games.
I can hardly play Super Mario RPG anymore. It was great when I first played it, but it feels so dated in pretty much every respect now.
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super mario rpg, for sure.
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I had a lot of fun with Paper Mario, and it was one of the first RPG's I ever beat. The guy's looking for a game that's light on the reading, plus the characters are recognizable, so you're not trying to learn the funky names of 17 different J-RPG characters.
The game is also light on the equipment and special attacks. You're not overwhelmed with learning the mechanics of 10 different spells, plus weapons and armor all at once. The math is pretty simple, too, you can get hit by a certain attack and know for certain whether you live or die.
Another thing, the maps are a lot less bland than most RPG's, letting you jump around and interact with all kinds of things.
So basically, the perfect segway into RPG's. Like RPG's for babies.
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Wait I don't understand.
Your brother is trying to force himself to like RPGs? I don't think this cockamamie scheme will work at all...
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He plays puzzle games and action games as long as they don't have too many buttons.
Is he like missing a hand or something?
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Yeah I don't get the "too many buttons" comment either...
Now I'm not to into the hardcore turn based RPGs myself, but I love Action RPGs. and non-RPG games that HAVE RPG elements. like Bioshock and Stalker: SoC. he could always ease himself into RPG through games with light RPG elements.
Random note: the only Turn-based RPG that I REALLY LIKED was Vandal Hearts... and that game was technically a tactical turn based RPG, where character positions actually matter, and thus it actually seems like a battle, rather then 2 groups of people just taking turns punching each other.
EDIT: I Take that back, I loved Earthbound, and the SNES Mario RPG. but that has been about it. I played a little Chrono Cross and it was ok, but I don't think I'll ever bother to beat it.
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I totally agree with all sentiments expressed about the Paper Mario series for this purpose - except those by Checkov and shit!!!
I got my partner into RPGs THROUGH Paper Mario 2. Initially it was a case of "THIS LOOKS LAME YOU JUST TAKE TURNS TO HIT EACH OTHER!??!" which, through playing that game, developed into an 18 month obsession with Final Fantasy 12. He's even progressed onto CRPGs now like Baldur's Gate.
I've always described it as a brilliant MYFIRSTRPG!!! To teach someone the basics without overwhelming them with stats and shit, Paper Mario is the way to go.
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Wait I don't understand.
Your brother is trying to force himself to like RPGs? I don't think this cockamamie scheme will work at all...
Yeah really. This is exactly what I was thinking. So what if he doesn't like RPGs? He doesn't HAVE to.
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He told me he wants to get into RPGs but he wants a sort of 'starter' RPG to help him get into it.
Also, I didn't see the game systems you mentioned he has available. I'll try and think of something in that range.
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If Only he had a Sega I would Recommend Phantasy star 2 (Since that the frist RPG I played and loved) but FF7 is a good one too.(Just tell him to stay away from Aeris she sucks and in the end is not worth it. BTW I never used her that much since I already evaluate she sucks. Anytime I used her she was more of a place holder so when she die I was like there gose one useless character.)
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Yes, I know he said he wants to get into RPGs. But he also has a short attention span. I don't really know if RPGs are for him!
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I was the same way, though. I remember DLing random SNES roms, trying FF5 and 6 and turning it off when I realized it was turn-based battles. Then I ended up hearing how badass these games were supposed to be, and toughed it out the first hour or so before I really got into the gameplay, plot, and overall quirks of J-RPGs.
Now I'm finally into that Fallout/Baldur's Gate phase. Open-ended, more serious games with great character creation. One day I might be rolling D20's with the big boys.
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Baldur's Gate totally rocks. My only upset is that they haven't been able to produce a game on that level of brilliance with 3rd or 3.5 edition rules.
ToEE, NWN & NWN2 DO NOT COMPARE!!!
To be fair though, every D&D game I played before BG sucked a whole lot of leper's asshole. Especially BIRTHRIGHT THE GORGON'S ALLIANCE.
Oh yeah - it IS possible to force yourself to like RPGs, if you're only put off because of concepts like "taking turns to hit each other" and "hey where the fuck are the guns!!!"
A person who is really into videogaming is no different to a movie buff or a lover of literature. I consider myself all three. I dislike FPS games and sports games, romantic or action movies, and victorian literature (fuck you Dickens). I still partake of those genres though, just in case some jump out and do actually appeal. Most don't, and piss me off royally, but you never know. Like if I flat out said "I DON'T PLAY FPS GAMES" then I'd have never played Doom or Return to Castle Wolfenstein (which I loved).
I guess I'm saying "DUDE YOU WILL MISS OUT ON FF7 IF YOU DON'T LIKE RPGS!!!!".
What a rambling nonsensical post!
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I got into RPGs by playing the original Dragon Warrior on the NES. Try that.
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I would suggest Secret of Mana on the SNES? The plot is the classic "go here" "now go here" DW style and it has hack n' slash battles and what not, very entertaining.
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Is he like missing a hand or something?
He gets frustrated when he has to learn a bunch of buttons. He is a highly intelligent guy but he has a couple of learning disabilities. Like dislexia and adhd type stuff.
I'll suggest he get one of the Paper Mario games. Thanks.
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I would suggest Secret of Mana on the SNES? The plot is the classic "go here" "now go here" DW style and it has hack n' slash battles and what not, very entertaining.
I found this game tormenting. I'd forget what the hell I was fetching, or for who, and spent hours wandering around. Plus, there would be so many caves/dungeons where you could demolish the monsters, and then have your ass handed to you 100 times by the boss at the end. The menu scheme really fucked with me, too.
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Mother 3 is a good place to start. It has it's moments but overall it's very possible to breeze through it without getting too worked up about the battles and whatnot. It's also a fantastic game that doesn't require any knowledge of the past games... though I would suggest playing Mother 2/ Earthbound first regardless.
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Make your own RPG for him with rm2k. Tailor it specifically to his likes.
Then the indoctrination will be complete....
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Barkley
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Persona
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I found this game tormenting. I'd forget what the hell I was fetching, or for who, and spent hours wandering around. Plus, there would be so many caves/dungeons where you could demolish the monsters, and then have your ass handed to you 100 times by the boss at the end. The menu scheme really fucked with me, too.
I suppose it seems easier to me. To be honest, the Mother 3 suggestion was nice. Mother 3 is sort of baby's first RPG. :welp:
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Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Mother 3 too. That was a pretty good suggestion.
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Mother seems like something one wouldn't really "get" if they'd never played a J-RPG before. I know I'm being the naysayer in this topic, but I'm trying to put myself in the shoes of one who has never played an RPG before. A lot of the great things in the Earthbound series builds off of knowledge of previous J-RPGs. To an outsider, it might seem pretty ridiculous.
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if this guy is familiar enough with rpgs to know that he dislikes them, he's probably familiar with the tropes that mother parodies.
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Not only that, but Mother 3 has many, many references to pop culture. More so than it plays the LOL JRPG card, imo.
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I think Neverwinter Nights (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Kf0RRYhC8), Secret of Mana (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z78Gg9d0JP4), Final Fantasy Mystiq Quest, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUmii0lpOEU), Silver (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwYX1DPDrdc), Hexplore (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRqsdSNlthU) or Diablo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eCGFVWHgFw) would be good as far as basic RPGs go.
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Golden Sun for GBA, pretty easy and fun too.
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fable is a really good rpg
i'd never played a real jrpg before mother 3 and i thought it was delightful.
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Persona
persona is the worst starter. persona 2 is fucking hard and required a good amount of boring grinding
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Dink. Smallwood.
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Fallout 1 and 2 and tactics….. And if you must 3.
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Fallout 1 and 2 and tactics….. And if you must 3.
I heard Fallout Tactics was complete garbage :s
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I heard Fallout Tactics was complete garbage :s
I sort of liked it but yeah, it was way too boring and linear. It was like Fallout 1 and 2 reduced to a shooter, but still using the same combat system.
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Chrono Trigger.
Shit, this. It's fun, it's straightforward, it's got excellent visuals in and out of combat, and it's got a great soundtrack. I know someone who didn't like RPGs at all and played Chrono Trigger top to bottom pretty much without putting it down.
I'd also recommend the Golden Sun games. I really enjoyed them, plus they have a lot more focus on advancing through the game then they do on grinding.
Earthbound is also a really good game. I haven't tried Mother 3, but Earthbound is an amazing game and really tailored for people who don't like grinding. It has touch battles, and you don't even have to fight weak enemies! Plus, it doesn't take itself seriously.
My first RPG was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I had the map up on my wall and everything. After that, everything just seemed better and better!
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I heard Fallout Tactics was complete garbage :s
It's Sort of true I would not call it garbage but it was not good as 1 & 2.... but it dose play the same except with less humor so I figured to include it.
BTW tactics isn't that bad when you compare it to it's console version.(witch is true garbage... and maybe thats why you heard it was "garbage")
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My first RPG was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I had the map up on my wall and everything. After that, everything just seemed better and better!
everyone dogs on this game but it really had a rockin' soundtrack
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everyone dogs on this game but it really had a rockin' soundtrack
Everyone says that!
I really enjoyed it. I was really young when I played it (like, nine or ten) so the puzzles were challenging and fun. The battle system was kind of silly but I was mostly impressed by the puzzles and how you could avoid certain monsters and stuff. When you got the hook claw I was so juiced.
It was one of the first games I had played that had secrets and stuff in it so I was really impressed! It looked like an NES game but I still liked it a lot.
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Chrono Trigger.
This is probably the best suggestion of the bunch.
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My first RPG was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I had the map up on my wall and everything. After that, everything just seemed better and better!
This is what I'd suggest.
It's relatively short, easy, fun, and uses some minor puzzle solving. Definitely a good beginner's RPG.
Paper Mario is a good choice as well; though I seem to be in the minority in thinking that the first one is far superior (there were two or three chapters in the second one which I just found to be mind-numbingly boring, especially the forest one and the train one). It's also pretty simple, and easy to figure out (other than maybe the entrance to the cloud level; I had so much trouble figuring that out when I was a kid).
Either of those would be a good way to go.
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Jagged Alliance 2, amazing game I only play it to test out my tactics and going taking on a whole army of mercenaries with my night ops and stealth guy is really enjoyable.
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Jagged Alliance 2, amazing game I only play it to test out my tactics and going taking on a whole army of mercenaries with my night ops and stealth guy is really enjoyable.
What the hell. No doubt this game is really good, but extremely complex and confusing to get into.
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Oh, right I thought he meant what RPG to start with... In that case he should play Riviera, that is one simple RPG game.
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I'd say Zelda games would probably be a good starter for your friend.
Edit: Oh, and I forgot about Terranigma.
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I can see him getting very frustrated with Terranigma. I don't see how it's even possible to play it without a walkthrough. Don't get me wrong, it's not a hard game, but there are some points in the game where the next step is so obscure and easy to miss that you can run around in circles for hours trying to figure out what to do without making any progress at all which can easily turn anyone off from playing it.
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Shining Force or Chrono Trigger
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your friend should play ff7 it's what got me into games before I played that I was only a casual gamer.1st reason is because it's not too hard and 2nd you can win most battles by mashing attack.
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your friend should play ff7 it's what got me into games before I played that I was only a casual gamer.1st reason is because it's not too hard and 2nd you can win most battles by mashing attack.
I tried playing FF7 like five times and I never really got into it. I'd say it's a pretty bad suggestion. The graphics are pretty much as bad as 3D graphics can be, which was fine at the time (sort of, I never thought so) but isn't really appealing these days. People can accept 2D graphics (I love 'em, myself) but when they hear "3D" they want something at least halfway decent looking.
Plus, it's very hit or miss. Like I said, I really never got into it for no real reason (that or 8). I just... didn't have a desire to play it after a short while.
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As far as turn based games are concerned Id go with Suikoden.
Its pretty short (about 20 hours) and not too difficult. It has a lot of charm and a fairly involving while not too confusing story.
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Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario are pretty good and simple starters. If he can't deal with that, I don't think he can cut it with any other RPG.
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Soul Blazer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_Blazer) is a great action RPG and it's what gave me my love of RPGS. On snes
Also Final Fantasy mystic Quest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystic_Quest) is a simplified role-playing game...designed for the entry-level player made by square, also snes.
Alundra 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alundra_2) PSX is also recommended, if he's prepared to emulate it on pc.