Ever an RPG better than Grandia II?

[replicashooter]

Come on, get to it.

My sisters... I am ready. I have Mister Ryudo to thank for bringing me here safely.

Not even a ding or a scratch on her. Now, I don't suppose you'll tell me what this is all about...

Please, wait outside until we have finished the ceremony. When it is concluded, you will escort Elena back to the Church.

How long you ladies going to take?

It will take some time. This is all I may say. One more thing - Do not enter the Tower under any circumstances. The ceremony must not be disturbed by your kind...er, you.

"My kind." Right. I'll just sit over here and think filthy, unclean thoughts, then.

The combination of an acerbic script, characters that ooze personality and quite simply the best battle system ever sprinkled with overworld enemies you can see (yay, no randoms) have lead me to believe that this is simply one of the best RPG experiences ever.

I could never get away with FFVII on the PSX and suchlike and when this came along it ticked all the right boxes (see above) and now I feel like playing something similar. Can you good folk recommend anything that I may enjoy, preferably on an older platform as my console collection stops at Wii (so no 360, PS3 etc..), that is of a similar vein?

Thanks

[nakamura]

Grandia 2 disappointed me big time. The terrible characters and story blighted a wonderful battle system.
The third game is poor too. Had it not been one of the few DC RPG's, it would be forgotten.

The first game is a complete masterpiece. Completely different in tone and feel to Final Fantasy and it worked beautifully.

Ryudo and co were just annoying. I remember eagerly awaiting this and being crushed. Thank heavens for Skies!!

As for similar. Well Persona 3-4 have awesome scripts and no random battles. Chrono Cross also. None have the battle system like Grandia which really is fantastic.

Edit: Going to acquire Grandia 2 again to see if I will ever like it!

[replicashooter]

I'd never played the first one, I may just play that now instead seeing as you rate it so highly.

Never been into RPGs due to the irritating as heck random battles and Grandia II on DC was a surprise and a half - deffo in my top 10 of games. As a matter of fact after finishing it twice I decided to check what everyone was yelping about with Skies.

Blech.

What a crappy game, I didn't get more than a few hours into it before getting rid of it - it was exactly the same as ever other generic RPG I'd ever seen before.

Thanks for the recommendations I shall check them out, also on my list now are Evolution 1 and Evolution 2 on Dreamcast as they look like more of the same.

[nakamura]

When I get home I will recommend you some wonderful and easy going games.

[ShadowDancer]

Suikoden I & II these beautiful games are forever in my heart.

[sj33]

The original Grandia destroys Grandia II, and I say that as somebody who really liked Grandia II on its own merits. I second everything that Nakamura has posted.

I'm sure you will like the original Grandia as well. It's very similar to the sequel in terms of gameplay, and has the same music composer. The characters are much more charming and likable though, and the world is just more interesting. I like Grandia II, but I'm not sure I can think of a single thing that it does better than the original game.

[Dogg Thang]

I have never played Grandia. What are they on? Many of my favourite RPGs are the obvious picks - Xenogears, FFVII, Chrono Trigger and so on. But from the less obvious list, I have a huge soft spot for Shining Wisdom and one of my all-time favourite games ever is Soleil.

Anyone who loves Zelda would love Soleil and it has more story, making it a bit more RPGish. It's wonderful.

[speedlolita]

I would pick Final Fantasy VIII and then people would throw rocks at me.

[sj33]

I have never played Grandia. What are they on?

Grandia - Saturn, Playstation.
Grandia II - Dreamcast, Playstation 2, PC.
Grandia Xtreme - Playstation 2.
Grandia III - Playstation 2.

With the original game, I guess the Playstation version is the way to go - you can get this on PSN. The Saturn version is marginally better, but is Japanese only. With Grandia 2, Dreamcast or PC. The PS2 port is 'adequate', but has issues. Skip Xtreme. III is okay.

[sj33]

Grandia II does have its merits, by the way.

[danholo]

I liked Grandia 1 & 2. Frankly I played them so long ago, I remember hardly anything about them, sans some tunes from Grandia 1. The opening theme was so grand that I still remember it. I also remember the battle tunes. I can faintly remember the part where Justin is taught that ultimate Dragon Slash or whatever destroys everything. I also liked Grandia 3 but somehow remember it being a bit constricted.

[briareos_kerensky]

III is okay.

Maybe the first part, it has interesting characters. The second part...ugh, I felt that the quality took a nose dive that got steeper as long as the game progressed.

As a matter of fact after finishing it twice I decided to check what everyone was yelping about with Skies.

The big problem with Skies on the DC is that it had three fights per step taken, the GC version corrects that and adds all the DC updates.

[nakamura]

Yeah Saturn Grandia is slightly better but PS1 is great and natively English. Grandia 2 is only ok on NTSC on PS2 because it hides the aliasing of the poor port a little bit.

Skies of Arcadia is a chore now but at least it had original ideas in the game world and a genuine reason to explore. Battles were the issue. I do have the GC version to try.

Ok I am back now so will link some amazing RPG's if people should care.

Suikoden I and II (PS1) as mentioned above are both fantastic. They feature fast moving combat, flowing plots and superb characters. They do have random battles but they never get in the way and once you become too powerful for enemies you can simply select 'let go' to end the battle instantly. Also loading is instantaneous so no pauses when moving into battles.

The first game is only 20 hours long so it is ideal for lesser fans on the genre. It also features one of the best soundtracks of all time and really paved the way for CD quality audio in RPG's. Something Final Fantasy did not do.

Suikoden II is the better overall game which vastly improved graphics and an even better plot although I do prefer the music of the first game. Everything else is pretty similar.

Suikoden 3 is also very good but very long and lacks polish but is still excellent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uqts-4b5D8

Lovely opening of Suikoden 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=823C6UWOo6w


Grandia (PS1) is utterly wonderful. It sits perfectly alongside Final Fantasy because it's a much lighter take on the genre. It feels like a swashbuckling adventure for the most part. However when it needs to, it can be very emotive and powerful in places. Also has superb graphics and music, easily the best soundtrack ever produced by Noriyuki Iwadare.

Grandia could well be my favourite RPG outside of Final Fantasy XII. I have finished it three times and will probably finish it many more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KLgbzvm4O4

Chrono Cross. (PS1 NTSC only)

I am one of the few that thinks Chrono Cross is better than Trigger. It's another game with a fantastic plot and superb characters. Also has incredible music and lovely graphics. One of the best aspects again is all enemies are visible in the field, no random encounters.
There are also over 50 characters to recruit, multiple endings and new game plus options.

There is something about the beautiful Mediterranean setting that just captivated me. It's such a stunning game to explore. The plot kept me interested from the start too and the characters were often amusing without being irritating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMOPAOvqKW8

Music here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROKcr2OTgws


The Last Story (Wii)

For me this is the best of the Wii series of RPG's that includes the excellent but incorrectly reviewed on here by Kryss Xenoblade. It's more of a linear action RPG but the battle system is outstanding and while the plot isn't brilliant, the characters are well voiced and written which keeps you playing.

The battle system really is superb, so good in fact you can play it online. Music is ace too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eGRkpcFPjo

[Dogg Thang]

Thanks for the info ShakeyJake. May well go for the first at some point.

As good a place as any to ask - I have Breath of Fire 1 and 2 and also the Phantasy Star Collection sitting on GBA unplayed (well, maybe played half an hour of the first BoF). Really enjoyed BoF 3 and 4 and loved PSO but, taking into account that I have zero nostalgia here, would anyone recommend I play any of those today? May take the plunge at some point...

Edit: Nakamura, Cross is worth recommending on music alone. Actually I love the game too but the soundtrack is unbelievably good. It's on a whole other level to most games.

[nakamura]

Yeah I have the soundtrack to Cross and it is utterly amazing. One of the best ever.