What's the best RPG on the 360?

[Mickeymac]

I was planning on getting a 360 around Christmas time, and I was wondering what you all would suggest in terms of RPGs.

[Spore]

Fallout 3.

[Joxe]

You mean Oblivion 2?

There aren't that many RPGs as you can see on this list:
http://games.teamxbox.com/index/xbox-360/by-genre/18/

I would say that FFXIII will probably be (at least hope) the best choice, but the release date is still unknown, otherwise it's Fable 2 which will be available later this fall.

[Mickeymac]

@Joxe

Really? I can name ten off the top of my head! There's Lost Oddessy, Too Human, Infinite Undiscovery, Last Remnant, Eternal Sonata, Enchanted Arms, Tales of Vesperia, Spectral Force 3, Blue Dragon, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy 13, Fallout 3, Fable 2, Oblivion, and Penny Arcade Adventures, all of which are either out now, or will be by the end of the year, and Star Ocean 4 has been confirmed for next year. That is a lot for me to choose from, which is why I'm asking for what you suggest, and since you did give me an anwer, thanks! Though, I just tried FF12, and I honestly didn't like it, so I'm going to have to rent Final Fantasy XIII first.

Edit: Oh wait, you're the one with the list, sorry. I'm using the Wii browser and forgot to quote, so I forgot. I've studied that list for hours, and I still can't come up with an answer.

[Joxe]

Well, I can't really say that I have 100% knowledge of all those games, my point was that it was rather few of them and none that I've heard "zomg, best gaem evah" from anyone.

And I didn't like FF12 either, at least we're three now (one of my friends don't like it either) ^_^
I certainly hope that the FF genre will find its way back to the PlayStation standard, FFVII and FFIX are at least in the top 20-30 best games ever and when I look back at it, FFX wasn't too bad either.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Joxe

I certainly hope that the FF genre will find its way back to the PlayStation standard...

Eww... I had always hoped the PS FFs could find their way back to the SNES standard.

Mickey, how can you list FF13 in a top ten list of RPGs if it's not even out yet? That's kind of silly. I wouldn't be putting it on any list until I've played it (and to be quite frank, every trailer I've seen makes it look like a terrible action-RPG Matrix rip-off for emo kids).

[Shortay]

I absolutely adored The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion; the world is so expansive and deep that you'll be amazed by it. The main story is huge but the sidequests are even better and you'll spend months trying to achieve the head of each guild in the game.

[Mickeymac]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

Mickey, how can you list FF13 in a top ten list of RPGs if it's not even out yet? That's kind of silly. I wouldn't be putting it on any list until I've played it (and to be quite frank, every trailer I've seen makes it look like a terrible action-RPG Matrix rip-off for emo kids).

I said I could name 10 off the top of my head( I named 16, actually), and I no nothing of the quality of those game, since I've only read the product details on IGN. Though, I guess not a lot of people know anymore about those games than I do, though I have been hearing good things about Oblivion.

And you're right the trailers for FF13 look really lame, I was laughing at the entire time I watched.

[Joxe]

Maybe I should clarify my Oblivion comment :/

I simply thought that it was the same game as Morrowind with soulless NPCs that all shared the same voice and did nothing on the days. Yes, it had its moments for sure, but I think they should improve more from Morrowind to Oblivion than the graphics. I really love the idea that they want to create though so I really hope for Elder Scrolls V...oh wait, it's renamed to Fallout 3.

[Spore]

Originally Posted by Joxe

Maybe I should clarify my Oblivion comment :/

I simply thought that it was the same game as Morrowind with soulless NPCs that all shared the same voice and did nothing on the days. Yes, it had its moments for sure, but I think they should improve more from Morrowind to Oblivion than the graphics. I really love the idea that they want to create though so I really hope for Elder Scrolls V...oh wait, it's renamed to Fallout 3.

I really don't think just because the game uses the same engine it is fair to call it the same game. You know, considering everything is different in pretty much every way.

[Ragnor]

Infinite Undiscovery comes out next month, and thats the RPG I want most.

Currently, Id recommend Eternal Sonata, Blue Dragon, Oblivion and Mass Effect

[Joxe]

Seems like I'm still the only person on the planet not to like Mass Effect, was just too like KotOR which I didn't like aswell...dunno why...I love Baldur's Gate. I think it has to do with the mediocre dialog and the bouncy difficulty level, you can forgive stuff like that for a 10 year old game, but not in the newer ones.

Well, I guess this is yet again something I'm alone with and you go play Mass Effect if you want to, at least it has great graphics.

[Shortay]

Originally Posted by Joxe

Seems like I'm still the only person on the planet not to like Mass Effect, was just too like KotOR which I didn't like aswell...dunno why...I love Baldur's Gate. I think it has to do with the mediocre dialog and the bouncy difficulty level, you can forgive stuff like that for a 10 year old game, but not in the newer ones.

Well, I guess this is yet again something I'm alone with and you go play Mass Effect if you want to, at least it has great graphics.

I'm currently playing Mass Effect and pretty much hating it.

Nothing enjoyable about the game so far, and I'm having to work to actually like it.

[Joxe]

Two of us then

[Iam Canadian]

After having put some time into it, I put forth Tales of Vesperia as the best 360 RPG.

[Joxe]

Have heard the same, the downside with it is supposedly that it's not that much different from the most recent "Tales of" games (like Symphonia and upwards). So I guess it doesn't give any big surprises if you've played the others but I also think it would be great for those who haven't! Still can't see why they removed the Japanese speech though...it really gives a jRPG some more feeling to it.

[Jiggy37]

I haven't played any 360 RPGs except Tales of Vesperia, but since Vesperia very quickly my favorite game ever, it would be pretty hard to dethrone. :P Everything ToV does so very, very right:

• It has pick-up-and-play value because of its fast and fun battle system, but it can also be played for crazy numbers of hours on end without getting boring. It has its depth, since several of the attacks knock enemies down and prevent you from continuing a combo that would work on a standing enemy--unless, of course, you use one of the moves that forces a knocked-down enemy to stand up. It's always working out a balance...
• It has an enormous degree of customization. Different difficulty levels, and some skills that can cut a character's power to 50% or 25% if you turn them on.
• And it also has an enormous degree of things to collect. If you're a completionist, be ready for over 100 hours easily! (I'm over 110 hours and still don't have everything.)
• The dungeons and even some optional puzzles can require thought.
• Fans of complicated, deep RPG systems will have dozens of numbers and statistics to juggle, with learning skills, managing which skills you want enabled (they can't all be equipped), synthesizing items from raw materials, playing battles in certain ways to get higher grade gains and--well, basically everything.
• There's a lot to explore without the game holding your hand, and since many of those things to explore are totally optional, they still feel rewarding to discover.
• The Grade Shop gives great reason to replay, since you can customize so many things for later playthroughs.
• Helping along the replayability, a great majority of the story (skits) is optional and skippable. And even for the cutscenes that aren't t skippable, Vesperia lets you hold X and A instead of making you keep pressing the button for every line of dialogue.
• Lots of costumes and accessories so that if you don't like a character's default design, you can change it around until you find something you do.
• Most bosses have secret missions that provide great optional challenges. Think Mega Man 9 here.

It's not a perfect game or technically flawless--in fact, there are three things in particular that I'd criticize, which are 1) too many invisible walls in towns blocking off things that look like they should be new areas; 2) the translators can be sloppy in some areas (it's/its confusion, anymore/any more, everyday/every day; your/you're, god/God, ogre/orge...), and 3) a lot of sidequests have deadlines and you'd never know about them without reading a guide. And most of the music is pretty forgettable. I'm not calling it an official criticism because it's not like the music is bad, but it's certainly not good.

But none of that matters in light of how many things Tales of Vesperia gets right, and how right it gets them. Fantastic RPG, fantastic game.

[Bonesaw]

Fallout 3 is not only the best RPG of this generation so far, it may be the best video game period.

[Spore]

Originally Posted by Bonesaw

Fallout 3 is not only the best RPG of this generation so far, it may be the best video game period.

It was swell, but I wouldn't go that far.

[Joxe]

Fallout 3 is hardly a RPG, it's a shooter with pause function

[RMA]

Fallout 3 is an awesome game...but it is more action than RPG...

Fable II wins in the current market. Haven't played many RPGs due to time constraints but F2 was a great experience. Except for the online co-op. That was absolute rubbish.

[Refa]

Originally Posted by Jogurt the Yogurt

Eww... I had always hoped the PS FFs could find their way back to the SNES standard.

Mickey, how can you list FF13 in a top ten list of RPGs if it's not even out yet? That's kind of silly. I wouldn't be putting it on any list until I've played it (and to be quite frank, every trailer I've seen makes it look like a terrible action-RPG Matrix rip-off for emo kids).

Hooray for skeptiscm (seriously)!.

[Refa]

Originally Posted by RMA

Fallout 3 is an awesome game...but it is more action than RPG...

Fable II wins in the current market. Haven't played many RPGs due to time constraints but F2 was a great experience. Except for the online co-op. That was absolute rubbish.

Fable 2 is waaay to easy, and it's not really much of an RPG. Yes, I know that's what it technically is, but it really doesn't incorpotate many into the gameplay. In my opinion, Fable 2 is an RPG the way Castlevania Symphony Of The Night is an RPG.

But it's still an awesome game (despite many flaws)

Also, please watch the following videos for a "different" perspective on your beloved RPG's (directed at no one person in particular):

Age Of Conan: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide...8-Age-of-Conan

Bio Shock: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide...ion/4-BioShock

The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide...on/75-Oblivion

Fable 2: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide...on/346-Fable-2

Fallout 3: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide.../420-Fallout-3

Mass Effect: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide...18-Mass-Effect

Too Human: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/vide.../213-Too-Human

[Mickeymac]

Refa, Bioshock isn't an RPG in any way, shape, or form.

And all of those "different opinions" are from a guy who not only hates RPGs in general, but also gets paid to insult video games. Sure, some of his points are valid, but he focuses on them and makes them seem worse than they really are.

[Refa]

Originally Posted by Mickeymac

Refa, Bioshock isn't an RPG in any way, shape, or form.

And all of those "different opinions" are from a guy who not only hates RPGs in general, but also gets paid to insult video games. Sure, some of his points are valid, but he focuses on them and makes them seem worse than they really are.

EH, sorry, I must have accidently put Bio Shock there.

Also, watching the videos was more of a joke, and because more people need to see them. You don't need to take them so seriously, though.

[Mickeymac]

Originally Posted by Refa

EH, sorry, I must have accidently put Bio Shock there.

Also, watching the videos was more of a joke, and because more people need to see them. You don't need to take them so seriously, though.

I don't take them seriously, but I didn't realize you were joking.

[Refa]

Originally Posted by Mickeymac

I don't take them seriously, but I didn't realize you were joking.

Noone ever does; it's just me.

[Cpt.mccloud]

I hated Mass Effect. Only played a while, couldn't bare any more. As for whoever made the engine comment...engine =/= game. The Last Remnant was made on the same engine as Gears Of War. 100% completely different game.

And Bethseda have said they'll be alternating, their next 'big' game will most likely by a new Elder Scrolls as they've commented.

[Joxe]

I hope they do, would be a total disaster to release Morrowind for the fourth time. Also, I didn't like Mass Effect either, was something about it that didn't appeal to me.

[Bonesaw]

Fallout 3 does have a lot of action, but bearing in mind the amount of statistical detail and decision making towards what type of character you grow into...yeah, I'd say its one of the greatest RPG's to date.

[dk_xcalibur]

Originally Posted by Bonesaw

Fallout 3 does have a lot of action, but bearing in mind the amount of statistical detail and decision making towards what type of character you grow into...yeah, I'd say its one of the greatest RPG's to date.

For once in my life I will have to agree with Bonesaw. I think Fallout 3 has to be one of the best RPGs ever.

[Grimore_The_Reaper]

RPG has many meanings these days much like emo in the world of music and somehow managed to encompass virtually any band with grunge/goth types.

I will just make a clear definition for the sake of argument (please do not start falming and arguing over the meanings that is not the intention of this thread).

RPG: Turn based game with a rich storyline.
Perfect example: The Final Fantasy series

Adventure: A game where you take on the role of a single character and progress through a storyline with (and this is the key point) more focus placed on the action and gameplay than the story itself.
Perfect Example: Fallout 3, Legend of Zelda

I feel this distinction has to be made as many people have different opinions on what they think an RPG is.

RIght onto actually answering the question:

I have come across 3 RPGs in my browsing of the 360 library, those I did not immediately dismiss (I'm looking at you X-Blade, a game loses credibility when the hotness of the female avatar is a freaking selling point!) and those games are Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery and Blue Dragon.

Inifinte Undiscovery: Terrible combat controls, the character moves far too slowly and in large scale "battles" you pretty much watch your team kill everything for you. It is like trying to control a hippo on ice.

Blue Dragon: In depth and long enough to provide plenty of gameplay and follows the typical Final Fantasy route of doing things. My main sticking point is the characters are kids. I don't mean young teenagers I mean they look 10 years old. I just cant believe 3 10 year olds saved the world. I know credibility is not something one should consider when examining the fantastical worlds these characters live in but I cannot get past the fact that would not stand a chance.

Lost Odyssey: Easily the best of the 3, decent graphics,innovative skill system (and simple enough to comprehend quickly, as opposed to the ring system in Final Fantasy 10) also the story is very impressive.

If you are going to buy any RPG on the 360 I advise Lost Odyssey.

[Mickeymac]

Originally Posted by Grimore_The_Reaper

RPG has many meanings these days much like emo in the world of music and somehow managed to encompass virtually any band with grunge/goth types.

I will just make a clear definition for the sake of argument (please do not start falming and arguing over the meanings that is not the intention of this thread).

RPG: Turn based game with a rich storyline.
Perfect example: The Final Fantasy series

Adventure: A game where you take on the role of a single character and progress through a storyline with (and this is the key point) more focus placed on the action and gameplay than the story itself.
Perfect Example: Fallout 3, Legend of Zelda

I feel this distinction has to be made as many people have different opinions on what they think an RPG is.

RIght onto actually answering the question:

I have come across 3 RPGs in my browsing of the 360 library, those I did not immediately dismiss (I'm looking at you X-Blade, a game loses credibility when the hotness of the female avatar is a freaking selling point!) and those games are Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery and Blue Dragon.

Inifinte Undiscovery: Terrible combat controls, the character moves far too slowly and in large scale "battles" you pretty much watch your team kill everything for you. It is like trying to control a hippo on ice.

Blue Dragon: In depth and long enough to provide plenty of gameplay and follows the typical Final Fantasy route of doing things. My main sticking point is the characters are kids. I don't mean young teenagers I mean they look 10 years old. I just cant believe 3 10 year olds saved the world. I know credibility is not something one should consider when examining the fantastical worlds these characters live in but I cannot get past the fact that would not stand a chance.

Lost Odyssey: Easily the best of the 3, decent graphics,innovative skill system (and simple enough to comprehend quickly, as opposed to the ring system in Final Fantasy 10) also the story is very impressive.

If you are going to buy any RPG on the 360 I advise Lost Odyssey.

I could pick apart your definition of an RPG all night long, but it's late, so I'll just focus on the games instead.

I already played Blue Dragon, and found it to be somewhat dissappointing. It did do a lot of things right, and I probably should've enjoyed it, but the game was simply so lifeless that I ended up getting bored pretty fast.

I stopped caring about Infinite Undiscovery when I heard that Tri-Aces was working on it.

And I really want to play Lost Oddessey, I really do, but I can't afford to get it new, and if I get it used, it has 4 discs that all have the potential of being really ****ed up, so I can't take that risk, unless it's super cheap.

[Grimore_The_Reaper]

Sorry I should further elaborate on what I meant by defining the term RPG so linearly. Were we to take the more colloquially used definition then you would find Lost Odyssey and Fallout 3 in the same category, but the games could not be more different.

If one is to strictly state than an RPG is literally where you take on a role then that would account for pretty much every game in existence. Likewise if you took the view of progressing through a story you would also be covering an awful lot of games, virtually every FPS, RTS, JRPG, Adventure etc game.

That gives me an idea, what is the difference between an RPG and an Adventure game? I have always known it to mean as I stated in my above post, an Adventure game focuses more time on gameplay than the story. For example even in Fallout 3 you do not have exceptionally long talking scenes, with the exception of the introduction.

I would be interested to know what people think the discrepancies are between the two words, it would certainly help to convey a clearer message.

[Jogurt the Yogurt]

Originally Posted by Grimore_The_Reaper

Sorry I should further elaborate on what I meant by defining the term RPG so linearly. Were we to take the more colloquially used definition then you would find Lost Odyssey and Fallout 3 in the same category, but the games could not be more different.

This is why there are tons of well-defined RPG subgenres, like action RPG, tactical RPG, strategy RPG, turn-based RPG, dungeon-crawler, MMORPG, MMO-style RPG, etc. etc. etc.

Originally Posted by Grimore_The_Reaper

That gives me an idea, what is the difference between an RPG and an Adventure game?

Typically, the difference is that an action RPG still involves visible stats and levelling up, while an adventure game eschews those in favour of relying on skill and action. While they look similar at a glance, Soul Blazer is an action RPG and The Legend of Zelda is an adventure game.

[Mickeymac]

Well, I finally broke down and bought an RPG for the 360: Mass Effect, since it was the only one I could find that was cheap at my local stores. I also rented Star Ocean: The Last Hope, and it turned out to be fantastic! While it is the only RPG I own so far, it's definitely the one of the top contenders for Best JRPG on the 360(Although I still have to try Lost Oddessey, first).

EDIT: On second thought, Star Ocean is really starting to **** me off now that I have to go in one of those stupid dungeons. If there are any more of these, I might just leave this one as a rental-only...

[Refa]

I'm going to have to vouch for Tales Of Vesperia on this one.

Originally Posted by Joxe

Have heard the same, the downside with it is supposedly that it's not that much different from the most recent "Tales of" games (like Symphonia and upwards). So I guess it doesn't give any big surprises if you've played the others but I also think it would be great for those who haven't! Still can't see why they removed the Japanese speech though...it really gives a jRPG some more feeling to it.

It felt quite different from Symphonia...very different. It does play similarily to Tales Of The Abyss (kinda, but more "evolved"), but that's the only game released in the US that it plays similarily too (well, and the second Tales Of Symphonia...but Vesperia came out first).

[Mickeymac]

Originally Posted by Joxe

Have heard the same, the downside with it is supposedly that it's not that much different from the most recent "Tales of" games (like Symphonia and upwards). So I guess it doesn't give any big surprises if you've played the others but I also think it would be great for those who haven't! Still can't see why they removed the Japanese speech though...it really gives a jRPG some more feeling to it.

From what I played, it's exactly the same as Tales of Symphonia, except now you have random objects getting in your way and even causing some damage during battles. So actually it's a little worse. I certainly won't be getting it, that's for sure.

Anywho...so, what's the score?:

• Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery, Final Fantasy 13, Spectral Force 3, and Last Remnant are no-goes, unless they're dirt-cheap
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Fable II, Oblivion, Shivering Isles, and Fallout 3 will be worth getting once they're cheap
• Lost Oddessey, Eternal Sonota, Enchanted Arms, Blue Dragon, and Mass Effect are worth getting because they are cheap
• And Arcadian Warriors, Borderlands, and Alpha Protocol are Must-buys?

That it? No? Yes? Good.

[Refa]

Originally Posted by Mickeymac

From what I played, it's exactly the same as Tales of Symphonia, except now you have random objects getting in your way and even causing some damage during battles. So actually it's a little worse. I certainly won't be getting it, that's for sure.

Anywho...so, what's the score?:

• Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery, Final Fantasy 13, Spectral Force 3, and Last Remnant are no-goes, unless they're dirt-cheap
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Fable II, Oblivion, Shivering Isles, and Fallout 3 will be worth getting once they're cheap
• Lost Oddessey, Eternal Sonota, Enchanted Arms, Blue Dragon, and Mass Effect are worth getting because they are cheap
• And Arcadian Warriors, Borderlands, and Alpha Protocol are Must-buys?

That it? No? Yes? Good.

Blue Dragon was pretty poor, and Enchanted Arms didn't get good reviews. Getting a bad game because it's cheap doesn't make any sense.

[Joxe]

Depends on how cheap really, Blue Dragon and Enchanted Arms might be worth a playtrough for €10. If you don't like them you've at least saved €50 on a dust collector!