Tactical RPG Thread

[Drizzt]

This thread shall be used to discuss the many forms of all TRPG's out there. It does not matter which game system they are on, just give some details about the game and why you like/hate it. At least this way I nor someone else would have to make a new thread for every single Strategy RPG out there. Moving on, I will play literally almost any game that meets the basic guideline for a TRPG: You have to employ basic/advanced tactics to destroy your enemies...Wow simple, the graphics do not have to be ground breaking, considering not many exist anyway that could even meet that level. 2D game graphics are fine enough for me, and they should always stay that way or developers would try too hard and ruin it in my opinion.

Classics like Vandal Hearts and Tactics Ogre are perfect enough graphic wise for me, and I'll bet many would have steered clear away from them back in the day, and if suddenly they got a taste for them from playing such games as Disgaea and wanted more, they would be hard pressed at finding the many great TRPG's on PS1 and other older systems. That would be their loss, as I own just about every single TRPG on PS1 which I am proud of for never selling. Another aspect Strategy RPG's are almost always known to have is the excellent stories. Just about all games of this genre I have played have very interesting and often moving storylines to entertain and intrigue the player.

Even with all the graphic ‘Behemoths' we have available on PS2/XBOX, I am simply much happier to bust out the old PSX and have an afternoon of FF Tactics or Saiyuki: Journey West. I wish game developers nowadays could still produce simple and quality games like these, or that some stayed behind and still made them on the ol' PS1. But yeah I know that is how the game industry works and we have to move on. And now I have rambled on for too long, I shall start with a game I think I am lucky to have played since my knowledge recalls it was never released in Australia:

Tactics Ogre: Great simple game, and not too challenging IMO. Some basic things about it:
- You have control in which way the story goes (more or less) in that you can choose to play through the lawful route or ‘chaotic'...
- Nice length/replay value. Especially if you decide to go through Hellgate... A 100 floor dungeon.
- It is just a true classic, love it or hate it really.

Okay that was just to get the ball rolling, and I just want to list a couple more so this topic stays more true to its name. Others can feel free to add more details and more in-depth evaluations on other aspects of each game listed here, or add their own and write what ever they want to about it.

Kartia: Pretty sweet game as well. Very underrated and not so well known to a lot of people. I found it in a local Video Ezy one day, quite a score because I doubt it would have been readily available in many other places at the time.
- You can play as two different characters, therefore the replay value is good, because they both have very different storylines. Very similar battles I suppose but I enjoyed giving them both a shot.
- Good graphics as well, when compared to Tactics Ogre, and each & every main character in the game has great face portraits, to which each of them have several different facial emotions which work well in showing their mood. Many others game may have one or two different portraits but this one has them all.
- Length is pretty short I suppose, but there are 18 missions for each character, some of which take a good while to complete successfully.
- This game features a 2 player mode! Very rare among PS1 TRPGS...

Vandal Hearts. The classic, nicely violent game that started it all for me. I would say it was the first TRPG I had ever played if my memory recalls. I was instantly hooked, though since I was new to the scene, it was surprisingly hard for me to complete this game at first, but now I could probably get through each mission without losing a single character.
- Nicely detailed graphics for its time. The terrain proves to be a useful feature sometimes and looks superb for a game released in 1997.
- The story is superb, to which we shall always expect from Konami (you know those guys that made that half decent other game series...what ever that was called...) You even get to visit oblivion...or limbo or whatever you wish to call it.
- Sadly it is quite short, and leaves you wanting much more, but at least it spawned a sequel a bit later on to cure our blood lust. Now if only they would make a third installment on PS2...one of my unanswered prayers and dreams...
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“Firbolgs die with honor,” Morten explained as the logs beneath Tavis began to burn. “We don’t beg for mercy. We don’t show pain. We just die.”
“Maybe we skin you alive,” Noote warned. “That hurt plenty." - The Twilight Giants, Book I.

[John Layfield]

Vandal Hearts II! One of the best Tactical RPGs of all time, baby! In my opinion of course.

Gorgeous looking locations for its time, and still looking pretty damn good when I replay it. And the depth going into the enemies, each one having their own armour and weapons with multiple statistics and descriptions of same. One of the few RPGs where every enemy is as dutifully sulptued stats-wise as your party members.

Fantastic, gritty story centering around a millenium cult, the supposed end of the world and the corruption of your friends and family in a war-torn nation. Tons of hidden items, as well as thirty hidden maps leading you to other fantastic locations which serve to flesh out the games history and story-line.

And much longer than the first game, as well. Vandal Hearts II, for me, is THE defining Tactical RPG of the PSone era. (Ok, so I live in Ireland and so never got my hands on Final Fantasy Tactics, whatever, it still wins.)

And on the PlayStation 2, I simply have to mention the fantastic Ring of Red. A superbly crafted game set in an alternate universe in which the Japanese did not surrender after the dropping of the atomic bombs in 1945 and had to be defeated and divided by an Allied invasion, the game takes place admist the '60's, an era of continued fear and distrust between the Democratic Republic of Japan (the UN backed South Japanese state) and the People's Republic of Japan. (backed by the Soviet Union and her allies)

It's story is superbly crafted from beginning to end. So much so you don't even have to suspend your belief at the games main premise: That mechs were developed during World War II and had become standard issue in Japan after the war, it explains it so well, and makes it technology more realistic. No laser cannons or flying abilities here. But there also plenty of platoons to accompany your mechs into battle against enemies ranging from pro-Communist rebels to the North Japanese Army to the Soviet Union's powerful mechs.

Simply put, Ring of Red does a sublime job of inter-weaving both political manuveurings and personal drama and tying them together in one great Tactical RPG.

Those are my two recommendations for the moment.

I may as well note that Vandal Hearts I is great but pails too much in the shadow of its sequel. And that Legend of Kartia, while entertaining to an extent, quickly lost my interest.

Also, stay away from Master of Monsters : Disciples of Gaia if you value your sanity.
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One day, I shall come back. Yes, we shall all come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.

[Sadness]

I really like the "Langrisser" Series. I think their system of having a "commander" and "troops" makes it more "strategic" (for me). I also liked Tactics Ogre very much, I loved the neutral route because you can get Vice back.

I never played Vandal Hearts! I can never find it sold anywhere!
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Make me feel with your razor.

[Sage]

Just a list that I can think of: Final Fantasy Tactics, FFT Advance, Vanguard Bandits, Arc the Lad (sorta fits), and Ogre Battle 64. I found tactics very engaging, but my tactical mind was developmentally challenged when I first played it so there were some times the gameplay annoyed me to no end. Since then I have gotten better though, maybe I should replay that one. Anyway, Tactics Advance was nice (kept me from going insane over last summer), but I could've done without the judges and battle rules. I don't recommend Vanguard Bandits that much. I played it because my brother bought it during his 'giant robot' phase. It's fairly cliche and not too difficult. The branching stories can be a huge pain to get though. Arc the Lad has its own thread so I won't talk about it here. My favorite game of this category is still Ogre Battle 64. I liked the story and several aspects such as hidden items on the map, recruiting monsters and stuff. There's supposed to be 100 endings I think, but I've only seen 3. I was playing through to get the "bad/evil" ending but that was a few years ago. Stupid college.
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[Drizzt]

Advance Wars and the Front Mission Saga are a different change in the TRPG department, which are still quite good. Though I would always prefer more RPG orientated games but they offer a different gameplay experience. I really do like Saiyuki: Journey West though. Very much like Vandal Hearts in the item system and how the Town/Village system works. Like the dojo and blacksmith huts. They add a nice feel to the game. The graphics are the usual standard, though more detailed and still a bit better. I don't think this game was released in PAL countries either, so when you get to play a rarity it makes the game seem extra good. Plus it makes me feel all special haha.

This game can be quite long as well, with a lot of sidequests and special optional missions to take up your time. I think one time when I played this game I left the Playstation running and dit not save the game until I got back, therefore it had an extra ten or so hours added to my game time so I could not get an accurate total hours played for this game. Even still I was barely halfway at the time. I liked how the characters could morph into their wereform (except Sanzo of course) and that they each turned into a different creature. Dragon, Aqua Creature, Big Moth chick etc, you know the usual...

The Magic system was pretty neat too, with each character having a stronger elemental alignment to one or the other. Some half half or just not that useful. Of course this system can be nicely exploited with the right recourses... Oh and no matter what RPG game I play, if the Item shops have rare finds/secret items that you can buy sometimes I like it when I score something rare or powerful early on. Yeah I know I can get won over pretty easily by simple things. When I saw that there were two more Saiyuki games released on the PS2 I had really hoped/thought they would be TRPGs... but I was wrong and disappointed. They are both nothing of the sort. One of them is a fighting game and the other just a different strange form of a normal RPG.
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“Firbolgs die with honor,” Morten explained as the logs beneath Tavis began to burn. “We don’t beg for mercy. We don’t show pain. We just die.”
“Maybe we skin you alive,” Noote warned. “That hurt plenty." - The Twilight Giants, Book I.

[Mad Mage]

Hey, good to see other people have enjoyed Saiyuki. It's a very obscure game and as far as I knew, I was the only one who'd ever played it.

All and all it's a good tactical with some clever deviations from the norm. The card game is quite addicting. My one big complaint would be with how easy it is. I avoided as many random battles as I could in order to increase the difficulty yet the game was still a breeze. Than I got to the very final battle only to find the final boss was too hard to beat. And I had saved right before it so I couldn't go back and level up. Pretty lame.

[Goldy]

Shock!!! I cant believe that no one has mentioned the Shining Force Series!!
My first ever (strategy)RPG's were Shining Force I and Shining Force II on the Sega MegaDrive/Genesis, both are two of the best SRPG's that i have played, with Shining Force II being better than I in every aspect with better graphics, story, characters and a more fluid battle system.
Final Fantasy Tactics is another great SRPG with a large cast of characters, good story and battle system and great customisation of your characters.
Also, the three games from Nippon Inc, La Pucelle Tactics, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and Phantom Brave are all great SRPG's. They all have a similar battle system but i enjoyed Disgaea's battle system over the other two. Hell i will just say that Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is my favourite out of those three, it has such a light hearted feel to it and a very humours story.

[Drizzt]

I never got around to playing the Shining Force series, especially since I don't think they were released in Australia back in the day, or I just had no idea what they were since I would have been just a kid. I bet I would have got slaughtered at playing a TRPG way back then... But now I'm all smart and undefeatable haha. I shall probably look into them someday through other methods. They sound good though, something I look for in these types of games surprisingly.

As for Saiyuki: Journey West, a few years ago (probably many I don't know) I saw a good review (more of a teaser) for the game and it looked heaps good to me. Of course the game never made it to PAL countries... Which made me sad for a while longer until I could import games to my door. No more bars from stopping me to purchase this game! And Final Fantasy Tactics...And Suikoden 3...And any other game I could never have gotten my hands on a long time ago.
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“Firbolgs die with honor,” Morten explained as the logs beneath Tavis began to burn. “We don’t beg for mercy. We don’t show pain. We just die.”
“Maybe we skin you alive,” Noote warned. “That hurt plenty." - The Twilight Giants, Book I.

[Dredge]

I have a few i really liked:

Firstly I really enjoyed Tactis Orge the graphics may not be very good but the storyline is really solid. I can't help but rent it once and awhile and replay through the whole game. The classes are very good and the elements that each character is givin is also a nice touch. Making different choices throughout the game is also pretty cool because you get to choose the path your character goes down. I like to go down each path at the same time just on a different save slot. The three paths are Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic. Depending on the path you take it also alters the character you can acquire. All in all it's a solid strategical rpg and a pioneer in the field of strategic games.

Another strategic rpg game i enjoyed is ofcourse FF Tactics. I remember playing this game the first time expecting it to be like Final Fantasy Seven. But when it was a strategic game I was alittle disapointed but ended up falling in love with it. Ramza is a classic character and the storline and how it develops is very good. The love/hate relationship between Delita and Ramza is also an essential part of the game. This game also has the class and element trademarks. Just a great game one of my all time favorites.

Finally a game that is totally underated... Hoshigami. I dont know how many of you have played this game but it also has the same great trademarks as the other two. Best friends split up and become sworn enemies and then you see it unfold.Has the whole class and element system as well. It wasn't as big as it should of been because it was released just before the PS2 came out so it was overshadowed by newer and better graphics on the PS2.If any of you rpg's havn't played this game i suggest you try to find it somewhere.

[Tendou Souji]

Personally, the Super Robot Wars series are the best.Few months ago i got this gundam game (of course, japanese) that's similar to the SRW series,but contain only gundams from first to seed.And i liked it very much.It's my first strategy game, actually :mrgreen:

[Benit149]

I'm surprised no one has come up with the Nippon Ichi games, especially La Pucelle and Disgaea. La Pucelle is stronger in terms of story and conflicting opinions between good and evil, while Disgaea's story is littered with the kind of fourth wall breaking humor that I've been seeking for a long time, although its story falters and sinks at Chapter 9 and beyond.

Gameplay wise, they're very different. The only similarities I can see are the Base square and having your characters travels on squares like any other tactical RPG. Disgaea's gameplay is better than La Pucelle's, but only by a margin: I like them both a lot, though Disgaea fixed the problem of the time-consuming 'FIGHT!' animation sequences you see all the time in La Pucelle. Both are very satisfying if you perform a long chain of Miracle Attacks in La Pucelle or destroy a long line of Geo Panel squares in Disgaea. VERY satisfying, indeed. :D

Then I played Phantom Brave, and I was disappointed. PB tried to cram way too many features without balancing them out. The option of throwing characters out of bounds drove me insane, and the storyline was a little too meek overall, although I liked Marona's character. PB did revolutionize the characters' movements in battle by making them move in a radius rather than on squares, and it didn't hurt the game for me. One thing that makes me chuckle to this day is how they named a badass, black sword-wielding, bloodthirsty anti-hero 'Sprout'. I mean... WHY?

I've also tried Final Fantasy Tactics, and I wasn't impressed. The gameplay was too choppy for me, and the names and places within Ivalice were so fancy that I had a hard time keeping them straight.

On contrast, the Genesis Shining Force titles (mainly I and II) were defining moments in my childhood. Even on an emulator, I loved playing them. I even managed to level up Lowe to promoted level 30 on the first stage, no word of lie. I know I confused some with my statement about defeating Suikoden IV's final boss in one turn (when I meant one round of turns without any Continues), but this is the truth. I wish I saved a screenshot of it, tho'. That's how much of a nerd I can get. :lol:
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"Luca Blight, patron saint of population decrease." -- Benit, MST149

Benit149: First Lady of Addervon, Princess of Slight Fever, defender of the Nameless.

[Sierra Mikain]

[Exile]

Ah vandal hearts, I've been searching for a copy for a while, wicked game I completed it with ash as a vandalier as well. Hardest mission was strangely the one you weren't allowed to kill people on, my god it was annoying those weak ass zombie peasants provoking you!

On a related note someone with it go start it up and tell me if it mentions Dunan or Toran in the intro when they're talking about Arris the sage it's been bugging me for ages since something made me think it did mention one and I don't have the game to check it out myself.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Daniel Blackhand]

Two of my favorite Tactical RPG's are from the older systems.

First off I like Nobunga's Ambition for the SNES because it follows the same kind of lines as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games.

Secondly I like Gem Fire for the Sega Genesis becuae it is set in mediaval times which is one of my all time favorite eras in history.
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[Benit149]