RPG Recommendations for beginner

[Deean]

Hi, i want to try some RPG games(on PS3 and below it), i'm an absolute beginner in the genre as i mostly plays Racing,Fighting or hack-n-slash games.
So, anybody got any recommendation? i don't know which game to start tbh.

 

[Elwiwi]

Any paper Mario from that era

 

[LV20 Succubus]

Any version of FF7
FF10
Chrono trigger
Persona 3

 

[Pearly]

Final Fantasy X was many a ps2 owners first RPG and is still classed as being the best, if not one of the best RPGs of all time. It's linear, has an interesting story and you won't get stuck, you're constantly funnelled the right way. Same with any final fantasy from 6. Dragon quest 8 is also an easy recommendation.

Personally I'd suggest persona 3, 4 and 5 with this and maybe Chrono trigger.

Many older RPG's require a guide at times as it's easy to get lost or there's some obtuse requirements for moving forward in the game and I honestly hated that stuff even at the time, markers stop me wasting time in a game thats actually 40 hours long but is 100 because of being obtuse in pointing out where to go next, an example being you need to speak to a very specific person in a large town of 45 npcs etc.

Also if you like hack and slash and want an rpg, the tales games have combat that can be very hack and slash despite being great rpgs in their own right without the turn based aspect.

 

[Numubunde]

Can't ever go wrong with Pokemon.
Dragon Quest VIII is my personal favorite PS2 turn-based RPG, and the franchise is really charming and a lot of fun with a great sense of adventure.
If you're up to try some action RPGs, Dark Cloud or Rogue Galaxy are cool games for the PS2 too.

 

[sneakyguts]

paper mario series super mario rpg and mario & luigi series

 

[Hitoshura]

Any Final Fantasy game from 4-10
(except maybe 8) are really great places to start. Take a glance at each game and see which one seems the most interesting to you.

Persona 3 or 4 are decent places to start if you are interested in social sim elements.

Dragon Quest is another great series to start with (especially 8).

Breath of fire 2-4 and the Suikoden series are definitely worth checking out as well.

Overall, I would recommend trying a lot of different entries in different series, because installments in jrpgs are usually self contained, so if you don’t like the gameplay mechanics, story, characters, etc. you may be able to find an entry that actually clicks with you.

 

[Boog111]

Final Fantasy X was my first RPG when got my PS2. I think it would be beginner friendly although some of the optional side-quests may be difficult.

 

[psvitaforever]

Despite the hate on "Final Fantasy XIII", I bought an used and cheap xbox360 just to play it (but it's on ps3 as well), so I recommend it. You may like it for at least two reasons:
1) it's linear, so if you're not used to RPGs and huge maps to explore it may be a good starting point, because you won't get lost (and later in the game you WILL find a huge map to explore, with lots of optional hunting quests, but there's always a minimap)
2) it's a mix of turn-based and real time battle, meaning you wait your turn to act but also you will have to be fast to change the job/class most useful for that moment in battle, especially during giant bosses fights; if you're used to hack and slash, it may be nice to find similar elements in the gameplay

It's different from the earlier "Final Fantasy" titles, especially because those are turn-based (exception on FF12, I didn't like it so I won't explain it), but if you're not into rpg you won't have prejudice :) In any case, you can watch gameplay videos on Youtube, and it's standalone, I played it but never touched the sequels because I was not interested, but totally satisfied with the ending.

Good luck with whataver rpg will be your first, it's an awesome genre and you can find very beutiful stories, be it action rpg or turn-based or with mixed gameplay.

 

[destinyduelist]

The Mario and Luigi series is great. I also recommend The World Ends With You since you mention you've played Hack and Slash games and TWEWY utilises the DS touch screen for it's real time action combat.
Also because TWEWY is my favourite RPG of all time.
And also because it's really good.
Play TWEWY.

 

[Zerohour2k12]

Legend of Legaia I think should be beginner-friendly and easy enough to understand with it's interesting battle system and neat monster catching. It was on of my first Jrpgs on PS1. I highly recommend.

Legend of Legaia (USA) PSX ISO – RGT Repository

Legend of Legaia (USA) PSX ISO Download. Game ID: SCUS-94254. Languages: English. For Sony Playstation.

retrogametalk.com

 

[Stookymalarkey]

I would recommend Breath of Fire 1 and 2, Final Fantasy 4 and 6, Earthbound, Super Mario RPG and Lufia II on the SNES.

I would stay away from the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games if you want beginner friendly games. Those games tend to be much less forgiving.

 

[Cris_Agev]

Ar Tonelico 1 for PS2 is, as I remember, the most forgiving turn based RPG I have played so far. While it has some mechanics that greatly differ from classic it is extremely rare to die.

In terms of story I'd say is pretty interesting, I liked it. In a world where songs can be magic(for this the game has a great selection of BGM) you are a guy that goes on a journey in search of something to save your city, through that you will meet some artificial female beings, which are the only ones that can produce and sing magical songs. You will get them to help you and in that you will also help them, because in order to make them stronger you have to go into their minds and resolve their psychological traumas.
As a warning I must say this game has a great amount of sexual innuendoes.

If you want a more engaging, fun and challenging gameplay(in turn based genre) go for Ar Tonelico 2 in hard mode(contrary to the first game there is difficulty settings here, not sure how it is in normal).

 

[JackNoir413]

to get introduced to the core mechanics and the fundamentals of item management:
.Final fantasy 1(you dont even have to pay attention to the plot because it doesnt have any)
.Final fantasy 3(upgrade in that it tries to have a plot and implements a class swap mechanic)
.Xenogears
.breath of fire 4(it also has a class swap mechanic but lighter and the game is really easy)

if you're interested in dungeon crawling i would recommend:
.SMT1,2 and IF.
.phantasy star 1-4
(i dont know any other dungeon crawling starting titles but mary skelter is pretty fun)

IF YOU'RE A POSER AND DONT REALLY WANT TO PLAY RPGS
.just play the persona series for the normie clout its fine we wont judge you we liked the games too.
.diablo 2

 

[diapered]

Many older RPG's require a guide at times as it's easy to get lost or there's some obtuse requirements for moving forward in the game and I honestly hated that stuff even at the time,

Exactly. Keep that in mind @Deean if you are someone that likes to go in guideless. Pretty much any rpg recommendation before PS2 will probably need a guide at some point, and it is probably a good idea to have one open to skim as you go along just to save yourself some frustration. Yes, exploration is part of rpg's, but unfortunately many of the old ones can feel cryptic about where to go or what to trigger to the point it can feel unfair.

That makes FFX a good recommendation because it is very straightforward (but you do still need to think, it's not like you just mash attack) and an archetypal rpg experience.

Legend of Legaia I think should be beginner-friendly and easy enough to understand with it's interesting battle system and neat monster catching. It was on of my first Jrpgs on PS1. I highly recommend.

Legend of Legaia (USA) PSX ISO – RGT Repository

Legend of Legaia (USA) PSX ISO Download. Game ID: SCUS-94254. Languages: English. For Sony Playstation.

retrogametalk.com

As much as I LoL (probably in my top 5 games ever, I love everything about it),THAT is an example of a game you need a guide for. One of the early bosses is completely unbeatable by the average player, imo Even with a guide (which gives you a good strategy), it was a tough fight, at least for me Also, I do recall it being difficult at times to know what to do.

 

[GardeniaSky's icon GardeniaSky GardeniaSky]

Skyrim or Oblivion might be a nice in-between for you since it's a first person RPG. Battles are real time.

You could also try Dragon's Dogma:Dark Arisen(not 2). There's a wide variety of classes to match different play styles and preferences.

Dragon Age:Origins is also a really good one. It's heavily story driven and the combat is real time, but not as dynamic as a hack n slash.

Final Fantasy is a pretty classic RPG. Its turn-based, and has a huge array of themes and stories. None of them are directly connected except for named sequels(X-2, XIII-2 and Lightning Returns). I would recommend X or XIII. If you end up liking narrative-driven RPGs, go for IX and VI.

The 'Tales of' series has a lot of good titles.
------Tales of Symphonia is a classic Gamecube era RPG in this series. The plot is really good. However, the fights are just a little janky because its older.
--------Tales of the Abyss has one of the best character development arcs I've ever seen in a JRPG.

 

[JackNoir413]

The 'Tales of' series has a lot of good titles.
------Tales of Symphonia is a classic Gamecube era RPG in this series. The plot is really good. However, the fights are just a little janky because its older.
--------Tales of the Abyss has one of the best character development arcs I've ever seen in a JRPG.

some of the tales titles include mechanics that are annoying to get used to. like gear fusion or enchancing. which might give a bad first experience for a jrpg.
i dont know about phantasia or destiny tho, they look pretty standard for beginners.

 

[GardeniaSky's icon GardeniaSky GardeniaSky]

some of the tales titles include mechanics that are annoying to get used to. like gear fusion or enchancing. which might give a bad first experience for a jrpg.
i dont know about phantasia or destiny tho, they look pretty standard for beginners.

I don't remember Symphonia having any of that. It just had the EX gems but you didn't need to go crazy if you're just playing normally.

 

[moonbits]

Stay away from this god awful genre.

• Golden Sun
• Chrono Trigger
• Final Fantasy X or VII
• Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door

 

[Stookymalarkey]

Stay away from this god awful genre.

• Golden Sun
• Chrono Trigger
• Final Fantasy X or VII
• Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door

Talk about mixed signals.

 

[Questless Knight]

Silver is a dang good games for people new to rpg´s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_(video_game)

 

[UnDubious]

Exactly. Keep that in mind @Deean if you are someone that likes to go in guideless. Pretty much any rpg recommendation before PS2 will probably need a guide at some point, and it is probably a good idea to have one open to skim as you go along just to save yourself some frustration. Yes, exploration is part of rpg's, but unfortunately many of the old ones can feel cryptic about where to go or what to trigger to the point it can feel unfair.

Lies.
I've beaten a stupid amount of them and you pretty much never need a guide for your average Japanese RPG. Just talk to everyone in town, there's probably like 10 NPCs at most in anything 16-bit. In 32-bit RPGs and after you usually just need to talk to relevant characters.

If LoL is Legend of Legaia, to each their own, but IMO it's pretty terrible.

 

[khumlars]

final fantasy x, lunar silver star story, dragon quest 8, disgaea 1 and atelier iris

 

[diapered]

Lies.
I've beaten a stupid amount of them and you pretty much never need a guide for your average Japanese RPG. Just talk to everyone in town, there's probably like 10 NPCs at most in anything 16-bit. In 32-bit RPGs and after you usually just need to talk to relevant characters.

Guess I should have prefaced I have terrible attention, so I often forget what I am supposed to be doing >_< So I guess most others won't have that problem. I probably shouldn't be an rpg gamer, but I just love stories and scrolling through menus ^_^

If LoL is Legend of Legaia, to each their own, but IMO it's pretty terrible.

But yea, that is fair, it does have problems, so I don't recommend it. But it so much.

 

[Ren96]

Chrono Trigger, Persona 4 or Dragon Quest V.