I've realized that I have a major lack of RPGs. I'm getting tired of just restarting games. Would anyone care to recommend some decent Gamecube RPGs? Here's some requirements (try to acknowledge most of them before recommending any games. :():
-Must allow free roaming. I remember being so angry when I bought Fire Emblem and realized that it was all acts and I couldn't move freely.
-Plot! There must be a protagonist(s) and antagonist(s), or at least a mission that the characters are on. A game without any plot development isn't going to be any fun!
-Real-time battle sequences.
-Decent soundtrack.
-A wide variety of equipment and skills for the characters. I like the idea of actual weapons, rather than keyblades or such. Perhaps armors and weapons, so the character can become stronger in battle over time. Also, there needs to be skills for the characters to use. Yes, this means generic warriors, white/black mages, etc, must at least have some way of attacking besides jamming the A button, and can become stronger as they gain levels or such.
-An active party. I don't like having to use one character for the whole game.
-Decent graphics. The cuteness of Tales of Symphonia's cell shading was soo annoying.
-This isn't a necessity, but I certainly like this feature. Being able to enter and escape battles at your own free will. One thing I really liked about Tales of Symphonia was the lack of random battles inside of dungeons.
Please recommend some good RPGs.
- Chrono Trigger. You slowly accumulate a lot of freedom, which isn't surprising considering the game's based on hopping back and forth through time. The battle system's really good, too. Plus, no random battles - You can see the enemies you're about to encounter, and there are no overworld battles either.
- Seiken Densetsu III. I know you already like the Mana series, so I have no idea if you've played it already, but I personally liked it a LOT more than any of the other games.
- Tales of Phantasia. Again, don't know if you've played it or not yet, but you HAVE to play the Snes version for the full experience.
- Xenogears. Utterly perfect game in every single way, but I know a lot of people who hated disc 2 because it suddenly cut off a lot of your freedom until the last three or four hours of the game.
You're only looking for games like that on Gamecube? Sorry, I can't really help you there- I was in this same predictament when I had my Gamecube hooked up basically. I got it for Mario Kart Double Dash, had a few other games but tried like hell to find good RPGs.
There are a lot of good RPGs on PS1 and SNES that fulfill all those requirements: I'd recommend Suikoden I and Suikoden II for PS1 if you want something really different with intriguing plots. There are a TON of different characters you can recruit all with different abilities, if you're looking for variety in battle. The cool thing is, you can even match up certain characters, put them in your party and do special "Unite" attacks. All sorts of different things you can do. Lots of fun mini games too such as an Iron Chef like cooking contest, etc.
And of course Klarth tossed over a few great ones too (Chrono Trigger is awesome.) Earthbound is pretty fun as well as far as SNES RPGs (you even get to beat up hippies!) The later games in the Dragon Warrior series may also be up your alley in some ways. Dragon Quest VI on SNES and Dragon Warrior 7 for PS1 both employ the RPG "class system" where you can choose different classes to master different skills (if you're not already familiar with the concept.) There are different levels for the classes, and depending on which skills you learn and mix, you can learn hundreds of different skills, spells, and hybrid skills. So if you're looking for "variety" in battle those games will satisfy. And both have pretty decent storylines. On the other hand, random battles are VERY frequent in both, just to warn you.
There are a LOT of good RPGs for SNES, but not all of them fall into the categories you mentioned. There several great strategy RPGs, dungeon crawlers, and other great non traditional RPGs too if you're ever interested.
Again, Gamecube just seems to be lacking in the RPG department because most of the good RPG deveelopers had pretty much abandoned Nintendo at that point.
Oh, I didn't read the Gamecube part :( Gamecube is a ****ing desert as far as RPGs go. Baten Kaitos and Tales of Symphonia are the only decent RPGs on the platform, PS2 is where all the RPGs are at these days... And even then, most of them are angsty teenager wank like Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy 10.
Oh, and there's always Bahamut Lagoon - The battles are pretty similar to Fire Emblem, but you actually get to wander around in between missions and such, so it's not all episodes.
The only Gamecube RPGs I've liked (Out of what I've played.) Are Tales of Synphonia and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. I can't help much other than that.
Buy a GB Player. Buy a bunch of GBA RPGs. Play them on the Gamecube. Problem solved.
If your hurting for a RPG, you can try Evolution Worlds. It's not really a big RPG and is meant for a younger audience, but I enjoyed it when I played it years ago. You can prolly find it dirt cheap online or at Gamestop.
Paper Mario 2. I know you said the thing about the cutesy graphics. But the game was just really fun. And it has everything else on the list that you made. I believe it's a players choice game so it should be around 20 bucks now.
Gah, I already have ToS, ToP, and Paper Mario 2. Maybe I'll get a SNES or a PS1 so I can get a few more RPGs. I agree, GameCube is a desert when it comes to RPGs. :(
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.
Pick up a PS1 and get Xenogears, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy Chronicles, Valkyrie Profile and FFVIII. Problem solved :D Better just to play snes games on emu because the Japan-only ones are the best, and you can't get translated versions on cartridge.
Import/wait for Okami. Not on the GC, but besides a couple points, it fits the bill.
I might get a PS2 and get a few of the games Klarth listed, as well as Tales of the Abyss.
Tales of the Abyss comes out sometime this autumn. I'm probably buying a PS2 for it.
Also, Okami soooo belongs on Wii.
Let's just say it's no FFVII
Every time I see Claus use Efreet, I imagine the Sega NBA Jam announcer yelling "HE'S ON FIRE" before seeing Michael Jordan do a cartwheel dunk into Dhaos's head.
Anyways, this interests me because I got the GBA version about 3 days ago. Hopefully, by the time I finish this game, FF3 will be out. Does Dhaos sound cooler in the original?