Hey anons, I was a Nintendogay growing up, but now that I can play all the games for free I'm dipping into Playstation 1&2 libraries. I've been impressed with the quality of storytelling in many of the games. I've played most of the more well known "good story" games, like Final Fantasy and MGS, so I'm wondering what games you recommend that usually aren't discussed as much? Any genre will do.
Here are some examples of the level of "lesser known + good story" that I'm talking about:
Galerians
Ace Combat 3 (JAPANESE VERSION)
Planet Laika
Overblood 2
Iblard Laputa no Kaeru Machi (story is kinda stupid actually, but it was at least unique and interesting)
GERMS
Genji
Echo Night Beyond
TRAPT
Rogue Galaxy
Samurai Western
Tsugunai
Baroque
Ring of Red
Pls give me your suggestions anon!
TearRing Saga, made by the creator of Fire Emblem
It's cool because the characters still play a part in the story after they join, while in old FE games they pretty much stayed silent
Being honest, I usually suck at Fire Emblem games, how hard is it? And is it rigidly structured like old FE's (i.e. no grinding, so you need to make sure your whole team is defeating enemies evenly to ensure balance)?
it's got a similar system to Sacred Stones where you can grind
Oh I didn't know that. Sick!
Which is better, the PSX game or Berwick Saga?
>so you need to make sure your whole team is defeating enemies evenly to ensure balance)
its actually generaly better to funnel experience into a couple units and make them unstoppable
Koudelka, Popolocrois and Arc the Lad come mind.
OP here, I'm playing through Koudelka now actually! I love the presentation. It's extremely unique, for the time it released and even know. The performances and framing of the cutscenes remind me so much of a theatrical play. I really wish another gamedev would tackle a presentation like that.
My only gripe is the battle system. It is extreeeeemely slow, and not very deep unfortunately.
Keep going, or just use cheats to plow throught the combat, the story is what matters anyway. When you finish it, play Shadow Hearts, its sequel, then Shadow Hearts 2.
I'm super excited to play Shadow Hearts. Its the only reason I'm bothering/starting with Koudelka actually.
I'm a big fan of Mario RPG's, and my understanding is Shadow Hearts is one of those "turn based with inputs" games (see also: FF6, Tsugunai, Tomato Adventure, Valkyrie Profile).
Shadow Hearts 1 and 2 are amazing games, with a very loyal fanbase that still endure to this day. You'll be rewarded for playing Koudelka first, many didn't (myself included) so some interesting callbacks were missed.
>my understanding is Shadow Hearts is one of those "turn based with inputs"
This is true but it's unfortunately a pretty bad implementation of it that largely serves to bloat the amount of time an average fight takes.
>largely serves to bloat the amount of time an average fight takes
The fights are fast paced and the game doesn't even require grinding, just how fricking impatient are you?
It gets better in the sequels but it's definitely a slog in the first game. The lengthy and overly elaborate animations for basic attacks don't help.
Alundra.
AKA the best LttP clone ever made. The puzzles will make you want to strangle puppies, though.
What the frick? How have I not heard about this game? Apparently by Japan Studio.
I feel like I learn about a new PS1/2 game every day lol. Thanks for the recc anon!
inb4 reccs for the Xeno series. Very hit or miss with people.
There was a thread about this a while back, might want to check it out as well.
https://arch.b4k.co/v/thread/674059216
I recommend the Legacy of Kain series starting with Blood Omen, then play Soul Reaver and then Soul Reaver 2 on PS2
Primal
Shadow of Memories:
Sphynx and the cursed mummy. I played it back in the day and had a blast, but I dunno if it would still hold today. Sadly ended in a cliffhanger never to receive a sequel.
Threads of Fate
trust me it's kino
Mint's campaign is alright. Rue's is pretty bad.
Big. Dumb Shoes.
Love 'em
Simple as.
overrated jank shit with terrible level design
Xenogears for PS1, especially if you want a good story.
Galerians (PS1) and Galerians: Ash (PS2).
Whoops. Forget I () recommended the first Galerians, I only skimmed your list and didn't see it until just now. IMO the sequel has an even better story with weirder plot twists, though.
OP here and that's good to hear actually. I see almost no discussion about Ash, it's a total enigma to me. Def wanna get thru the first game though.
Yeah, definitely finish the first game before playing Ash. I hope you enjoy them both.