A Limit Break writer takes a look at a good number of Square Enix's games outside of its ever popular Final Fantasy franchise that are often overlooked but completely worth playing, with reasons how each game is 'notably Square' and 'notably unSquare' in how they differ to the games Square Enix is typically known for.
Many overlooked RPGs lie dormant in the catalogues of gaming, but players can pick up their swords and shields with these amazing JRPG hidden gems!
From games that digitaltrends DeAngelo Epps has always wanted to play but missed out on, like Odin Sphere, to newer titles that he'd love to re-experience like Yakuza: Like a Dragon, there was enough there to justify diving back in. And those titles aren’t even a small percent of what’s available here. Vanillaware titles, Square Enix games, NIS franchises he’d never even heard of — there’s a whole lot to dig into.
PSPlus is Amazing for RPGs and NIS America, Square Enix and Vanillaware games are perfect for PSPortal.
Not really a 'secret' but a paradise indeed, I just finished Soul Hackers 2, pretty good, and started Labyrinth of Galleria and I am having a blast. Tons of great RPGs in the PS4/PS5 family
Perfect for playing on the Portal, since rpgs can be such timesinks. For those people who can't stay glued to the TV, it's good to give some freedom around the house, out on the porch or whatever. I haven't picked up a Portal yet, bc of life priorities, but I definitely anticipate picking one up asap and playing more rpgs!
I'm currently playing Final Fantasy VII:Remake for the first time on PS5 and I am freaking blown away by this game so far. I don't know why I waited this long or due to my huge backlog but had to be honest, this game exceeded my expectations.
Yea, story pacing aside, the combat system is pretty killer, especially if you slow it down to play it more like a tactical turned based jrpg!
I actually wish FF16 had gone this route, instead of the DMC route. The FF7:R system gave enough action for those who wanted to play that way, while still appeasing us old school turn based jrpg fans.
Glad you're enjoying!
Some of the best in game HDR I've ever seen in that game. I liked it a lot too. My first final fantasy game believe it or not
Get ready to embark on a journey filled with monsters, magic, and overpowered haircuts, because this list features the best JRPGs on the PS3.
There wasn't that many. Thanks to the west's criticism. It was definitely lacking compared to every other ps system. Dont get me wrong there were a few good ones i know that.
Nier, Valkyrie Chronciles, Tales games , Ni No Kuni, Resonance of Fate, FF13’s, Ys8 just a few off the top of my head and there were a lot more.
Not nearly to the degree of PS1 and PS2.
@shinoff2183 makes a good point that around the PS3/Xbox 360 gen is when the genre wasn’t as prevalent and began to shy away from turn-based. There’s some standouts for sure, but look at the PS1 and PS2 JRPG library and then compare that to the PS3 and PS4’s.
Theres definitely a decline in a selection of titles. Even worse was the quality seemed to take a massive hit as well. I think Lost Odyssey was a huge standout for that gen when you look at production values, then you look at something like Fairy Fencer on the PS3 and it’s kind of depressing.
But by that generation there was a shift from western developed games overtaking Japanese developed games. Back from the NES to PS2 Japanese games were the cream of the crop… I don’t know what happened but like midway into the PS3/360 life-time they became less so.
Compared to the ps1 ps2 and he'll even ps4 ps3 doesn't hold a candle to either imo. It's also when turn based damn near disappeared. Again thanks to the west's criticism
Crimson I'd put money on the west being at fault, guys like Phil phish, and numerous others at that time were attacking jrpg and Japanese games in general pretty hard.
Ni no kuni was probably my fav jrpg back then , and the blue dragon
Tales got kinda lucky here. When they took a chance and finally brought tales of graces f over west it sold like 250k lmao a lot of jrpgs did 500k or below. Disgaea was worse i think. Bamco decided to keep bringing more games over though.
Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls II were the best RPGs on PS3 made by Japanese developers. Everything else just fell short always. Ni No Kuni was a full package, an okayish game as well. Nier and Drakengard III had superb writing, setting and voice acting, however, the performance was a real drag on the gameplay. Traditional RPG-wise I'd actually say 360 had better JRPGs, and think that Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon were the best traditional JRPGs of the era. PS3 Valkyria Chronicles was okay, but it is closer to an SRPG.
Ryu Ga Gotoku games were also solid, they were still finding their footing and breaking new ground with new cities and formats.
PS3 was the era that almost made me quit gaming and I started playing on PC because I could not find good performance nor games on the system. PS4 got me back into it, and now PS5 is a mix in and between, I just play my PS4 library on the PS5 and rest on PC, just like during the PS3 era. The only new exclusive Sony JRPG is pretty much FFXVI and it is so streamlined and simplified from the normal RPG experience that I can't fit it into the genre anymore. Dragon Quest XII hopefully remedies all of this, but it is just one game.
These new games will all be on PC (while it does take 2-3 years to wait, and 6-12 months from launch to have them patched + fixed by modders) and they perform better on it. The only point in owning a PS5 is to play games a couple of years earlier, but for a hard-working family man like me, the quality of the experience is more important than playing it as soon as possible. And I can't do modern games at 30fps 720p after playing 120fps at 4K. For older games, that's okay.
PSX and PS2 though, those were the days...Still have a massive collections of classic RPGs in CD and DVD format and a phat PS3 to play them!
It's kinda like that, the PS3 generation was a bad time for JRPGs, especially with the Japanese feeling the need to westernize their games, shooters dominating that gen, the racism from western game journalists (it was bad, between G4, Phill Fish, and a slew of others), and the higher development costs...
It really made me miss the PS1/PS2 days of JRPGs, even the quality of half of those games during the 7th gen weren't as good. The 360 tried, but Microsoft's consoles weren't popular in Japan and no body in the West bought a Xbox for JRPGs (despite Xbox having Vesperia, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey).
" It's kinda like that, the PS3 generation was a bad time for JRPGs, especially with the Japanese feeling the need to westernize their games "
This is when everything fall down and games looks not fun to play anymore except for few games like demon and dark souls for example
Nah. It's a bad trilogy of games
The only reason XIII-2 stands out is because XIII was so bad
When the bar is so low, anything after feels better.
Watching the credits roll on ff16 now it is good but , I'd really like to re try ff13 least it's turn based and would fill that gap for me.
They got better after the first one in the trilogy, not outstanding game though.
Honestly, I played FFXIII a few years after release and maybe because it was after the hype cycle and I knew the flaws of the game, it actually became my favorite FF after VII.
I took off the mini map and never used auto battle and the stuff that mattered to me in an FF was just so well done.
The art and graphics were insane at the time
The music is still special
The story still lingers in memory more than a decade later
The RPG systems were decent
I never really got the hate for it, still have a soft spot for that game inside me.
Only gripe I have with Ar Tonelico 3 is that Saki is annoying as hell whether English or in Japanese. Then Saki's English voice actor became Ionasal on Ar Nosurge she was a little annoying but not as bad. Johnny Young Bosch voicing Tatsumi I thought he did a great job. And Akiko Shikata with her vocals and the music from the games just went hand and hand.
Nier looks like it'll be an interesting way for Square to take on Kojima's Castlevania and God of War 3. I'm definitely impressed after seeing it at E3.
Decent list. Surprised they listed The Last Remnant, perhaps someone other than me actually like the game despite it's massive flaws?
TWEWY is a game every JRPG fans should play, definately overlooked. Especially considering the "flop" that is The Last Remnant outsold it.
I aint impressed at all by Nier . First of all while i'd commend the hero not having a bishie look ... the game looks horribly flat and generic so far .
Especially in a genre that is definitively crowded by promising upcoming new ips , but also returns of kings such as God of War 3 and Bayonnetta (the real dmc 2?) or even Ninja gaiden 2 ps3 .
Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean are two great franchises that Square ruined... The same with Grandia and the abomination that is Grandia III and Grandia eXtreme. All of them now packed with extreme gayness.
And not mentioning Dragon Quest is a sin! I just hope Square don't ruin it too. =/
edit: Nier looks like more crap from Square, when you can't even make a good trailer for an upcoming game you know things are really wrong.
Wow I know the second one was terrible but the first game is one of the best rpgs I have ever played period and it was a long way from a FF game what with had drawn graphics and the battle was AMazing but not remotely FF like......Also Brave Fencer these are the games square needs to be making now !!!!!!