I had a bit of a pause with this one. RPGs of nearly any flavor I enjoy. Recently, I have sampled the delights of Western RPGs (WRPGs). I began Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the first time earlier this week. Heck, I even had a bit of fun with Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, bugs and all. But most of these seem more like Action games than RPGs, and the big ones (Fallout, Elder Scolls) are really difficult for me to enjoy because I get caught up in exploring the world and not doing quests. Then I die. I die a lot. And it's usually after I've not saved for over an hour or two. WRPGs are fun, but not my favorites.
Ah, the joys of guards in Oblivion
Then we have the Action RPGs. Things like Vagrant Story or the upcoming Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. I've played, enjoyed and eagerly await anything to do with Mass Effect. I would even throw the inFamous series here. They have more excitement to their battles, but allow you to progress and, by the finale, feel like an over-powered force of nature. But, most fall too far into the Action side of things and the progression is really tangential to the game. So, again, fun games, but not ones that cause me to drop everything to play them.
Mass Effect has some RPG elements under the shooter design
I love JRPGs. Love them! A good chunk of my collection fall into this category. The first game I owned for my NES was Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest). This game introduced me to the genre and drove a love for it deep into my psyche. I loved the turn-based battles. I loved that there were always world changing events afoot and that my hero (or band of heroes in later games) would be the ones to save the day! My PSX collection is absolutely dominated by this game type: multiple Final Fantasy titles, the amazing Lunar releases, Parasite Eve and Xenogears. These are just a few of the great JRPGs that I've sunk weeks of my life exploring. This genre still holds great sway over my heart. I loved throw-back titles like Costume Quest and lamented that the only real turn-based JRPG this generation was Lost Odyssey on the 360. (Note: I'm sure there are more, but this is the only one standing out in my mind, feel free to suggest others in the comments!) This genre is slowly dying off, as is my affection for it. I love it still, but something else began to creep into my heart years ago.
Lost Odyssey's hero, Kaim
That something was Strategy RPGs. This genre is hands-down my favorite. I cannot get enough of these games. New games are announced and I giddily run out to pre-order them. These games eat up tons of time, but they always engage me. It all started with Final Fantasy: Tactics. That game showed me a wildly different take on turn-based combat. Suddenly, a rooftop archer was a greater threat than a knight advancing from ahead. Now, I could place my characters to create lines of defense or surround a threat and swiftly end it. My mind was blown. I also fell hours into Front Mission 3. This was mechs with SRPG heaven! I even added the under-rated Koudelka years later (mostly for the story connection to the Shadow Hearts series, but it had a battle system that was SRPG-lite). Even the "bad" games in the genre I find some way to enjoy. Games like Zoids: Assault on 360, Suikoden: Tactics on PS2 or Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings on DS are fun SRPGs, but not really "good" games.
The game that made me fall in love with SRPGs
Nowadays, I enjoy the SRPGs that come out, but I cannot sink days into them due to, well, Life. However, thanks to the wonderful publishing/development house Nippon Ichi Systems America, I get my SRPGs mostly on the go. The fact that I can play my PSP before bed and enjoy the sadly underselling Disgaea games, as well as source of endless frustration/joy Phantom Brave for a battle or two before sleep is marvelous! They are dense and not for the faint of heart, but when it all comes together and you really "get" the games? Heavenly! And SquarEnix has been releasing their classic SRPGs on the PSP. The remade Final Fantasy: Tactics - War of the Lions is phenominal, and they also just released the game that inspired Tactics: Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. Both are great fun, but Ogre is dense. Very dense.
J'eanne D'Arc is a great introduction to the genre
If this genre interests you (and you have a PSP), there are a few games I must insist you try: Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (it's got a learning curve like a brick wall, but afterwards it is amazingly fun), the original Final Fantasy: Tactics (a perfect "middle-of-the-road" entry: not too hard/easy) and J'eanne D'Arc (by the fine folks at Level 5). J'eanne is simpler than most SRPGs (making it a great entry into the genre) and is gorgeous. It's one that provides plenty of fun and gets only as deep as you want it to be.
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