FFX or DQ8 ?

[doc_bean]

I'm currently on a buying spree for ps2 games so I can get a decent collection before they completely disappear from the shelves. I decided that I'd try one jRPG to see if I could still find the time and effort to play one.

So which one would the Orgahs recommend ?

I'm somewhat apprehensive about FFX (I distrust FF games since FFVIII, haven't played IX), does it have a decent story that isn't convoluted ?

I played the demo for DQ8 and thought it seemed pretty interesting, though not much was offered there. The game seems to require a certain amount of levelling up which might be tedious (?).

How far apart are the save points ? I rarely have more than an hour to spend on a game at a time (real life and a short attention span both contribute).

[frogbeastegg]

Dragon Quest!

I've begun FFX twice now, and never gotten further than 2 hours before exiting and never feeling like going back. This may be linked to the PAL conversion - it's dreadful, the worst I have ever seen. Slowdown, massive borders which have to be seen to be believed, and noticeable issues with animation due to everything playing at 50hz instead of 60. There is no 60htz option whatsoever, which is galling when most TVs made in the last 10 years support NSTC signals in addition to PAL.

From what I hear FFX can be very involved. If you want to max your characters, get the ultimate weapons and complete the side quests it takes hundreds of hours. Following the plot takes more like 40 hours.

Exploration felt limited. There’s no overworld AFAIK, and the area maps felt small and confined. Exploring didn’t feel worthwhile; items like potions were all I found. This harmed my desire to play the game; I felt like I was on rails.

Save points appeared to be the usual FF deal: placed often enough, but not evenly spaced.

I do want to play through it one day, though I doubt I'll bother with many of the extras and side quests. The story is meant to be decent, and I want to see this famous laughing cutscene people keep mentioning.



Dragon Quest is more of an old school JRPG. It's challenging - you need to do more than hold down X to select attack over and over. Dying is very possible. As you only lose half your money and get returned to a safe point being wiped out is not too bad of a disaster; it's not game over and all unsaved progress lost as in so many other games. Because of this challenge it is a good idea to level. That's normally a task I detest in games, but I didn't have too much of a problem doing so in DQ. I found that by exploring the area before the first dungeon thoroughly I hit level 7, which was 2 levels above the recommended maximum. From there on the lead was easy to maintain. Being over-levelled did not make the game a push over, I shall add. I did 3 more bouts of grinding after that, each time in an area with metal slimes. Because they give far, far more XP than other enemies an hour each time was enough. Metal slime hunting does take preparation; if you want the big rewards you have to plan ahead. If you want more detail, ask.

The story is classic, or clichéd if you prefer, and predictable. It's told with charm and humour, well written and voice acted. Cutscenes are in-engine, and said engine is beautiful. I must say that the regular ending ranks as one of my favourite game endings. Exploring the world is a pleasure, and it's a big world. There are some side quests and optional areas, and a whole extra section after the credits which leads to the second, secret ending.

You can save in every town by talking to the local priest. Very early on your hero will learn a warp spell which will take you to any major location you have already visited, and a second spell which takes you to the start of a dungeon is also easy to acquire. Between these two you can always magic your way to a save point at need. You cannot save in dungeons. I did find that I could complete most dungeons in a single sitting, and I didn't play for more than an hour at a time most days. One helpful thing is that dungeons will save any progress you have made in solving puzzles if you exit and save, so if you leave for any reason you can usually make your way back to where you left off more quickly than on your first run.

If you get it I recommend you look at some character Faqs, or ask for advice. You will need to choose which skill paths to follow with your characters, and bad choices can be costly or leave you without important skills until much later in the game.

[Xehh II]

FFX-2 isn't that bad, I haven't played FFX or DQ8 what is DQ8 anyway?

[doc_bean]

what is DQ8 anyway?

Dragon Quest 8

JRPG = Japanese RPG?

Yep.

I'm currently wading through FF XII.

How is it, story and gameplay wise ?
I heard that you 'program' your characters rather than play them, doesn't that make the game even more 'watching' rather than 'playing' ? Most jRPGs (past the SNES era) imo already suffer from having too little gameplay, I can't se FFXII's system as improving on that.

[frogbeastegg]

How is it, story and gameplay wise ? I heard that you 'program' your characters rather than play them, doesn't that make the game even more 'watching' rather than 'playing' ? Most jRPGs (past the SNES era) imo already suffer from having too little gameplay, I can't se FFXII's system as improving on that.

That's something I wonder as well. FFXII polarises opinion in most conversations I see about it. Either it's "teh r0x0rz!!!11!" or "teh wurstist game evar!!!11!" There's precious little middle ground, and not much discussion of the game itself. :eagerly awaits Gregoshi's answer:

Another peeve of mine is bosses which take forever to kill but don't pose much threat. Nothing worse than spending half an hour spamming attacks and spells to sap away 100,000,000 HP from a boss who poses virtually no threat to your well made team. Every JRPG I've played does this. DQ took it one step further with its final boss by having very boring music playing throughout the encounter. I expect FFXII is quite bad for this; it's a FF trait.

DQVIII wasn't too bad for cutscenes. I can't comment fairly on FFX except to say that the beginning was - predictably - very cutscene heavy.

The description of DQ says it is turn based, which I think I like much better than real time like Dark Alliance or Champions of Norrath - assuming DQ combat plays similarly to FF XII.

DQ is turn based in the traditional sense of the word. You can take as long as you like on your turn; it's not artificially real time. Each character gets one turn per round; some bosses get to move twice or three times per round. Rather than having the player team all move first and the enemies all go second DQ has everyone move in order of their agility. Some small random bonuses are applied to keep the turn order from being too predictable. Unlike FFXII (I gather; I've not played it) you are always in full control of your characters. At the start of each round you set need to plan ahead. If Angelo kills one enemy out of a group of two it will be a waste of magic and damage potential for Jessica to cast a fireball on both enemies. Better to have her target another group, or to use a different spell.

[Fragony]

Haven't played Dragon quest but FFX didn't dissapoint. It has just about every cliche to be found in japanese rpg's but still a great title with great production value. It's also long and not as hard as other FF

[Gregoshi]

Dragon Quest is more of an old school JRPG.

JRPG = Japanese RPG?

I might have to give Dragon Quest a shot some time. I'm currently wading through FF XII. I'm at about 130 hours into it, but I'm taking my time, exploring and doing side quests. The description of DQ says it is turn based, which I think I like much better than real time like Dark Alliance or Champions of Norrath - assuming DQ combat plays similarly to FF XII. In the turn base FF, I actually feel like a hero when battling the bosses. With the real time RPGs I've played, you must run away from the bosses until they are vulnerable, quickly attack and then run away some more. Hardly heroic in my mind. With the turn based FF combat, I can actually stand and fight the bosses like a "real" hero. I've had some dandy fights lasting 15-30 minutes or longer and I loved every minute of it. That is what fantasy RPG is all about to me. It sounds like from froggy's description that DQ plays similarly.