10 RPG's You've (Probably) Never Played

By Sherrin English

10 Golden Oldie RPGs that may be gathering dust on your shelf.

We all have them. Sometimes several of them. RPGs that we bought months or years ago, but that we haven’t played. We may not have heard good reviews of them, or we may not have heard of them at all. But we bought them, and they’re a constant reminder that we should either play them or hand them on.

Whatever the reason we’ve not played these RPGs, it’s time we dusted them off and took a look at them. You never know, there might just be a good one in amongst them. Here's a list of RPGs that you should really get around to finishing!

10: Ephemeral Fantasia (PS2)
Despite being canned by many reviewers, Ephemeral Fantasia is a cute, anime-style RPG that’s not for the faint-hearted. Although the game is somewhat slow at times, the range of interesting characters gives different perspectives and the real-time combat is a lot of fun.

Mouse, a musician and thief, has been invited to the island of Pandule to play at the royal wedding. Hoping for an easy gig and even easier pickings, his plans go awry when he finds that the island has been caught in a ‘Groundhog Day’ time-loop spell cast by the groom. As Mouse relives the same five days over and over he tries to figure out how and why the spell has been cast, and then stop it to free the island’s inhabitants and a reluctant bride.

Ephemeral Fantasia is not without its faults, but the simple graphics are charming, the soundtrack has some lovely moments and the story becomes addictive.

9: Koudelka (PS1)
An amalgam between survival-horror and tactical-RPG, Koudelka pulls the mixture together well, resulting in an intriguing story with a gothic atmosphere. The soundtrack adds to the dark tone of the game and the sound effects are excellent.

A medium, Koudelka Iasant, has been drawn to Nemeton Monastry in Wales on Halloween, only to find that its doors are locked. After climbing onto the roof and entering through a window, Koudelka finds Edward Plunkett being mauled by a monster. After fixing him up they team up to explore and shortly afterwards they find the third member of the party, James O’Flaherty, a priest, who has also been attacked by a monster. Each person has a reason for being there, and you soon learn that secrets can be dangerous.

Koudelka’s turn-based combat is a bit of a mixed bag. Spells often cause more damage than physical attacks, and disintegrating weapons can mean you end up fist fighting. As there are no shops, replacement weapons and armour must be gathered from the environment and defeated foes.

8: Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana (PS2)
Although Atelier Iris could be mistaken for a PS1 game in looks, it shapes up to be a solid little RPG with a wicked sense of humour and no shortage of side quests and things to do.

It is said that the legendary city of Avenberry fell many years ago due to the misuse of alchemy, but Klein Kiesling is a wandering alchemist of unsurpassed strength who is destined to open the gates to the citadel and unlock the secrets held inside these many years.

Atelier Iris is centred around alchemy, and the side quests to obtain alchemic materials are almost as big a factor as the game’s main quest. With around 400 objects to collect and combine you’ll be kept very busy indeed.

7: King’s Field: The Ancient City (PS2)
When you’re ready to take a break from saving the world, King’s Field is waiting for you. This first-person dungeon crawler moves along at a leisurely pace, which fits perfectly with its eerie atmosphere. Resident Evil it isn’t, but flickering wall lights and creepy music certainly set the tone.

An area known as ‘The Land of Disaster’ was once a flourishing city, but now it’s deserted. The ‘Idol of Sorrow’ has appeared after many years in obscurity and it’s been causing mayhem. As Prince Devian, you are handed the idol by a masked stranger and told to return it to its rightful place in the ‘Land of Disaster.’

Combat is real-time, with a charge meter that has to fill before attack is possible. Being non-linear, King’s Field gives you a lot of freedom to explore and to find clues as you pursue your quest.

6: Wizardry: The Forsaken Land (PS2)
If ‘old school’ RPGs are your passion, then Wizardry is the one for you. This first-person dungeon crawler has a dark and moody atmosphere and enough plot twists to keep you guessing.

One evening, in the peaceful kingdom of Duhan, a sphere of light from the heavens shatters the night sky and completely demolishes the kingdom, releasing a horde of demonic creatures that has been hiding beneath the city. When the Queen disappears the warrior who has been foretold in prophesises steps into the labyrinths beneath the castle to find her and save the kingdom.

With up to six in your party, this turn-based combat system can be a lot of fun as party members can work together to bring down the enemy; one person can distract the foe while the others sneak up behind for an easy backstab. Or in the middle of a blade – or claw – swing, an attack from your ranged fighters is ideal. And without random battles, enemies can be either fought or avoided.

5: Magna Carta: Tears of Blood (PS2)
At times Magna Carta can be rather slow. In fact that’s probably one of the reasons you’ve delayed playing it. That and the complicated combat system. And on top of that, the majority of voice acting is abysmal. On the plus side though, the graphics and soundtrack are excellent and the characters are well developed – especially the women.

The Tears of Blood is an elite group of mercenaries who each have lost someone dear to them in the Human vs Yason war. They are charged with finding the Magna Carta, a powerful magic spell which is unleashed by finding a series of Chi stones. With the Magna Carta the humans may be able to defeat the powerful Yason Queen. And the mysterious woman who has lost her memory may be the key.

Magna Carta, like King’s Field, is a game you need to play for a few hours before you can make up your mind about it. And it also takes a couple of hours to get to grips with the combat system, which at first glance seems complicated. Once you’ve fought a few foes, however, you’ll see that it’s challenging but it’s a hell of lot of fun.

4: Arx Fatalis (Xbox/PC)
The world of Arx is built entirely underground and like the setting, Arx Fatalis is dark and deep. Even though the graphics are a little dated now, this first-person dungeon crawler has atmosphere to burn. The background music never seems to intrude and the sound effects are superb.

With the death of the old king the sun began to darken, so the new king moved civilization underground where all the races had to exist in harmony - or die. Recently, however, a new evil, Akbaa, the god of destruction, has been released by a cult and war is imminent. It is up to you, Am Shaegar, to send the evil back where it belongs.

Combat is real-time, and like other RPGs, like longer you hold the ‘hit’ button the more power your strike has. But it’s the use of magic that lifts Arx Fatalis to a whole new level. After finding the proper runes you simply ‘draw’ two or three rune shapes in the air to cast your spell. Arx Fatalis may look a little dated, but the magic system is timeless.

3: Sudeki (Xbox)
If you like vivid colours, a varied soundtrack and characters that are full of life, then dust off Sudeki. It has as much to offer visually as it has in fun gameplay.

Intricate shadow puppets tell the story of Sudeki, and it’s a stunning and imaginative way to begin. In the beginning the land was ruled by two gods, Tetsu the god of light and Heigou the god of darkness. But Heigou was greedy and wanted all the land for himself. To help Tetsu in his struggle to overcome Heigou, he enlisted the aid of four heroes, and together they defeated him. Just before his defeat, however, Heigou split the world in two. Now legends claim that one day Heigou will rise again and Tetsu will need the four heroes’ help once again.

Combat is real-time with two melee fighters and two ranged fighters. And to pull off a devastating combo, buttons must be pressed in the sequence in which they are lit along a bar. Sudeki’s two worlds - good and evil – are complete opposites; one is lush and vibrant, alive with colour and life, while the other is dark, with muted colours and devilish patterns that make an eerie atmosphere.

2: dotHack (PS2)
Don’t let the length of dotHack put you off because the four game series will fly past. Each dotHack game can be played as a stand-alone game, but if you have all four it would be a tragedy not to play them in order.

A young boy, Kite, is invited by his friend, Orca, to play the MMORPG ‘The World,’ but while they are looking around they are attacked by an unknown monster and an unknown girl gives Kite the ‘Book of Twilight’ and a bracelet which gives him the ability to ‘Data Drain’ these ‘unknown’ monsters that are now appearing in a deteriorating ‘World’. Back in the real world Orca is in a coma and Kite teams up with other players who have friends in comas after being attacked in ‘The World’ and together they must find answers.

dotHack’s real-time combat becomes more challenging as you progress through the games, but you’d expect that, right? The graphics and soundtrack have their ups and downs through the series, but they’re always innovative and always interesting.

1: Baten Kaitos (GC)
If you like eye candy then Baten Kaitos is the one for you. It’s gorgeous! The startling colours and vivid characters feel alive. And when you add in the sublime soundtrack you know you’re onto a winner.

The demonic Malpercio drained all of the earth’s oceans leaving a series of floating islands, and it falls to your character, Kalas, and his party, to defeat Malpercio and bring the islands back to earth and to refill the oceans.

The reason you haven’t played Baten Kaitos is probably because you don’t like the sound of the combat system because it’s in the cards. Literally. Magnus Cards are everything: attack, heal, defend, combos - you name it, you’ll be dealt it. It may sound a little confusing, but once you try it you’ll be an instant convert. Magnus Cards also change over time, fruit that heals will rot and can then be used as a poison, weapons can rust and rare items become rarer.

These 10 ‘Golden Oldies,’ as well as being a great deal of fun to play, are a reminder of how much RPGs have changed over the last few years. Along with the leaps and bounds that graphics and sound have made, the staple ‘save the world’ plot has also received a shake up. No longer are we getting game after game singing the same song. Writers are experimenting. And that’s got to be a good thing for the RPG genre as a whole.

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ReplyPosted by Donutta on 25 August 2008, 10:35AM

I've played most of those... :| I guess I'm 1337. :P

 

ReplyPosted by stupidlikeafox on 25 August 2008, 11:11AM

always wanted to play baten kaidos, only it was always like, $130 at eb! and this was when gamecube was failing and on the way ou too - you'd think a failing console would start having cheap games...

 

ReplyPosted by Ubercuber on 25 August 2008, 11:16AM

I always see those Dot/hack games around. Looks a bit too 'Japanese' for me.

 

ReplyPosted by Donutta on 25 August 2008, 12:27PM

The .hack games are basically offline games that simulate online role-playing games. I played the first because my ex-flatmate was really into the series as a whole (manga, anime, even the sodding card game) and I felt rather cheated that it was one quarter of a game. In the States, they were priced at budget prices (I think US$20), but over here they were like 100 bucks or so. Ultimately, experiencing the whole thing would be like $400, so there's a reason most people haven't played it.

Plus, you know, if you wanna play something that feels like a MMORPG, why not just play a real MMORPG? *shrug*

 

ReplyPosted by Koopa18 on 25 August 2008, 03:30PM

Baten Kaitos isnt THAT old is it?

03-04, i think?

 

ReplyPosted by stupidlikeafox on 25 August 2008, 05:41PM

i think anything not on the current gen is "retro" lol.

 

ReplyPosted by Koopa18 on 25 August 2008, 07:36PM

Hell yes. Played me some Retro-tastic Wind Waker the other day, Really gave me that early 2000's vibe you just dont get with games nowdays.

Oh, and i have not played a single one of those, but have looked into getting Baten Kaitos.

 

ReplyPosted by nickadamz on 25 August 2008, 08:18PM

I have played like 2 of them i loved the Dot/Hack games they were awsum i played the first one than the 4th one i was like wtf i didnt get what was happening guess i should have played the other 2 first lol

 

ReplyPosted by BlackRetina on 25 August 2008, 09:41PM

There's a reason I haven't owned and/or played much of those games.

 

ReplyPosted by stupidlikeafox on 26 August 2008, 02:21PM

^because you suck? is that the reason? aaaahhh. :P

 

ReplyPosted by BlackRetina on 26 August 2008, 04:38PM

^lol. You're saying I suck because I haven't played much of the games in the '10 rpgs you've probably never played' thread. By your logic, a lot of people probably suck. :P

 

ReplyPosted by stupidlikeafox on 26 August 2008, 05:17PM

a lot of people do suck. im sure most people have experienced lolipops and ice blocks... AHAHAHAHA. ...yeah.

 

ReplyPosted by xSHADOWx on 26 August 2008, 10:16PM

Ive never even heard of any of these. are you sure you didn't make them up.:)

 

ReplyPosted by BlackRetina on 27 August 2008, 08:34PM

And replicating 10-year old humour award goes to ... stupidlikeafox!
I've only played Arx Fatalis from that list and I didn't enjoy it very much.

 

ReplyPosted by Ruptunex on 2 September 2008, 03:59PM

^ and the banhammer award is soon gonna fall on..... BlackRetina *CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP*