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Posted: Dec 19 2008 09:24 pm

Hello, long time listener, first time caller...

I'm not a huge fan of RPGs, but I got Dragon Warrior free from Nintendo Power about 20 years ago or something. I've played it almost to completion recently, but it just seems like grinding. I've played Paper Mario and Chrono Trigger, and I like them a lot because they don't feel like work. I guess one of my main gripes is that I always feel like I'm going to miss something, whether it be missing a chance to charm something out of an enemy in Chrono Trigger or missing some side quests or patches in Paper Mario. I'm not OCD or anything, but I feel like I'm missing some part of the games. It's like a weight while I'm playing. I don't really replay games anymore with the exception of something like Monkey Island because that's more like watching an old familiar movie over again. I don't know where this is going, but playing RPGs get under my collar.

Thank you very much.

Posted: Dec 19 2008 09:43 pm

I feel your pain. I stopped playing Baten Kaitos in the final act once I learned I had missed some one chance items.

Posted: Dec 19 2008 09:49 pm

I'm generally very thorough with my RPG playing also, but it's exciting to me. At times, it can feel weightish, but not too often. I'm still enthralled overall. I know I'll feel bad if I play through a game and feel like I missed some dialogue, even if it's not pertinent. This is especially true in games like Lunar that have a lot of references.

Posted: Dec 19 2008 10:44 pm

This is what killed Suikoden V and FF9 for me, the missables. Fun fact game making people, this is not challenging nor is it interesting. Its a ploy to get people to buy your guidebook, which is stupid because everyone reads the free FAQs anyway.

Thats what I liked about Disgaea 2. You can't miss the uberweapon, because you make it yourself, by stealing the legendary version from the item lord of the normal version, then going deep into the item itself and crushing 100 levels of really nasty enemies. If you do it right you can either one-shot the secret boss or become utterly and completely immune to damage.

Posted: Dec 20 2008 01:23 am

Well, if you don't like grinding, Dragon Warrior I isn't for you. Its about 10% content (if that) and about 90% leveling up Dude (my character's name). Personally, I love it.

I do know what you mean about missing things in RPG's. Sometimes I get obsessive about it. I'll tell myself I'm going to do a quick runthrough. Next thing I know, I'm playing with one eye on the guide and one on the screen.

Posted: Dec 20 2008 02:44 am

scamrock wrote:

I do know what you mean about missing things in RPG's. Sometimes I get obsessive about it. I'll tell myself I'm going to do a quick runthrough. Next thing I know, I'm playing with one eye on the guide and one on the screen.

Final Fantasy XII killed this for me where I'm currently trying the shortcut method to getting the Tournesol and a 2nd Masamune. To say nothing of the delay between finding rare monsters and being able to claim their trophies.

Posted: Dec 20 2008 04:41 am

lordsathien wrote:

scamrock wrote:

I do know what you mean about missing things in RPG's. Sometimes I get obsessive about it. I'll tell myself I'm going to do a quick runthrough. Next thing I know, I'm playing with one eye on the guide and one on the screen.

Final Fantasy XII killed this for me where I'm currently trying the shortcut method to getting the Tournesol and a 2nd Masamune. To say nothing of the delay between finding rare monsters and being able to claim their trophies.

XII was actually the first game where I just said to hell with it. I never did get the Zodiac Spear. I probably never will. Some of the stuff was too much of a pain in the ass.

Title: Alexz Aficionado Joined: May 21 2008 Posts: 2889

I think that just means you're a perfectionist and completionist as video games go. Which isn't bad, if people weren't this way no codes, cheats, or glitches would ever be discovered.

My advice to you is play how you like to play. I've played Dragon Warrior straight through and was real into it. That was the late 80s and it wasn't dated then, but those old stories are still GOOD old stories. Stuff modern games have trouble competing against, because if they borrow, they're copying, if they duplicate, noone would care.

Chrono Trigger is an amazing game with awesome and memorable characters. I'll never get bored of playing that. It's one of the rare games where everything has fallen into place, the music, enemies, story, fighting system. EVERYTHING. It's probably tough for a new gamer to appreciate exactly what this game did and has accomplished. That's another topic all together though Very Happy

Posted: Dec 20 2008 08:23 am

I'm the same way. I get really discouraged and annoyed if I find out that I missed some pointless hidden item. I'm definitely a completionist, but I definitely am more OCD about it if the criteria for 100% completion are clearly defined, like in the GTA series or Lego games. There's no hidden bullshit, so it's more intuitive to collect things.

I used to play RPGs scouring a walkthrough and multiple game guides so that I never missed anything hidden, unlocked all the jobs, and got all the blue magic abilities. Then I realized that was a really gay and unfun way to play a game, so I've trained myself to not care so much about missing a hidden materia on Disc 2.

Joined: Sep 17 2007 Location: The Opium Trail Posts: 3475

Can you imagine playing something like Chrono Trigger or FFVI WITHOUT a player's guide? Holy hell!

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

JRA wrote:

Can you imagine playing something like Chrono Trigger or FFVI WITHOUT a player's guide? Holy hell!

I was so excited about FFVI when it came out that I bought a book. At the time there was no internet, so it was the only way to get ideas about tricks and stuff. I think it was the most reading I did for pleasure up until Slash's book came out.

Posted: Dec 20 2008 02:22 pm

JRA wrote:

Can you imagine playing something like Chrono Trigger or FFVI WITHOUT a player's guide? Holy hell!

I never got Nintendo Power, so I played every RPG blind. Still do for the most part unless I'm really stuck.

Posted: Dec 20 2008 03:01 pm

JRA wrote:

Can you imagine playing something like Chrono Trigger or FFVI WITHOUT a player's guide? Holy hell!

I also played those games for years without any guides or FAQs. There were some things I missed until I read guides, but I can't remember what they were.

Posted: Dec 20 2008 06:02 pm

Getting the pink tail in FFIV would probably have never been discovered without some help from a guide or gaming mag. Fortunately, by the time you get it, you don't really need it.

Posted: Dec 20 2008 06:28 pm

Rycona wrote:

JRA wrote:

Can you imagine playing something like Chrono Trigger or FFVI WITHOUT a player's guide? Holy hell!

I also played those games for years without any guides or FAQs. There were some things I missed until I read guides, but I can't remember what they were.

Same way here.

Posted: Dec 20 2008 08:29 pm

Valdronius wrote:

JRA wrote:

Can you imagine playing something like Chrono Trigger or FFVI WITHOUT a player's guide? Holy hell!

I never got Nintendo Power, so I played every RPG blind. Still do for the most part unless I'm really stuck.

Actually, those are the two last RPGs I beat blind.

Title: Alexz Aficionado Joined: May 21 2008 Posts: 2889

JRA wrote:

Can you imagine playing something like Chrono Trigger or FFVI WITHOUT a player's guide? Holy hell!

Sure. I had played through Chrono Trigger, probably twice, before I even found a spot that information was available then.

RPGs are about discovery too. Which is why I don't like using FAQs and Walk Throughs until I've beaten the game at least once without any outside help.

Posted: Dec 21 2008 01:52 am

scamrock wrote:

lordsathien wrote:

scamrock wrote:

I do know what you mean about missing things in RPG's. Sometimes I get obsessive about it. I'll tell myself I'm going to do a quick runthrough. Next thing I know, I'm playing with one eye on the guide and one on the screen.

Final Fantasy XII killed this for me where I'm currently trying the shortcut method to getting the Tournesol and a 2nd Masamune. To say nothing of the delay between finding rare monsters and being able to claim their trophies.

XII was actually the first game where I just said to hell with it. I never did get the Zodiac Spear. I probably never will. Some of the stuff was too much of a pain in the ass.

I completely forgot about the Zodiac Spear. If this isn't a crying example of GuideDamnIt I don't know what is:
A. Open all the chests in the game you want EXCEPT FOR 4 ARBITRARILY CHOSEN ONES and you get it earlier than normal for sure.
B. Pray you actually get it with the .1% chance its in a treasure chest in a high-level dungeon.