Action RPGs

[CosmicMonkey]

Can people recommend any decent Action RPGs please?

I really like the Zelda games on SNES/GBA, and I'm looking for something along those lines. I really can't be doing with this whole turn-based business. I actually gave up on FFVII halfway through disk one. The only turn-based RPG I've ever played all the way through and really enjoyed was Skies of Arcadia. I don't mind leveling-up, it's just the whole business of random battles that annoy me. I want to be able to see enemys wondering around the playfield, and choose whether to attack or not.

So um, yeah. I hear Alundra is quite smart?

[Enixis]

I personally enjoyed the Dark Cloud series (although the first game had a weak storyline). Its an action RPG.

[Haoie]

Alundra is entertaining, with some killer hard puzzles.

While I don't have the sequal, the general feel is that it's a lot lot worse.

[roushimsx]

Alundra is ok, but the boss fights are seriously weak. You don't do nearly enough damage so the fights take forever and a day. It IS one of the few Working Design published games that wound up getting improved in the translation though, as the boss fights are only half as long as the japanese version and there's an actual intro/ending, IIRC.

I'm really looking forward to playing Dark Cloud 2. I didn't much care for the first one, but everyone seems to praise the hell out of the sequel :)

edit - oh hell, I didn't actually contribute anything.

The other week I damn near played all the way through Beyond Oasis for Genesis (it's damn good, despite the choppy animation and weak audio quality), which leads me right into recommending Legend of Oasis if you have a Saturn.

Banjo Kazooie on GBA is a pretty nice action/adventure game along the lines of Legend of Zelda and such.

I liked Terranigma, though your mileage may vary. Ditty for Illusion of Gaia and Soulblazer (all for SNES).

[GameNinja]

Kingdom Hearts is a good start, one of my favorite games in fact. You also may want to try some of the 2d Castlevanias (all the GBA ones and Symphony of the Night for ps1, Castelvania: Curse of Darkness is also action RPG as far as I know)

Come to think of it, does anybody have a nice list of action rpgs similar to the ps2 rpg list that is in another topic?

[GetImOliver]

The Lord of the Rings titles are all pretty good (even the SNES one) except for the Third Age if you're staying away from pure turn-based stuff.
If you can grab some friends, try out Phantasy Star Online and get ready to spend nights getting through the damn thing!

[Yam]

The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (SNES).

[Descartes]

Spike McFang is quite good, indeed. Also try Secret of Mana (pure Action RPG elegance) , Landstalker, Gauntlet, Crusader of Centy, Crystalis, and Arcuss Odyssey. Zelda 2 and Battle of Olympus will be good to you if you don't mind the fact that they scroll sideways.

[darknut101]

Kingdom hearts for the PS2 is a wonderful action RPG, no random battles. Star Ocean 3 for the PS2 is another cool game with no random battles but long and hard. Secret of Mana is another great one for the SNES, one of my favorites.

[kainemaxwell]

Definitly Secret of Mana and Kingdom Hearts.

[Neonite]

NES Dragon Warrior Series 8-)

[Ruudos]

NES Dragon Warrior Series 8-)

Those aren't action RPGs.

My recommendations:
Battle of Olympus (NES)
Crystalis (NES)
Faxanadu (NES)
Illusion of Gaia (SNES)
Secret of Evermore (SNES)
Secret of Mana (SNES)
Terranigma (SNES)
Beyond Oasis (Genesis)

[FlufflePuff]

Landstalker for the Genesis. Good game, easy to pick up at a good price.

[NeoZeedeater]

You need the Wonder Boy/Monster World series, especially:

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap(SMS)
Monster World IV(MD) - It's better to use the translated rom.
Wonder Boy in Monster World(Gen)

[Leroy]

Looks like a lot of people are confusing any game with swords as an RPG.

[darknut101]

Looks like a lot of people are confusing any game with swords as an RPG.

Yea I was thinking that too. Zelda is no RPG.

[Toddrick the Dunce]

Got one word for you.

Ys. The most awesome A-RPG series in all of creation. Grab 1+2, 3 and 4 (with Nightwolve's translation patch) on Turbo CD and #6 on PS2.

[Leroy]

Yea I was thinking that too. Zelda is no RPG.
Damn right. It's an age old argument that I'm not getting into again. Nobody considers Metroid an RPG but it's got all the same qualities as Zelda except in a science-fiction setting.

[Yam]

You should also check out Magic of Scheherazade for the NES though it's half action RPG half turn based.

[NeoZeedeater]

Looks like a lot of people are confusing any game with swords as an RPG.
The line between ARPG and action/adventure is really thin so I don't think it's worth arguing over. The initial post mentioned Zelda so people are going to list similar games.

[darknut101]

Looks like a lot of people are confusing any game with swords as an RPG.
The line between ARPG and action/adventure is really thin so I don't think it's worth arguing over. The initial post mentioned Zelda so people are going to list similar games.

I think there is a thin line between RPGs and many game genres (action/adventure/simulation/platformer). More and more games are adding RPG style elements in ther games. For example in GTA San Andreas the ability to level up certain attributes is a lot like an RPG. The ability to freely explore an open world. RPGs are taking over. But still Zelda is no RPG.

[Daria]

Yea I was thinking that too. Zelda is no RPG.
Damn right. It's an age old argument that I'm not getting into again. Nobody considers Metroid an RPG but it's got all the same qualities as Zelda except in a science-fiction setting.

If you're "not getting into it again" then why crash the thread with your cynism?

Fact of the matter is most Action RPGs or "Zelda Clones" play very much like the 16-bit Zeldas so it's a valid point of reference. If the thread creator says he'd like to play other games similar to Zelda then it stands to logic that he'd like puzzle oriented Action RPGS such as LandStalker and Alundra regardless of your definitions of an RPG.

Instead of dragging in the carcass of the same old horse you could actually sugest something like Metroid, it's no RPG of course but you're right he may like it for it's similarities to Zelda. Hell I really enjoyed Splinter Cell because I thought the game was structured similarly to a Zelda title what with finding the right tool to solve the puzzle type gameplay.

That said, my list of favorite action RPGs is as follows:
Alundra - PSX
Dragon View - SNES
Twisted Tales of Spike McFang - SNES
LandStalker - Genesis
Crusader of Centy - Genesis
CIMA the enemy - GBA
FABLE - XboX
Sudeki - XboX
Crystalis - NES
Magic of Schererazade - NES - (Hybrid: part over world Zelda clone part turn based menus.)
StarTropics - NES
Willow - NES
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - PS2

[CosmicMonkey]

Well, I certainly opened a can of worms here, didn't I @_@

I didn't realise that so many people don't consider the Zelda series as RPGs. I mean, they have an overworld, dungeons, side-quests and different weapons/tools/items to collect. The only difference to me seems to be that none of the battles are random or turn-based and there's no leveling up. Hence being an Action/Adventure RPG as opposed to a straight RPG. It it interesting to compare Metroid to Zelda though.

So if anyone wants to start a new thread to have a debate on the defining differences between 'pure RPGs' (i.e - FinalFantasy), 'action/adventure RPGs' (i.e - Zelda) and 'action/adventure' games like Metroid, go for it.

As for game recommendations, thanks. I certainly think I'll have a crack at Alundra, Landstalker and the Ys series. I'm also looking forward to Popful Mail on Sega CD. And as soon as I can find a DC BBA for a reasonable price, I'll be on the UK PSO servers. I think this whole task is more difficult due to the lack of a PS2.....

I am considering having a crack at a few turn-based RPGs. I'm gonna try the Lunar games on Sega CD. It's not the turn-based battles that do my head in, it's random battles. When you're on a mission to go somewhere and collect an item, the last thing you want is to be drawn into a long battle against enemies you're gonna thrash. It takes so long to go from the overworld, into the battle screen and loads of messing about just to kill a couple of blobs and get a measly amount of exp points. There were times during Skies of Arcadia I had to force myself to keep going. I really loved the game, but the random battles did my head in. I like to see my enemy and decide whether I leg it, or beat the hell out of him by whacking the A button.

Much as I like the Zelda series, they are a bit simplistic. I mean, all Zeldas since A Link to the Past are basically using the same system with a few additions, like the trading system which is cool. But I could go through the whole game avoiding every bad guy, because I get my health 'leveled-up' every time I complete a dungeon. Makes all the baddies on the world map a bit redundant. One thing about Zelda that is cool is having to take your sword to the Blacksmith Elves to level that up. Levelling-up weapons just by using them is a bit daft. I think it may be worth digging out the SP and playing through Oracle of Ages/Seasons and Minish Cap. But I've done ALttP and LA many times over.

Find me a game that's like Zelda on the SNES, but say, a bit more involved with levelling-up & magic and I'm there.

[atomicthumbs]

http://www.vgmuseum.com/scans/scans2/mkr.jpg (http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/mkr/index.html)

Absolutely FANTASTIC game!!! If you REALLY like Action/RPGs, it's well worth the eBay prices.
Nice controls.
Great story.
Beautiful graphics.
Cool clips from the series.
Talented voice actors.
High replay value.

Click the image above for some screenshots!!!

[Sniderman]

Actually this thread is similar to one I was gonna start today. So, without trying to derail the conversation already in progress, let's pose this question:

What IS the difference between an RPG and an action-adventure?

I used to think "If you had individual character stats: STR, DEX, INT, WIS, CON, CHA (to borrow some early D&D abbrevs.), then it's a role-playing game. If you're just running around in a fantasy setting, swingin a sword without any kind of stat-management, then it's an action adventure." This loose definition has served me well over the years. Most of the turn-based stuff was an RPG and most of the side-scroller/over-head-hack-em-ups were action adventures.

However, games like Balder's Gate and Bard's Tale give you an action-adventure game, with characters with stat-management, so my lines have been smudged a bit. So, I'll ask everyone here (while you answer the question in progress): How do YOU differentiate between the two genres?

[roushimsx]

What IS the difference between an RPG and an action-adventure?

I still use your original criteria as the benchmark. If there's stats management involved then it's simply an RPG with real time combat (such as all of the Diablo-inspired games that keep getting pumped out).

The real pickle is when you get some truely genre-bending games out there, like San Andres where so much shit melds together so perfectly that it's really impossible to neatly classify it.

[Descartes]

Find me a game that's like Zelda on the SNES, but say, a bit more involved with levelling-up & magic and I'm there.

Secret of Mana is your game, it is the epitome of that which you seek.

[GameNinja]

Actually this thread is similar to one I was gonna start today. So, without trying to derail the conversation already in progress, let's pose this question:

What IS the difference between an RPG and an action-adventure?

I used to think "If you had individual character stats: STR, DEX, INT, WIS, CON, CHA (to borrow some early D&D abbrevs.), then it's a role-playing game. If you're just running around in a fantasy setting, swingin a sword without any kind of stat-management, then it's an action adventure." This loose definition has served me well over the years. Most of the turn-based stuff was an RPG and most of the side-scroller/over-head-hack-em-ups were action adventures.

However, games like Balder's Gate and Bard's Tale give you an action-adventure game, with characters with stat-management, so my lines have been smudged a bit. So, I'll ask everyone here (while you answer the question in progress): How do YOU differentiate between the two genres?

I would consider it an RPG if killing monsters has some sort of benefit to it by making your character stronger. (and I don't mean them dropping some healing item like a heart or something, I am referring to something more like experience points)

By this method of reasoning,
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, and Balder's Gate= Action RPG
Zelda: Wind Waker= Action Adventure

I understand that you can kill bosses in Zelda to get an extra heart, but the normal enemies give no benefit whatsoever if you spend time killing them repetitively.

I don't mean to start conflict, its just what I consider the difference to be.

Oh and I would also reccomend Chaos Legion, I can't say enough good things about the game, although it does get a little bit repetitive.

[CosmicMonkey]

http://www.vgmuseum.com/scans/scans2/mkr.jpg (http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/mkr/index.html)

Absolutely FANTASTIC game!!! If you REALLY like Action/RPGs, it's well worth the eBay prices.
Nice controls.
Great story.
Beautiful graphics.
Cool clips from the series.
Talented voice actors.
High replay value.

Click the image above for some screenshots!!!


Indeed, that does look very cool. Thanks for that. The US version even has a decent cover, due to Working Designs. And I might even end up watching the Rayearth anime as a result.

And by checking the review of this on RPGFan, I came across the Legend of Oasis review, and that looks quite good too. Excellent.

[atomicthumbs]

Indeed, that does look very cool. Thanks for that. The US version even has a decent cover, due to Working Designs. And I might even end up watching the Rayearth anime as a result.

And by checking the review of this on RPGFan, I came across the Legend of Oasis review, and that looks quite good too. Excellent.

I'd never even heard of Legend of Oasis!

Looks really cool! And if you like the cover of Rayearth, you'll be glad to know that the instructions also contain memory card stickers and other misc. stickers. There are also three variations of disc art (I have Fuu). Definitaly check out the series. The dvds that are out now at Best Buy or wherever are pretty well priced (and both season 1 & 2 are excellent)!.

[Zenitram]

Not an action rpg but kinda follows the criteria you ask of.

The Legend of Dragoon (psx)

You cant see the enemies on the world map because the world map is basically connect the dots with you running location to location. So the battles are random, but not numerous.

When your in a dungeon, you can see your enemies but avoid them; although you do have a sort of meter that goes off after a while which makes you battle.

No normally things like this would bug me but the thing is the battle system for the game different and really fun. Instead of just hitting the attack button over and over, you
time your attacks as a string of multipile buttons fly up into a box which you hit at the appropriate times which creates combos.

The more accurate you are and the better you do at hitting the buttons at the appropriate times, the farther along you get into the combo and the more damage you deal.

You can also transform into a dragon form which lets you do huge spells.

It's fun and different and you might want to try it.