Revolutionary RPG concepts

[exit]

Not sure what game it started at exactly, but one thing I loved about Earthbound is that if an enemy is weaker than you, then it's defeated instantly. I've also always preferred being able to see the enemy you're about to fight (as apposed to being thrown in a random battle,while oh let's say, you're climbing a ladder), it helps avoid ridiculously high encounter rates and in some cases makes the game more enjoyable.

[raptor94k]

I really like how the Japanese only (there is a translated rom patch) Bahamut Lagoon is set up, its like a strategy game but then when you encounter a battle it switches to your typical Final Fantasy side by side battle screen, I believe it was the first strategy RPG to do this (and maybe the only?)

The Shining Force games on the Genesis switched when you attacked, but it was only to show the attack animation. I can't remember if Bahamut Lagoon stayed until you defeated the enemy. I guess a lot of strategy games do this though as I seem to recall at least one of the Fire Emblem's doing it (perhaps the one I just played for the DS).

[Kiddo]

Since some strategy RPGs were brought up, I would chime in that I liked Der Langrisser's branching story paths. Not just to explore the story concept of "What if the hero did a complete 180 and became the bad guy? Or if he decided the good guys weren't really good after all and just decided to wipe the floor with everyone?", but also because you saw certain battles, character perspectives, etc. only from exploring the different possible paths - and these perspectives would tend to shed light on how nothing is as black-and-white as the normal "Good guy" path makes it out to be.

Perma-death in the Fire Emblem games also tends to make you much more careful about your decisions.

[Aussie2B]

I too prefer when the enemies are visible. In some RPGs, they can still be tough to avoid, like in Chrono Trigger and Lunar, but at least you know when a battle is coming and you can explore freely after you clear a room.

I also agree with timing attacks/defensive maneuvers. Yeah, it was a lot of fun in Super Mario RPG. I love the timing aspect of Valkyrie Profile battles, and battles in Star Ocean: Blue Sphere are practically centered around having good timing. Heck, Star Ocean: Blue Sphere in general is nothing but innovative concepts, like the complex way in which moves are learned and skills are built, item creation based around mini-games, and so on.

I love real-time battle systems. ATB was a good start, and Tales and Star Ocean took it to the next level.

I like when you have the option to have spells target different amounts of enemies, with damage inflicted divided accordingly.

I also like the "limit break" style system of Lufia 2. It was a lot more interesting than in Final Fantasy VII, since it was based on the properties of your equipment, with loads of different things you can do, each using up a different portion of your bar. It added a new factor to equipping, since you might want to keep a weaker weapon or piece of armor just because it has an awesome ability.