I've been looking for some good non-linear RPGs lately, preferrably for either the PC or a nintendo system. I like FF:TA, but I expected it to be slightly less linear. How is Secret of Mana?
Secret of Mana is about as linear as FF4, which is to say pretty linear. That being said, SoM is a fun game (Action RPG) with an engaging plot and good music. My avatar is a re-paletted sprite from Secret of Mana.
I highly recommend Chrono Trigger for the SNES (action/turn based hybrid). It's kind of short if you just play straight through, but there are a LOT of side quests and has the "New Game +" feature that lets you replay the game with all the levels, experience, and equipment that you finished the game with so you can explore the plot without having to worry about the bad guys.
Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3) is a good Action RPG with three different storylines depending on who you pick to be in your party at the beginning. After the game starts though, it's fairly linear. The graphics are stunning and the music is excellent. The game is in japanese, so you'll need to get the ROM and translation patch and play it on your emulator (or copier and if you have one I hate you ).
Super Mario RPG (turn-based RPG) is a decent pick, as it also has several non-linear story elements and is for SNES. It's also quite humorous (first and last game co-developed by Nintendo and Square).
FF9 (turn-based RPG) is about as non-linear as FF7, but it's for PlayStation only. I enjoyed it, but many people were turned off by the cartoon-like graphics style.
Star Ocean 2 (player selects turn-based or action mode, personally action mode is a hell of a lot of fun) is an excellent game though it's fairly non-linear except with respect to character acquisition (different endings depending on which characters you acquire throughout the game, and except for the two main characters there's a quest to acquire each other character), but it's also for PlayStation.
Both FF9 and Star Ocean 2 emulate fairly well on a modern PC if you're willing to go that route.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bahamut Lagoon (tactical RPG) for SNES, which is totally linear but the plot and fun level are high regardless. It's also in japanese, so you'll need the ROM, translation patch, and an emulator to play it.
It's a tough pick for me between Xenogears and FF6 for the best RPG I've ever played. If you haven't played Xenogears before, you should go get it right now. It's for Playstation. I haven't tried to emulate it, since it looks and sounds so good in PSX compatibilty mode on my PS2, which is hooked into the 5.1 surround through a fiber optic patch and to the TV through component video cable.
I use ePSXe for all my PlayStation needs and SNES9x for SNES emulation.
If you want true non-linear RPG play something from the Elderscrolls sieres. Elderscrolls is the only franchise that has ever truely pulled off the dynamic role-playing game. The latest game in the seires is Morrowind
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Geeky1University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
edited February 2004
Morrowind and the expansion packs. And don't download the thing- go pay money for it. It's good enough that after I tried it on a friend's computer, I bought myself a copy.
These guys need money to keep developing this stuff, and morrowind is outstanding, so it's well worth supporting the developers.
I've been playing some old school non-linear RPGs:
One of the good ones is Might and Magic 2 (also known as Gateways to Another World) for Genesis. Get GENS (the best genesis emulator there is) and find the ROM for Might and magic 2. It's serious old school, but a great game.
Morrowind and the expansion packs. And don't download the thing- go pay money for it. It's good enough that after I tried it on a friend's computer, I bought myself a copy.
These guys need money to keep developing this stuff, and morrowind is outstanding, so it's well worth supporting the developers.
Ya.
I'm proly one of the cheapest people on this world, and I even want so much for these guys to keep making these games, that I desided to support them with my cash. I also always buy games from the Civilization franchise.
One of my all time faves is Shadowman, not the second one, the original. You start in one area and gain access to another. You end up with access to dozens of areas but can't complete them without certain 'skills' you gain as you progress. It's like ripples in a pond that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. You have a 'teleporter' to travel about and there are gateways into another realm called deadside. There is so much to this game, The story, gameplay and the twist in the tail made this a game that ,I feel, was totaly under rated. All of you - Get Shadowman, you'd like it.
Comments
I highly recommend Chrono Trigger for the SNES (action/turn based hybrid). It's kind of short if you just play straight through, but there are a LOT of side quests and has the "New Game +" feature that lets you replay the game with all the levels, experience, and equipment that you finished the game with so you can explore the plot without having to worry about the bad guys.
Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3) is a good Action RPG with three different storylines depending on who you pick to be in your party at the beginning. After the game starts though, it's fairly linear. The graphics are stunning and the music is excellent. The game is in japanese, so you'll need to get the ROM and translation patch and play it on your emulator (or copier and if you have one I hate you
Super Mario RPG (turn-based RPG) is a decent pick, as it also has several non-linear story elements and is for SNES. It's also quite humorous (first and last game co-developed by Nintendo and Square).
FF9 (turn-based RPG) is about as non-linear as FF7, but it's for PlayStation only. I enjoyed it, but many people were turned off by the cartoon-like graphics style.
Star Ocean 2 (player selects turn-based or action mode, personally action mode is a hell of a lot of fun) is an excellent game though it's fairly non-linear except with respect to character acquisition (different endings depending on which characters you acquire throughout the game, and except for the two main characters there's a quest to acquire each other character), but it's also for PlayStation.
Both FF9 and Star Ocean 2 emulate fairly well on a modern PC if you're willing to go that route.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bahamut Lagoon (tactical RPG) for SNES, which is totally linear but the plot and fun level are high regardless. It's also in japanese, so you'll need the ROM, translation patch, and an emulator to play it.
It's a tough pick for me between Xenogears and FF6 for the best RPG I've ever played. If you haven't played Xenogears before, you should go get it right now. It's for Playstation. I haven't tried to emulate it, since it looks and sounds so good in PSX compatibilty mode on my PS2, which is hooked into the 5.1 surround through a fiber optic patch and to the TV through component video cable.
I use ePSXe for all my PlayStation needs and SNES9x for SNES emulation.
-drasnor
These guys need money to keep developing this stuff, and morrowind is outstanding, so it's well worth supporting the developers.
One of the good ones is Might and Magic 2 (also known as Gateways to Another World) for Genesis. Get GENS (the best genesis emulator there is) and find the ROM for Might and magic 2. It's serious old school, but a great game.
Ya.
I'm proly one of the cheapest people on this world, and I even want so much for these guys to keep making these games, that I desided to support them with my cash. I also always buy games from the Civilization franchise.