New Games Tagged 'rpg, core, Playstation' on The Great Games Experiment New Games on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg New Games Tagged 'rpg, core, Playstation' on The Great Games Experiment en-us Star Ocean: The Second Story
]]> 29 Jul 2008 11:10:24 Tactics Ogre Tactics Ogre is a Strategy RPG made by Quest and released by Altus. The game was innovative in its branching plotline. Crucial decisions made in the game determine the path of the story, the members of your army and the ending sequence. There are always multiple endings with radically different outcomes.

For eighty years, Valeria has been in constant strife, and its three leading ethnic groups all claim leadership. The three factions are:

  • Gargastan: While these people make up 70% of Valeria's total population, they suffer constant inner struggle between moderate and radical theorists on how government should best be handled. This weakens what would be a dominant majority.
  • Walstanian: An oppressed minority of Southern Valeria, making up only 10% of the population. Their suffering is the catalyst to the plot in Tactics Ogre.
  • Bacrumese: These are generally the more "elite" of Valerian society, making up a solid 20% of its people.

    • Mighty King Roderick, aided by the forbidden powers of the "Hell Gate," is able to dominate the people until Dolgare of Bacrum successfully leads his army to defeat Roderick and his dark powers. With the king dead, the charismatic Dolgare claims the throne as his own, and is able to end the struggle between the ethnic groups. Under King Dolgare, the rights of the people are preserved, and internal struggles in Valeria come to a temporary halt.

    All is right until the entire royal family is lost due to a string of accidents. Because the late King Dolgare had no living heirs, the ethnic groups once again struggled for leadership: Bishop Branta of the royal court, Cardinal Barbatos, dictator of the Gargastan people, and Duke Ronway, representative of the Walstanian minority, all fought for control, but in the end, Barbatos and Branta stalemated. In order to preserve their power, the two men took separate measures: Cardinal Barbatos sought an "ethnic cleansing" policy and slaughtered thousands of innocent Walstanians and Gargastans, while Branta received aid from the Roslolians, the greatest order in all of Lodis.

    The separation of the three races thus sets the stage for the beginning of the game. The player is greeted by a collage of scenes depicting the Roslolian Order's mysterious actions in Griate, home to Denim Powell, Kachua Powell, and Vice Bozek, the main characters. Denim and Kachua's father, Plancy, was kidnapped by the enigmatic Lans Tartare, and the three heroes seek vengeance against the dark knight.
    ]]>     17 Jul 2007 04:02:39     Grandia Grandia is a role-playing masterpiece that delivers in all of the ways that really matter. While perhaps a little behind in the technology curve, Grandia's innovation, atmosphere, and story make it one of the most noteworthy RPGs in recent memory.

    Long before humans claimed world superiority, the benevolent Icarians ruled the world in peace. After dividing the world in half with a great wall, they used their vast knowledge to transcend the bonds of flesh and become beings of pure light and thought. After their departure, humankind and a horned, feral race developed independently on opposite sides of the world. While humans embraced technology, the other race embraced religion and magic. Humans developed a strong government, and out of that government grew the Garlyle army. Under the corrupt leadership of General Baal, the Garlyle army has been scouring the world for bits of magic and technology that will lead it to the ancient capital of Arent and its secrets. Destined to come into conflict with the army's plans, a precocious 15-year-old, Justin, and his friends, Sue and Feena, stumble on the Garlyle army's plans and begin a globe-spanning race to discover what happened to the Icarians and stop General Baal and his lackeys from awakening a deadly secret.

    Grandia is more interesting, playable, and satisfying than most RPGs. To top it off, Grandia is an enormous game, requiring around 60 hours of play time to complete. But what could keep a game so interesting for so long? Three things - the story, the battle system and the world itself.
    ]]>     22 Jun 2007 04:22:45     Koudelka Koudelka is a console role-playing game for the PlayStation. It is the first game in the series that would become Shadow Hearts.

    Hiroki Kikuta, most known for composing the music to Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu III (also known as Secret of Mana II) while working at Squaresoft, created Sacnoth in 1997 with funding from the video game company SNK. Unhappy with what he considered as the disjointed, juvenile, and stagnant nature of most RPGs, Kikuta had intended to take the genre in a whole new direction. Koudelka was to be his magnum opus, the game that would show the world just how far RPGs could go.

    The initial plot of the game centered around 3 investigators coming to Nemeton Monastery in Wales in the year 1899: Koudelka Iasant, a young girl with supernatural powers arrives at the Monastery after receiving troubling visions. She quickly runs into Edward Plunkett, an adventurer, and Father James O'Flaherty, a priest, who are also investigating the Monastery for various reasons. It is likely that Edward Plunkett in the game is modeled after the historical Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron Dunsany. The monastery was used as a prison in the 1700s, and more recently as the site of dark rituals.

    Now you play as the group of three people- Koudelka, Edward and James, as you are drawn further and further into the darkness of Nemeton monasterys old stories and secrets. Now find what lies beyond the hidden doors and all of Nemetons dark history.

    Source Wikipedia
    ]]>     18 Jun 2007 08:13:13     Tales Of Phantasia "Tales of Phantasia is a Super Famicom game in the RPG genre published by Namco and released in Japan in 1995. It is the first game in the Tales RPG series and was later re-released or remade on the PlayStation, Nintendo Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Portable.

    Tales of Phantasia begins by showing a heroic battle between four unknown warriors against an evil sorcerer, Dhaos, the outcome of which changed the fate of the world. The warriors were victorious, but Dhaos escapes through time. However, four different heroes are awaiting him: they seal the weakened Dhaos away using the power of two pendants, thus returning peace to the world."

    (Taken from wikipedia)

    Ten years later you play the hero of the story, Cless. Him and his party must journey together to defeat the evil that has once again come into the world. Traveling over the extensive "Tales of" universe.
    ]]>     11 May 2007 06:15:02     Thousand Arms Thousand Arms was a great Japanese RPG that never gained much of a following in North America. Combining the role playing genre with the humour of harem anime (series such as Love Hina, To Heart, or Tenchi Muyo) and gameplay elements from dating sims, the resulting game is an oddly compelling and highly entertaining title.

    The story follows the adventures of Meis Triumph, a "spirit blacksmith" who can make magical weapons with the aid (and love) of a girl. Opposing Meis and co. are the Dark Acolytes, a group of robots and cyborgs bent on finding the legendary Sacred Flames and bringing chaos to the world.

    The game differentiates itself from other Japanese RPG ports of the time with its use of voice acting. While most RPGs today feature a large amount of voice acting, at the time few RPGs included it. As well, the Japanese themes "Depend on You" and "Two of Us" by Ayumi Hamasaki were both included in their entirety.

    Another thing that made the game unique was the combat system. At any given time, only one protagonist and one antagonist could actually fight directly. However, up to two characters on each side of battle could contribute through use of items or magic.
    ]]>     06 Mar 2007 07:19:47     Jade Cocoon Popping up in the height of the world's Pokemon craze, Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu is a 3D fantasy-based RPG adventure.
    Early one morning the peaceful village of Syrus is attacked by a swarm of several forest minions called the Onibubu, the Locusts of Apocalypse. The dust they spreads plunges many of the villagers into a deep sleep which they cannot wake from, without the legendary Calabas Herb hidden deep in the massive forest. Since the resident Cocoon Master, Riketz, the Lion of Parel is no longer available, the village reluctantly sends his son Levant into the forest to retrieve the herb. His only hope of survival against the minions of Elrihm, god of the forest is to imprison the creatures in silk cocoons and tame them with the help of his childhood friend and young wife Mahbu, who is the only one able to purify the creatures. But eventually Levant finds himself involved in something much bigger than just saving his village...
    ]]>     17 Feb 2007 07:43:25     Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete Originally released in 1998 for the Sega Saturn console in Japan, it was ported to PlayStation in 1999, and then translated for the North American market in 2000 by the US publisher Working Designs. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete is a remake of Lunar: Eternal Blue, originally released for the Sega CD platform. This game is part of the Lunar series.

    As with the first game, Lunar 2 features an enormous amount of material appealing to game players in a personal level. The story features likable characters engaged in quests that will help them mature as people; in particular, the two main characters develop a powerful romance. The dialogue is also a standout, as even minor characters have large quantities of dialogue, including some very funny jokes. There are also several hand-animated sequences, done in anime style as well as wonderful musical pieces. The game also includes a second, optional adventure that acts as an epilogue.

    The story takes place approximately one thousand years after the events of Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. Once again, Lunar (an inhabited moon that circles a planet called The Blue Star) is endangered, this time by the return of Zophar, the God of Evil responsible for the destruction of life in the Blue Star millennia before. This causes Lucia, a being assigned to the purpose of eventually reviving life on the Blue Star, to awaken before her time. Lucia arrives on Lunar and meets a teenage boy named Hiro, and Ruby, his baby red dragon companion (who, like Nall in the first game, resembles a talking, winged cat) and they set out to find the Goddess Althena so they can prevent Zophar's revival.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 04:23:15     Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete As a remake, Silver Star Story Complete has a substantial number of changes from the original version. The scenario is slightly shorter, and parts of the story (including the backstory and history of Lunar) were changed drastically from the original. The graphics and animation were completely redone, and it features an almost entirely new soundtrack.

    In North America, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete was translated by the US publisher Working Designs. Working Designs originally planned to release their English language version on the Sega Saturn. However, this release was eventually canceled in favor of the Playstation version.

    The game also contains a hidden minigame called Lords of Lunar which was based on the concept of Warlords for the Atari.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 04:09:07     Azure Dreams You play as Koh, a boy from the town of Monsbaiya. The town is built around a massive Monster Tower, inside which are countless monsters that you can fight, as well as capture and breed.In the game you not only venture into the tower to try to match your missing father's reputation, but you can also build up the entire town as well as choose one of many different love interests.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 04:01:56     Xenogears Xenogears' gameplay combines the traditional and innovative, utilizing two-dimensional sprite overlays on three-dimensional backgrounds, as well as two different battle systems, one which is martial-arts driven and the other which takes place in turn-based 'Gear' battles.

    Crew:

  • Game producer: Hiromichi Tanaka
  • [b]Executive producers: Tetsuo Mizuno, Tomoyuki Takechi, Hironobu Sakaguchi
  • Game director: Tetsuya Takahashi
  • Scenario writers: Tetsuya Takahashi, Soraya Saga
  • Original character designer: Soraya Soga
  • Character designers: Soraya Soga, Kunihiko Tanaka
  • Gear designer: Junya Ishigaki
  • Mecha designer: Yoshinori Ogura
  • Art director, Map texture designer: Yasuyuki Honne
  • Art designer: Takashi Arai
  • Map designers: Takashi Arai, Ryosuke Aiba
  • Battle planner: Hiromichi Tanaka
  • Event planners: Masato Kato, Takashi Tanegashima
  • Main programmer: Kiyoshi Yoshii
  • Battle programmer: Katsuhisa Higuchi
    • * Music composer: Yasunori Mitsuda
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 03:01:32     Suikoden An RPG from Konami, putting you in the role of the hero McDohl, son of one of the Scarlet Moon Empire's most powerful generals.
    When your father leaves on an important mission as you finally become a soldier yourself, you begin to realise that that the glorious empire is vastly corrupt.
    During a mission in which you have been asked to stop bandits in a nearby mountain, your best friend reveals a mysterious power, and is summoned to the court. He next shows up mortally wounded, asking you to take the mysterious power, the Souleater Rune, and stop it from falling into the empire's grasp.
    From then on in you and your friends are fugitives, deciding to join, and eventually lead, the Liberation Army.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 12:35:53     Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy IX (ファイナルファンタジーIX, Fainaru Fantajī Nain?) is a console role-playing game developed by Square Co., Ltd. in 2000. It was published in Japan by Square, in North America by Square Electronic Arts, in continental Europe by Infogrames, and in the United Kingdom and Australasia by Square Europe. It was the last original game in the Final Fantasy series to be produced for the PlayStation. The game was developed alongside Final Fantasy VIII, but took a completely different path in line with fans' requests to return to the series roots via castles and other allusions to games in the series. Final Fantasy IX introduced new features to the series, such as the Active Time Event, Mognet, and a revamped equipment and skill system.

    Set in the fantasy world Gaia, Final Fantasy IX's plot centers on a war between two nations, sparked by an ambitious queen. Players follow a young thief named Zidane, who joins with the others to defeat the Queen. Soon after embarking on their quest, they discover that the queen's campaign is a cover up for a greater plot involving a parallel world and Zidane's past.
    ]]>     06 Feb 2007 10:00:58     Final Fantasy V Final Fantasy V is a classic SNES Final Fantasy game. It was originally released in Japan sometime in 1992, and the US didn't recieve it until 1999 under the title Final Fantasy Anthology, being packaged with Final Fantasy VI. It has you take the role of Bartz, a young man set out on a quest to travel the world. He runs into Lenna, a princess, Galuf, an old man who lost his memory, and Faris, a pirate. They later gain the power of the crystal of wind and are able to use Final Fantasy V's job system. There are over 22 jobs in this game, and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. It plays similar to Final Fantasy IV and VI, but using the Job system is key. This game is definately worth checking out.
    ]]>     29 Jan 2007 09:38:06     Clock Tower Note: This is the second of the Clock Tower series, and is called "Clock Tower 2" in Japan. The first release was simply "Clock Tower" a Japanese-only realease for the SNES/Famicom, but was eventually renamed "Clock Tower: The First Fear" when later ported to Playstation (also Japanese only) and Windows 95.

    Because the Japanese Famicom/SNES edition remained "Clock Tower", this next installment became "Clock Tower 2" in Japan, but simply "Clock Tower" to North America. These titles would be followed by Clock Tower 2: The Struggle Within (Clock Tower: Ghost Head in Japan), and then Clock Tower 3, the latest installment to date.

    Playing Clock Tower is like watching an intense slasher film, with one heart-stopping sequence after the next.
    In the mountains of Romsdaaren, Norway, stands the Barrows Family Mansion, an unwholesome, brooding manor perched atop a large cliff. Home to the Barrows family for generations, locals grew to depend on the clock tower of this once peaceful family. They would tend their flocks of sheep in surrounding fields by the dependable tones of the great tower. It was for this reason that the local people began to call the mansion the Clock Tower.

    In 1986, however, the mistress of the Barrows Mansion gave birth to twins, and from the day they were born it was obvious the twins were not normal and were of evil nature.

    The twins were given the names Bobby and Dan. Their unwary parents knew that there was a foreboding evil about them, but who could have possibly known that the two were later to become the most feared and malicious murderers of our century - the infamous giant scissors with which their murders were committed became their namesake - they were called, simply, the Scissormen.

    In 1995, a young girl from the Granite Orphanage, her parents died when she was quite small, was lured into the Barrows Mansion where she was attacked by a monster wielding a giant pair of scissors - yet no one wanted to believe the orphan girl when she returned to town, terrified and alone, claiming to have been attacked by the infamous killer.

    That monster had, in fact, been Bobby Barrow, the Scissorman. She managed to escape from the terrible horrors, destroy the monster, and flee the mansion, yet she simply could not manage to convince anyone of authority of what had happened - in part because they could never find a body.

    For the next year, all of Norway was caught up with the sensationalized Scissorman Murderer. Everyone was enthralled and completely relieved that he was dead - though authorities denied his existence.

    That is, until the brutal murders started again...

    (from the original ASCII press release for Clock Tower)




    Additional Game Features:

    • Evade the insane psycho killer Bobby "The Scissorman" Barrows in the Barrows Family Mansion, solving a mystery while he continues to stalk you.

    • Navigate your way through the game's story and around Scissorman's blade in a direct continuation of the original story.

    • 3 major scenarios follow a prologue in which main characters are selected, seperated by interludes in which you can explore the town and search for further clues.

    • Single player point and click horror-survival adventure in chilling 3D settings.

    • 5 playable characters interact with a varied ensemble of other characters who might help you unravel the mystery.

    • When Bobby attacks find a hiding place or a useful object to fend him off. If he directly confronts only the "panic button" can save you from death by scissors!

    • Player actions result in various outcomes and numerous endings.

    Developer: Human Entertainment
    Publisher: ASCII Entertainment Software, Inc.
    Released: December 13, 1996 (Japan), September 30, 1997 (North America)
    ]]>     25 Jan 2007 03:55:31     Chrono Cross
    Twenty years after the events in Chrono Trigger, a new set of adventurers are preparing for a battle that will surpass even space and time...

    The life of the young boy Serge from a small, secluded fishing village takes an exciting turn for the worse when he is mysteriously transported to a parallel universe. While exploring his new surroundings, he is attacked by unknown assailants, bur rescued by a beautiful girl. Seeking to make sense of what is going on, Serge agress to join the young woman, Kid, on her quest for a hidden artifact.

    Little did he know that an adventure of cosmic proportions awaits him on his journey. With agents from a parallel universe searching for him, his life has been anything but dull. Even more unsettling is his encounter with the mysterious demihuman, Lynx, who claims a familarity that Serge does not feel. Hunted on all sides with nowhere to turn, he must puzzle out the motives of his pursuers, all the while trying to understand his own role in this similar yet vastly different world from his own.

    Featuring a story line developed by the creator of Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, Chrono Cross has been christened the "Best RPG Creation" by it's development team. With multiple scenarios cast along a single story thread, and many different endings, each replay can result in an entirely new adventure.

    In addition, a brand new battle system makes combat smooth and innovative by introducing an elemental field system and combo system that gives the player unparalleled flexibility in their fighting options. The elimination of random battles also quickens the pace of the game, and places the choice of where to battle in the players hands, with character designs by a famed Japanese illustrator and music by the original Chrono Trigger composer, Chrono Cross features visuals and sounds that bring its magic to life.

    Additional Game Features:

    • Battle System: Much more than the simple "select a command and watch its effects" system that has been a part of RPGs for so long, Chrono Cross takes the strategic element in battles to a whole new level. A combo-system allows the player to choose between three levels of attacks, and string them together to form effective fighting patterns. As characters increase in level, new techniques become available, letting two or more characters combine their attacks to form powerful combinations. Random battles are also a thing of the past. Now all enemies can be seen on screen, giving players the option to avoid or outrun unnecessary battles.

    • Magic Elements: Much like the new battle system, the magic system in Chrono Cross introduces new strategies into the game that completely changes the scope of spell effects. Magic in the Chrono Cross world is governed by the use of elements, or spells which are assigned a position on an element grid. Depending upon its position in the grid, weak spells can have their strength boosted considerably at the cost of a slower casting time, while strong spells can be cast quicker, but at the cost of reduced effectiveness. Additionally, each spell and character in the game has an elemental color, which alters its effectiveness against opposing and allied colors.

    • Branching Story and Multiple Endings: Despite being a sequel to the popular Chrono Trigger, the story of Chrono Cross stands on its own merits. Developed by the same team responsible for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, the epic tale spanning two parallel worlds features all of the elements that made the previous titles great, but adds its own brand of uniqueness. Forty plus characters make for an enormous number of side quests, while a branching storyline and multiple endings insure that players won't be putting this game away anytime soon.

    • Hand-drawn graphics and dazzling CG sequences: While gameplay and storyline are truly the elements that seperate a great RPG from a mediocre one, it takes well-developed visuals to tie them all together into an attractive package. In addition to lush hand-drawn backgrounds and character designs by a famed Japanese Illustrator, Chrono Cross also features cutting-edge computer graphics. Produced by the same team that developed the CG sequences from Final Fantasy VIII, the computer animation in this game represents some of Square's best work.

    • A multitude of playable characters and intertwining game scenarios.

    Developer: Square Company
    Publisher: Square Electronic Arts
    Released: JP November 18, 1999 in Japan, August 15, 2000 in North America.
    ]]>     23 Jan 2007 04:05:30     Final Fantasy VIII In a time of both sophisticated technology and powerful magic, an evil sorceress corrupts the world's largest military power through manipulation and deception, enslaving mankind to do her bidding. Her goal is not something as simple as world domination; but to completely conquer all of space and time.

    To counter the turn of events, various leaders head combat training schools, known as Gardens, that turn out elite fighting forces. Known as SeeDs, they defend, serve, and protect humankind from the sorceress. The sole purpose of these academies is to vanquish the sorceress and save humanity as we know it, although they take many other assignments for the right price.

    A small, loose-knit group of SeeD graduates find themselves wrapped in a much bigger endeavor than simple military combat. Now, a gunblade specialist, together with a diverse group of young heroes, must set aside his fears, face the emotions he's run from, and become the leader that he never wanted to be.
    ]]>     14 Jan 2007 09:18:24     Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Cast down to the material world, the mysterious entity 'Raziel' seeks vengeance for betrayal by his master: Kain. Cursed to stalk the dark realms of Nosgoth, he must slay his undead brethren; only then can he absorb their souls for the energy he craves. Moving between the spectral and material plane, Raziel must negotiate puzzles, overcome traps and defy blood-chilling enemies to reach his goal - the final battle with Kain!

    Game Features:

    • Feed on the souls of your enemies.

    • Explore the vast 3D worlds of Nosgoth packed with 60 hours of gameplay.

    • Shift real-time between the material and spectral planes.

    • Hunt 5 different tribes of murderous vampires with an arsenal of deadly hand-to-hand, projectile, and environmental weapons.

    • Third-person perspective, single player adventure.

    Developer: Crystal Dynamics
    Publisher: Eidos Interactive
    Released: 1999 for Playstation and Windows, 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast


    Minimum System Requirements
    P200 MHz MMX Processor (with 3D accelerator card, DirectX 6 compliant)
    P266 MHz Processor (without 3D accelerator card)
    Windows 95/98
    16 MB RAM
    4X CD-ROM drive
    DirectX 6 or higher required (included)
    100% DirectX 6 compliant Sound Card
    320 MB uncompressed hard drive space
    ]]>     31 Dec 2006 04:29:22     Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy IV is one of the excellent early additions to the Final Fantasy series that helped it earn its reputation for powerful stories and fantastic settings. It was first released in North America as Final Fantasy II, although the original name was restored in later releases.
    ]]>     11 Dec 2006 01:37:20     Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy VI was a landmark title in the series, and set the tone for many later console RPGs, both of the Final Fantasy line and elsewhere. Released originally as Final Fantasy III in the U.S., the game has been re-released under its original title for the Playstation. A GBA re-release is scheduled for early 2007.
    ]]>     09 Dec 2006 07:46:38     Chrono Trigger The 32-meg Chrono Trigger utilizes time travel, science-fiction, and fantasy adventure to create one of the best role-playing games ever. The game's hero, Crono, is transported into the past and ends up altering the course of history, and with it the future as well.

    The integral time travel element of the game enables players to alter the game by changing the past, give players multiple endings and excellent repeat game play value. There are mini-quests, a huge cast of characters, realistic time travel, non-linear game play, and more active and interactive battle scenes than Squaresoft's 1994, highly acclaimed, role-playing game Final Fantasy III.
    ]]>     06 Dec 2006 11:26:30