Ben-DutkaAfter Sony revealed the best original PlayStation games ever , as decided by the community, I started to wonder.
Role-playing fans consider the first PlayStation console to be one of the best, if not the best machine for RPGs in the history of consoles. Some can argue SNES or PS2, I suppose, but a lot of people are definitely going with the original PS1, during the golden age of JRPGs. I think it's fair to say there was more variety in those RPGs than many really understood, but that's a topic for another time.
We all know we're getting the Final Fantasy VII Remake . Well, so they say; personally, I doubt it'll ever see the light of day. Which would be a blessing because the final product will be abominable, anyway. At any rate, outside of FFVII, which classic PS1 RPG most deserves a remake? One could easily name another Final Fantasy (I know VIII is a popular choice among franchise followers) but there were many other fantastic – and at the time, unique – RPGs on that system. Legend of Legaia , Parasite Eve , Legend of Dragoon , Grandia , Threads of Fate , Valkyria Profile , the Suikoden , Saga Frontier , Breath of Fire and Wild ARMs games, the list goes on and on. But I'd like to make an argument for Chrono Cross .
Firstly, there's a reason why it's one of the highest-rated video games of all time . It was just ridiculously amazing in so many ways. Beyond the obvious quality, however, this is the one PS1 RPG that best fits the modern-day mold, I think. Don't forget that comparatively speaking, Chrono Cross was absolutely gigantic; not only was the world huge, but there were a ton of playable characters. Plus, while there's no chance Square Enix would use a true turn-based mechanic, they might at least present us with a hybrid of sorts, and the mechanic behind the gameplay was extremely complex. Managing your party was always challenging and fascinating. The inherent complexity and sheer breadth of the game, from the epic story to the large world and many, many characters makes it a perfect fit for an update.
I thought about Legend of Legaia and Legend of Dragoon but at their core, neither game was as epic as Chrono Cross . Besides, if they remade LoL or LoD today, it'd just be a straight-up action bash-fest. It might not be so easy to ruin Chrono Cross .
My vote is for Xenogears.
After reading through the Perfect Works for that game, I long to see it on a current generation console. There was so much detail and talented effort put into every aspect of that game.
They tried to get their vision across on the PS1, but I think that story could be so much better told with powerful hardware.
I can't disagree because Xenogears remains the lone RPG from that era I really regret not playing.
It's not too late to play it Ben!
My pick too.
So… so damn good.
I agree with you, Jared, about the scale of the story. They did a great job on PS1, but there's is so much vision, design, and scale to that game I almost think it's far too epic to FIT on a new redone HD remake!
Man… even just going through the story in my head now… so great.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 9/19/2015 9:39:33 AM
I know it's not too late; I just don't know how I'll ever squeeze it in.
Jared you got to it before me. I can't stress enough how amazing Xenogears would be on current gen technology.
Ben, I hear you about time. The only way I get through these classic RPGs is on a handheld. It takes me about 2-3 years to finish them, but I can manage to hang in there until finish.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/19/2015 4:38:45 PM
No disrespect but I felt chrono cross was kind of… Empty… Maybe it was because the main character had no personality.
The fighting system and exploration was definitely fun though.
I would say FF8 but knowing Square they would probably ruin it.
Last edited by MRSUCCESS on 9/18/2015 11:08:18 PM
There were a lot of characters so it was sort of tough to really get attached to any one character, even the main one.
But boy, "empty" is the last word I'd use to describe that huge game.
I agree to an extent, there was a lot of characters I just had no interest in playing. On the other hand, there were quite a few that were very interesting and fun to use.
Personally, I have difficulty connecting with any silent protagonist. There just isn't enough there to draw out any sort of personality.
Chrono Cross is one of my favorite games though, so there's that.
I get the idea about it being 'empty'. The world map itself looked kinda big, but most towns, even Termina, were sparsely populated with not much in them. The S.S. Invincible probably felt the most 'live in' of all the locations.
That said, the story, and the variability in which you could experience it, were top notch, it still has the single best combat system of all time (it was nice to see Square implement the post battle recovery mechanic from this game in the FFX Remaster), and IMO it has the best soundtrack of any game I've ever played.
So I never really minded the fact that many locations felt more like set pieces rather than part of a cohesive, inhabited world.
After VII it's gotta be VIII. SE can't make new games so why not go into the past and make those again.
I'm sticking with my pick of 'Dragon Warrior VII' getting a makeover to play like 'VIII.' I love the story and characters of 'VII' more, but what they did for the formula in 'VIII' was just perfect. And the voice acting was incredible, so much so that it makes 'VII's text-based approach feel empty by comparison.
But I admit I would love to see any of these games get a proper remake, as they were fun even within the boundaries of then-current technology.
The job system in DW7 was fantastic, although I always felt they took way too long into the story to bring it into play.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 9/19/2015 9:40:56 AM
Chrono trigger was better in every way for me . So i ll be pissed if they remake cross and skip Trigger .
Also , what s the point of 100 character no one care about .It just limit the number of use a certain character have and make them boring to play . It s not too bad compared to the combo system from Trigger not being present .
CT was about half the complexity and a quarter the size, not to mention a fraction as many playable characters.
CC was simply a logical progression in a new era, which is why it makes much more sense as a remake.
If not for a Chrono TRIGGER remake , i would love to see one for Vagrant story . It was great and even after all these years , there is still no game like it .
Put me in the Vagrant Story group. Loved the story and might be the only one here who enjoyed the combat mechanics, but mainly because since I dont have a lot of time to game my coordination on "live action" battles sucks. Definitely enjoyed the stop motion of battle so I could get the hits in.
Xenogears needs it most imo. The game looks like poop usually. Can control like poop too at certain spots. it also has a real restrictive rotating isometric camera.
Other than that it's a real ambitious effort that needs to be remade (in part to fix all of that I just listed). It'd be quite spectacular if it was done right.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/19/2015 9:36:36 AM
All the games mentioned are enjoyable in their current form. My vote goes to Vagrant Story. The gameplay is annoying (to put it mildly – hitting in boss battles for 1 to 2 hp, when the boss has over 100!!). The story was what kept people playing instead of using the disc for skeet shooting practice. If ever there was a game that sorely needed a remake it's this one.
The gameplay wasn't annoying. It just required patience and diligence, two traits gamers aren't often known to possess.
Vagrant Story was good. I didn't finish it but I did get a good ways in. The writing localization was one of the strongest I've seen in a game from that era.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/19/2015 3:38:14 PM
I tried twice with Vagrant Story and I just don't enjoy the mechanics of the game. The story, setting, atmosphere, all that stuff is killer, but the combat just isn't for me and the movement/animation is really rough.
I think it deserves a current-gen facelift, if only because I think those things could be ironed out. Of course, that would require a developer that doesn't suck, so the remake would have to be done by a subsidiary of Square, like Eidos Montreal.
One game i would like to see would be G-Police it was fun then and i thnk it would be great now. Other games i would want would be Final Fantasy Tactics, Railroad Tycoon 2, Wing Commander IV, Persona 1 & 2, Star Ocean 2: Second Story and most of the others have already been stated.
Remake? I wish to see a Star Tropics or Monster Party remake. That would probably make my day.
I've been clamoring about a Star Tropics remake for years.
Chrono Chross and Xenogears for me. I wanna see a remake for those 2 rpg games. ^_^
Biggest thing that I didn't like about Cross is the only way you get some of the best characters is if you play as a total asshole, and the thing is it's not even like the ones you miss if you play good are bad they are just as chill as the rest so it's really annoying.
Biggest annoyance is Glenn, like seriously who on their first playthrough would choose "I'm leaving and just going to let this person I am friends with die."? But that's the only way to get him.
Hm… I'd like to see both Vandal Hearts games remade pretty much only with HD graphics. One that I'd like to see both remade and expanded upon is Monster Seed. Solid SRPG gameplay with unique monster management/breeding. Then there's Granstream Saga, which was a lot of fun… Ugh… so many good ones. Oooo… I think a Final Fantasy Tactics collection (featuring the original and handheld releases) would be beautiful as well. Heh… Ultimately, I think all PS1 and PS2 RPGs should just get re-released somehow.
Hm… I'd like to see both Vandal Hearts games remade pretty much only with HD graphics. One that I'd like to see both remade and expanded upon is Monster Seed. Solid SRPG gameplay with unique monster management/breeding. Then there's Granstream Saga, which was a lot of fun… Ugh… so many good ones. Oooo… I think a Final Fantasy Tactics collection (featuring the original and handheld releases) would be beautiful as well. Heh… Ultimately, I think all PS1 and PS2 RPGs should just get re-released somehow.
I tried twice with Vagrant Story and I just don't enjoy the mechanics of the game. The story, setting, atmosphere, all that stuff is killer, but the combat just isn't for me and the movement/animation is really rough.
I think it deserves a current-gen facelift, if only because I think those things could be ironed out. Of course, that would require a developer that doesn't suck, so the remake would have to be done by a subsidiary of Square, like Eidos Montreal.
Remake? I wish to see a Star Tropics or Monster Party remake. That would probably make my day.
Biggest thing that I didn't like about Cross is the only way you get some of the best characters is if you play as a total asshole, and the thing is it's not even like the ones you miss if you play good are bad they are just as chill as the rest so it's really annoying.
Biggest annoyance is Glenn, like seriously who on their first playthrough would choose "I'm leaving and just going to let this person I am friends with die."? But that's the only way to get him.
The gameplay wasn't annoying. It just required patience and diligence, two traits gamers aren't often known to possess.
I've been clamoring about a Star Tropics remake for years.
Xenogears needs it most imo. The game looks like poop usually. Can control like poop too at certain spots. it also has a real restrictive rotating isometric camera.
Other than that it's a real ambitious effort that needs to be remade (in part to fix all of that I just listed). It'd be quite spectacular if it was done right.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/19/2015 9:36:36 AM
One game i would like to see would be G-Police it was fun then and i thnk it would be great now. Other games i would want would be Final Fantasy Tactics, Railroad Tycoon 2, Wing Commander IV, Persona 1 & 2, Star Ocean 2: Second Story and most of the others have already been stated.
Chrono Chross and Xenogears for me. I wanna see a remake for those 2 rpg games. ^_^
Vagrant Story was good. I didn't finish it but I did get a good ways in. The writing localization was one of the strongest I've seen in a game from that era.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/19/2015 3:38:14 PM
If not for a Chrono TRIGGER remake , i would love to see one for Vagrant story . It was great and even after all these years , there is still no game like it .
All the games mentioned are enjoyable in their current form. My vote goes to Vagrant Story. The gameplay is annoying (to put it mildly – hitting in boss battles for 1 to 2 hp, when the boss has over 100!!). The story was what kept people playing instead of using the disc for skeet shooting practice. If ever there was a game that sorely needed a remake it's this one.
CT was about half the complexity and a quarter the size, not to mention a fraction as many playable characters.
CC was simply a logical progression in a new era, which is why it makes much more sense as a remake.
No disrespect but I felt chrono cross was kind of… Empty… Maybe it was because the main character had no personality.
The fighting system and exploration was definitely fun though.
I would say FF8 but knowing Square they would probably ruin it.
Last edited by MRSUCCESS on 9/18/2015 11:08:18 PM
I get the idea about it being 'empty'. The world map itself looked kinda big, but most towns, even Termina, were sparsely populated with not much in them. The S.S. Invincible probably felt the most 'live in' of all the locations.
That said, the story, and the variability in which you could experience it, were top notch, it still has the single best combat system of all time (it was nice to see Square implement the post battle recovery mechanic from this game in the FFX Remaster), and IMO it has the best soundtrack of any game I've ever played.
So I never really minded the fact that many locations felt more like set pieces rather than part of a cohesive, inhabited world.
There were a lot of characters so it was sort of tough to really get attached to any one character, even the main one.
But boy, "empty" is the last word I'd use to describe that huge game.
I agree to an extent, there was a lot of characters I just had no interest in playing. On the other hand, there were quite a few that were very interesting and fun to use.
Personally, I have difficulty connecting with any silent protagonist. There just isn't enough there to draw out any sort of personality.
Chrono Cross is one of my favorite games though, so there's that.
Chrono trigger was better in every way for me . So i ll be pissed if they remake cross and skip Trigger .
Also , what s the point of 100 character no one care about .It just limit the number of use a certain character have and make them boring to play . It s not too bad compared to the combo system from Trigger not being present .
After VII it's gotta be VIII. SE can't make new games so why not go into the past and make those again.
My vote is for Xenogears.
After reading through the Perfect Works for that game, I long to see it on a current generation console. There was so much detail and talented effort put into every aspect of that game.
They tried to get their vision across on the PS1, but I think that story could be so much better told with powerful hardware.
Put me in the Vagrant Story group. Loved the story and might be the only one here who enjoyed the combat mechanics, but mainly because since I dont have a lot of time to game my coordination on "live action" battles sucks. Definitely enjoyed the stop motion of battle so I could get the hits in.