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 .
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
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
Jared you got to it before me. I can't stress enough how amazing Xenogears would be on current gen technology.
It's not too late to play it Ben!
I can't disagree because Xenogears remains the lone RPG from that era I really regret not playing.
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.