Nocturne: Best PS2 RPG or just best RPG Ever?

[TVC15]

I think this is fairly obvious.

[demi]

I voted "neither"

[Van Cruncheon]

demi go home

[hyp]

i'm still waiting for my copy to arrive.  =\  can't wait.

[demi]

Ephermeral Fantasia > Nocturne

[Himu]

Ban Demi.

Nocturne is tied as best ps2 rpg next to Dragon Quarter

[MrAngryFace]

Sorry guys, VP2 blew my fucking socks off. SoA is my favorite RPG of all time tho.

[Junpei the Tracer!]

Arc the Lad is pretty good.

[Van Cruncheon]

super robot taisen 2 gba

[MrAngryFace]

write in votes are so exciting!

[demi]

OKAGE Shadow King > Nocturne

[MrAngryFace]

haha ok come on demi

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Summoner 2 > Nocturne

Write in vote for Dragon Quarter sorry

[TVC15]

Summoner 2 > Nocturne

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Summoner 2 > Nocturne

I was trying to think of the worst RPG on the PS2 and demi already took Ephemeral Fantasia.

Though with Guitar Hero finally catching on in the US I want mega lute-based minigames in my upcoming RPGs.

Can we go back to the PS1?

Knight and Baby > Nocturne

[MrAngryFace]

Xenosaga was the worst rpg on ps2

[Himu]

Rhapsody > Nocturne
Beyond the Beyond > Nocturne

[demi]

UH Guardian's Crusade rocks and is amazing, definitely better than Nocturne

Playing it on my PSP

[Fragamemnon]

I was trying to think of the worst RPG on the PS2 and demi already took Ephemeral Fantasia.

I actually liked Summoner 2, it was different that most console RPGs (very much a derviative of CRPG designs), and was a pretty entertaining romp with some technical difficulties.  I think you can do far worse on the PS2 in terms of RPGs than Summoner 2, especially if you compare it to its contemporaries.

[bluemax]

Summoner 2 > Nocturne

Write in vote for Dragon Quarter sorry

Add another write in vote for Dragon Quarter.

[Van Cruncheon]

i like ephemeral fantasia. b- title total. i have beat it twice!

xenosaga 1 is probably the worst rpg on the ps2 that i've played.

also, PATEL BONUS TROLL! guitar hero rock the 80s >>>>>>> guitar freaks

[MrAngryFace]

Someone get mondain in here to see this

[Howard Alan Treesong]

also, PATEL BONUS TROLL! guitar hero rock the 80s >>>>>>> guitar freaks

through 6th mix, sure
7th - 11th > rock the 80s

[Mondain]

Nocturne is excellent, but it isn't perfect

The goods:

-Fantastic, original post-apocalyptic world and premise
-Countless demon designs that all look very good
-Good sense of humor in the dialogue
-Excellent ambiance while you play, one of the best ever
-Surprising amount of freedom for a console RPG
-The Pokemon-like "demon collecting" system works well, even if it's Pokemon that ripped it off
-Excellent tactical combat that never ceases to entertain
-Excellent boss fights
-Great balance between gameplay and cutscenes
-High level of difficulty that ends up being refreshing

The bads:

-Not scary
-Story is too nonsensical and uninvolving
-Quests are a little too bland and unexciting
-Music has been done better in other SMT games
-It can get a bit nagging to remember all the corresponding "rock-paper-scissors" elements for combat

[MrAngryFace]

-Story is too nonsensical and weird

Coming from you this made me LOL

[Van Cruncheon]

also "not scary" is a real wtf - - was it supposed to be scary somehow? the art direction in xenosaga was far more terrifying! if i ever saw a shion or a kos-mos or a MOMO in real life, i'd shit my pants and then kill it with fire

[Mondain]

-Story is too nonsensical and weird

Coming from you this made me LOL

The thing is that, the characters in Nocturne keep on telling you a ton of obscure demon references through the course of the game, along with game-specific dialogue, and it just makes it hard to get into and to understand what's going on.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

also "not scary" is a real wtf - - was it supposed to be scary somehow? the art direction in xenosaga was far more terrifying! if i ever saw a shion or a kos-mos or a MOMO in real life, i'd shit my pants and then kill it with fire

What's so bad about KOS-MOS?

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Van Cruncheon]

The thing is that, the characters in Xenosaga keep on telling you a ton of obscure pseudo-scientific acronyms coupled with shallow references to Nietzche, Gnosticism, and Judaism through the course of the game, along with game-specific dialogue, and it just makes it hard to get into and to care about what's going on, but that's okay because I have a boner for naughty naughty space lolis.

fix'd

[The Sceneman]

I havent heard of Nocturne. My copy of Dragon Quarter is in the post

[Himu]

It's called Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call in PAland

[Himu]

Nocturne is excellent, but it isn't perfect

The goods:

-Fantastic, original post-apocalyptic world and premise
-Countless demon designs that all look very good
-Good sense of humor in the dialogue
-Excellent ambiance while you play, one of the best ever
-Surprising amount of freedom for a console RPG
-The Pokemon-like "demon collecting" system works well, even if it's Pokemon that ripped it off
-Excellent tactical combat that never ceases to entertain
-Excellent boss fights
-Great balance between gameplay and cutscenes
-High level of difficulty that ends up being refreshing

The bads:

-Not scary
-Story is too nonsensical and uninvolving
-Quests are a little too bland and unexciting
-Music has been done better in other SMT games

1. Press turn is not rock paper scissor at all. wtf. Every single rpg has magic or enemies that are weak against something. SMTN just places 1000 x more emphasis on this.

2. The plot is not nonsensical at all. Uninvolving? The setting alone kept me involved for 80 + hours.

3. Did anyone ever say it was scary?

[Smooth Groove]

also "not scary" is a real wtf - - was it supposed to be scary somehow? the art direction in xenosaga was far more terrifying! if i ever saw a shion or a kos-mos or a MOMO in real life, i'd shit my pants and then kill it with fire

Kos-mos would make a pretty good sex doll. Although I don't know if it'll be painful to bang a hunk of metal even if it's a hunk of metal that looks like a pornstar. 

Nocturne is excellent, but it isn't perfect

The goods:

-Fantastic, original post-apocalyptic world and premise
-Countless demon designs that all look very good
-Good sense of humor in the dialogue
-Excellent ambiance while you play, one of the best ever
-Surprising amount of freedom for a console RPG
-The Pokemon-like "demon collecting" system works well, even if it's Pokemon that ripped it off
-Excellent tactical combat that never ceases to entertain
-Excellent boss fights
-Great balance between gameplay and cutscenes
-High level of difficulty that ends up being refreshing

The bads:

-Not scary
-Story is too nonsensical and uninvolving
-Quests are a little too bland and unexciting
-Music has been done better in other SMT games
-It can get a bit nagging to remember all the corresponding "rock-paper-scissors" elements for combat

Sounds like it's worth a try but how're the graphics?  It's pretty hard for me to play a game with PS2 graphics anymore.  Is the combat turn-based?

[Mondain]

it's still very, VERY good-looking

the cel-shading style has aged remarkably well, it will never get old

[Smooth Groove]

it's still very, VERY good-looking

the cel-shading style has aged remarkably well, it will never get old

Is this the game with Dante from Devil May Cry?  If so, how does he look in it and how well is he used?  The inclusion of Dante would make the game much more interesting for me since DMC is one of my favorite series. 

[Himu]

Sounds like it's worth a try but how're the graphics?  It's pretty hard for me to play a game with PS2 graphics anymore.  Is the combat turn-based?

The combat is turn based. Probably the best console turn based battle system ever.

Graphics are good but they're really blurry.

Since pics don't do the awesome art style justice, check this out:

[youtube=425,350]6RdbZeOxL2o[/youtube]

[youtube=425,350]GvUWvebNvlI[/youtube]

it's still very, VERY good-looking

the cel-shading style has aged remarkably well, it will never get old

Is this the game with Dante from Devil May Cry?  If so, how does he look in it and how well is he used?  The inclusion of Dante would make the game much more interesting for me since DMC is one of my favorite series. 

Dante is used creatively. He's a good character, I'll say that, but it's not like he's an emphasis.

[TVC15]

The one very naggy thing about the visuals is that they are very prone to jagginess.  This is annoying due to the otherwise cleanly-designed visuals.

[Mr. Gundam]

As awesome as Nocture may be, my vote for best PS2 RPG still goes to Dragon Quest VIII.

[Joe Molotov]

Remember when we all just played Xenosaga and jerked each other off? Good times.

[tiesto]

Best PS2 RPG is still DQ8 for me. But then again I haven't played much of Nocturne, tried it ages ago (it was my first SMT game) but dropped off. But now that I have more SMT experience under my belt I need to go back.

[Vizzys]

About to replay this bad boy and go through all the other PS2 SMTs

I liked digital devil saga a bit more than nocturne personally
 still thats a solid few hundred hours of gaming time

[Himu]

I voted yes initially but I actually think VP2 might be the best overall rpg on the system? Between VP2, P3, SMT3, , FFXII, and BOFDQ it’s so fucking hard to make a choice of best ps2 jrpg. Note this thread was made before one month before Persona 3 came out in the USA. I still think overall press turn as in SMT3 might be my favorite overall turn based battle system. But VP2 offers so many options.

[paprikastaude]

Best PS2 RPG perhaps, but this thread was made before Strange Journey, so...

[Himu]

Best PS2 RPG perhaps, but this thread was made before Strange Journey, so...

SJ isn’t even top 5 SMT games. No thanks.

[Himu]

Are the other battle themes compressed? There’s like three to four battle themes in SMT3. Normal battle occurs only in towns iirc so maybe they’re wanted to use it sparingly and didn’t have the space?

There’s a dungeon battle themes, world map theme, and town battle theme. You’re in towns sparingly in SMT3 so they probably cut on the town battle theme for space.

[Human Snorenado]

I see discerning people of taste were already in here 12 years ago letting everyone know that Dragon Quarter was the correct answer

 

[tiesto]

Shadow Hearts: Covenant has gotta be up there when it comes to PS2 RPGs.

VP Silmeria I actually was a bit disappointed with. Didn't like hlw the battle system was now position based, as I found I got stuck on the level geometry too often, plus it slowed shit down compared to VP1 and the later Exist Archive. Story was weak too, with Einherijar losing their uniqueness and background story. But it was absolutely gorgeous.

[Himu]

FF12:

Good - good story in first half, great gameplay and dungeons
Bad - pacing issues, some bloat, non existent story in second half
 
VP2:

Good - best overall gameplay on the system imo. Battle system has insane depth and the dungeon design is on par with Lufia II thanks to Sealstones. Splitting up the party to tackle enemies to pincer, bait, or wittle down is genius. Easily the most in-depth battle system on its generation.

Bad - story is bad or non existent and after VP1 it’s the only thing that hasn’t improved which is a shame considering VP1’s great story. The gameplay is so good that I don’t give a shit though.

SMT3

Good - great pacing, timeless gameplay, A+ atmosphere and music. All around classic.
Bad - there really is no bad except the original SMT3 kinda sucked. Nocturne is much better.

BOFVDQ:

Good - the most innovative rpg of its generation, great atmosphere, emphasis on replay value, interesting story, marries survival horror with rpg resource management making it a game of consequences, short af, classic soundtrack
Bad - I can’t think of shit

It’s really down to SMT3N and BOFVDQ but I think in terms of gameplay VP2 is the best. SMT3 might be the best overall package however.

Other noteworthy games: FFX, FFX-2, Tales of the Abyss, DQVr, Kingdom Hearts 1, Monster Hunter 1 and 2, Shadow Hearts 1, Disgaea 1, DDS1+2, Raidou 2, Persona 3/4. Easily my favorite system and generation.

Unfortunately DQVIII which might be my overall favorite rpg on the system is virtually unplayable.

Never got the love for Shadow Hearts Covenant. Game bored me to death and I’m not big on overly silly RPGs that have that type of humor.

[MMaRsu]

But im forever stuck in the fucking kamarucho prison or kabuki prison or whatever the fuck it's called it's the grey area where you have to use the mirrors

Im looking for some spoon guy but I cant fucking figure it out

Aside from that the game is SUPER COOL but I just gave up

[paprikastaude]

Best PS2 RPG perhaps, but this thread was made before Strange Journey, so...

In honesty, I tried playing through Strange Journey when it re-released on 3DS, but I beat Carina and dropped it. The flow is really boring, and it sucks that there's so much backtracking.

I don't particularly remember backtracking, but I guess it's a different style of dungeon crawling (compared to other modern SMT), in which you can only advance so much before you need to bail out back into the base. But the 3DS version is waifu'd up nonsense either way.

[bluemax]

I see discerning people of taste were already in here 12 years ago letting everyone know that Dragon Quarter was the correct answer

 

Hell yes my dude.

[tiesto]

I thought I was the only one who actually liked Dragon Quarter! Not my favorite of the series but I loved the unique atmosphere and the innovative SOL system. The game was very ahead of its time, I think a rerelease or a direct sequel would go over much better today than it did back then.

[toku]

I still gotta back around to this one day. I remember how coveted the guide was. Dragon Quarter was great, very underrated. I think those quirky system based RPGs are always kinda overlooked in their time but tend to age well. If only because they dont play or look like everything else of the era.

[demi]

dragon quarter is the precursor to dead rising

[Himu]

I thought I was the only one who actually liked Dragon Quarter!

Not at all. Always been popular around these parts and old gaf along hardcore rpg players.

[Himu]

Ban Demi.

Nocturne is tied as best ps2 rpg next to Dragon Quarter

13 years later and I still go the best taste

Add FFXII, VP2, FFX Int, Suikoden III/V, and Baten Kaitos and we got ourselves a gen.

X-2 as well but it's controversial and I wanna start fights

[bluemax]

Man, the PS2 had so many good JRPGs.

[tiesto]

Man, the PS2 had so many good JRPGs.

Overall, I prefer the PS1 gen to PS2, but there's some good shit on PS2 as well.

[MMaRsu]

Hey look its a thread about one of my fav games (which im stuck on)

[MMaRsu]

emulate this at 4k on ur pc brehs 🤷🏼‍♂️