FFIII Pixel Remaster certainly deserves a bigger audience. I have it on PC and it's definitely my preferred way to play what I felt was already an underappreciated FF. I really hope these get ported to Switch someday.

@-TriP-

2 жыл бұрын

I like the pixel remasters for the most part (3 in particular) but I feel like 4 is a bit of a downgrade and 6 traded one set of buggyness for another lol

@BB-te8tc

2 жыл бұрын

For sure. 4 was embarrassingly easy. 6's soundtrack is so good that I can overlook the weird auto battle bugs. Of all of them I think 5 turned out the best.

@Painmaster212

2 жыл бұрын

I've played FF III on the DS and thought it was a pretty weak entry and definitely on the lower tier for the series. I'll give the remaster a try eventually, especially if released on consoles, and see if it changes my mind.

@-TriP-

2 жыл бұрын

@@Painmaster212 sacrilege! lol don't feel bad, 3 was an acquired taste much like 5. oddly enough I wasn't a big fan of 5 though, the Job system seemed more impressive on the NES.

@BB-te8tc

2 жыл бұрын

Agree, but the newer versions and the remaster do soften the blow by "rebalancing" it so it takes much less time to gain levels, and it alleviates the common criticism of "the way to level up is to attack yourself" which is an oversimplification anyway. I played the Pixel Remaster of 2 not too long ago and never really had to grind, so in essence I was just fighting every monster I came across during the course of the game as I would any other RPG. It's still not a good game though.

Robotrek is just adorable. It just has so many strange and fun puzzles. Not in the Zelda or Wild ARMs sense, but more about learning the game's humor. Like, there's one where you need to get some guard to move, and you find out he's afraid of something, and you have to exploit it. It's not just "here's the key item you need, now go talk to him to trigger a silly scene". You actually have to take action. I love Monster Sanctuary as well. Monster capturing usually isn't my thing, but I do love exploration and skill tree experimenting. There's nothing quite like that feeling of freedom you get as you capture your first monster with swimming, gliding, or sprinting. The sound design in the game is rather soothing, too (wouldn't be surprised to see it on another "boring RPGs" list because of it :p ), and the music is fantastic. It just feels good to play with how responsive the controls are. A great game at a very good price at $20 on Steam. Worth every penny.

Great video. Lunar 2 is so good. It's odd to me that it never got another release while the first game, which is also excellent, did.

@jaycromer

2 жыл бұрын

Lunar 2 is my favourite JRPG, with Lunar 1 just a hair below it. It deserves a modern release.

@ShockStormRPG

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah Lunar 2 is an absolutely amazing game.

@RTDArtist

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed that was such a great game especially the post game content that wrapped things up that was one of the best endings that resulted of it.

Time to note these and never play them

@KT1459

2 жыл бұрын

The struggle is real 😭

@dustincompton992

2 жыл бұрын

Aye… where did the concept of free time go?

Baten Kaitos was the dogs bollocks good. There's rumours about Origins and Eternal Wings being remastered for Switch. Would pick up in a heartbeat.

@j255173

2 жыл бұрын

Omg if this turns out to be true, I will buy 5 copies to gift to my friends who never played it lol! Anytime I get a chance to sing the praises of these games I will!

As usual, very interesting and eclectic / versatile list - Lunar 2 EBC : A classic of the PS1 - FF III : Only played the DS version and I've not really been hooked - Baten Kaitos Origins : Never been released in Europe :( :( :( :( - Langrisser I & II : Good games released with a very opportune timing - Inindo : Never heard about - Robotrek : Looks interesting and original - Sword of Vermilion : It's on each and every Genesis compilation released on PS2 / PS3 / PS4 (and probably PS126 in 2500) - Monster Sanctuary : Not interested although looks decent enough - Super Shells : Never played but seems pretty good - Napple Tale : Never owned a Dreamcast and never play digital :( :( :(

I’m loving this video series! It’s giving me a lot of games/series to look into.

Great video David! I love some of those games and I'll be sure to give the ones I haven't played a try. People like you bringing them back to light makes me want to try them right now! :D I hope you bring more of these series to the channel because they make me regret having overlooked some RPGs and I love that feeling because it means I still have much to discover about classic rpgs!

Baten Kaitos Orgins was such a great note for the Gamecube RPGs to go out on. Also Baten Kaitos was the OG Monolith Soft RPG on floating land masses.

Hi David! I LOVE when you do lists like this. I remember playing Baiten Kaitos Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean back in the day. It was my first experience with card based mechanics in a video game. It took a minute to get used to it, but eventually I came to enjoy it. Anyway, fantastic video!

A David video after a hard day at work, what could be better? ( jrpgs maybe, but they can be played after watching)

Lunar 2 Eternal Blue is a top 3 all time JRPG for me. Whether it's the Sega CD original or the PS1 remake it's an absolutely incredible game. Baten Kaitos is very underrated as well and a cool thing about it is that the developers of Xenoblade Monolith Software made Baten Kaitos.

You had me at turn based combat, great list David thank you for the video 🤩

Robotrek

I genuinely love this specific series for helping find games, and also when I can go "I played that game!". Love me some Monster Sanctuary.

I just started playing Lunar silver star story complete since you've talked about it in other videos. Glad to know theirs a sequal worth playing too!

Love this series, a lot of old memories for some great games, and getting introduced to ones I haven't seen before.

Was not expecting to see Monster Sanctuary on here! One of my favorite games to come out recently. Wanted to dive into a second play through right after finishing it the first time, which never happens. Really looking forward to the free dlc update later this year.

List lists are always so fun! I do wish Game Arts would be as gung-ho about rereleasing Eternal Blue as they are the first Lunar, I would love to see both on modern consoles (hopefully with a new, actually accurate localization...) and the Baten Kaitos series *really* needs an HD collection on the Switch, especially since Origins was never released in Europe! And wow, even I hadn't heard of Napple Tale! It looks super charming and fun, I gotta check it out

THANK YOU FOR SHOWING MY ALL TIME FAVORITE GAME LOVE! Lunar is so underated and like never talked about. When I get paid tonight I'm subscribing to your channel just because of this.

Fully agree with Lunar 2. Used to have it and wish I could get it again.

I own FF3 remastered and SNES Inindo AND Robotrek! On the cartridges and they still work . I play them a couple times a year for nostalgia purposes . I’m so glad you covered them ! Awesome video 🙂

I loved Robotrek! Sure it was no Final Fantasy but It was so much fun putting together your own party of battle robots and it had such a light-hearted atmosphere -- freakin' wholesome, man.

The scene with Luna in Lunar 2 is one of my favorite scenes of all time.

Great video as always, David! I hope you’ve been doing well ❤️

Sword of Vermillion has some eyebrow-raisers even for old me returning to it via Sega Genesis Classics Collection. The opening theme performed live by SST Band is incredible!

6:00 - Yes, but perhaps the most elusive thing in this entire game is the plot. There are many points where you get little direction as to what you're supposed to do (and talking to NPCs does not help, because nobody tells you ANYTHING). So you'll often have to wander aimlessly around a dungeon or enemy base hoping to get lucky and stumble on the next sequence trigger.

The Sega CD version of Eternal Blue was one of the first RPGs I ever played.

Warsong was one of my favorite all time games. I have this digital on my switch but it is sitting in my massive backlog

Baten Kaitos is such a hidden gem. I'm so happy to see it on here.

I’ve personally never understood why Lunar 2 didn’t get the attention and affection that the first did with a lot of people. I actually think 2 is far superior to the original, with a more interesting cast of characters and better balanced gameplay. Both games are tons of fun, though.

Please continue. This series is great. Gonna look into Napple Tale.

Currently playing the Chrono Cross remaster... and it's not scratching that itch.

Not only did he manage to finish a 3D Platformer but he even put it at the #1. He's finally transitioning from 2D, everyone.

@davidvinc

2 жыл бұрын

Whoa there, let's not get crazy LOL

Good list! I feel legend of Legaia doesn’t get enough love ether. Really fun combat with a easy to digest story

To piggy back on non linear SRPG’s, Valkyrie Profile: covenant of the plume for the DS is just fantastic!

I’ve actually got Langrisser 1&2. Really good strategy JRPG. You like Fire Emblem you’ll love it.

Lunar was an amazing game world. Playing FF3 now. Inindo was so great. I remember climbing the walls to do sabotage :D Robotrek brings a tear to my eyes (Actraiser toy mentioned. Loved being a God).

Mana Khemia is definitely one

"Napple Town" gives me some big "Brave Fencer Musashi' vibes.

I love these lists. I almost always have most of the games on these lists but there’s always that chance that there are one or two games I missed.

3:37 - People complained about some of the remastered tracks in Langrisser I and II. But the game allows you to literally use any soundtrack from ANY version of either game. So even though the games are a bit easier than the originals (especially with the option to redo stages), there's still no reason not to play them.

Baiten kaitos. Played this one around the same time frame as i did skies of Arcadia. Both were phenomenal.

I skipped FF3 in my original run through the series, but I recently played it and really enjoyed it so I hope with the new pixel remaster, more people check it out

I like this series. Lots more games to add to my list.

I really enjoyed RoboTrek. Very unique. Shadowrun for SNES is a game that I could see on your list. Give it a look

Love ur top 10s play boi! Would yu recommend those Saga games that got fan translated for the DS? They look pretty dope

@davidvinc

2 жыл бұрын

Of course I would, I even LP'ed them on the channel :)

Sword of Vermilion is one of my favourite Sega mega drive game. I had it as a kid with the guide book in with the game!

Anytime I get a chance to recommend a good old JRPG I will always recommend Baten Kaitos 1 and 2! Amazing OST, great story, likable characters and beautiful graphics. I remember for a while there a fan theory (never confirmed from the developer) circulated that Sagi and Milly are in fact Melodias parents (the antagonist of Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean). So good, highly recommend guys!

Oh, dude! I love these hidden gem videos. My biggest contender for RPGs most people have never played is Shining Force III, all three scenarios. Now granted, the first scenario alone is rare enough on the dying Sega Saturn, but the two remaining chapters had to be fan-translated. It is one of the greatest RPGs I've ever played, and it took diligent code crackers years to break the game open so that they could even translate the darn thing.

@lanegunnell1218

2 жыл бұрын

Great suggestion! I've played the translated version twice now and it's amazing what these folks have done. It's incredibly well done and they keep refining it year after year. And now that emulation is really good for Saturn thanks to Mednafen and Retroarch, it's relatively painless to setup and play. 100 hours of gameplay w/ a well told story and really fun combat. So sad it's been lost to most gamers...

Lunar 2 is a fantastic game, always loved it Langrisser should be a must play for anyone who likes strategy jrpgs Robotrek is a flash of my childhood loved that game. Curious if you've ever played Monster rancher on PS1 - kind of a pokemon style monster training/raising sim but you get monsters by putting random cd's into your playstation. Also have you ever played Jade Cocoon? The original not the bad sequel. That and Legend of Legaia were two of my favorites growing up from the old PS1 days.

It is incredibly fun to see a school teacher trash school simulators in videogames

Robotrek is such a great game!

I remember buying Baten Kaitos Origins when it came out from a Gamestop and I was excited that I was going to add it to my collection. I said to the clerk that this would be quite the collectible one day and he laughed saying it wouldn't be. Now I laugh back in his face as a quick search shows I was right!

I love the original “Lunar” and need to finally play “L2: Eternal Blue”! I kept hoping it would get the same graphical and quality-of-life improvements as “Lunar: Silver Star Harmony Complete” on PSP but unfortunately that never happened. In related news, an SRPG I’ve been wanting to play forever, “Wachenroder”, just finally got a fan translation and English patch!

@Painmaster212

2 жыл бұрын

It's a shame Lunar 2 hasn't been released on modern consoles or PC. One of the best the genre has to offer imo.

@Yup712

2 жыл бұрын

@@Painmaster212 I keep hearing that and since I love the series I think I’m going to check out the PS1 version.

I appreciate in the title the inclusion of the word, "Probably". A lot of times these videos make definitive statements like, "This one thing you Never knew!!!" -- like, wait, maybe I did freaking know it, pal, how would you know? Here, the inclusion of "probably" makes it clear -- it's unlikely you knew but hey, maybe you did.

The lunar series is everything to me!

Played and beat both Lunar games back when I was a teenager (37 atm) loved them, got FF3 on my DS (is it worth playing? Got any tips?), played the first Baten Kaitos for GameCube back when I was a teenager and played and beat Monster Sanctuary on my Xbox One and I played Der Langrisser for SNES on my emulator on my Android phone (english patched version) Never played any of the others, although I think I have Sword of Vermilion on my Sega Genesis Collection for my Xbox 360, so I'll have to check it out. Thanks for all these great videos and have a good day. 😍

@davidvinc

2 жыл бұрын

I would skip FF3DS and play the pixel remaster - it's so much better.

@jaimereupert4247

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidvinc unfortunately, I have no way to play the pixel remastered versions.

Let's see how I did on this one! Lunar 2 (have PS1), Final Fantasy III (have PSP), Baten Kaitos (never played), Langrisser I and II (have PS4), Inindo (never played), Robotrek (modded onto my SNES classic!), Sword of Vermillion (never played), Monster Sanctuary (never played), Super Shell Monster Story (never played), Napple Tale (never played). Wow only 4/10. This list beat my ass.

I really love your videos, David. Since I found them, they and you have made my life a better place. Please, continue bringing joy with everything you do. Hugs!

@davidvinc

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

A little bit of David to start my Friday. Seeing and hearing all about these classics made my morning. Thank you Mr Vinc 😁

@fourthirtyam3374

2 жыл бұрын

It's Thursday

@AnotherDamnHiddenGem

2 жыл бұрын

@@fourthirtyam3374 My days off are Friday/Saturday from my job.

Best jrpg bosses would be an interesting video

Have you ever played Threads of Fate (PS1, Square)? I can't recall you covering it. The early 3-D platforming is awkward, but at least it isn't a constant pain. It's otherwise a charming little game with an endearing cast, played through two different characters whose stories diverge and intersect.

Some Lunar 2 love from David! I adore both Lunar games, but have always preferred Eternal Blue. It has better combat and I much prefer the characters. They have tons of character development and you really see each person grow and overcome some really difficult shit **SPOILERS KINDA** like kidnapping and abuse to escaping a cult or failing a loved one or having your whole belief system shattered. ** END SPOILER** For such a cutesy game it has a lot of dark stuff. While I think the Sega CD version is better overall, either that or PS1 are excellent and really need more recognition. PS, Robotrek is awesome!

I had a Sega Genesis copy of Sword of Vermillion when i was a kid, but never went far with it because the range of the sword attack was too short and my patient was just as short with the game. It wasn't until I download the same game from the Wii virtual console library during the 2010s when I played through the game and managed to beat it. Despite the flaws of final fantasy 3 before the pixel remaster, I actually liked the ds version of the game mainly because of the personalities behind some of the characters, plus the in-game dungeon maps made traveling in them easier. I enjoyed how in Langrisser 1 and 2, you get to keep your levels and equipment from completed playthroughs to make reaching the endings easier.

I love Eternal Blue. Such a good game. I remember when I was a kid and I played it though I kept wanting Hiro to become the dragonmaster. I definitely want to get FFIII pixel remastered. It's on my list of games to get. I have V but don't think I'll get anymore besides III. Never played either Baten Kaitos games. I had a GCN but I'm not a fan of card based games so this one wasn't on my radar. I wanna get Langrisser for the Switch. Looks like such a cool take on strategy RPGs. Never even heard of Inindo... I've heard of RoboTrek from SuperDerek I think. Maybe Xygor. Or you. Or all of you. Anyway, looks fun. Never heard of Sword of Vermilion I don't think? Doesn't look like my cup of tea. Monster Sanctuary, also never heard of, looks pretty interesting. If my backlog wasn't a mile long I might consider it. Super Shell Monster Story is ANOTHER I've not heard of. Looks rad. And the trend continues, haven't heard of Napple Tale. Great video, like always, love your lists, they're always thoughtful and well articulated and interesting.

I actually enjoyed the first Baten Kaitos over origins but both were great games!! It was very niche and I hope that they do something with that IP in the future.

I had to import Baten Kaitos Origins because it was never released in Europe. It was so expensive for me at that time to import a game from the USA and I also had to use the Free Loader first everytime I wanted to play it. Totally worth it though :D

I don't know how many there are but I can always appreciate finding a translated NES RPG that isn't a clone of Dragon Quest. Have you mentioned Esper Dream 1 or 2 yet?

Robotrek was a good choice. Absolutely loved the game. Slightly challenging in some areas..

I feel like baten kaitos would benefit greatly from a continuation or just remake. Card based games have blown up in popularity recently.

Thank you for number 7. I’d played it a while ago and wanted to get it but I forgot the name of it.

I always remember the way the kid in Robotrek deploys his three pet robots from round orange/white capsules reminding me of Pokemon... except this game was made years before Pokemon was a thing. Game Freak owes Quintet royalties! Atlus tried making a 'robo-Pokemon' later with Robopon but it was shamelessly plagiaristic of Pokemon.

@asiu19

2 жыл бұрын

Though, with Robopon, the second time around they found their own style and the game was distinct enough and enjoyable to play

@WhiteFangofWar

2 жыл бұрын

@@asiu19 Haven't played the second one, glad to hear they tried to give it some of its own identity instead of just ripping off Pokemon.

@AndymionD

2 жыл бұрын

I'd also argue Atlus did pokemon before pokemon with the megami tensei/smt series. Of course a more mature take on it.

You might like the Lisa Series. They're game maker RPGs but super charming and even quite depressing.

Would you recommend playing Baten Kaitos before Origins? I have the latter but not the former. Is Langrisser/Warsong kinda like Vanguard Bandits in a way?

There's so many rpgs I'm set for life I don't need another genre

Too bad that Lunar 2 was never released in the PAL-regions, but one game I have played on the Switch Online Service is Sword of Vermillion, which is kinda like a dungeon crawler with action JRPG-elements. It's not bad at all imo.

YO! Sword of Vermilion is amazing! The boss fights are cool and intense.

Out of all these games, Napple Tale looks like the closest thing to Tail Concerto.

Personally I hope that one day we see Langrisser 3, 4 and 5 in English too. I'm not holding my breath, but then again, Famicom Detective Club games were localized, so perhaps there's a chance for Langrisser games too!

Played Lunar 2 Eternal blue. Even bought the special edition with the pendant on PS1.

If you've played the Maeson Mix hack (either Version 1.2.3 or 1.3.7), would you say that the Final Fantasy 3 Pixel Remaster is still worth checking out? The original is a little hard to go back to after those, because of how well everything was rebalanced; even the bards aren't useless!

Shadow Madness. Anybody remember that one for the PS1? I know it's not a jrpg but it is very overlooked and strange.

I can finally say that I have played one of the games on these lists. lol Langrisser 1 and 2

Lunar 1/2 for me were just as good as the RPG powerhouses like Final Fantasy. Shame it only really got 2 real games.

Funnily, SEGA's "answer to Nintendo's Fire Emblem" was on the SNES...

Inindo is so good. I loved the war battles. It sucked though if someone died in a regular battle because the game features permadeath. So you lose the character, and all of their equipped gear, forever. Edit: Funny how I can remember that but now in my 40s Calculus would be like a foreign language to me.

I love these videos, but I didn't comment on the last one, so I'm going to reiterate what I said in the first one: Where is Lost Odyssey and Jeanne D'Arc? I really appreciate your taste David. We're bout the same age and played a lot of the same games as a kids. I don't know if you ever played Lost Odyssey but I really think you would have loved it. It was made by Hironobu Sackaguchi, you know the guy that made all those old Final Fantasy games we love before Nomura invaded the series with nonsensical plots and belts! It was made for the XBox 360 which is unfortunately why no one played it, but it's essentially his spiritual successor take on the Final Fantasy series. Even if you don't put it on a list, at least please look it up. Uematsu did the music and it's one of his better scores. Jeanne D'Arc was made by Level 5 (Layton, DQ 8 and 9) and it's their anime take on Joan of Arc story. It goes in a weird direction, but still a great tactical RPG. I'm not trying to be a complainy pants; I just really love these two games, especially Lost Odyssey. I didn't know about the QoL updates that were part of FF3 Pixel remaster. I wasn't super crazy about the 3D remake. They overly balanced the job classes in my opinion. Yeah, the OG versions of Ninja and Sage were super broken in the orignal, but the game is hard enough as it is. Let players have some fun. Also F them for locking the Onion Knight job class behind street pass in the 3DS version.

2:10 - Ok, I'll make you a deal. I'll play it if it ever makes it to consoles.

Did the OG "Shadow Hearts" get a mention on another list? I can’t remember.

I never did complete Lunar 2, loved the Baten Kaitos series, haven't played Ff3 pixel remaster yet, I own Langrisser 1/2 for the switch, I've played sword of vermillion, My favorite rpg like platformer was mystical ninja starring goemon for the 64.

3:45 - Ok, let me describe Langrisser for those that aren't familiar. So folks, remember the army battles from Suikoden II and V? Well, these are the games they came from. Except they made a series of games about them.

I played and have beaten Baten Kaitos 1 and 2 several times each. Shame there wasn't another game. These games are my favorite Gamecube RPGs of all time.

Langrisser looks so cool! I didn't know it was on switch. Time to pull out my wallet. It gives me the gba fire emblem vibes which I played to death!

With Super Shell Monster Story 1 & 2, I remember hearing about a Blue Mage character that you can recruit into the party. The Pixel Remaster of Final Fantasy 3 is the best port to date, With none of the bullshit relating to Job points, waiting periods No save points, Rebalanced jobs and a bunch of other stuff.

Langrisser 1 and 2 remakes were really good I wish they would translate more of the series

Napple Tale also has a great score composed by Yoko Kanno.

Is there a way to play the Lunar games today besides owning a ps1? I'm feeling nostalgic and have no idea if they are on more modern platforms.

@lanegunnell1218

2 жыл бұрын

Emulation is pretty much the only other way. They also originally came out on Sega CD, so there is that.

@hutchensdl

2 жыл бұрын

@@lanegunnell1218 tyvm......I haven't seen a sega cd in forever lol.

Does anyone remember the game Beyond the Beyond on Playstation? I absolutely loved that game growing up and I'd love to see it make one of these lists

so many hidden rpgs that sliped under my radar that its suprising david. that and you really dont like any rpgs that involves high school. but regardless thank you for revealing more hidden goods to us david. ps i myself like high school rpgs but i still respect your openion and your devoution to the old ways of rpgs. keep up the good work and have a blessed day.