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Current Events > Help me trim some fat in this list of JRPG games I want to play.

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God_of_6strings
07/12/23 6:37:15 PM
#1:


I have never completed a JRPG before besides Pokemon Blue and Silver. And Kingdom Hearts if that counts. I made it to Braska's Final Aeon in FFX, but never beat him. (I got him within one hit remaining, then my guy missed, and his next move was Super Jecht Shot).

But I've always been interested in JRPGs, so I made a list of some that I would like to play, and in this order, so that I can see how the genre evolved as I play through them. The problem is, even if I played through 2 per year, it would take me longer than 7 years to complete this list. I'm looking to do it over 5 years or fewer. Are any of the games in this list super grindy or have overwhelmingly long portions of the game that feel like fluff and drag on (I know this is a common thing in JRPGs)? Here is my list.

FFVI - 1994
Chrono Trigger - 1995
Suikoden - 1995
FFVII - 1997
Grandia - 1997
Xenogears - 1998
Suikoden II - 1998
FFIX - 2000
Grandia 2 - 2000
Skies of Arcadia - 2000
FFX - 2001
Tales of Symphonia - 2003
Mother 3 - 2006
Persona 3 - 2006
Xenoblade Chronicals - 2010
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TheGreatEscape
07/12/23 6:38:44 PM
#2:


cut suikoden 1, tales of symphonia, mother 3 and xenoblade chronicles tbh

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Will_VIIII
07/12/23 6:39:33 PM
#3:


Shit, that's a solid list.

Maybe play a couple of em on easy mode.

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AldousIsDead
07/12/23 6:39:36 PM
#4:


Grandia can probably go. If you've played FFVI then IV can go.

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darkace77450
07/12/23 6:40:25 PM
#5:


God_of_6strings posted...
FFX - 2001

Easy cut. Ditch it and don't look back.

God_of_6strings posted...
FFVI - 1994

Don't let anyone talk you into skipping this one.

God_of_6strings posted...
FFVII - 1997

Or this one. If you're interested in seeing the evolution of the genre, the juxtaposition between these two is paramount.
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SomeLikeItHoth
07/12/23 6:42:02 PM
#6:


Play Final Fantasy IX first.

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Will_VIIII
07/12/23 6:42:59 PM
#7:


I think all the most current releases of FF 1-9 have exp, gil and encounter modifiers and I'd take advantage of that to clear through the backlog

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God_of_6strings
07/12/23 6:43:07 PM
#8:


darkace77450 posted...
Or this one. If you're interested in seeing the evolution of the genre, the juxtaposition between these two is paramoun
I hear ya. I've played through a good amount of VI, have barely touched VII. But yeah, what you said about the juxtaposition between those two is part of the reason they're on my list. Then it will be interesting to see how IX went back to more traditional Final Fantasy tropes.
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kingdrake2
07/12/23 6:43:41 PM
#9:


i would exclude tales of symphonia if plan to go 100%. 5 playthrough's required (alot of hours).

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PerseusRad
07/12/23 6:44:35 PM
#10:


I dont remember Mother 3 being that long, I dont think you should cut it. Im a fan of FFX and FFVI is quite good as well. I personally wasnt a huge fan of Xenoblade.

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PowerOats
07/12/23 6:46:19 PM
#11:


So long as you don't cut any final fantasy, the rest can be skipped
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Will_VIIII
07/12/23 6:46:25 PM
#12:


I'd also have to suggest playing Earthbound before mother 3 since they are connected

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Slayer_22
07/12/23 6:46:42 PM
#13:


Man Persona 3 is that bolded answer in a nutshell but it's one of the best games ever in spite of that.

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ellis123
07/12/23 6:46:51 PM
#14:


Cut Suikoden, Grandia 1/2, Tales of Symphonia, and Persona 3. Grandia 1/2 are classics but nowhere is good as the others on the list, Suikoden really didn't age well at all (Suikoden II didn't either, but it started from a higher spot so meh), and the other three have large segments of dragging (Persona 3 being the worst as Tartarus is waaaay too long).

darkace77450 posted...
If you're interested in seeing the evolution of the genre,
Same with FFX as a "you shouldn't skip this if you like the genre" but that didn't stop you.

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God_of_6strings
07/12/23 6:48:46 PM
#15:


PowerOats posted...
So long as you don't cut any final fantasy, the rest can be skipped
Chrono Trigger?
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skullmagic2
07/12/23 6:49:15 PM
#16:


Symphonia is best played co-op imo, and definitely has some padding so if you need a skip I'd put it up there even though I love it personally.

Chrono Trigger is an absolute must-play.

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TheGreatEscape
07/12/23 6:49:22 PM
#17:


ellis123 posted...
Cut Suikoden, Grandia 1/2, Tales of Symphonia, and Persona 3. Grandia 1/2 are classics but nowhere is good as the others on the list, Suikoden really didn't age well at all (Suikoden II didn't either, but it started from a higher spot so meh), and the other three have large segments of dragging (Persona 3 being the worst as Tartarus is waaaay too long).

ehh i could agree with Grandia 1 but 2 aged pretty well and the pace is fast enough though I don't remember how long the game actually is.

In terms of being time consuming, XBC is definitely one of the worst offender on that list, that game is 80 hours too long

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Shamino
07/12/23 6:50:40 PM
#18:


Cut FFX, Tales of Symphonia, Mother 3, and Persona 3.

If that's too many, then at least cut FFX.

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AldousIsDead
07/12/23 6:51:34 PM
#19:


Oh I misread. Definitely don't skip VI it's on the shortlist for best of the series and best of the SNES.

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Will_VIIII
07/12/23 6:52:29 PM
#20:


TheGreatEscape posted...
ehh i could agree with Grandia 1 but 2 aged pretty well and the pace is fast enough though I don't remember how long the game actually is.

In terms of being time consuming, XBC is definitely one of the worst offender on that list, that game is 80 hours too long
Grandia 2 was 00s edgy though. Xenoblade Chronicles DE took me about 50 hours

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Garioshi
07/12/23 6:54:28 PM
#21:


God_of_6strings posted...
Are any of the games in this list super grindy or have overwhelmingly long portions of the game that feel like fluff and drag on?
Cut Xenogears yesterday. Persona 3 should probably be on the chopping block for that too, and Tales of Symphonia would probably be my third choice.

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radical_rhino
07/12/23 6:54:40 PM
#22:


The older games are worse when it comes to mandatory grinding, for the most part.

For gods sake play the GameCube version of Skies of Arcadia, not the Dreamcast version. They like halved the random encounter rate for GC.

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ellis123
07/12/23 6:55:49 PM
#23:


TheGreatEscape posted...
ehh i could agree with Grandia 1 but 2 aged pretty well and the pace is fast enough though I don't remember how long the game actually is.

In terms of being time consuming, XBC is definitely one of the worst offender on that list, that game is 80 hours too long
I wasn't saying that Grandia 1/2 aged poorly, just that they were worse than the rest of the list. Everything there is great, yes, but Grandia 1/2 definitely stick out as being substantially less monolithic.

And there is a difference between something being long and something dragging. XBC is super long, but the pacing is tight and you really don't have to grind beyond superbosses. Persona 3, on the other hand, has you go up a good 60 some odd floors of a randomized dungeon after you are well and tired of it and just want to get on with the story. It also has a fair bit of grinding, but that is pretty secondary in this case.

Though get over your "80 hours too long" on a game that takes 80 hours to beat the story + all side stuff sans superbosses.

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God_of_6strings
07/12/23 6:55:57 PM
#24:


I wont be cutting FFX, since it's the game I played that introduced me to traditional JRPGs. Playing it again after playing some older JRPGs will give me a different perspective on it.
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Zano
07/12/23 6:56:46 PM
#25:


Probably an unpopular opinion but I say cut Xenogears. Trash game, even excluding the bullshit 2nd disc

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Will_VIIII
07/12/23 6:57:58 PM
#26:


Zano posted...
Probably an unpopular opinion but I say cut Xenogears. Trash game, even excluding the bullshit 2nd disc
There's a rumored remaster anyway so should probably just wait to see what comes of that

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Shamino
07/12/23 6:59:35 PM
#27:


God_of_6strings posted...
I wont be cutting FFX, since it's the game I played that introduced me to traditional JRPGs. Playing it again after playing some older JRPGs will give me a different perspective on it.

Ok, in that case, I'd still cut FFX.

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HeeathLivesOn
07/12/23 6:59:47 PM
#28:


Will_VIIII posted...
Shit, that's a solid list.


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NoxObscuras
07/12/23 7:01:15 PM
#29:


Trim the fat!? I'm ready to add more to your list lol. There are a ton of amazing JRPG's out there.

ellis123 posted...
Grandia 1/2 are classics but nowhere is good as the others on the list,
I agree with the others that Ellis said to cut, but I hard disagree with this one. Grandia is one of my favorite games of all time and I always recommend people play it.

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UnicornWizard
07/12/23 7:04:06 PM
#30:


I would cut skies and symphonia. I like those ones, just not as much as the rest of the list. That said, XBC is a loooong game too, so I wouldn't blame someone for cutting that one as much as I personally adore the series.

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ellis123
07/12/23 7:08:16 PM
#31:


NoxObscuras posted...
I agree with the others that Ellis said to cut, but I hard disagree with this one. Grandia is one of my favorite games of all time and I always recommend people play it.
Same. I would just put everything else on this particular list above them.

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Tyranthraxus
07/12/23 7:08:48 PM
#32:


Probably gonna get shit for this but don't bother with these games:

Suikoden - 1995
Grandia - 1997
Suikoden II - 1998
Grandia 2 - 2000
FFX - 2001
Tales of Symphonia - 2003
Mother 3 - 2006
Persona 3 - 2006
Xenoblade Chronicals - 2010

This isn't a comment on quality, but in a world of finite time, you can definitely do without these.

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darkace77450
07/12/23 7:09:30 PM
#33:


ellis123 posted...
Same with FFX as a "you shouldn't skip this if you like the genre" but that didn't stop you.

The evolutionary leap between 7-9 and 10 isn't nearly pronounces as the one from 6 to 7. Aside from that, TC specifically mentioned grindy games.

Are any of the games in this list super grindt or have overwhelmingly long portions of the game that feel like fluff and drag on (I know this is a common thing in JRPGs)?

Setting aside my personal opinion of the game, 10 is an incredibly grindy game, especially if one wants to 100% it.
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Hospy
07/12/23 7:09:58 PM
#34:


Suikoden might not have aged particularly well but it certainly offers a somewhat unique take on the JRPG genre by letting you have loads of characters.

I personally loved it, but then again I did play it over twenty years ago.
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Tora_Sami
07/12/23 7:11:54 PM
#35:


Keep these

FFVI - 1994
Chrono Trigger - 1995
Suikoden - 1995
FFVII - 1997
Suikoden II - 1998
FFX - 2001

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ellis123
07/12/23 7:15:02 PM
#36:


darkace77450 posted...
The evolutionary leap between 7-9 and 10 isn't nearly pronounces as the one from 6 to 7. Aside from that, TC specifically mentioned grindy games.

Are any of the games in this list super grindt or have overwhelmingly long portions of the game that feel like fluff and drag on (I know this is a common thing in JRPGs)?

Setting aside my personal opinion of the game, 10 is an incredibly grindy game, especially if one wants to 100% it.
X is absolutely not a grindy game. At no point do you ever have to grind anything unless you want to do optional end game content like the monster arena. In fact that's why there are more challenge run varieties in FFX than practically every other game in the series combined: the base game is easy.

And FFX is at the start of JRPGs not having grind as a cornerstone for completion. That is a far bigger change than any other point in the series. Prior to that they all had grindy bits, but afterwards the idea of having to grind went down until modern games where you have to go with indie "nostalgia" games (sprite-based and based on SNES titles) in order to find things that you have an real incentive/need in grinding.

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darkace77450
07/12/23 7:16:46 PM
#37:


ellis123 posted...
And FFX is at the start of JRPGs not having grind as a cornerstone for completion. That is a far bigger change than any other point in the series. Prior to that they all had grindy bits, but afterwards the idea of having to grind went down until modern games where you have to go with indie "nostalgia" games (sprite-based and based on SNES titles) in order to find things that you have an real incentive/need in grinding.

Pray tell, which parts of VI did you find grindy?
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Tyranthraxus
07/12/23 7:19:04 PM
#38:


VI is the opposite of a grindy game. Everyone tries to get out of WoB at the lowest level possible to get superior WoR esper level up bonuses.

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TheGreatEscape
07/12/23 8:34:53 PM
#39:


Tyranthraxus posted...
VI is the opposite of a grindy game. Everyone tries to get out of WoB at the lowest level possible to get superior WoR esper level up bonuses.

and beyond that in the late game gear matters a lot more than levels.

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God_of_6strings
07/13/23 5:36:58 AM
#40:


What does A.M. CE think?
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IceCreamOnStero
07/13/23 5:40:04 AM
#41:


Persona 3 can definitely be fluffy.

Xenoblade can be too if you're going to go anywhere near 100% but U still think its excellent and a definite must-play

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pfh1001
07/13/23 5:48:17 AM
#42:


I'd cut the Grandias & Persona 3 out of that list if you're wanting to avoid games with grind heavy parts and pacing issues. And as much as I loved it back in the day, Xenogears also has that issue.

Suikoden 1 can be beaten in 15 hours or so, so I wouldn't skip it even though it is pretty basic because seeing how Suikoden 2 improved upon everything is the perfect example of a sequel done right.

Don't skip Chrono Trigger, FF6, FF7, or Skies of Arcadia either.
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Ricemills
07/13/23 5:53:41 AM
#43:


Tyranthraxus posted...
VI is the opposite of a grindy game. Everyone tries to get out of WoB at the lowest level possible to get superior WoR esper level up bonuses.

Not me, i left my SNES on all day long in the river maze when i go to school to level farm.

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Trumble
07/13/23 5:59:56 AM
#44:


Do *not* cut FF6 or Grandia.

EDIT: Or FFX. Missed that being on the list before.

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#45
Post #45 was unavailable or deleted.
God_of_6strings
07/13/23 11:14:21 AM
#46:


Time for mid-day CE's opinions!
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Shamino
07/13/23 12:57:54 PM
#47:


Cut FFX

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BakonBitz
07/13/23 1:15:24 PM
#48:


As much as I may dislike it, if you're looking to cut down on time spent you may have to cut Xenoblade, at least for now. Those games are LONG.

Granted, if you're just doing main quest stuff it likely won't take longer than 40-ish hours for each, but the way the games work you're purposely making the game harder if you skip side content.

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God_of_6strings
07/13/23 1:40:28 PM
#49:


Final bump
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Autocraticus
07/13/23 1:46:02 PM
#50:


Loved earthbound, but wasn't a fan of Mother 3's narrative past a certain point. Interesting parts but I don't feel it makes a very good game. I'd cut it.
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