The games you should be playing right now are tactical RPGs. There's a revolution right under your nose, as games like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Disgaea are the leaders in a renaissance for a genre that previously might've seen a new title every couple of years. With two top-notch titles just released, another promising game on the way, and another playably-good title available, now is the time to start playing tactical RPGs.
What's a tactical RPG? A tactical RPG is a console RPG with more to the battles. Borrowing from strategy games, tactical RPGs add battlefield manuevering to the combat, requiring more thought than simplistic back-row/front-row systems. Most tactical RPGs also have deeper character building than typical console RPGs, but there are exceptions.
That said, on with the games!
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
The game on everyone's lips, FFTA is quite possibly the best tactical RPG for beginners (as well as a possible GBA game of the year.) In any case, if you have any interest at all in RPGs, tactical or otherwise, you should be playing this game right now.
Compared to other genre titles, FFTA is considerably easier. This doesn't speak badly for it, given that it's being compared to games like the infamously difficult Tactics Ogre. Instead, it's balanced on a learning curve more comparable to most current games. This means that anyone can pick it up and play, rather than needing to worry about (for example) their entire force being slaughtered in a nigh-impossible second mission.
While the difficulty has been toned down, FFTA is just as deep as any of the competition; it's not a beginner's tactical RPG, just a tactical RPG beginners can enjoy. This is a great introduction to tactical RPGs, and anyone who likes any kind of RPGs should give this title a shot.
Tactics Ogre: the Knight of Lodis
So, after finishing FFTA, what next? Next up would be the other GBA sequel to a Yasumi Matsuda tactical RPG released on the PlayStation, Tactics Ogre: the Knight of Lodis. While not quite as polished as FFTA, Tactics Ogre Gaiden (its Japanese name) is still a very fun title.
Tactics Ogre Gaiden does have one thing over FFTA: a far deeper story. Traditionally, tactical RPGs have very deep stories, and this is the only way in which FFTA fell short. Tactics Ogre Gaiden's story not only twists and turns, keeping you on your toes, but also forks into two separate storylines.
Unfortunately, Tactics Ogre Gaiden is more like traditional tactical RPGs in more annoying ways, as well. A ridiculous amount of time in random battles or training missions is required to make any progress, and occasionally there will be that one nigh-impossible mission.
Tactics Ogre: the Knight of Lodis will introduce and inure you to the design conventions of other tactical RPGs, good and bad. This is both and invitation and a warning; it's hard and occasionally tedious, but the payoff is worth it.
Disgaea
And now for something completely different. Disgaea, recently released on the PlayStation 2, is a tactical RPG with a dose of the demented. It doesn't look much better than the GBA competition, but it has story and character to spare.
Instead of taking itself seriously, Disgaea revels in slapstick evil. The cutscenes, clearly inspired by shounen anime, are almost always funny, and the combat is slanted toward almost farcical powerleveling. Side activities like badgering the Dark Assembly or chasing down rogue Prinnys (demonic mercenary penguin footsoldiers) only add to the atmosphere.
Granted, Disgaea isn't a graphical powerhouse, but its unique style makes it a must-have for anyone trying out tactical RPGs. As a side bonus, its Transmigration system for changing characters' classes is nearly identical to Shining Force's career system, providing a little look at the genre's history.
Those three are the big three available right now, plus LucasArts has the promising Gladius on the horizon and Nintendo is bringing Fire Emblem to the GBA this December. If you don't mind using older systems and tracking down older, rarer games, Front Mission 3 isn't impossible to find on the PlayStation, Ogre Battle 64 is a great game (for those who still own a Nintendo64), and Shining Force has been included in all of the versions of the Sega Smash Pack save for the GBA version.
Now, go play! |
