06-18-2004, 02:32 AM
PS2 or X-box is a tough question. The best answer I've heard came from my dealer: If you like to play multi-player, with or against friends, then the X-box is a better console. If you like to play solo alot, the PS2 is better. Judging from the games you list, I take it you like RPGs, tactical RPGs and platform strategy/shooter titles the most. With that in mind, I'd probably advise you to purchase a Playstation. Tis only my opinion though -- and every console is only as good as its games.
About the games, I can provide some insight into them:
Both Disgaea and Star Ocean are heaven for 'tweaker'-style RPGers. By 'tweaker', I mean you have to like spending 1000 hours developing skills, doing side quests, and sandbagging levels. Both games serve up these elements in spades. Disgaea is also compared favorably to Final Fantasy: Tactics -- a large pair of shoes to fill, in my opinion. A word of warning however, Disgaea was a huge sleeper hit and it is almost impossible to find a copy of it at the moment. Nippon Ichi is going to produce a second run of units, but I don't know when.
La Pucelle: Tactics was also made by Nippon Ichi Soft and shares many of the same traits as Disgaea -- most notably some of the strangest storylines and atypical protagonists in the genre. It is a fun game, but is also 50-75% side quest. It will take much longer to finish all the special dungeons than it will to finish the main storyline.
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits was a relatively inoffensive, mediocre tactical RPG game. Its reasonably challenging but not terribly innovative. I found the story and gameplay a tad snoreworthy -- perhaps due to the vast number of RPGs I've played in the past.
Vandal Hearts 1 is a tight little tactical RPG that will happily kick the bejesus out of you if you let it. Entertaining and challenging, moderate in length, but little replay value. If you find it cheap, it's worth it.
I don't have Front Mission 4 yet, but I can speak about FM3. If you are into tactical mech-warfare/RPG games, this one will keep you busy for a loooong time. There are 2 campaign paths each with around 45-50 missions. You can tweak your mechs, build skills and experience on your pilots, and play simulations between missions... tons to do. Weakness are a fairly stale plotline and dialog and some rather dated graphics.
Judging from your picks, you may wish to add 'Ring of Red' to your list. A mech-combat, tactical RPG from a couple of years back, RoR was a good but not well known title. Weaknesses most often mentioned: it can take hours to complete a map in this game, mostly due to how long it takes to exchange fire sometimes (1-2 minutes later on). Strengths: RoR delivered some rather unusual gameplay, with a combination of tactical-RPG and first person shooter. It also required a fair amount of thought and planning to win battles.
I hope all of this helps a bit. Cheers.
About the games, I can provide some insight into them:
Both Disgaea and Star Ocean are heaven for 'tweaker'-style RPGers. By 'tweaker', I mean you have to like spending 1000 hours developing skills, doing side quests, and sandbagging levels. Both games serve up these elements in spades. Disgaea is also compared favorably to Final Fantasy: Tactics -- a large pair of shoes to fill, in my opinion. A word of warning however, Disgaea was a huge sleeper hit and it is almost impossible to find a copy of it at the moment. Nippon Ichi is going to produce a second run of units, but I don't know when.
La Pucelle: Tactics was also made by Nippon Ichi Soft and shares many of the same traits as Disgaea -- most notably some of the strangest storylines and atypical protagonists in the genre. It is a fun game, but is also 50-75% side quest. It will take much longer to finish all the special dungeons than it will to finish the main storyline.
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits was a relatively inoffensive, mediocre tactical RPG game. Its reasonably challenging but not terribly innovative. I found the story and gameplay a tad snoreworthy -- perhaps due to the vast number of RPGs I've played in the past.
Vandal Hearts 1 is a tight little tactical RPG that will happily kick the bejesus out of you if you let it. Entertaining and challenging, moderate in length, but little replay value. If you find it cheap, it's worth it.
I don't have Front Mission 4 yet, but I can speak about FM3. If you are into tactical mech-warfare/RPG games, this one will keep you busy for a loooong time. There are 2 campaign paths each with around 45-50 missions. You can tweak your mechs, build skills and experience on your pilots, and play simulations between missions... tons to do. Weakness are a fairly stale plotline and dialog and some rather dated graphics.
Judging from your picks, you may wish to add 'Ring of Red' to your list. A mech-combat, tactical RPG from a couple of years back, RoR was a good but not well known title. Weaknesses most often mentioned: it can take hours to complete a map in this game, mostly due to how long it takes to exchange fire sometimes (1-2 minutes later on). Strengths: RoR delivered some rather unusual gameplay, with a combination of tactical-RPG and first person shooter. It also required a fair amount of thought and planning to win battles.
I hope all of this helps a bit. Cheers.