Mario RPG is how I got into the genre when I was 8. I had no idea it was a genre at the time, only that it was Mario, but with strange and fun gameplay with characters, music, and graphics that wonderfully stood out.
It's always nice to see positive things being said about FF: Mystic Quest. It's not the greatest RPG of all time, but man, I have some fond memories of that game. And the soundtrack!
+SNES drunk Exactly right! I played it back when I was 7 or 8 years old, and it was an absolute blast. It definitely helped introduce me into the world of RPGs. I played FFIII (SNES) immediately after MQ, and I think the transition was all the easier because I'd started light.
Same here, I loved it back in the days when I got it and I still love it, even by today's standards. I'm a sucker for the old round-based combat and especially the music for this game was awesome.
it's not a bad game, despite what some people say however i have a hard time getting into RPGs specifically BECAUSE of how easy I find them, so...not for me ->lost the very first fight in the game-
My first "classical" RPG ws Breath of Fire II - in english. It was rather hard for young me since I didn't speak even bit of english and thus had no idea what the battle commands meant. I still beat the first few bosses. From that experience, I'd say that Mstc quest may not be a good gateway RPG to some players. Because it's so easy and because the story isn't much to speak of, it can easily test your patience while a harder, more complex game gives you an incentive to learn and experiment. My concern is that people will dismiss the genre out of boredom. My advice would be to givee Lufia 2 a try - it's not too hard and still involves some actual strategy. Furthermore, the story isn't a joke but also not too convoluted.
For Shoot Em Up's I cannot believe you didn't mention Super Aleste (Space Megaforce). You can take multiple hits, it's got checkpoints, unlimited continues, mad weapons, it's very forgiving and has five difficulty settings. It's the best shooter on the SNES.
Heh, Super Mario RPG; I remember when the popular girl in class got it as a Christmas gift. She didn't know how to get past the first screen (the one with the Mario bros' house) so she asked me for advice. I told her to walk over to the bottom right to the extra square that was sticking out (iirc). A week later, I asked how she was progressing and she was still stuck on that first screen and admitted that she gave up because it was too hard. A shame really, it's a very well made game.
A classmate gave me his Paper Mario TTYD cuz he found it too hard. Truth is, he was a lazy reader and didnt want to invest in dialog-puzzle activities. He didnt event finish the prologue. TTYD must be my most replayed RPG game.
Mystic Quest was the first RPG I ever played, and I'm glad it was. Compared to others I play it on Down the Line, it was very simple and easy to understand. Plus, I like a lot of the music in it. That boss battle theme is something I still love listening to even now. And there are some pretty awesome metal versions of it out there on TH-cam as well.
Gemfire is a great introduction to Koei's console strategy games (Romance/Nobugana etc). It plays very similar, but isn't quite as complex or unforgiving as the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga series. It also follows a more traditional fantasy style with dragons, wizards, orcs etc, which might appeal more to players who aren't overly interested in or familiar with the ancient history of China or Tokugawa-era Japan.
Shining Force 2 was the mammoth of my childhood rpg love. However, I was stuck for about 2 years with the wooden plank into the tree to get the ancient sword, simply because I always pressed A rather than C, which didn't allow you to put it into the slot to open up the cave.
I say Final Fantasy 4 had the best amount of accessability in the Turn-based Rpg genre, as it's very straight forward with what you need to do and where you need to go. It's a beautiful game, and sure it can get hard in the later levels (especially if you don't have a good guide to help you), the game can and will be punishing, but never to the point it sucks the fun, it's a very rewarding game.
i do find FE very easy, but what i love the most is the ability to customize your characters very well. i didnt know about shining force, can you sell me on it? any customization available?
@@ShamanNoodles What do you mean customization? I would guess the answer is probably no, but it shouldn't be a knock against it. The music is great, the pacing is wonderful, tons of secret content -- there are just a couple brutal fights and a couple points that might be confusing to figure out but that's what the internet is for.
Advance wars is also a great way to get into strategy. I remember being like 10 and going ham with the artillery on my glacier GBA. I figure if a 10 year old can do it, most others can.
If you want to get into those big map strategy KOEI games, GEMFIRE is probably the simplest. You showed Romance 4, but I think it's one of the weaker map/strat KOEI games on the system. Genghis Khan 2, Romance 2 and 3, both Nobunagas and Gemfire are all great. It's a very niche genre.
To me, this is the best path to follow if you want to get into RPGs: Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest -> Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars -> Chrono Trigger. Mystic Quest for newbies, Mario RPG for people familiar but not wholly experienced, and Chrono Trigger once they really want to sink their teeth into the genre fully. Follow one after another, and you've got a path to familiarity with the genre, letting you adapt easily to any other RPGs you try.
Perfect pick for RPG and exactly why I like picking it up for a quick RPG fix. Mystic Quest is about as simple as you can get for an RPG and is also a hell of alot of fun. The biggest thing that makes it accessible as you mentioned is you literally only have beat every enemy you see in the game once to become powerful enough to beat the game. No grinding for EXP required 👍 Mario RPG is another fantastic pic as well with a level cap at 30. Another simple yet super fun RPG
I appreciate your video, and your working on it. I've always found myself attracted to gaming in general. This could open up "virtual" worlds to me, as I am not the most excellent gamer. Excellent video; keep it up.
Mystic Quest is a fun game if you don't go expecting something like the big names of the genre. I didn't know about its existence until I was in college. I gave it a try and I enjoyed it a lot. I'd love a Spanish translation to finally get my little cousin started into RPGs.
I'm a little biased, but I'd say final fantasy tactics is the best tactics game to start with. That is the one I started with and although it was really tough in the beginning not understanding all the mechanics. By the 4th chapter I was a veteran and I loved the story. It's my favorite genre and I wished they'd come out with a more games like it. A true sequel is what we need 🤞
Shining force just rules... I beat the first one last year and now I'm ready to take on the second one after I finish my current RPG. Though you listed some great introductory shoot em ups, I honestly still think Space Megaforce is not only the best shoot em up on the SNES, but one of the most accessible. Great video as usual! I really need to play Saturday night Slam Masters!
Mystic Quest was definitely my first foray into RPG's, wasn't even conceived yest when it released, but had to be one of the first games I ever played at 4ish y/I (maybe younger)
I'd say traditional roguelikes are a little more niche compared to shoot em ups, totally should have had Shiren The Wanderer 2 as #1 IMO or at least in the list lol. I guess it's a little hard to play if you dont read Japanese or are really anti big E because the funky save system doesn't work with flash carts. It's a really great introduction to traditional roguelikes, probably the best there is and if you don't feel comfy translation patching the SFC version there's a slightly rebalanced port on the DS.
Great video as usual. While I agree on the picks for shoot ‘m ups, I’m surprised not even the comments mention Pop ‘n Twinbee. With its slower pace, colourful graphics, and two player compitibility, it seems like an obvious choice to me. I will say that at times it can be a bit difficult to tell what is an enemy, at first glance though.
A lot of hate for Mystic Quest, but it was my first JRPG and I loved it as a kid. It kind of mixed Zelda-type elements (such as using items to solve puzzles, albeit very basic ones, which was pretty cool) with simple JRPG gameplay, and it also had a great soundtrack so it wasn't all bad. Sure it's no Final Fantasy IV/V/VI or Chrono Trigger, but it served its purpose. Much worse JRPGs out there than Mystic Quest (such as Lagoon, which mentally scarred me for life).
I agreee with you completely... aside from the Lagoon thing. I LOVED that game as a kid and it also has one of the best soundtracks of ANY game on SNES.
Yeldibus Lagoon was a nightmare to play for me, a big part of that is down to having to fight with a toothpick for a sword, which makes hitting enemies a real chore. It did have an outstanding soundtrack though, I'll give you that!
Fire emblem games have permadeath and no way to grind. So unless your already good at these games you keep digging yourself into a bigger and bigger hole all the exp goes towards units that will be near useless in the endgame and you lose characters near ever other fight, until you get about 2/3rds of way through and can't get past a battle even after a dozen tries and the only way forward is too start all over again.
Man Killer Instinct was awesome.I can still remember the background announcer's voice whenever me or my brother pulled off the killer and ultra combos.ULTRA ULTRA ULTRA!!!
Personally I'd say Darius Twin is the best gateway game for shmups. Sure, as you play more you might notice the flaws of it quite easily, but the difficulty is quite low comparatively (apart from the last stage) and the controls are tight and responsive. And if you need help to beat the game there's always the 50 lives cheat so that most people get to see the end credits.
Chrono Trigger is good for beginners too. It was my first rpg and I learned it fine, even met 60 year olds that played it on the Nintendo DS. It’s a perfectly balanced and easy to learn game.
Nice video as always! Shining force is phenomenal! In particular, Shining Force 3 on the Saturn is an absolute masterpiece. Camelot's magnum opus. In my opinion, its the greatest SRPG ever made, simply stupendous.
for entry level strategy rpgs on SNES, you can't go wrong with Monstania. It's aesthetically cute and controls very nicely translation patch available courtesy of AGTP There's also the Super Robot Wars and Fire Emblem series but they're kind of at their hardest on SNES
Never finished Super Mario RPG because of the side quests trying to beat it 100 percent like Final Fantasy games. Addiction to card games and fighting rare monsters in Final Fantasy has stopped me from finishing some of them.
Shining Force 2 is an all time great rpg in my books. It plays and feels so well. Only reason it's not acknowledged as such is because Genesis isn't know for rpg's. So all attention on rpg's goes to Snes titles. With good reason obviously as there are some amazing rpg titles on the Snes. But SF2 needs to be considered from that era as amongst the best of the time.
5:18 Don't wanna sound pissed off or anything, but what about the SFC Fire Emblem games, particularely the 3rd one, Mystery of the Emblem? Because Seisen no Keifu and Thracia 776 aren't exactly accessible...
Mortal Kombat is at its best with a second player. Also, as much as I love Mystic Quest, I always recommend Mario RPG as a good entry title. Chrono Trigger is a little tough for first timers, I think (boss fights in that game can be hair pullers for newbies). Believe it or not, my full recommendation for a first RPG is the original Final Fantasy! It was the very first I ever played, and it hooked me to the genre for life. :)
Glad to see Super Mario RPG mentioned here. It was my gateway RPG and still one of my all-time favorite games. My next RPG was FF Mystic Quest, and then Chrono Trigger, so this list worked. Ha.
The original Shining Force is my favorite game of all time, and I don't even typically like strategy games. (I've been meaning to try Shining Force 2, but haven't found the time for it. Also those hidden collectible things screw with my completionist impulses because of how they're hidden.)
I'd have to add Earthbound to the intro to JRPGs. You'd miss a lot of the times it pokes fun at JRPG cliches, etc, but it's got a few advantages for first timers. It's light hearted. It encourages you to talk to people, with varied and fun dialogue. The inventory system, while annoying, forces you to really think about what you have and what you'd like to have. No hidden 'quest item' tab, and no "buy 500x potions to clear this dungeon" gimicks. Lastly, it's extremely forgiving when you die. You go back to the last place you saved, having lost nothing. For the first chunk of the game you can leave that at Ness' home and heal up for free. People complain that this makes it 'too easy,' but all it does is streamline the grinding. In FF6, if you can't clear an area you grind for a while then go back. In Earthbound, if you fail to clear an area some percentage of that grinding is already done... everything you killed along the way. You can simply retry until you pass it, grinding until the exact power level you need. Sounds silly, I know, but coming from NES JRPGs, Earthbound is what really made the genre stick for me.
Agreed about Shining Force. I had played tactical RPGs before, but never liked them. Disgaea was boring to me, and made me dislike all tactical RPGs. Then on a whim I tried Shining Force without even knowing much about it, just knowing it by reputation, and I absolutely loved it. It single handedly turned me into a fan of tactical RPGs. It's brilliance is with its simplicity combined with fantastic graphics. I still prefer Shining Force 1 over SF2 though, wasn't too crazy about the backtracking and greater focus on story, although most would probably disagree with me.
Retro gamer... Found this channel while I was drunk, was just playing Kirby dream course on the snes emulator for Android. This is a great channel, only third video I watched, but yeah, definitely down for this channel.
Another great list in general. I completely understand where you're coming from with Mystic Quest due to it being easy, but iI don't feel like it's that hard to learn Chrono Trigger. I'd recommend skipping Mystic Quest and getting right into Chrono Trigger, which is still one of the best by today's standards. I don't think anyone 8 or above (due to all the reading) would be lost starting with CT, and if a Square-style apocalyptic event occurs in a few weeks, those kids will be glad they spent their time on CT rather than FFMQ. If someone is new to RPGs and wants to take it real slow, I'd tell them just to start with an action RPG like Secret of Mana or Illusion of Gaia. For the easiest turn-based RPG on the SNES that is still fun, my vote would go to RoboTrek. Great pick with Super Mario RPG. Love that one. A near perfect SNES RPG with my one and only complaint being the tedium of grabbing the Super Suit by doing 100 consecutive Super Jumps.
As others have pointed out in this thread, the big issue starting out with the best (CT) is that you can ONLY go downhill from there, sets the standards too high.
if i may point out most of the rpgs you listed were made by square, even mario rpg square had a hand in, i just find it crazy how good square was in the mid 90s to early 2000s
I've never heard you mention Darius Twin for the shmup category. Any particular reason? UN Squadron/Area 88 is one of my favorite games of all time, and I loved Darius Twin too (despite it being stupid hard as you progress).
+George Farris Both Genesis games are amazing. I'd suggest playing the first one, well, first. It's not as refined as part 2, so it may feel like a step back if you play 2 first. But it's still great, and my favorite in the series.
MK II is excellent in 2 player - I have so great memories about it, it was very unique on the system compared to the typical japanese 1vs1 fighter. I dont know why you are trashing it, it's an excellent port and just as fun as Street Fighter II.
Do a Genesis version? Would like to try some other games when I get bored of what I got now... Too many to sift through tho. This was helpful and insightful for games that were on both consoles though!
Mystic quest it's a good game despite the story. No random encounters and the enemies have diferent sprites for each phase. The music is fantastic thanks the snes soundchip
Mystic Quest was pretty dope. I played it because I wanted more Final Fantasy and I enjoyed it despite it's simplicity. I really enjoyed the boss fights how the bosses would degrade over the fight. The music was pretty fun. I only dislike the whole Dragon Quest, Phantasy Star style battles.
I know it never got an official release here but feda emblem of injustice is a good super famicom strategy rpg game for newbs to start with, easier than the shining force game,similar game play ,good mature story, streamlined so you wont get too confused.
I kinda feel that Chrono Trigger's not a good gateway game -- *because* it's so easy to get into. Having played it first, I find the grinding and random encounters that other JRPGs include to be unbearable. Chrono Trigger spoiled me, basically.
i actually need a faq when playing it a first time since don't know where to go first when we had to choose,so i end up fighting the end boss again and again...untill i look over internet to find that there are so many things to do before fighting the end boss.
Turkey I think I would agree as well, it might not be the best idea to start with the cream of the crop, because everything else afterward can potentially seem like a noticeable step backwards. I think PSPs Final Fantasy IV remake is a good starting point personally. Then move up to Mario RPG, Earthbound and go out with a bang playing FFVI & Chrono Trigger last. That's just my perspective though.
When I was going through some random ROMs I found a great SFC strategy game called "FEDA the Emblem of Justice". It has a fan English translation that seems pretty solid from the few hours I've played so far. I definitely got Shining Force vibes, and it wasn't crazy tough like a Fire Emblem game, so it seems like a good place to start off for someone who wants to dabble in the genre and get their feet wet.
***** Yeah, I have one of those too. Which I would be daunted by, but I guess it's nice to have something to look forward to and have room to discover "new" stuff.
Mystic Quest catches a lot of heat, but I still like that one. I was already into more involved RPGs from the NES & still found MQ to be enjoyable. In no way is it a "Final Fantasy", but it's still a pretty decent playthrough.
I honestly feel like Mystic Quest is too insulting to the player’s intelligence to count as a good introduction to JRPGs, unless you’re extremely young, or maybe if you have no exposure to games more complex than Super Mario World whatsoever, and even then I’m not sure. Not saying my experience is typical, but I got my start with Final Fantasy V (well, not including Pokemon and a brief rental of FF8), and that honestly felt like a good intro to me. The story is fun without being too complex or too intrusive, and while it can be pretty grindy if you’re trying to master all the jobs, when I was playing it the first time I just kind of fought every battle that came my way without looking for more and never felt like I was underpowered. I died a couple times, sure, but that always felt more like I just needed to use a better strategy than that I hadn’t grinded enough XP. The job system also offers a lot of engagement and potential to experiment, without forcing you to commit yourself to any specific build or spend any more time with it than you really want. Like I said, my first time I just went through the game without trying to grind, so I never spent any extra time trying to level up the jobs, and the game felt fair to me. I feel like the only real point of confusion for a new player might be something like party balance, and that’s something that my experience with Pokemon might have helped prepare me for, but I think the fact that you can change jobs at any time really lends itself well to experimenting with different parties. For SRPGs, I haven’t gotten around to Tactics Ogre yet (they’re in my backlog), but I cut my teeth on the spiritual successor, FFT, and didn’t feel all that bewildered by it. Granted by then I had pretty substantial familiarity with JRPGs in general and the job system in particular, so I can see how it might be a bit more confusing for someone withou that experience, but I feel like SRPGs are hard to get into if you have no familiarity with JRPGs just in general. Not saying it’s a superior option for someone looking to get into SRPGs, just that if Tactics Ogre works more or less the same as FFT, I think it at least could serve as a decent starting point. For fighters, well... I honestly think there are way, way better modern options for getting into 2D fighters than anything on 4th generation hardware. Skullgirls, Under Night In Birth, Guilty Gear, and King of Fighters all have pretty good tutorial modes that can help a lot for someone new to fighters, at least in their more recent incarnations-Skullgirls would be my personal pick as its tutorial seems to be the best stuctured for retention and allows the easiest repeat of individual lessons, but that’s personal preference, and I don’t think you can go too wrong with any of those games. Modern fighters tend to have AI less mired in the arcade mentality, too, so there are usually way fewer cheap losses when putting what you’ve learned into practice against the AI. The gulf is so wide that I really don’t think it’s worth it to try to introduce yourself to 2D fighters on 16-bit hardware in this day and age, and I think you’ll enjoy the classic 2D fighters a lot more once you’ve cut your teeth on more modern stuff than if you went in with no experience whatsoever.
Glad I'm not crazy that I thought MK2 for SNES was borderline impossible after the 2nd match. I only played the Sega version my neighbour had as a kid and we could usually get 7 or 8 matches in before either of us would lose. Then as an adult I play the SNES version and it's like "Why don't I remember it being this hard?"
THANK YOU! Finally, someone else who understands that the MK series was total bullshit. Jerky, unrealistic moves where the characters move like they all have spinal injuries and back braces...
I'm not big on fighting games, but if given the choice, I'd prefer to play the old Street Fighter games over the old Mortal Kombat games (mainly for the reason you stated: MK's crazy spike in difficulty).
I played a shit ton of Ogre Battle when I was a kid and I would always get stuck at some point. When I got back into it has an adult I just understood so many things that I didn't as a child (also english is not my first language so it didn't help). So I agree how Ogre Battle, while being an excellent game, I wouldn't recommend it as a "gateway" game of the genre.
I found super aleste (or space megaforce to you yanks ) was and is the easiest to get in to and also very forgiving Unlimited continues fair and well placed check points and them tight controls Perfect
mmm...and how about Feda the emblem of justice as a training trpg?not a bad one,with nice story,but damn easy battles.much easier than in shining series) p.s you are great!i enjoy your videos much. p.p.s and sorry for my bad english,just not my native language^^
I play mystic quest once every couple years. It wasn't until I started watching this guy that I realized it wasn't a respected game lol. Critics are funny 🤣
still love that game.. hope it comes for switch its easy and lightheartet. some of the modern stuff are just overcomplicatet to the point that i loose intresst
Mario RPG is how I got into the genre when I was 8. I had no idea it was a genre at the time, only that it was Mario, but with strange and fun gameplay with characters, music, and graphics that wonderfully stood out.
It's always nice to see positive things being said about FF: Mystic Quest. It's not the greatest RPG of all time, but man, I have some fond memories of that game. And the soundtrack!
+Kristopher Miller (Kristastic) Many people seem to resent its existence without understanding they aren't the target audience
+SNES drunk Exactly right! I played it back when I was 7 or 8 years old, and it was an absolute blast. It definitely helped introduce me into the world of RPGs. I played FFIII (SNES) immediately after MQ, and I think the transition was all the easier because I'd started light.
SNES drunk im not mad it exists, i just feel bad for Europe because this was the first ff game they got for a while
Same here, I loved it back in the days when I got it and I still love it, even by today's standards. I'm a sucker for the old round-based combat and especially the music for this game was awesome.
it's not a bad game, despite what some people say
however i have a hard time getting into RPGs specifically BECAUSE of how easy I find them, so...not for me
->lost the very first fight in the game-
My first "classical" RPG ws Breath of Fire II - in english. It was rather hard for young me since I didn't speak even bit of english and thus had no idea what the battle commands meant. I still beat the first few bosses.
From that experience, I'd say that Mstc quest may not be a good gateway RPG to some players. Because it's so easy and because the story isn't much to speak of, it can easily test your patience while a harder, more complex game gives you an incentive to learn and experiment. My concern is that people will dismiss the genre out of boredom.
My advice would be to givee Lufia 2 a try - it's not too hard and still involves some actual strategy. Furthermore, the story isn't a joke but also not too convoluted.
Your english now is surprisingly great considering you learned it from BOF2 hahaha (it was horribly translated)
For Shoot Em Up's I cannot believe you didn't mention Super Aleste (Space Megaforce). You can take multiple hits, it's got checkpoints, unlimited continues, mad weapons, it's very forgiving and has five difficulty settings. It's the best shooter on the SNES.
Thank you for the recommendation.
Space megaforce es bueno, yo intente probarlo pero los niveles se me hacian un poco largos, igual es bueno
Super Aleste is awesome! If you got a nintendo switch they have a updated version that's very awesome! Same with cotton if that's your cup of tea!
Heh, Super Mario RPG; I remember when the popular girl in class got it as a Christmas gift. She didn't know how to get past the first screen (the one with the Mario bros' house) so she asked me for advice. I told her to walk over to the bottom right to the extra square that was sticking out (iirc). A week later, I asked how she was progressing and she was still stuck on that first screen and admitted that she gave up because it was too hard. A shame really, it's a very well made game.
A classmate gave me his Paper Mario TTYD cuz he found it too hard. Truth is, he was a lazy reader and didnt want to invest in dialog-puzzle activities. He didnt event finish the prologue. TTYD must be my most replayed RPG game.
Score!
Mystic Quest was the first RPG I ever played, and I'm glad it was. Compared to others I play it on Down the Line, it was very simple and easy to understand. Plus, I like a lot of the music in it. That boss battle theme is something I still love listening to even now. And there are some pretty awesome metal versions of it out there on TH-cam as well.
Gemfire is a great introduction to Koei's console strategy games (Romance/Nobugana etc). It plays very similar, but isn't quite as complex or unforgiving as the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga series. It also follows a more traditional fantasy style with dragons, wizards, orcs etc, which might appeal more to players who aren't overly interested in or familiar with the ancient history of China or Tokugawa-era Japan.
Thanks! This is the info I was looking for.
This was what I was going to recommend. Gemfire is pretty newbie friendly to the strategy genre.
Shining Force 2 was the mammoth of my childhood rpg love. However, I was stuck for about 2 years with the wooden plank into the tree to get the ancient sword, simply because I always pressed A rather than C, which didn't allow you to put it into the slot to open up the cave.
You're a super cool dude SNES drunk! I really enjoy your videos!
+Raptor Bandito Thanks
SNES drunk you're the coolest dude
I wish my mom named me Snes drunk :(
I like how you're a happy drunk.
The best kind
I say Final Fantasy 4 had the best amount of accessability in the Turn-based Rpg genre, as it's very straight forward with what you need to do and where you need to go.
It's a beautiful game, and sure it can get hard in the later levels (especially if you don't have a good guide to help you), the game can and will be punishing, but never to the point it sucks the fun, it's a very rewarding game.
Shining in the Darkness, the precursor to the Shining Force games, is also a great gateway rpg for the Genesis. Loved that one!
Shining force 2 will forever be one of my favourite games in one of my favourite genres! dare I say that its better than fire emblem.
+Michael Kennedy Oh it totally is.
i do find FE very easy, but what i love the most is the ability to customize your characters very well.
i didnt know about shining force, can you sell me on it? any customization available?
why do they give a false sense of difficulty? I'm just curious about it xD
Wonderful game!
@@ShamanNoodles What do you mean customization? I would guess the answer is probably no, but it shouldn't be a knock against it. The music is great, the pacing is wonderful, tons of secret content -- there are just a couple brutal fights and a couple points that might be confusing to figure out but that's what the internet is for.
I like how concise and efficient your videos are
Advance wars is also a great way to get into strategy. I remember being like 10 and going ham with the artillery on my glacier GBA. I figure if a 10 year old can do it, most others can.
If you want to get into those big map strategy KOEI games, GEMFIRE is probably the simplest. You showed Romance 4, but I think it's one of the weaker map/strat KOEI games on the system. Genghis Khan 2, Romance 2 and 3, both Nobunagas and Gemfire are all great. It's a very niche genre.
I can't believe i had forgotten about super baseball 2020, I've never been an sports person but that game was fun.
To me, this is the best path to follow if you want to get into RPGs: Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest -> Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars -> Chrono Trigger.
Mystic Quest for newbies, Mario RPG for people familiar but not wholly experienced, and Chrono Trigger once they really want to sink their teeth into the genre fully.
Follow one after another, and you've got a path to familiarity with the genre, letting you adapt easily to any other RPGs you try.
Perfect pick for RPG and exactly why I like picking it up for a quick RPG fix. Mystic Quest is about as simple as you can get for an RPG and is also a hell of alot of fun. The biggest thing that makes it accessible as you mentioned is you literally only have beat every enemy you see in the game once to become powerful enough to beat the game. No grinding for EXP required 👍
Mario RPG is another fantastic pic as well with a level cap at 30. Another simple yet super fun RPG
I appreciate your video, and your working on it. I've always found myself attracted to gaming in general. This could open up "virtual" worlds to me, as I am not the most excellent gamer. Excellent video; keep it up.
Mystic Quest is a fun game if you don't go expecting something like the big names of the genre. I didn't know about its existence until I was in college. I gave it a try and I enjoyed it a lot. I'd love a Spanish translation to finally get my little cousin started into RPGs.
Your channel its so good men, its one of the most complete channels in all you tube, congratulations!
Thank you Daniel
I think the most forgiving fighter is clayfighters, the game is silly, wonky and fun
I'm a little biased, but I'd say final fantasy tactics is the best tactics game to start with. That is the one I started with and although it was really tough in the beginning not understanding all the mechanics. By the 4th chapter I was a veteran and I loved the story. It's my favorite genre and I wished they'd come out with a more games like it. A true sequel is what we need 🤞
i would say Axelay is the opposite of accessible. i've never even beaten the first level of Axelay, and I've beaten both R-Type III and UN Squadron.
Shining force just rules... I beat the first one last year and now I'm ready to take on the second one after I finish my current RPG. Though you listed some great introductory shoot em ups, I honestly still think Space Megaforce is not only the best shoot em up on the SNES, but one of the most accessible. Great video as usual! I really need to play Saturday night Slam Masters!
Mystic Quest was definitely my first foray into RPG's, wasn't even conceived yest when it released, but had to be one of the first games I ever played at 4ish y/I (maybe younger)
I'd say traditional roguelikes are a little more niche compared to shoot em ups, totally should have had Shiren The Wanderer 2 as #1 IMO or at least in the list lol. I guess it's a little hard to play if you dont read Japanese or are really anti big E because the funky save system doesn't work with flash carts. It's a really great introduction to traditional roguelikes, probably the best there is and if you don't feel comfy translation patching the SFC version there's a slightly rebalanced port on the DS.
Great video as usual. While I agree on the picks for shoot ‘m ups, I’m surprised not even the comments mention Pop ‘n Twinbee. With its slower pace, colourful graphics, and two player compitibility, it seems like an obvious choice to me. I will say that at times it can be a bit difficult to tell what is an enemy, at first glance though.
A lot of hate for Mystic Quest, but it was my first JRPG and I loved it as a kid. It kind of mixed Zelda-type elements (such as using items to solve puzzles, albeit very basic ones, which was pretty cool) with simple JRPG gameplay, and it also had a great soundtrack so it wasn't all bad. Sure it's no Final Fantasy IV/V/VI or Chrono Trigger, but it served its purpose. Much worse JRPGs out there than Mystic Quest (such as Lagoon, which mentally scarred me for life).
I agreee with you completely... aside from the Lagoon thing. I LOVED that game as a kid and it also has one of the best soundtracks of ANY game on SNES.
Yeldibus Lagoon was a nightmare to play for me, a big part of that is down to having to fight with a toothpick for a sword, which makes hitting enemies a real chore. It did have an outstanding soundtrack though, I'll give you that!
When you mentioned Tactical RPGs Fire Emblem came to mind and there are 3 games in the series for the SNES.
Fire emblem games have permadeath and no way to grind. So unless your already good at these games you keep digging yourself into a bigger and bigger hole all the exp goes towards units that will be near useless in the endgame and you lose characters near ever other fight, until you get about 2/3rds of way through and can't get past a battle even after a dozen tries and the only way forward is too start all over again.
@@ThomasstevenSlater
There’s also Super Famicom Wars but units are expendable.
Man Killer Instinct was awesome.I can still remember the background announcer's voice whenever me or my brother pulled off the killer and ultra combos.ULTRA ULTRA ULTRA!!!
Personally I'd say Darius Twin is the best gateway game for shmups. Sure, as you play more you might notice the flaws of it quite easily, but the difficulty is quite low comparatively (apart from the last stage) and the controls are tight and responsive. And if you need help to beat the game there's always the 50 lives cheat so that most people get to see the end credits.
Chrono Trigger is good for beginners too. It was my first rpg and I learned it fine, even met 60 year olds that played it on the Nintendo DS. It’s a perfectly balanced and easy to learn game.
Nice video as always!
Shining force is phenomenal!
In particular, Shining Force 3 on the Saturn is an absolute masterpiece. Camelot's magnum opus.
In my opinion, its the greatest SRPG ever made, simply stupendous.
for entry level strategy rpgs on SNES, you can't go wrong with Monstania. It's aesthetically cute and controls very nicely
translation patch available courtesy of AGTP
There's also the Super Robot Wars and Fire Emblem series but they're kind of at their hardest on SNES
Never finished Super Mario RPG because of the side quests trying to beat it 100 percent like Final Fantasy games. Addiction to card games and fighting rare monsters in Final Fantasy has stopped me from finishing some of them.
Shining Force 2 is an all time great rpg in my books. It plays and feels so well. Only reason it's not acknowledged as such is because Genesis isn't know for rpg's. So all attention on rpg's goes to Snes titles. With good reason obviously as there are some amazing rpg titles on the Snes. But SF2 needs to be considered from that era as amongst the best of the time.
Lufia II is a great intro game with a nice in game tutorial.
5:18 Don't wanna sound pissed off or anything, but what about the SFC Fire Emblem games, particularely the 3rd one, Mystery of the Emblem?
Because Seisen no Keifu and Thracia 776 aren't exactly accessible...
OliKad genealogy is easy
Mortal Kombat is at its best with a second player.
Also, as much as I love Mystic Quest, I always recommend Mario RPG as a good entry title. Chrono Trigger is a little tough for first timers, I think (boss fights in that game can be hair pullers for newbies).
Believe it or not, my full recommendation for a first RPG is the original Final Fantasy! It was the very first I ever played, and it hooked me to the genre for life. :)
Glad to see Super Mario RPG mentioned here. It was my gateway RPG and still one of my all-time favorite games. My next RPG was FF Mystic Quest, and then Chrono Trigger, so this list worked. Ha.
shining force is soooo good
Great idea for a video! Thanks!
Even better than Shining Force, I'd recommend Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade (GBA)
it's the game that introduced me to the genre and it's great
The original Shining Force is my favorite game of all time, and I don't even typically like strategy games. (I've been meaning to try Shining Force 2, but haven't found the time for it. Also those hidden collectible things screw with my completionist impulses because of how they're hidden.)
Awesome review, dude!
Great list and great IDEA for a list!
It'd be nice if you put a list of the games featured in your video in the description. Other than that, I love your content, keep it up!
I'd have to add Earthbound to the intro to JRPGs. You'd miss a lot of the times it pokes fun at JRPG cliches, etc, but it's got a few advantages for first timers.
It's light hearted. It encourages you to talk to people, with varied and fun dialogue. The inventory system, while annoying, forces you to really think about what you have and what you'd like to have. No hidden 'quest item' tab, and no "buy 500x potions to clear this dungeon" gimicks.
Lastly, it's extremely forgiving when you die. You go back to the last place you saved, having lost nothing. For the first chunk of the game you can leave that at Ness' home and heal up for free. People complain that this makes it 'too easy,' but all it does is streamline the grinding. In FF6, if you can't clear an area you grind for a while then go back. In Earthbound, if you fail to clear an area some percentage of that grinding is already done... everything you killed along the way. You can simply retry until you pass it, grinding until the exact power level you need.
Sounds silly, I know, but coming from NES JRPGs, Earthbound is what really made the genre stick for me.
Agreed about Shining Force. I had played tactical RPGs before, but never liked them. Disgaea was boring to me, and made me dislike all tactical RPGs. Then on a whim I tried Shining Force without even knowing much about it, just knowing it by reputation, and I absolutely loved it. It single handedly turned me into a fan of tactical RPGs. It's brilliance is with its simplicity combined with fantastic graphics. I still prefer Shining Force 1 over SF2 though, wasn't too crazy about the backtracking and greater focus on story, although most would probably disagree with me.
Retro gamer... Found this channel while I was drunk, was just playing Kirby dream course on the snes emulator for Android. This is a great channel, only third video I watched, but yeah, definitely down for this channel.
Shining Force 2 was a great game I still play through it to this day
Another great list in general.
I completely understand where you're coming from with Mystic Quest due to it being easy, but iI don't feel like it's that hard to learn Chrono Trigger. I'd recommend skipping Mystic Quest and getting right into Chrono Trigger, which is still one of the best by today's standards. I don't think anyone 8 or above (due to all the reading) would be lost starting with CT, and if a Square-style apocalyptic event occurs in a few weeks, those kids will be glad they spent their time on CT rather than FFMQ.
If someone is new to RPGs and wants to take it real slow, I'd tell them just to start with an action RPG like Secret of Mana or Illusion of Gaia. For the easiest turn-based RPG on the SNES that is still fun, my vote would go to RoboTrek.
Great pick with Super Mario RPG. Love that one. A near perfect SNES RPG with my one and only complaint being the tedium of grabbing the Super Suit by doing 100 consecutive Super Jumps.
As others have pointed out in this thread, the big issue starting out with the best (CT) is that you can ONLY go downhill from there, sets the standards too high.
if i may point out most of the rpgs you listed were made by square, even mario rpg square had a hand in, i just find it crazy how good square was in the mid 90s to early 2000s
And late 2000s and 2010s.
I've never heard you mention Darius Twin for the shmup category. Any particular reason? UN Squadron/Area 88 is one of my favorite games of all time, and I loved Darius Twin too (despite it being stupid hard as you progress).
Lifeforce (Salamander) on NES is a nice beginner game that the "Konami Code" works on. A good way to build confidence.
I've been meaning to play Shining Force II for a long while now. Luckily, it's included in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for the PS3. :D
+George Farris Both Genesis games are amazing. I'd suggest playing the first one, well, first. It's not as refined as part 2, so it may feel like a step back if you play 2 first. But it's still great, and my favorite in the series.
+Tonberry2k Good to hear! The original Shining Force is also on that collection I mentioned so I'll check it out.
They released S’sUGC for the Xbox 360 port as well.
MK II is excellent in 2 player - I have so great memories about it, it was very unique on the system compared to the typical japanese 1vs1 fighter. I dont know why you are trashing it, it's an excellent port and just as fun as Street Fighter II.
I think Super Earth Defense Force is also a good intro to shoot em up games game
I've never heard someone else mention "romance of the three kingdoms".... love that game
Do a Genesis version? Would like to try some other games when I get bored of what I got now... Too many to sift through tho.
This was helpful and insightful for games that were on both consoles though!
Mystic quest it's a good game despite the story. No random encounters and the enemies have diferent sprites for each phase.
The music is fantastic thanks the snes soundchip
Mystic Quest was pretty dope. I played it because I wanted more Final Fantasy and I enjoyed it despite it's simplicity. I really enjoyed the boss fights how the bosses would degrade over the fight. The music was pretty fun. I only dislike the whole Dragon Quest, Phantasy Star style battles.
I know it never got an official release here but feda emblem of injustice is a good super famicom strategy rpg game for newbs to start with, easier than the shining force game,similar game play ,good mature story, streamlined so you wont get too confused.
Great game choices 👌 chrono trigger is a classic!
I kinda feel that Chrono Trigger's not a good gateway game -- *because* it's so easy to get into. Having played it first, I find the grinding and random encounters that other JRPGs include to be unbearable. Chrono Trigger spoiled me, basically.
i actually need a faq when playing it a first time since don't know where to go first when we had to choose,so i end up fighting the end boss again and again...untill i look over internet to find that there are so many things to do before fighting the end boss.
+Six_Foot_Turkey_64 Ha!
Turkey I think I would agree as well, it might not be the best idea to start with the cream of the crop, because everything else afterward can potentially seem like a noticeable step backwards.
I think PSPs Final Fantasy IV remake is a good starting point personally. Then move up to Mario RPG, Earthbound and go out with a bang playing FFVI & Chrono Trigger last. That's just my perspective though.
Few RPG's from the 1990's forward actually require grinding. Strategy can generally overcome.
For me, square soft/enix rpgs spoiled me with the active time battle system, now I can't play anything with turn based combat
For strategy SNES beginners should start with GemFire from Toei
Darius twin is another good shooter to start with that's not too hard
Strike Gunner S.T.G. for an intro shooter is top of the pile for me.
Yeah for jrpgs I would definitely recommend Super Mario RPG, it’s fun but not to crazy for a first JRPG, and I love it.
I Love your videos. You have single handily sparked my interest in retro gaming, much to my wife's detriment.
Lol same here man. On all accounts lol
phalanx and mystic quest are some of my fave games on snes :)
For straight up RTS I found Populous to be a perfect gateway game.
For Strategy RPGS you need to mention FEDA Emblem of Justice, heck make a video on it, the game is amazing.
When I was going through some random ROMs I found a great SFC strategy game called "FEDA the Emblem of Justice". It has a fan English translation that seems pretty solid from the few hours I've played so far. I definitely got Shining Force vibes, and it wasn't crazy tough like a Fire Emblem game, so it seems like a good place to start off for someone who wants to dabble in the genre and get their feet wet.
+J Myers Haven't played it, but it's on my gargantuan list of SFC games I need to try out
*****
Yeah, I have one of those too. Which I would be daunted by, but I guess it's nice to have something to look forward to and have room to discover "new" stuff.
Mystic Quest catches a lot of heat, but I still like that one. I was already into more involved RPGs from the NES & still found MQ to be enjoyable. In no way is it a "Final Fantasy", but it's still a pretty decent playthrough.
you are the best few subscribe thats not the actully worth of your work u diserrv 100000 subscribes keep it up bro
+algerino vero Thanks
Mk2 is amazing, best fighting game in SNES
best fighting game ever
Shining force 2 map theme while you walk on the mountains is the best way to go...
Chuffed to Shining Force 2 there! Seems like hardly anyones played it.. For me its one of the best games ever made!
I freaking love Shining Force. That was the first SRPG I ever played
I honestly feel like Mystic Quest is too insulting to the player’s intelligence to count as a good introduction to JRPGs, unless you’re extremely young, or maybe if you have no exposure to games more complex than Super Mario World whatsoever, and even then I’m not sure. Not saying my experience is typical, but I got my start with Final Fantasy V (well, not including Pokemon and a brief rental of FF8), and that honestly felt like a good intro to me. The story is fun without being too complex or too intrusive, and while it can be pretty grindy if you’re trying to master all the jobs, when I was playing it the first time I just kind of fought every battle that came my way without looking for more and never felt like I was underpowered. I died a couple times, sure, but that always felt more like I just needed to use a better strategy than that I hadn’t grinded enough XP. The job system also offers a lot of engagement and potential to experiment, without forcing you to commit yourself to any specific build or spend any more time with it than you really want. Like I said, my first time I just went through the game without trying to grind, so I never spent any extra time trying to level up the jobs, and the game felt fair to me. I feel like the only real point of confusion for a new player might be something like party balance, and that’s something that my experience with Pokemon might have helped prepare me for, but I think the fact that you can change jobs at any time really lends itself well to experimenting with different parties.
For SRPGs, I haven’t gotten around to Tactics Ogre yet (they’re in my backlog), but I cut my teeth on the spiritual successor, FFT, and didn’t feel all that bewildered by it. Granted by then I had pretty substantial familiarity with JRPGs in general and the job system in particular, so I can see how it might be a bit more confusing for someone withou that experience, but I feel like SRPGs are hard to get into if you have no familiarity with JRPGs just in general. Not saying it’s a superior option for someone looking to get into SRPGs, just that if Tactics Ogre works more or less the same as FFT, I think it at least could serve as a decent starting point.
For fighters, well... I honestly think there are way, way better modern options for getting into 2D fighters than anything on 4th generation hardware. Skullgirls, Under Night In Birth, Guilty Gear, and King of Fighters all have pretty good tutorial modes that can help a lot for someone new to fighters, at least in their more recent incarnations-Skullgirls would be my personal pick as its tutorial seems to be the best stuctured for retention and allows the easiest repeat of individual lessons, but that’s personal preference, and I don’t think you can go too wrong with any of those games. Modern fighters tend to have AI less mired in the arcade mentality, too, so there are usually way fewer cheap losses when putting what you’ve learned into practice against the AI. The gulf is so wide that I really don’t think it’s worth it to try to introduce yourself to 2D fighters on 16-bit hardware in this day and age, and I think you’ll enjoy the classic 2D fighters a lot more once you’ve cut your teeth on more modern stuff than if you went in with no experience whatsoever.
Glad I'm not crazy that I thought MK2 for SNES was borderline impossible after the 2nd match. I only played the Sega version my neighbour had as a kid and we could usually get 7 or 8 matches in before either of us would lose. Then as an adult I play the SNES version and it's like "Why don't I remember it being this hard?"
Wholesome content is wholesome.
THANK YOU! Finally, someone else who understands that the MK series was total bullshit. Jerky, unrealistic moves where the characters move like they all have spinal injuries and back braces...
Thx 4 recommending Shining Force on Sega Genesis as an alternative.
Space Shooters: Darius Twin
Strategy Game: Gemfire
Silk Worm is probably the most balances NES Side scrolling Shootem up.
I'm not big on fighting games, but if given the choice, I'd prefer to play the old Street Fighter games over the old Mortal Kombat games (mainly for the reason you stated: MK's crazy spike in difficulty).
TortureVision - In my day we called that a challenge.
Another great video, thanks!
I played a shit ton of Ogre Battle when I was a kid and I would always get stuck at some point. When I got back into it has an adult I just understood so many things that I didn't as a child (also english is not my first language so it didn't help).
So I agree how Ogre Battle, while being an excellent game, I wouldn't recommend it as a "gateway" game of the genre.
Apparently I didn't click post. Great list of gateway games! I had to laugh at the Genesis recommendation though. ; )
I found super aleste (or space megaforce to you yanks ) was and is the easiest to get in to and also very forgiving
Unlimited continues fair and well placed check points and them tight controls
Perfect
the shining force games, amazing soundtracks.
mmm...and how about Feda the emblem of justice as a training trpg?not a bad one,with nice story,but damn easy battles.much easier than in shining series) p.s you are great!i enjoy your videos much. p.p.s and sorry for my bad english,just not my native language^^
I play mystic quest once every couple years. It wasn't until I started watching this guy that I realized it wasn't a respected game lol. Critics are funny 🤣
still love that game.. hope it comes for switch its easy and lightheartet. some of the modern stuff are just overcomplicatet to the point that i loose intresst
Depending on what ending you want though, Chrono Trigger can have a lot of grinding.
That's not "a lot". "A lot" is 7th Saga..
Dude, I love your videos
+Nat. P. Thanks Nat P