RPG Battle Systems

[Re1Mu2R3]

I think Parasite Eve 2 has a very effective battle System especially for the game's Survival Horror nature. Only limited attached Items can be used during battles, REAL TIME battles but never fails to be pretty challenging especially in higher difficulties. It's just perfect.

[Tsukasa]

I think Parasite Eve 2 has a very effective battle System especially for the game's Survival Horror nature. Only limited attached Items can be used during battles, REAL TIME battles but never fails to be pretty challenging especially in higher difficulties. It's just perfect.

Yeah! Parasite Eve 2, when you gonna use a skill, reminded me of Vagrant Story, another masterpiece.

[lordrand11]

I enjoyed the battling system on Quest 64. Moving grid by grid whilst still being able to move freely within said grid was pretty interesting. Although some of the battles you were a good ways away from the enemy (i.e. 20 grids away). But the overall system was still able to maintain its pacing pretty well.

[scarmullet]

I will always like the Battle System from Mother 2 (Earthbound), for the main reason, it makes grinding less tedious with the addition of the game automatically skipping the battle if you have a high enough chance to win in the first round.

[joseph]

there were several battle systems for rpg that i enjoyed quest 64 you were in a battle ring and you can only go the distance the ring allowed you to go. turn based fights are also good time battles are bit more decent to "Wait""Ding"GO" [Attack] [Magic] [Summon] [Item] [Flee] the two examples of that i can think of Chrono trigger and FF7.

[IPITYTHEFOOLZ]

I honestly prefer pure turn based like in the Persona series, but I thought that Eternal Sonata had a very good balance of real time and turn based combat.

[Nick]

I might sound like an idiot when I say this. But I actually really liked Final Fantasy XIII's battle system. Something called a "paradigm shift" or something. I think the real name is the "CSB" system. Exciting(That is, if you keep away from the "auto-battle" command) and It kinda kept me on my toes at points. As mentioned earlier with Ff 12. Healing wasn't such a big deal because one of your AI teammates could do that(Like Hope). But sometimes some battles felt a little too long in my eyes.(Like those stupid lizard things with the shell that you have to stagger first before you can to any real damage!)

As someone who hasn't been playing them(JRPG's) for a long time. I guess I don't really have a place in this thread but I still like traditional Turn based battles as well. Like Mother 3 for example. It eliminated random battles and placed your enemies in the world like with Ff 12 and 13. Which I kinda like. It still stuck to the classic turn-based formula. I really enjoyed Valkyrie Profile's battle system too. The combo's are awesome. I haven't finished it yet but so far I like it.

But to be completely honest. Almost all battle systems start to get old for me about in the fourth quarter of the game or just very near to the end of it. That's when the story keeps me going. =D

[yanazake]

Ok, this looks like an interesting thread, but lack of time prevents me from reading it...

Now, what do I have to add? Well, even if someone already said, let me say this:
I basically HATE turn-based battles. I can't FEEL the action of the battles, unless there is a motive for the turns, or if it's a creative battle system.

For just a few titles, I could point these:

Valkyrie Profile; for making you watch your timing in the attacks, and what attacks you're using for the most effective assaults. [and for forcing me to win a boss battle in five turns, or be killed and never advance in the game \o/]

Valkyrie Profile 2; for being a great upgrade of the first battle system.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Series; it's one of the most unusually fast, animated and strategy-demanding thing I've ever played - it's not easy to fight a horde of enemies in a single room, and not being even in the middle of the way to the end of the dungeon!

Grandia; for having a great mix of action and strategy - the positioning part and time-before-action part are a real gem. Wished I had the chance to play other games besides the first and second.

Tales Series; for having one of the first side-scrolling action battle systems. maybe the only one, actually. It feels like a fast-paced Super Smash Bros without the platforms! Also... The secret moves are a delight to the eyes~

Zelda / Secret of Mana(Seiken Densetsu); for the overview real-time battles - and real time dodges, special abilities and all that! It's great how this battle system evolved into some of the best action/j-rpgs ever.

Namco X Capcom; for the strategy battle mixed with some action in the attacks - it feels like a mix of Valkyrie Profile attack system and Tales Series assigned specials.

Chrono Trigger; for the first in-map battles - no transition to start battling, range for the attacks and specials... Heck, it was a mind blow to see that battle system when whatever available was Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.

And there were probably a few more, since I usually search for uncommon rpgs... I jsut can't remember them all now, or they just end up falling in the same kind of battle of of any of the ones I already wrote... [like Star ocean, that is something between zelda and Tales series]

[Frog Knight]

I really liked Arc Rise Fantasias Battle system. The turns were not set in stone and being able to combine attacks to form chains or powerful skills/magic was very well played out. Unfortunately the difficulty cap for that game is kind of high.
I really like it when a turn based game puts something into the combat that is new or not commonly used, other notable examples would be: Lost Odyssey with the ring combat; Final Fantasy 13; Last Remnant; Grandia; Wild Arms (I really liked fours grid based combat, and never played 5); and Eternal Sonata.

For Real Time combat I really liked Magna Carta 2, the idea of fatigue in battle and the chaining with pt members after fatigued was interesting.

I like Final Fantasy 11 combat, the only reason i mention this game is because i wish there were non mmorpg games with a nice macro system for spells and skills like that game.

For time it takes to battle i prefer games such as FF 12, where there is no loading, you just battle enemies on the world screen.

On a non related note Ipitythefoolz, i like your pic, The World Ends With You Is a Really underrated game, and actually for battle it too had a pretty good combat system

[yanazake]

Oh yeah! How the heck could I forget Legend of Dragoon?

It was one interesting turn-based battle, as in you had to time your button presses to deal maximum damage, and it had in-between turns for extra things that were occurring during battle... That's one game I should try to play again, since I never finished it
Damn psp and its aweshum games XD Can't play other games!!

[saadred]

I loved playing summon night in gba but now i love digimon dawn

[Tsukasa]

I gave up on Rogue Galaxy. At first, i liked: no transition to the battle scenary, and it's cool slash the enemies. But, you don't use items/skills in real time like others action-rpgs (Kingdom Hearts, for exemple), you constantly have to stop to heal you and your allies and use skills. So, this kinda cuts the action of the game.

Also, the action gauge sucks. You do a few things and have to stop and wait the gauge refill, or block an attack. Oh... the defense sucks too. It's suposse to be a action-rpg, but some attacks can't be defended, and you don't have any evasive moves. Some enemies, like the Spiders in Juraika, jump and fall upon on you. You can't defend, and you can't get out the way if you attacking a enemie, so you will take damage. For me, the major point on a action-rpg is be able to dodge attacks without depend on your atributes, but in your reflexes.

Rogue Galaxy is great, but have some flaws that can't be ignored.

[LeftyGuitar]

I like real time battle systems. Like those found in Kingdom Hearts. Where the battles happen on the map and there is no transistion. Though I'm ok if it transistions to a battle map, like in Star Ocean IV. I much prefer real-time battle systems rather than turned based systems. Turn-based systems are so slow. Though There are many good RPGs that use turn based systems. I also liked the battle system in Rogue Galaxy where you could pick up crates and other objects and throw them at enemies. You could even picked up downed enemies and throw them as well.

[HowlerMonkey]

I hate turn based RPGs in general. I'm trying to drag myself through FF4 because I know it's like watching Citizen Kane for a film buff: you have to do it even if you don't really want to.

That said, three of my favorite games are Earthbound, Super Mario RPG, and Chrono Trigger. Odd thing is, Earthbound has my least favorite combat of the three (Dragon Warrior extended, wow!), but it's easily my favorite game of the three. That's just a case of story and style overriding my general leanings regarding games, though.

The thing I liked about Mario RPG's stuff was the timed hits and the way you were actively involved in the use of specials. It made it feel less like a chore of mashing A through garbage battles.

One system I thought was pretty cool was Vagrant Story's. It was like a pseudo-turn based, body-targeting thing that was kind of like Fallout and the like, but not really. I don't really know how to explain it, but that's a battle system I also enjoyed.

[Nemkoon]

A battle system I like is the Tales of Series. The Real Time battles make you feel like your in the action.
Eternal Sonata did a good job of mixing Turn based and real time together also.