Gaming Best Battle System , Which RPG had it?

[Sir Auron]

heres my list

Final Fantasy X - Although the majority of RPG's out there either use this system or a close variation, Final Fantasy X perfected it. Battles became quicker, they gained the ability to switch in other characters at any time that were strong to a particular type of enemy, and the grid system was great.

Tales of Symphonia- Ahhh, the evolution of the Enhanced Linear Motion System. And boy is it ever smooth in this game. I'm normally terrible at action games because of my lack of twitch reflexes, ToS's battle system was loads of fun. And since that game was the first to say bye-bye to random encounters (previous Tales installments were notorious for high encounter rates) it made picking fights that much more fun. I was constantly picking fights in that game.

-Valkyrie Profile- I love the combo-based battles. If you can time the button presses for each respective character well, you can do some sweet combo maneuvers. It's easily my favorite Tri-Ace battle engine.

Well, anyone agree? What other battle systems would you praise?

[Kamuro]

I thought the battle system of Star Ocean (anyone) is a great battle system, it gives you so much freedom, you could move anywhere in the field useing different attacks depending on distance, and once you get the bunny shoes you can move hella fast :D

[2010DigitalBoy]

Skies of Arcadia had a great battle system. They (Sega) made it really realistic by having your charachters attack the enemies when its not their turn and move around the battle area. The random battles are also well spread apart.

I would also like to give an honorary mention to Baten Kaitos for having quite possibly the worst battle system ever.

[Sandy]

[QUOTE=ThatOneOddDude]
I would also like to give an honorary mention to Baten Kaitos for having quite possibly the worst battle system ever.[/QUOTE]

I read about the card-based system it has, and it did sound very iffy. Something I'd like to steer away from. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories uses cards as well, and I've heard that people don't like that system much either. Are these two similar to each other?

I'm currently waiting for my copy of Shadow Hearts: Covenant (yes, it was just released in this corner of the world), and I'm a bit giddy to see if the system it has pleases me or not. The idea of having to press X in just right spots of a circle sounds challenging, but I'm not sure if it too challenging for my amateur gaming skills (seriously, I hate every action game simply because sooner or later it will get too difficult for me, like example in Jak 2 I've been stuck on the last boss for ages, just because I constantly mess up with the shooting. Irksome!) But we'll just have to see about SH:C... I'll post my first impressions about it at myOtaku as soon as I get it.

My honorary mention of the suckiest battle system goes (surprise, surprise!) Unlimited Saga. Just plain STOOPID! The level-up system is all wrong: you get one single new skill per character after completing a whole mission, but the worst thing is that you have to choose the skill from a bunch of completely random skills that have little or no use to the character or even you, AND you [I]have [/I] to choose one skill, no matter how badly they all suit the character. The battle itself is a torture, you have to hit just the right spots on a wheel that spins like there's no tomorrow, and there's no way to guarantee that the enemy doesn't hit you first, breaking half of your attempts for a combo. You can't clearly tell if your character is dying or not, since the enemies' attacks AS WELL as your own attacks take away TWO types of points. It doesn't really matter, though, since you CAN'T heal when in battle... The rant just goes on!

Trust me when I say: do NOT buy Unlimited Saga!

...

Erhm, what's the topic again? Oh,[I]best[/I] battle system in a RPG! Well, I really liked the system in FFX-2, since it was really fast-paced and simple and GAUDY and MERRY and JOYOUS! Maybe overly so... But at the end of the day, it was actually quite enjoyable. But I have a hunch that FF XII's system is going to outbeat every other RPG out there, combining online elements (like no random battles and intelligent monsters and visible weapons etc.) to a single player turn based game. But we'll just have to see about that as well when the time comes...

[You Don't Care]

Star Ocean has had one of the best battle systems in my opinion. This was especially awesome in versus mode for SO2:Until the End of Time.

However, FF7 gets my vote. It wasn't too complicated and it had a wide customization (all thanks to the materia system).

None-the-less, FFX was cool, because all the characters got to fight at the same time. It was getting tiresome to have to play with just three characters when it was obvious that the other people there could have helped as well.

Are we talking about the best battle battle system by itself, or the best battle system supported by other features in the game that would enhance it? I guess specifics don't matter.

[Semjaza]

The Judgement Ring in Covenant is not challenging whatsoever and it's used so often that I grew tired of it nearly instantly (especially after finishing the original game over a year in beforehand). It's possibly the most overrated RPG of this generation as far as I'm concerned. It would probably appeal to FF fans, but I really don't understand how anyone can be interested in most of those characters or the plodding story. I enjoyed it at first, until I realized it was going absolutely nowhere. It's like a bad anime that goes on for 300 episodes. The fact that people find it laugh-out-loud funny is even more perplexing, because the humor is more in the lame spectrum than anything else (I do like the wrestler somewhat, I guess he is "funny").

It does, honestly, have some really nice things in its corner, but the overall product really just did not win me over at all. I wrote a review of it here: [url]http://www.wrappedinplastic.net/games/reviews/001419.php[/url]

Anyway, Baten Kaitos hardly has the worst battle system ever. People's complaints about it lead to other people to never even try the game. If one doesn't like it, that's fine, but it's nowhere near the "worst" anything. I wish more people would play this game before they dismiss it because it really isn't even comparable to other card RPGs as it is. People make it sound as if there is a million card RPGs but I can barely think of any.

Regardless, in Baten Kaitos you form a deck and what cards come up in your hand determine what you can do in the battle. When you use cards, more shift into your hand (the higher your levels the more cards you can use at a time). If you're good at it, you'll rarely have many issues and form lots of combos and morph cards into their better forms. It doesn't work like Magic or Yu-Gi-Oh or anything and it's certainly more interesting than picking from a list of static skills. The game also cares quite a bit about what element your attacks consist of and adds it all up accordingly. Fire and Ice will cancel eachother out if you use them in the same turn, for example.\

FFX's was okay. I guess switching characters out at random is exciting for a FF game, but this had been done in RPGs since the early 90s. The Sphere Grid was cool, but that doesn't really have much to do with the actual battle system... just more to do with the character customization.

As for FFXII, I'm looking forward to it, but games have had onscreen enemies and changing appearances for the main character depending on equipment since the earliest RPGs. Other aspects of it might be interesting, but those listed ideas certainly won't make it the best.

[Iori Yagami]

I hate when people just dismiss card battle games as crap... I just finished Baten Kaitos and nothing beats the feeling of doing a final sunrise combo. (Doing a straight from 1 to 9.) And the elemental clashes make the battle system more challenging I, personally, found the card system to be fun and challenging and definitely not the worst battle system ever.

The best battle system is either the Tales of Symphonia style or the Legend of Dragoon style. I enjoy the linear real time battle system a lot and this game doesn't disappoint. This was loads of fun to play.

Legend of Dragoon's battle system was fun and challenging at the same time. Getting used to the timing to pull off the magnificent combos and the extremely high damage hits. It's a great deal of fun to play.

[James]

[color=#B0251E]Out of any RPG I've played (though I haven't played many in the current generation), I think Final Fantasy X would have been the one with my favourite battle system.

There are many reasons why I like it. First and foremost, it combined the strategic aspects of turn-based battles with a far more fluid character swapping system. The fact that you could see your turns in advance (and know when the enemy's turn would be) assisted greatly. Sure, it made the game easier to some degree. But it also allowed you to carefully plan your attack strategy. You knew when you were going to be attacked, so you could determine who would face the brunt of the attack and who would come in afterwards to retaliate. It was a nice system, it allowed for great flexibility.

I liked the fact that I didn't have to choose my characters pre-battle and then get stuck with a particular bunch. If I wanted to change my mind or try a new strategy in-battle, I could. It was as easy as the click of a button.

I also liked the Sphere Grid and the general flow of the battles themselves. Summoning was handled really well (despite not being able to fast forward the introductions) and it was, in my view, more interesting than in previous games within that series. The fact that summoned-beasts actually had their own capabilities meant that they were more than just "powerful attacks" - some battles hinged on effective use of Summons. So, that was welcome for me.

In general, I also loved the way the interface was laid out...and I enjoyed the combination of more traditional elements (like HP/MP) with the slightly faster and more fluid pace.

But having said that, I can't say I've really come across an RPG where I've hated the battle system. I never minded the first person battles in some older RPGs, although my experience with that is still limited. But it was never something that made me dislike a game, for instance.

The only game in recent memory that I didn't particularly like, with regard to battles, was Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. Apart from the fact that I scored a buggy copy, and apart from the fact that I found the story and characters to be mind-numbingly boring, the battle system itself merely seemed [i]okay[/i]. I didn't have a whole lot of time to get used to it, but...it didn't really have anything that I found particularly attractive. It almost felt a little sloppy.[/color]

[Kamuro]

FFX is getting a lot of praise, but I really didn't think the battle system was all that great, it had basically the same elements as the other final fantasys besides the option to switch out chracters, which was definitely a good idea, but other then that, I wasn't a big fan of the sphere grid, which directly influenced your performance in battle, if we're going to endorse a FF game, then it should definitely be 7, combat was easy, quick, and materia made it easier to equip attributes and skills and either wanted, or didn't want, final fantasy is definitely the classic rpg battle system that people always look at when creating a game

[Gelgoog Pilot]

Ahhh...well I have many favorites... Lets see...let me just jumble around in my brain for a second.

Ok...FF-X Excellent as others have pointed out, its got that hint of strategy while not hindering the speed of the game. I think they should have made some of the bosses a bit toughter though, it seemed easier. Also with bringing in the switching technique it made leveling up characters that you didn't like *cough* Kilmari *cough* not such a boring task. Since you could use them for a couple of attacks and then switch them out again. And FF-X finally let us old time RPG gammers break away from the dreaded 9999. When I first got to see that attack that did 34,000 or so...I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

Star Ocean, definetly a great battle system, the free roaming ability helps you out in battle, I had to get used to not personally controlling every character...and got mad when they'd do something stupid. All in all though, the fast paced battles and such made those games very enjoyable.

Another Game that diserves credit would be the .Hack collection. Yes, the last one gets a little tedious, but the over all gameplay and battleing (similiar to SO and well others of that type) system made it very enjoyable. I personally could do without the damnable physical immune monsters but...that's just me. Bandai also did a great job making the game, a single player, feel almost like a real MMORG as the anime series depicted it. You'd get random e-mails...there was a forum, just the little things that made it pretty cool.

Honorable mention for a crappy battle system? Hmmm I'll indulge myself since others did...I'll have to agree on the Unlimited Saga...It sucked...I played through as two of the characters then sold it back. I wasn't only disappointed with the gameplay but the general graphics scheme of the game. It just...put me to sleep. And I think they tried to copy the battle system from an old goodie, Frontier Saga II, and failed...

[boxybrown305]

[quote name='x kakashi x']FFX is getting a lot of praise, but I really didn't think the battle system was all that great, it had basically the same elements as the other final fantasys besides the option to switch out chracters[/quote]
[COLOR=DarkRed]It wasn't just the option to switch out characters. FFX was very different from the rest in terms of battle because for a very long time FF had been sticking to a time based battle system, alowing for almost no strategy, and never knowing when your opponent would attack. FFX on the other hand was different because it was turn based, which as James had said was very much better to form a strategy, and plan attacks and healing, etc. For that reason i did like X the most. Which is not to say that the others were bad, they made you stay on your toes, and act quick so that you would get more attacks in than the enemy.

I also liked the battle visuals of the Golden Sun series. The battle system was good, but nothing to scream about. What i'm talking about is just how it looked. I liked that they showed not only the raw numbers for HP/MP (MP is known as PP in those games), but they also showed a meter to represent it. Similar to the transformation of health representation in previous GTA games to San Andreas.[/COLOR]

[Kamuro]

hah, I wasn't even thinking of .hack, but I can definitely see where your coming from, it is a good battle system, I guess its just my preference, the battle systems of games like .hack and star ocean, rather then final fantasy

[SunfallE]

[QUOTE=Iori Yagami]I hate when people just dismiss card battle games as crap... I just finished Baten Kaitos and nothing beats the feeling of doing a final sunrise combo. (Doing a straight from 1 to 9.) And the elemental clashes make the battle system more challenging I, personally, found the card system to be fun and challenging and definitely not the worst battle system ever.

The best battle system is either the Tales of Symphonia style or the Legend of Dragoon style. I enjoy the linear real time battle system a lot and this game doesn't disappoint. This was loads of fun to play.

Legend of Dragoon's battle system was fun and challenging at the same time. Getting used to the timing to pull off the magnificent combos and the extremely high damage hits. It's a great deal of fun to play.[/QUOTE]

I liked Baten Kaitos too. I didn't like it at first, but once you get into the higher combos, it's alot more fun to think quickly to get the best combo result.

I also liked Tales of Symphonia as it's more real time instead of turn based.

[Gelgoog Pilot]

[QUOTE=Iori Yagami]I hate when people just dismiss card battle games as crap... I just finished Baten Kaitos and nothing beats the feeling of doing a final sunrise combo. (Doing a straight from 1 to 9.) And the elemental clashes make the battle system more challenging I, personally, found the card system to be fun and challenging and definitely not the worst battle system ever.

The best battle system is either the Tales of Symphonia style or the Legend of Dragoon style. I enjoy the linear real time battle system a lot and this game doesn't disappoint. This was loads of fun to play.

Legend of Dragoon's battle system was fun and challenging at the same time. Getting used to the timing to pull off the magnificent combos and the extremely high damage hits. It's a great deal of fun to play.[/QUOTE]

Here's where I get a little funny....See I hated Baten Kaitos...also hated Phantasy Star Online III (HOW COULD THEY! :animecry: )

However...Gelgoog...was much immpressed with Kingdom Hearts: Chain of memories. I don't know why, maybe since I loved the charecters and story so much the rest didn't matter or that it just seemed like a good battling system reguardless of how many damn cards the bosses broke! *shakes fist*

Also...the mini game from FFVIII I thought was great...I played that just to get all the cards...definetly not an easy task...I'm guessing others must have liked it as well since FFIX tried to simply copy it...which didn't turn out well...

[Kamuro]

people keep reminding me of these awesome battle systems, I havn't played Legend of Dragoon in forever, but thanks to Iori Yagama ;) , I remembered how much fun I had playing, the combos were crazy, at the end of the game combos could be as much as 15-16 moves, and it takes a lot of practice to actually get the timing down so that you could execute the combo, there was also the switch into dragoons, and dragoon moves and combos were definitely awesome, ahh, thanks Iori *starts playing Legend of Dragoon*

[Gelgoog Pilot]

[quote name='x kakashi x']people keep reminding me of these awesome battle systems, I havn't played Legend of Dragoon in forever, but thanks to Iori Yagama ;) , I remembered how much fun I had playing, the combos were crazy, at the end of the game combos could be as much as 15-16 moves, and it takes a lot of practice to actually get the timing down so that you could execute the combo, there was also the switch into dragoons, and dragoon moves and combos were definitely awesome, ahh, thanks Iori *starts playing Legend of Dragoon*[/quote]
:animecry: I felt the same way man...sadly my disorganization has allowed me to lose it somewhere...I found the little booklet but where is my game!

[2010DigitalBoy]

Iori, I would never dismiss a game for anything (except nudity)

I don't like BatenKaitos because it is stupid. Your cards widdle down into nothing, you get money for new cards by taking pictures of enemies, and the whole thing is weird to play. Not to mention the horrible story and crappy warped voices.

Kingdom Hearts CoM was OK but I dont like how the difficuulty varies throughout the game, and the whole card cancel system always makes my brain hurt because Im trying to look at my cards, their cards, and the battle all at once.

Phantasy Star Online Episode 3 is AWESOME. The usage & Mechanics of the system work well, the levels are cool, and everything works perfdctly. This is one of my top five favorite battle systems.

I agree with everyone about FF10. I like how it is somewhat like a tactics game in that you really think abput your next move before making it.

[Semjaza]

[quote name='ThatOneOddDude']I don't like BatenKaitos because it is stupid. Your cards widdle down into nothing, you get money for new cards by taking pictures of enemies, and the whole thing is weird to play. Not to mention the horrible story and crappy warped voices.[/quote]

Man, I didn't think it was possible to disagree with one opinion on a game as much as I disagree with this one lol. At least we both agree that the voices were absolutely godawful.

I don't know what you mean by cards widdling down into nothing. If you mean the deck emptying out, I can see how that would annoy some one... but it takes one turn to reshuffle and it's done with. The bosses do this too, so it's really not something that only hurts your side.

You get money by selling any cards, not just photo cards. I think the picture system was an awesome idea. Depending on the enemy and how you set up the picture (it actually cares how bright the screen is just prior to using the card), you'll get wildly different amounts for it. The idea of waiting for the cards to develop like real pictures is quite interesting too.

There's just so many interesting ideas in this. The idea of opposites canceling eachother out (100 points of damage by water is canceled out by 150 points of fire damage... resulting in 50 points total, for example) is very well executed and I'm surprised more games haven't done it. I enjoy that you have to just waste cards sometimes when you're hoping to get a good one next. It adds a sense of desperation to the battles.

As for the story, the main set-up is cliche... but no more than some of the RPGs people are absolutely loving the battle systems of in here. It more than makes up for it with a really unique style and some absolutely excellent characters. However, I don't know how much of that someone would see if they absolutely hate the game mechanics.

Anyway, I disagree. I can see why someone wouldn't like it, honestly... but I feel a need to stick up for this game lol. It's one of the better RPGs of recent memory.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[QUOTE=Generic NPC #3]
I don't know what you mean by cards widdling down into nothing. If you mean the deck emptying out, I can see how that would annoy some one... but it takes one turn to reshuffle and it's done with. The bosses do this too, so it's really not something that only hurts your side.

I enjoy that you have to just waste cards sometimes when you're hoping to get a good one next. It adds a sense of desperation to the battles.[/QUOTE]

What I meant is that the cards slowly dissapate as you use them, and they become more worthless. Also, I REALLY hate that you have to throw cards into the battle in "desperation". I like knowing that I can win. If Im at level 20 in an RPG in a weak area, I know I can win, while in the same situation in this game, I find myself randomley throwing out cards which makes me feel like any battle can be fatal.

[SilentSecurity]

Has anyone mentioned the .hack series. I loved how you could use scrolls, magic, spacial attacks, healing, and Data Drain during the fight sequences. I like how you can move around instead of being fastened to one area until you attack. Unlike Star Ocean battle mode in hack doesn't change from a walking mode to a battle mode in hack it's pretty much going from normal to fighting mode without changing the camera view or anything else except the fact that you can now attack (I think that made sense). Also I liked how many monsters you fight throughout the whole series. In Star Ocean there are a lot of monsters but not near as many as hack.

I liked the FFX system and disliked how they changed it in FFX-2. Star Ocean was great so was Fable but for me .hack takes the cake.

~Jake~

[Goodbye, Face]

I hate almost every RPG battle system (I'm a big RPG fan for some reason, though). I'd like it a bit better if the fights were... Tekken-ish, that would be cool. There are a number of RPG battle systems I love, however, and I'm surprised no one mentioned them...

Legend of Legaia: You could select moves between your arms and your legs and link them into special moves or even Hyper or Secret Arts for big damage. You could also capture some enemies and summon them into battle.

Kingdom Hearts: In my opinion the best RPG battle system ever made. You all probably have at least played the game so I shouldn't have to go into detail on it.

I also love the .hack series' fights, even if the camera is a bit wonky.

[2010DigitalBoy]

I have played Tales of Symphonia and decided that it has the best battle system in any RPG ever. I love being able to move around and use different combos. I didn't like Star Oceans battle system as much, because the free raoming was a bit annoying, and the combo system sucked. The AI in Tales of Symphonia was way better too.

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]My favourite RPG battle system is the one in Final Fantasy Tactics, although I wouldn't go so far as to call it the best. I mainly like the fact that the system makes you think ahead, and that you can't just get away with constantly selecting the standard "Attack" option without getting punished severely for it. The style of its battle system is mostly based around skill, where the character's levels play a minor role.

Another thing that I like about the system is that it doesn't make random battling a chore as it usually is in other RPGs. The layout of the battle perimeter is very lively and colourful (well, in FFTA, anyway), and the skill aspect involved leads to less slacking off, which means the player is more and more aware of what's going on. Also, the different job classes available for each race or character -- though this mainly accounts towards character customisation -- give them different abilities which prove useful in different positions and circumstances, thus keeping the game balanced and less tedious. Anyway, I find it fun to try and master all the abilities for each job class... all these little things add up. :D

Moving on, third person battle systems in RPGs aren't really my cup of tea. Many of them are pulled off badly and just let the game down in whole. Zelda has a great track record for good battle systems. Some of them are with their flaws, but they're still worthy. PSO's battle system on the other hand, was awful. My major argument against it, amongst other things, is that the movement just felt too stiff despite the fact that I was playing on 60 hertz mode, so I didn't really enjoy it because I felt somewhat restricted.

In general, I'm not overly fussy about battle systems. Just as long as they're kept glitch-free, then I'm happy. Innovation isn't a major issue, as I tend to use most RPGs as time killers.[/color]

[Pumpkin Head]

[QUOTE=Bombu][color=darkred]My favourite RPG battle system is the one in Final Fantasy Tactics, although I wouldn't go so far as to call it the best. I mainly like the fact that the system makes you think ahead, and that you can't just get away with constantly selecting the standard "Attack" option without getting punished severely for it. The style of its battle system is mostly based around skill, where the character's levels play a minor role.

Another thing that I like about the system is that it doesn't make random battling a chore as it usually is in other RPGs. The layout of the battle perimeter is very lively and colourful (well, in FFTA, anyway), and the skill aspect involved leads to less slacking off, which means the player is more and more aware of what's going on. Also, the different job classes available for each race or character -- though this mainly accounts towards character customisation -- give them different abilities which prove useful in different positions and circumstances, thus keeping the game balanced and less tedious. Anyway, I find it fun to try and master all the abilities for each job class... all these little things add up. :D

Moving on, third person battle systems in RPGs aren't really my cup of tea. Many of them are pulled off badly and just let the game down in whole. Zelda has a great track record for good battle systems. Some of them are with their flaws, but they're still worthy. PSO's battle system on the other hand, was awful. My major argument against it, amongst other things, is that the movement just felt too stiff despite the fact that I was playing on 60 hertz mode, so I didn't really enjoy it because I felt somewhat restricted.

In general, I'm not overly fussy about battle systems. Just as long as they're kept glitch-free, then I'm happy. Innovation isn't a major issue, as I tend to use most RPGs as time killers.[/color][/QUOTE]

Well,i would say the same about PSO and RPG's like Zelda,

The ones i really like is Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy Tactics, these are one of the best but unlike FF X the second one (which is FF X-2) the battle system got much more faster but in that thing you must act fast and choose before your opponent hits you but in FF X every one has to take his turn. and as bombu said about FF tactics,but sometimes i wish there weren't any rules at least for once in other lands like the jungle and what so ever...

But some of the RPG's are the worst ever, i played Unlimited Saga and it has this wired system which i didn't figure out,i didn't know how to hit even! :animeswea

Anyway,my vote goes to Final Fantasy X (Which is one of my favourite RPG's ^^ )

[COLOR=DarkRed]Cheers,[/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkOrange]Pumpkin Head[/COLOR]

[Goodbye, Face]

[quote name='Bombu][color=darkred']My favourite RPG battle system is the one in Final Fantasy Tactics...[/color][/quote]

It doesn't sound like you've played one of the NIS games (Disgaea, La Pucelle, Phantom Brave, etc.). They're all great strategy RPG's and are all definitely more in depth than Final Fantasy Tactics. There's more customization (I'll use Disgaea as an example here, since I play it the most) than in FFT since you can choose a character class when you make a character, then that character can make another character and make him/her a magic user and learn spells off of him/her. You can also pick up one character after another and make a hilarious totem pole of 15 characters and a monster at the top. All of the games take at least 75 hours to beat, and most of the games cost $30, except for Disgaea and some of the newer ones. Either way, you're getting quite the bang for your buck, as most poeple don't complete the game in less than 200 hours.

^_^ Just letting you know.