5 PlayStation RPGs I Hope Come To Plus Premium
Whilst the past few months of PlayStation Plus Premium have been disappointing to say the least, there have been a few diamonds in the rough. February saw us graced with The Legend of Dragoon and Wild Arms 2, giving me hope that perhaps Sony can turn this otherwise underwhelming line-up of classic titles around.
I’m not asking for any remakes here, just simple ports of the original classics! Being a big fan of role-playing games, here are my top five RPGs that I hope will come to the service one day!
Vagrant Story
With an average review score of 92%, Vagrant Story isn’t exactly an obscure title for fans of the genre. Playing as Ashley Riot (great name), players will traverse the city of Leá Monde and its sinister catacombs and engage in what was — at the time — a surprisingly deep and complex battle system. Entering into combat will pause the real-time gameplay, allowing players to target various body parts of opponents in order to chain together combos to dish out some real punishment.
A rich, lore abundant experience, which has become the standard for a Square Enix (though they were just Square back then!) title, coupled with a cast of enduring, lovable characters make Vagrant Story a title worthy of PS Plus Premium!
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Whilst Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete may have originally released on the Sega Saturn exclusively in Japan, the Western release garnered positive attention from critics; particularly the quality of the dialogue and the animation.
This remake of the Sega CD original featured many changes for the better, including improved visual and sound effects, fully animated cutscenes, and the replacement of random battles with enemy sprites roaming the world, to be engaged with as the player sees fit.
Taking on the role of Alex, who dreams of becoming a Dragonmaster, players will travel across the world in search of adventure, trying to make Alex’s dream a reality. Joining up with a colourful cast of characters along the way, this is a lengthy tale that is sadly mostly unheard of.
Parasite Eve
A game that terrified me as a child, has a song by Bring Me The Horizon named after it, and was Square’s first ever M-rated title! Created during a time when seemingly every RPG from Square has some unique mechanics (particularly when it came to combat) Parasite Eve was one such title that was certainly a departure from what gamers came to expect from the company.
New York City police officer, Aya Brea, faces a pretty rough Christmas period as she attempts to stop a plan to destroy the human race by spontaneous combustion (ouch). The cinematic feel of the game shines the brightest through its strong — more mature — narrative, with even the battle system being more action oriented than typical RPGs of the time.
The combat can be paused though, allowing players to assign Aya an action to perform, but in-between these brief respites she’ll need to evade enemies by moving around in real-time. It’s a fun combat system that feels fresh during a time of constant turn-based RPGs. Come on Sony and get this on Plus Premium, I’m not a cowardly child any more, I promise!
Legend of Legaia
I have such fond memories of Legend of Legaia, as it was the first RPG I experienced that wasn’t in the Final Fantasy franchise. Granted, it isn’t the most original story told, with the main plot centred around a mysterious mist that causes the Seru (magical creatures with extraordinary powers) to rampage across the planet, with our hero Vahn having the power to repel it.
That being said, the combat is an absolute delight, and though it is turn-based, the ability to perform combos that culminate in unique finishing moves always felt like a stripped down version of a fighting game to me. There’s a lot more to it as well, with additional attacks such as Arts allowing for a deeper, more customisable system.
Xenogears
How could it be anything other than Xenogears for the top slot? The first of many incredible titles in the franchise (including the absolute must-play Xenoblade Chronicles) players control Fei Fong Wong, an amnesiac who is exiled from the village where he resides due to his accidental destruction of the town.
Sounds fairly cliché, right? Well, Xenogears is anything but; it is an incredibly well-crafted, often thought-provoking tale that is full of unexpected twists and turns. It was the focus of the majority of the praise heaped upon the game, and rightly so!
The combat features some comparison to the mechanics in Legend of Legaia, with the combo system giving players more interaction within the turn-based battle system. Oh, and you can also fight inside mechs, so what’s not to love?
Those were just five out of an almost unlimited number of RPGs from the classic PlayStation era that I desperately want to come to Plus Premium in the future. Are there any I’ve missed out that would be on your own list? Let me know in the comments below!
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