What to get for Christmas (PS3, Wii)

[Deme]

I'm getting a PS3 for Christmas, and I'm wondering what games to get for it. I'm a fan of light-hearted, character-driven RPGs and Turn-Based Strategy games, and also games with love-sim elements. I'm not a big fan of a game giving you too much "busy work" in terms of customization and other such doodads, but I'll tolerate some. I don't like multiplayer, and I haven't cared about Final Fantasy since after 9.

I'd also be looking for more games for the wii or DS, with about the same criteria.

So, any suggestions?

[Terraoblivion]

It might be hard to find, but the absolutely best game to get for the PS3 would be Valkyria Chronicles. While the plot is not super lighthearted and definitely has some rather dark moments, it is well-written with the characters taking a very central role in creating the drive and interest in the plot. I'm not quite sure how you would feel about the gameplay since it combines turn-based SRPG and fairly mild third person shooter elements, with the focus lying squarely on the first part. It is a unique system and one that works very well once you get used to it, but it is not strictly tun-based strategy or RPG as you prefer. Also how can anybody not love a game as beautiful as this? The opening here is almost all ingame graphics, with the except of the sketches that gets painted with water color at the beginning and the end.

For the DS you absolutely have to pick up The World Ends With You if you don't have it already. One of the most stylistically complete games of all time, music and art combines to an almost unseen degree to create the modern, urban feel of Shibuya, for what is without a doubt the best looking and sounding game on the DS. The gameplay is unique and fast-paced and with some obscure elements to the customization, but these can mostly be ignored as you progress through the game if you are like me and would rather focus on the story and the atmosphere. Nothing like any other game you have ever played and great for it.

[Mando Knight]

I'd also be looking for more games for the wii or DS, with about the same criteria.

DQIX. It's not Final Fantasy. The characterization, to me, was a sleeper hit: you're a basic AFGNCAAP (although this being a jRPG, you're a Designated Hero and can't fall to the Dark Side... somewhat justified in that the main character starts as an angel Celestrian) with a totally AFGNCAAP party (except in the post-game, where you can take quests to get existing NPCs to join your party... though while in your party they're basically just a set of custom appearance settings that aren't available to the PC or the player-generated party members), but the sub-arcs are individually somewhat touching, the ending is bittersweet, the beginning of the post-ending heart-lifting, and the post-game plots (Thought you finished all the story there is because you defeated The Final Boss? WRONG!) are surprisingly deep. Also, like other recent DQ translations, it shows Americans why Pokémon is so overladen with puns: (Square)Enix has been doing it since 1986 (early translations didn't like the idea of PUNS EVERYWHERE). Plus, magic golden flying train that can fly to Heaven itself.

If you don't already have FE 9&10 for the Gamecube/Wii, also get those.

Also look into Disgaea. I don't have a PS3 myself, but I do believe that there is an installment that's only on that system. Not sure of the quality of that installment, though...

[Sipex]

Turn based strategy games?

I've heard good things about Final Fantasy Tactics A2 for the DS.

[potatocubed]

I'm getting a PS3 for Christmas, and I'm wondering what games to get for it. I'm a fan of light-hearted, character-driven RPGs and Turn-Based Strategy games

Disgaea 3?

And for the love-sim fan in you, try Sakura Wars: So Long My Love, on the Wii. I thought it was terrible, but if you've got a high tolerance for cheese...

(It's also got turn-based tactics elements.)

[Smiling Knight]

How backwards compatible is the PS3? If it is, you absolutely must get Persona 4. Very character-driven, great music, dialog and voice acting, with social/romance stuff. Maybe not quite light-hearted enough, but with regular humorous interludes.

[Moonshadow]

Unless you have one of the very first PS3's released, they don't have backwards compatibility.

[billtodamax]

Or one of the new ones which had it phased out... :/

If you don't have the recent Fallouts you should pick them up, and I'd suggest super scribblenauts on the DS just because it looks like it's gonna be awesome.

[FantasyFoxMan]

Turn based strategy games?

I've heard good things about Final Fantasy Tactics A2 for the DS.

A2's okay. It definitely expands on the first Tactics Advance game, adds some new jobs for characters (along with two new races to use, the Seeq from XII and the Gria, a totally new race of winged demi-humans), an updated battle system and an interesting storyline. Just one thing I might add- remember to grind the hell out of your characters for the final boss. Don't be like me and have to be stuck with a primary character

Spoiler

Show

Adelle, by the way

that's a good 20 levels lower or so. It'll suck. Not gonna lie, :V

On the topic of Wii games, Sonic Colors looks fantastic, in my personal opinion (Plus Roger Craig Smith= leagues better than Griffith. But this isn't the time to discuss that :3). Of course, if you're not into that, I've heard good things about Kirby's Epic Yarn and DKC Returns, too.

Also Epic Mickey.

[Zevox]

How backwards compatible is the PS3? If it is, you absolutely must get Persona 4. Very character-driven, great music, dialog and voice acting, with social/romance stuff. Maybe not quite light-hearted enough, but with regular humorous interludes.

This. Persona 4 is incredible. Also, its predecessor, Persona 3 FES. If your PS3 is backwards compatible, do not miss these games. If not... well, PS2s are rather cheap these days...

Anyway, to reiterate some recommendations given:
- Dragon Quest 9 (DS, light-hearted RPG, but not at all character-driven.)
- Disgaea DS (DS, tactical RPG, often-but-not-always light-hearted, great characters.)
- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance & Radiant Dawn (Gamecube & Wii, tactical RPG, not especially light-hearted but not exactly ultra-dark either.)
- The World Ends With You (One of the best games on the DS, quite original. Not really light-hearted though.)

Disgaea 3 on the PS3 may be worth grabbing as well, but I can't say, as I don't have a PS3.

Other recommendations I'd make myself:
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS). Light-hearted? Check, this is practically a comedy game. Nice turn-based RPG mechanics, the whole game it just a lot of fun. Can't really it's character-driven or has any love-sim mechanics, since, you know, Mario, but it's a very good game, easily the best of the Mario & Luigi games.
- Dragon Quest 5 (DS remake). One of the best entries in the series, you play your character from childhood through parenthood, providing a rather unique progression throughout the game. It also features a monster companion system which may have inspired Pokémon (the original game pre-dates Pokémon by four years).
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS). Only if you can go without the light-hearted aspect, as this game is by and large anything but. It has a fusion of tactical and classic turn-based RPG mechanics which make for a unique battle system, and an excellent story with multiple endings that can actually be difficult to choose between (save for the one obvious bad idea). It's an excellent game which I'd put on par with The World Ends With You as one of the best DS games out there.
- Little King's Story (Wii). Not an RPG, but it fits some of your requirements. It's much like Pikmin, except you're a kid with a magic crown that enables him to make others his servants, so you command a bunch of citizens of your kingdom instead of little plant-aliens. Combat can be surprisingly tactical, with a good variety of different troops required to face your various challenges. It's very light-hearted and goofy (example: one of your available citizen-troops is a cook, which one-hit-KOs giant chickens), with the main game focusing around conquering rather ridiculous "kingdoms" around yours and rescuing a Princess from each. Of course, it does become rather less light-hearted at the ending... but still, worth a look unless you just don't like Pikmin-esque mechanics.
- Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (DS). If you're a Sonic fan, well worth getting. It's a turn-based RPG that's quite light-hearted, often tongue-in-cheek, with humorous references to the original Sonic games and some parody of RPGs. Not Bioware's best work, but good nonetheless, if primarily for Sonic fans.

And for the love-sim fan in you, try Sakura Wars: So Long My Love, on the Wii. I thought it was terrible, but if you've got a high tolerance for cheese...

Hm, I'd heard about that, and been meaning to give it a try sometime (the Wii does not have enough JRPGs for me...). Was your only problem with it that it's very cheesy?

Zevox

[Mando Knight]

Nitpick: the accent mark on Pokémon goes the other way. Not Pokèmon, Pokémon. If you're using a keyboard such as English: US-International, you use AltGr-e or apostrophe (') e.

[Terraoblivion]

Devil Survivor has a lot of customization and set-up and work on fiddling around with demon fusions and demon auctions, however. That's the other reason i didn't recommend it, apart from the very dark, fairly depressing and at times somewhat disturbing story.

But if you get a chance to try it, you still should, Deme. It really is an excellent game.

[Zevox]

Nitpick: the accent mark on Pokémon goes the other way. Not Pokèmon, Pokémon. If you're using a keyboard such as English: US-International, you use AltGr-e or apostrophe (') e.

Hm, that doesn't seem to be working for me. What I'm using is alt-138 (number pad). Not sure what "AltGr" stands for.

Ah, alt-130 produces the reversed accent mark. Takes care of that.

Zevox

[Mando Knight]

Hm, that doesn't seem to be working for me. What I'm using is alt-138 (number pad). Not sure what "AltGr" stands for.

Ah, alt-130 produces the reversed accent mark. Takes care of that.

Zevox

The apostrophe-e macro works with US-International on Windows machines... it's not necessarily a universal thing, so a Mac or Linux machine might not work. AltGr (Alternate Graphic) is the right Alt key if you're using an AltGr-enabled keyboard layout, such as US-International. The default keyboard layout for most US computers is English (US), but can be changed fairly readily. Windows 7 (at least) also allows you to add a keyboard layout toolbar to the main taskbar, as well as swap hotkeys, letting me type in the Ελλεμνικά alphabet as needed.

US-International also lets you type ©, ¢, ç, ü, €, £, ¥, and so forth.

[Zevox]

The apostrophe-e macro works with US-International on Windows machines... it's not necessarily a universal thing, so a Mac or Linux machine might not work. AltGr (Alternate Graphic) is the right Alt key if you're using an AltGr-enabled keyboard layout, such as US-International. The default keyboard layout for most US computers is English (US), but can be changed fairly readily. Windows 7 (at least) also allows you to add a keyboard layout toolbar to the main taskbar, as well as swap hotkeys, letting me type in the Ελλεμνικά alphabet as needed.

US-International also lets you type ©, ¢, ç, ü, €, £, ¥, and so forth.

Don't know what the issue is then. I'm using Windows XP, and my keyboard layout looks like that, but when I try alt-apostraphe-e it just selects the "edit" menu at the top of my browser.

*shrugs* In any event, I figured out to get the accent reversed, as I said, so no big deal.

Zevox

[Mando Knight]

Don't know what the issue is then. I'm using Windows XP, and my keyboard layout looks like that

US-International is visually identical to standard US, the latter of which is the default setting for all Windows machines in the US. To change it, you'll need to access your language settings in Control Panel (it may be listed under Region settings). Also, it's just AltGr-e or apostrophe-e. AltGr-apostrophe will yield ´ instead.

[rudyards]

Isn't Assasin's Creed:Brotherhood for PS3? If so, definitely get that one.

[Zevox]

US-International is visually identical to standard US, the latter of which is the default setting for all Windows machines in the US.

Well that would have been nice to know. I was assuming the US-International one was the default, since you seemed to be assuming it would be what I'd have.

In any event, as I said, I figured out how to work it on mine, so not important.

Isn't Assasin's Creed:Brotherhood for PS3? If so, definitely get that one.

How does that game fit any of her criteria? At all?

Zevox

[goldendragon]

For the wii, I would recommend Super Mario Galaxy, Legend of Zelda Twilight princess, Lego Harry potter years 1-4, Wii sports Resort and New Super Mario bros Wii

Hope I helped!

[dgnslyr]

Turn based strategy and love sim? Fire Emblem is right for you!
Fire Emblem 6: The Sword of Seals is considered the best war-themed dating simulator for the GBA! Too bad it never left Japan...

You can get Fire Emblem 9: Path of Radiance for Gamecube, or Fire Emblem 10: Radiant Dawn for Wii. Both are good, but the whole "dating sim" part got axed pretty hard, and it's a shadow of what it was on the GBA games.

[potatocubed]

*shrugs* In any event, I figured out to get the accent reversed, as I said, so no big deal.

Just gonna leave this here:

www.copypastecharacter.com