PS3: "Final Fantasy XIII", "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" or "Dragon Age: Origins"?

Goodsport · Jun 27, 2010

I finally bought a Playstation 3 a few weeks ago (my first console system since I last had a Playstation 2 back in either 2002 or 2003) and my only game for it so far is Red Dead Redemption (but what a game!

).

Pretty soon I'll have enough money for one more game (and accompanying official strategy guide) and have been pondering which of the three RPG's to get. Which one of the three would you recommend I get and why (or if none of them, which similar game would you recommend instead?)?

-G

Goodsport · Jun 27, 2010

As for why I can't play the PC versions of the games: though my current computer was pretty decent when I first bought it in 2003, it was already severely outdated when Oblivion was first released three years ago.

Except for upgrading my video card to a slightly better one out of necessity, I haven't really been able to afford changing it since - and now the unsolvable crackling sound on my Audigy 2 soundcard is making playing even the few games that still run smoothly on my system (such as WoW, Guild Wars and GUN) increasingly unbearable.

-G

ssampier · Jun 28, 2010

I have Oblivion on the PC. It's an older game and you bet you could find a used copy pretty easily. Oblivion can be pretty buggy at times. But it's a fun game, whether you follow the main quest or not.

As for DA or FF XIII, I haven't played either game, but it boils down to whether you like Japanese style RPGs or Western RPGs. Generally Western RPGs are all about player choice. JRPGs are more about cut-scenes and a tight storyline.

Another choice you may not have heard is about Fallout 3. Fallout 3 is a open game, much like Oblivion, but in an apocalyptic world. I found a used PS3 copy pretty easily.

Since you only have one game you may want to branch out a bit more and get a subscription to GameFly or something similar. That way you can get a feel for what games you really like playing.

Vigilance · Jun 28, 2010

I would rate the games you mention as follows:

1. Elder Scrolls 4
2. Dragon Age
3. Final Fantasy XIII

However, you can't go wrong.

Also, none of those games are buggy on the PS3, just on the PC, based on my experience anyway. I've never experienced a bug in any PS3 game except Fallout 3.

fba827 · Jun 28, 2010

I am biased because I am very particular about what I like and don't like in video games. But having said that ...

Elder Scrolls - I actually got bored because it was -so- open that i kept going off in odd directions before realizing that the next 'best' place to go at that time is 'the other way.' BUT at the same time, when I was playing this game, I was on a small-ish tv so using the journal or reading too much dialogue, etc was more headache to read than it was worth. BUT, if you'll have a guide, well, then you'll know where you're going and won't get lost in the world. I eventually got too frustrated and stopped playing after a a couple days of playing. But what I did play was nice graphically and seemed to be a well developed world, etc.

Final Fantasy XIII -- I haven't played, mostly because i got tired of the final fantasy series a while ago (there were some choices earlier in the series that just left me unhappy so i never really returned to the series after that). having said that, it looks like a well-done game. it's a jrpg and it's final fantasy so expect a tight story line and really nice cutscenes.

dragon age: i really enjoy it the world they made. and the focus really is on choices (which i like in rpgs) and i like the way some minor things here and there change based on the choices, and with the different chapter 1 stories, you get to see various events from diferent perspectives (i.e. you play through as an elf and some villians have certain ties to your background so you know how and why they did some things whereas if you play as a human, you meet those same villains but you know and understand the backstory of different villians.). on the flip side, -i- would actually not want a strategy guide for this game because a) it is straight forward enough that you don't feel you'll get lost and b) it might ruin some of the nice surprises because the big appeal here is the chance to see the effects of your choices.

Any of these are old enough that you should be able to get used without too much trouble. Though word of caution, dragon age when new lets you download some extra content, you don't get that on a used version since the prior person may have used the download key. the other two should be just as good used as new (presuming they aren't scratched etc etc).

Mallus · Jun 28, 2010

I have all 3 for the PS3... beaten Dragon Age and Final Fantasy XIII. It's hard to go wrong w/any of them, but they're very different experiences.

Dragon Age is a Bioware RPG: great writing/characterization, an interesting take on a classic fantasy setting, and a less-great, though still quite good, game engine. Which is to say, a very good product.

Final Fantasy XIII is a highly streamlined Square/Enix RPG: it's arguably not really a game at all until over halfway through, being more a high-quality anime with a game tutorial thrown in. That said, it's a very good anime, with some great characters, and it makes a surprising amount of sense for a game featuring crystal-powered machine gods and a main character with a baby riding chicken who nests in his Afro.

The battle system and interface are terrific. And after you complete the main plot you can return to the open-world part of the game, for many more hours of tactical RPG gaming. Plus, the whole thing is lovely to look at.

Oblivion is, well, Oblivion. I can never get around to solving the main quest, but it's a great toy. I like it least out of the three, but the amount of things you can do in it are really impressive (though I hear the mods available make it a better experience on the PC -- there are some, ahem, issues with the core game mechanics).

LightPhoenix · Jun 28, 2010

In the interest of saving money, why not use GameFAQs instead of buying the strategy guide? Most of the FAQs on there are more in-depth than the guides anyway.

Welverin · Jun 28, 2010

I will never play FF13, and haven't played the other two yet.

I will recommend Fallout 3, however. Big world to explore with a lot to do and it let's you do thing as you please. I spent about 120 hours on the main game, as it tracks time and you could easily tack another thirty or so onto that that wasn't counted.

If you go with Fallout 3, get the game of the year edition it comes with all of the dlc, which will give you even more to do. This one game will give you plenty to play until you save up for another game (LittleBigPlanet, inFAMOUS).

ssampier · Jun 29, 2010

Vigilance said:
I would rate the games you mention as follows:

1. Elder Scrolls 4
2. Dragon Age
3. Final Fantasy XIII

However, you can't go wrong.

Also, none of those games are buggy on the PS3, just on the PC, based on my experience anyway. I've never experienced a bug in any PS3 game except Fallout 3.

Hi! Oblivion isn't too buggy on the PC, especially with the Unofficial Oblivion Patch. It's just that certain quests can be troublesome. On the PC you can easily fix those with an appropriate console command. Here are my areas of concern on the PS3. You can let me know if they are a problem or not:

Caught in the Hunt quest

No access to an area in Mouth of a Serpent in Pale's Pass fort

I couldn't find Brugo in Knights of the White Stallion quest so I had to advance the game forward via console

Vampire-cure quest
I haven't done this one, but apparently it is even buggy on the PC.

Thanks.