7 Xbox 360 JRPGs You Should Never Play

The Xbox 360 was a great console. I have many fond memories of my 360, even though I came late to that console generation. One of them was mine when I accidentally broke my fan while playing a Kinect game. True story.

My 360 slightly hindered the beginning of me starting to dive into my love for a good JRPG. It’s probably a good thing, too, because there weren’t many JRPGs out there when all was said and done. I would probably run out of games to play sooner or later.

Instead, my PS4 became my JRPG machine. I spent my time with Kingdom Hearts III and Tales of Zestiria instead of playing Russian Roulette with what the 360 ​​had. I could end my love for the genre prematurely if I somehow got into one of the games on this list.

7

Spectral Force 3: Innocent Rage

Perfect for the Early 2000’s Anime Fan

Fire Emblem type concept a game from Atlus probably sounds like a worthwhile endeavor to some. Too bad it wasn’t developed by them. Spectral Force 3: Innocent Rage has its merits, but it really depends on the type of person you are if those positives are something you’ll enjoy. Spectral Force 3 doesn’t rock the boat too much for the genre, and it shows exactly where it’s been. If you grew up when anime first became popular with western audiences, however, this game is a great time for you.

It has everything. Hammy’s voice acting made me cry with laughter, the over the top and weird story, and the character designs taken from the anime that was going to air on Toonami. Basically, what I’m saying is that Spectral Force 3 might be one of those “so bad and so good” games with a serious strategy game for the good guys. If you are not into that, this game will be a complete waste of time.

6

Infinite Undiscovery

Would, would, Should have.

I don’t think I could have gone through this list without including at least one Tri-Ace game. Infinite Undiscovery is that title, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask. It is best remembered for being an oddity and is seen as a good example of the slippery slope that JRPGs faced at the time and balancing the struggles of development with the ambitions of developers. Tri-Ace tried to force the player to make constant real-time decisions with this game, but the gimmick overshadowed how good or bad its basic mechanics were.

The creativity was enough to give many players gray hair, and some people hated how poorly balanced game systems forced you to grind for cash in a way that almost resembled padding. Beyond that, the story sticks with some people and the lofty goals of Infinite Undiscovery pay off in sometimes surprising ways. At the end of the day, its flaws make it hard to recommend, so those who might not have much patience for an old game might want to find something else to play.

5

The Blue Dragon

One Special Anomaly

If you’re looking for a new game that represents the great legacy of the late Akira Toriyama, I suggest you look elsewhere. While the character designs and art direction are without a doubt the best examples of Toriyama’s work, they are poorly written with very little development to make the story a story in the 3 discs that Blue Dragon had. If that doesn’t stop it, it also works poorly on the 360, or that’s what it was built for and it’s still stuck on it.

If nothing else, I’m convinced this game is cursed. A friend of mine played this game and experienced all kinds of problems, from corrupted save data to having two red rings on his Xbox 360 during his experience. And to add to that, my computer froze and had to be shut down to continue writing this. Yes. This game must be cursed, right?

4

Operation Darkness

Do you know what World War II cost? Vampires, Zombies, and Werewolves.

Operation Darkness is a strategy JRPG similar to Spectral Force 3: Innocent Rage, but with several different twists on the genre and what you can expect from it. First, it happened during World War II. Second, the maps you play are adjusted to match the gunfire and range capabilities that a real battlefield would ask for. Third, the Nazis used zombies, and had vampires in their high ranks. Did I mention that the main character can be a werewolf?

If you think this game sounds cool, I’m going to have to break your heart by saying that it falls victim to the usual mistakes from this console generation. The camera is your worst nightmare, Operation Darkness doesn’t talk about important mechanics like permadeath, and it’s one of those games that starts off hard and gets better when you go out of your way to keep playing it. You should be very sorry to try this game and love it.

3

Magna Carta 2

I Played Magna Carta 2 And All I Got Was This T-Shirt

Let’s be honest, I couldn’t get through this list without mentioning an indie game with a mysterious number, either. Yes, Magna Carta 2 it’s a standalone title, so you don’t need to play the other two games to understand anything. What you might need, if you want to try this game, is lack of experience with JRPGs. Magna Carta 2 tells the same stories we are already familiar with: a boy with amnesia bonds with a dying girl, and vows to get revenge on her. MagnaCarta 2 breaks these strings, but breaking them has become an expectation if you’ve played enough JRPGs.

It’s not an entirely bad game, but considering the small number of JRPGs on the Xbox 360, you might enjoy your time with a bunch of other games on the console more than MagnaCarta 2. There aren’t many things MagnaCarta 2 does that other games don’t do and in general, if not better. If you’ve rolled every other rock first and have a JRPG itch, though, have at it.

2

Cultcept Saga

Brings a Whole New Meaning to “Longplays”

Okay, I know this one is a little easy. Take that for the Xbox 360’s JRPG drought, not me. Culdcept Saga is a board game with a deckbuilder mechanic. If you ask me, it reminds me of some Yu-Gi-Oh games from back in the day in the way the board and cards look and act.

Culdcept Saga certainly looks like a very interesting game from the box art, screenshots, and any gameplay footage you might stumble across. In fact, the development of the card took over a year because the developers of Culdcept Saga allowed all kinds of artists from all over Japan to create card art with very little restrictions. Unfortunately, the game is held back by its mechanics as boardgame card battles can take over four hours at worst. If you have no problems spending an entire game playing a single round of Magic The Gathering Monopoly, this might be a hidden gem for you. Otherwise, there’s nothing to see here. Go and go.

1

Enchanted Arms

And the Award for Worst JRPG Song Ever Goes…

I could probably save you some time and take everything I said about Magna Carta 2, put it here, and say “but the worst” and call it a day. That wouldn’t be a fun, educational read, but Enchanted Arms is, nonetheless. The battle system is fun to use, but that’s where it all stops. The plot revolves around history repeating itself and a high school student is left to deal with a golem slave rebellion that happens again after it fades into legend. Now, think about that with terrible presentation, voice acting, and a horrible gay character thrown in for good measure.

This game is everything JRPG players hate. It hasn’t aged well, the battle system has a grind and grind that shoots itself in the foot, the characters feel like cardboard cut-outs, bad music, the works. It is the epitome of being a game to avoid. I already have three better recommendations off the top of my head: Tales of Vesperia, Bastion, and Final Fantasy 13.

Yes. Too bad I’m saying you should play Final Fantasy 13 for this.