PURPLEOUTSIDER'S PROFILE

Another simple way is have it in the dialogue box. I've seen commercial games that did that during the epilogue. After each scene, the dialogue box just pops up and has a couple credits before going to the next scene.

Robotrek on Super NES lets you save basically anywhere since the first item you get in the game is a walkie-talkie that lets you save your game. There's only a handful of rooms in the entire game that you can't save at. They still let you know when there's going to be a boss battle by putting a skull above the doorway, as if to say "use your radio right now."

Outside of that and Pokemon, I'm drawing a blank and I've played a good amount of games. As long as you have save points in dungeons (beginning and right before the boss, or possibly another in the middle if it's a long one) and NOT be jerks about it like in the Dragon Quest series where you only save at kings and (depending on the game) churches, save points should be fine. If the player is familiar with the genre, they should be okay with it.

author=WonderPup
For my particular story, the player's party is initially weak and non-threatening. Given their insignificance early on, they would never appear on the antagonist's radar, and their location doesn't put them in proximity of the "big bad guy". Does anyone else have experience with something similar? How did you write that? Do you felt your story suffered for it?

Ogre Battle 64 did this really well. You start out as a low ranked Commander in a backwater area. Nobody cares about this area at all. Due mainly to the actions of one of the higher ranked knights, you end up ditching the army and joining this rebellion group you were fighting. Throughout this entire time, your General and the evil knight are the only ones shown. You know that there is a group controlling the knights and the various regions, but you don't see them or know who they are. They aren't revealed until about the halfway point when you've caused enough problems with the army that they go and yell at the army about it, and take control since the army can't handle you.

author=TheGowans
Aww man happened to you as well? Mine froze after the first phase of the final boss :(

The game uses a weird compression since its data is too big for a PS2 disc, so the PS2 has a hard time loading the game. Even when I first got it, the game had a delayed load at the start up screen and would randomly go to the settings menu since it couldn't load it fast enough. Now, it won't do anything. It always says 'no disc' or whatever.

Beaten:

NES:
Dragon Warrior
SNES:
Breath of Fire
Robotrek
Final Fantasy III/VI
Chrono Trigger
Super Mario RPG
Illusion of Gaia
N64:
Ogre Battle 64
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (I don't really count it as an RPG, though)
Gamecube:
Tales of Symphonia
Skies of Arcadia
Star Fox Adventures (if Zelda's an RPG, so is this since it's clearly the same genre)
Gladius
PS2:
Tales of Legendia
Tales of the Abyss
Kingdom Hearts 2
Ar tonelico
Atelier Iris 2
Mana Khemia
Grandia 2
Radiata Stories
Wild Arms IV
Suikoden 3
RM2K:
Legendary Adventures
PSP:
Star Ocean

Almost:
Mana Khemia 2 (just stopped playing)
Ar tonelico 2 (can't find my way back to somewhere)
Atelier Iris (lost in final castle)
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits (last boss too hard)
Kingdom Hears (last boss too hard)
Dragon Quest VIII (lost in the final castle)
Final Fantasy X (got bored)
Final Fantasy II/IV (lost in final place)
Grandia 3 (trapped in hard dungeon and can't heal)
Rogue Galaxy (disc won't read, I was at the final place)
Shining Force (GBA version, last boss too hard)
Star Ocean 2 (PSP, last boss too hard)
Star Ocean 3 (last boss too hard)
Lord of the Rings: the Third Age (last boss too hard)
Hybrid Heaven (last area too hard, and got lost)

Current:
Dragon Quest V (SNES translation, 3/4 so far)
Dual Orb 2 (ditto)

I have a ton more that I've played partway to halfway, but it'll take too long to list them all.