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[Lumpy Onion]

Also, totally different conversation, but Panzer Dragoon, I agree with GrumpyAlien. I go back every like...year or two to see if the game is ever cheaper, because I wanted to try it so badly. ...Nope.

I should have just bought it years ago for $100 when I had a chance. Seems kinda miniscule compared to what it's going for now. lol

 

[kswiston]

I'm a little too burnt out on this thread to do it myself right now, but I would be interested to see how the Top 100 breaks down by year of release. When I was making those title bars for the Top 50, it seemed like I was typing 1998, 1999, and 2000 a lot. If someone wants to do a tally of the full top 100 by year, I will add it to the OP tomorrow.

The release dates I listed were for the first territory a game was released in (though looking at the list, I think I screwed up the Demon's Souls date. Looks like the NA date). Seemed like the best way to do it considering some Japanese games were released in the west a year later (and vice versa).

I should have just bought it years ago for $100 when I had a chance. Seems kinda miniscule compared to what it's going for now. lol

I have a copy. I bought the disks, case, and manual separately for a good deal cheaper than they would have cost as a complete package. Still, I think I paid about $130. I kicked myself for years for not picking the game up for $50 when it was released before I caved on the overpriced used copy.

I am actually surprised Suikoden II ranked so high. Pretty hard to get that game for less than $100 these days as well.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

How are there so few WRPGs on the list? How did Fallout 2 almost not make the Top 50? How the hell is Skyrim on there despite being out for a little over a month? I bet many of the people who listed it didn't even finish the "story" mode.

EDIT - Wait, NOCTURNE IS COMING TO VITA!!?!?!?!?

 

[Ravage]

I dunno, I think a lot of the little things are innovative for JRPGs, like how the quests are handled, how travel is handled. It just felt really fresh to me. Also, playing the game for 100 hours and not ever getting bored with the battle system, it must be doing something right, haha.

I couldn't get into Resonance of Fate, haven't tried Demon's Souls (scared off by all the "most difficult game ever" talk, haha), but I did play VC. It's a great game, and yeah, the battle system is fantastic for an SRPG. I didn't include it though, because the story just fell apart at the end, for me. Which made me more sad than it should have, because I enjoyed the beginning so much.

Unfortunately, this is a common response i got from my friends

Tri-Ace came up with a completely alien combat system and as a result, it requires even RPG veterans to go through a long series of tutorials before they could make sense of the mechanics. So i can definitely see how this might turn off some people. But if you ever decide to invest some time into learning the game, i can assure you that it will be well worth it. The customisation system in particular, is the best i've ever seen outside of the Atelier games.

As for Demon's Souls, don't worry too much about its reputation. Rather than describing it as difficult, i'd say it requires a lot more tactical thinking and patience than the average game
I agree with VC though, the battle system is definitely what makes the game shine.

 

[Ketch]

Just read the results, and I just wanted to post that this is an amazing thread. Out freakin standing.

Subscribed, waiting for 2013 edition.

 

[Phonomezer]

It's a bit disheartening to see Panzer Dragoon Saga chart so low on a mostly JRPG-centric list. :/

Isn't it just

Don't think many people played it.

 

[kswiston]

EDIT - Wait, NOCTURNE IS COMING TO VITA!!?!?!?!?

That was a typo (probably not the only one either).

Fixed now though. Thanks for pointing that out!

 

[Proposed Law]

kswiston amazing thread!

 

[Leeness]

Unfortunately, this is a common response i got from my friends

Tri-Ace came up with a completely alien combat system and as a result, it requires even RPG veterans to go through a long series of tutorials before they could make sense of the mechanics. So i can definitely see how this might turn off some people. But if you ever decide to invest some time into learning the game, i can assure you that it will be well worth it. The customisation system in particular, is the best i've ever seen outside of the Atelier games.

As for Demon's Souls, don't worry too much about its reputation. Rather than describing it as difficult, i'd say it requires a lot more tactical thinking and patience than the average game
I agree with VC though, the battle system is definitely what makes the game shine.

My friend recently started playing RoF and she said she just had no clue about the combat, haha. She said she went through all the tutorials and keeps trying and she just doesn't understand, and if I could ever show her, she'd be happy to play. I never really tried

Patience, uh oh. Haha. I have little patience with games most of the time!

 

[kswiston]

Some of the things that suprised me on this year's list:

- Planescape dropped out of the Top 10
- Alpha Protocol and Nier made the Top 50
- Oblivion dropped 50 places from last year's list (guessing most of those votes went to Skyrim)
- Xenoblade was #3 despite being an import game to a large portion of this forum.
- New Vegas went from the least nominated Fallout title last year to the most nominated title this year.
- Demon's Souls held strong despite the release of Dark Souls
- Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI continue to be the most voted for games by a large margin.

 

[Incendiary]

I really don't think Skyrim should be in the top five. People are blinded by dragons.

I think it's just the freshest RPG in most people's minds right now. And it IS really expansive and there's lots to do, and the leveling system is done pretty well. I'm honestly interested to see whether it holds it position through next year, or if it fades out of memory.

But freshness aside, I think it is a good essential RPG for the list simply because it has broad appeal and I could easily see people who don't normally play WRPGs getting into it as a kind of gateway game.

 

[Nalsh]

Some of the things that suprised me on this year's list:

- Planescape dropped out of the Top 10
- Alpha Protocol and Nier made the Top 50
- Oblivion dropped 50 places from last year's list (guessing most of those votes went to Skyrim)
- Xenoblade was #3 despite being an import game to a large portion of this forum.
- New Vegas went from the least nominated Fallout title last year to the most nominated title this year.

I agree with all of this. I think it's natural as people get super excited about games that came out recently that they would skew votes. (accidentally of course)

I think that next year we'll see Skyrim and Xenoblade drop, but still stay in the top 10. Oblivion is understandable. Play Skyrim and then play Oblivion; I can't anymore.

And New Vegas confuses me. I thought Fallout 3 was better, but maybe that's something that will correct itself over time.

I have no words for Alpha Protocol.

 

[kswiston]

I have no words for Alpha Protocol.

I can't really comment on the quality of the games because I haven't played them yet, but both Nier and Alpha Protocol were out for a good 6 months when I ran last year's thread. Nier received 5 points and Alpha Protocol received 3. Alpha Protocol didn't even make the top 100 last time. That $2 Steam sale must have really upped its exposure.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Not surprised at Chrono Trigger and FFVI being at the top, but at the same time I don't really know how I feel about it.
Both are great RPGs, but I'm not sure if they're deserving of all the praise they get.
FFVI most especially.
Good top 50 though. It includes pretty much all of my favorite RPGs.

 

[boompow]

I'm glad P3 is on that Top 50 list because it makes me feel justified for spending about 100 hours on the damn game! Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 are my two favorite RPG's of all time. I can always go back and play them.

 

[Nalsh]

I have no words for Alpha Protocol.

This sounds way too negative in retrospect, just confused to see it up there.

 

[Zwei]

- Xenoblade was #3 despite being an import game to a large portion of this forum.

Aye, I can't wait until past April 2012, when more Gaffers get the opportunity to play this gem. Xenoblade could very well dominate your 2013 thread.

Not surprised at Chrono Trigger and FFVI being at the top, but at the same time I don't really know how I feel about it.
Both are great RPGs, but I'm not sure if they're deserving of all the praise they get.
Chrono Trigger most especially.
Good top 50 though. It includes pretty much all of my favorite RPGs.

Fixed.

 

[Decado]

Missed this. Can't say I agree with most of the top 10, but I've always thought that console RPGs tend to be pretty awful, so I guess that's no surprise.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

I've tried beating Chrono Trigger 4 times but I always get stuck on a level grind or something similar somewhere.

I've really tried getting into FFVI but I just can't do it.

 

[AniHawk]

are you not counting games with only one vote, or did you put my vote for valkyrie profile 2 in with valkyrie profile 1?

 

[ZephyrFate]

Honestly, when I first played FFXII, I was bored to tears by the battle system and gave up. :/

But now that I loved Blade, I'm gonna go back to XII and try again. Different tastes over the years and such.



I dunno, I think a lot of the little things are innovative for JRPGs, like how the quests are handled, how travel is handled. It just felt really fresh to me. Also, playing the game for 100 hours and not ever getting bored with the battle system, it must be doing something right, haha.

I couldn't get into Resonance of Fate, haven't tried Demon's Souls (scared off by all the "most difficult game ever" talk, haha), but I did play VC. It's a great game, and yeah, the battle system is fantastic for an SRPG. I didn't include it though, because the story just fell apart at the end, for me. Which made me more sad than it should have, because I enjoyed the beginning so much.

Also, totally different conversation, but Panzer Dragoon, I agree with GrumpyAlien. I go back every like...year or two to see if the game is ever cheaper, because I wanted to try it so badly. ...Nope.

Xenoblade is amazing solely because it's FFXII without the Gambits. Fucking love that game.

 

[gillty]

Another outstanding job with this years thread kswiston!

Clearly we are in an alternate universe where Skyrim is considered good, and not the repetitive, copy pasta, ugly, buggy, poor game that it actually is.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

I just noticed that Deus Ex: Human Revolution is at 75th place. I thought this was suppose to be a "GOTY contender"? Or did the people who play it were just overwhelmed that it was a non-shitty Deus Ex game and the effect has worn off and now they see that its merely a good game? Or maybe its a great game but a weak RPG?

 

[AniHawk]

I just noticed that Deus Ex: Human Revolution is at 75th place. I thought this was suppose to be a "GOTY contender"? Or did the people who play it were just overwhelmed that it was a non-shitty Deus Ex game and the effect has worn off and now they see that its merely a good game? Or maybe its a great game but a weak RPG?

probably had something to do with only being able to vote for one game in a series and more voted for deus ex than human revolution.

 

[R_thanatos]

Top 50 is ok , nice balance of J & W rpgs

 

[theDeeDubs]

#33 Alpha Protocol

Awesome. Definitely a top 10 for me but I'm just glad to see it made the list.

I just noticed that Deus Ex: Human Revolution is at 75th place. I thought this was suppose to be a "GOTY contender"? Or did the people who play it were just overwhelmed that it was a non-shitty Deus Ex game and the effect has worn off and now they see that its merely a good game? Or maybe its a great game but a weak RPG?

That disappointed me. It was my GotY for sure.

 

[areal]

I've never played a JRPG. Could someone recommend one from this list that is relatively short and has a solid story?

 

[theDeeDubs]

I've never played a JRPG. Could someone recommend one from this list that is relatively short and has a solid story?

Vagrant Story

 

[Aeana]

I've never played a JRPG. Could someone recommend one from this list that is relatively short and has a solid story?

Mother 3's average completion time is about 22 hours! It also has one of the best-told stories in a game as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Durante]

Beautiful OP, nice work.

I'm much more happy with ranks 11-20 than the top 10. And I'm also relieved that Nier made it into the top 50. Overall a much more agreeable result than I thought after just seeing the top 10. Skyrim and Morrowind knocking Oblivion back down into the 60s is nice to see.

Personally I think Xenoblade is massively overrated right now, but it seems to have really hit a spot for lots of people. Good for them.

 

[edgefusion]

Good job GAF! This is a fucking amazing list. I've played a lot of them but I'm getting a hankering to download FFVI from PSN right about now...

#33 Alpha Protocol

Awesome. Definitely a top 10 for me but I'm just glad to see it made the list.

Really surprised to see this make the list but I am so so happy. A much under-appreciated game, I hope a few more people pick it up and give it a try.

 

[Paracelsus]

The list is pretty damn good if you absolutely ignore the ranking.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Xenoblade is one of my favourite games of all time now. It's better than Xenogears, in my opinion. And it tries, with varying success, to spice up a pretty tired formula.

It's a personal favourite, and it's a JRPG trying to change JRPGs, so it's essential in the growth of the genre.

No they didn't. They tried at a kick-ass FFXII-esque game design vision and kicked ass at it. The dogma talk is revisionism.

I really don't think Skyrim should be in the top five. People are blinded by jelly on the screen.

Fixed (hate that shit jumping genres).

 

[7threst]

Personally I think Xenoblade is massively overrated right now, but it seems to have really hit a spot for lots of people. Good for them.

That's what I thought too. I really like that game a lot but will it be in people's top 10 in two years time? I'm not so sure...

 

[Myriadis]

Final Fantasy XII on #18. Very good. I still have to play Xenoblade Charonicles, and so far it seems to be like FFXII, which is the best thing that could happen to an RPG.

 

[stuminus3]

Now that's a healthy list of quality games. A little too JRPG heavy for my tastes but I could pick just about anything on there and have a good time.

Great OP too, kswiston.

 

[epmode]

I just noticed that Deus Ex: Human Revolution is at 75th place. I thought this was suppose to be a "GOTY contender"? Or did the people who play it were just overwhelmed that it was a non-shitty Deus Ex game and the effect has worn off and now they see that its merely a good game? Or maybe its a great game but a weak RPG?

Nah. Great game but not as good as the original.

Even so, I was very happy to see it sell well so we may finally see game design move beyond the Ion Storm mold!

 

[Manmademan]

Those results are disgusting.

Lol. not at all.

Xenogears number 22?

I'm surprised it's THAT high. Xenogears had more than its fair share of flaws- Janky platforming segments and a completely busted experience in the second disc being only the beginning. Oh, and the existence of Chu-Chu, let alone the scene of it being crucified near the end of the game makes the plot impossible to take seriously. Interesting game, but it doesn't belong anywhere near top ten.

Suikoden 2 not #1 (I wouldn't have actually expected this but too bad) A game like Xenoblade and Skyrim being ahead of a holy grail game like Final Fantasy VII? Lufia II getting no love?

For a game that hasn't seen an english release in 12 years, it's ranked remarkably high. Chrono Trigger and FFVI have gotten consistent re-releases and reprints that make those games common enough that anyone with the slightest interest in playing them can easily do so. Suiko II in contrast was undershipped by konami even at release, and if you want to play it you'll be paying a high premium to do so. it's practically the panzer dragoon saga of PS1 RPGs, yet there are enough gamers that still ARE forking over $100+ to play a 12 year old game that it's a testament to how good it actually is.

And thinking of FFVII as "the holy grail" of gaming just makes my head hurt. It's a nice game, but has aged badly. What it does well has been done better by other RPGs since then.

 

[kswiston]

are you not counting games with only one vote, or did you put my vote for valkyrie profile 2 in with valkyrie profile 1?

I only listed the games that had 4 points or higher. VP2 only had 1 or 2 votes.

probably had something to do with only being able to vote for one game in a series and more voted for deus ex than human revolution.

Plently of people voted for more than 1 game from he same series, but I think that a lot of people chose variety over listing entire franchises. I expected DE:HR to do better myself.

Still, these lists reinforce that there are a ton of great games in the genre, so I guess it is not surprising to see a lot of worthy games left out of the top 100.

I try to push Might and Magic every year, but the series never gets more than a handful of votes.

 

[Colocho]

I have a question, how is Final Fantasy VII in 9th place, if it's the best game ever?

 

[Son1x]

I've never played a JRPG. Could someone recommend one from this list that is relatively short and has a solid story?

Go for Parasite Eve. First playthrough shouldn't take you more than 10 hours. If you like it, you can play through the New Game + mode, which unlocks some additional content.

Also, it's quite different from the usual "traditional" jrpgs.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

The OPs are supersnazzy! Also the pics for SMT3 that PERFECTLY showcase what that game is about.

Vagrant Story

It's $6 on PSN, and is nearly a perfect game, especially for a WRPG player seeking to jump over.

 

[djtiesto]

So, I did a quick review of the thread and made up a tally of lists that included exclusively JRPGs or WRPGs, and the results seem to confirm my suspicion of a Japanese slant to the voting.

Of the approximately 200 people who voted (I didn't tally this number), 6 posters listed only WRPGs, while a staggering 47 listed only JRPGs. Roughly one quarter of all posters seem to think that only JRPGs are essential.

I have a few questions for those listing only JRPGs: Do you not play WRPGs? Do you play them but dislike them? Do you recognize the merits of WRPGs, but do not consider them essential?

I ask this from the standpoint of someone who is neutral, not someone who has his own WRPG bias. I intentionally made my list an even split between JRPGs and WRPGs to give them equal credit. I'm simply curious why JRPG players seem to be so much more narrow in their selections than others.

I've played plenty of western RPGs but I'm not nearly as much a fan of the genre as I am Japanese RPGs (which I've also played plenty of). Not (usually) into most western RPG aesthetics, combat mechanics, or lack of polish/bugs. If it was something like a top 20, I'm sure Ultima IV and Planescape would have made my list... perhaps Witcher 1 as well.

 

[Pinko Marx]

I've never played a JRPG. Could someone recommend one from this list that is relatively short and has a solid story?

Chrono Trigger is relatively short.

 

[Reuenthal]

I only listed the games that had 4 points or higher. VP2 only had 1 or 2 votes.



Plently of people voted for more than 1 game from he same series, but I think that a lot of people chose variety over listing entire franchises. I expected DE:HR to do better myself.

Still, these lists reinforce that there are a ton of great games in the genre, so I guess it is not surprising to see a lot of worthy games left out of the top 100.

I try to push Might and Magic every year, but the series never gets more than a handful of votes.

Can you post a list of games per votes that also includes the games that had the fewest votes? I want to see it.

 

[Manmademan]

The OPs are supersnazzy! Also the pics for SMT3 that PERFECTLY showcase what that game is about.



It's $6 on PSN, and is nearly a perfect game, especially for a WRPG player seeking to jump over.

Eh...I'm not sure I'd reccommend Vagrant story to someone JUST looking to get into the Genre. It's got more than a few positives (I listed it as one of my ten) but the weapon customization and affinity systems are extremely obtuse. It basically requires a faq since the game doesn't explain those systems very well.

It's a great game, but is so unique that it's not really indicative of JRPGs in general. For a short intro to the genre I'd probably say chrono trigger. that was less than 20 hours my first playthrough back in the day without using any faqs, walkthroughs, etc.

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

Totally missed the voting, but it would have just given me a platform to bitch about FFVII, VIII, and Xenogears being anywhere above 25th place again.

Always so interesting to see these threads and how things change depending on recent exposure or lack thereof. Will be interesting to see if Skyrim is still the top spot for a Beth RPG by next year.

The top always seems to be pretty much the same though. I love FFVI, but it really doesn't hold up after all these years like Chrono Trigger does. The soundtrack never ceases to amaze though. I've had Suikoden 2 on my shelf for about 7 years and have yet to start it :\

Judging by its consistent showing, I guess I'm really going to have to try Planescape : Torment one of these days.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Eh...I'm not sure I'd reccommend Vagrant story to someone JUST looking to get into the Genre. It's got more than a few positives (I listed it as one of my ten) but the weapon customization and affinity systems are extremely obtuse. It basically requires a faq since the game doesn't explain those systems very well.

It's a great game, but is so unique that it's not really indicative of JRPGs in general. For a short intro to the genre I'd probably say chrono trigger. that was less than 20 hours my first playthrough back in the day without using any faqs, walkthroughs, etc.

"WRPG fan" (I am assuming you are a WRPG fan, right Areal?) would probably not be scared of a huge amount of intricate subsystems, thinking for themselves, and VS is one facet of the mulitfaceted true scope of JRPGs, plus fits his stated criteria.

 

[R_thanatos]

Chrono Trigger is relatively short.

Yeah ..unless you want to see everything .. ( you can hit the bad ending in 5 hours tops )

 

[MrBelmontvedere]

it's a crying shame that Skyrim did not make the list... literally :_(

WTF I mean ES4 but no ES5? they're practically the same game.

either I don't understand the rules or gamers are seriously F'd up.