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[Tamanator]

1. Fire Emblem (GBA): - (Highlight) -
Fire Emblem remains my favourite game that I have played. It is a game that I stumbled upon by chance, being recommended to play it by the owner of a local independent game shop. Once I started playing, I was faced with one of the most comprehensive gaming experiences I had experienced up until that point. The Song of Roland inspired plot, the fantastic gameplay (it was the first SRPG I played) cemented Fire Emblem as one of the formative games in developing my love of video games. I believe if I had never played Fire Emblem, I probably would not be a big a fan of video games that I currently am.
2. Alpha Protocol (PC): - (Underrated) -
For as long as I can recall, my dream video game was always a game where I could feel like I was James Bond whilst playing. Alpha Protocol is the game that has come the closest to fulfilling that childhood fantasy. Whilst plagued by mediocre combat and a fair amount of jank (there was a boss that I defeated only because he got stuck running into a wall) Alpha Protocol offers an experience worth playing for anyone that is a fan of espionage driven films or literature.
3. Radiant Historia (DS): -
The most recent game I have completed on this list. Radiant Historia perfectly handles time travel in an innovative way whilst having in my opinion one of the best built villains in gaming. Mixed together with an enjoyable combat system and a killer score, it is difficult to beat Radiant Historia. My favourite JRPG by far.
4. Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii): -
A game that I still need to go back and complete. But what I have played of Xenoblade has cemented itself as a special gaming experience that for me has been surpassed by only a handful of games.
5. Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire (GBA): -
The game of my youth circa 2002-4. I have fond memories of playing this with my close friends, especially 4 player link battles during long car trips whilst fighting over who got to use the car charger. Whilst I may have enjoyed Heartgold and Pokémon Sun more than Ruby, those two games will never have the same memories that I associate Ruby with.
6. Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door: -
Intelligent Systems, you are truly one of my favourite developers. Thousand Year Door has some of the wittiest writing I have encountered in a video game. Mixed together with an extremely well paced game it is truly that game on this list with the most character. This game desperately deserves a re-release so more people get to experience one of the best games made for the Gamecube.
7. Golden Sun (GBA):
- A close friend of mine begged me for years to play Golden Sun. He often regaled me of stories about how he played both Golden Sun games so much that he levelled up each character to the maximum level. Once I played it for myself I was greeted by one of the best GBA games. It is truly one of the best introductory RPGs that exists, providing an interesting challenge whilst at the same time introducing players to typical RPG mechanics. Also has some of the best and innovative puzzles that I have encountered in a RPG.
8. Tales of the Abyss (3DS): -
Yes, I know Luke receives a lot of hate from JRPG fans, but Tales of the Abyss remains one of my favourite 3DS games. I thought the characters were built quite well and there are some truly grand moments in this game. Elevated as always by a killer Motoi Sakuraba score.
9. Dragon Age: Origins (PC): -
One of the first real WRPGs that I really got into, which is quite strange given my love of high fantasy novels. I binged played Dragon Age: Origins, managing to complete a playthrough in under a week. For me it remains one of gaming's great missed opportunities that Bioware moved away from what made Origins great in their successive games.
10. The Witcher: -
My experience with the Witcher was similar to that of Alpha Protocol. I fell in love with the world of the Witcher, and played through the majority of the game in spite of the mediocre and mindless combat. Despite its failings, I will always fondly remember grinding wyverns in a cavern in the middle of swamplands for experience. The Witcher is a game that was obviously made with a tonne of love and care. It is extremely heart warming to see the type of games CD Projekt Red now develop over a decade later.

Honourable Mentions:
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War: - My second favourite Fire Emblem game. Primarily missed the main list because I wanted to avoid having more than one game per franchise.
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars: - The unheralded saviour of the 3DS launch lineup. A friend and I like to dub Shadow Wars the secret-best game of the 3DS library. Those challenge maps makes this one of the most difficult games that I have conquered.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE: -One of the most original cross-over games in existence. Definitely a criminally overlooked game. Not being a fan of anime or Japanese music culture I doubted I would enjoy this. How wrong I was.
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga: - Almost reaches the heights of Thousand Year Door, but just doesn't quite reach them. Still a brilliantly developed game.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers: - Soul Hackers is worth playing for the setting alone. Tied together with the classic SMT gameplay you have a classic RPG.
Dungeon Siege: - More due to childhood nostalgia than anything. For whatever reason I wasn't allowed to own Diablo/Diablo II growing up, so Dungeon Siege acted as a worthy substitute.
Legend of Legacy: - A game that has received a large amount of hate. Whilst it has a dull and virtually non-existent story, the combat system and the music makes Legend of Legacy a fantastic experience, though one in dire need of a better title.
Crimson Shroud: - Matsuno tabletop goodness on the 3DS. What more needs to be said?

--VOTE INFO START—
<FULL POINT GAMES &#8211; 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT &#8211; 3 points} Fire Emblem (GBA)
{UNDERRATED &#8211; 4 points} Alpha Protocol
Radiant Historia (DS):
Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii):
Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire (GBA):
Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door:
Golden Sun (GBA):
Tales of the Abyss (3DS):
Dragon Age: Origins (PC):
The Witcher (PC)



<HONORABLE MENTIONS &#8211; 1 point>
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War:
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars:
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE:
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga:
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers:
Dungeon Siege:
Legend of Legacy:
Crimson Shroud

--VOTE INFO END--

 

[AtomskEater]

Grandia
This is basically comfort gaming in a nutshell for me. Perhaps I'm biased, as this is the first jrpg I played and ultimately what got me into the genre, but I think it still holds up to this day. The battle system is hella fun, and I highly recommend Grandia just on that merit. I hope someday it makes its way to Steam so more people can enjoy it.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Available on PSP (Vita?) and PC. While the sequel titles might be more pivotal, I thought it best to include the first game in the series, as it introduces crucial plot points and serves to build up the world. Trails in the Sky was one of those games I didn't expect to love so much when I first played it. It reminded me of my PS1 rpg days, and I explored every nook and cranny. There's a lot to do and see, from numerous sidequests to NPC dialogue that changes after nearly every major event.

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment: The Persona series gets a lot of attention these days, but the titles prior to 2 are often ignored. They contain the same mix of demons and modern day Japan, sans high school sim parts. Persona 2 comes split into 2 chapters (you can play just one, but both is recommended), Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment, I chose Eternal Punishment for nomination since it's the more conclusive of the two games.

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue: I get the urge to play whenever I hear some strings of the game's music. It really felt like going out on a grand adventure in a beautiful world of magic. Lunar 1 is also well worth playing, but I'm trying to stick to a one game per series policy.

Nier: The original Nier didn't get much love in sales, but became a cult classic for good reason. Yoko Taro loves to create tales that give you the feels, and Nier also mashes in some other game genres (text adventure, sidescroller) at some points. The soundtrack is also gorgeous. The battle system isn't very deep, but it's serviceable and the rest of the game more than makes up for it.

Earthbound: It took me no less than 4 times of trying to play this and failing to make it our of the first city before it clicked. Once I was hooked, I loved every second of this bizarre, heartfelt rpg.

Final Fantasy IX: This is still my favorite Final Fantasy.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant (Shadow Hearts 2): A unique blend of rpg and horror. It decreases the overall horror tones of the first game and inserts more comedy, but I think both of these halves hold up well and create a unique tone that never gets too oppressive or silly. The battle system, featuring the judgement ring, rewards skilled players.

Etrian Odyssey IV: My first foray in dungeon crawling games. A beautiful soundtrack, cute character art, and menacing monsters made the experience complete. I never thought I'd have much fun filling out maps, but Etrian Odyssey was incredibly engaging.

Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica: A beautiful game in which your primary weapon against enemies is the song-magic of your reyvateil companions, Ar Tonelico II features an immersive world, excellent soundtrack, and tactical and skill-based battle system.

--VOTE INFO START&#8212;

<FULL POINT GAMES &#8211; 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT &#8211; 3 points} Grandia
{UNDERRATED &#8211; 4 points} Trails in the Sky: FC
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Nier
Earthbound
Final Fantasy IX
Shadow Hearts: Covenant (Shadow Hearts 2)
Etrian Odyssey IV
Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica

<HONORABLE MENTIONS &#8211; 1 point>
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra
Tales of Zestiria
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Valkyrie Profile
Undertale
Growlanser Wayfarer of Time
Suikoden II
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
The World Ends With You

--VOTE INFO END--


Well, I'm going to have a lot of fun looking over lists! May be back to update my HM or shuffle things around as I think of them.

 

[Usobuko]

All the rave about Etrian Odyssey 4 makes me feel kinda foolish if I should just started that instead of working my way up from no.1

Time is precious.

On a side note, just beat Suikoden 2 and it's exceptional. What a great ending credit and the lore behind it makes you wanna play the rest of the series.

 

[Axass]

Trying to be a little more personal about it:

- Final Fantasy VII
My first RPG, played in a language I barely knew. A once in a lifetime experience that I will forever keep with me, that goes beyond the quality of the game itself. I was amazed by how long it kept going, because I had never played story-driven games, I remember bringing it with me during my summer vacations by my aunt's house and spending all week trying to and finally managing to beat that undead boss under Cosmo Canyon that you were supposed to kill with phoenix downs. No guides at the time.

- Baldur's Gate II
A friend introduced me to it and I was blown away by the freedom you had in it. Also, at the time I didn't really know anything about Dungeons and Dragons, so it was my first step into a whole new world. I still remember the countless days trying to finish all the optional content, which is definitely the best part of it, before moving on to the asylum and completing the story.

- Skies of Arcadia
It's funny because I found the beginning of the game super boring and by the numbers, but I stuck with it and I literally fell in love with the setting and atmosphere of the journey. I couldn't stop playing it till the final boss... then I left it there and never went back to it. Maybe I just didn't want it to end.

- Paper Mario
The first time I played an RPG sprinkled with action. The combat system, turn based but with prompts to defend and attack felt revolutionary to me, because I had never played Super Mario RPG (again, it didn't release in Europe), and being a huge Mario fan I was blown away by the scope of the world and of the story. I still think the game's underrated in comparison to its sequel, in fact its story being more simple and its locales being from the Mushroom Kingdom and more typical Mario stuff, but with a twist, elevates it above TTYD.

- Chrono Trigger
I played it way after its time, and admittedly on an emulator, because the game never released in Europe on SNES. It was still outstanding, 10 or so years after its release, a magnificent timeless(pun intended) game with unique combat, art and what was a fresh time travel mechanic.


--VOTE INFO START—

<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Paper Mario
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy VII
Planescape Torment
Final Fantasy VI
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Paper Mario: The Thousand Years Door
Final Fantasy X

<HONORABLE MENTIONS – 1 point>
Golden Sun
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy Tactics
Xenogears
Kingdom Hearts
Grandia II
Demon's Souls



--VOTE INFO END--

 

[Opa-Pa]

Damn, I had no idea there were still CSH keys left, haha... I hope the last minute submission didn't come off as being desperate for one, oops.

All the rave about Etrian Odyssey 4 makes me feel kinda foolish if I should just started that instead of working my way up from no.1

Time is precious.

On a side note, just beat Suikoden 2 and it's exceptional. What a great ending credit and the lore behind it makes you wanna play the rest of the series.

EO4 is very different from past games in places to the point it may not necessarily be worse or better, plus 1 is still great, but yeah... It's REALLY good and one of the finest RPGs I've played. There's not much issue with playing them in disorder though (unless you plan to play the originals instead of the remakes) , so you could start it after 1 with no problem.

 

[AerialAir]

Running late and had to decide some titles in a hurry, but here are what I think to be the best.


Top Ten

Persona 5 - I think this game represents what a JRPG is at its best, most refined and engaging form. It's more accessible than past Persona games and much more unique IMO.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - A gigantic open world in which you can sink hundreds of hours in and still not be tired of it due to fantastic storytelling both on main and side quests.

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse - Addicting combination of exploration, demon-collection and fast-paced battles. A smart & complex RPG but one that is worth trying even if it can be hard for some.

NieR:Automata - Game design at its best, accompanied by a huge open-world, with combat that is as smooth as it is addicting. The story and thematic depth of the game are also one of the big highlights.

Fire Emblem Awakening - A great turn-based strategy game, with a Casual mode for newcomers that disables permadeath. Presentation is top-notch and the experience is absorbing.

Odin Sphere - The HD re-release is one of the most polished games I've played, with a captivating art-style, accompanied by an excellent plot, role playing and a brilliant gameplay.

Dragon Quest (NES) - A fun game that pretty much laid the ground to what a JRPG is, so it's more of a historical reference, but one that can't be overlooked. Shorter than what came after it, but it's excusable given the year of release.

Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth - It's the best Etrian game out there IMO, which is to say, it's pretty much a perfect dungeon crawler, with a lot of new ideas. A gem with clear goals.

Radiant Historia - An almost flawless game. The story is great and uses time-hopping as a mechanic, like in Chrono Trigger, but better executed IMO. One of the best JRPGs, plus it's getting a remake very soon.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions &#9839;FE - It's the best release on the Wii U. A smart, beautiful, funny, thought-provoking, brilliant game. A very fun blend of both the Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei series.


Honorable Mentions

Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate - Very deep in terms of content and mechanics.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - There's a new item at practically every turn, and side-quests are very very meaty.

Doom RPG - Very enjoyable DooM adventure in RPG format. The battles are fast and there are a lot of story segments and puzzle play.

Lunar Knights - The gameplay is multilayered, bringing different elements together, along with a deep story.

Mother/EarthBound Beginnings - Everyone should get this game at some point, it's very creative and unique.

Chrono Trigger - Already pretty much established as a classic but always worth mentioning it none the less.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - The best Castlevania out there, pretty much genre defining.

Final Fantasy X - A fantastic adventure, with a lot of romance and top-tier gameplay, even to this day.

Mass Effect 2 - Probably the "least RPG" game on this list, but still an incredible one that will be looked upon as a classic in a few years.

Dragon Age: Origins - Classic Dungeon&Dragons in a videogame example, but probably the best I've seen in this regard after Ultima and Baldur's Gate.


--VOTE INFO START&#8212;

<FULL POINT GAMES &#8211; 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT &#8211; 3 points} Persona 5
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
NieR:Automata
Fire Emblem Awakening
Odin Sphere
Dragon Quest (NES)
Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth
Radiant Historia
Tokyo Mirage Sessions &#9839;FE

<HONORABLE MENTIONS &#8211; 1 point>
Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Doom RPG
Lunar Knights
Mother/EarthBound Beginnings
Chrono Trigger
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Final Fantasy X
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age: Origins

--VOTE INFO END--

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Oh, this is for all RPGs? I wonder if my vote is worthy of recognition. I exclusively play JRPGs.

 

[kswiston]

Less than an hour left to go if you want to vote. Throw up your picks now before the deadline, and then edit in your descriptions.

I'll give people an extra hour or two as a grace period if they want to add descriptions to qualify for free games. But you have to vote by noon standard. Which is 45 mins from now!

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Less than an hour left to go if you want to vote. Throw up your picks now before the deadline, and then edit in your descriptions.

I'll give people an extra hour or two as a grace period if they want to add descriptions to qualify for free games. But you have to vote by noon standard. Which is 45 mins from now!

Oh, well I mind as well then. I'll lazy shit this since there's only 30 min left. I would like to go into detail though.

1) Final Fantasy IX - My favorite game of all time. It influenced me to my chosen career path.
2) Earthbound - Played this for the first time last year. it was a strange, but very funny and enjoyable game. The setting and cast was cool and I found the limited inventory to be good and not a hassle. It encouraged item use.
3) Final Fantasy IV - My 2nd favorite FF. It has a sense of adventure about it that no other FF does as well to me other than IX.
4) Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door - My lil brother had this and I played it and was surprised by how much I liked it. The battle system is simple, but the writing is great and I love the level design.
5) Kingdom Hearts II - I haven't played much Action-RPgs, but KH II is fresh on my mind and the battle system is heavily improved since the first game.

 

[Dad]

Here's a last minute and pretty half-assed ballot since I almost entirely forgot about the deadline.

Fallout: New Vegas
I think the thing that really wows me in regards to New Vegas is just how much I adore the game despite finding Fallout 3 not even worth the time to finish. Yes, it's still riddled with dozens of clumsy gameplay mechanics and it's ugly as sin, but it completely eclipses the game it's based around in terms of freedom of choice, characterization, and especially quest design. Seriously, the way so many quests can be completed differently based around your own set of attributes and skills or just plain ingenuity is commendable in a time when most RPGs were constantly looking for ways to streamline actions. It's also a game that's not afraid to offer wildly different experiences for players within the main quest based on player morality and the factions you choose to side with or against. It's a necessary experience for anyone that wants to feel their choices actually have consequences in a game.

Lost Odyssey
It's traditional in absolutely every sense of the word. It's strictly turn based, menu driven combat with the only real input asked of from players is a non-consequential timing minigame ala Mario RPG. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's a game riddled with classic charm deeply attached to some 16-bit roots. Yes, it does have shortcomings. Yeah, the villain is sort of an enormous dork. But it's still a beautifully scored, wonderful to play JRPG that should have had a bigger audience than it ever did. Plus those short stories.

--VOTE INFO START—

<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Fallout: New Vegas
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Lost Odyssey
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age: Origins
Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
Chrono Trigger
Persona 5
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
Undertale

<HONORABLE MENTIONS – 1 point>
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Final Fantasy XII
Pokemon Black 2/White 2
Fire Emblem Awakening
Xenoblade Chronicles
Pokemon Sun/Moon
Valkyria Chronicles
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy X-2

--VOTE INFO END--

 

[coregroupnegative]

EO4 is very different from past games in places to the point it may not necessarily be worse or better, plus 1 is still great, but yeah... It's REALLY good and one of the finest RPGs I've played. There's not much issue with playing them in disorder though (unless you plan to play the originals instead of the remakes) , so you could start it after 1 with no problem.

For me EO4 is just the perfection of the formula they began in the first. They are all iterations on similar story themes so agree no problem starting at 4. 4 has the edge for me in the core series because the graphics are really nice, and the UI in particular has Nintendo levels of Polish.

If you haven't played a similar game before you may also want to consider one of the two untold games (re-tellings of EO1 and EO2) as they feature more story, although at the cost of being less flexible in terms of customisation (although you can play them in classic style).

Aside - appreciate the #FE love in this thread. Didn't make my top 10 but I reckon the game will be highly regarded in a slow burn way for years to come. Very stylish and the battle system requires thought without getting too bogged down.

 

[freshVeggie]

1. Deus Ex
Fun and deep RPG systems, oozing thick cyberpunk world, a globetrotting adventure and real-life conspiracy theories made this gem stand out ever since its initial release up until today. This is one of the few games I replayed multiple times over the span of over a decade and not once did I not have a blast. A true classic masterpiece which absolutely deserves every praise it gets. Fun, serious, crazy. Deus Ex has got it all.

2. Demon's Souls
Forget about the constant talk about difficulty. Merely an early unusually high stepping stone but quickly adapted to. Consequences will matter. Whether it's a seemingly mundane micro-decision during combat, uncertain courage to venture forth adventuring with valuable currency or how you decide to treat the plenty of NPCs, you will feel that most of your actions will have often significant impact, sometimes for the entirety of your playthrough. Brilliant and sharp combat/gameplay mechanics makes the almost constant combat gameplay satisfying and fun.

3. Dark Souls
You take the formula of Demon's Souls, flesh out many aspects, add interesting new mechanics and just make it bigger. Voila, you have yourself a brilliant sequel.

4. Mass Effect
A nicely fleshed out sci-fi world, maybe with a couple rough edges but its heart in the right spot. Valuing your time and rewarding you constantly for letting yourself get immersed into its story, world, characters and lore.
While an enjoyable sequel, Mass Effect 2 feels a tad too streamlined, loosing part of the nerd charm of the original, making the first stand tall among the trilogy.

5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Yes, melee combat mechanics are subpar. Yes, technically never more than passable with subpar animations and visuals overall. Yes, dungeons feel copy-pasted very fast.
But the sum of all it parts do actually make it an addicting and fun game you will loose dozens of hours into. That's the important thing. You can not nail the early stated parts but if it's overall fun, it's not gonna be a deal breaker. Conversely you can nail those early parts but if the game is not fun to play, it does not matter. Skyrim nails where it matters, it's fun. It fails in many parts, but not where it matters.


--VOTE INFO START—

<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Deus Ex
Demon's Souls
Dark Souls
Mass Effect
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

--VOTE INFO END--

 

[LocalE]

Highlight - Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
For many years, I in no way associated the Monster Hunter franchise with the RPG genre. To me, Monster Hunter was an action game - Full Stop. I never even thought of it as "an action game with RPG elements".As I have met, talked with, and hunted with more and more people who do consider it an RPG, and indeed many who express an inability to understand it as anything other than an RPG, over thye years I have come to accept that it must -(in some way which is orthogonal to my normal thought processes and perspective)- be an RPG franchise. Having taken that step and accepted this classification, there is no better way for me to start my list of votes for essential RPGs than with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate as my list highlight. I was considering designating it my underrated choice so that it would be worth 4 points instead of 3, and because I do find it to be generally underrated or perhaps unfairly maligned. However4, that's all irrelevant, really.
For anyone who is completely unfamiliar with the Monster Hunter franchise, it takes place in a world populated by people who are, essentially, human. Their societies operate at a hunter/gatherer level technologically, for the most part. Wildlife ranges from small to massive - mammalian, avian, reptilian, amphibian, and other. Monster Hunters are a necessary part of these human societies, as there are many many very dangerous monsters. Monster Hunter games tend not to be very heavy on the story element. Generally, the player creates a character and takes on the role of a Monster Hunter, perhaps for a small village facing a dire situation due to some especially dangerous monster. Monsters are hunted and their useful parts, along with herbs, berries, fungi, ore, insects and other materials gathered in nature, are used to craft armor, weapons, potions, traps and other items. These items are used to hunt ever more fearful monsters whose carcasses will provide materials to craft stronger armor and more powerful weapons.
The combat system is real-time, and requires the player to learn a given weapon's capabilities and commit to deliberate attacks that, in general, cannot be cancelled once triggered. The combat system is finely tuned and delicately timed, and very effectively conveys a sense of weight to the actions of the hunters and the monsters. Hunters must study a monsters' actions, deduce their general tendencies, learn the monsters' capabilities and their tells which telegraph what move is coming next. One learns to punish the monster whenever given an opportunity to do so, in short, and the monster, in turn, punishes the hunter for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
So why is it my highlight on this list of "essential RPGs"? Because it's fantastic, because a successful hunt is is so satisfying, because the monster designs are awesome, because the animation work is superb, because the world and its inhabitants are a little bit goofy, a little bit scary, a little bit weird, and often quite beautiful.
That would be the short answer. But then I do enjoy a run-on sentence now and again.
There is a certain satisfaction which comes from this system where one's hunter does not gain experience and does not "level up". Progression depends on player experience rather. One's hunter is equally skilled with all 13 types of weapons, which function as the game's "classes", basically. The player must gain proficiency with these weapons for him or her self then, and must do so the old-fashioned hard way - practice and practical application as opposed to allocating points in a skill tree and then respeccing down the road.
So why did I choose 3 Ultimate to be in this spot as opposed to one of the more recent entries? Well, 1 - having the game playable on the Wii U as well as the 3DS, with the ability to move my save file between them. And, B - underwater combat. I know that most people did not enjoy underwater combat, but I think that instead of scrapping it entirely, it should have been left as an option, with more opportunities given to the hunter to force the combat to take place on land for those who do not like fighting underwater. I happen to like it, and not having the option to jump in and take the fight to aquatic monsters in their natural element, as it were, sucks. Another big reason that 3U gets this spot instead of 4U is freehunting in the Moga Woods. The Moga Woods is like my backyard, and I've come to know it better than the back of my hand. I mean, I have spent way more time looking at and thinking about the Moga Woods than I have the back of my hand. It only makes sense. Procedurally generated mish mashes of tile sets such as the Everwood in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate simply pale in comparison, for my taste.
TL?;DR? - Monster Hunter Rules. If it's an RPG, and apparently it is, then 3 Ultimate is easily the highlight of my list of "essential RPGs". Give it a fair shake. Try and try again until it "clicks" because when it does, it's priceless.

Underrated - Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
If my enjoyment of this game, and the sheer amount of hours of that enjoyment that this game has provided, is any indication -(and obviously it is)- then this game is hugely underrated. Period. Point Blank. Full Stop.
It breaks my brain and aches my soul a bit to see this game so often shat upon while the original Final Fantasy Tactics is so revered. I mean, it's fine the people love the original so, but for my taste, this one is just more fun. It keeps me coming back. I enjoy every second of the journey towards having an unstoppable, overpowered collection of units that can crush any and all opposition in a myriad of ways, in very short order. And then I enjoy using those overpowered units to accomplish said crushing of opposition in short order. Never gets old to me. The job system, placing locations on the map, the 5 playable races, laws, judge points, law cards, lawless areas - I have a blast with it all. So_good.gif

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Breath of Fire is a pretty good series, by my lights. Even so, when I first played this entry so long ago, it was a Breath of Fresh Air. Ha.
Starting far underground and progressing towards the surface in a setting quite different from previous Breath of Fire games, using the Scenario Overlay System which enables multiple playthroughs and restarting while keeping skills, items, and equipment, a battle system which is hybrid real time and turn based - it all adds up to an enjoyably original experience that I think any RPG fan should give a try, essentially.

Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice
I just had a blast with this game the first time I played it. I picked it up on the cheap for the Dreamcast because it looked cool. I had never played any Diablo game, so I didn't, at that time, have that point of reference to understand the similarities. It also introduced me to the Record of Lodoss War universe which is actually really awesome. I think it is a great game which just seemed to allow me to figure ways to become ridiculously powerful - powerful enough to find my way to more dangerous areas, at least. I wish this game was available outside of the Dreamcast platform, but for action RPG fans, it is definitely worth playing whenever the chance presents itself.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
I love a good dungeon crawler. This one is one that just works for me. I love the world of SMT anyways. I love the premise of this game in particular. Being part of the team exploring the mysterious and dangerous Schwarzwelt, battling, recruiting, and fusing demons and whatnot, persevering through hard-as-balls dungeons, the awesome soundtrack - I love this game. Anyone with an interest in hardcore dungeon crawls would do well to check it out. I personally can't wait for the Redux to drop next year when I will experience it all again.


Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen - Awesome open world action RPG. Combat versus big monsters isn't on the level of Monster Hunter, but against smaller enemies it's really, really awesome.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - Quite a few QoL improvements here, a bunch of awesome monsters to hunt. Great, great game.

Xenoblade Chronicles - Such a great, huge JRPG, on the Wii no less. Or N3DS I guess, but I haven't had hands on with that version. Anyways, it's just fun to play if you like JRPGs, it does so much right. So much.

Final Fantasy 8 - I started this series with the first game on the NES, as my second RPG after Dragon Warrior. I have enjoyed quite a few Final Fantasies. This is my favorite. The setting, the look, the music, the story, the ingeniously fun drawing and junctioning, Triple Triad. My Fave Final Fantasy for sure.

Grandia 2 - A ridiculously fun battle system in a great JRPG. Play it if that sounds like it is up your alley.

--VOTE INFO START&#8212;

<FULL POINT GAMES &#8211; 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT &#8211; 3 points} Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
{UNDERRATED &#8211; 4 points} Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Xenoblade Chronicles
Final Fantasy 8
Grandia 2




--VOTE INFO END--

 

[kswiston]

Voting is finished. I will update the free game eligibility list shortly. Finish your descriptions if you need to. Don't change any votes.

 

[SatoAilDarko]

Less than an hour left to go if you want to vote. Throw up your picks now before the deadline, and then edit in your descriptions.

I'll give people an extra hour or two as a grace period if they want to add descriptions to qualify for free games. But you have to vote by noon standard. Which is 45 mins from now!

Cool hopefully you saw my post on the last page that I wrote my votes on my first post on the first page.

 

[decoyplatypus]

I'm an idiot. I forgot to double check the deadline and thought I'd have until the end of today. Ah well. I hadn't finalized my ballot anyway. I think BG2 was moving up a few spots based on my first replay in years. Long War was maybe getting swapped for Long War 2, M&MX for M&MVI, and Nocturne back into the top ten?

I haven't finished Original Sin 2. It's going to be in the top 20 for sure. No idea how high.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Sorry for being lame and failing to participate this year.

 

[kswiston]

I'm an idiot. I forgot to double check the deadline and thought I'd have until the end of today. Ah well. I hadn't finalized my ballot anyway. I think BG2 was moving up a few spots based on my first replay in years. Long War was maybe getting swapped for Long War 2, M&MX for M&MVI, and Nocturne back into the top ten?

I haven't finished Original Sin 2. It's going to be in the top 20 for sure. No idea how high.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Sorry for being lame and failing to participate this year.

Throw up your ballot. I'm no where nearly done tallying yet, and the deadline was only an hour ago.

You'll just have to miss the free game qualification, but you can participate in the list part.

Ditto for everyone else. I'll extend voting for another 3 hours if you want to get in at the last minute, but no one who participates now qualifies for free stuff. You are just participating to help round out the end product.

 

[decoyplatypus]

Throw up your ballot. I'm no where nearly done tallying yet, and the deadline was only an hour ago.

You'll just have to miss the free game qualification.

Cool. I'm running in to a meeting, but I'll try to get a ballot up shortly.

 

[kswiston]

As of this post, we had 229 participants in this year's Essential RPG vote, plus another handful of people who cast lazy vote ballots.

Of those, 195 people qualified for free Cosmic Star Heroine keys, plus a chance to win one of the other game raffles.

If you are eligible for free games you should be on this spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11NygxUUHbzKMmPF3fUKiJqE7OYx-TAlf15rfElUN3Ng/edit?usp=sharing

I have to get a final count to Robert soon, so if you are NOT on that list, but should be eligible for free stuff, you need to PM me ASAP. Most likely, you updated your post after I had screened that group of entries.

I am waiting to see if there is an automated process that I can use to distribute the Cosmic Star Heroine keys. If not, it will take me some time to write 195 PMs. So be patient, and apologies in advance if there are delays!

 

[Gorilla Shark]

I've played very few RPG's in my life so I didn't vote in this thread, but I've been more interested in the genre as of late. I think I'm going to use the results from this thread as a starting point and try to play through the top 5-10 games since they'll all be new to me.

So, thanks for taking the time to do this OP. And thanks everyone for putting together a list of awesome games for me to play.

 

[FiveSide]

I've played very few RPG's in my life so I didn't vote in this thread, but I've been more interested in the genre as of late. I think I'm going to use the results from this thread as a starting point and try to play through the top 5-10 games since they'll all be new to me.

So, thanks for taking the time to do this OP. And thanks everyone for putting together a list of awesome games for me to play.

Go ahead and get a head start with Chrono Trigger if you haven't played it already, it's been #1 every year so far if I remember correctly

 

[decoyplatypus]

For my ballot, I have restricted myself to one game per franchise.

I think this is BG2's first appearance in my top 10. My prior experience with the game was mixed. I had never played any D&D variant and struggled mightily with AD&D nonsense like THAC0. Combat was a muddle, which was not great in a game that, however expansive, still focused on combat. I blamed RTwP. But coming back after learning the D&D ropes and playing some more RTwP games, I got to appreciate the breadth of battle tactics, the best-in-class itemization, and the monstrous scope of the game without nearly so much frustration. And the part I remember enjoying, the highly-reactive companions, held up surprisingly well some fifteen years later.

Nocturne returns to my top ten. I didn't actually replay it, but I think some of my disappointment with SMT4:A gave me renewed appreciation for Nocturne's unique atmosphere and art direction. Plus I felt like docking Arcanum for its godawful combat, which seemed like a good occasion to reward Nocturne.

--VOTE INFO START&#8212;

<FULL POINT GAMES &#8211; 2 points>
Suikoden 2
Fallout: New Vegas
Dark Souls
Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne
Might and Magic X: Legacy
Chrono Trigger
XCOM: Long War 2
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Vampire: The Masquerade--Bloodlines

<HONORABLE MENTIONS &#8211; 1 point>
Divinity: Original Sin
Shadowrun: Dragonfall
Planescape: Torment
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
Valkyria Chronicles
Breath of Fire 5: Dragon Quarter
Dragon Quest 7
Pillars of Eternity
Pokemon Gold/Silver
Temple of Elemental Evil

--VOTE INFO END--

 

[Mulgrok]

Final Fantasy VI

The first game that made me experience every emotion. It has the audacity to turn the game world upside down that in a way no other RPG I have played has. 6's soundtrack is probably my favorite ever. The simple melodies perfectly match combat scenarios, events, and tone of every area.

Fallout: New Vegas

It combines an open world, first person action combat, and role-playing in way that captured my imagination more than any other game. Every faction and character in the world feels like it belongs there and has their own purpose. I enjoy getting swept up in the setting and events without ever feeling as though my character is supposed to solve every conflict. I discover new options and content every with every play-through because of how choices and character builds interact with the game environment.

Dark Souls

Dark souls distills dungeon crawling RPG down to its bare essentials, and executes on them perfectly. The aesthetic, atmosphere, character interactions, and combat all combine to a form that feels genuinely oppressive. I never felt like some sort of chosen savior, I felt like a survivor.

Final Fantasy Tactics

Final Fantasy Tactics (FFT) is an excellent blend of tactically strategy board game and JRPG. The huge variety of abilities, adversaries, and the ways they interact with 3d terrain maps made every fight interesting, even if the map is recycled constantly. The FF job system is also utilized more thoroughly than any of the mainline JRPG titles.

Marvel Heroes

A free-to-play action RPG that miraculously conveys the feeling of the comicbook characters through their combat abilities. Whether it is teleporting around an enemy as Nightcrawler or commanding Doom's robot armies, no 2 heroes feel the same. There are very few games that have kept my interest as long as this one, mostly due to the huge roster of playable characters. It is simple to learn, but has lots of depth to the character abilities. I would recommend this to anyone interested in trying out the "Diablo clone" subgenre.

Fallout 2

I have enjoyed other RPGs more, but this is the one that cemented the genre as my favorite. The way players can interact with the world and its inhabitants is mind boggling, even to this day. Every attribute, skill, perk chosen and choice made will be represented somewhere in the world. The way missions intertwine between the various towns makes the world feel alive in a way almost no other RPG has.

Baldur's Gate 2

This game has everything, and lots of it. If ever someone wants to know what the quintessential RPG is I direct them to this. It can be played as real-time action, turn-based strategy, or turn the difficulty down and it is a point-and-click adventure. The characters are lively and the setting vibrant. If ever I want to experience a classic swords and sorcery fantasy tale, playing this satisfies me.

Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale

Ever wonder what life is like for a JRPG item shop owner? Well this is the game for you! The localization is probably the most fun and charming ever. The light and adorable aesthetic belies the dark and treacherous struggle to pay off your inherited debt. Capitalism, ho!

South Park: The Stick of Truth

As close to a point-and-click adventure as an RPG can get. I feel transported into an episode of South Park while playing this. It is remarkable how they recreated the tone, feel, and aesthetic of the show while incorporating all of the characters from the series.

Chrono Trigger

"Cause and effect": the game. The game can be beaten in a wide variety of ways to varying results. It is great to see effects of your actions as you travel back and forth through time. Being able to avoid a large portion of combat encounters allowed me flow through the game without the constant interruption of random battles. This is probably the JRPG I would like to see remade and expanded upon the most, because the time travel mechanics have so much potential to be explored.

--VOTE INFO START&#8212;

<FULL POINT GAMES &#8211; 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT &#8211; 3 points} Fallout: New Vegas
{UNDERRATED &#8211; 4 points} Marvel Heroes
Final Fantasy VI
Dark Souls
Final Fantasy Tactics
Fallout 2
Baldur's Gate 2
Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Chrono Trigger

--VOTE INFO END--

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Throw up your ballot. I'm no where nearly done tallying yet, and the deadline was only an hour ago.

You'll just have to miss the free game qualification, but you can participate in the list part.

Ditto for everyone else. I'll extend voting for another 3 hours if you want to get in at the last minute, but no one who participates now qualifies for free stuff. You are just participating to help round out the end product.

Fuck!

 

[Heropon.]

1. The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild - OK, so I've seen some votes for this, so I guess this is not completely stupid to put it in my vote. This one has raised the bar for open world games.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles - The best standard J-RPG ever for me. Bionis and Mechonis are a pleasure to explore, the story is excellent, I love the hybrid combat system... and the best soundtrack ever.
3. Pokémon Red/Blue - Where it all begun. The concept is so good and so addictive, I've spent about 500 hours on this. And the combat was already very interesting. Not much has change since then.
4. Mario + Rabbids : Kingdom Battle - OK this one is not completely an RPG, but since I've decided to put Zelda here... This is simply my favorite combat system ever. So fun. And everything else is excellent.
5. Xenoblade Chronicles X - This feeling when you fly with your skell for the first time... Mira was such a pleasure to explore. Even if story and soundtrack weren't as good, the combat system was excellent, especially on ground with the overdrive system.
6. Final Fantasy XII - My favorite Final Fantasy, I love the gambit system and I would love that Xenoblade games have that. Very good combat and story and a lot of content with good side quests.
7. The Legend of Zelda : A Link Between Worlds - My favorite 2D Zelda, I love the paint mechanic and everything is great, especially the puzzle parts.
8. Fire Emblem : Path of Radiance - My favorite Fire Emblem, best map design, epic battles and pretty good story. And I love the characters on this one.
9. Chrono Trigger - Is there anything to add on this one ?
10. Persona 5 - Excellent desing, soundtrack, characters, story. The combat is good but classic. I love the RPG/life-sim mix.

Honorable mentions :
Grandia II
Ni no Kuni : Wrath of the White Witch
Fire Emblem : Awakening
Guild Wars 2
Golden Sun
Mario & Luigi : Bowser's Inside Story


--VOTE INFO START&#8212;

<FULL POINT GAMES &#8211; 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT &#8211; 3 points} The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild
{UNDERRATED &#8211; 4 points} Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade Chronicles
Pokémon Red/Blue
Mario + Rabbids : Kingdom Battle
Final Fantasy XII
The Legend of Zelda : A Link Between Worlds
Fire Emblem : Path of Radiance
Chrono Trigger
Persona 5

<HONORABLE MENTIONS &#8211; 1 point>
Grandia II
Ni no Kuni : Wrath of the White Witch
Fire Emblem : Awakening
Guild Wars 2
Golden Sun
Mario & Luigi : Bowser's Inside Story

--VOTE INFO END--

 

[Thores]

{UNDERRATED – 4 points} The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild

Sorry, but a game can only qualify for the Underrated category if it was released before 2016.

 

[Heropon.]

Sorry, but a game can only qualify for the Underrated category if it was released before 2016.

Thank you, I knew it but I forgot to reorder the games in the vote part.
Edited.

 

[anaron]

1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Final Fantasy Tactics
3. Persona 2
4. Diablo 2
5. Planescape: Torment
6. Parasite Eve
7. Xenogears
8. Baten Kaitos Origins
9. Xenoblade Chronicles
10. Final Fantasy VIII


Underrated:

Blue Dragon
Legend of Legaia
Xenosaga: Episode 1
Baten Kaitos
Terra Battle


Honourable mentions:

Chrono Trigger
Skies of Arcadia
Grandia 2
Xenoblade X
Lost Odyssey
Shadow Hearts
Digital Devil Saga
Persona 3, 4, 5

ETA: descriptions to be added

 

[Aaronrules380]

You guys do realize voting ended a few hours ago, right?

 

[Wazzy]

Very interested to see the final results when they're posted. I'm very curious to see if there will be a huge shakeup to the list this year.

You guys do realize voting ended a few hours ago, right?

Didn't the OP say he is extending it by 3 hours?

 

[Aaronrules380]

Very interested to see the final results when they're posted. I'm very curious to see if there will be a huge shakeup to the list this year.




Didn't the OP say he is extending it by 3 hours?

Oh fair enough, didn't see that

 

[kswiston]

Late Voting is closed


I am currently tallying votes, so please don't edit your voting posts.


Stump is going to help me distribute the Cosmic Star Heroine keys via PM scripting. I am not exactly sure when they will go out, but I'll do my best to ensure that the delay is as short as possible. Some of it will depend on how long Valve takes to issue keys I guess.


The raffle of the other game prizes will take place this weekend. Instead of raffling each prize separately, I think that I will randomly generate list of winners, and then give prize dibs in the order that names were drawn. If your name comes up, you will be given the option of picking a prize or passing. I will continue to PM people in draw order until everything has been claimed.

We have $10 (US Account) PSN and eShop credit as two of the prizes. I would imagine that those will go quickly. We also have over a dozen classic (and modern classic) computer RPGs up for grabs.

While it will have to be on the honor system outside of GAF, I don't want people selling prizes from this thread in the B/S/T thread, or elsewhere. The purpose of the giveaway is to get people to try new games. If you don't want your prize, give it to a friend, or pass on it. I'm going to keep an eye on the B/S/T thread for a few days to see if anyone is taking advantage of people's generosity. Hopefully that won't be an issue, since all of you took the time to write up fairly detailed posts!

 

[Mulgrok]

Late Voting is closed


I am currently tallying votes, so please don't edit your voting posts.

oops, dumb me corrected some grammar and spelling mistakes before reading this

 

[Iva Demilcol]

Cool. now, to wait for the results.

 

[Lynx_7]

A few predictions just for fun. I'm not keeping tabs but this is what I roughly expect:

-Chrono Trigger will take the #1 spot again to far away times. It's just a very popular pick all around even if I suspect it didn't get the highest amount of highlights.

-Persona 4 will likely keep its #2 place. It seems to be almost as popular as CT in these votes and that hasn't changed much even with P5's release. If any other game beats it I expect it to be Dark Souls.

-I don't expect many changes in the FF hierarchy. VI > VII > IX (or X?) is my bet. XII will probably gain a few positions though due to the remaster. XV won't debut well at all, outside the top 50 for sure. Maybe not even in the top 100? (edit: just did a quick search throughout the thread and yikes. Definitely sub-100 material)

-Dragon Quest will remain relatively unpopular but still have 1 title in the top 50.

-Nocturne will place lower due to the higher influx of voters this year. Perhaps highlight votes will soften the fall somewhat.

-Persona 5 will either debut in the lower half of the top 20 (#16-#20) or juuust outside the top 20. P3 will probably place higher.

-CRPGs and WRPGs in general are going to place better. Seems like they're a lot more prevalent in people's lists this year.

-Witcher 3 will place higher than Bloodborne.

-Fire Emblem in general will fall. Awakening seems to have lost quite a bit of popularity, Fates is too divisive and Echoes too unpopular to matter.

Highlight and Underrated shenanigans should make for some interesting shake-ups though. It'd be fun to see another game sweep the rug under CT or some unexpected top 10/20 placings.

 

[Bass260]

Crap, completely forgot to finalize my list by this morning. If there's any chance my votes can still be tallied, here it is.

--VOTE INFO START&#8212;

<FULL POINT GAMES &#8211; 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT &#8211; 3 points} Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne
{UNDERRATED &#8211; 4 points} Radiant Historia
Chrono Trigger
Mother 2
Final Fantasy VI
Xenogears
Persona 4
Baldur's Gate II
The World Ends With You
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

<HONORABLE MENTIONS &#8211; 1 point>
Mother 3
Final Fantasy IX
Dark Souls
Star Wars: Knight's of the Old Republic
Xenoblade Chronicles
Dragon Quest V
Nier

--VOTE INFO END--

 

[Aters]

Crap, completely forgot to finalize my list by this morning. If there's any chance my votes can still be tallied, here it is.

Dragon Quest V could use that 1 point you know.

 

[FiveSide]

A few predictions just for fun. I'm not keeping tabs but this is what I roughly expect:

-Chrono Trigger will take the #1 spot again to far away times. It's just a very popular pick all around even if I suspect it didn't get the highest amount of highlights.

-Persona 4 will likely keep its #2 place. It seems to be almost as popular as CT in these votes and that hasn't changed much even with P5's release. If any other game beats it I expect it to be Dark Souls.

-I don't expect many changes in the FF hierarchy. VI > VII > IX (or X?) is my bet. XII will probably gain a few positions though due to the remaster. XV won't debut well at all, outside the top 50 for sure. Maybe not even in the top 100? (edit: just did a quick search throughout the thread and yikes. Definitely sub-100 material)

-Dragon Quest will remain relatively unpopular but still have 1 title in the top 50.

-Nocturne will place lower due to the higher influx of voters this year. Perhaps highlight votes will soften the fall somewhat.

-Persona 5 will either debut in the lower half of the top 20 (#16-#20) or juuust outside the top 20. P3 will probably place higher.

-CRPGs and WRPGs in general are going to place better. Seems like they're a lot more prevalent in people's lists this year.

-Witcher 3 will place higher than Bloodborne.

-Fire Emblem in general will fall. Awakening seems to have lost quite a bit of popularity, Fates is too divisive and Echoes too unpopular to matter.

Highlight and Underrated shenanigans should make for some interesting shake-ups though. It'd be fun to see another game sweep the rug under CT or some unexpected top 10/20 placings.

I mostly agree with these, with one exception. I think the people who preferred Persona 5 to Persona 4, and also only vote one entry per franchise, will be enough to knock P4 down to #3, with FFVI at #2.

Dark Souls will almost definitely be in the top 5, though I think the Chrono Trigger/P4/FFVI trinity will still take the top.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I'm just thrilled that I think I saw enough Etrian Odyssey IV votes for it to be in the top 50.

Glad we all agreed on the one so votes weren't split among entries so at least the series got some representation.

 

[Remk]

That was a nice increase of votes for the last few days.

My main take away is that I need to go to my library and finally play a bunch of games that many gaffers have in such high regard.
Suikoden I-II, Xenoblade Chronicles, Persona 4 Golden (and 5), Final Fantasy X, Kotor II... damn If only I had more spare time

 

[kswiston]

An update on the results tally:

I have captured all of the votes from the people who included proper ballots. This ended up being about 3600 game nominations, amounting to over 6200 points. The large majority of you used proper (or nearly proper) ballots. Thanks for that! It really makes things easier.

There were a few dozen people who either didn't use the ballot properly, or didn't include it at all (especially on the first couple of pages where there was likely some level of confusion). I will have to go through the thread and add these votes by hand tomorrow.

I also have to go through my raw data and consolidate everything (Some games have alternate titles, some games were misspelled, etc).

After the tallying is done, it will be time to start getting the banners prepped. Results will go up as the banners go up. I will probably throw out some results that aren't directly related to the Top 50 placement prior to that though.

EDIT: Also a few points:

- 12 people had their underrated vote disqualified for not meeting the criteria of that category. I had votes for Valkyria Chronicles and Final Fantasy Tactics, which have made every version of this list, typically in the top 5. I had two votes for Final Fantasy VIII (which has made the top 50 in the past). I think only one of the disqualifications came out since the last list. All of those votes were downgraded to a regular 2-point vote.

- Some people tried to list honorable mentions without listing 10 regular titles first. I counted your honorable mentions votes in order as 2-point votes until I hit 10. If there was a balance, the rest went into the HM category. HMs can only be used if you have already voted for 10 games, to avoid point manipulation.

- A lot of the underrated votes went towards less mentioned entries in a popular series. Geneology of the Holy War got 3 underrated votes, as did Strange Journey. Dark Souls 2 got 4 underrated votes (at least from the votes with proper ballots).

 

[Mulgrok]

I tried to pick 1 game from each sub-genre of RPG instead of overloading my list with my favorite sub-genre. Always good to have variety!

 

[Kyonashi]

I'm excited to see the list! Do you know roughly how many days it's going to take to completely tally everything and create the banners?

 

[FiveSide]

I'm excited to see the list!

Same, glad there was a good turnout!

 

[MoonFrog]

I'm glad SnK got three under-rated votes. I think two were Aters and I on the first page though, so its showing got weaker as the vote went on

Speaking of Strange Journey...I need to get back to Strange Journey at some point. It was the first mainline SMT I made decent progress in but I've beaten III, IV, and IVA since then.

Also need to get back to Radiant Historia and TitS...close to finishing both of those.

Then I have Persona 2-2 to finish and have acquired 1 and 2-1.

And MoE and 776...

I think I'm going to focus on TitS again, finish that last dungeon and then try PSIV on steam.

But some day soon I need to get back on my DS back-catalog (which is about to grow as I've purchased FFIV DS) and onto my SNES back-catalog (also just purchased SMT1&2 ).

And EOV comes out very soon now too!

 

[kswiston]

I'm excited to see the list! Do you know roughly how many days it's going to take to completely tally everything and create the banners?

Tallying will be done today. The banners will take some time. From past experience, probably 2-3 weeks. But I will post updates as I go, instead of waiting for all 50 to be done.


Speaking of tallying, the handful of you "Just According to Keikaku" types are adding to my workload. Why vote for Mother 2 on an English site?! Ditto with some of the SMT votes.


EDIT: Adding to that, it's interesting to see where the vote splitting is happening. Trails fans couldn't decide which game they liked best. FC, SC, 3rd, and Cold Steel all got a decent number of votes, but I'm not sure that any one of those will make the top 50. I still have to add in the votes from the ballot non-rule followers, but it's looking like our point cut off for the top 50 will be fairly high this year.

One mistake on my part. I combined SMT IV and Apocalypse votes in the Honorable Mentions before checking to see how different they were. Since I discarded the raw HM data, I can't go back and uncombine them. So both SMT IV games will share an entry if they make the cutoff.

 

[Sola Scriptura]

Tallying will be done today. The banners will take some time. From past experience, probably 2-3 weeks. But I will post updates as I go, instead of waiting for all 50 to be done.


Speaking of tallying, the handful of you "Just According to Keikaku" types are adding to my workload. Why vote for Mother 2 on an English site?! Ditto with some of the SMT votes.


EDIT: Adding to that, it's interesting to see where the vote splitting is happening. Trails fans couldn't decide which game they liked best. FC, SC, 3rd, and Cold Steel all got a decent number of votes, but I'm not sure that any one of those will make the top 50. I still have to add in the votes from the ballot non-rule followers, but it's looking like our point cut off for the top 50 will be fairly high this year.

One mistake on my part. I combined SMT IV and Apocalypse votes in the Honorable Mentions before checking to see how different they were. Since I discarded the raw HM data, I can't go back and uncombine them. So both SMT IV games will share an entry if they make the cutoff.

With your pre-banner updates, are you going to release the rankings or wait for the banners for the big reveal of the results?

 

[Ascheroth]

EDIT: Adding to that, it's interesting to see where the vote splitting is happening. Trails fans couldn't decide which game they liked best. FC, SC, 3rd, and Cold Steel all got a decent number of votes, but I'm not sure that any one of those will make the top 50. I still have to add in the votes from the ballot non-rule followers, but it's looking like our point cut off for the top 50 will be fairly high this year.

That's the problem when all of them are basically similarly good and wasting 4 or 5 spots on a list just for 1 series feels like a waste.
And basically <20k people have played Trails the 3rd, so uh yeah.

 

[BumRush]

An update on the results tally:

I have captured all of the votes from the people who included proper ballots. This ended up being about 3600 game nominations, amounting to over 6200 points. The large majority of you used proper (or nearly proper) ballots. Thanks for that! It really makes things easier.

There were a few dozen people who either didn't use the ballot properly, or didn't include it at all (especially on the first couple of pages where there was likely some level of confusion). I will have to go through the thread and add these votes by hand tomorrow.

I also have to go through my raw data and consolidate everything (Some games have alternate titles, some games were misspelled, etc).

After the tallying is done, it will be time to start getting the banners prepped. Results will go up as the banners go up. I will probably throw out some results that aren't directly related to the Top 50 placement prior to that though.

EDIT: Also a few points:

- 12 people had their underrated vote disqualified for not meeting the criteria of that category. I had votes for Valkyria Chronicles and Final Fantasy Tactics, which have made every version of this list, typically in the top 5. I had two votes for Final Fantasy VIII (which has made the top 50 in the past). I think only one of the disqualifications came out since the last list. All of those votes were downgraded to a regular 2-point vote.

- Some people tried to list honorable mentions without listing 10 regular titles first. I counted your honorable mentions votes in order as 2-point votes until I hit 10. If there was a balance, the rest went into the HM category. HMs can only be used if you have already voted for 10 games, to avoid point manipulation.

- A lot of the underrated votes went towards less mentioned entries in a popular series. Geneology of the Holy War got 3 underrated votes, as did Strange Journey. Dark Souls 2 got 4 underrated votes (at least from the votes with proper ballots).

You're really too good for us, swiss.

 

[illusionary]

While we allow kswiston time to finish tallying the votes (and thanks so much for all of your effort on this!), I figured that PC Gamer's recently posted list might be of interest to those here: http://www.pcgamer.com/best-rpgs-of-all-time/

Spoiler

Divinity: Original Sin 2
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Anachronox
Grim Dawn
Legend of Grimrock 2
Arx Fatalis
Undertale
Tyranny
Path of Exile
Darkest Dungeon
Mount & Blade: Warband
Neverwinter Nights 2
Gothic 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Pillars of Eternity
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
Divinity: Original Sin
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Diable 3: Reaper of Souls
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Fallout: New Vegas
Dark Souls 3
The Witcher 2
Dragon Age: Origins
System Shock 2
Ultimate VII: The Black Gate
Deus Ex
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Mass Effect 2
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Fallout 2
Baldur's Gate 2
Planescape: Torment