VOTING IS OVER!!!
PREFACE:
I often find myself trying to pick up quality games that I have missed over the last decade or two. While game review sites and score aggregate sites (GameRankings, Metacritic) are often handy for identifying what is worth checking out, I have always found that they do a poor job of assessing role playing games, especially the lesser known titles. Word of mouth consensus from GAF can be better, but you have to do more digging and (again) most discussion tends to be about the big franchises.
In this thread, people picked up to 10 rpgs that they felt were the best/most essential in the genre. All picks were equal, and there was no points ranking/weighting. Overall, close to 300 people made ~2500 votes to generate the list below.
This thread is meant to be a list of Top/Essential rpgs from all platforms and all sub-genres. Hopefully the final result will serve as a useful little guide to some of the highlights of the genre.
TOP 100+ RPGs BY VOTES
1) Chrono Trigger - 126 votes
Original Release: March 11, 1995
Platforms: SNES, PS1, DS
Summary: Chrono Trigger was developed and published by Square, and follows a group of adventurers who travel through time to prevent a global catastrophe. Chrono Trigger's development team included Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series, and Yuuji Horii and Akira Toriyamatwo freelance designers known for their work on the Dragon Quest series. Chrono Trigger was praised for many of its features, including multiple endings, plot-related sidequests focusing on character development, unique battle system, and then detailed graphics.
2) Final Fantasy VI - 89 votes
Original Release: April 2, 1994
Platforms: SNES, PS1, GBA
Summary: Final Fantasy VI ( originally Final Fantasy III in North America) was developed and published by Square. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a group of rebels as they seek to overthrow an imperial dictatorship. The game features fourteen permanent playable characters, the most of any game in the main series. Final Fantasy VI was the first game in the series to be directed by someone other than producer and series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi; the role was filled instead by Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Itō. Yoshitaka Amano, a long-time contributor to the Final Fantasy series, returned as the image and character designer, while regular composer Nobuo Uematsu wrote the game's score, which has been released on several soundtrack albums.
3) Planescape: Torment - 67 votes
Original Release: December 12, 1999
Platform: Windows PC
Summary: Planescape: Torment was by Black Isle Studios and takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) fantasy campaign setting. The game's engine is a modified version of the Infinity Engine, which was also used for BioWare's Baldur's Gate. Planescape: Torment is primarily story-driven; combat is given less prominence than in most contemporary role-playing games. The protagonist is an immortal who has lived many lives but has forgotten all about them, even forgetting his own name. The game focuses on The Nameless One's journey throughout the city of Sigil and other planes to reclaim his memories of these previous lives. The game was not a significant commercial success but received widespread critical praise and has since become a cult classic. It was lauded for its immersive dialogue, for the dark and relatively obscure Planescape setting, and for the protagonist's unique persona, which shirked many characteristics of traditional role-playing games.
4) Final Fantasy VII - 66 votes
Original Release: January 31, 1997
Platforms: PS1, PC, Playstation Network
Summary: Final Fantasy VII was originally developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Set in a dystopian world, Final Fantasy VII's story centers on mercenary Cloud Strife who joins with several others to stop the megacorporation Shinra, which is draining the life of the planet to use as an energy source. As the story progresses, the situation escalates and Cloud and his allies face Sephiroth, the game's main antagonist. Originally planned for the SNES, and then the N64, Square moved development of Final Fantasy VII to the Playstation to take advantage of the larger storage capacity offered by cds over cartridges. The music was scored by Final Fantasy veteran Nobuo Uematsu, while the series' long-time character designer, Yoshitaka Amano, was replaced by Tetsuya Nomura. Noted for its graphics, gameplay, music and story, Final Fantasy VII is acknowledged as one of the most influential games of all time.
5) Demon's Souls - 64 votes
Original Release: October 2009 (NA)
Platforms: PS3
Summary: Demon's Souls is a fantasy action RPG developed by From Software. The game is described as a spiritual successor to the King's Field series, and set in a dark fantasy world where an acursed fog brought forth demons that laid waste to humanity. Noted for its high difficulty level, Demon's Souls was released to nearly unanimous praise, winning year-end awards from several publications.
[tie] 6) Baldur's Gate II : Shadows of Amn - 53 votes
Original Release: September 24, 2000
Platform: Windows PC
Summary: Baldur's Gate II was developed by BioWare and is set a few months after the events of Baldur's Gate. The story opens with the player having been ambushed by assassins and taken captive into a mysterious dungeon under the control of the mage, Jon Irenicus. Based on the 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing system, Baldur's Gate II was praised for its epic story and well developed characters. Throughout the game, the player must make crucial choices, some of them vital to the character's development. Using Bioware's infinity engine, the game is played from an isometric view, and enemy encounters can be fought in both active and turn-based modes.
[tie] 6) Final Fantasy Tactics - 53 votes
Original Release: June 20, 1997
Platforms: PS1, PSP, Playstation Network
Summary: Final Fantasy Tactics was developed by Square, originally for the PS1. Square-Enix released a moderately upgraded port of the game for the PSP featuring animated cut-scenes, new job classes, and a retranslated script. Directed by Yasumi Matsuno, the game combines thematic elements of the Final Fantasy video game series with a game engine and battle system similar to that used in Tactics Ogre (another Matsuno game). The game is set in a fictional medieval-inspired kingdom called Ivalice and follows Ramza Beoulve, a young highborn cadet who finds himself thrust into the middle of a military conflict called the Lion War, where two noble factions are coveting the throne of the kingdom.
[tie] 6) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - 53 votes
Original Release: July 15, 2003
Platform: Windows PC, Xbox
Summary: KOTOR was developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. The game takes place 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire. Darth Malak, a Dark Lord of the Sith, has unleashed a Sith armada against the Republic. Malak's aggression has left the Jedi scattered and vulnerable; many Jedi Knights have fallen in battle and others have sworn allegiance to Malak. The game's battle system is based on Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Roleplaying Game, a d20 role-playing game derived from the Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. Combat is round-based; time is divided into discrete rounds, and combatants attack and react simultaneously. An alignment system tracks actions and speech to determine whether the player's character aligns with the light or dark side of the Force. Generosity and altruism lead to the light side, while selfish or violent actions will lead the player's character to the dark side, altering the character's appearance in the process.
9) Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - 52 votes
Original Release: July 10, 2008
Platforms: PS2
Summary: Persona 4 was developed and published by Atlus, and is chronologically the fifth installment in the series. Instead of the city locales of previous games in the series, Persona 4 takes place in a fictional Japanese countryside, where the main protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the countryside from the city for a year. During his year-long stay, he becomes involved in investigating mysterious murders while harnessing the power of summoning Persona. Combining high school simulation and traditional dungeon crawling rpg elements, Persona 4 features a weather forecast system with events happening on foggy days to replace the moon phase system implemented in the previous games.
10) Diablo II - 43 votes
Original Release: June 29, 2000
Platform: Windows PC
Summary: Developed by Blizzard North, Diablo II is a dark, fantasy-themed action rpg with elements of the hack and slash and "dungeon roaming" genres. The game was conceptualized and designed by David Brevik and Erich Schaefer, whom with Max Schaefer acted as Project Leads on the game. The story takes place after the end of the previous game, in the lands of Sanctuary where Diablo, the Lord of Terror, was defeated by an unnamed warrior. The storyline of Diablo II progresses through four acts, with each act following a predetermined path and list of quests. The player assumes the role of a hero from one of five different character classes. Players fight monsters through wilderness areas and dungeons in order to level-up their character and gain better items. Combat is in real-time, and shown from an isometric viewpoint. The game can be played either in single player mode, or in multiplayer through Blizzard's Battle.net service, or via a LAN.
11) Skies of Arcadia - 41 votes
Original Release: October 5, 2000
Platforms: Dreamcast, Gamecube
Summary: Skies of Arcadia was developed by Overworks for the Dreamcast and published by Sega. The game's story focuses around Vyse, a young pirate in a Jules Verne-inspired fantasy world, and his friends as they attempt to stop the Valuan Empire from reviving ancient weapons with the potential to destroy the world. Most of gameplay in Skies of Arcadia takes place in dungeons, and combat comprises two vastly different settings: those encountered in ship to ship combat, and character to monster combat. Sega released an enhanced port, Skies of Arcadia Legends, for the GameCube. Legends features slightly enhanced graphics, shorter loading times and some additional content.
12) Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - 40 votes
Original Release: November 27, 2004
Platforms: PS2
Summary: Dragon Quest VIII was developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix. Dragon Quest VIII uses cel-shading textures for the characters and scenery and is the first game in the series to have fully three dimensional environments. Despite the graphical update, the game retains most of the series' role-playing game elements, such as turn-based combat and the experience level system. Dragon Quest VIII follows a silent Hero and his party of allies as they journey towards their goal of defeating the wicked Dhoulmagus. Like all mainline Dragon Quest titles, battles are randomly occurring and turn-based. However, this is the first game in the series to not have battles shown from a first person perspective.
[tie] 13) Earthbound - 39 votes
Original Release: August 27, 1994
Platforms: SNES
Summary: EarthBound was co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. Despite being successful in Japan, the North American version was released to poor commercial response. Despite the poor sales figures, the game has been lauded by gamers for its humorous depictions of American culture and parody of the RPG genre, and has since become a cult classic. EarthBound takes place on Earth in the year 199X, and puts the player in control of four characters, Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo. Rather than using an overworld map screen like most console RPGs of its era, the world in Earthbound is entirely seamless, with no differentiation between towns and the outside world. Another non-traditional element is the perspective used for the world. The game uses oblique projection, while most 2-D RPGs use a "top down" view on a grid or an isometric perspective.
[tie] 13) Mass Effect 2 - 39 votes
Original Release: January 26, 2010
Platform: Xbox 360, Windows PC
Summary: Mass Effect 2 is an action oriented rpg developed by BioWare Edmonton, with assistance from BioWare Montreal, and published by Electronic Arts. Mass Effect 2 begins in 2183, shortly after the end of Mass Effect. On patrol to locate and destroy any remaining Geth, the Normandy and its commanding officer, Commander Shepard, are attacked. This starts a cascading series of events that finds Shepard searching the Milky Way for a crew of specialists and commandos capable of facing the greatest threat the galaxy has ever known. Mass Effect 2 blends third person shooter gameplay with the world building and character progression that are staples of the rpg genre.
[tie] 13) Xenogears - 39 votes
Original Release: February 11, 1998
Platforms: PS1, Playstation Network (Japan only)
Summary: Xenogears was developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation. Xenogears follows protagonist Fei Fong Wong and several others as they struggle to survive in a world torn apart by war between the nations of Aveh and Kislev. The principles and philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Jacques Lacan, as well as various religious themes influence the overall plot and world of Xenogears. A major theme of the game is the nature of human memory: from the start of the game, Fei has memory loss, which colors his interactions with other characters. In addition, the struggle between man and machine is also central to the game's plot. Each of the playable characters can ride in giant mechs known as gears and can use them in battle. Xenogears gameplay features two-dimensional sprites overlaid on three-dimensional backgrounds and two different battle systems: the first uses the characters in combo-based physical combat and the second takes place in turn-based "gear" battles.
16) Valkyria Chronicles - 38 votes
Original Release: April 24, 2008
Platforms: PS3
Summary: Valkyria Chronicles, known in Japan as Battlefield Valkyria: Gallian Chronicles, is a tactical role-playing game published by Sega, and developed by their Sega WOW division, for the PlayStation 3. The game is set in Europa, a fictional version of Europe, in 1935. Because of its abundance of Ragnite ore, which can be refined into a powerful fuel, the neutral nation of Gallia comes under attack from the East Europan Imperial Alliance, which is itself engaged in a war with the Atlantic Federation. Players take control of a militia squad of Gallian nationals, dedicated to repelling the invasion. The game's visuals, which utilize SEGA's CANVAS graphics engine, resemble a watercolor painting in motion.
[tie] 17) Fallout 3 - 36 votes
Original Release: Oct 28, 2008
Platform: Windows PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Summary: Fallout 3 is an action role-playing shooter developed by Bethesda Game Studios. The game takes place in the year 2277, 36 years after the setting of Fallout 2 and 200 years after the nuclear apocalypse that devastated the game's world in an alternate post-World War II timeline. The game places the player in the role of an inhabitant of Vault 101, a survival shelter designed to protect a small number of humans from the nuclear fallout. When the player character's father disappears under mysterious circumstances, he or she is forced to escape from the Vault and journey into the ruins of Washington D.C. to track him down. Along the way the player is assisted by a number of human survivors and must battle myriad enemies that now inhabit the area now known as the "Capital Wasteland". The game has an attribute and combat system typical of an action strategy game but also incorporates elements of first-person shooter and survival horror games.
[tie] 17) Suikoden II - 36 votes
Original Release: December 17, 1998
Platforms: PS1, PSP (jpn only)
Summary: Suikoden II was developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation. The game features a vast array of characters, with over sixty characters usable in combat and many more who move the plot forward. Suikoden II takes place years after the events of the original Suikoden, and centers around an invasion by the Kingdom of Highland of the City States of Jowston. The player controls a silent protagonist whose name is chosen by the player; he is the adopted son of Genkaku, a hero who saved the City-State of Jowston in a war against Highland years ago. The protagonist and his best friend, Jowy Atreides, each gain one half of the Rune of the Beginning, one of the 27 True Runes of the Suikoden setting, and become caught up in the intrigues of the invasion and the dark fate of those who bear the halves of that Rune.
19) Final Fantasy X - 34 votes
Original Release: July 19, 2001
Platforms: PS2
Summary: Final Fantasy X was developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. The game marks the Final Fantasy series' transition from entirely pre-rendered backdrops to fully three-dimensional areas, and is also the first in the series to feature voice acting. Final Fantasy X replaces the Active Time Battle (ATB) system with a new Conditional Turn-Based Battle (CTB) system, and uses a new leveling system called the "Sphere Grid". Set in the fantasy world of Spira, the game's story centers around a group of adventurers and their quest to defeat a rampaging monster known as "Sin". The player character is Tidus, a blitzball star who finds himself in Spira after his home city of Zanarkand is destroyed by Sin. During the game, Tidus, along with several others, aids the summoner Yuna on her pilgrimage to destroy Sin.
CONTINUED IN POST #3
*Summaries adapted from game information on Wikipedia.org
PREFACE:
I often find myself trying to pick up quality games that I have missed over the last decade or two. While game review sites and score aggregate sites (GameRankings, Metacritic) are often handy for identifying what is worth checking out, I have always found that they do a poor job of assessing role playing games, especially the lesser known titles. Word of mouth consensus from GAF can be better, but you have to do more digging and (again) most discussion tends to be about the big franchises.
In this thread, people picked up to 10 rpgs that they felt were the best/most essential in the genre. All picks were equal, and there was no points ranking/weighting. Overall, close to 300 people made ~2500 votes to generate the list below.
This thread is meant to be a list of Top/Essential rpgs from all platforms and all sub-genres. Hopefully the final result will serve as a useful little guide to some of the highlights of the genre.
TOP 100+ RPGs BY VOTES
1) Chrono Trigger - 126 votes
Original Release: March 11, 1995
Platforms: SNES, PS1, DS
Summary: Chrono Trigger was developed and published by Square, and follows a group of adventurers who travel through time to prevent a global catastrophe. Chrono Trigger's development team included Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series, and Yuuji Horii and Akira Toriyamatwo freelance designers known for their work on the Dragon Quest series. Chrono Trigger was praised for many of its features, including multiple endings, plot-related sidequests focusing on character development, unique battle system, and then detailed graphics.
2) Final Fantasy VI - 89 votes
Original Release: April 2, 1994
Platforms: SNES, PS1, GBA
Summary: Final Fantasy VI ( originally Final Fantasy III in North America) was developed and published by Square. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a group of rebels as they seek to overthrow an imperial dictatorship. The game features fourteen permanent playable characters, the most of any game in the main series. Final Fantasy VI was the first game in the series to be directed by someone other than producer and series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi; the role was filled instead by Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Itō. Yoshitaka Amano, a long-time contributor to the Final Fantasy series, returned as the image and character designer, while regular composer Nobuo Uematsu wrote the game's score, which has been released on several soundtrack albums.
3) Planescape: Torment - 67 votes
Original Release: December 12, 1999
Platform: Windows PC
Summary: Planescape: Torment was by Black Isle Studios and takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) fantasy campaign setting. The game's engine is a modified version of the Infinity Engine, which was also used for BioWare's Baldur's Gate. Planescape: Torment is primarily story-driven; combat is given less prominence than in most contemporary role-playing games. The protagonist is an immortal who has lived many lives but has forgotten all about them, even forgetting his own name. The game focuses on The Nameless One's journey throughout the city of Sigil and other planes to reclaim his memories of these previous lives. The game was not a significant commercial success but received widespread critical praise and has since become a cult classic. It was lauded for its immersive dialogue, for the dark and relatively obscure Planescape setting, and for the protagonist's unique persona, which shirked many characteristics of traditional role-playing games.
4) Final Fantasy VII - 66 votes
Original Release: January 31, 1997
Platforms: PS1, PC, Playstation Network
Summary: Final Fantasy VII was originally developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Set in a dystopian world, Final Fantasy VII's story centers on mercenary Cloud Strife who joins with several others to stop the megacorporation Shinra, which is draining the life of the planet to use as an energy source. As the story progresses, the situation escalates and Cloud and his allies face Sephiroth, the game's main antagonist. Originally planned for the SNES, and then the N64, Square moved development of Final Fantasy VII to the Playstation to take advantage of the larger storage capacity offered by cds over cartridges. The music was scored by Final Fantasy veteran Nobuo Uematsu, while the series' long-time character designer, Yoshitaka Amano, was replaced by Tetsuya Nomura. Noted for its graphics, gameplay, music and story, Final Fantasy VII is acknowledged as one of the most influential games of all time.
5) Demon's Souls - 64 votes
Original Release: October 2009 (NA)
Platforms: PS3
Summary: Demon's Souls is a fantasy action RPG developed by From Software. The game is described as a spiritual successor to the King's Field series, and set in a dark fantasy world where an acursed fog brought forth demons that laid waste to humanity. Noted for its high difficulty level, Demon's Souls was released to nearly unanimous praise, winning year-end awards from several publications.
[tie] 6) Baldur's Gate II : Shadows of Amn - 53 votes
Original Release: September 24, 2000
Platform: Windows PC
Summary: Baldur's Gate II was developed by BioWare and is set a few months after the events of Baldur's Gate. The story opens with the player having been ambushed by assassins and taken captive into a mysterious dungeon under the control of the mage, Jon Irenicus. Based on the 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing system, Baldur's Gate II was praised for its epic story and well developed characters. Throughout the game, the player must make crucial choices, some of them vital to the character's development. Using Bioware's infinity engine, the game is played from an isometric view, and enemy encounters can be fought in both active and turn-based modes.
[tie] 6) Final Fantasy Tactics - 53 votes
Original Release: June 20, 1997
Platforms: PS1, PSP, Playstation Network
Summary: Final Fantasy Tactics was developed by Square, originally for the PS1. Square-Enix released a moderately upgraded port of the game for the PSP featuring animated cut-scenes, new job classes, and a retranslated script. Directed by Yasumi Matsuno, the game combines thematic elements of the Final Fantasy video game series with a game engine and battle system similar to that used in Tactics Ogre (another Matsuno game). The game is set in a fictional medieval-inspired kingdom called Ivalice and follows Ramza Beoulve, a young highborn cadet who finds himself thrust into the middle of a military conflict called the Lion War, where two noble factions are coveting the throne of the kingdom.
[tie] 6) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - 53 votes
Original Release: July 15, 2003
Platform: Windows PC, Xbox
Summary: KOTOR was developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. The game takes place 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire. Darth Malak, a Dark Lord of the Sith, has unleashed a Sith armada against the Republic. Malak's aggression has left the Jedi scattered and vulnerable; many Jedi Knights have fallen in battle and others have sworn allegiance to Malak. The game's battle system is based on Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Roleplaying Game, a d20 role-playing game derived from the Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. Combat is round-based; time is divided into discrete rounds, and combatants attack and react simultaneously. An alignment system tracks actions and speech to determine whether the player's character aligns with the light or dark side of the Force. Generosity and altruism lead to the light side, while selfish or violent actions will lead the player's character to the dark side, altering the character's appearance in the process.
9) Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - 52 votes
Original Release: July 10, 2008
Platforms: PS2
Summary: Persona 4 was developed and published by Atlus, and is chronologically the fifth installment in the series. Instead of the city locales of previous games in the series, Persona 4 takes place in a fictional Japanese countryside, where the main protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the countryside from the city for a year. During his year-long stay, he becomes involved in investigating mysterious murders while harnessing the power of summoning Persona. Combining high school simulation and traditional dungeon crawling rpg elements, Persona 4 features a weather forecast system with events happening on foggy days to replace the moon phase system implemented in the previous games.
10) Diablo II - 43 votes
Original Release: June 29, 2000
Platform: Windows PC
Summary: Developed by Blizzard North, Diablo II is a dark, fantasy-themed action rpg with elements of the hack and slash and "dungeon roaming" genres. The game was conceptualized and designed by David Brevik and Erich Schaefer, whom with Max Schaefer acted as Project Leads on the game. The story takes place after the end of the previous game, in the lands of Sanctuary where Diablo, the Lord of Terror, was defeated by an unnamed warrior. The storyline of Diablo II progresses through four acts, with each act following a predetermined path and list of quests. The player assumes the role of a hero from one of five different character classes. Players fight monsters through wilderness areas and dungeons in order to level-up their character and gain better items. Combat is in real-time, and shown from an isometric viewpoint. The game can be played either in single player mode, or in multiplayer through Blizzard's Battle.net service, or via a LAN.
11) Skies of Arcadia - 41 votes
Original Release: October 5, 2000
Platforms: Dreamcast, Gamecube
Summary: Skies of Arcadia was developed by Overworks for the Dreamcast and published by Sega. The game's story focuses around Vyse, a young pirate in a Jules Verne-inspired fantasy world, and his friends as they attempt to stop the Valuan Empire from reviving ancient weapons with the potential to destroy the world. Most of gameplay in Skies of Arcadia takes place in dungeons, and combat comprises two vastly different settings: those encountered in ship to ship combat, and character to monster combat. Sega released an enhanced port, Skies of Arcadia Legends, for the GameCube. Legends features slightly enhanced graphics, shorter loading times and some additional content.
12) Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - 40 votes
Original Release: November 27, 2004
Platforms: PS2
Summary: Dragon Quest VIII was developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix. Dragon Quest VIII uses cel-shading textures for the characters and scenery and is the first game in the series to have fully three dimensional environments. Despite the graphical update, the game retains most of the series' role-playing game elements, such as turn-based combat and the experience level system. Dragon Quest VIII follows a silent Hero and his party of allies as they journey towards their goal of defeating the wicked Dhoulmagus. Like all mainline Dragon Quest titles, battles are randomly occurring and turn-based. However, this is the first game in the series to not have battles shown from a first person perspective.
[tie] 13) Earthbound - 39 votes
Original Release: August 27, 1994
Platforms: SNES
Summary: EarthBound was co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. Despite being successful in Japan, the North American version was released to poor commercial response. Despite the poor sales figures, the game has been lauded by gamers for its humorous depictions of American culture and parody of the RPG genre, and has since become a cult classic. EarthBound takes place on Earth in the year 199X, and puts the player in control of four characters, Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo. Rather than using an overworld map screen like most console RPGs of its era, the world in Earthbound is entirely seamless, with no differentiation between towns and the outside world. Another non-traditional element is the perspective used for the world. The game uses oblique projection, while most 2-D RPGs use a "top down" view on a grid or an isometric perspective.
[tie] 13) Mass Effect 2 - 39 votes
Original Release: January 26, 2010
Platform: Xbox 360, Windows PC
Summary: Mass Effect 2 is an action oriented rpg developed by BioWare Edmonton, with assistance from BioWare Montreal, and published by Electronic Arts. Mass Effect 2 begins in 2183, shortly after the end of Mass Effect. On patrol to locate and destroy any remaining Geth, the Normandy and its commanding officer, Commander Shepard, are attacked. This starts a cascading series of events that finds Shepard searching the Milky Way for a crew of specialists and commandos capable of facing the greatest threat the galaxy has ever known. Mass Effect 2 blends third person shooter gameplay with the world building and character progression that are staples of the rpg genre.
[tie] 13) Xenogears - 39 votes
Original Release: February 11, 1998
Platforms: PS1, Playstation Network (Japan only)
Summary: Xenogears was developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation. Xenogears follows protagonist Fei Fong Wong and several others as they struggle to survive in a world torn apart by war between the nations of Aveh and Kislev. The principles and philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Jacques Lacan, as well as various religious themes influence the overall plot and world of Xenogears. A major theme of the game is the nature of human memory: from the start of the game, Fei has memory loss, which colors his interactions with other characters. In addition, the struggle between man and machine is also central to the game's plot. Each of the playable characters can ride in giant mechs known as gears and can use them in battle. Xenogears gameplay features two-dimensional sprites overlaid on three-dimensional backgrounds and two different battle systems: the first uses the characters in combo-based physical combat and the second takes place in turn-based "gear" battles.
16) Valkyria Chronicles - 38 votes
Original Release: April 24, 2008
Platforms: PS3
Summary: Valkyria Chronicles, known in Japan as Battlefield Valkyria: Gallian Chronicles, is a tactical role-playing game published by Sega, and developed by their Sega WOW division, for the PlayStation 3. The game is set in Europa, a fictional version of Europe, in 1935. Because of its abundance of Ragnite ore, which can be refined into a powerful fuel, the neutral nation of Gallia comes under attack from the East Europan Imperial Alliance, which is itself engaged in a war with the Atlantic Federation. Players take control of a militia squad of Gallian nationals, dedicated to repelling the invasion. The game's visuals, which utilize SEGA's CANVAS graphics engine, resemble a watercolor painting in motion.
[tie] 17) Fallout 3 - 36 votes
Original Release: Oct 28, 2008
Platform: Windows PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Summary: Fallout 3 is an action role-playing shooter developed by Bethesda Game Studios. The game takes place in the year 2277, 36 years after the setting of Fallout 2 and 200 years after the nuclear apocalypse that devastated the game's world in an alternate post-World War II timeline. The game places the player in the role of an inhabitant of Vault 101, a survival shelter designed to protect a small number of humans from the nuclear fallout. When the player character's father disappears under mysterious circumstances, he or she is forced to escape from the Vault and journey into the ruins of Washington D.C. to track him down. Along the way the player is assisted by a number of human survivors and must battle myriad enemies that now inhabit the area now known as the "Capital Wasteland". The game has an attribute and combat system typical of an action strategy game but also incorporates elements of first-person shooter and survival horror games.
[tie] 17) Suikoden II - 36 votes
Original Release: December 17, 1998
Platforms: PS1, PSP (jpn only)
Summary: Suikoden II was developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation. The game features a vast array of characters, with over sixty characters usable in combat and many more who move the plot forward. Suikoden II takes place years after the events of the original Suikoden, and centers around an invasion by the Kingdom of Highland of the City States of Jowston. The player controls a silent protagonist whose name is chosen by the player; he is the adopted son of Genkaku, a hero who saved the City-State of Jowston in a war against Highland years ago. The protagonist and his best friend, Jowy Atreides, each gain one half of the Rune of the Beginning, one of the 27 True Runes of the Suikoden setting, and become caught up in the intrigues of the invasion and the dark fate of those who bear the halves of that Rune.
19) Final Fantasy X - 34 votes
Original Release: July 19, 2001
Platforms: PS2
Summary: Final Fantasy X was developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. The game marks the Final Fantasy series' transition from entirely pre-rendered backdrops to fully three-dimensional areas, and is also the first in the series to feature voice acting. Final Fantasy X replaces the Active Time Battle (ATB) system with a new Conditional Turn-Based Battle (CTB) system, and uses a new leveling system called the "Sphere Grid". Set in the fantasy world of Spira, the game's story centers around a group of adventurers and their quest to defeat a rampaging monster known as "Sin". The player character is Tidus, a blitzball star who finds himself in Spira after his home city of Zanarkand is destroyed by Sin. During the game, Tidus, along with several others, aids the summoner Yuna on her pilgrimage to destroy Sin.
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*Summaries adapted from game information on Wikipedia.org
