They rarely get the recognition and acreditation they deserve, but the truth is, Sega consoles have always been home to an amazing library of RPGs and a rich array of top tier franchises.
In fact, though I know it's a controversial stance, I'd go so far as to say that strictly comparing English releases, the Genesis was just about even with the SNES in terms of RPG quality, even though it's the SNES that always gets all the glory (its Japanese-exclusive support is something else entirely, of course). And even though the Saturn and the Dreamcast couldn't compete in numbers with the PlayStation or PS2, they still proved themselves to be awesome secondary RPG consoles with a slew of worthwhile gems that any fan of the genre should own and play.
Notably, Sega managed to deliver at least one of the most defining RPGs each console generation. And if that wasn't enough, it wasn't just Sega. Want some Atlus? They showed these systems plenty of love. Game Arts? Treausre? Nihon Falcom? They were there in force.
These games don't get near enough love. So that's what this thread is about: celebrating the fantastic RPG legacy of Sega's home consoles. Here's the place to share your love and talk about the RPGs you most enjoyed.
_____________________________________________
PHANTASY STAR IV: END OF THE MILLENNIUM - Sega
Sega's flagship RPG series came to its conclusion in this incredible, epic game that mixed planet-hopping space adventure in the Algo Solar System with old school RPG battling. Use preprogrammed command macros to pull off devastating combo attacks by timing skills and magic. A 16-bit classic to rival the likes of Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger.
Watch Phantasy Star IV: 1
_____________________________________________
PANZER DRAGOON SAGA - Sega
Full voice acting for every in-game character, full 3D environments, camera control during cutscenes, and a realistic day/night cycle? Now imagine all of this in a game made back in 1998, and it's easy to see how Panzer Dragoon Saga is one of the most ambitious RPGs ever made. Thankfully its status as the first great cinematic RPG isn't all it rides on -- it's also got a fantastic story, a spectacular score and fast, highly strategic gameplay.
Watch Panzer Dragoon Saga: 1 (game introduction), 2, 3
_____________________________________________
LUNAR: THE SILVER STAR - Game Arts
It wasn't the first game they brought to the US, but Lunar was the game that put Working Designs on the map. With its endearing story (made great by the cast of characters), charming sprites, and challenging old school battles, Lunar is a true cult classic.
_____________________________________________
DRAGON FORCE - Sega
Watch Dragon Force: 1, 2
It's hard to beat the visceral thrill of watching 200 high quality sprites duking it out across a massive battlefield. In setting the player towards a goal of conquering all the nations on a continent, Dragon Force provided an SRPG experience that was pure fun.
_____________________________________________
GRANDIA - Game Arts
Strategic, interactive battles, intense skill progression system, a great story about adventure and exploration, and the best delivery of video game mythology means that Game Arts has struck gold again.
Watch Grandia: 1
_____________________________________________
BEYOND OASIS - Sega (Ancient)
Watch Beyond Oasis: 1
This game places a fast, fluid, Streets of Rage-styled brawling beat-'em-up combat system into an action RPG with an amazing Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack. Play the prince of a desert kingdom as he gains the aid of four elemental spirits that he can summon with his golden armlet.
_____________________________________________
SKIES OF ARCADIA - Sega
Air pirates in a world full of floating islands, tons of exploration, and the first great console RPG to really tackle true 3D game design. Incredible music, a great cast of characters, and airship-to-airship battles also helped make Skies of Arcadia what it was.
_____________________________________________
LEGEND OF OASIS - Sega (Ancient)
Watch Legend of Oasis: 1, 2
The brawling action RPG series returns for a stunning prequel, this time with more elemental spirits, more dungeons, more weapons, more combos, and one of Yuzo Koshiro's best scores yet.
_____________________________________________
PHANTASY STAR I - Sega
While PSIV brought the epic series to a close, you can't forget how Sega's best RPG series began, and just how groundbreaking it was. Released in Japan just two days after Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star took a decidedly different view of JRPGing with its sci-fi worlds, western design concepts, and 3D dungeon exploration.
_____________________________________________
PHANTASY STAR II - Sega
Arguably the first console RPG where story and character became significant enough that the player could really be emotionally affected by the goings' on, that still never stopped PSII from sidelining its emphasis on awesome gameplay -- namely, lots of dungeon crawling and a brutal difficulty level that could leave you dead after a moment's carelessness.
_____________________________________________
SHINING FORCE II - Sega (Camelot)
Sure, the Shining Force franchise borrowed plenty from Fire Emblem -- but hey, at least it did it well. The stories were fun, and the games managed to present a truly accessible SRPG experience by mixing SRPG gameplay with traditional RPG designs like towns, NPCs, wandering a world map, and an important focus on levels and equipment.
Watch Shining Force II: 1
_____________________________________________
SHINING THE HOLY ARK - Sega (Camelot)
Watch Shining the Holy Ark: 1, 2, 3
No SRPGing this time around -- Shining the Holy Ark puts players into enormous, labyrinthine dungeons that must be carefully navigated, all while battling challenging and very lethal turn-based fights. Go slowly, and take care.
_____________________________________________
WARSONG - NCS/Masaya
One of the earliest console SRPGs, released just a year after Fire Emblem -- and taking the genre in a totally different direction. Challenging, extremely innovative, and a blast to play. Read more on Warsong here
_____________________________________________
PHANTASY STAR ONLINE - Sega
Though it wasn't quite what a lot of long-time Phantasy Star fans wanted, it's still hard to deny that PSO was, in fact, quite awesome. It was the first online console RPG, and by putting its emphasis on gaming with small groups (4 maximum) of friends in isolated instances, all for free, it made for an outstanding multiplayer experience.
_____________________________________________
RECORD OF LODOSS WAR - Neverland/ESP Software
Now this is great hack 'n slash action RPGing as it was meant to be done.
_____________________________________________
SHADOWRUN - FASA / Sega
The future's a twisted place, and that's why this dystopian Blade Runneresque RPG is so much fun. There were several Shadowrun RPGs made during the 16-bit era, but each one was unique -- and while many people mostly remember the SNES game, the Genesis Shadowrun was definitively the best.
_____________________________________________
LIGHT CRUSADER - Sega (Treasure)
The only true RPG ever made by Treasure, the guys behind Radiant silvergun and Sin & Punishment, this game is striking for how remarkably western it seems. Light Crusader puts you in the role of the knight David, who while vacationing in the country town of Greenrow, must investigate the disappearance of the town's citizens by slashing his way through a dangerous monster-and-puzzle infested dungeon.
_____________________________________________
EL DORADO GATE - Capcom
Capcom was breaking new ground with El Dorado Gate -- an episodic, serial console RPG series. Each volume of El Dorado Gate was broken down into three chapters of an overall story, accentuated by top-notch 2D visuals and Yoshitaka Amano artwork.
_____________________________________________
SHINING FORCE III - Sega (Camelot)
The biggest Shining Force game of all times isn't actually a single game -- it's three. The story of Shining Force III is so big that it spans across multiple games, each of which stars a different, unique hero. Their stories overlap, and the actions you take in one game will impact what happens in the others. The series also introduced 3D graphics and its Buddy System here.
In fact, though I know it's a controversial stance, I'd go so far as to say that strictly comparing English releases, the Genesis was just about even with the SNES in terms of RPG quality, even though it's the SNES that always gets all the glory (its Japanese-exclusive support is something else entirely, of course). And even though the Saturn and the Dreamcast couldn't compete in numbers with the PlayStation or PS2, they still proved themselves to be awesome secondary RPG consoles with a slew of worthwhile gems that any fan of the genre should own and play.
Notably, Sega managed to deliver at least one of the most defining RPGs each console generation. And if that wasn't enough, it wasn't just Sega. Want some Atlus? They showed these systems plenty of love. Game Arts? Treausre? Nihon Falcom? They were there in force.
These games don't get near enough love. So that's what this thread is about: celebrating the fantastic RPG legacy of Sega's home consoles. Here's the place to share your love and talk about the RPGs you most enjoyed.
_____________________________________________
PHANTASY STAR IV: END OF THE MILLENNIUM - Sega
Sega's flagship RPG series came to its conclusion in this incredible, epic game that mixed planet-hopping space adventure in the Algo Solar System with old school RPG battling. Use preprogrammed command macros to pull off devastating combo attacks by timing skills and magic. A 16-bit classic to rival the likes of Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger.
Watch Phantasy Star IV: 1
_____________________________________________
PANZER DRAGOON SAGA - Sega
Full voice acting for every in-game character, full 3D environments, camera control during cutscenes, and a realistic day/night cycle? Now imagine all of this in a game made back in 1998, and it's easy to see how Panzer Dragoon Saga is one of the most ambitious RPGs ever made. Thankfully its status as the first great cinematic RPG isn't all it rides on -- it's also got a fantastic story, a spectacular score and fast, highly strategic gameplay.
Watch Panzer Dragoon Saga: 1 (game introduction), 2, 3
_____________________________________________
LUNAR: THE SILVER STAR - Game Arts
It wasn't the first game they brought to the US, but Lunar was the game that put Working Designs on the map. With its endearing story (made great by the cast of characters), charming sprites, and challenging old school battles, Lunar is a true cult classic.
_____________________________________________
DRAGON FORCE - Sega
Watch Dragon Force: 1, 2
It's hard to beat the visceral thrill of watching 200 high quality sprites duking it out across a massive battlefield. In setting the player towards a goal of conquering all the nations on a continent, Dragon Force provided an SRPG experience that was pure fun.
_____________________________________________
GRANDIA - Game Arts
Strategic, interactive battles, intense skill progression system, a great story about adventure and exploration, and the best delivery of video game mythology means that Game Arts has struck gold again.
Watch Grandia: 1
_____________________________________________
BEYOND OASIS - Sega (Ancient)
Watch Beyond Oasis: 1
This game places a fast, fluid, Streets of Rage-styled brawling beat-'em-up combat system into an action RPG with an amazing Yuzo Koshiro soundtrack. Play the prince of a desert kingdom as he gains the aid of four elemental spirits that he can summon with his golden armlet.
_____________________________________________
SKIES OF ARCADIA - Sega
Air pirates in a world full of floating islands, tons of exploration, and the first great console RPG to really tackle true 3D game design. Incredible music, a great cast of characters, and airship-to-airship battles also helped make Skies of Arcadia what it was.
_____________________________________________
LEGEND OF OASIS - Sega (Ancient)
Watch Legend of Oasis: 1, 2
The brawling action RPG series returns for a stunning prequel, this time with more elemental spirits, more dungeons, more weapons, more combos, and one of Yuzo Koshiro's best scores yet.
_____________________________________________
PHANTASY STAR I - Sega
While PSIV brought the epic series to a close, you can't forget how Sega's best RPG series began, and just how groundbreaking it was. Released in Japan just two days after Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star took a decidedly different view of JRPGing with its sci-fi worlds, western design concepts, and 3D dungeon exploration.
_____________________________________________
PHANTASY STAR II - Sega
Arguably the first console RPG where story and character became significant enough that the player could really be emotionally affected by the goings' on, that still never stopped PSII from sidelining its emphasis on awesome gameplay -- namely, lots of dungeon crawling and a brutal difficulty level that could leave you dead after a moment's carelessness.
_____________________________________________
SHINING FORCE II - Sega (Camelot)
Sure, the Shining Force franchise borrowed plenty from Fire Emblem -- but hey, at least it did it well. The stories were fun, and the games managed to present a truly accessible SRPG experience by mixing SRPG gameplay with traditional RPG designs like towns, NPCs, wandering a world map, and an important focus on levels and equipment.
Watch Shining Force II: 1
_____________________________________________
SHINING THE HOLY ARK - Sega (Camelot)
Watch Shining the Holy Ark: 1, 2, 3
No SRPGing this time around -- Shining the Holy Ark puts players into enormous, labyrinthine dungeons that must be carefully navigated, all while battling challenging and very lethal turn-based fights. Go slowly, and take care.
_____________________________________________
WARSONG - NCS/Masaya
One of the earliest console SRPGs, released just a year after Fire Emblem -- and taking the genre in a totally different direction. Challenging, extremely innovative, and a blast to play. Read more on Warsong here
_____________________________________________
PHANTASY STAR ONLINE - Sega
Though it wasn't quite what a lot of long-time Phantasy Star fans wanted, it's still hard to deny that PSO was, in fact, quite awesome. It was the first online console RPG, and by putting its emphasis on gaming with small groups (4 maximum) of friends in isolated instances, all for free, it made for an outstanding multiplayer experience.
_____________________________________________
RECORD OF LODOSS WAR - Neverland/ESP Software
Now this is great hack 'n slash action RPGing as it was meant to be done.
_____________________________________________
SHADOWRUN - FASA / Sega
The future's a twisted place, and that's why this dystopian Blade Runneresque RPG is so much fun. There were several Shadowrun RPGs made during the 16-bit era, but each one was unique -- and while many people mostly remember the SNES game, the Genesis Shadowrun was definitively the best.
_____________________________________________
LIGHT CRUSADER - Sega (Treasure)
The only true RPG ever made by Treasure, the guys behind Radiant silvergun and Sin & Punishment, this game is striking for how remarkably western it seems. Light Crusader puts you in the role of the knight David, who while vacationing in the country town of Greenrow, must investigate the disappearance of the town's citizens by slashing his way through a dangerous monster-and-puzzle infested dungeon.
_____________________________________________
EL DORADO GATE - Capcom
Capcom was breaking new ground with El Dorado Gate -- an episodic, serial console RPG series. Each volume of El Dorado Gate was broken down into three chapters of an overall story, accentuated by top-notch 2D visuals and Yoshitaka Amano artwork.
_____________________________________________
SHINING FORCE III - Sega (Camelot)
The biggest Shining Force game of all times isn't actually a single game -- it's three. The story of Shining Force III is so big that it spans across multiple games, each of which stars a different, unique hero. Their stories overlap, and the actions you take in one game will impact what happens in the others. The series also introduced 3D graphics and its Buddy System here.