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[Jucksalbe]

And more I know I'm probably forgetting but ugh that system was just amazing for JRPG lovers.

People always forget Grandia.

 

[Almighty]

PS1 era no contest. I also liked the SNES era as well, but when i think if great console RPGs most of them are on the PS1. Though the real answer is pretty much the all of the 90s was the golden age of RPGs.

 

[Earthpainting]

My mind instantly went to the RPGs of the 90s, but if I had to pick between the 16 and 32-bit eras, I'd probably sooner lean closer to the 16-bit one.

Glorified SNES games with cutscenes. There are a couple exceptions, but they're not really what I would call "pushing the envelope" in anything.

This was a pretty interesting remark, I must say. I didn't really think about it before, but I think I can see where you're coming from. At least mechanically speaking, the game design of most of those games seems viable on 16-bit systems.

 

[kswiston]

This was a pretty interesting remark, I must say. I didn't really think about it before, but I think I can see where you're coming from. At least mechanically speaking, the game design of most of those games seems viable on 16-bit systems.

You'd have an easier time doing something like Final Fantasy VI on NES than you would Parasite Eve on SNES.

 

[Lomax]

I'm partial to the SNES era, but I think realistically speaking, in terms of popularity and number of quality games, the peak has to have been in the PS1 era. But SNES era wins the nostalgia wars just on the strength of the holy trinity alone in my mind (FF3, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana).

 

[Damigos]

PS1.

That is the correct answer

 

[Earthpainting]

You'd have an easier time doing something like Final Fantasy VI on NES than you would Parasite Eve on SNES.

While I agree with your two particular examples, and I wasn't really counting Parasite Eve in that "most", I do think Parasite Eve's battle system shares a lot of core elements with Live-A-Live's, Robotrek's and Star Ocean's. Aesthetically they look very different, but they are essentially about positioning yourself in the arena, and knowing the range of the weapons and spells in play. The games pause the action to let you choose your menu-selections, and to do the more complex calculations and checks. Perhaps it can even be seen as a real-time SRPG battle system with relatively brainless AI?

The big difference is that in Parasite Eve, you had to reload your basic attack every few turns, everyone has unlimited movement between its ATB turns, and that it wasn't locked to a grid, though the latter was hardly an essential part of the combat. Outside of its battle system, it really doesn't have anything overly complex going on as far as I remember. The core game should be within the system's capabilities. Whether I'm talking out of my arse or not, it was a fun thought exercise either way.

 

[JaseMath]

Modern. Between my Wii U and Vita, I have more RPGs than I know what to do with.

Spoiler

Cheating, I know

 

[Shinta]

While I agree with your two particular examples, and I wasn't really counting Parasite Eve in that "most", I do think Parasite Eve's battle system shares a lot of core elements with Live-A-Live's, Robotrek's and Star Ocean's. Aesthetically they look very different, but they are essentially about positioning yourself in the arena, and knowing the range of the weapons and spells in play. The games pause the action to let you choose your menu-selections, and to do the more complex calculations and checks. Perhaps it can even be seen as a real-time SRPG battle system with relatively brainless AI?

The big difference is that in Parasite Eve, you had to reload your basic attack every few turns, everyone has unlimited movement between its ATB turns, and that it wasn't locked to a grid, though the latter was hardly an essential part of the combat. Outside of its battle system, it really doesn't have anything overly complex going on as far as I remember. The core game should be within the system's capabilities. Whether I'm talking out of my arse or not, it was a fun thought exercise either way.

Yeah, I agree. Parasite Eve isn't too terribly different from the kind of positioning you do in Chrono Trigger. It has a different system, but nothing that couldn't have been done in a similar way on SNES I think.

 

[DSix]

The 90's. The snes and ps1 were absolute jrpg beasts. Nothing ever came close since.

 

[CuckFupertino]

I guess I would say the "golden age" of JRPGs was the 16 bit era.

Games like Chrono Trigger, FFIV, and FFVI are nearly timeless, and they all hold up very well today. However, my actual preferences on what I consider my favorite are different. I wouldn't say the modern era is the "golden age" because it just seems like it's too soon to judge without any time passing. And the term "golden age" seems to hint at historical significance too, which we can't really judge yet for the modern era.

My actual favorite eras:

1) The Modern Era: I honestly think the best JRPGs I've played are from this generation. NieR, FFXIII/XIII-2/Lightning Returns, Dragon's Dogma, Lost Odyssey, Demon's/Dark Souls, Fire Emblem Awakening, Valkyria Chronicles are all fantastic and among my favorite games ever. The DS alone has a library that rivals the PS2, and the PSP is no slouch either. I think this is my clear favorite.

2) The "New-ish" Era: FFX, FFXI, FFXII, Dragon Quest VIII, Persona 4, and more. Lots of fantastic games that still hold up today very well.

3) The 16-bit Era: Chrono Trigger, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, and on. They still hold up today, and there are many masterpieces.

4) The Polygon Era: I honestly think this is the most overrated era in JRPGs by far. Most of these games are painful for me to play today. The graphics are often ugly, the loading times are the longest, and the games are often slow as well. These games were bested before and after their release.

5) The 8-bit Era: I don't think anyone seriously considers this a contender for anything but last place.

I'm sure I'm not the only one to disagree with you on your favorite era of JRPGs, so rather than argue the failings of the entire FF13 trilogy, I will instead raise the point that several games you mentioned defy the typical categorization as JRPG. Granted of course I'm not the authority on this, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but here's the deal:

1. Nier isn't so much of a JRPG. If anything, it's an action-RPG made in Japan.

2. Dragon's Dogma and the Souls series aren't really JRPGs, either. They are also action RPGs that happen to be made in Japan. In the case of Souls games especially, they play, look, and act nothing like a JRPG.

3. As far as Fire Emblem is concerned, there is still a debate about whether SRPGs (strategy RPGs) can be categorized as JRPGs, or if they inhabit their own category. I realize that's an entirely academic distinction, and I am interested to hear what people think.

Anyway, since I mentioned earlier I disagree that the modern era is the best for JRPGs, I might as well let you know what I think is the best era.

I'm going to have to side with the PS1 "Polygon" era. I made this point in a comment on the Kotaku article, but I'll make it again. I think a lot of which era you find the best has to do with your age and nostalgia. I believe two factors are critical to my attachment to PS1 JPRGs.

1. When I was 13 years old, I had way more time to spend playing video games. Locking myself in my room and playing 5 hours straight of Final Fantasy Tactics was a totally viable option then. It's not really an option now. Although I still love JRPGs, these days I just don't have the time to dedicate to conquer many 40 hour+ games.

2. When I was a wee lad, I could barely afford a new game every couple of months. This meant I had to choose judiciously, and usually whichever game I was playing was the only one I owned. Now-a-days, I own 150+ games on Steam, and have a console backlog that my 13-year old self would salivate over. Truthfully, I'll never play half those games. I'll never finish more than 25% of them. The problem with JRPGs, especially, is when I hit a "boring" patch, or a slow beginning, or a boss I'm stuck at. It's far too easy to walk away from that game and get distracted by any of the other hundred or so Steam titles I own. When I was 13, I didn't have this luxury, and I played the hell out of whichever games I owned, because I had no other options.

So then, PS1 is my favorite era. Although the graphics are certainly terrible, and many games are clunky and awkward, I have the most nostalgia for Final Fantasy VII, VIII (I actually hate that game), and IX. Furthermore, I played Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV, and Final Fantasy V on the PS1 for the first time, so although they are ports their experiences are tied to that generation of consoles for me. That's not even to mention all the other games I missed and have since gone back to play, including Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Suikoden II, and many more.

 

[ShowDog]

32 bit era has to be the best. I don't like people saying PS1 era because Saturn had a few worthwhile RPGs... Sadly they didn't all make it to NA.

I was lucky enough to ask for Panzer Dragoon Saga for Christmas one year and my non-tech savvy mother walked into the local game store, read the name off a scrap of paper and walked out of the store with a copy for $40 somehow. I had read a raving review in my imported copy of Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) and didn't realize how rare the game was until a few years later.

 

[Rhapsody]

16 bit. Polygon era was pretty good too, but 16 bit was where it was best for me.

Felt like there were a lot of creativity involved given the restrictions of the consoles, creating some really good stuff.

 

[kevm3]

Yes all those Square classic franchises like Phantasy Star, Ogre Battle, SoulBlazer, Earthbound, Shining Force, Legend of Zelda, Monster World, LandStalker, Lufia, Lunar, Ys, Popful Mail, Breath of Fire, Exile, etc.

Lufia, Ys, Popful Mail, Soul Blazer and Landstalker might be great games, but they typically aren't considered in the same tier as Square's best of the best. They aren't the games most people think of first when they think of SNES rpg or 16 bit rpg. The real standouts of 16-bit are mostly Squaresoft. Most of those are more along the lines of 'niche'. If we're going to bring those into the equation, I can add Kartia, Thousand Arms, Tales of Destiny, Arc the Lad, Legend of Dragoon, Legend of legaia, Alundra 1 and 2, Legend of Mana, Front Mission 3, Star Ocean Second story, Wild Arms I and 2 and that's just on playstation. saturn had albert odyssey, shining force 3, panzer dragoon saga, among others.

 

[kswiston]

Yeah, I agree. Parasite Eve isn't too terribly different from the kind of positioning you do in Chrono Trigger. It has a different system, but nothing that couldn't have been done in a similar way on SNES I think.

What positioning in Chrono Trigger? If you are going to be that reductionist, then most of the 16-bit rpgs are just minor revisions of systems that were in place on the NES/SMS. What couldn't be done in a scaled down manner on the 8-bit systems afterall?

 

[NIN90]

I don't think any 16-bit JRPG were even released in europe so it's easily the PS1 for me.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

I'm sure I'm not the only one to disagree with you on your favorite era of JRPGs, so rather than argue the failings of the entire FF13 trilogy, I will instead raise the point that several games you mentioned defy the typical categorization as JRPG. Granted of course I'm not the authority on this, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but here's the deal:

What "typical categorization"? Nobody can actually agree whether the term JRPG is a genre or just an umbrella term.

 

[Jucksalbe]

I don't think any 16-bit JRPG were even released in europe so it's easily the PS1 for me.

Sure, we've got a few. The Soul Blazer trilogy, Lufia 2, Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire 1+2 and Mystic Quest Legend are some I can think of right now.
Edit: Plus Mega Drive games, of course, I'm not as familiar with them, though.

 

[sörine]

Lufia, Ys, Popful Mail, Soul Blazer and Landstalker might be great games, but they typically aren't considered in the same tier as Square's best of the best. They aren't the games most people think of first when they think of SNES rpg or 16 bit rpg. The real standouts of 16-bit are mostly Squaresoft. Most of those are more along the lines of 'niche'. If we're going to bring those into the equation, I can add Kartia, Thousand Arms, Tales of Destiny, Arc the Lad, Legend of Dragoon, Legend of legaia, Alundra 1 and 2, Legend of Mana, Front Mission 3, Star Ocean Second story, Wild Arms I and 2 and that's just on playstation. saturn had albert odyssey, shining force 3, panzer dragoon saga, among others.

You did already add most of those in your previous statements. And Kartia, Legend of Dragoon and Legalia are all awful anyway.

Lufia II is held up pretty high, as are Ys I & II, LandStalker and the entire SoulBlazer trilogy. Terranigma is definitely considered on par with the Squaresoft classics and LandStalker is seen as Sega's Zelda 3.

 

[Ludist210]

I would like to think a mix of 2 and 3. That's my personal opinion, anyway.

 

[old]

The golden age crossed generations. I would peg it as 1995-2005. There were a few just outside of that decade but that's where the bulk of them are.

 

[captmcblack]

PS1 alone carries the PS1 era to the top of the game. Square's output in that time was pretty much bulletproof...but Enix was killing it, as was Capcom, Konami and others. Even the three main publishers (Sony, Nintendo, and Sega) had their own output in this era that was on-point.

SNES was awesome, but the PS2/GCN/Dreamcast/GBA era allowed me to play everything in that era along with the great new stuff that came out alongside it.

Polygon era > Newish era > SNES era > Modern era > 8-bit era.

 

[Earthpainting]

What positioning in Chrono Trigger?

While you have no control over the positioning of your playable characters in Chrono Trigger, enemies would move around between turns. If you timed your attacks right, you could hit multiple enemies with a single attack. For example, Crono's Wind Slash blasts out towards an enemy in a line. Any other target between you and the chosen one will also get hit by the blast. You could get a lot more mileage out of your MP once you got the hang of it.

Yeah, I agree. Parasite Eve isn't too terribly different from the kind of positioning you do in Chrono Trigger. It has a different system, but nothing that couldn't have been done in a similar way on SNES I think.

I can see it. Should they have cut the party count down to one, drawn circles for the AOE rather than marking the enemies themselves, and allowed direct control over your main character's location, Chrono Trigger wouldn't be many steps removed from Parasite Eve's combat. I doubt anything of Parasite Eve would need to get scaled back, aside from the presentation, as it's essentially a 2D game. That said, the presentation is a big part of that package.

 

[NIN90]

Sure, we've got a few. The Soul Blazer trilogy, Lufia 2, Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire 1+2 and Mystic Quest Legend are some I can think of right now.
Edit: Plus Mega Drive games, of course, I'm not as familiar with them, though.

Yeah, but none of the "heavy hitters" like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 4+6 or Earthbound. At least not outside the UK to my knowledge.

 

[Flarin]

PS1 without question. FF7 caught the gaming world on fire and everyone wanted a piece of that sweet JRPG goodness. There may have been a few really good SNES JRPGs (Earthbound, FF6, Chrono Triggger), but PS1 had the breadth of quality titles.

Just look at the PS1 classics section for JRPGs and you'll never run out of awesome games to play. FF7, 9, Tactics, Legend of Dragoon, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Grandia, etc.

 

[aravuus]

PS1 followed by PS2, easily.

FF VI and Chrono Trigger are great but not nearly enough to bring the 16-bit era above PS1 and PS2.

 

[Vestal]

16-bit

Final Fantasies
Chrono Trigger
Breath of Fire
Secret of Mana
7th Saga

Lunar 1-2
Phantasy Stars
Sword of Vermillion

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

Probably a bit surprising since we make 16-bit throwback RPGs, but the PS2/Gamecube/Xbox generation is my personal favorite. So much Shin Megami Tensei goodness (finally localized) plus Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, Dragon Quest 8, FFX, Suikoden 5, Wild Arms 4, etc.

 

[djtiesto]

I've been playing 'em since the 8 bit era, but I'll have to say, 16-bit and 32-bit are my favorites, with the 16-bit being #1 due to it having my favorite game of all time (Phantasy Star 2) and a host of other undeniable classics.

If I could rank them:

1) 16-bit era: Lots of games that have stood the test of time, the RPG being refined from its 8-bit roots into an art form. How many "Best RPG ever" lists do Chrono Trigger and FF6 top? Nearly all of them. Add to this all the fan-translated RPGs and it's the clear winner.

Favorite games: Phantasy Star 2, Phantasy Star 4, FF4-6, Dragon Quest 5-6, Chrono Trigger, Ys Book 1 and 2, Ys 4, Live A Live, Shining Force 1-2, Star Ocean, Lufia 2, Emerald Dragon, Tengai Makyo 1 and 2, Langrisser/Warsong, Landstalker, SoulBlazer, Terranigma

2) 32-bit era: The floodgates have opened and we got more localizations than ever. This is where I felt that RPG storylines were at their peak, complicated, original, tackling more mature and abstract subject matter (plus, translators no longer had to deal with Nintendo's family friendly censorship policy). Unconventional and unique gameplay mechanics also thrived, like Valkyrie Profile's mix of platforming and timing-based combat, or Panzer Dragoon Saga's position-based ATB, or Growlanser's RTS/RPG hybrid combat.

Favorite games: Star Ocean 2, Valkyrie Profile, Xenogears, FF7, FF9, FF Tactics, Dragon Quest 7, Lunar: Silver Star Story, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Grandia, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Shining Force 3, Breath of Fire 3, Front Mission 3, Wild Arms, Suikoden, Suikoden 2, Tengai Makyou IV

3) 8-bit era: It was my introduction to the genre, and the original Phantasy Star is the game that solidified my love for it. Granted, many 8-bit era RPGs have lots of grinding, and are simplistic compared to what came before it, but there's a certain charm to that. A lot of this is nostalgia talking, though.

Favorite games: Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy 1 and 3, Dragon Quest 3 and 4, Crystalis

4) PS2/GC/Xbox era: The number of RPGs released in the states may even be greater than the 32-bit era, but it felt like a transition period for the genre. Budgetary restraints, linearity and a smaller scope, poor voice acting, 'feature creep' and extraneous subsystems, lots of filler, featured in many games around this time. That being said, there were still a number of gems being released, and I look back much fondly on this compared to what was to come.

Favorite games: Dragon Quest 8, Skies of Arcadia, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2, Persona 3 and 4, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, Baten Kaitos: Origins, Tales of the Abyss, Wild Arms 3, Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria

5) DS/PSP/Wii/360/PS3 era: The large exodus to handhelds was a bit of a downer for someone who prefers the 'comfy couch, big screen' style of play. The problems that first started in the PS2/GC/Xbox era revealed themselves even more fully here. Several great development houses went MIA or just straight-up closed. A few great and innovative games were released, but got totally ignored (or trashed) in the press during a whole westaboo, "I love AAA gaming" phase.

Favorite games: Xenoblade, Resonance of Fate, Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Vesperia, Nier, Radiant Historia, The World Ends With You, Growlanser IV PSP, the DS DQ remakes

6) The present to the future era: Japanese games have mostly moved to cellphones, so even the traditional handhelds are dying off. The PS4/Xbox One/WiiU have nothing to speak of as far as RPGs go (with FFXV and KH3 being far off and absolutely nothing else interesting announced), the 3DS has a few but most of those have been left in Japan... the Vita has a few too but most of those are low-budget affairs and/or left in Japan. As much as I hate to say this, I don't think the situation is gonna improve any time soon either, with console gaming gasping its last breaths in Japan. The only positives I can see are that Japanese and niche games are getting a bit more attention as people have gotten sick of the shallow, samey "AAA" stuff crammed down everyone's throats... and now even western indies are attempting their own takes on the genre to mixed results. Also a mixture of Kickstarter, some famous Japanese devs going independent, some companies becoming a bit more aware that people outside of Japan enjoy their games, may mean this isn't over yet...

Favorite games: Bravely Default, Soul Hackers, Ys: Memories of Celceta

 

[Chinbo37]

I think PS1/Saturn was when the JRPG genre reached its peak. SNES was amazing no doubt but the graphics and gameplay had advanced enough that the next gen was amazing.

 

[apresmode]

Thank you! I think it's one of the best games of that generation. So sad that some people just couldn't get over how different it was.

I replayed it about a year ago and it held up without any issues.

Yep! I think the poor reception from fans of the series really led to the downfall of the series. It's really unfortunate. I can only wonder where the series may have gone if they had been able to make another for the PS2 or PS3.

I loved Dragon Quarter. It took a bit to get into it at first, but I really embraced what they were going for. I can't really enjoy JRPGs very much anymore. This game did something different when others wouldn't, and still don't. Maybe someday another will come along like it.

For my input on the golden age though, it has to be the late PS1 to late PS2 era.

 

[AuthenticM]

I think it ranges between the SNES and PS2 generations. JRPGs disappeared with the coming of HD to consoles.