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NeoGAF's Essential RPGs - 2015 edition
- Thread starter kswiston
- Start date
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
My man
threelights
Member
I guess I won't be spending much time explaining, but let's go (no real order).
1) Final Fantasy VII (3 points) - Just to get it out of the way. FFVII did some things that more JRPGs should try, and I loved every second of this game. Also Gold Saucer.
2) Persona 4 - I need to get into the mainline SMT games =X, but Social Links are the best invention humanity has made in a long time.
3) Final Fantasy VI - Great game.
4) Mana Khemia 2 - I actually like 1 better, but I'm putting 2 since it's the overall better game.
5) Tales of Legendia - (insert explanation here)
6) Ys 7 - And here I break my logic, because Oath in Felghana is the better game, but I'm putting 7 on the list.
7) Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep - I could easily fit every KH game here, I love this series so much.
8) Kingdom Hearts 2 - Because they didn't contain themselves with the story and improved in every aspect over the first game.
9) Chrono Trigger - I'm not nostalgic to the point of thinking this is a flawless perfect masterpiece. But it's pretty damn good.
10) The World Ends With You - It's pretty good.
Honorable Mentions
11) Persona 3 - Just to mention it.
12) Xenoblade - For almost every pro there's a con in this game.
13) Final Fantasy XIII - Because this game is loved by everyone (seriously though, it's here for the battle system and boss fights alone, pretty much the opposite of Xenoblade)
14) Final Fantasy Type-0 - Initially it would be Crisis Core here, but Type-0 is better and not tied to another game.
15) Ys Oath in Felghana - I'll put it here
15) Final Fantasy XII - Can Ito direct another FF game already?
17) Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories - Because it has such an original battle system that works and puts you through challenges with it.
18) Dragons Dogma - It would be the 3 point one had I played as much as I wanted. God Capcpom, please, more.
19) Skyrim - I like everything that is not the battle system, bosses and monster designs.
20) Dark Souls - Just to put something different here...
Unranked Honorable Mentions
- Dissidia Duodecim
That is my super creative and interesting list, as you can see, I play a lot of WRPGs and I'm a hardcore oldschool gamer.
I actually left out a bunch of series, but it's actually hard to remember everything I've played =X, I'm okay with this list though.
1) Final Fantasy VII (3 points) - Just to get it out of the way. FFVII did some things that more JRPGs should try, and I loved every second of this game. Also Gold Saucer.
2) Persona 4 - I need to get into the mainline SMT games =X, but Social Links are the best invention humanity has made in a long time.
3) Final Fantasy VI - Great game.
4) Mana Khemia 2 - I actually like 1 better, but I'm putting 2 since it's the overall better game.
5) Tales of Legendia - (insert explanation here)
6) Ys 7 - And here I break my logic, because Oath in Felghana is the better game, but I'm putting 7 on the list.
7) Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep - I could easily fit every KH game here, I love this series so much.
8) Kingdom Hearts 2 - Because they didn't contain themselves with the story and improved in every aspect over the first game.
9) Chrono Trigger - I'm not nostalgic to the point of thinking this is a flawless perfect masterpiece. But it's pretty damn good.
10) The World Ends With You - It's pretty good.
Honorable Mentions
11) Persona 3 - Just to mention it.
12) Xenoblade - For almost every pro there's a con in this game.
13) Final Fantasy XIII - Because this game is loved by everyone (seriously though, it's here for the battle system and boss fights alone, pretty much the opposite of Xenoblade)
14) Final Fantasy Type-0 - Initially it would be Crisis Core here, but Type-0 is better and not tied to another game.
15) Ys Oath in Felghana - I'll put it here
15) Final Fantasy XII - Can Ito direct another FF game already?
17) Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories - Because it has such an original battle system that works and puts you through challenges with it.
18) Dragons Dogma - It would be the 3 point one had I played as much as I wanted. God Capcpom, please, more.
19) Skyrim - I like everything that is not the battle system, bosses and monster designs.
20) Dark Souls - Just to put something different here...
Unranked Honorable Mentions
- Dissidia Duodecim
That is my super creative and interesting list, as you can see, I play a lot of WRPGs and I'm a hardcore oldschool gamer.
I actually left out a bunch of series, but it's actually hard to remember everything I've played =X, I'm okay with this list though.
Vaudeville Villain
Member
1. Persona 4 (3 points): Persona 4 really blew me out of the water when I played it. I had heard great things, but did not expect what was given. The combat was turn based, nothing to write home about, but it’s the world the game created that surprised me. An interesting cast of characters with their own insecurities and how they deal with those insecurities. One of the best parts of the game was the social link; I preferred it to the combat of the game. In fact, I found myself wanting to rush through the dungeons to get back into town to continue w/e social links were available. Great RPG that should NOT be missed.
2. Final Fantasy VI: This is, hands down, one of the greatest RPGs ever. A HUGE cast of characters, all well written, which is saying something, some rpgs have trouble writing even a few interesting characters. Awesome themes, dealing with loss, family values etc. Awesome, memorable moments due to excellent direction. A few moments that really stand out are the phantom train, the solitary island, and the opera scene. Now that, that is all out of the way, we go on to my personal favorite part of the game, which ties in with the well written charcaters bit, the villain, Kefka. This villain, frightened me. He is easily the most evil, ruthless villain, that video games have ever birthed. He is quite literally a psychopath, very unpredictable and relentless. “…why do you yearn to live, knowing all things must die?” If that quote does not sell you, I’m afraid I cannot help you.
3: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: KotoR2 is better than Kotor 1 and needs to be played. The first Kotor is not bad, but when you compare it to 2, it becomes a boring and poorly written game (WHEN COMPARED!). The characters are a VAST improvement over the first, each character has an interesting backstory, I found myself caring for almost all of the characters presented. Not like in 1, where I only liked about 2-3. The writing in general is leagues better in 2. The NPC’s in the world actually assumes a history, instead of spouting exposition at you, your character will reveal information in his own dialogue options. The game was also a total deconstruction of what we knew about the force. There is no black and white, Dark side and light side options. It all had a touch of grey, just phenomenal writing all around. Good job obsidian. This game must be played with the restore content mod.
4. Xenoblade: Such an excellent game, traversing through a wonderful, colorful world while listening to the music was highly enjoyable. Seriously, the world is outstanding. Gorgeous scenery in almost every area of the game. A great cast of characters to go along with the story. All of this is coupled with a phenomenal combat system.
5. Dark Souls: Man, what to say that has not been said about this game? The game opens up introducing you to the world, you’re shown a world that is bleak and terrifying in nature. Amazing gameplay that punishes you for making little mistakes and rewards all the same for taking certain risks. A deep and interesting story that is not hand fed to you, if you would like to learn about the world than you must search for it by reading items or talking to NPC’s. I urge people to pick this up and play it, if you haven’t already. Skip DS2, and maybe even Demon souls (though not really recommended) and just pick this up and play. The difficulty is exaggerated.
6. Final Fantasy XII: If it was not for 6, final fantasy 12 would be my favorite FF game. A vast and interesting world filled with fun, interesting and different cultures. A fun, fresh twist on the combat, the traditional jRPG turn based system has been replaced with a real-time combat system. Approach the enemy and fight or just avoid it. The game features an interesting cast of characters, each with their own motivations for joining the crew. I highly recommend this game.
7. Final Fantasy VII: It’s Final Fantasy 7
8. Fire Emblem: Awakening: Easily the best rpg on the 3DS. The graphics and animations are pretty damn good, great music and gameplay. The gameplay is fun, it seems less strategic than the previous entries, but that is not necessarily a fault, for me at least. The cast of characters are all enjoyable and have great moments when they develop together. Please do yourself a favor and pick this up.
9. The Witcher 2: One of the best wRPG games I’ve played. I had fun with the combat, it wasn’t the greatest, but it did its job. The game really shines in its story and writing, very enjoyable.
10. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: The best in the series. Morrowind does not hold your hand. You are thrown into the world, with a letter that says to go find some guy with no direction. That’s it. The world is dangerous and you feel absolutely worthless for the first couple of hours. A completely unforgiving game that was phenomenal. Do what you want, when you want. No one will stop you. Killed a quest npc? Too bad, as the game puts it "…persist in the doomed world you have created." You molded your story. The alien world was far more fascinating than what was presented with the later entries. All of this is finished off with the wonderful score written by Jeremy Soule. Probably one of the greatest soundtracks in video game history, imho.
2. Final Fantasy VI: This is, hands down, one of the greatest RPGs ever. A HUGE cast of characters, all well written, which is saying something, some rpgs have trouble writing even a few interesting characters. Awesome themes, dealing with loss, family values etc. Awesome, memorable moments due to excellent direction. A few moments that really stand out are the phantom train, the solitary island, and the opera scene. Now that, that is all out of the way, we go on to my personal favorite part of the game, which ties in with the well written charcaters bit, the villain, Kefka. This villain, frightened me. He is easily the most evil, ruthless villain, that video games have ever birthed. He is quite literally a psychopath, very unpredictable and relentless. “…why do you yearn to live, knowing all things must die?” If that quote does not sell you, I’m afraid I cannot help you.
3: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: KotoR2 is better than Kotor 1 and needs to be played. The first Kotor is not bad, but when you compare it to 2, it becomes a boring and poorly written game (WHEN COMPARED!). The characters are a VAST improvement over the first, each character has an interesting backstory, I found myself caring for almost all of the characters presented. Not like in 1, where I only liked about 2-3. The writing in general is leagues better in 2. The NPC’s in the world actually assumes a history, instead of spouting exposition at you, your character will reveal information in his own dialogue options. The game was also a total deconstruction of what we knew about the force. There is no black and white, Dark side and light side options. It all had a touch of grey, just phenomenal writing all around. Good job obsidian. This game must be played with the restore content mod.
4. Xenoblade: Such an excellent game, traversing through a wonderful, colorful world while listening to the music was highly enjoyable. Seriously, the world is outstanding. Gorgeous scenery in almost every area of the game. A great cast of characters to go along with the story. All of this is coupled with a phenomenal combat system.
5. Dark Souls: Man, what to say that has not been said about this game? The game opens up introducing you to the world, you’re shown a world that is bleak and terrifying in nature. Amazing gameplay that punishes you for making little mistakes and rewards all the same for taking certain risks. A deep and interesting story that is not hand fed to you, if you would like to learn about the world than you must search for it by reading items or talking to NPC’s. I urge people to pick this up and play it, if you haven’t already. Skip DS2, and maybe even Demon souls (though not really recommended) and just pick this up and play. The difficulty is exaggerated.
6. Final Fantasy XII: If it was not for 6, final fantasy 12 would be my favorite FF game. A vast and interesting world filled with fun, interesting and different cultures. A fun, fresh twist on the combat, the traditional jRPG turn based system has been replaced with a real-time combat system. Approach the enemy and fight or just avoid it. The game features an interesting cast of characters, each with their own motivations for joining the crew. I highly recommend this game.
7. Final Fantasy VII: It’s Final Fantasy 7
8. Fire Emblem: Awakening: Easily the best rpg on the 3DS. The graphics and animations are pretty damn good, great music and gameplay. The gameplay is fun, it seems less strategic than the previous entries, but that is not necessarily a fault, for me at least. The cast of characters are all enjoyable and have great moments when they develop together. Please do yourself a favor and pick this up.
9. The Witcher 2: One of the best wRPG games I’ve played. I had fun with the combat, it wasn’t the greatest, but it did its job. The game really shines in its story and writing, very enjoyable.
10. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: The best in the series. Morrowind does not hold your hand. You are thrown into the world, with a letter that says to go find some guy with no direction. That’s it. The world is dangerous and you feel absolutely worthless for the first couple of hours. A completely unforgiving game that was phenomenal. Do what you want, when you want. No one will stop you. Killed a quest npc? Too bad, as the game puts it "…persist in the doomed world you have created." You molded your story. The alien world was far more fascinating than what was presented with the later entries. All of this is finished off with the wonderful score written by Jeremy Soule. Probably one of the greatest soundtracks in video game history, imho.
I PM'd reminders to all of the reserved list people, and about a third of them updated their posts today. Hopefully a few more do so tonight or tomorrow morning.
By my count we have just over 180 participants now. I'm still hoping that we hit 200 by tomorrow afternoon when I close voting.
KuwabaraTheMan
Banned
1. Earthbound (3 points) - Simply put, it's the best game ever made, as far as I'm concerned. The humor, the music, and the world building all come together to create one of the most unique experiences in gaming. Playing Earthbound is an experience which fills me with joy every time I do so. More than that, the game perfectly shows how you can craft a moving storyline without actually relying on large amounts of cutscenes or excessive dialogue. Itoi really gets how to utilize NPC dialogue to its fullest, creating a story where the player's imagination is sparked by every little bit of incidental dialogue. This is the sort of game where you're filling in all of the gaps in your head, but it's a part of the design for you to do so. To me, Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo feel like they have just as clearly defined personalities as any other character in any of the games on my list. And they got there with almost no actual dialogue, too. While the story is where the game really shines, I'll also briefly commend the battle system. While it's quite simple, the rolling health bars are a very nice little innovation which I'd like to see more games use. The battles are simple, but they always remain pretty fun.
2. Mother 3 - Well, what can I say about Mother 3? It's a truly remarkable game, and it's sad that we only ever got a fan translation (even if it is the best fan translation which will ever be made). In some regards, this game feels like a very obvious successor to Earthbound (the dialogue and music are certainly on the same level), and in some regards it feels very different. While both games have strong atmospheres, they are very different atmospheres. Mother 3 certainly lacks the happy go lucky feel Earthbound had, going for something much different at times. And while Earthbound had a fairly minimal amount of cutscenes, Mother 3 at times goes much more into that department. And yet, it does it all in the way that feels natural for a successor to Earthbound. The reaction to the death in Chapter 1 is a powerful moment, and it's one conveyed entirely with sprites. It's so powerful and well done that even when I was playing the game in Japanese with only a minimal understanding of the language (I had just started studying Japanese not long before the release, and I wound up abandoning that play through to wait for a translation in part because I thought I was robbing myself of the understanding I needed to really appreciate the game), I was moved. It's just genuinely gripping stuff. If Itoi never makes another game again, he can at least go out knowing that he schooled all the AAA developers of the world on how you can actually create a moving and emotional story without needing photo realistic graphics, maudlin music, or celebrity voice actors.
3. Shin Megami Tensei IV - Like Earthbound, this is a game which engages with your imagination. The story is perfectly well realized on its own, but the game really wants you to spend time talking to all the NPCs (multiple times, even), talking to demons, and forging your own idea of the world and the characters. This is a game which is perfect for you if your the sort of person who has imaginary dialogue between the characters in your head, or if you love to think about how everything got to be the way it is. For this reason, I count the story in Shin Megami Tensei IV as among my favorites among all RPGs I've played. And the battle system is just incredible. The press turn system is such a brilliant battle system, and the early game difficulty is quite strong (although the later parts of the game are a tad too easy in my opinion). The major improvements made to the fusion system are a joy to behold. The fusion search system enhances all the best parts of demon fusion, and gets rid of all of the tedium. Now you can spend all your fusion time trying to focus on creating the best possible demons, rather than spending an excessive amount of time trying to re-roll the inherited moves or just trying to find out what fusion results are available to you at all. Persona Q was all the poorer for not including this. Shin Megami Tensei IV was the first game in many years to make a serous run at Earthbound for me, and while it fell just a little short, it will always be counted among my favorite games of all time.
4. Persona 4 - My first MegaTen game, and although Shin Megami Tensei IV has surpassed it for me, Persona 4 will always have a special place in my heart. The main cast are probably my favorite main cast of any RPG, and the story is a very strong one, with the central murder mystery and the struggles of the characters all being very strong. The game also manages to really invoke a wonderful atmosphere, with the small town setting coming to life quite well, and the music is just incredible. The battle system is also no slouch, with the battles generally being very fun and giving the player a lot of options. The only real weakness of the game is the randomly generated dungeons, a facet which I sorely hope Persona 5 will do away with. Everything else is just top class.
5. Final Fantasy IX - A game which will always be near and dear to my heart. A very pleasing atmosphere, a gripping story, and some very interesting game design choices. The battles are certainly slow, but the game is still a ton of fun. This is something which I really want to get back to, because it's been a long time since I've played it properly.
6. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - What a shame that Nintendo seems intent to never make another game like this. Because it was a ton of fun. A great battle system, some wonderful charm, some surprisingly deep characters (Vivian for best Mario character of all time), and just a joyous experience from start to finish.
7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Yeah, some of the choices are pretty ham fisted, and it's pretty much the same setup as every other Bioware game, but this game really managed to nail the feeling of Star Wars, while also being its own thing. The characters were all extremely well written, the quests were generally pretty good (and had multiple ways to resolve them), and the game was a lot of fun to play. Knights of the Old Republic is always going to be an important game for me.
8. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - It's the best game of its kind I've ever played. The earlier Kingdom Hearts games all had their serious flaws, but Birth by Sleep does away with all of the faults of the first two main games, and creates one of the most enjoyable action RPG battle systems imaginable. It's just pure fun from start to finish.
9. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - A joyous story which starts out as a very carefree (but very fun) adventure, but steadily picks up as the game goes on. Trails in the Sky really engrossed me, and I'm glad that we're finally getting to play SC soon. The music for the game is also really great, even if it isn't one of the best Falcom soundtracks. The battle system manages to be a lot of fun, combining some good features from a variety of different games.
10. The Witcher - The world is great, and the dialogue is really good. I really feel like I'm wandering around through the mud, going through the slums of the city, and getting involved in all of the conspiracies. Many of the dialogue driven quests are at the top of their game, and while the combat system is rougher in times, it can be a lot of fun once you get the hang of it, and the potions provide some nice incentives which reward going into any fight prepared for what you might need.
Honorable Mentions
11. Final Fantasy XIII - A heavily flawed game, to be sure, and I'll probably be one of only a few to give this game its props, but man do I ever love that battle system. So many hours were spent just running around and getting into fights and experiencing sheer gaming bliss. Who even cares what the rest of the game was like when the battle system is so much fun? Especially when you add in Masashi Hamazu turning in the best OST to any mainline Final Fantasy game.
12. The Last Remnant - It has one of the most unique battle systems of any game of the past generation. The Last Remnant is kind of a game that defies you at every turn, and almost seems to want you to just get frustrated and be like 'what the hell do all these stats even mean? and how do I do anything?'. But if you can get into the right rhythm with it, you'll find a game which is endlessly fun.
13. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
14. Xenoblade
15. Persona 2: Innocent Sin
16. Mass Effect
17. Tales of Graces f
18. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
19. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen - A very strange game in many of its systems (the almost entirely hands off battle system in particular takes some time to really stop feeling bizarre), but it's so much fun. This is definitely a game for marathon play sessions given how long a single map can take. It's hard for me to put my finger on exactly why I love this game so much, but it really holds a special place in my heart.
20. Ys: Oath in Felghana
Getting my ballot in now. I'll try and come back to add some further write ups for some of the other games on here.
2. Mother 3 - Well, what can I say about Mother 3? It's a truly remarkable game, and it's sad that we only ever got a fan translation (even if it is the best fan translation which will ever be made). In some regards, this game feels like a very obvious successor to Earthbound (the dialogue and music are certainly on the same level), and in some regards it feels very different. While both games have strong atmospheres, they are very different atmospheres. Mother 3 certainly lacks the happy go lucky feel Earthbound had, going for something much different at times. And while Earthbound had a fairly minimal amount of cutscenes, Mother 3 at times goes much more into that department. And yet, it does it all in the way that feels natural for a successor to Earthbound. The reaction to the death in Chapter 1 is a powerful moment, and it's one conveyed entirely with sprites. It's so powerful and well done that even when I was playing the game in Japanese with only a minimal understanding of the language (I had just started studying Japanese not long before the release, and I wound up abandoning that play through to wait for a translation in part because I thought I was robbing myself of the understanding I needed to really appreciate the game), I was moved. It's just genuinely gripping stuff. If Itoi never makes another game again, he can at least go out knowing that he schooled all the AAA developers of the world on how you can actually create a moving and emotional story without needing photo realistic graphics, maudlin music, or celebrity voice actors.
3. Shin Megami Tensei IV - Like Earthbound, this is a game which engages with your imagination. The story is perfectly well realized on its own, but the game really wants you to spend time talking to all the NPCs (multiple times, even), talking to demons, and forging your own idea of the world and the characters. This is a game which is perfect for you if your the sort of person who has imaginary dialogue between the characters in your head, or if you love to think about how everything got to be the way it is. For this reason, I count the story in Shin Megami Tensei IV as among my favorites among all RPGs I've played. And the battle system is just incredible. The press turn system is such a brilliant battle system, and the early game difficulty is quite strong (although the later parts of the game are a tad too easy in my opinion). The major improvements made to the fusion system are a joy to behold. The fusion search system enhances all the best parts of demon fusion, and gets rid of all of the tedium. Now you can spend all your fusion time trying to focus on creating the best possible demons, rather than spending an excessive amount of time trying to re-roll the inherited moves or just trying to find out what fusion results are available to you at all. Persona Q was all the poorer for not including this. Shin Megami Tensei IV was the first game in many years to make a serous run at Earthbound for me, and while it fell just a little short, it will always be counted among my favorite games of all time.
4. Persona 4 - My first MegaTen game, and although Shin Megami Tensei IV has surpassed it for me, Persona 4 will always have a special place in my heart. The main cast are probably my favorite main cast of any RPG, and the story is a very strong one, with the central murder mystery and the struggles of the characters all being very strong. The game also manages to really invoke a wonderful atmosphere, with the small town setting coming to life quite well, and the music is just incredible. The battle system is also no slouch, with the battles generally being very fun and giving the player a lot of options. The only real weakness of the game is the randomly generated dungeons, a facet which I sorely hope Persona 5 will do away with. Everything else is just top class.
5. Final Fantasy IX - A game which will always be near and dear to my heart. A very pleasing atmosphere, a gripping story, and some very interesting game design choices. The battles are certainly slow, but the game is still a ton of fun. This is something which I really want to get back to, because it's been a long time since I've played it properly.
6. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - What a shame that Nintendo seems intent to never make another game like this. Because it was a ton of fun. A great battle system, some wonderful charm, some surprisingly deep characters (Vivian for best Mario character of all time), and just a joyous experience from start to finish.
7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Yeah, some of the choices are pretty ham fisted, and it's pretty much the same setup as every other Bioware game, but this game really managed to nail the feeling of Star Wars, while also being its own thing. The characters were all extremely well written, the quests were generally pretty good (and had multiple ways to resolve them), and the game was a lot of fun to play. Knights of the Old Republic is always going to be an important game for me.
8. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - It's the best game of its kind I've ever played. The earlier Kingdom Hearts games all had their serious flaws, but Birth by Sleep does away with all of the faults of the first two main games, and creates one of the most enjoyable action RPG battle systems imaginable. It's just pure fun from start to finish.
9. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - A joyous story which starts out as a very carefree (but very fun) adventure, but steadily picks up as the game goes on. Trails in the Sky really engrossed me, and I'm glad that we're finally getting to play SC soon. The music for the game is also really great, even if it isn't one of the best Falcom soundtracks. The battle system manages to be a lot of fun, combining some good features from a variety of different games.
10. The Witcher - The world is great, and the dialogue is really good. I really feel like I'm wandering around through the mud, going through the slums of the city, and getting involved in all of the conspiracies. Many of the dialogue driven quests are at the top of their game, and while the combat system is rougher in times, it can be a lot of fun once you get the hang of it, and the potions provide some nice incentives which reward going into any fight prepared for what you might need.
Honorable Mentions
11. Final Fantasy XIII - A heavily flawed game, to be sure, and I'll probably be one of only a few to give this game its props, but man do I ever love that battle system. So many hours were spent just running around and getting into fights and experiencing sheer gaming bliss. Who even cares what the rest of the game was like when the battle system is so much fun? Especially when you add in Masashi Hamazu turning in the best OST to any mainline Final Fantasy game.
12. The Last Remnant - It has one of the most unique battle systems of any game of the past generation. The Last Remnant is kind of a game that defies you at every turn, and almost seems to want you to just get frustrated and be like 'what the hell do all these stats even mean? and how do I do anything?'. But if you can get into the right rhythm with it, you'll find a game which is endlessly fun.
13. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
14. Xenoblade
15. Persona 2: Innocent Sin
16. Mass Effect
17. Tales of Graces f
18. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
19. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen - A very strange game in many of its systems (the almost entirely hands off battle system in particular takes some time to really stop feeling bizarre), but it's so much fun. This is definitely a game for marathon play sessions given how long a single map can take. It's hard for me to put my finger on exactly why I love this game so much, but it really holds a special place in my heart.
20. Ys: Oath in Felghana
Getting my ballot in now. I'll try and come back to add some further write ups for some of the other games on here.
Aaaand my list is done! Not entirely satisfied with it, but there it is.
My goal for the next iteration of this thread is to play more western RPGs. Actually, I kind of like the idea of playing every game in whatever the Top 50 ends up being this year, starting from the bottom. Talk about a time consuming project, but I'm still thinking about it!
My goal for the next iteration of this thread is to play more western RPGs. Actually, I kind of like the idea of playing every game in whatever the Top 50 ends up being this year, starting from the bottom. Talk about a time consuming project, but I'm still thinking about it!
ErasureAcer
Banned
1. Xenogears (3 points).
The greatest cast of characters (good and evil) intertwined in an unforgettable story set to the best soundtrack ever. There are so many moments in this game that still make me shake my head in disbelief... did that really just happen? Off the wall unpredictable game.
2. Final Fantasy VI
The storytelling of this game and it's use of constant tension is something to be studied for years. It's the definition of an epic story.
3. Chrono Trigger
This game is a perfect metaphor for life. You have free will yet things are fated to end at some point. How will you end the journey and whom will you effect on the way before it's over?
4. Final Fantasy X
The best FF story behind VI's.
5. Secret of Mana
SoM did environment very well. The ratio on plot to emotion is off the charts. It excelled in its minimalist approach hitting you through visuals and music rather than words.
The greatest cast of characters (good and evil) intertwined in an unforgettable story set to the best soundtrack ever. There are so many moments in this game that still make me shake my head in disbelief... did that really just happen? Off the wall unpredictable game.
2. Final Fantasy VI
The storytelling of this game and it's use of constant tension is something to be studied for years. It's the definition of an epic story.
3. Chrono Trigger
This game is a perfect metaphor for life. You have free will yet things are fated to end at some point. How will you end the journey and whom will you effect on the way before it's over?
4. Final Fantasy X
The best FF story behind VI's.
5. Secret of Mana
SoM did environment very well. The ratio on plot to emotion is off the charts. It excelled in its minimalist approach hitting you through visuals and music rather than words.
HiddenSentry
Member
Essential RPGs
1. Baldurs Gate 2: Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal This is my game. I mean, I love this game. No other game will probably ever topple this games #1 status from my memory. Now in my late 20s, I was the perfect age to devote an entire summer to this game. And it was great. The combination of a good setting, great quests, incredible characters, and timeless graphics made the game my perfect RPG. THAC0 is weird, though.
2. Mass Effect 2 There needs to be more gigantic Sci-Fi RPG games. I found Mass Effect 2 great to play. It wasnt super difficult, or even that complex, but the world, the combat, and the characters all come together in a way that few games do. The mission structure wasnt terribly varied, but I never found it grating. Planet scanning is the one potential drawback, but I always mixed up scanning and missions and it never felt too boring (It does suck, though).
3. Demons Souls I think Dark Souls might be the better overall game. However, Demons Souls was my introduction to this type gameplay and I had a tremendously good time with it. Issues aside (health leaf spam, absurdly complex world tendency, frame rate), Demons Souls is a fantastic game with an atmosphere that grabbed me from the very start. Tower of Latria will forever be one of my favorite levels of all time.
4. Fire Emblem: Awakening A recent addition! SRPGs are a relatively new genre for me that rapidly grew into a fairly concerning addiction (especially once bad mobile SRPGs started popping up). Awakening is a great game to introduce someone to SRPGs because it isnt overly complex at the start but ramps up to include all of the interesting tactical decisions this sub-genre is great about. Important note: Play with perma-death! I know its scary, but it makes the combat far more interesting.
5. Valkyria Chronicles A different take on SRPGs that has turn based combat and free movement (no grid!). The story is interesting, but the real gem here is the combat scenarios and to a lesser extent, the characters. Also, the art style is totally unique (as far as I know).
6. Planescape Torment Toss the actual fighting from this game in a dumpster and burn it. It sucks. But everything else is top-notch. I think had I played this game first instead of Baldurs Gate II it would be my favorite. But I didnt get around to playing this game until a few years back. The story in this game is the best Ive ever experienced, full stop. Setting and characters are also spectacular. I fervently hope there is never ever ever a sequel to this game. It stands perfectly on its own.
7. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings You can tell the developers of Dragon Age: Inquisition played this game. A somewhat open world with tons of content and an interesting story makes it a pretty good RPG. However, it has a very interesting conceit in that Act 2 is radically different depending on a choice made at the end of Act 1. And both paths have important information that, if you dont take that path, you simply never discover.
8. Dragon Age: Origins Spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate II. It scratches that itch and introduces a world that Bioware is still building up in very interesting ways. The interesting part of this game was seeing how Bioware developed a self-declared successor to one of the most famous games of all time. Its updated in various ways but in more ways its a throwback to older RPGs of the Infinity Engine era.
9. Deus Ex: Human Revolution A great re-introduction to the Deus Ex world. Combat isnt great, but the stealth is. Lots of options, some exploration, and probably the illusion of more freedom than actually exists, but it remains a fleshed-out and interesting world full of the little details that make it fun to discover.
10. Risen Probably a bit of a dark-horse candidate. It has an incredibly dense open world that was a ton of fun to explore. Plus the mission structure was done in a very open-ended manner that suited the style. Combat was difficult, though, and required you do master the system and be patient.
Honorable Mention(s):
11. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic In some ways has aged poorly but still has some of the most memorable characters around and one of the best Star Wars stories Ive read/seen/played.
1. Baldurs Gate 2: Shadows of Amn/Throne of Bhaal This is my game. I mean, I love this game. No other game will probably ever topple this games #1 status from my memory. Now in my late 20s, I was the perfect age to devote an entire summer to this game. And it was great. The combination of a good setting, great quests, incredible characters, and timeless graphics made the game my perfect RPG. THAC0 is weird, though.
2. Mass Effect 2 There needs to be more gigantic Sci-Fi RPG games. I found Mass Effect 2 great to play. It wasnt super difficult, or even that complex, but the world, the combat, and the characters all come together in a way that few games do. The mission structure wasnt terribly varied, but I never found it grating. Planet scanning is the one potential drawback, but I always mixed up scanning and missions and it never felt too boring (It does suck, though).
3. Demons Souls I think Dark Souls might be the better overall game. However, Demons Souls was my introduction to this type gameplay and I had a tremendously good time with it. Issues aside (health leaf spam, absurdly complex world tendency, frame rate), Demons Souls is a fantastic game with an atmosphere that grabbed me from the very start. Tower of Latria will forever be one of my favorite levels of all time.
4. Fire Emblem: Awakening A recent addition! SRPGs are a relatively new genre for me that rapidly grew into a fairly concerning addiction (especially once bad mobile SRPGs started popping up). Awakening is a great game to introduce someone to SRPGs because it isnt overly complex at the start but ramps up to include all of the interesting tactical decisions this sub-genre is great about. Important note: Play with perma-death! I know its scary, but it makes the combat far more interesting.
5. Valkyria Chronicles A different take on SRPGs that has turn based combat and free movement (no grid!). The story is interesting, but the real gem here is the combat scenarios and to a lesser extent, the characters. Also, the art style is totally unique (as far as I know).
6. Planescape Torment Toss the actual fighting from this game in a dumpster and burn it. It sucks. But everything else is top-notch. I think had I played this game first instead of Baldurs Gate II it would be my favorite. But I didnt get around to playing this game until a few years back. The story in this game is the best Ive ever experienced, full stop. Setting and characters are also spectacular. I fervently hope there is never ever ever a sequel to this game. It stands perfectly on its own.
7. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings You can tell the developers of Dragon Age: Inquisition played this game. A somewhat open world with tons of content and an interesting story makes it a pretty good RPG. However, it has a very interesting conceit in that Act 2 is radically different depending on a choice made at the end of Act 1. And both paths have important information that, if you dont take that path, you simply never discover.
8. Dragon Age: Origins Spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate II. It scratches that itch and introduces a world that Bioware is still building up in very interesting ways. The interesting part of this game was seeing how Bioware developed a self-declared successor to one of the most famous games of all time. Its updated in various ways but in more ways its a throwback to older RPGs of the Infinity Engine era.
9. Deus Ex: Human Revolution A great re-introduction to the Deus Ex world. Combat isnt great, but the stealth is. Lots of options, some exploration, and probably the illusion of more freedom than actually exists, but it remains a fleshed-out and interesting world full of the little details that make it fun to discover.
10. Risen Probably a bit of a dark-horse candidate. It has an incredibly dense open world that was a ton of fun to explore. Plus the mission structure was done in a very open-ended manner that suited the style. Combat was difficult, though, and required you do master the system and be patient.
Honorable Mention(s):
11. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic In some ways has aged poorly but still has some of the most memorable characters around and one of the best Star Wars stories Ive read/seen/played.
I might get banned for this but oh well.
Ragnarok online?
Have you ever played any real jrpgs?
Thousand arms is leagues better than anything you mentioned, as is skies of arcadia.
Dont get me started on how the shining series is the best of them all.
I pretty much exclusively play jrpgs, and my list wouldn't look anything close to that.
Im getting mad just reading that list again.
Sorry if im being irrational, that's just a horrible list for must play jrpgs.
Edit: ill gladly make a list of my top jrpgs for this post. I just didnt think anyone would care enough for me to do so.
I mentioned that it was a Korean RPG... it's not a JRPG. This list is for essential RPG's. Also, to say that the list is crap? Man... I don't even...
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Instead of putting forth the effort to flippantly criticize someone's opinion on what they deem as essential, perhaps you should've put the effort into making your own list before hitting the post reply button.
Edit: Aw, I wanted to see what he'd write.
Yoshichan
And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Yeah, that went fast. Btw when did you get that tag?
Edit; maybe it's a really old tag - I must be tired.
1) Chrono Trigger - One of the best gaming experiences of my life. After I played CT for the first time when I was a teenager, it quickly catapulted to my favorite RPG of that year, and after playing it again throughout my lifetime, I can easily say it's by far the best JRPG I've ever played. The combat, the gameplay, the RPG elements, the story, the characters, the world... It is all beautifully woven together with fantastic pacing and a awe-inspiring soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda. If there is one RPG you need to play, it is Chrono Trigger.
2) Earthbound (3 Points) - That being said... Earthbound is god damn incredible. It's the most bizarre, wacky, poignant, and endearingly sweet game I've ever played. The story is trippy, zany and at the same time too impressive to miss out on. It has easily stood the test of time as its main characters worked their way into the hearts of millions of gamers. I played this when I was growing up like many others, and it was a wondrous adventure that everyone should experience at least once. And with Nintendo's recent re-release of it on the Wii U Virtual Console, it's never been easier.
3) Final Fantasy VII - Final Fantasy VII, like Earthbound and Chrono Trigger, shaped my formative years of being a teenager. Cloud and co. took me on a journey that I will never forget. The game has become somewhat polarizing as it's aged, and the reasons are different for everyone. But I would wager that no matter the criticism the game receives, it has earned grudging respect from most fans of JRPG's and games in general. It came at a pivotal time in gaming history, when 3D gaming began to really take off. The characters and story still whisk me away to faraway lands. But the music, the music has stuck with me the most. One of Nobuo Uematsu's greatest OST's imho, the compositions bring it all back again every single time. One of gaming's greatest - and most contentious - achievements rests within this title.
4) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - When Squaresoft released a title using Nintendo characters, I instantly became intrigued. The Square of the time was still beloved by RPG fans everywhere and I trusted in them implicitly to deliver an awesome gaming experience. And they didn't disappoint. Mario RPG LotSS has all the workings of a great Squaresoft title but the charm and light-heartedness of a Nintendo title. It was a match made in heaven.
5) Star Ocean: The Second Story - Aside from Final Fantasy 7, Star Ocean: The Second Story is the only other game I dumped hundreds of hours into when I first played it. Hosting a wonderful cast of characters, really kinetic and exciting hands-on combat during battles, an elaborate, well-crafted story, and a deep, well-developed customization/creation system, the game is one I would happily go back and play any time anywhere.
6) Dark Souls - What needs be said about Dark Souls that hasn't been said before? One of the greatest achievements of gaming during the last generation. It is divisive at its core, punishing and heartless to the uninitiated, but rewarding and challenging to those that give it a fair shake. A dark, atmospheric world laced with impressively designed boss battles, a superb combat system with a plethora of options to defeat your opponents, and a very unique online experience unlike any other before it, Dark Souls reigns supreme above the competition.
7) Breath of Fire III - The Breath of Fire franchise hasn't been as prominent in recent years as it was in the days of the SNES and PS1, but the series has some fantastic entries worth a gander or revisiting. Breath of Fire 3 is my pick of the litter and the one I fell in love with. The spritework for this game is brilliant to say the least, having some of the most colorful, vivid animations I've seen. The story is engrossing and powerful and the customization the game offers you is very impressive. The combat and battle design are superb, with tons of different options available to you, especially for Dragon combinations. Definitely a strong contender for anyone's top 10 list.
8) Kingdom Hearts 2 - I opted for Kingdom Hearts 2 because while Kingdom Hearts 1 was a great game in its own right, it felt almost like a prototype for Kingdom Hearts 2. Better in every way, KH2 keeps the formula that Disney and Square Enix created with KH1 and only improves it. A larger story whose scope expands far beyond the limits of the title in question (indeed, some of the characters introduced in KH2 are the main characters of other games in the franchise), KH2 is a wonderful experience that should be missed by no one. I would be remiss to not remind newcomers that KH1 has story elements that do indeed tie into KH2, but KH2 is the superior game imo, and thusly my recommendation here.
9) Divinity: Original Sin - I experienced Divinity: Original Sin earlier in 2014 and became utterly obsessed with it. Not in a bad way mind you, but it was so enthralling and enjoyable that I could find no other title to spend my time on besides this one for several weeks. The combat alone could sell the game, as it uses some of the best systems I've seen in a game, such as causing a storm to form above the battlefield, flooding the ground your enemies stand on... So that you can then electrocute that very same area for massive damage. That's one example of dozens of others! The elements play a large role in decision making, tactics and strategies come intuitively to the player throughout the game and that's the beauty of Divinity; the game teaches you without teaching you. It allows you to ask "Can I do that?" and the answer is unequivocally "Yes."
10) Mass Effect - This series. Where do I begin? The amazing character development? The bonds you forge with your squad? The worlds you explore, the aliens you meet? The worldbuilding - nay, universebuilding - on display in Bioware's beloved Mass Effect 1 is positively stunning. The cast of characters are created with what is obviously a great deal of love and attention to detail, from their origin stories to the evolution of the team during the adventures that unfold as the game progresses. The action-rpg elements are great, minus a couple of oddities having to do with reloading weapons that had me grumbling from time to time. But overall? It's the cinematic quality of Mass Effect that keeps it firmly seated in my Top 10. It's a wonderful space opera that I would expect to see in a film, but instead in a game that I can control. I'm going to revisit this soon myself, and so should you.
Honorable Mentions
(in no particular order)
These honorable mentions are all games which I feel definitely deserve a spotlight shined on them for any curious onlookers, but I don't feel the need to rate them in ascending order, so here they are!
Final Fantasy VI - Really excellent Final Fantasy entry originally on the SNES, I played this only a few years ago and came away very impressed. Deserves a look if you're a fan of Final Fantasy or JRPG's.
Dragon's Dogma - The jank is real. Dragon's Dogma is so, so, so damn good. But it is plagued by janky combat, weird bugs, and glitches. Nevertheless, that same janky combat has given me some of the most rewarding experiences I've had in an RPG. Just look around on GAF for user appraisals of this underrated gem. You won't be disappointed.
Mother 3 - Never released stateside and only available in English via an unofficial fan translation, Mother 3, the pseudo-sequel to Earthbound, is a great game. It uses many of the same design ideas that Earthbound incorporated, such as the over-the-top enemies and slow-burning story, but with a whole new cast of characters and new world to explore, it feels as fresh as ever.
Disgaea - A strategy RPG that spawned multiple sequels on multiple platforms, Disgaea is and was a great game loaded with (sometimes said) too much content. The game has massive customization options, insane level ranges (Max level is 9999), and that's not even including all the rebirthing you can do to maximize your stats... If you like lots of statistical/mathematical character theorycrafting, complex and rewarding combat in traditional grid-based locales, alongside a really cool fantasy story involving angels, demons, humans and robots, then Disgaea is for you!
The Witcher 2 - A rich, vibrant world with a dark, gritty story, The Witcher 2 puts the player in the perspective of one Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher. A slayer of monsters and things that go bump in the night, Geralt gets swept up in political intrigue, kingdom-wide wars, and events that threaten to reshape the world in which he lives. The combat alone is worth coming for, but the world that CD Projekt Red created is worth staying for.
Mass Effect 2 - The stakes are higher, the crew is larger, the threat is greater. Mass Effect 2 seeks to elevate its predecessor to new heights, and mostly succeeds. The cinematic flair that I adored Mass Effect 1 is mostly intact, but feels almost too Hollywood. That being said, the same quality that Bioware displayed with Mass Effect 1 is also here, if not a bit more action and a bit less RPG, imho.
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Morrowind showed the world what an Elder Scrolls game could really do: mesmerize, intrigue, and capture the imaginations of millions. The story within Morrowind is arguably the best of any of the Elder Scrolls titles, and the world of Vvardenfell is a masterwork. Utilizing many of the series tropes that have become synonymous with the series such as the deeply entrenched RPG elements, the first-person combat, and a complex magic system, it is worth a look if you enjoyed Skyrim or Oblivion. And the PC version has mods!
Fallout: New Vegas - Sporting a great story, a diverse, post-apocalyptic world, and all the quasi-futuristic guns you can shake a stick at, Fallout: New Vegas is a game that every WRPG fan should take a gander at. The PC community has flocked to it with mods galore, so the experience will quite certainly be different every time you play it.
Dragon Age: Origins - Coming out on the footheels of Mass Effect 1, Bioware sought to capitalize on their winning RPG formula but instead of sci-fi, this time they went for fantasy. And it worked, oh so well. Spawning a series that saw the most recent iteration Dragon Age: Inquisition come out November of 2014, Dragon Age: Origins is arguably the best of the series even still. The worldbuilding on display is once again astounding, as their narrative direction is firing on all cylinders. Do yourself a favor and play this game!
Dark Souls 2 - Sequel to the incredible Dark Souls, DS2 mostly succeeds on capitalizing on its predecessor's strengths, while falling short some of the time. The connected overworld that Dark Souls 1 boasted is not present in DS2, but the same gritty, atmospheric and suffocating despair is prevalent through many of the areas. This is not a con.
DS2 deserves a playthrough for any action-rpg fan, and even with its shortcomings, it still outshines the bulk of other games that came out last generation.
Squirrel Killer
Member
I am probably the least qualified person to make any sort of definitive list of any sort of blank games of all time because I haven't seriously gamed since the late 90's, and even then I didn't really play a huge number of games. However, I was seeing a lot of great games get scant notice to outright omissions that I felt I had to add in my two cents here. I'm only going to list games that I've put serious amounts of time into, while I love Fallout, Baldur's Gate II, and others, I don't feel comfortable putting them on a list with less than an hour or so of playtime into them.
1) NetHack (3 points) - As arguably the game that made "roguelikes" a major RPG subgenre, it's criminal that it has appeared in neither this thread yet nor the previous incarnation of it.
2) Tales of the Unknown: Volume I: The Bard's Tale (1985) - Of all the early CRPGs, Bard's has the UI that is the least painful to modern players, has tight gameplay, an interesting plot and lore, and a manageable scope. I can navigate Skara Brae to this day and the bard's tunes are still in my head.
3) Icewind Dale (2000) - The Infinity Engine games are a wonderful, natural, and accessible translation of the complex D&D rules to computers. The Icewind Dale series beats out the Baldur's Gate series because I get to play role more of my choosing and less of the author's and I love the winter setting.
4) Baldur's Gate (1998) - As great as Icewind Dale is, Baldur's Gate forged the path for it. I haven't played enough of BG2 to consider it for this list, but I think I might still end up preferring BG1 for the smaller scale of the narrative.
5) Final Fantasy (1990) - Yes, no number on this one. I've been replaying it on mobile and falling back in love. I appreciate being able to define my party, again, I feel like I'm telling my story, not the author's.
6) Fire Emblem (2003) - Although this was when my gaming time was in serious decline, this turned me on in a big way on to the sRPG subgenre and even got me to dig out Final Fantasy Tactics which I hadn't really touched since it came out (although I still never put more than an hour or two in to FFT, thus its omission from my list.)
7) BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception (1988) - One of the few games that I've actually beaten, and even then, I suspect it was due to a glitch. All of the sudden I had a shitload of money and was about to kit myself and my mech out so much that the rest of the game became a cinch. Still, I loved sci-fi setting of the BattleTech franchise and walking around in a huge mech.
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Honorable Mentions
11) Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth (1988) - This shouldn't even be an Honorable Mention for me... I've never so much as played it. I was a huge Infocom fan, however, so I read so much about this and dreamt of playing it so much that it had to be awesome, right?
12) Beyond Zork (1987) - Has some RPG elements to it, but more of an interactive fiction title to include in the main list.
1) NetHack (3 points) - As arguably the game that made "roguelikes" a major RPG subgenre, it's criminal that it has appeared in neither this thread yet nor the previous incarnation of it.
2) Tales of the Unknown: Volume I: The Bard's Tale (1985) - Of all the early CRPGs, Bard's has the UI that is the least painful to modern players, has tight gameplay, an interesting plot and lore, and a manageable scope. I can navigate Skara Brae to this day and the bard's tunes are still in my head.
3) Icewind Dale (2000) - The Infinity Engine games are a wonderful, natural, and accessible translation of the complex D&D rules to computers. The Icewind Dale series beats out the Baldur's Gate series because I get to play role more of my choosing and less of the author's and I love the winter setting.
4) Baldur's Gate (1998) - As great as Icewind Dale is, Baldur's Gate forged the path for it. I haven't played enough of BG2 to consider it for this list, but I think I might still end up preferring BG1 for the smaller scale of the narrative.
5) Final Fantasy (1990) - Yes, no number on this one. I've been replaying it on mobile and falling back in love. I appreciate being able to define my party, again, I feel like I'm telling my story, not the author's.
6) Fire Emblem (2003) - Although this was when my gaming time was in serious decline, this turned me on in a big way on to the sRPG subgenre and even got me to dig out Final Fantasy Tactics which I hadn't really touched since it came out (although I still never put more than an hour or two in to FFT, thus its omission from my list.)
7) BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception (1988) - One of the few games that I've actually beaten, and even then, I suspect it was due to a glitch. All of the sudden I had a shitload of money and was about to kit myself and my mech out so much that the rest of the game became a cinch. Still, I loved sci-fi setting of the BattleTech franchise and walking around in a huge mech.
8) - this space intentionally left blank
9) - this space intentionally left blank
10) - this space intentionally left blank
Honorable Mentions
11) Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth (1988) - This shouldn't even be an Honorable Mention for me... I've never so much as played it. I was a huge Infocom fan, however, so I read so much about this and dreamt of playing it so much that it had to be awesome, right?
12) Beyond Zork (1987) - Has some RPG elements to it, but more of an interactive fiction title to include in the main list.
Worthintendo
Member
I really hope I'm not too late on this, no order for the top 10 or the Honerable Mentions, really couldn't place them barring the split between top 10 and HM. Each of the games in the top 10 is important to me for a different reason (will add text to them all later). Also I've only included games I have completed, I don't feel right saying a game is in my top 10 if I haven't finished it.
1: Final Fantasy 4
2: Etrian Odessy IV
3: Fire Emblem Awakening
4: Mario & Luigi Bowsers Inside Story
5: Fallout 3
6: Secret of Mana
7: The Last Story
8: Final Fantasy 4 Heroes of Light
9: Crimson Shroud (3 Points)
10: Shin Megami Tensei Devil Surivor Overclocked
Honourable Mentions
11: Chrono Trigger
12: Golden Sun
13: Bravely Default
14: XCOM Enemy Unknown
15: Pokemon Diamond
16: Shin Megami Tensei IV
17: Torchlight 2
18: Dokapon Kingdom
19: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Soul Hackers
20: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
1: Final Fantasy 4
2: Etrian Odessy IV
3: Fire Emblem Awakening
4: Mario & Luigi Bowsers Inside Story
5: Fallout 3
6: Secret of Mana
7: The Last Story
8: Final Fantasy 4 Heroes of Light
9: Crimson Shroud (3 Points)
10: Shin Megami Tensei Devil Surivor Overclocked
Honourable Mentions
11: Chrono Trigger
12: Golden Sun
13: Bravely Default
14: XCOM Enemy Unknown
15: Pokemon Diamond
16: Shin Megami Tensei IV
17: Torchlight 2
18: Dokapon Kingdom
19: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Soul Hackers
20: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Moved some things around, and expanded on my love for Path of Radiance. Spoilers tags are actual spoilers below.
1) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - It was my introduction to the series and the genre, and I don't think I've ever clicked with a game like this before. The protagonist starts off as a rookie and slowly becomes more skilled, starts grasping how to lead an army, learns more about each unit and cares for them, mirroring my progress, skills, and feelings. I started a completely unaware of what I was doing, and by the end I was leading a force with a “no man left behind” mindset.
The time and circumstance under which I played this game was an incredibly stroke of luck, and I don’t expect many people will have the game click for them like it did with me, but upon replaying it, I still feel like it’s the best in the series.
2) Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - They are two parts of the same game so I can't not mention it. Radiant Dawn is the game that happens after the "Happily Ever After" in games where a war occurs. It tells the story of strife that occurs after war has subsided and the politicians regain power. Not only that, but it tells it from all angles, meaning you're often fighting against the crew you were just controlling. It's also unapologetically difficult right from the start, and I love it for that.
3) Mother 3 - I can't really get into this too much without totally spoiling it, but I can say that no game has ever hit me harder. Heartrending is an understatement, and yet it was an experience totally worth having. The game is an emotional rollercoaster and will always be a really special experience to me.
4) Earthbound - I don't think a game has ever endeared itself to me the way Earthbound has. I only played it a couple of years ago, but it still has the most charm and heart I've seen in the medium. The dialogue and music are still great after all these years, though the battle system isn't my cup of tea. It was heartfelt without being corny, and it delivered its themes with a light hand. The final battle is something that cemented it as one of my favorite games of all times.
5) The World Ends With You - Who knew Square still had it in them? It turned out to be a pretty innovative collaboration with Jupiter. The story may have been the same generic stuff about a kid whose heart grew three sizes that day but it's told in an incredibly unique way. I don't think there's anything I didn't like about the game. The battle system is unique, the music is great for the theme, everything is adjustable, there's a collection aspect, plenty of post game content. There's really nothing this game didn't do, and it did it all really well. I've never experienced anything quite like this before, and it came at a time I thought nothing could surprise me anymore.
6) Dark Souls - This game was a landmark for me this generation. The sense of exploration and place were fantastic. Part of the reason the game is so satisfying isn’t just the difficulty, but also the game allowing you to put everything together for yourself. Every game in the series is great, but I feel that Dark Souls stands a little above the others.
7) Persona 4 - I went into this not knowing what a Persona game even was and I got an incredibly unique experience. I'm not even sure how to describe the game. I feel like I need to mention the soundtrack for not only being really great, but also for tying into the game thematically. Anyway, I was really absorbed in this game for the 100 or so hours of the experience. They do a lot to make you feel like you're part of that world and the payoff was pretty big for me.
8) The Last Story - Amazing game. I loved the unique battle system, especially the vaulting. Great aesthetic, mood, character, and music. Of which, I think this is up there with Uematsu's best. Phenomenal sound track.
9) Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2 - Another SRPG. Like Radiant Dawn, I thought this was a strong follow up, but unlike Radiant Dawn I thought the prequel was lacking. It fixed pretty much any complaints I had with the first game, returned with great music, and a strong cast and story.
10) Xenoblade Chronicles - A beautiful fusion of different RPG styles. The story wasn't spectacular, but it was pretty good. The battle system was really fun and had a lot of depth once you got further in the game. It was a pretty great showing of what the Wii was really capable of in terms of scale by producing this giant world for you to explore. That's all great, whatever, but the music blew me away. Shimomura especially outdid herself.
Honorable mentions:
11) Valkyria Chronicles - (Was on my list last year) It was sort of light on the RPG elements but I guess it still counts since other people are listing it. The art direction goes without saying, but it really is one of the things that impacted me most with this game. This is a weird one for me, because I thought the strategy aspect was pretty light and easy, but at the same time super fun and satisfying.
12) Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean - Horrible voice acting aside, I thought the environments were really cool, the combat actually required some thought, and the characters were likable. I never got around to the sequel, unfortunately.
13) Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones - Some of my favorite characters in the series, but I feel like PoR and RD were just stronger entries overall
14) Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga - (Was on my list last year) While I loved the gameplay and the way encounters work, I think the writing really made this game. It was everything I would expect from a Paper Mario game, which is about the highest compliment I can pay to comedy in games.
15) Disgaea: Hour of Darkness - Great story, cast, music, presentation, everything except it took little strategy to actually beat the game so gameplay is unrewarding. The presentation makes it more than worth playing though.
16) Tales of Symphonia -This was my introduction to the Tales series, but more importantly, my introduction to the battle system, which is the reason it is up here. I thought the story was pretty inoffensive though they pull pretty much every cliche in the book. Not much else to say about this.
17) Fire Emblem Awakening - I thought this was the best game in the series in a lot of respects. The music was solid, the presentation was the best it’s ever been, the units were people I could care about. I also really liked how the parent/child mechanic was worked into the overall plot. Ultimately, it’s the lack of mission variety that keeps it off my top 10.
18) Bravely Default - The dungeon theme in this game is something I’ll never get sick of. It’s difficult to appeal to nostalgia while keeping things fresh, innovating in the genre while reminding us of the golden era. Bravely Default does this, and it’s incredible for it.
19) Ys: The Oath in Felghana - No game has made me feel cooler even when I didn’t know what I was doing, and I felt that way even though I was getting rocked. The combat is incredible solid and I don’t even need to talk about the soundtrack since it’s a Falcom game.
20) Dragon’s Dogma - This game made me realize that combat was the thing I was missing most in WRPGs. I really hope it gets a sequel, because there was so much potential left untapped here.
1) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - It was my introduction to the series and the genre, and I don't think I've ever clicked with a game like this before. The protagonist starts off as a rookie and slowly becomes more skilled, starts grasping how to lead an army, learns more about each unit and cares for them, mirroring my progress, skills, and feelings. I started a completely unaware of what I was doing, and by the end I was leading a force with a “no man left behind” mindset.
The protagonist is also coming to terms with his father’s death, and I happened to pick this game up only weeks after my father had passed.
2) Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - They are two parts of the same game so I can't not mention it. Radiant Dawn is the game that happens after the "Happily Ever After" in games where a war occurs. It tells the story of strife that occurs after war has subsided and the politicians regain power. Not only that, but it tells it from all angles, meaning you're often fighting against the crew you were just controlling. It's also unapologetically difficult right from the start, and I love it for that.
3) Mother 3 - I can't really get into this too much without totally spoiling it, but I can say that no game has ever hit me harder. Heartrending is an understatement, and yet it was an experience totally worth having. The game is an emotional rollercoaster and will always be a really special experience to me.
4) Earthbound - I don't think a game has ever endeared itself to me the way Earthbound has. I only played it a couple of years ago, but it still has the most charm and heart I've seen in the medium. The dialogue and music are still great after all these years, though the battle system isn't my cup of tea. It was heartfelt without being corny, and it delivered its themes with a light hand. The final battle is something that cemented it as one of my favorite games of all times.
5) The World Ends With You - Who knew Square still had it in them? It turned out to be a pretty innovative collaboration with Jupiter. The story may have been the same generic stuff about a kid whose heart grew three sizes that day but it's told in an incredibly unique way. I don't think there's anything I didn't like about the game. The battle system is unique, the music is great for the theme, everything is adjustable, there's a collection aspect, plenty of post game content. There's really nothing this game didn't do, and it did it all really well. I've never experienced anything quite like this before, and it came at a time I thought nothing could surprise me anymore.
6) Dark Souls - This game was a landmark for me this generation. The sense of exploration and place were fantastic. Part of the reason the game is so satisfying isn’t just the difficulty, but also the game allowing you to put everything together for yourself. Every game in the series is great, but I feel that Dark Souls stands a little above the others.
7) Persona 4 - I went into this not knowing what a Persona game even was and I got an incredibly unique experience. I'm not even sure how to describe the game. I feel like I need to mention the soundtrack for not only being really great, but also for tying into the game thematically. Anyway, I was really absorbed in this game for the 100 or so hours of the experience. They do a lot to make you feel like you're part of that world and the payoff was pretty big for me.
8) The Last Story - Amazing game. I loved the unique battle system, especially the vaulting. Great aesthetic, mood, character, and music. Of which, I think this is up there with Uematsu's best. Phenomenal sound track.
9) Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2 - Another SRPG. Like Radiant Dawn, I thought this was a strong follow up, but unlike Radiant Dawn I thought the prequel was lacking. It fixed pretty much any complaints I had with the first game, returned with great music, and a strong cast and story.
10) Xenoblade Chronicles - A beautiful fusion of different RPG styles. The story wasn't spectacular, but it was pretty good. The battle system was really fun and had a lot of depth once you got further in the game. It was a pretty great showing of what the Wii was really capable of in terms of scale by producing this giant world for you to explore. That's all great, whatever, but the music blew me away. Shimomura especially outdid herself.
Honorable mentions:
11) Valkyria Chronicles - (Was on my list last year) It was sort of light on the RPG elements but I guess it still counts since other people are listing it. The art direction goes without saying, but it really is one of the things that impacted me most with this game. This is a weird one for me, because I thought the strategy aspect was pretty light and easy, but at the same time super fun and satisfying.
12) Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean - Horrible voice acting aside, I thought the environments were really cool, the combat actually required some thought, and the characters were likable. I never got around to the sequel, unfortunately.
13) Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones - Some of my favorite characters in the series, but I feel like PoR and RD were just stronger entries overall
14) Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga - (Was on my list last year) While I loved the gameplay and the way encounters work, I think the writing really made this game. It was everything I would expect from a Paper Mario game, which is about the highest compliment I can pay to comedy in games.
15) Disgaea: Hour of Darkness - Great story, cast, music, presentation, everything except it took little strategy to actually beat the game so gameplay is unrewarding. The presentation makes it more than worth playing though.
16) Tales of Symphonia -This was my introduction to the Tales series, but more importantly, my introduction to the battle system, which is the reason it is up here. I thought the story was pretty inoffensive though they pull pretty much every cliche in the book. Not much else to say about this.
17) Fire Emblem Awakening - I thought this was the best game in the series in a lot of respects. The music was solid, the presentation was the best it’s ever been, the units were people I could care about. I also really liked how the parent/child mechanic was worked into the overall plot. Ultimately, it’s the lack of mission variety that keeps it off my top 10.
18) Bravely Default - The dungeon theme in this game is something I’ll never get sick of. It’s difficult to appeal to nostalgia while keeping things fresh, innovating in the genre while reminding us of the golden era. Bravely Default does this, and it’s incredible for it.
19) Ys: The Oath in Felghana - No game has made me feel cooler even when I didn’t know what I was doing, and I felt that way even though I was getting rocked. The combat is incredible solid and I don’t even need to talk about the soundtrack since it’s a Falcom game.
20) Dragon’s Dogma - This game made me realize that combat was the thing I was missing most in WRPGs. I really hope it gets a sequel, because there was so much potential left untapped here.
Skel1ingt0n
I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
1) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (3 points) - The first KOTOR is not a perfect game. Some of the titles on my personal Top Ten of All Time are superior titles in certain aspects. That said, I've yet - in more than a decade - to find a game that tops this RPG as my favorite video game of all time. It was a surprise gift from a friend in 8th grade, and while excited, I knew nothing of the title. I popped it in, thinking I'd play for a couple hours and go back to Halo. Boy, could I not have been more wrong. This game absorbed me. It consumed me. A week later, and with more than 40 hours in the game, I saw the credits roll. Instantly, without any consideration, I knew I had just beat my favorite game of all time. The story is phenomenal. The worlds beautiful. The characters so interesting. The combat engaging. The loot captivating. The twist surprising. The sense of progression is unrivaled. This is the ultimate Star Wars Jedi (or Sith) experience. If you like RPGS, you'd be a fool to not play this game.
2) Final Fantasy 9 - You know that unmeasurable quality some games have, that we often allude to as "love" or "magical?" What ever that non-tactile trait is, FFIX has it in absolute spades.
3) Mass Effect 2 - Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few people that enjoys Mass Effect 3 a lot. So why is ME2 higher on my list? Because I recognize it's an objectively better game. That said, ME2 is concise. It knows what it wants to be. And it accomplishes that. I love this world, the characters, the music. It's the ultimate Sci-Fi trip.
4) The Witcher 2 - CD Projekt Red makes a game I would have guessed Bioware would have been making these days. A grown-up RPG that doesn't really do anything terribly new; but it does everything so well. The world feels "real." It almost becomes less of a fantasy, and feels more like history.
5) Phantasy Star Online Episode I&II - My second most played game of all time, after Halo 2. The ultimate addiction.
6) Mass Effect 3 - I could go on as to why I don't think this game deserves the hate for days. But I'll avoid that, and just say this game scratches an itch few games can. Something about seeing the world your familiar with crumble - seeing the backbones and inner workings of the world around you is supremely fascinating.
7) Kingdom Hearts - A game that has absolutely no business being as good as it is. Somehow this title avoided falling to the millions of traps laid before it, and managed to be a supreme fusion of two incredible things I'd have never thought would work.
8) Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The graphics are kind of shit. And the hacking is lame after the 1000000000th time. But the story is good, the characters are good, the music is great, the freedom is great. A flawed title that is still loads of fun.
9) Pokemon Yellow Version - Anyone who was in elementary school in the late 90s probably has a Pokemon game on their list. This is my personal favorite.
10) Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords - KOTOR 2 is the ultimate disappointment. Not because it's bad. But because it's so obvious it could have been even better that its predecessor had it just been given the time and attention it deserved.
2) Final Fantasy 9 - You know that unmeasurable quality some games have, that we often allude to as "love" or "magical?" What ever that non-tactile trait is, FFIX has it in absolute spades.
3) Mass Effect 2 - Call me crazy, but I'm one of the few people that enjoys Mass Effect 3 a lot. So why is ME2 higher on my list? Because I recognize it's an objectively better game. That said, ME2 is concise. It knows what it wants to be. And it accomplishes that. I love this world, the characters, the music. It's the ultimate Sci-Fi trip.
4) The Witcher 2 - CD Projekt Red makes a game I would have guessed Bioware would have been making these days. A grown-up RPG that doesn't really do anything terribly new; but it does everything so well. The world feels "real." It almost becomes less of a fantasy, and feels more like history.
5) Phantasy Star Online Episode I&II - My second most played game of all time, after Halo 2. The ultimate addiction.
6) Mass Effect 3 - I could go on as to why I don't think this game deserves the hate for days. But I'll avoid that, and just say this game scratches an itch few games can. Something about seeing the world your familiar with crumble - seeing the backbones and inner workings of the world around you is supremely fascinating.
7) Kingdom Hearts - A game that has absolutely no business being as good as it is. Somehow this title avoided falling to the millions of traps laid before it, and managed to be a supreme fusion of two incredible things I'd have never thought would work.
8) Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The graphics are kind of shit. And the hacking is lame after the 1000000000th time. But the story is good, the characters are good, the music is great, the freedom is great. A flawed title that is still loads of fun.
9) Pokemon Yellow Version - Anyone who was in elementary school in the late 90s probably has a Pokemon game on their list. This is my personal favorite.
10) Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords - KOTOR 2 is the ultimate disappointment. Not because it's bad. But because it's so obvious it could have been even better that its predecessor had it just been given the time and attention it deserved.
zero shift
Banned
Surprised to see so little Megaten love (outside of the Personas).
EDIT - Also why is Live A Live getting so much love? Was there a recent fan translation? I don't remember that game popping up in these threads that often.
EDIT - Also why is Live A Live getting so much love? Was there a recent fan translation? I don't remember that game popping up in these threads that often.
DemonDogRex
Neo Member
I'm sorry if my explanations are sort of rambly and incoherent. I was never really great at writing but I was really excited to put my vote in on my recommended games in my favorite genre.
1. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (PS2) (3 POINTS)
One of my all-time favorite games. The thing that sets this one out from other RPG's I've played is the emphasis on the setting and atmosphere instead of the story, which seriously hooked me in while I played. A desolate world and the inhabitants of which are mostly composed of demons made me feel like I was alone, fighting for my survival. The choices in the game, while few, made me pause and think about what I think is right in the situation. In addition, the SMT battle system of Press Turn makes fights feel more strategic than the usual turn-based stuff, with the fights going just fast enough to make grinding not feel like a chore and makes boss battles feel intense and fun. Also, demon fusing is addicting.
2. Mass Effect 2 (PS3 / X360 / PC)
I'm a sucker for Sci-fi and moral choices, and the Mass Effect series scratches both those itches. I chose Mass Effect 2 out of the bunch for its solid 3rd-person shooter gameplay and its huge cast of characters that you journey with. The addition of the tech and biotic powers makes the combat feel fresh and fun, and the locales you fight and walk through are varied and beautiful to look at. The real draw for me was the characters, who all felt unique and cool, but also had flaws that made them more realistic. I would even say that the cast may be my favorite in video games.
3. Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita)
Another RPG that I loved for the characters. The Golden version of this game comes with a ton of new events, a couple of new characters to interact with, and some tweaks to the gameplay. The thing that really got me into the Persona series (I would count it as its own series apart from SMT now) was the Social Link mechanic, which is kind of like a social simulator. You can decide if you want to spend the day with your friend/family or go into a dungeon and fight. Doing the Social Link stuff helped power up your personas while also allowing you to get some insight on that character you are hanging out with, fleshing them out while allowing you to help them through their problems. It made it feel more personal than most RPG's, as I chose who I wanted to get to know better while leaving another one behind, building your own circle of friends (though if you want, it is possible to max out all of the Social Links with careful time management). The battle system is the usual turn-based, but also includes persona-fusing like in other SMT games.
4. Chrono Trigger (SNES / PS1 / DS / Wii VC / iOS / Android)
I don't think I need to say very much about this game that hasn't already been said. The active time battle system is always fun, the characters are great, and the time-traveling story is awesome and interesting.
5. Pokemon Heartgold/Soulsilver (DS)
The remake of my favorite game growing up, these games are what I loved about the original Gold and Silver and more. I love the mix of 2nd and 1st gen pokemon, the towns each have their own unique aesthetic, and the additions of the gameplay tweaks from later gens like double battles and natures felt right at home for me. Not only that, these are the only games in which you travel to another region of pokemon, going back to Kanto from the original games. In addition, the new post-game stuff adds so much more playability to the game, especially the Battle Frontier.
6. NieR (X360 / PS3)
Sort of an oddball in my list, the thing that really got me about NieR was the story, though to say what it is that really made me love this game would be a huge spoiler. gameplay wise its kind of like a dynasty warrior game in a way, which to some isn't too fun, but I think that the story is totally worth the sub-par gameplay.
7. Dragon Age: Origins (X360 / PS3 / PC)
Another Bioware RPG, the grand style of Dragon Age is what I really like about it. The gameplay is the usual cRPG, but the world and the lore behind it is what really drove me to play the game. Unlike Mass Effect, there isn't a morality system but instead your choices affect the approval of your other party members, which was cool for me when I played it because it meant that unlike a lot of other games, I wouldn't be able to please all characters with the choices I made, allowing me to want to pick the choices I thought were right instead of the ones that would make me good/evil.
8. Fallout: New Vegas (X360 / PS3 / PC)
I love the setting of the fallout games, the sci-fi mixed with 1950's America, and I especially love New Vegas's Mojave wasteland part of it. I also like the moral choices of this game than most, especially when I roleplay a type of character. The choices just fit so well with that roleplay style, and makes me really think about what my character would do in the situations that it puts them in.
9. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)
The battle system in this game is what puts it in my top 10. While it is turn-based, the more involved nature of it made me pay attention to it instead of putting in commands and letting the battle play out. You can power up your moves by timing your button presses just at the right itme during your attacks, and even mitigate enemy attacks on you. Also, the humor of the characters and the more fun kind of atmosphere is a nice chance of pace to the usual "save the world" that most RPGs have.
10. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (X360 / PC)
The world of The Witcher is pretty unique to other fantasy settings, which was what originally got me interested in the series. While I haven't played the first game (yet), Witcher 2 makes it easy for you to start with it and gives you a breakdown of the important bits of the first game. The combat of the witcher is difficult to start with, but once I got the hang of it it felt fluid and I felt like a badass doing it. Also, the protagonist of Geralt is probably my favorite in video games. The dark-hero personality with his occupation as a Witcher makes him a guy that I root for even when he does less-than-noble deeds and I love that.
Honorable Mentions: (In no particular order)
Tales of Vesperia (X360)
My favorite Tales of game, solid combat and story and the protagonist of Yuri is pretty cool.
Persona 3: FES (PS2)
Some people prefer this over Persona 4, but I prefer the cast and cheery atmosphere as apposed to 3's cast and gloomy atmosphere. Also, the dungeons of 4 were more interesting to me than the Tartarus tower of 3.
Bravely Default (3DS)
While I do agree that this game gets tedious (those who played know the part I'm talking about), I think the characters and fresh take on the turn-based battle system makes this game worth a play.
Dragon Quest V (DS)
The first dragon quest game I've played, I loved the idea of the protagonist not being "the legendary hero to save us all". A very classic RPG with a nice twist to the story.
Mass Effect (X360 / PS3 / PC)
While I love the sequel more, I think the first entry is worth playing just based on it having more emphasis on the mysteriousness of its sci-fi universe.
SMT IV (3DS)
Like with Nocturne, I loved the atmosphere and setting, but for some reason it didn't like it as much. Still a great game that I would recommend to anybody.
Kingdom Hearts (PS2 / PS3)
While the combat did get stale for me, I loved the Disney worlds and light-hearted story. I only hope that the other games in the series continues what I like in this while improving the combat.
Suikoden (PS1)
So many characters and a not-so-grand story made this game a joy to play.
Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)
a great Strategy-RPG with a ton of funny dialogue and cute romances. But you gotta play on the Classic setting and never reset the game to save your chracters, its the most fun way to play.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (X360 / PS3 / PC)
The stealth in this game felt great, made me feel awesome sneaking around enemies and knocking them out. The futuristic was also stylized and cool to go through.
I hope to play more cRPGs as well as the other popular JRPGs like Earthbound and Suikoden II soon!
1. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (PS2) (3 POINTS)
One of my all-time favorite games. The thing that sets this one out from other RPG's I've played is the emphasis on the setting and atmosphere instead of the story, which seriously hooked me in while I played. A desolate world and the inhabitants of which are mostly composed of demons made me feel like I was alone, fighting for my survival. The choices in the game, while few, made me pause and think about what I think is right in the situation. In addition, the SMT battle system of Press Turn makes fights feel more strategic than the usual turn-based stuff, with the fights going just fast enough to make grinding not feel like a chore and makes boss battles feel intense and fun. Also, demon fusing is addicting.
2. Mass Effect 2 (PS3 / X360 / PC)
I'm a sucker for Sci-fi and moral choices, and the Mass Effect series scratches both those itches. I chose Mass Effect 2 out of the bunch for its solid 3rd-person shooter gameplay and its huge cast of characters that you journey with. The addition of the tech and biotic powers makes the combat feel fresh and fun, and the locales you fight and walk through are varied and beautiful to look at. The real draw for me was the characters, who all felt unique and cool, but also had flaws that made them more realistic. I would even say that the cast may be my favorite in video games.
3. Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita)
Another RPG that I loved for the characters. The Golden version of this game comes with a ton of new events, a couple of new characters to interact with, and some tweaks to the gameplay. The thing that really got me into the Persona series (I would count it as its own series apart from SMT now) was the Social Link mechanic, which is kind of like a social simulator. You can decide if you want to spend the day with your friend/family or go into a dungeon and fight. Doing the Social Link stuff helped power up your personas while also allowing you to get some insight on that character you are hanging out with, fleshing them out while allowing you to help them through their problems. It made it feel more personal than most RPG's, as I chose who I wanted to get to know better while leaving another one behind, building your own circle of friends (though if you want, it is possible to max out all of the Social Links with careful time management). The battle system is the usual turn-based, but also includes persona-fusing like in other SMT games.
4. Chrono Trigger (SNES / PS1 / DS / Wii VC / iOS / Android)
I don't think I need to say very much about this game that hasn't already been said. The active time battle system is always fun, the characters are great, and the time-traveling story is awesome and interesting.
5. Pokemon Heartgold/Soulsilver (DS)
The remake of my favorite game growing up, these games are what I loved about the original Gold and Silver and more. I love the mix of 2nd and 1st gen pokemon, the towns each have their own unique aesthetic, and the additions of the gameplay tweaks from later gens like double battles and natures felt right at home for me. Not only that, these are the only games in which you travel to another region of pokemon, going back to Kanto from the original games. In addition, the new post-game stuff adds so much more playability to the game, especially the Battle Frontier.
6. NieR (X360 / PS3)
Sort of an oddball in my list, the thing that really got me about NieR was the story, though to say what it is that really made me love this game would be a huge spoiler. gameplay wise its kind of like a dynasty warrior game in a way, which to some isn't too fun, but I think that the story is totally worth the sub-par gameplay.
7. Dragon Age: Origins (X360 / PS3 / PC)
Another Bioware RPG, the grand style of Dragon Age is what I really like about it. The gameplay is the usual cRPG, but the world and the lore behind it is what really drove me to play the game. Unlike Mass Effect, there isn't a morality system but instead your choices affect the approval of your other party members, which was cool for me when I played it because it meant that unlike a lot of other games, I wouldn't be able to please all characters with the choices I made, allowing me to want to pick the choices I thought were right instead of the ones that would make me good/evil.
8. Fallout: New Vegas (X360 / PS3 / PC)
I love the setting of the fallout games, the sci-fi mixed with 1950's America, and I especially love New Vegas's Mojave wasteland part of it. I also like the moral choices of this game than most, especially when I roleplay a type of character. The choices just fit so well with that roleplay style, and makes me really think about what my character would do in the situations that it puts them in.
9. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)
The battle system in this game is what puts it in my top 10. While it is turn-based, the more involved nature of it made me pay attention to it instead of putting in commands and letting the battle play out. You can power up your moves by timing your button presses just at the right itme during your attacks, and even mitigate enemy attacks on you. Also, the humor of the characters and the more fun kind of atmosphere is a nice chance of pace to the usual "save the world" that most RPGs have.
10. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (X360 / PC)
The world of The Witcher is pretty unique to other fantasy settings, which was what originally got me interested in the series. While I haven't played the first game (yet), Witcher 2 makes it easy for you to start with it and gives you a breakdown of the important bits of the first game. The combat of the witcher is difficult to start with, but once I got the hang of it it felt fluid and I felt like a badass doing it. Also, the protagonist of Geralt is probably my favorite in video games. The dark-hero personality with his occupation as a Witcher makes him a guy that I root for even when he does less-than-noble deeds and I love that.
Honorable Mentions: (In no particular order)
Tales of Vesperia (X360)
My favorite Tales of game, solid combat and story and the protagonist of Yuri is pretty cool.
Persona 3: FES (PS2)
Some people prefer this over Persona 4, but I prefer the cast and cheery atmosphere as apposed to 3's cast and gloomy atmosphere. Also, the dungeons of 4 were more interesting to me than the Tartarus tower of 3.
Bravely Default (3DS)
While I do agree that this game gets tedious (those who played know the part I'm talking about), I think the characters and fresh take on the turn-based battle system makes this game worth a play.
Dragon Quest V (DS)
The first dragon quest game I've played, I loved the idea of the protagonist not being "the legendary hero to save us all". A very classic RPG with a nice twist to the story.
Mass Effect (X360 / PS3 / PC)
While I love the sequel more, I think the first entry is worth playing just based on it having more emphasis on the mysteriousness of its sci-fi universe.
SMT IV (3DS)
Like with Nocturne, I loved the atmosphere and setting, but for some reason it didn't like it as much. Still a great game that I would recommend to anybody.
Kingdom Hearts (PS2 / PS3)
While the combat did get stale for me, I loved the Disney worlds and light-hearted story. I only hope that the other games in the series continues what I like in this while improving the combat.
Suikoden (PS1)
So many characters and a not-so-grand story made this game a joy to play.
Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)
a great Strategy-RPG with a ton of funny dialogue and cute romances. But you gotta play on the Classic setting and never reset the game to save your chracters, its the most fun way to play.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (X360 / PS3 / PC)
The stealth in this game felt great, made me feel awesome sneaking around enemies and knocking them out. The futuristic was also stylized and cool to go through.
I hope to play more cRPGs as well as the other popular JRPGs like Earthbound and Suikoden II soon!
Prototype Viktor
Member
Final Fantasy 12 - The battle system that they need to bring back
Final Fantasy 8 - The battle system and the ending FMV
Divinity Original Sin - I didn't know i wanted this kind of game with it's harsh early game
Neverwinter Nights 2 - Roll a D20's for an AC check
Arc the Lad 2 - Because the other ones in the series suck
Final Fantasy 8 - The battle system and the ending FMV
Divinity Original Sin - I didn't know i wanted this kind of game with it's harsh early game
Neverwinter Nights 2 - Roll a D20's for an AC check
Arc the Lad 2 - Because the other ones in the series suck
tiny raptor
Member
Alright, let's do this. *cracks knuckles*
Regular Votes
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber: I didn't see this title at all as I browsed the first 4 pages of this thread (Edit: Ah, I see Oxn listed it and gave it 3 points as well) That's...sad because it's an excellent game, a must for any RPG fan. It's an amazingly addictive army assembling SRPG. It has a unique battle system that I've never seen replicated. A mix of RTS and turn-based, you order your units around an overworld map similar to an RTS, and when they engage an enemy, it enters a turn-based phase, with you lightly guiding your units with general commands like 'attack leader', 'attack weakest', etc. The story is lovably melodramatic, and the dramatic music accentuates it perfectly. It also has replay value up the wazoo since there's so many different ways to play. Branching story paths (with unique characters exclusive to each path), tons of units to recruit and toy around with and toy around with different unit combinations (each unit is made up of five normal characters or four if there's a dragon or a beast that takes up 2 slots). So go get it if you haven't already. It's a great game that's worth every finger-lickin' cent.
Lost Odyssey: I was enthralled the entire time. The ring system was engaging (the button presses AND forging rings AND equipping them as well as other weapons on the fly), as was the skill system. Outfitting new characters with skills was addictive and also made you have a reason to use the other characters as well, not just tuck them away on your menu screen out of sight and out of mind. The bosses were epic, I always looked forward to fighting them. Each one was like solving a puzzle. Also, you *heard* about bosses before fighting them. Light, general boss spoilers:
, so it added tension and context. Context, yo! Another example is
.
And context is just another example of why this game is so good. ^_^
The music is sublime, and the story (not just the dream-like short stories) is moving and well-written, capturing human nature in each of the characters. It's an epic game, and I know the word 'epic' gets thrown around a lot, but it really is.
The Last Story: The story was beautiful and well-done. Several scenes were the most epic ever, like [not a big spoiler but I figure I'd spoiler tag it, anyway; it's a light story spoiler]
The art style was amazing, and the game design was excellent. And I'd be remiss not to mention the excellent soundtrack, which I'm still listening to even now after the game is over. It's one of the best games ever tbqh.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch: The pacing is pretty good for a JRPG. The dungeons don't go on foreevverrr. The story has a magical, nostalgic feel to it, and the battle system was dynamic and addictive. I didn't groan whenever an enemy engaged me for a fight! For a 50+ hour JRPG, that's really saying something. I felt sad once it ended.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: Sooooo much context. Whereas some RPGs may give you a few lines of background, maybe a paragraph or two, about locations or situations in the game, TTYD dedicates gobs of time to ensure you know exactly what's going on there and plunges you smack in the middle of it, and to ensure that each chapter is fully fleshed out/creative. Some chapters could be a novel if expanded further, like the brilliant one about the Glitz Pit. And it's just so charming and funny, and it almost never felt like a chore to play.
Paper Mario: Have to give credit to the brilliant original, too. Like the sequel, it's got game design reminiscent of a Zelda: go to a dungeon, get the ability, use said ability to solve puzzles and navigate the environment further, which also opens up the overworld further to collect more items/abilities. Very satisfying and again just like its sequel, charmingly written (and also get to have gameplay/story from
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean: A rockin' soundtrack, hugely addictive card-battle system (perfectionists like me can spend hours just customizing the decks for each character), great art (it's like you're walking through paintings), and an engaging story. I liked it so much that I created a trailer for it! Btw, I think this trailer is a real gem. I was proud of it back in 2006, and I'm still proud of it now, in 2015:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlGVjPXd6iQ
Dark Souls: One of the greatest games ever. It's such a tightly designed experience, and few games can match its sense of reward and progression. Eminently replayable.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: The best WRPG I've ever played. Not the most balanced game (you can break the game by crafting armor and weapons), but it's a lot of fun, and even breaking the game is part of its charm because you can play how you want to play. Once it sinks its hook in you, it sinks deep. The world is massive and fun to explore (questing in first person was so immersive), with a quest around every corner, and not boring fetch quests, either. No, many of the side quests are engaging, world-building affairs that have you interacting with (and in some cases deciding the fates/outcomes of) NPCs. And that epic soundtrack by Jeremy Soule. Mm! So good.
Oh, I also created a tribute for this that coincidentally I used the soundtrack from Baten Kaitos for (that's well-edited in spite of the slow beginning): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5dSzaTv_4M
Lunar Knights: When it came down to my 10th pick (not necessarily my 10th favorite, this isn't ordered), there were several that could have easily gone here (some of my HMs could have gone here), but in the end I decided to go with this under-the-radar gem. A spiritual successor to the also under-the-radar gem Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand, it had cool atmosphere, music, and boss battles. Pretty good difficulty, too -- and more manageable than the downright brutal original Boktai. You could manipulate the climate, which would open up new areas in the dungeons. And you would unlock new climates as you defeated bosses and gained their respective element (which could also be used to augment your weapons -- fire element would do extra damage to ice enemies, for example).
If you have a DS or 3DS and are in the mood for an addictive action-RPG with unique mechanics (like the climate and weather systems), pop in Lunar Knights.
Honorable Mentions
Golden Sun
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Skies of Arcadia
Fire Emblem (GBA)
Jeanne D'Arc
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Vesperia
Tales of Xillia
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Regular Votes
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber: I didn't see this title at all as I browsed the first 4 pages of this thread (Edit: Ah, I see Oxn listed it and gave it 3 points as well) That's...sad because it's an excellent game, a must for any RPG fan. It's an amazingly addictive army assembling SRPG. It has a unique battle system that I've never seen replicated. A mix of RTS and turn-based, you order your units around an overworld map similar to an RTS, and when they engage an enemy, it enters a turn-based phase, with you lightly guiding your units with general commands like 'attack leader', 'attack weakest', etc. The story is lovably melodramatic, and the dramatic music accentuates it perfectly. It also has replay value up the wazoo since there's so many different ways to play. Branching story paths (with unique characters exclusive to each path), tons of units to recruit and toy around with and toy around with different unit combinations (each unit is made up of five normal characters or four if there's a dragon or a beast that takes up 2 slots). So go get it if you haven't already. It's a great game that's worth every finger-lickin' cent.
Lost Odyssey: I was enthralled the entire time. The ring system was engaging (the button presses AND forging rings AND equipping them as well as other weapons on the fly), as was the skill system. Outfitting new characters with skills was addictive and also made you have a reason to use the other characters as well, not just tuck them away on your menu screen out of sight and out of mind. The bosses were epic, I always looked forward to fighting them. Each one was like solving a puzzle. Also, you *heard* about bosses before fighting them. Light, general boss spoilers:
You heard about a legendary beast frozen in the pass before you ventured there
hearing about a boss from a travelers' journal you find in a building in the mountains you're forced to stop and rest at
And context is just another example of why this game is so good. ^_^
The music is sublime, and the story (not just the dream-like short stories) is moving and well-written, capturing human nature in each of the characters. It's an epic game, and I know the word 'epic' gets thrown around a lot, but it really is.
The Last Story: The story was beautiful and well-done. Several scenes were the most epic ever, like [not a big spoiler but I figure I'd spoiler tag it, anyway; it's a light story spoiler]
those found at Stargazer's Tower where Calista hums the theme tune.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch: The pacing is pretty good for a JRPG. The dungeons don't go on foreevverrr. The story has a magical, nostalgic feel to it, and the battle system was dynamic and addictive. I didn't groan whenever an enemy engaged me for a fight! For a 50+ hour JRPG, that's really saying something. I felt sad once it ended.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: Sooooo much context. Whereas some RPGs may give you a few lines of background, maybe a paragraph or two, about locations or situations in the game, TTYD dedicates gobs of time to ensure you know exactly what's going on there and plunges you smack in the middle of it, and to ensure that each chapter is fully fleshed out/creative. Some chapters could be a novel if expanded further, like the brilliant one about the Glitz Pit. And it's just so charming and funny, and it almost never felt like a chore to play.
Paper Mario: Have to give credit to the brilliant original, too. Like the sequel, it's got game design reminiscent of a Zelda: go to a dungeon, get the ability, use said ability to solve puzzles and navigate the environment further, which also opens up the overworld further to collect more items/abilities. Very satisfying and again just like its sequel, charmingly written (and also get to have gameplay/story from
inside the lion's den!! Not only do we get the story from the hero's perspective, we also get a glimpse of the villain's (Bowser) through the eyes of Princess Peach trapped inside Bowser's castle! It's amazing and provides even more context for the game(s)
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean: A rockin' soundtrack, hugely addictive card-battle system (perfectionists like me can spend hours just customizing the decks for each character), great art (it's like you're walking through paintings), and an engaging story. I liked it so much that I created a trailer for it! Btw, I think this trailer is a real gem. I was proud of it back in 2006, and I'm still proud of it now, in 2015:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlGVjPXd6iQ
Dark Souls: One of the greatest games ever. It's such a tightly designed experience, and few games can match its sense of reward and progression. Eminently replayable.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: The best WRPG I've ever played. Not the most balanced game (you can break the game by crafting armor and weapons), but it's a lot of fun, and even breaking the game is part of its charm because you can play how you want to play. Once it sinks its hook in you, it sinks deep. The world is massive and fun to explore (questing in first person was so immersive), with a quest around every corner, and not boring fetch quests, either. No, many of the side quests are engaging, world-building affairs that have you interacting with (and in some cases deciding the fates/outcomes of) NPCs. And that epic soundtrack by Jeremy Soule. Mm! So good.
Oh, I also created a tribute for this that coincidentally I used the soundtrack from Baten Kaitos for (that's well-edited in spite of the slow beginning): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5dSzaTv_4M
Lunar Knights: When it came down to my 10th pick (not necessarily my 10th favorite, this isn't ordered), there were several that could have easily gone here (some of my HMs could have gone here), but in the end I decided to go with this under-the-radar gem. A spiritual successor to the also under-the-radar gem Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand, it had cool atmosphere, music, and boss battles. Pretty good difficulty, too -- and more manageable than the downright brutal original Boktai. You could manipulate the climate, which would open up new areas in the dungeons. And you would unlock new climates as you defeated bosses and gained their respective element (which could also be used to augment your weapons -- fire element would do extra damage to ice enemies, for example).
If you have a DS or 3DS and are in the mood for an addictive action-RPG with unique mechanics (like the climate and weather systems), pop in Lunar Knights.
Honorable Mentions
Golden Sun
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Skies of Arcadia
Fire Emblem (GBA)
Jeanne D'Arc
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Vesperia
Tales of Xillia
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
People who have already voted/started their lists have 3 more hours to make any desired edits to the titles they are voting for (you can continue to edit the content of your write up if you want. Just don't change the games).
I will extend the deadline for completely new lists as I tally the first 2-3 pages of the thread.
We are getting pretty close to 200 participants now (I think we are at 194-195) which is excellent. I was afraid that interest was lacking this go around when the thread stalled at about 130 participants for 1-2 weeks. Thanks to everyone who has participated so far.
I will extend the deadline for completely new lists as I tally the first 2-3 pages of the thread.
We are getting pretty close to 200 participants now (I think we are at 194-195) which is excellent. I was afraid that interest was lacking this go around when the thread stalled at about 130 participants for 1-2 weeks. Thanks to everyone who has participated so far.
I think I'm the only one who mentioned it? Would like to be proven wrong etc. but I haven't seen it on other lists.
And It's a great game, I think it should be getting some love
I think I'm the only one who mentioned it? Would like to be proven wrong etc. but I haven't seen it on other lists.
And It's a great game, I think it should be getting some love
Three people mentioned Live A Live so far.
I think I'm the only one who mentioned it? Would like to be proven wrong etc. but I haven't seen it on other lists.
And It's a great game, I think it should be getting some love
It was at the very least mentioned twice.
I know because your post was the second time I thought to myself I might check this game out ;-)
I think I'm the only one who mentioned it? Would like to be proven wrong etc. but I haven't seen it on other lists.
And It's a great game, I think it should be getting some love
I had it on my list as well... I'm not sure if I'd count it as one of my top 10 RPGs of all time (it's up there though!), but I wanted to do something a tad different this year and instead of recycling my lists from previous years, do write ups for some games that I loved that probably flew under many's radar.
1) Chrono Trigger: Not much to say, but considering it's GAF's constantly most voted number 1 game on these lists should say a lot. It's one of those games that truly feels timeless.
2) Persona 4 (3 Votes): One of the very few games that I genuinely felt upset when it was all over, Persona 4 kept me engaged from beginning to end.
3) Xenoblade Chronicles: A massive game with so much to explore. Xenoblade is mentioned as one of the best JRPGs of last gen, and it's very easy to see why.
4) Dark Souls: The flawed masterpiece; it's the one game where no matter how hard things get, I always wanted to keep pushing forward. Shame the sequel wasn't nearly as strong as this game.
5) The World Ends With You: The game that just oozes style. I love almost everything about this game, from the battle system, to the story and music. It's shame we'll probably never get a sequel, but I'm still hoping for one.
6) Fire Emblem Awakening: One of favorite FEs and if newcomers want to get into the series, this is the game to do so.
7) Valkyria Chronicles: An interesting take on the SRPG, but it worked out really well. Fantastic game.
8) Final Fantasy VII: It has admittedly not aged well, but something about this game I truly love. It's a true classic through and through and still my favorite Final Fantasy game.
9) Pokemon XY: Unfortunately lacking postgame content, but XY were the Pokemon games that truly made me love Pokemon again. So much variety in Pokemon to catch and the game felt like a true journey.
10) Baten Kaitos Origins: A great improvement from the previous game, Origins was beautiful, memorable and so much fun.
Honorable Mentions:
2) Persona 4 (3 Votes): One of the very few games that I genuinely felt upset when it was all over, Persona 4 kept me engaged from beginning to end.
3) Xenoblade Chronicles: A massive game with so much to explore. Xenoblade is mentioned as one of the best JRPGs of last gen, and it's very easy to see why.
4) Dark Souls: The flawed masterpiece; it's the one game where no matter how hard things get, I always wanted to keep pushing forward. Shame the sequel wasn't nearly as strong as this game.
5) The World Ends With You: The game that just oozes style. I love almost everything about this game, from the battle system, to the story and music. It's shame we'll probably never get a sequel, but I'm still hoping for one.
6) Fire Emblem Awakening: One of favorite FEs and if newcomers want to get into the series, this is the game to do so.
7) Valkyria Chronicles: An interesting take on the SRPG, but it worked out really well. Fantastic game.
8) Final Fantasy VII: It has admittedly not aged well, but something about this game I truly love. It's a true classic through and through and still my favorite Final Fantasy game.
9) Pokemon XY: Unfortunately lacking postgame content, but XY were the Pokemon games that truly made me love Pokemon again. So much variety in Pokemon to catch and the game felt like a true journey.
10) Baten Kaitos Origins: A great improvement from the previous game, Origins was beautiful, memorable and so much fun.
Honorable Mentions:
- Resonance of Fate
- Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
- Shin Megami Tensei IV
- Demon's Souls
- Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door
- Mother 3
- Persona 3
- Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
Wow, that brings back memories, I may have included that as well in my honorable mentions if I'd remembered it. Thanks!
I don't think what you are describing was a glitch per se, the same thing happened to me. As best I remember it, I had invested some random amount of money w/ the ComStar bank at some point early in the game (when you are still at the academy) and then forgot about it. Weeks or months later when you are in the real meat of the game (post-invasion, out in the world), I checked the account randomly and had millions of C-bills in there. My guess is maybe the investment/interest game worked off the system clock, so you were accruing interest whether or not you were playing, and as such taking a decent break w/ money invested ended up w/ a ludicrous amount of accumulated cash.
She got it a long while back. =)
I have tallied the votes of everything that received at least 10 points, and am pretty sure that I didn't miss anything significant.
It is going to take me some time to get the final list up (probably 2+ weeks since I work full time/care for my baby), but here is a bit of a sneak peak.
- Chrono Trigger received the most points for the 5th consecutive time, but by the smallest margin ever. Final Fantasy VI is still the most recommended Final Fantasy title.
- RPG GAF really loves Persona and the Souls series (well not so much DS2).
- People from the Bioware is terrible thread won't be happy with the results. Mass Effect received the most points for a WRPG (not counting Dark Souls depending on how you break things down), and there were 5 Bioware titles in the overall top 35.
- Fire Emblem Awakening and Divine Divinity: Original Sin are the only two games released since the last list to make the top 25.
- Dragon's Dogma jumped 35 places since the last thread. Tactics Ogre fell 48 places.
It is going to take me some time to get the final list up (probably 2+ weeks since I work full time/care for my baby), but here is a bit of a sneak peak.
- Chrono Trigger received the most points for the 5th consecutive time, but by the smallest margin ever. Final Fantasy VI is still the most recommended Final Fantasy title.
- RPG GAF really loves Persona and the Souls series (well not so much DS2).
- People from the Bioware is terrible thread won't be happy with the results. Mass Effect received the most points for a WRPG (not counting Dark Souls depending on how you break things down), and there were 5 Bioware titles in the overall top 35.
- Fire Emblem Awakening and Divine Divinity: Original Sin are the only two games released since the last list to make the top 25.
- Dragon's Dogma jumped 35 places since the last thread. Tactics Ogre fell 48 places.
Chrono Trigger is well deserved, though I think by next year it might not get #1 anymore.
Bioware is terrible, and I dunno why Mass Effect is so praised. This is coming from the guy who bought the XBOX 360 CE of Mass Effect. ME2 was pretty good though, but ME sucks.
Tactics Ogre is so great and it saddens me its dropping.
You mean to tell me that Mass Effect beat out the old WRPG kings Baldur's Gate 2 and Planescape: Torment. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. This list never stops being entertaining. Kswiston you have to tell me did Fallout: New Vegas beat Fallout 3 this time at least?
MisterShine
Member
Damn, Mass Effect beat Baldur's Gate?
I can't bitch since I voted for both, but that is quite surprising.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Post-vote discussion will be entertaining as always, heh. The preliminary results aren't really surprising to me, to be honest. Similar trends happen every year the vote is held, so a lot of what happens during the vote tends not to be too much of a surprise.
Last time I never got around to playing Mass Effect... and I still haven't played those games (people have suggested to me that I'd like the first one way more than the others based on what I usually like talking about regarding RPGs). So I can't comment on that at all.
I played Alpha Protocol since the last vote and I'm pretty happy that I did; that game is legit and if I get time during the summer, I'll finish it off.
Last time I never got around to playing Mass Effect... and I still haven't played those games (people have suggested to me that I'd like the first one way more than the others based on what I usually like talking about regarding RPGs). So I can't comment on that at all.
I played Alpha Protocol since the last vote and I'm pretty happy that I did; that game is legit and if I get time during the summer, I'll finish it off.
ouch. I guess that speaks to how many people have even played the classic WRPGs, Bioware or otherwise.
Top 5 WRPGs were as follows:
1) Mass Effect
2) Fallout New Vegas (tied)
2) Planescape Torment (tied)
4) Baldur's Gate 2
5) Mass Effect 2
The Witcher 2, Divinity Original Sin, and Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines were within 3-4 points of Mass Effect 2 though. Fallout 3, Skyrim, and Morrowind followed those.
MisterShine
Member
I will assume you mean VtM: Bloodlines? Redemption isn't going to be on anyone's top RPG list, heh.
NormalFish
Banned
Yeah, seems more indicative of voter demographic than quality.
hemtae
Member
GAF is dead to me.
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