Dark Souls (2 points)

Not only the greatest RPG ever made but one of the best games of all-time, period. This is everything that a great RPG should aspire to be. Great atmosphere, sense of scale, exploration, deep combat, risk/challenge/reward, etc etc etc. It's so refreshing that a JRPG series can be more than "k your turn to hit me lolol" with anime kids.

Demon's Souls
Deus Ex
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Mass Effect
Paper Mario
The Witcher 2
Fallout 3
Alpha Protocol
Oblivion (would probably be replaced by Skyrim if I wasn't so early into it)

Xenoblade is the essential RPG everyone should play, and soon the Americans will see where all this saccharine comes from. Everything has been said: a likeable, well written cast of characters, a enormous world recreated with extreme variety and attention to detail and fully explorable, 480 quests besides the main one, a soundtrack that fits the most epic movies, plot twists, excellent mechanics, varied, nearly infinite loot, easy to use crafting system, memorable cutscenes. It has everything. My pick from 1 to 5, the best RPG in the last ten years


6) Knights of the Old Republic. Perfectly paced, sexy setting, great characters, long enough (about 40 hours), excellent script, and the best plot twist this genre has seen. Bioware at its best


7) Paper Mario TTYD. Nintendo strikes the RPG genre with a lighting bolt of pure gaming bliss. Humour? Check. Solid mechanics? Check. Lenght, pacing, script? Check. Great graphics, sound, variety? Check. Is it on your buyer's list? Check that box, damn

8) The World Ends With You
The whole JRPG genre resurrected by a little DS cart. TWEWY simply ignores what people have come to expect from the genre and delivers a incredibly fresh and original RPG, single handedly delivering the best portable RPG in years and refreshing all its categories: gameplay, plot, graphics, and soundtrack (with a couple of amazing full songs in it). A criminally ignored title, it puts most titles to shame with its audacity in destroying all the archaic rules of the typical JRPGs

9) Mario & Luigi. Bowser's Inside Story. After a most excellent first episode and a semi-disappointing middle one, M&L's trilogy ends (?) with a bigger bang than the one that originated the universe. It's a superb portable package full of variety, colour, originality and the usual humour that's become a staple of the Mario RPG genre and the usual amount of excellence you've got to expect from a Nintendo product. You'll never leave this game until it's finished, and you'll be craving for more

10) Tales of Symphonia. Take it like a smaller Xenoblade (even the final bosses look kind of the same): two worlds, staggering amount of content, superbly written characters, great soundtrack, you wish it would never end, but it does sadly, but you'll never forget a single second of it

Final Fantasy X - One thing that struck me the most in the game was its presentation and graphics. It made you feel like it was a "Final Fantasy".

Suikoden II - Interesting storyline and castle building. Very dramatic and moving, not to mention it's fun to collect all the stars and the cooking competition.

Star Ocean: Second Story - Fun battle system, fantastic world, and great item creation system. Exploring deeper into the game can take quite some time due to the hardcore enemies you can encounter.

Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - The only current-gen game that will remind you of a PSone charm-enduced JRPG. Heavy on the dialogue but the pacing is good and the story is interesting.

Chrono Trigger - Time traveling done right and the world is beautiful. Interesting battle system too especially the tech combinations.

Earthbound - A game that oozes with charm and pop-cultural jokes. I enjoy the kiddy presentation of this game and its take on how "modern" JRPGs are.

Parasite Eve - A horror action RPG game that provides an interesting take on evolution, science, and the horrors of it.

Persona 4 - Characterization of this game is near perfect and you actually care about the characters in the game, not to mention that they end up hilarious.

Tales of the Abyss - With lots of things to do, TotA is a good definition of a Tales game because of the overall environment and the characters in the game.

Grandia - Whenever I play this game, it makes me think "I'm going on a grand adventure!". One of the few games that bring back my childhood.



Special Mention:

Final Fantasy XIII for the fast-paced battle system.
Kingdom Hearts for the Disney feel.
Lunar: Silver Star Story for the charm-induced presentation.
Xenogears for the interesting story.


By the way, can I get a $10 PSN card if ever I get picked instead?

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The World Ends With You
FFXII
The Witcher 2
Dark Souls
Persona 4
MOTHER 3
Valkyria Chronicles
Fallout 1
Mass Effect 2

In no particular order.

The World Ends With You - Incredible new take on RPG paradigms. Of this whole list this would actually be the most essential RPG to play IMO. Storywise this game doesn't need a sequel, but it's the only IP I realistically expect new interesting game mechanics from.

Skies of Arcadia - This was my ultimate feel good exploration game until Xenoblade got released. Although the combat mechanics are nothing special I think the world is nicely designed, and ship battles are thematically interesting.

Final Fantasy VI - Although IMO Final Fantasy lost its relevance this generation I cannot forgot how influential this game was. Multifaceted scenarios were done by FF4 and FF5 already, but not to the extent this game did. It truly felt like a journey to complete this game.

Final Fantasy XII - The gambit system made for a welcome change in the history of Final Fantasy. This game gave me MMO vibes but in a well-structured single player scenario.

Xenoblade - I voted this most essential because I think this might be the last JRPG of this scale we'll see. I don't know how anything can top the world-design of Xenoblade, not only because of its scale but also because it provides a sense of progression that you don't see in other open-world RPGs. If exploration and JRPG are your thing, just play Xenoblade (otherwise play an Elder Scrolls game).

Dragon Quest IX - Not many will agree with me on this, but I liked being able to create/name my own characters in a DQ game. It's not my favorite DQ but it's perhaps the most accessible to newcomers because it feels more modern than the other titles in the series.

Chrono Trigger - More so than FF6 I feel that this game made me optimistic about the genre. In terms of pacing I haven't played a single RPG that even came close to Chrono Trigger. Add to that a very imaginative world and interesting characters.

Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door - The only RPG that made me LOL, particularly with Luigi's involvement, the comedy is just great. The combat system shines in its simplicity; timing-based combat mechanics are very satisfying to use and the role of side-characters is clear.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - I haven't played Skyrim enough to say whether I like it more than Morrowind, so next year I might replace it with Elder Scrolls V. Still, the world of Morrowind is still the best in the Elder Scrolls series IMO, with its complex lore and history. It also has the best cities and villages in the series.

Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction - AFAIK the latest patches finally made skill-buyback possible, which is great since one of D2's key strengths is its recursive difficulty. The game was interesting enough for me to finish at least 10 times because character building has a tower defense sort of addictiveness to it.

Order of games is random.

2 points Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber

You command an army, having to prepare your forces, fight battles in a battlefield, and follow through an epic, long storyline full of political intrigue, rebellions, betrayal and inspirational figures in both your and opposite sides. Having in story line choices in various issues, and in who to recruit, which side to ally with and so on. In this strategy RPG, you command units, with up to 5 human characters or 2 beast and one human character in each. You deploy those units in a battle map represented by the commander. Although quite a different genre as there is no turn battle, only Medieval Total War and total war series can come close to that feeling of being a commander of an army. And maybe King's Bounty games. Suffice to say there is a huge number of classes, NPC, wide variety of strategies you can employ and this game has quite a lot of depth. It was between this and Vampire Masquerade for my two points but Ogre Battle 64 gets the two points due to being less well recognized and quite unique game, unlike even most SRPG.

Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines.

Best atmosphere, very memorable NPC, interesting quests, uniquely interesting world. Very good and interesting dialogue. In all of the things I mentioned above this one is the best. I like the inclusion of stealth and being able to use powers to in various way succeed at objectives. A great hubs RPG. Combat however is quite the weak spot and the sewers section sucks.

Risen

Entertaining and challenging non level capped world. Very satisfying combat requiring skill from the player. Open world like. Nicely designed island world that feels real and good questlines. As a negative the ending is abrupt and not good enough.

Witcher 2

Stunning and well realized world, good combat, NPC, locations, quests, dialogue and pacing. And choices. But most importantly the main character has quite a history and connections with people and places he is an improvement over most game's protagonists. Feels more like a real person than most other protagonists. This game for the most part is so exemplary that all in all for most of the time it might even be the best of all, but then chapter 3 arrives and it is just not as good as the other quite long chapters of this game.


Pokemon Gold/Silver

I haven't played the most recent Pokemon games and there have been years since I have played Pokemon Gold/Silver, but it still holds a place in my heart. Not sure what was the number of pokemon you could catch back then but there were many, there is a surprising amount of depth in Pokemon Battles, and it is one of my favorite RPG.

Fallout 3 GOTY edition.

When I initially started playing it, I wasn't really that much of a fan. It seemed too empty. But that impression proved flawed. Dark humor, a twisted post nuclear apocalypse world, and rather good in depth questlines make this game one of my favorites. Whether it is Oasis, or Dave's republic, or a town build around a nuclear bomb, or a town of slavers or children, or cannibals and a lot more this game has sufficient, charm, crazyness to spare. Becoming the savior of Wasteland, and hearing it on the radio of your accomplishments is one of my favorite gaming moments. Of course you can also be evil. Great game and my favorite from Bethesda.

Dragon Age Origins.

In Dragon Age Origins you have your own party of characters you are leading.
Developed dialogue system and quite extended interactivity with certain NPC, mostly with interesting party characters in which you can customize and choose skills as you wish. Interesting story and good lore but still somewhat generic, various choices, you have on determining the future of the kingdom, and your characters. Good location diversity, and I really like the party based battle system of DAO. It also benefits from having world threatening antagonist(s) and in Loghain, Morgan we have some rather good and interesting characters. The world does lack a certain charm found in other games, and the questlines do leave something to be desired but the pros of it make it one of my favorites but not as much as other games found here.

Deus Ex.

This is an FPS RPG with crazy crazy story, again lots of choices in your story and a steampunk near future setting full of conspiracies and intricacies. You most importantly have choices in how you pursue objectives and do things that does not extend to just dialogue. Crazy amount of choice and freedom in fact. The level design of this game is really good, and allows for multiple ways of playing through the game. You can play stealthilly, use your superstrength to cut people with your AWESOME LIGHTSABER, shoot them. Set up explosives. Take control of robots. Augmentation powers, allow you to approach the game in the ways you prefer. There are also some interesting characters, and a very good soundtrack. Outdated graphics is probably the biggest problem with the game, while I even found the combat enjoyable.


King's Bounty: The Legend.

This is a game of you being a commander who has to recruit troops to fight against enemy troops. The game randomly generates some items and units offered in shops offering diverse experiences in different playthroughs. There is a very wide diversity of different units to recruit, whether it is humans, undead, animals and so on. This is a game of resource management, of choosing the right troops for the right price, and the right items. So there is a strategy element on that behalf. And battles are quite satisfying and have both strategy and depth to them and I even quite enjoy this game's colorful graphics. While not very well known this game is a favorite and I have replayed it a couple times.


Oblivion

Oblivion is here because I rather liked several questlines of it, including Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, Mages Guild and Daedra quests. And others. And some good sized cities too. While there are several random small settlements too. The Elder Scrolls games have possibly the most indepth and best Lore out of any game. However story is not really a focus here. At least not main story. This is more of a sandbox experience where you can travel where you like and experience it as you like. With thieving, stealth, archery, magic all being viable. In particular when it comes to magic the options are endless, Oblivion has the most diverse list of spells in a game I have seen, and you can create your own. Whether it is to walk on water, to breath under water, open locks, become lighter, deliver death or weakness by touch or otherwise, you can do it all. The world does have secrets to spare too.

Still the game has its weaknesses. Not particularly good combat, dungeon level design, being possibly too overwhelming, enemies level up with you and there is loot scalling. The world, including cities and outside world is also too generic. Bugs are a given problem but I was lucky.

Skyrim does improve on those fronts, especially when it comes to world design but I haven't been enjoying it as much as I was with Oblivion although for the most part I was mostly enjoying Skyrim. Quests seem less interesting, and the radiant quest system which gives you random quests after random quests, is actually a negative. Maybe it is me expressing fatigue for this kind of game also due to the hours I had given to Oblivion. In any case Oblivion is not perfect but its pros based on my tastes made it a very good experience and quite outweighed its negatives.

Reuenthal said:

Order of games is random.

2 points Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber

Click to expand...

OK that's it. I had no interest in Ogre Battle but I've seen this title popping up in people's lists a little too often to ignore. I'm going to download it on the VC.

So hard to choose ..

-*XENOBLADE ( there is like one game like this every 10 years )

There is really almost no game like this . you're overwhelmed but still totally free and in control. Few games tried , fewer succeded. The excellent localisation did help to enjoy this incredible battle system and experience.

-*MANA KHEMIA 1 ( Balance between fighting , exploration and customisation was excellent. not to mention the exceptionnal soundtrack )

For an atelier fan ,like me , adding a fast battle system was the strawberry on top of the cake . BUt that cake felt so good . It has comedic elements, very good dialogs, and a battle system where you can rack up the hits over and over ..
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE - STIGMATA - NEFERTITI .. You'll miss me , GUST
Just don't play the psp version..

-*Chrono Trigger( The classic )

WHAT TO SAY ? It's one of the games that made me a RPG lover. New game plus , various endings , memorable music , awesome triple attacks. And a plot that felt good to complete. The amount of end game stuff was also impressive for it's time.

-*RADIANT HISTORIA ( more time travel ? )

Time travel in rpg is no exception but few use it as a game mecanic .
Radiant historia managed to get me involved into the world , and i had a hard time putting it down until i saw the true end. it is IMO a must play if only for the good vilain and the way you can shape things. it might become a mention next year. BUT this i without a doubt a great game.

-*SKIES OF ARCADIA LEGENDS ( Pirates and adventure .. Who said one piece ? )

SOA:L is the perfected version of skies of arcadia DC. While the graphics haven't aged well .. The feelign of exploration is intact.And when you're looking for adventure , that's all you need .Loading times are good , battles rates are down. New challenges, new ennemies , new stories, new secrets , Very good battle system and Base customisation ( something i wish more RPG would do ). No, really .everything's perfect .. Even the translation errors are fixed ... GO PLAY THIS GAME

-*SUIKODEN 5 ( obvious choice )
It should be obvious looking at my avatar but suikoden 5 was a shock..my first suikoden and the game that made me play all the others. Political turmoil, various endings , nice battle system. Nice war system ..and lots , lots of quests. A very good entry in the franchise.
Beware playing this will make you play the others.

-*FINAL FANTASY 5 ( yes it's 5 )

My favorite Final fantasy. Humour, tragic deaths, best job system in the entire franchise , Good music ( at the time ) and best chocobo !! ..this game is just fun and doesn't take itself seriously unless needed .

ALSO GILGAMESH

-*XENOGEARS ( Go citan )

Ground battles, combo battles, mecha battles , awesome music. "I'm gonna throw this ship back at you".
Despite the awefull second disc , there is just so much diversity , so much fun or cutomisation , so much to DO. Complex at times but so satisfying.

-*PERSONA 4 ( for a taste of japanese school life )

Impressive game flow and very enjoyable party system.
There is just so much to say about this. but there is as many ways to tackle this game.
Humour was spot-on and the subtle touches were too. Also a must play.

-*VALKYRIA CHRONICLES ( Why is this blue haired girl coming at me ? )

A fresh take on Srpgs ..it was a brillant attempt that will be lost thanks to the psp market.
Anyway the gameplay was great , graphics are incredible and the setting done just the way i like it .
A must play ( game isn't for everyone)

( Honorables Mentions )
-MASS EFFECT 1
World was incredible and tension was fun .Very good untapped world so far
-SUIKODEN 2
Best vilain ever : lucas blight is just incredible . Suiko 2 deserve more praise than suiko 5.but my taste is talking not my reason. Anyway Play this game too .it's full of secrets , lenghty , with various endings.
-PERSONA 3
Mood was intense and game was fun.
-DRAGON QUEST 5
Story is his highlight, but gameplay was just excellent too .a very good job at being immersed within a game world.
-THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU
a unique rpg that tried to find his identity and found several others !!
TWEWY is a game that is like no other , fun , and using everything the DS has to offer.It's a adventure i enjoyed a great deal.
-GRANDIA 2
Grandia 3 has a better battle system. but grandia 2 has everything else better. characters , story , balance , twists. Another unique battle system that IS MISSING NOWADAYS
-XENOSAGA 3
Best part of the 3, with the best battle system and a story that feels like it's advancing ... Also JIN UZUKI.
-VALKYRIE PROFILE 1
A tri ace classic, with a great battle system , and very good story line

"nibelung valesti" .... "such is your fate" O_O
-TALES OF XILLIA
Because there is this one guy that is kicking so much ass that i wish i could play with him. Why are you cutting that mountain in 2 ?

Click to expand...

Apenheul said:

OK that's it. I had no interest in Ogre Battle but I've seen this title popping up in people's lists a little too often to ignore. I'm going to download it on the VC.

Click to expand...

Be prepared for an unskippable 20 minute opening cutscene followed by roughly another 20 minutes of waiting for something, anything to happen.

Yeah, not a fan.

Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim; This is THE open world western RPG that everyone should play and every developer should aspire to make.

The Witcher 1 and 2 : This is the Cinematic Western RPG that should not be missed by anyone who loves RPGs and wants an inspiration to make something similar, it's one of those rare games that treat you like an adult not like a teenage boy like 90% of modern games do.

Bulder's Gate II: Still one of the best tactical RPGs ever.

Diablo II: Still one of the best dungeon crawler, even though Tourchlight does a thing or two better.

Final Fantasy IV: in my opinion this game is a how to guide to make a fascinating JRPG hero, not the emo kid stereotype we're all familiar with.

Suikoden II: How to create variety of combat modes in a JRPG, and it's one of the most well written JRPG ever.

Deus Ex: Still one of the deepest games ever, in term of gameplay and plot, and it's one hell of an example of level design.

Top 10, dead or alive.

- Xenoblade - This game is what would happen if JRPG developers took a look at the most common complaints about the genre over the past 10-15 years, and tried to make a game that fixed as many as possible. It's a sprawling, gorgeous romp through a fantastically-realized world with a cast of memorable characters and backed by some of the best music in video game history.

- Chrono Trigger - It's hard to quantify what makes this game so great. The characters are certainly a part. A knight-errant in amphibian form. A broken down steam-powered robot from a desolate future. The archetypical fiery princess. A cavewoman who runs her village with a iron fist. But the real draw was that it was a game that wasn't afraid to be silly, irreverent, deathly serious, gloomy, cheery, fantastic and wonderous.

- Final Fantasy VI - When I'm having a bad day, I throw on the opening song from the march to, errrr, Marche and I'm instantly transported back to the days of my youth. This wasn't the first RPG I ever played, but it's the first Final Fantasy that I played that left an impression on me. It's pure, unadulterated nostalgia for me, but that feeling is backed by my revisiting it every year or so and realizing that it really was a massive game, and one with a world that never felt incidental.

- Deus Ex - Probably my first exposure to the FPS/RPG/Make Your Own Fun genre. It hasn't really aged well, with a control scheme that is basically an antique, but the fun lies in seeing an objective and knowing that, depending on your mood, you can accomplish it any damn way you want. The cyberpunk/noir vibe is still unmatched in any game. (Sorry Shadowrun, but you turned into a FPS. I cannot forgive that.)

- Skyrim/Morrowind - I know, it's kind of cheating, including these two as one. But if pressed, I can't really choose which one is better. One also has the benefit of being newer and fresher, but the other one has the benefit of being a nostalgic pick and years of bug fixes, mods and updates that have made it a much better game than when it was initially released. Time will sort this out, I'm sure.

- Final Fantasy VII - It's popular to love this game, and it's popular to hate this game. Usually, the second camp is in direct response to the first camp's overwhelming creepiness when it comes to segments of this game. The plethora of shitty side games, terrible cell phone "experiences" and the movies that were animated fan-fics definitely don't help. That said, the original game is still an amazing experience that still holds up today...marshmellow men and all.

- Final Fantasy Tactics - I still really don't have a firm grasp as to what happened throughout the game, with a few bullet points being the exception. It's the rare game where I just wanted to get to the gameplay though, so it took me a second playthrough to even get that much. It wasn't until my 5th or 6th playthrough that I really understood. I think on my 7th I was back to just feeling the pure joy of having a fully decked out knight with dual wielded swords and Thunder God Cid tearing through hoards of angry chocobos.

- System Shock 2 - Creepy, scary and atmospheric. Usually, you can get the first in a series (Silent Hill) never the second (....) and almost always the third when dealing with "horror" games. But for those of you who haven't played this, it's like if somebody took Dead Space, took out the annoying shit inserted to get your bro to play it, and made everything actually fun. Also, it's an RPG. Like, a real one, where you have to build a character and you'll never be awesome at everything. (Well, not on your first playthrough.)

- Baldur's Gate II - Yeah, yeah, yeah. The boring, predictable hits keep coming. In the future, we may as well just cut this from all discussion, sort of like if you're discussing the greatest WR's in NFL history, it's just understood there is Jerry Rice, then everybody else. We know. It's the greatest ever. Can we talk about something else, now?

- Dragon Age: Origins - And here is where I lose all my imaginary cred that nobody gives a shit about. What can I say? It had been a long, long drought for a isometric, classic-style CRPG. And considering the direction the series has taken, it's probably going to be a long, long drought again. It's basically a little awesome oasis in a desert of samey games. True, if this was released during the hey day of the IE games (and with those graphics) the game may have been relegated to cult favorite. But BioWare's best selling game of all time (we think) stands alone in a world that has moved on, apparently. Well, I haven't goddamn it. I miss CRPGs. This fills in quite nicely.

Honorable Mentions
- The Witcher series - I love the world, hate Geralt, love the visuals, hate the combat, love the unique monsters and ideals, hate the "adult" content that is aimed at 16 year-olds, love the actual adult content of grey morality issues and plots. Great series, but one that, to me, hasn't quite hit "top 10 of all time." It's in the fight though, for sure.

- Demon's /Dark Souls - I still can't shake the feeling these are action games first, and RPGs second. 2-5 minute, sparse exposition doesn't really scream "RPG" to me, but I realize that's a personal thing. Great combat, unmatched atmosphere and a world that only exists to drive the combat further. Great action games, meh RPGs. Still, they're really, really, really amazing games.

- Fallout 1/2/3/NV - I know fans divide the series in B3 and A3, but I loved them all equally. Even Fallout 3 - largely because I loved traveling through the Capital Wasteland. The earlier entries combat was always a chore to me, but the new twist on VATS is boring too. I don't know. Love everything about the games except the combat.

- Planescape: Torment - Almost the same here. Absolutely fantastic world, unmatched writing and exploration - but man, that combat is straight up, pure garbage. Nothing redeemable in the combat system, at all. Still, even with that, it's always at the top of these types of lists. The rest of the game is just that good.

- Disgaea series - It's a SRPG that has demon penguins and mixes space adventures, school yard politics and brief interludes about the meaning of life and death. It's basically a game designed by a "LOL SO RANDOM" 16-year old girl, but goddamnit, it works here.

Great, but too many issues
- Arcanum - Best world ever, best use of steampunk, but an utterly (and actually, not what the term has come to meant today) broken game at launch. I'm still bitter about saving up to buy this and not being able to play for more than a few minutes at a time until it was patched. Still, a perfect amalgamation of steampunk sensibilities (the only great use in game form that I can recall) and old-school RPG mechanics. Combat, again, was just terrible. Doesn't matter when you have an orc in a top hat explaining existentialism to you.

- Mass Effect series - There are like, 1342 ongoing threads on this series right now. Needless to say, it's a series that people love, and people love to hate. And they're all right. Fun, but full of basic fundamental flaws. Still going to be remembered among the greats when all is said and done.

- Knights of the Old Republic series - First BioWare RPG on a console first platform? Mind-blowing. Plus, it helped cure the sting of midochlorians and Jar Jar Binks.

- TWEWY: One of the more fresh JRPG experience in the last years, but is also full of mechanics and little additions that makes it the best in years: No random battles, the stupid drop rates has been replaced by a high risk -> high reward system, the posibilities with the character growth system, the real time combat (although a bit tedious) and also offers a very competent plot and characters.

- The Witcher 2: A very rich world, pretty well written characters, fun real time combat and some really fun sidequest, add that to branching paths and titties and you have an awesome RPG. Did I mention is fucking beautiful?.

- Valkyria Profile 1:I think the combat system in this game is one of my favorites, no doubt VP2 added more deep and strategy but for me it had the perfect balance between fun action elements with the right layers of deep. It also offers really interesting character plots , I loved that the whole game a very melancholic feel to it, some of the character backgrounds were really tragic.

- Vagrant Story: I don't think I can say much more that it was already said about this game, it's an absolute masterpiece, one of the best written JRPG's, an awesome world to explore with amazing art even given the limited power the PSX had for 3D games, alongside with a very cinematic feel to it and very rich mechanics it's one of the best PSX games, no doubt.

- Grandia: The king of the "feeling like I'm inside of an awesome adventure" RPG, really fun characters with very solid JRPG elements.

- Demon Souls: One of the best games this gen, also stunning beautiful, one game that shows that even with not the best technical graphic you can marvel the player with just stunning art and backgrounds, a fiery experience that really put your nerve to test and that's the best thing about the game: the feel you're adventuring a deadly dangerous world in wich every step can lead you to a painful death and loss of your exp.
Also some epic boss battles. EPIC.

- FF VIII: It was this or VII and I went with VIII because I feel it passed the test of time more gracefully: loved the OST, most of the characters, the love story (yeah, I did, fuck you) and it was one of my favorite worlds in terms of art and design in the saga. And even the combat system was easily explotaible it was very fun and full of possibilities.

- Mass Effect: One of the best constructed universe until ME2 came and fucked it up, the combat mechanics, the inventory system,... the game had many little faults that stop it to become one of my favorite games but it's truly an awesome space opera.

- Alpha Protocol:ME team could learn a couple of things from this game: how to make character interaction interesting (instead of "I give you item, you like me now" system) and how to make decisions not to fall in the bad/good hole. Mechanic wise had a few couple of nice things but it was also highly unpolished.Still worth to play because of those 2 things also is basically the best Bourne game that you will ever play.

- Chrono Trigger:I don't think I like the game as much as some people here, but it's an incredible well made JRPG experience that excels in most aspects. I included it here, because I feel it's one of those JRPG games that even most sceptical people could enjoy.

This should be fun. It's not going to be easy to describe the appeal without delving into spoiler territory. I should not that I place high importance on the artistic side of games. I'll skip over points such as good music and visuals, because they pretty much all perform well in these fields. I've put my picks in the order that I had played them in:



Final Fantasy IX
+ This game embodies the 'fantasy' part within the franchise's name.
+ The world is imaginative, detailed, colourful and just begs to be explored.
+ I still consider it to this date to be the best directed Final Fantasy game.
+ In spite of the fact that the cast was intentionally designed to be a bunch of tropes and archtypes, they still managed to make the roles their own. Vivi especially is my all-time favourite RPG character, in spite of being the poster-child of emo RPG characters.
- The load times can be a little long. I'm not sure if playing these on a different console or through emulation will alleviate it, but I sure hope it will.
- Encounter rate has certain spikes that I didn't really appreciate.


Chrono Trigger
+ One of the best examples out there for a story that lends itself perfectly to a video game. It opened up a lot of ideas, which the game utilised very well.
+ A very cool battle system that keeps you involved and makes you feel like your party members are actually cooperating instead of doing their own thing.
+ Encourages you to play through it multiple times.
- As a pixel artist, I can't help but shake my head sometimes at a couple sloppy assets and mapping decisions. The combination of those made navigating caves and the jungle more difficult than it should have been.
- The load times on the PSX version, the one I played, were a bit of a downer. The anime cutscenes added to this version also didn't really add anything and were kind of a nuisance. Probably best to play one of the other releases.


Final Fantasy VI (My two points)
+ Set the standard I both hold the series and the genre to.
+ Has aged quite well. All the games on this list have to be fair, but I would mainly like to stress it for this particular game. It is the one has the most chance to be remade and has the most to lose.
+ Great, varied cast of characters. This extends from both the protagonists to the antagonists. The game features a lot of optional playable characters as well. Most RPGs I have played feature a bunch of characters I end up neglecting over time, while this game successfully made me utilise everyone at my disposal.
+ This game is not afraid to take some bold turns. The infamous halfway point really drives the helplessness and dispair home which the plot is trying to convey.
+ Of all the games in this list, this game felt the most like an adventure and a journey.
- Like Chrono Trigger, the PSX version had some nasty load times. Probably best to play one of the other releases.


Chrono Cross
+ I know I said I wouldn't bring this up, but Jesus the soundtrack of this game is amazing. The perfect blend of memorable, catchy and atmospheric. Without a doubt my favourite soundtrack of any game.
+ Gigantic playable roster of characters, which promotes multiple playthroughs.
+ Great world with an even better sense of adventure.
- Like most games with a large playable cast, the quality of these characters fluctuates heavily and their ties to the story can be pretty flimsy.
- The plot sort of goes off the deep end when you're nearing the game's conclusion and requires Chrono Trigger to be fully understood. Especially the latter is disappointing because I would have preferred if it could stand on its own.


Valkyrie Profile
+ The entire game just felt like something I had never played before.
+ Fun battle system.
- The timelimit of the game kind of turns me off and prevented me to want to replay it.
- It made me want to mute the game a couple of times because of the voices in battle and cutscenes. While they are far from the most offensive examples in the genre, it is regrettable.


Paper Mario
+ Gone are the artificially inflated numbers of most RPGs. Because of this, you'll be able to play more strategically since you can calculate your attacks and defense in advance.
+ Of all the games in this list, it is the one I have beaten the most amount of times. I guess that says something about how easy it is to revisit.
+ Clever gimmick which opened up a lot of cool new puzzles and ideas. While the sequels take it further and argueably do it better, the original still is held dear to me for doing it first.
+ My favourite interpretation of the Mario world in all of the Mario games.
- Some of the gameplay aspects are done better by Paper Mario 2 or the Mario & Luigi games.


Terranigma
+ Blended mechanics from RPGs and Zelda-style games, the marriage of the two genres that I had been looking for.
+ Tight controls that compliment the action oriented gameplay.
+ Conceptually a very cool idea. Rebooting the world and helping shape history. Seeing the impact of your actions is very satisfying.
+ Deals with some themes that you won't find so easily in other games.
- There are some unfortunate difficulty spikes here and there.
- The magic system is underdeveloped and underutilised.


Mother 3
+ The game is able to juggle whimsy, wonder and seriousness very successfully. While it is the most simplistic looking title in my list, it is still the one that reached me the most. It would be difficult to pin this on a single aspect of the game, when it is all the elements working in symphony. Whether it is the writing, the aesthetics or its sound.
+ A fun battle system that encorporates a combosystem to the beat of the background-music.
+ Of all the games in this list, Mother 3's cast stands out the most. While most games wouldn't dream of making your party consist out of anything other than characters that are cool and/or attractive, this game will let you play as a bunch of kids, a monkey and a limping guy with a moustache.
- The dishearting lack of an official English release. Those that cannot speak Japanese will have to jump through quite a few hoops to get this game in your hands.


Nier
+ This game is quirky as shit. This was probably the most surprising entry on my list when I was narrowing it down. I'm not really exactly sure what made such an impression on me. It simply does a lot of different things and I definitely appreciated it. You never know what the game is doing or where it is going and this will keep you interested to keep going.
+ Has some very fun and interesting characters and makes you care about the things you do.
+ Probably the most surprising of all, this title features some pretty good voice overs and displays some of the more competent writing.
- Again... this game is quirky as shit. It tries a lot and not everything works.
- This game was probably low budget and it kind of shows. It's not the best looking game, tends to be rough around the edges and is no stranger to recycling assets.
- The gratuitous levels of swearing and blood feel a little forced. Not really a big problem, but I wish it had some restraint.


Xenoblade Chronicles
+ I very much appreciated the fact that the combat abilities were not forgotten in the game's cutscenes or story. This usually is a big cause of disconnect, so I was glad to see some consistency on this front.
+ Fun battlesystem that encourages you to play together with your party members, in spite of them not being directly in your control.
+ The game likes to reward you with experience points for just about everything. This positive reenforcement adds to the desire to explore its massive world.
- While the game has a huge amount of quests, it is unfortunate that the game is stingy with quest-information or trackers.

I'm a little surprised to see that no western RPGs ended up making the cut. Some very fine games ended up getting left out, but I suppose that is the nature of such lists.

Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - I loved every minute of this game, from the varied dialogue options that different vampire clan types gave you, to the strange and crazy plot twists. The ending took me by surprise.

Deus Ex - This game has some of the best levels. It was also really fun playing with a friend at the same time and talking about the different play styles and how things turned out differently.

Mass Effect - I really enjoyed the Science Fiction Universe that Bioware created. I felt the character's were well devolped, the plot was interesting and the combat was fun (though janky at times).

Fallout 1 - I started this game two or three times but could never really get into it, but then I sat down and managed to scrape by and reach the first town and discovered Dogmeat. That was the beginning of the end.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Not much to say on this, than it was a good story and it felt like a true Star Wars game.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - I enjoy this for much of the same reasons that most have already expressed. I have not yet completed it but am well on my way.

Nox - A very fast paced action game, that is in my opinion wrongly compared to Diablo. It had a unique casting system that was built around making combos which was inspired by Magic: The Gathering.

Ultima VII: The Black Gate - This is my favorite RPG. It was doing fantasy GTA stuff before GTA really existed. There was a magic carpet, boats, wagons, your Companions, the snotty kid Spark. It even starts out with a murder investigation. The whole time you have The Guardian taunting you and of course you could cheat at the gambling games in Bucaneer's Den (make sure your companions are NOT with you). If you felt like it, you could harvest wheat, grind it, take the flour and bake some bread. The story felt really good and different. (My Two Points)

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss - This was my first exposure to a first person game, and I enjoyed every second of it. It made Doom seem rather silly to me. The ending was very interesting in the fact that the way you win was not a normal thing for an RPG.

Suikoden V: The additional "padding" that expands the characters edges this one past Suikoden II. Plus it has the smoothest battle systems.

Valkyria Chronicles: The closest thing I'd say is "video games as art", other than Okami.

Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love: 2 points! Even though by the time we got it the series was old hat in Japan, it was something new and fresh for the west. Your levelling is how nice you are to the girls? Awesome.

Chrono Trigger: A classic. What else is there to say?

Valkyrie Profile: Even if the cutscenes drag multiple playthroughs down, the combination of platforming and actiony battles is great.

Earthbound: The best localization of the SNES era.

Persona 3: The game that got me into SMT, and one of the few games I utterly hated, then played, then loved.

Knights in the Nightmare: Another more unique game in the scheme of things - who knew there could be a bullet-hell strategy RPG with a difficulty cliff?

Ar tonelico 2: Ignoring the bad localization, it has the best story and gameplay of the trilogy.

Growlanser II: I've probably sunk more playthroughs into this than any other RPG, barring Pokemon. Besides, if you buy it, you get the also cool Growlanser III.

My list from last year has undergone one change. I actually expected more due to playing so many excellent RPGs this year (TO, RH, TitS, DS, Geneforge, etc).

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

One of the finest RPGs ever made, it benefitted from a smooth transition to 3D, a more open morality/path system, flawless art-to-graphics transitions, Shoji Meguro's awakening as one of gaming's best composers, and the illustrious Press Turn System. R&D1 was on fucking fire here.

Vagrant Story

Another magnum opus. About the only thing it lacked was a quick-switch feature mapped to R1 or L1 for weapons. If you ever hear some slackjawed idiot berating all JRPGs for kiddiness, cliches, or anime tropin' seriously, they have not played this.

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

An excellent update on the 1995 classic with some brilliant new features to complement the brilliant features from its original release, use the above to describe TO but replace "R1 or L1" with "nerf archers".

Demon's Souls

Destined to be a significant game in this generation to every knowledgable player and dev. Kinda like that fable of the blind men and the elephant, many seem to see different things when thinking of DS, but they wouldn't bother if it wasn't one of the best-made this generation as well. Lots of Ignored Game Design Wisdom here, folks.

Suikoden II

Another JRPG Classic. Suikoden I's world taken to its logical and game design maximum perfectly. It is so rare (and apparently tenuous) to craft worlds like this over several games. It needs the right to continue (for real; none of this Tierkreis BS).

Etrian Odyssey II

Even in a RPG list, yada yada. A fine evolution of EO1, but without EO3's oversoftened edges and game-breaking subclassing. Updating dungeon crawlers of yore like Wizardry with outstanding ergonomics that still made you plan and work. A poster boy for Neutral DM Game Design with cute, colorful, detailed art and yet another delicious Koshiro OST of awesomeness trying their damnedest to distract you from the brutal indifference of the Labyrinth.

Persona 4

A JRPG. A game steeped Japanese EVERYTHING. About teenagers saving the day. Yet, somehow, it's the least egrarious about all JRPGs that visit these conditions. May have the finest cast ensemble ever assembled in an RPG. Magnificent job interweaving the various facets of the game so that they influence each other without crippling yourself for ignoring one completely. Has a 5 hour intro that feels like 5 minutes (OTHER DEVS TAKE NOTES FOR GODS SAKE).

Final Fantasy VI

Another masterpiece of its respective series, Squaresoft at the height of their respective powers. Chock full of secrets, a genuinely interesting tale with both drama and comedy, orbited by a great cast. Great bad guy and his final boss theme is the best of all time, hands down.

Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2

Home of some of the best cutscenes (and some of the most fucked up events within them as well) in RPGs. The attention to detail and creativity (just watch how Heat and Argilla talk in demon form) is outstanding. Great combat, great soundtracks. Overlooked gems, sadly.

World of Warcraft

Particularly around 2.4, where they zinged the balance between Risk-Reward and Effort-Payoff and before they started feeling the influence of metric-manipulation and other unneccessary outside influences. Amazingly responsive combat that is only just now being superseded as the best in the business, and that's only because of a number of ARPG titles hitting the scene.

Few get the many reasons why it was so great (just watch WoW threads!), and is seen by fans as the reliable success they can and would want to hop back into when others are found wanting.

Shocked that Bloodlines and DX weren't in GAF's top 10 last year. We'll have to try and change that...maybe.

Persona 4 - Still my favorite game of all time. The characters are fucking amazing. There is a reason I have played through this game twice and seen the endurance run start to finish 3 times. Considering I almost never rewatch movies or replay games I think that says it all.

Skyrim - As long as it isn't on the Ps3 I think it's the best open world RPG of all time.

Persona 3 - Love the combat and the characters. Female protagonist in PSP version is great if you already played the first run.

World Of Warcraft - If you have no responsibilities and can spend the time raiding hardcore at least in vanilla+ first expansion it was amazing. I don't have the time now and the guild fell apart after clearing the expansion content but it was still great. Not sure if I recommend it but I certainly can see and value their level of polish on encounters.

Skies of Arcadia - Just a super fun light romp through the skies but the art is great, the characters are cool, and the combat is solid.

Mass Effect 2 - More of a shooter than an rpg but the great part about the game is the characters. Some of the best ever in games, the combat is solid even if the overarching plot is a bit "meh".

Pokemon Red/Blue - Before the series became bloated and "catching them all" was actually not an insane idea. Maybe it's nostalgia but this game plus watching the cartoon as a kid makes me unable to get into any of the new games. Maybe they are just too easy for me to exploit now since I'm not in elementary school.

Vallkiyria Chronicles - Best SPRG ever in my eyes and still the best exclusive game this console generation. Amazing art, cliched (in a WW2 sense not an anime sense) but cool characters. The combat is amazing even if the very end kind of blows. Still furious the second was on the psp and turned into many bad anime tropes.

Tales of Vesperia - Probably the only JRPG with actiony combat that I actually enjoyed the combos are great. The characters are amazing especially a certain dog, and the art is again spectacular.

Final Fantasy six - Encompasses all the great things about the series without all of the shit that honestly ruined games like FF7/10/13. Should have put a bullet in the series after six.

Vampire: Bloodlines (2 points) - a kind of electro-gothic jazz soundtrack makes walking the dark, wet streets a pleasure, despite knowing that there's a vampire around every corner. This game still features the best facial animations in an RPG, at least up until Skyrim.

Morrowind - a haunting, ancient world. One can imagine the developers were the first pilgrims to Vvardenfall and built the cities, settlements, and ruins into the very dirt and then waited as time and nature overtook them. With a better battle system and some prettier NPCs, this would have been the greatest game of all time.

FFVI - the biggest Final Fantasy of all time in every aspect. The tiny sprites gave more personality than the early CGI cut scenes of later Final Fantasys. The world was original without being all aesthetics with no intelligence: splashy and colorful and unliveable like later FFs and other JRPGs. My perfect JRPG in every way.

Deus Ex - this game has the most intelligent back and forth of any game until The Witcher and even surpasses that later game.

KOTOR - I loved RPGs and I loved Star Wars. I hesitated to play this game because of the supposed deep RPG elements and worried the setting would turn me off. But after playing it I swore this was the best Star Wars game of all time. And I still stand by that.

Shining Force - has a great, colorful cast, memorable environments and music. Others will usually say part 2 is a much superior game, but despite my hunger to try the sequel I could never get into as much as the original and best.

The Witcher - haunting atmosphere, memorable NPCs, a great main character. The music is, to me, the best gaming music since Diablo 2.

Skyrim - I hesitate to put games from similar series on the list, but Skyrim feels almost like a response to Morrowind as much as a sequel. It takes that love of exploration from Morrowind, that love of the world around you, and improves the actual exploration/action 10 fold.

Chrono Cross - I liked Chrono Trigger a lot. I may have loved it if I could have played it more, but at the time it was expensive to purchase. So I played Cross and I adored it. I loved all the minor characters, I loved exploring the different worlds, the music, the story. It was probably my favorite PS1 era RPG.

Fallout 3 - It's gritty, it's fun to play and explore. Bethesda again, I know, but they put so much care into their open worlds that I never want to turn the game off until it's three a.m. and my wife is pounding on the wall for me to get my ass in bed. I can't fucking wait for FO4.


Had to quit my descriptions because my wife thinks I'm typing too much this early in the morning.

Panzer Dragoon Saga - Somehow made the transition from rail-shooter to amazing RPG with an innovative battle system.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - It's written very well, the battle system is fun to play, and the characters support the adventure really well. And Luigi.

Xenosaga III - They finally got it right here. Everything from the art, music, story and gameplay comes together like it didn't in the first two games in the series. The battles are fast and fun.

Chrono Trigger - It's just one of the most well put-together experiences in gaming.

Grandia II - I loved the characters in this game and the battle system is still one of the most fun and unique in RPGs.

Chrono Cross - Another artistic achievement in RPGs. The music and locales are some of the most attractive parts of the game. I like how, in spite of carrying the franchise name, Kato did not try to replicate the success or likeness of CT. Instead we get a game that has significantly different gameplay, but still has enough to remind you that it's part of a series. And, yes, it did connect to CT. And I kind of like the convolution of the story.

Xenoblade Chronicles (+2) - It challenges most JRPG preconceptions. A seamless world with no battle transitions, a large degree of customizability, instant transportation, frenetic battles and a Takahashian story make it an interesting addition to an RPG library.

Final Fantasy XII (International) - It tried to do something different with a monolithic franchise, and I think it succeeded for the most part. What it lacks for some in story I think it makes up in gameplay.

Mother 3 - This is what happens when an actual writer crafts a story for an RPG. It's one of the most emotionally stirring games I have played.

Baten Kaitos Origins - A treatise for the existence of sequels (err... prequels?). Everything from the battle system to the voiceovers has been improved. And the story will keep you entertained.

Honorable Mentions:
Nier
Mass Effect
Albert Odyssey
Final Fantasy V - The last of the truly lighthearted Final Fantasies. The story is your standard save the world fare, but what keeps me loving this game is the job system. It renders the game very adaptive to different play styles.
Super Mario RPG
Pokemon Diamond

Hmm, can't really remember my choices from last year, but I doubt it really changed that much (in no real order, but Phantasy Star 2 is #1)

Phantasy Star 1 - blew my mind as a kid... planetary travel, smooth-scrolling 3D dungeons, animated monsters! Even though SMS was an 8bit system as well, it looked like such a massive leap over DQ1 and FF1...

Phantasy Star 2 - some of the best dungeons in RPG gaming, amazing plot twists, a great futuristic setting, creepy monster design, and some nail-bitingly tough gaming

Phantasy Star 4 - a bit easy compared to the other PS games, but the Macro system and combo attacks were awesome, there were a ton of sidequests to do, the graphics and music were tops for Genesis, well-told story, such an amazing game

Star Ocean 2 - ridiculous amount of content, extremely fun battle system, tons of endings, and a hilarious English dub

Valkyrie Profile - the combat system to end all combat systems, plus some dastardly challenging dungeons, very interesting and unorthodox gameplay structure (where you are on a "time limit" as you try to train and recruit soldiers to fight a war for Nilfgaard)

Skies of Arcadia - the closest we've ever gotten to a true Phantasy Star 5... massive world with lots to explore, a great upbeat cast, giant airships to pilot, it was one of the first truly 3D RPGs I've ever played and the sense of scale was awesome

Dragon Quest 5 - the best DQ game, with the most heartfelt story in the series

Final Fantasy 5 - job system FTMFW!!! Such an awesome gameplay setup that makes encounters and boss fights so much fun, also had an awesome soundtrack

Suikoden 2 - probably the most recent game on this list that I've played (it took me far too long to play it). Animation is to die for, storyline is wonderful, lots of cool characters and unique minigames

Xenogears - the most epic storyline ever in gaming, sure there are tons of flaws but few games have ever drawn me into their worldview as much as Xenogears

Runners up: Earthbound, Mother 3, Lufia 2, FF4, 6, 7, DQ3, 4, 7, 8, Chrono Trigger, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Baten Kaitos: Origins, Resonance of Fate, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy Adventure, SaGa Frontier, Wild Arms 1 and 3, Arc the Lad 2, Star Ocean 1, Tales of Phantasia, Live A Live, The World Ends With You, Defenders of Oasis, Ys I+II, IV, VII, Felghana, Exile, Tengai Makyo: The Apocalypse IV, Nier, Breath of Fire 3 and 5, Grandia, Lunar 2, Alundra, Symphony of the Night, EVO, Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma, Actraiser, Panzer Dragoon Saga

I have a lot of favorite RPGs

In No Order:

Baldur's Gate 2
Mass Effect 1
KOTOR
The Witcher 2
Dragon Age: Origins
Chrono Trigger
Planescape: Torment
Final Fantasy: Tactics
Dark Souls
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines

In no particular order:

Final Fantasy VI (2 points) - I love everything about this game. It blends tragedy with comedy and it didn't bother me one bit. 14 different characters to control, most of them that I actually like. One of my favorite soundtracks of all time, with my favorite opening in any game. Kefka is one crazy villain and he's absolutely a big part of my fondness for the game. Skill progression was fun, battles weren't tedious, and the difficulty was not over the top, but not too easy. The story is still my favorite in the seires.

Vampire: Bloodlines - The Masquerade - Might be a buggy game, but thanks to fan patches this is not as big of a problem as it was on release. This is in my opinion the best written rpg I have played. Every character has personality and is interesting in some way. great voice acting and the overall mood is perfect. Still think this game has great facial animations, it can even compare to current gen games in that regard.

Final Fantasy Tactics (PSP remake) - It does have spell slowdowns, but other than that, I think the game is better thanks to the new translation and FMVs. Good story, some interesting characters and a fun battle system with many different jobs.

Baldur's Gate II (+Expansion) - Has a good story with lots of exploration and it will last you for many, many hours.

Alpha Protocol - It doesn't always control very well, but the choices and consequences in this game are great. If C&C and good writing is important to you, give this a shot. Replay value is great.

Tales of Vesperia - The only thing that annoys me in this game is that your actions in battle are slightly delayed. I don't know why that is, because this is the only Tales games that feels this way. Game is packed with content and is overall very solid. Servicable sotry, likeable characters and a fun battle system. I love the art and design is nice in lots of places. The skits are also one part of the game I always enjoy.

Fallout: New Vegas - My new favorite Fallout game. Smack full of content. A lengthy adventure with 4 DLCs that will add about 15-20 more hours (if you play quickly). I like the freedom to explore the Mojave wasteland as you see fit. It was exploring for 20 hours before I decided to tackle the main quest. Good writing and dialogue and options to join different factions.

Grandia 2 - This is on the list for one single reason: The battle system. It was the only thing that kept me from abandoning the game. One of the best turn based systems in a JRPG.

Risen - The sense of danger while exploring is always there and I love that. I know a few people get turned off by that, but it just means you have to be careful and watch your surroundings. Love the exploration.

Demon's Souls - The biggest surprise of this generation. I liked everything about it. I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to complete it, but it was a good challenge and every death was my own fault.

Looking at everyone else's choices, I don't really feel like I've played enough RPGs to even have a list. I have respect for games like Suikoden, the Tales series, Baten Kaitos, Xenoblade, Dark Souls, etc but I don't seem to have played them or even started on them (much less the great PS1 and PS2 RPG's like Xenogears, Vagrant Story, Chrono Cross, Disgaea). My choices seem to be limited to 8-bit/16-bit era with a few from the PS1/N64 era and a few of the noteworthy current RPGs. I'll try and do my best with this.

Demon's Souls - I HATED this game starting out. The camera sucked, the controls sucked, the world of the game sucked, the bosses were too hard, etc. But somehow, I was determined to beat this. By the end of 65 hours, I had. To me, this should be what every RPG and game should be like -- the game is on its own terms, not yours or the elusive quest for 'wide appeal.'

Phantasy Star (+2 points) - One of my absolute favorites of a RPG. I've played PSII (and vaguely remember PSIII & IV but not enough to have played them) and PSII is a tad tedious and boring compared to this. You have a talking cat that's a party member and the lead character is a girl!

Final Fantasy III/VI - An absolute favorite of mine. I cried during the opera scene. This game felt like watching Star Wars for the first time for me.

Chrono Trigger - Another stunner of a RPG. I still have the SNES cart and I get goosebumps when I hear the battle theme and "The Corridors of Time" theme.

Zelda II: Adventures of Link - I prefer this over Zelda I and I haven't played the rest of the series (save for the next pick). Hard hard game but oh so rewarding.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Amazing game and still holds up today. I could probably play this from beginning to end and completely lose track of the time.

Arc The Lad - I HATED the ending to this game but it's a great little strategy RPG.

Pool Of Radiance - I'm a bit of an old school fan of the AD&D games. I played this with my dad on the Commodore 64 when I was really young. This might be more nostalgia talking than the game being as good as I remembered.

Mass Effect - Not really a RPG IMO, but it is an unique game that despite the sum of its parts, is actually pretty good if you can forgive certain things (like the ending, the bad shooter mechanics, etc.) I guess I need to play ME2 eventually, but I'll wait until ME3 is out.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Not really sure if I should nominate this at all - I haven't finished it and with each passing day, I lose the urge to do so. However, the length and breath of the quests and the richness of the world is overwhelming yet satisfying. I would say watch all the LOTR movies THEN play Skyrim.

Honorable mention:
Jeanne D'Arc - this needs a spiritual sequel by Level 5 on PS Vita
Final Fantasy VIII - I liked the first half of it but never finished it. I'm trying to go through the FF series in order.
Dragon Warrior - I loved the hell out of this.
Faxanadu - I thought this was really decent.

I don't have anywhere near 10 RPGs to recommend, but these are the ones that blew my mind when I played them. I warn you though - this will probably end up being a BioWare love-fest.


Knights of the Old Republic



This game began my love story with BioWare, and it really is a classic RPG that needs to be played by everyone. It takes an IP that is so cliche and breathes new life into it. The combat is fantastic - strategic yet action-oriented at the same time. The various dialogue choices you can make actually affect the story in a meaningful way, and it really was the most influential RPG in that aspect. The story is absolutely phenomenal, with my #1 favorite twist in any game ever, and the entire experience is just so cohesive that I really can't abide a fan of RPGs not playing this game.


The Witcher



This game I was not able to play all the way through because I got to a game-breaking bug halfway through the game, but even so I have to recommend this game to any fan of Western RPGs. It is not quite as open-world as some of my favorite BioWare RPGs, but the atmosphere the game creates is grim and dark and deliciously evil. The design of the cities and dungeons you trudge through is quite phenomenal and really nails the dark, depressing atmosphere that the game is going for. This is not a happy game. In the first 10 minutes your character is ostensibly killed. And yet, that's what drives this game, what makes it tick. The combat mechanics are great, the story is engaging, and the amount of personalization for your character is quite in-depth. Highly recommended.


Dark Cloud 2



Oh my word. When this game came out on the PS2, I was completely and utterly blown away in every sense of the word. This game, at the time, was the epitome of "feature overload." Not only did you get a magnificent RPG with great combat mechanics, a fun cel-shaded art style, and an interesting story with good voice acting, but everything in the game was...unusual. In a good way. You had a photography mini-game, which allowed you to build and upgrade weapons and gear. Your weapons could level up and evolve, like a more mature version of Pokemon. There was a city-building mini-game where items you gained in dungeons could be planted in the modern world, affecting how that same city looked hundreds of years in the future. After clearing a dungeon you could play a golf game through the dungeon, gaining items to use in combat (and boy was this golf game fun). I mean this game was filled to the brim with things to do and see, and while this is the status quo in RPGs today, this was a PS2 game. I don't think this game got the attention it deserved, so I have to give it my blessing for the extra point.

Let me put it this way: This is the action-adventure version of a Disgaea game.


Dragon Age: Origins and Awakening



I played this on the 360, but if you get the chance, play it on the PC. This was one of the best medieval RPGs I've played, mainly due to the difficult and seriously strategic combat. If you did not plan your battles, if you did not bring a balanced team, if you did not position your mages in the back and your warriors in the front, you were going to die. And you were going to die a lot. This game hearkens back to a time where games were meant to test you, and the fact that the story takes place in a bleak world overrun by monster and dragons ravaging the human race, this is completely in character. This is not mentioning BioWare's stellar writing, which creates some of the most memorable characters in any video game you will ever play. Do yourself a favor and pick up this game, as well as the expansion pack Awakening. However, steer clear of the godawful sequel Dragon Age 2. Not sure what happened there...


World of WarCraft



As much shit is talked about this game, it truly is one of the most addictive games I've ever played. Yes, it's simplistic. Yes, the quests are repetitive. Yes, some of the community is childish and immature. But the art design, the depth of the combat and personalization options, the allure of getting that extra piece of armor or that overpowered weapon, it all combines to form an irresistible game that I believe everyone should experience at least once. From all the games in this list, I would say WoW is by far the most influential RPG ever created, and no game released in its wake will be able to avoid comparisons with the grand daddy of the genre.


Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines



Another fantastic yet overlooked game. This game can lay claim to having the most unique set-up for an RPG ever. You are a vampire. You live in the regular world, among regular humans. In order to maintain the illusion that vampires do not exist - the Masquerade, as it is called - you have to avoid revealing your existence to humans. That means no biting people in front of a human, no shows of supernatural power in front of a human, and no other activity that will reveal to a human that vampires exist. If you reveal your existence too many times, the vampire police will swing and have a little life-ending chat with you. No other game I know takes the subject matter on which it is based, and builds around it all its game mechanics. It is quite spectacular, especially when you realize that the level design in this game is so top notch, dripping with atmosphere and lore. It really is a phenomenal game, and it is so very sad that Troika Games went under after releasing this gem.


Mass Effect 2



I would list Mass Effect 1, but it's pretty obvious that if you want to play ME2 you should have probably played ME1. In terms of story, Mass Effect 1 is completely superior in every sense. It builds up a grand universe with lore that spans hundreds of centuries. It is an epic tale of world-ending proportions, and really should be experienced by everyone. However, in terms of gameplay, Mass Effect 2 is king. This game is, quite simply, the most eminently replayable video game ever created. If you have a few Mass Effect 1 save games stored up, then forget about free time and a social life for several months. The amount of variables you can tweak, the amount of new little conversations you can have because you made this choice in ME1, or killed that person in ME1, is just mind boggling. I bought this game when it first released in January 2010, and I am still creating new characters and playing through this game. In terms of which game on this list is the absolute best game, I have to give it to ME2. However, this game has sold enough that I really have to point out some of the lesser known games for the extra point, which is why I gave it to Dark Cloud 2.

But seriously. If you haven't played Mass Effect 1 and 2, drop everything right now and make this a priority. Your gaming honor depends on it.


Disgaea



I had to edit this in after making this post because, well, damn if I didn't have the time of my life while I was playing this game. I never got close to finishing. Not even a little. The amount of things to do in this game is MIND BOGGLING. You can level each and every character up into the high hundreds, and the more you level up, the more things you can do. You can level up your weapons. You can petition the in-game senate and raise enemy difficultly levels. You can grab enemies, throw them onto each other, and LEVEL THEM UP ON THE SPOT for a harder challenge and more XP. And the best part is? The story is HILARIOUS!!! I have never laughed this hard at a game. This is just a gem all around, and you need to do yourself a favor and play this, be it on the PS2 or PSP.


Well what do you know, I guess I got close to 10 recommendations.

bengraven said:

Shining Force - has a great, colorful cast, memorable environments and music. Others will usually say part 2 is a much superior game, but despite my hunger to try the sequel I could never get into as much as the original and best.

Click to expand...

High five bro!

In no particular order:

Mass Effect - Didn't enjoy too much when I first purchased it, but the second time around = amazing!

Mass Effect 2 - Took the first game and made it more of a shooter, but the RPG elements were still very good as well as the story. Pumped for 3.

Oblivion - great game to introduce first person RPG to me.

Skyrim - Drug. Enough said.

Harvest Moon 64 - Best 64 game to me and also one of the best games I have ever played

Paper Mario Wii - Loved the 2D and 3D flip and the witty story

Fallout New Vegas - loved all the characters and the branching story

Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow - one of the first RPG's I ever played; fantastic!

Pokemon White/Black - current RPG I'm playing that evolves the franchise

Pokemon Gold/Silver - I remember waiting for this game when I first came out. Day one outside Target waiting and ran to electronics when they opened.

Will add more later. Just a quickie as I am at work.

In order, didn't care to do a write up on the bottom 3

Chrono Trigger
- Best RPG ever ad one of the best games ever(my personal fave)

Final Fantasy VIII
- Has the best FF soundtrack and its gameplay is just so different and varied, it makes for an exciting ride fron to back
- Oh and it has Squall

Final Fantasy VII
- Great story and gameplay elements make this gem worth coming back to every now and then.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- The title that everyone forgot about since it was released on the snes in 1996, this game is near chrono quality when it comes to exciting and varied gameplay. The amount of easter eggs ad secrets in this game make it worth playing alone.

Xenogears
- This game really excels from its story, which is one of the most mature RPG stories I've ever played. Its combat system switching between mechs and humans is great and adds spice to the gameplay

Fallout 2
- Truly do whatever the fuck you want(Ya I'm looking at you fallout 3), Fallout the way it was meant to be.

World Of Warcraft
- The most addicting game of all time gets on this list, of course it only stays on for as long as those servers are running

Final Fantasy X
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim(PC only)
Dragon Quest VIII

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (2 points) - This is one of those games that just works so well for some reason. Maybe because all its mechanics are in such perfect harmony or some other reason I dunno. I completed it 3 times with no less than 150 hours in each save. I searched for the same experience in many other games, including the original FFT and its remake, and the sequel to FFTA and haven't really been able to get it from any of those. I could probably call this my favorite game because everything I like about games is in it

Final Fantasy IX - The story had me so involved, I finished this in 2 days (3 sittings). This is a game where the characters really really shined...the underdog, the angsty cynic, the not-so-helpless princess, the unlikely hero. The gear mechanic (certain gear = certain abilities) was my second favorite thing about it. The world design is gorgeous, and the throwback to the chibi style really made me feel at home while playing it

Pokemon Emerald - Not too much to say about Pokemon that hasn't already been said. I picked Emerald because I'm a huge fan of Treecko, and he can learn Thunderpunch in Emerald.

Fallout 3 - As shallow as the story was, and as buggy as the game was, it somehow worked. For me it was the loot mainly, but being curious about how all the perks would affect my game kept me going too. The fact that the setting is over here where I live is a plus. I believe this was my first PSN platinum.

The World Ends With You - Essential because there isn't another RPG experience like it. Not only that but it's actually an incredible game. I usually hate the "slideshow" style cut scenes, but this one surprisingly kept me interested.

Earthbound - What a challenging game. I'm not gonna lie, this is one of the few games that made me refer to a walkthrough. The story was interesting as well. Once I beat this I felt pretty accomplished, even with the help.

World of Warcraft - The first MMO I played and the first RPG that compelled me to focus on farming and crafting. I've dedicated entire days to farming.

Mass Effect - The story is so good. They did a fantastic job with the lore and with creating the actual universe, familiarizing you with each set, race, and backstory a la the Star Wars or Star Trek universe. The RPG elements are a bit light but being in that universe is a pleasure.

Patapon 2 - It's a strategy/RPG/rhythm game hybrid with awesome graphics and animation. Very original. Weird story, but the way the mechanics work together is crazy.

Is there another JRPG with a presentation as top notch as FFX?

The_Technomancer said:

High five bro!

Click to expand...

*high five* Nice to see someone else put the original on the list!

Shining Force was a huge cult hit in my neighborhood. I was the only one with a Genesis and people's thirst for SF made sure that my Genesis was rarely at my own house for a period of 9 months. I would have to go to one of three other houses to play Sega.

It worked out because I got to finally play a SNES because of the game. My friend borrowed SF for a few months and I got his SNES and finally was able to play Super Metroid, FFVI, Mario All Stars, and Link to the Past.

These are in no particular order except for the 2 pointer which is clearly #1

Secret of Mana (2 points) :

My favourite game ever since I was a kid. A combination growth system of "use it and become stronger" and conventional RPG levels. The pacing in the game is very well done and there are certain areas of the game that are just magical. Plus you save Santa, which is probably the coolest quest line in any RPG (whether JRPG or WRPG). On top of that, it has what to this day is probably the best soundtrack in a game (in my personal opinion)

Alpha Protocol :

This game cynched Obsidian as my favourite western RPG developer. All the small decisions not just in dialogue but in how you play out missions changing the game, the RPG based skills that affect aiming, shooting, and stealth instead of just being an action game instead of an RPG, and even the incredibly "asshole" (No matter which path you play) Thorton makes this one of the most fun RPGs to play. Combine that with some phenomenal writing and a setting that hasn't been used (let alone over used) and this is definitely in the top 10.

Chrono Trigger :

What can I say about this game that hasn't been said by everyone else? This might just be the perfect traditional JRPG. The plot, pacing, score, and balance are all absolutely perfect. Mixing the two biggest names in JRPGs for a title led to one of the best titles ever created in any genre and a feat that will probably not be touched again for a long time.

Xenoblade :

The newest game on my list. This title is ridiculous in terms of scope and how much it draws you in. The plot is not something that will make you go "Oh my" but it is well delivered for what it is. The gameplay, the world, the little details all combine to making one of the most lasting JRPGs of this entire generation. Hopefully people appreciate this when it gets its North American release because the game is without a doubt the best JRPG I have played in ages.

Nier :

At first look at this game I expected garbage... absolute garbage. Last gen graphics, trailers that didn't really do anything to sell me on the title...

Boy was I wrong, and for once the GAF hivemind actually sold me on a game that I am glad they did (They have steered me wrong before...). The score, the writing, this is an excellent game sold in a rusty package. Over time though, the rough edges made this game become beautiful.

Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines :

I have barely scratched the surface of this game and it is on the list. There is only 1 other game on my list that I have without having hit at least the halfway mark that I would consider putting on my list but this one (& The Witcher 2) are there. Right off the bat the writing and world are phenomenal. The game truly draws you in.

On that note, the amount of bugs it has actually made me reconsider including this title... I have to restart Steam every single time I want to play the game or it says "steam not found" after I patched it... buggy but brilliant.

The Witcher 2 :

The reason I made the move to PC gaming. The world, the writing, the quality... this is a phenomenal title. I can see why PC gamers are frothing at the mouths over this game, it definitely lives up to the hype. Not far enough to go much into it, but after barely starting it is solidly in my list.

Final Fantasy VI :

The pinnacle of the series. A huge cast all with their own story (mostly all of them well developed, a few that could have had a couple excerpts), a plot twist that was borderline ridiculous at the time (world destroyed), and 2/3rds of the game entirely optional after that plot twist. Combine that with the best score Nobuo Uematsu has ever done in his career and you have the #1 Final Fantasy title.

Kingdom Hearts :

Nomura gets a lot of hate but this game (and series, for what I've played of it) are fantastic. The combination of an action RPG and Disney is something I thought would be terrible, the game was out for 3 months before I was convinced to play it by a friend, and to this day I do not regret that plunge.

Sure, the story gets a little complicated and some of the handheld ones have sucked major, but the mainline entries are phenomenal!

Fallout New Vegas :

Closing off with another current gen title and more proof that Obsidian are amazing. For a company that gets flack for bugs they have nothing on Bethesda in that area, as Skyrim should show a lot of people, and their writing and gameplay decisions make them the top tier of Western RPG development.

Fallout New Vegas is no different. They took Fallout 3 and made it fun, made the world interesting, and made everything you do actually have some weight behind it.


And now for this year focused list! (That I've played, not all of them)

Best of 2011:

Dragon Quest VI, The Witcher 2, Radiant Historia, Skyrim, Pokemon White/Black

Worst of 2011:

Two Worlds 2 (A certain GAFfer pushed this title on the forum, it was awful and his word means very little now for it... the gameplay was just boring)

Biggest Let-Down:

Skyrim... (Come on Bethesda I thought you were better than that)

And the most hyped for next year?

Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning, 2 Tales Games in North Americaaaaa!!!!, Kingdom Hearts 3D, Paper Mario

But most of all...

Much hype for South Park from Obsidian!

Final Fantasy VII - 2 points

I know it's cliche, but I'm not a very big fan of RPGs and this game pretty much changed my gaming life and I doubt there will ever be another RPG as good for me as this one was. It was more than an RPG, it was a display of what games were capable of doing and it paved the way we look at games today.

ilnadmy said:

Click to expand...

Bastilla is using vibroblades?



Reserved for my contribution.

The Bard’s Tale (1985) – This is the RPG that really started it all for me. It’s a straight dungeon crawl. Don’t let the fact that you’re walking around in a “town” fool you. It’s a dungeon as well and it will mess you up. Completely customizable party with the standard fare of different classes. It’s a game you can pour tonnes and tonnes of time into and I still get nostalgic at times for mapping out dungeons on 30 by 30 grids. There was little to no story, but back then, if you wanted story, you’d play an adventure game.

Pool of Radiance (1988) – The awe and wonder some people feel right now when they play Skyrim is close to the awe and wonder I felt when I first played this game at a friend’s house. For 1988 this game was wide open. From the first person exploration to the top down, strategic combat...I couldn’t help but feel like I was playing something special. Character and party creation allowed you to customize a great deal, including what your character’s sprite looked like while in combat. There was a story but also opportunities to explore, to find things and have random encounters with monsters. Really great stuff.

Xenoblade – Think of a JRPG that you love, and chances are that Xenoblade has that very same quality and then a number of qualities/features that you never even thought of. One of the strongest JRPGs to come out in ten years.

Patapon 2 – A great reason to own a PSP and a game that you can play quite possibly forever even after “beating” it. Some might disagree that it’s a RPG but with the gear/loot, the character/unit progression, I can’t help but think of it as an RPG. Don’t let the fact that it’s a musical/rhythm game throw you off. It’s spectacular.

Icewind Dale II – The smallest semblance of a story but it’s there nonetheless. Make a party of adventurers using 2nd Edition (maybe 3rd edition? It’s been a while) Dungeons and Dragons ruleset. With plenty of loot and plenty of difficulty spikes, this game will pound you into the ground mercilessly but make you feel like a god when you manage to finally prove yourself victorious in a fight that has been beating you down for a few hours.

Jagged Alliance 2 THIS GETS MY TWO POINTS – Turn-based strategy RPG at it’s finest. A large number of pre-built characters to pick from to form your mercenary group, including your own customized mercenary. Relationships existing between the characters adds colour to the game as well as their personalities affecting how the perform in fights as well as during downtime. Tonnes of item and resource management. This is a game that either you will love it for what it is...or hate it.

Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen – At the time, a crazy mix of “real time strategy” and roleplaying game with tonnes of units to recruit for your army from the mundane to the fantastic. It has the typical reasonably confusing political story that some Japanese developed games can have but the real enjoyment comes from the challenging battles and the investment you have in individual units in your army. Long enough to be satisfying, but not so long that trying to get all thirteen of the different endings is too much of an epic chore.

Final Fantasy IX – I loved the characters. I loved the story. I loved, loved, loved the music. It’s your typical Final Fantasy fare but for some reason, this one, I adored.

Vagrant Story – A smart, challenging, unforgiving RPG with another fairly inscrutable story but with tonnes and tonnes of depth regarding the gear you find and create for the protagonist to use. It’s a fucking tragedy that this game hasn’t been “redone” or a sequel made.

Alpha Protocol – I know. What? I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it. A contemporary, espionage themed RPG with a story that actually made me feel like the decisions I was allowed to make actually impacted the story as well as individual missions. It has it’s challenges and some people can’t get past those but if you CAN...you might actually find a smart and enjoyable RPG.


Man...I've already thought of more I want to add to the list. : /

Ok, I'll play. Hard to put these "in order" but:

1.) Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. this is my highlight game. Incredible Difficulty, Incredible World Building. The customizability of the main character and the party means no two people are going to play through this the same way, and it really goes out of it's way to present a unique narrative. If you're as tired of "plucky teens save the world" bullshit as I am, you will love this game.

2.) Final Fantasy XII: If I could only choose one mainstream FF title, this is the one. Throws your standard Jrpg tropes out of the window and makes a world that "feels alive" in the process. You can see powerful monsters attacking weaker ones in the field of the very first area, not all monsters you encounter are aggressive, Incredibly detailed bestiary that fleshes out the lore and backstory and There's tons of hunts to keep things interesting, and again- character customization means you can play it the way you want to. Some weakness in the plot department, but really everything else is so stellar I didn't even notice. You get the sense the world of FFXII is much, much bigger than you and your characters, which rarely happens in an FF.

3.) Persona 4 It's hard to pick between 3 and 4, but 4 gets the nod because the battle system is better, and the dungeons are more varied. Both really stand out because of the interaction between the main character and the supporting staff via social links- no other series out there really comes close to it, since you really need to put effort in if you want to see everything. Again, tough call between 3 and 4, but 4 is just a little more polished.

4.) Vagrant Story This, not FFVII or Xenogears is Square's best accomplishment on the PS1. Hauntingly awesome and detailed environment, deep as hell weapon customization, surprisingly engrossing bestiary, and a spectacularly complex battle system make this one of the hardest and yet most rewarding games on the system, if not ever made. And that localization? God DAMN! There is no game with a script as good as Vagrant Story, before or since.. It was commonly referred to as "medieval gear solid" when it came out because of the strength and depth of the storyline, but that's really selling the game short. it's much, much better than metal gear was.

5.) Dragon Quest VIII: Broad and expansive, this was a really well done homage to the "Classic" 8 bit Dragon Quest games, with a shiny coat of PS2 paint. Clever banter between the characters really helped to flesh it out. Very Charming with just the right amount of Difficulty.

6.) Suikoden II: best of the series. Definitely a throwback to the era of 16 and 8 bit games when it was made, but that's a positive. none of the ridiculous CG-fests that got out of hand when FFVII blew up. What really makes this one stand out is that this series of games REALLY nailed how to pull off a "Cast of thousands" where games like Chrono Cross failed miserably. Far from being palette swaps with different funny accents, everyone in Suikoden is important (even non combat characters like chefs and interior decorators) and one could spend hours finding out how unlikely combinations complement each other in battles and story scenarios. It's an amazingly detailed game and is a complete mystery why Konami refuses to re-release it. If you haven't gotten your hands on a copy- Suikoden V and the original are good second and third place choices.

7.) Final Fantasy Tactics whether you're playing the original or the PSP remake, this one isn't to be missed. it set the standard for the strategy RPG on consoles. Loads of depth, but without being too difficult and jam packed with secrets. The only downside is the PSX original has one of the worst localizations known to man and the plot is borderline incomprehensible because of it. The PSP remake fixes this (and how!) but at the cost of some bugs and slowdown.

8.) Dark Souls gets the nod over demon's souls, but only by a hair. both games are spectacular and a refreshing change of pace. Detailed worlds, punishing difficulty, deep customization, and a battle system that shames every other RPG not named Vagrant Story. If you're looking for hours of exposition via cut scenes or melodromatic voice acting these are not your game- but if you're looking for rewarding exploration and combat, this is it.

9.) Alpha Protocol Gets a mention just for attempting and pulling off a Tactical Espionage RPG. It's got some bugs, but man was this game the surprise of the generation for me. Truly open ended gameplay where your decisions really matter shames pretenders like Dragon age II. You can save your country, or sell it out to terrorists. Make your boss proud, or gun him down in a brutal firefight. Tackle a boss head on, or gain his respect over the course of the game and make him see the error of his ways. The dialogue really had me laughing out loud and falling out of my chair at moments. It's the crime of the century that this one isn't getting a sequel to realize it's full potential. RIP Alpha Protocol.

10.) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Really struggled on my last choice here because there's a lot of good games that deserve a mention, but this one really put bioware "on the map" and is probably the most well done of their efforts. Bioware did a better job fleshing out the backstory of the star wars universe than lucas did with the prequels (though that's not really hard to do...) and it's easy to get caught up in the engrossing dialogue and shocked by the plot twists.

Vagrant Story (2 points)- My favorite game of all time. <3 Matsuno

Mass Effect 2- No one will ever convince this isn't an RPG. I never cared much for the ME1 though.

Alpha Protocol- Who knew jank could be this good. Steven Heck and Conrad Marburg are some of the best characters in gaming. I actually really enjoyed the main character Thornton a lot too and didn't find him as boring as a lot of people did.

Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines- The writing is top notch. I bought it when it came out and it makes me sad that it never got the recognition it deserved until later.

Planescape: Torment- The writing and music were excellent. My favorite of the Baldur's Gate style games.

Fallout: New Vegas- I didn't like Fallout 3 but took a chance on this due to my love for Obsidian. It didn't disappoint.

Final Fantasy XII- Loved the MMO feel myself. FFXII was definitely a step in the right direction for a tired genre.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution- Deus Ex was one of my favorites back in the day but upon replaying it recently before HR came out it just didn't age well in my eyes. Human Revolution surpassed it for me.

Lost Odyssey- If you're going to make a vanilla JRPG today, this is how you do it. Loved the dream sequences.

Demon's Souls- I enjoyed Skyrim, but why couldn't 3rd person combat feel this good in it? *Disclaimer* I haven't played Dark Souls yet.

Cystm said:

Bastilla is using vibroblades?

Reserved for my contribution.

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bloody hell yeah

Bastila had the coolest double lightsaber ever. wtfisthisdowngradedshit

A year on and my RPG backlog looks pretty much the same as at the end of last year. So, uh, not many changes here.

Phantasy Star Online - Ludicrously addictiv-- er, compelling. The setting, aesthetics, collectables and the exceptional bosses have kept me engrossed for more hours than I'd care to admit.

Dark Chronicle - Bursting at the seams with entertaining stuff to do and find, even if the combat itself is comparatively basic. It really feels as if an absurd amount of care and attention went into this game.

Shining Force III - An intriguing plot, diverse cast of characters and well-crafted setting complimented by a solid battle system. While its mechanics lack the depth of a great many other SRPGs, it remains one of my favourites of the genre. The combat cutscenes blew me away back in the day.

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne - A fantastically desolate world with the sublime atmosphere so typical of the SMT series. The combat distinguishes itself by being challenging and actually requiring preparation and thought.

Eternal Sonata - Aesthetically outstanding and charming, backed up by an engaging battle system (providing you're playing on Encore). Alright, the plot's abysmal, but I perceive the entire thing as I would a dream.

Soul Nomad & the World Eaters - As with Phantom Brave, this game is testament to the fact that I enjoy NI's offerings the most when they stray away from the Disgaea formula. This has my favourite mechanics of any SRPG I've played, and has provided one of my most enjoyable and enthralling videogame experiences to date in the form of the Demon Path.

Phantom Brave - While the cast/setting isn't NI's finest, in gameplay terms it's vying for the top spot with Soul Nomad. The depth and sheer variety of weapons, techniques and classes made this one of my greatest timesinks, and the greatest if you exclude anything that has 'Phantasy' in its title.

Phantasy Star Online: Episode 3 - The closest thing on this list to a guilty pleasure, in that it combines a universe I'm partial to (PSO) with a mechanic I love (card collecting/battles) and succeeds almost by virtue of this alone. Still, for such a radical departure for the series the core gameplay is remarkably well-handled and enjoyable.

Shining the Holy Ark - One of only three RPGs I've ever played through to completion more than once. Playing from a first-person perspective is refreshing and works wonderfully. The dungeons are, on the whole, brilliantly designed, and the combat is immensely satisfying.

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time - The plot and characters are weak, but the game endures by the strength of its brilliant battle system. The diverse locales and superb soundtrack also deserve a mention. I could say much the same for Star Ocean 4, but this prequel had far more of an impact on me.

---

Honourable mentions: Grandia II, Persona 4, Suikoden V, Disgaea 3, Breath of Fire V

In no particular order.

Tactics Ogre: let us cling together (PSP) - A fantastic remake of the original game with extra content/characters added in. Great story, characters, weapons/armour. Strategy RPG at its finest

Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX/PSP) - What got me started in Strategy RPG's. Great final fantasy style mixed in with unbelievable amounts of tactics. Plot can be a little confusing at times, but it's a minor detail. 2 points

Baldurs Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC) - The Godfather of PC RPG's. Play it.

Baldurs Gate (PC) - Not much to say. Brilliant game.

Final Fantasy VII (PSX) - First final fantasy away from the cartridge format, and wow what a difference. Combat system is great, materia system is great, story....typical final fantasy but that doesn't bother me. One of the best for the PSX.

Final Fantasy VI (SNES) - Probably one of the best games on the snes, great story, combat, characters....

Final Fantasy IX (PSX) - Return to the crystal. Great world, characters, mini-games. Up there with the top rpg's.

Persona 4 (PS2) - Very addicting game with a story that keeps you coming back for more. Challenging combat, great characters. Combination dating sim/dungeon delving and it works great.

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS2) - Very dark story and atmosphere. Great combat and demon system. A classic PS2 game.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PSX) - Don't play this for the story, play it for the kick ass combat and item world.

Cystm said:

Bastilla is using vibroblades?

Click to expand...

Bastilla is a boss. Can't make it too easy for her, now can we?

I'm not a good writer so don't expect some masterpiece quality descriptions.


Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht - PS2
One of the first RPGs that I played on the PS2, I must've been 10 years old when I played it and I would never of got to if my mum didn't import it. It's pretty much my favourite because I played it when I was younger, I haven't played it in years and I'd love to import it again since we lost it when we moved. The story is great, battles don't get boring and the battle theme still gets stuck in my head to this day.


Phantasy Star Online - DC/Xbox/GC/PC
Seriously addicting game if played with others. Again, this is a choice because played as a kid and it has the nostalgic value. My cousin used to come round after school a couple times a week and play it together, hardly got boring. After the Dreamcast went, I forgot all about it until I found out about Blue Burst a few years ago and I still play when I can.


Phantasy Star Portable 2 - PSP
While Universe and Portable 1 aren't bad, Phantasy Star Portable 2 got me hooked. It's pretty much the closest to PSO out of the other PS games which is why I'm really looking forward to PSO2.


Final Fantasy XIII - PS3/360
I can 100% understand the hate for this game but I loved it. The presentation, the speed of the battles, the OST; everything about the game is great which is why (am I going to regret saying this?) this is my favourite Final Fantasy to date.


Persona 4 - PS2
I love Atlus' style in the Persona games, they're something different than the other games. The story is great but it does get boring sometimes, battles are always fun, in some games I find myself avoiding enemies whenever I get bored of the battles but I'm always trying to find the next battle.


Nier - PS3/360
One the of the biggest surprises for me this gen. I got recommended this game by a friend, I would never of picked this game up if I looked at gameplay videos. I can't put into words how great the story is, all the characters are likable and the gameplay is not that bad but the story alone is worth the purchase.


Deus Ex: Human Revolution - PS3/360/PC
Never played the original Deus Ex prior to this game (but I've owned in on Steam for a long time, aha), I only got hyped for this game about a week before released. I'm not sure what got me hyped for it but I bought it day one anyway. Story isn't that great but I enjoyed it, gameplay is top notch; so many options to choose from.


The World Ends With You - NDS
I'll start by saying I hate the fandom behind this game. With that out the way, this game is great. Soundtrack is good and there's nothing like this game out for the DS.


Ys Seven - PSP
My first Falcom game and it quickly become one of my favourite PSP games. The graphics, music, story and gameplay are all amazing. The only downside is that I only found out about it this year, I've still got plenty of Falcom games to go through!

and I can't think of something for my tenth one so I'll stick with nine

Without doing multiple titles int he same franchise, here I go! This list is very PC heavy by the way



Planescape: Torment - Not many RPGs have sustained my interest for more than a single play through, but for whatever reason, I find my self playing this game over and over again, and the best part about it, each play through shows me something different! On top of that, having dialogue and a story that reads like it is ripped out of the pages of a fantastic paper back novel, and this helps to solidify what is in my opinion the best RPG ever developed. Truly the best piece of interaction fiction I have ever experienced.

Knights of the Old Republic - This is in my opinion second only to Torment. I think what puts Torment over the top is its more original and unique world, but what Knights does with the Star Wars world was fantastic in its own right, and with its fantastic story, it warrants at least a single playthrough, if for nothing else to properly experience one of the best twists in a games story. In my opinion this game was Bioware's best RPG. Sure, Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 had the depth of an incredibly detailed original fantasy world, but the pacing is all over the place.

Mass Effect 1 - This game took me a while to really get into... I actually let this game sit for about 6 months after encountering a glaring game breaking bug during Noveria, and the fact that my save point was about 45 minutes prior to the Benezia boss fight, i gave up. The area annoyed the shit out of me, and was just to boring, but when i returned to it, and finally figured out how to avoid the stretching bull shit and beat benezia, i ended up finishing the game in a weekend, and started a 2nd playthrough. The unique sci-fi universe grabbed me and i was hooked after that. While the story wasn't as good as Knights or Planescape, it certainly held its own and the actual voice acting was fantastic. Easily my favorite new IP of this generation.

Vampire: The masquerade - Bloodlines - Buggy? Yes... Fantastically written? Yes. One of the most immersive and atmospheric RPGs I have played, and also contains one of the scariest gaming moments in the guise of the Ocean House Hotel. Such a fantastic haunted house design that I have yet to see replicated anywhere else.

System Shock 2 - This is Science Fiction at its best. A Genuinely creepy, atmospheric story of isolation that offers the player with a mishmash of 2001 and Aliens. I am yet to play a game as entirely creepy as this game, and while it rarely evolves to the creeps that Bloodlines did in its Hotel stage, the entire game is creepy on a level just below which is an amazing feat. Also a great game for multiple playthroughs!

The Witcher 2 - The combat system from the first game was lack luster at best, but i still somewhat enjoyed the overall game. There was a good story there, and while the dialogue was good, the voice acting had a lot to be desired. This game completely revamped the combat system for the better, but while the voice acting in my opinion remains average, the story is inherently superior, offering a great setting filled with politics, deception, sex and violence... What else could you ask for?
Freedom Force and the Third Reich - There are few Strategy focused RPGs that catch my attention, but I absolutely loved the characters in this game. The characters, while not entirely original, were presented well and the game was a surprisingly fun diversion from the fantasy and sci-fi stuff that had been releasing left and right around the same time.

Star Ocean 4 - Story and Dialogue is quite possibly the worst out of all the games i am listing. There is no sugar coating that... But for what it is worth, i got some amusement out of it. That said, I think the environments are fantastic and the combat system really set this game apart from others. Fast paced, tactical, and not to mention, how you performed in combat determined any types of bonuses you may earn upon victory. There was a lot of depth in this combat system that you don't normally find in real time combat.

Baten Kaitos - The unique environmental design and combat system really made this title stand out for me. I loved the card mechanic, and how it played into more than just the combat. And speaking of the combat, it was fun and original! A turn based system that still required some active thinking on your part.

FF6 I feel like this deserves a mention mainly because it was one of the first console RPGs I had ever played and it introduced me to a genre that I very rarely played. Good story and characters. The setting was fantastic.

JonStark, ULTROS!, Metalic, SatelliteOfLove, djtiesto, Manmademan

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These people have better taste than everyone else in jRPGs (don't fault the people who mainly play western RPGs for not picking Suikoden II)

Skyrim(2 points) - My new favorite game of all-time. The world is enormous and beautiful and it would take a mighty long time before you ran out of things to do. I could write a short book about the things I love about this game to be honest. I talk about this game all the freakin time so I'm not gonna write a ton about it right now. I dont expect everyone to love it quite as much as I do, but its sure as hell a must-play RPG, especially if like open-world gaming.

Final Fantasy VI - The actual combat and gameplay mechanics aren't spectacular or innovative, but its definitely solid(having so many different characters is the best part) and thats pretty much the worst thing I can say about this game. Other than that, its just plain top quality. The graphics are charming, even to this day. The music is possibly the best in any game I've ever heard. The characters are incredibly memorable and each gets their own fun sidequest in the 2nd half of the game. I mean, really, there's so much I can say about this game, but its really just such an RPG staple that I cant imagine somebody being an RPG fan and not having played this, so I wont rant on endlessly here.

Secret of Mana - This game is beautiful, the gameplay is fun and rewarding, the music is fantastic and its great fun to play with other people.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - If you like RPG's, this game is awesome, but if you like RPG's AND Star Wars, then this game(and its sequel) is pretty much mandatory. The battle mechanics were admittedly a bit clumsy sometimes, but it was still fun and getting to customize your own lightsaber was just badass. I liked the whole choice-system in the game, but it was never a huge selling point for me.

Final Fantasy VII - Obligatory pick as a Final Fantasy lover. This game just has so much going for it. The setting and locations are awesome, the music is awesome, the characters are awesome, the story is actually interesting, the summons were epic, the customization was awesome, and there was lots of sidequests and numerous things to do aside from the main quest. Pretty much a masterpiece of an RPG along with Final Fantasy VI.

Kingdom Hearts - A great blend of fun action-style RPG gameplay and some of the greatest Disney settings. Dont know how or why this all works so great, but it does and its a joy to experience.

Super Mario RPG - Another of the top-notch RPG's that came from the SNES golden-era of gaming. And another example of how two normally unrelated elements(Mario and RPG's) can come together to form one hell of a game. The story is the usual Mario nonsense, but its partly that 'doesn't take it self too seriously' nonsense that makes this game so quirky and so charming, and something that most every Mario RPG game since has replicated. And on top of this, its actually a fairly involving RPG with some entertaining battle mechanics.

Final Fantasy IX - Dont get me wrong, I LOVE FF8, but after two 'industrialized' Final Fantasies, it was really special for them to come back to their 'fantasy' roots for this one. And they switched up the art style, which I think worked great and was really refreshing. Although I cant say that this game really excels greatly in any one area, its just an all-round quality Final Fantasy game.

Mass Effect - Ya know, I think I had more fun playing Mass Effect 2, but they seriously stripped most of the RPG elements out of the game and I feel that the first is the only one that I can consider a proper RPG. And it was a great one at that. The setting was marvelous and the graphics, while laden with performance problems, were still incredibly gorgeous. It was a very atmospheric experience and the mix of shooting elements and RPG elements worked very well if you asked me. The game has its flaws, but its still a game that I think would be tragic to miss out on.

prowler_ said:

Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht - PS2
... the battle theme still gets stuck in my head to this day.

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Because it's one of like three music tracks that plays in the entire game

Since you say a maximum of 10, I'm going to list fewer.

Final Fantasy VII - 2 points. Some of my fondest video gaming memories rest with this game. Always been a favourite. Materia is just so cool.

Dragon Quest VIII - This was fantastic. Lots of humour and the art style was very unique, at least for the games I played. Spent a lot of time on this game.

Earthbound - Great fun.

Mass Effect - Since other people are including this as an RPG, I will too. The story was superb IMO. Looking forward to playing this again.

Valkyria Chronicles: A delicious twist on the standard turn based strategy rpg formula that allows you to delve into some real time gameplay. The game gives off an aura of pleasantness about it despite the fact i'm shooting some guys face off at the same time, I guess that shows how much I like the presentation which extends across graphics, soundtack and even the menu screen.

Xenoblade: It's been years since a game absorbed me as much as this one, dragging me in for many fun filled hours, a massive world that rewards exploration is key to my love for this one, I wish every game would give me experience for going on a sight seeing trip.

Pokemon fire red: Pretty much any pokemon game could fill this slot, I was going to go with Black but my nostalgia demands this revamped version of the original, nothing like grabbing my standard team and journeying through Kanto once more.

Chrono Trigger: It took me until this year to get round to this highly acclaimed game and it doesn't disappoint, unhindered by its age it's still a great game today with other jrpg games still struggling to match up to it. Oh and the soundtrack is high quality fuel for my ears.

Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga: A master of the simple yet incredibly effective battle system, playing correctly allows you to be an unstoppable juggernaut that never gets touched and lays beat downs on all enemies who dare to attack the bros. None of the sequels come close to the original for me, it's funny, fun and fast flowing.

Fire Emblem Path of Radiance: There's something to be said about a game that has me spend up to 10 minutes on a single turn carefully planning an attack strategy that keeps my units alive, gives the kills/exp to those of my team who need it most and allow me to be prepared for the enemy phase. Permadeath is fantastic as it adds an extra twist to the game that makes each move seem that much more important.

Tales of Vesperia: It's a tales game which means a solid jrpg that doesn't exactly blow my mind but it doesn't really have to. Real time combat is always a plus in my book and the main cast of characters helps put it over the other tales games i've played.

The World Ends With You: A game that feels unique in every way from art direction, soundtrack, battle style to the plot and the setting. It plays to the strengths of the DS itself. And I myself am the grand master of deciding which enemies I choose to face and it feels good (so no random battles!).

Paper Mario- The Thousand Year Door: There's something so whimsical about this game, snappy writing and the stage set battle system are just a few of this games highlights for me. It's missing Shyguys though, a terrible crime.

Dark Souls: I almost forgot this counted as an rpg as I think of it more as an action game, I was originally dismissive of this game for numerous reasons but gave it a shake regardless and damn it was solid, as in solid as a rock because it's tough, really tough. shame that the game sort of fizzles out towards the end.

Honorable mentions to Mass Effect 2 and Mother 3

walking fiend said:

Is there another JRPG with a presentation as top notch as FFX?

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There are several I could argue. Though I really liked the FFX world and setting

Radiant Historia - This game is a time traveling alternate reality game for the DS that came out this year. It really felt like a classic RPG and gave a great feel. At times the combat seemed a little difficult but if you learned how to manipulate the system it became much easier.

Dragon Quest V - It's a shame that North America needed to wait so long to play this classic. This game follows the entire life of a man who is not the hero of legend. Amazing idea. It is very involving to play a game where you play the same person as a child, a young man, and a married man with children. This game also lets you recruit monsters to your team which adds a lot of replay value.

Dragon Quest IX - The post game here is immense. Tons of post-game quests, maps, bosses. You can fight against all the classic bosses of previous Dragon Quest games by getting their maps. Treasure map bosses have special loot drops too. I tend to think that you could play this game forever if you wanted to.

Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 (2 points) - This monster-collecting game came out this year and was a tremendous leap over the first game for the DS. I love synthesizing monsters and developing skillsets with them. The level of customization available seems enormous. The ability to have giant monsters that take up multiple slots in your party was also new and a nice touch.

Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals - This was one of the best SNES RPGs and I'm not sure many people had it when it came out. I absolutely loved the story and the puzzle gameplay. This is also the only game that ever truly fooled me with a fake ending.

Etrian Odyssey - This game singlehandedly brought back my love for the dungeon crawler. The ability to draw your own map was a very smart idea and was implemented very well and improved upon in the sequels. On top of that, being able to choose different classes and different builds created a lot of replay value. This game was hard too. Anyone who's played it will remember the first time they enter battle with an FOE and get their ass handed to them. Amazing.

Eye of the Beholder 2 - I played this with my dad on his computer when I'd go to visit so it holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the first dungeon crawlers I ever played. We managed to make it to the final boss without difficulty but could never defeat him. Later we played the first game and found the beholder at the end to be quite easy. I honestly wouldn't mind playing this one again.

Shadowrun (SNES) - I used to rent this all the time, and I was able to make it pretty far but was never able to finish it. Years later I still haven't finished. I have made it all the way to the dragon in the volcano, but haven't been able to finish him off. Maybe one day. The cyberpunk setting in this game -- and that it took place in Seattle -- really set it apart from the other RPGs on the SNES and helped make it very memorable. I also loved playing solo and remember the dialog system to be pretty innovative for a console game at the time -- of course I hadn't played Final Fantasy II (NES).

Arena - The first Elder Scrolls game was an experience I'll never forget. The world was seemingly endless and I loved to hunt for special artifacts -- but don't think I ever got any. My dad would play and play and not get very far in the story but would keep re-rolling his characters to try out new builds. This game seems infinitely large.