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Xenogears, EASILY.

 

[Forerunner]

Quest 64.

Spoiler

Fuck that game.

Going with Pokémon Red and Blue.

 

[Duress]

Baldur's Gate for me

Spoiler

Quest 64 special mention

 

[Sinatar]

While I voted for Fallout 2, Might & Magic VI isn't getting enough love. Game is amazing. I replayed it in 2014 and it still holds up.

 

[Orthogonal]

Final Fantasy Tactics

 

[Nocturno999]

Jesus Christ that year.

Xenogears, FFT, BoF 3, Panzer Saga, PE in no order. I didn't have a gaming PC that year sadly.

I even loved Saga Frontier and Kartia.

 

[yojimbocherry]

Shining Force III

 

[NysGAF]

I had no idea. What a tremendous year for RPGs. I'll put the weight of my considerable opinion behind Final Fantasy Tactics.

 

[hprshredder]

They really don't make them like they used to.

 

[Spman2099]

I hope it was over the graphics, where are the polygons?

It was the (excellent) PSP release. I can't remember the exact complaints, but he definitely complained about the graphics (which hold up brilliantly, by the way).

*edit*
http://www.destructoid.com/review-tactics-ogre-let-us-cling-together-196763.phtml#disqus_thread

Never forget, never forgive.

 

[Zenlightened]

Wow that is way harder than it should be, what the hell 1998? Why must you be so full of epic adventures?

I'm going to have to go with Fallout 2. If it was BG2 and not BG1 it would have been far more difficult.

Honorable Mention: Final Fantasy Tactics

 

[SeanTSC]

Xenogears, hands down. It's still easily the best game of all time for me personally and the only game even remotely close is Skies of Arcadia at a distant #2. Xenogears is just fucking amazing, second disc haters be damned.

I would do just about anything for it to be remade with the same love and attention that Resident Evil 1 HD received. Keep the art style the same, all the perspectives the same, use super high resolution 2D character art that's high quality like Vanillaware games, detail out the 3D mechs and maps. And yes, finish the second disc properly. It would be the greatest game of all time all over again.

The characters, the story, the art, the mechs, the combat, god, it's just all so fucking good.

 

[Zerojul]

Xenogears for me, with FFT as a very close second. BoF III was awesome, too.

 

[aravuus]

That's one hell of a year for RPGs. I'm honestly not sure what to pick between Fallout 2, FF Tactics and Xenogears... I love them all for different reasons.

Maybe Xenogears. Loved the batshit insane story. I should replay it soon.

 

[BobbyRobby]

Final Fantasy Tactics, though it was a tough call

 

[BasilZero]

Final fantasy tactics

Wow what a great year for RPGs

 

[Jigorath]

While I voted for Fallout 2, Might & Magic VI isn't getting enough love. Game is amazing. I replayed it in 2014 and it still holds up.

I love Mandate of Heaven, but I couldn't vote for it over Fallout 2. 1998 was just too good.

 

[vocab]

While I voted for Fallout 2, Might & Magic VI isn't getting enough love. Game is amazing. I replayed it in 2014 and it still holds up.

From last year too. Probably the best of example of a game that just lets you do your thing. No really story in your way, no interruption of cut scenes. Here's this letter, go deliver it. That's basically the first quest. There's a story, and there's a bad guy, but its just a world crawling adventure. It's a great game.

 

[Augemitbutter]

looking at this list is absolutely crazy. i think i have 4 or 5 of those games in my all time rpg top 10.

you missed out if you didn't breathe a bit of that air back then.

 

[Shion]

Panzer Dragoon Saga

PANZER DRAGOON SAGA

There's still nothing quite like it.

The characters feel real, there are very few tropes and cliches to make the story corny, the story has a nice dark edge mixed in with the fantasy (not to mention it's quite magnificent), the art style is impeccable, the acting is fantastic (thank goodness the lines were left in Japanese), the soundtrack is god-tier and the battle system is ingenious, engaging, and perfect translation of the rail shooter installments with the best implementation of a ATB variant in any JRPG.

In other words: more people need to play this game. Period.

Nailed it.

It also has the most fascinating post-apocalyptic world I've ever seen in video games.

 

[JustSomeone]

While I voted for Fallout 2, Might & Magic VI isn't getting enough love. Game is amazing. I replayed it in 2014 and it still holds up.

Yes, it's an amazing game. People tend to ignore it, because it came out when RPGs made the switch to isometric view.

 

[Skyless]

Pokemon red/blue.

 

[Exentryk]

Xenogears.

 

[labx]

Pokemon Red and Blue gets my vote.

Pokemon, it's what made me a gamer and was my gateway drug to Nintendo.

Amen.

 

[Drkirby]

Suikoden 2 came out in 1998 in Japan. I'm voting for that, you can't stop me!

Spoiler

I'll go with Final Fantasy Tactics. I played very few games on that list to be honest

 

[Melubas]

I played the shit out of the original Pokemon games, but I still have to give my vote to Breath of Fire 3. Always loved that series. It has a special feel to it (even though I like BoF 2 best).

 

[Valkerionseven]

Xenogears

But definitely a list of contenders... if Xeno was not my favorite rpg ever and all.

 

[Pancake Mix]

Xenogears

Toss-up between that and the impressive mix that was Parasite Eve for me. It's also my runner up for best survival horror game of 1998 as I give the win to Resident Evil 2.

 

[PastorOfMuppets]

This is kind of an interesting question because there's a bunch of people here who will say a PC RPG but never played any of the console game candidates and vice versa.

Like, I'd say Fallout 2 but it's kind of unfair for me to say that without having at least tried one of the JRPGs on that list which I haven't.

 

[Keylow415]

xenogears

 

[Lanrutcon]

Thief.

 

[Tailzo]

Panzer Dragoon Saga (Sega 1998)

 

[JustSomeone]

This is kind of an interesting question because there's a bunch of people here who will say a PC RPG but never played any of the console game candidates and vice versa.

Like, I'd say Fallout 2 but it's kind of unfair for me to say that without having at least tried one of the JRPGs on that list which I haven't.

That's a problem with all those "best x of x". No one played everything

 

[halfbeast]

Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Spoiler

secretly wishes that SEGA sees this thread and decides to remaster it.

 

[Dark_castle]

Brave Fencer Musashi got robbed.

 

[texhnolyze]

Fallout 2 it's not even close.

Well, maybe Final Fantasy Tactics is close enough, with Xenogears on the third place.

 

[forest]

Dead fucking tie between Fallout 2 & Baldur's Gate


..........
..........
..........


*I flipped a coin before I wrote this part of the post*
Baldur's Gate

 

[JayBabay]

Tough call but I'm going with Xenogears. Tactics is a very close second.

 

[texhnolyze]

Tough call but I'm going with Xenogears. Tactics is a very close second.

 

[The Wraith]

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of my favorite games of all time

 

[aravuus]

Fallout 2 it's not even close.

Well, maybe Final Fantasy Tactics is close enough, with Xenogears on the third place.

Same top three

High five

 

[Sotha_Sil]

Fallout 2 is the easy winner here, imo.

 

[Pyccko]

Gotta go with Xenogears. BoF3 and Tactics closely behind.

 

[Bishop89]

 

[Lux R7]

Baldur's gate.

 

[Castillo]

Xenogears

 

[Koozek]

Not even joking, I really liked The Granstram Saga as a kid Rented it without knowing what it was and finished it in a few days. I've remembered it as "the game without faces" for a long time. Also fondly remember Quest 64 aka. Holy Magic Century over here. It's crappy in retrospective, but my best friend and I loved it, and it pretty much was the only RPG on the N64.

But as a legit choice I'd say Pokemon or Breath of Fire 3.

 

[Mokujin]

Xenogears, but man, what a year!

 

[jimboton]

Fallout 2 I guess.

 

[Serviam]

Xenogears since it is one of the best RPGs ever mad.

As others have already commented, what a year it was!