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[Oxn]

1) World of Warcraft - Spent over 5 years of my life on this game, and over 1 year of in-game time. The original and its expansion The Burning Crusade was magical. I still remember the things I have done and achieved in that game.
2) Skies of Arcadia - If you want the feeling of adventure, this is the game for you.
3) Ogre Battle 64 - Best SRPG, bar-none. No other rpg plays like this. Characters and story are soooo rich, and has everything. EVERYTHING (3 POINTER!!!)
4) Chrono Trigger - If you don't know what this game is already then you are not in the right thread
5) Chrono Cross - Best music of any game. Nothing comes close. Crazy graphics and setting. And it slightly bests the original.
6) Phantasy Star 4 - Amazing Story, setting, and Music. Gameplay slightly outdated, but the whole experience was great.
7) Phantasy Star Online - My first Online RPG, wow what an experience. This was the game I bought a Dreamcast for. I even bought the Keyboard.
8) Dragon Quest 5 - Best Dragon Quest game ever. I had already played 3, and 7, and 9, and 8 at that point. Within the first 2 hours I already knew it will be better than the rest.
9) Final Fantasy 12 - Best gameplay of any Final Fantasy. Highly underrated. The story is confusing, but man the world they built was crazy. Very hard to pinpoint a favorite Final Fantasy, but I'm going with this.
10) Paper Mario 64 - Who knew Mario can carry an RPG. Well people who played SMRPG said so, but I didnt like that game. This is the game to get. TTYD does not compare.


Honorable Mentions
11) Final Fantasy 9 - Bringing FF back to its roots. Brought humor back to the game. Dagger is awesome character, and the love story wasnt forced.
12) Pokemon Red/Blue - My first RPG ever. Didn't know what an RPG was either, I just bought it. Put in over 200hours and caught all 150 Pokemon legitimately on my own with a 2nd copy I borrowed from a friend.
13) Zelda: Link's Awakening DX - Ending Made me cry. I was in the 7th grade at the time.
14) Panzer Dragoon Saga - No other RPG plays like this. Great story and lore. Plus Dragons are the focus on the story. DRAGONS!!!!
15) Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together - Best grid style SRPG. Good story, but you must pay close attention.
15) Dragon Warrior/Quest 3 - My first Dragon Quest on the GBC. Made me a fan of the series.
17) Dragon Warrior 7 - Spent 120hours and still had alot to do. Really good stuff here.
18) Illusions of Gaia - Stories were based on stories we have in real life. Hard to explain why this game was so awesome, but the world they built and story was unique. Magical expeirence.
19) Final Fantasy 8 - Sorry Final Fantasy 7, I choose this game over you.
20) Final Fantasy 6 - Best classic Final Fantasy. One of the best villians out there. Still holds up today. I rather this get remade than FF7.


Unranked Honorable Mentions
- Lunar Silver Star Complete
- Star Wars: KOTOR
- Dark Souls
- Pokemon Crystal
- Final Fantasy 7
- Tales of Symphonia
- Tales of Phantasia

WILL COME BACK TO EDIT

 

[Augemitbutter]

1) -Suikoden II- a flawless masterpiece.

2 ) -Lunar: The Silver Star Story Complete- charming party, good music and a nice localization make for a good classic RPG ride.

3) -Grandia- definitive adventurers RPG. this game series gets voted -best battle system- on many occasions, don't pass this up, find out why and vote with us.

4) -Panzer Dragoon Saga- unique desert world, mesmerizing music and a fresh take on the RPG formula back when everybody ignored the Saturn. i cherish this game.

5) -Shining Force II- i could vote for any true shining force without regrets. i picked this one because it has a phoenix as a playable character and the best town theme ever. you don't even have to revive the phoenix when he dies, he'll come back at no expense.

6) -Digital Devil Saga- SMT formula perfected. discard everything that made nocturne a chore, refine the battle engine and add meguro's most diverse soundtrack.

7) -Xenogears- sick world, sick soundtrack. you'll never know where this game will take you. maybe the most diversified RPG world ever created.

8) -Tactics Ogre- Let Us Cling Together PSP- Final Fantasy Tactics remains the better story and better soundtrack, but the refinements in gameplay can't be ignored. a real treasure.

9) -Ys Seven- crazy responsive controls. Ys is a beast that's been running wild for over 20 years. you'll miss out if you don't give it a try. crazy music again, like every other falcom game.

10) -Valkyrie Profile- very unique game. there is a flaw where you can't get the best ending without reading a five-line-faq. do that and you'll get an RPG like no other. this might be sakuraba's best work btw.





Honorable Mentions:


11) Final Fantasy Tactics

12) Dragon Quest VIII

13) Dragon's Dogma

14) Growlanser IV Wayfarer of Time

15) Ys Oath in Felghana

16) Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon

17) Xanadu Next

18) Fire Emblem 7

19) Valkyria Chronicles

20) Shining Force III

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

Since 1-10 all get the same points, I didn't worry too much about order.

1) Persona 4 Golden - Though there are games that have done individual things better, for the total package, it's hard to beat Persona 4. And the Golden version makes several appreciated updates to gameplay while adding some fun new content.
2) Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (3 points) - Unique setting, interesting gameplay (roguelike-esque but premade levels, 3 character Strategy/RPG combat), expertly done cutscenes, touching story. and amazing music.
3) Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne - Still the best main SMT game.
4) Suikoden 2 - Fast paced, political intrigue in RPG form.
5) Etrian Odyssey 4 - Some of the best turn-based combat around.
6) Lunar: Eternal Blue - A real revelation when it came out and still great today.
7) Dragon Quest 6 - My favorite of the DQ games with beautiful 2D art (SNES), dual orld setup, and a fun class system.
8) Chrono Trigger - No explanation needed.
9) Xenoblade - Grew on me. Fun characters, detailed upgrade systems, massive areas. great music.
10) Dark Souls - My hardcore 3D Action/RPG/Metroidvania of choice.


Honorable Mention:
11) Paladin's Quest - Unique setting, and very interesting gameplay with spells that cost HP, rechargeable items, magic getting more powerful through use, and mercenaries for party members. Fun puzzle dungeons too.
12) Wild Arms XF - FFT with more interesting battles & bizarre classes.
13) Lufia 2 - Great gameplay (outside combat too with Zelda-esque puzzles) & great soundtrack.
14) E.V.O. - Fun Action/RPG where you morph through eras. Very expensive these days.
15) Xenogears - Mecha the RPG.
16) Phantasy Star 4 - Best Genesis RPG. Fast paced. Comic book cutscenes are cool.
17) Titan Quest - So many hours spent on this mythology-themed Diablo clone. Grim Dawn is shaping up to be even better once it's finished.
18) Final Fantasy Adventure - Great Game Boy Action/RPG. Some of the best chiptunes around.
19) Grandia - Originator of one of the best battle systems and all-around great game.
20) Dragon Quest 8 - Gorgeous, massive PS2 adventure.

Could have easily kept going if I had more slots.

 

[CyberPunked]

Reserving

 

[StingX2]

1) Persona 4 Golden - There really isn't any RPG that screams the perfection that is this game. Characters, battle system, sub systems, music, a compelling story, and a huge time sink. This game really has everything and its only downfall is after 100 hours+ its over. Persona 3 had issues with social links freezing (realistic but a downer), and characters that were widely ignored because they lacked social links in the first release. P4 isn't perfect but it can see perfection above from it's mountain top.

2) Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver - gripping plot? Nope. Pokemon HGSS takes the already fantastic 2nd Gen of Pokemon and gives it that polish that makes your head turn. A great new area to journey in which is followed by a revisit to a world you effected in the first game. It plays on the nostalgia and wins because no other game has done it better (except maybe Dragon Quest III)

3) Mass Effect 2- The first game is an introduction to different genres you see in Science Fiction (Noveria is Horror for example), and the third game is about the effects of war. Both are great games but Mass Effect 2 takes the trope of the dark middle chapter and embraces it. Forming an elite squad of the most badass solo artists in the known universe to be a one man army taking out an entire race is one of the coolest setups any video game has ever had. It is the kind of plot we save for film but Bioware masters it. The only downside is they got really lazy with Zaaed.

4) Final Fantasy VI - FF6 was the first game to feel like two different games, a feature every FF after would embrace. The first half of the game feels like your typical RPG journey with a mysterious protagonist. It's a great game with great characters but then something happens. Something that has never happened,

Spoiler

the bad guy wins. Kefka a bit player, a literal jester, comes out from the shadows of the Emperor and becomes the new ruler of the world. Then he promptly destroys it, most of the world is dead and destroyed and now you play as a different protagonist who has given up on life so much, that she tries to commit suicide.

This was a SNES RPG and there haven't been many JRPGs or WRPGs in the years since that are as powerful as this game.

5) Chrono Trigger - The art design from Toriyama may attract you to this game, but Chrono Trigger is still THE defacto time travel story for video games. The game knows when to be bright, and it knows when to be so dark and cold that Batman would likely feel a shiver down his spine.

6) Super Mario RPG - Square's first shot at a Mario RPG still has the bar set almost twenty years later. A bar that 4 Paper Mario and 4 Mario & Luigi titles have failed to vault in the years since. The music is memorable, the characters come alive whether they are Mario acting as a mime to describe situations or original characters like Mallow stealing the show. The world of Mario RPG is downright brilliant becoming both the bright Mario we know and the darkness an RPG needs to move its plot along.

7) Dark Souls - Dark Souls is everything Demon Souls wanted to be and more. The game can be easily described by it's tutorial dungeon where they drop a barrel down the stairs on you. You will spend the rest of the game expecting that to happen after that moment, and it never will. Dark Souls will screw you badly but it doesn't like to repeat its tricks. The world of Dark Souls is easily one of the best the last generation has seen offering some fantastically designed visual areas from beautiful castles to disgusting swamps. Then you get into the lore and very few games can compare with how it conveys its lore without really telling you anything. You learn things by reading item descriptions, and making more cultish contracts than you can shake a dragon tail at.

8) Persona 3 - I stand by the fact Persona 3 is not as good as 4. My favorite version is even the looked down upon Portable version but inside this game is a rough and brutal RPG that rewards the dedicated. It doesn't perfect characterization because the game actually ignores some main characters by not giving them social links until the Portable version! The overall plot though is fantastic and it is a ride that is unlike any other, even Persona 4

9) Lost Odyssey - The dreams are some of the best writing in video games ever. Would they be better or worse if they were voice acted? It is a question that we will never have answered but the short stories tell us the story of Kaim's life far better than the actual game does. The actual game plot falls into the trappings of its Final Fantasy cousin but that isn't a bad thing. It just can get silly at times, downright silly.

10) Dragon Warrior Monsters (3 points) - It's not even the amazing monster breeding system, the plethora of sidequests, or the fact you can steal enemy Monster Tamers monsters that makes this game so great. It's that the story is

Spoiler

you traveling around dimensions setting up the events of the first six Dragon Quest games. It's subtle but brilliant and these brushes with history are a lot of fun for DQ fans.

Honorable Mentions


11) Golden Sun - Fun lighthearted RPG that ends at a bad moment, has that awful when enemy dies your attack is cancelled mechanic that FF1 had

12) Final Fantasy Tactics - Epic strategy rpg with a story that eventually gets rolling but takes a lot of boring setup

13) Tales of Symphonia - Fun cast, fun battle system, and a fun story but shallow in comparison to most rpgs

14) Final Fantasy IX - The games tribute to its own series throughout the game is what really makes this shine. There is a lot of good here but just as much awkward.

15) Breath of Fire IV - This is the story of two opposing forces eventually heading for collision amidst a world war. The story can get a little screwy at times but it usually remains pretty grounded, always difficult, and extremely somber.

15) Final Fantasy V - The best use of the job system easily in the Final Fantasy series, plot is extremely silly

17) Final Fantasy IV - Soap opera? Yes but its a good short one and a classic story

18) Dragon Warrior III - An epic journey of avenging your fallen father. The game's quest to revive the great bird was extremely unique for its time. The twist at the end though? Still great

19) Luminous Arc - Strategy RPG full of fanservice that works. The characters are interesting, the world they live in is interesting, and watching these characters interact is wonderful.

20) Kingdom Hearts - (insert explanation here)

 

[DMiz]

This is going to take some time to put down into proper words and such, but putting down some early thoughts here while I think about some more in-depth explanations and flesh out the honorable mentions. (I'm afraid I have some fairly bog-standard choices.)

Main List

1. Final Fantasy IX.
Sakaguchi is oft-quoted as saying that FF9 is the one game in the series that faithfully represents what Final Fantasy is about.

The man is right.

Despite the fact that it disgruntled quite a large fan-base when it first arrived - people were just getting used to Squall and his realistically-proportioned crew - I have loved Final Fantasy 9 since its release and I have continued loving Final Fantasy 9 since.

The game is the sincerest love letter to all the cliches that FF employs within its own mythos: from the inexplicable love of crystals, to the fear of young women who embody the power to summon terrifying demons and gods, to airships, to strange power sources known only as Mist, to black mages, to white mages, to red mages (which you can't recruit, sadly), to card games - it has it all. If you've seen it, it's probably been done.

What it does have unique to itself, and what it does amazingly well and makes it stand taller than what I believe to be any other game in this long-lasting franchise, is one of the greatest casts that RPGs have ever produced.

Zidane is effectively Han Solo - a cocksure, confident kid from the back streets of your favorite American megacity who finds himself in love and embroiled in a world-saving plot. He's a thief - not your typical hero-class of paladin or warrior - and he acts like one; he's smart, smarmy, and charms his way just as much as he's willing to clash with your blades. And that's just the main character - because quite a few other people in his party are just as interesting, loveable, and different.

From the world map that just succeeds over and over again to hide secrets within the tiniest nooks and crannies, this is the one Final Fantasy that I feel will forever stand the test of time.

2. Grandia.

3. Brave Fencer Mushashi. (3 points)
I'm not even sure where to begin with this amazing game. Imagine, if you will, the seed of open-world gaming formulating in the minds of Square's developer talent back then; you have a 24-hour clock, Metroid-like progression through areas, hidden secrets, 'energy tanks' - in the form of cute little mice-rabbits called "Minku"- , an eclectic soundtrack, unlockable sword techniques, and smart, 4-th wall breaking writing: the game is a blast. The game even arguably simulates life better than other 'wide-open' games like Skyrim and Fallout 3; Musashi needs to sleep and eat, he can get sick, and there's nothing like spending all night in a dungeon - only to have to take a short little nap outside the boss's doorway.

It remains one of Square's hidden gems and is, at times, woefully forgotten outside of the fact that it included a demo for Final Fantasy VIII (which was even given its own section in the official walkthrough). The game was effectively sent to die in the Western market, though we were able to get its vastly inferior sequel over here, too.

Fun, colorful, and just a great little game to play, this is something you may want to consider picking up again or even giving to younger cousins, nieces, nephews, what have you - the world it paints is so lively and comical that it brings me a warms mile whenever I hear that relaxing village tune.

4. Final Fantasy Tactics
True story: this is the game I used to convince an English major friend of mine to give video games a chance. He has since torn through Vagrant Story and is sad that Matsuno no longer works at Square.

5. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue.

6. Chrono Trigger

7. Final Fantasy X

8. Xenosaga: Episode III (Also Sprach Zarathustra)

9. Paper Mario: The 1000-Year Old Door

10. Breath of Fire IV
The music. The music!

BoF4 can get somewhat damn haunting at times, with its themes of rebirth, cycles, and return somewhat fumbled through its translation - but still ever-present in the visual animation of its sprites and characters. Though not as dreary as its younger brother BoF5 (where things can get REALLY depressing), BoF4 fuses eastern sensibilities, from Scias - its samurai, katana-wielding dog party member - to give a game that is quite different from the other members in the series that preceded it.

By the time that Capcom got to BoF4, there seemed to be a rising need for the company to try and distinguish the series visually from other generic fantasy RPGs - and while BoF did stand on its own 2-feet, typically with its dragon systems and usually more muted story-telling mechanics, they always traipsed in an eerily generic setting. BoF4 breaks that trend by giving the world an interesting touch of deserts, eastern kingdoms, and forested locales that simply look interesting and different - and the story follows suit.

From the amazing animation, to the way the story tears you around between two protagonists, you are almost always in awe when it comes to Breath of Fire IV. It's a game that always seems like it has so much to say - and says very little (just like Scias). It counts on you to try and peace together themes and meanings on your own time - and in doing so, you sometimes come to some interesting conclusions, though how much of it that is on the game and how much of it is on you is debatable.

Let this be a note to everybody who hasn't tried a BoF game before: do it. The first one is a bit of a wash, but all the titles have an interesting tale to tale that often strays away from genre cliches. Yes, it typically does revolve around saving the world - but there is always something more, some small human element that makes the journey always feel a bit more melancholic and with significantly more gravitas.

Honorable Mentions

1. Skyrim.

 

[massoluk]

1) Chrono Trigger (3 points) -

2) Xenoblade Chronicles -

3) Dragon Age Inquisition -

4) Final Fantasy IX -

5) Fallout: New Vegas -

6) Xenogears -

7) Final Fantasy VII -

8) The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim -

9) Everquest -

10) Fire Emblem Awakening -

Honorable Mentions

11) Final Fantasy VI

12) Final Fantasy IV

13) Diablo II

14) Tales of the Abyss

15) Golden Sun

More explanation will come later

 

[MisterShine]

0) Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn (3 pts)-
Technically speaking, BG2 is tied with my other number 1 picks listed below here on the list. However, Baldur's Gate stands above the others for being the first of its kind in drawing me both into the RPG genre, and into video games in general. While I played video games prior to BG 2 (some of them even on this list with it) video games did not become my thing until I devoured Baldur's Gate 2 during a long week of summer break before my 8th grade year. It absolutely enthralled me for all the reasons other people in this thread have discussed: An immense and lovable cast, a wide variety of areas to travel through and quests to complete, and a riveting story. It was also the first game to cause me to openly weep at its ending, a feat only Mass Effect 3 has repeated (in a good way!). Each of its constituent parts are handily outdone by other games I have listed here, but the total package found in BG2 can honestly only really be rivaled by Persona 4: The Golden. However, BG2 got me about ten years too early for P4 to receive this nod.

1) Persona 4 - The total package. Excellent gameplay in combat, collecting and fusing demons to fill out your compendium is very enjoyable, a very good main story and one of the most well fleshed out cast of party members in a game... well, pretty much ever. Other than wonky dungeon design (which is easily offset by their artistic aesthetic, which is ludicrously good) and a slow beginning (oddly enough not an issue its predecessor had), it has no real flaws to speak of. The game mixes genuine friendship and joy with routine gut punches of betrayal and sorrow in its narrative, and its finale accomplishes a feat I have never seen in another video game, and why it sits as first among equals at the number 1 spot: The perfect alignment of your own maelstrom of emotions, with the emotions the protagonist himself feels at the same time. When you get to the ending you'll know precisely what I mean.

1) Deus Ex - I speeeled my dreenk! Oh Deus Ex. Large and interesting levels, many many viable character builds, and a genuinely interesting story brought down by wonky art design and god awful voice acting. I at least can appreciate it for the brilliance of its time and camp, but I can understand why a lot of people don't see the magic that I and many others do. I'm still not sure why the sequel changes the title and added Vampires and magic, but ah well, we'll get to that one later.

1) Planescape: Torment - WHAT CAN CHANGE THE NATURE OF A MAN?. You can, Planescape, you can.

1) Mass Effect - It makes this spot by the simple fact of having an absolutely badass ending credits song (M2 by Faunts, check it out), but also because I just really love Sci-Fi and Bioware. I still remember reading the first preview of this in what I believe was Xbox Nation, and I remember seeing a section talking about the Developers previous work, including BG 2, Jade Empire and KOTOR. Up until this point, I had not realized they were all done by the same company, and obviously I exploded in excitement. I eagerly awaited its release, possibly ending my first real relationship after I took a week to play this alone in my room.

Totally worth it

6) Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords - Whoo boy. I got this for Christmas the year it came out, spent a long weekend in a dark basement gobbling it up. It absolutely blew my mind. I didn't really love Star Wars until I played KOTOR 1, and I didn't really realize how childish and stupid a lot of it was until KOTOR 2. The game's beautifully grey morality and characters are a highlight to me many years later, and its restored content mod (TSLRCM) makes it even better. Arguably overtaking a few things on this list, but I'm not entirely sure that is fair. Kreia is still the best video game character ever written.

7)Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne - I got this game on a whim from gamestop, and throughout the game the story and aesthetic (which I did not finish until many years later) was "I have never played a game like this, nor will I ever again". Not quite true as I have played many other SMT games since then (mainline and spinoff alike), and while they are similar, none of them ever really had that brutal, dark, and utterly alien feeling that Nocturne possessed so sharply.

8) Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - The Deus Ex sequel I mentioned earlier, my love for this game is hard to put in simple words. It tells a very interesting story, and essentially kickstarted my love of urban fantasy, a genre which is criminally underused in videogames. It has pretty much all of Deus Ex's good qualities, with more vampires and magic and even more viable character builds. I've played through the game entirely... 4 times? Each one playing very differently. Shout out of course to the Malkavian player character, who deserves his/her own playthrough entirely for sheer hilarity of every dialogue.

9) Final Fantasy 7 - Everything of meaning and value for FF7 has been said and resaid 1,000 times. In my opinion, the best final fantasy game in pretty much every respect other than ff5, which has better combat. Maybe ff6 tells a better main story. Otherwise, it is the total package for final fantasy, my second final fantasy, yet my favorite by quite a margin.

10) World of Warcraft- Talking about World of Warcraft for me is like talking about a long, mostly successful marriage that none-the-less fell apart and is still a bit painful and awkward to talk about. I absolutely loved the game and I wish them all well, but I just can't be apart of it anymore, the love is gone now. I wish I could put a different and well deserved game here at number 10 for the points, but I cannot in good conscience say that any game influenced my life more than this one, and so it holds the 10 spot.


10 Honorable Mentions, in no particular order:

- Soul Nomad and the World Eaters
I had to include my avatar, didn't I? One of the weirdest games Nippon Ichi has made (that's saying something), its a very strange mix of strategy RPG and party building puzzler. It also tells its story through gorgeous artwork and a near-Visual Novel style. You can't get it pretty much anywhere now, but I recommend everyone gives it a shot if possible.

- Shadowrun: Dragonfall
I'd never played Shadowrun anything (or even heard of it) before I read up on the Kickstarter, but fantasy meets sci-fi in a cyberpunk setting? Count me the fuck in. Where Dead Man's Switch was pretty linear and a decent story, Dragonfall kicks it into high gear by having non-linear mission assignments and loads more viable character builds due to ludicrously more skill checks involved, making non-combat builds for the main character essentially playable (better bring some drones with you..) and very interesting. I blew up a very well defended corp skyscraper chock full of guards and blood mages without firing a shot, with only my wits and minor magical talent backing me up. I heartily reccommend this to any RPG fan.

- Pokemon: Blue
The game that started the odyssey for me. Probably my most replayed game of all time. Not much else needs to be said about the legend.

- Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
I hold a special love for the Disgaea series, mostly 1 and 2. Notably for 1, I received the worst ending as I was tremendously bad at the game. It was such a profound and troubling end though, it has stuck with me for all this time.

- Dragon Age: Origins
Ah, Dragon Age. I can't say I love Origins, because I was promised a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and I got... a pretty damn good RPG, and not a legendary one. I can recognize it is among the greats of the genre, but I can't help but view it with disappointment. Oddly enough, I enjoy its sequels about as much as Origins, because in moving away from the BG style combat and viewpoint it is easier for me to judge them as their own games.

- Final Fantasy 4
My first final fantasy. It was FF2 for the SNES when I first played it, but its focus on storytelling and constantly rotating cast of characters really intrigued me. That said, I did not finish the game until I got the DS remake many years ago, and enjoyed it all over again. Not the best RPG by any means, but since it pretty much laid out all the tropes that other games would be copying for decades to come, I still view it with fondness.

- Dark Souls
This is a bit of an iffy one for me personally, as it feels far more like an action game with some numbers attached to it than an actual Action-RPG. That said, this game's incredibly satisfying combat and top notch world and level design earn it a place on my list. The sequel is... okay I guess.

- Fallout: New Vegas
As above, I never liked Fallout 1 and 2 that much. Interesting characters, lots of ways to tackle things, way too much crap getting in my way to enjoy those things properly. That said, god damn I love New Vegas. My most played game on Steam (other than EU4) and some of the best DLC ever made. I really enjoyed the setting, the combat, the loot, the story... Mods ahoy! Makes the game actually stable and loads of replay value. Makes speech actually useful!

- Neverwinter Nights 2
NWN2 told a decent enough story, had half an interesting roster of characters, and loads of classes to play around with. All around, pretty decent and way better than NWN 1 OC, which was, to put it politely, a shit show. That said, Mask of the Betrayer is unbelievably good. Its kind of hard to believe the same team of people actually put this together. Amazing story, improved gameplay and spells, very good roster of characters, beautiful and interesting new environments... Love it.

- Suikoden II
I'm still only halfway through S2 after recently getting it off the PSN (Thanks Konami!), but it is quickly rising through the ranks of my favorite games. The base building mechanic is decently fleshed out, plenty of interesting characters, good magic system that doesn't bother with MP, very good storyline.... It might be good enough to move off of the honorable mentions list, but I really must finish it first.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

1) Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn - I first played BG1 a month or so after it came out based on a recommendation from a friend. I hadn't even really heard of it other than that. But I got it, and I loved it. I had played a little bit of D&D in the past, at least enough to get by in the game with little to no trouble. I really liked the game, despite some of its flaws, so when BG2 was announced I was pretty excited. The additions that Bioware said they were adding seemed too good to be true. I got the Collector's Edition the day it released in its big ass box with its gold CDs. And it turned out that Bioware made good on its promises and then some. The story is bigger and better, your companion characters were also expanded upon with quests of their own (except for Minsc sadly) and they also interacted with the story, other characters, and world a lot more. And in a Bioware first, you could bang some of them now. BG2 is a huge amazing game, and pretty much perfect. It's not just my favorite RPG ever, it's my favorite game ever.

2) Suikoden 2 (3 points) - Like BG2, this is a sequel that improves and expands upon its predecessor in every way. The amount of content in this game is just staggering. There's the main storyline itself which is pretty lengthy (and really good), but there's also a ton of extra stuff like the cooking minigame and the wall climb minigame (which I didn't even discover until like my 10th playthrough) among others. The game still looks beautiful to me, and due to the sprites they used it doesn't seem as dated as other PS1 games. The soundtrack to Suikoden 2 may be my favorite in any game ever, aside from Xenogears. And finally for those who have played the original you can import a saved game from Suikoden 1 into 2, and it brings a really nice bonus. On the downside the translation is pretty crappy (not really the translators faults I know), and there are some annoying bugs here and there (although no TcDohl or ScDohl for me, he's always been named right in my game, good ole Mike). I'm really glad that this is out on PSN now so more people can play it without having to pay over a hundred dollars.

3) Chrono Trigger - I used to buy just about everything that Square put out. No matter what it was you were pretty much guaranteed a good time. I didn't really no much about Chrono Trigger going into it, but what I found was one of my favorite experiences playing a game ever. The story was simple but fun. Same with the characters and battle system. Nothing too complex here, but it all fits together so well and just works completely. I loved the world you were given to explore. And the music was just amazing. Everytime I hear the map theme in the Middle Ages era, I'm just taken back to the mid-90s playing my SNES with my dog by my side. I may have to play it again soon.

4) Fallout: New Vegas - I love this game despite it being buggy as hell, and I've only played the 360 version. Fallout 3 was my favorite game of 2008, but after playing New Vegas I've found it incredibly hard to go back to 3. Obsidian took what Bethesda did and added a ton of new shit in, and made everything better (well almost, I prefer Fallout 3's radio music). The Mojave makes for a nice western setting to explore. The setting, characters (love Cass, Boone, Rex, and ED-E), and story are all top notch for the kind of game it is. So much to see and do, so many different kinds of weapons to find. And the DLC is all pretty good and greatly add to the game. Bugs aside (and the game runs like shit after about 70 or so hours on the 360), it's an amazing experience. Favorite Fallout, and I've played them all.

5) Final Fantasy Tactics - Best FF game. My first strategy RPG was Vandal Hearts, a game I really liked it. So I was pretty excited for FFT. I was a little disappointed at first that you couldn't have a massive party like you could in Vandal Hearts, but whatever once I got into the job system the game employed, none of that mattered. The gameplay and the job system just go perfect together. So many ways to customize your characters. The story was also different from other JRPGs, in a good way. This is a game I revisit every now and again, and love it all the same every time.

6) Persona 3 FES - I was pretty late to the Persona games. Didn't play 3 until December 2012. I got it off of PSN on the PS3 due to a sale they were having. And then I only really got it because I'd watched part of the Giantbomb Persona 4 Endurance Run and was intrigued with the series. Persona 3 became the first JRPG, I managed to complete a new (for me) JRPG since Dragon Quest 8. I had played many others in the years following DQ8's release, but never finished them. Usually I'd just get tired of them after so many hours and give up. And yet, I managed to go right through Persona 3 even though it took me over 90 hours. I liked the story, the characters, the music, the random dungeon (I usually hate random dungeons in games), and I liked the gameplay (no control over party members did bother me a little, but I adjusted).

7) Persona 4 - Before I finished P3 that December, I ordered a copy of P4 off of Amazon, and the day after finishing P3 I jumped into P4. I had seen up to about Rise's dungeon on the Endurance Run, but I still greatly enjoyed playing that game up to that point, and then beyond it just got better. The gameplay is better than P3 with being able to control your party members. I also really loved playing in the small Japanese town setting, kind of reminded me of Shenmue. Other than that the game is about on par with P3 (being really good), but I give P3 the edge as I liked the story and characters just a bit more.

8) Xenogears - This game felt more like a continuation of Chrono Trigger to me than Chrono Cross ever did. Just the way it looked and sounded reminded me of Trigger, as well as the ways you can interact with the environment and find some fun things. The story is definitely not as simple as Chrono Trigger's, but I still really liked it even though it does get convoluted and the mediocre translation certainly doesn't help (I'd pay good money for a new translation). I'm not really a fan of the battle system, but it's passable. The story, characters, world and music really drive this game for me. And the music, my God, the music. Favorite game soundtrack ever by far (Suikoden 2, and FF6 would round out the top 3). Just a great game for me, but it may not be for everyone. I don't even mind disc 2 that much.

9) Final Fantasy XII - For the longest time, FF6 was my favorite mainline FF game, and when I first played FF12 I didn't even really like it that much. But in the years that followed, FF12 has become my favorite entry in the mainline series. I didn't even actually finish the game until 2013, despite a few attempts. It was just so damn big. But I did manage to finish it along with doing all the hunts and killing any other optional bosses. I love the gameplay, and setting up gambits, watching them go, and jumping in when things would occasionally take a turn for the worse. Aside from the gameplay, I liked the story (what there is of it) and it's a nice break from your usual FF stories. Balthier is the best character in the series. Hopefully they put out an HD version of it eventually.

10) Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness - I love the hell out of the fourth entry in the amazing Quest for Glory series. The game is more of a hybrid between a point and click adventure game and an RPG than just a straight RPG. The fighting system is kind of crappy, it's like Ken Williams saw how popular Street Fighter 2 was and demanded that they force something similar into this game even though it didn't fit at all. But that aside, everything else is pretty much perfection (except for some bugs). The story is the best in the QFG series, the setting and sense of dread that hangs over the game are also amazing. And despite the dark setting, the QFG sense of humor is still there and fits in nicely. I really liked the sense of progression with the characters in the game. When you first arrive in Mordavia, no one likes you and they just want you to leave or die. But as you progress through the game they start to warm up to you. And it winds up with the best sense of being a hero in the entire series. Just an exceptional game. You can get all 5 Quest for Glory games from GOG for $10. I think 4 alone is worth that $10. (You missed the GOG sale .)


Honorable Mention:

11) Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed Kind - I have liked the Dragon Quest series, but never really loved it. Well aside from DQ8 that is. Dragon Quest 8 is great. The sense of the world and exploration is just amazing in this game. The story and battle system are relatively simple, like Chrono Trigger, but they work for the game. The characters are all great and charming in their way, and Jessica is Va-Va-Voom! Not much here to dislike for me. I got it when it came out in 2006, and it was the last newly played JRPG I completed until I played Persona 3 in 2012. Cor Blimey!

maybe more later...

 

[Captainbojanglesiii]

1. Persona 3: FES : 3 points

While I personally played Persona 3 Portable on the vita, I'm going to say Persona 3: FES is my number one simply due to its cutscenes. I played Persona 3 Portable after finishing Persona 4 Golden, but I still feel as though this is the superior of the two. While its main, and only dungeon is much more lackluster than its sequel, Persona has Persona beat in the categories of OST, atmosphere, and overall plot structure. Persona is an amazing title and I'm giving it my 3 point nomination in hopes that it can overtake Persona 4 as the best RPG in the series according to GAF.

2. Dark Souls

Is it difficult? Yes. That's not a question, but that's not why I love it. Heavy on lore, atmosphere and an interconnected world, Dark Souls is, in my opinion the best RPG of last generation. The combat is tight, the design is amazing and the OST is top tier. There is little to nothing I can think of that I don't love about Dark Souls... Except Blighttown... Screw Blighttown.

3. Persona 4 Golden

Very similar to Persona 3, but with better dungeons and arguably better characters. The story is much happier at times and involves solving a mystery, which is just awesome. I bought a Vita for this game, and didn't regret it for a minute. Just an amazing game.

4. Pokemon: Fire Red

Pokemon is going to be forgotten a lot on these lists, I think, but they are RPGs and they are very popular, so they do indeed deserve a mention. I'm going to throw out the game I'm most nostalgic for in the series, as well as arguably the best because it's the original. That being said, I'm going with Fire Red as basically it's a superior version of the original.

5. Fire Emblem: Awakening

In my opinion, the best tactical RPG I've ever played. Everything is so polished, the story is simple but rather enjoyable, the cutscenes are just gorgeous, the difference in difficulties allows for a greater audience, and overall it's just a really great game. I think it's easily the best game I've played on the 3DS, and not mentioning it here would just be wrong.

6. Fallout 3

Moving from isometric to an FPS greatly helped the Fallout series advance forward. While it is buggy, the game is just amazing. The atmosphere is one of the best I've seen in a game in quite some time. The soundtrack from the earlier 1900's helps to aid in giving the game a greater impact on its ties to the pre nuclear war time period. The side quests seem very meaty in terms of content. The interactions between you and NPCs can be both interesting or even humorous at times. And yes, this is the best of Bethesda's games of last generation.

7. Kingdom Hearts II

Awesome game. Disney and Kingdom Hearts is a connection that should not work, but does. The combat. I was originally going to go with I, but I actually kinda like how wacky the story gets with II. The combat is probably better in II. I'm probably driven by nostalgia on this one as I played it while I was young, but I still think it's a pretty solid game, nonetheless.

8. Paper Mario

I place this here having never played Super Mario RPG. The game has a very original style and is very charming. While it's sequels are good, beside Paper Mario Sticker Star, the original gets the nod due to its originality in being the first of the bunch, but not necessarily being the best of the bunch.

9. XCOM: Enemy Unknown

This game is amazing. It's a tactical roleplaying invloving controlling a whole operation rather than simply just the combat sections. The soldiers are randomly generated, and as missions go on, you realize that you can't and don't want them to die as permadeath is present. Perhaps my only and main problem with the game is a lack of a solid story line, and a ton of visual glitches.

10. Final Fantasy X

Admittedly I've only played 3 Final Fantasy games, X, XIII and XIII. X is the best of the bunch. Yes, Tidus is incredibly terrible in just about everyway, but the rest of the game makes up for it. The battle system and sphere grid are awesome, as are the cast minus Tidus and the almost just as bad, Rikku. The plot is solid, the OST is very good, the linearity works well and the majority of the game is awesome.


Honorable mentions

Eternal Sonata

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Pokemon Soul Silver

Mass Effect 2

Dragon Quest IX

Kingdom Hearts

Pokemon Conquest

Borderlands 2 : Debatable

 

[Mexen]

This was not easy and so I decided on personal preference as opposed to cult status. I would like to thank OP for the thread and everyone else for contributing. I decided not to look at other entries until I posted mine so that I am not swayed by popular opinion. I love you, guys! Here we go.

1. Golden Sun
   I'm going to say that this is one of the best JRPG out there of all time! It's just amazing. I played 1 and 2 on GBA and 3 on 3DS and I highly recommend it. Particularly 1 and 2.
   
   
   
   
2. Star Ocean
   Oh, man! How I loved playing this! What an amazing story!
   
   
   
   
   
3. Ni No Kuni
   A game with Studio Ghiblli involved? Why would you not play it?!
   
   
   
   
   
4. Valkyrie Profile
   This was a breath of fresh air from Final Fantasy and it contains my favourite battle system in any JRPG to date! This deserves more love.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
   This game is my go-to when I'm not playing a Metal Gear Solid game and yet, it stands on its own as a unique title. I absolutely love this!
   
   
   
   
6. The World Ends With You
   Loved this when I was into punk-type anime shows. Tonnes of fun.
   
   
   
   
7. Persona 3 Portable
   
   Spoiler

   Beating Death will go down as one of my life's achievements.
   The first JRPG to make me cry because I actually cared about the characters. I felt like I knew them. Finishing this game left a void in my heart.
   
   
   
   
8. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
   Took me back to Doom. Man, I just love this game. It's the best SMT game I actually finished.
   
   
   
   
9. Fire Emblem
   The opening theme is my current ringtone. Emotional journey.... and that's outside the game because 6 is on mobile. We deserve a console version. We really do!
   
   

HONORARY MENTIONS

• Final Fantasy VII - Sephi fucking roth!
• Earthbound - that ending...
• Dragon Quest VIII - The best in the series for me. Ok, the only one of 3 I've played.
• Soul Nomad And The World Eaters - My first NIS game. I love NIS now.
• Wild Arms - had some poor characters but man, that battle system!
• Shadow Hearts - a very dear friend of mine recommended this and I was not disappointed
• Kingdom Hearts -
  Spoiler

  Disney x Fianl Fantasy pretty much. This is a must-play for any JRPG fan
• Final Fanatsy 12 - the very first one I finished. I love it despite what people say.
• Pokémon - even though I have never finished any title, I have to say that the amount of fun to be had is incredible. I'm currently on XY and so let's go with that for the votes and stuff.
• Final Fantasy X - The best fucking battle theme ever. And I mean ever. Nothing beats it!

 

[Cedric]

I'm not too good at writing stuff up, but here it goes...

1) Final Fantasy IX

This is, in my opinion, the best title in the Final Fantasy series and quite possibly the greatest RPG of all time. Great characters, great music, tons of exploration, side quests, and most importantly for me, lighthearted and comical.

2) Xenoblade Chronicles

Xenoblade is for me the great JRPG comeback. This is the only game to ever make me feel like a child again, and truly if it wasn't for the nostalgia factor it might take over FFIX for the number 1 spot. I love the huge world, epic music and the characters. I will never forget the first time you arrive on Gaur Plains, with the music and the view.

3) Final Fantasy VII

I think everything has already been said about this game. One thing I love about FFVII is the fact that, even though it has a serious tone, the great still manages to have a great sense of humour. For me, VII also has the best futuristic fantasy setting.

4) Final Fantasy VI

If I had played VI first, it might've been my number 1... SNES games are easier to go back to (visually) than PS1 games, but since they came out before I got into gaming they didn't have the same impact on me as they could've had if I had played them at the time hey came out. Having said this, a modern remake of VI would probably crush all the other entries in the series.

5) Chrono Trigger

Simple but effective... Two of the best composers in gaming, great art direction, a lot of variety in characters and areas, fun mechanics in the battle system... I don't know what else there is to say.

6) Tales of Vesperia

The best entry in the Tales series and the reason why Symphonia team is the best within namco tales studio. Amazing graphics, great characters (maybe the best protagonist in a JRPG ever?), really fun battle system. Didn't think the music was too memorable though, might just be Sakuraba fatigue.

7) Chrono Cross

I haven't finished this game yet, I got very close to the final boss though. I played CC for the first time I think last year, I picked it up at a store for the hell of it, since it was an RPG from the (imo) golden age that I had never tried. It was a blast to play through, it really gave me that feeling I used to love when I played RPGs back in the PS1 days.

8) Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix

OK, so Kingdom Hearts 1 might not be the best in the series, but it's the one that started it all. I love platforming, and I'm a bit sad they mostly removed it from other entries in the series and I think that overall it is better than the second.

9) Tales of Symphonia

It might've been the lack of JRPGs on the Gamecube, but I remember back in high school
how everyone was playing this. Great Tales game to start with, at the time of it's release I think it was the best entry in the series. Zelos is one of my favorite characters ever.

10) Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

I like to consider Path of Radiance & Radiant Dawn to be a single great game, but if I had to choose between both I gotta go with RD hands down. Such an epic quest, really makes you feel like the ultimate warrior.

Honorable Mentions

1) The Last Story
2) Radiata Stories
3) Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
4) Final Fantasy V
5) Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

Thanks for making this thread, I really enjoy RPGs but I've missed out on a ton of great ones. Perfect occasion for me to correct that!

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Similar to year-before-last's list, I will not have a 3 pointer as the top two on this list are still a dead tie. Also similar is my unranked Honorable Mentions list (so it can be humongous as it needs to be).

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

One of the finest RPGs ever made, benefiting from a jarring unnerving plot, a dark lonely atmosphere, flawless art-to-graphics transitions, Shoji Meguro's awakening as one of gaming's best composers, and the debut of the illustrious Press Turn Battle System.

It is Atlus at the height of their powers: battle system, dungeon design, artwork, music, everything; when I started this up on Christmas Day, 2004, I knew Square had been dethroned.

Vagrant Story

Another company's magnum opus. About the only thing it lacked was a quick-switch feature mapped to R1 or L1 for weapons. To think, this title was changed drastically after having had its funding curtailed halfway thru development yet emerged this magnificently. Glorious is the hand of Matsuno!

Demon's Souls

A gloriously bitter medicine for the ills that infected gaming at the time of its debut. It stands the test of time due to its intricate balancing, atmosphere, level design, and art direction. Plus still has the best on-line and combat in the series. Truly a game rooted in the best of the past and the wings to a better future.

Suikoden II

Another PS1 Classic. Suikoden I's world taken to its logical and game design maximum perfectly. Outstanding world-building. Well-played dark narrative. Excellent use of a fast, easy, light-weight battle system.

Those who haven't played this wonderful flowering of SNES JRPG design have another chance to play this title. Dust off those Vitas and PS3s!

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 away from the clunk of yore with outstanding ergonomics yet still made you plan and work and seek and suffer with Himukai's 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 not involving yourself in one enough. Definately has something to do with the grounded, relatable characters and a handling of a setting in a fashion that you didn't have to be a hardcore Japanophile to appreciate.

A great bookend for the PS2.

Final Fantasy VI

Another masterpiece of its respective series, and Squaresoft when they were Kingmakers. 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.

Legend of Grimrock II

One of the best dungeon crawlers ever made. Constantly balances so well the delicate art of giving us the players great powers, opportunities, and discoveries on the one hand with hard restrictions, tantalizing glimpses at things we don't have, and mind-crushing puzzles that test a myriad of logic and clue hunting disciplines on the other. Wonderful overhauling of the character-building system and the concept of putting the game semi-outdoors was genious and handled excellently for multiple-path purposes.

Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2

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

World of Warcraft

Particularly around 2.4, where they came as close to landing the goals they set out to do way back before release and before they started obeying the siren's song of player bribery and other toxic 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.

Unranked Honorable Mentions:

Breath of Fire V
Extremely involved battle system/encounter design and mechanics. A mustplay for anyone who understands RPG mechanics

Skies of Arcadia
Pure happy bliss (once the encounter rate is nerfed...) There need to be more of these simple, light-hearted, earnest adventures in JRPGs again.

Planetscape Torment
Writing so good it makes up for the snoozefest combat and questionable character design. Dialogue wasa breath of fresh air that avoided hollow snark and had a lot of layering to meaning, which I like.

Dark Souls
Is not in the top 10 due to losing steam down the stretch. Everything else is 150% awesome, of course. PvPing in Sen's Funhouse never grows old.

Suikoden 1
Short, sweet, and a masterful soundtrack. A must play; it's 15 hours well-spent.

Witcher 2
Excellent world, characters, and pacing. Can't wait on W3 and whatever else the members of this do.

Disgaea 1
Nin nin nin!

Makai Kingdom
NI's best game hands down. Hammy as fuck VA, eclectic music, completely revolutionary mechanics, and Artful Dodger Thieves who use anal probing UFOs as weapons are further proof of its quality.

Xenoblade
Not the savior of JRPGs or whatever else it gets saddled with, but a fun take on the mixing of two genres with great art direction and world design.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Another fine Matsuno classic. Deep, dark, and open, but I repeat myself. World class OST, too.

Star Ocean 2
The sheer number of things you can do outside of battle in this thing beats most WRPGs. This isn't a commonly used statement about JRPGs one bit. Sakuraba's best OST.

Etrian Odyssey 1
Helped resurrect the DC in the west. Like EO2 but not as polished. Great simple story.

Etrian Odyssey 3
Continued to add interesting features and modes to the EO formula. A little easy to break though.

Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Feelies and great humor only add to the great game L:SSS was. A cherished game treasure of mine.

Trails in the Sky: First Chapter
A wonderful tale that does a slow burn right. Excellent dialogue and a world that breathes and functions exaclty as it was designed to.

Chrono Trigger
One of the best games ever made. One of the most revolutionary, as well. No list is complete without it, no gaming career without having had beaten it.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin/Eternal Punishment
Unfun combat and character building rendered largely moot by the low tuning do nothing to stop a mighty foursome of outstanding characters, music, art, and hi-octane fucked story.

Tales of Graces f
Best ARPG battle system ever crafted, flashy and functional. Character building system is one of the best as well. The rest? Eeee-yah...

Final Fantasy XII
Killing the Goose that Lays the Golden Egg: The Video Game

Chrono Cross
Best soundtrack of all time, past, present, and future. Amazingly colorful world, interesting combat. Don't think too hard about the plot.

Front Mission 3
Did a great job melding mech gaming to the SRPG genre, maintaining the feel of 30foot tall engines of destruction. Interesting take on near-future world making for a neat plot. SE killed this franchise too. :\

Grandia 1
Such a tightly-tuned battle system. Dom Ruins are easily one of the best dungeons ever made if the journey to them is taken into account.

Radiant Historia
A tightly-woven game with strongly functioning parts humming along as a well-made whole. Stocke is one of the new gold standards for RPG protag.

Tales of Vesperia
A surprisingly good cast (once you jettison Raven and Karol), interesting battles as per Tales' way. Yuri is the other gold standard.

Legend of Grimrock 1
Small budget, large presence. Nice use of puzzles, too.

Shadowbane
Polished? Would the wee prince like his peas mashed with a spoon next? We're playing to CRUSH here! Extremely open character building system along with a heavily social and political-based gameplay world are the true highlights that I miss from this.

Pokemon White 2
Gateway drug to EV-grinding, chain-Repelling, Elektross/Krookodile/Weezing Quake Cheese Teaming, Gotta Catch "em All goodness for me.

Final Fantasy VIII
Such a well-realized world. I still like to say the look is what Square's Generation 7 efforts have been inadvertently failing to recapture over and over again. Uematsu's 2nd best OST, too.

Divinity: Original Sin
Sweet Sassy Jehosephat the combat in this game is awesome! Great OST and I like the cut of the developer's jib.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
A wait of 17 years was VERY worth it. Another of those Atlus classics that just sings. Also the REAL 90s nostalgia game of 2013.

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. The orchestral soundtrack to beat, and a tale borne of the ugliest wars of mankind's history told with knowing grace.

Etrian Odyssey IV
I somehow let this slip! This shows where Team Etrian really started changing the EO formula from "narratives sprinkled with dangers" mentality of 1-3 to the current methodology of heavily thematic passage thru the stratum, not just the for the stratum themselves. Excelled on the jump in hardware with flying colors.

 

[Taruranto]

I'll probably just copy-paste last year list... I can do that, right?

I guess, I will.. ahem:

1) Planescape: Torment

No explanation is needed.

2) Xenosaga ep. III: Also sprach Zarathustra (3 Points)

One of the most ignored and underrated jrpg on PS2. Unfortunately, it came after a really a bad entry that brought a bad name to the series. Despite this, it's nothing but brilliant, with a fast-paced Battle System (Arguably, the best version of the CTB), an amazing soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura and a mind-blowing emotional story.

3) Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

A massive number of characters, quests, areas, items, spells. Not the best wrpg story-wise (that's Planescape). but definitely the one most fun to play. And replay. And replay. Over and over.

4) Chrono Trigger

It's been over 15 years, and CT STILL feels like it came out yesterday.

5) Persona 2: Innocent Sin

The best Persona game. Together with its sequel, they form a terrific Duology with complex themes, characters and the one of the best villain ever.

6) Anachronox

It pains me that so many people ignore Anachronox. A fantastic mixture of jrpg and wrpg, with a great and entertaining cast of characters, a fun story and great writing all around. Still hoping for a sequel...

7) Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer

Just the fact that they managed to create something decent out of the NWN series is an accomplishment, ahah. But seriously, Mask of the Betrayer is one of the best surprise ever, the expansion of a mediocre game can rival with Planescape: Torment when it comes to the writing and the characters. A shame about the interface...

8) Xenogears

A game perhaps too ambitious for its time (or any time, really), but it still a great, memorable experience that anyone should at least try once.

9) Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call

Hard to say what i like the most about Nocturne... because it's such an amazing, balanced experience. Probably the best Megan gameplay-wise and definitely the most complete package.

10) Terranigma

Best Action-rpg ever.

Honorable Mentions

11) Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

12) Fallout: New Vegas

13) Dragon Quest VII

14) Ys I & II Complete

15) Nier

 

[djtiesto]

(Reserving this, even though my list will probably end up looking like the last few years')

 

[EMT0]

1) Persona 4 Golden (3 points) - Persona 4 is probably the most thorough, evenly paced, and best written RPG I've ever played in my life. The story is the only game to ever make me shed tears, the combat the first game to not make me tired of dungeons, and the demon fusion(or Persona fusion, in this case) of SMT helping to keep things fresh. But above all else is the characters; every last major cast member is memorable, as are most of the Social Links. As a closing note, anyone that calls Persona 4 a dating sim deserves to be smacked upside the head for cheapening this game's true merit.

2) Paper Mario - The Thousand Year Door - I'll be honest, it's been a very long time since I played this game as a child so the fine details that can help me describe this game are lost to me. What I do remember is memorable writing, good characters, excellent combat and pacing, as well as being relatively fun to explore and discover secrets. I'm greatly saddened the sequential Paper Mario games have deviated so far from this game.

3) Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver - Pokemon Gold was my first Pokemon game, and therefore, this remake was essentially made for me to gush over. It smacks me with nostalgia at every turn, and the game is a faithful reimagining of the original game, updated with mechanics that make it more fun(I don't think I can play a Pokemon game from before the physical/special attack split anymore) as well as adding more Pokemon to the game than you can shake a stick at. Consider this vote a recommendation of either the remakes or the originals; this vote represents them all and it's position on my list is a representation of the nostalgia from the originals with the greatness of the remakes.

4) Earthbound/Mother 2 - This is one of the quirkiest Nintendo experiments of the SNES era, and what a quirky experiment it was. The game takes place in 199X in modern suburbia, not some fantastical world like Final Fantasy, or the high fantasy worlds aplenty that I've seen so much of that I've grown to detest. It has a fresh combat system whose features haven't really been implemented anywhere else since such as the rolling health bar(which is a damn shame), all the while giving you a fun cast of characters and an incredibly entertaining plot full of pop culture references and odd, off the wall comedy that makes you love this game.

5) Persona 3 - Persona 4's moodier, edgier cousin that can truly swap places with Persona 4 depending on the tone and theme that you prefer your RPG in. While more flawed than it's later cousin in terms of mechanics, it's Atlus' first experiment into the social sim RPG that's got crowds foaming at the mouth for Persona 5, and it's still aged very well and shares similar strong points with it's successor in terms of characters and story.

6) Mother 3 - The sequel to Earthbound, and sadly never released in the US. The good news is that it's been fan translated with lots of love and dedication, giving you a phenomenal game to play if you can find the means to do so. Unlike Earthbound, Mother 3 is a lot more of an emotional roller coaster that will make you empathize with the cast and the final plot twist(which was spoiled for me ;__ will knock your lights out

7) Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne - Arguably the highest point of SMT's mainline franchise to date. While SMT4 certainly hit the right notes, it's hard to not feel as though there's something missing versus it's predecessor that manages to deliver the very real feeling of bleakness that permeates every spot in the game. Sometimes annoyingly challenging, Nocturne is an RPG that will make you among the manliest of all men once you trump Matador...irregardless of your sex or gender.

Spoiler

I beat Matador on my first try :s

8) Dark Souls - Difficult, challenging, engaging, frustrating, fun, rewarding, praise the sun. All words that accurately describe Dark Souls, an action RPG by From Software that took GAF by a storm that has a good mix of exploration, challenge, and engaging combat. Very few deaths that you face in this game are cheap deaths, and the mechanics collide to give you a very dynamic experience from one playthrough to the next.

9) Kingdom Hearts 2 - Another action RPG, this time one that takes you to various Disney worlds with a plot that will make your head pound and gameplay that will keep you enjoying yourself despite the headache, this game goes on the list not only for it's solid gameplay and the fun it offers, but also for its minigame spinoff in the form of the gummi ship challenges which are their own addictive challenge on their own.

10) Chrono Trigger - If someone asks you to name the best SNES RPG, there's a very high chance you'll get this game as your answer. I'm the weirdo that picks Earthbound, but I digress; this game is truly great, very engaging with an interesting cast of characters and an enjoyable combat system.

 

[charlemagne55]

1. Pokemon Red/Blue - An rpg where you play as a boy in modern days. The combat is done not by you, but with a team of creatures you catch and put together, of which there are 150 to choose from. This rpg was so unique and well executed. how many games later, it's still one of the most popular franchises in the world.

2. Diablo II - Incredible loot system. Awesome dark and atmospheric world. Possibly the best co-op game I've ever played. Epic story. Non-stop action.

3. Fallout 3 - What makes this game incredible is the vast and well realized open world. there are other open world rpg's, but this one is in a post apocalyptic future, which is just awesome.

4.Xenoblade Chronicles - Absolutely beautiful world. Probably the prettiest game I've ever played. And a very good story and gameplay to go with it.

5. Mount & Blade: Warband - Put the awesome multiplayer aside (think medieval battlefield). This is not a fantasy rpg. It's a very realistic medieval world. You start out as no one, and you can raise an army, become a mercenary, lord, and even a king. Set siege to castles. raid towns. Conquer the world one city at a time

 

[Simzyy]

Will update with descriptions later. Can't be bothered right now. Trying to avoid putting more than one game from a series. Will just put those in honourable mentions.

1. Persona 4

2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

3. Mass Effect 2

4. Pokemon: Gold/Silver

5. Demon's Souls

6. The Witcher 2

7. Chrono Trigger

8. Dragon Age Inquisition

9. Fire Emblem: Awakening

10. Final Fantasy X

Honourable mentions:

Persona 3, Mass Effect 1, Dark Souls, KOTOR 2, Dragon Age Origins, FF VII, Divinity: Original Sin, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines, Fallout: New Vegas, Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, Valkyria Chronicles.

 

[Jamix012]

I just want to point out to those not reading the OP that honourable mentions CAN count for points (1 point each as opposed to 2 points for your main picks) but if you want them to count you should only list at most 10 honourable mentions.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

I just want to point out to those not reading the OP that honourable mentions CAN count for points (1 point each as opposed to 2 points for your main picks) but if you want them to count you should only list at most 10 honourable mentions.

Oh, I'm sure they read their own posts.

 

[Levyne]

1.) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (3 Points)

I enjoy this game irrationally. It's position on top of a list of such great games has me second checking my own rankings. After thinking on it though, no other game have I enjoyed so thoroughly and on so many different occasions. Path of Radiance is a streamlined strategy game with great art, very little bloat, an interesting and grounded story, and a fair bit of replayabilty (as evidenced by my nearly 2 dozen playthroughs.) It has niggling issues such as the lack of a truly challenging difficulty option in the english release and lack of availability outside of expensive GCN discs, but these are minor compared to the level of accolades I could heap onto the title. The player is given a straightforward narrative with map-to-map progression, and but yet is given plenty of agency to play in many different ways within this linear confine. No bloated map, no grinding, very little melodrama. It's a reasonably short game to its benefit and might just be my most played game of all time.

2.) The Last Remnant

To my experience, TLR is one of the first large jrpgs localized on pc through Steam, and it's a title I can't recommend enough to people who may not otherwise see a lot of jrpgs on the platform (at least not in english). Though the console release was plagued with performance issues and some gameplay exclusions that made for some wonky balance, the PC version addresses much of these issues, leaving behind a unique and interesting experience that is quite unlike any other. A great soundtrack, many large areas with lots of sidequest, a rather large cast of character, many gameplay options with respect to team building and strategy, a fair challenge even in normal mode....the game checks most all of the boxes. The narrative isn't at the forefront, but I think the game is at its best when the player is distracted from the main story, so this isn't a huge issue. A meaty game that I find thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end.

3.) Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 is a pretty divisive game. Mainly because every MMO seems to have accompanying drama and vocal supporters and detractors of various volumes. That all said, Guild Wars 2 is an MMO without subscription fee that respects my time and has one of the friendliest communities around, especially on GAF. I never feel a need to keep up with the Joneses, I can log in to do some daily quests or a dungeon and the endgame doesn't push me in any specific direction where I feel required to do anything in particular. While the primary gameplay systems are not perfect and the lack of more traditional mmo mechanics does take some getting used to, it feels great to be able to form groups (either dynamically in the world or explicitly in a dungeon setting) without specifically worrying about the group composition being the primary success factor. Instead, player skill is at the forefront. It has great art and music and pretty consistent content patches as well. I do wish that more of the content patches were focused on expanding the world and less focused on little story instances, but if something doesn't excite me, I don't have to log in. It's a nice freedom to have.

4.) Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions

A great strategy rpg and maybe the only one with an equally great narrative. The WotL script especially is fantastic, and the dialogue is interesting to read and matches the various nuances of the plot proceedings as well. A fairly mature story that remains fairly grounded (until the very end, naturally) with a lack of power-of-friendship or needless melodrama. While there are certain party compositions that can make the game trivially easy, there's a fair bit of challenging sidequests and the player can add additional challenge by trying to use a high variety of characters instead of creating a core super team. This allows for various playstyles as well, and my most recent playthrough capped the party limit in trying to use the various unique characters in different party combinations. There's lots of room for experimentation. The cutscenes are beautifully drawn and acted, and I hope we get another Ivalice game at some point to build on the great world foundation and other aspects unique to that mythos.

5.) Xenoblade Chronicles

I wasn't expecting to like this game as much as I did. I enjoyed Monolithsofts Xenosaga and Baiten Kaitos games (though I don't know the degree to which the actual development/creative teams are the same) but those games always seemed more story focused rather than gameplay focused. While I enjoyed the narrative of Xenosaga even with the large degree of anime idiosyncrasies, seeing a larger gameplay focus in Xenoblade really pushed it past those previous entries into this list. While some describe the cooldown based combat as potentially boring or slow, that sort of system has never really been a detraction for me. The large zones, tons of places to explore, great music, lots of customization items with respect to gear and party abilities more than make up for the combat system merely being "functional". The story got a little bloated but so much time was spent between cutscenes that I found it really didn't drag down my enjoyment.

6.) Final Fantasy XII

My favorite mainline FF game, largely for the same reasons I liked Xenoblade. Large zones, lots of agency on how to set up characters and gambits, where to explore, which weapons to use. The narrative is pretty interesting as well, with another great O'Smith localization. However, again I find myself enjoying the times where I spend many hours away from the main plot and just exploring and challenging the various hunts or completing the quests/finding specific summons or rare monsters. I haven't gotten a chance to enjoy the International Zodiac release but I hope I will get the opportunity soon.

7.) Knights of the Old Republic 2

I felt like I owed it to myself to put one Obsidian game on here. While a game based on the Star Wars license might seem a little juvenile, this game is a great example of how to use an existing IP and make it almost unrecognizable, and the result is pretty damn impressive. Gone were the previous Star Wars notions of binary light and dark, and the conduit for these shades of grey, Kreia, is potentially one of the greatest characters ever written. However, the same slightly loose gameplay systems keep the game from ascending higher on the list, so I suppose this is a rare game on my list where narrative carries it further than its gameplay mechanics. Bugs in the initial release were nearly crippling to the game's enjoyment, but since have been largely patched and restored.

8.) Divinity: Original Sin

A surprise game that I didn't really know of until maybe a month before it released. A game that I had a hard time placing mainly because of its "newness" so I didn't want to inflate its position simply for being the freshest in my mind. However, it may actually climb on future iterations of this list . What I love most about Divinity OS is that completing the questlines really feels adventurous and requires the player to pay attention to the dialogue instead of following quest markers ad nauseum and filling bar after bar (I'm looking at you, Inquisition). There's a pretty great degree of non-linearity and yet it's fairly easy to judge proper quest progression, by judging enemy strength relative to yours. So the developers struck a great balance in guiding the player and yet not shackling them to a specific path. A modern style quest log maintains a convenience without compromising the experience. I haven't played it again since they added more party members, so that would make for an even greater degree of party freedom and strategic choice. The turn based system in place is wholly unique (well, I'm not sure I can think of a similar system) where positioning matters and the systems even allow for a certain play style of being able to prep the battlefield ahead of time with stealth or party buffs. It loses points however, for late game area being a lot fewer quests and a lot of running to red makers and killing stuff without a lot of thought. The last dungeon is a bit obscure as well. The whismy of the world is a unique focus, without trying to be dark or serious all of the time, while still maintaining a fair bit of weight to the player's journey.

9.) Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

A classic that I only got a chance to play this year. It maintains the similar strengths that I enjoy in FE games like Path of Radiance but with larger maps and a smaller playable cast (at any one time, I mean.) While I think the large maps are interesting and unique to this entry in the series, it introduces a level of bloat that I think hurts the experience. It feels less neat than having maps you can complete in 15-60 minutes. It's a hard thing to explain, I think it hurts the pacing, not in a narrative sense, but in a game-session sense. However, its still on the list due to a very interesting story and cast of characters, challenging boss encounters (it felt like simple boss-stuck-at-the-keep-door was slightly rarer in this entry, which was a nice change). And the gameplay focuses generation system could allow for unique re-plays, though I haven't taken advantage of that yet.

10.) Dragon Age: Origins

Playing DAI this year solidified Origins position on the list. Inquisition is a good game, potentially even a great one, but the simplified tactical options, quest design, and fairly straightforward ability trees of that game make it sit just a notch lower than the original game. Interesting lore and dungeon design, a fair challenge if you want it, plenty of side quests and decent character interaction and music. While Inquistion has large and varied maps and is a beautiful game with great characters in its own right, I think the slight tactical slant found in Origin are what allow it to sneak into the end of this list.

Sorry for any errors, haven't proofread thoroughly.

 

[Aaronrules380]

1. Xenoblade Chronicles (3 Points): One of my favorite games of all time. A interesting story, likable characters, and an AMAZING WORLD. I know some people will be turned off by the mmo style combat, but it really does offer a different and interesting combat system for those who try to give it a chance
2. Final Fantasy 6: Great world, combat, characters and story. Just a really great rpg all around
3.Persona 4: Fantastic characters and story that really pull you in. Combat is fun, only shame is the dungeon crawling kind of sucks
4. Persona 3: Pretty much the same reasons as Persona 4, just feel it does a bit worse than persona 4 in most areas
5. Radiant Historia: Fantastic RPG for the DS. Combat was a unique take on turn based combat and was a lot of fun. Story was interesting, world was interesting, and characters were great.
6. Pokemon Omega Ruby/ Alpha Sapphire: The obligatory pokemon game, selected because it's the most recent and has cool features like secret bases on top of what pokemon XY did. The series is a lot of fun, has great multiplayer options, and is generally well loved for a reason
7. Final Fantasy IX: One of my favorite final fantasy games, it had a great combat system and the world and characters were brimming with charm. It was incredibly refreshing after all the edgy grimdark rpgs we'd been getting
8. Final Fantasy V: One of the best FFs from a gameplay perspective because of godly job system.
9. Etrian Odyssey IV: Great dungeon crawling RPG. Story is minimalistic, but good, and really great gameplay with an emphasis on character customization that required the player to put thought into how to go about each encounter, especially bosses and series trademark FOEs. Also easily the most balanced EO game
10. Tales of Vesperia: Probably the best tales of game. Great action combat system, fun story and world. Yuri was also a great protagonist

 

[Whiteblade999]

Gonna mix some of my favorites in with what I consider 'required reading'.
1) Baldur's Gate 2: Party based RPG with some of the best party banter, quest design, and encounter design in a game.

2)Dark Souls: Great weighty combat in a world that is mysterious and up to the player to discover. Bonus points for Berserk influence and how most of the stories end in tragedy.

3)Deus Ex: The game tackles many touchy subjects before they rose to prominence, and it has a myriad of ways to do things. More required reading then a favorite.

4)Divinity: Original Sin- A turn based game with combat that actually matters. Elements do crazy things together, each encounter is designed to test the player, the world is filled to the brim with hilarious writing, and pretty much anything in the world can be moved.

5)Fallout: New Vegas- This should be the model for open world games, there is a lot to see and do, and myriads of choices that actually change how the game plays out.

6) Final Fantasy: Tactics- I'm a sucker for political intrigue, and this game has it in spades. Those who are in it for the gameplay like it because of endless choices when it comes to customization.

7) Torment: 'What can change the nature of a man?' The game that made me interested in reading, and later philosophy. Great characters, a slew of well written dialogue, and a unique story. Shame that the gameplay itself isn't too good.

8)Guild Wars: I consider it an online RPG. It mixes Magic the Gathering with great skill synergy between the classes to create one of the more unique skill based RPGs.

9) Mount & Blade-Warband: One of the better combat systems in an RPG, mixed together with a tactical element where you can command a whole army.

10) Witcher 2: The series prides itself by presenting you with two terrible choices in a shitty situation and then having to live with the consequences. This game takes it a step further and introduces a unique act that dramatically changes the players perspective of the game, and ultimately the ending.

 

[Taker34]

1. Mass Effect (3 points)

This is my personal favorite RPG ever made. There was a time before and after Mass Effect for me, since it changed my view on gaming completely. The beautiful interactions with different alien species, great gameplay and stunning story created an impressive Sci-Fi universe. The immersive story, believable characters and memorable locations are the true strenght of this title. Making decisions feels satisfying and let you play the game in a way you want it to be. There is no other game which left a similar impression on me than this game and series. I think BioWare nailed almost every mechanic in this game and simply blew my mind away (5 years after the original release). A timeless classic and my number one.

2. TES IV: Oblivion

If it wasn't for Mass Effect, Oblivion would have been my RPG of choice. It was my first real entry into this genre (even though I've been gaming since the SNES) and it was glorious. Coming from the PS2, I did not expect the sheer magnitude of this title. Entering the world of Cyrodiil feels overwhelming, is full of life and exciting stories to be told. The quests in this game are among the best in the series. More diverse and fun than in any other title I have played. What makes this game so good? Being able to buy houses and show your rarest items in cabintes? The characters, guilds, cities, dungeons and the beautiful gigantic open world? I'd say everything, because basically every little detail in this game is fun! I spend over 500 hours playing it on 3 platforms. This is what makes Oblivion a top notch RPG.

3. Mass Effect 2

The sequel to Mass Effect disappointed me at first: the game mechanics from the predecessor are dumbed down to what appears to be an action shooter. BioWare clearly focused on mainstream action gameplay. Hubs aren't as big as before and explorable planets were transformed into mini-hubs with enemies. What makes this title so unique though are the exceptional dialogues. And I really mean exceptional. The best written dialogue in the whole series. Words can not describe the outstanding work of story writers like Patrick Weekes. Your crew becomes a vital part of you, maybe your friends if you want to. Some of the scenes made me become really emotional and I started to root for the fate of my crew. It didn't make me cry like ME3, but it was a great experience nontheless. Basically all flaws are nullified by the great cast and setting. Interacting with aliens is still fun as ever and ME2 lets you easily sink hundreds of hours into it.

4. Persona 4 Golden

JRPGs are not your kind of genre? Sheesh! Well then you haven't played the Persona series! Especially Persona 4 Golden. That game managed to do what Final Fantasy and the likes couldn't. As expected the story is phenomenal. The characters extremely likable. You really start to care for them. It's the typical japanese highschool theme, but it's well executed. Solving a big mystery is exciting and the game knows how to keep you immersed in this small town called Inaba. The gameplay is pretty darn good aswell. I finally love turn based fights, even though I don't think they are very demanding. It's definitely my best purchase since probably The Elder Scrolls. That game alone is the reason why you should get a PSVita. No more excuses, only Persona 4 Golden!

5. Digimon World

Pokemon was never a thing in my childhood. Whatever. Digimon World is so fantastic, I actually don't need anything else than this. Train your Digimon, let it evolve, explore the island, recruit Digimon and build a completely new town! The satisfaction of being able to let your Digimon evolve into a stronger Ultra level is unprecedented. Your Digimon will die later on but you're always aiming for another fun creature to digivolve to. There's so much to see in this world, interesting events will happen and yet there are many mysteries surrounding the game. It'll definitely keep you interested for 50+ hours and is really addictive. You can even save your trained Digimon and let them fight against you firends Digimon! Anyone who likes Pokemon has to try Digimon World at least once!!! A very underrated and fun game which you can also play on a CFW PSP which makes the experience even better.

6. TES V: Skyrim

The mainstream hit from Bethesda softworks. What can I say what hasn't been said before? It's Skyrim. Oddly the quest are not nearly as good as in Oblivion... I mean they're not in the same league... not the same universe. But it's still solid and at least the world is atmospheric and worth exploring. It's a step backwards but I can forgive Bethesda because Skyrim is still something special. Just not as special as it used to be. But who in the world can rage about the quality of this game when you suddenly realise that you spend over 100 hours playing it?

7. Fallout 3

Another outstanding title from Bethesda. An unrivaled post-apocalyptic world. This game is well known and loved by many. Still I find the lack of more quests disturbing but at least the story is very thight and interesting. Just like with TES series you can't go wrong with this game. If you like any TES game you'll love Fallout. If you don't believe me than ask anyone else. You have to play this classic. Except if you think that Fallout died with 2... but then you're the Ebenezer Scrooge of gaming.

8. TES III: Morrowind

A better game than Oblivion and Skyrim combined. More and also better weapons, armor, guilds, more diverse towns, locations, story and quests. Why is it on the 8th rank then? Maybe it's because I played it after Oblivion. After 20-30 hours I often lose interest and start new later on. But the atmosphere is still so unique. You don't have to play through the game to see how many more and better executed mechanics there are in comparison to its rather inferior sequels. The lack of lipsinc and because it didn't age that well, are maybe the reason why it doesn't get the love it still deserves. But everyone who's remotely interested in the TES series should give this gem a try! It's dirtcheap and incredibly good. Morrowind was well ahead of its time and should be played by anyone. Period.

9. Deus Ex: Revolution

It's not quite a revolution revolution compared to the original Deus Ex. Still it was enough for me to play through the entire game while completing almost every sidequest, because I wanted to squeeze every little piece of fun out of Deus Ex: Revolution. I'd describe it as a Mass Effect/TES/MGS hybrid. The good thing is that almost everything in this game was actually fun. The interactions with people throughout the different cities was always exciting and the gameplay is more diverse than most things you get to play these days. Be stealthy or play like a crazy cyber Rambo. Hack quietly or breach through walls. Any playstyle is amazing and lets you tackle the same situation very differently. Even though the boss battles and ending are dissapointing as hell, it's one of the best titles we've seen last generation. Plus where else do you get spam mails from a nigerian prince?! How awesome is that?

Spoiler

Fucking awesome.

10. Dragon Age: Inquisition

A pretty new entry in my personal top 10 but BioWare nailed it again. Dragon Age offers a wide open world, which is split into several hubs... some bigger, some smaller. The story is very appealing and the title seems to be much more accessible than Origins for example.The decision making is similar to what we've seen before in Dragon Age and Mass Effect. I'm almost 30 hours into the story and it's really fun to play. There's some backtracking involved and some other things which doesn't make it the Skyrim of BioWare but it's good enough to be already one of my all time favorite RPG's.

Honorable mentions:
Mass Effect 3, Deus Ex, Final Fantasy X, Guild Wars 2, KotOR, Dark Souls, Persona 3 FES

 

[Neon_Icarus]

1) Demon's Souls

2) Dark Souls

3) Baten Kaitos Origins

4) Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

5) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

6) Persona 4

7) Persona 3

8) Vagrant Story

9) Xenoblade

10) Chrono Trigger

 

[Fou-Lu]

1) Mother 3 - GBA (+3 Points)
My favorite game of all time. Mother 3 is a glimpse at the kind of stories that video games can tell like no other medium. An enjoyable rhythym based combat system, cute and whimsical spirtes, backgrounds and animations, a beautiful soundtrack and one of the best stories ever told in gaming add together to make for one hell of a ride. No crying until the end.

2) Persona 4: Golden - Vita
The RPG where you enjoy interacting with the denizens of Inaba more than the actual dungeon crawling. One part visual novel style communication, one part twisty murder mystery, one part Pokemon monster collecting, and one party awesome J-pop soundtrack. This coming of age tale is worth playing. More than once.

3) Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - GCN
If you can get together four players, four GBAs and four GBA->GCN cables you are in for one of the best multiplayer experiences of your life. With graphics that still stand up as beautiful to this day, a soundtrack that is one of the best in business and an emergent storyline that requires active searching to fully grasp, FFCC is a great game. I have spent untold hours exploring the areas of this game repeatedly with some of my best friends.

4) Dark Cloud - PS2
So yes, I am ranking Dark Cloud higher than its sequel. I'm still not entirely sure what it is that makes me like this game so much more than Dark Chronicle, but both games are amazing. A common thread among my favorite RPGs is a good soundtrack and Dark Cloud is no exception, my highlight is the Shipwreck song, beautfiul. The georama system is a lot of fun to play around with when you get tired of rocking the dungeons and levelling up your weapons. And don't even get me started on how much time I spent fishing.

5) Shining Force II - GEN
Probably the first game I ever completed and I still play it again at least once a year. While not the most complicated of SRPG battle systems there is a lot to like in SFII, the amazing art during combat actions, the colourful cast of characters, and the surprisingly enjoyable storyline. While its soundtrack might not be the most technically amazing I can still hum almost every song in the game from memory.

6) Kingdom Hearts II - PS2, PS3
In my opinion this is the best game in the series. Combat is fast, furious and most importantly fun, it has a good variety of Disney worlds to explore and makes the best use of the Final Fantasy cast. KH as a series is a melding of two of my favorite things so it is no surprise that I love it.

7) Final Fantasy IX - PSX
While many people say that FF9 is a let down based on the slow battle system and strange character designs I personally consider it the best in the series. An ode to the JRPGs of old, but with modern systems and an enhanced storyline. The cast is amazing and the world feels perfect.

8) Earthbound - SNES, Wii U
I feel kind of bad ranking Earthbound so much below Mother 3. While Mother 3 does beat Earthbound in almost every way there is a hell of a lot to like about Earthbound. The quirky world and the whimsical adventure are strong, and if you're playing it for the first time you are in for one of the best final boss battles I have ever experienced.

9) Dragon Quest V
The absolute best of the DQ series. It takes you on the path of a Hero's entire life, the novel choice of who you marry has always stuck out in my mind.

10) Breath of Fire IV
The best of the Breath of Fire series (That I've played, which sadly doesn't include Dragon Quarter), the unusal use of Korean stylings, the very fun combo system and the badass sitting in my avatar and usename make this game a must play for any RPG fan.

Honourable Mentions:
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy X
Phantasy Star Online
Breath of Fire III
Dark Cloud 2
Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door
Divinity Original Sin
Grandia 2
Final Fantasy Tactics
Super Mario RPG

 

[BlackVenom]

1.Lufia
2.Secret of Mana
3.Chrono Trigger
4.Breath of Fire III
5.Terranigma
6.Alundra
6.Suikoden II
7.Shadowrun
8.Xenogears
9.FFVII
10.Wild Arms

Honorable

1.Suikoden III
2.FFXII
3.Romancing Saga
4.Star Ocean
5.Legend of Dragoon
6.XenoSaga
7.Dragonquest VIII
8.Secret of Evermore
9.Dark Cloud
10.Mass Effect

Will update with reason when time.

 

[Sinatar]

Decided to try and make my list a little more interesting by restricting it to one entry per franchise (though I consider Ultima Underworld and Ultima 2 different things).

1. Fallout 2
2. Baldur's Gate 2 Shadows of Amn
3. Planescape Torment
4. Might & Magic World of Xeen
5. Divinity Original Sin
6. Wizardy 7 Crusaders of the Dark Savant
7. Pool of Radiance
8. Betrayal at Krondor
9. Ultima 7 The Black Gate
10. Icewind Dale

Honorable Metions

1. Ultima Underworld The Stygian Abyss
2. Darklands
3. Dark Souls
4. Final Fantasy 6
5. Chrono Trigger
6. Alpha Protocol
7. Gothic 2
8. Wasteland 2
9. Temple of Elemental Evil
10. Arcanum

 

[jdevil99]

Ultima VII – This was one of the first games that made me realize that a large cohesive world could exist in the digital realm. The idea that people existed and lived their lives when you weren’t around was a tangible idea and it worked wonderfully in this. I felt like a citizen of Britannia and got sucked into its world for a large chunk of time. A time I do not regret. The best game of the series without question.

Golden Sun – The quintessential RPG for the GBA. I know there were quite a few great role-playing games for the system, but more were just rehashes of older SNES classics. While most of them were good in their own rights, this game (and it’s sequel) were the main reason I owned a GBA. The world was fun to explore, the Djinn collecting were addictive and everything at the time resonated a perfect mix of new and old school. Top notch fun.

Tales of Destiny – This is the least likely of the Tales games to be selected from what I noticed and I know I could pick out other games in the series that stand taller but this title holds a spot on my list mainly because of what it lead to. I love this series to death, alongside DQ, and this game started my on that path of eating up all games in this series, regardless of the language barrier for some titles that never made it stateside, I played it if it was a Tales game. Tales of Destiny, Stahn and his trusty talking sword Dymlos took me on an adventure that I’m still on today with the release of each new Tales game.

Xenoblade – This was a breath of fresh air in the land of JRPG. Massive, almost MMO like, world that took place on the bodies of two giant gods. What? Yup and it’s as cool as you’d think. The real-time active battle system never took you away from the large landscapes you trekked through, always staying immersed in the unique world you were thrown into at the start of the game. A world I searched high and low for little glowing dots, dots that I couldn’t stop looking for. The side quests were a bit bland and trivial though, but it didn’t stop me from doing em’, since it gave me even more of a reason to dive back in. This game did so much right and I hope another like it comes out sooner rather then later.

Grandia – An epic sweeping adventure for the ages. This game has one of the best battle systems I have ever played and it was coupled with a huge, colorful world that was a blast to explore. One of my favorite things about this game besides its length and breadth was the details. Every town was different and unique and you could walk into a house and interact with things that added to the immersion of this fantasy world. Pots boiled over, lamps tipped and clanked, bottles rattled…the list goes on. I know some of those little things like objects making noise and moving seem dumb, but I’m a sucker for that stuff and I loved it.

Final Fantasy IX – My favorite Final Fantasy by a long shot. It went back to the medieval fantasy setting I always loved, had a great cast, especially Vivi, and another world that I found myself wanting to get lost in like so many RPG's that I adore. I really don't need to get detailed with the nuances of the battle system or graphics that looked fantastic because many people played and enjoyed this like me. I find it hard to believe this will ever be topped with any new FF game but a man can dream.

Dark Souls – Demons souls did it well but Dark Souls perfected it. The combination of the existing Demons Souls no holds barred hack n slash battling and unforgiving difficulty meshed with a metroid-vanian world that felt like it stretched on to infinity in any given direction gave birth to a love I didn’t think was possible this past console generation. The dark fantasy world filled with ghastly, hideous creatures all trying to kill you is one I could spend day after day in. It’s addictive, and hard, and addictive, and torturous, and addictive….you get the point. This series came out of nowhere a few years back and I’m betting it’s here to stay.

Dragon Quest VII 3 pts. – This game kept my enthralled for a large chunk of 2001. Mastering all the classes was fun like in VI but slowly opening up the world map by traveling back in time to remedy the areas problems and then seeing the changes effects in the present is what made this game great. I like a good time traveling mechanic in my games (see Chrono Trigger or Radiant Historia) and even though it was nothing elaborate, it was quite effective in DQ VII. It made the game world feel twice as large and I enjoyed seeing how the people and places had changed, for better or for worse. I had spent so much time in this game that I was genuinely sad when I finished.

Wild Arms 2 – A steam punk, sci-fi infused RPG set in the old west, sign me up. A unique cast of characters packing cool unique weapons called ARMs who are tasked with saving a dying world. Not super unique, but I see this game as more style over substance. Most games on my list have a nice mix of story and game play that hold it high on my all time favorites list, this game is mainly on here because of the world. I enjoyed exploring it, plain and simple. The western setting sucked me and, and I had fun overcoming all the puzzles the dungeons threw at me. My love for this game is pretty simple really and it’s ok to have it that way sometimes. I’d return to the land of Filgaia anytime.

Persona 4 – One of the most likeable cast of characters in any JRPG ever. This unique blend of life-sim and dungeon crawling is something I never thought I’d ever care to play let alone have such an amazing time living through the lives and experiencing everything that Teddie, Rise, Yosuke, Naoto, Kanji, Chie,Yukiko and you, the main character go through. The social link system is ingenious and only strengthens the bonds you make with these characters, figuratively and literaly. I laughed out loud, got choked up and ran through a gamut of emotions playing this. It envokes so many great feelings and then makes you want to start doing it all over again as soon as the credits role. This game reminds me why I play games, and that’s a good thing.

Honorable Mentions
Radiant Historia - I know that many people will disagree, but this is a game with time travelling as a main component to the story that was executed better than Chrono Trigger. Yes I said it. The diverging timelines that opened up as you progressed, the great graphics, beautiful music by Yoko Shimomura, fun and unique battle system.....the list goes on. One of the few RPG's that checks all the right boxes for me and a handheld game that can go toe to toe with most console titles of the same genre. Stocke, Rayne, Marco and the rest of the gang easily pulled me in and to this day, have never let go.
Tales of Vesperia – I knew I’d put another Tales game here, and picking which one came down to one character, Yuri Lowell. His is easily the most well rounded, likeable main character in all the Tales games. He doesn’t whine, moan or question thinks. He just knows what he has to do and does it. The game itself is tons of fun and as with all Tales games, the real time battles are the differentiator, but I won’t delve into that stuff, Yuri is all that matters here…with a shout out to Repede. Dogs with pipes rule.
Suikoden II – Another game filled with an amazing cast of characters, but that fact that you can gather most of them to fight for you made this a unique experience. Awesome story aside, I had the most fun watching my castle evolve during the course of the game and fill up with all the people you befriend along the way. Each with a unique back-story and personality that made you care for them all. The Rune magic system was interesting but the 6 person battles, duels and massive battles that took place on the map all kept me wildly entertained and helping the world’s people and fighting for their survival made me care. And that’s what makes you keep coming back to it, that fact that you feel a part of that world and you care.
Fallout 3 – Massive open world that was always out to make you dead. I can’t think of many games that sucked as many hours of my life away this gen as this bad boy. Every nook and cranny needing to be searched and looted, every quest needing to be completed and every head needing to be exploded in VATS. Who thought that a dark, dank apocalyptic Washington DC could look to magnificent.
Dragon Age:Inquistion Amazing world, great characters, tons of adventuring to do and a fun battle system that takes bits from the previous two entries and fine tunes it into perfection. I loved exploring this universe more than I could have dreamed and I can gauge my enjoyment of a title by how determined I become with seeing every square inch of a location or spending hours creating weapons and armor or just getting lost in the novel sized amount of text the game had laying around in books or small notes hidden away just waiting to be discovered and consumed, furthering the lore I was soaking up in my head to get an even better understanding of the history I was living in. A blast to play, plain and simple.
Dragon Quest V – Right beside my love for Tales is my love for Dragon Warrior/Quest games. I enjoyed the whole series, but this and DQ VII are tops on my list, and it was a tough call to only pick between one of them for this list since I tried to stick with one game per series.DQV told and amazing heartwarming story with only a small amount of text. No fancy CGI or facial animations, just a simply told story that follows several generations of a family who are out to avenge a father’s death, restore a civilization, time travel and maybe get married along the way. Yeah, this game has it all, and it is all fantastic.
Xenogears – Another massive adventure game that was non-stop fun. Weird religious subtext and second disc lulz aside, this game was an experience. The world was detailed and rich with history, the inclusion of mechs to the story and battle system only added to the bad-assery. I gravitated toward this initially because of the sci-fi aspects of the title and I’m glad I did. The game mixes a lot of principles and philosophies established in our history, psychological themes and heavy symbolism helped shape the characters and world the game existed in. It was deep, dark and at times confusing, but it was a fantastic play and a highly memorable experience.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

1) Final Fantasy 6 - When I think of a solid, perfect JRPG, my mind immediately goes to FF6. It has a fantastic (and large!) cast of memorable characters, a villain that to this day ranks highly among random gaming websites' "Best Video Game Villains" lists, and a plot that goes further than most JRPGs would dare. Unlike many JRPGs, the story never really gets long in the tooth and maintains a consistent story with almost no low points. It's all memorable and the characters glue everything together in a 16-bit creation every bit as charming and fun as a person could want in an RPG.

2) Chrono Trigger - The first time I played Chrono Trigger was the DS remake. Luckily it was remade or I'd likely have never played and beaten this timeless (heh) classic. The battle system is innovative, the time travel story is fun and at times mind-bending (if I do this in this time then go 1000 to the future what will happen?), and it has yet another cast of characters that I defy someone who has beaten the game to forget. Everything comes together for this game, story, characters, music, and design (I love Toriyama) and that's why it's still called a classic to this day. It just holds up in a way many older games don't.

3) Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan - The EO series is known for its difficulty. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), EO4 makes it a bit easier to get through the main story while maintaining a high difficulty level in the post-game areas. This is easily the best EO formula, with everything great about the series on full display. Fantastic music, detailed and varied character artwork, intricate dungeons each with interesting mechanics, and more skills to level up than you could shake a stick at. EO4 is my personal favorite Etrian Odyssey game and the one most often recommended by fans of the series.

4) Final Fantasy 13 3 points - My favorite FF game after 6, this is a highly controversial game for stupid reasons. Many JRPGs have shitty characters and yes, I agree Snow can be too dense and Lightning can be too distant and ~edgy~ and Hope can be a bit whiny. Fang, Vanille, and Sazh are fantastic though! The battle system here is one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of playing and those who say it's just mashing the auto-battle button are dead wrong. In a few years I fully believe that FF13 will become a sort of cult-classic FF in the way FF9 has today.

5) Tales of Xillia - Easily my favorite Tales game (yes I've played Vesperia). It has a fleshed out world with fun and quick (if not stereotypical) quests that let you actually earn accesories for your party so quickly. I'm still so impressed by that feature. The party is typical Tales fare (Brown-haired protag that I literally can't tell apart from Asbel in most cases? Check. Mysterious girl? Check. Traitor, "old" man, loli, weird creature.) Yup! This is a Tales game and that means it will be instantly familiar to anyone who plays it. Still, in my opinion it is one of the best, if not the best, version of the Tales formula to see release so far.

6) Dragon Quest 9 - I've played almost every DQ game and I still think 9, with its blank-slate party and DS graphics, is one of the top. Maybe it's just a sentimental and personal thing but playing through the entire game one lazy summer with my brother at my side as his character and switching over to his game to keep equal progress was something fantastic that I'd always wanted. The puns are in full force and I've always loved them, and the free weekly DLC and DQ legacy costumes and dungeon maps kept me coming back hungry for more.

7) .hack//IMOQ - This is, in the strictest sense, four games, but it's actually one game just split up to sell more copies. All told, the story is about 100-120 hours long so I suppose it makes sense. I digress. the first .hack quartet has one of the best stories and characters I've seen in an RPG. Because you have to invest so much time into the series you come to really know and love the characters in the same way you'd come to love the other people in a real MMO. The combat system is pretty bland and the grind to collect certain virus cores is a major chore if you start too late but overall it's a fantastic game series that still has fans clamoring for an official release of the fictional MMO THe World. It really needs some sort of HD rerelease. :/

8) Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht - The world's first introdutction to KOS-MOS and clan, Xenosaga is long and filled with long cutscenes. This is 100% not a game for people who dislike cutscenes. It is, however, a series for people who want lots of character development in a space opera setting. Just try to make it through 2 without giving up, 'cause 3 is great again.

9) The Legend of Heroes: Traile in the Sky - To this day this game and its sequel provoke rabid adoration from its fans along with death threats to XSeed if they don't hurry and bring more of the series over. The legend of Estelle and Joshua Bright starts out pretty typically but it's not long before you realize that the world of TitS (that never gets old) is deeper than you could ever imagine. Endless flavor text from interesting NPCs that changes constantly, every treausure chest says something different, and there are tons of intricate sidequests. The battle system isn't anything too crazy, but it's fairly unique and reminds me a bit of the system in the Grandia series. The Second Chapter should see a release soon, so all of the fans of the series will finally be able to be sated. Who am I kidding? They'll just start clamoring for TitS the 3rd.

10) Nier - Is it really an RPG? I guess... Is it really fantastic? Most definitely. The first playthrough is a bit janky and the gameplay is pretty meh, but once you start a new game + everything changes. The story of Nier is heartbreaking and hopeful. Beautiful and ugly. The game is such a mishmash of genres that it contains a bit of everything, really. Diablo, bullet hell shooters, RPG, platformers, character action games. It's hard to accurately describe so just go buy it and play it. It's still below $20 I believe.


Honorable Mentions


11) Golden Sun: The Lost Age - Better than the first and the big cast is grand. Still too wordy with tiny text boxes, though.

12) The World Ends With You - Sort of emo but it's really innovative and has a fantastic sountrack. Still one of the DS' best games.

13) Final Fantasy 1 - Think of an old JRPG trope. FF1 probably has it and does it perfectly. It's so stereotypical that it's good.

14) Radiant Historia

15) Xenoblade Chronicles

16) Arc Rise Fantasia

17) Ni no Kuni

18) Rune Factory

19) Tales of Vesperia

20) Brave Story: New Traveler

 

[RurouniZel]

For the sake of variety, I tried to stick to one game per franchise (the exception being spinoffs)

My Must-Play RPGs

1) Lunar: Eternal Blue (Sega CD) 3 points - This isn't just my favorite RPG of all time, it's probably my favorite game of all time full stop. With regards to what makes this the best RPG I've played, it all boils down to one thing; lack of bloat. As much as I love RPGs, far too many of them are way too bloated for their own good. The pacing comes to a grinding halt as the characters putt about doing some random nonsense, unable to continue the story due to an incredibly arbitrary road-block whose sole purpose is to delay the player continuing on with the story (gotta get that long run time). Lunar: Eternal Blue on Sega CD can be finished in 15-20 hours and feels complete and satisfying. With the exception of one small part toward the end, I never felt like the game was dragging its feet. Every part of the game was handled with great care and tells a wonderful (if simple) story that builds on the mythos of the original rather than using the original as a crutch.

2) Xenoblade Chronicles (Nintendo Wii) - With Xenoblade, it really is all about the little things that would take an otherwise very good RPG and turn it into something fun and amazing to play. Everything about this game does what it can to make the player experience less frustrating, which to me is pretty crucial in a game that demands a lot of time just to do the required story. Everything from respawning at your last checkpoint with all levels/items etc. intact to not having to re-watch boss cutscenes every time you give that boss fight another go all adds up to an experience that doesn't fight you every step of the way. Combined with one of the most original settings I've seen in an RPG and you have not just the ingredients of a great game; you have a perfectly brewed concoction of elements to keep me playing.

3) Atelier Totori (Sony PlayStation 3) - What do Atelier Totori and Resident Evil 4 have in common? Most people would say "Not a damn thing! What are you smoking?" But there is one reason I would gladly put the two games side by side; they are two of the best examples of what I would consider to be the perfect sequel. Both are games that took everything people were frustrated with in their respective predecessors and dramatically improved them beyond all expected measure. Where RE4 fixed its predecessor's woeful inventory system and revolutionized its aiming mechanics, Atelier Totori dramatically improved the visual aesthetic, streamlined the UI and added a map that completely changed the experience from its immediate predecessor for the better. Atelier Totori isn't just a great RPG, it's literally everything a fan would want from a sequel. No stone was left unturned when it came to improvements, and it only took a year from its predecessor to do so. A marvelous achievement and a beautifully engaging RPG.

4) Dark Souls (PC (thank you Durante)) - Its funny; I rage quitted this game the first couple of times I played it. Ranted about it on twitter, was so frustrated I stopped playing for months. But something kept calling me back. Part of it was the marvelously realized world, but I think it's really because it's the 3D Castlevania game I've always wanted. It nailed the setting, the structure, and was hugely customizable. The minimalist story-telling approach is marvelously handled, its very well paced, and while I would have liked it to be at least a little easier in the early going, I can see why people stand by it's difficulty. Tough, but ultimately fair. Somber, but not melodramatic.

5) Ar Tonelico 2 (Sony PlayStation 2) - I started this game mostly out of mild curiosity; it looked pretty generic and low-budget at a glance, I had never played a game by GUST before and really I was just in the mood for another 2D-ish RPG after playing Lunar for the umpteenth time. After listening to the gorgeous music online, I decided to pick this up and all I can say is my body was not ready. The battle system is one of the finest I've ever played, the characters were surprisingly deep and engaging (thanks to the Cosmosphere mechanic), and the music, oh GOD the music!! But for the moment, I'm going to tell a little story about the game that really caught me off guard. After beginning the game and learning the basics, I'm introduced to two heroines, one royal and sheltered, the other down to earth and cheerful. So far, so generic. I figured the game would make me choose one at some point, and I turned out to be right, but its WHEN they did this that surprised me. See, normally in this type of game where a heroine is chosen, the game tries to make it difficult by making them both so insanely appealing you don't want to chose only one of them. But Ar Tonelico 2 did the exact opposite. About 6 hours into the game, the story takes a few turns that put both of the main heroines in a very poor light, and I wasn't exactly keen on either character. And then suddenly, it makes me chose between them. It was an utterly brilliant subversion of the trope and it was then that I was truly and completely hooked.

6) Final Fantasy VI (Super Nintendo) - For me, the Final Fantasy series has always a special place in my heart, and to me this is the Final Fantasy that had the best of everything. Great story telling, compelling characters, beautiful aesthetic and music, and great gameplay. This is my favorite Final Fantasy without hesitation.

7) Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn/Dreamcast) - Very few games attempt to combine such different genres, and fewer still do so as beautifully as Sakura Taisen. Taking the concept of a visual novel and combining it with a Strategy RPG seems ludicrous, but Red Company made it seem as perfect as peanut butter and chocolate. What really makes the visual novel portion so engaging is the LIPS system that only gives the player a couple of seconds to pick a option (or not to pick one, which can also be a valid option as well). One of the most engaging games I've ever played, it's a crime the first 4 games in the series never saw official release in the west.

8) Dragon Quest VIII (Sony PlayStation 2) - I love the entire series, but for some reason the story of this particular Dragon Quest just really struck all of the right chords with me. The chemistry of the cast combined with Dragon Quest's signature old-school gameplay makes this a quest I reguarly retake.

9) Grandia (Sega Saturn/Sony PlayStation) - One of the greatest turn-based battle systems ever conceived began with this epic adventure. It's one of the few RPGs that gives the player a true sense of adventure, a large unknown world. That youthful desire to see sights unseen, discover new worlds and go on amazing adventures. A worthy name to an adventure so grand, Grandia is a wonderful from beginning to end.

10) Chrono Trigger (Super Nintendo) - Very few games are as ambitious with time-travel as this ground-breaking adventure. Most games that involve time-travel never really give the player control of where and when they travel to, and of those that do, few are as thorough and as well polished as this one. It surprises me to this day that despite how magnificently this game displays the concept of dual/trio attacks, future RPGs haven't really tried to tackle the concept at all, let alone expand on it or push it in new directions. The combination attacks really give the player a sense of true choice when they decide which party members to have accompany Crono on this time skipping adventure.


Honorable Mentions

11) Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (Sony PlayStation 2)
12) Magic Knight Rayearth (Sega Saturn)
13) Final Fantasy Tactics (Sony PlayStation)
14) Valkyria Chronicles (Sony PlayStation 3)
15) Arc the Lad 1+2 (Sony PlayStation)
16) Kingdom Hearts 2 (Sony PlayStation 2)
17) Tales of Symphonia (Nintendo Gamecube)
18) Blue Dragon (Microsoft Xbox 360)
19) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Sony PlayStation)
20) Persona 4 the Golden (Sony PlayStation Vita)

 

[Dolor]

1) Mount & Blade: Warband

2) World of Warcraft

3) Witcher 2

4) Witcher

5) Dragon Age: Origins

6) Torchlight II

7) Baldur's Gate II

8) Rift

9) Divinity: Original Sin

10) Final Fantasy VIII


Honorable Mentions


11) Skyrim

12) Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II

13) Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing

14) Final Fantasy XII

15) Final Fantasy X

15) Final Fantasy VII

17) Final Fantasy VI

18) Final Fantasy IX

19) Final Fantasy XI

20) Dark Souls

 

[hemtae]

1. Planescape: Torment - It is the best written game so far and it's the gold standard for story driven games that even tens of millions of dollars hasn't been able to match since. The setting is far different from the standard fantasy fare, party members are all interesting, even unnamed NPCs have something to say worth hearing, and to round out the experience, the world reacts to the way you build and develop your character. It'll be a good day for gaming if the kickstarter spiritual sequel can come close to matching it.

2. Fallout 2 - Fallout showed what cRPGs could be and I consider Fallout 2 to be its better, older brother. Sure, Planescape may have better writing, Jagged Alliance 2 may have better combat, the original Fallout may be more focused and Alpha Protocol may be more reactive, but none of them are the overall package Fallout 2 is. With a huge number of ways to build your character combined with a huge number of options for quest, combined with the amazing amount of a content, this is easily one of the greatest games, never mind role-play games, of all time.

3. Gothic II - This the best open-world game out of the three big ones in this, Morrowind, and Ultima 7. Its a shame that much like Bethesda and Morrowind, Piranha Bytes lost their way after this game. Combat is fairly well done (and this coming from somebody that doesn't like action combat) and never feels unfair. The combat combined with the well designed world in which almost everything is hand placed, makes exploration some of the most rewarding in all of video games.

4. Deus Ex - Generally, I frown upon simulationism. Its probably why I have a lower opinion of open world games than other genres (although not low enough since I let two open world games on my list). However, this game won me over with the sheer freedom you have in how you're able to tackle problems. If you think you can stealth by things easier, go for it. If you prefer rampant slaughter, have at it. If you like to oscillate between the two? Even better.

5. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn - It is the quintessential party based RPG. It has it all. A solid story. Stuff to do everywhere you looked. A large number of party members that all interact with each other. Challenging combat and memorable encounters. A just as equally content packed expansion. Romances. Its been over ten years and Bioware is still trying and failing to live up to it but to their credit, its a really tall bar.

6. Jagged Alliance 2 - The best squad tactical turn based combat even though its fifteen years old. Partially because of overly narrow superlatives and partially because its really good. Some may argue its not an RPG but those idiots don't know what they're talking about. And I do. 100 percent. Other than the combat, it gets props for its strategic layer and unique personalities on the mercenaries. If you so choose, you can go straight for the prize when the game starts. You'll probably get everybody killed but who knows, maybe you are just that good. Or maybe you bought in to some of the more... enthusiastic mercs.

7. Chrono Trigger - The quintessential jRPG. If somebody hasn't played a jRPG and is looking to, this is it. It has iconic characters, a memorable time-traveling storyline, and several innovations to the jRPG genre like team combos and no random encounters. It was created by a massive collection of talent that I'm not sure will ever be rivaled again and it shows. As far is the word "essential" goes, this is the best example due its timelessness, innovations, and accessibility.

8. Final Fantasy VI - It may have gotten usurped in the iconic area by its immediate sequel but not in the quality area. It has the best story and best villain of all the Final Fantasies. The metaphorical gut punch it delivers halfway through the game is one of the best in gaming. Its just as much of a "required reading" as Chrono Trigger is for the jRPG genre even if it may not innovate as much as Chrono Trigger did in the gameplay department.

9. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - Its the best entry in a series that helped found the jRPG genre. It told a solid story (in which the main character wasn't the hero) and had some of the best of Dragon Quest's trademark charming vignettes. If any of the human party members weren't to your liking (you monster) you could recruit monsters that you had defeated which would presumably be more to your liking.

10. Dark Souls - I don't like action combat in my RPGs. I feel like generally the character skill should matter not the player skill. Also I'm a coward at heart so maybe that might have something to do with it. However this game is a revelation. This is what modern console RPGs should be much like how Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and Dragon Quest V were the pinnacle of what jRPGs should be. Its has polished gameplay systems, tight controls and challenge up the ass without ever feeling unfair. While Demon Souls showed flashes of brilliance that would later make up this game, this is what polished it to a high degree. It does nearly everything it attempts to do extremely well.

Honorable Mentions

11. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Its a shame that open world RPGs haven't caught up to the technology yet. The better hardware should allow games to simulate a world much better however the best open world games are over ten and twenty years old. In the case with Morrowind, some of the magic that made this game great was lost in its two sequels. Literally. First levitation and some other stuff then spell crafting all together. While all of the bad things said about this game are mostly true (wikipedia style text dumps and horrible combat), all the good things said about the game are also true. The alien setting. The faction quests. The focus on exploration and not following a quest compass. The amazing mod community which the next two games would inherit from it.

12. Neverwinter Nights 2 - This was mostly a by the numbers fantasy game made in a terrible engine with terrible camera controls and terrible combat that showed a few very short flashes of greatness towards the end. It does earn a spot on the list though because of its excellent expansion, Mask of the Betrayer. Mask of the Betrayer is the best written RPG since Planescape: Torment and throws out the more standard fantasy stuff. The companions include a hagspawn, fallen angel, and a red wizard with a spirit bear or something made of many souls in a hivemind. Then you can devour a dead god. Good times.

13. Divinity: Original Sin - The story may have been forgettable, the writing may have been a bit too much poor man's Monty Python, and things may have fallen apart after the second area, however in a year completely packed with RPGs, this was the best one. The combat stands above everything even on par with Jagged Alliance 2 and its all thanks to its unprecedented level of environmental interaction. There's nothing quite like going into an encounter with everything set up your way with barrels placed in strategic locations to make a choke point then watching the dominoes fall to whatever combo you so desire.

14. Fallout - A lot of the western RPG world owes something to this game. It isn't quite Ultima, Might & Magic, or Wizardry level of influence but still pretty influential none the less. So much so that newcomers playing it today may ask what exactly is so great about the game. It was the first to have choices and consequences, reactivity from dialogue, and adventuring in a quality RPG shell.

15. The World Ends with You - If nothing else, "fresh" describes this game nicely. The battle system used the two screens and touchscreen superbly. The modern setting was refreshing. The story line was full of twists and turns. The soundtrack was a departure from the jRPGs of the time. The characters all received some decent development. All in all, it was a refreshing game at a time when the genre would start to stagnate a bit especially on handhelds.

16. Vagrant Story - This is Yasumi Matsuno's magnum opus in my opinion. It combined a great story, atmospheric dungeon crawling, and a unique and great battle system. It has a great crafting system on par with some of the more loot heavy games. The localization isn't half bad either. Remember: you are the reinforcements.

17. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne - This is the best turn based RPG to come out on consoles since Dragon Quest V. Its also shows the best of what I think the SMT franchise and all its spinoffs can be. This what pokemon would be if it was challenging outside of the metagame and Team Rocket/Aqua/Magma/Galactic/Plasma/Flare had destroyed the world sometime earlier.

18. Earthbound - On the other end of the spectrum from the depressing SMT: Nocturne, you have Earthbound which pretty much just oozes charm and hard. But like Nocturne, it shies away from some jRPG conventions. It also fields a well written story that can be pretty quirky at times but still manages to tug a bit on the heartstrings.

19. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - This is pretty much a love letter to the Star Wars movie with one of the most famous gaming plot twists of all time. There's lightsaber duels, chatting with crew members on the ship, lightsaber duels, decisions between the light side versus the dark side, lightsaber duels, and even a section where you shoot down enemy fighters. This game is the very essence of cinematic Star Wars in video game form and its about all a game like that could be.

20. System Shock 2 - If atmosphere was the sole metric by which games were judged, this would be considered the greatest game ever. Unfortunately it has to settle for one of the greatest RPGs ever. How sad. You're constantly limited in resources so you never feel completely prepared for what's next. The claustrophobic nature of the game is always keeping you on edge. All of that while you slowly figure out what exactly happened to the crew of the ship you're on.

Unranked
Knights of the Old Republic 2 (Better than the first with the restoration mod), Fallout: New Vegas (only open world game that's come close to challenging Gothic 2, Morrowind, Ultima 7), Ultima VII (shame I couldn't find a place for it), Wizardry 8, Persona 4, Skies of Arcadia, Baten Kaitos Origins (criminally underrated and still Monolith's best game, Xenoblade can suck it), Dragon Age: Origins (good attempt at a BG2 killer, wish Bioware would have stuck with it), Deus Ex: Human Revolution (doesn't measure up to the first one but still the best AAA RPG of last generation), Knights of the Chalice (best dungeon crawler of last gen), Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (Bigger shame I couldn't find a place for it), Final Fantasy IX (best 3D Final Fantasy), Alpha Protocol (deserves some sort of mention for being the most reactive game I've ever played)

 

[adj_noun]

1. Darklands (3 points) -- A journey to the Medieval Germany of legend. Here saints will answer your prayers, alchemy is real, and darker evils lurk in the forest. Few games approach its sense of place and time; fewer still give you the sheer amount of possible reactions you may have to any given encounter.

2. Planescape: Torment - One of the best stories in any game. The Nameless One's saga is well known to seasoned gamers, but when I think of Planescape my mind keeps going back to the excellent bite sized stories in the Sensorium and elsewhere; little touches that aren't important to the main quest but still match it in quality and impact.

3. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines -- Tragically few games have explored White Wolf's World of Darkness setting, and this one's the best. Play Malkavian during your second go-round for extra fun.

4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords -- An exploration of the force and the Jedi that the canon has yet to (or likely will) replicate, Kreia's cryptic words still resonate as a beacon of what Star Wars writing can be.

5. Alpha Protocol --Combat's not the best, but the intricately woven plot and underutilized spy theme make Alpha Protocol worth a look.

6. Mass Effect

7. Dragon Age: Origins -- Bioware sure is good at world building, isn't it? It kills me that they haven't really done a new IP in so long; both Thedas and the Mass Effect galaxy breathe in a way few gaming universes ever have a chance to.

8. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn -- You started as a chump and now you're well on your way to becoming a juggernaut of awesome proportions. Baldur's Gate 2 is the end of your long, long saga, and a fitting conclusion to all those hours. We still love you, Minsc.

9. Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht -- Dear lord, did I love this game. I still count this struggle against the Gnosis and other galactic powers as one of my favorite animes (I think they actually did make one later); if they did an HD remix I'd just about die.

10. King of Dragon Pass -- Quirky and fun, leading your tribe to prosperity or ignominious defeat via choose your own adventure type screens and managing your day to day activities is a worthy pursuit. Quack.

 

[Hubbl3]

1) Super Mario RPG (3 points) - It's my favorite game of all time and it just oozes with everything I love about traditional JRPGs. It has classic Squaresoft/Nintendo humor in it, the characters all have character (something farely rare these days) and the entire Super Mario RPG universe is very charming. It's not a tough game to play, the soundtrack is incredibly memorable and it's just gaming perfection in my eyes.

2) Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - No game has captured my attention and imagination like Ni No Kuni did other than Super Mario RPG. Again, Ni No Kuni just oozes with everything I love about JRPGs. I wish the combat system had borrowed the turn-based combat system that the DS version used, but it's action based pokemon style of combat was still very intriguing. Studio Ghibli and Level-5's collaboration was phenomenal and I hope we get another one from them!

3) Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete - This was my first Working Designs game and from the minute the intro video started playing until the end of the game, I was hooked. I have a great love for the 2D sprite-based RPGs with this one being my favorite. Turn-based combat, pretty good voice acting, an incredibly likeable cast of characters and a great story made every second of this game enjoyable.

4) Shenmue - This one might be skirting the boundaries of what's considered an RPG, but I think of it as an RPG... so I'm voting for it! Prior to playing this game, I'd never played anything like this. A large, open world with real time weather and a region full of people going about their daily lives. The ways you progressed the story were very interesting and while the voice acting was kind of painful at times, the characters begin to grow on you and you begin to learn a great deal about this made up world you're devoting your time towards. Combat was like a mix between QTEs and Virtua Fighter and the tons of side missions and side stories you could do kept the game feeling fresh.

5) Final Fantasy IX - It's my favorite game in the entire Final Fantasy mainline series. The steampunk atmosphere of this game mixed with the kooky Squaresoft characters made for a great cast of characters to get to know. Traditional turn-based combat made me fall in love with this game and the way characters learn skills by leveling up accessories, armor and weapons was great!

6) Dragon Quest VIII - This game is "traditional JRPG" personified! I was blown away by the graphics at the time and it was really the first time that I ever thought that I was legitimately controlling an "anime" character. The art direction was amazing, the combat again was traditional turn-based and the voice acting and cut-scenes weren't over the top and overbearing.

7) Mass Effect 1 - This is without a doubt my favorite PC game of all time. The sense of atmosphere is still unrivaled to me. This game was truly a role-playing game to me as I felt like I became a part of this universe while playing through. The combat and inventory were a bit clunky, but they were in no way deal-breakers as far as finishing the game is concerned. The soundtrack to this game is nothing short of amazing too!

8) Final Fantasy VII - Lots of people seem to think this game is overrated, but it's still a very solid RPG to me! The exploration in this game was phenomenal and I found myself looking for fights to always test out my every changing material combination. There were tons of fun side quests to do (breeding chocobos, fun at the Golden Saucer, looking for powerful weapons and material) and the main story was very engrossing.

9) Chrono Trigger - A staple of the RPG genre. One of the most memorable cast of characters in gaming with an incredibly memorable soundtrack as well. I didn't get to play this game when it first came out due to the SNES and game itself being so expensive, but I first played it on the PS1 and the experience held up very well against the many RPGs of that time. I love me some turn-based combat systems and this game delivered! Plus, who doesn't like time traveling?

10) Shadowrun (Sega Genesis) - Cyberpunk? Check. Hacking? Check. Fairly open-world game with many character build options, lots of weapons and magic to find and use and tons of missions to complete? Check, check, check and check. I absolutely love this game!


Honorable Mentions:

11) Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete
12) Xenoblade Chronicles
13) Valkyria Chronicles
14) Grandia III
15) Skies of Arcadia
16) Dragon Quest V
17) Paper Mario (Nintendo 64)
18) Pier Solar
19) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
20) Xenogears

 

[skLaFarebear]

1. The World Ends with You (3 points)

Just one of, if not, the greatest video game ever made. Everything about this game says perfection. The gameplay, the story, the characters, the setting, the art style, THAT MUSIC. Its just a phenomenal JRPG and easily the best thing Square/Square Enix has ever put out. It will be a long time before any JRPG can even come close to the quality of this game. I could go on, but just play it. If you have a 3DS, DS, or even an IPhone just play it and see what I mean.

2. Persona 2: Innocent Sin and
3. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Persona 3 was my entry into the Persona series and I loved everything about that game. When everyone told me that Persona 4 was just Persona 3, but better in every way I was so excited to get my hands on a vita to be able to play Persona 4: The Golden. It wasn't until I finally poured dozens of hours into this game before I realized how disappointing almost everything about this game was. The demon fusing and the music were as great as ever. But the dungeons were even worse than Tartarus, the characters were all just horrible and so damn boring, and the plot was one of the worst mystery stories I may have ever seen in my life that rivals Scooby Doo levels of simplicity. And while I enjoy the anime medium, the game just had too much of an anime feel and it pushed me away from a lot of the events that were supposed to be "fun and relaxing." And the game was just laughably easy compared to Persona 3, which already wasn't even that difficult of a game. I was so shocked at how disappointing a game and sequel this was to a game like Persona 3. I almost gave up on the Persona series as a whole, until I decided to get Persona 2: Innocent Sin on a whim.

And all I could say is wow. Every problem I had with Persona 4 was completely gone in this game. Just everything. The characters were so much more interesting and had a lot of depth to them, while still being fun (and the characters in EP weren't even all kids thank god). The story was an exciting and emotional gripping tale. The writing in this game puts everything Persona 4 and even Persona 3 tried to do with its social links to complete shame. The gameplay is a little harder to get used to, but its still fun in its own right compared to other JRPGs, and the music in this game is different, but just as good as the other games in the series. Its "facing your shadow" mechanic felt much more like a dire and intense situation (though its a shame that the PSP version of IS is so easy) than in P4 when it just ended up becoming "who's the monster of this week?" Its amazing playing these games to see that the Persona series has just kept going completely backwards, though considering how good 2:IS and 2:EP are, it was obviously just a tough task to recreate that kind of magic. Hopefully P5 can recapture what made Persona 2 so good.

4. Radiant Historia

A time traveling JRPG with mechanics that make Chrono Trigger feel really simplistic, Radiant Historia is the greatest turn-based JRPG on the DS, which has a library full of them. A soundtrack with its music composed by the same lady who composed the Kingdom Hearts games and a combat mechanic with a very interesting twist on the turn based battle system with the opponents being on a 3x3 sqaure and being able to move them around and form a strong plan to your liking that can result in hitting multiple enemies, multiple times for a greater amount of damage. It also has one of my favorite artstyles in any game ever and an amazing story full of twists and turns with some really depressing bad ends that you can get if you choose the wrong path. I could go on all day about this again, but seriously, just play it.

5. Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC

About as basic a turn based JRPG as it gets, this game at first glance does nothing special to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack. Its a simple game about 2 kids taking a journey to become Bracers (basically the guild that helps people with certain jobs/quests). However, as the game goes on, everything about this game constantly improves, which is something you really don't see in many JRPGs. The gameplay opens up as you gain more characters, the plot becomes more than just travel the world, the two main characters have scenes with a lot of relationship development, and heck even the music gets a lot better. It also has one of the best main themes I've ever heard in a JRPG. And all that culminates in a plot twist ending that you certainly won't see coming. One of my personal favorites available on the PC, PSP and the Vita/Vita TV in case you were interested in trying it, as you should.

6. Dark Souls

Everything that's good about this game has already been said. There's not much to add to the conversation about it since I share the same opinion as a lot of other people. Don't let the high difficulty its tagged with turn you off from it. The game isn't about being unfairly difficult, its about teaching you to git gud and giving you one of the most satisfying rewards for doing it. The feeling of accomplishment.

7. Nier

A very popular game only in GAF, this game is part of arguably the most niche genre outside of Japan, the Drakengard series. Nier, taking place after Drakengard 1, follows a father trying to take care of his daughter in a world really far into the future. The game has an amazing story with an interesting replay mechanic that opens up even more of the story (in this series, the first ending is only the beginning), but its biggest bread and butter for the story is the stuff that isn't told to you in the game. Doing a lot of research outside of the game itself will reveal a lot of details you'd never figure out in the game and how it can all relate back to Drakengard 1 and 3 is amazing. And its theme of "pointless sacrifice" will drive home how depressing this game can get. Yoko Taro definitely knocked it out of the park with the plot in this game. Also, that soundtrack IS SO GOOD.

8. Valkyria Chronicles

One of the greatest Strategy RPGs ever. A game that's great in everything it does. A great artstyle, characters, story, music, and the gameplay is just soooooo good. Combining the strategy mechanics with a third person shooter and using different kinds of soldiers (snipers, machine gun users a.k.a shocktroopers, etc.) to represent the different classes you'd normally see in a strategy RPG. It also has one of the best romance plots I've seen in a game surprisingly. Especially in a genre known to have some really bad romance plots. And it also has one of my favorite quotes in a video game.

"Squad 7, move out!"

9. Xenogears

Mechs in a JPRG. How could you not be amazing? (Well, you could be Xenosaga Ep. 1) But Xenogears is the best game that Squaresoft has put out. Featuring a very interesting battle system where its either on foot with the pilots or with the pilots in the mechs, its AP system is one of my favorite in a traditional JRPG. It has a great story that reaches some very philosophical levels of depth as the story goes on with some great characters and plot twists you probably won't see coming. I even enjoyed the second disc, which unfortunately had to cut out a lot of content due to budget cuts. I won't go too far into it, because you've probably heard enough about it for yourself.

10. Drakengard 3

Its where it all began. While I didn't want to include two games from the same series outside of Persona 2, I have to include this game somewhere in my top 10. Critically panned and hated/disliked/ignored by those who don't understand anything about the Drakengard series, or those who've only played Nier (shame on you if you did), its the beginning of how the events of Drakengard 1 and Nier ended up playing out. Without giving away any spoilers this game is most certainly a Yoko Taro game through and through. While its plot quite never reaches the WTF of Drakengard 1 or the emotional levels of Nier, it has its own brand of crazy and emotions that fans of those games will love. And like I stated earlier "in this series, the first ending is only the beginning." And while things seem at worst, a little weird until you reach that ending. The crazy shit only begins from there.

Also, Zero is best girl.

Honorable Mentions

1. Demon Souls
2. Chrono Trigger
3. Final Fantasy 13
4. Tales of the Abyss
5. Tales of Graces F
6. Xenoblade Chronicles
7. Persona 3: Portable
8. Paper Mario: TTYD
9. Fire Emblem: Awakening
10. SMT: Digital Devil Saga

 

[famfrit]

Preliminary List:

1. Persona 3 FES;
2. Pokemon Gold/Silver;
3. Suikoden 2;
4. Demon Souls;
5. Final Fantasy 7;
6. Final Fantasy Tatics;
7. Valkyrie Profile;
8. Chrono Trigger;
9. Vampire Masquerade: Bloodlines;
10. Planescape Torment;

Honorable Mentions

Arc the Lad II
Breath of Fire II
Lunar: Silver Star Story

 

[tav7623]

I don't often play RPG's and most of the ones I have played & beaten tend to be Legend of Zelda titles. Since I don't want this list to be dominated almost exclusively by Zelda games I will instead be including a number of RPGs (as well as a few "non traditional RPG" games) on my list, most of which I'm still in the process of playing (but have spent a fairly decent amount of time with) as part of a recent attempt to broaden my gaming horizons beyond my comfort zone (FPS, TPS/Action game, 2D & 3D platformers, Survival Horror games).


1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - I know this game isn't really considered an RPG and is more of a 2D platformer, but I feel that there are enough RPG elements in the game (gaining XP, lots of exploration, open ended design, and a large amount of weapons/items/equipment that all have unique stats/boosting effects) for it to fall into this category for me.

2. Parasite Eve - This game was the first Squaresoft RPG I ever played (this was back in 1999/2000) and while I was not a big fan of the game's combat system it was still a pretty good game overall with a (imo) solid story........it was also pretty cool going around to a few famous NYC landmarks (except for the post game bonus located in the Chrysler building, playing through that was a bit of a nightmare)

3. Earthbound - Over the years I've heard all about this wacky SNES RPG, so I jumped at the chance to finally play this game (without paying an arm & a leg) when it was released on the Wii U Virtual Console last year. After playing a good chunk of the game (I'm about halfway through the game) I can say that this is a (imo) pretty interesting RPG and definitely well worth checking out especially if you like quirky humor in your games.

4. Bravely Default - I recently got this game as a gift and while I've yet to beat the game (I'm at the final boss fight which has been a bit of a nightmare since I now have to grind in order to get more exp/levels so I don't get slaughter......again) I have played more than enough of it to to say that the "mid game" plot twist is a level of BS that the guy who came up with it deserves a good @$$ kicking. Still I feel that this game is a pretty good RPG overall and worth checking out despite my issue with the "mid game" plot twist.

5. Borderlands 2 - I know it's not a traditional RPG and is more of a FPS, but like Symphony of the Night I feel that this game has enough RPG elements in it to count as a RPG what with the exp system, large selection of weapons/gear that affect different aspects of your character not to mention the different character customization options the game gives you to somewhat customize your character.

6. Final Fantasy X - This was a pretty good game overall even though I'm not a big fan of the game's combat system and I also found Tidus to be a bit annoying at times, Still I feel that this is one of the better RPG's I've played in the past 10 years.

7. Final Fantasy IX - In the grand scheme of things I haven't played a whole lot of this game (about 2 - 3 hrs give or take), but I've played enough to know that I liked what I played (the music and story has been pretty good so far) and that it would have more than likely ranked a lot higher on my list if I had managed to beat/played more of it before I had made this list.

8. The Last Story - This game has one of the (imo) better RPG combat systems I've used and while I have yet to finish the game (I'm at the halfway point) I feel strong enough about to include it on my list.

9. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - When I first played this game (this was back in 2004 when Nintendo came out with a GC port that was included as a pre-order bonus disc for Wind Waker) I absolutely hated it and ended up giving up before beating the Deku Tree dungeon. Well a few years ago I decided it was time to give the 3DS version of the game a go and was surprised to find that I actually ended up enjoying the game a whole lot once I got past the Deku Tree dungeon. This is one of the few instances (so far at least) where I revisited a game that I really hated and ended up actually liking it.

10. Muramasa: The Demon Blade - I played & beat this game earlier this year and while I feel like it's not the greatest game I played this year it was still a well made/ pretty good action RPG that is still worth checking out.


Honorable Metions:
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
Final Fantasy X-2
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

 

[down 2 orth]

1)BALDUR'S GATE: This game did so much for me personally and for RPG gaming in general. I remember prior to its release games "journalists" were saying that the RPG was dead or dying. Well this game brought a huge flow of great RPG titles after that, many of which were based off of its world, mechanics, or engine. The game was colorful, true to the lore of its universe, fun, long, deep, funny, and just a mind blowing experience for what it was at the time.

2) Mass Effect: another Bioware hit. This game was ambitious and fresh when I first played it. It was pretty much the ideal way to start an IP. The universe is pretty cool and the creators were not afraid to do some experimentation. In the time that I played this game I kept thinking how much more they could do with a sequel and just where the series could go. Definitely an amazing experience for sci fi fans.

3) Gravity Rush: I'm on the fence for calling this an RPG just because other people might not view it as such. But to me it has all the hallmarks of a classic RPG: customizable character development, freedom to explore, strong story and characters. Best vita game in my opinion.

4) Mass Effect 2: because it was everything it needed to be after the first game. If only the third one could have kept the magic going (i heard it will if you buy the citadel DLC?)

5) Deus Ex: Now this was true cyberpunk. It had all the depth and story that Neuromancer (the book) could have only dreamed of having.

6) Final Fantasy 13: Just an excellent game all around. I know a lot of the hate was genuine, but i still don't get why, and i cant help thinking that alot of it was also manufactured. Great style, great game play, great world, great graphics and art.

7) Planescape Torment: It's like one of the best fantasy novels ever written, only its all a part of a game. I still marvel at how creative this game was.

8) Fallout: Funny, fun, original, and weird (in a good way).

9) Persona 4: great gameplay and positive energy.

10) Final Fantasy 10: FF purists be damned (I havent played most of the FF games but I'm getting around to it!), this game was good times through and through.

Honourable Mentions:

- Alpha Protocol
- The Witcher
- Dark Souls

 

[almostheathen]

Placeholder for now I'll flesh it out if later and possibly even make changes.

1.Might And Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (3 points)

2.Tactics Ogre:LUCT

3.Demon's Souls

4.Etrian Odyssey 3

5.Final Fantasy 12

6.Persona 4

7.Fallout New Vegas

8. Avernum: Escape From the Pit

9.Dragon Quest V

10.Chrono Trigger

Few new things since last time but overall the same list I suppose. I guess I need to play more games or at the very least finish them.

 

[mrpookles]

1) Final Fantasy 7 - Still my favourite game of all-time after 15+ years and around 6-7 playthroughs. Going through it again earlier this year on PC after a few years was one of my gaming highlights of the year - the music, the story, the gameplay all hold up incredibly well. The whole game is great, but my memories of staying up until 3am on a school night going through Midgar on the day I first played the game are very fond.

2) Mass Effect (3 points) - It doesn't have the tightened gameplay of the other two games in the trilogy, but coming into this fresh was unforgettable. Still the best story of the series and I don't think they ever really re-captured the sense of wonder that this had. Some absolutely mind-blowing missions and conversations (

Spoiler

Vigil, Sovereign

). Also, dat soundtrack. I still listen to it regularly.

3) Fallout 3 - After devouring Oblivion on the 360, this game hit every note for me when it was released. The Bethesda gameplay mixed with post-apocalyptic fiction was a combination I never knew I wanted. New Vegas is an improvement overall, but F3 is still very special.

4)Mass Effect 3 - I'm one of those people. The ending had its issues, but everything leading up to that point was amazing, regardless of the impact that previous choices you made had. The final conversations with your comrades is still one of my absolute favourite gaming moments ever.

5) Final Fantasy 8 - One of my first JRPGs and still one of my favourites. It's hard to believe looking back now, but the graphics at the time were just astonishing to me. Loved the characters and the cheesy story and I'm hoping to put aside some time for another playthrough on PC next year.

6) Dragon Age: Origins - I'm a Bioware addict, so my love for this game is a no-brainer. Despite some clunky combat, the roleplaying and story are amongst the very best I've encountered. I could almost endlessly replay this if I wanted. What makes it even more special is the excellent expansion 'Awakening' and the gobsmacking epilogue, 'Witch Hunt'. Absolute cliffhanger.

7) Suikoden 2 - Was there any better news than this coming to PSN? A very mature, politically-driven story with a good battle-system. Classic.

8) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Took a lot of the minor touches learned from Fallout 3/New Vegas and added them to the Elder Scrolls formula. Everyone I knew who plays games was playing this when it came out and one of the most enduring memories is the discussions we'd have over a few beers about what we'd encountered. It felt like no one played this game the same way, so there was always something interesting or hilarious to talk about. 150 hours+ of playtime and I could easily double that if I wanted to.

9) Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Of all the games I've been hyped about, this one managed to meet my expectations as well as any. Great story, interesting choices and an awesome soundtrack. As good as the original apparently is, I don't think I can go back to it after playing Human Revolution.

10) The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - The best thing I can say about this game is that I was essentially lost to gaming before playing it. I gave it a chance on a whim on the Xbox 360 that I received for free and it's almost solely responsible for the thousands of hours and dollars I've spent on this hobby in the ensuing years. It's only not higher because I think it has aged poorly.


Honorable Mentions

11) Mass Effect 2 - I think you can tell which series I really love. In hindsight, it was the weakest of the trilogy for me, but using the word 'weak' is a disservice. Took the gameplay of ME1 and infused a cleaner Gears of War style of play, which I don't think has aged a bit. Still an awesome story and a must-play.

12) Fallout: New Vegas - I didn't quite get the same sense of awe initially as I did with Fallout 3, but I've grown to appreciate it much more with time. Still a better 'role-playing' game, but the overall experience isn't quite as good. Having said that, this is a classic game and slowly making your way over to the ever-present Vegas skyline in the distance was awesome.

13) Dragon Age 2 - I know people hate it and I completely understand why... but I just don't care. I fell in love with the wonky story of Kirkwall and the band of misfits in Hawke's entourage. I believe it's a must-play before trying out Inquisition.

14) Skies of Arcadia - The only game that made owning a Dreamcast worthwhile for me. This is dying for a re-release on Steam.

15) The Witcher 2 - One of the best games of the last generation and still a great showcase for PC graphics. The combat was fairly shit admittedly (which knocks it down this ranking), but Geralt is a great character and his story is absurdly good.

16) Nier - A strange game that is merely 'good' through 1 playthrough, then elevates itself to 'great' through subsequent playthroughs. Another knockdown on gameplay, but it has one of my all-time favourite soundtracks. Unmissable if you can get through the first few hours.

17) Final Fantasy 9 - Somewhat of a letdown coming from the 'darker' stories of FF7 & 8, but this is a classic of what I think is the best era of JRPGs.

18) Dragon Age: Inquisition - This will absolutely be higher once I've finished it, but that's unlikely to happen before voting closes. One of the most overwhelming games I've played in terms of the amount you can do, but once you're in a groove, you can lose hours of time like no other game I've played recently. A future classic.

19) Final Fantasy 12 - A better game than FFX. Sacrilegious, but this was the best RPG of the PS2/Xbox era.

20) Chrono Trigger - A classic that's only this low as I beat it too long after I started to move away from JRPGs in general. If I'd have played the PS1 version (which I owned), this would probably crack the top 10.

 

[ppor]

1) Demon's Souls - My favorite action-RPG of all time. Features a weighty melee combat system that almost plays like a medieval weapon simulation. Incredible horror atmosphere, insanely creative level design, and the best boss fights in all of gaming. It's not a game for everyone, but those with patience and tenacity will not want to pass up this masterpiece.

2) Puzzle Quest - This puzzle-RPG hybrid proves that innovation in gaming still exists. The game has so much variety, it's mindboggling how every mechanic feels just right.

3) Diablo II - Redefined the online action-RPG genre on PC. Infinitely replayable with its five unique classes, and boasting some of the finest multiplayer action in its day. Millions of fans still hold this dear to their hearts.

4) Dark Souls - Intended as a refinement upon Demon's Souls, it nevertheless ended up being a very different game. The most successful interpretation of Metroidvania in a 3D game.

5) Diablo - My introduction to survival horror RPG genre, probably the scariest game I've ever played. Love the music, setting, monsters. Incredibly well-crafted freshman release.

6) Tactics Ogre - Not my first tactical RPG, but definitely the one that grabbed me the hardest. The huge cast of characters, complex chess-like battle system, and intriguing political story are still my favorite in the genre.

7) Dragon's Dogma (3 points) - If not for a few issues, this would be the perfect game for me. Stylish melee combat, spectacular magic spells, and by far the best ranged combat in RPGs, this Japanese take on the Western DnD aesthetic is an absolute blast.

8) Parasite Eve - One of my favorite JRPG battle systems, and probably is my favorite RPG story of all time. Lives up to its billing as a cinematic RPG, before "cinematic" became a bad word in gaming.

9) Valkyria Chronicles - This classy tactical RPG takes risks with the genre, and ends up hitting everything out of the park. Lovely graphics, very fun combat, and fun cast of characters. Unfortunately the difficulty is a bit uneven.

10) Dragon Quest IV - You can't help but smile when playing this charming game. The 5 part narrative is such a delight to play through in this classic Dragon Quest JRPG.

Honorable Mentions

11) Divinity: Original Sin
12) Shining Force 2
13) The World Ends With You
14) Final Fantasy VII
15) Super Mario RPG
16) Mass Effect 2

 

[IAmRandom31]

Hope we can throw in SRPG's too ....

Reserving Space, going for slightly lesser known titles

1) Skies of Arcadia

2) Dark Cloud 2

* this is post thread ending *

3) Lunar: Silver Star Story

4) Demons Souls

5) Lufia 2

6) Breath of Fire 2

7) Shining Force 2

8) Vandal Hearts

9) Legend of Dragoon

10) Earthbound

Edit : can't believe this thread dropped into the nether and i forgot about it. meh ... will complete the list anyway

 

[Baust]

1) NIER (3 Points)
My favorite game of all time. A wonderful experience complete with an excellent narrative that utilizes features unique to video games to tell its story (For example, loading screens, save files, achievements, new game plus). Its gameplay blends several genres together to both pay tribute to video games of the past and to make a mind-blowing statement about games released in the past, present, and future to come. The game has a lot of neat small details throughout, and most side characters/NPCs have a deeper story than you would initially expect, proving to be the last labor of love from Cavia, now defunct. Its soundtrack is legendary, but I feel as though the game itself should be honored just as much because of how ambitious and interesting it really is. Complete NIER and understand its message, and the game's charm will have a grip on you forever.

2) Xenoblade Chronicles
A meaty game with a vast world to explore with your companions, who make for an entertaining cast, all while listening to one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. The battle system is one of the best and most unique in the genre, with “Vision Mode” enabling you to see and even prevent enemy attacks that could threaten the lives of your party members. Smaller encounters could feel just as intense as a boss fight. Put simply, Xenoblade Chronicles revitalized my love for RPGs.

3) Final Fantasy IX
One of my first RPGs and also one of my favorite games growing up. It’s a Final Fantasy game at its prime, with an intriguing story and large world to explore full of interesting characters and a great Uematsu soundtrack. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but has its serious moments, which are definitely effective. I feel that modern day Final Fantasy could learn a thing or two from Final Fantasy IX.

4) Valkyrie Profile
A beautiful game and incredibly unique RPG about a Valkyrie who recruits fallen heroes as “Einherjar” to fight in a final battle “Ragnarok”. Each hero gets a tragic story about the end of their life, and for each soul she recovers, Lenneth (the Valkyrie you control) learns more and more about her own self. The gameplay follows tightly with the story’s theme of loss through its strict time limit and battle mechanics. If you are looking for an RPG with the least amount of genre tropes, Valkyrie Profile is probably your best bet.

5) The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
What initially starts out as a light-hearted adventure turns into a complex story full of twists and turns. Story wise, it has very good pacing, excellent dialog, amazing character development, and unbelievable moments of foreshadowing. XSEED did an incredible job on what I would consider the greatest localization work I've ever seen. When you finish it, you’ll be desperate for more, thanks to its “punch-in-the-gut” finale. There’s a reason why people are eager for an English translation of the second game. If you can handle the slow burn and finish the first game, you’ve made it into one of the most in-depth stories an RPG franchise has ever told. Oh, and it’s still ongoing!

6) Ys: Memories of Celceta
A fast paced RPG with intense music and great exploration. The game greatly encourages players to explore around the vast forest, to the point where it really brings back the great feeling of exploration in an old-school RPG. In fact, it plays like an old-school RPG made modern, especially an Ys game made modern. This kind of excellent transition is something other RPGs should strive to mimic. There are also a lot of options to customize weapons and equipment based on materials you gather around the fields. So you could make a paralyzing sword that also freezes and burns your foe, given the right materials! The combat system has a great parry and evasion system, which are fun to utilize, especially in boss fights. I cannot stress just how good the core gameplay feels in Memories of Celceta.

7) Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Another personal favorite of mine growing up. It’s a cheerful adventure with a great turned based battle system that stresses the importance of position and movement. The cutscenes are very well animated, and Working Designs made sure the English translation was top notch. If you played the PS1 version, you got an insane amount of bonus stuff packed into one box, including a making of disc, which was probably one of the first instances where I learned how a game was designed.

8) Persona 4
There’s really not a lot to say about Persona 4 that hasn’t already been said. It’s got a great uplifting story and definitely one of the best casts you’ll find in a video game. It blends several genres well and builds upon the ideas presented in Persona 3, making sure those who are more comfortable with a visual novel don’t have too much of a hard time playing the RPG portions. And for those who are more used to an RPG, the game (especially the Vita version) makes the social link process very painless. You will, without a doubt, bond with the cast of Persona 4.

9) Shin Megami Tensei IV
A reinvention of what makes an SMT game so great and similarly following in the original game’s footsteps, I'd definitely say SMT IV deserves a mention. Rather than having a focus on maze-like areas, SMT IV turned towards free exploration, while still maintaining the difficulty and overall feeling of an SMT game. The smirk system is one of my favorite innovations in recent years: it buffs your attack and hides your weakness until it wears off. Smirking can turn battles in your favor, or completely annihilate you if the enemy manages to pull it off. Another thing worth mentioning is that SMT IV managed to cram an impressive amount of content onto a 3DS cartridge. The console itself, in my opinion, did not hold the scale of the game back.

10) Pokemon: Heart Gold/Soul Silver
A remake of the best Pokemon game around. It has two regions to explore and play through, a game corner with the best mini-game in the series (Voltorb Flip), gadgets that let you call and re-match trainers you have beaten, and the best of all, you can have your lead Pokemon walk around with you on the map. The game came with a sweet device called a “Poke Walker” at launch, which allowed you to put any Pokemon on a pedometer to level it up and play minigames. For those who grew up playing the original Gold and Silver, you can even unlock a device that lets you play the original 8-Bit versions of each song. Feeling nostalgic yet?

Honorable Mentions:

1) Ys I & II Chronicles
A remake of TWO brilliant action games. These games rely on a “bump into the enemies to hurt them” mechanic rather than a button. It may sound strange, but it totally works. Also, it has an interesting story, especially for its time (originally from 1987!) and a fantastic soundtrack. It was one of the pioneers for regenerating health as well, so take that as you will.

2) Final Fantasy VI
A very well written Final Fantasy game with a large cast. The game is split into two parts; each part portrayed a different kind of world, which was very impressive for its time. Some of the choices you make determine the life or death of certain characters, another impressive feat for its time. Oh, and FFVI also proves that 16-Bit sprites can still tell an emotional story.

3) Final Fantasy VII
The one and only. It popularized RPGs and successfully brought them into 3D. It’s music and cast are memorable, and many companies (including Square themselves) still try to recapture the feeling that Final Fantasy VII brought to players around the world.

4) Fire Emblem Awakening
A fantastic “re-introduction” of the Fire Emblem series for fans and newcomers alike. I particularly like the soundtrack and the partner mechanic, where you can group two members into one space and have them attack together. The story was also very interesting, with Chapter 10 being a very well done highlight of the experience.

5) The World Ends With You
A unique RPG that utilizes the DS’ dual screen setup for its battle mechanics. It had Streetpass before it existed, and brought all kinds of interesting new innovations to the table, such as manually changing your level for bonuses, a bravery system for wearing different sets of clothing, and bonuses you could obtain for how long you go without playing the game. It’s also got a good story and likeable cast, as well as a soundtrack that goes perfect with its environment.

6) Bravely Default
“Not Final Fantasy” is not just one of the best Final Fantasy games released in recent years, but it’s one of the best of all time. The job system allows great party customization, and the brave and default mechanics in battle allow you to stock attacks up or utterly destroy an enemy as fast as possible. I love being able to turn off random battles when I don’t need them on!

7) Pandora's Tower
Not many people have played Pandora’s Tower, and that’s a real shame. It plays almost like a 3D Castlevania, except you have a chain that can pull in enemies or rip off pieces of their armor. The game is structured a little like Shadow of the Colossus, where you have to traverse thirteen towers and obtain the flesh from each master in order to heal Elena from her curse. She must eat monster flesh to remain a human. The game is very well designed around its story, in that it is important to bond with Elena and always make sure she is kept well fed. The player is given a gauge that displays when Elena is hungry, so they will always feel the need to make sure she is safe. You will even find that at times, you will really want to return from a tower early just to make sure she is safe, and has not started to turn into a monster. If you liked Shadow of the Colossus, you might want to check Pandora’s Tower out.

8) Drakengard
A blend between Panzer Dragoon and Dynasty Warriors, but with an insane story about a crazy cast of people. The story elevates to incredibly strange heights, with its ending being quite unforgettable to those who have witnessed it. The experimental music and “one vs. an entire army” design portray complete and utter madness which is still unmatched to these days.

9) Fallout New Vegas
An open world that can be played in SO MANY different ways. There are all kinds of options for all kinds of people, and exploring the vast wasteland while scavenging for items or listening to the radio just never gets old. The quests were all very interesting, and you meet all kinds of strange, yet interesting people.

10) Dark Souls
Honorable mention because I haven’t finished it yet! It has great risk/reward gameplay, and plenty of different ways for players to approach the “Metroidvania-esque” design.

Haven’t played Demon’s Souls or Dragon’s Dogma yet, but they seem like games that would make my list in the future!

 

[Vecks]

1) Xenoblade Chronicles (3 points) - Currently my favorite RPG. I've already played through this game 3 times; the first time I tried to do as much as I could, reaching upwards of 100 hours of game time, and yeah, I don't regret any of it. Xenoblade just hits all the right notes for me. The "world" was breathtaking to explore, the story was interesting enough to keep me invested, the characters had fun banter, the music was amazing, and I'm a total sucker for loot and leveling up skills.

2) Persona 4 - I really like anime, and this was pretty much anime in jrpg form, and it was freakin' awesome. The idea of blending simulation elements with dungeon crawling was brilliant and really made the game constantly entertaining by essentially allowing you to alternate between story heavy parts with gameplay heavy parts, so that you don't get tired of either.

3) Final Fantasy IX - Final Fantasy has long been a favorite series of mine, and IX was certainly the high point for me. It was like the culmination of the old, borrowing from almost every game before it, and the end result was something special. It might quite possibly be the only JRPG where I really look forward to exploring each new town because of all the little events and side stories/characters that really bind everything together as one wonderful, grand adventure.

4) Mass Effect - The first time I played this, I was blown away. Never before had I felt so fully immersed in a video game universe. The alien races really felt like they were straight out of the old sci-fi movies and shows I used to love as a kid (like Star Wars and Star Trek). Knights of the Old Republic was certainly great, but it was also very familiar. Nothing beats the feeling of being able to explore something completely new--especially when that something is a vast, lore-packed universe.

5) Deus Ex - The most freedom you'll probably experience in an RPG. I honestly didn't pay attention to the story, but it was really fun to see how you can accomplish the objectives they give you in a variety of ways.

6) Dark Souls - The difficulty can be somewhat brutal, but it made the battles so much more intense and thrilling. I'll admit that I was pretty terrible at the game, but that's also something that made the game fun because there are lots of tips and tricks to help terrible players get through it(co-op was also a Godsend).

7) Rune Factory: Frontier - This was a delightful surprise. I used to play a lot of Harvest Moon back in the day, and mixing it up with dungeon crawling was a wonderful idea. Just like Persona 3 and 4, the balancing and blending of two seemingly separate game genres turned out to be for the best.

8) Alpha Protocol - Many RPGs take forever to finish. Alpha Protocol isn't one of those. But it's not a knock against it. It's short and sweet, yet also pretty replayable. Deus Ex may be the king of freedom in gameplay and choices, but Alpha Protocol isn't too shabby in the choice department. Also features a zany, yet lovable, cast of characters.

9) Marvel Heroes - With roots firmly in Diablo, Marvel Heroes sets itself apart from the rest of the pack by thoroughly embracing the MMO format. There are lots of zones to meet players and party up, extra modes (like raids) that most Diablo clones don't bother to include, and plenty of weekly (and holiday) events to keep the game fresh. Add to that a new "class" to play every month, new content every season, and the delicious Marvel flavor and you've got a game you can always come back to.

10) Paper Mario - I prefer the original Paper Mario over its sequels. While the latter games in the series did a lot to mix things up, Paper Mario was just a brisk, enjoyable game from start to finish. I also love how straightforward the story is. Bowser was the star of the show, IMO.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)

11) Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Following in the footsteps of a classic like Deus Ex is not easy. Overall, it felt like a step down, but it was still great, and the improved graphics was welcome.

12) Fallout: New Vegas - In spite of how dreary they are, post-apocalyptic settings are also incredibly captivating. The kind of atmosphere you get with these sort of games is wonderful, and makes exploration a blast. Sure helps that the writing is pretty solid.

13) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - Still a good Paper Mario game with some interesting scenarios and lovable characters, but some chapters felt really drawn out and slow, which ruined the pacing for me. Worth playing, and I'm sure most will hold it in higher regard.

14) Chrono Trigger - It's a classic. The story was great, the characters were memorable, the battle system worked well, and the music is some of the best. Some elements were truly ahead of its time (like seeing your enemies on screen and being able to avoid them), and some others you will almost never see again (like multiple ways to end the game).

15) Final Fantasy VII - The immense popularity may have steered Final Fantasy down a rocky path, but I would count it among some of the best gaming experiences. There were a lot of memorable scenes, and the cinematic story-telling did a lot to change how I would view RPGs.

16) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - To me, most RPGs are enjoyable because they let me live out my fantasies with some semblance of control. The OT of Star Wars are my absolute favorite movies, and this game let me take part in the Star Wars universe like never before.

17) Dragon Age: Origins - Dragons, monsters, mages, elves and more! Just like Mass Effect, it doesn't try to spin the world on its head with its story, but it's still a fun game.

18) Mass Effect 3 - Terrible ending (and some lame villains) aside, I thought Mass Effect 3 was a pretty solid game. The destination may have been a disappointment, but the journey was well worth it.

19) Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines - While vampires are certainly popular in other mediums, in RPGs there are very slim pickings. Luckily, what we got was something still quite amazing.

20) Ys: The Oath in Felghana - Pretty light on story, but the gameplay is fun and challenging.

 

[Raggie]

Anyone voting for Shadowrun, pleas add the platform. Both Snes and Genesis had an RPG called Shadowrun, and they were two entirely different games.

 

[sgjackson]

1) Persona 4 - A brilliantly charming J-RPG story attached to an incredible idea for a gameplay loop. The weakest part is the dungeon crawling, and even that's solid enough to not bring down the rest of the package. Play Golden if you have access to a Vita, but the original is perfectly fine if you don't.

2) Mass Effect Trilogy - Getting by on a technicality because the real genius here is being able to carry your decisions through to each game and seeing how your choices affect the world over time. Over time people have soured on the shallow level with which the games did this, but at the time it was revolutionary. The second and third games are also solid third-person shooters, to boot.

3) Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 (3 points) - The real Pokemon game worth going back to on GBC. The story is barebones, but the surprisingly deep breeding system let this game age better than any of its Pokemon clone brethren ever did. Just don't expect good multiplayer.

4) Super Mario RPG - Witty writing and an incredible score are the strong points of a J-RPG experience that's charming the whole way through. Sadly a little easy and a little short.

5) Pokemon Black/White - I need a Pokemon game on the list and I'm going against the grain on HG/SS (which I think people like for nostalgic reasons more than the quality of the game) and going with the real peak of the series. The decision to make 150+ new Pokemon and have no access to old monsters until the endgame makes the game feel fresh like RBY did, and the plot is the closest we're going to get to depth in a Pokemon game.

6) Fallout 3 - Mechanically it's busted. Combat isn't great and the world design is occasionally frustrating and samey. But seeing what delightfully weird thing would be at the next map dot carried me through 100+ hours of exploring the wastelands of DC.

7) World of Warcraft - The magic of this game was never the actual game itself, although the MMO trappings laid out here were genre-defining for the last decade and arguably still haven't been beaten. It was the connections you made in the game, the rush you got from making friends then overcoming challenges with them. I'm not sure how easy that magic is to find anymore, but if you can this is the easiest recommendation I can make.

8) Borderlands - Attaching loot to an FPS is still a masterstroke half a decade later. The jank in this game versus the comparably polished (but more boring) Borderlands 2 is part of its charm.

9) Mario Golf (GBC) - I still love the idea of attaching RPG stats and leveling to an individual sport, I think the GBC game is stronger due to spin making the GBA version a little too easy, and I didn't find playing tennis to be as fun as golf, but all these games are worth seeing.

10) Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls - The original game was a mess due to the AH, but the expansion fixed a lot of its ills and is definitely worth seeing.

Honorable Mentions

11) Dragon Age 2 - I liked this game enough I want it to get a point, probably to GAF's chagrin. I loved the choice to make the normally drab middle option on the Bioware conversation wheel humorous, and I felt like setting a fantasy game in a smaller locale could have worked if it had more time to gestate. As is, it's a flawed, small game that's fun if you go in expecting something a little more intimate and janky than you usually get from Bioware.

12) The Secret World - The closest an MMO has come to capturing the WoW magic for me. The world Funcom made was absolutely incredible, and I loved the classless leveling, puzzle solving, and boss-centric dungeons. Only classic Funcom jank pushed me away.

13) Persona 3: Portable - 3 never grabbed me as much as 4 did due to the fact that SEES never really felt as much like high school as the investigation team, but it's still an incredible J-RPG that hits a lot of the same high notes Persona 4 did.

 

[molnizzle]

1) Dark Souls
2) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
3) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
4) Final Fantasy XII
5) Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
6) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
7) Chrono Trigger
8) Deus Ex: Human Revolution
9) The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
10) World of Warcraft

 

[Apenheul]

1) Dark Souls
Last year I sort of exclused the Souls series from the list because I associated it closer to the hack & slash genre, but there's undeniably a significant RPG component to it. I might change my mind next year again but for now it's my most essential RPG. Xenoblade Chronicles is much more ambitieus and deserves to be played by more people but Dark Souls is the better rounded game IMO.

2) Xenoblade Chronices (3 points)
Down one place from my ranking of last year but still a game that delivered on the ambitious things it set out to do. A huge interesting world to explore (exploring is actually rewarded in this game) with tons of (mostly optional) quests for people who're into that. If Xenoblade Chronicles X delivers then Monolith Soft will probably become my new favorite RPG developer.

3) Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
I like all Fire Emblem games but if one game in the series had to take the crown it's Path of Radiance. To me PoR gives me the best sense of progression and I really enjoyed developing the characters. That reminds me.. I should play this game again.

4) Skies of Arcadia (Legends)
This was my favorite 3D console RPG until Xenoblade Chronicles came around. Great sense of exploration, many different interesting locations and towns, and amazing characters.

5) Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
This would've been higher on my list if it wasn't such a buggy mess but man, I enjoyed exploring the island so much that I never even attempted to finish the game. Oblivion and Skyrim didn't scratch that same itch unfortunately.

6) Chrono Trigger
This and DQ5 were so close IMO that it was hard to pick a favorite. Chrono Trigger excels in pacing, it''s quite short for RPG standards but no location, fight or event outstays its welcome. The world and cast are incredibly charming.

7) Dragon Quest 5
The Dragon Quest series had to be somewhere in the list since I consistently enjoy every single mainline title but the pinnacle in the series is still DQ5 imo. For the exact same reasons as Chrono Trigger.

8) Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction
I don't care for D3:UUE, the highlight of the series is still Diablo 2 with the LoD expansion. Give me unique character builds, runewords, and half a decent storyline. What I wouldn't give for a Diablo 2 Ultimate Evil Edition remade with the D3 engine.

9) Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
It's hard to choose between Persona 3: FES, SMT Soul Hackers and this one but last year I picked Nocturne so I'm staying with that choice. I never finished it though as it becomes really difficult to play (without a guide) at some point.

10) The World Ends With You
Down quite a couple of places from last year and that's mostly because it's been a year longer since I've played it and although I really liked the battle-system I recall the game being fairly repetitive and small in scope. But oh so fresh and enjoyable.

Honerable mentions:
- Legend of Heroes: Trials in the Sky
One of the best PSP games and almost one of the best RPGs I've played. It's a long game but managed to stay interesting until the end.

- Secret of Mana
I replayed it recently and found so many things irritating about the design that it had to leave the top 10. Not a bad game by any means but just not very remarkable.

- YS II
I arrived LTTP with this series but from what I've played I'd be surprised if one entry from this series wouldn't enter my top 10. For now YS 2 is my favorite but we'll see.

 

[Earthpainting]

Finished up my entry and started reading some other posts. I always forget how much quality software there is to choose from. Ridiculously broad genre when you think about it.

lol. I hope the "will update later" means this current list is a joke...

How audacious of you to make such an assumption, Sir/Madam. That list required almost no effort to compile, meaning it had to have come straight from the heart.

Spoiler

It may have been a way to motivate myself to submit a list, and not leave such a gross smudge on my post history.