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NeoGAF's Essential RPGs - 2015 edition
- Thread starter kswiston
- Start date
In no particular order, these are the essential RPGs I feel everyone should play and my vote.
1) Planescape: Torment (3 points) - I wish I had the time to write several pages about this one. Not only should everyone play this, but even 15 years after its release no other title has come close to matching its brilliance in writing and dialogue, and among other things this makes it easily one of the best RPGs ever.
2) Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
3) Fallout
4) Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - A lot of modern RPGs now focus on keywords such as "immersion", and "open-world". However, few, if any manage to make their worlds as believable and engaging as Bloodlines accomplished in 2004. In addition to that, it's still one of, if not the finest example of a 3D First-Person RPG.
5) Fallout 2
6) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - I think the word "immersion" is often used too cheaply. Morrowind is one of the few games that I believe earns that designation. The quality of the world-building, simulation, minute details of the world including culture, architecture, armor/clothing design, etc. all coalesce into something that you can believe you're part of. In addition, and very important given the open-world design, the quest design wasn't completely butchered by the all-too-now-common quest markers, allowing for actual exploration and problem solving.
7) Ultima VII: The Black Gate
8) Gothic II
9) Deus Ex
10) Darklands - It's unfortunate that I only recently tried this game out. I've only put in a few hours, and I'll likely have to resume once I've finished a few other games I'm still working on, but from what I've played I believe this game has enormous potential to be one of my favorite RPGs of all time. That is saying a lot.
Honorable Mentions
11) Divinity: Original Sin - This is my personal game of the year for 2014, and in my opinion one of the best RPGs to have come out in several years.
12) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
13) Jagged Alliance 2
14) Fallout: New Vegas
15) Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
16) Dark Souls
17) Wizardry 8
18) Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
19) Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
20) Might and Magic VI: Mandate of Heaven
1) Planescape: Torment (3 points) - I wish I had the time to write several pages about this one. Not only should everyone play this, but even 15 years after its release no other title has come close to matching its brilliance in writing and dialogue, and among other things this makes it easily one of the best RPGs ever.
2) Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
3) Fallout
4) Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - A lot of modern RPGs now focus on keywords such as "immersion", and "open-world". However, few, if any manage to make their worlds as believable and engaging as Bloodlines accomplished in 2004. In addition to that, it's still one of, if not the finest example of a 3D First-Person RPG.
5) Fallout 2
6) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - I think the word "immersion" is often used too cheaply. Morrowind is one of the few games that I believe earns that designation. The quality of the world-building, simulation, minute details of the world including culture, architecture, armor/clothing design, etc. all coalesce into something that you can believe you're part of. In addition, and very important given the open-world design, the quest design wasn't completely butchered by the all-too-now-common quest markers, allowing for actual exploration and problem solving.
7) Ultima VII: The Black Gate
8) Gothic II
9) Deus Ex
10) Darklands - It's unfortunate that I only recently tried this game out. I've only put in a few hours, and I'll likely have to resume once I've finished a few other games I'm still working on, but from what I've played I believe this game has enormous potential to be one of my favorite RPGs of all time. That is saying a lot.
Honorable Mentions
11) Divinity: Original Sin - This is my personal game of the year for 2014, and in my opinion one of the best RPGs to have come out in several years.
12) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
13) Jagged Alliance 2
14) Fallout: New Vegas
15) Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
16) Dark Souls
17) Wizardry 8
18) Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
19) Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
20) Might and Magic VI: Mandate of Heaven
1) Final Fantasy V (3 points) I wasn't going to give it three points again but the other possible choices are already very loved around here and they didn't need even more points so I didn't really have a choice. It offers one of the best representations of the job system thanks to how well balanced the jobs are and how it encourages to switch between them thanks to a number of simple but intelligent design decisions. This fact coupled with an excellent pacing and a moderate length makes this game one of the most replayable games in its genre by making each playthrough different by allowing the player to try lots of different combinations equally usable. Thanks to this balance the game offers itself well to challenges like the annual FFV Four Job Fiesta event, which I recommend trying as it makes the player value the strengths of the jobs used, observe better the boss patterns and their weaknesses and have a better understanding of the game mechanics, increasing the appreciation of the game in the process.
Even if I feel the battle and growth systems are the stars of the game, the story is serviceable and it has its series of funny moments thanks to the smart GBA version script. The main villain isn't anything special but when you hear his theme you'll know that things are going to get serious and everyone should remember GILGAMESH and his theme. Talking about the music, even if its soundtrack isn't mentioned the most when people talk about their favorite music in the series, I feel like it has a nice selection of gems that I enjoy immensely like Decisive Battle or that I can't feel but getting excited when I hear them. This well rounded mix of elements makes Final Fantasy V a game that anyone interested in the genre should try at least once.
2) Chrono Trigger I'll always remember Chrono Trigger as the game that introduced me to JRPGs and I started to love this genre thanks to it, so I'm grateful for that. There are several aspects that makes it perfect for a first exposure to this type of game like the moderate difficulty, the charm of the world, enemy design and characters and a perfectly paced story like only the greatest games know how to do. Despite being great for novices it's also a wonderful experience for veterans for the same reasons so it's a game everyone can enjoy. Another reason to play this game is the uniqueness of the battle system thanks to mixing position based attacks, Active Time Battle and a vast number of combo techs in one neat package. I probably wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that it is one of the better-rounded games ever, so everyone that hasn't played this yet should already start thinking about doing it.
3) Xenoblade Chronicles The greatness of this game comes from its world: the unique setting, the vast and beautiful areas are something that draw the players to explore and together with the amazing music trap them in a pretty and inspiring world. Each area offers something new and when you wonder if the next place could be better than the last it surprises in a different way, leaving good memories from almost every area. The quests can be a bit repetitive but they're the perfect excuse to get lost in each area encouraging one to explore every inch in them, and if that wasn't enough the game offers experience just by discovering new areas.
The story is interesting and the plot twists go in crescendo as the player nears the ending. The cast is very likeable and each one has differing roles in battle that makes experimentation with each of them mandatory to enjoy the battle system at its fullest and discovering how some previously neglected characters can be as good as the others. The soundtrack is another outstanding aspect of this game and brings consolidated composers to do their best like Mitsuda and Shimomura and very pleasant surprises for me like the group ACE+, and thanks to them this game leaves us with a few of my favorite battle themes.
4) Grandia I played this game approximately a year ago for the first time and it quickly became one of my favorite RPGs. It's just one of these games that is full of charm and the best about it was how it transmitted a great sense of adventure, it's main theme, by making you discover new lands and learn about them at the same time as the protagonist, who grows as the plot keeps unfolding. I wasn't too keen on having the typical teenager as the main character and with a little girl as his sidekick to boot, but Grandia manages leave a good impression about them. The tonal shifts in this game are masterful and the plot knows when it can be dark without letting the charm of the characters and locales disappear. As if that wasn't enough, this game offers one of the best battle systems in the genre being much more dynamic than usual thanks to having the characters move around the battlefield and letting the moves manipulate the turn gauge by canceling attacks. It's a bit rough compared the sequels, but being the first game to have that battle system needs recognition.
5) Demon's Souls I approached this game with caution because I thought that the appeal of it was that it was difficult. Thankfully, it was just one aspect of the game that enhances the real Demon's Souls experience. The way you get better with each death and the sense of accomplishment after opening a new shortcut can't happen without that sometimes more, sometimes less fair amount of challenge, but it's in no way the most important aspect of the game and not the only reason why this game is so good. The world design was superb and the general layout of the maps are more of the reasons why I kept playing until the end, together with the combat mechanics. As I liked more the exploration side of this game I wasn't particularly in love with the bosses but I recognize that they're well designed, iconic and help the player to get good thanks to the design of the fights. Another aspect of this game that I loved was its replayability as you can approach the situations that this game throws at you in multiple ways: melee, ranged attacks, magic, etc. giving it a lot of longevity, which is something I appreciate a lot. About the soundtrack, I loved the couple of vocal tracks it has as they give a sense about the chaotic status of that world.
6) Persona 4 Even if this game has a pretty good balance among its elements I feel like the part that shines above the others in this game, like all the other games in the series, is the main cast. The way they interact between them, how you learn their fears, how they overcome their problems and build their friendship is pure gold. They are the thread that strengthens the main plot and motivate to keep playing and love this game. Even if the story part of the game can be a bit dense, Persona 4 manages to keep the player's attention. One way it's done is by using the Social Link system, as it's strangely addicting as you progress through the social links and you learn about the secondary characters and it strengthens your performance in the battle side of the game. The calendar system is a neat concept and I'd say it's one of the main reasons why this game or Persona 3 must be played, just to experience a different way of progression in a game by somehow implementing well dating sim elements in a RPG and not become an embarrassment (apart from a couple of cutscenes). As always, I must mention the music and how it gives the perfect tone for the game. The main singer is perfect for this and the quality of the music is very consistent and more often than not the songs get stuck in your head (Heartbeat, Heartbreak ♫
, showing us Meguro's talent.
7) Golden Sun: The Lost Age The reason why I love the Golden Sun series is the ability to solve puzzles outside of battle with the skills the characters know. It's really interesting to not have the enemies as the only obstacles in dungeons most of the time. I know there are puzzles in other games but this one has them at the center of the dungeon exploration and it's essential to the experience this game tries to transmit. Another unique aspect is its battle system based around the Djinn. I have a weakness for them and I like the strategy they bring to battle by choosing between better stats or damage, and as the majority of them are optional, trying to get all of them becomes an interesting objective by itself. That also means that the optional content is very rewarding with a couple of exceptions. A musical aspect that I found interesting about it was the use of the flute in many of its themes. It isn't something that is heard too often and it gives a distinct feeling to these games.
The reason I chose The Lost Age over the other games in the series is because it has less pointless talk (filler) than the others, it's less linear, has better exploration, more variety in the dungeons and better puzzles. Overall, it's a much more well-rounded game but obviously it's just better to play the first and this one back to back and use the transfer option.
8) Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones I was going to give my two points to Awakening but at the last moment I thought of this game as the better option if someone absolutely can only play one game in the series as it has a tighter pace more reminiscent of traditional Fire Emblems and some newbie-friendly features like a limited number of random battles in the world map. Without talking specifics about this game, the permadeath feature was a really memorable mechanic even though when I played this for the first time my challenge-averse nature manifested and I started to think that it was going to be one of those unnecessarily frustrating features but thankfully I was very wrong. It creates a constant feeling of tension that makes the player act even more tactically enhancing the experience at the same time. It also allows for interesting challenges like no resetting when someone dies and makes the player care about the characters more than if they were only cannon fodder. But not everything about Fire Emblem is permadeath here or permadeath there, the great quantity of different characters, the nice battle animations in the case of the GBA entries and the more than usual satisfying critical hits are essential to make Fire Emblem what it is.
9) Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen I don't know why, but this is the classic Dragon Quest that has drawn my attention the most. The story is pretty simple, as is the battle system but that's what this series is all about, and that's how I like it. The division of the game in chapters is an interesting concept because it lets you try all the other characters before sticking with the protagonist and the other members of the final party. In the end, I think this game is a good example of what Dragon Quest has to offer even if it doesn't have an Alltrades Abbey.
10) Pokémon Black/White Edition 2 The Pokémon games are a different beast on its own and I feel like I must recommend one in my essential list, not only because I like them but also because how unique they are compared to a lot of story-focused JRPGs. Like Dragon Quest, the beauty here is in its simplicity, adding to that the variety in "party members". However, the real defining features are the multiplayer and metagame components which can absorb absurd amounts of time if you get trapped in all the breeding and team building stuff. The amount of combinations of monsters and moves transforms something simple at its core into something very complex. I chose BW2 because it's the latest game that offers an extensive single player postgame, it has a lot of variety in what pokémon that can be caught and an experience system that favors experimentation without making the game too easy.
Honorable Mentions:
11) Final Fantasy IX If someone asks me about the game that represents better what a Final Fantasy game should be I'd surely answer with this one. Unfortunately for it, FFV took the top spot in this list because more people know about how good this game is and there isn't a need to constantly remember them about its quality. Maybe the battles are a bit in the slow side, but I feel confident in saying that all is forgiven when all the other aspects are treated with so much love and the result is something with so much quality.
12) Tales of the Abyss It's the only Tales of game I've completed and I hope the rest are at least as entertaining as this one. The battle system was very fun and I liked certain characters even if others were insufferable. It made me replay it again shortly after beating it, so I think that talks more about how good it is than words.
13) Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions It's a SPRG with Final Fantasy elements so it looked perfect to be my introduction to that subgenre. Well, that wasn't the case as that place was taken by its sequels, but after playing this not too long ago I have to recognize its merits. The story is typical Matsuno with all the political drama and that's what makes this game have an honorable mention over the other Tactics games even if I like all of them. Another good thing was seeing some of your characters becoming broken mass murderers. It felt very rewarding when other times the enemies were the ones that destroyed you.
14) Persona 2: Eternal Punishment While Persona 4 represents new Persona I feel like I had to mention one of the older ones. The general structure is more similar to regular role games but the focus on the characters has the same quality in all the series, offering one of the better casts that I've had the pleasure to meet. I place this one above the others because I feel it offers the best balance in its gameplay and has one of my favorite characters as the lead, Maya Amano. Katsuya deserves a mention, too, for being so likeable when you get to know him.
15) EarthBound The majority of this game's merits are related to its "modern" setting and its great sense of humor. It's one of the few games where I feel like I must talk with every NPC to know what they have to say and usually I'll be rewarded with a unique piece of dialogue that makes me smile. Even if the game's balance can be a bit odd in certain places at least it works at what it wants to do and some quirky enemies and attack descriptions are as funny as they can get.
16) Dragon Quest VIII It was my first exposure to the world of Dragon Quest and for some reason I stopped playing it while I was exploring a cave full of moles. After finishing the fourth entry I decided to give it another opportunity and then it was when it finally clicked with me. Its big overworld is one of the most impressive things that I've ever seen, along with the aerial transportation, the multiple locations and the loooooong story. The biggest gripe I have is with the slower than usual battle system, and I don't know why as I endure FFIX's speed quite well.
17) Chrono Cross This game has almost nothing to do with its predecessor, Chrono Trigger, apart from the story: The battle system is completely different, the tone too, there are only enough combo attacks to tick that box in the feature list and there are lots of characters without too many unique characteristics and it still manages to be a great game, I just had to convince myself that it wasn't going to be the Chrono Trigger 2 I wanted. The story is interesting even if it's a bit convoluted, the battle system is great in its own merits and discourages grinding. The only problems I see are how many playable characters seem pretty meh and those jerk humanoids and their superiority complex.
18) Grandia 2 It refines the gameplay of the first and I'd say it has around the same quality but only one could get two points. The tone is definitely darker than the first and it has more fleshy dungeons, but apart from that there isn't a lot I can say without repeating things or talking about the plot.
19) StarOcean: Till the End of Time Say what you want about plot twists or whatever, the fact is that I loved this game, its characters, the battle system and its length. As if the main story wasn't enough it has a very lengthy post-game with a good quantity of dungeons and extra bosses and the Battle Trophies are the cherry on the top to make this game one of the most time consuming RPGs I've played.
20)Fire Emblem: Awakening The latest entry in the Fire Emblem series reintroduces a lot of stuff that makes it a different experience than your ordinary game in the series. I loved how developing the relationships between characters was more rewarding and the huge amount of optional content.
Unranked Honorable Mentions:
- Final Fantasy X-2 I feel bad for not giving points to this game but two Final Fantasy games in the list are enough. FFX-2 has one of the best battle systems in the series thanks to its quick pace and the return of the job system and the ability to switch between them while fighting some monsters. I even liked the story somewhat as lately the Final Fantasy characters seem to be in a constant state of depression. The only bad thing was how this game could have been called "MISSABLES, the Game", and how I couldn't enjoy it to the fullest until I bought a guide.
- Kingdom Hearts I suppose the mix of two famous worlds is neat but I've never been able to really like this game and I wish that would have been the case. I only wanted to say somewhere that even if it isn't my cup of tea many people can probably enjoy it and I feel like I should mention it somewhere in my list, even in the zero points zone.
- Diablo For some reason I haven't played many western RPGs but I liked this one a lot when I was younger. I still remember the many deaths the Butcher caused to me and how satisfactory was to finally kill it, the many floors of its dungeon and other things that make me want to finally give more time to the other games in the series.
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. - It's the first Mario & Luigi game that I tried and I liked the core concept so I guess it's time to try the others and see if one of them can get some points the next time. The quantity of tutorials seemed a bit too much and I can't imagine replaying it anytime soon, but the overall experience was an enjoyable one though. The platformer elements were really nice but the time it took experimenting with them was almost the same as it took the game to explain them.
- Grandia III This game could be titled "Grandia 3 or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and love the Skip Scene Option". The battle system is the only selling point of this game, but what a point, as it refines and creates the best one in the series. The Aerial Attacks are a nice new mechanic and the enemies are more difficult and aggressive than in the other two mainline titles (I don't know about Xtreme but with that name it must be even more challenging!). This game is perfect for replays thanks to how little the story gets in the way of enjoying the dungeons and the monster murdering if you know how.
- Bravely Default I don't know what was happening in my head at the time of making this list and almost forgetting about this. I know the second "half" left a very bad impression in me but it really shouldn't tarnish all the other things that it does well like the customizable difficulty on the go, the battle system even if it has a couple of features that I'm not particularly a fan of or the magnificent soundtrack. Looking back at this game I can only hope that the sequel solves many of the obvious problems that it has and becomes an essential RPG the next time this is done.
Even if I feel the battle and growth systems are the stars of the game, the story is serviceable and it has its series of funny moments thanks to the smart GBA version script. The main villain isn't anything special but when you hear his theme you'll know that things are going to get serious and everyone should remember GILGAMESH and his theme. Talking about the music, even if its soundtrack isn't mentioned the most when people talk about their favorite music in the series, I feel like it has a nice selection of gems that I enjoy immensely like Decisive Battle or that I can't feel but getting excited when I hear them. This well rounded mix of elements makes Final Fantasy V a game that anyone interested in the genre should try at least once.
2) Chrono Trigger I'll always remember Chrono Trigger as the game that introduced me to JRPGs and I started to love this genre thanks to it, so I'm grateful for that. There are several aspects that makes it perfect for a first exposure to this type of game like the moderate difficulty, the charm of the world, enemy design and characters and a perfectly paced story like only the greatest games know how to do. Despite being great for novices it's also a wonderful experience for veterans for the same reasons so it's a game everyone can enjoy. Another reason to play this game is the uniqueness of the battle system thanks to mixing position based attacks, Active Time Battle and a vast number of combo techs in one neat package. I probably wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that it is one of the better-rounded games ever, so everyone that hasn't played this yet should already start thinking about doing it.
3) Xenoblade Chronicles The greatness of this game comes from its world: the unique setting, the vast and beautiful areas are something that draw the players to explore and together with the amazing music trap them in a pretty and inspiring world. Each area offers something new and when you wonder if the next place could be better than the last it surprises in a different way, leaving good memories from almost every area. The quests can be a bit repetitive but they're the perfect excuse to get lost in each area encouraging one to explore every inch in them, and if that wasn't enough the game offers experience just by discovering new areas.
The story is interesting and the plot twists go in crescendo as the player nears the ending. The cast is very likeable and each one has differing roles in battle that makes experimentation with each of them mandatory to enjoy the battle system at its fullest and discovering how some previously neglected characters can be as good as the others. The soundtrack is another outstanding aspect of this game and brings consolidated composers to do their best like Mitsuda and Shimomura and very pleasant surprises for me like the group ACE+, and thanks to them this game leaves us with a few of my favorite battle themes.
4) Grandia I played this game approximately a year ago for the first time and it quickly became one of my favorite RPGs. It's just one of these games that is full of charm and the best about it was how it transmitted a great sense of adventure, it's main theme, by making you discover new lands and learn about them at the same time as the protagonist, who grows as the plot keeps unfolding. I wasn't too keen on having the typical teenager as the main character and with a little girl as his sidekick to boot, but Grandia manages leave a good impression about them. The tonal shifts in this game are masterful and the plot knows when it can be dark without letting the charm of the characters and locales disappear. As if that wasn't enough, this game offers one of the best battle systems in the genre being much more dynamic than usual thanks to having the characters move around the battlefield and letting the moves manipulate the turn gauge by canceling attacks. It's a bit rough compared the sequels, but being the first game to have that battle system needs recognition.
5) Demon's Souls I approached this game with caution because I thought that the appeal of it was that it was difficult. Thankfully, it was just one aspect of the game that enhances the real Demon's Souls experience. The way you get better with each death and the sense of accomplishment after opening a new shortcut can't happen without that sometimes more, sometimes less fair amount of challenge, but it's in no way the most important aspect of the game and not the only reason why this game is so good. The world design was superb and the general layout of the maps are more of the reasons why I kept playing until the end, together with the combat mechanics. As I liked more the exploration side of this game I wasn't particularly in love with the bosses but I recognize that they're well designed, iconic and help the player to get good thanks to the design of the fights. Another aspect of this game that I loved was its replayability as you can approach the situations that this game throws at you in multiple ways: melee, ranged attacks, magic, etc. giving it a lot of longevity, which is something I appreciate a lot. About the soundtrack, I loved the couple of vocal tracks it has as they give a sense about the chaotic status of that world.
6) Persona 4 Even if this game has a pretty good balance among its elements I feel like the part that shines above the others in this game, like all the other games in the series, is the main cast. The way they interact between them, how you learn their fears, how they overcome their problems and build their friendship is pure gold. They are the thread that strengthens the main plot and motivate to keep playing and love this game. Even if the story part of the game can be a bit dense, Persona 4 manages to keep the player's attention. One way it's done is by using the Social Link system, as it's strangely addicting as you progress through the social links and you learn about the secondary characters and it strengthens your performance in the battle side of the game. The calendar system is a neat concept and I'd say it's one of the main reasons why this game or Persona 3 must be played, just to experience a different way of progression in a game by somehow implementing well dating sim elements in a RPG and not become an embarrassment (apart from a couple of cutscenes). As always, I must mention the music and how it gives the perfect tone for the game. The main singer is perfect for this and the quality of the music is very consistent and more often than not the songs get stuck in your head (Heartbeat, Heartbreak ♫
, showing us Meguro's talent.7) Golden Sun: The Lost Age The reason why I love the Golden Sun series is the ability to solve puzzles outside of battle with the skills the characters know. It's really interesting to not have the enemies as the only obstacles in dungeons most of the time. I know there are puzzles in other games but this one has them at the center of the dungeon exploration and it's essential to the experience this game tries to transmit. Another unique aspect is its battle system based around the Djinn. I have a weakness for them and I like the strategy they bring to battle by choosing between better stats or damage, and as the majority of them are optional, trying to get all of them becomes an interesting objective by itself. That also means that the optional content is very rewarding with a couple of exceptions. A musical aspect that I found interesting about it was the use of the flute in many of its themes. It isn't something that is heard too often and it gives a distinct feeling to these games.
The reason I chose The Lost Age over the other games in the series is because it has less pointless talk (filler) than the others, it's less linear, has better exploration, more variety in the dungeons and better puzzles. Overall, it's a much more well-rounded game but obviously it's just better to play the first and this one back to back and use the transfer option.
8) Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones I was going to give my two points to Awakening but at the last moment I thought of this game as the better option if someone absolutely can only play one game in the series as it has a tighter pace more reminiscent of traditional Fire Emblems and some newbie-friendly features like a limited number of random battles in the world map. Without talking specifics about this game, the permadeath feature was a really memorable mechanic even though when I played this for the first time my challenge-averse nature manifested and I started to think that it was going to be one of those unnecessarily frustrating features but thankfully I was very wrong. It creates a constant feeling of tension that makes the player act even more tactically enhancing the experience at the same time. It also allows for interesting challenges like no resetting when someone dies and makes the player care about the characters more than if they were only cannon fodder. But not everything about Fire Emblem is permadeath here or permadeath there, the great quantity of different characters, the nice battle animations in the case of the GBA entries and the more than usual satisfying critical hits are essential to make Fire Emblem what it is.
9) Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen I don't know why, but this is the classic Dragon Quest that has drawn my attention the most. The story is pretty simple, as is the battle system but that's what this series is all about, and that's how I like it. The division of the game in chapters is an interesting concept because it lets you try all the other characters before sticking with the protagonist and the other members of the final party. In the end, I think this game is a good example of what Dragon Quest has to offer even if it doesn't have an Alltrades Abbey.
10) Pokémon Black/White Edition 2 The Pokémon games are a different beast on its own and I feel like I must recommend one in my essential list, not only because I like them but also because how unique they are compared to a lot of story-focused JRPGs. Like Dragon Quest, the beauty here is in its simplicity, adding to that the variety in "party members". However, the real defining features are the multiplayer and metagame components which can absorb absurd amounts of time if you get trapped in all the breeding and team building stuff. The amount of combinations of monsters and moves transforms something simple at its core into something very complex. I chose BW2 because it's the latest game that offers an extensive single player postgame, it has a lot of variety in what pokémon that can be caught and an experience system that favors experimentation without making the game too easy.
Honorable Mentions:
11) Final Fantasy IX If someone asks me about the game that represents better what a Final Fantasy game should be I'd surely answer with this one. Unfortunately for it, FFV took the top spot in this list because more people know about how good this game is and there isn't a need to constantly remember them about its quality. Maybe the battles are a bit in the slow side, but I feel confident in saying that all is forgiven when all the other aspects are treated with so much love and the result is something with so much quality.
12) Tales of the Abyss It's the only Tales of game I've completed and I hope the rest are at least as entertaining as this one. The battle system was very fun and I liked certain characters even if others were insufferable. It made me replay it again shortly after beating it, so I think that talks more about how good it is than words.
13) Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions It's a SPRG with Final Fantasy elements so it looked perfect to be my introduction to that subgenre. Well, that wasn't the case as that place was taken by its sequels, but after playing this not too long ago I have to recognize its merits. The story is typical Matsuno with all the political drama and that's what makes this game have an honorable mention over the other Tactics games even if I like all of them. Another good thing was seeing some of your characters becoming broken mass murderers. It felt very rewarding when other times the enemies were the ones that destroyed you.
14) Persona 2: Eternal Punishment While Persona 4 represents new Persona I feel like I had to mention one of the older ones. The general structure is more similar to regular role games but the focus on the characters has the same quality in all the series, offering one of the better casts that I've had the pleasure to meet. I place this one above the others because I feel it offers the best balance in its gameplay and has one of my favorite characters as the lead, Maya Amano. Katsuya deserves a mention, too, for being so likeable when you get to know him.
15) EarthBound The majority of this game's merits are related to its "modern" setting and its great sense of humor. It's one of the few games where I feel like I must talk with every NPC to know what they have to say and usually I'll be rewarded with a unique piece of dialogue that makes me smile. Even if the game's balance can be a bit odd in certain places at least it works at what it wants to do and some quirky enemies and attack descriptions are as funny as they can get.
16) Dragon Quest VIII It was my first exposure to the world of Dragon Quest and for some reason I stopped playing it while I was exploring a cave full of moles. After finishing the fourth entry I decided to give it another opportunity and then it was when it finally clicked with me. Its big overworld is one of the most impressive things that I've ever seen, along with the aerial transportation, the multiple locations and the loooooong story. The biggest gripe I have is with the slower than usual battle system, and I don't know why as I endure FFIX's speed quite well.
17) Chrono Cross This game has almost nothing to do with its predecessor, Chrono Trigger, apart from the story: The battle system is completely different, the tone too, there are only enough combo attacks to tick that box in the feature list and there are lots of characters without too many unique characteristics and it still manages to be a great game, I just had to convince myself that it wasn't going to be the Chrono Trigger 2 I wanted. The story is interesting even if it's a bit convoluted, the battle system is great in its own merits and discourages grinding. The only problems I see are how many playable characters seem pretty meh and those jerk humanoids and their superiority complex.
18) Grandia 2 It refines the gameplay of the first and I'd say it has around the same quality but only one could get two points. The tone is definitely darker than the first and it has more fleshy dungeons, but apart from that there isn't a lot I can say without repeating things or talking about the plot.
19) StarOcean: Till the End of Time Say what you want about plot twists or whatever, the fact is that I loved this game, its characters, the battle system and its length. As if the main story wasn't enough it has a very lengthy post-game with a good quantity of dungeons and extra bosses and the Battle Trophies are the cherry on the top to make this game one of the most time consuming RPGs I've played.
20)Fire Emblem: Awakening The latest entry in the Fire Emblem series reintroduces a lot of stuff that makes it a different experience than your ordinary game in the series. I loved how developing the relationships between characters was more rewarding and the huge amount of optional content.
Unranked Honorable Mentions:
- Final Fantasy X-2 I feel bad for not giving points to this game but two Final Fantasy games in the list are enough. FFX-2 has one of the best battle systems in the series thanks to its quick pace and the return of the job system and the ability to switch between them while fighting some monsters. I even liked the story somewhat as lately the Final Fantasy characters seem to be in a constant state of depression. The only bad thing was how this game could have been called "MISSABLES, the Game", and how I couldn't enjoy it to the fullest until I bought a guide.
- Kingdom Hearts I suppose the mix of two famous worlds is neat but I've never been able to really like this game and I wish that would have been the case. I only wanted to say somewhere that even if it isn't my cup of tea many people can probably enjoy it and I feel like I should mention it somewhere in my list, even in the zero points zone.
- Diablo For some reason I haven't played many western RPGs but I liked this one a lot when I was younger. I still remember the many deaths the Butcher caused to me and how satisfactory was to finally kill it, the many floors of its dungeon and other things that make me want to finally give more time to the other games in the series.
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. - It's the first Mario & Luigi game that I tried and I liked the core concept so I guess it's time to try the others and see if one of them can get some points the next time. The quantity of tutorials seemed a bit too much and I can't imagine replaying it anytime soon, but the overall experience was an enjoyable one though. The platformer elements were really nice but the time it took experimenting with them was almost the same as it took the game to explain them.
- Grandia III This game could be titled "Grandia 3 or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and love the Skip Scene Option". The battle system is the only selling point of this game, but what a point, as it refines and creates the best one in the series. The Aerial Attacks are a nice new mechanic and the enemies are more difficult and aggressive than in the other two mainline titles (I don't know about Xtreme but with that name it must be even more challenging!). This game is perfect for replays thanks to how little the story gets in the way of enjoying the dungeons and the monster murdering if you know how.
- Bravely Default I don't know what was happening in my head at the time of making this list and almost forgetting about this. I know the second "half" left a very bad impression in me but it really shouldn't tarnish all the other things that it does well like the customizable difficulty on the go, the battle system even if it has a couple of features that I'm not particularly a fan of or the magnificent soundtrack. Looking back at this game I can only hope that the sequel solves many of the obvious problems that it has and becomes an essential RPG the next time this is done.
In writing mine I went through the top 100 of the last thread and through all the posts in this thread and noted over 200 different games, so few of which I've played. Pretty awesome to see such diversity in both the genre (also in dates of releases) and in what is voted upon, but I've certainly got my work ahead of me with plenty of games to get to.
1. Pokemon Silver/Gold/HeartGold/SoulSilver
For me, it's the, well, golden standard for Pokemon games and in many ways sequels in general. It expanded on everything, adding new pokemon types, a day/night cycle and time-based things, a hundred new pokemon, breeding, shinies, and a mind-blowing post-game section (
). Such amazing games.
2. Mass Effect
Each game in the trilogy is great, but it's the first that takes it for me. Introducing an incredible galaxy of races and their history through the eyes of a small group and the player's choices, this space opera takes you on an awesome journey to discover the truth behind recent events. The combat is kind of janky compared it's sequels, but as a whole the game is fantastic.
3. Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden
Boasting an interesting story, a wonderfully endearing cast of characters, smooth combat and magic, and a social sim aspect that brings it all together, Persona 4 ups the ante from Persona 3 in every way (which was already pretty high to begin with). P4G, the Vita revamp, somehow improved on almost everything and is an absolute must-play.
4. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (3 points)
An under-appreciated gem of the last generation, Dragon's Dogma is fantastic. The story is hit-or-miss until it all comes together in a great ending, but most importantly the gameplay is easily the best for action rpgs. Each class plays distinctly and fluidly, such that each fight is a joy to play.
5. Might & Magic 6: The Mandate of Heaven
You create a party of 4 and are dropped into a fantasy world to do as you'd like. The combat is real-time but can be paused for a more tactical approach. Explore dungeons for some great loot, seek trainers to increase your skills and master new spells, cross the huge world during your adventure, even
. There's also a ton of hidden content to find (for example,
). I spent hundreds of hours in this as a kid and it never got old.
6. Dark Souls
Relentlessly challenging and bleak, Dark Souls presents a world that will kill you at every turn and force you to learn to play, and is remarkably fair while doing so (there's definitely some bullshit moments but for the most part it's well-designed enough to avoid those problems). Loads of stats and npc's to interact with (they are on their own journeys, not beholden to you the player). It's not for everyone, but for those that like it it's incredibly rewarding and refreshing.
7. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
With an absurdly large and open world within which you can do anything and go anywhere, Morrowind is particularly impressive. I've always been partial the crazy number of in-game books that you can read (and hoard in your house).
8. Chrono Trigger
I was super late to play Chrono Trigger when I got it a few years ago on the DS, so I'd heard for years that it was one of, if not the, best rpgs out there, so I was skeptical of the hype. The game totally lived up to it with a great cast of characters, varying locations, and awesome time-travel story and interactions, with solid combat that never gets old at the core of the gameplay.
9. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Set in a near-future world on the edge of technological and societal revolution, you are in a position to shape the future. Tons of stats and abilities and solid first-person gameplay (though a stealthy approach is so much more fun) and filled with quests and people to interact with, this is a joy to experience.
10. Guild Wars
A mini-mmo set in a diverse fantasy world, the main draw was being able to join into groups of up to 8 for missions and the ccg-like combat skills. Instead of a constant grind for new armor and weapons, you collect many skills over the course of the game, and have to keep switching them up and using them in conjunction with your team to get farther, making the game far more about skill and teamwork than how much time you put into it. The expansions added a ton of new content and classes. It wasn't perfect but man it was good.
Honorable mentions:
Chrono Cross - Played before Trigger, really enjoyed it.
Fable: The Lost Chapters - Flawed but so much fun.
Fallout 3 - Amazing title, given the nod over New Vegas since it established the style rather than refine it.
Final Fantasy Legend II - Technically not a real FF game, but I loved the game on the Game Boy as a kid.
Final Fantasy X - The story is kinda meh but it's fun and the gameplay is a blast.
Persona 3: FES - Improved in every sense in P4, but the story and tone is so much better in P3.
Pokemon Black/White - A new start for Pokemon, so refreshing.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords - so fucking good. The perfect followup and best Star Wars story out there.
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines - great story and world to play in
The Witcher - loved the world and characters
1. Pokemon Silver/Gold/HeartGold/SoulSilver
For me, it's the, well, golden standard for Pokemon games and in many ways sequels in general. It expanded on everything, adding new pokemon types, a day/night cycle and time-based things, a hundred new pokemon, breeding, shinies, and a mind-blowing post-game section (
the entire area from the first games, culminating in the final boss fight against your character from the first games
2. Mass Effect
Each game in the trilogy is great, but it's the first that takes it for me. Introducing an incredible galaxy of races and their history through the eyes of a small group and the player's choices, this space opera takes you on an awesome journey to discover the truth behind recent events. The combat is kind of janky compared it's sequels, but as a whole the game is fantastic.
3. Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden
Boasting an interesting story, a wonderfully endearing cast of characters, smooth combat and magic, and a social sim aspect that brings it all together, Persona 4 ups the ante from Persona 3 in every way (which was already pretty high to begin with). P4G, the Vita revamp, somehow improved on almost everything and is an absolute must-play.
4. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (3 points)
An under-appreciated gem of the last generation, Dragon's Dogma is fantastic. The story is hit-or-miss until it all comes together in a great ending, but most importantly the gameplay is easily the best for action rpgs. Each class plays distinctly and fluidly, such that each fight is a joy to play.
5. Might & Magic 6: The Mandate of Heaven
You create a party of 4 and are dropped into a fantasy world to do as you'd like. The combat is real-time but can be paused for a more tactical approach. Explore dungeons for some great loot, seek trainers to increase your skills and master new spells, cross the huge world during your adventure, even
go to the bottom of the sea and get laser guns from a spaceship
immediately upon starting in New Sorpigal you can click the wall of a bank to get a scroll of flying and then click a wall across town to teleport to a shrine across the world to bump all your character's stats + 20 and get loads of loot from a developer museum-like place in a desert surrounded by dragons
6. Dark Souls
Relentlessly challenging and bleak, Dark Souls presents a world that will kill you at every turn and force you to learn to play, and is remarkably fair while doing so (there's definitely some bullshit moments but for the most part it's well-designed enough to avoid those problems). Loads of stats and npc's to interact with (they are on their own journeys, not beholden to you the player). It's not for everyone, but for those that like it it's incredibly rewarding and refreshing.
7. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
With an absurdly large and open world within which you can do anything and go anywhere, Morrowind is particularly impressive. I've always been partial the crazy number of in-game books that you can read (and hoard in your house).
8. Chrono Trigger
I was super late to play Chrono Trigger when I got it a few years ago on the DS, so I'd heard for years that it was one of, if not the, best rpgs out there, so I was skeptical of the hype. The game totally lived up to it with a great cast of characters, varying locations, and awesome time-travel story and interactions, with solid combat that never gets old at the core of the gameplay.
9. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Set in a near-future world on the edge of technological and societal revolution, you are in a position to shape the future. Tons of stats and abilities and solid first-person gameplay (though a stealthy approach is so much more fun) and filled with quests and people to interact with, this is a joy to experience.
10. Guild Wars
A mini-mmo set in a diverse fantasy world, the main draw was being able to join into groups of up to 8 for missions and the ccg-like combat skills. Instead of a constant grind for new armor and weapons, you collect many skills over the course of the game, and have to keep switching them up and using them in conjunction with your team to get farther, making the game far more about skill and teamwork than how much time you put into it. The expansions added a ton of new content and classes. It wasn't perfect but man it was good.
Honorable mentions:
Chrono Cross - Played before Trigger, really enjoyed it.
Fable: The Lost Chapters - Flawed but so much fun.
Fallout 3 - Amazing title, given the nod over New Vegas since it established the style rather than refine it.
Final Fantasy Legend II - Technically not a real FF game, but I loved the game on the Game Boy as a kid.
Final Fantasy X - The story is kinda meh but it's fun and the gameplay is a blast.
Persona 3: FES - Improved in every sense in P4, but the story and tone is so much better in P3.
Pokemon Black/White - A new start for Pokemon, so refreshing.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords - so fucking good. The perfect followup and best Star Wars story out there.
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines - great story and world to play in
The Witcher - loved the world and characters
1) World of Warcraft - Loved this game so much. Every zone felt like a new game when I was leveling. The excitement of doing instances to challenges of raids really satisfied so many things for me.
2) Final Fantasy XII - The combat system was perfect. Fast but methodical that allowed for fine tuning. Loved the environments, characters, and story.
3) Vagrant Story - Great story, great setting and great main character. The mechanics were only hampered by the clunky hardware. Why hasn't somebody redone this game without the load times?
4) Mass Effect 2 - Updated combat from ME1 that worked great. Strategic blend of characters abilities led to big pay offs. Great characters and great moments.
5) Final Fantasy Tactics - Maybe I was young at the time but I thought the story was great...from what I could get form it with its rough translation. Great combat system, job system, and many hours spent playing and replaying this game
6) Final Fantasy X - I played this game so much that I would close my eyes and still see it. Great game.
7) Dragon Age: Origins - It hit the right spot for me. Great characters and world. The combat system was great at first although it became repetitive.
8) Secret of Mana - Really is one of my favorite experiences of local coop. Great music and world.
9) Dragon Quest III - I was couldn't wait for this game to come out when I was a kid. I played it to death and I loved the in depth mechanics and the ability to build your characters.
10) Persona 4 - Loved it. Watch Giantbombs endurance run.
Honorable Mentions
11) Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
12) Tales of Vesperia
13) Dark Souls
14) Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
15) Mass Effect 3
Unranked Honorable Mentions
- Chrono Trigger
- Chrono Cross
- Fire Emblem: Awakening
- Xenoblade
2) Final Fantasy XII - The combat system was perfect. Fast but methodical that allowed for fine tuning. Loved the environments, characters, and story.
3) Vagrant Story - Great story, great setting and great main character. The mechanics were only hampered by the clunky hardware. Why hasn't somebody redone this game without the load times?
4) Mass Effect 2 - Updated combat from ME1 that worked great. Strategic blend of characters abilities led to big pay offs. Great characters and great moments.
5) Final Fantasy Tactics - Maybe I was young at the time but I thought the story was great...from what I could get form it with its rough translation. Great combat system, job system, and many hours spent playing and replaying this game
6) Final Fantasy X - I played this game so much that I would close my eyes and still see it. Great game.
7) Dragon Age: Origins - It hit the right spot for me. Great characters and world. The combat system was great at first although it became repetitive.
8) Secret of Mana - Really is one of my favorite experiences of local coop. Great music and world.
9) Dragon Quest III - I was couldn't wait for this game to come out when I was a kid. I played it to death and I loved the in depth mechanics and the ability to build your characters.
10) Persona 4 - Loved it. Watch Giantbombs endurance run.
Honorable Mentions
11) Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
12) Tales of Vesperia
13) Dark Souls
14) Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
15) Mass Effect 3
Unranked Honorable Mentions
- Chrono Trigger
- Chrono Cross
- Fire Emblem: Awakening
- Xenoblade
human onion
Banned
Alright, I'll play ball this time. Not in order since I don't really rate one over the other.
1. Deus Ex (3 points): It's a rare game that does 1 or 2 things incredibly right, let alone an RPG. It's an even rarer game that does most things incredibly right. Customization, meaningful choices, emergent gameplay, level design, sound, music, voice acting, story and dialogue, all amazing. It's also very flawed, but it's realized ambition makes up for it.
2. Knights of the Old Republic 2: I was tempted to leave this off because it basically requires TSLRCM to be in the list, but the content is all Obsidian's, and they have a history of getting screwed by publishers. One of the few games where the choices you make can actually make sense, rather than be pigeonholed into Good/Evil/Indifferent. The combat is repetitive and easy, but the role playing is some of the best ever among crpg's.
3. Planescape Torment: Everyone says play this for the story only, but I actually liked the gameplay. Going around to find out your identity was fun and rewarding in terms of what you learn, kind of like an adventure game but with roleplaying, which is also some of the best ever among crpg's. I don't knock the combat against it, it's just a simplified Infinity Engine system with some average encounters; I never found myself dreading the gameplay just to get to the rp'ing. I think everyone gets something different out of this game.
4. Gothic 2: This game was hard as hell to get into, but I'm glad for it for one reason: the open world is done perfectly. When you see the potential that open world games have through this one, you'll never want to touch a Ubisoft game again. The world feels real and the things you do in it make sense; way more immersive that going from quest marker to quest marker to point of interest over and over and over again.
5. Baldur's Gate 2: Over anything else, this game was damn fun, and that's really the most important part of a game. I found the story and characters mostly well-done, but it's the gameplay that makes it shine. Using magic is fun, and learning the system rewards you immensely thanks to the well designed encounters.
6. Icewind Dale: Like Baldur's Gate, but barely any story, characters, or choices. This is all about the combat that makes Baldur's Gate great, and you make your own party! Soundtrack and graphics are better than BG, and things get pretty crazy later on. A good, challenging game a little harder to get into than BG, so play this afterwards. I found it easier with a party less than 6, but that's just me.
7. E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy: Well this one isn't gonna win anything, but I need to mention it because it is the only FPSRPG where the shooting is as good as the customization (shooting in DX is so-so). The story makes no sense and you'll have no idea what's going on, but then you stop caring and just make the most absurd build you can think of and kill enemies with a thought. Or get hacked back by a door you were trying to hack. Or break your legs.
8. Ys Origin: Admittedly the only Ys game I've played, but I had a great time with it. A great challenge, mostly as an action game, but it is classified as a JRPG, so it goes on the list. I definitely want to play more.
9. Fallout: New Vegas: The only Fallout game I've played, and it's really good. The open world is ok, but the quests themselves are fantastic, and it's one of the rare cases where the DLC is better than the base game. Honest Hearts and Old World Blues are incredible. The customization is great and the main game is well-written as well.
10. Might and Magic 6: My love for this game is for the same reason as that of E.Y.E., the crazy stuff you can do is a lot of fun, if repetitive. The game starts out innocent enough but then turns into Dragonball Z out of nowhere. The game still remains challenging, throwing lots of enemies at you, forcing a Serious Sam mindset to combat. It's fun, more fun than many more serious RPG's.
Honorable Mentions:
Witcher 2: Great writing and characters
Baldur's Gate: Good but less than sequel because of low-level D&D combat
KOTOR: Not as good as the second, but a great game otherwise
Divinity 2: One of the funnier games you'll play, and one of the few games that is purposefully funny
Divinity Original Sin: Amazing combat system, very tactical
1. Deus Ex (3 points): It's a rare game that does 1 or 2 things incredibly right, let alone an RPG. It's an even rarer game that does most things incredibly right. Customization, meaningful choices, emergent gameplay, level design, sound, music, voice acting, story and dialogue, all amazing. It's also very flawed, but it's realized ambition makes up for it.
2. Knights of the Old Republic 2: I was tempted to leave this off because it basically requires TSLRCM to be in the list, but the content is all Obsidian's, and they have a history of getting screwed by publishers. One of the few games where the choices you make can actually make sense, rather than be pigeonholed into Good/Evil/Indifferent. The combat is repetitive and easy, but the role playing is some of the best ever among crpg's.
3. Planescape Torment: Everyone says play this for the story only, but I actually liked the gameplay. Going around to find out your identity was fun and rewarding in terms of what you learn, kind of like an adventure game but with roleplaying, which is also some of the best ever among crpg's. I don't knock the combat against it, it's just a simplified Infinity Engine system with some average encounters; I never found myself dreading the gameplay just to get to the rp'ing. I think everyone gets something different out of this game.
4. Gothic 2: This game was hard as hell to get into, but I'm glad for it for one reason: the open world is done perfectly. When you see the potential that open world games have through this one, you'll never want to touch a Ubisoft game again. The world feels real and the things you do in it make sense; way more immersive that going from quest marker to quest marker to point of interest over and over and over again.
5. Baldur's Gate 2: Over anything else, this game was damn fun, and that's really the most important part of a game. I found the story and characters mostly well-done, but it's the gameplay that makes it shine. Using magic is fun, and learning the system rewards you immensely thanks to the well designed encounters.
6. Icewind Dale: Like Baldur's Gate, but barely any story, characters, or choices. This is all about the combat that makes Baldur's Gate great, and you make your own party! Soundtrack and graphics are better than BG, and things get pretty crazy later on. A good, challenging game a little harder to get into than BG, so play this afterwards. I found it easier with a party less than 6, but that's just me.
7. E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy: Well this one isn't gonna win anything, but I need to mention it because it is the only FPSRPG where the shooting is as good as the customization (shooting in DX is so-so). The story makes no sense and you'll have no idea what's going on, but then you stop caring and just make the most absurd build you can think of and kill enemies with a thought. Or get hacked back by a door you were trying to hack. Or break your legs.
8. Ys Origin: Admittedly the only Ys game I've played, but I had a great time with it. A great challenge, mostly as an action game, but it is classified as a JRPG, so it goes on the list. I definitely want to play more.
9. Fallout: New Vegas: The only Fallout game I've played, and it's really good. The open world is ok, but the quests themselves are fantastic, and it's one of the rare cases where the DLC is better than the base game. Honest Hearts and Old World Blues are incredible. The customization is great and the main game is well-written as well.
10. Might and Magic 6: My love for this game is for the same reason as that of E.Y.E., the crazy stuff you can do is a lot of fun, if repetitive. The game starts out innocent enough but then turns into Dragonball Z out of nowhere. The game still remains challenging, throwing lots of enemies at you, forcing a Serious Sam mindset to combat. It's fun, more fun than many more serious RPG's.
Honorable Mentions:
Witcher 2: Great writing and characters
Baldur's Gate: Good but less than sequel because of low-level D&D combat
KOTOR: Not as good as the second, but a great game otherwise
Divinity 2: One of the funnier games you'll play, and one of the few games that is purposefully funny
Divinity Original Sin: Amazing combat system, very tactical
Magicpaint
Member
1. Final Fantasy VI (3 points) - the quintessential RPG experience for me. Hits all the right notes and has a perfect balance of all elements. Even the way it is structured is a thing to be admired.
2. The World Ends With You - Amazing audiovisual experience, but it's the uniqueness, high level of play customisation and the way it turns around clichés that really makes the experience for me. Amazing combat as well.
3. Etrian Odyssey IV - The most balanced EO experience. Love how it also varies things up by offering smaller caves and a world map full of FOEs. Music is phenomenal.
4. Dragon Quest VI - It's always this or DQVII, and this wins out for now. It'd probably be VII if I played the remake Both are the pinnacle of the Dragon Quest experience for me. More open structure that really enhances that feeling of you stumbling on something rich and important which would otherwise be mere diversions in other RPGs.
5. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - great story, great twist. Great adaptation of the franchise, and the sequel would be here somewhere as well if it wasn't released somewhat unfinished.
6. Final Fantasy XII - Amazing experience. Looking forward to a HD version. Loved exploring the gorgeous world and the gambit system was addictive to me, as well as mark hunting. Cutscene direction was quite exemplary.
7. Shin Megami Tensei III - Love the aesthetic, love the soundtrack. Love the press turn system. And it also introduced the much needed demonic compendium!
8. Persona 3 FES - dungeon crawling is a tedious affair at best but the way it combines that with life simulation and a distinct SMT like vibe makes it a winner for me. Soundtrack is also fantastic. P4 is good too but I much prefer the aesthetics here.
9. Mass Effect - played this so many times. It's not very long but it's got an engaging story and great pacing. The class system is great and while the cover shooting could use some polish, it was still a largely successful fusion with this genre for me.
10. Secret of Mana - my introduction to the genre. Magical adventure and will always hold a special place in my nostalgic heart.
Honorable mentions
11. Final Fantasy IV (DS)
12. Dragon Quest VII
13. Tales of the Abyss
14. Tales of Symphonia
15. Suikoden V
16. Valkyrie Profile 2
17. Chrono Trigger
18. Radiant Historia
19. Dragon Quest IV
20. Fallout 3
Pretty sure I left out some important games but ah well.
2. The World Ends With You - Amazing audiovisual experience, but it's the uniqueness, high level of play customisation and the way it turns around clichés that really makes the experience for me. Amazing combat as well.
3. Etrian Odyssey IV - The most balanced EO experience. Love how it also varies things up by offering smaller caves and a world map full of FOEs. Music is phenomenal.
4. Dragon Quest VI - It's always this or DQVII, and this wins out for now. It'd probably be VII if I played the remake
Both are the pinnacle of the Dragon Quest experience for me. More open structure that really enhances that feeling of you stumbling on something rich and important which would otherwise be mere diversions in other RPGs.5. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - great story, great twist. Great adaptation of the franchise, and the sequel would be here somewhere as well if it wasn't released somewhat unfinished.
6. Final Fantasy XII - Amazing experience. Looking forward to a HD version. Loved exploring the gorgeous world and the gambit system was addictive to me, as well as mark hunting. Cutscene direction was quite exemplary.
7. Shin Megami Tensei III - Love the aesthetic, love the soundtrack. Love the press turn system. And it also introduced the much needed demonic compendium!
8. Persona 3 FES - dungeon crawling is a tedious affair at best but the way it combines that with life simulation and a distinct SMT like vibe makes it a winner for me. Soundtrack is also fantastic. P4 is good too but I much prefer the aesthetics here.
9. Mass Effect - played this so many times. It's not very long but it's got an engaging story and great pacing. The class system is great and while the cover shooting could use some polish, it was still a largely successful fusion with this genre for me.
10. Secret of Mana - my introduction to the genre. Magical adventure and will always hold a special place in my nostalgic heart.
Honorable mentions
11. Final Fantasy IV (DS)
12. Dragon Quest VII
13. Tales of the Abyss
14. Tales of Symphonia
15. Suikoden V
16. Valkyrie Profile 2
17. Chrono Trigger
18. Radiant Historia
19. Dragon Quest IV
20. Fallout 3
Pretty sure I left out some important games but ah well.
As always, I restrict myself to one game per series, and I try to include as many RPG sub-genres as possible. As someone who enjoys RPGs of all kinds its really hard to narrow it down.
Planescape: Torment
Best writing, story, setting and characters in any RPG ever. The only game that made me feel a real emotional attachment to the characters' fate, like a good book does. Unmatched.
Unordered main choices:
Ar Tonelico 2
The best entry in the Ar Tonelico series, which features one of the most interesting settings in JRPGs. Also has a very unique battle system, and integrates some gameplay elements from japanese Visual Novels. Fantastic, distinctive music that's different from anything else out there. The characters and story are also much better than you'd expect, even despite the bad translation.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Very different from most other JRPGs and the games in the series in terms of battle system and setting. The mechanics of the game explicitly forbid grinding, which makes it one of the most challenging JRPGs ever, particularly if you choose not to use the restart feature.
Baldur's Gate 2
The best representative of the traditional party-based, isometric, tactical WRPG. Packed full of content, with a great balance of story and gameplay.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
The party-based tactical RPG is my favourite subgenre, so it gets 3 games in this list. Mask of the Betrayer is the closest any modern game has come to Planescape: Torment in terms of the quality of the writing, story and characters. I also enjoy the huge amount of features and character options available in the latest version of the NWN2 engine.
Ultima VII
The oldest game in my list, Ultima VII is -- to me -- the best entry in its series and one of the most forward-looking games ever released. Many of the features it pioneered, like NPC schedules, are only now slowly reaching other RPGs (Bethesda were the first to jump on that). The world was also highly interactive to an extent rarely seen to this day.
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
A first person RPG of a very different type compared to Morrowind. A lot more focused on (and better at) story and characters. Even with it feeling slightly rushed toward the end it's still my favourite first-person RPG of all time based on the strength of its writing and setting. Othe strong competitors for this spot include Alpha Protocol and Deus Ex HR.
Valkyria Chronicles
The only SRPG featured on my list, Valkyria Chronicles is one of the very rare games that combines true genre innovation with a high amount of polish. The battle system, while not perfectly balanced in some cases, was unlike anything seen before, and combined with the wonderful presentation (including the art style, in-game graphics, music and even the menus) makes VC a unique title to this day. It's sad that the sequel did not live up to the standards set by the first game.
Divinity: Original Sin
The combination of world interactivity, novel synergies between a large variety of positional effects with a solid action point/free movement base results in what might be the best turn-based battle system in any RPG ever. That alone already makes D:OS an essential experience, and the marvelously integrated co-op and party conversation system adds on top of that.
Dark Souls
While I personally like Dark Souls 2 a bit more than its predecessor, there's no doubt that Dark Souls 1 is the seminal, most influential ARPG of our age. From the online interactions (both passive and active) to the encounter design and battle pace, it is what many later games set out to emulate (to varying degrees of success).
Counted honorable mentions:
Atelier Totori
My favourite Atelier game, a series which is unique in the realm of JRPGs for its non-linear structure and not being particularly battle-focused.
Might & Magic X: Legacy
While arguably not as amazing as World of Xeen, I think Legacy is a better fit for a list like this, as it is much easier to get into for someone new to the sub-genre or series. And it's certainly a deserving game to represent turn-based party-based first person blobbers in my list.
Alpha Protocol
While the most notable feature of Alpha Protocol is its conversation system and reactive NPCs/story, I also enjoyed the very RPG-heavy stealth system.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall
The third and final 2014 game I'm putting on my list. It's rather rare these days to see a sequel which does literally everything better than its predecessor, but Dragonfall is such a case. It's also a wonderful adaptation of the Shadowrun setting, a long-time favourite of mine.
Nier
In much earlier lists of mine Xenogears took this spot, but I feel like Nier outdoes it in its most memorable features (insane plot twists). The music is also sublime, up there with the Ar Tonelico series as the best the genre has to offer. Unlike some other people I also greatly enjoyed the variety of gameplay featured in Nier, including pretty solid standard action-RPG, text adventure, horror, isometric action and bullet hell sequences.
Morrowind
I was very close to giving this spot to Skyrim, but I feel like despite its outdated gameplay, Morrowind is still the best representation of what Bethesda's first-person exploration based RPGs want to offer. The variety of locales and cultures is unmatched in the later games.
Fallout New Vegas
Arx Fatalis
Suikoden 5
Gothic 2
Additional honorable mentions:
Diablo 2
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Xenogears
Final Fantasy X
The Witcher 1 or 2 (I wish I could make space for one of them on my main list)
Mass Effect 1
The World Ends With You (the only portable title on I mentioned I think -- very unique gameplay, setting and story)
Chrono Trigger
Mana Khemia 2
Might and Magic IV + V: World of Xeen
-----------------------------------------------------------
This year we had a lot of fantastic RPGs. While M&MX was my personal favourite, Divinity is the one which I put on the main list due to its historical achievements in terms of RPG battle system design and co-op dialogue. I also added both M&MX and SRragonfall as counted honorable mentions.
Planescape: Torment
Best writing, story, setting and characters in any RPG ever. The only game that made me feel a real emotional attachment to the characters' fate, like a good book does. Unmatched.
Unordered main choices:
Ar Tonelico 2
The best entry in the Ar Tonelico series, which features one of the most interesting settings in JRPGs. Also has a very unique battle system, and integrates some gameplay elements from japanese Visual Novels. Fantastic, distinctive music that's different from anything else out there. The characters and story are also much better than you'd expect, even despite the bad translation.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Very different from most other JRPGs and the games in the series in terms of battle system and setting. The mechanics of the game explicitly forbid grinding, which makes it one of the most challenging JRPGs ever, particularly if you choose not to use the restart feature.
Baldur's Gate 2
The best representative of the traditional party-based, isometric, tactical WRPG. Packed full of content, with a great balance of story and gameplay.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
The party-based tactical RPG is my favourite subgenre, so it gets 3 games in this list. Mask of the Betrayer is the closest any modern game has come to Planescape: Torment in terms of the quality of the writing, story and characters. I also enjoy the huge amount of features and character options available in the latest version of the NWN2 engine.
Ultima VII
The oldest game in my list, Ultima VII is -- to me -- the best entry in its series and one of the most forward-looking games ever released. Many of the features it pioneered, like NPC schedules, are only now slowly reaching other RPGs (Bethesda were the first to jump on that). The world was also highly interactive to an extent rarely seen to this day.
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
A first person RPG of a very different type compared to Morrowind. A lot more focused on (and better at) story and characters. Even with it feeling slightly rushed toward the end it's still my favourite first-person RPG of all time based on the strength of its writing and setting. Othe strong competitors for this spot include Alpha Protocol and Deus Ex HR.
Valkyria Chronicles
The only SRPG featured on my list, Valkyria Chronicles is one of the very rare games that combines true genre innovation with a high amount of polish. The battle system, while not perfectly balanced in some cases, was unlike anything seen before, and combined with the wonderful presentation (including the art style, in-game graphics, music and even the menus) makes VC a unique title to this day. It's sad that the sequel did not live up to the standards set by the first game.
Divinity: Original Sin
The combination of world interactivity, novel synergies between a large variety of positional effects with a solid action point/free movement base results in what might be the best turn-based battle system in any RPG ever. That alone already makes D:OS an essential experience, and the marvelously integrated co-op and party conversation system adds on top of that.
Dark Souls
While I personally like Dark Souls 2 a bit more than its predecessor, there's no doubt that Dark Souls 1 is the seminal, most influential ARPG of our age. From the online interactions (both passive and active) to the encounter design and battle pace, it is what many later games set out to emulate (to varying degrees of success).
Counted honorable mentions:
Atelier Totori
My favourite Atelier game, a series which is unique in the realm of JRPGs for its non-linear structure and not being particularly battle-focused.
Might & Magic X: Legacy
While arguably not as amazing as World of Xeen, I think Legacy is a better fit for a list like this, as it is much easier to get into for someone new to the sub-genre or series. And it's certainly a deserving game to represent turn-based party-based first person blobbers in my list.
Alpha Protocol
While the most notable feature of Alpha Protocol is its conversation system and reactive NPCs/story, I also enjoyed the very RPG-heavy stealth system.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall
The third and final 2014 game I'm putting on my list. It's rather rare these days to see a sequel which does literally everything better than its predecessor, but Dragonfall is such a case. It's also a wonderful adaptation of the Shadowrun setting, a long-time favourite of mine.
Nier
In much earlier lists of mine Xenogears took this spot, but I feel like Nier outdoes it in its most memorable features (insane plot twists). The music is also sublime, up there with the Ar Tonelico series as the best the genre has to offer. Unlike some other people I also greatly enjoyed the variety of gameplay featured in Nier, including pretty solid standard action-RPG, text adventure, horror, isometric action and bullet hell sequences.
Morrowind
I was very close to giving this spot to Skyrim, but I feel like despite its outdated gameplay, Morrowind is still the best representation of what Bethesda's first-person exploration based RPGs want to offer. The variety of locales and cultures is unmatched in the later games.
Fallout New Vegas
Arx Fatalis
Suikoden 5
Gothic 2
Additional honorable mentions:
Diablo 2
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Xenogears
Final Fantasy X
The Witcher 1 or 2 (I wish I could make space for one of them on my main list)
Mass Effect 1
The World Ends With You (the only portable title on I mentioned I think -- very unique gameplay, setting and story)
Chrono Trigger
Mana Khemia 2
Might and Magic IV + V: World of Xeen
-----------------------------------------------------------
This year we had a lot of fantastic RPGs. While M&MX was my personal favourite, Divinity is the one which I put on the main list due to its historical achievements in terms of RPG battle system design and co-op dialogue. I also added both M&MX and SR
ragonfall as counted honorable mentions.Wait, what?
*checks on google*
Damn, thanks for the false hope :-(
(great list BTW, despite the lack of an SMT game)
Thanks for pointing that out, should have been 2. When you list 32 games mistakes happen
Wish I had more time to do a real writeup at the moment. May edit this later to give some of these amazing games their due.
1. Mother 3 (3 points)
2. Suikoden 2
3. Final Fantasy XII
4. Mega Man Legends
5. Vagrant Story
6. Persona 4 Golden
7. Chrono Trigger
8. Pokémon Black
9. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
10. Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga
Honorable Mentions (no particular order)
11. Breath of Fire IV
12. Mega Man Battle Network 3, 5
13. Demons' Souls
14. Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen
15. Folklore
16. Little King's Story
17. Chibi Robo
18. Boktai 2
19. Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
20. Castlevania Order of Ecclesia
1. Mother 3 (3 points)
2. Suikoden 2
3. Final Fantasy XII
4. Mega Man Legends
5. Vagrant Story
6. Persona 4 Golden
7. Chrono Trigger
8. Pokémon Black
9. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
10. Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga
Honorable Mentions (no particular order)
11. Breath of Fire IV
12. Mega Man Battle Network 3, 5
13. Demons' Souls
14. Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen
15. Folklore
16. Little King's Story
17. Chibi Robo
18. Boktai 2
19. Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
20. Castlevania Order of Ecclesia
Just a reminder that voting will wrap up shortly. You have about 3 days left to get in your lists/revise those reserved posts.
Thanks to the 152 people who have shared their opinions far. I am hoping to get that number up closer to 200 by Friday, since more participants means a better end result.
Thanks to the 152 people who have shared their opinions far. I am hoping to get that number up closer to 200 by Friday, since more participants means a better end result.
I love RPGs and I've been playing the genre since renting Dragon Warrior shortly after its US release, and been slavishly devoted to it ever since I first got wind of Phantasy Star a few years later. Gonna mix it up a bit. Instead of picking my usual list of favorites I'll try some different titles that don't get as much exposure. 'course I'll keep PS2 as my #1 pick and keep SO2 on there.
My Usual Favorites
Phantasy Star 2, Star Ocean 2, Valkyrie Profile, Phantasy Star 1, Phantasy Star 4, Final Fantasy 5, Dragon Quest 5, Skies of Arcadia, Ys Origin, Xenoblade
Other Favorites
Mother 3, Chrono Trigger, Arc the Lad 2, Xenogears, Ys 4: The Dawn of Ys, Ys: Oath in Felghana, Lufia 2, Final Fantasy 3, Final Fantasy 4, Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 7, Dragon Quest 3, Dragon Quest 4, Dragon Quest 6, Dragon Quest 8, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Digital Devil Saga 1, Persona 3, Persona 4, Soul Hackers, Breath of Fire 3, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Suikoden, Suikoden 2, Suikoden Tactics, Ultima 4, Nier, Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Phantasia, Tales of the Abyss, Soul Blazer, Terranigma, Seiken Densetsu 1, Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, Star Ocean, Lufia 2, The World Ends With You, Crystalis, Radiant Historia, Landstalker, Shining Force 1, Shining Force 2, Shining Force 3, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Defenders of Oasis, CIMA: The Enemy, Blue Dragon, Resonance of Fate, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
Phantasy Star 2 (3 points) : My favorite game of all time. Love the idyllic-future-gone-wrong setting, art, storyline, and nail-bitingly difficult dungeons. Several of the scenes are absolutely unforgettable and have stuck with me from when I first played the game nearly 25 years ago. It's a bit of a grind but I don't mind grinding.
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Star Ocean 2 : My second favorite RPG ever. The amount of content in this game is absolutely ridiculous. The amount of ways you can power up and modify your character is as well... in what other game can you pickpocket from party members? And then their affinity for you lowers... which speaking of, affinity plays a huge chunk in the ending you get (which characters pair up with each other) and has effects on battle - if a character's favorite gets killed, the character will spiral into a rage and have greatly increased attack power. Also SO is one of the first series to recall to have a crafting system, and the one in SO2 is still the best (even if its a bit more random, trial-and-error than modern day ones). You can compose symphonies, write spell books, forge checks (but if you get a bounced check it will lower your cash!), cook food (with its own Iron Chef-esque cooking tournament!), mix herbs, strengthen your weapons, etc. There are lots of characters to get, even with their own moveset. It takes all the best things about oldskool western RPGs but presents them in a much more familiar interface, a more aesthetically pleasing world, and a fun, fast-paced battle system.
Wild Arms XF : I've said a lot about this game in the past, but it's an interesting strategy RPG that acts more like a puzzle game than an FFT/TO style game. Where picking the right classes is essential to beating the stage. The interface is complicated and the learning curve is really steep, but once you stick with it you have an extremely long, challenging, and satisfying game, with a decent story and solid soundtrack.
Wild Arms 4 : The story is a bit silly but the game is extremely unique as far as RPGs go. While the first 3 WA games were pretty typical of the genre, the 4th game mixes things up a lot - turning into a 2D/3D platformer at points. The battle system, in which you can position your characters in hexes and attack adjacent hexes, brings an interesting dose of strategy while still remaining very fast. And the game's pace is pretty quick - there are a lot of areas to traverse and dungeons to make it through, with bits of story happening all throughout... but then halfway through the game you have a great 'breather', where not a lot of plot happens and there are no fights, where you can just suck up the mood. A few dungeons drag on for a little too long, and the side content is lacking compared to the other WA games. Also has one of the most depressing endings in gaming.
Ys Origin : My favorite action RPG ever. My favorite PC exclusive ever. It distills everything that's great about the Ys series to its essence. Fast paced, fantastic music, awesome boss fights, some platforming sections, and 3 different characters with their own different fighting styles. At first I was a tad worried how a Ys confined to one large tower would be, but the game had more than enough diversity in areas.
SaGa Frontier : Its got its share of obfuscated mechanics that Kawazu is infamous for. It's partially incomplete (one of the character's chapters just rolls the credits in the middle of its final battle, another character has barely any unique content to their quest, a whole character was cut), the graphics are a sloppy mix of beautiful rendered backgrounds and digitized 3D model characters, and a lot of the game is extremely aimless... but I can't help but love it. The breadth and variety of areas you venture to is what sold me on it - a casino with gnomes mining gold underneath, a winery, a 90's cyberpunk Asian city, a futuristic NY-styled city called none other than "Manhattan", a gothic castle, the inside of a beast that travels through dimensions, a modern-day suburbia with a giant Incan temple in the middle of it. And that variety in areas you visit, along with 7 different party members with their own mini storylines (Red's sentai-style story and Elena's murder-mystery story being my favorites), are what I love about it.
Live A Live : A highly experimental game during Square's pinnacle, where you can select through several different chapters and then play one final chapter which wraps everything up (including one of the most subversive twists in gaming). I love when RPGs have a variety of settings and original themes, and that's one area where Live A Live succeeds. Every chapter is married to a time period and has one gameplay gimmick associated with it - from the prehistoric period where you sniff out battles and items, to the Akira/giant robot inspired near future where you can use ESP and read people's thoughts, to the wild west chapter where you have a limited amount of time to lay out traps before the bad guys invade, to a hybrid Alien/2001 inspired chapter with nary any combat. Battles are on a grid and function in a sort-of Roguelike way, you and the enemy move concurrently, and each attack you have has its own range (with new attacks being gained upon leveling up). A few attacks are way overpowered and the combat is a tad tricky to get the hang of, but its a lot different from the average SNES game. Music, well its one of the only Yoko Shimomura soundtracks I like, its upbeat and melodic.
Digital Devil Saga 2 : My favorite of all the SMT games I've played. I love the Hindu/Buddhist themes and architectural influence the game has. It's a breath of fresh air for gaming and makes me wonder why very few other games miss out on this rich mythos in favor of another generic Star Wars or Lord of the Rings influenced romp. The press turn battle system is here and it's fast and challenging as ever, and the dungeons are as large and confusing as ever. Doesn't have the monster taming/fusion system of the other SMT games but that never was an issue for me. The first game was great but its sequel builds on it with even more powerful storytelling and slightly refined mechanics.
Tales of Vesperia : The best Tales game. And I'm not saying that because it has mai waifu Rita in it. The game nails everything the Tales series is all about, and has the most interesting story, best characters, and fulfilling quests in the series.
Dragon Quest 7 : Well, it won't win any awards for its graphics, but this game is one of the most content-rich RPGs ever made. The story is divided into a series of vignettes, with one overarching theme, as per usual for the DQ series. While it's not my favorite in the series (that would be 5), its certainly one of the more underrated editions, due to its length (120+ hours) and slow pacing (the opening is long and has you go through a large dungeon filled with puzzles and no enemies, before you fight your first Slime / unlocking the game's Job system doesn't happen until some 20 hours in, after a long and challenging dungeon). But these things are part of the reason why I enjoyed it... its rare you get that game that feels so satisfying and complete. And those little vignettes I mentioned... some of the best in the series and most unique in all of RPG-dom. From the town trapped in Groundhog Day due to a demon infestation of a shiny new clock tower, to the town who can't seem to catch a break, constantly under attack by different ailments, to the town who gets changed into animals and then in the far future, have a parade where they all dress in animal costumes... and of course the whole scene with the loyal robot Eri and her creator, Zebbot, is one of the most touching scenes in gaming. Helping every town solve their problems in the past, then traveling hundreds of years into the future to see the inevitable result, provides even more depth to the story.
My Usual Favorites
Phantasy Star 2, Star Ocean 2, Valkyrie Profile, Phantasy Star 1, Phantasy Star 4, Final Fantasy 5, Dragon Quest 5, Skies of Arcadia, Ys Origin, Xenoblade
Other Favorites
Mother 3, Chrono Trigger, Arc the Lad 2, Xenogears, Ys 4: The Dawn of Ys, Ys: Oath in Felghana, Lufia 2, Final Fantasy 3, Final Fantasy 4, Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 7, Dragon Quest 3, Dragon Quest 4, Dragon Quest 6, Dragon Quest 8, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Digital Devil Saga 1, Persona 3, Persona 4, Soul Hackers, Breath of Fire 3, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Suikoden, Suikoden 2, Suikoden Tactics, Ultima 4, Nier, Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Phantasia, Tales of the Abyss, Soul Blazer, Terranigma, Seiken Densetsu 1, Secret of Mana, Seiken Densetsu 3, Star Ocean, Lufia 2, The World Ends With You, Crystalis, Radiant Historia, Landstalker, Shining Force 1, Shining Force 2, Shining Force 3, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Defenders of Oasis, CIMA: The Enemy, Blue Dragon, Resonance of Fate, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
Bakkus
Member
Damn i got so many RPGs in my collection, yet i've finished so few of them that's not developed by Nintendo or any of their affiliates (Intelligent Systems, Alphadream, Game Freak, etc) but here it goes anyways.
1. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (3 points) - What a game, from beginning to end it never ceases to amaze. Great characters, dialouge and humor, amazing visuals and varied locales. fun battle system, I could go on and on. Not just my favorite RPG, but favorite game, period.
2. Chrono Trigger -
3. Pokemon White -
4. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga -
5. Pokemon HeartGold -
6. Paper Mario -
7. The World Ends With You -
8. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance -
9. Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
10. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -
Honorable Mention:
Radiant Historia
1. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (3 points) - What a game, from beginning to end it never ceases to amaze. Great characters, dialouge and humor, amazing visuals and varied locales. fun battle system, I could go on and on. Not just my favorite RPG, but favorite game, period.
2. Chrono Trigger -
3. Pokemon White -
4. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga -
5. Pokemon HeartGold -
6. Paper Mario -
7. The World Ends With You -
8. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance -
9. Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
10. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story -
Honorable Mention:
Radiant Historia
RPGs are a bit of a conundrum for me, as they are incredibly biased by 2 things in my upbringing. First, the golden age of Squaresoft, where RPGs were synonymous with sprawling epic adventures even though they featured no meaningful choice. Second, by being an AD&D 2nd edition Dungeon Master of eight years during my teens. I think being a Dungeon Master (as opposed to a player) is pretty formative in the way you approach RPGs (though of course the reason you're a dungeon master is also due to your own preferences). Personally, RPGs to me are not about loot or leveling or any of that stuff, specifically not strategic combat which I find completely tangential to roleplaying--if you roleplay well you should be choosing less than ideal actions; it's about creating interesting dilemmas where the character you inhabit makes moral choices that do not necessarily align with your own alignment, but make sense in the scenario. As such, I consider something like The Walking Dead a better RPG than nearly all of the conventional RPGs. Also, it's about creating settings where real friends can sit together and experience something together. However, not to frustrate much of the rest of GAF, I'll keep it a bit more traditional. I did not include the old Bioware games such as Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, because, as good as they were, in the choice department they were weak facsimiles of my own Dungeons and Dragons sessions.
1. Secret of Mana (3 points) - Might not stand the test of time but I consider this the quintessential couch-coop multiplayer RPG, which are simply the best RPGs. Plug in a multitap and go on an epic adventure together. It helps that the fighting is real time and a lot of fun. Also has tonnes of charm.
2. Mass Effect 2 - The RPG with the most interesting character interactions, where choosing a role for your Shepard changes the way your interactions with these characters play out in actual meaningful ways.
3. Tales of Symphonia - Like Secret of Mana the best multiplayer coop game of the modern age, but with a more fun battle system, though a bit less class. I like that the main character is kind of an idiot, it feels refreshing in JRPG's otherwise tired tropes.
4. Skyrim - The RPG with the best mini-stories I think. Most quests have an actual dramatic arc and therefore feel profound to your character. There are little meaningful character interactions than in ME2, but it makes that up with having meaningful interaction with the game world (think Bartle's Player Taxonomy, where I find interacting with each other slightly more an RPG merit than interacting with the world). The best game for choosing your own path through the world.
5. Fallout 3 - Skyrim in postapocalyptic setting. The setting is more novel, but the game more clunky and the emergent stories less well developed.
6. Chrono Trigger - Misses the real time battles and multiplayer of SoM, but has more charm (Akira Toriyama RPG design = best design) and a slightly better story.
7. UFO: Enemy Unknown - Cheating no doubt, but I feel that you live an epic adventure with your team, that also levels up. If Fire Emblem counts, then UFO should count too.
8. Daggerfall - Two Elder Scrolls in my list? I'm usually against it (otherwise the top 5 would have all three Mass Effect games frankly--cant help it love the series, even 3), but they both focus on the opposite. Whereas Skyrim was all auteured stories that you could select at will, Daggerfall has the procedural epic scope that led to emergent play. And you could basically do anything (or at least anything that made sense in the world). The possibilities make it a must play, even though the jankiness and overwhelmingness of it all make the overall experience a bit less awesome.
1. Secret of Mana (3 points) - Might not stand the test of time but I consider this the quintessential couch-coop multiplayer RPG, which are simply the best RPGs. Plug in a multitap and go on an epic adventure together. It helps that the fighting is real time and a lot of fun. Also has tonnes of charm.
2. Mass Effect 2 - The RPG with the most interesting character interactions, where choosing a role for your Shepard changes the way your interactions with these characters play out in actual meaningful ways.
3. Tales of Symphonia - Like Secret of Mana the best multiplayer coop game of the modern age, but with a more fun battle system, though a bit less class. I like that the main character is kind of an idiot, it feels refreshing in JRPG's otherwise tired tropes.
4. Skyrim - The RPG with the best mini-stories I think. Most quests have an actual dramatic arc and therefore feel profound to your character. There are little meaningful character interactions than in ME2, but it makes that up with having meaningful interaction with the game world (think Bartle's Player Taxonomy, where I find interacting with each other slightly more an RPG merit than interacting with the world). The best game for choosing your own path through the world.
5. Fallout 3 - Skyrim in postapocalyptic setting. The setting is more novel, but the game more clunky and the emergent stories less well developed.
6. Chrono Trigger - Misses the real time battles and multiplayer of SoM, but has more charm (Akira Toriyama RPG design = best design) and a slightly better story.
7. UFO: Enemy Unknown - Cheating no doubt, but I feel that you live an epic adventure with your team, that also levels up. If Fire Emblem counts, then UFO should count too.
8. Daggerfall - Two Elder Scrolls in my list? I'm usually against it (otherwise the top 5 would have all three Mass Effect games frankly--cant help it love the series, even 3), but they both focus on the opposite. Whereas Skyrim was all auteured stories that you could select at will, Daggerfall has the procedural epic scope that led to emergent play. And you could basically do anything (or at least anything that made sense in the world). The possibilities make it a must play, even though the jankiness and overwhelmingness of it all make the overall experience a bit less awesome.
1) Chrono Trigger - What else needs to be said at this point? Chrono Trigger has it all. Interesting characters, great combat mechanics, a wonderful story with depth and nuance, outstanding music, and remains playable to this day. It's twenty years later and I still got excited a year ago when I found a little Chrono/Robo/Ayla figurine I could put on my desk at work.
2) Final Fantasy VI - This game would make my top 10 based solely on the image of Terra throwing herself off the cliff after waking up in the world of ruin, but it has so much more. Like Chrono Trigger, FF VI is full of characters that will stick with you even 20 years later. I have played numerous RPG's that I can barely remember, and yet I guarantee you 30 years from now I'll still be able to tell you about each of the heroes in this game.
3) Skyrim - The first game to truly deliver on the idea of putting you in a fantasy world and just opening it up for exploration. Truly exemplifies the idea of "if you can see it, you can walk to it and interact with it". This game is at its best when you truly get in the head of your character and are walking through the wilderness, appreciating the amazing world that has been crafted for you.
4) Fallout - To a generation of 80's kids raised on swords and sorcery JRPG's, Fallout opened up a whole new world of other potential settings. A consistent, quasi-realistic world where you struggled w/ spears and hoarded bullets at the start before ending up as power-armored monsters by the end.
5) Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen - An innovative gameplay system (directing armies of RPG characters across maps) and an interesting story much more focused on real world themes (politics, religious conflict) than most games. Also notable for the enormous amount of extra content available to the dedicated/persistent/insane if you really wanted to dig in, look for secrets, etc.
6) Phantasy Star 3 - I'll probably be crucified for this one, but this was the first 16 bit generation RPG I ever saw, and possibly the first 16 bit game I ever saw in person, and it changed my understanding of what video games could do. I was blown away when I solved the main quest and found out I'd be continuing on w/ my characters' descendents going forward. Having only played through 2 once too long ago to remember much, and not having played 4, I will admit to my inclusion of PS3 here likely being influenced by a strong desire to include Phantasy Star on the list and this one being the only one I have the experience w/ to talk about.
7) World of Warcraft - The definitive MMO. You either love MMO's or hate them, and if you love them there is none better than World of Warcraft.
8) Final Fantasy VII - Redefined what a JRPG could be to a Western audience. Tells an interesting story with fun, timeless characters.
9) Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Like other games on this list, this game proves the primacy of strong characters to an RPG. Dragonfall's predecessor, Dead Man's Switch, was similar/identical in terms of mechanics, but did not have the interesting characters to carry a story the way Dragonfall did. Like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI, I will likely never forget Glory and Eiger's characters. Proved that there was still demand for this type of old school party-based rpg and that you did not need a huge, Square-enix style budget to be successful.
10) Mass Effect 2 - I'm obviously pretty locked in on a theme at this point, but again, this game takes characterization to a level only rarely met in most games.
Honorable Mentions
(In no particular order, just a few random comments for most)
Skies of Arcadia - Setting alone deserves honorable mention
Valkyria Chronicles - Setting, characters, innovative and fun battle system
Phantasy Star 2
Final Fantasy X
Dragon Wars - Early PC/Apple game (I think I first played it on a Apple IIgs). Allowed deep character customization, dealt with mature themes. A mostly forgotten hidden gem.
Deus Ex - Masterpiece of first person RPG
Tales of Symphonia
Dark Souls - Near perfect combat system, fantastic setting, innovative online mechanics
Baldur's Gate 2 - What more needs to be said? Given more time to reflect I'd probably have to get this into my top 10 somehow.
Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - No game I've ever played has let me inhabit my character's mindset more than this one. The haunted house scenario alone is enough to make this one of my favorite games of all time.
2) Final Fantasy VI - This game would make my top 10 based solely on the image of Terra throwing herself off the cliff after waking up in the world of ruin, but it has so much more. Like Chrono Trigger, FF VI is full of characters that will stick with you even 20 years later. I have played numerous RPG's that I can barely remember, and yet I guarantee you 30 years from now I'll still be able to tell you about each of the heroes in this game.
3) Skyrim - The first game to truly deliver on the idea of putting you in a fantasy world and just opening it up for exploration. Truly exemplifies the idea of "if you can see it, you can walk to it and interact with it". This game is at its best when you truly get in the head of your character and are walking through the wilderness, appreciating the amazing world that has been crafted for you.
4) Fallout - To a generation of 80's kids raised on swords and sorcery JRPG's, Fallout opened up a whole new world of other potential settings. A consistent, quasi-realistic world where you struggled w/ spears and hoarded bullets at the start before ending up as power-armored monsters by the end.
5) Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen - An innovative gameplay system (directing armies of RPG characters across maps) and an interesting story much more focused on real world themes (politics, religious conflict) than most games. Also notable for the enormous amount of extra content available to the dedicated/persistent/insane if you really wanted to dig in, look for secrets, etc.
6) Phantasy Star 3 - I'll probably be crucified for this one, but this was the first 16 bit generation RPG I ever saw, and possibly the first 16 bit game I ever saw in person, and it changed my understanding of what video games could do. I was blown away when I solved the main quest and found out I'd be continuing on w/ my characters' descendents going forward. Having only played through 2 once too long ago to remember much, and not having played 4, I will admit to my inclusion of PS3 here likely being influenced by a strong desire to include Phantasy Star on the list and this one being the only one I have the experience w/ to talk about.
7) World of Warcraft - The definitive MMO. You either love MMO's or hate them, and if you love them there is none better than World of Warcraft.
8) Final Fantasy VII - Redefined what a JRPG could be to a Western audience. Tells an interesting story with fun, timeless characters.
9) Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Like other games on this list, this game proves the primacy of strong characters to an RPG. Dragonfall's predecessor, Dead Man's Switch, was similar/identical in terms of mechanics, but did not have the interesting characters to carry a story the way Dragonfall did. Like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI, I will likely never forget Glory and Eiger's characters. Proved that there was still demand for this type of old school party-based rpg and that you did not need a huge, Square-enix style budget to be successful.
10) Mass Effect 2 - I'm obviously pretty locked in on a theme at this point, but again, this game takes characterization to a level only rarely met in most games.
Honorable Mentions
(In no particular order, just a few random comments for most)
Skies of Arcadia - Setting alone deserves honorable mention
Valkyria Chronicles - Setting, characters, innovative and fun battle system
Phantasy Star 2
Final Fantasy X
Dragon Wars - Early PC/Apple game (I think I first played it on a Apple IIgs). Allowed deep character customization, dealt with mature themes. A mostly forgotten hidden gem.
Deus Ex - Masterpiece of first person RPG
Tales of Symphonia
Dark Souls - Near perfect combat system, fantastic setting, innovative online mechanics
Baldur's Gate 2 - What more needs to be said? Given more time to reflect I'd probably have to get this into my top 10 somehow.
Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines - No game I've ever played has let me inhabit my character's mindset more than this one. The haunted house scenario alone is enough to make this one of my favorite games of all time.
SatoAilDarko
Member
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (3 points): This is my favorite game of all time and will probably only get voted on by me. What makes this game special is how it explores the relationships between people and the meaning no loneliness. It perfectly captures the sense of loneliness going through the ruins of an abandoned world. While its main narrative is amazing the memory items one finds are what makes this game a masterpiece. These items tell voiced short stories of their owners and examine humanity in all of its facets. The environments are little with graffiti messages and cats to simply befriend. You map is filled in as you go and is hand-drawn. The combat while simple and repetitive unintentionally matches the atmosphere perfectly. Truly one of the best experiences in my life.
Xenoblade Chronicles: A game that does a lot right in terms of adding smart features. The landmark system eased backtracking. The relationship system helped with the many sidequests. The psychic powers of the main character was used to identify items you obtained as being important to quests in the future. Even lost forever items could be traded for later.
Finally it just had such a large and beautiful world to explore with tons to do. The combat was also real-time and tons of fun.
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean: I consider this and its prequel strongly tied together. The latter is built bout of this one. I love the look of the prerendered backgrounds and the amazing soundtrack by Tri-Crescendo. It had my favorite turn-based battle system with its cards. It forced you to think every turn depending on your hand while allowing you to prepare before hand in creating a deck. A very good story and some fun sidequests.
Baten Kaitos Origins: The game is an improvement in several ways. Some like the battle system much more and while I agree removing defense cards was good I miss the four corner options of the first. I liked that health regenerated between battles too. Most of all I liked the story. Its the best video game prequel because bit expands on everything in the first game, explaining several things while never really returning anything. It solves all the mysteries (except one small one it introduces) that as much as I love the series I kind of don't want any more.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers: No body but me well vote for this. It doesn't change the fact I liked it a lot. There's unique and great combat system and neat world to interact with. There are in fact over a hundred medals you can earn for these interactions. Unfortunately these should have been tied to NPC'S quest givers instead the game feels empty with no one to talk too. Still well done for having one of the best motion-controlled gameplay.
Honorable Mentions:
Going to combined some honorable mentions because they are so similar or I feel they are part of a larger whole. Disregard if unacceptable.
Paper Mario
PM: Thousand Year Door
The writing is clever and the battle system uses active button timing to make you engaged. I love the environment puzzles that use your teammates. I like how to me these games flesh out the World of Mario I adore in the platfomers.
Xenosaga I
Xenosaga II
Xenosaga III
Xenosaga is an incredibly flawed series yet one I feel it was tremendously enjoyable and very interesting.
The three games form one continuous story. What's interesting to me is seeing the very clear differences between each game in art style, battle system and storytelling.
The first two episodes of Xenosaga supposedly had content cut for time and boy does it feel like it. The first third of the Xenosaga II feels like the end of I while the rest of the episode feels kind of pointless and padded with some world-building elements. At the end it seems like they are setting up at least two more games.
Instead they got one. What happened is that Episode III begins in the heat of the action constantly refering to events in a Japanese only Flash animation. They was also a Japanese-only cell phone game that was also key to one character.
The game itself rushes through revelations and plot points. While the prior two get felt like half episodes this one feels like they stuffed two into it.
It's still a very enjoyable series. With a very unique premise. The problem is that it is very flawed as well due to the way it was planned and what was ultimately delivered. Still one of my favorites.
Dracandros
Banned
I literally cannot decide what games I should give honorable mentions to out of my list of about 25.
Since my tastes are wildly different than anyone else's (at least it looks that way haha), do you think picking the 10 that appear the least would be a good idea?
I think I will keep Tales of the Abyss and Sword of Fargoal regardless.
Since my tastes are wildly different than anyone else's (at least it looks that way haha), do you think picking the 10 that appear the least would be a good idea?
I think I will keep Tales of the Abyss and Sword of Fargoal regardless.
You only seem to have 5 games on your regular list, instead of the 10 you are allowed. If you have 25 games, you could fit 20 of them between the regular list and HMs.
If you are justifying your picks, then it might make sense to go with games that are less likely to show up. That way people who read through the individual lists might come across something new. Obviously, voting for a game that will only get 1-2 mentions overall won't make a difference to the overall aggregate list, but your post will still be there to read.
zero shift
Banned
1.
Shin Megami Tensei IV:
There was a lot of anticipation for Shin Megami Tensei IV. It had been nearly ten years since Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne reached foreign shores, which significantly put a new perspective on the JRPG genre. While IV isn't a perfect game, no game is, it definitely is an incredibly fleshed out one. The game made many important changes to the series, most notably that you can now customize what abilities you and your demons keep and what ones they leave. This is sort of a double edged sword though because while you don't have to deal with headaches to find matching demon fusions in order to not lose a certain ability, it does make the game a bit easier.
Luckily however Atlus thought this through. Shin Megami Tensei IV is a game where the sidequests are the backbone of the game. There are so many quests that offer a variety of difficulty and uniqueness that it is impossible to not want to go through the game a second (or even third) time.In fact I'd go as far as to say that one's second playthrough of the game is better than their first due to finding so many enjoyable sidequests.
In addition to the quests the game also features bitesized dungeons that make the game perfect for a portable playthrough. While they aren't as grandiose as say Nocturne's or Soul Hackers, they do scratch one's itch. They also are featured in a variety different environments and settings that help keep the game interesting.
Add in the classic things that make Megaten such as the press turn battle system, variety of abilities and demons, and a "choose your own path" story, and you have what is possibly the best RPG ever.
2.
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines:
Before you had the vampire craze with Twilight, Trueblood,and Vampire Diaries, the concept of vampires was something rarely touched. Having a game based on vampires some years ago was a very ballsy choice in a genre dominated by fantasy and sci-fi. An RPG based around vampires may seem silly but after playing Bloodlines you will become a believer. The focuses on the player entering an underground society of many different vampire clans (in which you choose which you are a part of). The rest of the game has the player follow an adventure of exploring this world.
What really makes this game are three things: the setting, exploration of a tightly knit 3D world, and classic "abundance of choice" WRPG gameplay. The game does all three of these things very well. When playing the game you truly feel like you are in an underground world with rules, hierarchy, conflicts, and secrets. While today the 3D world may seem a bit archaic to some, it is tightly designed and makes it very enjoyable, especially when finding hidden quests and areas. The game also features an abundance of choice and "choose what you want to do" situations. Overall it is likely the finest example of WRPGs yet.
3.
Mother 3:
Mother 3 was never officially released outside of Japan and I am okay with that. In some ways I actually prefer that this happened. The reason why I am saying such blasphemy is because otherwise we wouldn't likely have gotten the fantastic "fan" translation (fan is in quotes because it was done by a professional) that refused to water down the game. Mother 3 touched upon many themes that Nintendo, and most developers/publishers in general, ignore such as LGBT characters and the like that would have gotten swept under the rug if it was officially localized for North America and Europe.
As Mother 3 stands, it is arguably the best RPG ever. It may not be the deepest game, but it certainly is one of the most entertaining ones. The game's pacing is top notch, the characters are fantastic, the writing is amongst the best in gaming, and atmosphere and artstyle are to die for. It is possibly the best example of a game bringing out that "classic JRPG feel" which is so ironic being that the game prides itself in being different and weird. And I feel that this last sentence perfectly summarizes the game, it truly is something that stays with you for a long time.
4.
The Witcher 2:
In many ways I consider The Witcher 2 to be the best WRPG of the past decade. Containing deep and game changing "choose your own path" gameplay and graphics that one could describe as next (or today current) generation, it isn't hard to see why. The original Witcher was one of the finest RPGs ever made and its sequel pulls no punches. You are again faced with many moral dilemmas as there is no clear correct choice before you. The combat has been significantly improved as it flows much smoother then it did in its predecessor.
The game itself has many memorable moments such as the difficult battle in the beginning, the interaction with stunning looking trolls, and epic boss battles that challenges the player's execution. It's difficult to believe that the game will be pushing four years old as the third installment is about to roll out. I really hope that this game goes down a peg for next years list as I hope the sequel could surpass this game's quality.
5.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King:
There is nothing that needs to be said about this game other than it is the perfect rendition of classic 2D JRPG gameplay evolved into a 3D world. Everything is transitioned perfectly from the setting, to the characters, to the story. But what really catches the player is the world. The game doesn't use a world map per say,but rather has one giant seemless map to explore. And unlike say something such as the Elder Scrolls, it is all crafted for the player and not randomly generated. Sure it isn't the biggest world, and it does seem like a waste to craft such a sizable world when the character has to go to follow a specific path (literally) at a time. But it is the fact that I can stray off of the path for a few minutes in one direction and decide to explore and fight monsters and find secret treasure that truly make the game. It really makes you feel that you are truly an adventurer.
The only thing in the game that matches the feeling of exploration is just the charm of the game.There is so much love and care placed into every single thing in the game. The characters in the game are just perfect as are their backstories. The places you visit are all harmonious to the setting. This is very rare for such a big budget game. And speaking of big budget the game also contains professional voice acting and a soundtrack by the London Symphony Orchestra. With an engaging epic story that takes nearly one hundred hours to tell, fantastic artstyle, memorable characters, and great pacing, this is clearly a hallmark in gaming.
6.
The World Ends With You:
In the mid-2000s a fair share of developers felt that the JRPG genre was getting stagnant. This resulted in many games coming out at that time which claimed to being either very unique (Persona 3) or turning the genre on its head (Contact). The World Ends With You is a game that definitely falls into this category. First it's a game developed and published by the least likely company associated by the genre. Square-Enix was still known for making flashy, cinematic, 3D games. The World Ends With You is a non-flashy, text based, 2D game. What's more is that Square-Enix relied on old talent and old IPs The World Ends With You was made by new talent and was a new IP. The game was highly unusual for the company and it truly shows in its results.
The game is just very fun, very unique, and is filled with style. It's the RPG equivalent of Jet Set Radio. It has a very appealing artstyle with some very catchy and memorable tunes (though the lyrics leave a lot to be desired).The story, while not a masterpiece, is pretty interesting and unique with a good cast of characters. The game *story spoilers*
It also really makes you hate your nemesis.
The battle system is very fun and incredibly unique and makes strong use of the Nintendo DS's dual screen and touch screen feature. You have the option of controlling both characters at the exact same time while fighting off enemies. It may be overwhelming at first but by midpoint of the game it becomes easy (and if it's not you can change it so the top is autobattling).There's also the fact that many movies depend on gestures on the touch screen and even sounds on the microphone. Strangely these things doesn't feel like gimmicks when using them, but feel very natural to the point where it is hard to imagine the game not using them (which is apparently the case for the iPad version). It's not the greatest JRPG ever made, but of all of the top games in the genre, it is the most unique and the one with the most style.
7.
Persona 3:
Persona 3 clearly explained two things to gamers. The first is that Playstation 2 is not anywhere close to being dead. The second is why the Japanese liked dating sims so much. Persona 3 is a game that marries classic dungeon crawling gameplay with high school relationships. The only thing crazier than the concept is how well it works.Both compliment each other perfectly. When you want some story and laid back gameplay, you spend your time wandering around school and the shopping mall during the day. When you want to get down and dirty with dungeon crawling action you spend more time exploring the dungeon at night. It is so simple yet so effective. But what really makes it work is how interconnected things are. The social links are more than a convenient way to tell stories and add replayablity, they are also a way to have you chose which stats your character receives and invests in as you get rewarded by completing social links with abilities. What could have been a half-assed attempt at blending two popular genres is carefully crafted.
However it isn't just the social link system that makes the game great. The engaging story, fun characters, and stylish mood and atmosphere really make the game. In all honesty, the game has been surpassed in many ways by its hipper and cooler sequel. Unfortunately I feel that that game was just paced poorly. Maybe it was because I was burnt out with RPGs when I played it but I dropped that game halfway through. However with Persona 3 I put in over 90 hours. Because of that it makes the list.
8.
Fallout: New Vegas::
The best way I can describe Fallout: New Vegas? Well take everything I said about Dragon Quest VIII, and replace "classic JRPG traits into a 3D setting" to "classic WRPG traits into 3D setting" and you have it. Fallout: New Vegas perfectly accomplishes what the old isometric WRPGs such as Fallout and Arcanum were in a 3D space, but added with real world 3D travel. That's all I can really explain about it. The non-linearity, the "you create the relationship" party members, and complex interconnecting quests. The WRPG genre has had a resurgence this year and if someone were to ask me what is the closest AAA full 3D game to Wasteland 2 or Divinity the answer would have to be Fallout: New Vegas. I can't think of any other comment to make about the game other to how much better it is than Fallout 3 (Obsidian >>>>>>>Bethesda).
9.
The Witcher:
The Witcher is a classic case of "being surpassed by your successor". At the time of its release it was widely considered as the best WRPG of the modern era. It was a title that it widely held until the release of its sequel.The game was surpassed in pretty much every single way. Despite this the game doesn't deserve to be ignored and is still masterpiece.
First off, one must look when The Witcher was released. The WRPG genre had recently started shifting from being a PC only genre to one that focused on consoles first. This led to many game series such as the Elder Scrolls (and soon Fallout) getting very watered down. While other games were promising big worlds and character customization options, The Witcher promised a game where the player had to make hard moral choices and PC gaming play styles. The game ended up largely delivering with that. It focused on the player's choices more so than combat or world exploring. Choosing who has rights to a child or who lives and who dies is rarely something seen in games, yet with The Witcher it is something very common. The game's setting is also a breath of fresh air as it wears its Eastern European folklore high fantasy (albeit dark) setting with a badge of honor rather than try and hide it. It really sets itself apart from other RPGs with similar settings. In short this is a game every PC gamer should have on their must play list.
10.
Skies of Arcadia:
Ten is by far the most difficult rank to work with. It's even more difficult to pick what game makes number ten then number one. The thing is that when you are debating what game should go on the top spot and what game should go at the second (or third) spot, the game's still chart. However with number ten the game doesn't chart. At best it gets an "honorable mention" spot, depending on who is making the list. And I'm not one of the people who do "honorable mentions". There are many other games I could have put at this spot.and being honest some would have made more sense to. Skies of Arcadia is by no means a perfect game. The battle system is so simplistic it is reminiscent of games released a decade before it, the writing is that of a 4Kids cartoon, the encounter rate is ridiculous, and it's probably the easiest RPG I've ever played.What makes me pick Skies of Arcade above other games is that there are many things found in Skies of Arcadia that just aren't found in other games.
First off the game has an early 3D feel and charm to it the same way that Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time does. Skies of Arcade is often argued as the first 3D JRPG to get 3D design right. The game doesn't used pre-rendered backgrounds but a full 3rd person camera at all times. Sure the dungeons are laughably specific and the towns are often very small, but that's all part of its charm. And really, much like Dragon Quest VIII, the game oozes with charm. To the upbeat characters to the blue sky story, the game is basically a playable shonen anime. You regularly find yourself connecting with your characters and environments as they are perfectly structured. To add to this the game also spots a unique and enjoyable airship battles, which pale in today's Assassin Creed's world, but still get the job done. Overall Skies of Arcade is a flawed masterpiece, but a masterpiece nonetheless.
Shin Megami Tensei IV:
There was a lot of anticipation for Shin Megami Tensei IV. It had been nearly ten years since Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne reached foreign shores, which significantly put a new perspective on the JRPG genre. While IV isn't a perfect game, no game is, it definitely is an incredibly fleshed out one. The game made many important changes to the series, most notably that you can now customize what abilities you and your demons keep and what ones they leave. This is sort of a double edged sword though because while you don't have to deal with headaches to find matching demon fusions in order to not lose a certain ability, it does make the game a bit easier.
Luckily however Atlus thought this through. Shin Megami Tensei IV is a game where the sidequests are the backbone of the game. There are so many quests that offer a variety of difficulty and uniqueness that it is impossible to not want to go through the game a second (or even third) time.In fact I'd go as far as to say that one's second playthrough of the game is better than their first due to finding so many enjoyable sidequests.
In addition to the quests the game also features bitesized dungeons that make the game perfect for a portable playthrough. While they aren't as grandiose as say Nocturne's or Soul Hackers, they do scratch one's itch. They also are featured in a variety different environments and settings that help keep the game interesting.
Add in the classic things that make Megaten such as the press turn battle system, variety of abilities and demons, and a "choose your own path" story, and you have what is possibly the best RPG ever.
2.
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines:
Before you had the vampire craze with Twilight, Trueblood,and Vampire Diaries, the concept of vampires was something rarely touched. Having a game based on vampires some years ago was a very ballsy choice in a genre dominated by fantasy and sci-fi. An RPG based around vampires may seem silly but after playing Bloodlines you will become a believer. The focuses on the player entering an underground society of many different vampire clans (in which you choose which you are a part of). The rest of the game has the player follow an adventure of exploring this world.
What really makes this game are three things: the setting, exploration of a tightly knit 3D world, and classic "abundance of choice" WRPG gameplay. The game does all three of these things very well. When playing the game you truly feel like you are in an underground world with rules, hierarchy, conflicts, and secrets. While today the 3D world may seem a bit archaic to some, it is tightly designed and makes it very enjoyable, especially when finding hidden quests and areas. The game also features an abundance of choice and "choose what you want to do" situations. Overall it is likely the finest example of WRPGs yet.
3.
Mother 3:
Mother 3 was never officially released outside of Japan and I am okay with that. In some ways I actually prefer that this happened. The reason why I am saying such blasphemy is because otherwise we wouldn't likely have gotten the fantastic "fan" translation (fan is in quotes because it was done by a professional) that refused to water down the game. Mother 3 touched upon many themes that Nintendo, and most developers/publishers in general, ignore such as LGBT characters and the like that would have gotten swept under the rug if it was officially localized for North America and Europe.
As Mother 3 stands, it is arguably the best RPG ever. It may not be the deepest game, but it certainly is one of the most entertaining ones. The game's pacing is top notch, the characters are fantastic, the writing is amongst the best in gaming, and atmosphere and artstyle are to die for. It is possibly the best example of a game bringing out that "classic JRPG feel" which is so ironic being that the game prides itself in being different and weird. And I feel that this last sentence perfectly summarizes the game, it truly is something that stays with you for a long time.
4.
The Witcher 2:
In many ways I consider The Witcher 2 to be the best WRPG of the past decade. Containing deep and game changing "choose your own path" gameplay and graphics that one could describe as next (or today current) generation, it isn't hard to see why. The original Witcher was one of the finest RPGs ever made and its sequel pulls no punches. You are again faced with many moral dilemmas as there is no clear correct choice before you. The combat has been significantly improved as it flows much smoother then it did in its predecessor.
The game itself has many memorable moments such as the difficult battle in the beginning, the interaction with stunning looking trolls, and epic boss battles that challenges the player's execution. It's difficult to believe that the game will be pushing four years old as the third installment is about to roll out. I really hope that this game goes down a peg for next years list as I hope the sequel could surpass this game's quality.
5.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King:
There is nothing that needs to be said about this game other than it is the perfect rendition of classic 2D JRPG gameplay evolved into a 3D world. Everything is transitioned perfectly from the setting, to the characters, to the story. But what really catches the player is the world. The game doesn't use a world map per say,but rather has one giant seemless map to explore. And unlike say something such as the Elder Scrolls, it is all crafted for the player and not randomly generated. Sure it isn't the biggest world, and it does seem like a waste to craft such a sizable world when the character has to go to follow a specific path (literally) at a time. But it is the fact that I can stray off of the path for a few minutes in one direction and decide to explore and fight monsters and find secret treasure that truly make the game. It really makes you feel that you are truly an adventurer.
The only thing in the game that matches the feeling of exploration is just the charm of the game.There is so much love and care placed into every single thing in the game. The characters in the game are just perfect as are their backstories. The places you visit are all harmonious to the setting. This is very rare for such a big budget game. And speaking of big budget the game also contains professional voice acting and a soundtrack by the London Symphony Orchestra. With an engaging epic story that takes nearly one hundred hours to tell, fantastic artstyle, memorable characters, and great pacing, this is clearly a hallmark in gaming.
6.
The World Ends With You:
In the mid-2000s a fair share of developers felt that the JRPG genre was getting stagnant. This resulted in many games coming out at that time which claimed to being either very unique (Persona 3) or turning the genre on its head (Contact). The World Ends With You is a game that definitely falls into this category. First it's a game developed and published by the least likely company associated by the genre. Square-Enix was still known for making flashy, cinematic, 3D games. The World Ends With You is a non-flashy, text based, 2D game. What's more is that Square-Enix relied on old talent and old IPs The World Ends With You was made by new talent and was a new IP. The game was highly unusual for the company and it truly shows in its results.
The game is just very fun, very unique, and is filled with style. It's the RPG equivalent of Jet Set Radio. It has a very appealing artstyle with some very catchy and memorable tunes (though the lyrics leave a lot to be desired).The story, while not a masterpiece, is pretty interesting and unique with a good cast of characters. The game *story spoilers*
uses a groundhog day system in which you have to relive the same time multiple times but unlike in other games it doesn't really drain the game's story or setting but makes it more interesting.
The battle system is very fun and incredibly unique and makes strong use of the Nintendo DS's dual screen and touch screen feature. You have the option of controlling both characters at the exact same time while fighting off enemies. It may be overwhelming at first but by midpoint of the game it becomes easy (and if it's not you can change it so the top is autobattling).There's also the fact that many movies depend on gestures on the touch screen and even sounds on the microphone. Strangely these things doesn't feel like gimmicks when using them, but feel very natural to the point where it is hard to imagine the game not using them (which is apparently the case for the iPad version). It's not the greatest JRPG ever made, but of all of the top games in the genre, it is the most unique and the one with the most style.
7.
Persona 3:
Persona 3 clearly explained two things to gamers. The first is that Playstation 2 is not anywhere close to being dead. The second is why the Japanese liked dating sims so much. Persona 3 is a game that marries classic dungeon crawling gameplay with high school relationships. The only thing crazier than the concept is how well it works.Both compliment each other perfectly. When you want some story and laid back gameplay, you spend your time wandering around school and the shopping mall during the day. When you want to get down and dirty with dungeon crawling action you spend more time exploring the dungeon at night. It is so simple yet so effective. But what really makes it work is how interconnected things are. The social links are more than a convenient way to tell stories and add replayablity, they are also a way to have you chose which stats your character receives and invests in as you get rewarded by completing social links with abilities. What could have been a half-assed attempt at blending two popular genres is carefully crafted.
However it isn't just the social link system that makes the game great. The engaging story, fun characters, and stylish mood and atmosphere really make the game. In all honesty, the game has been surpassed in many ways by its hipper and cooler sequel. Unfortunately I feel that that game was just paced poorly. Maybe it was because I was burnt out with RPGs when I played it but I dropped that game halfway through. However with Persona 3 I put in over 90 hours. Because of that it makes the list.
8.
Fallout: New Vegas::
The best way I can describe Fallout: New Vegas? Well take everything I said about Dragon Quest VIII, and replace "classic JRPG traits into a 3D setting" to "classic WRPG traits into 3D setting" and you have it. Fallout: New Vegas perfectly accomplishes what the old isometric WRPGs such as Fallout and Arcanum were in a 3D space, but added with real world 3D travel. That's all I can really explain about it. The non-linearity, the "you create the relationship" party members, and complex interconnecting quests. The WRPG genre has had a resurgence this year and if someone were to ask me what is the closest AAA full 3D game to Wasteland 2 or Divinity the answer would have to be Fallout: New Vegas. I can't think of any other comment to make about the game other to how much better it is than Fallout 3 (Obsidian >>>>>>>Bethesda).
9.
The Witcher:
The Witcher is a classic case of "being surpassed by your successor". At the time of its release it was widely considered as the best WRPG of the modern era. It was a title that it widely held until the release of its sequel.The game was surpassed in pretty much every single way. Despite this the game doesn't deserve to be ignored and is still masterpiece.
First off, one must look when The Witcher was released. The WRPG genre had recently started shifting from being a PC only genre to one that focused on consoles first. This led to many game series such as the Elder Scrolls (and soon Fallout) getting very watered down. While other games were promising big worlds and character customization options, The Witcher promised a game where the player had to make hard moral choices and PC gaming play styles. The game ended up largely delivering with that. It focused on the player's choices more so than combat or world exploring. Choosing who has rights to a child or who lives and who dies is rarely something seen in games, yet with The Witcher it is something very common. The game's setting is also a breath of fresh air as it wears its Eastern European folklore high fantasy (albeit dark) setting with a badge of honor rather than try and hide it. It really sets itself apart from other RPGs with similar settings. In short this is a game every PC gamer should have on their must play list.
10.
Skies of Arcadia:
Ten is by far the most difficult rank to work with. It's even more difficult to pick what game makes number ten then number one. The thing is that when you are debating what game should go on the top spot and what game should go at the second (or third) spot, the game's still chart. However with number ten the game doesn't chart. At best it gets an "honorable mention" spot, depending on who is making the list. And I'm not one of the people who do "honorable mentions". There are many other games I could have put at this spot.and being honest some would have made more sense to. Skies of Arcadia is by no means a perfect game. The battle system is so simplistic it is reminiscent of games released a decade before it, the writing is that of a 4Kids cartoon, the encounter rate is ridiculous, and it's probably the easiest RPG I've ever played.What makes me pick Skies of Arcade above other games is that there are many things found in Skies of Arcadia that just aren't found in other games.
First off the game has an early 3D feel and charm to it the same way that Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time does. Skies of Arcade is often argued as the first 3D JRPG to get 3D design right. The game doesn't used pre-rendered backgrounds but a full 3rd person camera at all times. Sure the dungeons are laughably specific and the towns are often very small, but that's all part of its charm. And really, much like Dragon Quest VIII, the game oozes with charm. To the upbeat characters to the blue sky story, the game is basically a playable shonen anime. You regularly find yourself connecting with your characters and environments as they are perfectly structured. To add to this the game also spots a unique and enjoyable airship battles, which pale in today's Assassin Creed's world, but still get the job done. Overall Skies of Arcade is a flawed masterpiece, but a masterpiece nonetheless.
Dracandros
Banned
Fair enough and thanks!
It's not about whether people really read my post or not. If people think that my list is crazy or wrong, that's cool and I'd rather know. I was just thinking that it would be best if the knowledge was there for people to make up their own minds.
I'll add the games that are barely mentioned or not mentioned at all then (but still pretty much in the large group of games I really liked), whether they make the list or not.
Sir Garbageman
Member
1) Mass Effect 2 - My personal GOAT, wonderful gameplay and interesting characters all set in one of my favorite fiction universes
2) Final Fantasy Tactics - Best SRPG of all time, insanely deep job system and interesting political backdrop
3) Baldur's Gate 2 - Classic D&D, and one of the most expansive and "complete" RPGs, super deep combat, interesting quests, etc.
4) Chrono Trigger - Best jrpg, simple yet fun battle system, charming characters and world with a fantastic OST
5) Dark Souls - Best action RPG, extremely deep and challenging gameplay
6) Planescape Torment - Arguably the best story in an rpg ever
7) Dragon Age Origins - Another "complete" RPG, deep combat, great npcs, great story
8) Mass Effect - Beginning of the one of the best RPG franchises ever
9) Witcher 2 - So-so action combat but the dark medieval setting and bad ass main character makes up for it
10)Divinity Original Sin- Best turn based combat ever in an RPG
2) Final Fantasy Tactics - Best SRPG of all time, insanely deep job system and interesting political backdrop
3) Baldur's Gate 2 - Classic D&D, and one of the most expansive and "complete" RPGs, super deep combat, interesting quests, etc.
4) Chrono Trigger - Best jrpg, simple yet fun battle system, charming characters and world with a fantastic OST
5) Dark Souls - Best action RPG, extremely deep and challenging gameplay
6) Planescape Torment - Arguably the best story in an rpg ever
7) Dragon Age Origins - Another "complete" RPG, deep combat, great npcs, great story
8) Mass Effect - Beginning of the one of the best RPG franchises ever
9) Witcher 2 - So-so action combat but the dark medieval setting and bad ass main character makes up for it
10)Divinity Original Sin- Best turn based combat ever in an RPG
NUMBAWAN
Planescape: Torment (3 points) - Anyone interested in videogame writing needs to play this right now. Best in class setting, characters and storyline. Advice to new players: Keep the sphere
Unordered main choices
Baldur's Gate 2 - The scope of this game is out of control. Interesting quests are everywhere. It never ends.
Deus Ex - Immersive sims are RPGs too, right? At the time, it felt like the future of videogames. Still feels that way, unfortunately. The same goes for:
System Shock 2 - God I love immersive sims.
Dark Souls - Just being the best ARPG isn't enough for Dark Souls. Top-notch art design isn't either. From even managed to pack in a fascinating post-Rapture world, detailed through cryptic item descriptions and sparse character dialogue. Perfect world building.
Divinity: Original Sin - Best turn based battle system ever. Bonus points for the seamless co-op implementation. Wandering around in realtime while your partner is in a turn-based battle, and then being able to join the same battle halfway through? Incredible.
Skies of Arcadia - Sure, it has its problems, but dammit, everything is so bright and cheerful that it short circuits my brain. There's even a Suikoden-style base!
Persona 4 Golden - I want to live in Inaba. I also love the creepy subtext of the modern Persona games, where you get combat rewards for saying things you know others will like to hear.
X-COM: UFO Defense - A masterwork of game design. It's an SRPG with heavy city-building, economic and simulation elements. The fact that it doesn't instantly implode is astonishing.
Fallout: New Vegas - Picking NV over the earlier games was a tough call. In the end, I went with it for the world building. I love that Obsidian took the time to detail the infrastructure that makes the Mojave Wasteland work. It's storytelling on a massive scale in a way that's only possible in videogames.
Honorable mentions
Darklands - I'd have rated this higher if I had known that it existed before it appeared on GOG. I can hardly believe that it was even developed in the first place. Rather than list every brilliant feature that virtually all other RPGs miss, I'll point you to a retrospective: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/12/09/darklands-review/
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines - RIP Troika
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne - The other great Megaten game.
Might and Magic X - I really should have played these games when I was younger. Thankfully, Ubisoft went temporarily insane and released a top-notch modernized sequel and I loved every minute of it. Which reminds me:
Legend of Grimrock 2 - I'm actually playing through this right now. After seeing the first screenshots, I expected an expansion pack. That was a mistake. It's better in literally every way.
Planescape: Torment (3 points) - Anyone interested in videogame writing needs to play this right now. Best in class setting, characters and storyline. Advice to new players: Keep the sphere
Unordered main choices
Baldur's Gate 2 - The scope of this game is out of control. Interesting quests are everywhere. It never ends.
Deus Ex - Immersive sims are RPGs too, right? At the time, it felt like the future of videogames. Still feels that way, unfortunately. The same goes for:
System Shock 2 - God I love immersive sims.
Dark Souls - Just being the best ARPG isn't enough for Dark Souls. Top-notch art design isn't either. From even managed to pack in a fascinating post-Rapture world, detailed through cryptic item descriptions and sparse character dialogue. Perfect world building.
Divinity: Original Sin - Best turn based battle system ever. Bonus points for the seamless co-op implementation. Wandering around in realtime while your partner is in a turn-based battle, and then being able to join the same battle halfway through? Incredible.
Skies of Arcadia - Sure, it has its problems, but dammit, everything is so bright and cheerful that it short circuits my brain. There's even a Suikoden-style base!
Persona 4 Golden - I want to live in Inaba. I also love the creepy subtext of the modern Persona games, where you get combat rewards for saying things you know others will like to hear.
X-COM: UFO Defense - A masterwork of game design. It's an SRPG with heavy city-building, economic and simulation elements. The fact that it doesn't instantly implode is astonishing.
Fallout: New Vegas - Picking NV over the earlier games was a tough call. In the end, I went with it for the world building. I love that Obsidian took the time to detail the infrastructure that makes the Mojave Wasteland work. It's storytelling on a massive scale in a way that's only possible in videogames.
Honorable mentions
Darklands - I'd have rated this higher if I had known that it existed before it appeared on GOG. I can hardly believe that it was even developed in the first place. Rather than list every brilliant feature that virtually all other RPGs miss, I'll point you to a retrospective: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/12/09/darklands-review/
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines - RIP Troika
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne - The other great Megaten game.
Might and Magic X - I really should have played these games when I was younger. Thankfully, Ubisoft went temporarily insane and released a top-notch modernized sequel and I loved every minute of it. Which reminds me:
Legend of Grimrock 2 - I'm actually playing through this right now. After seeing the first screenshots, I expected an expansion pack. That was a mistake. It's better in literally every way.
Yeah, I fervently hope Ubisoft is not yet cured and experiences another episode like that.
Great list by the way, and it reminds me that I have to play Darklands one of these days.
decoyplatypus
Member
Thanks for running this thread one last time, kswiston. It’s been an invaluable source for suggestions. Since the 2013 edition I’ve filled in some embarrassing gaps in my library and replayed some games I hadn’t really looked at in over a decade. If someone takes up the mantle and runs this poll again in a few years, I’m guessing my top ten will look pretty different.*
*In the next few years, apart from diving into new titles like Pillars of Eternity, I am hoping to try out the Trails in the Sky, Arcanum, and Alpha Protocol.
I don’t have it in me to write credible comments, so I’m going to restrict myself to explaining changes in the lineup.
1. Suikoden 2 (3 points)
2. Dark Souls
3. Fallout: New Vegas
Despite loving Fallout 2, I skipped Fallout 3 entirely and didn’t touch New Vegas until 2013. I guess it was fear of first-person or something. How glad I am that GAF persuaded me it was a worthy Fallout successor. Multiple quest solutions are still the norm, and the writing is sharper than ever before. New Vegas spins from neo-noir to sci-fi comedy to post-apocalyptic horror without missing a beat. The dialogue trees are as deep and interesting as anything this side of Torment. And a sidequest like “Beyond the Beef,” which can be approached in nearly as many ways as the player can imagine, sets the standard for the entire genre. Combat continues to be a real weakness for the series. The best thing I can say about New Vegas’s combat is that it’s over quickly. Pity there’s still an awful lot of it.
4. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
If there’s a more addictive RPG series than Fire Emblem, please don’t tell me about it. I don’t have the time.
I can never decide between Genealogy of the Holy War, Path of Radiance, and Radiant Dawn. Last year I finally played Thracia 776, which might be the best of all. But I’m throwing my vote behind Path of Radiance because it usually does best in these polls.
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
6. Chrono Trigger
7. Pokémon Gold/Silver
8. Valkyria Chronicles
9. Divinity: Original Sin
I may be overrating it because I am still in shock from how good this game turned out to be. The battle system is intuitive, flexible, and fun as all hell. Teleporting oil barrels to douse clusters of enemies before my co-op partner chucked in a fireball, I got some of the creative rush of a tabletop game without suffering the cumbersome elements of a Baldur’s Gate. Maybe the plot was phoned-in, and maybe the writers could have aimed to make dialogue as fun as fighting, but those are problems few videogames evade.
10. Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
I played Bloodlines for the first time in 2012. I actually wasn’t all that taken with the writing that everyone raves about. Sure, the dialogue does a better-than-average job of bringing the characters to life, but the main plot is pretty dull, and sidequests and crit path alike have iffy punchlines in place of payoffs. What I did love was Bloodlines’ rules. The character sheets and clan affiliations do a tremendous job of forcing the player to role-play. The differences between malkavians, nosferatu, and venture, for example, are beautifully translated into the game mechanics. And the XP system smartly avoids favoring combat over other kinds of solutions. This game might climb higher when I replay it in a few years.
Honorable Mentions:
Dragon Quest 7
Planescape: Torment
Baldur’s Gate 2
*In the next few years, apart from diving into new titles like Pillars of Eternity, I am hoping to try out the Trails in the Sky, Arcanum, and Alpha Protocol.
I don’t have it in me to write credible comments, so I’m going to restrict myself to explaining changes in the lineup.
1. Suikoden 2 (3 points)
2. Dark Souls
3. Fallout: New Vegas
Despite loving Fallout 2, I skipped Fallout 3 entirely and didn’t touch New Vegas until 2013. I guess it was fear of first-person or something. How glad I am that GAF persuaded me it was a worthy Fallout successor. Multiple quest solutions are still the norm, and the writing is sharper than ever before. New Vegas spins from neo-noir to sci-fi comedy to post-apocalyptic horror without missing a beat. The dialogue trees are as deep and interesting as anything this side of Torment. And a sidequest like “Beyond the Beef,” which can be approached in nearly as many ways as the player can imagine, sets the standard for the entire genre. Combat continues to be a real weakness for the series. The best thing I can say about New Vegas’s combat is that it’s over quickly. Pity there’s still an awful lot of it.
4. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
If there’s a more addictive RPG series than Fire Emblem, please don’t tell me about it. I don’t have the time.
I can never decide between Genealogy of the Holy War, Path of Radiance, and Radiant Dawn. Last year I finally played Thracia 776, which might be the best of all. But I’m throwing my vote behind Path of Radiance because it usually does best in these polls.
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
6. Chrono Trigger
7. Pokémon Gold/Silver
8. Valkyria Chronicles
9. Divinity: Original Sin
I may be overrating it because I am still in shock from how good this game turned out to be. The battle system is intuitive, flexible, and fun as all hell. Teleporting oil barrels to douse clusters of enemies before my co-op partner chucked in a fireball, I got some of the creative rush of a tabletop game without suffering the cumbersome elements of a Baldur’s Gate. Maybe the plot was phoned-in, and maybe the writers could have aimed to make dialogue as fun as fighting, but those are problems few videogames evade.
10. Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
I played Bloodlines for the first time in 2012. I actually wasn’t all that taken with the writing that everyone raves about. Sure, the dialogue does a better-than-average job of bringing the characters to life, but the main plot is pretty dull, and sidequests and crit path alike have iffy punchlines in place of payoffs. What I did love was Bloodlines’ rules. The character sheets and clan affiliations do a tremendous job of forcing the player to role-play. The differences between malkavians, nosferatu, and venture, for example, are beautifully translated into the game mechanics. And the XP system smartly avoids favoring combat over other kinds of solutions. This game might climb higher when I replay it in a few years.
Honorable Mentions:
Dragon Quest 7
Planescape: Torment
Baldur’s Gate 2
I started with JRPG's mostly on PS1 then moved on to PC rpgs after that. So most of my list will be from those
I will mention only 1 game per series and that is my favorite from the said series
1) Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines
- As time goes on I become more convinced that this is my favorite rpg (or favorite video game even). With so many rpgs using a fantasy/sci-fi setting, bloodlines has become very memorable for me throughout the years. So much atmosphere, so much lore you'd want to read about, so much attitude!! The Malkavian is the best character I've ever played
2). Icewind Dale
- Six strangers band together to save the ten towns of Icewind Dale. Or at least, that's the story in my head when I played this since there is not much of a story. But that's what makes it memorable for me since I made the characters myself, compared to Baldur's gate which has pre-created party members. I can still remember my six characters after all these years. If you want to create your own party, IWD is one the best you can play. Bonus for the atmosphere (cold frontier/edge of the world), it was my skyrim before skyrim
3) Planescape Torment
- A lot of rpg players probably know by now that Planescape has one of the best if not the best story in rpgs. I can't really add anything more. I'll just say that reading books is my favorite pastime along with gaming, and Planescape is the perfect "Reading" game.
4) Baldurs Gate 2
- I can't name a standout quality of BG2 really. What I enjoyed the most with BG2 is the leveling system but other DnD RPGs use it too, nor it does not have the best characters or writing. What makes it good is just doing everything well.
5) Harvest Moon Back To Nature
- Yes, I consider this an RPG hehe, please indulge me. There are so many Harvest moons and I only played one so I had to google this and hope I got the title right. I played this on the PS1.
- So refreshing to have an rpg that doesn't require any fighting. What you do here instead is grow vegetables/fruit/foodstuff/flowers, raise animals, explore, talk to people, participate in events, get married, etc. You make lots of decisions here from which girl you want to romance/marry, which of the people in the village you make friends with/who you piss off, what's your stategy to get your farm back to profitability. The game does not wait for you either, events will happen without you regardless, you have a time limit to meet your target and you can lose the game. This makes for a great RPG in my book
6) Quest for Glory 5: Dragon Fire
- This is a point and click adventure and rpg hybrid. The scenario: a king was assassinated, you are brought in to the city to investigate the murder, in the cover of a participant in the contest to determine the ruler of the city. The game takes place in 1 location only with a few out of city locations but it's done very well, with a lot of NPC's to interact with, each having their own schedules + events on certain game times (dragon age 2 done right). You choose at the start to be a paladin, fighter, mage, or thief. And your choice will impact your playthrough, how you gradually unravel the murder, which characters will work with you, etc. There is stat-building as well and will determine how you go about solving quests. Like harvest moon, you have a set amount of time and the game clock will keep on ticking not waiting for you, adding some time management gameplay. The "whodunnit" nature of the game makes it one of my favorites.
7) Neverwinter Nights Hordes of the Underdark.
- While the base NWN campaign and the 1st expansion is merely "OK". This 2nd expansion is on my list mainly for its epicness. You go deeper and deeper until you reach hell itself to stop an invasion. Plus you reach the highest levels the DnD system allow which makes for some truly awesome character building.
8) Mass Effect 1
- One of my favorites mainly for its setting, and the feeling of discovering a brand new world.
9) The Witcher 1
- The witcher is, as far as I can remember, is the 1st rpg to make me really think about my narrative choices. There was a
scene where Geralt will finally decide which faction he will support, the moment I got there I had to stop playing as I can't make the decision immediately, I pondered it for a day while at work. Both sides are right, both sides are wrong, everything in gray. This compared with other RPGs where I don't even take a second to decide or worse, where there are no choices at all, is why I love the Witcher. And I prefer this over 2 because it has the better story + the atmosphere feels much much more authentic.
10) Risen
- Before risen, I have never played a Piranha Bytes rpg before, veterans of Gothic games can probably imagine how great I felt playing and discovering for the first time the best exploration gameplay in an rpg. Going off the beaten is a delight, places are memorable because PB are experts on placing subtle landmarks (that tree there, that cave here, that waterfall over there). And bonus points for having a set number of enemies on the island, it led to 2 things I liked:
a) That meant I had to become good at combat and conserve my supplies because XP and items are limited, I can't just grind
b) I can explore in peace. When the only remaining hostile on the island is the final boss, I took a tour of the island 1 last time. Wish more rpgs did this.
Honorable Mentions
Suikoden 2
- This game is carried by it cast of characters, 108+ and a lot of them memorable. There is good lore and world-building too.
Arcanum
- I've never finished it but the premise and setting is so good. Magic vs Technology.
Might and Magic 6: The Mandate of Heaven
- Tons of freedom, and another great exploration rpg.
Alpha Protocol
- If making choices w/ consequences is one of your favorite thing in games, Alpha Protocol is the best
Mount and Blade Warband
- Not much of a story (you can say none at all!), but that is what makes it great. Be whatever you want to be in this medieval warlord simulator. Holding and maintaining a battle line is one of my absolute best moments in gaming.
Final Fantasy 12
- My favorite battle sytem, macro over micro management for me. And maybe the best plot in all mainline FF games I've played.
Final Fantasy Tactics
- I love the writing and the plot. Best plot of any FF game
Diablo
- Great atmosphere, was my Souls game before Demon Souls
Azure Dreams
- A little known game on the PS1, set on 1 town only with 1 dungeon (like diablo). There are more things to do in the city however unlike diablo. More npcs to interact with, more events to participate in, and you do improvements on the town, your home, and your domestic life
Fallout New Vegas
- While I like FO3 more (only very very slightly), New Vegas is the better RPG much more. (Never played FO1 and FO2 but of course I'll remedy that someday)
Unranked Honorable Mentions
- KOTOR 2
- Jade Empire
- Divinity 2 The Dragon Knight Saga
- Skyrim
- Xenogears
- Demon Souls
- Earthbound
- The Legend of Dragoon
- Grandia
- Wild Arms
- Front Mission 3
I will mention only 1 game per series and that is my favorite from the said series
1) Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines
- As time goes on I become more convinced that this is my favorite rpg (or favorite video game even). With so many rpgs using a fantasy/sci-fi setting, bloodlines has become very memorable for me throughout the years. So much atmosphere, so much lore you'd want to read about, so much attitude!! The Malkavian is the best character I've ever played
2). Icewind Dale
- Six strangers band together to save the ten towns of Icewind Dale. Or at least, that's the story in my head when I played this since there is not much of a story. But that's what makes it memorable for me since I made the characters myself, compared to Baldur's gate which has pre-created party members. I can still remember my six characters after all these years. If you want to create your own party, IWD is one the best you can play. Bonus for the atmosphere (cold frontier/edge of the world), it was my skyrim before skyrim
3) Planescape Torment
- A lot of rpg players probably know by now that Planescape has one of the best if not the best story in rpgs. I can't really add anything more. I'll just say that reading books is my favorite pastime along with gaming, and Planescape is the perfect "Reading" game.
4) Baldurs Gate 2
- I can't name a standout quality of BG2 really. What I enjoyed the most with BG2 is the leveling system but other DnD RPGs use it too, nor it does not have the best characters or writing. What makes it good is just doing everything well.
5) Harvest Moon Back To Nature
- Yes, I consider this an RPG hehe, please indulge me. There are so many Harvest moons and I only played one so I had to google this and hope I got the title right. I played this on the PS1.
- So refreshing to have an rpg that doesn't require any fighting. What you do here instead is grow vegetables/fruit/foodstuff/flowers, raise animals, explore, talk to people, participate in events, get married, etc. You make lots of decisions here from which girl you want to romance/marry, which of the people in the village you make friends with/who you piss off, what's your stategy to get your farm back to profitability. The game does not wait for you either, events will happen without you regardless, you have a time limit to meet your target and you can lose the game. This makes for a great RPG in my book
6) Quest for Glory 5: Dragon Fire
- This is a point and click adventure and rpg hybrid. The scenario: a king was assassinated, you are brought in to the city to investigate the murder, in the cover of a participant in the contest to determine the ruler of the city. The game takes place in 1 location only with a few out of city locations but it's done very well, with a lot of NPC's to interact with, each having their own schedules + events on certain game times (dragon age 2 done right). You choose at the start to be a paladin, fighter, mage, or thief. And your choice will impact your playthrough, how you gradually unravel the murder, which characters will work with you, etc. There is stat-building as well and will determine how you go about solving quests. Like harvest moon, you have a set amount of time and the game clock will keep on ticking not waiting for you, adding some time management gameplay. The "whodunnit" nature of the game makes it one of my favorites.
7) Neverwinter Nights Hordes of the Underdark.
- While the base NWN campaign and the 1st expansion is merely "OK". This 2nd expansion is on my list mainly for its epicness. You go deeper and deeper until you reach hell itself to stop an invasion. Plus you reach the highest levels the DnD system allow which makes for some truly awesome character building.
8) Mass Effect 1
- One of my favorites mainly for its setting, and the feeling of discovering a brand new world.
9) The Witcher 1
- The witcher is, as far as I can remember, is the 1st rpg to make me really think about my narrative choices. There was a
bank robbery and hostage
10) Risen
- Before risen, I have never played a Piranha Bytes rpg before, veterans of Gothic games can probably imagine how great I felt playing and discovering for the first time the best exploration gameplay in an rpg. Going off the beaten is a delight, places are memorable because PB are experts on placing subtle landmarks (that tree there, that cave here, that waterfall over there). And bonus points for having a set number of enemies on the island, it led to 2 things I liked:
a) That meant I had to become good at combat and conserve my supplies because XP and items are limited, I can't just grind
b) I can explore in peace. When the only remaining hostile on the island is the final boss, I took a tour of the island 1 last time. Wish more rpgs did this.
Honorable Mentions
Suikoden 2
- This game is carried by it cast of characters, 108+ and a lot of them memorable. There is good lore and world-building too.
Arcanum
- I've never finished it but the premise and setting is so good. Magic vs Technology.
Might and Magic 6: The Mandate of Heaven
- Tons of freedom, and another great exploration rpg.
Alpha Protocol
- If making choices w/ consequences is one of your favorite thing in games, Alpha Protocol is the best
Mount and Blade Warband
- Not much of a story (you can say none at all!), but that is what makes it great. Be whatever you want to be in this medieval warlord simulator. Holding and maintaining a battle line is one of my absolute best moments in gaming.
Final Fantasy 12
- My favorite battle sytem, macro over micro management for me. And maybe the best plot in all mainline FF games I've played.
Final Fantasy Tactics
- I love the writing and the plot. Best plot of any FF game
Diablo
- Great atmosphere, was my Souls game before Demon Souls
Azure Dreams
- A little known game on the PS1, set on 1 town only with 1 dungeon (like diablo). There are more things to do in the city however unlike diablo. More npcs to interact with, more events to participate in, and you do improvements on the town, your home, and your domestic life
Fallout New Vegas
- While I like FO3 more (only very very slightly), New Vegas is the better RPG much more. (Never played FO1 and FO2 but of course I'll remedy that someday)
Unranked Honorable Mentions
- KOTOR 2
- Jade Empire
- Divinity 2 The Dragon Knight Saga
- Skyrim
- Xenogears
- Demon Souls
- Earthbound
- The Legend of Dragoon
- Grandia
- Wild Arms
- Front Mission 3
Nocturnowl
Member
I've been putting this off to the last minute, ah I'm not really one well versed in the genre as a whole (WRPG's I've played through in particular I might be able to count on one hand) but here's something anyway, as usual it's been fun seeing everyone's lists and just how much ground RPGs can cover across the board.
Now then in no particular order...
1) Dark Souls
Well this apparently fits the thread so here goes nothing.
Dark Souls drops you in a bleak world, gives you a vague pointer as to what you should be doing and then off you trot into the unknown, in my case the completely wrong direction at first leading to a less than welcoming start being savaged by skeletons, well eventually I found the stairs to the Undead Burgh.
Dark Souls is all about learning, you start knowing little, the early ventures are wrought with peril. Quick demises and rapid retries will gradually give way to being armed with the potent weapon of knowledge, areas that took hours to traverse previously can be sprinted across in minutes, each shortcut found displays just how fantastically the world is built like an “aha!” moment of slowly piecing together a complicated jigsaw puzzle, what started as a jumble starts to take form into a brilliant picture.
It’s a game enjoyable in its methodical approach with the calculated combat, careful traversal and keen eyed observation keeping you on your toes at all times, to make it back to those lost souls, to reach the next bonfire, to bypass that fog door, the game is filled with just as many small victories as there will be defeats and that’s what kept me returning again and again.
Atmosphere that’s second to none, a steady sense of progression that rewards exploration and some of the most triumphant victories you can experience toppling a hard fought boss for the umpteenth time, welcome to Dark Souls and contrary to its grim demeanor enjoy your stay because it’s actually a lot of fun.
2) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Having played a few FE titles now PoR is the one I return to most, it progresses in such a way that the difficulty balance feels just right like the perfect bath temperature while others like more recent outing Awakening are like unsuccessfully fiddling with the taps TOO HOT, TOO COLD!
PoR may not be the most challenging of the series yet it keeps the player involved with just enough challenge to spend minutes mulling over a single character movement without feeling like you’ll be up shit creek if it goes wrong, come on in the water is lovely!
Actually who do I invite in? we can’t all cram in here and it’s a shame that the battlefield can only have so many characters as each one has the capability of standing out via support conversations, it’s a well rounded Fire Emblem cast where you’ll pick your favourites, make friendships both for strategic stat gain and because the dialogue between two characters makes you smile (Shinon and Gatrie just don’t get old for me). The story which is often somewhat throwaway in most localized entries at least is really quite engaging here, politics, beast man racism, monarchy madness and the likes, at the center of it all is a simple mercenary who just gets stuff done because Ike doesn’t have time for all that nobility nonsense like the other regal FE leads and this makes him rather down to earth and refreshing.
Dip your toes in Path of Radiance and feel refreshed, never has turn based strategy felt so relaxing and enjoyable even if it ain’t without some heat to the proceedings.
3) Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
The princess’ voice has been kidnapped and replaced by explosives, if that isn’t the best way to start your journey I don’t know what is. M&L Superstar Saga was the first in what would become a sub series of Mario RPG games and yet to me this never needed a sequel, it was nigh perfect in what it set out to do and none of the follow ups have come close to my love for this entry. M&L is a game where the battle system is fast and punchy, where mastery of your enemies through careful observation and timing can have you sail through fights without even taking a scratch and blend active play into a turn based system in a brilliantly simple fashion.
Finally free of the Mushroom Kingdom for a change to take a trip to the more absurd Bean Bean kingdom that leaves a memorable mark in its own right thanks to quirky humour be it witty writing or silly slapstick. They even managed to insert some functional platforming into the overworld exploration where at long last you use the brothers as an unorthodox team of stacked twirls and lighting the others backside on fire for the greater good.
This is a game that makes the act of taking passport photos for your file a humorous instance where you can use the buttons to pull stupid faces, now if you leave both bros standing there plain as can be for those snaps well I just don’t think you get what this game is about.
4) Valkyria Chronicles
Real time action meets turn based strategy and the two get along like a house on fire, Valkyria Chronicles runs a delicate balance of slowly deliberating your plan of action on the map and then manually sprinting past gunfire in a frantic dash for life saving sandbags, after all your head can take more bullets if you’re squatting slightly.
Painterly presentation helps give the game an enduring watercolour look to the world, the characters and story just about manage to stay on the side of anime that doesn’t go and alienate others and it even has a strong romance angle that is actually *whisper it* pretty well done.
Much like Fire Emblem there’s fun in assembling your handpicked squad of colourful characters, a host of character traits both positive and negative help each solider stand out as rather unique and feel more rounded out and less as a list of names with an accompanying visual design.
Tactically it may not be the bees knees with a few issues that prevent true greatness but it’s very compelling and helps bridge a gap to a genre that can seem intimidating at times, Sega’s best game of the last generation and I can only hope that its recent revival on PC will help show that there’s an audience out there for this series and it can take to battle once more.
Also it made me tear up at that one scene, dammit why? WHY?! And no I’m not talking about when Squad 7 find a winged pig for some reason.
5) Xenoblade Chronicles
Never ending British banter alone puts Xenoblade in a good spot, never before has the oft repeated ramblings of battle quotes made me feel so at home yet the Bionis is nothing like my home, it may be one of the most memorable landscapes I’ve had the pleasure of journeying across in video games. Exploration is really Xenoblade’s true strength, yeah the combat works well with a lot of systems working together to keep it trucking on through the long journey with a plot to match filled with twists and turns but make no mistake it’s the world that is the real star here.
A combination of elements be it quick travel, auto health recovery outside of battle, no punishment for wading out of your depth and being stomped with vast expanses of land beckoning the player with scenic nooks and crannies brings a lust for adventure.
Xenoblade rewards those that take the time to look at the sights, to travel over to that intriguing structure in the distance and get experience points just for turning up, for seeking out the roaming unique monsters and engaging in battle with that kick arse battle theme or even better when they sneak up on you during another brawl and the theme switches to shit just got real mode.
It’s easy to lose hours in Xenoblade stepping aside from the main story and burying yourself in the sometimes superfluous sidequest content, probably want to be wary of that because Hode planks will be the death of you otherwise.
The end result of Xenoblade is one of the best games on the Wii with a soundtrack that can boast the same, adding splendidly to the environments in the light of day or the dark of night, except Valak Mountain day which kind of does my nut, thank you manual time changing.
6) Pokemon Black/White version
Usually I’ll give way to nostalgia and praise Fire Red version since Kanto has me by the pokeballs, gotta love the original 151.
But what if after all those years the loved mons of the past actually just took a proper backseat for a change? After all I’m sick of seeing Geodude and Zubat everywhere. To finally rekindle that gradually lost feeling of discovery among the series and let the new stars take centre stage is what Pokemon Black does best, the Unova dex is home to all manner of frankly bizarre creatures built off a similar base to the original 151 only viewed through a distorted modern lense. As such mileage varies on how much people like Gen 5’s freak show but I for one love it, shaded sand crocs, teetering gothic dresses, ghost golems, smug sarcophaguses, trash bag masked garbage and snowy weather forming a twin scoop ice cream, it’s madness and stuff like this helps make them a distinct batch despite leaning heavily on elements of the original creatures from all those years ago, yeah there are some duds but that’s more the generic monkeys and certainly not the ice cream.
Of course the game itself is the formula at a high point, like the improvements of Gen 4 and then some with none of the horrific slow pace, it’s the last hurrah for Pokemon’s sprite days, the last bastion of that distinct series sound style which is pushed and pulled in all sorts of directions leading to the series standout soundtrack. They even mixed up the ending for a change leading to the only real endgame surprise in the series long history. It forms an interesting pair with its direct sequel which almost looks to appease those that didn’t dig the first round of Unova (2 has an plethora of post game content and tons of the old mon from the word go) and I’m glad that they did this as it means that Black 1 is still my Pokemon game, it can hang out with Fire Red anytime.
7) Chrono Trigger
Never underestimate the power of pacing in videogames, it’s an incredibly important factor to a game’s overall enjoyability (if this ain’t a word it is now) and among JRPG titles few can boast as well handled pacing as Chrono Trigger. A time travelling epic that manages to feel a lot longer than it actually is which I say as lofty praise, the game wraps up in a nice timeframe without performing a genre tradition of overstaying its welcome yet you feel like you experienced the absolute full package the genre can offer.
Utilizing time travel for various themes and diverse characters you can kit out your main trio as a futuristic robot, medieval frog knight and cave woman that share similar enough damage outputs despite one firing deadly laser beams and another just hitting things hard with a big club, who says it has to make sense? Chrono Trigger works as an excellent title to point to representing the JRPG genre at its best as well as the 16 bit generation, it scores highly in all areas, has a soundtrack that you’ll be humming for years to come and I should probably replay this at some point soon.
fun fact: it was my first Gaf thread as a LTTP deal
8) Tales of Vesperia
Tropes ahoy, we’ve arrived at Tales of Land, engaging action combat married to story and plot elements so typical you can have extra fun guessing the inevitable as you go along. Symphonia was the game that originally had my heart and even the one that had me take a closer look at JRPG games in general but Vesperia has become the entry I hold the highest in the end.
Vesperia really shows how much your ho-hum plot can benefit from enjoyable characters in your party, I mean the actual plot is of course nothing special and in series tradition goes direct to dvd quality part 3 for a finale but the fun cast of characters bantering off one another across this journey elevate this element. To really put it in perspective the game has what you’d assume to be the annoying kid character not actually be annoying and hot damn that’s just wonderful!
Combat can feel a touch stiff compared to other entries but the core action focused combat system is still a treat that makes hunting down optional beast bosses something to really look forward to, the visuals are like an explosion in a crayons factory popping with colours galore and there’s solid English voice acting, why I recall thinking that this Troy Baker guy voicing the lead Yuri should get more work and here we are now with him having entirely too much work , what have you done Vesperia?!
9) Final Fantasy VI
Often in my life when engaging in game based conversation with other likeminded fellows the ol’ “do you play any of those jolly good Final Fantasy games?” question has the chance to rear its head and I promptly perform a spit take because I’m probably about to give an answer that’s a faux pax anyway so lets go all the way here. Actually what I mean to say is despite run ins with the series over the years it’s just never clicked with me.
As of 2 years ago however FF6 was the one that worked with the uncanny origins of me being motivated to play it because it had some rad music in FF Theatrhythm and maybe trying a classic entry is what would work for me.
And work it did, there’s something I dug about its almost at times grimy yet personality filled 16 bit visuals, the soundtrack of course met expectations with some of the very best of the SNES sound chip, also I suplexed a ghost train and that’s just magical really.
I enjoyed the story angle of having multiple central characters which allowed for the game to split off in parts capable of being anchored by one or two of the various leads, in the end I ended up having most of the party underleveled which made the “split your part up” sections a pain in the arse but this led to a hilarious endgame mini boss being gradually bested by a CPU controlled Yeti soaking up fire magic damage while everyone else was dead on the floor and that sort of whackiness just tickles me right.
So now when people ask if I’ve played any FF games(this actually happened again last night funnily enough) I can proudly say the sixth entry only to be met with blank faces more often than not because here in Blighty the series might as well have started from Seven, oh well.
10) Persona 4 Golden
Honestly speaking I’m not entirely sure what this game had that made it so dang engrossing, it sucked me in for a 60-70 odd hour run like I was taking a brief break from my own life and on holiday elsewhere in my Vita. I don’t particularly rate any one element that highly, it’s more that all the pieces in play come together and work well in that sum of its part sense. In any case it managed to grab me where the series third entry fell short, all that said I feel like I’m still trying to unravel a mystery here more perplexing than the one that hounded Inaba as I try to get to the nitty gritty of what kept me going for so long, what a convincing entry this has been!
Honourable Mentions
11) Mother 3
Thinking back to this game I feel like I love so much about it except perhaps the crucial act of actually playing through the battles at times, It’s been a while mind you though a recent first playthrough of Earthbound brought it back to my mind which suffered more from difficulty spikes and some tedious brawls. By comparison I recall Mother 3 being better as a game and with its story, I thoroughly enjoy the humour of both titles, the mad lineup of foes, silly NPC dialogue and much more.
For Mother 3 though the ending has stuck with me all these years and its soundtrack might be the GBA’s best, not sure if it’s top 10 worthy for me, I kinda want to give it another run and find out.
12) The World Ends With You
I’m not sure how the plot and characters would go down with me these days but I enjoyed them enough at the time. More important though was the unique approach to the genre standards, the way you manually encounter enemies, the unorthodox battle system that you can tailor to your own style, the difficulty slider, there’s a lot to like in here and it stands out among the crowd in structure and style. Really this one should also be revisited at some stage, It’s probably top 10 worthy still.
13) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Mario takes up wrasslin under the ring name of the Great Gonzales to uncover shady dealings in a battle arena and also solves mysteries with a detective penguin on a luxury train, NEED I SAY MORE? Oh okay, then it has a lot of the same strengths as Superstar Saga only less punchy in battle or as well paced.
14) Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Some people were mentioning Harvest Moon so with that in mind I’ll be damned if I ignore this addictive slice of simulation entirely. Oddly compelling, strong feedback loop that makes something that could be a grind become strangely enjoyable, I am a friend of mineral town.
And that'll do for me.
Now then in no particular order...
1) Dark Souls
Well this apparently fits the thread so here goes nothing.
Dark Souls drops you in a bleak world, gives you a vague pointer as to what you should be doing and then off you trot into the unknown, in my case the completely wrong direction at first leading to a less than welcoming start being savaged by skeletons, well eventually I found the stairs to the Undead Burgh.
Dark Souls is all about learning, you start knowing little, the early ventures are wrought with peril. Quick demises and rapid retries will gradually give way to being armed with the potent weapon of knowledge, areas that took hours to traverse previously can be sprinted across in minutes, each shortcut found displays just how fantastically the world is built like an “aha!” moment of slowly piecing together a complicated jigsaw puzzle, what started as a jumble starts to take form into a brilliant picture.
It’s a game enjoyable in its methodical approach with the calculated combat, careful traversal and keen eyed observation keeping you on your toes at all times, to make it back to those lost souls, to reach the next bonfire, to bypass that fog door, the game is filled with just as many small victories as there will be defeats and that’s what kept me returning again and again.
Atmosphere that’s second to none, a steady sense of progression that rewards exploration and some of the most triumphant victories you can experience toppling a hard fought boss for the umpteenth time, welcome to Dark Souls and contrary to its grim demeanor enjoy your stay because it’s actually a lot of fun.
2) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Having played a few FE titles now PoR is the one I return to most, it progresses in such a way that the difficulty balance feels just right like the perfect bath temperature while others like more recent outing Awakening are like unsuccessfully fiddling with the taps TOO HOT, TOO COLD!
PoR may not be the most challenging of the series yet it keeps the player involved with just enough challenge to spend minutes mulling over a single character movement without feeling like you’ll be up shit creek if it goes wrong, come on in the water is lovely!
Actually who do I invite in? we can’t all cram in here and it’s a shame that the battlefield can only have so many characters as each one has the capability of standing out via support conversations, it’s a well rounded Fire Emblem cast where you’ll pick your favourites, make friendships both for strategic stat gain and because the dialogue between two characters makes you smile (Shinon and Gatrie just don’t get old for me). The story which is often somewhat throwaway in most localized entries at least is really quite engaging here, politics, beast man racism, monarchy madness and the likes, at the center of it all is a simple mercenary who just gets stuff done because Ike doesn’t have time for all that nobility nonsense like the other regal FE leads and this makes him rather down to earth and refreshing.
Dip your toes in Path of Radiance and feel refreshed, never has turn based strategy felt so relaxing and enjoyable even if it ain’t without some heat to the proceedings.
3) Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
The princess’ voice has been kidnapped and replaced by explosives, if that isn’t the best way to start your journey I don’t know what is. M&L Superstar Saga was the first in what would become a sub series of Mario RPG games and yet to me this never needed a sequel, it was nigh perfect in what it set out to do and none of the follow ups have come close to my love for this entry. M&L is a game where the battle system is fast and punchy, where mastery of your enemies through careful observation and timing can have you sail through fights without even taking a scratch and blend active play into a turn based system in a brilliantly simple fashion.
Finally free of the Mushroom Kingdom for a change to take a trip to the more absurd Bean Bean kingdom that leaves a memorable mark in its own right thanks to quirky humour be it witty writing or silly slapstick. They even managed to insert some functional platforming into the overworld exploration where at long last you use the brothers as an unorthodox team of stacked twirls and lighting the others backside on fire for the greater good.
This is a game that makes the act of taking passport photos for your file a humorous instance where you can use the buttons to pull stupid faces, now if you leave both bros standing there plain as can be for those snaps well I just don’t think you get what this game is about.
4) Valkyria Chronicles
Real time action meets turn based strategy and the two get along like a house on fire, Valkyria Chronicles runs a delicate balance of slowly deliberating your plan of action on the map and then manually sprinting past gunfire in a frantic dash for life saving sandbags, after all your head can take more bullets if you’re squatting slightly.
Painterly presentation helps give the game an enduring watercolour look to the world, the characters and story just about manage to stay on the side of anime that doesn’t go and alienate others and it even has a strong romance angle that is actually *whisper it* pretty well done.
Much like Fire Emblem there’s fun in assembling your handpicked squad of colourful characters, a host of character traits both positive and negative help each solider stand out as rather unique and feel more rounded out and less as a list of names with an accompanying visual design.
Tactically it may not be the bees knees with a few issues that prevent true greatness but it’s very compelling and helps bridge a gap to a genre that can seem intimidating at times, Sega’s best game of the last generation and I can only hope that its recent revival on PC will help show that there’s an audience out there for this series and it can take to battle once more.
Also it made me tear up at that one scene, dammit why? WHY?! And no I’m not talking about when Squad 7 find a winged pig for some reason.
5) Xenoblade Chronicles
Never ending British banter alone puts Xenoblade in a good spot, never before has the oft repeated ramblings of battle quotes made me feel so at home yet the Bionis is nothing like my home, it may be one of the most memorable landscapes I’ve had the pleasure of journeying across in video games. Exploration is really Xenoblade’s true strength, yeah the combat works well with a lot of systems working together to keep it trucking on through the long journey with a plot to match filled with twists and turns but make no mistake it’s the world that is the real star here.
A combination of elements be it quick travel, auto health recovery outside of battle, no punishment for wading out of your depth and being stomped with vast expanses of land beckoning the player with scenic nooks and crannies brings a lust for adventure.
Xenoblade rewards those that take the time to look at the sights, to travel over to that intriguing structure in the distance and get experience points just for turning up, for seeking out the roaming unique monsters and engaging in battle with that kick arse battle theme or even better when they sneak up on you during another brawl and the theme switches to shit just got real mode.
It’s easy to lose hours in Xenoblade stepping aside from the main story and burying yourself in the sometimes superfluous sidequest content, probably want to be wary of that because Hode planks will be the death of you otherwise.
The end result of Xenoblade is one of the best games on the Wii with a soundtrack that can boast the same, adding splendidly to the environments in the light of day or the dark of night, except Valak Mountain day which kind of does my nut, thank you manual time changing.
6) Pokemon Black/White version
Usually I’ll give way to nostalgia and praise Fire Red version since Kanto has me by the pokeballs, gotta love the original 151.
But what if after all those years the loved mons of the past actually just took a proper backseat for a change? After all I’m sick of seeing Geodude and Zubat everywhere. To finally rekindle that gradually lost feeling of discovery among the series and let the new stars take centre stage is what Pokemon Black does best, the Unova dex is home to all manner of frankly bizarre creatures built off a similar base to the original 151 only viewed through a distorted modern lense. As such mileage varies on how much people like Gen 5’s freak show but I for one love it, shaded sand crocs, teetering gothic dresses, ghost golems, smug sarcophaguses, trash bag masked garbage and snowy weather forming a twin scoop ice cream, it’s madness and stuff like this helps make them a distinct batch despite leaning heavily on elements of the original creatures from all those years ago, yeah there are some duds but that’s more the generic monkeys and certainly not the ice cream.
Of course the game itself is the formula at a high point, like the improvements of Gen 4 and then some with none of the horrific slow pace, it’s the last hurrah for Pokemon’s sprite days, the last bastion of that distinct series sound style which is pushed and pulled in all sorts of directions leading to the series standout soundtrack. They even mixed up the ending for a change leading to the only real endgame surprise in the series long history. It forms an interesting pair with its direct sequel which almost looks to appease those that didn’t dig the first round of Unova (2 has an plethora of post game content and tons of the old mon from the word go) and I’m glad that they did this as it means that Black 1 is still my Pokemon game, it can hang out with Fire Red anytime.
7) Chrono Trigger
Never underestimate the power of pacing in videogames, it’s an incredibly important factor to a game’s overall enjoyability (if this ain’t a word it is now) and among JRPG titles few can boast as well handled pacing as Chrono Trigger. A time travelling epic that manages to feel a lot longer than it actually is which I say as lofty praise, the game wraps up in a nice timeframe without performing a genre tradition of overstaying its welcome yet you feel like you experienced the absolute full package the genre can offer.
Utilizing time travel for various themes and diverse characters you can kit out your main trio as a futuristic robot, medieval frog knight and cave woman that share similar enough damage outputs despite one firing deadly laser beams and another just hitting things hard with a big club, who says it has to make sense? Chrono Trigger works as an excellent title to point to representing the JRPG genre at its best as well as the 16 bit generation, it scores highly in all areas, has a soundtrack that you’ll be humming for years to come and I should probably replay this at some point soon.
fun fact: it was my first Gaf thread as a LTTP deal
8) Tales of Vesperia
Tropes ahoy, we’ve arrived at Tales of Land, engaging action combat married to story and plot elements so typical you can have extra fun guessing the inevitable as you go along. Symphonia was the game that originally had my heart and even the one that had me take a closer look at JRPG games in general but Vesperia has become the entry I hold the highest in the end.
Vesperia really shows how much your ho-hum plot can benefit from enjoyable characters in your party, I mean the actual plot is of course nothing special and in series tradition goes direct to dvd quality part 3 for a finale but the fun cast of characters bantering off one another across this journey elevate this element. To really put it in perspective the game has what you’d assume to be the annoying kid character not actually be annoying and hot damn that’s just wonderful!
Combat can feel a touch stiff compared to other entries but the core action focused combat system is still a treat that makes hunting down optional beast bosses something to really look forward to, the visuals are like an explosion in a crayons factory popping with colours galore and there’s solid English voice acting, why I recall thinking that this Troy Baker guy voicing the lead Yuri should get more work and here we are now with him having entirely too much work , what have you done Vesperia?!
9) Final Fantasy VI
Often in my life when engaging in game based conversation with other likeminded fellows the ol’ “do you play any of those jolly good Final Fantasy games?” question has the chance to rear its head and I promptly perform a spit take because I’m probably about to give an answer that’s a faux pax anyway so lets go all the way here. Actually what I mean to say is despite run ins with the series over the years it’s just never clicked with me.
As of 2 years ago however FF6 was the one that worked with the uncanny origins of me being motivated to play it because it had some rad music in FF Theatrhythm and maybe trying a classic entry is what would work for me.
And work it did, there’s something I dug about its almost at times grimy yet personality filled 16 bit visuals, the soundtrack of course met expectations with some of the very best of the SNES sound chip, also I suplexed a ghost train and that’s just magical really.
I enjoyed the story angle of having multiple central characters which allowed for the game to split off in parts capable of being anchored by one or two of the various leads, in the end I ended up having most of the party underleveled which made the “split your part up” sections a pain in the arse but this led to a hilarious endgame mini boss being gradually bested by a CPU controlled Yeti soaking up fire magic damage while everyone else was dead on the floor and that sort of whackiness just tickles me right.
So now when people ask if I’ve played any FF games(this actually happened again last night funnily enough) I can proudly say the sixth entry only to be met with blank faces more often than not because here in Blighty the series might as well have started from Seven, oh well.
10) Persona 4 Golden
Honestly speaking I’m not entirely sure what this game had that made it so dang engrossing, it sucked me in for a 60-70 odd hour run like I was taking a brief break from my own life and on holiday elsewhere in my Vita. I don’t particularly rate any one element that highly, it’s more that all the pieces in play come together and work well in that sum of its part sense. In any case it managed to grab me where the series third entry fell short, all that said I feel like I’m still trying to unravel a mystery here more perplexing than the one that hounded Inaba as I try to get to the nitty gritty of what kept me going for so long, what a convincing entry this has been!
Honourable Mentions
11) Mother 3
Thinking back to this game I feel like I love so much about it except perhaps the crucial act of actually playing through the battles at times, It’s been a while mind you though a recent first playthrough of Earthbound brought it back to my mind which suffered more from difficulty spikes and some tedious brawls. By comparison I recall Mother 3 being better as a game and with its story, I thoroughly enjoy the humour of both titles, the mad lineup of foes, silly NPC dialogue and much more.
For Mother 3 though the ending has stuck with me all these years and its soundtrack might be the GBA’s best, not sure if it’s top 10 worthy for me, I kinda want to give it another run and find out.
12) The World Ends With You
I’m not sure how the plot and characters would go down with me these days but I enjoyed them enough at the time. More important though was the unique approach to the genre standards, the way you manually encounter enemies, the unorthodox battle system that you can tailor to your own style, the difficulty slider, there’s a lot to like in here and it stands out among the crowd in structure and style. Really this one should also be revisited at some stage, It’s probably top 10 worthy still.
13) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Mario takes up wrasslin under the ring name of the Great Gonzales to uncover shady dealings in a battle arena and also solves mysteries with a detective penguin on a luxury train, NEED I SAY MORE? Oh okay, then it has a lot of the same strengths as Superstar Saga only less punchy in battle or as well paced.
14) Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Some people were mentioning Harvest Moon so with that in mind I’ll be damned if I ignore this addictive slice of simulation entirely. Oddly compelling, strong feedback loop that makes something that could be a grind become strangely enjoyable, I am a friend of mineral town.
And that'll do for me.
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Glad to see the thread still (I guess I can still vote?). Not a huge RPG fan, though I do love certain RPGs, you will see my list will be rather unusual:
1. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (3 points) - Mario & Luigi mixes classic jRPG elements with some platforming / skill game elements and a world structure and mild puzzles reminiscent of an Action-Adventure, which makes for an incredible experience. Bowser's Inside Story is not only my favourite among the series, but also among all RPGs, because it has a fantastic pacing and an incredibly fun premise and humour. Bowser's Inside Story had me laughing almost constantly and offered compelling and non-laberous gameplay all the time. A true gem!
2. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - My first Fire Emblem has a special place in my heart, as it not only completely convinced me of the series, but also made me a fan of the sub-genre of strategy rpgs. It's wonderfully strategic, yet simple and quickly grasped. This simpleness combined with complexity makes Fire Emblem so compelling. I also love the use of experience points not as a way to enforce busy-work, but to make the player decide who to use properly. I won't comment on all Fire Emblem games I name individually, because their strengths are almost universal for the series and I'd just repeat myself.
3. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
4. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - I liked the first Paper Mario, but found it a bit too slow for my taste, the second game takes the formula and ramps it up considerably. The fighting mechanics are awesome and the humor is outstanding. Paper Mario 2 is a real masterpiece and if it were not for the tedious last big mission where you basically just have to wander around all known locations without any meaningful new gameplay content, it'd rank even higher.
5. Lufia (that's the European name, it's the second game in the series, and called Lufia 2 in the US, I think using the subtitle Rise of the Sinistrals) - I'm not completely done with the game yet, but I can already see that this is a masterpiece. It is devoid of any busy-work and concentrates on a simple, yet rewarding fighting system and involving dungeon design filled with great puzzles. Lufia basically offers, what I'm looking for, but failing to find in many RPGs and is my favourite SNES rpg due to this.
6. Pokémon Red / Green / Blue / Yellow - The first Pokémon is somewhat a placeholder for the series, but I think it also has the most pure design, the idea of training various creatures with individual advantages and disadvantages and exploring a tightly designed world with quite a few nice little puzzles is a huge winner, although nowadays, I've grown a bit weary of its more laberous aspects.
7. Fire Emblem - the seventh game in the series here, the frist released in the west, great introduction to the series!
8. Super Mario RPG
9. Fire Emblem Sacred Stones
10. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon
Honorable mentions:
1. Fire Emblem Awakening - It's down here because of the option to train your units arbitrarily much, therefore breaking the balance, other than that, it's a fantastic game
2. Final Fantasy IX - I'll have to play it some more but it's the Final Fantasy I like the most so far, for now I'll just put it down here, maybe it will earn a spot in the top ten next year
3. Paper Mario
4. Super Paper Mario
5. Paper Mario Sticker Star
6. Shining Force
7. Shining Force 2
8. Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga
9. Mario & Luigi Dream Team
10. Mario & Luigi Brothers in Time
I think that's it, I've played quite a few more, but I don't deem them worthy of points (for instance Diablo 1&2, WoW, Mass Effect, Dragon Age Inquisition, Earthbound, Terranigma, Xenoblade Chronicles just in case someone more into RPGs wants to recommend me some games, those are examples for games I detest - less so for the last three ones than for the rest). So the list seems rather one-sided, but a lot of "other" games were considered, too.
1. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (3 points) - Mario & Luigi mixes classic jRPG elements with some platforming / skill game elements and a world structure and mild puzzles reminiscent of an Action-Adventure, which makes for an incredible experience. Bowser's Inside Story is not only my favourite among the series, but also among all RPGs, because it has a fantastic pacing and an incredibly fun premise and humour. Bowser's Inside Story had me laughing almost constantly and offered compelling and non-laberous gameplay all the time. A true gem!
2. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - My first Fire Emblem has a special place in my heart, as it not only completely convinced me of the series, but also made me a fan of the sub-genre of strategy rpgs. It's wonderfully strategic, yet simple and quickly grasped. This simpleness combined with complexity makes Fire Emblem so compelling. I also love the use of experience points not as a way to enforce busy-work, but to make the player decide who to use properly. I won't comment on all Fire Emblem games I name individually, because their strengths are almost universal for the series and I'd just repeat myself.
3. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
4. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - I liked the first Paper Mario, but found it a bit too slow for my taste, the second game takes the formula and ramps it up considerably. The fighting mechanics are awesome and the humor is outstanding. Paper Mario 2 is a real masterpiece and if it were not for the tedious last big mission where you basically just have to wander around all known locations without any meaningful new gameplay content, it'd rank even higher.
5. Lufia (that's the European name, it's the second game in the series, and called Lufia 2 in the US, I think using the subtitle Rise of the Sinistrals) - I'm not completely done with the game yet, but I can already see that this is a masterpiece. It is devoid of any busy-work and concentrates on a simple, yet rewarding fighting system and involving dungeon design filled with great puzzles. Lufia basically offers, what I'm looking for, but failing to find in many RPGs and is my favourite SNES rpg due to this.
6. Pokémon Red / Green / Blue / Yellow - The first Pokémon is somewhat a placeholder for the series, but I think it also has the most pure design, the idea of training various creatures with individual advantages and disadvantages and exploring a tightly designed world with quite a few nice little puzzles is a huge winner, although nowadays, I've grown a bit weary of its more laberous aspects.
7. Fire Emblem - the seventh game in the series here, the frist released in the west, great introduction to the series!
8. Super Mario RPG
9. Fire Emblem Sacred Stones
10. Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon
Honorable mentions:
1. Fire Emblem Awakening - It's down here because of the option to train your units arbitrarily much, therefore breaking the balance, other than that, it's a fantastic game
2. Final Fantasy IX - I'll have to play it some more but it's the Final Fantasy I like the most so far, for now I'll just put it down here, maybe it will earn a spot in the top ten next year
3. Paper Mario
4. Super Paper Mario
5. Paper Mario Sticker Star
6. Shining Force
7. Shining Force 2
8. Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga
9. Mario & Luigi Dream Team
10. Mario & Luigi Brothers in Time
I think that's it, I've played quite a few more, but I don't deem them worthy of points (for instance Diablo 1&2, WoW, Mass Effect, Dragon Age Inquisition, Earthbound, Terranigma, Xenoblade Chronicles just in case someone more into RPGs wants to recommend me some games, those are examples for games I detest - less so for the last three ones than for the rest). So the list seems rather one-sided, but a lot of "other" games were considered, too.
Actually, that's a good question.
The other forum I frequently post/lurk into had a (sadly rather short lived) project where people could create their tops for different criteria (HW/genre/overall...), and this website would then generate the overall top, following different point attribution systems (e.g. 1 point for each game, degrading points...).
eot
Banned
Ah, so many classics I've yet to play.
Will try to get to them this year.
1. Dark Souls - A game that will make even the most jaded player love games again. It's a masterpiece that I'm confident will stand the test of time.
2. Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (3 points) - I'm giving this game three points because I feel it's never gotten the recognition that it deserves. KotOR II is a brilliantly written deconstruction of Star Wars and features what is in my mind the most memorable female character of any game. It's a game that encourages reflection and discussion like few others.
3. Deus Ex - While the mechanics have not aged well, much of the design feels forward thinking even today. No other game is as reactive or accommodating to different playstyles. Some of the writing also turned out to be eerily prescient. It is without a doubt a must play.
4. The Witcher 2 - The bifurcation of the second act is something I don't expect we'll see in another game for a long time. Depending on your decisions you'll have an entirely different perspective on the story and characters. I also think it has some fantastic dialogue.
5. Diablo II - Almost 15 years after its release you can still make a strong case for it being the best game in its genre. No other game has done loot this well, and the classes are very diverse and creative. Frozen Orb will never get old.
6. Mass Effect 2 - The series' best combat and best cast. Some criticise it for its plot, but I think the focus on characters works well and the final mission is unforgettable. Set in one of the best sci-fi universes I've had the pleasure of exploring, and accompanied by an amazing soundtrack.
7. Mass Effect - In comparison to its sequel it is flawed, but also more ambitious.
8. Morrowind - By far the most interesting setting out of all the Elder Scrolls games. It plays the worst out of all the games on this list, but it's still worth exploring.
9. Earthbound - Still holds up very well for how old it is, and its lighthearted nature is a nice change of pace from most RPGs.
10. System Shock 2 - How can a game so old still be so scary? I still need to finish it.
Will try to get to them this year.
1. Dark Souls - A game that will make even the most jaded player love games again. It's a masterpiece that I'm confident will stand the test of time.
2. Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (3 points) - I'm giving this game three points because I feel it's never gotten the recognition that it deserves. KotOR II is a brilliantly written deconstruction of Star Wars and features what is in my mind the most memorable female character of any game. It's a game that encourages reflection and discussion like few others.
3. Deus Ex - While the mechanics have not aged well, much of the design feels forward thinking even today. No other game is as reactive or accommodating to different playstyles. Some of the writing also turned out to be eerily prescient. It is without a doubt a must play.
4. The Witcher 2 - The bifurcation of the second act is something I don't expect we'll see in another game for a long time. Depending on your decisions you'll have an entirely different perspective on the story and characters. I also think it has some fantastic dialogue.
5. Diablo II - Almost 15 years after its release you can still make a strong case for it being the best game in its genre. No other game has done loot this well, and the classes are very diverse and creative. Frozen Orb will never get old.
6. Mass Effect 2 - The series' best combat and best cast. Some criticise it for its plot, but I think the focus on characters works well and the final mission is unforgettable. Set in one of the best sci-fi universes I've had the pleasure of exploring, and accompanied by an amazing soundtrack.
7. Mass Effect - In comparison to its sequel it is flawed, but also more ambitious.
8. Morrowind - By far the most interesting setting out of all the Elder Scrolls games. It plays the worst out of all the games on this list, but it's still worth exploring.
9. Earthbound - Still holds up very well for how old it is, and its lighthearted nature is a nice change of pace from most RPGs.
10. System Shock 2 - How can a game so old still be so scary? I still need to finish it.
I'm pretty sure no FE game has that subtitle, you might want to check that. You're probably thinking of Shadow Dragon or Sword of Seals.
Well here goes nothing
Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines
Probably the closest a single game can get to being perfect in my book. I just did everything about this game from the setting, the XP system, the story, the characters, and so on. Sure its combat is lacking, but everything else about the game more then makes up for it. Just make sure that you get the fan patch if you play it.
Darklands
This is game is probably the best game no one has played and with it being on GoG that should probably be rectified. The painfully detailed medieval Holy Roman Empire(Germany) world combined with fantasy elements has given the game a fantastic setting. The character system is nice and robust and shows other games how a learn by doing system should be done and things like calling on saints for aid instead of your standard magic system adds a new spin on things. It is sad that most RPGs go down the typical high fantasy path instead of taking a page out of Darklands book.
Alpha Protocol
Yeah lets just get the whole the combat system and a lot of the gameplay could use some work thing out of the way. While the gameplay can be weak at times pretty much everything else makes up for it in my book. This game is pretty much the poster child for reactivity to the player's choices and not many if any games are even close. As you will probably be able to tell from my list I really dig RPGs that aren't in your typical high fantasy setting.
Fallout: New Vegas
While NV is my favorite Fallout game Fallout 1 and 2 could also hold this spot. I just really dig the 1950's retro future post apocalyptic setting the Fallout games have. What puts New Vegas above the other Fallouts I mentioned in my book is the first person perspective. I think that perspective combined with the open world Mojave really immersed me in the whole nuclear wasteland setting the Fallouts are all about. Then when you add in the good to great writing, the interesting locations, the competing factions, and so on you have a really great game.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
This game was my first taste of that a first person open world RPG could be like. It also helped that Morrowind was a pretty interesting setting. It really felt like I was running through an alien world and I lost countless hours to that game. It is very sad that Bethesda ditch most of that and when to your standard fantasy setting with their later games.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
Kotor 2 is a fantastic game and does its best to try to deconstruct the Star Wars force mythos. Some hate might it for that, but personally I love it when people try to force you to look at something in a new way. I also have a soft spot for the Star Wars universe.
Deus Ex
Another RPG that treads off the beaten path and dumps you into a futuristic dystopian world where all the conspiracies you heard about are actually true. It is also another game like Alpha Protocol where the game does an excellent job reacting to the choices the player made and in some cases can be subtle with letting the player know he has more then one option in the first place.
Final Fantasy 7
Well I will admit that this might be mostly nostalgia talking as Final Fantasy 7 was one of the first RPGs that blew my young mind. With is amazing cutscenes and pretty graphics it was one of the games that made me beg my mom for a Ps1 for Christmas.
Final Fantasy Tactics
Probably my favorite SRPG and has the best story of any Final Fantasy titles. The only downside to this game is that it can be pretty unforgiving if you don't know what to expect and can be pretty grind heavy as well.
Persona 4
When I first played Persona 3 I wasn't sure about the whole high school aspect of the game, but I ended up really enjoying it. Persona 4 took what I liked in Persona 3 and improved on pretty much everything. I really enjoyed interacting with the various characters to build my social links and they made going through the dungeons in the game less tedious. Also like most of the games on my list it was also a nice break from your more standard RPG fare.
Honorable Mentions
Suikoden 2
The Suikodens are among one of my favorite RPG series and Suikoden 2 is the best of the bunch.
Risen
A game that shows that when it comes to open world design more doesn't all ways mean best. A lot of developers seem to fall into the trap of trying to make open world games bigger and not enough try to go the opposite direction of smaller hand crafted worlds. Piranha Bytes is the exception even if they aren't perfect.
Wasteland 2
A game that is greater then the sum of its parts. It also helps that Wasteland 2 and any future games in the series is probably the closest Fallout 1 or 2 fans will get to having a modern game turn based isometric sequel to those titles.
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Even though I am playing through this game right now for pretty much the first time thanks to my recent discovery of PSP emulation(tried to play the game on my PSP, but I just can't get into gaming on a handheld) I feel like it deserves a mention. I am really digging the branching story idea and the morally grey world. I am already planning a second playthrough to see that happens if I select different choices and if the game keeps impressing me it might very well dethrone Final Fantasy Tactics as the King of the SRPG sub genre.
Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall
A hybrid fantasy/cyber punk game what's not to like. Harebrained Schemes improved on the first campaign(Deadman's Switch) in pretty much every way and have managed to craft a excellent turn based RPG. I am already ready to back their next kickstarter as soon as it goes live.
The Witcher 2
I was tempted to put the first one instead, but I think the sequel deserves the mention. As it does improve on the first one in pretty much every way. The real reason I am mentioning it though is do to it being one of the few RPGs that manages to make the decisions morally grey instead of black and white.
Tales of Vesperia
Can't really put my finger on why I enjoyed this game so much, but I did.
Quest for Glory 2
A nice RPG/Adventure game hybrid series and in my opinion number 2 is the pinnacle of the series. Specifically the fan remake version as I hated the typing in the original. Between Kickstarter and hearing that Activision was reviving King Quest I have hope that one day we will get a new Quest for Glory game. Though I won't be holding my breath.
Breath of Fire 3
Pretty much every game in the Breath of Fire series is good, but for me Breath of Fire 3 was the best.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
A Victorian era fantasy RPG what's not to like. The game just as so many interesting ideas that I felt I had to mention it. It is another example that WRPGs need to branch out more. Because when they do it can lead to some amazing games.
Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines
Probably the closest a single game can get to being perfect in my book. I just did everything about this game from the setting, the XP system, the story, the characters, and so on. Sure its combat is lacking, but everything else about the game more then makes up for it. Just make sure that you get the fan patch if you play it.
Darklands
This is game is probably the best game no one has played and with it being on GoG that should probably be rectified. The painfully detailed medieval Holy Roman Empire(Germany) world combined with fantasy elements has given the game a fantastic setting. The character system is nice and robust and shows other games how a learn by doing system should be done and things like calling on saints for aid instead of your standard magic system adds a new spin on things. It is sad that most RPGs go down the typical high fantasy path instead of taking a page out of Darklands book.
Alpha Protocol
Yeah lets just get the whole the combat system and a lot of the gameplay could use some work thing out of the way. While the gameplay can be weak at times pretty much everything else makes up for it in my book. This game is pretty much the poster child for reactivity to the player's choices and not many if any games are even close. As you will probably be able to tell from my list I really dig RPGs that aren't in your typical high fantasy setting.
Fallout: New Vegas
While NV is my favorite Fallout game Fallout 1 and 2 could also hold this spot. I just really dig the 1950's retro future post apocalyptic setting the Fallout games have. What puts New Vegas above the other Fallouts I mentioned in my book is the first person perspective. I think that perspective combined with the open world Mojave really immersed me in the whole nuclear wasteland setting the Fallouts are all about. Then when you add in the good to great writing, the interesting locations, the competing factions, and so on you have a really great game.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
This game was my first taste of that a first person open world RPG could be like. It also helped that Morrowind was a pretty interesting setting. It really felt like I was running through an alien world and I lost countless hours to that game. It is very sad that Bethesda ditch most of that and when to your standard fantasy setting with their later games.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
Kotor 2 is a fantastic game and does its best to try to deconstruct the Star Wars force mythos. Some hate might it for that, but personally I love it when people try to force you to look at something in a new way. I also have a soft spot for the Star Wars universe.
Deus Ex
Another RPG that treads off the beaten path and dumps you into a futuristic dystopian world where all the conspiracies you heard about are actually true. It is also another game like Alpha Protocol where the game does an excellent job reacting to the choices the player made and in some cases can be subtle with letting the player know he has more then one option in the first place.
Final Fantasy 7
Well I will admit that this might be mostly nostalgia talking as Final Fantasy 7 was one of the first RPGs that blew my young mind. With is amazing cutscenes and pretty graphics it was one of the games that made me beg my mom for a Ps1 for Christmas.
Final Fantasy Tactics
Probably my favorite SRPG and has the best story of any Final Fantasy titles. The only downside to this game is that it can be pretty unforgiving if you don't know what to expect and can be pretty grind heavy as well.
Persona 4
When I first played Persona 3 I wasn't sure about the whole high school aspect of the game, but I ended up really enjoying it. Persona 4 took what I liked in Persona 3 and improved on pretty much everything. I really enjoyed interacting with the various characters to build my social links and they made going through the dungeons in the game less tedious. Also like most of the games on my list it was also a nice break from your more standard RPG fare.
Honorable Mentions
Suikoden 2
The Suikodens are among one of my favorite RPG series and Suikoden 2 is the best of the bunch.
Risen
A game that shows that when it comes to open world design more doesn't all ways mean best. A lot of developers seem to fall into the trap of trying to make open world games bigger and not enough try to go the opposite direction of smaller hand crafted worlds. Piranha Bytes is the exception even if they aren't perfect.
Wasteland 2
A game that is greater then the sum of its parts. It also helps that Wasteland 2 and any future games in the series is probably the closest Fallout 1 or 2 fans will get to having a modern game turn based isometric sequel to those titles.
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Even though I am playing through this game right now for pretty much the first time thanks to my recent discovery of PSP emulation(tried to play the game on my PSP, but I just can't get into gaming on a handheld) I feel like it deserves a mention. I am really digging the branching story idea and the morally grey world. I am already planning a second playthrough to see that happens if I select different choices and if the game keeps impressing me it might very well dethrone Final Fantasy Tactics as the King of the SRPG sub genre.
Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall
A hybrid fantasy/cyber punk game what's not to like. Harebrained Schemes improved on the first campaign(Deadman's Switch) in pretty much every way and have managed to craft a excellent turn based RPG. I am already ready to back their next kickstarter as soon as it goes live.
The Witcher 2
I was tempted to put the first one instead, but I think the sequel deserves the mention. As it does improve on the first one in pretty much every way. The real reason I am mentioning it though is do to it being one of the few RPGs that manages to make the decisions morally grey instead of black and white.
Tales of Vesperia
Can't really put my finger on why I enjoyed this game so much, but I did.
Quest for Glory 2
A nice RPG/Adventure game hybrid series and in my opinion number 2 is the pinnacle of the series. Specifically the fan remake version as I hated the typing in the original. Between Kickstarter and hearing that Activision was reviving King Quest I have hope that one day we will get a new Quest for Glory game. Though I won't be holding my breath.
Breath of Fire 3
Pretty much every game in the Breath of Fire series is good, but for me Breath of Fire 3 was the best.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
A Victorian era fantasy RPG what's not to like. The game just as so many interesting ideas that I felt I had to mention it. It is another example that WRPGs need to branch out more. Because when they do it can lead to some amazing games.
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Thank you
. I still have to play Sword of Seals (laying right next to me though ), I was thinking of the DS game.Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
I didn't even notice this thread until today, heh. Someone told me about it and I peeked in looking for the due date and I was like, "oh."
As I said elsewhere, I probably wouldn't produce a list this year. Part of it is because I was thinking of doing something completely different from a historical point of view, and part of it is because I didn't think my choices would change very much from last year to this year.
My list from the previous vote, for some new faces I don't recognize:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=45788319&postcount=330
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=45788354&postcount=331
I was wrong on both fronts:
- My list would be quite different from last year's. I think I played enough and revisited a lot of games and subgenres during my summer playing older RPGs that I would re-evaluate certain games that would be on there. I'd also add more CRPGs because they were basically my life when I was in my preteens to teens since I was very PC-centric back then. There's no question that stuff like Chrono Trigger would stay on there. From a personal perspective, I'd love for Suikoden II and FF5 to continue to be on there too. I ended up replaying different versions of Ultima IV this year and realized that man I love Ultima IV. Out of Ultima IV and Ultima VII, it's a tough choice but Ultima VII + Exult would mechanically win out. It's difficult to pick between my passion and personal interest in a game and then to create a list that would be fairly balanced. Other than that, I think I'd probably re-arrange my entire list, strike a ton of the honourable mentions off and replace them with other games, strike a few from the top 10 because I don't particularly think they're seminal or I've grown tired of them, and then second-guess myself and scramble to rewrite the list to reflect my personal interest than the thread's interest (and thus make a list similar to my past lists).
- The last thing I truly wanted, though, was to list games that I personally enjoy rather than what I would deem completely essential. The problem is, thinking back on it, a lot of games are games that I would consider as "seminal". They have some mechanics that some games later adopted, they had a lot of great ideas that would be beneficial for at least multiple playthroughs to completely understand, they influenced countless games narratively, and so on. However, if I mostly made a list of historical leaps, no one would play the games on it because there are other games that do it better. If I said to someone "ok, go play Akalabeth or Temple of Apshai", I'm pretty sure that 70% of the people would hate 'em. And I sure as hell don't want to tell anyone to play Hydlide even if it was influential in some fashion. If 90% of my list was stuff like Pool of Radiance, Bokosuka Wars, The Black Onyx, Phantasie, Bard's Tale, Hero's Quest, etc, then I would completely consider it as slanted towards one particular era even if some of them were innovative.
Also the last thing I want to do is remain company or platform-centric. There are a ton of companies and platforms out there with a ton of RPGs with lots of good ideas and/or have influenced a subset of games to some extent so I'd like a good spread as opposed to having my list reflect just a small subset of games out of the entire umbrella genre.
Not to mention that a lot of games signaled genre splits. From CRPGs to console-style RPGs to a further division into ARPGs or TBRPGs or SRPGs, or whatever's going on with genre-bleeding these days. It's just difficult to boil the breadth and depth of the role-playing game genre into 10 essential games when there are hundreds within the entire genre that encompass what it means to be essential for players to understand how far we've come and how much further we need to go.
And... I'd say that's a compliment towards the genre. Starting from D&D and coming this far, having tons of splits along the way. I'm a weird mix of a biologist and linguist so I think of RPGs as this chart similar to the tree of life or a language tree. They have their roots, and they've all evolved to an extent to change. I think it's cool to see a resurgence in CRPGs in 2014 taking in some characteristics from the past and applying them to the present. I think it's neat that everyone can have different answers as to what an essential RPG is based on play choices and play styles. And that's the thing: RPGs have been modified so much from the original formula that almost everyone can find something they like and play them to some extent. It's just neat to see how the genre changes, how malleable the genre is, and who plays the games over the decades, that's all.
tl;dr: no list because of inner struggles and there are tons of RPGs out there that it's difficult to narrow choices down to 10 games only.
if i had to vote it'd be like
chrono trigger
planescape torment
an ultima game
divinity os i haven't finished that yet
uhhh bg2
seminal arpg
seminal trpg
some game from the 1980s
um some console-style rpg
another console-styl---
this list sucks forget it
As I said elsewhere, I probably wouldn't produce a list this year. Part of it is because I was thinking of doing something completely different from a historical point of view, and part of it is because I didn't think my choices would change very much from last year to this year.
My list from the previous vote, for some new faces I don't recognize:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=45788319&postcount=330
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=45788354&postcount=331
I was wrong on both fronts:
- My list would be quite different from last year's. I think I played enough and revisited a lot of games and subgenres during my summer playing older RPGs that I would re-evaluate certain games that would be on there. I'd also add more CRPGs because they were basically my life when I was in my preteens to teens since I was very PC-centric back then. There's no question that stuff like Chrono Trigger would stay on there. From a personal perspective, I'd love for Suikoden II and FF5 to continue to be on there too. I ended up replaying different versions of Ultima IV this year and realized that man I love Ultima IV. Out of Ultima IV and Ultima VII, it's a tough choice but Ultima VII + Exult would mechanically win out. It's difficult to pick between my passion and personal interest in a game and then to create a list that would be fairly balanced. Other than that, I think I'd probably re-arrange my entire list, strike a ton of the honourable mentions off and replace them with other games, strike a few from the top 10 because I don't particularly think they're seminal or I've grown tired of them, and then second-guess myself and scramble to rewrite the list to reflect my personal interest than the thread's interest (and thus make a list similar to my past lists).
- The last thing I truly wanted, though, was to list games that I personally enjoy rather than what I would deem completely essential. The problem is, thinking back on it, a lot of games are games that I would consider as "seminal". They have some mechanics that some games later adopted, they had a lot of great ideas that would be beneficial for at least multiple playthroughs to completely understand, they influenced countless games narratively, and so on. However, if I mostly made a list of historical leaps, no one would play the games on it because there are other games that do it better. If I said to someone "ok, go play Akalabeth or Temple of Apshai", I'm pretty sure that 70% of the people would hate 'em. And I sure as hell don't want to tell anyone to play Hydlide even if it was influential in some fashion. If 90% of my list was stuff like Pool of Radiance, Bokosuka Wars, The Black Onyx, Phantasie, Bard's Tale, Hero's Quest, etc, then I would completely consider it as slanted towards one particular era even if some of them were innovative.
Also the last thing I want to do is remain company or platform-centric. There are a ton of companies and platforms out there with a ton of RPGs with lots of good ideas and/or have influenced a subset of games to some extent so I'd like a good spread as opposed to having my list reflect just a small subset of games out of the entire umbrella genre.
Not to mention that a lot of games signaled genre splits. From CRPGs to console-style RPGs to a further division into ARPGs or TBRPGs or SRPGs, or whatever's going on with genre-bleeding these days. It's just difficult to boil the breadth and depth of the role-playing game genre into 10 essential games when there are hundreds within the entire genre that encompass what it means to be essential for players to understand how far we've come and how much further we need to go.
And... I'd say that's a compliment towards the genre. Starting from D&D and coming this far, having tons of splits along the way. I'm a weird mix of a biologist and linguist so I think of RPGs as this chart similar to the tree of life or a language tree. They have their roots, and they've all evolved to an extent to change. I think it's cool to see a resurgence in CRPGs in 2014 taking in some characteristics from the past and applying them to the present. I think it's neat that everyone can have different answers as to what an essential RPG is based on play choices and play styles. And that's the thing: RPGs have been modified so much from the original formula that almost everyone can find something they like and play them to some extent. It's just neat to see how the genre changes, how malleable the genre is, and who plays the games over the decades, that's all.
tl;dr: no list because of inner struggles and there are tons of RPGs out there that it's difficult to narrow choices down to 10 games only.
if i had to vote it'd be like
chrono trigger
planescape torment
an ultima game
uhhh bg2
seminal arpg
seminal trpg
some game from the 1980s
um some console-style rpg
this list sucks forget it
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Bump for YOUR list, procrastinators (who may or may not show up later on to gripe about "too many JRPGs" or "why is this so looooooooooow").
Hahaha.
People wonder why I don't do a ranked HM list; doing the top 10 was exhausting enough, especially since I had to ascertain thru the second playthru whether or not LoG2 could dethrone one of those old 10 (which it did).
Hahaha.
People wonder why I don't do a ranked HM list; doing the top 10 was exhausting enough, especially since I had to ascertain thru the second playthru whether or not LoG2 could dethrone one of those old 10 (which it did).
His Majesty
Banned
1) The Witcher: The Witcher is the game that got me into RPGs. I fondly remember the gloomy swamps, the sun rising while the villagers woke up. I remember strolling through the wheat fields on a summer day. The beauty of the world is in stark contrast with the society that lives in it. There is no good or evil. You're not the saviour of the world. Even the tasks you're set out to perform are low key. You try to gain access to the city, solve a murder mystery, help a village deal with the fallout of a broken wedding. All the while a conflict is brewing in the background. A rebel group fighting for what once was, fighting in the name of long lost values and ideals. On the other side a religious order that has proclaimed a crusade against non-humans. The magnificence of the world is supported by an excellent alchemy system, rhytmic combat and a wide array of choices with real consequences. It doesn't hurt either that the game still looks beautiful for modern standards.
2) Gothic II: We move on from Poland to Germany. Gothic II is the main example of a great open world RPG. The first town you enter bursts with life It feels like a real town with people having their own daily routines. The game is huge and it is densely packed with interesting stuff to do. At the beginning the game is very unforgiving but rarely does it feel unfair. You will have to learn through trial & error. When I was attacked by an angry drunkard, I ran away towards the guards who solved the problem for me. This difficulty adds weight to the loot you acquire. I have rarely been more pleased to find a better sword than in this game. There is no handholding in this game, you'll have to make your own map notes and do your own thinking to solve quests. The different factions in the game do a great job of adding choice and consequence to your actions.
3) Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer: The base campaign was a huge improvement over BioWare's NWN 1. But Obsidian really outdid themselves with Mask of the Betrayer. It is not a long game, as it is an expansion pack, but it features an amazing plot. The companions are a huge improvement over the original campaign, there is even a rainbow bear. Just like The Witcher, it is a game that steers far away from clichés so often associated with fantasy RPGs. The only thing holding this game back is the engine however.
4) Fallout: New Vegas: Entry number two for Obsidian. Fallout 3 was a major disappointment so I was extremely happy that New Vegas turned out to be such an excellent title. As can be expected, the writing and quests are all triple A quality. The Wasteland here feels alive and real instead of an amusement park waiting for you to visit. The multiple factions offer a lot of replay value and the ability to weaken the factions from within and switch sides is something I have not often seen in a game.
5) Dark Souls: Dark Souls manages to tell a story without little to no explanation. You experience it all as you visit the forgotten castles and long lost city of Anor Londo. It is a bleak world, inhabited by cynical characters. Never before has a catchphrase rung so true: praise the sun. Because of this dark world, those little moments of sunshine such as encountering Solaire of finally stumbling upon a bonfire really stand out. The minimalistic approach of storytelling is supported by an excellent combat system. It has weight, precision and it will test you along every path of the road. I also love how XP is used for both character progression and item vendors. Dark Souls outshines its sequel on most fronts, specifically on that feeling of hopelessness and dread.
6) Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines: Bloodlines breathes atmosphere. The colour palette, the neon lights, the dark alleys, it all serves to create an excellent adaptation of the Masquerade universe. The world and lore are very interesting. It throws most Vampire clichés out the window and offers something unique instead. The highlight of the game is the plot and its characters. The voice acting and dialogue are of the highest quality. The story involves real C&C and there is no handholding, which is ever so rare in modern action-RPGs. Replayability is encouraged by how different races are approached. The only aspect keeping this game from absolute greatness is its combat system which is mediocre to say the least.
7) Divinity: Original Sin: It often feels wrong to include a recently released game in a list of all time greats but not this time. Divinity takes its inspiration from Ultima VII quite seriously. The world is a huge sandbox waiting for you to be explored and interacted with. Larian has done extremely well in offering endless possibilities on how to approach quests and combat encounters. The turn-based combat system is a joy to experience and to experiment with and is the high point of the game. The game actively encourages exploration by offering little advice on how to proceed in quests. It requires you to think about what's happening and that's something that few games do these days. The story is not an all time great but it is supported by typical Larian humour (which I really like).
8) The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings: The Witcher 2 is in some ways a step back from the original Witcher. Gone is the Slavic atmosphere, the monster hunting and the quiet moments of peace. This time you're thrown into a political thriller of conspiracies and betrayal. It features one of the best videogame stories of all time and will surprise you by how heavy the weight of your choices are. It treads on territory that others are afraid to address in their games. The game features a wide cast of extremely well written characters including the antagonist. With The Witcher 2 CDProjekt has raised the bar for storytelling in RPGs and will hopefully do so again when The Witcher 3 comes out in May.
9) Alpha Protocol: Alpha Protocol is a flawed game. At launch it was riddled with bugs and bad optimization and the boss battles are a major disappointment. Now that we've gotten the bad out of the way, let's focus on what Obsidian did well. The reactivity and nonlinearity of the story is unparalleled. Games often claim they feature C&C only to throw out your choices later on by changing a line of dialogue. Telltale games for example make optimal use of this illusion of choice. Alpha Protocol however isn't content with just illusions. You can kill off nearly all major plot characters in this game and what you do will seriously influence their opinion of you. You can gather optional intel on characters to discover their secrets and whether or not they should be trusted and what their weaknesses are. The writing is top notch and is supported by a time-based dialogue system in which you can choose to be a suave gentleman or a complete dick. Alpha Protocol is probably one of the most underrated games of all time and really doesn't deserve the bargain bin status it currently has.
10) Shadowrun: Dragonfall: Two games from 2014? Impossible, I thought 2014 was a terrible year for gaming! Well, think again. Dragonfall is a unique game that manages to capture the spirit of the Shadowrun Universe while offering an engrossing story. Contrary to Dead Man's Switch, the game features a colourful cast of companions, each with their own backstory. All missions offer multiple pathways to complete them and are a good mix of combat, exploration and dialogue. The Kreuzbasar is one of the highlights of the game. It serves as your mainhub and base of operations for the missions you'll undertake. I am very much looking forward to the next installment in Hong Kong which will hopefully release in 2015.
----------------------------------
Honorable mentions:
----------------------------------
11) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
12) Risen
13) Divine Divinity
14) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
15) Dragon Age: Origins
16) Deux Ex: Human Revolution
17) Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga
18) Wasteland 2
19) Expeditions: Conquistador
20) The Secret World
Blue Submarine No. 6
Member
1) Final Fantasy VII (3 points) - (my most-played JRPG, barre none...)
2) Earthbound - (brilliant, quirky, classic...)
3) Persona 4 Golden - (a delight on myriad levels...)
4) Shin Megami Tensei IV
5) Front Mission 3 - (both sides of a terrible war, two brilliant campaigns...)
6) Final Fantasy X
7) Final Fantasy VI
8) Persona 3 Portable
9) Jean D'Arc - (wonderful PSP SRPG that is sorely underrated)
10) Valkyria Chronicles
2) Earthbound - (brilliant, quirky, classic...)
3) Persona 4 Golden - (a delight on myriad levels...)
4) Shin Megami Tensei IV
5) Front Mission 3 - (both sides of a terrible war, two brilliant campaigns...)
6) Final Fantasy X
7) Final Fantasy VI
8) Persona 3 Portable
9) Jean D'Arc - (wonderful PSP SRPG that is sorely underrated)
10) Valkyria Chronicles
Benzychenz
Member
Alright, my list is finished.
I think my list will be radically different next time we do this, as I'm only just delving into many great RPGs as of late. Half my list I only played in the past year.
I think my list will be radically different next time we do this, as I'm only just delving into many great RPGs as of late. Half my list I only played in the past year.
This happens every year.
Final list spoilers (even though I haven't tallied a single vote):
- GAF is console slanted, so expect tons of JRPGs and WRPGs that had console ports.
- Popular games get more votes because more people have played them. Same goes with more recent games.
- Even most of PC GAF hasn't played anything older than 1995. At least one Ultima belongs in the top 50, but it hasn't happened yet. (I did see more votes for Ultima 7 this time around though. Perhaps those GOG sales have helped).
Hopefully you participate in the post-voting discussion. I understand writing a well reasoned list can be a lot of work, but your insight is always appreciated!
hemtae
Member
Underrail is looking pretty good for filling that need.
I don't blame them. Old PC games might of been revolutionary at the time of release, but a lot of them have not aged very well at all. Personally the early 90's is about as far back as I will go and I can't even look at most of the games that came out in the 80s. Also for the record it is sad to read in the OP that this will be you last go at this list kswiston.
Yeah i have heard good things about that game. in fact I have just recently bought it on Steam a few hours ago. I will probably check it out after I am done with Tactics Ogre: LUCT.
ScatheZombie
Member
1) Gothic 3
Gothic has been a series that is built upon huge, expansive open worlds that require meticulous exploration and brutally unforgiving combat mechanics. Out of the two in the series I would recommend (Gothic 2 and Gothic 3), Gothic 3 holds up much better and is still very playable today. There are also several community mods available that add a good amount of content, fix some nagging performance issues, improve the game's appearance dramatically and add new difficulty options that make the game even more punishing. Truly, one of the best open world RPGs.
2) Divinity: Original Sin
Every time I play this game, I learned something new about it. There's so much to do and so many ways to do it that I think multiple playthroughs, especially with different class combos, will feel similar enough to use your game knowledge to your advantage but different enough to feel fresh - something that many games don't accomplish.
3) Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
This is pretty much the way to roleplay a vampire legitimately. I think I've played through this game 3 times now, and I know I still haven't seen everything - even though each playthrough was almost entirely unique.
4) Demon's Souls
The game that started the trend of comparing every dark action RPG to the Souls series. And it is because the Souls games get so many mechanics right, from a design standpoint, and create an amazing atmosphere to enjoy them in.
5) The Witcher
While the Witcher 2 is arguably better mechanically, I will always recommend playing through the Witcher first to anyone interested in the series.
6) Diablo 3
Initially, I wouldn't have put this game in the top 1000 RPGs. The first year and half of release were absolutely disastrous because of really, really bad design ideas. Thankfully, Blizzard (and an almost entirely new group of design leads) has remedied almost every gripe I had with the original game. My wife and I have sunk 100s of hours into this game on console.
7) Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon's Dogma is unmatched in its combat gameplay. I can't think of many games where having your sword-and-board warrior launch you into the air off his shield so you can grab onto the griffon before it flies you into the air while you hold on for dear life, stabbing it in the throat is normal gameplay.
8) Titan Quest: Immortal Throne (3 points)
I mentioned Diablo 3 above, but Titan Quest is still the best dungeon crawler of all time. Satisfying combat, interesting loot, crazy class combinations. I've played through the campaign, and expansion, probably a dozen times now.
9) Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
This game is essentially a Studio Ghibli film in video game form. And it is amazing. I'm still collecting familiars to this day.
10) Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Co-op RPGs will always have a place in my collection and this is one of the better ones.
Honorable Mentions:
11) Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga
12) Mass Effect
13) Fable
14) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
15) Knights of the Old Republic II
16) Phantasy Star Online 2
17) World of Warcraft
18) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
19) Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
20) Chrono Trigger
Gothic has been a series that is built upon huge, expansive open worlds that require meticulous exploration and brutally unforgiving combat mechanics. Out of the two in the series I would recommend (Gothic 2 and Gothic 3), Gothic 3 holds up much better and is still very playable today. There are also several community mods available that add a good amount of content, fix some nagging performance issues, improve the game's appearance dramatically and add new difficulty options that make the game even more punishing. Truly, one of the best open world RPGs.
2) Divinity: Original Sin
Every time I play this game, I learned something new about it. There's so much to do and so many ways to do it that I think multiple playthroughs, especially with different class combos, will feel similar enough to use your game knowledge to your advantage but different enough to feel fresh - something that many games don't accomplish.
3) Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
This is pretty much the way to roleplay a vampire legitimately. I think I've played through this game 3 times now, and I know I still haven't seen everything - even though each playthrough was almost entirely unique.
4) Demon's Souls
The game that started the trend of comparing every dark action RPG to the Souls series. And it is because the Souls games get so many mechanics right, from a design standpoint, and create an amazing atmosphere to enjoy them in.
5) The Witcher
While the Witcher 2 is arguably better mechanically, I will always recommend playing through the Witcher first to anyone interested in the series.
6) Diablo 3
Initially, I wouldn't have put this game in the top 1000 RPGs. The first year and half of release were absolutely disastrous because of really, really bad design ideas. Thankfully, Blizzard (and an almost entirely new group of design leads) has remedied almost every gripe I had with the original game. My wife and I have sunk 100s of hours into this game on console.
7) Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon's Dogma is unmatched in its combat gameplay. I can't think of many games where having your sword-and-board warrior launch you into the air off his shield so you can grab onto the griffon before it flies you into the air while you hold on for dear life, stabbing it in the throat is normal gameplay.
8) Titan Quest: Immortal Throne (3 points)
I mentioned Diablo 3 above, but Titan Quest is still the best dungeon crawler of all time. Satisfying combat, interesting loot, crazy class combinations. I've played through the campaign, and expansion, probably a dozen times now.
9) Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
This game is essentially a Studio Ghibli film in video game form. And it is amazing. I'm still collecting familiars to this day.
10) Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Co-op RPGs will always have a place in my collection and this is one of the better ones.
Honorable Mentions:
11) Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga
12) Mass Effect
13) Fable
14) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
15) Knights of the Old Republic II
16) Phantasy Star Online 2
17) World of Warcraft
18) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
19) Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland
20) Chrono Trigger
1.) Final Fantasy VI (3 Points) - FFVI is my favorite game of all time, so there can be no other RPG topping this list. For me this game combines the best this genre has to offer with a great and diverse cast, a great plot with twists and surprises, many memorable moments like the Opera scene, a great villain and one of the best, if not the best soundtrack of all time.
2.) Persona 4 - I loved the combination of dungeon crawling and social life simulation in this game. A great cast and addicting gameplay make this one of the best RPGs of all time imo.
3.) Final Fantasy IX - Such a charming little gem with some of the most lovable characters in the series.
4.) Dark Souls
5.) Chrono Trigger
6.) Final Fantasy VII
7.) Tales of Vesperia
8.) Star Ocean 4 - Probably a very controversial choice because of the many flaws it has but for me this game has the best fast-paced action-based party combat I've ever played. As someone who values good combat above everything else playing this game was a blast!
9.) Dragon Quest VIII
10.) Kingdom Hearts II
Don't have so much time at the moment but I hope I can write some comments to the rest of the list as well tomorrow >.<
2.) Persona 4 - I loved the combination of dungeon crawling and social life simulation in this game. A great cast and addicting gameplay make this one of the best RPGs of all time imo.
3.) Final Fantasy IX - Such a charming little gem with some of the most lovable characters in the series.
4.) Dark Souls
5.) Chrono Trigger
6.) Final Fantasy VII
7.) Tales of Vesperia
8.) Star Ocean 4 - Probably a very controversial choice because of the many flaws it has but for me this game has the best fast-paced action-based party combat I've ever played. As someone who values good combat above everything else playing this game was a blast!
9.) Dragon Quest VIII
10.) Kingdom Hearts II
Don't have so much time at the moment but I hope I can write some comments to the rest of the list as well tomorrow >.<
1) Earthbound (3 points) - Heart warming story and did not outstay its welcome. My favorite rpg by far.
2) Chrono Trigger - I don't know why I enjoyed this game as much as I did but I really enjoyed some of it ideas. Like cut scenes happening while you just walk around and are optional.
3) The Banner Saga - One of the few fantasy rpg stories I took seriously. Also that art.
4) Final Fantasy Tactics - Never could finish the game since I was always spent too much time not progressing the story, but got pretty far several times and it was very enjoyable.
5) Fire Emblem Awakening - Did not enjoy the story and I'm not a stats junkie, but the relationship building was really cool.
6) The World Ends with You - Don't know what I would think of the story now, but I really found the combat fun.
7) Pokemon Gold/Silver - A bit dated now, but had my favorite Pokemon and story in the series.
8) Radiant Historia - Had a slow beginning and rough end, but really enjoyed the time travel story side quests.
2) Chrono Trigger - I don't know why I enjoyed this game as much as I did but I really enjoyed some of it ideas. Like cut scenes happening while you just walk around and are optional.
3) The Banner Saga - One of the few fantasy rpg stories I took seriously. Also that art.
4) Final Fantasy Tactics - Never could finish the game since I was always spent too much time not progressing the story, but got pretty far several times and it was very enjoyable.
5) Fire Emblem Awakening - Did not enjoy the story and I'm not a stats junkie, but the relationship building was really cool.
6) The World Ends with You - Don't know what I would think of the story now, but I really found the combat fun.
7) Pokemon Gold/Silver - A bit dated now, but had my favorite Pokemon and story in the series.
8) Radiant Historia - Had a slow beginning and rough end, but really enjoyed the time travel story side quests.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
1) Final Fantasy IX (3 points) - (It's my absolute favorite game. I don't want to long wind this, but basically it changed my life.)
2) Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door - (It had a very interesting concept and I placed it about Super Mario RPG because of its difficulty.)
3) Final Fantasy IV - (insert explanation here)
4) Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars - (insert explanation here)
5) Final Fantasy VIII - (insert explanation here)
6) Kingdom Hearts - (insert explanation here)
7) Final Fantasy XII - (insert explanation here)
8) Kingdom Hearts II - (insert explanation here)
9) Dragon Quest VIII Journey of the Cursed King - (insert explanation here)
10) Threads of Fate - (The most unique RPG I've played)
Honorable Mentions
11) Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits (The battle system was very unique to me and I liked the story revolving around conflict between humans and deimos. I especially love Bebedora)
12) Dragon's Crown (really good mix of beat-em up and RPG. It loses major points for not being able to pause and the lack of voice chat)
13) Final Fantasy X - (insert explanation here)
14) Pokemon Blue - (The only Pokemon game that I actually had a great time with)
15) Chrono Trigger - (insert explanation here)
16) Legaia 2: Duel Saga
2) Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door - (It had a very interesting concept and I placed it about Super Mario RPG because of its difficulty.)
3) Final Fantasy IV - (insert explanation here)
4) Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars - (insert explanation here)
5) Final Fantasy VIII - (insert explanation here)
6) Kingdom Hearts - (insert explanation here)
7) Final Fantasy XII - (insert explanation here)
8) Kingdom Hearts II - (insert explanation here)
9) Dragon Quest VIII Journey of the Cursed King - (insert explanation here)
10) Threads of Fate - (The most unique RPG I've played)
Honorable Mentions
11) Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits (The battle system was very unique to me and I liked the story revolving around conflict between humans and deimos. I especially love Bebedora)
12) Dragon's Crown (really good mix of beat-em up and RPG. It loses major points for not being able to pause and the lack of voice chat)
13) Final Fantasy X - (insert explanation here)
14) Pokemon Blue - (The only Pokemon game that I actually had a great time with)
15) Chrono Trigger - (insert explanation here)
16) Legaia 2: Duel Saga
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