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What's your Top 3 Must Play SNES JRPG?

EarthBound and Chrono Trigger are the indisputable kings.

FFVI and Super Mario RPG can fight over the third spot from here to eternity, but my inclination is to lean towards FFVI, which has aged better apart from the random battles. SMRPG laid down an important template that has since been considerably improved upon by better games, but FFVI was the capstone of the kind of JRPG it represented.
 
SNES-only, it'd be Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, and Final Fantasy 4, probably in that order.

If you add Super Famicom, it becomes Dragon Quest 6, Tales of Phantasia, and Bahamut Lagoon.
 
You're basically asking for a Top Two, since everyone needs CT on the list. I'd say...

Chrono Trigger
Terranigma
Dragon Quest V


FF6, Earthbound, Mario RPG, and plenty others are great choices too but I've picked my three. All are flawless, in practical terms.
 

ocean

Banned
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VI

You're gonna see the above two on 99% of post here, the 3rd pick is gonna be where it fluctuates

Personally I'd pick Illusion of Gaia as my 3rd though that's more of a homer pick I'll admit
100% agreed. My third is Super Mario RPG.

Based Square.
 

Aeana

Member
List threads are not so great, honestly. Especially this one, because most of the lists are going to be very similar. It would be better if people at least wrote what they like about each game, and why they like it more than what else is on the system. But I think it shouldn't be limited to 3, either.
 
1. FFVI
2. Chrono Trigger
3. Super Mario RPG

Boring, I know.

1. Chrono Trigger
2. Final Fantasy III/VI
3. Chrono Trigger again because holy shit

Chrono Trigger
Mario RPG
FF VI

good god.. this hard ><

i'd say

FFVI
Chrono Trigger
Mario RPG

Super Mario RPG
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy 6

We have the top 3.

My opinion is shared by many.
 
1. Super Mario RPG
2. Final Fantasy IV
3. Chrono Trigger

1 and 3 for the (at the time) innovative combat systems. 2 for the story.
 
1. Chrono Trigger - just one of the best games ever.
2. FF6 - my opinion of it isn't as high as it once was, but it's still quality.
3. Secret of Mana - for the soundtrack alone.
 

Nottle

Member
In my brain:

1. Chrono Trigger
2. Final Fantasy 6
3. Earthbound.

In my Heart

1. Earthbound
2. Super Mario RPG
3. Final Fantasy 5

I honestly need to replay FF4 and 6 because my memories of that game are close to a decade old. I played FF5 within the last year and it left a very positive impression.
 

jblank83

Member
Everyone is going to say Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, so I'm going to talk about some of my favorite SNES RPGs that don't mentioned often.

Soul Blazer - It may not be the more flowing and faster paced game that Illusion of Gaia, its successor, was, but there's something incredibly pleasing about the methodical, exacting gameplay in Soul Blazer. The town building is also incredibly rewarding. Then there's the music. Wonderful.

Dungeon Master - SNES saw a number of high quality and, frankly, superior ports of great PC RPGs. Dungeon Master is one of them. It remains one of the most underrated and highly influential PC RPGs. It took Wizardry's mold and injected it into real time, an evolution that would go on to influence Ultima Underworld. It's also the first in a line that would lead to Eye of the Beholder and then on to Legend of Grimrock.

Ultima VI - Another wonderful PC port. It outdoes the PC game in music, in having a full screen display (PC had huge UI boxes, with the game in only 1/4 of the screen), and in playability (controller > primitive mouse controls). All that while cutting very little content (though the dialog system does suffer). Beyond that it's still one of the best games in one of the most interesting RPG series out there. It did open world long before anyone called it open world. The world was richly designed with unique quests, treasures, and monster encounters everywhere.

Shadowrun - One of my favorites. It's one of the best action RPGs on the SNES, with fun combat, FLOATING COMBAT NUMBERS, a great story, great pixel art, and great music. Does it hold as closely to the Shadowrun ruleset as the Genesis game? No, but I enjoy it far more.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Earthbound
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VI
 

woopWOOP

Member
Earthbound - Zany and charming
Terranigma - Actually got me invested and emotional
Seiken Densetsu 3 - I like the different classes/semi-branching paths and Mana's monster designs

Honorable mentions for Star Ocean and Front Mission.
Never played through the SNES FF games or Chrono Trigger.
 

Thud

Member
I have three games I want to finish:

Lufia II
Illusion of Time
Super Mario RPG

and Chrono Trigger (DS).

As for a must play I have one:

Earthbound - charming game in the right mood. It really felt like a mother's embrace.
 
List threads are not so great, honestly. Especially this one, because most of the lists are going to be very similar. It would be better if people at least wrote what they like about each game, and why they like it more than what else is on the system. But I think it shouldn't be limited to 3, either.

Its especially bad cuz Chrono Trigger pretty much has to be on every list, with FF6 in 90% of em, and its not like we haven't heard why people love those games so much a million times

maybe top 3 most underrated SNES JRPGs?
 
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