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Your Top 5 JRPGs of this Generation?

jeremy1456

Junior Member
I know this thread is more than a little cliche, but the similar threads I see usually include WRPGs. I thought I would make one specifically for JRPGs. Let's not leave handhelds out either!

Any way, here is my list:

1. Tales of Vesperia (360)

Not the best Tales game, but I think it really came together well and has the most enjoyable combat system so far in the series. Suffers from a semi-weak story though.

2. Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)

Crazy stylized, but where it really shines is its battle system. Unlike most SRPGs it actually requires strategy in both movement and placement. Cool story too.

3. Blue Dragon (360)

This one brings back memories of the classic RPGs I love most. The story was lame, but I really liked the battle system and art style. Plus, the soundtrack was enjoyable (Light shiiining on my hearttt, memorrriess of forgotten lands!)

4. Dragon Quest IX (DS)

A little weaker than most games in the series, but it comes together well and I really like the slightly revamped battle system. The customization aspects, while cool, just don't fit the series well in my opinion and the story was too segmented. Other than those minor problems I liked this one quite a bit.

5. Sakura Wars: So Long My Love (Wii)

Technically a PS2 game, but I only played the Wii version. Very heavy on story, this game is part RPG and part dating sim. The dating elements were kind of interesting, but the battle system seemed to be Skies of Arcadia meets Panzer Dragoon Saga. In other words, amazing.

EDIT: As Duckroll has said, let's try to give more of an explanation of why we made the choices.
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Before I answer this question, I need to know whether Demon's Souls is considered a "JRPG"?
 
1. The World Ends With You (DS)
2. Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
3. Radiant Historia (DS)
4. Resonance of Fate (360)
5. Lost Odyssey (360)
 

Xelinis

Junior Member
1. Xenoblade
2. Radiant Historia
3. Resonance of Fate
4. Valkyria Chronicles
5. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
 

pramath

Banned
I am assuming Pokemon counts as a JRPG.

1. Pokemon Black/White (DS)
2. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky (DS)
3. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver (DS)
4. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)
5. Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
 

Giolon

Member
1) Valkyria Chronicles
2) Tales of Vesperia
3) Dragon Quest IX
4) Final Fantasy XIII (I'm well aware this will probably disqualify my opinion on GAF)
5) Edit: Demon's Souls if it counts. Otherwise, couldn't think of a 5th b/c Blue Dragon, Star Ocean, and Golden Sun Dark Dawn all left me sort of blah.
 
1.Xenoblade- Because the world is fantastic to explore and never feels like a chore as you are always rewarded. The story while pretty shallow is still full of interesting twists and turns and always worthy of attention.

2.Final Fantasy XIII- Linear yes, but the game is very fun and feels like there is no fat. Just a straight experience that doesn't annoy me with things like backtracking. Fantastic battle system set in a cool world. The story fumbles, but certain character dynamics are good. It's also the best visual experience this generation.

3.Resonance of Fate-A battle system with a lot of depth. Fantastic tinkering options when it comes to weapon customization.

4.Valkyria Chronicles(Persona 3:portable if VC doesn't count)-Just a great srpg that is really easy to get into. It doesn't feel overwhelming like a lot of turn based srpgs. Since it seems like a regular shooting game it's so easy to grasp.

5.Lost Odyssey-A great turn based battle system with a really cool party order mechanic. I also really enjoy the mix of blank slate characters and job based characters.
 
Mario & Luigi 3 - Consistently fun and funny series.
Golden Sun Dark Dawn - Weakest of the three, but still fun.
The World Ends With You - Excellent music and art.
The Last Remnant - I can see why people wouldn't like it, but I found the battle system extremely fun and addictive to play.
Valkyria Chronicles - Been a while since I played it, but I remember it being one of the most unique gaming experiences I've had.

No particular order, because those are all I've played. :lol
 

weeaboo

Member
1.- The Worlds Ends With You (NDS)
2.- Xenoblade (Wii)
3.- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (NDS)
4.- Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cream Together (PSP)
5.- Lost Odyssey (360)
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Not gonna count Demon's Souls in my list.


Final Fantasy XIII

CTQMv.png


Hamauzus best soundtrack to date. Best RPG graphics to date. Best FMVs to date. Second best JRPG gameplay to date. Yep, pretty much best everything except for the story.


Resonance of Fate

DW178.jpg


Solid graphics but a forgettable soundtrack with art direction that doesn't stand a chance to the big birds out there. So why is this on my list? Because THE GAMEPLAY IS SOOOO GOOD AND REWARDING! A JRPG with a huge learning curve? And it's super rewarding at that?! This game is amazing...

Also, Leanne owns.


Blue Dragon

PyYGW.jpg


Now I'll go ahead and say that I didn't beat this (fuck you, Nothing Man!) but when I was enjoying this game the most; it was fucking brilliant. The art direction (and the use of depth of field) is ridiculously good! Gameplay is very old-school which fits the style they wanted to go with perfectly.
 

Jive Turkey

Unconfirmed Member
In no order:

Tales of Vesperia: A Tales game with a lead who is quite a bit closer to the classic dark hero than most JRPGs and joined by a cast of characters none of whom I disliked earns Vesperia a spot on my list. The secret missions were a nice touch but some were extremely random and the game gave no hint to what needed to be done. Still Vesperia was very fun and I'm probably going to go for another playthrough soon.

Valkiria Chronicles: A fantistic twist on the typical SRPG style gameplay. Beautiful graphics (a common theme of all the games on my list really) and fairly fast-paced/skill-based gameplay makes this a must-play for all PS3 owners. Only thing I'd add would be trophy support.

Blue Dragon: A love letter to classic turn-based JRPGs. Blue Dragon feels more like one of the SNES Final Fantasy games than anything released since. Uematsu's score and Toriyama's art only served to reinforce that feeling.

Those are the only JRPGs I've finished this generation.

EDIT: For duckroll.
 

kunonabi

Member
Not in order

Resonance of Fate
Lost Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles
Valkyria Chronicles
Persona 4( not really this gen but I can't think of anything else)

I'm working on Radiant Historia but I haven't gotten far enough to form an opinion. The time travel aspect is pretty weak so far though.
 

Coxy

Member
1: Valkyria Chronicles
I've always loved SRPGs, shining force used to be one of my favourite series. I never thought I'd see a SRPG as great from sega ever again until this bad boy came along. Chapter 7, that's all I need to say, Valkyria fans will know what I mean.

2: Ar Tonelico Qoga
Fantastic end to an immense trilogy. Aoto is an awesome main character with a manly as fuck positive attitude that never gives up. The humour early on really makes you like the characters, which makes it all the harsher later on when they twist the knife
The bad ending and Tyria's cosmosphere are immensely depressing. The sense of an inevitable fate that you cant change no matter how hard you try was really well done.

3: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Really well developed world with a great atmosphere and likeable cast of characters, I just hope we get parts 2 and 3 :(

4: Atelier Rorona
Utterly cute and addictive. I'd played the Atelier Iris and Mana Khemia games and I wasntg sure how much I was gonna like this game with no real main story or anything but it ended up being great. Kind of like a fantasy slice of life anime.

5: Disgaea 4
I wasnt really expecting a great story from this, 2 and 3 were pretty weak, so I was really surprised at how much I ended up loving the characters. I expected a throwaway gag story but it was really good and got me genuinely excited about what was happening
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
duckroll said:
What's the point of a list thread without discussion?
I was trying to start something with me praising the hell out of FFXIII... I wonder why nobody's quoted me yet on that :/
 

Grimmy

Banned
1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
2. Ys: The Oath in Felghana
3. Half-Minute Hero
4. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
5. TBD
 

Joe White

Member
Without Demon's Souls my list would be:
1. Nier
2. Blue Dragon
3. Lost Odyssey
4. Final Fantasy XIII

Hmm... seems that I have only tried 4 JRPGs this gen and Nier is the only one that I have actually finished.
 
Demon Souls is a jrpg as it id made in Japan. It's a jrpg. Is a movie made in Japan by Japanese people but staring American people still a Japanese movie?
 
jeremy1456 said:
I know this thread is more than a little cliche, but the similar threads I see usually include WRPGs. I thought I would make one specifically for JRPGs. Let's not leave handhelds out either!

Any way, here is my list:

1. Tales of Vesperia (360)
2. Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)
3. Blue Dragon (360)
4. Dragon Quest IX (DS)
5. Sakura Wars: So Long My Love (Wii)

You fail to have Xenoblade I cant forgive that
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
Xenoblade
Tales of Vesperia
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor
Radiant Historia
Final Fantasy XIII


duckroll said:
Come on guys, put more effort into your lists at least. Talk about the games!

Whoops okay then. English is not my 1st language so please bear with me a bit.

Xenoblade
I've spent upwards to 190 hours, 107-ish hours for my first playthrough and I am currently on the second playthrough (starting fresh from the beginning immediately). Hair frustrating moments aside (mostly caused by the game's quest mechanic), this game is truly one of the finest JRPGs I've ever played. Strong localization, the epic scope of the overall world, kickass music, excellent graphics, excellent battle system..... the list goes on and on.

Tales of Vesperia
Fantastic production value and a strong main lead character (which is a surprise considering this is a Tales game) made this a very memorable JRPG experience for me. Excellent battle system (as to be expected from a Tales game), endearing characterizations, and simply in my opinion one of the most mesmerizing graphical showcases for the current generation consoles.

Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor
The amount of time I've spent for this one was simply... very high, considering this is a handheld game. Multiple endings, nice character designs, the typical SMT demons vs. angels that I love, excellent battle system (though often infuriating), and addicting monster fusion system. I've spent so much time on this one I had reservations about Overclock and whether I am willing to go over again from point zero with that one..... *sigh*

Radiant Historia
Amazing soundtrack and an addicting time-travel structure, along with interesting battle system and overall story/characters are all the reason why this game is, next to Devil Survivor, the handheld game I've spent the most amount of hours in. A kickass main character helped too. Excellent package all in all.

Final Fantasy XIII
I do not care about all the hate that it gets, I've completed and enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII. Exceptional production value with very strong graphics, amazing music, excellent battle system.... I am also perhaps the only person in the whole wide world that did not mind all the characters including Vanille, Hope, and Snow, hahahaha. I also found the world mythology to be fascinating, to be honest O_O.
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Those who has Lost Odyssey in their lists, did you play it recently? Did the extremely... slow... pacing... in the game not bother any of you?
 
duckroll said:
Come on guys, put more effort into your lists at least. Talk about the games!
You may as well be shouting this at a brick wall =(

The most surprising thing for me is that outside handhelds, I couldn't name five RPGs without including some shit to make up the numbers. Not even five.
 
Not necessarily in order, and not necessarily five, but here they are:

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Demon's Souls
Valkyria Chronicles
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Persona 3: Portable
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions


And I'm hoping Dark Souls makes this list. : )
 
The World Ends With You (NDS)
Brilliant. Great modern setting, nice diverse soundtrack, engaging battle system that makes full use of the DS' capabilities and an aesthetic that suits Nomura's style. Being able to adjust your difficulty setting at pretty much any time is something that more games should pick up, and the risk/reward system of lowering your level to increase drops in genius.

Dragon Quest 5 (NDS)
Charming. Emotional, understated story matched with solid traditional mechanics make it a classic.

Chrono Trigger (NDS)
One of Square's best battle systems paired with a neat time travel concept make for a fun game. I'm generally a fan of Akira Toriyama, and the designs for this game are some of his best work.

Pokemon Black/White (NDS)
As a general rule, every Pokemon generation is better than the last and these are no exception. Attempts at being a little deeper with the narrative are reasonably successful, the new battle types are okay and the Wonder Launcher is an interesting new mechanic I'dve liked to see more people pick up.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP)
Possibly the peak of the series. Disney worlds are a little underwhelming, but the battle system is fluid and fun. I liked the remix of Simple and Clean maybe a little more than I should have, let it run through every other time I started the game up.

This gen was the first time DQ5 and CT were released in Australia, so I'm counting them.
 

ctrayne

Member
Not huge into JRPGs, but

Tactics Ogre

I waited a decade for this and it was worth it. Other than fairly "meh" renditions of the classic soundtrack and the non-updated sprites, everything else is perfect. Easily the most elegant user interface I've ever used, and the in-depth story/character summary is essential for keeping track of the excellent political plot, which is heads and shoulders better than the usual tripe these games sadly gravitate towards. All games should be this easy to use, letting you focus on the game and not fighting the controls. Cannot say enough good things about this game. And it fits in your pocket!
 
1.Xenoblade- Because the world is fantastic to explore and never feels like a chore as you are always rewarded. The story while pretty shallow is still full of interesting twists and turns and always worthy of attention.

2.Final Fantasy XIII- Linear yes, but the game is very fun and feels like there is no fat. Just a straight experience that doesn't annoy me with things like backtracking. Fantastic battle system set in a cool world. The story fumbles, but certain character dynamics are good. It's also the best visual experience this generation.

3.Resonance of Fate-A battle system with a lot of depth. Fantastic tinkering options when it comes to weapon customization.

4.Valkyria Chronicles(Persona 3:portable if VC doesn't count)-Just a great srpg that is really easy to get into. It doesn't feel overwhelming like a lot of turn based srpgs. Since it seems like a regular shooting game it's so easy to grasp.

5.Lost Odyssey-A great turn based battle system with a really cool party order mechanic. I also really enjoy the mix of blank slate characters and job based characters.
 

Aspiring

Member
1. Tales of Vesperia
2. Tales of symphonia DoTW
3. 3D Dot Game Heroes
4. Eternal Sonata
5. Tales of Graces f - I have only played the demo but like 1000 times. I'm sure full game will be higher up on my list

Also I'm sure Tales of Xillia will be in there as well : )
 

Dead Man

Member
I've only played 2 jrpgs this gen, Valkyria Chronicles and Nier. I loved VC, the art especially was awesome, even if the characters got a bit ridiculous towards the end. Nier however was not for me at all. I tried to stick with it but after a couple hours I put it down and never went back.

So I guess my list is:

1. Valkyria Chronicles.

The end. :/
 

Dead

well not really...yet
1. Xenoblade - Amazing world, so much exploration, addictive side quests, good story and characters. It hits pretty much every single note.

2. World ends with you - Unique gameplay that is both fun and addicting, really cool and colorful design, great music as well.

3. Valkyria Chronicles - Gorgeous graphics and artstyle combo, involving story and characters, and again, gameplay that sets it apart from other competing games.

4. Resonance of Fate - Interesting/unique world, fun characters, AMAZING battle system that is constantly fun and rewarding
and you also get to play dress up
 

duckroll

Member
toythatkills said:
You may as well be shouting this at a brick wall =(

The most surprising thing for me is that outside handhelds, I couldn't name five RPGs without including some shit to make up the numbers. Not even five.

It's already working! See, there are better posts now. Keep it up guys! :D
 

StuBurns

Banned
Rahxephon91 said:
Demon Souls is a jrpg as it id made in Japan. It's a jrpg. Is a movie made in Japan by Japanese people but staring American people still a Japanese movie?
Of course it's Japanese, but is it an RPG though? From what I've seen it's just an action game.
 

duckroll

Member
StuBurns said:
Of course it's Japanese, but is it an RPG though? From what I've seen it's just an action game.

Huh? So I guess Versus isn't going to be an RPG either? Demon's Souls is absolutely a RPG.
 

Yoshichan

And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Rahxephon91 said:
1.Xenoblade- Because the world is fantastic to explore and never feels like a chore as you are always rewarded. The story while pretty shallow is still full of interesting twists and turns and always worthy of attention.

2.Final Fantasy XIII- Linear yes, but the game is very fun and feels like there is no fat. Just a straight experience that doesn't annoy me with things like backtracking. Fantastic battle system set in a cool world. The story fumbles, but certain character dynamics are good. It's also the best visual experience this generation.
Seeing you choose Xenoblade over FFXIII got me surprised! o.o
StuBurns said:
Of course it's Japanese, but is it an RPG though? From what I've seen it's just an action game.
Hahaha, Demon's Souls is more RPG than anything else.
 

Ydahs

Member
From the ones I remember:

1. Xenoblade (best RPG of all time? Maybe only second to Chrono Cross)
2. Final Fantasy XIII (enjoyed it a lot. Less linearity would have been welcomed, but it's certain a game I would recommend to any)
3. The World Ends With You (unique gameplay mechanics, wonderful art style and engaging characters. Hopefully there' a sequel on the way)
3. Chrono Trigger (it is a port, but it's the first time playing it and it feels modern)
 
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