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IGN's Top 100 RPGs of All Time

canedaddy

canedaddy

Member
Chrono Trigger... eh. I was underwhelmed when I finally played it a few years back. Good game but not in my top five.

Then again, my favorite RPGs are DQVIII (#65) and Dark Cloud 2 (unranked) so what do I know.
 
A

Ahasverus

Member
ULTROS! said:
20 - Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
19 - EarthBound
18 - Final Fantasy Tactics
17 - Suikoden II
16 - Deus Ex
15 - Fallout 2
14 - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
13 - Persona 4: Golden
12 - Dark Souls
11 - Mass Effect 2
10 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
9 - Vagrant Story
8 - Diablo II
7 - Secret of Mana
6 - Planescape: Torment
5 - World of Warcraft
4 - Pokémon Yellow
3 - Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
2 - Final Fantasy VI
1 - Chrono Trigger
Click to expand...
So The Witcher 3 is the highest ranked modern/not nostalgia boosted game (Pokemon Yellow come on)

I'm ok with this.
 
Y

YankeeDonB

Member
Vincent Grayson said:
Hamauzu's stuff in it is what I still really like. X's Uematsu stuff is where he started to lose me though. I can't put my finger on why.
Click to expand...

I started to get a little cold on Uematsu in IX when I almost felt like he was an Uematsu cover band or something. But in X having shared lifting seemed to help him recover a fresher tone. But yeah, Hamauzu's stuff in the game is awesome.

WickedLaharl said:
Tales of Symphonia is just so out of place and even worse is that it's ahead of Vesperia.

Such an overrated game by thirsty Nintendo fans.
Click to expand...

Honestly I'm surprised any Tales game made it (though Abyss would be in my top 100). I like some of them, but even Vesperia feels distinctly B-Tier.
 
S

Serenitynow

Member
WickedLaharl said:
Tales of Symphonia is just so out of place and even worse is that it's ahead of Vesperia.

Such an overrated game by thirsty Nintendo fans.
Click to expand...

This is what I want to do to you right now:

86-207ozf4.gif


Jk, I respect your opinion. I love Vesperia. Maybe even more than Symphonia. But Symphonia is one of the greats, and that at 43 with Vesperia at 57 doesn't seem too egregious to me.
 
L

lvl99 Pixel

Member
BG2 and Earthbound deserve to be at the top.
Seems like they just threw in games with rpg elements that are more action games like Bloodborne.
 
V

Ventara

Member
No Nier? What a sad list.

On a side note, I wish these lists would stop with the nostalgia. Some older games are legitimately still great, but some are just outdated and would not be fun if played today.
 
F

family_guy

Member
Never quite took to Chrono Trigger like FF6 and I bought it day one for $80. It's got less content than FF6, doesn't have the story or characters that pulled me in like FF6, and doesn't have as good music either. Chrono Trigger edges out FF6 only in graphics and the combat system for me.
 
P

Proc

Member
I'm playing through chrono trigger for the first time right now.

I like what I've played quite a bit. However, I lost a few hours of progress and im not chomping at the bit to get back to it to replay that content. I think I'll be going to Nier or Persona 5 instead.

I struggle to concede that the rpg genre reached its pinnacle with the 16 bit era. I love sprite based RPGs but it's hard to judge them the same way as I do platformers.

Super Mario World is arguably the best platformer ever made because of the gameplay and controls. I could reccomend it to anyone.

It's harder for me to have the same reverence for a game like FF6 and Chrono Trigger. The music and art are some of the best I've heard on that platform, which does go a long way.

I'm not sure what I think the Super Mario World for RPGs is. Something fun to think about I suppose.
 
S

Sammy Samusu

Member
Symphonia was amazing at launch... but it didn't age well. Now it's a rotten piece of cheese. Ew.

I haven't played Vesperia yet because Microsoft is holding it hostage, so I can't say anything about that game.

Abyss was great but felt like a reductive Symphonia.
 
C

CazTGG

Member
I fully expected Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow to be included on the list despite having aged horribly, but I was not expecting it to be in the Top 5. It's not even the best Pokémon JRPG on the Game Boy...but it's only a few slots behind Final Fantasy VI? I know these IGN "Top 100 ___" lists tend to be a mess but that is simply unjustified.

mrmickfran said:
Persona 5 and Xenoblade are too low.

Where the FUCK is Final Fantasy X?
Click to expand...

Not on the list, as it should be.

notaskwid said:
Whoever made this list has a big boner for Matsuno's stuff.
Click to expand...

Can't complain, honestly. Tactics Ogre doesn't get nearly the amount of praise it deserves and Vagrant Story rarely comes up when discussing the best PS1 JRPGs.
 
N

Neoleo2143

Member
notaskwid said:
Whoever made this list has a big boner for Matsuno's stuff.
Click to expand...

I love Matsuno's work, I want more of it. Shame he didn't get lucky with his ventures outside Square like Takahashi did with Nintendo.

Also, while I appreciate Red/Blue/Yellow (If you're going to pick one, Yellow is the one to go so props there), Pokemon Black 2 is way better than all of them.

Xenoblade is bit too low for my tastes as well. But I'm fine with that. The placement of Baldur's Gate 2 is quite satisfying though.

Persona 5 is great and Nier Automata ought to be here. The next big JRPG should be Xenoblade 2 no? I look forward as to how that turns out.
 
R

Reset

Member
Yeah, I agree with the people that are saying FFX deserved to be on the list. It's the best mainline FF game. Oh and yeah Symphonia is the worst Tales game that I have played, the dungeons especially in that game are horrible.
 
H

hipsterpants

Member
Having just played through the ME trilogy again I do have to say ME2 definitely deserves it's spot on the list. What an amazing game.

Shame about ME3 though.
 
Setzer

Setzer

Member
I guess they're hilariously out of order depending on who you ask. We all have our opinions about where each game ranks in the series and may or may not agree where IGN placed them on their list. For the most part I agree with IGN's ranking with exception to a couple of the games but I'll share my thoughts by responding to yours.

TrounceX said:
The list actually seems pretty decent....

Except the Final Fantasy games are hilariously out of order.

83. Final Fantasy - game is not good, but ok it was the first in the series -Game is actually really good.
52. Final Fantasy VII - preposterously low -It's exactly where it should be and imo the most overrated entry in the series.
40. Final Fantasy IX - should be much higher -Ok, this I actually agree with
31. Final Fantasy XII - should barely be on this list -It's actually better than VII so I agree with the ranking they gave it
22. Final Fantasy IV - lol c'mon -It's right up there with VI - it should be ranked higher
18. Final Fantasy Tactics - ridiculously high -Deservedly high
02. Final Fantasy VI - I'll give them this one, but it is an obvious pick -The best in the series and arguably the best RPG of all-time.
Click to expand...

It's cool to read opinions from other FF fans on what games they think are the best in the series and which ones are not so great. For you, X shouldn't have been left off this list but for me, I thought it was one of the weaker games in the series and doesn't deserve a place in the top 100 RPG's. Story was weak and it also didn't help that the actor who did the VA for Tidus made him sound like a whiny little bitch. I guess I could see where this game might resonate with others but it just didn't do it for me.
 
M

manzoman96

Member
Not a bad list. As others have said, FFVII is way too low. We've reached peak backlash against the games praise and popularity. I know some don't like is as much as others but show the game some respect.
Also I don't love FFX as much as others in this thread but it should've been on the list. Probably middle of the pack in the 50's or 40's.
 
T

Turin

Banned
Seems like an okay list. Chrono Trigger's a respectable choice for the top spot.

Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite game of all time but I'm not really peeved at all. The backlash against VII is largely the result of overexposure to the point of nauseam and the Compilation's fuckery.

There will be best RPG lists for as long as the internet exists.

(I should really make a check list for some of these games I haven't played. Still want to play Vesperia.)
 
P

PK Gaming

Member
pgharavi said:
kzo2T6q.jpg
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Not surprise by Persona 4 Golden's placement. It's like the ultimate GameFaqs game.

Even if the discussions were... not ideal, I think everyone who's played P4 has at least experienced the GameFaqs P4 boards in some way. Stuck on Shadow Mitsuo? Head over to GameFaqs for the Black Frost strats. Wanna build a solid Yoshitsune? I'm already typing its name in the search bar.
 
W

wondergorls

Member
Vincent Grayson said:
Maybe I'm alone in this, but I've soured a lot on FFX over the years. I loved it at launch and played through it a couple times, loved FFX-2, and eagerly bought the ports on PS3, Vita, PS4, and PC...but I just don't really like playing it.

The environment designs feel super dated, the minigames are fucking awful, the music is inconsistent, the voice acting is (understandably) mediocre, and even the gameplay feels super rote (use character X for enemy Y, every time) now that SMT has been hammering the same weakness-heavy turn-based stuff for 15 years since.

I still like the story and characters well enough.

I mean, I don't hate it, and I would certainly place it in the top 100 somewhere, but that's largely because there's a ton on this list I wouldn't have put there, and a bunch I would have.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with this tbh, the remaster made me like it less ( I hadn't played it since release). I'm not particularly into any of the characters either, I actually prefer Yuna in x-2 x10000. It's still a good RPG but I can still replay the older FF's and enjoy them more for some reason. Maybe because X is more reliant on twists in the story.
 
Z

ZenTzen

Member
Pretty crappy list, once i saw the placement on some of the games it was pretty obvious which picks would come out on top
 
R

rezn0r

Member
lists are just insane everywhere. up above SOTN is not an rpg (i love the damn game, calm down). if SOTN is an RPG a whole shit ton of games are missing on top of all the other complaints that have been posted.
 
N

NandoGip

Member
Bards Tale
Final Fantasy
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
Pool of Radiance
Ultima IV
Betrayal at Krondor
Fire Emblem
Wizardry 8
Everquest
Ys Book 1 & 2
Shining Force II
Ultima VII
TES III: Morrowind
Neverwinter Nights
Baldurs Gate
Fallout
Freedom Force
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
Pokemon Yellow
Dragon Quest V
System Shock 2
Legend of Dragoon
Illusion of Gaia
Titan Quest
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen
Phantasy Star IV
Icewind Dale II
Baldurs Gate II
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Darkest Dungeon
Lunar: Eternal Blue
Lunar: Silver Star Story
Planescape: Torment
Tactics Ogre
Final Fantasy IV
Star Ocean: The Second Story
Dragon Warrior VII
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Earthbound
Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door
Grandia II
EVE Online
Phantasy Star Online
The World Ends With You
Persona 3
Fire Emblem Awakening
Front Mission 3
Breath of Fire III
Golden Sun
Deus Ex
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Vagrant Story
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
Skies of Arcadia
Final Fantasy VI
Chrono Cross
Xenogears
Fallout 2
Neverwinter Nights 2
Secret of Mana
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy IX
Diablo 2
Demons Souls
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Undertale
Final Fantasy XII
Stardew Valley
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir
Tales of Symphonia
Jade Empire
KOTOR
Fable II
Torchlight II
Chrono Trigger
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Tales of Vesperia
Final Fantasy Tactics
TES V: Skyrim
Fallout: New Vegas
Mass Effect
Ni No Kuni
Pokemon Sun & Moon
Witcher 2
World of Warcraft
Valkyria Chronicles
Kingdom Hearts II
Persona 5
Persona 4
Pillars of Eternity
Divinity Original Sin
Dragon Age Inquisition
Mass Effect 2
Suikoden II
Dragon Age: Origins
Dark Souls
Xenoblade Chronicles
Bloodborne
Witcher 3

Thoughts? Reordered for playability today.
 
G

GDJustin

stuck my tongue deep inside Atlus' cookies
The current crew at IGN really unapologetically adores FF XII's battle system and world. We know it isn't a widely held opinion. We also all nearly universally think FF VII is overrated.

Just one of those things.

I bristle a little when people accuse it of being a ranking stunt for "clicks" or just a "hipster choice" when plenty of people in this very topic agree that XII is great and plenty of other people agree that VII isn't all that. Both groups are a minority, but it's a widely-enough held opinion to not seem especially ridiculous. There's no need for the tinfoil hats.

And yes, we spent a very, very long time arguing over what did and didn't constitute an RPG. I argued (unsuccessfully as you can see) that, incredible game that it is, Stardew Valley is in no way an RPG. And yet here we are. Ultimately we decided that the game had to:

1) Have persistent character progression with player-exposed stats.
2) Combat had to feature prominently
3) Combat resolution for a standard playthrough had to be determined in large part due to the skill or your character and not player skill.
4) Player choice and consequence, either in story or character development/building.
5) It had to have an actual narrative (stripping purely systems-driven roguelikes from contention).
6) Some element of exploring a world or virtual space.

With that framework in mind, there's still a million edge-case games like Horizon: Zero Dawn. Ultimately we kept coming back to point 1 - whether the game includes or emphasizes player-exposed stats - as a guidepost for whether any of the 100s of games with RPG-like systems (basically every modern game) fully crossed over into full-on "it's an RPG" territory or not. It might sound pedantic, but without spelling out elements like story being essential, you'd end up with Call of Duty Multiplayer being an RPG, wouldn't you?

Yes, in Horizon you're progressing through a skill tree and Aloy is much stronger at the end of the game than the start, but she didn't do so via a visible attack stat climbing from 20 to 200. Consider this skill in Horizon: "Critical Hit +: Critical hits do more damage" - it's not a coincidence it's framed that way - as an obfuscated reference to a skill improving. It's a deliberate softening of the game's "RPG edge" on the part of the dev team. Thus - great game, but not eligible here.

All 6 of these points helped us wade through thorny waters, like strategy games. Persistent character progression is the specific rule that allowed Fire Emblem to be eligible and not Advance Wars, for example. We all know, intuitively, that Advance Wars isn't an RPG and Fire Emblem is, or at least is closer. But it's harder to explain specifically why than you might think.

So all that being said we still struggled with games like Symphony of the Night. We eventually adopted an informal/unwritten "SOTN rule," which is that a game could fit all 6 criteria above but still not be eligible for inclusion if it so clearly and so strongly identified with another established game genre, to the point that that genre identification overshadowed the game's RPG's qualifications.

Edit: I will also say that Zelda: Breath of the Wild's emphasis on statistical gear upgrades almost certainly qualifies it as an RPG for the purposes of our list, in a way the other Zelda games aren't. Possibly willing to concede that as a miss on our part. But on the other hand we only have so much time to debate lists like this... so I'm not sure it was especially irresponsible to just stick with what most gamers more commonly understand to be a classic, canonical "RPG."

Wazzy said:
If you're going to make a top 100 list then shouldn't the people allowing these placements all know what they're putting in? Most RPG fanatics would easily point out that LoD is not deserving to be placed above games like Valkyria Chronicles, DQ VII, EverQuest, etc. It even being allowed to be ranked while huge games like Final Fantasy VIII and X don't even qualify is a bizarre choice no matter how much dislike they feel towards these two. VIII had it's own influences and while it's nowhere near as huge as games like VI, VII, CT, it brought forth full proportioned characters, a different approach to developing it's lead character, gorgeous soundtrack that blended many different styles two of which are huge hits outside of just the game itself and it's own unique battle system. X was also doing that for PS2 Final Fantasy and was the next big jump for graphic changes and voice acting.

So I guess my point is, what actually determined what you put on this list and where they went? Like I would love to see how someone argued LoD over all the games I just brought up lol

Edit: The funniest thing of all is I actually LIKE LoD. I grew up with it and it will always have a special place in my heart but that doesn't change the fact it's a very mediocre RPG.
Click to expand...

LoD is higher because more people on the selection committee liked LoD more. It's taste - not science :)

And no - I don't think it's important that everyone on the selection committee have extensive experience with a large majority of the pool of games. They just have to be big RPG fans. I have a strong suspicion that Dan Stapleton actively hates JRPGS, but we still wanted him in the room in these meetings because he's a voice for all the CRPGs many of us don't know as well. It's a group effort.

notaskwid said:
Whoever made this list has a big boner for Matsuno's stuff.
Click to expand...

You're not wrong.

Flakster99 said:
That is one of the, if not the best top 10 RPG's of all time lists I have ever seen. They absolutely nailed the top 3, and on any given day I can make a case for either game being the BEST RPG OF ALL TIME.

I am also absolutely thrilled they understand how important games such as Baldur's Gate 2, Planescape: Torment, and World of Warcraft are to not only our industry, but RPG history.

/salute IGN
Click to expand...

Thanks so much!
 
W

Wazzy

Banned
GDJustin said:
LoD is higher because more people on the selection committee liked LoD more. It's taste - not science :)

And no - I don't think it's important that everyone on the selection committee have extensive experience with a large majority of the pool of games. They just have to be big RPG fans. I have a strong suspicion that Dan Stapleton actively hates JRPGS, but we still wanted him in the room in these meetings because he's a voice for all the CRPGs many of us don't know as well. It's a group effort.
Click to expand...

I mean, that kind of attitude is what led to a game like LoD beating out many others that are far superior to it. It's your guys choice and you obviously can decide however you want but it's not leaving much room for people to find good reasoning for the bottom half of your list and it's placements.

I guess I just won't understand how a group of people sat in a room and decided that LoD should be an important ranking and that it should make it before games as huge as Pokemon G/S, Final Fantasy VIII/X, SMT IV, Persona 2:IS, YS 7, Paper Mario, Final Fantasy XIV and many more.

Only thing I don't mind is I think your top 20 seems like actual thought and effort was put into it other than Pokemon Yellow.
 
K

Kalnos

Banned
GDJustin said:
The current crew at IGN really unapologetically adores FF XII's battle system and world. We know it isn't a widely held opinion. We also all nearly universally think FF VII is overrated.
Click to expand...

I'd say it's a fairly widely held opinion. Purists can make that seem like a minority opinion though.
 
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