I have to said beforehand that my "essential" pick for some games that is part of a series seems strange, unusual, or unfitting for there is other game that is better to fit in into the list. My reason is that sadly I haven't played them yet, and only the most recent one that I can get my hand into. Perhaps in next year, or next essential list, I could give a "better" pick for my essential RPGs.
1) Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators (3 points)
What is Space Rangers 2? Let me quote
Fragamemnon post that describe this game beautifully:
This game is another space RPG with a similar isometic view, but it features a huge open world galaxy with a extreme variety of gameplay you can engage in, ranging from text adventures to trading to piracy. It's a truly free space RPG adventure game with limitless possibilities and nearly endless gameplay. There's a finite beginning and end to a campaign but again you're not dealing with the game serving up some massive turdfest of scripted missions to get there. It kind of just happens.
Space Rangers 2 is an all-time favorite RPG of mine. The main combat is solid as it is an interesting mix (kind of) between turn based and RTwP. There also a real-time-arcade-like-bullt-hell spaceship shooter and (half-baked) RTS robot builder and combat to keep the game fresh throughout. The customization option for your ship is vast and most importantly you can also customized the difficulty option to make the game even more replayable. Not to
mention the amazing soundtrack it have. But then it's not just solely for the limitless possibility and the open-nature of the gameplay that I have just described.
The reason what make Space Rangers 2 so great is because it have so much "story" content that makes me invested to the world as I exploring it. It is part of the gameplay in the form of text-based adventure. Very similar to Planescape: Torment that can contain great narrative due to its text-heavy nature opens so much room for narrative exploration, character's reaction and dialogue, text-based quest in Space Rangers 2 offered varying narrative experience that different to each other. I can be pirate or merchant, but most of the time no matter how I started my playthrough I'll ended up as the most
interesting man in the galaxy because it's impossible (and not advisable) to skip the text-based quest. They're just that interesting to play as they're funny to read (actually the quest in general, even fetch-quest and escort have very funny flavor text).
Also like other element of the game that got randomized, so does the text-based quest (set wise, because the element in each text-based quest themselves are randomized for each retry ). There's a time in my certain playthrough where I don't get resort tycoon (I love it) text-quest and received other one that I have never seen before. This makes me deeply invested for initial playthrough(s) since I know I'll discover something different for each new game, especially when certain quests are locked to specific race.
For me Space Rangers 2 is the greatest open-world space RPG. It have great atmosphere due to the soundtrack, a limitless possibilities for replays, and wide array of gameplay. But what makes it different to its contemporaries (that is open-world RPG) that it have quest that is well written, witty, and funny both to read and to play. I'll always have something to strife for, a goal for me to explore the galaxy, making the journey in Space Rangers 2's open-world galaxy a meaningful experience to have.
2) Demon's Souls
Many people said that Demon's Souls is Dark Souls beta. I can agree that Dark Souls have better combat refinement in general. Also Dark Souls have wider array of equipments that different to each other and seamlessly fitted in to the world whole design. But most of all, unlike Demon's Souls, Dark Souls have boss designs that could keep the game challenging for each playthrough since they are designed around combat rather than being a puzzle like most bosses in Demon's Souls did.
But for me, as a game in whole, Demon's Souls is a better one due to how the game features designed to fall perfectly into the place, right from the title of the game. Story-wise, It's about an adventurer that enter Boletaria in search of demon's souls. Gameplay element-wise, each bosses drop a demon's souls that you can utilized in various of way, unlike Dark Souls which the souls of the bosses are more limited in how you used them, making them very essential to the game. The things that I've just said shows how the title of game perfectly represent what's the game about.
What makes me most impressed though, is that almost all the gameplay element in Demon's Souls add to the atmosphere and the whole experience of the game. The inventory weight for instance, the feature that many people complained for when they come from Dark Souls, is a gameplay element that enforce "risk-taking" nature of Demon's Souls. Should I bring more equipment and items that would perhaps helped me to beat the level? Or maybe I just have to take out some vital consumables so I can loot any drops that I might to came so I don't have to discard any item in exchange? These questions are what I asked each time I about to leave the nexus. It was not once that I bring too many items and have to discard some when I found a crystal lizard and loot it. How Demon's Souls achieve this in organic way, is what makes it a very engrossing experience, while I've yet to feel the same while playing Dark Souls
3) Romance of The Three Kingdoms X
It looks odd that I have picked Romance of the Three Kingdom(RoTK) X as an essential RPG. After all, the series is well known as a grand strategy games. But I need to said that some titles in the series utilized RPG element to makes the gameplay different from the titles that focused more on the grand strategy aspect. As the odd numbered IX and XI focused on the grand strategy aspect, VIII and X focused on the RPG where you play as a single historical person (fictitious created one) in the Three Kingdom era.
RoTK is a great RPG obviously not because the customization, but rather the immersiveness of the world you live in. The game offer beautiful pre-rendered background graphic that different for each cities. But one factor that will sucked you in is the beautiful chinese orchestra soundtrack that play in the background. It will makes you
feel at peace when you're at your home, and as much as you feel like a
drifting cloud when you wandered throughout China. Even now, I haven't seen any RPG (beside Nier that is) that utilize musical score to immerse the player, to show the richness of its world.
4) Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age: Origins is a personal favorite of mine because how it feels original to me when I first played it (I was 15 at the time, and haven't read many fantasy book yet). Even when I grow older, and look back into series, I'm still impressed by how well the world design is compared to its contemporaries, including other Bioware games (Mass Effect). I really liked how they make the world of Dragon Age: Origins feels grounded, from its art direction, and writing of the lore, while not stepping into the realm of crapshoot world. The Grey Warden becomes obsolete as the world felt long time peace from the absence of a new Blight. Magic is limited as they are unpredictable, making the stark contrast of the Chantry control of the magi and Tevinter Imperium rule by the magocracy. The original DA:O world is one of the few contemporary fantasy which I deemed able to make its fantastical with showing on how the world works rather resorting to cheap fantasy element.
5) Wasteland 2
I've never played the original Wasteland game that always being cited as the main inspiration of Fallout series. Despite how different Wasteland 2 to Fallout New Vegas in many aspect, I ended like more of the former than the latter. While the main is serious as much as some side quest did, the whole writing in Wasteland 2 is witty, and funny. But it know when to act goofy or when to act serious, which makes the story feels consistent throughout the game. The combat itself oftenly said as simple, but for me it what makes it so fitting with the post-apocalyptic setting of Wasteland 2. The only thing I regret playing this game is that I don't born soon enough to understand the 80's references in it, but despite that the whole experience still feel very fresh, fun, and engrossing.
6) Shin Megami Tensei 4
SMT IV is the first mainline SMT games that I've played. Safely to say that I'm very impressed and satified with what Atlus have offered in this "ambitious" title of a 3DS game. The gameplay itself for me is satisfying. The Press Turn system combined with how the demon fusion works makes a very addicting team building and demon-catching gameplay. But what I like most about the game is very similar to many of my other essential pick: it have great atmosphere. The destructed landscape of Tokyo strangely fits in with the electric/rock soundtrack of the game (my favorite track is the ones from Mikado though, which while sounds very medieval-fantasy-ish, rarely I heard so from such games) and combined with the story behinds it results in a unique atmosphere of cyber-demon apocalypse. The main story itself is rather simple, but that what makes it so great about it because it never felt as detriment to the gameplay while it's still well written to to keep you engaged throughout the game. Not only just the main story, but the side story as well where many of them have small detail that makes me invested in them.
7) Persona 4
Personally, I prefer the grim tone of Persona 3 to cheerful tone of Persona 4. But other than that, Persona 4 is just mile better. The main plot of the game is more solid and well written. There isn't any asspull twist, or convenience healing disability that killed off one of the main character. Though sadly. how Persona 4 handled the main party development into S.Link makes their feel inconsistent in relation to what happened in the main plot. It makes the characters of P4 individually feels weaker. But as a group, the cast of Persona 4 is miles better since they really act as a group of friends that feels believable. They always interact to each other when the right occasion rises and While there many over-the-top reaction, what they said and what they've done never over the board with the context of the situation. Many times in JRPG where "Friendship" being conveniently asspulled as a plot device. It wasn't the case with Persona 4, as it is a game about high-school friendship from the ground up.
8) Fallout New Vegas)
Honestly, I prefer Fallout 3 "post-apocalyptic" atmosphere over New Vegas's western one. But it just New Vegas is better in any other aspect, especially the writing of the story, character, dialogue, and basically everything else. I always thought that open-world games, especially the one who come from Bethesda, offered only meaningless freedom with lackluster story and empty characters. Obsidian completely turned that around as they able to make New Vegas an open world RPG with writing quality that could match CRPGs. It have interesting character that react believably and appropriate to the my action in the world. They have their own life, set of ideals, and past that could make them kill if what I did is completely at odds with them. While the core gameplay is still sucks due to its engine, New Vegas have redeeming element such as Hardcore mode. In the end, Fallout New Vegas is the one that makes me appreciate the uniqueness and the quirkiness of the Fallout universe more that Fallout 3 did.
9) Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
While many games in my list makes it due to their atmosphere, writing, or their story, perhaps Dragon's Dogma is the only RPG that listed for its gameplay alone. The story I could said, is very lacklusting and on my own assumption, the "loose" feel of it was caused by Capcom's attempt to make it resembling Demon's Souls or perhaps TES IV. Despite how the main story is sucks, the premise itself is very promising and actually it takes off after the death of Grigori, then it greatest point of it takes place in the expansion, Dark Arisen. The gameplay, and the customization element though, is what makes Dragon's Dogma a very entertaining game and a great one for roleplaying. The combat of Dragon's Dogma is very solid despite technical issue, and it managed to make very class in the game very fun to play and stylish. What I liked the most from the gameplay though, is the Pawn system that I have to say, resembling the message system in Souls games in some way, but being much better and alive. It somehow makes Dragon's Dogma an unforgettable emergent narrative experience for me to have.
10) Fire Emblem: Awakening
Like Persona 4, Fire Emblem Awakening made it to this list not only because its gameplay alone. Yes, I think the gameplay is good, well designed with a very open nature of it. Newcomer could try the game without being in fear of losing their beloved units, and grind when they hit the wall. Meanwhile, the veteran could pretty much choose the classic difficulty, and went through the game on the hard difficulty without grind to the endgame. It is the Support Conversation system though that makes me fall in love with FEA. Admittedly, is outright bad because it suffers identity crisis of whom story it told (it is supposed to be Chrom and Lucina's but most of the game actually focused on the exploit of MyUnit, my avatar) and only few characters from such vast cast of unit that actvely involved in the story. If it not because the Support Conversation, it would impossible to know the story behind their quirkiness. Many support conversation extend the characters outside of their "gimmick", which makes them feels more like an actual character, not just flandere character that act only within their own gimmick. Any other RPG with a large cast of character should take note of support conversation system in order to open more room for the characters to show off themselves aside from the main story which is very limited to do so.
Honorable Mentions (Some games I haven't play at least to their midpoint yet due to horrible time management, but enough to form some opinion, at least for me)
11) Dark Souls
Obliviously I have finished Dark Souls. Three times in fact. So why does it only ended up as a honorable mention? My reason is that because Dark Souls have less-tightly knitted world design in relation to its gameplay compared to its spiritual predecessor that is Demon's Souls. While many praise the variety of the open-world design of Dark Souls (at least before Lordvessel that is), that design decision makes Dark Souls have lesser atmosphere compared to Demon's Souls and suffered potato-land problem to some extent. The gameplay itself is better, but for someone like me who looks for story, or atmosphere in a game, Dark Souls just feel the lesser souls game to Demon's Souls.
12) Planescape: Torment
As many have said, the writing in this game is beautifully crafted. It's capable of matching, even surpass some fantasy book that I have just read in past two years in term of "fantastic element". Sadly, I haven't found the right time yet to continue the game as I feel it need serious dedication to play through all of those narrative text and dialogue.
13) Nier
Different from many of its contemporaries of JRPG, Nier focused on small cast of character despite the larger plot of the game revolved around the whole world. While the game is very melodramatic, the character themselves are very well done in relation to what happened to them in the game's world. But the greatest thing of Nier is the music, how it can completely defined an event by it tunes. The song and its lyric feels magical as, making it the world of Nier feels fantastical and vast despite being a game that revolved around personal tragedies of some individuals.
14) Valkyria Chronicles
Valkyria Chronicles is probably one of the best SRPG that Sega or maybe even Japan could ever produce. It offers a near completely new formula to the genre of SRPG that any other games have yet to match in the term of inventiveness. While the gameplay is the main reason what makes the game worth mentioning, Valkyria Chronicles also done other part right. Firstly, the story takes a place in a war resembling WWII in a pseudo-eruope countries, a setting and premise that have yet to be taken by any other games, or even manga and anime (that is not related to VC of course). Secondly, the musical piece makes the atmosphere of the game as a "theatre of war" comes to life fully. The only thing that it lacks is the tone consistency of the story. It doesn't need to be serious, grim, and crapshoot. What VC need is a bit more seriousness, one that resemble Legend of the Galactic Heroes. If only VC have an ounce of LoGH tone consistency, it'll be the greatest game bar none.
15) Etrian Odyssey IV: Legend of the Titans
Etrian Odyssey IV is a very solid DRPG from many aspect. The story, atmosphere, and the art direction of the game is simple and light-hearted which works very well because they neatly executed together. The light-hearted tone of the game makes interesting contrast on how unforgiving the game is if you don't pay any attention to your surrounding or what others have said about the quest they've given to you. EO IV is a solid game that give me an old-school experience with a touch of modern design.
16) The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles
Shivering Isles got a sweet spot from me for its attempt in making Sheogorath, the Mad Prince, as its central figure of the game. I always baffled whenever I see Bethesda released a new TES game because they always choose the most generic element of its universe despite having much more unique, strange, and fantastical lore. Sheogorath, perhaps should be one of the most unpredictable and the incomprehensible out of the 16 Daedra Princes. But Bethesda team poor writing sadly couldn't get the best potential out of him and his Shivering Isle. Despite that, from the premise alone I prefer Shivering Isles over any other TES game.
17)Knight of the Old Republic 2
I played KOTOR 2 as a kid, which makes me can't remember or makes any worthwhile opinion out of it. But one thing that I remembered for sure is that I'm satisfied with the gameplay, and I remembered no one from the cast of KOTOR 2 as being clearly evil. Even when Kreia turns out to be a Sith Lord, I still respect her and instead of hating, I want to know more about the motivation behind her action all the time. Later I'll replayed it with the restored content mod so I can form a more solid opinion on it.