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[kamineko]

The order is insignificant. These are just my 20 picks.

Fallout--Most prefer Fallout 2, but I really value how tight and focused Fallout was. I think the first entry also does a far better job of setting and sustaining a consistent, affecting tone. Our protagonist sets out, gets in over his head, and somehow survives to tell the tale. The setting was (and remains) so imaginative and well-realized. So damned good.

System Shock 2--Not just one of the best RPGs. One of the best games. Sure, there are issues with balance in the systems, and the ending is a little silly. Ok, the ending is actually bad. But who cares. System Shock 2 shrugs off flaws that would completely destroy lesser titles.

Ancient Domains of Mystery--My favorite Roguelike, recently given a fancy tileset. Beating it really feels like an accomplishment.

Baldur's Gate--I actually enjoy low-level AD&D more than I do high-level games, so the original is actually my favorite of the "trilogy."

Baldur's Gate 2--a massive, sprawling epic that somehow meets the impossible standards of its predecessor.

Planescape: Torment--(Best Writing) I'm in the middle of a replay right now. The story and world are just so fascinating. If you can't stand IE combat, set the difficulty to easy and play it like a point and click adventure. Just play it.

Final Fantasy VI--This game was so ridiculous when it released. Huge cast, huge world, zany set pieces, the

Spoiler

fucking world ending

in the middle of the game, nobody had ever seen anything like it. It also marked the series' clear departure from traditional swords&sorcery fantasy, which was great for the genre.

Final Fantasy IV--Also insanely ambitious, the many characters and efforts to provide at least some backstory were game-changing. I prefer the most recent "3d" ports, but it's great in any form.

Chrono Trigger--((Best Soundtrack) Another ambitious title for SNES-era Square. A cool time travel plot, more sci-fi and fantasy mashups, placement of enemies on the actual world screen

Dragon Quest V--I first played this game on an emulator with a fan translation. I guess that's a bit of effort, but totally worth it in this game. The unusually personal story, with emphasis on family and destiny across generations, is chock full o' feels. We also see the first addition of monster hunting, a franchise staple. Just a wonderful, wonderful title.

Dragon Quest VII--This game is so big. The scale, the many jobs, the size of the world, DQ VII is like the anti-DQV. In place of intimacy, we get insane flexibility and exploration. Do it.

Persona 3--I wish we could get a "definitive" version of Persona 3. P3P comes close, but still falls short. I prefer the characters and story over Persona 4, but the refinements of P4G are so nice. Maybe some day.

Shin Megami Tensei III/Nocturne (Best Combat)--this game handed me my ass so many times until I figured out what was going on. I loved the press turn system and the crazy story.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic--I was skeptical about a Star Wars RPG. Turns out I was wrong.

Final Fantasy Tactics--Amazing scenario--it's a gritty, anti-war war story. Gameplay is addictive and makes fantastic use of the job system.

Suikoden II--Talking about Suikoden makes me sad, so I won't.

Fallout: New Vegas--Making many excellent refinements to the F3 formula, and dramatically improving the writing, Obsidian delivers what is arguably their best work. I don't know whether pride or just overall bad taste led Bethesda to ignore these many improvements during the development of Fallout 4, but it's a shame that this title will most likely remain a promising dead-end, in terms of the franchise.

Might and Magic VI--I've enjoyed many Might and Magic games, but felt I only could name one. This is that one. Occasionally overwhelming, M&M6 is a big, crazy world that offers a very polished experience of the make-your-own-party-of-nobodies-and-save-the-world variety.

The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind--Throughout my first playthrough, Morrowind never stopped surprising me. Getting lost, killing cliff racers, learning the deep lore, finally completing my set of glass gear for my thief/mage hybrid, so much satisfaction.

Pokemon Red/Blue--There have been better offerings since, but this is the one that started everything. I guess today it's easy to take for granted how crazy it was for a title to just show up with all of these ridiculous, endearing creatures. It was also a shock to discover the depth beneath the surface of what appeared to be "just a children's game"

Honorable Mentions:
Darklands
Pool of Radiance
Ultima IV
Alpha Protocol
Mass Effect
Fallout 2
Dragon Quest VIII
Deus Ex
Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness
Undertale

 

[theecakee]

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Hands down the best RPG of all time. It is one of the largest, most in depth game I have played. I really can't think of a major flaw with this game, I personally think it is perfect in every way and the new standard for making RPGs. Would I say its my personal favorite, no, but critically on paper I can't argue for any other being the best.

2. Persona 4 - (Best Story) I really felt something with every character in this game, I've never felt so much for characters before in game. It's weird, like by the end of this long ass game it was like heart breaking to see it end. But then picked back up again with a bunch of spinoffs that I was not interested in. Best story and characters for sure of an RPG.

3. Chrono Trigger
4. Final Fantasy VI
5. Ni No Kuni
6. Mass Effect 2

Honorable Mentions
Many early 3D PS1 RPGs. Never playing them when most of them came out, its REALLY hard to get into these as they have aged absolutely terribly. But I know many of them deserve to be on the list.

That's all I want to contribute, I can't really speak to many RPGs...because christ who has that time to play all these RPGs? But of all the ones I played, I hope these will have a presence on the list.

 

[Kurtofan]

No particular order.

1. Fallout New Vegas - Still a great, it really echoed back to the Fallouts of old while being good on its own merits. Reputation system, factions, quests with oh so many resolutions, great dlc, wonderful writing, this game has it all.

2. Mass Effect 2 - Kickass space adventure, oh yeah. Main plot is kind of stagnating, rpg elements are more limited, but the characters, the high action gameplay more than make up for its failings.

3. Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne (Best Combat) - Very simple to understand, the Press Turn system (you get more actions if you hit weaknesses, you lose actions if you hit resistances, same applies to your enemies) really stands the test of time and was used in many games of the series afterwards.

4. Mass Effect - Ah the atmosphere... gameplay is really rough but this is a space opera you won't soon forget, with its intrigue, its exploration...

5. Nier (Best Soundtrack) - Gameplay kind of basic, but an amazing story with some of the best characters in JRPG history. You will cry. Also like the best soundtrack ever? yeah.

6. Planescape Torment (Best Writing) - What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. wait wrong game, the writing is much better than this.

7. Alpha Protocol - Do you want to be James Effing Bond and get the girl(s)? or some serious Jason Bourne type(why)? Or maybe you just want to fuck shit up? well you can in this espionage rpg.

8. Pillars of Eternity- haven't finished the dlc yet, but the main game is great obsidian stuff, tho the stronghold sucks.

9. Shadowrun Returns:Hong Kong - The third game of this series, great characters, great character building, love the dialogue options.

10. Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall - See above, except it's the second game.

11. Final Fantasy VI - Son of a submariner. (im sure many other people will say stuff about this absolute classic).

12. Persona 4 - Scoobidoo meets Japan.

13. Bloodborne - Souls games are awesome in general, picking this one because it's really good you know? and I've actually beat all the bosses yeah.

14. Witcher 3 - The world is shit, Geralt's a badass, bad guys beware

15. Undertale - it won the gamefaqs best game ever contest, what more do you want??? a cool game

16. Fallout 2 - Comments about Game P

17. Fire Emblem Awakening - Comments about Game Q

18. Knight of The Old Republic II - Comments about Game R

19. Arcanum - Comments about Game S

20. Mass Effect 3 - Comments about Game T

Honorable Mentions:

1. Dragon Age Origins - Comments about RPG A

2. Devil Survivor - Comments about RPG B

3. Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey - Comments about RPG C

4. Dragon Age Inquisition - Comments about RPG D

5. Baldur's Gate 2 - Comments about RPG E

6. Fallout - Comments about RPG F

7. Final Fantasy V - Comments about RPG G

8. Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door- Comments about RPG H

9. Earthbound - Comments about RPG I

10. Knights of the old republic - Comments about RPG J

 

[Valkyri von Thanatos]

Yeah, there's a mod to fix colors.
As for resolution, SNES is 256x224, GBA is 240x160, so slightly smaller and widescreenish.
Had no problem with that during my recent playthrough though. YMMV.

Thanks for the quick reply. By comparison my response was not too quick, but thanks nonetheless.

System Shock 2--Not just one of the best RPGs. One of the best games. Sure, there are issues with balance in the systems, and the ending is a little silly. Ok, the ending is actually bad. But who cares. System Shock 2 shrugs off flaws that would completely destroy lesser titles.

Nah.

Good choice BTW.

 

[RK128]

1. Persona 3 Portable (PSP - Playable on Vita; original version also on PS2 and PS3-PS2 Classics)
This game is one of the best games I played in 2014. I wrote a lot about my time with the game in the past, so I will just copy the post I made on the game in a LTTP thread I made on the title .

I know this may seem like a random thread but I have noticed that I've talked about this game a lot here on Gaf XD. I figure I explain in detail why I love this game so much , as due to you guys doing that for Persona 4 Golden so many times, I would have never played that and this (thanks again for hyping P4G up so much; favorite Vita game I own ).

With Persona 3 though, I remember hearing about this a long time ago. I used to watch that G4 review show X-Play and saw the review of the PS2 version of the game. It looked really interesting to me; "Wow the game looks amazing!", "Wait....why are they shooting themselves for?", "Man, those cool beings they summon are interesting !".

But...I never bothered picking that up for some reason . Now, fast forward to this year and coming right off from loving P4G, they have a sale on the Persona games on PSP, and they have this for only five bucks. Figuring how this was the closest to Persona 4 compared to the other games in the series I picked it up.....man was it a great move !

I started the FM Main Character playthough and all the things I really enjoyed from Persona 4 Golden are here; the interesting social links, the ease of transport from place to place, the characters all being so interesting, the music....man is it amazing , the combat being lifted from Persona 4 making it feel second nature and the bosses being quite challenging.... The game filled my desire to play something like Persona 4 again .

The thing that surprised me the most was how I ended up like a good deal of it MORE then Persona 4. The characters here I really felt bad for . Throughout the game, the consistent tone of 'Death' and 'Loss' really drives home through EVERY member of SEES (the team you are fighting with), as they all lose things important to them. I'm not going to spoil things, but you really feel bad for Aigis at the end X(.

The story itself though felt much larger then Persona 4 to me as well. Unlike in Persona 4 where you are just solving a mystery that is taking peoples lives leading to saving your town, here....you are preventing the END ITSELF! Not to mention the Shadow designs are much more menacing here then in Persona 4 and the twists you encounter are very surprising.

I have to get back to the characters though, as they are just really great characters . While you really don't get 'that' close with them as you did with your friends in Persona 4 (considering how it had an impact on the story itself), the portable version address that with the Female Main Character, due to being able to have S. Links (the mechanic that allows you to gain level-bonus during Persona fusions) with all the members of SEES. The new S. Links were all really enjoyable to see and the old ones get some new twists with the FM Main Character.

The only issues this game had was how Tartarus was handled . Rather then the many different dungeons from Persona 4, you just go through one big one. That isn't that bad, but it feels....just kinda there? Sure it has some significance in the story (though largely toward the end), but for much of the game it is just the 'training ground' for you and your party members.

I have issue with this I suppose due to coming from Persona 4 Golden when I played this. The dungeons there had there own theme, story significance and clear link to the party member you had to save....but the core of the dungeons in P4G are the same as P3P (randomly generated floors, very similar set of shadows to fight, the floors not having the much interesting stuff to interact with, ect). Granted, those issues are in P4G as well, but you can mask them due to the story still taking center stage. With P3P....that isn't the case, so the samey-ness of the different floors are very easy to see.

But outside of that issue, I love this game . But I have to post some music from the game here....because it is just simply amazing XD! I don't know how they did it, but the Persona team just nailed the soundtrack in this game mixing so many different styles but them melding together so perfectly. Mass Destruction, Battle for Everyone's Souls, Burn My Dread, Wiping All Out....just amazing.

Lastly, there are other versions of this game too; the original PS2 version and its 'remaster' FES. They are great versions of this amazing game and while both suffer from issues that were ironed out here (via using P4 mechanics) like the 'Tire' system and AI control party members (though you can influence some control over them via Tactics menu), they aren't enough to ruin the fun . I say give those a shot first if you can deal with those problems; the Portable version of Persona 3 was a bit cut down so some of the presentation was lessened, so the PS2 version will have better visuals, 3D world to explore and animated cut-scenes.

The FES version also comes with brand new content (some new S. Links, Persona's from past Persona games, new items/armor, and the 'Answer' content that explains the ending to the game).

2. Persona 4 Golden

One could see a pattern here XD! I played this before Persona 3 Portable and it was such a great time. I put 200+ hours into the game....in a single month, and beat it 4+ times back to back; the longest I ever put into a game (not called Ratchet Up Your Arsenal). Wonderful JRPG and a lot of why I loved Persona 3 caries over into Persona 4.

3. Pokemon White/Black

Got out of the series for a while but after, I got into the series again thanks to this. The new Pokemon were great, loved the changes made to the TM system and found then now 3D world to be a lot of fun to explore.

4. Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga

This is a classic ! This game is one of the best Mario RPG's next to Paper Mario, Thousand Year Door, and Boswers Inside Story (love Mario RPG too ). The music is great, the combat felt so fresh and creative and the games humor was spot on. Gave Mario and Luigi a lot of personality, something that I really wanted to see in the Mario series.

Will add more to my list latter, as I don't play a ton of RPGs.

 

[unapersson]

Not going to order them yet, just jotting some thoughts down, will put them in the proper format later:

Nier - This one has been on my backlog for a few years but finally got around to playing it. Just such an enjoyable world to be in, I like everything from how its laid out the the characters and NPCs. The story has a genuine feeling of melancholy, the gameplay is varied and enjoyable. Just a brilliant game all round.

Natural Doctrine - This one is both fun to play and immensely annoying with its at times insane difficulty spikes. I hit a brick wall just before the end and I'm not sure if I'll ever finish it, but it doesn't mean I didn't have a lot of fun getting there. I like the characters, their banter, and the structure of the narrative as well.

Ultima VII - The thing that most impressed me with this one was the scope of its world and the way the NPCs seemed to genuinely live in it. I can't say I've played anything like it since. The first game I played that felt genuinely immense.

The Ring of Darkness - The game play was split between a world map, with random encounters, cities containing shops and a king who gave quests, and 3D maze like dungeons. I was exceptionally bad at it. My characters rarely lasted very long and I would normally be killed off by a random encounter with bandits. But I'd start again and have another go.

Alternate Reality: The City - From the random stats generation by entering a portal at the beginning, to the pubs with their unique musical numbers, this was a completely unique experience. Hard as nails. When not using the shops, you roamed the maze like streets, and random encounters could see you presented with anything. You had more options than just fighting, you could charm you way out, try and trick them or steal something. It was ambitious and only one more game in the interconnected series was ever completed, but without a doubt one of my favourite RPGs.

Valkyria Chronicles - I loved the story, the cast and the gameplay in this one. It felt almost perfect.

Resonance of Fate - I found this one so frustrating at first, just getting your head around all the systems was a nightmare, but once it clicked it was enjoyable and pretty strange.

 

[Megidolaon]

1. Persona 3 (Best Writing) - My favorite game of all time. The game expertly weaves social interaction into traditional RPG systems, creating a narrative that develops its characters better than almost any other RPG out there. The writing of the social links is some of the best game writing I'e ever seen and the main story is very intelligent with lots of occult symbolism mixed with the moon cycles. While there are plenty of fun and light-hearted moments, one of my favorite things about this game is its sense of wistfulness, as it explores themes of death, and emotional bonding. The characters are fun, but they also have emotional hardships that made me personally connect with them in a way that no other game has.

2. Persona 4 - As the sequel to my number 1 game, this game naturally scores high. It does everything Persona 3 does, but with a more upbeat tone. The game has an engaging and clever story tying supernatural happenings, weather cycles, and a hidden TV dimension, and manages to have a lot to say about accepting others and the way that the media can distort the truth. The characters are very lovable and seeing them through their day to day lives makes you grow attached, in a way that is distinct from P3. The characters live more "normal" lives and there's a real joy in just hanging out at Junes or eating at the Chinese restaurant in Inaba. The game also has a ton of content and a more streamlined battle system than P3.

3. Fire Emblem Awakening (Best Battle System) - This game blew me away. First of all, it's hilarious. The supports have sharp writing that really make the characters distinct and lovable, and has a lot of humor, even Reggies "my body is ready" meme.The new art style is attractive and detailed, and the interface is slick and modern. The gameplay is great. There's a ton of chapters, many optional Spotpass and DLC, and the classic strategy battles are better than ever with the new Pair Up system. Perma-death and the amount of characters makes it the most fun battle system to me.

4. Final Fantasy XII - Perhaps the greatest Final Fantasy. It refines everything I like about the series. Epic story without too much melodramatic romance. Great production values and voice acting. Huge, lush world with incredible lore. And an in-depth gambit system making for enjoyable combat. The music is beautiful and the characters, while a little underdeveloped, are likable with well-written dialogue.

5. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance- The best plot in the Fire Emblem series. Great writing which deals with racism, and war, while featuring interesting, surprisingly developed characters. Classic FE gameplay is challenging, deep and has a great variety of maps and objectives. The fantasy setting just works and the character designs are attractive, detailed and go back to a better time before a ton of fanservice and sexualization.

6. Valkyria Chronicles - Some of the most fun combat I've ever played in an RPG, being both strategic and realtime. I love it because of its interesting setting, watercolor visuals, and a well-told story with very lovable and quirky characters. The entire package, really. It was one of the few RPGs of the PS3 era to interest me.

7. Kingdom Hearts 2 - Such a charming game. The best part is playing through a story featuring a large variety of Disney worlds. Square Enix nailed the production values out of the park, with fantastic voice acting and music. The story is a bit crazy, but has many warm moments with lovable original characters, as well as Disney and Final Fantasy ones. I like it better than the original because it is more streamlined as well as the characters are more charming,

8. Suikoden 2 - An epic, and very intelligent story, that dodges a lot of the more annoying cliches in the genre. No cheesy romance, and you don't save the world. Just an interesting war tale, mixed with an emotional tale of two friends. It is the most beautiful sprite-based 2D game I've played, and it has an enormous cast of enjoyable characters. It is a landmark of the PS1 era, and an improvement on the original in every way. Longer, bigger world, better music, better story, nicer art, better characters, and nicer graphics.

9. The World Ends With You- I love this game. It was the savior of Square Enix last generation for me. It was incredibly original in every way for Square. The comic-book artstyle, the J-pop music, the touch screen battles, and the modern setting. The characters develop nicely and grow beyond their initial archetypes and the plot is fun and concludes in a nice ending. There's a myriad of pins, clothes and items to collect providing lots of hours of fun.

10. Final Fantasy X - It deals with the concept of religion in a very interesting way and it is a very emotional story at times. I usually dislike FF love stories, but Tidus and Yuna had a very unique dorky chemistry that I actually enjoyed it. A bit rough, but it was the first fully animated, voice acted FF game. The facial expressions and voice acting were an admirable first attempt. The world of Spira is very intriguing and it has an incredibly unique culture. I enjoyed its return to turn-based battle systems and characters with unique skills.

11. Pokemon Gold/Silver - Pokemon was my first RPG series, and holds a lot of nostalgia to me. I started with Yellow, and loved it, but the generation to follow was even better. A female character option, day/night cycle, breeding, double the amount of gyms and Pokemon. It still holds up to this day,and even as a grown adult, playing this game is still lots of fun.

12. Final Fantasy VII (Best Music)- My favorite aspect of this game is the world. The incredible detail in the prerendered backgrounds show a very imperfect world. The slums of Midgar are iconic, and unforgettable. The world is in turmoil, an environmental crisis looms and the creativity shown in the world is impressive. I also think it has one of the best OSTs of any game. The music is wonderful. There are somber themes, like on the world map, and catchy energetic ones like the battle theme. Almost every song is a hit.

13. Suikoden 3 - Another great Suikoden, with 3 great main characters, lots of castle building, and more great lore to the world. It explores the grasslands, the duck clan, and another true rune.

14. Suikoden V - Yet another great Suikoden. Has a great story,with a more Chinese feel. Has the best production values of the series and has great characters that seem like they will be very cliche, yet managed to surprise me. Long, engaging, and brought the series back from the brink.

15. Pokemon Black/White - The best 2D Pokemon. Everything felt like new in Unova, with all the new Pokemon, and a really cool art world (yay bridges!)

16. Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword - My fist Fire Emblem,and one of the best. The story is very enjoyable, the characters are all quirky and likable, and the combat was tough but rewarding. It has lots of attention to detail and tons of minor secrets.

17. Valkyria Chronicles 2 - The same great Valkyria gameplay, with added attention to individual characters,and tons and tons of missions, many more than the original. Not quite as epic, but extremely fun.

18. Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep - Another great KH with a more in-depth ability system, multiple playable characters, and unique Disney worlds. One of the best KH games.

19. Final Fantasy Tactics - Epic, and tragic story, with a very deep and fun combat system.

20. Final Fantasy X-2 - A very unique FF. I love its non-linearity, female focus, and emphasis on fun and self-discovery, instead of the typical epic. The job system is one of the best and it is a surprisingly heartfelt tale.

Honorable Mentions:
1. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire
2. Lost Odyssey
3. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
4. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
5. Final Fantasy IX
6. Valkyria Chronicles 3
7. Pokemon Red/Blue
8. Pokemon X/Y
9. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
10. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl

 

[His Majesty]

1. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - Bloodlines oozes atmosphere. Wandering the streets of downtown LA, haunting soundtrack in the background, is an experience unlike any other. The world feels dark yet so alive which is expressed in the writing, the world and the visuals. It all comes together to create a beautiful, believable and ominous world. The writing is stellar and the voice-acting also deserves a thumbs-up. On top of all that, Bloodlines also excels in offering choice. You can choose between different clans at the start. And it isn't purely an aesthetic choice. Playing as a Malkavian completely changes how you will approach the game and offers you the chance to play as mentally insane schizophrenic with prophetic abilities. Playing as a Toreador for example will give you a more classic game experience. The point is that Troika has gone out of their way to deliver replayability and uniqueness to each clan in the game. There isn't anything like it, to be honest. Besides clans Bloodlines offers a lot more of choice & consequence. Your decisions impact the world, which factions you will align with and who you will or won't piss off. Thanks to its robust skill system it is possible to approach most missions in a myriad of ways. Besides the obvious smooth-talking or combat, often you will find a back entrance or a computer somewhere. Exploring will always yield rewards. Combat is serviceable and allows you several options, ranging from guns to swords to vampiric abilities. Pick swords, seriously. The quests Bloodlines offers are great in variety and execution. From exploring a haunted beach hotel to tracking down seriously messed up video producers, it all works extremely well in the world Troika has created. I have to be honest, I have one major complaint about the game. The finale is a crazy rollercoaster but relies too much on combat and not enough what made the previous 30 to 40 hours of the game so great: dialogue and interactivity. It is a small spot on what is otherwise a masterpiece of game design.

2. The Witcher (Best soundtrack) - 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. Chapter 4 is still one of the most stunning locations ever created in an RPG and feels exactly like an adventure set in the world of the Witcher should feel.

3. The Secret World (Best writing) - The Secret World is a flawed game. Its biggest flaw being that it is an MMORPG. The combat is floaty, the game is an unoptimized mess and it has many of the typical MMO pitfalls. But despite all that, The Secret World deserves a spot in my top-3. Very rare is it that an MMO gets praised for its story. Even rarer is it that an MMO outshines nearly all single-player games in terms of storytelling. And The Secret World is such an MMO. The game takes place in an alternate reality of our world coming with all the cultural references. The story heavily relies on urban myths and legends as the canvas for the overarching theme of the literal corruption of the world. You start off in Kingsmouth, New England, a location heavily influenced by Lovecraftian horror. The atmosphere there is so tense and oppressive that you can't help but get sucked into the wonderful storytelling of Funcom. The story is told through long, dramatic character monologues and they work great. Unlike other MMO's each NPC has a very distinct personality and his or her own ambitions. The great writing, voice-acting and voice-directing certainly contribute to these aspects. The story goes from New England to Egypt to Romania to Tokyo and it all ties in wonderfully at the end. It truly is a marvel that one of the best told stories in gaming should come from an MMO. Next to that The Secret World combines its magnificent storytelling with quest mechanics that could come straight out of an adventure game. Investigation quests have you searching up Bible verses, translating morse code and searching up company websites. CDProjekt, please take note. This is what detective work should be like. And besides its MMORPG shortcomings, the dungeons in The Secret World are an absolute joy to explore. From Soviet cosmonaut training facilities to the Hell dimensions, they are all mini-stories crafted within the bigger picture of the story.

4. Fallout: New Vegas - Despite shortcomings such as the sometimes insufferable Gamebryo engine and the accompanying technical issues, Fallout: New Vegas is one of the best open-world story-heavy games out there. You start out as a courier without any links to a previous life (at least not until the revelations in Lonesome Road, take notes please Bethesda). This is the ideal set-up for developing your blank slate character into someone with their own morals, values and allegiances. And New Vegas offers plenty of opportunities for that. The showdown in Goodsprings is basically New Vegas on a microscale. The major factions and the faction-interplay in the game are really well done, although the Legion could have used some more work, despite the DLC's giving them more background. The NCR is superb in taking the mantle of the defender of old world values, praising democracy and bureaucracy above everything else, even at the cost of efficiency. House is a charismatic figure with a rich history and someone who has the best interests of New Vegas at heart. As long as he stays in charge, of course. The Legion is the only faction with a distinct place on the black & white moral spectrum. The story is a simple one culminating into a logical climax at Hoover Dam but the road to that climax is great and filled with memorable quests. Every quest provides you with a variety of solutions (I assume everyone has seen the White Glove Society flow chart by now, that's how great quest design can be!) and really help reinforcing the feeling that you are playing a role. Patching up enemy soldiers to increase morale? Sure, I have the necessary medical knowledge! Replacing the skill checks by a charisma check was probably one of the worst decisions in Fallout 4. The game has some great armour sets especially in the DLC's (hello Riot gear!) and a huge variety of weapons in display. At times Fallout: New Vegas feels like role-playing heaven but sadly at other times the engine's limitations come into play, mainly the floaty combat and terrible facial expressions. Despite that, Obsidian has done a wonderful job into creating their own Fallout game with its own distinct style, mixing it up from the usual post-apocalyptic style that Fallout 3 and 4 have.

5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - The Witcher 3 takes the best aspects of the first entry (atmosphere, soundtrack, aesthetics, open-world) and combines them with those of the second entry (storytelling, writing, voice-acting) to create one of the most ambitious games ever made. The game should be made a case study on how to create an a cohesive, consistent and mesmerising open world. Instead of presenting you with the typical forest-desert-ice environments, The Witcher 3 drops you off in Velen, a swampy land torn apart by war between Redania and Nilfgaard. Velen is scarred by bloody battles and the environments reflect that through oppressive scenery and prowling monsters. When you leave the swamps in the south, you will see more and more signs of beauty emerging. You will pass villages, forests and the scenery gradually becomes more pleasant. Eventually you cross the Pontar and leave behind all misery for a region filled with rich grain fields and orchards which are the extensions of a city growing from the inside. The Witcher 3 introduces a new hallmark for worldbuilding and meanwhile fills its world with some of the best side-quests and characters seen in gaming. The Bloody Baron, Dijkstra, Yennefer, Keira Metz, Gaunter O'Dimm, (I could go on and on) are extremely well developed characters and they elevate the storytelling and questing to a very high level. And I certainly don't want to forget Geralt himself. It's a joy to role-play as him. While you will always play as Geralt, CD Projekt has ensured you have more than enough options for player agency and moral agency. The Witcher 3 does role-playing very well on a smaller spectrum. The only flaws to this masterpiece are the shallow skill system and the loot distribution. I can't wait for Blood & Wine.

6. Dark Souls - Dark Souls was the first Souls game I played and I fell immediately in love. The minimalistic approach to storytelling reinforces the desolate nature of the game and reinforces the bleakness of the world. And the world is extremely well made. Shortcuts between locations help create the illusion of one coherent world (in stark contrast to Dark Souls II). The big draw of the game is of course the combat. It has weight behind it and requires skill. The armour and weapons you find in the game are well designed and fun to handle. The aesthetics are bleak yet immersive and at times seem to come out of a fairytale. Dark Souls also shines at boss design and exploration. Some minor issues and annoyances (fuck Blighttown) aside, Dark Souls provides the player with an amazing combat system to explore a bleak world and, above all, kill shit.

7. 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. For me it is still one of the (if not the) best open-world RPGs around.

8. Divinity: Original Sin (Best combat) - Larian had always dreamed of making a turn-based RPG but were advised by their publishers to go for an action RPG instead. Now, Divinity II isn't a bad game by any means but it is clear that in Divinity: Original Sin Larian has really managed to fullfil their potential and reinvigorate the turn-based combat system. The combat is great fun and makes excellent use of good positioning and the different elements. The recently added tactician mode in the enhanced edition makes the experience even better with tougher fights. Combat isn't all there is to Original Sin however. While the story is a bit goofy, the writing is solid enough (not as good as in Divinity II though) to carry it. Most quests can be solved in different ways and out-of-the-box thinking is always encouraged. Despite that, you shouldn't play Original Sin only for the story. The combat is the highlight of the game and everything else is mostly an excuse to kill stuff. If Swen and his team somehow manage to improve on the storytelling and writing in the kickstarted sequel then it could become one of the best RPG's of all time.

9. Alpha Protocol - Alpha Protocol could very well be the definition of a flawed gem. Released as a buggy mess to unfavourable reviews, the game managed to gain some sort of cult status over the years. The combat itself is nothing special and sneaking seems like the best way to approach objectives. Where the game truly shines is in its innovative dialogue system, great characters, engrossing story and faction interplay. First the dialogue system, it's simple, elegant and allows you to role-play as a suave joker or an aggressive brute. Not only that but your dialogue choices heavily influence your relation with the characters of the game. Certain characters will respect your joking nature while others will hate you for it. You can make your enemies respect you, you can make your allies hate you. There are so many paths of divergence that it is impossible not to admire the effort Obsidian has put in creating this game. The storyline is equally great (especially thanks to the characters carrying it) and manages to completely draw you into the game. This is one of the only games where you truly feel like a special agent operating from a luxurious villa in Rome or an underground bunker in Taiwan. During your travels and missions you recover intel which you can use to deduce a person's motivations and what his style is. It all works very well together. Alpha Protocol is at its peak in dialogue and stealth sections and crashes when it comes to boss fights. But all in all, Alpha Protocol is a great game and I'd rather have a flawed gem than a polished turd.

10. Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Despite being a good game, Returns disappointed many Shadowrun fans who had expected something more. And that something more came in the shape of Dragonfall. Dragonfall takes the core foundations of Shadowrun Returns but improves on all of them. It features an improved combat system, a hub was added with the great Kreuzbasar and HBS significantly reduced the linearity of the main story while also adding in a lot of optional quests. One of the biggest improvements however was the addition of well-developed companions with their own stories, ambitions and side-quests. Meanwhile it retained the good aspects of Returns: an intriguing storyline about corporations and conspiracies and offering choices in solving quests. The writing in this game is consistently great and, together with the distinct visuals and soundtrack, helps set up a great cyberpunk ambiance that prevails throughout the entire game. Dragonfall was one of the best games of 2014 and got a worthy successor in the name of Shadowrun: Hong Kong one year later. I am really hoping it won't be the last adventure of Harebrained Schemes within the Shadowrun universe.

11. Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
12. Shadowrun: Hong Kong
13. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
14. Risen
15. Lords of Xulima
16. System Shock 2
17. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
18. Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga
19. Expeditions: Conquistador
20. The Age of Decadence

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Pic had me legit rolling over here.

 

[Mattakuevan]

First off, super glad the voting is being expanded significantly.
Previous years' voting have felt constrained and I feel like some titles have been pushed far higher than needed due to everyone feeling like it had to be in their top 10.
Hopefully this brings far better results.

Top 20

• Bloodborne (Best Combat) - In previous years this would have been Demon's Souls, but this now takes the cake. The combat is so expertly executed that I've had issues playing other games with action-oriented gameplay since. The art direction, level design, and overall focus is sublime.
• Chrono Trigger - One of the most consistantly above-average JRPGs out there. While it doesn't reach the highs of many others on this list it definitely has some of the best pacing and consistancy.
• Dark Souls - Wonderful gameplay and world. Also, its influence over the industry is titanic: everyone knows what this is whether they want to or not. Pure quality in all aspects except technical.
• Demon's Souls - Same as above. The atmosphere was unparalled until Bloodborne came to be. Still fantastic even now.
• Deus Ex Human Revolution - Fantastic game with a fantastic setting. Stealth RPGs are a rare thing so this stands out.
• Final Fantasy 6 - This was my first real RPG, and even after all this time it still stands out. It set my standards pretty high for what a game should be and it is considered to be one of the defining games of the SNES era by most.
• Final Fantasy 9 - My personal favorite final fantasy. It ranks as the quintessential fantasy adventure with its only flaw being the tediously slow battle system.
• Final Fantasy 12 - Wonderful world, great combat/progression system, fun time. Wish the story and characters were more coherent.
• Nier (Best Soundtrack) - A clunky, cheesy, wonderfully deep and powerful narrative with an amazing soundtrack to get lost in. It isn't for everyone, but I love it. Playthrough A is interesting for the most part, but B-D left me speechless.
• Persona 3 - My first “SMT” and it got me into the series. While not as good as other entries in the series, its definitely worth mentioning. If tartarus was less terrible and you could control your characters (yes I know P3P exists, I don't like the lack of cutscenes/acted scenes/moving around town) this would be up there with P4 for me.
• Persona 4 (Best Writing) - The most “real” characters I've ever seen in a game. While not necessarily a stunner plot-wise, persona 4 is a wonderful experience with fantastic writing and dialogue between the characters. Love it.
• Shadow Hearts - Corny dialogue and atrocious acting aside, I absolutely love the atmosphere and story in this game. I like Covenant as well, but I prefer the first due to its more PS1-like feeling.
• Shadowrun (SNES Ver.) - While clunky, I feel that this game captures the 'feeling' of shadowrun better than even the newer games (haven't played hong kong yet). Super fun game.
• Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne - Nocturne represents a close-call for me. The first time I played Nocturne was post-P3. As such I was uninterested and decided the game “sucked” due to it being nothing like P3. Around 2 years later (and having played through the other PS2 SMT games) I picked it back up to give it another try. I was absolutely hooked. Nocturne demanded a certain mindset and mood from me, but it was all worth it. Few RPGs on my list can provide the pure RPG experience that Nocturne does. While Chrono Trigger provides a perfect view of what RPGs probably should be narratively/pacing-wise, Nocturne provides the opposite spectrum where pure gameplay supersedes all else. I'd recommend it, but with some hesitation due to its a-typical focus.
• Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey - Easily the best first-person dungeon crawler I've played. While lacking in musical variety, all other aspects are high quality and fantastic to experience.
• Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars - I love this more than the M&L games or the Paper Mario games. It's probably nostalgia, but I absolutely adore the look and feel of everything.
• Valkyria Chronicles - Easily my favorite SRPG. It's such a fun and hassle-free take on the genre.
• Valkyrie Profile - I don't think I've played another game that handles such a large cast so well. I ended up caring about most einherjar as well as Lenneth's personal struggle.
• Witcher 2 - This is stil my favorite witcher game due to the fantastic scenario and favorite villain in the series. I loved this game for its excellent world building and focus on preparation before action.
• Xenoblade Chronicles - Few games I've played has handled world building with the same care as Xenoblade. Memorable characters, music, and the setting make for a modern classic.

Honorable Mentions

• Bravely Default - Despite its flawed "second half" (which isn't even close to a 'half') I loved what this game had to offer, especially the class system.
• Digital Devil Saga - I'd consider DDS 1 and 2 to basically be the same game separated into 2 parts, but I specifically like the first game for its tribal/war themes.
• Earthbound - Wonderful game, as surreal as it is charming.
• Eternal Sonata - I don't quite know why, but I love this stupid little game. It probably is one of the most poorly written games that will be in the voting, but its just loads of fun with a great soundtrack (sakuraba's best imo).
• Final Fantasy 7 - Final Fantasy's flawed introduction to 3D. Fantastic game that truly began the JRPG take-over in the west.
• Mario & Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story - Best Mario RPG aside from the original, loved the juxtaposition between the two settings.
• Radiant Historia - Stocke is easily one of my favorite protagonists to come out of a JRPG in a long time. The game itself is quite good, but he stands out the most. A truly down to earth hero is rare and welcome.
• South Parth: The Stick of Truth - Fantastic homage to South Park as well as paper mario (where its combat obvious had been derived from). Great stuff all around, hilarious game.
• Undertale - This is easily my GotY 2015, however since it is so new I hesitate to put it in a top 20 of all time. I assume that it will be among the top games for next years votes, but I'd rather not commit to it this time since I played it less than a month ago. Fantastic writing, fantastic soundtrack, and one of the few legitimately touching games I've played in a long time.
• Witcher 3 - Same as with Undertale, its still too fresh in my mind (plus with the next expac coming soon there's still more game to be had). However, its easily the best open world game I've played.

 

[ForsakenLotus]

I believe we should also have a separate category for Best Cast. As is, it's really difficult to choose best writing when both cast and overall narrative are two huge components. I think that not only is there enough of a distinction between the two categories, but also that the cast is an important enough part of RPG's to warrant its own distinction.


1. Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn - My favorite video game of all time, and what made me realize games could be more than a fun time waster but also could be an emotional, gripping experience similar to books and movies. It had a great cast of characters, a very fun and memorable villain, and some really cinematic moments that made the narrative really shine. And the combat was so finely tuned to allow all kinds of party compositions. Even some of the smaller details like the etchings in the weapons descriptions or how you can break game mechanics within the confines of the rules is just really special. For its time, it was truly a masterpiece.

2. Final Fantasy VII - Like many people, this was my first JRPG, and while some view it as overrated I absolutely disagree. It has a terrific cast, fantastic score, classic combat system with the ATB augmented by the Limit Break and Materia systems which are excellent. It has maybe the most recognizable moment in video games as well as plenty of other great moments. Really, it's an exceptional overall experience. And, while there are too many mini games, playing through the recent PS4 port I forgot just how cinematic the game was - and not just cutscenes. I believe Final Fantasy VI might be a slightly better game, and if I weren't replaying FFVII now it might be number 3; however, like Baldur's Gate II, this game is not only an awesome game but one that holds a special and nostalgic place in my heart.

3. Final Fantasy VI (Best Soundtrack) - The quintessential Final Fantasy, and for me the quintessential JRPG. It has a memorable and unique cast, great villain, classic ATB combat and Nobou Uematsu at his best. From the opening, to the opera scene, to the interlude, to the end - this game just has so many spectacular moments and for it to be over 20 years old is just astounding.

4. Persona 4 - I'm specifically referring to the Persona 4: Golden. Anyways...This has, I believe, the best cast in a video game. Many of them are archetypal, anime inspired characters, but they all have very mature and very interesting characteristics that give them a lot of depth. Not only that, but the game pretty deftly addresses adult problems like sexuality, identity, gender roles, etc. Plus is has a really damn good soundtrack, a fun and creepy mystery plot and an overall package that exudes charm. It's a nearly flawless JRPG.

5. Planescape: Torment (Best Writing) - I don't know if I would call Planescapte: Torment a subversion of the cRPG subgenre or just a distillation of its most important elements. The world and narrative is fascinating, and the incredible amount of dialogue options is impressive. But, not only is there a lot of dialogue, but it is excellently written to boot.

6. Chrono Trigger

7. Kingdom Hearts

8. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt

9. Final Fantasy Tactics

10 .Mass Effect 2

11. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

12. Baldur’s Gate

13. Final Fantasy XII

14. Deus Ex

15. Final Fantasy IX

16. Earthbound

17. Grandia III (Best Combat)

18. Final Fantasy X

19. Mass Effect

20. Suikoden 2


Honorable Mentions:


21. Dragon Age: Origins - Love the world and lore despite being somewhat clichéd.

22. Legend of Dragoon - Very good JRPG, but I'm not sure if its nostalgia or legitimate greatness.

23. Divinity: Original Sin - Haven't finished it, but it has a great combat system and a wonderful realization of its tools to solve problems.

24. Fallout 3: New Vegas - Great dialogue and role playing options in a quite interesting world.

25. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Without a doubt the best TES game. Very interesting world and characters.

26. Wild Arms - Cowboys in a PS1 JRPG? Awesome. Damn good story and cast too.

27. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - Gorgeous visuals and soundtrack. Training familiars is fairly addicting. Good story and good but flawed combat.

28. Dragon Age: Inquisition - Beautiful world and fascinating lore, great characters.

29. Xenogears - Very interesting story that gets convoluted near the end.

30. Star Ocean: Til the End of Time - Great combat. Good soundtrack. Decent cast. Terrible ending.

I'll probably expand on my top 20 over the next week or so. Also, I haven't played Undertale yet (though I own it), so I might have to edit my list once I have.

Also, I wasn't sure if Transistor technically counted as an RPG. If it is, it would definitely be in my top 20 and would get my best combat point and damn well would challenge for best soundtrack as well. Although its very short and its story is a little opaque, its otherwise a masterpiece. The combat is so ingenious and the soundtrack is absolutely captivating. Oh, and the game is gorgeous. Just had to extol this game's virtues somewhere as I wasn't sure if it counted and I doubt it would make the list anyways.

 

[Cyrano]

I'm just gonna list the ones I really love because I don't think I'd personally have 20 favorite RPGs. Just a handful.

Chrono Trigger (Best Soundtrack) - This game holds a deeply personal connection to me, partially for its music, partially for its stellar execution. It is one game I can say I've never felt like I've wasted my time playing. There is always a real sense of movement in the game and that's constructed from start to finish with the time hopping and impressive amount of detail in such a (relatively) small space. It's been my favorite game for a lot reasons that aren't easy to describe but mostly relate to me being a kid in Texas and it being so ridiculously hot outside that playing games was sometimes all you could really do. And this was the videogame I was always playing during those times, sitting in front of a fan and enjoying the hours roll by. Zeal was a touchstone moment for the game and unforgettable in every way. It's still awe-inspiring to this day and also a strangely sharp moment about the fragility of power, real or imagined.

Undertale (Best Writing) - Undertale is a game that is just adorable. Seriously, it's hard to put into words how cute it is in all the right ways, and even for my own thoughts on the ending, I enjoyed the journey quite a bit and would do it again. It's a really bittersweet game, in some ways about growing up in the same fashion that Earthbound often touched upon, though maybe a bit tighter in some ways and a bit looser in others.

Demon's Souls (Best Setting) - Demon's Souls is the master class in how to design atmospheric worlds. Everything about Demon's Souls oozes a unique personality still not matched in any of the others, and it's because it's a complete experience. It is not one thing but many things coming together to bring the experience in sharp relief even against the other Souls series (or Shadow Tower Abyss). Maiden Astraea being in the swamp has a unique personal history, how Flamelurker became a fiery demon, how Allant grew mad, the world itself seeps these secrets to you in wonderful vignettes that just makes you want to know more yet keeps a mystery about itself that is palpable and cannot be easily shorthanded into a slapdash internet game world theory. This, I feel is the weakness of much of the games that come after it, that every game after Demon's Souls misses how to tell you just enough and not too much. Demon's Souls is that. Demon's Souls is the art of telling you just enough, and not too much.

Earthbound - Earthbound is weird and somehow I feel like it "gets" me. I enjoy the way the game thinks about the world and what the game purports is "normal" for most people. In a way it is its own supposition that none of the supposed normalcy is quite so normal nor quite so helpful to actually solving larger problems at hand that I find enthralling. In a sense, it eats at me and begs me to get bitten a little bit more, enjoying a kind of poison that is deeply personal but also self-destructive. Earthbound is a world that itself is disappearing under the weight of its normalcy and I think a lot of that is reflected in the 90s milieu it comes out of, much as I see myself disappearing under the weight of what is now normal in our world.

Might and Magic Clash of Heroes - This is my favorite tactics game because it's a different and challenging take on an extremely traditional franchise. In every way it seems to evolve out of its shell and become a really, really intense, technical experience. What's more is that it's great fun to play with friends (sadly my friends now tend to trounce me at it, but I like to remember when I creamed them).

Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen (Best Combat) - This game is what I want every RPG to be from a technical perspective. Climbing on things, great explosive spells that fill up the entire screen. It is THE game of pomp and circumstance and it is glorious. An absolute pleasure to play because the world it provokes feels alive and constantly in flux as a result of your actions and the actions of others. Many game worlds are enjoyable as a result of being static but I genuinely enjoy game worlds that change over time and even more so when they seem to mutable and in some way, hinging on your experience with that mutability.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

The more I think about trying to write a list, the more I realize that I have a massive bad habit wherein I've started like dozens of RPGs but never finished them. Ugh.

 

[zero shift]

The more I think about trying to write a list, the more I realize that I have a massive bad habit wherein I've started like dozens of RPGs but never finished them. Ugh.

I used to have this problem too.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Persona 4
Shin Megami Tensei II

Unfortunately I no longer own any platform to play these games.

 

[MoonFrog]

Hmmm...this is an interesting thread. I am poorly versed in classic CRPGs, so bare that in mind with this list. I obtained a bunch of them recently from my brother (the Balder's Gates, Deus Ex, Fallouts, System Shock 2, and Ultimas) but I have yet to sink the time into them. I look forward to doing so.

As to JRPGS: I want to play but haven't played Tactics Ogre and only recently got my hands on/haven't had the time or dedication to finish 776. I am curious about Suikoden and SMT. All the praise I hear for Persona has me thinking I should try those, but their style/subject matter dampens my enthusiasm to take that plunge. Also, I may have a Metal King Slime avatar, but I have yet to play DQ VII. So happy it is coming west on 3DS!

Anyways, now that I'm done pointing out my own ignorance: my list (in rough order of preference 'balanced' against perceived quality):

1-Chrono Trigger (Best Combat): Chrono Trigger took what was best about Dragon Quest, i.e. the charming cartoon characters with fairly unique combat roles and the series-of-vignettes story structure, did it really well and then mixed in the ambitions of Square Soft, i.e. the drive to always create new and more exciting battle systems, and realized it better than any Final Fantasy ever even came close to. I love the way the characters are unique and can interact with each other in battle. These are things every party-based RPG should try and achieve. This game also, of course, has a soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu .

2-Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Best Writing):I have played this game countless times, and in no other game have I cared as much about the characters and their struggles as well as the political and ethnic conflicts as I do with this game. Maybe it was the time and place in my life, but the simplicity and earnestness of this game just strikes a chord with me. It is a game about a very simple journey to reclaim a lost homeland, but it has the ambitions to make that homeland but a bit player on the world stage, to have discussions of racism, and to have a true revenge quest actually end in a 'one-on-one' duel in a TRPG. Sure the earnestness runs afoul when it comes to the terribly bad cutscenes, but I really miss the days when FE took itself seriously.

3-Final Fantasy VII (Best Soundtrack): I regularly listen to this soundtrack while writing papers and what-not. The opening crystal theme often brings me to tears and I find myself singing or humming along to many of the tunes, especially the main theme . What can I say? It was my first Final Fantasy and one of the first games I ever actually played to completion. This game is absolutely amazing at its most iconic moments when its style is on full display. Midgar and Nibelheim stand out in this regard. The game is also a strong Final Fantasy outside of these moments, with an endearing cast, light but stylish RPG systems, amusing side-stories, etc.

4-The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: I played this when I was young and the cool setting and sandbox it offered for getting into a role-playing headspace were amazing. This probably wouldn't happen to me now, but I was literally driven to stealing to maintain my character at one point. Also, I played as an Argonian and I was the reincarnation of a Chimer hero, which felt very good. I feel this was TES at its best; before it exploded in popularity. The game is very quirky and very 'nerdy' as opposed to the hyper-convenient, 'cookie-cutter' fantasy of, say, Oblivion. Skyrim was a step back towards Morrowind in ways but it didn't reach it.

5-Final Fantasy X: This game made hyper-linear RPG work. The pilgrimage story was also really good, even if the series of science fiction twists towards the end were a bit ham-fisted. I liked the cast despite ridiculing many of them when I first saw their designs and heard them speak. On top of this, the turn-based combat was stellar and well-balanced for most of the game. That is not something that can be said of most Final Fantasies.

6-Dragon Quest IV: The cast was adorable as were the story vignettes. Telling various stories from various perspectives in the RPG universe instead of just the story of the hero that we always hear was simply ingenious.

7-Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu: Another FE that took itself and its story seriously. The player may be chuckling at all the incest the game is suggesting and built to encourage, but at the same time Jugdral is fantastically realized and the focus on 'campaign' maps makes a lot of tactical situations possible that aren't possible in other FEs while also making it feel more like an epic war story. Add in the ambitious two part structure and the central tragedies and SnK is really an amazing game.

9-Dragon Quest V: The story itself is fairly standard JRPG fare but, like IV, it is told exceptionally well and also has a unique 'story of a life' twist.

10-Dragon Quest VIII: Level 5 loves grinding a bit too much, but that doesn't really enter the picture with this gem until after the game (well the skill point system is a bit annoying all through ). The charm of this game is the charm of DQ, i.e. the characters, the role-based combat, and the story vignettes, but also the fact that it brings DQ into a deeply realized, fully 3D world.

11-Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: I really enjoyed the 'Old Republic' setting and role-playing with lightsabers is fun.

12-Final Fantasy Tactics: Very complicated TRPG with a full range of classic Final Fantasy classes and an ambitious, political story.

13-Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door: Makes very good use of the Paper Mario character and deepens the RPG mechanics of the original Paper Mario.

14-Fire Emblem: Fuin no Tsurugi: A step down in complexity and ambition from the Jugdral games, but still a a very solid TRPG with a memorable cast and maps. Easily the best of the GBA Fire Emblems.

15-Earthbound: Itoi's voice is sorely missed in the JRPG space. This game may be an obvious DQ clone, but the visible enemies, the rolling HP counter, and the unique character 'jobs' makes it stand out mechanically. Beyond this, the game has great humor, a great setting, and real heart.

16-Xenogears: I love this game for its mechs, its science fiction setting, its story ambitions, its active combat, Yasunori Mitsuda, etc. The down-side, however, is the game is incomplete. Major plot points are rushed through in a monologue, leaving huge swathes of the story unexplored and unexperienced. The combat is, at the end, unbalanced.

17-Chrono Cross: The story is, perhaps, too tangled while not being exceptionally strong. This game wins big on style, gameplay ambition, and, of course, Yasunori Mitsuda.

18-Final Fantasy VI: The music and cast is great, if too large and not all with good skills. Esper system is okay, but lacks cost-benefit considerations or character specificity making it, ultimately, something which erases roles as opposed to creates them.

19-Super Mario RPG: A very interesting use of the Mario IP and a great beginning to a series of 'active' turn-based systems.

20-Final Fantasy IV: Great music, cast, and very ambitious story.

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):

1-Dragon Quest: This game is still very fun today. The mobile port is excellent and it is fun to see the beginning of JRPGs in general and DQ in particular.

2-Dragon Quest III: The pinnacle of the original DQ trilogy. Holds up well.

3-Deus Ex: Human Revolutions: This game did well at presenting real build choices, which actually had impact on the way the game played out. A lot of games offer rather meaningless or limited choices, not Deus Ex.

4-The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Bethesda games get a lot of shit and most of it rightfully so, but still the criticisms tend to miss the beauty of these games. It is all about that sandbox and wealth of 'role-playing' options together with light combat, adventure, and stats games. Skyrim made TES even more convenient than Oblivion, which is not entirely a bad thing looking back at the gameplay of Morrowind. At the same time, the world of Skyrim had much more character than Oblivion's with all the towns and regions having much more of their own look and feel. The quests were also more varied if also more limited.

5-Final Fantasy: NES era RPGs have a nice simplicity to them and with modern ports you can experience them in a more forgiving way.

6-Final Fantasy V: The story and a lot of the style choices make me laugh, but they grew on me. Great class system.

7-Final Fantasy IX: SNES Final Fantasy in 3D with a more realized world. I appreciated the throwback characters and the distinct roles each had. The world was also well-realized and the plot was decent up until the strange science fiction twists near the end. The cast had some rough spots but also some really charming members.

8-Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones: My first Fire Emblem. The cast is somewhat limited and the monsters are weird, but this is still a really good game especially when played without grinding.

9-Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn: This should have been a centerpiece of FE. A very ambitious game that sought to rival the SFC games in terms of story, complexity, and challenge. It fell short of these ambitions and is ultimately a flawed product, but if only we were in a world where the Tellius games had succeeded in sales! This was the right direction for FE, but now Awakening has happened...

10-Xenoblade Chronicles: I'm not the biggest fan of the single-player MMO style, but this game did it better than any other JRPG. The characters were varied and fun to switch between. The sidequests were overwhelming but the core concept and story was good.

 

[Notorious_Roy]

1. Chrono Trigger (Best soundtrack) - I can't believe there will be a day that this won't be my favourite game of all time. I can't think of a single thing that will improve this game. From the beautiful soundtrack to the fantastic battle system and from the warm story to the amount of side stuff that can be done. Everything is absolutely amazing and a must play for every rpg fan.
2. Earthbound - When it got released on Wii U I was kinda skeptical about this game. The graphics haven't aged all that well and the first bits of the soundtrack I heard were so-so. Playing through the first town wasn't that great either but somewhere after that something clicked and I fell in love with the game. The rolling hp meter is something I wish more games should have.
3. Final Fantasy VII - The hype for the remake is huge and I'm currently playing through the PS4 version with 3x speed, planning to Platinum the game. Even though you clearly see the age of the game this is a master piece in every way.
4. Terranigma (Best writing) - No Chrono Trigger, no Super Mario RPG and no Earthbound. Man, living in Europe sucked in the mid nineties. Out of despair I bought Terranigma and oh boy, did my opinion of the game turn around. Didn't see the end coming, still shocked when I think about it.
5. Fallout New Vegas - Fallout 3 was the first first person western rpg I really liked and New Vegas went above and beyond everything FO3 did. Great side-quests and so much to do I could still be playing this if I wanted to.
6. Final Fantasy IX - Before the Remake hype this was my favorite Final Fantasy game because of the setting and characters. Especially Vivi has an interesting background story. Nowadays I think the battles are too slow, maybe Square can give this game the same port as it gave FFVII.
7. Mystic Quest - I think this was my first real rpg and from then I knew this was going to be an important genre for me. Once I locked myself in the airship by saving the game behind a fence with no way to open it since the button was on the other side. Stupid game design, or stupid player? You tell me!
8. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Best combat) - The one and only Super Mario en a guy with a green hat take on a new enemy in this very funny rpg with action packed combat
9. Dragon Quest V - Another SNES rpg we Europeans had to wait for for a very loooooong time. In the end it was worth it.
10. Pokemon Blue - It has Blastoise on the cover, it wins 'best Pokémon game' by default.

Honorable mention
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt: This game is among my favorite games of the year and I adore everything CDPR has created with this game. The first screenshots released for the next dlc also look so beautiful I can't believe I'll be able to walk in a videogame that looks that gorgeous.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

The new Kuwabara system allows me to spread out the list deeper into my history, the bubble however, does not go away but ends up lower ala those calls to expand March Madness. Madness, indeed!

I'm going to not give out BEST designation, as with combat I don't feel I can designate just one, the writing one has too many facets to choose, and the music one is an HM so it would be me giving it a point on the main 20. I will have a few of each (with some overlap) that I feel, nay, KNOW are among the best ever that will get an unofficial nod to attract the interested.

I'm also listing them in a general order of rank, but it's not so set in stone.

Shin Megami Tensei: 3/Nocturne/Lucifer's Call (Atlus 2003/4) *Combat* *Music*

This is Atlus at the height of their powers; stellar atmosphere, combat, visual design, dungeon craft, music, everything. When this beautiful, bleak, intricate, wonderful masterpiece launched in 2004, I knew Square had been dethroned as best JRPG maker.

Vagrant Story (Squaresoft 2000) *Music* *Writing*

Lord Matsuno's magnum opus and one of Squaresoft's crown jewels from their glory days. Smith's rich but tasteful localization, Sakimoto's greatest OST, Akiyama's industry standard-setting choreography, and many many other's A Games brings a dark political tale and brilliantly envisioned mechanics together in one of the classiest games I've ever had the joy to play. Not bad for something made under a time and budget squeeze, huh?

Demon's Souls (FromSoft 2009) *Combat*

A gloriously bitter medicine for the toxic ills that infected gaming at the time of its debut. It stands the test of time due to its phenominal mechanics, consistancy, creativity, atmosphere, level design, and art direction. Plus it still has the best on-line and combat in the series (pray for DS3).

Suikoden II (#FucKonami 1998/99/00) *Writing*

I replayed this a year ago and I had forgotten just how different this game behaves and is structured than others. There's extremely little fluff, with only a couple of stretches that have bosses that are not major antagonists or serve no war function. It also has the audacity to completely shake up the usual act form and is incredibly strong for it.

Other than that, it's still a world-building, characterization, musical, theming, and lore tour-de-force that stands as an all-time great.

Legend of Grimrock 2 (Almost Human 2014)

You know those games that come out and feel good, feel right, and play right, but they juuuuuuuuuuuuuust don't have the scope, polish, or the design in a few facets quite right to really work, but so damn enjoyable and honest and true in their aim that you like the game and wish the devs the best on the next adventure? That was Grimrock 1.

And you know that NEXT game, that takes the scope, polish, and design critiques and sends that sequel thru the roof with some of the best-thought out gaming you've experienced and an all-time classic? THAT'S Grimrock 2.

They did so much so right in this game.

A grander scale with a whole island full of smaller dungeons to explore. More puzzles. More secrets. More variety. More ambience. More choice. More monsters. More loot. More boss fights. More MORE.

Etrian Odyssey II (Atlus 2008) *Combat* *Music*

Even in a RPG list, yada yada. A fine evolution of EO1, but without EO3's oversoftened edges. Updating dungeon crawlers away from the clunk of yore with outstanding ergonomics yet still made you plan and work and seek and suffer with Himukai's cute, colorful art and yet another delicious Koshiro OST of awesomeness trying their damnedest to distract you from the brutal indifference of the Labyrinth.

Persona 4 (Atlus 2008) *Writing*

A JRPG. A game steeped Japanese EVERYTHING. About teenagers saving the day. Yet, somehow, it's the least egrarious about all JRPGs that visit these conditions. May have the finest cast ensemble ever assembled in an RPG. Magnificent job interweaving the various facets of the game so that they influence each other without crippling yourself for not involving yourself in one enough. Definately has something to do with the grounded, relatable characters and a handling of a setting in a fashion that you didn't have to be a hardcore Japanophile to appreciate.

I don't think it's been remembered just how GOOD the characterization is in this; a deluge of spin-offs have distilled facets to Everclear strength, threatening to undo what was done in-game with digging down and out further in each character. Will P5 avoid this reductionist, fetishy madness?

Final Fantasy VI (Squaresoft 1994) *Music*

Another game that tosses the usual narrative structure to the four winds and another masterpiece of its respective series, and Squaresoft when they were Kingmakers. Chock full of secrets, a genuinely interesting tale with both drama and comedy, orbited by a great cast. Great bad guy and his final boss theme is the best of all time, hands down.

Digital Devil Saga 1 (Atlus 2004/5/6) *Combat* *Music*

Atlus' Beast Mode Era continues with the Press Turn sporting, demon-protagonisted, Vedic lore-infused, post-apocalyptic, Jazzy, Metal, eatin' people excellence of DDS1. The attention to detail and creativity is outstanding (just watch how Heat and Argilla talk in demon form). May have THE hardest boss in any game ever.

World of Warcraft (Blizzard 2004-08) *Combat*

Particularly around 2.4, where they came as close to landing the goals they set out to do way back before release and before they started obeying the siren's song of player bribery and other toxic influences. No other game than WoW under this period so NAILED a genre that the only choice during their glory days to have success in the genre was to make a completely different game with completely different goals and play (EvE).

Modability
Responsive Combat
"Equality of Opportunity" balancing
Can run decently on a toaster

Read those? Good, you now know more than other MMO developers not named Blizzard.

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (Square-Enix 2010/11) *Music*

An excellent update on the 1995 classic with some brilliant new features to complement the brilliant features from its original release. The orchestral soundtrack to beat, and a tale borne of the ugliest wars of mankind's history told with knowing grace.

Glorious is the hand of Matsuno!

Planescape: Torment (Black Isle Studios 1999) *Writing*

The finest written game in history. Much like the Vagrant Story example above, has not been matched, and quite frankly the industry seems hellbent at times to avoid even trying to learn form this game, much less to attempt topping it.

Chrono Trigger (Squaresoft 1995) *Combat* *Music*

One of the best games ever made. One of the most revolutionary, as well. No list is complete without it, no gaming career without having had beaten it. It also had this strong lean 'n mean structure with nigh perfect pacing. SFC RPGs were in a good place around that time for this.

Devil Summoners: Soul Hackers (Atlus 1997) *Music*

A wait of 17 years was VERY worth it. Another of those Atlus classics that just sings and that also shows the way that their games would evolve into later.

Star Ocean 2 (tri-Ace 1998/99/00) *Music*

The sheer number of things you can do outside of battle in this thing beats some computer RPGs. This isn't a commonly used statement about console RPGs one bit. Sakuraba's best OST. Has a phenomenally long and even difficulty curve that I don't feel gets enough attention.

Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter (Capcom 2002/03) *Combat* *Music*

Completely misunderstood upon release, this delicate, intricate, brutal game is a masterpiece for every expert RPG player out there hungry for an excellent dungeon crawler.

Divinity: Original Sin (Larian 2014) *Combat* *Music*

A complete upheaval in the field of mechanics and skills, it asks the question of how no one came up with, nay, allowed skills to exist like this before. A fireball spell almost can't be called a "combat spell"...when I saw that burning boat at the beginning and my cleric guy knew Rain and it worked at putting that boat out, well, that was it. Welcome to the revolution.

Final Fantasy Tactics (Squaresoft 1997/98) *Combat* *Music*

Another dark, deep, and difficult Matsuno classic. Just an absolute classic of the form.

Makai Kingdom (Nippon Ichi 2005) *Combat* *Writing*

NI's best game, taking the original Disgaea formula and running with it to crazytown allowing you to do even more brilliantly stupid things. Plus I just feel it's funny as hell and has a great soundtrack from Hosoe, Saso, and their crew. In fact, the audio-visual work on this game was outsourced and the whole thing has this shoestring feel even for a NI game (yet is their best!)

Dark Souls (FromSoft 2011) *Combat* *Writing*

The breakout smash for the franchise that added a ton of neat new mechanics and continued the quality of the original short of the on-line quality and the LI zone.

Honorable Mentions:

Trails in the Sky: First Chapter (Nihon Falcom 2004) *Writing*

You don't get a game that is both dead set on going about its own odd way come hell or high water while also being extremely accomplished at it, but the genesis of the underappreciated Trails series does just that. Holistic worldbuilding, lore, characterization, and excellent conversational tones are a treat if you meet it halfway with the proper mindset.

Recettear (EasyGameStation 2007)

One of the most accomplished "economy"-focused RPGs ever, and the Carpe Fulgur localization gives it spice it needs. "Capitalism, ho!" indeed.

Legend of Grimrock 1 (Almost Human 2012)

Excellent, excellent dungeon crawler that was phenomenal for a first try.

Grandia 1 (GameArts 1997/99/00) *Combat* *Music*

Outstanding sense of ADVENTURE, tactical combat, dungeon design, and music.

Chrono Cross (Squaresoft 2000) *Music*

The best soundtrack that is, that ever was, that will ever be. Gorgeous artwork and a snazzy battle system (no grinding! you can run from almost every boss! Vancian magic!) was fun.

Witcher 2 (CD Projekt Red 2011) *Writing*

Cleaner and leaner than 1, but not as bifurcated an experience as 3, hits what the series does with less distractions: dark low fantasy with a true mature experience by adults for who they percieve as adults.

Phantom Brave (Nippon Ichi 2004/5) *Music*

Makai Kingdom's less wacky, more secretive older sister. Manages to be kid-friendly without being annoying or creeper bait, and has an even deeper dive into crazytown mechanics than even MK did.

Ys Origins (Nihon Falcom 2006) *Combat* *Music*

The purest Ys experience, all about fightin' and killin' and rockin' out.

Valkyria Chronicles 1 (Sega 2008) *Combat* *Music*

One of those many revolutionary Gen 7 Japanese games that didn't get noticed till the world came to its senses. Has a ton of honest charm painted in a gorgeous art direction and fun mechanics to tinker with and exploit.

 

[BumRush]

1. Final Fantasy VI - in my opinion, the greatest game of all time. Great setting, characters and music. However, the villain - and what he accomplishes - are what puts it over the top.

2. Mass Effect 2 - my favorite entry in my favorite series, ME2 has the best vibe in any game I have ever played

3. Star Wars: Knights of the old republic - one of the best stories in a videogame ever

4. Final Fantasy VII - especially the PS4 3x speed version

5. Bloodborne - although I prefer Demons, that's nostalgia talking (and my first souls experience). Bloodborne is the better game (especially with DLC) and more accessible today

6. Chrono Trigger

7. Final Fantasy Tactics

8. Fallout 3

9. Ys: Oath in Felghana

10. Muramasa: the demon blade

 

[Denton]

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Best Writing)
2. Fallout 2
3. Fallout: New Vegas
4. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
5. Fallout
6. Deus Ex
7.Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
8. The Witcher
9. Gothic 2
10. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
11. Planescape: Torment
12. Gothic
13. Alpha Protocol
14. Divinity 2: Dragon Knight Saga
15. Mass Effect 3
16. Risen
17. Dark Souls
18. Mass Effect 2
19. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
20. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

best list ever

Fuck this is such a good list.
I wish Secret World wasn't an MMO :/

 

[Cyrano]

Yeah, Shadowrun Hong Kong and Vampire The Masquerade are definitely some exceptionally awesome games. Gobbet is the best.

 

[Simzyy]

1. Persona 4 - A game I had never heard of and knew nothing about completely blew me away. I had dismissed JRPGs at this point in my life but this had everything. Music, characters and story all top notch. My GOAT.

2. Mass Effect 2
3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

4. Dark Souls (Best Combat) - A game that took me about 3 years to get into and for the game to finally click. But when it did I realised how important gameplay was to me. I love the delivery of the lore too. It's an interesting way to deliver a story. The most sweat and shakes a game has ever given me.

5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Best Writing)

6. Pokemon: Gold and Silver
7. Final Fantasy VII
8. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
9. Chrono Trigger
10. Earthbound

11. Persona 3
12. Xenoblade Chronicles
13. Mass Effect
14. Final Fantasy X
15. Divinity Original Sin

16. Fallout: New Vegas
17. Fire Emblem: Awakening
18. Dragon Age: Origins
19. Valkyria Chronicles
20. South Park: The Stick of Truth

Honorable Mentions:
1. Jade Empire
2. Alpha Protocol
3. Dragon Quest 8
4. Bloodborne
5. Demon's Souls

 

[And_Gignac]

1. Xenoblade (Best Music)


2. Persona 4


3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution


4. Chrono Trigger


5. Final Fantasy VI


6. Earthbound


7. Persona 3


8. SMT3: Nocturne (Best Writing)


9. Final Fantasy VIII


10. Xenoblade Chronicles X (Best Combat)



11. Chrono Cross (Best Writing 2.0)
12. Mother 3
13. Pokemon Silver & Gold
14. Radiant Historia
15. Final Fantasy IX
16. Pokemon Trading Card Game
17. Golden Sun
18. To the Moon
19. Final Fantasy VII
20. Final Fantasy IV


Sorry for no commentary :c

 

[Admiral Woofington]

How much commentary do we need? I know my list of top 10, but I don't know if I can say anything about these titles that someone else hasn't said without repeating myself.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Persona 4 (Atlus 2008) *Writing*

I don't think it's been remembered just how GOOD the characterization is in this; a deluge of spin-offs have distilled facets to Everclear strength, threatening to undo what was done in-game with digging down and out further in each character. Will P5 avoid this reductionist, fetishy madness?

Yeah, I agree with this. The characterization in Persona 4 was excellent at the time back in 2008, and it's certainly a shame that some memories of this have begun to fade with all of the spinoffs turning most of the cast into exaggerated stereotypes. It's a pity, but it doesn't take away from how good that original game was with the characterization 7 years ago (holy shit, Persona 4 was out 7 years ago).

Star Ocean 2 (tri-Ace 1998/99/00) *Music*

The sheer number of things you can do outside of battle in this thing beats some computer RPGs. This isn't a commonly used statement about console RPGs one bit. Sakuraba's best OST. Has a phenomenally long and even difficulty curve that I don't feel gets enough attention.

Here's a game that I've actually just started playing for the first time. I'm hoping that I can get enough of a feel for it to decide if it should go on my own list or not (I'm hoping to at least get a sampling of a few classics I never have before, since I feel like I owe it to myself while I'm running this to dedicate myself to sampling as wide a range of the essentials as possible).

Recettear (EasyGameStation 2007)

One of the most accomplished "economical"-focused RPGs ever, and the Carpe Fulgur localization gives it spice it needs. "Capitalism, ho!" indeed.

Argh. I was having a hard enough time narrowing my list down, and then you had to go and remind me about Recettear, which was kind of slipping my mind as an RPG. Now this list is getting even harder to put together.

How much commentary do we need? I know my list of top 10, but I don't know if I can say anything about these titles that someone else hasn't said without repeating myself.

A couple of sentences is fine, as long as you have them for at least two titles on the list. It doesn't have to be unique or anything, just something that gives a sense of why you value the game.

 

[Jisgsaw]

Recettear (EasyGameStation 2007)

One of the most accomplished "economical"-focused RPGs ever, and the Carpe Fulgur localization gives it spice it needs. "Capitalism, ho!" indeed.

I still have to play recettear (hopefully getting to that this holiday), but you may want to take a look at the Atelier games (or Mana Khemia).

As to JRPGS: I want to play but haven't played Tactics Ogre and only recently got my hands on/haven't had the time or dedication to finish 776. I am curious about Suikoden and SMT. All the praise I hear for Persona has me thinking I should try those, but their style/subject matter dampens my enthusiasm to take that plunge. Also, I may have a Metal King Slime avatar, but I have yet to play DQ VII. So happy it is coming west on 3DS!

If the social aspect of P3/4 puts you off, you could still turn to Nocturne, Devil Digital Saga, Devil Survivor, both P2 games or SMT IV.
SMT is one of the most varied yet still consistently good series I know of.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Suggestion: in addition to Best Soundtrack, Story/Writing, and Combat, how about one for "Best Art Direction"?

 

[MoonFrog]

If the social aspect of P3/4 puts you off, you could still turn to Nocturne, Devil Digital Saga, Devil Survivor, both P2 games or SMT IV.
SMT is one of the most varied yet still consistently good series I know of.

Yeah. This thread has me forming a JRPG wishlist and I'm getting the clear impression that it is a good idea to put an SMT title on there.

So far my thinking is:

-FE 3: I still have to beat 776, but this is the next FE for me to acquire (outside Fates, which, despite being disappointed with Awakening, I am still cautiously optimistic about).

-Tactics Ogre: I really liked FF Tactics as a child and this seems to have been the spiritual predecessor to that game.

-DQ VII

-Some Suikoden (I'm thinking 2 (?!) to start)

-Some SMT/Persona (I'm thinking an older one or an SMT to start)

I don't have as much time to game as I would like and I have acquired a rather large backlog of CRPGs too, so finding time to acquire/play these might be difficult but this is my current JRPG wish list. Hopefully in a year or two I will have fulfilled it and have a new wish list .

 

[adj_noun]

THIS POST BROUGHT TO YOU BY

NEOGAF'S

Spoiler

97th

MOST ESSENTIAL RPG, 2015

1. Darklands (Best Writing) -- Let's be real: it doesn't have the best combat, soundtrack or writing (edit: yes it does! Some of the best stories are the ones you are allowed to tell yourself. Authorial authorization, that's the life for me). Instead, Darklands has that glorious sandboxy FEEL, that opening storybook of Medieval Germany, laying out an enormous expanse for exploration decades before Skyrim. See that mountain? Well, no, you can't climb it, but you will probably find a demon or three. Better hope your RELG is up to snuff.

2. Planescape: Torment -- The best book you've ever played, and I mean that as a compliment. Heady, with little side areas that read better than some short stories, Torment's low on mechanical finesse, but excels in world building, cutter.

3. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines -- There might be a bit of repeating theme but man does this excel at drawing you into the world. Gothic punk is a tragically under served genre in RPGS, doubly so when you toss vampires into the mix. For extra fun go Malkavian your second playthrough.

4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords -- If only it had a real ending (fan restorations be damned, this is what I played when it released), but otherwise this is the deconstruction of the force that helps wash away any number of Jar Jar scenes. Kreia is a standout character, and I really hope Obsidian gets to take another crack at this universe some day.

5. Pillars of Eternity -- You're welcome. (See, that's why you kickstart things). See, you can do this kind of game today. It saved Obsidian from destruction but, more importantly, it brought a kind of verve that relatively few studios bring to their worlds. Sometimes it's a bit on the nose with the exposition, but overall I found it a world well worth exploring.

5. Alpha Protocol -- It pains me that this isn't a wildly successful franchise with multiple titles. I mean, it's infamously not so hot in some departments, but it has a level of choice and reactivity that people still point to today.

6. Shadowrun: Hong Kong -- Refines what HBS started into a wholly immersive package.

7. Final Fantasy 6 -- Everyone has a save before the opera, right?

8. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn -- I spent a hundred hours on this and it barely felt like any time at all. The rare game that lives up to its overwhelming hype.

9. Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht -- I can't decide if the plot is a bold exploration or anime babble, but this one just grabbed me. I still consider it my favorite anime, game or no. I still play Xenocard to this day. A CCG in an RPG! Imagine that.

10. Mass Effect -- For better or worse, it started it all. Those first steps, filled with such hope and promise, the series would never be more of an RPG than this initial title.

 

[Cyrano]

Yeah. This thread has me forming a JRPG wishlist and I'm getting the clear impression that it is a good idea to put an SMT title on there.

So far my thinking is:

-FE 3: I still have to beat 776, but this is the next FE for me to acquire (outside Fates, which, despite being disappointed with Awakening, I am still cautiously optimistic about).

-Tactics Ogre: I really liked FF Tactics as a child and this seems to have been the spiritual predecessor to that game.

-DQ VII

-Some Suikoden (I'm thinking 2 (?!) to start)

-Some SMT/Persona (I'm thinking an older one or an SMT to start)

I don't have as much time to game as I would like and I have acquired a rather large backlog of CRPGs too, so finding time to acquire/play these might be difficult but this is my current JRPG wish list. Hopefully in a year or two I will have fulfilled it and have a new wish list .

I think Nocturne is probably the best SMT game to start with. If you really love it, the others are good, but I think it has higher highs than most of the others in the series.

I think Tactics Ogre, due to having a bit of a meatier game world to build from (the Ogre Battle Saga is incredible), is a better game story-wise than FFT. I'd say the gameplay is about par for the course though the remake is really excellent and I would recommend checking out the PSP remake if you're trying to choose one to play.

All of the Suikodens are interesting but I enjoyed II and III the most.

 

[Lothar]

I think Nocturne is probably the best SMT game to start with. If you really love it, the others are good, but I think it has higher highs than most of the others in the series.

I don't think so because the story is not as strong. At least the 20 hours I played. Persona 4 does everything great. If I just played Nocturne, it's a good game but I wouldn't think I needed to play any of the others in the series. Persona 4 makes me want to play Persona 3 and 5.

 

[Lynx_7]

Suggestion: in addition to Best Soundtrack, Story/Writing, and Combat, how about one for "Best Art Direction"?

I want to echo this suggestion. I've been thinking about what "best" to give to a game on my list and "Best Art Direction" would be perfect since it encompasses things like atmosphere as well.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

I want to echo this suggestion. I've been thinking about what "best" to give to a game on my list and "Best Art Direction" would be perfect since it encompasses things like atmosphere as well.

Aye, and for me it's such an important aspect of a game too. Almost all of the games on the list I'm working on have really good art direction, but I feel there are some that really stand out.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

That's definitely a category that I would consider if I ran this again next year (along with some other possible ones), and I nearly did put it in this time. I was just worried about overcomplicating things too much, so I decided to just go with three categories for highlighted games, to see what the reception to that would be. And with a number of votes having been made already, I wouldn't want to go and change the rules at this point.

But should I decide to do this again next year, art direction would be something near the top of my list to consider adding.

 

[JerkShep]

I think I managed to find my 30 titles but finding an order is an impossible task. Still I'm going to wait, I want to play more of Xenoblade X, Shadowrun and Pillars of Eternity.

 

[vocab]

I don't think so because the story is not as strong. At least the 20 hours I played. Persona 4 does everything great. If I just played Nocturne, it's a good game but I wouldn't think I needed to play any of the others in the series. Persona 4 makes me want to play Persona 3 and 5.

Persona 3 is poorly paced with a story that takes 20 hours to hit the ground running. Oh, and do you like bad dungeon design? Persona 3 is for you. Nocturnes approach to minimalististic story is actually much appreciated.

 

[Thores]

I don't think so because the story is not as strong. At least the 20 hours I played. Persona 4 does everything great. If I just played Nocturne, it's a good game but I wouldn't think I needed to play any of the others in the series. Persona 4 makes me want to play Persona 3 and 5.

Persona 3 is a good game in a lot of ways, but it's very hard to go back to if you've played Persona 4 first. It just makes so many improvements over the 3rd game, especially its Social Link system.

 

[Yoshi]

That's definitely a category that I would consider if I ran this again next year (along with some other possible ones), and I nearly did put it in this time. I was just worried about overcomplicating things too much, so I decided to just go with three categories for highlighted games, to see what the reception to that would be. And with a number of votes having been made already, I wouldn't want to go and change the rules at this point.

But should I decide to do this again next year, art direction would be something near the top of my list to consider adding.

Please, also consider world / dungeon design. It could do with some more gameplay-oriented special awards.

 

[Arthea]

My list in no particular order, to make it in particular order would take the rest of my life, too hard to decide


1. Lost Odyssey (Best Writing) - the game that came out on wrong platform at the wrong time and situation in that generation was all kinds of wrong. Exclusivity hurt this game a lot, otoh it never have been made if not that exclusivity. The game is as old school as RPGs get and it's amazing, new trend of mainstreaming every game with half decent budget is the worst thing that happened to this industry.
Lost Odyssey is great, has amazing soundtrack, hands down the best writing in any game ever in the form of A Thousand Years of Dreams, interesting and deep gameplay, nice story, characters and sidequests. Also a game is huge.
2. Suikoden 2 (Best World) - it pains me not to include franchise, because I don't think one can fully appreciate one game outside of series, it's series that make Suikoden great, but it has to be done. So, Suikoden 2 is not the best part of series, but it is essential one. Also it has a great story and characters, it plays like a song too, even being as old game as it is, it's still one of the best RPGs out there.
3. Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura - the greatest PC RPG of all times, absolutely must play, nice world combining magic in technology, combat modes of it are still unmatched to this day and a game like Arcanum never was created again.
4. Final Fantasy VII (Best Soundtrack) - I'm not sure I need to comment on this, just one of the greatest games of all times and nations.
5. Might and Magic VI - hands down the best and most interesting Might and Magic game and a great RPG too.
6. Star Ocean: The Second Story
7. Planescape: Torment
8. Knights of the Old Republic II
9. Mana Khemia - most fun and funny RPG, it even has gossip you can buy, hilarious characters and very interesting day-night cycles.
10. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
11. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
12. The Last Remnant (Best Combat)
13. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
14. Final Fantasy V (Best Class System)
15. Chrono Cross
16. Fallout
17. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC (Best Talk)
18. Breath of Fire IV
19. Baldur's Gate
20. Valkyrie Profile

Honorable Mentions:
1. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
2. Dragon Quest VIII
3. Wild ARMs
4. Wizardry VIII
5. Ultima VII
6. Suikoden V
7. Final Fantasy VI
8. Revenant
9. Diablo
10. Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale


I was not sure about quite a few games which I haven't included as they are mixes of genres and only partly RPGs, like Rune Factory games for example, or MMOs.
Also I was planning to write comments to all games, but it proven to be too time consuming, sorry about that.

 

[Cyrano]

I don't think so because the story is not as strong. At least the 20 hours I played. Persona 4 does everything great. If I just played Nocturne, it's a good game but I wouldn't think I needed to play any of the others in the series. Persona 4 makes me want to play Persona 3 and 5.

If we're talking Persona games then I would recommend Persona 4 Golden or Persona 3 Portable (more the latter than the former).

I know that technically Persona is part of the SMT franchise but past Innocent Sin & Eternal Punishment I wouldn't really call the series "linked." I'd say Persona is its own franchise.

That's definitely a category that I would consider if I ran this again next year (along with some other possible ones), and I nearly did put it in this time. I was just worried about overcomplicating things too much, so I decided to just go with three categories for highlighted games, to see what the reception to that would be. And with a number of votes having been made already, I wouldn't want to go and change the rules at this point.

But should I decide to do this again next year, art direction would be something near the top of my list to consider adding.

Please do setting! Setting is important! Silent Hill 2 & PT are why setting is so important! Same with Jade Empire and Shadowrun Hong Kong!

 

[Lynx_7]

Please, also consider world / dungeon design. It could do with some more gameplay-oriented special awards.

This is a pretty good suggestion as well.

Well, I think my list is ready. I may have overdone a little on the analysis (5 pages on word for the whole thing lol) but hey. I won't post it now though because I feel like I could finish at least 1 or 2 games that could possibly get a spot on it. Hopefully I'll actually remember to post it here before the deadline.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Please, also consider world / dungeon design. It could do with some more gameplay-oriented special awards.

That might overcomplicate things too much to his liking, but yeah I agree with this, level/dungeon design sounds like a good category for an RPG.

 

[KevinCow]

Not a single mention of Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden in this thread? Shame on you, GAF.

 

[Eidjinn]

In order:

1. Mass Effect 2 - Probably the best cast of character in any rpg I've ever played. And, actually, the one rpg that thought me how great western rpgs are.

2. Suikoden II - The best jrpg of all time, with the best story, characters and music. That story is impactful, wow.

3. Final Fantasy VII - The best system ever created, the materia system, the one I had the most fun. Also, the cast of characters is fenomenal.

4. Suikoden - One of the most tragic tales I've ever read in an rpg. Good god, this is awesome.

5. Final Fantasy Tactics - Tactical rpg done right. It's the standart.

6. Pokemon Red/Blue - It's the complete package, with an engaging story, very cool side quests, and an adictive system that fores you to explore everything.

7. Lunar Silver Star Story - Simple story, lovable characters and an awesome intro.

8. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue - Again, simple story, lovable characters, awesome intro.

9. Xenogears - Awesome cast of characters plus mechas? This one is cheating it's way into the list...

10. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - I was not a fan of the movies, that somehow I feel this game adds so much to the lore of the Star Wars universe...

11. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 - It's probably better in every way to the first, but... the ending was kind of disappointing, so, that's why I prefer the first one to the second.

12. Fallout - Surprise! That's the word that defines this game for me, as it went under my radar for a VERY long time, and I was actually surprised by how absolutely awesome the game is! The world is spectacular!

13. Thousand Arms - This game is the hidden gem of the PSONE. I love this game to death! Awesome characters, funny story and fun date system!

14. Final Fantasy X - This game was a surprise for me, as I remember to be fed up with the love theme. I got this game this year and I really regret not playing it when originally released. Awesome battle system, amazing cgs and the ending was...tear-jerking in a way that only japanese people can do! Bravo!

15.Final Fantasy IV - Boy, when some people said this game was better than VII, I did not believe them... well, it's not, but I loved the characters more than I expected...

16. Final Fantasy VI - Coolest set up by a mile in any Final Fantasy game, but it looses some points with the cast, I think. The villain is the best in the franchise.

17. Chrono Trigger - Overhyped. I had fun with this one, but it was never "WOW, BEST RPG EVER". Not by a mile. Technically, it's perfect, though...

18. Grandia - Not perfect, but wow, the cast of characters in this one is fenomenal.

19. Legend of Dragoon - Meh ending, but the theme of this game is aweome. I had a load of fun.

20. Jade Empire - The theme was awesome, everything works, but the story is a little bit lacking. Actually, is it a lot like Kung Fu Panda? Haha! Nonetheless, VERY fun game!

 

[Ekai]

Not a single mention of Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden in this thread? Shame on you, GAF.

Was gonna include it couldn't justify one of the other ones going out. Maybe I could x Jade Empire.
That reminds me, if OFF were considered an rpg, I'd have to edit that in too.

 

[m_dorian]

1) Planescape: Torment. (Best Writing) Staged in Planescape, a ub-setting of Advance Dungeons and Dragons ( AD&D) and using an early mode of Bioware's Infinity engine, this isometric party based game of 1999 is actually a book where you play the protagonist, the Nameless One helping him lift his immortal curse. While there is no flashy combat, by playing Planescape: Torment you are being rewarded from its superb story. Also, there is a happy scull.

2) The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. This year's GotY, the conclusion of monsterhunter-for-hire Geralt adventures, is an action-RPG game set in a dark fantasy (partly) open world. Geralt is not trying to save the world he is merely trying to shape the world's saviour, his adopted daughter, through a very rewarding main plot and some very excellent and memorable sidequests. You can also play Gwent. Gwent!

3) Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall. This 2014 Harebrained Schemes title is set in a cyberpunk world with fantasy elements this party-based isometric RPG tells the story of the search for a dragon killer in the free anarchist state of Berlin. The fight against evil corporations was never as enjoyable as this. Also, prepare to enter the Matrix.

4) Baldur's Gate 2. Released in 2000 this Bioware title is the reason Bioware has loyal fans. Using the D&D Forgotten Realms Sword Coast setting it manages to tell the tale of a godspawn's inheritance but leaves it up to the player on how this godspawn will evolve, who will his/her friends be and who he/she will romance. Go for the eyes, Boo.

5) Final Fantasy 7. This PSX title of 1997 is using as unlimited fuel the wild and beautiful imagination of japanese storytellers. In this party-based turn-based (Active Time Battle system) RPG has the player take control of a wannabe hero and his companions, fighting monsters and evil coroprate goons, feeling the sorrow of loss and ultimately finding himself and saving his world. It also has Chokobo Races.

6) Deus Ex: Human Revolution. This is an Action Stealth RPG title from 2011 and works as a prequel of the acclaimed 2000 cyberpunk title named Deus Ex. As the chief of security of a big corporation you will use your unwanted newfound abilities to find the truth about the corporate world and the future of mankind. Also, too many air ducts.

7) Fallout: New Vegas. This 2010 open world TPS or FPS RPG title is set in post-apocalyptic New Vegas where the player starts in the grave of a courier while doing his/her job. This story of vengeance will have the player interact with New Vegas interesting factions while his choices will shape the game's finale. Remember, some people are not your Friends.

8) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. This Obsidian Bioware-assisted 2004 buggy Action TPS with pause title is the sequel of the very entertaining 2003 Bioware title and is set some years after the events of the first game. Unfinished and unpolished in many places mostly because it was rushed by the publisher LucasArts this game is a gem of story telling in this beloved setting where your choices are not defined black or white, good or evil but there are loads of grey in them. There is a restoration mod that saves much of the lost content. Statement: HK-47 is operable again, meatbag. I mean, master.

9) Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. This 2004 Action RPG title, the last game developer Troika Games made, using an unfinished Source engine is another unpolished-but-saved-due-to-modders title on this list, no thanks to publisher Activision. Set in US west coast in a world where Vampires not only exist but their factions fight each other while they are trying to conceal their true identity from the rest of the world, the player has only one task, to survive both from the gothic horrors of this world and from the game's bugs. You can dance if you want to, too.

10) Dragon Age: Origins. This is a Bioware title from 2009 set in a believable fantasy world of their imagination and tells the story of a war between a very pawerfull evil and the residents of this world. It was thought to be the spiritual successor of the Baldur's gate games and it achieves that in many ways. Combat can be tactical or action oriented, companions can be useful, fun or romanced and you get to make some interesting choices. The game is enchanting? Enchanting.

11) Mass Effect. (Best Soundtrack) Another Bioware Action-Shooter RPG from 2007 which distincts it self by making a vast and interesting galaxy setting, where this galaxy is threatened by an ancient and strange evil. You play as the prolific Commander Shepard fights this evil and uncovers its mysteries and finaly saves the day. The first game of the trilogy, it has the most sensible and believable story of them, it has vehicular planetary exploration not limited by physics and a satisfying and reasonable ending. It also has Wrex. Shepard.

12) Divinity: Original Sin. (Best Combat) This is a 2014 gem, a isometric party-based turn-based title with a very interesting and rewarding combat system that makes use of the enviroment. Every fight fells is like unlocking a new puzzle in a very beutifully made believable world. It has two main characters that follow the story and you can play co-op with a friend and rock-paper-scisors argue about the choices presented in the game. There are moving talking wells too.

13) Neverwinter Nights 2. That is another Obsidian party-based turn-based title of 2006 set in the AD&D North of Sword Coast around the city of Neverwinter just like the first Bioware title and whileit does not make the mistakes Bioware did it makes some of it own. Mostly is abrupt vanilla ending, the story and pace while getting there is great though. Yet, this title is on this list because of the Mask of the Betrayer expansion which takes the game to another level, story wise. You get to be a squire too.

14) Icewind Dale 2. This 2002 Black Isle party-based turn-based title set in D&D Forgotten Realms Ten-towns area, northrn of Neverwinter takes the party on a linear but enjoyable adventure to some familiar from the first game places to fight a new misunderstood evil. You get to see evil Drows again.

15) Diablo 2. This isometric action-based-dungeon-crawler-lootmania is Blizzards 2000 sequel of their great 1996 game. Pick a class and kill all the demons but always have enough space for items in your inventory. Horadric Cube is your friend.

16) The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. This is an FPS/TPS open world RPG 2006 from Bethesda set after the events of Morrowind, the previous game in Tamriel's heartland, Cyrodiil. It gives the player absolute freedom to be what they want and play how they want, even not finishing the main story which has a demon lord trying to bring hell in Tamriel. It also features voice acting by Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean. Sean Bean dies again.

17) Wasteland 2. This is a great Kickstarter addition developed by inXile Entertainment. Set in a post-apocalyptic world similar but not same as Fallout this party-based turn-based title tells the story of a group of new Desert Ragners that try to find who killed their comrade. Having tactical combat at its best, the game's world is beautifully detailed and pleasure to explore it was a great 2014 title. Know-it-all is good in this game.


Honorable Mentions

1. The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Great Dragon killing experience. Freedom to be what you like.

2. Might&Magic VII: For Blood and Honor. Old school 3d with interesting story and challenging encounters.

3. Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon. Forgotten Realms old school 3d at its best.

4. Fallout 2. Because Aroyo needs to be saved and the is a very good Power Armor out there for free.

5. Mass Effect 2. Bad main plot. Great companions. Stupid ending. Fun.

6. The Witcher. Because you really need to have all the cards of the nice ladies.

7. The Witcher 2: Assassin's of Kings. Because Foltest is the best king, Roche is my friend and Letho is a tool. Elven Baths FTW.

8) Lands of Lore 1. Scotia's worst enemy. Old school 3d RPG with a king to save.

9) Pillars of Eternity. A very good isometric part-based game with an ok story. World is not great though.

10. Fallout 3. There is a comic book publisher in Capital Wasteland where old robots roam.

 

[Retromelon]

My last is of rpgs that have affected me the most. It's easier to be subjective than debate greatness and whatever is supposed to constitute it.

10. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - One of the most expansive, immersive and beautiful digital worlds ever designed.
9. Demon's Souls - Challenging, rewarding combat and environments so interesting they make you want to explore everything.
8. Final Fantasy VI - Memorable characters that have fleshed out backgrounds and motivations, remarkable soundtrack (boss theme is 10/10) and a final boss battle that sets the bar for everything else
7. Chrono Trigger - Whimsical locales, characters, and gripping story that well makes use of its time travel hook. Combat reinspires what can be done in a 2d jrpg. Music that hits you right in the 90s. (A good thing)
6. Earthbound - The most atmospheric music of all the games on this list. Strangeness and odd humor influence the locales, designs, graphics, and story to meld a one of a kind game. Earthbound is a trip.
5. Megaman Battle Network 3 - The most original

Spoiler

and fun to play

combat system here, it plays like a grid based action game where your attacks are determined by shuffling chips in a deck. The cuatomization this game allows you through the custgage system where you fit power up programs into an allotted space is another unique aspect that I remember fondly. What a wonderful, forgotten gem..
4.Pokemon Blue - An iconic classic of a game with a zenlike simplicity. Music, environments, and pokemon designs all feel spartan and timeless.
3. Final Fantasy VII - The magic of this game is in its iconic characters, soundtrack and story; if its been too many years for you to remember how amazing it was before pop culture made it cliche, I'm sad that you can't feel what I feel.
2. Pokemon Silver - everything mentioned in the blue description applies here, but this game gives you a ton more pokemon and spans both the johto and kanto regions as well. If I close my eyes I can still hear the cascading majesty of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF07eCUdQXE
1. Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door - Breathes life into mario characters with wonderfully light hearted and humorous dialogue. The characters are all well written, funny and interesting, the combat is timing based and fun, the graphics are evergreen due to their stylization, the story kept my rapt attention until the very end, which is hard to do for a thirty hour long game, to it's credit, and the world is full of secrets and wonder. It was a joy from start to finish.

 

[Kill3r7]

Reserved for later.

 

[Yoshi]

Reserved for later.

Rules and Guidelines:
1. No reserving of posts. Just post your ballot when you're ready.

Please, it's the very first rule.

 

[Theodoricos]

1. Mass Effect - This game introduced me to my favorite fictional universe in games, and I was already a huge science fiction fan before I played it for the first time. I simply love its lore and setting - the inclusion of the Codex really helped flesh things out too. It also has a lovable character cast along with a great soundtrack.

2. Mass Effect 2 - An amazing sequel that I like just as much which also happens to feature my favorite cast in a video game ever. There may not be as big of a focus on plot here but the game more than made up for it with its more varied missions, enjoyable humor and phenomenal soundtrack.

3. Persona 4 (Best Soundtrack) - My second favorite cast in a video game along with my top favorite soundtrack across all video game genres. Great themes in its story. I actually like the gameplay too, though I do admit that it could've been a little less on the repetitive side.

4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - This is my most favorite Star Wars game of all time and I'm still waiting for it to be topped. It has enough familiar things to feel every bit like a true Star Wars game yet it was one of the first Star Wars games to form its own identity as well.

5. Undertale (Best Writing) - Unconventional and ground-breaking in so many ways. As if the amazing writing wasn't enough, it's also got one of my favorite RPG soundtracks as well as several very memorable characters. My GOTY for 2015 for sure.

6. Skies of Arcadia - A fantastic world to explore, an amazing adventurous feel to the game in its every aspect, lots of humor and really enjoyable gameplay. To top it off, it also has a great character cast.

7. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (Best Combat) - My favorite in the series by far. I love its soundtrack and combat system the most and I really like the ability to play as three separate characters, all three of which I like better than any other playable character in the franchise.

8. Final Fantasy VI - Overall my favorite Final Fantasy. I grew attached to every member of its cast; it has one of the best RPG stories I've seen; I loved its music; and the gameplay was also very enjoyable. The game has aged wonderfully too.

9. Final Fantasy X - It may have its flaws but I still love this game for its themes, setting, characters and Sphere Grid system. It's the first Final Fantasy game I played and I'm glad it introduced me to this amazing franchise.

10. Persona 3 - My introduction to SMT as a whole, and to this day it has remained one of my top favorites in the series. Great music, themes and characters even if the gameplay was repetitive.

 

[Ultimate_Trainer]

In no particular order.

1. Shin Megami Tensei I - When people think of enemies becomeing allies, they either think of SMT and Pokemon. While basic in terms of combat, it had a neat little option during battles called talk. While not the first game to do this, it changed the tone of regular encounters compared to other RPGs by mixing up the formula of fight or flight. Does an amazing job on setting the tone and mood despite being heavily budgeted.

2.The World Ends With You (Best Soundtrack)- The Soundtrack bleeds with style for the modern setting of Shibuya. The game also is pouring with style of the busy town of Shibuya. Neku and his adventures are a must play brimming with personality.

3. Fallout 1 - My introduction to the world of CRPGs. Its a wonderful starting point to ease the player in. The fun writing of Black Isle studio mixed with the unique at the time setting makes it a joy to play.

4. Persona 2:Innocent Sin(Best Writing)- One of the more underrated games in the Persona series, Persona 2 introduces a somewhat addicting (at least to me) fusion spells that had me experimenting and exploiting. With its super unique negotiation system even in SMT standards, it shows a lot of personality with its characters. With the best cast of characters I’ve played in a RPG and balls to the walls insane story, I gladly give it a vote in the best writing category.(You should play Persona 1 first however)

5. Shin Megami Tensei III:Nocturne (Best Combat) -The third entry of the SMT series and one of the most impactful in terms of presentation. With its “Press Turn” combat system of exploiting weaknesses and criticals, Its in my opinion, the best turn based combat JRPGs have to offer so far.

6.Xenosaga episode III:Also Sprach Zarathustra - The conclusion to the Xenosaga series. With an amazing OST and cool interesting characters mixed with the perfect pacing of story and rpg combat, it is a must play for those who love Sci-Fi and RPGs.

7.Final Fantasy Tactics - My introduction to SRPG/TRPGs. While slower than most in the subgenre, its one of the best introduction to it. Pretty good story and amazing levels of customization, it is my recommended starter for the SRPG/ TRPG sub genre.

8.Dark Souls - The perfect mix of accessibility and cool niche borrowed stuff from Berserk. The amazing attention to detail mixed with the cool slow combat makes it a blast to play.

9.Yakuza 4 - While most don’t think of it as one, Yakuza 4 is one of the best RPGs I’ve played this year. It has one of the best selection of side quests to do while being the best starting point to newcomers of the series with recaps of the previous games.

10.Fallout: New Vegas - Different from its isometric counterpart, this fallout uses 1st person shooting along with VATS for its combat.
11. Knights of the Old Republic II
12. Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden
13. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment -
14. Shining Force 2
15. Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
16. Legend of Grimrock
17. Final Fantasy XIV
18. Pokemon Black and White
19. Xcom: Enemy Unknown
20. Final Fantasy V
Honorable Mentions
Persona 1
Persona 3 FES
Persona 4
Undertale
Devil Survivor: Overclocked
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy 1
Xenogears
Chrono Trigger