Amazing writeups, everyone. I, on the other hand, am not a very creative person, so here goes:
The RPG masterpiece. Play as Geralt of Rivia, the unrivaled monster hunter across the continent, in a quest to save his adopted daughter and save the world from peril.
Create your own character and take a role as anything you want to explore the vast contintent of Eorzea. It's one of the best Final Fantasy games that people tend to overlook due to its genre, sadly.
You are nobody, a recruit who could've died anytime in a battle. But the fate says otherwise, you have a huge future in front of you as a ruler of a huge army. Recruit your fated companions and defeat the evil empire.
A group of filthy thieves have a plan to kidnap the princess, what could possibly go wrong, right? Join Zidane cs. in their grand yet bittersweet adventure.
Souls. A franchise that defines a genre. It's a love letter to classic world exploration and its secrets, combined with merciless yet satisfying combat.
Make your custom character or take a role as one of the Origins in a grand yet crazy quest to redefine the world. If you think you hate turn-based combat, think again.
Fallout 2 was and still is the best RPG of its genre. Choose any possible way imagineable to tackle your quests from saving your tribe from annihilation.
The last good modern RTwP RPG with deep customizations and companions interactions. Become the vanguard of your Order and save your world from the greatest threat to humanity yet.
Probably the only long-running JRPG franchise that instead of declining, it's been gaining more popularity with each installment. A turn-based JRPG couldn't more enjoyable than this.
'Humanity needs a hero, and Shepard is the best we've got'. Gather your crew upgrade your ship, and face one of the most seemingly impossible villains in RPG history.
--VOTE INFO START--
<FULL POINT GAMES 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT 3 points} The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
{UNDERRATED 4 points} Final Fantasy XIV
Suikoden II
Final Fantasy IX
Dark Souls
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Fallout 2
Dragon Age: Origins
Persona 5
Mass Effect 2
<HONORABLE MENTIONS 1 point>
Baldur's Gate II
Chrono Cross
Dragon Quest VIII
Dragon's Dogma
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy VII
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenogears
Within regards to battle flow, wouldn't it be useful to have some sort of distinction for games with heavy use of command prompts and real-time inputs within a turn-based system? Games like Mario & Luigi, Paper Mario, South Park and Undertale come to mind. They certainly fit in the "TB" category, but I feel like they're different enough to warrant some sort of distinction if ATB and TB are considered separate categories. One could argue position/tile based vs static battles are also very different approaches, but maybe that'd start getting too specific.
1.Might & Magic 6: The Mandate of Heaven - This game blew me away at release with the graphics and size of the world. Its very easy to get overwhelmed as you are just thrown into it after you create your party, games such as this rewarded you for reading and searching everything.
2. Etrian Odyssey 3 - This list is just full of drpgs, in my opinion this is the best entry because it's not gutted difficulty-wise like the entries that proceed this title. It also has the best class/sub class system in the series.
3.Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together - This like a few of the games on this list are virtual crack. The first thing I want to say is Canopus is a bad ass who will carry you far. I love the art design and sprites in this as well as the soundtrack. The game play is just classic turn based strategy with the addictive nature of unlocking classes as well as making a death force. Also Matsuno.
4. Diablo 2 - This game is what introduced me to and made me fall in love with hardcore mode. Many builds were viable, hell even a jack of trades could be quite viable. The game play combined with loot makes this quite the addictive game. Tankazon is where it's at.
5.Final Fantasy XII - I feel like this entry gets shit on more than it should and is just as polarizing as 8 as far as opinions go. The sense of discovery and exploration to me is pretty epic in this. The combat system which is pretty much an offline MMO, it's great you can automate some of the more tedious aspects of an rpg and take full control if shit starts getting bad.
6. Fallout: New Vegas - New Vegas remedied the emptiness of the previous entry. There was just so much to find and explore, although a lot of it was quite deadly early on.
7. Chrono Trigger - To me this game is just a great example of the closest thing you can get to perfection in a jrpg. The pacing, graphics, soundtrack, and game play are all sublime.
8. SMT: Strange Journey - Another first person dungeon crawler, with pretty fun dungeons. If i was not losing myself in the dungeons I was fusing demons. All it really lacked was icons i could use on my map making for warp zones .
9.Path of Exile - I've been playing this on and off since 1.0. Similar to Diablo 2 you can experiment and use non tradition builds and still make great progress. The newest content patch added so much new content, the new bosses are pretty epic. This game is f2p so everyone into the genre should give it a shot at some point
10. Phantasy Star IV - This game just blew me away when I was a kid, The anime still cut scenes and soundtrack. The battle system with combos and macros were also a very nice touch. Also much less grinding than 2.
--VOTE INFO START—
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Might & Magic VI
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Path of Exile
<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
Etrian Odyssey 3
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Diablo 2
Final Fantasy XII
Fallout: New Vegas
Chrono Trigger
SMT: Strange Journey
Phantasy Star IV
Thanks. I'm getting down there on (JRPG) series to try in these lists, but that's one of them. (Suikoden being the other obvious one here).
Going to need to go through these and find "one-off" recommendations. Those are easier to have slip through the cracks and you don't come to them just chasing down a series.
And then, someday, I'll get to my CRPG backlog too (I hope ).
Chrono Trigger - Nails everything, is short but wastes no time at all, has a wonderful soundtrack and cast of characters.
Shining Force - Too underrated, seriously - the SRPG genre isn't huge but I can't stress how overlooked this game and the franchise is overlooked. Story that focuses on character development, audio that makes the Genesis worth listening to (it is all the time, hehe) plus a visual presentation that I'd argue even Square was behind.
Nier - the one everyone has come to love overtime, I played it the year it released and knew this was not going to go unnoticed. It wasn't, and it's combat which is simple yet unique combined with a story, OST, and atmosphere unmatched at the time carries it so hard I can forgive all of it's shortcomings.
Super Paper Mario - I think this counts, it should. A take on a genre that was stagnating and what a great attempt at that. It succeeds in gameplay and storytelling, making for quite a sad story in the canon of the series and worlds that just come to life seemingly one after another and it's visual style is absolutely gorgeous honestly.
Destiny - okay, so this is probably way out of place but I'm not going for a conventional list per se - I'm not a RPG fanatic so my choices if I were to be super honest would be pretty bland, I assume this counts but yeah. First person shooter RPG, it's habit forming and has a ton of issues but leaves promise that good gameplay design in an FPS with RPG elements could work so well in general, I'd probably love Fallout New Vegas if it played somewhat decent. Give me Persona 4 shooter edition next.
-VOTE INFO START
{HIGH LIGHT 3 points} Chrono Trigger
{UNDERRATED 4 points} Shining Force
<FULL POINT GAMES 2 points>
Nier
Super Paper Mario
Destiny
Steam versions are great for Phantasy Star 2-4. The Steam versions even have official mod support although I don't know if any of the mods are worth trying.
The Genesis collection on PS3 & Xbox 360 have Phantasy Star 1-4 (1 is an unlockable game) so that's one way to play the whole set.
There's also a GBA Phantasy Star collection that has 1-3 but is missing the 4th (and IMO the best) game.
Steam versions are great for Phantasy Star 2-4. The Steam versions even have official mod support although I don't know if any of the mods are worth trying.
The Genesis collection on PS3 & Xbox 360 have Phantasy Star 1-4 (1 is an unlockable game) so that's one way to play the whole set.
There's also a GBA Phantasy Star collection that has 1-3 but is missing the 4th (and IMO the best) game.
Personally, my recommendation if you haven't played any of them is to play Phantasy Star IV first. It's by far the most modern of the lot & is right up there with the best the SNES has to offer when it comes to quality. Then if you want more and are fine with old-school RPGs play 1 & 2. Finally play 3 which is considered the black sheep of the series but has some interesting aspects (like the game is broken up into 3 generations and depending on who you marry in generations 1 & 2, the game changes some).
There are some world/story connections between the games, but all of them work just fine as standalone games.
I am in love with the game description icons. The final list is going to look amazing and be super functional. I'll probably send links to everyone I know who has any interest in RPGs.
1. Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profile was one of games that shattered the tropes that seemed so common in JRPGs at the time. There was no child hero who's village was attached by the villain. There was no frail holy maiden that needed protecting. There was no anime-esque coming-of-age shonen story. Instead, we were introduced to a dimming world at it's end, as the candle's flame is flickering and fading. A strong female character led the charge against the end of the world, gathering the souls of the fallen to fight in Ragnarok. Valkyrie Profile introduced a very dark storyline - based on Norse mythology - and displayed themes of self-sacrifice, suicide, murder, helplessness, and madness all at once. It showed players a fresh, creative, and unique combat system with characters assigned to each button, allowing you to set up the perfect team with timed combos that were both beautiful and flashy. It's battle system is referenced to this day, with many RPGs finding their own combat inspired by VP. It is truly one of the greatest games I've ever played, and it shaped my taste in rpgs for years to come. It is a unique experience that any RPG fan should try.
2. Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
A follow-up to the illustrious Valkyrie Profile, this game showed the utmost respect to it's predecessor whilst expanding and evolving on systems. A 3D battlefield allowed players to make their combat more tactical whilst retaining the heart and soul of the revered battle system. Staying true to it's 2D roots, the polygonal game played more like a side-scroller. This set it apart, alongside it's stunning visuals, from the swelling sea of JRPGs at the time. Attacks could be swapped in and out to create the perfect rotation, while accessories could be equipped, linked, and learned to help customize your characters even more. Familiar faces and a unique take on prequels-to-sequels, VP2 was a worthy successor to the crown VP earned. While the story was more heroic than the first, the characters grew in more than just strength over the course of the narrative. It is a wondrous game dwarfed by the first in only the cold nostalgia for the bitter end of the world.
3. Bloodborne
There are (practically) weekly Bloodborne threads for a very, very good reason. Bloodborne is both an evolution and a branch of the Souls series, and it shows in every regard whilst retaining it's own identity. With a focus on speed and aggression, the game encouraged you to tackle your nightmares headon – to prey upon the predators. With an obscenely Lovecraftian influence and a darkly gothic / victorian backdrop, Bloodborne plays into cosmic horror in ways that no game – or film – has ever done before. Blood lines the streets as dread fills the hearts of hunters, and while you may cut down crowds before you in a sea of scarlet...know that there is something just beyond those walls that will paint the ground with your insides. The game is both a reminder that the universe is cold and uncaring, and an introduction to themes that reshape the molding of horror all together. It is a perfect Souls game, and a near perfect game all around sans minor technical hiccups that mildly mar the experience.
4. Nier: Automata
The original Nier is a beautifully crafted story that sunk in some clunky gameplay mechanics. While I adored the original, I never believed that a sequel would ever be made. To pair up one of the most creative storytellers in video games along with the best action game creators in the industry...it's a beautiful collaboration that brought one of the best games I've played in my entire life. It'd been twenty years since I could recall sitting on the floor, staring up at my tv whilst a blanket was wrapped around me and staring in awe at what was happening. The story was a dark and violent look at the world thousands of years in the future, leading to questions that we never really think of. Nier Automata makes you think, both regarding the story and the battles you fight in. A fluid combat system stayed fresh with genre bending and defying changes to gameplay. At one moment, you're comboing enemies in a DMC/Bayonetta-esque manner. The next, you're playing homage to Einhander and Touhou with shmup/bullethell style battles. After that, you're rushing through areas as if playing a 2D beat-em up and knocking enemies off the screen. The gameplay, characters, and story are top notch despite a mild pacing sag following the first ending. The allies and enemies will be remembered for years to come, and Nier Automata will hold a special place in my heart that will be near impossible to shake.
5. Valkyria Chronicles
A turn-based, strategy RPG that looks like an anime in motion, set in a fictitious European-esque country during a great war? Seems like everything could be stacked against the ambitious title. However, Valkyria Chronicles nails it. It tells a story of a small country sandwiched between two juggernauts, caught in the crossfire between decimation and subjugation. It tells the story of a squad of soldiers volunteering to fight for their homeland, putting their hearts on the line for all they hold dear. While a heroric and noble idea, the game touches on the concepts of racism and makes one question the value of life – even those of your enemy. In a very unique spin, this strategic game rewards customization, planning, and thinking two steps ahead. Intense battles play out in buildings, behind cover, in alleyways, and on the open fields. Every soldier of the dozens has their own abilities, both good and bad, and their own identity and personality that play into these. The games art style was finely crafted, looking much like a painting in fluidly beautiful motion. The heartache from losing a particular character is mirrored only by the sequels and their refusal to return to the golden child of the series. The original is a must-play to RPG, Anime, and Strategy fans alike.
6. Koudelka
This is where the Shadow Hearts series started. Koudelka is an incredibly dark game with very Lovecraftian and Gothic horror tones to it. The game is a strange mix of a survival horror game – ala Resident Evil or Silent Hill – and a strategy RPG. With a grid-based battle system, breakable weapons, level-able magic, and a completely open stat system, this game bends and twists genres together in ways previously unthought of. To date – the story, the themes, and the enemy designs are the darkest and most brutal I've ever seen outside of a pure horror game. Released in 1999, the game did something unsual at the time: every scene was voiced and acted (rather well, might I add). Each character had their own traits, ideals, and motivations that came to light over the course of the game. The setting was unique, revolving around incredibly macabre scenes of the aftermath following centuries of death, gore, torture, and the darkest side of humanity. Koudelka is unlike any game I've played before, and to this day the enemy designs haunt my memories whilst the simply music rings in my mind. Might I add: the famed author Lord Dunsany, whom Lovecraft finds himself inspired by. is a playable character in this game. It wouldn't be farfetched to find one of his many tales touching on the themes this game conveys. I wish more people would give this chilling and creative game a look, for it's cruel world is one to be shuddered at in fond recollection.
7. Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Spawning from the ever dark Koudelka, the first Shadow Hearts introduced us to a very interesting take on combat, world design, and the horrors in Asian mysticism. It's sequel, Covenant, follows up on this as the third game in the series, taking us on a twisted, morbid, and gothic tour of Europe. While focusing on myth and demonology, the game expanded on it's predecessors dark themes while adding in the prettier sister of horror: comedy. Shadow Hearts: Covenant expands on the Judgement Ring combat system that rewards players for tactical timing while punishing them for mistakes. A rag-tag band of misfits lead the charge against pure evil, while consisting of a handful of anti-heroes. Shadow Hearts: Covenant takes what you know about history and blends it into it's own tale, ushering in historical figures such as Rasputin, Anastasia, and Roger Bacon while also delving into Lovecraft's own fictitious R'lyeh of Cthulhu fame. This game remains as one of the most interesting titles I've ever experienced, and the Festival of Man will burn forever brightly.
8. Parasite Eve
Part RPG, part survival horror – the original Parasite Eve shows us a gruesome look at New York City over the course of six days. The original PE quickly guided players into a disturbing series of enemies and themes, complete with grotesque CGI scenes that detailed horrific transformations of even the simplest of animals. Burned bodies, mutilated beasts, and the unsettling enemy within added an element of unease and terror to a genre typically filled with bright colors and positivity. The combat fast and intense, always keeping players on their toes. Dodging attacks, utilizing special abilities, and unloading your customized M16 into a boss was a treat. With another strong female lead taking the stage while brimming with confidence, Parasite Eve remains highlighted amid a sea of fantastic games released in one of the greatest years in gaming: 1998.
9. Resonance of Fate
Tri-Ace proves once again that they are the most creative combat designers in the field. RoF's battle system remains a difficult nut to crack for some people to this day, yet once opened up and absorbed, it leads to some of the most satisfying action to date. With over-the-top gunplay that would make John Woo smile warmly, Resonance of Fate stands as one of Tri-Ace's most interesting and unique games. With a dark and almost hopeless backdrop, the game's story shines in brief glimmers between slice-of-life cutscenes and chaotic gunfire. At the end of the world, humanity lives wihin a lone tower as the rest of the planet has rotted away in a vicious miasma. Yet even as things seem grim, bleak, and devoid of light – there's a camaraderie held by the three main characters that brings a smile, a laugh, and something to look forward to with eyes of hope. RoF feels like an evolution of many of Tri-Ace's previous projects, having bits and pieces of their active/turn-based hybrid. It's been ever so rare for a game to make me think deeply about the future of our own world while also making me giggle madly. The good-hearted trio of rogues remains iconic to me, both while dancing madly and flying through the air raining pure bullet-hell upon their enemies.
10. Final Fantasy XIV
For the longest time, I never believed that an MMO could be considered one of the greatest games of the year (or generation for that matter) because everyone's experience is drastically different in those games. The casual player's experience is night and day compared to the hardcore raider. So why am I putting an MMO here? Well, FFXIV changed my mind. It is a pure love letter to FF fans. Every where you look, you can pick something out of an FF game. Monsters, classes, weapons, locations, songs... all of it drowns you in a nostalgia no matter what your first FF was. However, it doesn't just lean entirely on fan-service and nostalgia. The writing is top notch once you get to end-game, and by the time you're clashing against figures like Bahamut or Alexander, you really start to feel like this is a true Final Fantasy – your Final Fantasy. FFXIV showers its players in references while also forging its own path and creating an identity that is an evolution of the brand. The single player content rivals that of traditional Ffs. Your character feels like your own, and while there isn't exactly a Bioware-esque ”Branching Paths", there is a strong connection to your character and their place in the story. FFXIV is the best FF game in years, trouncing even later entries. However, FFXIV's story is beyond just that which is told in game. The theme of the game is rebirth – and the rise and fall of FFXIV is one of the most intriguing tales in gaming. From a failed launch to one of the most successful MMOs in recent history, FFXIV will be remembered for years to come.
--VOTE INFO START—
<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Valkyrie Profile
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
Bloodborne
Nier: Automata
Valkyria Chronicles
Koudelka
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Parasite Eve
Resonance of Fate
Final Fantasy XIV
<HONORABLE MENTIONS – 1 point>
Front Mission 4
Final Fantasy VII
Chrono Trigger
Phantasy Star Online
Xenogears
Tales of Vesperia
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Mass Effect 2
Paper Mario And The Thousand Year Door
6. Koudelka
This is where the Shadow Hearts series started. Koudelka is an incredibly dark game with very Lovecraftian and Gothic horror tones to it. The game is a strange mix of a survival horror game ala Resident Evil or Silent Hill and a strategy RPG. With a grid-based battle system, breakable weapons, level-able magic, and a completely open stat system, this game bends and twists genres together in ways previously unthought of. To date the story, the themes, and the enemy designs are the darkest and most brutal I've ever seen outside of a pure horror game. Released in 1999, the game did something unsual at the time: every scene was voiced and acted (rather well, might I add). Each character had their own traits, ideals, and motivations that came to light over the course of the game. The setting was unique, revolving around incredibly macabre scenes of the aftermath following centuries of death, gore, torture, and the darkest side of humanity. Koudelka is unlike any game I've played before, and to this day the enemy designs haunt my memories whilst the simply music rings in my mind. Might I add: the famed author Lord Dunsany, whom Lovecraft finds himself inspired by. is a playable character in this game. It wouldn't be farfetched to find one of his many tales touching on the themes this game conveys. I wish more people would give this chilling and creative game a look, for it's cruel world is one to be shuddered at in fond recollection.
Nope, and someone should be imprisoned because of that . It's not all that cheap now either (starts at $60 or so online?) but it does emulate pretty well. I've completed it on both disc and emulation.
Much has been said about Nier Automata - its beautifully told existentialist story, its exploration of humanity beyond the standard "what is humanity" trope, gorgeous music, lacklustre combat, etc. etc., but one thing that makes the game absolutely stand out in my mind is the way it integrates gameplay and even UI elements in a way that justifies its world. How things from the UI to the checkpoint system justifies itself within the world. Then you get to the breathtaking way hacking transforms from a simple minigame to a central narrative device. One of the boldest and melancholic game I've played in awhile.
Persona 3 is my favourite Persona in a lot of ways - music, story & social links are still unmatched for me - but I picked Portable because of the way it injects a female perspective that is so rarely seen. Even games with female protagonists are usually written in the male perspective, and it's nice to see a relatively big franchise to allow me to do something as simple as dating guys.
There are a couple of aspects of Demon's Souls that I like more, such as better bosses, and honestly better level design overall, but the cohesiveness of the world, world design and environmental storytelling in Dark Souls is still unmatched to me for games in general, not just the souls series.
Love any game that rewards you for not actually fighting enemies, and aside from the fun quirky NPCs, excellent music and touching story, what really elevates the game to me is the metanarrative that was powerful enough to make me not want to fully explore it.
Music is a big part of life for me, so why not a JRPG that incorporates music the most? The characters and story is a little generic, but I love this world based around songs and songtresses and a battle system that cleverly uses rhythm systems for a fusion I wish RPGs explored more.
Loved Fallout 3 as a fan of Bethesda open worlds, but New Vegas manages to marry in the narrative prowess of obsidian where bethesda lacks to create my favourite of Bethesda style open world games.
Slice of life games are so rare in gaming where the focus is to constantly push a narrative where you have to save the world or whatever, so it's a delight to play a game that's just mostly about a girl wanting to live her daily life learning to be an alchemist. The management aspects keeps things going, the crafting system is freeform enough that it's fun to experiment with different recipes to optimise it, and the slice of life segments that comes up depending on what you do seals the slice of life aspect so well.
Scoring system that was ludicrously easy to break aside, VC is still to me one of the most beautiful graphical styles conceived for a game, and they managed to infuse a lot of personality into each unit that actually affected how they would play and act on the battlefield.
The first Bethesda game to really nail the future Bethesda formula is also still my favourite one. The combat is janky as all hell, and well, everything is just janky in general, but the world is just so fascinating and fucking weird that it's a joy to explore unlike the more generic fantasy worlds of Oblivion and Skyrim.
Just the best DRPG out there. The 3DS is such a natural fit for the genre, making map making actually fun, and the series is still top of the class for me when it comes to combat and class systems, and the multitude of ways you can form your party based on different interactions.
Steam versions are great for Phantasy Star 2-4. The Steam versions even have official mod support although I don't know if any of the mods are worth trying.
I never tried any Phantasy Star mods, but I did try a Shining Force 2 mod that was pretty cool, called "Shining Tactics". It rebalances the whole game essentially, and some of the battles are drastically altered (Kraken and Chess especially). I haven't finished it though, don't know if I will, but for someone who's played SF2 inside out, it was cool to see a new take on it.
I am in love with the game description icons. The final list is going to look amazing and be super functional. I'll probably send links to everyone I know who has any interest in RPGs.
I made some final tweaks to the icon sets, including a rebuild of the first set regarding playable character control. The original icons were made months ago, using poorly compressed sprites from a creative commons source. I decided to make the figures a closer match to the character progression icons.
The original version of that little silhouette guy came from this pre-existing status effect icon:
If anyone knows the original source of that icon, let me know so that I can accredit it properly when the aggregate list goes up. I grabbed it from a giant pack of 32x32 icons, including a lot of 90s-00s era game rips. I have no idea if that was fan made, or from something commercial.
Modifications to that figure, and everything else were done by myself. I don't normally make sprites, so there was a decent amount of trial and error.
Anyhow, I think that this is the final set of icons. I spent enough time on the banner template, and should probably move on to prepping the end product in the remaining 2.5 weeks.
Playable Character Control
Description of icons (left to right)
=> Single playable character (this will include games that give you helper characters like New Vegas)
=> Active control over one character, and computer scripting for the rest. The difference between this and Single PC is that you can choose to actively control any character in the party.
=> Full control over all party actions (unless you choose autobattle).
Battle Flow/Combat System
Description of icons (left to right)
=> Real-time
=> Real-time with Pause
=> Optional Real-time or Turn-based (Might and Magic VI for example)
=> Active Time Battle (mostly Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. Some others)
=> Turn-based with real-time action prompts (ala the Mario RPGs)
=> Turn-based
Consequence of Choice to Story Narrative
Description of icons (left to right)
=> No meaningful choice. There might be some optional side quests, but nothing with a significant impact on the story. Final Fantasy X or most Pokemon games would fit here.
=> Some choice, but the main narrative is mostly fixed. This will include games with significant optional characters (Final Fantasy VII, Suikoden), games that have a ton of optional content, but a mostly fixed main scenario (Skyrim, Fantasy Life), and illusion of choice games, where you pick one of two or three paths with basically the same outcome (Mass Effect).
=> Significant choice. Several possible endings, some of which are radically different in terms of content and timing. What you choose to do in the game significantly affects your experience (Age of Decadence, a lot of classic computer RPGs, I'd count Chrono Trigger here as well).
Level of Character Customization
Description of icons (left to right)
=> Minimal Customization. Characters are predefined, with predefined roles. Little to no customization within roles. Examples would be Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV, and many of the Fire Emblem games.
=> Moderate Customization. Characters are predefined, but you can customize their skills and magic to some extent. Examples would include Final Fantasy VII, Suikoden II, and Trails in the Sky.
=> Heavy Customization. Build your own party or blank slate characters, by choosing classes/roles for each. You can often customize skills and magic, but level progression within a class is mostly predetermined. Examples would include Final Fantasy V and Tactics, Mass Effect, and Etrian Odyssey.
=> Extreme Customization. Your typical old-school PC RPG where you spend 3 hours custom-building your character or party at the start of the game. If it has predefined classes, you are still given plenty of opportunity to optimize (or ruin) your build of that class via skill/weapon proficiencies, stat allocation, reputation, etc. The Might and Magic games, Morrowind, Baldur's Gate, etc fall into this category.
Thanks to everyone who offered ideas, suggestions, or general input. The end product will no doubt be stronger for them.
Quest For Glory 4: Shadows of Darkness (HIGHLIGHT) - The crowning achievement of the greatest game series ever, QfG4 is the perfection of its form, the sadly under represented sub-genre of adventure-rpgs. A wonderful world full of well drawn characters, great atmosphere, amazing music, and the perfect class-based puzzling that should've become a much bigger deal than it ever did.
Serpent In The Staglands (UNDERRATED) - SitS is certainly not for everyone. Almost everything I could say about the game as to why it is good would be the very same things others would say is bad about it. The muddy graphics(I would say evocative), the difficulty(an appropriate level of hard), the lack of handholding(goodbye terrible post-Morrowind nonsense), the obtuseness(finding stuff out for yourself is part of the game), all the things that have been sanded down and washed away from modern rpgs are back and in full swing here and with them that long gone appeal of games of old: That hard to describe feeling of inhabiting a space that exists on its own terms and whose boundaries are kept just out of full comprehension.
Heroine's Quest - The rare game that follows in Quest For Glory's footsteps, Heroine's Quest is a stellar example of fans creating what it is that they see as missing. In a number of ways this wonderful game surpasses the series that inspired it, the combat is better than in any of the QfG games for instance and some of its more modern sensibilities help the game immensely(most apparent the wandering NPCs help flesh out the world nicely). There is nothing negative to say really, it is wonderful, truly impressive, and free so you should all go play it.
Chrono Cross - Ah, Chrono Cross. Why did you have to have that large cast of recruitable characters? Even just cutting that roster in half would've done wonders for you.
Anyway, I started with that to highlight what I see as the big flaw of the game, too many characters and a lot of them aren't very interesting. But that doesn't hold the game back one bit, even a stupid character like Starky can't keep CC's greatness from shining through at every moment. And sometimes, only sometimes, the snippets you get out of the characters can be as affecting as anything you get from a more traditionally defined JRPG protagonist(Karsh for instance).
Much has been said about CC and how it is or isn't a betrayal of Chrono Trigger or whether the game would've been better served by being its own story and not a sequel to a classic, and I don't really have to much to add to that discussion other than gaming would be in a much better place if sequels took the path CC took. Looking at its predecessor and really diving into the ramifications of its story and then engaging with them in a way that isn't a retread.
Vagrant Story - Style goes a long way and even though this game has some good gameplay(marred as it is by too much menu hopping) and great characters and an interesting story, its style is what sells it all. The script and its excellent translation, the cinematics, and the excellent character design and texture work just mesh so perfectly.
Chrono Trigger - What can be said at this point? It is an amazing achievement in pretty much every way, it is a visual and musical pleasure, the story and its telling is both novel and moving, its pacing is all but perfect. You get characters you like, cool double and triple techs, some of the best story beats around, twists and turns galore, and the best 'late game sidequest time' in all of JRPG-dom.
Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos - Lands of Lore is cozy. Its gameplay is straightforward and simple, the difficulty is very low, but it is just pleasurable to be in that world. Similar to the Legend of Kyrandia games, also made by Westwood Studios, the art and the music and the all around vibe is so inviting that you can't help but enjoy yourself even if the games themselves aren't perfect.
Kingdom Hearts - That Traverse Town music...
Similarly to Lands of Lore, Kingdom Hearts has a strong 'I just want to be there' vibe. Everything is just so atmospheric and well done that nothing else really matters. Gummi Ships and an imperfect camera? Who cares? That Traverse Town music is calling.
SaGa Frontier 2 - People really don't like the SaGa games and sometimes I can sort of understand why. But most of the time I just don't care as there is no better feeling than fighting and having a little light bulb flash over your character's head. SF2 is a gorgeous game full of all the lovely SaGa ideas that people sometimes hate and sometimes don't. And, yeah, the final boss is terrible(and can be unbeatable, bad form SaGa team) but perfection is overrated and I'd rather have games that claw their way in different directions, awkwardly and on occasion foolishly, than more of the same "this works so we'll keep doing this" that we tend to get.
Shadowrun (Sega Genesis version) - There is a lot of love(relatively speaking) for the SNES Shadowrun game which I didn't play until semi-recently but one sees less love for its Genesis sibling. I could never really get into the SNES game, there is something so stale and drab about it, it is a fantasy cyberpunk game that seems to have left the "punk" at home. The Genesis version though? Whether it is going full on Lawnmower Man as you jack in, meeting with a Mr. Johnson in the back of a dive bar to get a job, or waltzing around the city trying not to get your face rearranged by some random gang members, Shadowrun(Genesis) makes good with its "punk" moniker and is all the better for it.
<FULL POINT GAMES 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT 3 points} Quest For Glory 4: Shadows Of Darkness
{UNDERRATED 4 points} Serpent In The Staglands
Heroine's Quest
Chrono Cross
Vagrant Story
Chrono Trigger
Lands Of Lore: The Throne of Chaos
Kingdom Hearts
SaGa Frontier 2
Shadowrun (Sega Genesis version)
At work, will start building up my reasons and thoughts on the games later.
--VOTE INFO START--
<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Final Fantasy IX
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy X
Earthbound
Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II
Valkyria Chronicles
Nier
Persona 3: FES
Nier: Automata
Lost Odyssey
<HONORABLE MENTIONS – 1 point>
Persona 4: Golden
Skies of Arcadia: Legends (highlight game) - This game is more than the sum of its parts. There's nothing that conveys a sense of true, classic adventure just like SoA. You truly feel like discovering an actual world, while becoming the king of pirates. The gameplay is servicable and there's no huge twists, but the atmosphere of this journey puts it above all - thanks to its sheer amount of classical JRPG setpieces and things to discover.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - When at their best, Super Mario RPGs offer completely unique scenarios and distinct gameplay variety. When done well, all that comes with endearing and somewhat selfaware writing. Plus, ideally they breath new life into turn based battle systems. PMTTYD is the title that did it all best. Initially, the game's blatant similarities with its predecessor were disappointing, but it eventually became the definite Mario RPG experience over time.
Bloodborne- This might be one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen, it's an absolute treat for any fan of classic horror. The amount of detail is overwhelming. Slightly more music within the stages could have elevated the atmosphere even further in certain parts, but it's still one of the best in the classic horror segment. Level design follows Metroidvania-tradition in a superb way, which makes exploration an absolute joy - not last because of its lack of hand holding and other interruptions. While I'm not too fond of a select few boss battles, combat in general is simply fun and never feels cheap, despite the challenge. All the right parts from Souls have been streamlined.
Nier - This somewhat Zelda-inspired title is not only an A-RPG, but also constantly pays homage to other parts of videogame history (without ever feeling incoherent). It can be a schmup, a text adventure or a Diablo clone depending on the developers' mood. Yet not a single one of these parts plays badly, not last because the controls always work well. Certain aspects like boss fights can even feel quite spectacular. The game's poor critical reception is absolutely baffling, consdering how many other games fail when they try to mix things up like this one. Other than that, what stands out are the memorable characters, the smart use of its medium for the narrative it tells and the best soundtrack of its generation. There is just so much that's going to stick with you, even with some of its rough edges.
Chrono Trigger - I have currently finished this game 3 times and it keeps growing on me, after my first playthrough has been a little underwhelming. However, the more often you play it, the more you realize how amazingly paced this game is. And while I was initially disappointed by how simple the story felt, considering that it is a time travel tale, you really start to appreciate the writing on multiple playthroughs. Each era contains well written and distinct fairy tales with likeable characters. Add on top of that a legendary soundtrack and beautiful pixel art. You also really gotta appreciate short RPGs like Chrono Trigger, which still feel feature complete. Many other RPGs should still take note of this.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers - It's SMT plus anime cyberpunk from the 90s, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the latter. Despite lacking some refinements of later SMT entries, the core gameplay is as fun as ever - from constantly managing your team of demons while exploring big dungeons. For the first English translation they have done an amazing job. Talking to demons to recruit them for battle is tons of fun because of it, adding a humourous (yet not at all out of place) element to its otherwise serious tone. It's a great take on SMT and something any fan of Cyberpunk can check out too.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne - Since this wasn't my introduction to the series, a certain wow-factor was lost on me, nor did it feel that hard, but it's still a great game. As usual, the title offers a different take on a bleak, demon-infested Toyko. The graphics in particular hold up - the stylized art direction is amazing. A 3D world of this quality also hasn't yet been tackled by another entry in the (main) series. The strategic battles are fun, so is managing your team of demons to keep up with the difficulty. Some mechanics weren't as refined as other titles yet, negotiating especially, but it still holds up fantastically overall.
Final Fantasy VII - I do not have any nostalgia for this game, I haven't even played it until recently. Yet it has easily been my favorite FF experience, after many sour ones. I can see how this title caught on so well, since it's a really good beginner's RPG. The mechanics are simple, but still fun classic JRPG fair. I also have a soft spot for well made, pre-rendered backgrounds, which allow for an unique ,,cinematography". Also, although many people aren't fond of the bulky characters, they really help to support the still somewhat lighthearted tone of the original concept art. I.e. the J-Pop of the later series doesn't yet shine through. But the game still has the right amount of seriousness. That is thanks to the amazing soundtrack and the art direction fhat make this cyberpunk world still feel great today. A real bummer is that translations for JRPGs were still awful when FFVII came out.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - The turn based yet interactive battle system is as good as ever in these Mario RPGs, but in this particular iteration they went even further. Bowser in this game is a very well written protagonist, while Mario & Luigi kind of take the backseat - but not quite. They have been eaten by Bowser and can now be controlled on the bottom screen of the NDS, where Bowser's innards constitute a separate but still simultaneous adventure. That feature brings many unique mechanics, since the bottom screen interacts with the main JRPG happenings on the upper screen for both puzzles, exploration and battles.
Rune Factory Frontier (Underrated vote) - This is a gigantic game, which mixes life sim, Harvest Moon farming and real time dungeon crawling. There's basically no hand holding, so you're off to your own to manage all these aspects of your life and slowly progress through gigantic dungeons. It is amazing how much you can do and how differently all these seemingly different aspects correlate with each other, depending solely on your preferences in gameplay. It's highly addictive and definitely the best of its series, which was much more limited on handhelds. It might only be a little too open for its own good though and be a little too cryptic in its story progression here and there.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Parasite Eve - Well, I wasn't too shocked when I saw that this title was directed by the same person as Chrono Trigger. The battle system is basically a mixture of CT's active time system and light bullet hell. Despite the game's slow beginning, there's a lot of fun found in battles. In fact, they can get pretty exhilerating. PE's horror setting isn't too frightening nowadays and the prerendered visuals aren't as strong as other games of that time, yet its horror setting alone makes this RPG still feel fresh today. Apart from the horror elements, PE also has quite a nice buddy cop theme going on - featuring likeable characters, even if the story itself isn't too mindblowing. Plus, the soundtrack is still strong. Just like Chrono Trigger, it's a delightfully short RPG.
Breath of Fire IV - This is a game that totally excels at writing. Its premise is quite familar actually, it might feel like a mixture of the original Dragonball and the original Star Wars. Yet the execution is where the story of BoFIV becomes special. There's very loveable characters, great humour and coming with that, several tragic moments. The main villain in particular has been handled well also. All that comes with some of the best PS1 spritework, an amazing art and an amazing soundtrack. The gameplay unfortunately isn't always keeping up with the story and presentation though. While its low encounter rate and small dungeons feel refreshing, the battle system takes at least the game's entire first half to become interesting and less of a chore.
Paper Mario - While this title felt like it has become a little redundant after its sequel came out, it's still worth playing. There are many similarities between this game and TTYD, but it also still has many good things to offer on its own. It's also recommended if you're looking for an Mario RPG that builds its world mostly with the Super Nintendo Mario games in mind.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey - This might be the most mature SMT game. Not last because of its somewhat dry sci-fi setting and art direction (kind of butchered in the 3DS remake), which doesn't lose its unique SMT touch. Stranded in another dimension where human sin manifests, the series' dungeon crawling aspects receive an unique survival touch. And the dungeon crawling itself from a gameplay standpoint is as good as ever. Recruiting demons is as fun as in any other SMT game also. However, because of SJ's slightly altered battle system and its constantly high difficulty, micro managing your party is even more important than usual - which feels great and rewarding. Small downsides of this game are the repetitive music and the fact that progression at points can be cryptic in the vein of NES Zelda. While the biggest downside is that the game is too long and the final boss impossible without getting help from the internet.
Shin Megami Tensei IV - This post apocalyptic title offers not only a great atmosphere, especially through art direction and soundtrack, but also streamlined gameplay which was very welcome in this series. I.e. no more random encounters. The story is pretty good. It defies many tropes, it's pretty ruthless, yet not too melodramatic. As with Soul Hackers, the conversations necessary to recruit your demons are very entertaining, but strangely not at all out of place compared to the otherwise bleak atmosphere. Exploring feels great - the locales are big, there's little hand holding, but map restrictions are done in a way to give enough guidance. As usual for the series, micromanaging your team and fighting in general feels simply engaging. You are leveling very fast in this iteration, so you will always be busy keeping your team on the latest standard - it's very motivating.
Tales of Symphonia - This is still the best Tales of title I've played (however, I unfortunately have yet to get on Vesperia). The story feels grand, you probably don't see the twists coming if this is your first in the series and the beat-em-up-esque battles are fun, even for the series' first attempt at 3D. This title still has puzzles too, unlike the later iterations. The characters are likeable enough, the music and art direction are great.
The World Ends With You - TWEWY has quite an unique setting that captures the nostalgic feeling of urban summer. The battles are stylus controlled, which works fine once you get the hang of the dual screens. Ignoring a hamfisted beginning, the story also features decent twists, especially if you're going for 100%.
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir - Needless to say, this game is an audiovisual treat, even more so in HD. It captures the feeling of playing a fairytale perfectly and only stumbles in its slow way of presenting the story. The actual gameplay on the other hand offers some of the best fast paced 2D combat one could think of and remains highly addictive for quite a while. On top of that, mild exploration and, more importantly, alchemy and RPG mechanics make this an deeper experience than your average brawler. Unfortunately, the balancing is a bit off. Despite its uplifting, this remake still needed to cut some fat though. It's fun for a dozen of hours or two and probably even until the end, but by then you'll feel burnt out. At the very least, it offers a satisfying story climax that is neither too sappy nor cheery.
South Park: The Stick of Truth - Apart from offering the best kind of fanservice to the show's longtime fans, SoT simply has great game design. The map is open, but small and filled with secrets, which makes exploration a joy. Battles are turn-based but semi-active like Mario RPGs. While battles aren't as refined as their inspiration, they are accompanied by environmental puzzles and a variety of surprises outside of battles. Add on top of that great writing that easily surpasses the later seasons of the show and tons of well made fan service for long time fans.
Phantasy Star IV - For a 16bit era JRPG, this game is nicely and fast paced, featuring quick battles, not too bad of an encounter rate (excluding some of its final dungeons) and it is refreshingly straight forward. The story is standard, but the setting is different to your typical fantasy fare. The biggest problem is that all of the battle commands and items are acronyms without propers descriptions, so you have to use either a guide or trial & error for fully efficient battling.
--VOTE INFO START—
<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Skies of Arcadia: Legends
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Rune Factory: Frontier
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Bloodborne
Nier
Chrono Trigger
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Final Fantasy VII
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
<HONORABLE MENTIONS – 1 point>
Parasite Eve
Breath of Fire IV
The World Ends With You
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Tales of Symphonia
Paper Mario
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Phantasy Star IV
Thanks to everyone who has participated so far. We currently have 171 regular participants, plus another 7-8 quick and lazy votes.
My goal was to hit at least 200 participants, which should easily happen by the end of the voting stage in 16 days. Every additional participant leads to a more varied final aggregate list (and provides more recommendations to those reading through the lists), so keep the posts coming!
As of this post, 141 participants are currently eligible for free Cosmic Star Heroine keys, plus the raffling of 15 other prizes. Eligible posts are those that list at least 5 games and provide comments explaining why they chose each title (or why people should play each title).
If your name is NOT on this list, you either didn't write up at least 5 comments (as was the case in 30 lists), recently edited a post made prior to post #409, or somehow slipped through the cracks.
If you believe that you should be eligible for the free game and raffle, make any required edits to your post, and then PM me a link to it. I will make sure to add you to the eligibility list. I WILL NOT be checking any posts prior to this one for late completion. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are included!
There are currently 59 unreserved Cosmic Star Heroine keys.
While voting ends on October 13th, it seems unlikely that we will have any unclaimed keys by that point. For example, since my previous update 2 days ago, we have had an additional 26 participants. If you want one of the remaining keys, make sure to get your qualifying entry up in the next few days.
1. {HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Planescape: Torment - When it comes to video game writing, decision-making and the ability to actually roleplay, it doesn't get any better than this. Planescape: Torment is a phenomenal personal and intimate story that's nonetheless told in the grand and wondrous setting of Planescape. It's got an amazing and diverse cast of characters; the amount of lore and dialogue is off the charts; and it also boasts a wonderfully atmospheric soundtrack by Mark Morgan, who also composed the OSTs for the first two Fallout installments, among others. The combat has certainly aged and it's not the most fun I've had in an RPG, but the best thing about Planescape: Torment is that the combat is hardly the focus. True to its genre, at its heart this is - at least in my humble opinion - the ultimate video game roleplaying experience.
2. {UNDERRATED – 4 points} Shadow Hearts: Covenant - Shadow Hearts: Covenant is an interesting example of a JRPG set in the real world. Although I haven't played any other games in the series, it's been made clear to me that this RPG also has a rather clever premise in that it's a sequel to the bad ending of the first game, which explains its somewhat dark (though still occasionally upbeat) tone. I find that to be a very interesting idea that also happens to be very well executed. The Judgement Ring adds a new spin on the classic turn-based JRPG that makes this game very entertaining to play - it's perhaps one of my top favorites when it comes to raw gameplay.
3. Mass Effect - This title introduced me to my favorite fictional universe in gaming, 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 mere inclusion of a highly detailed (and completely optional) Codex with so much information about the world simply blew my mind. It also has a lovable character cast along with a great synth soundtrack. Its aesthetic is unparalleled and it was clearly influenced by some of the best science fiction literature and cinema. It's certainly the only installment in the franchise that I consider to be a true hybrid between the RPG and shooter genres. I also dig its combat, though admittedly there is room for improvement.
4. Mass Effect 2 - An amazing sequel that I love almost as much which also happens to feature one of my favorite video game casts. There may not be as big of a focus on plot here and the RPG elements are certainly dumbed down to an extent, but Mass Effect 2 more than makes up for it with its more varied missions than its predecessor, its character-centric narrative, its humor and the phenomenal (and criminally underrated) soundtrack by Jack Wall. The cathartic final mission is also easily one of the best designed I've seen, one which adds weight to your efforts and decisions throughout the game.
5. 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 the first one I know of that formed its own identity as well, complete with its own original soundtrack, a fresh new setting, and an exciting new story involving brand new characters. This was perhaps the first RPG I played in which I truly paid attention to the plot and the characters. It was also the first RPG that made me realize that video games could actually tell stories on top of being fun to play.
6. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords - Obsidian's best game and the one with the most mature story told in the Star Wars setting to be sure (extended universe books notwithstanding). Very smartly written, this RPG's got an amazing dark and dreary atmosphere done right and an unusual but very compelling cast of characters. Even with all the restoration mods available, it remains sadly incomplete and we will unfortunately never play the original vision of the game. Nonetheless, this is how you do something completely different with a completely new tone in an existing setting. It's also a true modern RPG with all the appropriate mechanics and a satisfying amount of choice-making.
7. Undertale - Unconventional and ground-breaking in so many ways. This is yet another game on this list that shines most with its writing, but it's also one that has highly enjoyable gameplay - and here I thought that nothing even closely resembling a bullet-hell game could be entertaining. If nothing else, it's easily the least repetitive RPG I've played. Love it or hate it, this is an experience you won't forget. Games like this is why you should follow indie gaming, for that's the place to find such creative and innovative titles.
8. Persona 4 - This RPG has one of my favorite video game casts along with one of my most beloved soundtracks, easily the best Shoji Meguro has to offer. The themes in its story are very compelling and it's got an intimate, personal vibe and atmosphere that I simply adore. Certainly a far cry from your usual RPG with its high stakes and scope. The social link system is a solid component that's an interesting example of gameplay and story integration. I actually like the gameplay and the dungeon-crawling aspects of it too, though it could've been a little less on the repetitive side.
9. Final Fantasy 6 - Overall my favorite Final Fantasy, though it's a pretty close battle between 6, 9 and 10. This installment has the most enjoyable turn-based combat of the 2D Final Fantasy games even if the encounter rate is a little high. I grew attached to nearly every member of its cast, and the game is a rare example of a properly told and executed, albeit fairly standard JRPG story. Final Fantasy 4 may have my favorite soundtrack in the series, but 6 is also up there. The game has aged very well too.
10. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep - My favorite in the Kingdom Hearts series by far. I love its soundtrack (you can't go wrong with Yoko Shimomura) and its combat system is fantastic. I really like the ability to play as three separate characters with their own unique gameplay styles as well. The story is not its strong suit - it never is with Kingdom Hearts - but at least it's comprehensible as opposed to some of the other entries in the franchise.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
11. 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's got one of my favorite RPG protagonists too.
12. Final Fantasy 10 - It may have its flaws but I still love this game for its themes, the intriguing world of Spira, its characters and the really fun Sphere Grid system. It's the first Final Fantasy game I played and it's the one I understandably have the most nostalgia for.
13. Final Fantasy 9 - Just like 10, Final Fantasy 9 also takes pride in its vibrant, colorful and exciting world that I loved exploring. The gameplay is also fun, although it hasn't aged as well and its distinctly slow transitions can be annoying.
14. Kingdom Hearts 2 - Probably the most epic of the Kingdom Hearts games, 2 is also the flashiest in terms of the crazy things you can do. A huge leap in quality from the original game in every respect. I prefer the gameplay and characters of Birth by Sleep overall, but Kingdom Hearts 2 is just as fun.
15. Radiant Historia - Another underrated gem that deserves more attention than it's getting. It's got an exciting time travel mechanic, a surprisingly down-to-earth cast for a JRPG, fun turn-based combat, and an intriguing setting.
16. Fallout: New Vegas - By far my favorite of the open-world RPGs I've played - a specific brand of RPG I normally don't care for - Fallout: New Vegas is very much an Obsidian title, especially when it comes to the smart writing and the roleplaying component.
17. Persona 3 - My introduction to the world of Shin Megami Tensei as a whole, to this day Persona 3 has remained one of my favorites in the series. Great music, themes and aesthetic. It's the game that introduced the compelling social link mechanic, which I know not all SMT fans care for, but I personally love it. The party members, the story and the repetitive gameplay leave something to be desired, however.
18. The World Ends With You - An action-packed music-themed JRPG with a one-of-a-kind combat system that takes some time getting used to but once you get the gist of it, it's one of the most entertaining in the genre. I also adore the game's contemporary setting, its OST and its overall look. It's also rather humorous and light-hearted most of the time, which I really liked.
--VOTE INFO START—
<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Planescape: Torment
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
Undertale
Persona 4
Final Fantasy 6
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
<HONORABLE MENTIONS – 1 point>
Skies of Arcadia
Final Fantasy 10
Final Fantasy 9
Kingdom Hearts 2
Radiant Historia
Fallout: New Vegas
Persona 3
The World Ends With You
Hands down the best writing in any video game ever. The game presents an amazingly detailed, in depth and descriptive story that takes place in a wondrous, fantastic and bizarre world. Every NPC in the game world will have a long conversation with you and every item that you can interact with will have it's own detailed story. It culminates in one of the richest game worlds ever created and this is just the backdrop to an incredible story that mirrors every facet of real life; loss, grief, success, failure and redemption. It is a journey of self discovery for both the character and the player and is easily the best RPG ever made.
2. Deus Ex
An excellent cyberpunk themed RPG which offers the player almost complete freedom in how to approach any situation. A globetrotting adventure where you visit several unique locations around the world as you try to solve a mystery. Along every step of the way you are forced to question your actions and the motivations of everyone who guides you on your path. Every problem presented in the game can be resolved in multiple ways that will change how the game world interacts with you and ultimately shape the outcome of your journey. It also has a great soundtrack with one of my all time favorite video game music tracks.
3. Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines
An excellent game that never fulfilled it's incredible potential due to production problems, and yet what we got was still better than most RPGs. A game by Troika Games whose entire design philosophy was to give maximum importance to the artistry behind making games and prioritizing that over the technical aspects of it. This ultimately led to their downfall as a studio but not before they put out some of the most ambitious RPGs of all time. Vampire Bloodlines is an RPG set in the World of Darkness universe where you play as a vampire from one of several clans and your choice will change everything about how you interact with the game world, who you can speak to, what dialogs and options you will get and how you need to proceed in any given situation. You can choose to be in a clan of insane vampires and that will lead to some of your dialog choices being actual nonsense or you can choose to play as a character in a clan that will not let you speak to any humans in the entire game without consequence. The amount of depth and divergence on offer in addition to the wonderful music, atmosphere and setting makes this an absolute must play despite it's technical deficiencies.
4. World of WarCraft
This is a game that went on to become a global cultural phenomenon and I truly believe everyone should experience it at least once. A genre defining game that came out in 2004 and still influences every single MMO that releases over a dozen years later. The game is packed with an incredible amount of content but the true experience of WOW is the people you meet while you play it. It was the dawn of truly social gaming. A high level stranger passing by who will help you out as you struggle to complete a quest. He invites you to join his guild of like minded people and you suddenly have 20 people welcoming you to their group and willing to help you out when you need it. You slowly make friends (some of whom you will know for the rest of your life). You join raids with 24 other people and you fail and succeed together, as a group of friends instead of strangers over the internet. Or you find yourself doing some mundane daily quests as you talk to your friends about your real life and they listen without judgement. It's not strange to have friends that you just know over the internet in 2017 but it was quite different when the game first came out in 2004. Ultimately the game can become a distraction or an addiction or just become boring but it is still a once in a lifetime experience that cannot be replicated in any other genre.
5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The culmination of 10 years of the Witcher series of video games and one of the finest modern RPGs made. A game series that mixes the supernatural and fantastic with a grounded, rural, medieval setting that is straight out of a folk tale. The game world is massive but it is also entirely believable and great care was taken to ensure that does not feel like a prop for a video game. You play as Geralt, a monster hunter who is searching for his adoptive daughter. Along the way you meet a massive cast of characters who are so well written that you get invested in their lives. The highlight of the game is that every quest is extremely well written with no obviously good or bad outcomes. You simply make choices that you feel are correct and then you watch the consequences play out. All this happens on one of the largest and most beautiful game worlds ever created for a game. The game has superb production values. And the icing on the cake are the two expansions that would put many full games to shame. The first expansion has very fun quests and very difficult choices to make and the second one is a full game unto itself and provides a fitting epilogue to the story of Geralt. All in all, one of the greatest RPG experiences of my life.
Honorable mentions
1. Alpha Protocol
It's difficult to recommend this game because it does almost nothing right. The gameplay is rarely fun, it is full of bugs and balance issues, the performance is bad, the visuals are average... it does not make a good first impression. However, the one thing it does well, it does it better than any game I can think of. And that is the story's reactivity to dialog. The choices you make in your dialogs can significantly alter the story and scenarios. This keeps happening over and over until you realize that there is an incredibly deep tree of choices that can take you down several paths and outcomes. It's a short game, barely clocking in at 15 hours, but you can replay it in several different ways and always find new things happening. That alone more than makes up for all it's shortcomings and is a game definitely worth checking out.
2. Gothic 2
The Gothic (and Risen) series of games from German developer Piranha Bytes are typically known for being janky and unpolished. However, beneath that rough exterior they hide a game which has game worlds that are really fun (and rewarding) to explore. Gothic 2 is widely considered their best effort and it is brimming with content and drenched with an amazing atmosphere. Every problem can have several solutions. Every path will lead you to something interesting. You start out very weak so you are expected to respect your enemies but over time you will gradually see your power grow and will eventually become unstoppable. Gothic 2 (and other PB games) are diamonds in the rough that are worth checking out if you can look past the lack of polish (which is more than made up for in ambition).
--VOTE INFO START
<FULL POINT GAMES 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT 3 points} Planescape: Torment Deus Ex Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines World of WarCraft The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
One of the earliest experiences I recall with what RPGs could be was the FO demo, with an area that didn't make entirely to the final game. Following that, getting the full game made me appreciate not only what a RPG could actually but how some harsh design decisions can make for a better experience. I simply love this game, it's about the perfect length for a game, there's plenty of exploration and freedom to experiment, making it very replayable. It's also a joy to look at and listen to. It's simply perfect.
[UNDERRATED] Arcanum
I can guess why this never made past top 50, it's buggy, it's ugly as sin, there's like five music tracks(?), the two combat systems are antithetical to one another. So why cast 4 points? Because it's a superbely designed RPG with amazing depth to not only it's world but to the possibilities it offers you.
Sure, at times sucks playing it, and boy is it ugly, but it's a title most RPGs should aspire to reach; you could take one random quest from Arcanum and it alone would put other titles to shame.
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
While I've become more critical over the years in regards it's aesthetic (I'm not exactly 17 anymore) I gotta admit if there ever was a media that embodied the whole early 00's spirit it's this one.
It certainly doesn't hurt that it manages to create a cohesive rich experience amidst bugs, cut content and "just okay" combat. The things that made Arcanum great are also present here, albeit in a more restricted scope.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
At the time of its release the Press Turn system seemed like a revelation, akin to FFX's own turn system. SMT3 though, kept the battles unpredictable since one slip of attention could easily ruin your whole day. The blunt, cynical story, with weighty considerations, coupled with an impeccable presentation gives SMT3, in my regard, the edge over the Persona series, with it's more palatable Animé like sensibilities.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
I have a thing for titles that try something different and don't compromise, even if the end result is a mess. Fortunately, in this case, what resulted is one of the most inventive and stylish RPGs of the PS2 era. It may seem both Dead Rising and Dragon Quarter were cut from the same cloth, time constraint based mechanics, and I like to think the same creative impetus was behind them.
Wizardry 8
I love customizablity and having the game react to it. Wizardry 8 excels at that, for very few games have you relate to your goons with various random interactions and touches of personality that makes you care about them; and suddenly a hastily put together fantasy named mook can become your favourite character after saving your whole party from annihilation.
Vagrant Story
Similar to Dragon Quarter, Vagrant Story delivered an uncompromised vision, albeit more successful than Capcom's Rogue-ish title, with an audacious style and arcane mechanics that will either make you love it or haaaate it. I love it /shrug
Phantasy Star IV
This was my first console RPG, so much that I didn't understand you could actually save a game into a cartridge at the time, that was a PC thing, not possible on consoles, witchery! It gets a vote not only for nostalgia but for being the best example of a scifi JRPG, something Star Ocean always lead me to believe it was going to be but never was.
Last Remnant
I wanted to put a SaGa title here, but I gotta admit that Last Remnant is a near perfect balance between opaque complex mechanics with accessibility. Doesn't hurt that the character design is very stylish and attractive.
Dark Souls
Demons' Souls was the impetus, the broad creative effort and experimentation, Dark Souls was the refinement of the franchises' cornerstones: environmental storytelling, meaty combat, a somber dark fantasy aesthetic and a sadistic intent at surprising and at times subverting the player. Plus, it's goofy as hell at times.
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 - 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(Underrated)- 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 Ive 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 -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 dont think of it as one, Yakuza 4 is one of the best RPGs Ive played in 2016. 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.
<FULL POINT GAMES 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT 3 points} Shin Megami Tensei 1
{UNDERRATED 4 points} Persona 2:Innocent Sin
The World Ends With You
Fallout 1
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Xenosaga episode III:Also Sprach Zarathustra
Final Fantasy Tactics
Dark Souls
Yakuza 4
Fallout: New Vegas
<HONORABLE MENTIONS 1 point>
Persona 1
Persona 3 FES
Persona 4
Undertale
Devil Survivor: Overclocked
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy 1
Xenogears
Chrono Trigger
<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points> Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Great turn based combat, and interesting exploration both through the use of Djinn, elemental beings that allow you to manipulate your environment and summon spirits to attack your opponents.
I thought to myself that it might've been timing that killed that game in my mind, but when I tried to play it again a few years ago, it was still painful. Even with a rapid-fire controller to get the criticals/evades in combat.
I considered a list of RPGs with bad reputations still worth trying because they did something interesting (e.g. Paladin's Quest, 7th Saga, Arcana, Drakkhen)... I don't think I could put BtB on that list.
I considered a list of RPGs with bad reputations still worth trying because they did something interesting (e.g. Paladin's Quest, 7th Saga, Arcana, Drakkhen)... I don't think I could put BtB on that list.
I'm a big Paladin's Quest fan. Such an unappreciated gem. Beyond the Beyond, on the other hand... it doesn't deserve the awful reputation it has, but on the other hand, it's not great either. Better off playing Shining the Holy Ark if you want to play a less popular Camelot RPG.
October 13th. I was originally going to post the thread at the end of August, but delayed it a couple of weeks when someone made a "list your top 10 rpgs" thread (that was locked after a day for being a list thread).
I made an image with the correct date, but must have linked the wrong one. I will update it in a bit.
The final game icons look incredible. I'm super excited about how the full results are going to look!
There've also been some really, really good lists so far, with some games that I've put in a "play before next time" document. I should be posting my own list soon; I'm approaching being satisfied with it, but I'm not quite there yet.
Still working on my list, surprisingly it's pretty different than last year's despite not having played many RPGs since then. The passage of time is weird.
Dragon Quarter will definitely get my under-appreciated tag though. I thought GAF was one of the few places that understood that game, but judging by this thread I guess I was wrong
Dragon Quarter will definitely get my under-appreciated tag though. I thought GAF was one of the few places that understood that game, but judging by this thread I guess I was wrong
Dragon Quarter was a great game, with an amazing brooding atmosphere and unusual mechanics, but for a BoF game penalising you for using your "dragon" powers felt a little off for me (and in the end I only used it when it was plot dictated). Although I may be misremembering as I haven't played it for years.
October 13th. I was originally going to post the thread at the end of August, but delayed it a couple of weeks when someone made a "list your tip 10 rpgs" thread (that was locked after a day for being a list thread).
I made an image with the correct date, but must have linked the wring one. I will update it in a bit.
1. Suikoden II - Can you make a great JRPG better? Yes, you certainly can. Suikoden II was a glorious step forward for the series. With more characters, more drama, more politics, and more everything, Suikoden II pushed the formula to greater heights.
But Suikoden II's experience is magnified if you have played the first one, since it's filled with returning characters and throwbacks to the first game. It really helps build a cohesive world between both games.
There's two special things I want to mention about this game.
Sprites, backgrounds, animations, and tilesets all look beautiful. You can clearly see an improvement in the visual department after Suikoden.
This game introduces one of the best villains in JRPGs: Luca Blight. A merciless madman. The fight to bring him down is very well done, very tense, and very epic. Superb job, Konami.
Bonus: Mcdohl is (optionally) back and the war system is expanded a lot on this game.
2. Final Fantasy XI- This is my favorite game of all time, even though it can no longer be. I guess I should instead say: This game gave me my favorite gaming experiences of all time. Let me start by saying that objectively, this game has a lot of design flaws. A lot. It was an unnecessarily punishing, grindfest, time-consuming game. It's an MMO after all, so a lot of those flaws were conscious decisions to force the players to spend more time in the game.
There were some serious side-effects to that. This is the hardest Final Fantasy game, and by far. It's (or used to be) way too technical. You had to really know the game if you wanted to enjoy it. And just learning about the game took ages. So what made me love this game so much?
The world is huge. The largest explore-able areas in any FF yet. Yes, this was probably done so it took the player a long time to traverse between areas. But the areas were very nicely done. Due to the time spent on each area, you eventually appreciate its details. How none of it was randomly-generated. How each area has its own very clearly defined atmosphere, flora, and fauna,...and secrets! It was an accomplishment filled with excitement when you got to a new area. But it was also scary, since a lot of the times, new areas meant new, and more powerful enemies. Hiding from enemies was a thing in this game. A big deal. I'll never forget the one time I was on a boat, from the town of Selbina to Mhaura, a boat ride I've taken plenty of times before, but this time we were attacked by pirates. We were obliterated, but instead of being angry, I was happily surprised. They really gave life to Vana'Diel (the game's world). Oh, you found a cave? Cool, go inside, and surprise! It's a whole bigass dungeon that you are free to explore.
Teamwork. Nothing could be accomplished in this game without a party. For better or worse, this forced all players to socialize and to truly learn their party roles. This game made sure you would not win if you didn't know what you were doing. Of course, as it happens with anything in life, sometimes there's a lot of team chemistry, and from there real friendships are born. I made some great friends in this game, and that's something I'll never forget. And you know, enduring pain and finally overcoming the daunting challenges this game provided brought an extreme sense of accomplishment that is hard to replicate nowadays.
Story and lore. A big world also means there's a lot to say about it. Being a Final Fantasy fan, I really appreciated how a lot of things had backstories. And how there were many side-stories. And yes, there was also a main storyline that was great! The original campaign is a bit too basic, but the expansions are where the plot department really shines. There's just so much know and learn about this game, it can be overwhelming for some.
Gameplay. Yes, the game felt clunky at times, and it hasn't aged that well, but battles were really something. Definitely not a spamfest, or something you could play while distracted. I love how you really really had to get to know your job, and how you had to communicate with your team. Positioning, skillchains, magic bursts, stun rotations, SATA, pulls, etc. Challening and technical, but very rewarding.
Music. In a game where you spend a lot of time playing, you certainly need a good soundtrack to go alongside it. Besides a few songs that can get a bit annoying (those damn San d'Orian trumpets used to drive my mom crazy), the OST is great and I often listen to it to relax, concentrate, get inspired, or even get hyped.
I've spent so much time on this game, it's probably not healthy. But I don't care. It was totally worth it. The most immersive Final Fantasy ever. The game has changed a lot now, and while it's way more accessible, it has lost, in my opinion, a lot of its charm. It's perfectly understandable though, no one has time for a game like this anymore, not even me. Also, a gameplay fully depending on parties when there are not as much players just wouldn't work anymore.
Bonus: The job system we all know and love from the series, is back, and better than ever. Each jobs plays differently and can completely change your experience of the game.
3. Breath of Fire III - This game takes its time in delivering its greatest moments. It revisits a lot of plot points way later after you first encounter them. You first see things as a child, then in the second arc of the game, you start seeings things as a man. The game's atmosphere and story reflects the change too. IMO, this is further evidenced by the world map's themes. It goes from Casually's playful tone to To A Distant Place's calmer, more reflexive tone.
This is why I love this game. It carefully creates a great build-up to a lot of great moments. The reunion with
Rei
, and the fight against
Teepo
were very emotionally powerful scenes. Both were very bittersweet, and greatly handled nostalgia.
And I guess that's how I would describe the game's second arc: Nostalgia. Days as a child are over, even though you reminiscence constantly as you revisit areas and bump into old friends. Shit's all serious now: we'll kill the
Goddess
if we have to. And I guess the way the game presents all these changes really resonated with me, since I played this game while growing up.
Also, the final part of the game really nailed the venturing into the unknown feeling. You really start feeling lonelier and lonelier, and since it's a whole new continent you knew nothing about even since when you were a child, it certainly feels foreign.
Bonus: Dragon transformations are badass, and
Rei's Weretiger
transformation is even more badass.
4. Final Fantasy XII - This game has aged like a damn fine wine. This game is ambitious. There's an incredible amount of side content, and not about grinding, but actual optional bosses, espers, side-quests, and even entire areas. While its plot's resolution doesn't land very well, the storytelling and characters in this entry are miles ahead of XIII and XV (of course, sans Van and Penelo ). Also, this is the singleplayer FF with the most lore and world-building. Everything and everywhere has a story, and a why. What this game excels at though, is the following:
Exploration: Areas are vast and open, but segmented (not an open world). This gives room for a big variety of environments.
The feeling of journey: The meat of this game is going from A to B. But there is no way to fast-forward or skip, or world-map from place to place. You have to trek. It may not sound appealing but it really adds to the immersion and makes you appreciate the journey like not many RPGs do.
Systems. This game is the holy grail for those who love systems. From Gambits (basic AI you can configure for your party members) to weirdly specific dmg formulas and enemy spawning mechanics. There's so much variety on how you can play this game that the metagame (is that the right word?) becomes really engaging by itself.
Bonus: The Zodiac Age version makes this game way more enjoyable due to the great remastered graphics and soundtrack, as well as the fast forward. Yeah, needing fast forward kinda means the game design is broken, but...it really works!
5. Suikoden - My username on this forum and on most MMO's I've played is an homage to the main character of this game: Tir Mcdohl. A great character, that even though silent, is very well developed thanks to the main storyline. But he's just one character in a game filled with over a hundred characters!
Knowing little of what RPGs even where, the fact that there were so many characters was what drew me into this game. Luckily, I was not disappointed. Not only were there a lot of characters, but you could use a lot of them in battle, while others provided services and/or mini-games in your own headquarters, which by the way were another awesome feature from this game.
Suikoden is an incredible game that makes basic politics fun. And of course, there can't be politics without drama, pretty emotional drama
(you go to war against your own father!)
. In retrospective, I guess the Suikoden series is the Game of Thrones of JRPGs.
Being one of my first RPGs ever, filled with lots of memorable characters and mechanics, and intriguing / dramatic storyline, Suikoden will always harbor a special place in my heart.
Bonus: This game has three battle systems. Regular battles with 6 member parties, 1 on 1 rock-paper-scissors style duels, and epic wars. Also, Suikoden inspired a lot of mechanics in my RPG Maker games (not fangames, but almost! ).
6. Dark Souls - This might as well be GAF's favorite game, so I'm not sure it needs a write-up . Dark Souls is game that can be commonly dismissed by its difficulty. I dismissed it once, because I found it too unforgiving for my time. I am so glad I gave it a second chance, because it was an addictive experience. Once you git gud this game becomes a thousandfold more enjoyable. You start identifying patterns, and become more resilient to new threats. You also start wandering with care, and that's when you understand that the game is not unfair, it just wants you to observe and be patient. Traps
and enemy placements aren't cheap, they can be avoided or dealt with properly. And yeah, many times, dying is learning, just like the good ol' days. Once you master it and gain an addiction to the adrenaline this game induces through its boss battles, or by the fear of dying any moment you make a mistake, this game becomes immensely enjoyable, and contrary to popular belief, NOT masochist
Visual design in this game is beautiful. From crazy locales to nightmare fuel inducing monsters, this game has a very strong and consistent identity from beginning to end. It also has a cryptic lore that leaves a lot to interpretation, leading to a great community online of people trying to decipher it. But it's well balanced, it's never too cryptic. It provides enough to spark your curiosity and leave room for you to connect the dots.
But what this game really excels at is at game design. Its world is so well crafted (sans the rushed areas like Izalith, dafuq was that), that once it "clicks" on you it's almost enlightening. Enemy placement, bosses, etc. as well.
Bonus: The whole Anor Londo area and bosses... man... you just can't repeat that first time experience. I'm jealous of those who have yet to experience it.
7. Shin Megami Tensei IV - How can a game with first-person battles, bare-bones dungeons, and an atrociously designed world map have so much personality? Atmosphere. This game oozes atmosphere. Shin Megami Tensei IV is a game that really puts the resources it has to great use (ok, except the maze-like world map).
This game can be challenging from the very beginning with some intense battles, which is often rare in turn based combat. Those battles are accompanied with some kickass demon designs. I love how there are some pretty surreal / otherworldly ones. It really pushes the limits at times. I've heard complaints about the angels, but that's what I love about them. And I really dig that, specially on a genre that keeps rehashing monster ideas / designs. The same can be said about the soundtrack, which is pretty unique. I really like it, and in a way, it blew my mind. It's a sound that you don't commonly hear in JRPGs. And it works, it really helps create the unique atmosphere this game has.
The game has a crazy-ass convoluted plot though, but it works well enough to keep you motivated to find out what's next.
Bonus: Listening to Tokyo Overworld Theme is an obsession of mine.
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Ew, what is this western mainstream AAA piece of garbage doing in my list? Well, turns out, I actually love it. First let me get some things out of the way: Yes, some things can be clunky, and the story was forgettable. But the world is beautiful, and the exploration, while it may feel repetitive to some, it certainly felt very rewarding to me.
I tend to not click with Western RPGs (I'm also biased), but TES grabbed me with Oblivion. And it's all about the exploration, the openness, and the freedom which Skyrim improved. It's the sandbox approach to RPGs what Bethesda does really well. And that's what I love.
But what makes Skyrim stand out? Its classic sword & sorcery & dragons theme combined with the northern locale with viking-like population is certainly part of the appeal, but what Skyrim (and Bethesda RPGs) really nail is the immersion. Countless times did I lose track of time while playing this game, staying up late..."one more dungeon..." To put it simply: this game is really fun role-play in a great fantasy world sandbox, a fantasy world simulator. And I fucking love that.
Bonus: Quick Saving before FUS RO DAHing the fuck out of NPCs never gets old.
9. Final Fantasy VI - This is kind of where Final Fantasy got serious. This game's story is by no means silly, and all (at least most) of its dramatic sequences are perfectly justifiable. This game is the ultimate 2D Final Fantasy, and to many, the best title in the series.
First of all, this game still looks gorgeous. The steampunk theme worked surprisingly well alongside classic Final Fantasy themes. Character and monster design are both Square in its prime. This time the soundtrack has way more complex pieces, such as the one that plays in the Opera scene or the final boss, compared to what the series had seen before. You can tell Uematsu was very inspired here, as if they told him: "There are no limits. Let your creative juices flow nonstop."
The fresh storytelling approach it took is also something worth noting. The game switched the MC depending on who was more relevant to the moment story-wise. It really boosted how I felt in a lot scenes since the game put you in the shoes of whichever character the plot was focusing on. The best example is Celes' sequence at the beginning of the second arc. But what really makes this game stands apart are three things.
Kefka is a great antagonist. A lunatic whose madness drove him to demi-godhood. He committed a ton of atrocities that broke many characters...all while maintaining a comedic tone. But his defining act was
bringing the entire world to ruin
. If you think about it, even after you beat the game, no one can revert that act.
Further elaborating on how not even killing the final boss can change the fact that the
world was destroyed
, I love how this game, maybe unintentionally, is so far from the cliché. In a way, the heroes of this game failed. They're not perfect after all, and that felt very true to me. They're not superheroes, they're just a bunch of cool guys trying to make the world a better place. In a genre filled with chosen ones, this was a very welcoming change. The fact that there is no one main character backs up this notion. At least this is how I felt about it, whether it was intentional or not.
The tonal shift in the game. While I have already talked about this in Breath of Fire III (game being divided into being child and adult, like Ocarine of Time), it is executed very differently in this game. The first half of the game feels like a great, but normal, JRPG with a ton of great scenes. But once you get to the second arc, where everything is in
ruins
, you realize it's different this time. But even with all the grimness and hopelessness, it's really inspiring to see the failed heroes gang back up and bring an end to
Kefka
's world domination. But it's not just the characters who have to recover hope, you, as the player too, since the game's difficulty spikes up starting the second arc.
I really love this game. It's a very well-crafted and well-thought experience. A masterpiece even after all the years. And I say this having played this game after the PS-era FFs.
Bonus: The final battle in this game is on of the most epic moments I've experienced in gaming, including the dialogue right before it. And it features a fittingly epic (and long) song: Dancing Mad.
10. Final Fantasy VII - My second RPG ever, and the RPG that got me into RPGs. I've read that this is true for a lot of gamers. FF7 is the gateway drug. Before I even start talking about this game, I want to make something clear: This is, in my opinion, the classic (pre XI) Final Fantasy with the best gameplay. Great execution of the ATB, cool stuff like limit breaks and badass summons, and most importantly: Materia.
Now, what is so great about this game? Why is it the most famous title in a long standing series? It's just too cool. Everything is over-the-top in this game. From Cloud's gigantic Buster Sword, to a motorcycle sequence, to not having one but three types of Bahamuts, to having attacks with two-minute long animations (Sephiroth's Supernova), to gigantic bosses called Weapons, to a gigantic cannon powered by the Earth itself, to Omnislash, to FMVs, to cross-dressing, to snowboarding, to Vincent transforming into monsters, to The Turks, to kickass FMVs, etc. Seriously, everything is just executed in such a cool and over the top fashion that it blew my mind back then. This game is proud to be like that, and lots of us, including myself, love it for that.
But coolness is not enough, the plot is actually very interesting and not that hard to follow (ok, some things are unnecessarily complicated, but the overall plot is easy to follow). Characters are very like-able and well-developed, in this case by delving a lot into their pasts. I also appreciate how unfiltered they are. Barret and Cid curse a lot, something the series hasn't seen since then. Sephiroth is a great villain that starts as a mysterious, but threatening foe. And then he the becomes the ultimate douchebag by
killing your gf
. But not everything is drama, there's also some very fun moments like the Honey Bee Inn scene and minigames in the Gold Saucer.
Music is top notch this time as well, with some legendary songs such as Aerith's Theme and One Winged Angel (a fucking classic). FMVs were a beautiful addition to the game that while they may not have aged well, they made FF7 even cooler back then.
I give up. It's so hard to organize my thoughts for this game. There's so much to talk about it. It's just way too awesome, and way too memorable. I'm a kid again whenever I talk about this game. I feel like this is the game where Sakaguchi just let it all out, no filters, he just went for it.
One last thing I want to say about this game: Exiting Midgar and realizing it was just a small part of the world and that your journey is just starting was a feeling I don't think I've felt ever since. This game was truly mind-blowing and had a scale, still to this day, of epic proportions.
Bonus: In case magic, summons, ultimate weapons, and whatnot are not enough to visually please you, then keep an eye out for Limit Breaks.
--VOTE INFO START—
<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Suikoden II
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Final Fantasy XI
Breath of Fire III
Final Fantasy XII
Suikoden
Dark Souls
Shin Megami Tensei IV
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII
<HONORABLE MENTIONS – 1 point>
Bloodborne
Breath of Fire IV
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Earthbound
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy X
Fire Emblem
Golden Sun
Kingdom Hearts
Persona 4: Golden
We are around the halfway point in the voting cycle.
For those who plan on participating, keep in mind that voting ends the morning of Friday, Oct 13th. So if you need time on a weekend to get your list together, you only have this weekend and the next.
The thread has seen some slowdown in the past few days, so we still have about 50 unreserved Cosmic Star Heroine keys remaining.
I just want to thank everyone so far for their entries. I feel like I get to see more thoughtful writing on what makes RPGs good in this thread than anywhere else on GAF.
Final Fantasy 7 - The Goat game, I CANT POINT A SINGLE THIS I DIDNT LIKE, everything was perfect, The best protagonist, the best villain ever, the best story ever. Perfection.
Final Fantasy 8 - I bought this game because i saw the trailer, THE trailer xD it was my first Rpg People is way harsh on this, the best love story ever in a game
Dark Souls - Amazing game, amazing lore, great characters, amazing combat, weapons, bosses, the game that started one of the most epic series. Thank you Hidetaka Miyazaki.
The Witcher 3 - Probably the best game this generation, never seen a game with such quantity and quality of content , dlcs are superb too.
Mass Effect 2 - Perfect sci - fi aventure game, its sad what hapen t this franchise. Its the Star Wars of videogames.
Dragon age 1 - Amazing start of a IP, like dark souls 1 this game had amazing lore and characters, Bioware knew how to make lore and fantasy worlds. Mix of the rpgs from the old days and the new age of rpgs.
Final Fantasy 9 - I love the story of this game, one of the best fairy tails, It had cute character and artstyle but dont get that fool you, this is a game with mature themes, Vivi was the best.
Final Fantasy 10 - Another final fantasy another great fucking story, combat was great, the last great combat system square enix made in a final fantasy. Cast of character was amazing, i like ALL of them. I liked seymor as a villain !!! Suck it haters !!!
Chorno Trigger - A game ahead of his time, blows my mind how this game was a snes title. Serioulsy WTF, great character and love the design , Toryama at his best.
Elders Scrolls Oblivion
--VOTE INFO START--
<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Final Fantasy 7
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Final Fantasy 8
Dark Souls
The Witcher 3
Mass Effect 2
Dragon age 1
Final Fantasy 9
Final Fantasy 10
Chorno Trigger
Elders Scrolls Oblivion
<HONORABLE MENTIONS – 1 point>
Dark Souls 3
Bloodborn
Skyrim
Dragon Age 2
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Fallout 3
Demon Souls
Fable 1
Xenogears
Persona 3
7. Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Spawning from the ever dark Koudelka, the first Shadow Hearts introduced us to a very interesting take on combat, world design, and the horrors in Asian mysticism. It's sequel, Covenant, follows up on this as the third game in the series, taking us on a twisted, morbid, and gothic tour of Europe. While focusing on myth and demonology, the game expanded on it's predecessors dark themes while adding in the prettier sister of horror: comedy. Shadow Hearts: Covenant expands on the Judgement Ring combat system that rewards players for tactical timing while punishing them for mistakes. A rag-tag band of misfits lead the charge against pure evil, while consisting of a handful of anti-heroes. Shadow Hearts: Covenant takes what you know about history and blends it into it's own tale, ushering in historical figures such as Rasputin, Anastasia, and Roger Bacon while also delving into Lovecraft's own fictitious R'lyeh of Cthulhu fame. This game remains as one of the most interesting titles I've ever experienced, and the Festival of Man will burn forever brightly.
Wow you really have a way with words. You also described all the important aspects of this wonderfull game so succinctly. I'm even a little bit jealous right now Non the less you have my respect for this greatly articulated list!
I just want to thank everyone so far for their entries. I feel like I get to see more thoughtful writing on what makes RPGs good in this thread than anywhere else on GAF.
What drew me the most initially was the Toryama art (seeing how I am a big Dragon Ball fan) but soon that became just a novel in the factors that make me love this game. Combat is amazing, using a revamped Final Fantasy ATB without the random encounters (my least favorite part FF games) so the pace and player's freedom in approach of combat feel better already.
The whole narrative is so entertaining. This journey through multiple timelines and all these different settings is addictive and fun to explore. Of course, this story would be nothing without its incredible cast of characters and If I had to choose one point to represent why I love this game, this is it. All the party members are great (even tho Frog is clearly on another level) and their dialogue through this adventure is charming and the key factor to create a bond between player and the game.
So I deeply love the combat, the world building, the story and its characters, so yeah Its not hard to call this my favorite RPG.
2. Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver
Pokémon is probably my favorite JRPG series, and while I kept following the franchise and playing the newer games, the first two gens were the ones I kept coming back more than yearly until my early teens. Im pretty sure Red/Blue and Gold/Silver are the games I played the most in my life, and my favorite use to be G/S because they fetl so different and fresh from R/G/B in some ways, and yet brought in a lot of the content of its predecessor.
Then the remakes for those games came, and IMO they are better in every way so its a pretty easy decision of which version to choose here.
3. Persona 5
The game I spent the most time with in 2017 so far, is my third favorite RPG of all time. Im definitely not as versed in JRPG world for Gaf standards, but between this and Persona 4 (the ones I played in the series), I have to give it to 5.
Presentation wise, Persona 5 is unmatched and Im talking games overall, not only RPG's. The presentation style makes stuff like UI fluidity, combat pace, characters interactions and other key aspects of the game so much better. The story is really intriguing and the characters are pretty amazing too. I loved having to balance the choices of either going through a dungeon or hanging out with friends. Since I loved both of these key aspects of the game, those were though decisions at times and I really felt as an active part of this world while doing it.
I was pretty sure I was done with turn-based combat on home consoles since playing through Ni No Kuni, which had an amazing story and world, but a very slow combat that really felt like a chore sometimes. And I was worried it could be the case here too, and that I could even drop the game without finishing its story if I got bored of the turn-based combat. After spending 120h on it, that sounds rather silly
4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
I had only played Witcher 2 before, but despite its interesting story, I dropped because of the janky controls. If future me had traveled back in time and said a sequel to that game would end up being my favorite WRPG of all time, I would have laughed at myself.
Witcher 3 is an incredible game. The amount of content here is ridiculous, the world is massive and detailed, featuring some of the best cities and villages representations in any RPG. The work put into every quest in impressive too, and to think that complete narratives like the Bloody Baron are relegated to a side quest is insane.
The combat is definitely not as janky as Witcher 2, and can actually be rather enjoyable depending on the player style of play. The bits of playing as Ciri were pretty incredible too, and even made me want some action game based on her, and the whole main arc about trying to find her and then helping her save the world
(or not)
is pretty cool (even though I don't think the game does a great job in making it seem something that is urgent). The game is also rich in varied kinds of sequences, where the tone can be emotional, funny, spooky, heartwarming and the huge cast of characters is as varied too.
I loved this game, I loved the two expansions and I can't wait to see how CD Projekt Red will tackle a whole new genre with this same philosophy.
5.Earthbound
This game is so unique, and for a long time, there wasn't anything like it in RPG world, and every single game that resembles it, took heavy inspiration from it.
The way it looked on the SNES was jaw-dropping, and walking around on its seamless world is mesmerizing still. Its script filled with pop culture references was charming and fun and the story goes from a light adventure at first, to an emotionally engaging journey by the end. Its such a shame that Nintendo let this one go, because years after and with many games paying homage to it, there is still nothing like it out there.
--VOTE INFO START—
<FULL POINT GAMES – 2 points>
{HIGHLIGHT – 3 points} Chrono Trigger
{UNDERRATED – 4 points} Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver
Persona 5
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Earthbound
Final Fantasy VI
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Fallout 3
South Park: Stick of Truth
<HONORABLE MENTIONS – 1 point>
Mass Effect 2
Kingdom Hearts 2
Undertale
Golden Sun
Secret of Mana
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Jade Empire
To The Moon
Fable 2
Costume Quest 2
I've only played IV, but I'd really really recommend that. They have great party-play with meaningful classes and abilities. Definitely picking up 5 when it releases myself.
...
As to the other thing...I still need to comb through them all some time and write down "obscure" games that interest me. I should do that sometime before the 13th though so I have a perhaps helpful way to bump the thread. By obscure I mean games I won't easily come across myself chasing down series.
.
