[Laharl]

dont know if there is thread like this because the search function is ass.

Anyway what are your 10 favourite RPGs? a little explanation/description wouldn't hurt either...

I am purposely leaving out Action RPGs along the lines of Zelda and Okami so i have enough space

10. Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny It has it's critics but i love this game, the gameplay is enjoyable and fast paced, it has the strongest cast and story of any of the eternal mana games. The soundtrack is one of the best you'll hear and although the game isnt too lenghty this makes sure the experience doesnt drag on and there's a fair amount of secret stuff to doafterwards.

9. Makai Kingdom Sucessfully fixes the problems from Phantom Brave and creates a real gem, the storyline is busrting with originality and humour and it has one of the strongest casts in an NIS game. The improvements to the Phantom Brave system make battles genuinely enjoyable rather than a chore, plus the inclusion of vechicles is a welcome addition. The game is pretty lengthy although it's not particularly challenging its damn good fun! the wealth of secret characters and endings drastically increase playtime and some of the secret bosses are really difficult. The soundtrack isnt half bad either.

8. Tales of Phantasia As i played through this on the gba i kept asking myself "HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A SNES TO PULL THIS OFF!?" XD This game was way ahead of its time, excellent battle system, solid cast if it there was only five real characters. Excellent lifespan, i got 50 hours out of it, which than i get out of most modern RPGs. Storyline is pretty advanced, nothing too spectacular but avoids most of the cliches. Soundtrack is pretty good as 16 bit goes, i can only think of Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger that have a significantly better soundtrack.

7. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Still the best SRPG in my opinion, the gamep0ay is more fluid and forgiving than that of other SRPGs, the plot is genius, the characters are superb. One of my favourite things about Disgaea is you can choose how much to get out of it; if you just complete main game you're looking at about 50-70 hours, if you want to doall the scret stuff afterwards then you're looking at around 150-200 hours and if you want to go into neverending uber grind power level land then the game's lifespan becomes infinite. Soundtrack and voice acting is of the highest quality aswell

6. Chrono Trigger Chrono Trigger is just wow, you know from as soon as you start you're dealing with a quality game. VERY strong cast, superb time traversing storyline which has more than its fair share of twists. The game plays brilliantly, battle system is solid, exploration of dungeons is actually enjoyable rather than a chore. I dont like to comment on graphics but i gotta say Chrono Trigger has the best on the SNES in my book. Soundtrack is absolutely fantastic, definately a turning for Uematsu and Matsueda

5. Suikoden i'm kinda cheating here and including the second game aswell, i just love them both! tis a real shame the series died on its arse after the second game. Anyway the Suikoden games have to have the largest casts of any RPG, although only around 20 of the 108 are integral to the storyline. I never felt overwhelmed by the number if characters and i think that's pretty damn impressive. Plots in both games are outstanding, solidly based in politics and war. The gameplay is simplistic but very enjoyable as a result of it, you are constantly exploring, eager to find new charcters to recruit to your army. the battle system is sufficient, nothing spectacular although the runes and the second games combine attacks do add a little depth. The Suikoden games are a lot shorter than they appear, i think it took me 80 hours to complete them both first time through. There are a few secrets to do at the end but i always find these games very replayable and i've completed them both around 4 times. Miss Higashino outdoes herself with fantastic soundtracks for both games.

4. Star Ocean: The Second Story An old favourite. Probably the best use of being able to choose one of two main characters i've seen. As there is significant difference between them for the both to be worth playing through, effectively doubling the lifespan of the game. Cast is pretty damn awesome although there are a few retards thrown in. the plot is solid if a little confusing due to an overdose of scientific jargon. Gameplay is amazing, this game still has the best battle system in existence. And it's pretty long, a good 40-50 hours first play through and a bit less if you replay with the other character. Motioi Sakuraba's score for the game is fantastic, unfortunately the same cant be said for quite a few of the voices.

3. Final Fanrasy VII Like many people, this was the game that got me into RPGs, very strong cast and plot, all the recent bum****ery does nothing to deny how great the original game is. Gameplay is awesome, materia system is genius. The game is of dcent length a good 50-60 hours first time through and pretty challenging too first time. I've replayed through VII around 8 times, gives it pretty good replay value in my book. Uematsu's game score is simply legendary.

2. Final Fantasy IX My favourite Final Fantasy, the naysayers can piss off. I love the setting and the world, the characters that inhabit it, especially the central characters who add a new element to the gameplay as unlike other FFs characters cant be customed to all be invincible gods with the same build. Plot is very strong, especially the aspect of the summons being a major part of the storyline. Gameplay is excellent, the ability system is very strong and the game is just fun to play. Length is good, 50 hours or so first time (although i've managed it in under 12 to get Excalibur II). There are lots of secrets and sidequests to keep you occupied aswell. Soundtrack is one of Uematsu's best works in my opinion.

1. Tales of Symphonia Beats everything else for me hands down, Namco got everything just about perfect, very strong plot, it had me hooked, superb unexpected twists. Cast is excellent too, a wide range of interesting well developed characters. Gameplay really stands, a genuine joy to play, battles are intense and very enjoyable. The game is a good 40 hours long but it gives you ample reasons to replay it, think i've been playing for around 100 hours on my third run through. The game also has a unique multiplayer, my first play through where i effectively "co-oped" with a friend remains my best gaming experience to date. Sakuraba and Tamura produce an excellent soundtrack and the game's voice acting is brilliant

[Folcon]

laharl the slayer, on Nov 4 2007, 11:15 AM, said:

5. Suikoden i'm kinda cheating here and including the second game aswell, i just love them both! tis a real shame the series died on its arse after the second game. Anyway the Suikoden games have to have the largest casts of any RPG, although only around 20 of the 108 are integral to the storyline. I never felt overwhelmed by the number if characters and i think that's pretty damn impressive. Plots in both games are outstanding, solidly based in politics and war. The gameplay is simplistic but very enjoyable as a result of it, you are constantly exploring, eager to find new charcters to recruit to your army. the battle system is sufficient, nothing spectacular although the runes and the second games combine attacks do add a little depth. The Suikoden games are a lot shorter than they appear, i think it took me 80 hours to complete them both first time through. There are a few secrets to do at the end but i always find these games very replayable and i've completed them both around 4 times. Miss Higashino outdoes herself with fantastic soundtracks for both games.

Now what's wrong with the other Suikoden games? I've played 3, 4, tactics, and 5, and they are all good games. I've played through 4 the most, I'm on my fifth play through now, and I think its the best game ever next to ToS. Of course, I've never played Suikoden 1 and 2, and if i could find them and get them in english I would, but I have heard many good things on them, and on the other Suikoden related games that were never released in the US as far as I now.


Anyway, why do you say it died after two? I would really like to know.

[Laharl]

every Suikoden games has been released in the US (thats 1,2,3,4,5 and tactics). hell i have PAL copies of I and II

for me the series went downhill drastically after the second installment, Suikoden III was average at best, lacking and flawed in most areas, especially th battle system. I haven't played IV, mostly becuase it doesnt look all that great and it wasnt recieved particularly well. Suikoden V was an actual good game, just nothing spectacular, i see as a step in the right direction and little else. Tactics is a god awful excuse of a SRPG as in one of the worst ever made, it's just so badly designed and just plain unfair at times, seriously avoid this crap and play FF Tactics or Disgaea instead. I say the series has died on its arse because the first two games were of such quality and the other titles dont even half way to their greatness. Of course it aint gonna be easy to track them down, they should be in the region of $60-$100 on original, probably more. Although there was a rumour of a PSP port for both of them...

[TheEnglishman]

This probably won't be my final list. I'll probably think of more later on.
10.) FFVIII: It's fun yet somehow I never got into it enough for it to go higher on the list. Still I probably enjoyed it more than XII.

9.) Pokemon Emerald: Showed me the Pokemon formula can still be fun, if a little old now.

8.) FFI: One of oldest is still one of the most fun. When I played it on GBA a few years ago it showed me how the best game series ever started out.

7.) Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga: It switches drama for comedy and is a lot better for it. Simple but with enough challenge to make it worthwhile. Plus it's got one of the best supporting characters ever, Fawful. It's just better than the DS Partners in Time, which I'd probably put at 11.

6.) FFX: When I first played this, I was amazed. It looked so pretty! It's got one of the best openings ever and one of the strongest game storylines. The random battles were annoying, but they always are aren't they?

5.)Golden Sun: There doesn't really need to be any description does there?

4.) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door: More Mario comedy, but funnier. It's a silly game which doesn't take itself too seriously, but that's a pretty refreshing change.

3.) Pokemon Red: The good old days. I was so excited the day I got it, I remember sitting and playing it all afternoon and evening until I'd beaten Brock. Everyone watched the cartoon and got the cards, but I had the actual game. I'll admit it gains points on nostalgia alone, but it was easy to pick up and play as well. Plus the formula was new and they hadn't added stupid amounts of other pokemon on yet.

2.) Tales of Symphonia: I was unsure about the game when I first saw it. It had too much of a Japanese look for me, even if it had great reviews. Still I bought it, and never regretted it. Well thought out storyline, great boss battles, no random battles (finally!) and just great musically and visually. Only negative points were a few annoying voices and a rubbish world map. And that was basically it.

1.) FFVII: Cliche though it may be, it really is the best I've ever played. I could say why, but everyone else already has. I'll just say I love it, and leave it at that.

[Toasty]

I don't even think I've played 10 RPG's. Let's see...

1. GoldenSun:TLA; Out of the incredibly massive amount of RPG's I've played, this is still the best.

2. Magical Starsign: It's a pretty good RPG, not too long or too short, good battle system, etc. Not a huge selectiong of spells or attacking moves or anything like that though.

3. Ledgend of Zelda: WW; Not quite sure if it counts, but it was still fun, and it's the Zelda game that got me interested in the series.

4.Fire Emblem: PoR; Again, not quite sure if it counts as an RPG, but it's still fun to play. On my 2nd run through on two seperate files, one with standard stat increase, and another with random stats.

5. FF:III; Got this for my DS. It's a long game by my standards, and it's also the first (and only) FF game I've ever played. I'd like to play others, but I don't have a PS2.

6. Pokemon Ruby: It was the second game in the series that I've owned, and it was my favorute. I've since lost pretty much all of my interest in the series, but it was fun when it was still new to me.

I'll add more when I remember them.

[Golden Legacy]

I honestly can't believe no one's mentioned Chrono Trigger for the SNES. Fantastic RPG, gameplay that remains timeless to this day.

I'll post up my list later, but Chrono Trigger would be up there along with Golden Sun, Fire Emblem, and Pokemon games (as well as FFVII, of course).


EDIT: Forgot Tales of Symphonia as well. And Kingdom Hearts (not that I own a PS2, but it would be up there! :P)

EDIT2: laharl already mentioned Chrono Trigger, never mind.

[Caael]

10. Warcraft 3: The frozen throne
Although not really an RPG, that's why it's so low, but it's actually one of my all time favourite games. It's on the RPG list because you level up uyour heroes and the campaign is very RPG-ish. Love it, loved every second of it all.

9. Skies of Arcadia
A very underrated game which deserves a lot more credit than it gets. An enjoyable experience.

8. Lunar Knights
Another action adventure, but this time of the isometric kind. I. Love. This. Game. The upgrading weapons system, the climate system, the light and dark system, this would be the perfect game if it wasn't really short.

7. Custom Robo Arena
Nuff said

6. Magical Starsign
Despite having a glitch game, it was still enjoyable. A good, light-hearted adventure.

5. The Legend of Zelda series
OoT was the first console video game I ever played and I wouldn't have had it any other way. They're all genius games, if not a little stale by now, but PH changed that

4. Golden Sun 1&2
One of the first RPG's I played, and one of the best. Random battles are annoying, and the battle system does get repetetive, but with all the classes and djinni's you can always make them interesting

3. Eternal Sonata
Very unique battle system makes this game shine, with many things games have never tried before, such as the whole game being based around music.

2. Castlevania series
Best action RPG system ever. Levelling up while still involving and killing zombies and awesomeness.
1. Tales of Symphonia.
Simply put, one of the best, most depthful, most charismatic game I have ever played.

[Wild Fox]

As with Dude of Wind, I haven't played 10 RPGs either, but I'll do my best...

1. Kingdom Hearts II: Words cannot describe my love for this game.

2. Golden Sun 1&2: As stated, we all know why this is an amazing game. :P

3. Final Fantasy X: Great graphics and amazing plot. Did I mention how good the graphics are?

4. Final Fantasy IX: I feel like this one gets overlooked. Probably because it was wedged between VIII and X, which were both incredibly popular. Poor IX has middle-child syndrome. I just like the plot and characters.

5. Pokemon: Nostalgia points as well. This game was my best friend in middle school since I was anti-social and played with it during recess and lunch. Out of all the games, I liked the G/S/C series. They added new pokemon while still keeping true with the original line of the first games. R/S/E and P/D went a little crazy with the new ones in my opinion.

6. Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town: Hey, by my standards it's an RPG. And it's awesome.

7. PEASANT QUEST. If you haven't played it yet and are up for a good laugh, I suggest you go and play it. Throwing babies has never been so much fun.

And that's all I have. Pathetic, I know.

[Tasuki]

10. Lost Magic:
The only good thing about it is drawing spells.

9: Luminous Arc:
It's just a Final Fantasy Tactics clone, but the game play is to slow paced. You talk more then you fight, and sometimes, when you're in range for an attach, your stylist still can't click it.

6: Lunar Knights:
I loved the 3-D shooter battles, upgrading weapons system, and anime-style cut scenes.Should be longer.

5. Kingdom Hearts:
I love this game.

4. Custom Robo Arena:
There nothing bad to say about it.

3. Yggdra Union:
I love the art,but the battle system kind of confusing.

2. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance:
Best SRPG I ever played.

1. Golden Sun:
Best RPG I ever played.

[FlamingDuck]

I haven't had a chance to play some older games like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana, but I want to.

10. Sword of Mana - I recall thinking during the gameplay that it wasn't all that special, but looking back, it seemed pretty great. I dunno. I'll have to replay it sometime.
9. Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga - Cruelly funny. 'Nuff Said
8. Final Fantasy I - A classic. It had a truly awful storyline and a great battle system, so it triumphed over FF II with it's great story but truly awful battle system.
7. Contact - I could totally see where the developer wanted this game to go, but it just fell short. Even if it was not up to my expectations, it was fun, innovative, and touched me. I hear there's a sequel, so I hope Grasshopper can pull it off this time.
6. Tales of Phantasia - This game provides a ridiculous amount of playtime, even if some of it drags. It had a great battle system that made me feel truly awesome when I pulled off and amazing comb to decimate my enemy. I know it was a SNES game, but the Ai was just a little crappy, and the random encounters were a little too much sometimes.
5. Golden Sun - Not as good as the second one, but one of my definitive handheld moments, when I realized how great games could be.
4. Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones - I hear this is the least good of the FE games in the US, but it's the only noe I own and it is really enjoyable. I bought the first one used, but the battery was dead and I couldn't save...:(
3. Lunar Knights - Probably the best game I own on the DS, and one of my favorties games. It's a little short, but it more than makes up for it in quality.
1. Golden Sun: The Lost Age/Pokemon Gold - Two of the absolute best games ever. I spent hours and hours with Pokemon Gold...It is by far the best Pokemon. No contest. As for TLA, it was a wonderful experience, and truly an awesome game.

[Caael]

I really do love Lunar Knights. It's such an awesome game, and so much can be done in it's short life span.

[Fury]

1. Tales of the Abyss--IMO has better battles than TOS. Running around the battlefield was fun. Its got a good story with a very controversal plot(I won't spoil it for anyone). The characters are good though I like TOS's cast better.

2. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness--Laharl explained it pretty well. I absoultely love this game and can't wait to play the second.

3. Fire Emblem: PoR--I love these games too. I've been playing them since FE7 and have played each one several times(except RD). I'm currently on my fifth playthrough.

4. Golden Sun1&2--Best game for GBA and one of my favorites. The thing I like best is most likely the sound/music and the graphics. But just about every part of this game is perfect.

5. Kingdom Hearts series--Part 2 was just one of the best games for PS2. CoM was alrite, I suppose.

6. Final Fantasy X--Best FF I ever played. The sphere grid is one of the things I like about the game although almost every aspect of it is really good.

7. Final Fantasy 12--Not as good as X IMO but I still like it. It can be a very long game and I like the battles.

8. Tales of Symphonia--First 'Tales of--'' game I played and I love them all. I really like the graphics and characters, espically Zelos.

9. Tales of Legendia--Not as good as TOTA or TOS but I still liked it. Probaly the worst cast of them all(but not bad). I just liked TOS and TOTA cast more. The story itself is a bit cliched but regardless I still like the game. The character quests have a better story than the main quest but its a shame that that part dosen't have any voice acting.

10. Tales of Phantasia--The story is very good involving time travel and many references and names from Norse mythology. The cast is great and I really like Claus. Only problem is that the battles aren't really fit for a GBA. There just seems that there aren't enough buttons on the GBA for all the stuff the game has you do. It would be more fit as a console game than something for handheld. The only thing I don't like is there is no pre-game grade shop. In all other tales games I played, there was a grade shop you could visit after beating the game. Its basically a new game+ only you have to buy the things that carry over instead of just getting them. This game dosen't have it which is why I like the other tales games more than this one.

I could list more(much more) but I may add those later.