I see you didn't include your list here. lol. That's a pretty tough question to answer, it's hard to pick just 5 and equally hard to rank them but I'll have a shot at it.
#1 ~ Chrono Trigger: It's the ultimate RPG, it has everything going right for it. To break it down, the story is endearing as are the characters, it's not overly complex and it's hard pressed to not become attached to the party. The art direction is amazing, the world is vivid and beautiful when paired with the score this creates incredible atmosphere like no other RPG. There is a certain sense of freedom to approach the game different ways, paired with the many outcomes depending on how you proceed. The scenerios are expertly planned and so enjoyable and most importantly it's just fun, I could never tire of Chrono Trigger.
#2 ~ Xenogears: It's the thinking mans RPG, full of allusion and religious allegory. The narrative is complex and the concepts presented about the world provoke thought in the player. The characters are all very well crafted (outside of perhaps a few overly Japanese additions.. chu chu…). The combat and developmental systems are pretty basic, but it's got enough depth there not hold it down to much. Xenogears just really shines with it's story, the game clearly could have been better polished, had more gameplay, but even without that it doesn't hold it back in my mind, it's an extremely rewarding experience.
#3 ~ Final Fantasy VIII: While I will admit and standby the fact that Final Fantasy VI is the end all be all best of the Final Fantasy series I've always heald Final Fantasy VIII in very high regard as my personal favorite. I feel the story is much stronger than people credit it to be, there is a lot going on under the surface. However, the place where FFVIII shines most is in it's amazing atmosphere and with the Junction System which I feel is by far the best developmental system in any FF. It puts the control of developing characters stands directly in the hand of the player to do as he can and sees fit to do. Also it has the best mini-game of any FF. #4 ~ Dragon Quest VIII: Prior to playing DQ8 the only DQ that I had managed to get my hands on and play was DQ7 on the PS1. Not to say that DQ7 is bad, as it is not, but it looks and plays dated and at the time when I was exposed to it I was not impressed (I've come to enjoy it more now). So that being said I didn't know what to expect from DQ8, boy was I blown away. The world is crafted so well I would just find myself off exploring looking for monsters and hidden treasure. The voice acting has so much charm and character and the artwork is just great. The only thing holding DQ8 back was it's bland story which was pretty much as average as they come.
#5 ~ Fallout 3: I wasn't sure if I was going to put a WRPG, or even a non-Square RPG on this list but I decided that Fallout 3 made the cut. I had been exposed to Fallout before, having played some of Fallout 2 but not enough to really get into it. Fallout 3 was a pretty awesome experience, the story doesn't offer a whole lot to the game and because of the nature of Fallout can easily be ignored. Atmosphere is king again here, and most importantly that feeling of exploration, that's what this game really is all about, setting out on the road and just seeing where it takes you.
A few games that just missed the cut: Grandia, Star Ocean 2, Terranigma, Ys I & II, and Secret of Mana.
11:10 am September 28, 2012
lydeck
Member
Almost Heaven
posts 90
3
#1. Final Fantasy 7 I know that there's a really popular opinion nowadays that FF7 is “overrated”, but to me how can anyone actually say that? There's a variety of things that makes FF7 so near and dear to everyone's heart, and it doesn't have all to do with the gameplay and all of that. For me, there's nothing better than FF7 because I have a nearly limitless amount of good memories associated with the game. This was the first RPG I'd ever played in my life, and it introduced me to a new way of playing videogames: for an amazing story full of amazing characters. Up until this game I'd just played sports games or other mindless forms of entertainment, because I was an 8 year old kid. Then, it just so happened that my brother and I got a PS1 that Christmas and this game came with it. I digress, but really there's so much to like about this game. I could talk forever about how fantastic the music is, or how much I love all of the characters and the setting within the world, but it's everything you've heard before. From a gameplay standpoint, the materia system is still my all time favorite mechanic in any FF game. Essentially, I love everything about this game and there's nothing negative I can think to say about it.
Looking at how fondly I remember FF7, 8, 9, and 10 … it's really sad to see where Sqare-Enix is now.
#2. Star Ocean: The Second Story My brother and I got this game in the most random-as-fuck way possible: it was a Christmas gift from our grandparents, which was incredibly strange considering they're the typical clueless-to-gaming grandparents, even back then. I remember us getting this game and having no idea what it was about, and initially being turned off at the graphics after having “3D” in FF7 and 8, so we thought it'd be bad – boy were we wrong.
Much like FF7, I have a ton of good memories with this game and they all have to do with just how much the game itself blew me away. After this and FF7, the JRPG became my favorite genre because of it's ability to transport and immerse you in these magical and amazing worlds. The music in this game is fantastic, and some of the pieces from it are still tops on my lists of gaming music. Unlike other RPG's I'd played at the time, this one had a free combat system, so you could move around and what-not … I absolutely loved it and still do to this day (why won't FF impliment this!?). It was so much fun to fight things in this game because of how addicting the combat system could be, and with the amount of party members you could have it was just amazing.
This was also the first game I'd ever played that had to do with player choice. It might sound strange since it's a JRPG, but there were plenty of choices or things you could do to get different party members, and my brother and I have different “games” in the sense I had 2 party members he didn't have and vice versa. We eventually had a strategy guide that told us about everything, but it was still great.
There's also a ton of great systems, like cooking. For some reason this was so much fun to me, and I remember on the second half of the game you get this item that lets you find items as you walk, and I loved it because it was like getting a gold mine for free. The story is also fantastic and interesting as well, and it blends my favorite genres of fantasy and sci-fi together into one. I loved the characters in this game, and they were really interesting, and of course the dialogue was fantastic as well. It's a damn shame the following Star Ocean games couldn't be this good. #3. Mass Effect Trilogy For as much hate and vitriol as I have for the ending to the trilogy (and trust me, there is a LOT of it), I just can't forget how much of a masterpiece the rest of it was. I've said many times that the last hour to Mass Effect 3 completely ruined the entire series for me, and to an extent it did since I haven't played any of the games since I beat 3 back in March (For perspective, I did 3-4 playthroughts of ME1 and 2 before I quit playing them regularly). So, I think it stands as a testament to the excellent of the rest of the game that I'd include this so high on my list. If you're a Sci-Fi junkie like myself, and love RPGs, then this is pretty much the perfect videogame. The voice acting is superb, the characters are endearing and lovable outside of one or two (and you love hating them), and the story does a tremendous job of leading you through this epic journey that culminates in saving the entire galaxy (that is until the last hour, but — nvm). The combat is fun, the characters are great, superb voice acting, superb graphics and art direction/style, wonderfully crafted worlds, and an entire wonderfully crafted Universe, all tied together with a compelling story and player choice.
It's just unfortunate that the last hour IS THE WORST FUCKING THING I'VE EVER SEEN, PLAYED, OR HEARD OF IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. BIOWARE SHOULD BE TOTALLY ASHAMED OF THAT SHIT SANDWICH THEY SERVED EVERYONE.
#4. Tales of Vesperia I'd never played a Tales game until a friend convinced me to, and after playing this game I'm disappointed I'd never played the series before! I really enjoy the anime art style that the game has, and the world is absolutely beautiful. The combat is extremely fun ala Star Ocean, and the voice acting is superb. The game just reeks of charm, be it from the characters you control or the NPCs you come across through the game, or the locations you visit. It's one of those games where you feel taken away to this fantastic and wonderous new world, and I can't say enough good things about this game.
#5. Lost Odyssey Same as the above games for reasons that I love it. This actually has the best voice acting and facial animation I've ever seen in a game, and that includes any Western game. Not sure how Mistwalker did it, but bravo. The memories you unlock, which are short stories you read, are some of the most emotional writing I've ever read. They really did a superb job conveying the pain an “immortal” would go through in his many lifetimes watching family and friends die and they keep going on. Fantastic story, characters, music, etc. The only downside is that the mechanics kinda' feel dated, but it's really a shout back to the old school RPGs, and I can respect that.
I always have a really hard time picking between FFVII and FFVIII. I knew I had to put one of the two on my list, and I guess the general guess would be VII and I feel just as strongely about it as anyone, but there is just something about that Junction system that just seems to edge in favor of FFVIII for me.
Also, I've always really wanted to play Lost Odyssey, it looks to be more “Final Fantasy' than FFXI-FFXIII. One day when 360s are super cheap I'll pick one up for it.
Login
Register
Search 
Forums
Topic RSS 
