JRPGs With The Best Stories

[Forsaken Lover]

So I think I did this on here a while ago. I did it on practically every board I post on actually.

Common Responses:
Tales of Symphonia
Persona 3 and 4 (among the plebs)
Persona 2
Xenogears (the rightest of answers)
Chrono Trigger

And...that's about it as far as I can remember. There were definitely other mentions but those were probably the most talked about. Especially P3 and 4.

Anyway....what you all say?

[Vyk]

Symphonia never really did it for me. I guess the Tales games were just not for me. I've tried almost all of them. But the only one I've ever beaten was Xillia. And by god do I love that game now. Cannot wait for the next one. Though most fans consider it a bastardization of the brand. I super enjoyed the frenetic fighting battle engine. And the characters, though I wanted to hit them over the head sometimes, seemed like real people with real motives, who made real choices, and real mistakes. For the most part anyway. As well as a JRPG can be at that sort of thing. There was a much better ratio between drama and melodrama this time. So even though it's super new, I'm gonna throw that out there

And having recently restarted going through Xenoblade Chronicles (the girlfriend is tolerating it more this time), I'm reminded of just how intense the opening sequences are to either make or break your devotion to get involved in the game. I always though Xenogears had a fantastic and tragic opening that pulled me in and wouldn't let go. And the pacing and story and characters and music all came together to make it a fantastic addiction. And I think Xenoblade goes a long way to recapture that. It doesn't feel QUITE as dark and mature, I think mostly because the music and characters are a tad more tame, but the plot tends to be just as engaging

Other than the default answers (most of which you've mentioned), I can't think of too many more that have just as stellar storytelling. Maybe Fire Emblem: Awakening? Funny that all the games that come to mind are within the last couple years, when any other time I'd be parroting the defaults of FFVI/VII and Xenogears and stuff. But Awakening was extremely engaging. It probably helped that you could create your own avatar/persona character to be right there next to everyone, risking everything with them, and probably falling in love with characters, or at the very least building strong relationships with them. The writing and voice acting went a long way in that game. The cut-scenes were so well done, you typically just want to keep fighting more and more to see what happens next, or to resolve what just happened in the previous scene. Another well adapted video game addiction

[black orb]

>>> Xenogears maybe.. Sadly I dont remember any of it because play that game was nightmare, and I did not beat it for the same reason..

If Xenogears was an anime, manga or even a book I think I would have liked it more..:luca:

[Fynn]

I'm gonna throw in some Tactics Ogre and FFTactics here. Generally, any Matsuno title. Haven't played Vagrant Story, but I heard that one was great too.

[Wolf Kanno]

>>> Xenogears maybe.. Sadly I dont remember any of it because play that game was nightmare, and I did not beat it for the same reason..

If Xenogears was an anime, manga or even a book I think I would have liked it more..:luca:

http://www.xgam.org/xenogears/novelization/

[black orb]

>>> Xenogears maybe.. Sadly I dont remember any of it because play that game was nightmare, and I did not beat it for the same reason..

If Xenogears was an anime, manga or even a book I think I would have liked it more..:luca:

http://www.xgam.org/xenogears/novelization/
>>> Thanks, I dont like to read much but I will give it a try anyways.. I still would have liked an anime :eep:..:luca:

[Skyblade]

It depends on how you define "best story". Is it complexity and depth? Honest simplicity? Well crafted plot twists? Convoluted power struggles?

There are tons of different types of stories, and I enjoy many of them for many different reasons.

I love Lyndis's story in Fire Emblem, because I think it's incredibly well crafted, and has some little things that people usually miss. Such as the implication that Lundgren ordered the slaughter of the Lorca.

I enjoy the plot of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance because I think it's incredibly well written, exploring some incredibly deep points with a fairly simple setup.

I adore the plot of Golden Sun, because it is a perfect travel story. As with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it's a simple main plot that shines because of the numerous sub plots within it.

I relish the plot of Persona 3 for being one of the best themed works of fiction I've ever seen. It explores the psychology of how one copes with death so well, from so many different angles, all punctuated by its fantastic cast.

I delight in the plot of Bravely Default for the subversions it brings to the genre, for the simplicity of the setup, and for having one of the greatest endings to any game I've ever played (it's in the top three, it's tricky to break those down though).

I appreciate the plot of Megaman Battle Network 3 for the fantastic job it does in developing depth and maturity as the plot progresses.

I could go on, but I'm running out of verbs to use to describe how much I like the plots of these games. I like the plots of most of the RPGs I play. Which has "the best"? It depends on my mood, and what I'm looking for in a plot on that day.

[Christmas]

I kinda like the Legend of Legaia story

[Quindiana Jones]

My shameful secret is that I'm pretty sure I haven't played any JRPGs outside of Final Fantasy.

[Christmas]

OMG, GO DIE

[Quindiana Jones]

:(

I JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME.

[Christmas]

CUT DOWN ON THE WANKING!

[Shadowdust]

I like stories that make me feel something.

Xenogears still fascinates me all these years later so it's always going to be my answer. It's convoluted with pacing issues but it really struck home. The first time I played it, I didn't even get it completely by the end but it just made me want to play it again and again to fully understand it fully.

The Xenoblade trilogy (no offense, X ) draws a lot from Xenogears spirit. I think where Xenoblade one ups Xenogears is probably dialogue and getting you extremely emotionally invested in its characters. The music is near perfection and incredibly appropriate to scenes and areas. The stories are definitely more simplistic and less convoluted but they are still just top notch.

Other than games with the word "xeno" in them, I would definitely put Nier: Replicant and obviously Automata up there too. Replicant can be painful to get the full story out of but it's worth the repetitive torture. It's nice to have a story where you question who is the real protagonist and villain. It doesn't feel obvious by the end. Automata just breaks your heart, over and over again. The game spends the whole time sending you deeper into despair only giving you a sliver of hope to hold onto.

[Vincent, Thunder God]

see above

[cheesesteak]

I delight in the plot of Bravely Default for the subversions it brings to the genre, for the simplicity of the setup, and for having one of the greatest endings to any game I've ever played (it's in the top three, it's tricky to break those down though).

I appreciate the plot of Megaman Battle Network 3 for the fantastic job it does in developing depth and maturity as the plot progresses.

This really makes me more motivated to finish Bravely Default and finally get around to the MMBN series.

Anyway, for me...? I'll first preface saying I've never played the Persona series, nor SMT3...nor a lot of JRPG franchises lol. But here's a couple separate lists for me:

JRPGs I actually finished with stories I find to be great
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy Tactics
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Cross
I am Setsuna
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon

JRPGs I have not finished, but so far has good, even amazing, stories
Xenogears
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Radiant Historia
Lunar: Silver Star Story
Rise of the Third Power

Yes, I'm aware of Cross's story flaws. I still think the general plot and various substories and characterizations are really good.

Side note, while FF12 is one of my favorite FFs, I think its story is fairly "by the books". Great dialog writing, though. Perhaps the best in the series? Also FF6 has a great story, but for some reason it just never really resonated with me. I acknowledge how good it is, but just for me, just doesn't resonate. Maybe I need to play it again.

edit:
oh and I'd include both recent Nier games, but I don't consider them JRPGs, by traditional definition of the genre.