Top 20 JRPGs by Gamasutra
I'm glad that they included my favorite RPG, Final Fantasy IV, VI & VII.
No list of Japanese RPG greats is complete without that one.
Man, I hope Kurt gets paid by the word.
I liked his comments on FFXII, that game gets so much unwarranted criticism, and too little praise for its considerable strengths and innovations.
Any individual's list of 'the greatest/best/hottest/baddest/crummiest' of anything is always going to overlook things that others feel should be there, so I'm not too worried if the overall list doesn't coincide with my opinions :3
I pretty much lost interest in the article once I saw this.Originally Posted by Necronopticous
Did anyone else think they used Blanca's Pee attack for screen shot for Shadow Hearts 2? I seriously had to take a double take.
As usual for Gamasutra I don't agree 100% but it's a smarter, more insightful take than damn near any other game publication would have, and it's a hell of a lot better reasoned than any other list I've seen.
Of course I might just be giving it kudos because it rates Suikoden II only one place below it's deserved, and because it's not afraid to put Chrono Cross more than a few places above Trigger. Not sure about BoF: DQ being as high as it is, and I'd probably put Skies of Arcadia in its place. But these are nitpicks. As I said, this is a fair list with sound reasoning behind the choices.
Edit: Another reason I may be rating it higher than I should is that it doesn't have a hardon for FFIX.
Last edited by Madame Adequate; 03-20-2008 at 06:06 AM.
Though it looks to me like they are not placed in any particular order, I hate to say that I mostly agree with the list. Granted I never played a few of them but the fact that BoFragon Quarter, Shin Megami Tensei III, and Persona 3 are on the list astounds me cause all three are not very mainstreamed...
If I have a complaint, its that I don't really feel X or VIII should be counted seperate, hell even V and XII is pushing it for me. He should have just dropped a few of them and looped the others like he did to IV,VI, and VII. I also disagree with his views on CT being DQ with an FF makeover. But beyond that, I'm amazed I mostly agree.
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A surprisingly competent list (someone is actually giving Nocturne the credit it deserves? Madness). The only ones I really disagree with are FFVIII and FFX. FFVIII has a whole sleuth of problems that I think at the very least prevent it from being top 20 material and while FFX is a very good game in its own right, it brought a whole load of poor design choices to the genre that became unfortunately prevalent PS2 era. Best weapon customization system ever though.
I would have traded them out and put in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and either Tactics Ogre or FFT. Otherwise, while the rest of the games weren't necessarily ones I would have voted for (*cough*ChronoCross*cough*), I can understand the logic behind putting them there.
It was an interesting read, but I was kinda disappointed that FFIX wasn't on the list.
Gamasutra is an awesome site, and some very interesting articles. It was a good read. Other excellent RPGs that didn't make the list (SO2, Tales, Suikoden III) did get a mention somewhere or another.
FFIX didn't really excel at anything and wasn't particularly groundbreaking or unique in any way, nor was it supposed to, as it was a nostalgic collaboration of previous Final Fantasy titles. It was done in a fashion to accommodate its style in a three dimensional universe, as to combine the past and present of RPGs. Even for such a restricted gameplay device, it wasn't executed perfectly. So, there's no reason that a game like that should be on an Essential RPGs list.
Glaring omission: Vagrant Story.
Other than that, though, I found myself shockingly floored by the list. Being another person's opinion and all, it's no surprise that I would take out a few of their picks and shove in a few of my own, but I was absolutely shocked to see Panzer Dragoon Saga, Valkyrie Profile, EarthBound, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, and a nice helping of Shin Megami Tensei love on the list! I agree with much of what was there, and went in expecting most of my favorites to be ignored. It's a pleasant surprise that most of my favorites were being celebrated, then.
Currently playing: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Oh yes there is. It freakin rocks!Gamasutra is an awesome site, and some very interesting articles. It was a good read. Other excellent RPGs that didn't make the list (SO2, Tales, Suikoden III) did get a mention somewhere or another.
FFIX didn't really excel at anything and wasn't particularly groundbreaking or unique in any way, nor was it supposed to, as it was a nostalgic collaboration of previous Final Fantasy titles. It was done in a fashion to accommodate its style in a three dimensional universe, as to combine the past and present of RPGs. Even for such a restricted gameplay device, it wasn't executed perfectly. So, there's no reason that a game like that should be on an Essential RPGs list.
Best sound track ever, according to the man himself, Nobuo Uematsu. The best game ever, according to the creator of Final Fantasy, Sakaguchi. That alone is reason enough.
It streamlined everything perfectly and is the perfect example of a JRPG.
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Accurate appraisal of FFIX is accurate
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. Really spoilery, so I didn't read most of it, but what I did read was well-written.
