What are the best PS3 RPGs?

[Tarshish]

Sooo, I am not up on games to play. I haven't had a lot of time to play RPGs and tthat's a shame really. I played a lot of games in high school and college. I loved Final Fantasy (thus how I found this site), Chrono Trigger/Chross, Xenogears, Grandia etc. Well I want to play an rpg for the PS3. I've been looking at FFXIII, but it all the reviews seem to say "oh! it's too linear." and so forth. My brother recommended Elder Scrolls, and I just didn't like it. I guess I want a turn based more Japanese style RPG. I've been playing the old games on PSN (VII, IX), but I think eventually I need to stop playing games that are 10-15 years old. lol Is XIII good? Are there other RPGs which are top notch that I should check out? I just wanted to put that thing in there. Sorry... It kept staring at me.

[Mirage]

There really aren't any super good japanese-style RPGs for the PS3. There are a few all right ones though, I guess. Maybe. Actually now that I have to think about it, I can't really come up with any suggestions.

Valkyria Chronicles, maybe, if you like SRPGs. Or Disgaea 3.

[Rocket Edge]

To my knowledge there is no turn based RPG's out there at the moment (aside from FFXIII & Valkyria Chronicles), but I'm more than likely wrong. I too didn't find Elder Scrolls to my liking. The gameplay was boring as hell.

FFXIII is apples & oranges to everyone. I personally hated the game. I literally could not bring myself past the 7th chapter for fear I would fall asleep out of boredom. Believe me when I say however, the game really is THAT linear, & you have no say In anything throughout the course of the game (in fact it isn't an RPG).

Give Dragon Age 1 & 2 a go. They are solid RPG's, & both are for PS3. It isn't turn based, but the gameplay & storyline is immersive, and you have total control over how the ending will turn out. I'm sure there are more, but I just don't know about them.

[Jiro]

Enchanted Arms is close, I suppose. It's an alright game. You also have Eternal Sonata, which is a pretty sweet game. If you liked FF12 then White Knight Chronicles could be for you. Get the second one; it has the entire first game as well.

And now for something completely different - Resonance of Fate. It's interesting, and atypical, and so you might want to look it up if you're not familiar.

[Mirage]

Oh i forgot resonance of fate. it is a game that I liked a lot. It is japanese, and it is a RPG, but it doesn't really play like typical jrpgs.

[Vincent, Thunder God]

This may not be what you're looking for, but on the PSN there's a charming downloadable game called Costume Quest with turn-based battles based around a number of Halloween costumes that you can use for different attacks and powers. You can also equip badges which boost your stats and stuff. If you like it, there's some DLC called Grubbins on Ice which extends the gameplay.

[Tarshish]

So it looks fairly bleak. What happened in the last ten years? Are these types of games just not popular anymore? It seems like most RPGs are just knockoffs of WoW (which I just don't understand. I found it tedious and not fun). If I expand my scope what are the best JRPGS of the last ten years (including PS2)?

[Mirage]

They are not as popular, and the ones that have been made aren't as good as they could have been. I do not understand what you mean by "knockoff of WoW" though, at least not for offline RPGs. And there are plenty of good japanese RPGs around made in the 10 last years, just not for PS3.

As much as I hate the term "JRPG", I guess you could check out Persona 3 and 4, Radiata Stories, Valkyrie Profile 2.

[Wolf Kanno]

If you don't mind old-school arcade difficulty, I would suggest Demon's Souls which is an action RPG but with a pretty creapy narrative and nasty difficulty. It is probably the only PS3 JRPG I love, though it really doesn't feel like a JRPG to me. Valkyria Chronicles is a good SRPG hindered by a terrible plot, and drowning in anti-war cliches. I could never get into White Knight Chronicles, outside of the combo system, the battle system is really boring, even the White Knight is pretty boring to use. It's only a shame cause I just got through playing Level 5's DQVIII collaboration and that game was way more fun and involving. Disgaea 3 and 4 are pretty awesome, though I like Disgaea 4's plot and cast much better.

If you are looking for old school JRPGs for the PS3, you are pretty much out of luck. Eternal Sonata and Enchanted Arms are your best bet and their kind of meh. FFXIII is a terrible game, I seriously can't recommend it. It really is the most awful game I've played in years. Honestly... just go on the PSN store and just purchase some of the old school PS1 games or pick up the now discounted PS2 RPGs from Gamestop or something.

[Bolivar]

The general sentiment is that Valkyria Chronicles and Demon's Souls are the best RPGs on the PS3. The former revolutionized the SRPG and the latter is a really awesome, really creepy, action RPG with a very old school vibe to it. As Wolf stated, the story in Valkyria Chronicles is kind of slow in the beginning, but the gameplay is absolutely excellent and the narrative does suck you in eventually.

Of course, you could never go wrong with Disgaea games. It seems like you know what you're paying for, and from what I've heard they've been just as great as the older ones.

White Knight Chronicles is one of the most classic RPGs you could find on the system. You explore towns, talk to people, buy stuff from shops, pick up side quests, explore environments, and fight baddies. The plot is very typical JRPG stuff, but it never really pushes the envelop or make you think it's a great story. Also, the fighting/exploring can drag on a bit long towards the end of the game. The customization is excellent, though, so the combat can be a lot of fun when paced properly. One of the big draws is the online multiplayer, which lets you take your custom character online, meet other players in their custom-built towns and do side quests with them (or a friend). I had an awesome time playing some of them. The only problem is there's only a few starting out, you're not really high enough level for the bulk of them until the end of the game and by that point you might be tired of the combat. But the ability to make your own town (called Georama) makes it pretty addicting. It's easy to make the basic stuff, but to really expand it and make it a really cool place, you have to get out there and forage for the slightly more uncommon items from resources and enemies. It's actually really cool and gets you charged to get out there and play. So White Knight Chronicles is a mixed bag, but for any fan of traditional RPGs who has a PS3, I would say it's a must have.

This may not be what you want to hear, but the PlayStation Store available through PSN on PSP/PS3 is growing to be a very nice resource for RPGs. I've beaten Final Fantasy VII and Xenogears, and have files on FFVIII and FFTactics as well, which each are only $9.99. I also want to check out Arc the Lad, a really cool PSOne SRPG series, which are only about $5-10. I know they're PSOne classics, and from what you've said you probably own a lot of these games already, but it's a really awesome resource for what you've missed. Whoever works at Sony/Square Enix for putting content up there must be a huge RPG nerd because there's a lot of awesome stuff from Square up there.

Lastly, I haven't talked about FFXIII and I really won't say much about it. If you're a FF fan, you have to play it, and hell, you might actually like it. A lot of us on here did, as did I. But I would go with some of the other games first because they're actually really good.

[Kenshin IV]

If you're looking exclusively for a JRPG on the PS3, the best on the system -- as well as on the current generation -- is Valkyira Chronicles. I don't believe Tales of Vesperia (terrific game) came out over here on the PS3, but Tales of Graces F will be, and eventually Tales of Xillia will be as well. I've heard great things about the former, and I'm sure the latter will be at least worth checking out. And, while it's certainly not a RPG, Catherine is a very solid game with a fantastic story. It's also made by the Persona crew.

My other suggestion would be to broaden your tastes a bit, as there are some fantastic western RPGs out there as well. Mass Effect 2 is one of the best games of the current gen, and if you're into the whole medieval thing, and not much for the futuristic setting, the first Dragon Age is really good, too (just stay away from Dragon Age II -- far, far away). Also, The Elder Scrolls games and Fallout 3 are pretty addicting (though extremely time consuming).

EDIT: Oh, I completely forgot. Despite the goofy name, Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are terrific JRPGs... However, the catch is that both games play like western RPGs and are two of the hardest games in the post-2D era. So I'd say rent first before you commit to those.

[Tarshish]

Thanks for all the ideas! I have about a two week window from graduation until I have to start (really) studying for the bar exam. I feel I'm going to need some serious me time, and these along with Skyward Sword should do exactly the trick. I'm also looking into PS1 and PS2 rpgs that I didn't play. There are quite a few. I could always go back and play Chrono Cross again. I don't think I've played that since it came out. Once again, thanks guys.

[Loony BoB]

If you can get a cheap copy of FFXIII then it's worth a shot. Many people out there don't like it but then again, there are a lot - myself included - that really enjoyed the game. You never know, you could be one of those that enjoys it, too, and you shouldn't let other people tell you that you won't. It's definitely one of the "bigger" JRPGs on the PS3, and a quick check on eBay says that you can get it pretty cheap right now. If you don't enjoy it, so be it, but hey, you never know until you try. I think it might come down to how seriously you take your video games... most of the people I know that really didn't like it seem to take their video games very seriously. I game a hell of a lot, but I'm also very laid back about it, so I can find enjoyment in things a little easier than most, maybe.

Of the other games on the PS3, I've not really come across anything "must have", but I will echo the mentions of PSN having some quality stuff on it.

[VeloZer0]

Seeing everyone recommend PSN PS1 titles as the PS3's best RPGs is starting to get a little depressing...

[ljkkjlcm9]

Seeing everyone recommend PSN PS1 titles as the PS3's best RPGs is starting to get a little depressing...

It would be... if 360 or Wii had much to choose from either. There are only a handful on each system.
JRPG's are really a dying breed on home consoles. Portables are the way to go for them these days.

THE JACKEL