I've actually been thinking about adding that to my collection. I should go do that.Originally Posted by Jowy
I've actually been thinking about adding that to my collection. I should go do that.
Sorry. I forgot to include Link's Awakening.
To put it to rest here and now, Majora's Mask = Greatest Zelda of all time.
On topic...
1) Persona 4: Amazing story and character developement. Beautiful artwork.
2) Odin Sphere: Not really an RPG, but everyone who wants to do an end of the world plot should play this. No game I feel has done a better job at setting up the atmosphere to make you actually feel like trout is going wrong.
3) Breath of Fire 2: This game is classic turn based RPG's perfected. Not as good as Chrono Trigger or FF VI mind you, but this is a list for inspiration.
4) Xenosaga Trilogy: While I do enjoy 2, really that's only included to show a game maker how to not smurf up a sequal by not following it's example.
The big thing to take from this would be Episode 3. If you have a game with unique characters, it's goofy as smurf to make them all fully customizable. (FF V did alright with it under it's circumstances, and Devil Survivor handled it amazingly but then you have games like FF VII which made your character differences almost irrelevent outside of Limit Breaks). Episode 3 is a great basis for being able to delevope your characters down multiple paths, all of which make sense to the character.
5.) Devil Survivor 1 + 2: I'm done writing, play them yourselves to find out.
1) Fallout Trilogy (1, 2 and New Vegas) for the writing of plots and quests, and the implementation of choices and consequences.
2) Final Fantasy X for world art direction and blitzball and Wakka.
3) Suikoden II for cast of characters and music, as well as overarching plot.
4) Mass Effect for waifus.
5) Titan Quest/Torchlight for loot.
Honorable mention: Skies of Arcadia for airships, and FFXI for actually making you ride on vehicles when you travel rather than just teleporting you to wherever you're going.
1. Shining Force II: Accessibility, polish, charm - Shining Force I and II do not represent the sense of complexity and challenge that the SRPG genre usually invokes. Other than the four items characters bring with them into battle and the personal choice of when/if to promote their classes, the player doesn't have to make decisions about the progression of her characters. What made the game really shine was the way they used the Genesis system to its strengths. They used charming sprites when it was feasible, but talking character portraits and beautiful character illustrations during the battle scenes when possible. The soundtrack is one of my favorite Genesis compositions, creating mesmerizing songs and battle themes. Artistically, it's one of the most well-rounded games I've played and the combat is not advanced enough to drive away curious casual players. For these reasons I think it's one of the most perfectly packaged games I've ever played.
2. Final Fantasy VII: pacing - I think Final Fantasy VII is the best paced RPG I've ever played. It goes beyond what JRPGs were at the time and is essentially a collection of mini-games and story sequences. Sometimes you would run from cover to cover at just the right time to avoid detection. In another scene, you'd pilot a submarine with missiles. The battles were fare more fluid and fast paced than their PlayStation counterparts and the game rarely spent too long with text boxes. Things were constantly going on around you in the environments - soldiers fighting and falling from the plate pillar in Sector 7, or helicopters flying in the Rufus fight. This combination of intense scenes, varying gameplay in mini-games, action-packed turn-based combat, imaginative cutscenes and unique characters made it a joy to play through, whereas too many games get bogged down today in any one of these factors, especially due to a lack in the variety of gameplay.
3. Tactics Ogre: scope and scale - I previously would've put Tactics Ogre here, but I prefer its predecessor better. When it comes to games that have casts of hundreds of characters, with a story whose implications span thousands of years, and subject matter that delves into the mature and sometimes dark, few people do it better than Matsuno and crew, especially with the art, music, and customizable gameplay
4. Valkyria Chronicles II: cast development and progression - I really love the first, but the second hit me hard with how they developed so many side characters. These people come from varying backgrounds and viewpoints and I love how the game gives you the opportunity to interact with each of them to find out what makes them tick and then gives each one a character arc, a resolution to a conflict or an advancement of their goals. I love how side missions with unique contexts and challenges are consistently used to help with this. It's a very large cast of characters and when you see all of them working together or putting differences aside throughout the story, it makes for really emotional storytelling that is always different depending on the player.
5. Dragon Quest V: classic RPG gameplay - most any game in the DQ series would do, but I think the factor that has made Dragon Quest such an enduring success in Japan is how they grasp what makes the JRPG formula good, better than any of the developers that have emulated it. I think the way the combat is relatively simple and starts off so is what makes the game friendly for everyone. Then, you get just enough new abilities and the enemies get difficult at just the right rate to make it the best scaled games. It gets more difficult and more complex just as it should, whereas so many RPGs have horrible difficulty spikes or the player can take advantage of the system far earlier than they should with respect to the enemies they're facing. The dungeons are also novel with each one having a unique twist with either the setting, the traps, and the puzzles always require just enough ingenuity to have that "a-ha!" moment. I love how Dragon Quest takes just enough of these ingredients to make such a delicious meal.
So those are the five games and their elements I would take to making a modern, greatest RPG of all time.
Final Fantasy VII because nitpicking over its translation doesn't overshadow the high quality found in the games art direction, music, story and overall tone. And as Bolivar said, the games pacing is perfect (a trait found in most Final Fantasy games) in that you are never meandering around doing pointless tasks that bore you. You are consistently being surprised by new story sequences and locales throughout the game. If nothing else FFVII best displayed Squaresofts rich imagination during the mid to late 90's. Despite influencing many JRPG's few managed to be as memorable as FFVII.
Honourable mentions go out to FFIX, Phantasy Star II and IV, Dark Chronicle and Persona 4. I'm just highlighting the more traditional RPG's. If I'm including RPG hybrids then the original Deus Ex is about as good as any game can get.
Last edited by Dreddz; 08-09-2012 at 04:54 PM.
ff6
The best game I've ever played was Final Fantasy VIII. The only RPG worth mentioning after that is another FF, X.
Did you design this answer specifically to make Wolf Kanno cry?
I'd say don't forget me, but at this point the only emotion I can conjure up is pity.Did you design this answer specifically to make Wolf Kanno cry?
1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Xenogears
2t. Final Fantasy Tactics
FFT and Xenogears are both amazing. I think Xenogears is better, but there's something keeping me from demoting Tactics to 3.
No time for "Dilly-Dallying" or "Shilly-Shallying."
Props go to the one and only, Proxy, for the signature.
I'm amused by the amount of people who simply read the title and didn't bother reading the first post and then posted. You have amused me to no end.
Seriously people, you should try to have a conversation here and explain your answer instead of just listing your favorite games.
True beauty exists in things that last only for a moment.
Current Mood: And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe. Maybe this year will be better than the last. I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass...
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is my favorite RPG, and probably my favorite game of all time. It's quirky, fun, lighthearted, generally enjoyable, and is honestly just perfect in every way to me. That game oozed fun.
Honorable mentions will be FFIX, FFVI, FFVII, and FFVIII. Otherwise, maybe Xenosaga/Xenogears or something.
EDIT: To go more in depth, I'll say that nostalgia plays a big part in SMRPG being my favorite RPG. That said, I've played it many times over (including recently), and rose-colored glasses aren't blinding my vision. The game is great, and doesn't feel like it has aged horribly (to me). Then again, I can't think of many examples of games that haven't aged well, so maybe I'm just strange.
I'm a lover of Nintendo and I'm a lover of SquareSoft, so generally, them coming together was just about the 'best thing ever' for me. The atmosphere in the game was a load of fun, the battle system was accessible but rewarding, and Geno and Mallow were two very great and surprisingly fleshed out characters. Heck, Peach and Bowser got some well needed development, and we were able to get a receive a great balance between traditional Mario staples and new characters (Thwomps to Birdo to Toads to Shy Guys to characters like Valentina, Booster, Bowyer, Johnny, etc). All of the NPCs were insanely memorable, and just to stress that point, I'll rattle some more off the top of my head. Croco, Toadofsky, Mack, The Chancellor, Frogfucious, Dyna and Mite, Boshi, Garro, Gaz, Belome, Chef Torte, Jinx. That's better.
As well, the locations that you visited in the game were really great. I've made this point before, but going 'full circle', back to Bowser's Castle was really, really cool. Places like Nimbus Land, Marrymore, Rose Town, Moleville, and Monstro Town are just so full of life, and the simplistic story can surprisingly get just about anyone hooked. Little developments throughout the story like Bowser's diminishing control and Mallow's subplot with his parents are all very, very great, and I just can't stress how fun this game was.
3. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn: Make It Epic
This game followed my first two points, but the game really succeeded in feeling grand and epic in scale, more than any RPG. In this game, you are the offspring of a god, and you really do feel like godlike stakes are present. The game is huge and the amount of scale you feel with every incredible battle, huge dungeon, and jaw-dropping plot twist has never been matched. Fighting the villains of the game is truly surreal as you truly feel like you are battling something truly dastardly. I remember killing my first dragon, facing my demons, and literally going to hell. This game just feels epic and that you really are on a grand and fantastic quest.
What really made the game feel epic was the atmosphere. The score was excellent, the writing was excellently poignant, and the whole look and feel of everything was hauntingly dark sometimes, but always an epic ride through some of the greatest moments in gaming history. This is truly one of the most involving, deep, and emotionally satisfying games I've ever played and it's a crime that Bioware has been known for comparatively weak titles instead of this masterpiece.
I read it but I feel that I haven't played enough RPGs to participate. So I did as best as I could under the circumstances.I'm amused by the amount of people who simply read the title and didn't bother reading the first post and then posted. You have amused me to no end.
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