07-06-2015, 02:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-07-2015, 03:02 AM by RepentantSky.)
I've been watching a lot of top lists lately so I thought it would be fun if we all talked about genre's we like/our favorite genre in gaming and make a list of out them. The list can be detailed, or just the games themselves, whatever you prefer. Also, since these are going to be personal lists, you might not see some of the more popular games on some of them, so keep that in mind. If you have any kind of rules you want to set for your list, please do so before making it. I'm going to do a top 10 on RPG's, with the only rules being one game per franchise, the exception to that, counting an entire series if the story is interconnected enough and it has to be a game I've played, so some popular games in the genre that I didn't play will not be on here. So here we go, my top 10 RPG's.
10. Golden Sun. As handheld RPG's go, there is hardly any that can beat Golden Sun. A game that uses turn based battles, it's more action packed than a lot of other games that do the same, thanks to quick and flashy attacks, changing camera angles during attacks and having an art style that just inspires one to fight. The story is nothing to sneeze at either as it takes some of the most stereotypical cliches of the genre, and make hem fun again. It's a game worth looking into.
9. Fantasy Life. This game is put simply, one that mixes animal crossing and Harvest moon with a more stereotypical fantasy setting and let's you run wild with it. The story itself, while not the best ever is enjoyable, with likable characters throughout, but the gameplay sets it apart from other action RPG's, allowing you to take on multiple jobs, giving you a feeling of diversity that most other games with several jobs only allow you to have with multiple saves and characters. Fantasy Life lets you change your life whenever you want. With up to 12 jobs to play, and a maximum level cap of 200, not to mention the levels of everything else you do, which also can increase higher than most games, it's one you can spend a lot of time on, and it always gives you something to aim for.
8. Bravely Default. When I first started this game, the brave/default system kind of bored me but after finding different jobs and several different ways to use the system, I began to enjoy's it's depth. While it to doesn't have the greatest story of all time, having a 4 member party limit, and only 4 people to battle with, ended up in one of the tightest and most likable cast of characters one could ask for. With the looming doom of the world resting on the shoulders of some of the best characters in recent RPG history, it truly stands out as an excellent and intriguing game worth anyone's time.
7. Tales of Xillia. The tales series games have always been fun and unique, mixing gameplay elements of action RPG's in a more controlled turn-based arena, which makes for some great combat. It's style is fully realized with this game. Allowing for the typical combat style of the series, you not only can move between any character in the battle, with mixes up the gameplay, but you can also link with other characters which not only allows for more strategic fighting, but link artes as well, which have several variations adding even more depth to an already amazing system. Combat aside, the characters in Xillia are also some of the best in a long time. At a point in gaming where we were really in need of a reminder why RPG's can be so grand an experience, Xillia came and left a mark that is simply impossible to ignore, and even harder not to love.
6. Xenogears. Speaking of amazing combat systems, Xenogears has two of them. Like Golden Sun, it uses dramatic camera angles and it actually feels a lot like an action RPG when you are battling without Mecha's, making for an amazing experience when fighting in a regular party. It only gets better though when you play in Mecha's, as the level of strategy increases. Mecha's have fuel that is taken form them with each attack. Add that with the sometimes even faster paced battles, and the higher damage you can take and dish out, and you have a seriously intense RPG to play in. The characters are also very likable and fun, and the way the game looks despite when it was released, it a technical marvel, which helps to amplify what you feel when play this game.
5. Dark Cloud. The second Level 5 game to get on my list, this entry really was a good introduction to action RPG's and is an excellent game overall. In this one, while you do have to worry about increasing your defense, HP, and how long you can survive in a dungeon without needing water, the game focuses more on your weapons, and the many possibilities that exist with them. Having 6 characters with different play styles added to the depth of the game in a way that made revisiting places to train them more fun than tedious like other games had done in the past. Also, there was just something cool about rebuilding the world in your own image, Sure, there were things people wanted and getting everything to 100 percent meant getting rare items and weapons, but what's to stop you from changing things around after the fact? The story does fall more in line with that of most RPG's at the time, but that makes it fun, and it takes you to places that vary drastically from area to area giving some more depth to the stories and characters therein.
4. Persona 4. Now this game is one to be marveled. Not only is the voice acting superb, not only is the battle system fun, not only are the characters amazing, but it does something that RPG's tend to have a fear of doing, and that's give you a time limit to do everything you want to do. That normally might seem like a problem, but the way Persona 4 does it, just makes it so, so good because it places value on the choices you make and the people you spend time with. There's something to be said about having all the male characters basically have a bromance with Yu Narukami, the main character, and also with female characters, the chance of romance. The game also looks amazing on the PS Vita, and is honestly a good enough reason to buy the thing because P4: Golden takes away all of the flaws from the PS2 version and melds everything into an almost perfect game. It would have been higher on my list, but I can't shake the one thing about it that keeps it from being perfect, and that's that despite the fact that you have all this choice, you have to follow a very specific set of choices and actions near the end to get the perfect ending. That I can do without, because it's so counter-intuitive to the rest of the game.
3. Fire Emblem Awakening. As far as tactical RPG's go, I'm a pretty hard sell on them, mostly because the other two tactical RPG's I thought about putting in this spot, Final Fantasy Tactics and Jeanne D'arc, are the basis for all games like it, although D'arc is admittedly just following tactics gameplay style. Fire Emblem Awakening however, while it does use some of those base elements, stands on it's own and it is incredible. I like that you don't play as the main character, I like that you can have two people end up together and create a more powerful warrior, I like the fact that if you don't like the way you took a character's growth, you can change it to something else, I love the depth of strategy that goes into it, and I love how it's more accessible to people who don't want to have to turn off the system every time a character they don't want to die, dies. It's also nice, that you don't have to play it that way due to classic mode. Beyond all of that though, is the fact that despite the large roster of characters, each one has a backstory, each one develops into someone you care for and each one is unique enough that they don't just fall into that large roster as someone unimportant outside of battle. There is practically no flaws in this game and even the ones that exist are minor nitpicks. It would have been number one for me had it not been in my least favorite RPG sub-genre, but the fact that it made it this far up the list says a lot about it.
2. Chrono Trigger. Expecting this as number one? Sorry but not quite. I love this game, I really do, but there is just one that stands above it in my opinion. However, despite that, Chrono Trigger is a marvelous game. It's surprising how good it looks in spite of the fact that it's graphics are in bits, it's incredible how in depth it goes with it's story and characters. The multiple endings are great because it gives you a reason to play it again and again, and the DS version has even more content for it. Chrono Trigger is without a doubt one of the best RPG's of all time, and I would go into further detail, but it's hard to say something about it that hasn't already been said. If you've never played it, you are missing one of the best the genre of RPG's has to offer.
1. The Dot hack GU series. I'm putting all three of these games into one spot because they complete one story, and despite there being three games in it, they total the amount of time that most of the other RPG's on this list do. With that thought out of the way, this is a game I could gush over for hours. It looks so good, the gameplay is so much fun, the characters are amazing, what it adds to the dot hack universe is not only irreplaceable, but also of the utmost importance. The series of anime's, manga's and games are better for it. One of the things that makes this game stand out more than the rest for me, is the level of character development. When you first start playing, Haseo, the main character, is real jerk to pretty much everyone, but by the third game, he let's himself become a person for a little girl to vent their frustrations on, and has to have one of his friends protect him because he fears what would happen if he upset the person who is venting at him. Watching a character go from telling everyone to leave him alone and go away, to feeling helpless and guilty and unable to harm someone out of kindness is a kind of development every game should aspire to create. Several of the other characters go through the same kinds of development, allowing them to become some of the most memorable characters that gaming can offer. The way the game plays out their roles, and the way it's played through battles and the like, is simply incredible and unbeatable.
Honorable mentions go to:
Final Fantasy 9
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Which
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Pokemon Black and White
Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenosaga
Suikoden II
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
That got a little winded, but yeah, that's my top 10.
10. Golden Sun. As handheld RPG's go, there is hardly any that can beat Golden Sun. A game that uses turn based battles, it's more action packed than a lot of other games that do the same, thanks to quick and flashy attacks, changing camera angles during attacks and having an art style that just inspires one to fight. The story is nothing to sneeze at either as it takes some of the most stereotypical cliches of the genre, and make hem fun again. It's a game worth looking into.
9. Fantasy Life. This game is put simply, one that mixes animal crossing and Harvest moon with a more stereotypical fantasy setting and let's you run wild with it. The story itself, while not the best ever is enjoyable, with likable characters throughout, but the gameplay sets it apart from other action RPG's, allowing you to take on multiple jobs, giving you a feeling of diversity that most other games with several jobs only allow you to have with multiple saves and characters. Fantasy Life lets you change your life whenever you want. With up to 12 jobs to play, and a maximum level cap of 200, not to mention the levels of everything else you do, which also can increase higher than most games, it's one you can spend a lot of time on, and it always gives you something to aim for.
8. Bravely Default. When I first started this game, the brave/default system kind of bored me but after finding different jobs and several different ways to use the system, I began to enjoy's it's depth. While it to doesn't have the greatest story of all time, having a 4 member party limit, and only 4 people to battle with, ended up in one of the tightest and most likable cast of characters one could ask for. With the looming doom of the world resting on the shoulders of some of the best characters in recent RPG history, it truly stands out as an excellent and intriguing game worth anyone's time.
7. Tales of Xillia. The tales series games have always been fun and unique, mixing gameplay elements of action RPG's in a more controlled turn-based arena, which makes for some great combat. It's style is fully realized with this game. Allowing for the typical combat style of the series, you not only can move between any character in the battle, with mixes up the gameplay, but you can also link with other characters which not only allows for more strategic fighting, but link artes as well, which have several variations adding even more depth to an already amazing system. Combat aside, the characters in Xillia are also some of the best in a long time. At a point in gaming where we were really in need of a reminder why RPG's can be so grand an experience, Xillia came and left a mark that is simply impossible to ignore, and even harder not to love.
6. Xenogears. Speaking of amazing combat systems, Xenogears has two of them. Like Golden Sun, it uses dramatic camera angles and it actually feels a lot like an action RPG when you are battling without Mecha's, making for an amazing experience when fighting in a regular party. It only gets better though when you play in Mecha's, as the level of strategy increases. Mecha's have fuel that is taken form them with each attack. Add that with the sometimes even faster paced battles, and the higher damage you can take and dish out, and you have a seriously intense RPG to play in. The characters are also very likable and fun, and the way the game looks despite when it was released, it a technical marvel, which helps to amplify what you feel when play this game.
5. Dark Cloud. The second Level 5 game to get on my list, this entry really was a good introduction to action RPG's and is an excellent game overall. In this one, while you do have to worry about increasing your defense, HP, and how long you can survive in a dungeon without needing water, the game focuses more on your weapons, and the many possibilities that exist with them. Having 6 characters with different play styles added to the depth of the game in a way that made revisiting places to train them more fun than tedious like other games had done in the past. Also, there was just something cool about rebuilding the world in your own image, Sure, there were things people wanted and getting everything to 100 percent meant getting rare items and weapons, but what's to stop you from changing things around after the fact? The story does fall more in line with that of most RPG's at the time, but that makes it fun, and it takes you to places that vary drastically from area to area giving some more depth to the stories and characters therein.
4. Persona 4. Now this game is one to be marveled. Not only is the voice acting superb, not only is the battle system fun, not only are the characters amazing, but it does something that RPG's tend to have a fear of doing, and that's give you a time limit to do everything you want to do. That normally might seem like a problem, but the way Persona 4 does it, just makes it so, so good because it places value on the choices you make and the people you spend time with. There's something to be said about having all the male characters basically have a bromance with Yu Narukami, the main character, and also with female characters, the chance of romance. The game also looks amazing on the PS Vita, and is honestly a good enough reason to buy the thing because P4: Golden takes away all of the flaws from the PS2 version and melds everything into an almost perfect game. It would have been higher on my list, but I can't shake the one thing about it that keeps it from being perfect, and that's that despite the fact that you have all this choice, you have to follow a very specific set of choices and actions near the end to get the perfect ending. That I can do without, because it's so counter-intuitive to the rest of the game.
3. Fire Emblem Awakening. As far as tactical RPG's go, I'm a pretty hard sell on them, mostly because the other two tactical RPG's I thought about putting in this spot, Final Fantasy Tactics and Jeanne D'arc, are the basis for all games like it, although D'arc is admittedly just following tactics gameplay style. Fire Emblem Awakening however, while it does use some of those base elements, stands on it's own and it is incredible. I like that you don't play as the main character, I like that you can have two people end up together and create a more powerful warrior, I like the fact that if you don't like the way you took a character's growth, you can change it to something else, I love the depth of strategy that goes into it, and I love how it's more accessible to people who don't want to have to turn off the system every time a character they don't want to die, dies. It's also nice, that you don't have to play it that way due to classic mode. Beyond all of that though, is the fact that despite the large roster of characters, each one has a backstory, each one develops into someone you care for and each one is unique enough that they don't just fall into that large roster as someone unimportant outside of battle. There is practically no flaws in this game and even the ones that exist are minor nitpicks. It would have been number one for me had it not been in my least favorite RPG sub-genre, but the fact that it made it this far up the list says a lot about it.
2. Chrono Trigger. Expecting this as number one? Sorry but not quite. I love this game, I really do, but there is just one that stands above it in my opinion. However, despite that, Chrono Trigger is a marvelous game. It's surprising how good it looks in spite of the fact that it's graphics are in bits, it's incredible how in depth it goes with it's story and characters. The multiple endings are great because it gives you a reason to play it again and again, and the DS version has even more content for it. Chrono Trigger is without a doubt one of the best RPG's of all time, and I would go into further detail, but it's hard to say something about it that hasn't already been said. If you've never played it, you are missing one of the best the genre of RPG's has to offer.
1. The Dot hack GU series. I'm putting all three of these games into one spot because they complete one story, and despite there being three games in it, they total the amount of time that most of the other RPG's on this list do. With that thought out of the way, this is a game I could gush over for hours. It looks so good, the gameplay is so much fun, the characters are amazing, what it adds to the dot hack universe is not only irreplaceable, but also of the utmost importance. The series of anime's, manga's and games are better for it. One of the things that makes this game stand out more than the rest for me, is the level of character development. When you first start playing, Haseo, the main character, is real jerk to pretty much everyone, but by the third game, he let's himself become a person for a little girl to vent their frustrations on, and has to have one of his friends protect him because he fears what would happen if he upset the person who is venting at him. Watching a character go from telling everyone to leave him alone and go away, to feeling helpless and guilty and unable to harm someone out of kindness is a kind of development every game should aspire to create. Several of the other characters go through the same kinds of development, allowing them to become some of the most memorable characters that gaming can offer. The way the game plays out their roles, and the way it's played through battles and the like, is simply incredible and unbeatable.
Honorable mentions go to:
Final Fantasy 9
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Which
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Pokemon Black and White
Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenosaga
Suikoden II
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
That got a little winded, but yeah, that's my top 10.
