Top 3 RPG's
 

We've all seen this type of topic before, but since the forums seem to be picking up in activity lately, I think now's a good time to ask the eternal question: What are your favorite RPGs . . . and why?

(Not necessarily in order)

Chrono Trigger
My first RPG. Also, it was brilliant in the sense that it captured the FUN of time-travel stories without getting bogged down by temporal theorems/paradoxes. Your group of heroes are trying to undo a horrible future by going back in time and stopping it at the source. The idea is so simple, so cool that it was just bound to work. The fact that the game had a memorable cast of characters, an innovative battle system, and gorgeous graphics (at the time) was just icing on the cake.

Skies of Arcadia
Another idea so brilliantly simple, that you just have to wonder why the HELL no one ever thought of it before. You play as a swashbuckling pirate in a world that mimics the Age of Exploration. You travel throughout the world from continent to continent, making discoveries, meeting eccentric new characters, and going from one dashing adventure to the next. If there's someone who didn't dream about stuff like this as a kid, I haven't met 'em. The gameplay was also very unique in the sense that it encouraged you to explore and examine EVERY single nook and cranny of the world, just as the main character was sworn to do in the plot itself.

Final Fantasy X
A controversial pick, as many people either love or hate this game. Personally, I love it. I really don't care that RPGs in this day and age are opting to be more cinematic with their cutscenes than in previous generations. That is, I don't mind as long as said cutscenes are in moderation. (Unlike in . . . say . . . Xenosaga). Nor do I mind if the core gameplay works. That's why FFX is distinct to me over the rest of the series. The game takes the time to develop its plot and characters, so they actually seem like real people instead of just tools in the game which I use to get from point A to point B. Also, the battle system was a refreshing change, though switching characters in battle did make things a bit easy at times.

This thread is similar -> http://www.gamingforce.com/forums/rp...ever-help.html

Also, Final Fantasy X, give me a fucking break. Worst piece of RPG ever to hit shelves.

Final Fantasy IV
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VIII

I agree with FFX not being great. But everyone has their own opinions. I bet there's going to be some that will say.. OMFG FFVIII suckx!@#!!

Actually, it does. Well everything except the battle system. That was well planned and executed.

Okay, this might be member moderation, but this thread is nothing like the other thread. That thread asks if RPGs are getting worse in recent years, and this thread is asking what your three favorites are--from any era.

Also, Fafner asked for reasons why.

Now, on to the topic.

I agree that FFX used cutscenes just right--but it really isn't one of my top three games.

Mine are:

Suikoden II: perhaps one of the best Suikoden I've played. (I haven't played them all). This is a well-written story with quite a bit of humor thrown in (Hero's sister slams him into a rock face, and his outline remains. If the bad guy didn't get him, his sister sure would have.). The battle system is 6-member turn-based with battle and magic combos. Occasionally, there are the "required" members, but there are about 70 others you can choose from.

Suikoden IV: Okay, not a lot of people like this one. "It's too dreary." "The sailing takes too long." "Too many random battles." But, I liked it because although it was a four-member battle party, it brought back the Magic Combos that III got rid of. And its cut scenes were also done sparingly and quite well.

Suikoden V: (A trend!) Okay, I haven't finished playing it, but I can honestly say this is one of my favorites. We're back with the 6-member battle party, and you can have up to 4 people in reserve WITH you if you want to change party members before a battle. It again has the humor that Suikoden I and II had in it, plus there's the family relationship with the Hero and his sister.

Have you even looked inside the thread? Most people are discussing the topic and listing their 10 favourite rpgs. What's the point in having a thread with 3 favourite rpgs and 10 favourite rpgs?


EDIT: Yeah, okey, their only listing games, not discussing them. My bad, carry on. I am an idiot.

Ain't that the truth. :biggrin:


I can't list in any specific order.


Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

I really enjoyed the Light/Dark side of the game. It's not as detailed oriented as PC RPGs, but it provides more 'role playing' than many other Japanese RPGs. The combat is a bit weak, however the excellent story, characters and everything else more than make up for it.


Xenogears

Recently I've been enjoying RPGs that provide more choice rather than strict lineararity. This game however provides me with a story that I really enjoy as well as some decent character development. There are some nagging issues like how bland some characters are and the rushed second disc. Nonetheless, this game holds a special place in my heart and is why I'm including it.

Earthbound

A quirky adventure about a 3 boys and a girl. It could be the makings of a new Fox sitcom! Until they cancel it three weeks later. The sense of humor was something I hadn't seen in a RPG before, as well as the modern day setting was a breath of fresh air.


Runner Ups

Fallout (haven't played it long enough to judge it properly)
Jade Empire (ditto)
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VI
Deus Ex (too FPS to be considered?)

Top 3 RPGs eh? Okay, here goes...

FFVIII: Also my favourite FF game, FFVIII seems to be hated by lots of people, but I thought it was great. I liked the idea of mixing fantasy with more real-life elements, and it's the only RPG I've played (not that I've played many) where the characters felt more real to me than other games. I felt like they were in fact real people, making it easier for me to identify wih them. Squall's also my favourite VG character ever (I'd probably get flamed for that remark). There's other reasons why it's my favourite RPG, such as great music, a story that revolves around the characters instead of the actual plot and the best Bahamut yet. Sure, it had some nigglings (nothing is perfect after all), but over all, I had a great time playing through it.

Tales of Symphonia: I've never played a Tales game before, so I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't interested in it at all when my little sis showed me an ad from a mag and wanted to get it. However, it had a 2 player mode, so that was pretty interesting. She got it for Christmas and we played it and I thought it was pretty darn good, with one of the best voice-acting I've seen in a video game (I'll probably get flamed for that remark too), likable characters, a decent enough plot (although the first part was a lot like FFX) and a fun battle system. I didn't like the music much except for a few tracks, but overall it was cool. One beef is that the casino isn't even playable : /

I actually don't have a third fave. None of the others I've played struck a chord with me as much as the above two games. Hmmm, I'd choose FFVI if the World of Ruin part never existed : /

Actually, the point of that thread is to discuss which era had the best RPGs, and to NOT just list games. :)

Ahhh shaddup :D

True. Guess I jumped to conclusions a little bit to fast. :)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, i guess i can list my 3 favourite rpgs. (in no particular order)

Chrono Trigger: Great story with a pretty good cast of characters. Battle system was pretty cool with double and triple combos. Top Notch graphics for the snes era. It been awhile since i last played it so i can't think of anything else to say, my memories of the game are kind of foggy even though i have completed it like 3 times.

Chrono Cross: Again, great story, it's loosly tied with Chrono Trigger making it somewhat of a sequal, but with its own story. Great set of characters, although i must admit, the ability to recruit 40 characters was a bit of an overkill in my opinion. The battle system was fun in it own unique kind of way. And again, same thing as with chrono trigger, it has been awhile since i last played it. Can't remember a whole lot more.

Xenogears: One of my all time best rpg stories period. You know, half way through it i actually though the story sucked and then in the end the story punched me in the face and said: I'm an amazing story dammit!
The battle system in this one was very fun, where one button is a weak attack, another a normal and a third strong (I think it was like this). Gave the ability to perform alot of different moves. And in addition to that you had the deathblows which were cool to watch. I can't really remember all that much about the gear combat, sorry, its been awhile since i played this game too.

Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne: Boy, this was something different than you normal standard rpg and i LOVED IT! The story is so dark so well written and executed that it just sucked me right in and blew my mind. The loneliness, the emptiness, the darkness, the new world, the new life, brilliant, absolutley brilliant.
Moving on to another brilliant aspect of the game, the combat system. One my favourite things about it was that if you didn't know what you were doing in battle, or if you didn't prepare enough for the battle, essentially, if you screwed up during battle you would be punished. Another thing about the combat is the speed, the battle's are pretty fast and that's a great thing, because for the most part of tha game your in them. The press turn system is excellent. You loose turns if you do something wrong (the enemy voids, deflects etc) and you gain turns if you do something right (critical, void, deflect, absorb etc). Another little touch that i liked was the ability to automate the attacks. For instance if you got in a fight with a weak enemy and you know that they are weak against normal attacks you could just press the triangle button and automate the battle. Which would end it in like 5 seconds.

Okey, i don't feel like writing anymore :) ,but there are 4 more rpgs and i'll just list them instead.

- Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga 1&2
- Shadow Hearts Covenant
- Seiken Densetsu 3
- Terranigma

As you can see there's a little bit more then 3 rpg's here and the reason is simple. I love them all. I can't decide on which 3 of these are the best because in my opinion their all equally good.

Maybe i'll come back another time and add more info on the once a just listed.

Despite all the negative critics, FF8 still remains my favorite game. Best soundtrack (the first one I ever downloaded), decent gameplay (who needs magic when you can join it to stats?) and awesome graphics (still stuck with the ball and the end animation, quite an original one), not to forget squall's limit break, which makes you almost invincible wiht proper junctionning :P

Chrono trigger: my favorite SNES game. Very original history (man, you can change TIME!), excellent soudntrack (from relaxing to rock and roll), amazing graphics (for the time, plus the SFX match well) and 12 different endings. However, now that I look at it, it can be finished... quickly

3rd spot... this one's too difficult. I can't get enough of the shining force series as much as the PS series.

Suikoden V-For characters, their interaction and overall storyline.

Valkyrie Profile-For gameplay, music and atmosphere.

FF6-Still a measure of excellence with good reason. Does all of the traits above right enough to make a great whole.

Hon. Mentions: Suikoden 2, Star Ocean 2 (excluded for developer/series redundancy), La Pucelle (my favorite SRPG to date, but no way is it better than the top three).

Definitely

Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne:
Definitely unconventional in comparison to a majority of the PS2 rpgs (ahem Square enix) the style is interesting as well.

Digital Devil Saga 1

Persona 2 Innocent Sin

hahah yes I am an atlus fanboy

Thank you for also mentioning Suikoden V. I was feeling all alone.....

I thought both FFVIII and FFX were great games, as for my favorite:

Wild Arms Alter Code: F - I thought this was more then just a remake, to me it seemed like a completely different and all around better game. The characters had more to them, the world, towns and dungeons were fantastic! Not to mention the music, which was superb (thank you Michiko Naruke)!

Tales of Symphonia - Easily the best of all the Tales games. I loved the characters,the epic story, the colorful enviroment, the battle system, and Motoi Sakuraba did a great job on the music in this game.

Valkyrie Profile - This game had a beautful soundtrack, great artwork, an excellent battle system, sweet characters, the works. To me, this game is a work of art.

Honorable mentions:
Xenogears
the Chrono games
pretty much all FF games
The Kingdom Hearts games
Skies of Arcadia
Legend of Legaia
and all other Wild Arms games!

There are only three possible to list. Everything else is irrelevant.

Dragon Quest III for opening the RPG floodgates to the masses and beginning the frenzy known as "serious console RPGs" long before Aeris died and Cloud procreated with Zack to make Tidus. The single best NES RPG available to the market, and the sole reason that high popularity games in Japan could no longer release on school/work days.

Suikoden II because war and betrayal turning into a kid's game of real life Risk was singlehandedly the most badass way to handle a storyline I've ever even seen in my life. I mean where else would you find two 13-15 year old kids taking control of ultimate power and two countries, battling it out with real lives and real situations, then just shaking hands in the end and being like "AIN'T NO THANG" then just going on a trip together? Classic.

Suikoden V because Konami knows how to dish out and play with games that are 3D but have enough 2D elements to keep the hope alive that more and more current RPGs will not rely on only "looking pretty" in order to survive. You Madden and action game lovers can continue to be the graphics whores. Just stay the fuck away from the RPGs, thanks.

Final Fantasy VI was one of my earliest memories of playing an RPG that I was unable to put down. I played through this one twice in about two months because at that time, I hadn't yet played an RPG that featured a large cast of interesting characters and an engaging plot.

Terranigma is a game that I still try to play whenever I can. I remember how much I enjoyed the battles and how the last few sequences in the plot surprised me. Although I felt it was too short, Terranigma still occupies a spot on my list of favorite RPGs.

Suikoden V has easily become one of the most enjoyable RPGs I've played in years. The length of the plot and the sidequests to recruit the 108 Stars made the game fun. The interactions between characters also seemed natural and allowed the player to see how those relationships changed as the story progressed. I also thought the wars were slightly more interesting than the ship battles from Suikoden IV (although I also liked those).

Wow, thanks, Leknaat. I just got back here and wasn't able to defend my thread, so, much appreciated!

Meh, I made a mistake, okey and am sorry for that.

I saw a bunch of lists with everybody's favourite rpgs so I though it was a very similar thread.

Lesson learned. We all make mistakes :)

Double Post:
Damn, i have heard very good things about the suikoden series, but i have never tried it. Any recommendations on which one to start off with? Are they all good or should I avoid some of them. I hear Suikoden II and V are pretty good, dunno about the rest. Someone fill me in on the details.

Grandia - Bad voice acting, and an amizingly average at best story aside, RPG is one of the best, because of its battle system and characters. Every character is likable, and even though the story is filled with cliches, sometimes its about how its told, and not what is told. And again, best battle system ever. Nice music too.

Chrono Cross - The only real downside to this game is the characters. There are too many of them, which leads to a lack of development, (not to mention that the majority of them suck). The story was good, good battle system, great music, not much more you can ask for in an RPG.

Deus Ex - To me, this is a very borderline game. My opinion of it used to be, if its in first person, and you shoot people, then its a first person shooter. However, you cannot deny the RPG elements in the game, and it is usually classified as an RPG, and it was one of the best games I've ever played, and it takes my third spot. Open ended game play, solid story, great voice acting, this is the finest RPG on the PC.

Honorable mentions include
Skies of Arcadia (loved it, but too similar to Grandia to list)
Shadow Hearts Covenant (this is a great game, but part of its fun, to me at least, came as a sort of nostalgia for the first game, and taking controll of Yuri again after all signs pointed to a new cast. However, the first game was a bit subpar, and because part of the enjoyment depends on playing the first game, I cut it)
Persona 2 (Persona 2 is in 2 parts, Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment. Only the latter was released in the US, so I pretty much only played half a game. it was great, but only half)

I'll keep them short and sweet:

Final Fantasy VI: If Secret of Mana drew me in, then this game sealed the deal. Great music, cast, story, you name it. It has a linear first half and non-linear second half which allow it to provide the best of worlds. It's still the standard by which I judge all other RPGs.

Chrono Trigger: Probably the most polished RPG ever made. Time travel is great fun and this game never seems to drag. The whole end of time setup gives the game a feeling of being linear and non-linear at the same time, which is very cool. It's just top class.

Earthbound: It's quirky, it's original, and it leaves one heck of a lasting impression. The humor is great, the gameplay is tried and true with some nice improvements like visible enemies and the rolling HP counter, and the modern-styled world really feels alive.

Honorable mentions:

Super Mario RPG, Deus Ex, Valkyrie Profile, Star Ocean 2, Legend of Mana, Grandia, Vagrant Story, Ogre Battle V/VI/VII, Final Fantasy Tactics, Breath of Fire V, Fallout, System Shock 2, Shining the Holy Ark

I don't think it was just your post. Andrew Evenstar just listed three games, without explaining why. But, I think you've redeemed yourself with me by stating you want to try Suikoden.

:)

Unfortunately, the games are pretty hard to find, and when you do find them, they are expensive. Unless you get a lucky break somewhere.

But, to be honest, I would start at the beginning with Suikoden. It, of course, lays the ground work for everything, and you're not exactly lost when you play II (which takes place 3 years after I, and III, which takes place 15 years after II.) IV and V, however, take place before the events in Suikoden I, so I would say those can wait.

But, I agree. II and V are the best of the 5 games I've played. I haven't played the Gaidens or Tactics.

And off topic:

Suikoden Timeline (not actual years, just reference points):

Suikoden I
Suikoden II: 3 years after Suikoden I
Suikoden III: 15 years after Suikoden II
Suikoden IV: 150 years before Suikoden I
Suikoden V: 9 years before Suikoden I (I got that from Georg's age)

Hmmm, top 3 RPGs of all time? Well, here goes...

3. Final Fantasy II - I'm going to copy what I wrote on another site about the game. "I say "II" simply because of one reason...Nintendo Power. I was a huge fan of Final Fantasy I. I had played it and replayed it so many times that it wasn't even funny, wishing that we would get a sequel or something. Then one day, a friend showed me an issue with The black chocobo on the cover, with Cecil riding it arm outstretched, sword in hand. The big words Final Fantasy II announced on it. I was stunned. I flipped through that book so many times until the game came out the pages were getting all frayed. This game looked astounding. Everything was so much better than the original on those glossy pages that I could hardly believe it. But I didn't have a SNES, so I would never see it. Another friend of mine did though, and he bought the game. He however, didn't like it, so he said that he'd sell it to me. $15 dollars later, I had in my hands a hardly played copy of Final Fantasy II. I literally ran over to the local arcade place, where in the back the owner had set up a SNES and Genesis, and would charge $1 an hour to play. I sat down and began playing one of the greatest games of my life (at the time). I still have that cartridge somewhere, and I still don't own a SNES, heh."

Sure, the story is a bit simplistic, as well as the game over all, but for its time this game was absolutely beautiful. I miss the feeling of awe that this game gave me from start to finish that almost no game has been able to recapture.

2. Final Fantasy Tactics - A different kind of Final Fantasy and yet one that I loved all the way through it. It had a great story, excellently done characters, a fun battle system, and along with recruiting a bunch of premade guys, they allowed you to create a ton of your own. One of my favorite games ever, and I have replayed it countless times.

1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - This game drew me in from the opening title screen to the closing credits, like no other game has, nor even movies. I felt like I played a part in the Star Wars universe. The music, the scenes, the characters...all of it was perfectly done. Plus you created your own character, you weren't "given" a character to play, and you could choose your actions and responses within the story. It was an experience like no other that not even the sequel topped.

Well I just ordered Suikoden III, IV and V. They were the easiest to track down. I guess i'll have to look a little bit harder for I and II, but Im sure i'll find them eventually.

My Top 3 are:

Final Fantasy VII
The first RPG I ever played, an amazing game from the moment it starts until the very end. Great battle system, story, characters (besides Yuffie) and everything else.

KOTOR
If you like Star Wars you must like this game. The story is amazing, the feeling of your character developing to the light side or dark side of the force is simply great.

Final Fantasy Tactics
The first game the made me play like there was no tomorrow. For something like a week all I wanted to do was play this game.
Even though I played through it 3 times I couldn't understand the story fully but still I enjoyed the game very much.

Ahem.

If you can find either of those sitting on a game store shelf, you are a god among men, my friend.

Mine are:

Fallout - It was such a change of pace from all of the sword and magic RPGs I had played, and everything was just so awesome. Never will I get over the feeling of taking on 5 guys by sniping them and watching body parts explode. Besides...you could shoot them in the groin, which was hilarious. Ahh...juvenille humour.

Earthbound - Merely because of the style everything was done in. To date I still think Mr. Saturn is the best alien race in any game.

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind With mods and everything I logged more than 2000 hours in that game...enough said.

Yep, that was my first thought, looking on ebay. Chances of finding it in any regular store new and sealed are like 0.

I like how there is a lack of FF7 mentions. Is this intentional? (I wonder...)

EarthBound: Youngin's savin' the world from Giygas' reign from the future! This RPG is a wonder of RPGs, nothing quite like it, and worth it to every person who calls himself an RPG fan to play it. Great music, characters, story, graphics, battle system) I truly have no complaints about the game besides wishing there were more of it.

Final Fantasy VI: Yep. Achieves it as a whole. How can you not want the World of Ruin? That's when the game realizes its dark side. So memorable. Has definetely set a standard in RPGs to this date. The formula is flawless, and it deals with adult issues pretty well, a bit more mature than most RPGs. And quite long!

The third? Gosh... I dunno.

Mother 3? I haven't played it though.

Christ, this is a tough question. I mean, how does one guage there answer? Plyability, story, music? All right, keep in mind this is a very rough list, but I'll give it a shot.

Top of the list:

Final Fantasy VI.

Simply the greatest ever in my mind. A strongly executed story, beautiful music and a great variance between characters. No one (not counting Gogo) is a duplicate of another, and they all bring something incredibly special to the table.



Dragon Force.

Probably the most addictive damn game I've ever played. I can go back and wrap this game over and over and over and over again.



Suikoden II.

Story line, story line, story line. Strong as hell from start to finish. Also, Clive kicks ass.


Honourable mentions:

Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden V, Final Fantasy Tactics, Shining Force II, Chrono Cross (fuck the haters), Grandia II, Final Fantasy IV, Lufia II, Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore...

Top 3 RPG's eh?...

Sadly I've been fairly mainstream in my RPG playing but I'll give it a shot:

Suikoden V (PS2): As Rydia said, the character interactions and relationships are extremely natural and you get a real sense of a bond between the main characters.

Wild ARMs 1 (PS1) (and loosely Wild ARMs: Alter Code F just because its a decent remake): It's been a long time, but it was the first RPG series I played apart from Final Fantasy. The story was great and many of the battles later on were a decent challenge. I'm surprised this game hasnt been mentioned more... though I assume it's greatness has been marred by more recent entries to the series.

Breath of Fire III (PS1): Not sure about anyone else, but this was a damn-difficult and very long game. I remember initially hating it because I couldn't stand the whole "We're hungry and need to find food" initial 10 minutes of the game. Once I jumped that hurdle I dove into a very enjoyable game witha lot of depth and some incredibly difficult encounters.


Runners Up:
The entire FF series: FFVII was the first RPG I'd ever played, and I made it a point to go back and play all the older titles, and have played/beaten every title (except FFXI... fuck ffxi...) since.

Earthbound: Way different from most RPGs i've played, and its distinct sense of humor and the weird cahracters/enemies you encountered made it one very fun game.

Xenogears: Never beat the game (lost the discs at one point as I was halfway done with disc 2), but I couldn't believe how epic and philisophical the whole game felt, with the whole ID thing...

What is up with all these people who only started on FF VII? Is it an age thing? I'm 23, and I cut my teeth on FF I. I've been all about RPGs since the beginning. Why the late start for everyone?

3. Breath of Fire IV - BoF3 was amazing, but BoF4 carried over everything (non-storywise, of course) that worked, and I'm a sucker a story where, when all is said and done, you have to wonder if justice was done. Almost gave this spot to Lufia 2 (a really gutsy story in that the ending has already been revealed in the prologue of the predecessor), but BoF3/4's gameplay is superior.

2. Final Fantasy VII - Oh, go ahead, roll your eyes. I cut my teeth on FF1, DW1, and Magic of Scheherazade back in the early 90s too, and I still think this one's great. You know what does it for me? The little touches. Like when
In my opinion, people who base their love/hatred of the game on Cloud vs Sephiroth, the graphics, or on damn-Tifa's-got-big-boobs-hur-hur are missing the point by miles. FF7 is all about the honing of the craft, and as far as I I'm concerned, no other entry of the series pulls it off as well.

That all said, my #1 HAS to be:

1. Paper Mario - Love this game so much. Mario RPG provided much of the foundation, but it's absolutely perfected here. Everyone making RPGs should learn from this one. The design is creative, the dialogue is perfect (Bowser's diary!), and side quests are actually direct, inobtrusive, and fun as hell. Not even the sequel pumps on all cylinders the way this one does (matter of fact, the Peach portions of that one make me feel a bit...unclean. If you've played it you know what I mean). Best ever, hands down.

Wasn't saying FF VII is horrid, Sonic. I like FF VII. I think it suffers from two things: Being over lauded and over criticised. The game was good. There were errors, to be sure. The fact you could miss the whole Zack backstory so easily being very high among them, mistranslations etc... they hurt it, but it certainly isn't as bad as many people make it out to be. My question was why so many people state it as their first RPG.

Oh, don't worry, I got that. I wasn't singling you out, sorry if it came out that way. I was speaking to anyone who would see me list that one and reflexively think I hadn't paid my dues, so to speak. No umbrage intended.

Earthbound: Just for being a refreshing alternative to the fantasy RPG cliche of the time. The game was funky and upbeat. The pop culture references and the game's relationship with the modern era really grabbed a hold of me. Not to mention, I had a lot of fun playing it.

Xenogears: Despite the second disc and its shortcomings, I have a major soft spot for Xenogears. Maybe its because it was the longest RPG I ever played. The amount of time, energy and emotion I invested in the game though was worth it. I felt engaged in the plot and storyline. It could've used some more character development. What really intrigued me were the religious overtones the game intergrated into many aspects of the game.

Final Fantasy VI: Being the first RPG I played and the one of the best, it is fair to say I am definitely biased. Regardless, the game had fabulous characters, a wonderfully twisted villain and great music. In addition, I loved how each character had a special ability and "limit breaks." A lot of innovation not only for the FF series but RPGs in general.

Honorable Mentions
Final Fantasy VII: Sorry, I had to mention it.
Terranigma: I can't explain it exactly. I just had a real connection with the game.
Valkyrie Profile: Mood, atmosphere and music were great. The use of mythology was also wonderful. Did I mention the fun battle system?

I'm not going to lie. I would love to throw Ico and Harvest Moon 64 into the mix, but I'm not sure they count.

I'll give this a shooooot. Australia has missed out on the majority of RPG's and I'm not a fan of turn based fighting, but hey!

- Grandia 2. I really got into this, I just wish the main character would have kept up his childish angst throughout the game, that would have been excellent! He was so ANGRY at the world, then started to love everything. "We gotta go save these people!" "Nah too busy hating this tree" "BUT IT'S JUST A TREE" "You know what? Now I also hate you" "But you're talking to yourself because you have no friends!" *Suicide*. I have both the PS2 and DC versions for no reason!

- Terranigma. Does this count? The ending made me cry! Are you happy? ARE YOU? The world was gigantic-o and and and the music holy moly. I wish I didn't sell it though. That also makes me cry.

- Paper Mario 2. I should probably mention that I hate both Mario & Luigi games and I stopped playing the first Paper Mario due to complete boredom. I dunno why, maybe because a statement like this will make people go "that bloody Infernal has no taste in games! >=(" and I'd smile in reply! Some drool would leak out and we'd have to build an ark! Oh wait! Paper Mario 2! It was comical! The last boss was about as fun as waiting for the toaster to toast bread without it even being plugged in, though.

I'm gonna type Skies of Arcadia here too.

Gonna do two-liners for these.

Vagrant Story
Best RPG that I've played, with my favourite story and characters. I came for the art and story, and stayed for the gameplay and weapon creation/tinkering which I still play around with to this day.

Skies of Arcadia
Something about exploring uncharted lands just struck the right nerve with me. Wonderful characters, battles, music, and a carefree yet focused story with pretty bombastic airship battles that kept me at the edge of my seat.

Xenogears
Since I am a self-professed Xeno-nerd with nearly every facet of Perfect Works memorized and posessing the ability to recite most any plot/character detail in the monolith of a game, I'd say it ranks up there in my faves. I still remember checking out this shitty resolution video capture of a controversial title "Zenogiasu" that almost didn't get brought to the US because of its religious themes. And now look at RPGs today, killin' god all over the place.

Star Ocean the Second Story - This was the RPG that got me into RPGs. I had originally decided I didn't like RPGs after seeing FFVII (go figure, I think it was the whole turn base thing). I loved it so much, the characters, the different interactions, the real time battle system, as well as the skill system and actually being able to make things. Now if I could just beat the final boss...

FFIV - I really enjoyed this one of the FF series. Unfortunately I've lost my save 3857340 times, so I haven't beaten it yet. I got fairly attached to the characters, they had fun personalities. Plus the whole Red Wings thing amused me, being from Michigan. *way easily amused*

Not sure what to put down for a third... I do like FFVIII, FFX, and Wild Arms 3... I just haven't really played a whole lot.

I hate Top # RPGs because what I like (compared to other games I like) fluctuates, kind of like music. Plus it's really @#%#@ hard to pick just 3. So...I guess I'll just say which games had the biggest effect on me.

1. Suikoden - Everyone drooling over II and V aren't wrong...but it seems like everyone is seriously underestimating the start of the series. First RPG I had ever played, and i'm glad I was brought in on one of the best games of all time. I've also played/beaten the game about 6-7 times...way more than I can say for any other game...ever. I suppose II *was* better (best army battle system ever...only close to Skies of Arcadia's ship battles), but the first had a much bigger effect on a personal level.

2. Star Ocean 2 - Excellent battle system (always controlled Dias). Minues the bad translation and the terrible battle voices, the story/bosses/music/dungeons were excellent, one of the very few games where I always looked forward to getting into random battles every time. Item creation is also an excellent system (which they DESTROYED in the sequel).

Tie for 3rd:
Xenogears - Great story, battle system, music (Yasunori Mitsuda, need I say more?), and characters. While the second disc was rushed and had a very different tone than the first, it was still excellent.

Chrono Cross - Exactly the same as above except, like people have mentioned, the 40 characters was a bit overkill (lack of character development).


Honorable Mentions
Wild Arms/Wild Arms 3
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VII/VIII
Every Suikoden except IV
Breath of Fire III (The guy that mentioned this was right on)
Alundra (one of the most underapprectiated RPGs I can think of)
Deus Ex
Grandia (I and II)
Lunar (I and II)


This is why I rarely reply to these threads, too many good titles to narrow them down.

Xenogears is my favourite game of all time (as if it wasn't obvious already). The story is breathtaking, the setting is incomparably beautiful, the characters are vibrant and for once, robustly designed (none of that spindly FF crap here) - And Mitsuda's soundtrack really shines here. And hey, fuck everyone else, I loved the second disc to hell.

Tales of Phantasia for SNES has far more charm than it's credited for. The characters rock, the dialogue is great (well, Dejap's translation certainly is) and the world is pretty huge for an RPG of its era.

Terranigma is a pretty stunning gem which is overlooked far too often. Fun fights, GREAT boss sequences, breathtaking music, beautiful ending.

Runner-ups are Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger, FFVIII, Seiken Densetsu III and FFVI.

I didn't expect so many people to have played Terranigma. I'm more surprised people have it on their top 3. I was very tempted to put Terranigma on my list too but I think my unexplainable fondness for the game would not be well understood by others because I have no real reason for liking the game so much.

I am nearly 30 years in age myself and I started on FFVII, so age is not likely the only reason. For me it was because I thought RPGs were retarded. The battle system was the most useless idea I had ever come across in a game. The few RPGs I had played before FFVII left a very sour taste in my mouth and so I basically avoided them for years. FFVII was the first RPG I had played and actually enjoyed.

Another reason I dislike RPGs. Anime. Cutesy god damn anime. I loathe that shit. And for some reason cutesy anime and RPG go hand-in-hand. I will not play anime style RPGs. Period. Incidentally this equates to about 87% of the genre.

Parasite EVE happens to be my favourite of the genre and one of the most memorable games I have played. I really enjoyed the modern day New York setting and plot. It's a very welcome change from the flood of medieval themed games out there. The whole take on mitochondria taking over the world was really interesting and somehow believable. This too was very refreshing from the typical "save the queen" plot. Squaresoft never got the praise it deserved for breaking away from the mold with PE.

1. Final Fantasy IV - Best storyline ive ever read in a game. The characters are brilliant. They are driven by such incredible emotional power that they often sacrifice themselves to benefit everyone else.
The gameplay is great because the elemental bosses are fun and many others are challenging. I like how each character is a specific and unique class.

2. Shining Force CD - Favorite strategy gameplay with my favorite levels and challenging bosses. Cool characters and an on-going storyline.

3. Final Fantasy 1 - Such high replay value because of picking classes.

I'm also 23, and although I didn't start with VII, I was a bit late to the party. I didn't have a real awareness of RPGs during my NES days. Willow was the first RPG I played, but I didn't know that it was part of a distinct genre of games. I think I discovered RPGs by accident when I rented Final Fantasy VI one day. I didn't know what I was doing, but I was intrigued by how my little character (I remember it was Cyan) was walking atop the World of Ruin. After that I believe Secret of Mana was the first RPG I bought with all the intention. There are a bunch of RPGs that I rented and played through, such as Final Fantasy IV, Breath of Fire, Ogre Battle and maybe a few others, though I can't recall the order. Eventually I did buy Final Fantasy VI when I recognized it on a store shelf (I remember it cost 80 bucks), and I've been a fan of the genre ever since.

Although I think the initial interest in FFVII for many non-RPG folks did have something to do with the graphics (they blew me away too), once people actually played it, I think most of them came to love it for other reasons, and I'm sure most went back to play those RPGs they had previously dismissed. I like FFVII a lot, and though I don't place it among the best of the best for a few reasons, it comes fairly close. I'll admit however that it rubs me the wrong way sometimes how people give it more credit than it merits. As revolutionary as it might've been in terms of impact and presentation, there was very little in it that FFVI and Chrono Trigger hadn't already introduced and executed well. FFVII just took those ideas into the realm of 3D. So I believe that while FFVII was more revolutionary, FFVI was more evolutionary. FFVII owes a lot to those latter generation SNES RPGs.

Terranigma is godlike. The fact that we never got a North American release is such a travesty...

Well I'm 21 and I mostly played more platformy/action games (grew up more on sonic/mario/etc). I first rented FF7 on a whim in 1998 and couldn't believe how much I loved the game. I don't know what it was, but it was a refreshing change from all the platformers I had been playing; nor do I think I would have really understood the games for what they were worth If I had gotten into them before the age of 13.

I didn't get the urge to play the older FF titles until I discovered emulation, and that wasn't until after I had beaten FF8. In discovering emulation, I wound up coming across other AMAZING RPGs such as Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Zelda (I had always hated it until I began playing RPGs, dunno why), etc.

Edit: And yes, Terranigma was great!

My top 3 would have to go as follows:

Xenogears: The only game I have had actual cravings for (aside form a very recent title named Okami); that is to say, the only RPG where I actually found myself thinking about it while I was doing other things, like going to class and work. I just had to know what was going to happen next - I still think it has the best plot of any RPG ever - Xenosaga totally dropped the ball with it.

BoF IV: another extremely solid game, with great graphics, characters, story, translation, and gameplay.

Final Fantasy V: porbably because it was the first one I played without a guide or advance knowledge of the plot, or maybe just the job system, but it still rates as one of my faves.

I'm sixteen, and I started on FFI when I was eight. Played FFIV shortly afterwards, then didn't get anything else in until I was eleven and I discovered emulation. Downloaded a handful of SNES games (Terranigma, Seiken Densetsu III, Tales of Phantasia FFIV, V and VI) and had a ball of a time one summer.

Finally checked out FFVII in 2004 to see what all the hype was about. If it's supposedly the best game ever, it's got to have SOMETHING good about it, right? Nope. Fucking hated it. Graphics were pretty appalling even by 1997's standards, characters annoyed the shit out of me, FMV didn't look all that good and the plot seemed to go nowhere. "It's better once you get out of Midgar!" "Oh, it's better once you're on the boat!" "It gets really really good after Aeris gets you-know-what!" NO. IT FUCKING DOESN'T.

It's that f@$&in pizza people are livin' underneath! Damnit, Cloud!

FF VIII - Since it's the first game that drag me to the world of RPG :)
The best vocal song ever in gaming and all time great OST
Xenogears - The best of the best story ever created (even compare to novel)
The best OST and creative battle system in it's time.
FF X - It's the first game that can make me almost cry in the ending. ;)

Xenogears - Everybody agrees.
FF VI - Kefka owns your Sephiroths.
BoF III - Who the hell doesn't like DRAGONS?!

Also, for the last time, FFX IS NOWHERE TO CALLED AS 'GOOD'. Come on people, you know better than this.

1 - Final Fantasy 7 : music,story(without AC cuz that sucks),battlesystem, :-o!

2 - Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne: one of the best bosses i've ever seen,lots of demons,...

3 - Final Fantasy X: Great Story and ending :)

1) Wild ARMs 4 - Pretty much everything was amazing except the story, which could use some work. Still, all around my favorite game.

2) Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny - Good everything, but didn't quite wow me as much as Wild ARMs 4. I especially like most of the characters.

3) Final Fantasy X - Great game overall. Easily the best one of the series.

Honorable mentions:
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure - I'm a sap.
Shadow Hearts: Covenant - Really good game, but I've kind of lost my love for it over time.

Final Fantasy VII
Suikoden 2
Suikoden

Those have to be my top 3. FFVII is just such a memorable and innovative game for me. Especially back then. I loved the story, the battle system, the materia system, the characters, the music. It's my favorite game of all-time period. I don't think it will ever be replaced.

As for the Suikodens... well I'm a huge Suikoden fan. The 108 characters, building up your forts, great battle system, very good settings. I just love those games. I had so much fun with all 3 of those games and still crave to play them again today after beating each multiple times already.

Honorable mentions:

Dragon Force, Chrono Trigger, TES3: Morrowind, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy VI, and others.

@_@ Only three? That's insanity!

....Well, Here are some RPGs that I really liked:

Breath of Fire Series: I can't just pick one (well, BoF IV is my favorite); the entire BoF series is really a nostalgic series for me, with unique elements and good storyline (sans III's storyline, but maybe I'm just bitter...). The fourth installment, however, was probably one of my first RPGs. The dual protagonist perspective and storyline, coupled with the beautiful sprites and music, made a memorable game for me.

Vagrant Story: Someone said on a forum that the first few battles of the game is extremely easy, then it just throws you to the fucking wolves. They were right. I don't think I ever played a game as challenging as Vagrant Story. You really need to utilize *EVERYTHING* just to survive the intense battle system (AND THE GODAMN CHAINING ARGH). But it's so totally worth it; the storyline and the beautiful graphics and cinematography is something to behold.

Starcraft series: I completely suck ass at Strategy RPGs, but I loved Starcraft's storyline. I was only like eleven when my bro and I first played it, but the politics and voice-acting and the user-friendliness (yay cheat codes~) really made an impact in my gaming life.

Honorable Mentions:

Shadow Hearts: The first one SO totally kicks the second one's ass. (Haven't played the third one yet, but I mean to...) Unique battle system (especially the judgement ring and sanity points and fusions) and creepy, horror atmosphere. The plot was kinda cliched, but I really liked the twists they put in. Oh, I also loved the fact that they put in two different endings (I only experienced that when I played BoF IV years prior) that VASTLY changed things throughout the game.

Tales of Phantasia: Played the DeJap ROM, and the battle system, as well as the storyline, really made me addicted.

Final Fantasy X: Dunno; call me young and naive, but I really liked FFX's storyline. The battle system was really easy to use (and, admitedly, abuse), with the Sphere Grid and AP and whatnot.

EDIT: Ok, I just realized that Starcraft is a RTS, "real-time strategy", not a SRPG. Sorry! Just go ahead and put Shadow Hearts as the third!

Chrono Trigger

Hands down, the best RPG EVER made! In fact, it was sooo good, I bought it for over $80 used (Bought it from rental store). That was almost 10 years ago. I still have the original box, instructions, and the game. It was a wonderful story, the characters were great, and the battle system was good.

Final Fantasy VI (III in the U.S.)

Great game! Graphics were VERY good for the time, very good story, music, and characters. My brother and I loved the Kefka theme music. Out of all the Final Fantasy games, this one still stand out over many of the other ones, in my opinion.

Breath of Fire III

Ok, I know, in many aspects, it should not be considered a top 3 RPG. But for me, I enjoyed it thorughly. It was light hearted, yet serious, unique graphics, and I loved the fishing. Overall, it was an enjoyably experience and it gave me the urge to buy Breath of Fire IV later on. Unfortuntely, I never got into IV since my interest in games had diminished. My brother however, finished it over the summer. BOF III was a fun game to play.

Xenogears

This game was amazing, the story was awesome, the character's were great, and the music was fantastic (Mitsuda is a great Composer). The battle system was so-so.

Xenosaga III

I must admit, Xenogears got me hooked to the series, although Ep. I and II were somewhat disappointing. But Ep. III felt like a true Xenogears successor. It felt like a Xenogears Re-Make almost (heh).

Final Fantasy VII

FFVII was decent, although it was my first RPG, and I've always liked it since then. Every aspect of the game is Decent, except for the music which is superb.

Anyways, It seems I need to play some more RPG's, Half of the one's listed I've never played...

#1 Xenogears: Never has a game caused me to spend so much time on research in regards to its story. Never have I demoted so much time to game away from the game.

#2: Suikoden 2: I could never quite put my finger on what drew me to this game so much. The story is great... the epic struggle between 2 runes. I also love the minigames (cooking game is made of god and win) and the major battles were sooo much fun.

#3: Final Fantasy Tactics: The game that was so dangerously addictive for me that I forced one of my friends to borrow the game from me and not allow me to take it back for several months. I've had so many saves over 99 hours that it's frightening.


Honorable mention...
Chrono Trigger: formerly my old #3. RIP Chrono
Xenosaga 3: EXCELLENT game, GREAT ending
Suikoden 5: Such a strong comeback for the Suikoden series. I sunk over 85 hours into this game and can't wait to start over again.