Are RPG's getting worse every 5 years? (List your top 10 RPG's ever to help!)

My list (constantly changing...Probably something else entirely on the old forum):

1. Valkyrie Profile
2. Star Ocean 2
3. Final Fantasy VI
4. Suikoden 2
5. Ys VI
6. Chrono Trigger
7. Growlanser 2
8. Atelier Iris Eternal Mana
9. Fire Emblem (the first GBA one)
10. Wild Arms 2

As far as years go, it's kind of tricky to pinpoint where I'd fall into. 2000-2003 had some real gems (namely Valkyrie Profile, Disgaea and GBA Fire Emblem and probably the first Grandia...Dunno if people count Dewprism as an RPG, but I liked that one too), but this was basically the era of basically every major RPG I had waited on tanking or ending up pretty mediocre at best. This is something of a gap in gaming history for me...Next-gen games weren't up to snuff and older era stuff (PS1) was being pushed beyond what the systems could reasonably handle and frankly, weren't that much fun. I spent most of 2001-2003 replaying and catching up on SNES games, outside of Klonoa 2 and Smash Brothers Melee.

I started playing RPG's in 90-94 and a lot of great classics came from that era I remember (Dragon Warrior 3 and 4, the NES and SNES Final Fantasys), but really, the selection pales in comparison to some of the later years (and FFVI was the only one of that group to make my list). 95-99 was pretty good, if only for Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG early on and then the RPG boom from 97 and on.

I have to say, I'm forced to vote for the 2004-present option. We have so many options now, it's silly and the selections I've picked out for myself thus far have yielded some real classics (see list). There's more SRPG's than ever before and more publishers overall (and more of a desire for Japanese companies to bring their games over) and not enough time to play everything, which is a problem I wish I could have had back before I entered the "real" world of work, bills, etc. There's still games out there I would gladly buy (Grandia 3, Wild Arms 4, Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, Fire Emblem Sacred Stones, the Digital Devil Sagas and Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne) but haven't because of lack of time. And there's more than enough coming out this year I'm drooling for (lead by Valkyrie Profile 2, Atelier Iris 2 and Suikoden V, which I may just drop everything and play for 40 consecutive hours once it's out).

The present wins by way of sheer numbers and overall variety, in addition to several great games.

Edit: Woo-hoo, I'm the only who thinks we're in the "golden years" for RPG's now!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Elixir

Here's 5. I really can't think of any others which I liked. Just looking at people enjoying titles like Atelier Iris makes me wonder if there's something wrong with me, or whether I'm destined to hate games.

With Atelier Iris, it depends how much you get out of the item-making system (s). I personally had more fun getting every piece of junk onto the shopkeeper's lists than I did the main "RPG"-ish stuff (though the battle system was pretty good...kind of like an improved FFX, with the character-swapping and cutting back on the like-character-kills-like-enemy gameplay). Plus the handdrawn sprites and backgrounds were a well-done rarity from most RPG's nowadays.

You'll be really disappointed if you play this game expecting well-thought-out characters and a deep, insightful plot.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by DragoonKain

I've said on here many times that I think RPGs are getting worse. That combined me getting bored with the repetitiveness of them. How about some new original ideas and characters? The badass characters are slowly fading.

2. Suikoden 2
3. Suikoden

All signs in this post point to you needing a hearty dose of Suikoden V medicine.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Just curious: How far into Suiko V did you play? S5 definitely takes its' sweet time getting jump-started, I can vouch for, but it ended up improving on 2 in so many ways I thought...the warfare battles, more ways to prepare your party (formations, skills) , more plot twists, the "next-gen" treatment (cutscenes, voice acting), more interesting characters (IMO, of course) and all of the good things the series is known for. I'm just a tad surprised you had Suikoden 2 and 1 at #2 and #3 respectively and didn't think much of it...I put 54 hours into a "bad" run of it and I'm about 10 hours into a "good" run now. It's actually rekindled my own RPG "spirit".

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by DragoonKain

I think I was 6 hours into Suikoden V. Yea, I know, not a lot, but I'm not patient when it comes to stuff like games. I can't drag through hours upon hours of boredom. I just usually shut it off, and pop in another game.

The last game I beat that I hated was Final Fantasy X-2. I hated that game and everything about it pretty much, and I dragged myself through it hoping it would get better, but it didn't.

I'll eventually get around to beating Suikoden V, and even IV which I also own and couldn't beat, but I'm a tad angry that Pesmerga(my favorite Suikoden character of the series) isn't in one since 2.

Just a heads up...You're probably well into what is just a playable opening. Get past the stupid Sacred Games stuff (which go on for WAY too long), click past the next two or three groups of scenes and wait for the good stuff to unfold (sort of like how S2 gets better once you get away from Victor's Fort). And I thought Tri-Ace's "playable openings" were insanely long...

I personally didn't like Suiko IV all that much (4-man parties...WHY!? And the boat thing...) and I haven't paid it much attention. I was psyched for V just as a "return to greatness" deal. Once I get the good ending on V, I might go back to it, since it's supposed to at least be pretty short (20-25 hours).

But I can see what you mean...Any game in the past I've truly hated didn't make it past the 20 hour mark (most I stopped well before that). I have a copy of Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana and I've put 20 hours on it over the past year...It's fun, but I rarely have the motivation to play. And then there's Star Ocean 3, which I waited years for and I've touched for a grand total of 7 hours since it came out (not a fan of this version of the battle system).

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Cetra

I tend to agree. And new RPGs also have to compete with a time when the entire genre was new and exciting. It's simply impossible to recapture the experience of playing your first few good RPGs.

I agree with that somewhat...The catch being, the ones that do successfully compete with the nostalgic impulses wind up becoming legends in the player's minds as well. One reason I'm in love with Suikoden V (and the series in general) is there's so much more (well-done) character interaction, plot twists (including the many "holy shit" moments) and gameplay options than even the best SNES RPG's. Likewise, Valkyrie Profile...Completely original battle system when it came out and I'll take that over good old CT or FF6's gameplay anytime. And also, strat RPG's are new for a lot of people, so games like Fire Emblem and the Nippon Ichi titles have (almost) a clean slate for people new to that style of play.

Heh, I played the hell out of FFIV, FFVI, CT and Mario RPG back in the day and I'll always look to them as great examples of what got me into RPG's. But at the end of the day, it's Suiko V and II, VP, Star Ocean 2 and La Pucelle claiming my top five spots (not in that order, but still).

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Megavolt

I wonder if Suikoden V can somehow turn out to be better than Suikoden II. I'm six hours in.

I'm sure you already know how I agree that Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean 2 are great games. However, the somewhat rudimentary gameplay of Suikoden has always been serviceable to the story, which means that it'll never be able to impress me very much by itself.

Just get past the playable opening and you'll see...:biggrin:

I generally agree on the main gameplay (unless you count finding characters as being a large part of the gameplay), but the large-scale battles stole the show for me this time around. The normal battles are also far more in-depth this time around, with the addition of formations and skills (not to mention the impressive number of party choices the series always has).

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Megavolt

I guess I'm pretty close to things opening up more then. I'm up to the final match of the Sacred Games. (actually, I got past it, but I didn't like Belcoot losing; does the possibility hinge on what you tell Marina that night?) I'll play more of it tonight.

No, it's all scripted. There's no way Belcoot can win.

I'd say you have about 1 1/2-2 hours worth of material to get through from there before things pick up (more characters to introduce, plus Raftfleet...THEN it gets fun), though pay attention to what you're told at the east palace...It'll help you understand a cool plot twist later on. You'll know it when it gets good...It's anything but subtle.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?