The best RPG(s) you've ever played and why

[itachi-hime]

For me I automatically think of Legend Of The Dragoon. Wow. That game was better *anticipates radiating hate* than final fantasy 7. Then I think of Lunar 2. If you don't know what that game is LOOK IT UP. The graphics are similar to RPG maker XP, the battles were sideview and it didn't matter because that game was awesome. (and freaking rare now. I wish i would have kept it. Its worth 70 dollars!) It was awesome because the storyline just kept you wanting to play. It was absolutely enchanting even though the graphics could have been better. The voice acting and all anime cut scenes really made the game unique and just plain... awesome.

Last, but not least one of my FAVORITE RPGs of all time with a high re-playability factor is Vampire: Bloodlines: The Masquerade. It's considered an RPG because there are multiple endings, a great storyline, leveling up your stats such as (besides brawl, melee, unarmed, etc) Charisma, Intelligence, etc. You can hack computers, pick locks, the whole bit. There are several side quests but this game will totally immerse you in its clever, mature storyline (lol there is even a strip club). In the beginning you get to pick your own character from a set of clans with their own special abilities. I love vampires, and if you even LIKE vampires, this game is totally worth buying.

Spoiler: WARNING! (Screenshot of VBtM) Crude Language

Yes, you have to be female for this odd little sidequest
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/Ita ... _10000.jpg[/IMG]

(Star Ocean Till The End Of Time was good. Still playing it. They had a clever title. Because you will be playing SO till the end of time... Lol)

So what are some games that you've played that deserve more credit than the mainstream games? Or just games that you can't help loving? :#

 

[Fafnir]

This is gonna get moved, but let me make my list.

Baten Kaitos: EWatLO and Baten Kaitos: Origins are both great. The battle system of the first one is better(although they're very different, Origins got a complete overhaul), and it also has a better plot twist, but the pacing of the second(the prequel) is much better, and also has much better(like, for some characters, really good*Guillo*) voice acting. Both games are some of the most beautiful to appear on the cube.

And I also LOVE Xenosaga(I just can't find the second one... and from what I hear about it... I don't think I want to). of the two I've played, I perfer the third one for the artstyle and streamlining(attack ethers actually usable!?!? GASP!), although they're both great. Incredible, deep storyline. KOS-MOS freaking owns. Do not deny this fact. Xeno3 is tied for my favourite game with MGS3 and BK: EWatLO(previously mentioned).

FYI, both are made by Monolith, the underappreciated studio that formerly belonged to Bamco(no it belongs to Nintendo).

 

[Andy6000]

Fafnir was right!

For me... Baldur's Gate 2. An incredibly deep character creation system, and an environment that actually takes advantage of it (you can actually do the kind of build you can think up and for the most part it should work). Most DND based games can't figure out how to make anything but a warrior or a wizard actually work. Also the story was incredibly interesting, the voice acting was great (albeit a bit annoying when your team-mates feel the need to scream something stupid with every hit), and Jon Irenicus is a favorite villain of mine, just because he has an awesome voice and is generally quite sinister!

And of course, Fallout 1 and 2. THIS game is what I said first about Baldur's Gate, but on crack. You can actually get through either of these games just talking to people and being intelligent with how you approach a conversation. Or you can approach combat any way you want, run up with barehands and kick a man in the groin until he explodes, sneak up behind someone and shoot them 6 times in the back with a shotgun, or perhaps snipe someone with an energy rifle. The game has an overarching plot, but it's almost completely free-form, hell, if you don't know what you're doing, half the time you just get lost off the main story and end up doing random crap anyways. But yeah, in summary, awesome dialogue, great game mechanics, fabulous story (though the second one gets a bit weird towards the end), etc etc. Just play it.

Valkyrie Profile. Look it up I'm tired of typing.

 

[arcthemonkey]

You played Xenosaga III before II? Wow, way to kinda cripple parts of the story, there! (I know some of it is in the database, but it doesn't quite cover it.) And Ep. II wasn't BAD, it just wasn't as good as the first or second, and the side-quest thing was excruciating.

Now, I'm confused, is this about our favorite RPGs or about our favorite under rated RPGs? Despite the shortcomings of the second disk, Xenogears is probably the best RPG I've ever played, but I don't know that it could be called underrated. Same goes for Star Ocean 2, Breath of Fire III, Chrono Trigger, basically every Final Fantasy game (well, I think X-2 is obnoxiously and immaturely underrated) - incredible games at the top of my list, but certainly not underrated.

If pressed to decide on underrated games, I think Radiata Stories deserves mention - that game is incredible on just about every front, but nobody seems to have even heard of it, and those who have don't seem to like it much. What the hell?

Breath of Fire IV: Dragon Quarter is in the same boat. Really weird, and a huge departure for the series (hell, even I hope they go back to BOFIV style in BOFVI, whenever that comes), but I really liked it. Hard as hell if you can't figure out that you're supposed to start over, with really neat stylization and storytelling techniques. Awesome game - everyone hates it.

Stepping back to the SNES days, the one single thing I've been hoping for a new sequel to more than anything else is the Soul Blazer series (Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma - I don't count the Granstream Saga ^_^). While Dark Cloud is considered by many to be something of a spiritual successor, I think all of us Soul Blazer fans want to see a proper resurrection. Anyway, I think Illusion of Gaia was the only one in the series to really do well.

(Oh yeah, and Vampire is a neat game - funny too that the game started out as Arcanum 2)

 

[Marcus]

This is a difficult topic for me because I can't think of a single RPG that I've enjoyed start to finish without coming across some irksome fault... but there are a handful that pop up in my head.

Rings of Power was a very underrated Sega RPG that was the first (and only) open-ended console RPG if not THE longest RPG on 16-bit consoles. It's pretty dated nowadays, but 15 years ago it was the cream of the crop. It was also one of the first console games to use supplemental material; it came with a strategy guide, a full color map, and this awesome EA poster.

Super Mario RPG is perhaps the best RPG I've played if not the best license that's handled by a seperate company. Square worked magic on this game and it's one of the few non-pc RPG's that expertly combined button mashing, platform hopping gameplay and a well balanced RPG system. There was also plenty of secrets, in-jokes, satirical RPG commentary, and pop-culture humor.

As far as underrated RPGs go, I think Okage: Shadow King is pretty underrated. Granted it's a pretty dated RPG in terms of gameplay, the humor, setting, and art is top notch. This is one of those rare games that I played simply for the unique world.

Final Fantasy X is also pretty underappreciated by most FF fans. It had the best balanced battle system out of any Final Fantasy game, it was long yet never got stale, and the direction was perfect. Whoever directed the cinemas was genious as the game seemlessly shifted from personal inner dialog with the characters and story elements.

Anyways, random mentions would go to Final Fantasy 7 for being one of the most unintentionally humerous videogames I ever played (come on... cloud wears a purple suit and bathes with fags). Ultima 4 pretty much inspired every future console RPG which is apparent in games like Dragon Quest. The Fallout series had an amazing atmosphere and darkly ironic tone that isn't present in any other RPG and Arcanum also has an excellent, unique world. Finally, Deus Ex and System Shock 2 get honorable mentions for blending first person shooting elements with adventuring and stat building.

Yeah... but RPG's are pretty polar genres. They're just to diverse to honestly say "lol this one is superior!"

 

[Diogo //Skyfusion//]

http://images.wikia.com/finalfantasy/im ... _Story.jpg[/IMG]
Story, characters, atmosphere, music, art style, script, are all excellent and mature. Very unique gameplay mechanics as well. Makes 95% of the JRPG's stories feel like kid's crap.

 

[PeteD2S]

The best I have ever played was TES:IV Oblivion. Didn't play many, just some more for SNES.

 

[arev]

@Diogo //Skyfusion//: I agree on what you said about VS, though my #1 still, and probably forever, remains the FF7 : )

 

[Pein]

.Hack

 

[Toffee]

Mine is most likely going to be Morrowind, or Guild wars (i know it's an MMO)

 

[Dopples]

SURPRISE SURPRISE, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A TALES OF GAME! Well, at least not at first :p

Anyways, I'd say Valkyrie Profile. I'm sad that I missed the PSX release (I was too busy with Tales of Destiny, which'll be mentioned later in this post)
Valkyrie Profile was extremely different from the average JRPG, simply for how it progresses through the story and how the epic storyline felt like it actually fit. Sure, it didn't SUPER THREE DEE GFX, but the sprites were well done, and the pre-rendered backgrounds were beautiful. Gameplay wise, it made someone who hated turn-based systems (With a passion) actually LIKE them again.


It was fast paced, yet simple to understand, and the dungeon map added platforming segments to the game. This made dungeon crawling way less tedious, which was always good. And the amount of characters you could recruit made it so you could customize your party any way you want, giving you control of how badass your party is. A lot of the mechanics were great original ideas too. Transferring characters to help turn the tide of Ragnarok was an interesting idea that was executed pretty well.


As for the most RPG I think is most underrated is, surprise, Tales of Destiny. Graphics wise, it's not that great. The sprites are pretty basic, and the only graphics that look even OK are the spells. However, where it truly shines is the story and the gameplay. Story-wise, it's a mix of original and cliche, with new concepts mixed in. The characters are great, from the main character who has a habit to fall asleep pretty much anywhere, to the emotastic anti-hero who betrays the party.

The gameplay is however where it truly shined. Most people who dislike the Tales of battle systems tend to insist in devolves into button mashing, and I really think that's only true for Tales of Symphonia (Seriously, attack skills were pretty lame besides Rising Phoenix). The gameplay involves putting skills together to string combos, along with timing your attacks to combo with your NPC members, and Tales of Destiny is no exception.


So those are my two favorites. Disagree if you wish :p

 

[Anonymous]

When I purchase an RPG, I usually buy it for it's storyline... That being said, my favorite 2 of all time are Kingdome Hearts, and Final Fantasy XII

 

[JD_Slasha]

Final Fantasy IX: Everyone seems to really dislike this one, and I really honestly wonder why. I loved this FF, as it was the first RPG I had to play more than once.

Chrono Cross: Now normally, I'd rank Chrono Trigger higher, but I have to give a special notce to CC. Chrono Cross ws fun because in my opinion, the many things you could do with all the characters and such.

.Hack series: These games were really fun too and I thought it was cool how you were able to use your previous save data as you progressed.

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature Technically not a standard RPG, I loved this game so much, I still get fond memories when I think about it. The many possibilities you can do with the character's life is amazing to me. The only sad thing I thought was that they didn't progress the life of the main character after you get married and have a kid....

Games I've barely even played but I know will also be really fun:
Final Fantasy XII
Radiata Stories
.hack// G.U series
Legend of Zelda Wind Waker
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

 

[Euphony]

Baten Kaitos: EWatLO and Baten Kaitos: Origins are both great. The battle system of the first one is better(although they're very different, Origins got a complete overhaul), and it also has a better plot twist, but the pacing of the second(the prequel) is much better, and also has much better(like, for some characters, really good*Guillo*) voice acting. Both games are some of the most beautiful to appear on the cube.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for mentioning this. I pretty much agree with everything stated right there. The Baten Kaitos series is my favorite, and I feel it's very sadly underrated. Beautiful scenery, fun battle system (the original more than the newer one, I agree), and great plot twists.

Sorry, had a little fanboyish moment there. Carry on. -_-

 

[Andy6000]

If pressed to decide on underrated games, I think Radiata Stories deserves mention - that game is incredible on just about every front, but nobody seems to have even heard of it, and those who have don't seem to like it much. What the hell?

Hey guess how this game got stolen from me. I'd only played it far enough to know the main character was annoying, and now I can't find it again. Rest assured I WILL though. At some point.

Breath of Fire IV: Dragon Quarter is in the same boat. Really weird, and a huge departure for the series (hell, even I hope they go back to BOFIV style in BOFVI, whenever that comes), but I really liked it. Hard as hell if you can't figure out that you're supposed to start over, with really neat stylization and storytelling techniques. Awesome game - everyone hates it.

Hated this game, but honestly I didn't give it the greatest of chances, I played it for like 3 hours, lost (I don't even know how this happened anymore), and then never played it again. I loved BOF3 and 4 (4 much less so because I honestly thought the game was about half as long as it should've been), and this game was way, way too much of a departure for me.

Oh other things to mention... Final Fantasy X was a favorite of mine, since the battle system was pretty fun, I liked... Half the characters, and the story was a departure from the usual 'OMG PLANET EXPLODING KILL BADGUY' story Final Fantasy games tend to take (albeit most of them tackle it in a different way but it usually still boils down to that). The music was great, even if I recognized Uematsu reusing his melodies several times (honestly why does he do this, is it laziness or some perverted sense of self-glorification?).

Uh.. Let's see. Deus Ex is pretty great, even if it is INCREDIBLY aggravating at the beginning before you've figured the game out. It was pretty groundbreaking for it's time and pretty much still is in comparison with a lot of other things. The only other games to do nearly as much with a first person view are Thief and... Oh god there's another one and I know it.

 

[Skyla Doragono]

Probably one of the most awesome RPGs I've ever played are the games in the Shadow Hearts series. Though the prequel Koudelka was a bit difficult to get through, the other three games were just brilliant. The battle system forces you to pay attention, and not just stab the confirm button at every possible moment, and simple at the same time. The atmosphere and history behind the games (as they take place in a pre-WWI to post WWII gothic setting) just really seems to draw you in.

And because it's a Japanese game, it has an expected level of "wtf", but it's not incredibly overblown like most games. Great series; I recommend it to anyone.

 

[Racheal]

Final Fantasy IX: Everyone seems to really dislike this one, and I really honestly wonder why. I loved this FF, as it was the first RPG I had to play more than once.

I have to agree with you on FF9. I really enjoyed the style and feel of it, though because of my dislike for the first disc (no white mage for most of it! grr...), I've never completed a replay of it.
(PS.. play more GU)

Anyways, I'd have to say my favorite RPG would have to be the Atelier Iris series. It's pretty rare, so few people have played it (I only played the first two because Makio randomly picked up the first one used, and I got to borrow it) They're a series of (mostly unrelated) Sprite games about Alchemy for the PS2. Just talking about the first one now, It didn't have much in the way of plot, but the characters were really interesting and quirky. Battles were fun, and some bosses were rather hard, but not impossible (as long as Klein didn't die) Plus, crafting items was an amusing side quest. Two added an addictive new feature to the battle system (that made it waaay easy though) and also had a plot twist that made me go...wow. (though, I think it's fairly easy to do that to me)
There's far too many brackets in that paragraph....

Really, it's what motivated me and Makio to make an rpg.

 

[G-man]

I personally loved Xenogears, although I didn't like the way they took shots at religion, it was nice game, it just had it's long moments, that I went to sleep on...still a great game tho.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Now that Racheal's replied, no one will be shocked when I say Atelier Iris! Atelier Iris one is my favourite of that series. n.n (and yeah...no one knows that game when I mention it.)

But Final Fantasy Tactics will always be the RPG I love most of all. I loved the characters, the story, the gameplay, the music...everything about it. It makes me sad when I ask many 'Final Fantasy fans' if they played Tactics and they go 'the one on the gba?' and when I say 'no the one on the PS1' they either admit they haven't played it, or stare at me like I have six heads. u.u Disheartening.
There`s so many games I love...but that one will always hold that special spot.

 

[paslechoix]

Final Fantasy IX: Everyone seems to really dislike this one, and I really honestly wonder why. I loved this FF, as it was the first RPG I had to play more than once.

Ah yes. In the end of the game, the part with the BGM Your Not Alone is one of the best things i liked of all the rps i played.

In terms of gameplay and quality, i mostly like FF7-9 (i never played that much games ':|) cause its well, good, the story is nice and the graphics are my favority. 3d renders are often more beautifull then plain 2d but i hate rotating the camera all the time. If i ever do a game that is not RMXP its definitivly that style of graphics.

But what i truly like most is the games here. Yeah, on this forum. Why? Cause once you know how people makes games because you do too, you learn more of how they did it and because you know a certain effect or mapping is so hard to do, you are like Wow!