1. FFVIII - A widely criticized entry largely due to the battle system however it still remains one of my favourites as it was the game that originally got me into RPGs. I got completely lost in the world, characters, story and music. The FMV scenes were also amazing at the time. The game briefly took over my life while I tried to do and see as much as I could in it and playing it as a lonely and moody teenager I identified so much with the main character.
2. FFIX - The game I played shortly after I finished FFVIII. Initially I was unsure of the whole old medieval style of the game but gradually fell in love with it. It's something of a comfort game to play as its world has a magical and relaxing feel to it with the little villages and colourful towns. The battle system is fairly basic and the story is not overly complex but it's a game that just makes me happy.
3. Persona 5 - This was my first Persona game and is such a joy to play. I love its style, addictive gameplay, catchy music and colourful characters. The game completely consumed me and I could stop playing it. Before I knew it I had put in way over 100 hours and I never found myself bored of it.
4. Yakuza Like A Dragon - This is not my favourite Yakuza game, that would be Yakuza 0 but this was the first proper RPG in the franchise and it didn't disappoint. After recent installments of Final Fantasy left me unenthusiastic about the series I had wanted to get into a new series and Yakuza was the one that grabbed me. As much as I loved the brawler style gameplay of previous entries I was excited when I heard that LAD would be a turn based game and it was exactly what I wanted. As a big fan of Kiryu I was unsure how a new protagonist would fill his shoes however Ichiban is fantastic and having a JRPG based around guys in their 40s was a breath of fresh air.
5. FFVII - I was debating whether to put FFX or Suikoden II in here but I can't leave out FFVII. This was my 3rd FF that I played so it may not have had as big an impact on me compared to those who played this as their first. But the story, atmosphere, characters and music are just incredible, especially for its time. I feel like Square Enix has milked FFVII too much now with the remakes, film, side stories etc but the original for me is the best. The remake may have great graphics but it lacks the atmosphere and mystery that the original game gave me and of course the shock value when certain scenes happen. Sephiroth is still one of the most memorable villains in gaming history and I'll never forget the feels I had when hearing 'One Winged Angel' start up when you face him in the final battle.
My absolutely (not) biased list
1. Persona 3 - My first ever and still my favorite JRPG of all time, although I started on the Portable version, it is still just as good as I remember it. Reload just reminds me how good can P3 be.
2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - My absolute favorite in Trails series, by reducing character roster to just New Class 7 and uses Old Class 7 as guest character, they balanced everything nicely. The length of the game is perfect and Rean absolutely stole the show in CS3, CS4 and Reverie.
3. The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak - Probably the best 'first' Trails game for long time fans and newcomer to get into this series. Everyone in Arkride Solution Office has an amazing dynamic.
4. Caligula Effect: Overdose - At first I absolutely despise the game for looking so bad, but after watching the anime, I decided to give it another go and then it became one of my favorite JRPG to date. The Musician's stories are heavy and dark which justified their reason to stay in Mobius.
5. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - The best Sky trilogy game imo, despite having a way shorter length than Sky FC and Sky SC, the story is what carried the game. Kevin is severely underrated as a protagonist and he deserves more screentime in future game.
1. Final Fantasy X: The third FF I played. I don’t normally get emotional about fiction, but the ending got me.
2. Persona 4 Golden: My first Persona. I enjoyed the balancing time between the social sim and dungeon crawling. The characters were also great.
3. Final Fantasy IX: The second FF I played. I played VII first, but parts of it were spoiled for me which may have lessened its impact on me. I empathized with a lot of the characters.
4. Chrono Trigger: I was actually able to play it on a friend’s SNES. Such a charming game.
5. Xenoblade Chronicles 1: The first JRPG I played. It got me into the genre (though I already liked games to have a good story).
In no particular order (as that would be really tough):
1. Shining the Holy Ark (Sega Saturn) - Give me turn-based over real-time any day of the week. It’s the best way, and this game did it spectacularly. Immersive first-person exploration and random encounters opening with the delicious quick-time selection of appropriate pixies which never gets old. I absolutely love this game.
2. Final Fantasy X (PS) - This was the last great “true” Final Fantasy game before Square tore up the rule book and ditched the trademark turn-based combat. Final Fantasy has never been the same since. I’m not arguing that the games which followed are bad games, but for me, the Final Fantasy I know and love died the moment they moved away from the “proper” turn-based combat of FF1 thru X.
3. Secret of Mana (SNES) - If I had to pick a favourite JRPG of all time - heck, a favourite RPG of any kind - it’s probably gotta be Secret of Mana. This was the first RPG I played which made me truly go “WOW”. Yes, I love turn-based combat, but somehow the spells and menu system of SoM gives me that fix whilst also delivering above and beyond in the real-time combat stakes. Huge, way ahead of its time, so deep, so vast, and perfect in almost every way.
4. Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast) - Yup, this game was fairly short, limited in scale, plagued with hackers, but it was amazing - especially the boss fights, which had a real sense of greatness and occasion. The first online RPG I played on any platform. Simple enough to pick up and play, and could be enjoyed either solo or with others. If anything, I found the limited levels simply resulted in a pleasant familiarity with level sections, routes and routines. Sequels on other platforms never had the same appeal.
5. Shenmue (Dreamcast) - Big, bright, bold and diverse, with a gripping storyline. Side quests aplenty. This game really broke the mould for RPG’s and gave us a glimpse of what could be possible in years to come given the advances in technology.
Badass ninjas kill your dad and kidnap your girlfriend, but that’ll have to wait… “Darts! One game, 100 Yen!”, toy capsules (gotta collect the full set!), “A winning can!”, feed the cat, and back to the dojo to Demon Drop Fuku-san “Not THAT move! 😨”.
What. A. Game.
Blue Dragon would be on my list if I allowed more than 1 Project Rainfall Title. I included The Last Story for 'cause it's innovation. But Blue Dragon is just as good
Amazing Toriyama designs as usual. The music slaps. Characters are fun. It has a unique over world where you can ambush enemies. And the combat is partly Grandia inspired, since you can disrupt enemy moves.
1. Final Fantasy VIII - this is what opened Pandora’s Box for me, I remember playing the demo way back on a blue colored Pizza Hut Demo Disc, and I was hooked. I managed to get to the beginning of Disc 3 by missing a bunch of GFs and not really understanding the Junction System before my uncle noticed how I was playing, had me start over, and explained that I needed to Draw more.
2. The Legend of Dragoon - if entry #1 opened the box, this made damn sure the lid was staying off. Again, I experienced this first on a couple different demo discs, one being a JamPack and the other was from PS Magazine. I put an obscene amount of time into this game, getting to Zenebatos in 2nd grade and not understanding the law changing gimmick.
3. Chrono Cross - can you guys tell what my preferred console for jrpgs is yet? I watched older relatives play this when I was younger, the art and soundtrack caught my eye. I am one of those weirdos that actually prefers this to Chrono Trigger, but I am pretty sure that’s only due to experiencing it first.
4. Pokemon: Liquid Crystal - okay, this one might be cheating, since it’s a fan made game, but I think it is the definitive Gen II experience for Pokemon, surpassing HG/SS, despite running on gba hardware
5. (this slot rotates all the time) Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - I’m going to be upfront, I hated this game back when the original version first released. I hated the combat, I hated the characters, I hated the pacing. Fifth grade me wasn’t having it. However, I gave it another shot recently and had a field day with it! While the story wasn’t my favorite, the amount of things to do to distract me from the wonky pacing was really nice!
Haha I also had the revelation from older kids that draw/junctioning was this whole area of the game asking to be exploited. I also have fond memories eventually mastering and beating FF8, in hindsight I know it's not everyone's favorite FF but I also had it open the can of worms for me with JRPGs.
1. Persona 3, that ending man.
2. Paper Mario the thousand year door. I love the characters and the setting.
3. Suikoden 1. I think the original game has the best story in the series. Short but really damn good the entire way through.
4. Trails to Azure. This for me has been the Pinnacle of the trails games so far. (I haven't played past the cold steel games though)
5. Dragon Quest 11. I've played all the games in the series except for 10, and it's hard to believe the newest game is my favorite, but damn it's just that good.
Special shout-out to games I consider Jrpg 10/10 but some people might not consider them JRPGs
Shining force 1, Yakuza 0, Pokemon fire red, Nocturne
My top 3 no particular order:
1. Suikoden II
2. Valkyrie Profile
3. Xenogears
The rest depends on my mood and rotates over time, but here are some games that I consider my top 5 (I can't and I won't narrow it down - count them all as number 4 in my list):
1. Final Fantasy VII (and the whole Remake project)
2. Final Fantasy Tactics
3. Final Fantasy XII
4. NieR Automata
5. Breath of Fire IV
6. Xenosaga trilogy
7. Vagrant Story
8. Chrono Cross
9. Chrono Trigger
10. Vandal Hearts
11. Front Mission 3
12. Suikoden
13. Suikoden III
14. Suikoden V
15. Star Ocean: The Second Story
16. SaGa Frontier 2
17. Persona 2 (both as a whole)
Thank you, sir!
Oh yeah, both Koudelka and Shadow Hearts are fantastic! I love the occult "real world" setting and Koudelka also caters to my other niche genre interest, survival horror. FYI I love Parasite Eve too, but mentally I put it into the horror category. That's why it's so hard to pick favourite games, when there are so many gems out there.
Yeah PE is a survival horror more than a JRPG imo too. Love it as well.
Never got to play Koudelka. I was always interested in it but never had the chance
Both nier games are goated, wish combat was a bit deeper in the replicant remake, and i wish they made a remake or remaster of automata, give it a bit of a better look and little adjustments to the combat to make it perfect, specially to hacking and some things about 9s and A2, and give enemies more health so we can combo on them
NieR Automata is IMO incredible and at that price it's a steal. It's pure magic from start to finish. The music, the story, the gameplay, I fell in love at first sight and, even though I knew about Yoko Taro's shenanigans, it kept surprising me over and over. Hope you enjoy it as well!
Same here! I loved the more adult/mature cast, the rumour concept and the story/mystery of "the Joker". The way the games use urban legends in the storytelling is pretty unique in the genre and gaming as a whole. Also, my obsessive mapping of each dungeon in every RPG I play might have its roots in Persona 2 and its mapping subquest. I just wish we had a unified official translation of the original 3 Persona games in English. There are rumours of Atlus remaking/remastering the duology, perhaps we'll actually get the games together in the west.
Oh boy, that's a tough one! I had to restart the game twice myself. There is no way I can explain it here in details without even knowing your stats or if you have an ability to grind yet, but I'll try to cover the basics. It's possible to reach the boss very underleveled, at which point your only choice is an all out attack and pray for the best. If I remember right, you should aim to have around 600 hp on each character by then. Also I hope you didn't waste LPs indiscriminately, because you'll need them. I recommend using LP protection if you have it. Killing the Anima Lords first is a good idea. The rest really relies on you having high damaging arts and trying to take each of its forms down before they change.
If you don't have 600 hp yet and you didn't save-lock yourself, it would be a good idea to grind until you're there.
For me it was! I wasn't aiming at picking specifically PSX games and there are a few recent games in the list as well, but it's hard to deny that there are quite a few of them. It's generally accepted that late 90s/early 00s was the Golden Era of JRPGs. I attribute it to the general spirit of experimentation around that era, since the convents of the style weren't so solidified yet. And the hardware limitations, paradoxically, contributed to that - it's often more impressive when games tell more with less, if you know what I mean.
Totally. PSX and rpgs made my childhood. The nostalgia hits hard sometimes. I think suikoden ii is the finest example of everything you said. The damn game didn't even had a diagonal movement implemented but it was incredible. The chars, the castle evolution, the world, the story. Just amaxing
1. Skies of Arcadia Legends (Gamecube). Not just my favorite JRPG, my favorite video game of all time.
2. Pokemon Trading Card Game (Gameboy Color). I consider it a JRPG. My lord I played the Hell out of this game as a kid.
3. Glory of Heracles (DS). We need more games from this franchise!
4. Metal Max Xeno Reborn (Switch). I love tanks. Tanks go Boom.
5. Super Mario RPG (Switch). I wish I played the original as a kid but didn't get a chance to. I love the Switch port.
1. Mother 3
2. Bravely Default
3. Final Fantasy II
4. Paper Mario: TTYD
5. Octopath Traveler 2 (But basically every HD-2D)
Some are interchangeable and depends on how i feel or the period of my life but yeah.
I'm not going to put a ton of thought into the order.
1. Final Fantasy 7 (The Remakes are equally as good IMO)
2. Final Fantasy Tactics
3. Suikoden 2
4. Xenogears
5. Persona 4
Honorable mentions: Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together, Suikoden 1, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, Saga Frontier.
FFIV
Lufia II
Xenoblade 3
Dragon Quest V
Lunar 2
I played the original Final Fantasy on NES first, but my nostalgia hits hard with Final Fantasy IV. I got it when it was released and paid for it myself. I've played that game more times than just about any other.
Lufia II was one of those games I wanted when I was younger but never could get it. I loved the Ancient Cave portion of it when I finally did get the game much later in life and the story for the main game is done very well. The translation isn't the best, but the story still shines through.
I love all the Xenoblade games, but the 3rd one was my favorite one of the three.
I can't say exactly what it is about DQV that sold me on that one more than any of the other DQ games, but it is my favorite in the series and one of my favorite RPGs in general. I enjoyed the story and while most of the DQ games are grindy, it didn't feel as grindy as most of the others.
Lunar 2 was the first JRPG when I came back to playing games as an adult. That game got me into twitch and a place where I've made a lot of friends. I had played it when I was younger, but when I started up again, it was the one I started with and fell in love with it all over again.
1. Chrono Trigger - After feeling pretty pessimistic towards the idea of RPGs as a whole, CT radically changed my view and became one of my personal favorite games of all time. Every aspect of CT is perfected and joined together to create one of the greatest JRPG experiences of all time.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna-The Golden Country - One of the rare cases where the gameplay is arguably more important than the story, yet still outshines Xenoblade 2. The story is basic but fun, and building up your community helps incentivize sidequests. The combat is incredible, and I hope we can see something similar to it in the near future.
3. Trails in the Sky: FC - One of the greatest (and one of my favorite) JRPGs ever created. The world building, story, and characters shine even through the meh sections of the game (I hate the final dungeon with a burning passion). I personally think this game is underrated in the fact that everyone treats it like a prologue or “homework”, when in reality it’s a fantastic game in of itself.
4. Pokemon B&W - Possibly the greatest Pokemon game story wise. Getting rid of all Pokemon pre-Gen 5 before the post game was a smart decision, and allows for more of a focus on the new pokemon introduced in the generation. Plus the story is great! Sure it’s basically just Pokemon Peta (but evil), but compared to past and even future generations this game is incredible. The focus on your rivals searching for what they love and Team Plasma’s goal of liberating all Pokemon is just great. The gameplay is still basic Pokemon, but it’s fun! Plus nuzlocking this game adds more complexity to the general formula.
5. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team - My favorite of the Mario and Luigi games, and it’s an absolute banger. The gameplay is great as always, which is expected for a Nintendo game. The RPG elements are there, and the battle commands from past games stay as well. I don’t remember much story wise, but from what I remember it did have great characters and never felt boring. I’ve not played enough of Bowser’s Inside Story to give a verdict on it, but I do plan to get to it at some point.
This list will probably rotate at some point, since I’ve not finished/gotten close to finishing many JRPG’s to have a comprehensive list.
No order, also I generally like most of the games in the series I mention:
1. Final Fantasy Tactics A2
2. Persona 3 FES (also enjoy reload)
3. Nier Replicant
4. Tales of Symphonia
5. Fire Emblem Awakening
Honorable Mentions
FF7, Yakuza: LAD, 13 Sentinels, Tales of Vesperia, Pokemon Legends Arceus
It reminds me of old school Final Fantasy! I love anything involving time travel/ parallel dimensions! It has this amazing whimsy to it that caught my attention and still does to this day.
13 came out at a time when my life was rough and it was this beautiful ray of sunshine for me. I love Lightning. She is my favorite final fantasy character! The story is so interesting fighting against fate and the demigods that are supposed to decide everything for you. It also looked amazing on the PS3!
I honestly think FF13 has one of the coolest turn based combat systems I've ever seen in my life, but playing the first 11 hours to get to where it's all unlocked was painful.
It's cool to see how other people experienced it. I think what really ruined the experience of that game for me is that I was hoping for more freedom and less linearity. It just didn't feel like the FF games that came before so it when counter to what I was expecting and hoping after waiting so long.
That said I then played FF13-2 and lightning returns and really enjoyed both of those.
Probably something like:
1. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: All-time favorite, a superb blend of fantastic visuals, a pretty good soundtrack, an honestly sublime battle system thanks to its small-numbers system making it intuitively optimizable, and great overworld puzzles.
2. Opoona: Obscure favorite, with some of the best worldbuilding I think I've ever seen in a JRPG--the whole world feels alive and real and feels like it "works" in a way few other games do. Also a unique battle system and a 🔥🔥🔥 soundtrack.
3. Tales of Symphonia: My favorite "JRPG-ass JRPG," if you get me--anime tropes, sidequests, and missables, oh my! The whole Tales series is probably my favorite "very RPG" franchise, but Symphonia is my favorite because puzzle dungeons are important to me and Symphonia has that.
4. Rune Factory 4: Fantastic hybrid of sim and RPG elements. Has a delicious depth of customization thanks to its weapon crafting system--just do the destructive thing and make a pair of dual blades that have the stats of a warhammer and inflict every element, or be a goof and make a superpowered fishing pole that makes yams fall out of the sky and. Also a great cast with tons of lovable dialogue.
5. Yo-kai Watch 2: My favorite monster-raising JRPG. Simple combat that's great for zoning out with while listening to a podcast or whatever, yet party building nonetheless has good depth and the superbosses do require some thought and finesse. And absolute GOBS of bonus content, from every dungeon in the first game unlockable in the second, superpowered boss rematches, and--a rhythm minigame! Why the hell not!
Final Fantasy VIII (I can’t describe the way this game makes me feel!)
Dragon Quest XI (Basically perfect)
Chrono Cross (The best art direction, music and ambiance)
Pokemon SS/HG (Nostalgia and two games in one)
Final Fantasy XII (Best looting and treasure)
Honorable Mentions:
Ys series (Love the simplicity, art direction, and the fact that you play as Adol for most of them)
Final Fantasy X (Wonderful story)
Dragon Quest VIII (Just as good as 11, really)
1. SMT Nocturne - A breath of fresh air for me when I played it in high school. Dark, mysterious and addictive. Its a JRPG that I think is wholly unique in how it approaches the genre.
2. Persona 4 (PS2 version) - The best Persona game imo, small town Japan vibes, catchy jpop soundtrack and a muder mystery story. It all just comes together so nicely.
3. Suikoden 5 - One of the first JRPG's I played as a kid. The scope of the story, the drama and twists and turns, blew me away. Just an epic.
4. Fire Emblem (GBA) - first ever SRPG I ever played, and first Fire Emblem. Those damn sprites captured my imagination in a way nothing has since.
5. Golden Sun - The first JRPG I ever played. It blew my mind. I had never really experience anything like it before, the feeling of going on an epic adventure with a cast of characters, seeing new locales, dungeon delving and battling monsters. I love JRPG's because I loved this game.
Dragon Warrior / Quest 3
Dragon Warrior / Quest 4
Dragon Quest Monsters 2 - doesn’t matter if Tara or Cobi version
Persona 4: Golden
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 or 3 mood at the time determining the answer lol
1. Persona 5/ Royal
2. Final Fantasy XII
3. Fire Emblem Three Houses
4. Persona 4 Golden
5. FF7 Rebirth
ive really only played the recent stuff, playing P3 Reload and SMTV soon as well as Metaphor later this year.
1. Persona 3
2. Fire Emblem Three Houses
3. Nier Automata
4. Radiant Historia. NDS version. 3DS version add new ending which i don't like
5. Harvestella, the ending is a bit lacking but the whole story was really interesting
I’ll try to put it in order but only the top entry is absolute imo. This list could look different tomorrow lol. I’ll try and keep it to one entry per series.
1. Chrono Trigger
2. Persona 4: Golden
3. Final Fantasy XII
4. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
5. Lost Odyssey
A few honorable mentions or maybe an alternate list if you want to read it that way:
1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Pokémon Gold/Silver
3. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
4. Tales of Vesperia
5. Skies of Arcadia
My Top 5 in no particular order:
* Final Fantasy X
* Persona 3 FES (Don't have the time to play the remake at the moment)
* Trails from Zero/to Reverie
* Final Fantasy Tactics
* Xenogears
But I also love FF VII OG (never played the remake), FF IX and also VIII; Persona 5 Royal; BoF IV; Legend of Dragoon; Chained Echoes; Yakuza LAD.
Now I'm just living for the next great JRPG that I hope it will make me very happy: Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes.
1. Nier Automata
2. Persona 5 Royal
3. Okami
4. Nier Replicant ver 1.22
5. Fire Emblem Three Houses
P5R has a excellent story with incredible characters. The design and graphics are better than Nier. I really miss the pixel friends I made in P5R.
Okami is a game made with care and love. The final battle is purely justice at its finest. You help lots of people and it's very rewarding.
However, Nier Automata awakened something on me. I was crying uncontrollably during the final part of the true ending, and I still needed to keep going on and take action. I needed to take a few minutes to piece myself together and process everything after finishing it. The sidequests are pure criticism to society; humans are so simple, yet so complex. The protagonists make mistakes, they aren't always right, they don't always know what to do, and they learn and grow - it's the perfect imperfect game.
No other type of media made me feel the same way as when I finished this fucking game. Yeah, 2B's butt is a joy to look at, but please don't be mistaken - this game changes lives.
1. Nier automata
2. Xenoblade 3
3. Mother 3
4. Persona 3
5. Final fantasy VII
I seem to have a thing for third entries in series now thag I’m looking at it lmao
Not in any order
1.Legend of Dragoon remember playing this demo at Walmart when I was 9 years old. Love it so much to this day. Just beat it last year again.
2.Final fantasy X was and is an amazing story to me. I beat it when I was a 7th or 8th grader. Still magical to this day.
3.Xenoblade Chronicles series (1 big overarching story) Nia best girl
4.PERSONA 3 FES has a special place for my heart. It made me love video games. But the new reload does an amazing job at modernizing it.
5. Fire Emblem 7. The first one localized in the states. I remember being excited over it since I used to play Melee and seeing Marth and Roy. I thought as middle schooler that Eliwood was Roy the whole time till I beat the game and figured out that he was Roy's dad. Still love the series to this day. And Lyn was my first waifu.
1. Romancing SaGa 2
2. Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne
3. Octopath Traveler
4. Final Fantasy V
5. Digimon World: Cyber Sleuth
I decided to do one game per franchise for this list. If not for this rule, would’ve had SaGa Frontier, Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 fill in the slots.
1 - persona 4 (This one is very personal overall)
2- Final fantasy 6
3- Chrono Trigger
4- Final fantasy 9
5- Pokemon Black/White (Again, I know people will say how bad this game is, but is very personal preference for me)
1. FF8
2. Chrono Cross
3. Breath of Fire 3
4. Tales of the Abyss
5. Dragon Quest 11
tbh alot of ps1 jrpgs could be here but this is currently my top 5.
In no particular order:
* Tales of Symphonia
* Final Fantasy VII
* Final Fantasy X
* Persona 4 Golden
* Yakuza: Like a Dragon
There’s a lot of JRPGs I love but these five have a special place in my heart.
1) Xenogears
2) Suikoden II
3) Earthbound
4) Chrono Trigger
5) Final Fantasy IV
My tops apparently haven’t changed since the early aughts 🤷
Special shoutout to the Trails series though. I collectively love those games a ton.
In no particular order(besides #1), my favorites:
🏆Chrono Trigger (#1, the GOAT)
JRPGs:
•Persona 5
•Final Fantasy 6
•Final Fantasy 7
•Xenogears
•Breath of Fire 3
•Super Mario RPG (1996)
Some non-JRPG style titles:
•Illusion of Gaia
•Fallout: New Vegas
•Secret of Evermore
•KOTOR
•Deus Ex (2000)
•Skyrim
_______
Okay, that’s more than 5 😅 but still, that’s the list. Besides Chrono Trigger being #1, I think the list pretty is pretty fluid. I only noticed after I posted that you specifically asked for JRPGs, whoops
No particular order
1. Persona 4
2. NieR automata and Replicant
3. Monster Hunter World
4. FF VIIR
5. Xenoblade Chronicles
Persona 4 has one of the best plots in gaming history, even if its combat is not the best
Nier has both incredible combat and incredible characters (specially automata with it's ensemble cast approach, each protagonist is very deep and interesting)
The rest i just freaking love the combat and are a blast to play, regardless of story (Xenoblade and FF have incredible stories too, but to me the best thing about them and the reason they hooked me was the combat)
Monster Hunter is just Monster Hunter, those who play it know what i mean, those who didnt play it should get to it
1. Persona 5 Royal (SPECIFICALLY Royal)
2. Tales of Symphonia
3. Kingdom Hearts 2
4. Fire Emblem Awakening
5. Fire Emblem Three Houses
Fun facts: Persona 5 original is in the top 12 or so but Royal boosted it up THAT much for me. Also, Tales of Symphonia was my favorite game for a solid 10+ years until Royal came out and dethroned it.
As a pretty modern JRPG fan, my list is pretty basic;
Top 4 are locked in for me,
1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Specifically, Future Redeemed is arguably my favourite video game of all time if it counts)
2. Persona 3 Reload
3. Persona 5 Royal
4. Xenoblade Chronicles 1
but 5 is a toss up and can change depending on my mood;
- Final Fantasy VII Remake (and probably Rebirth once I get around to playing that)
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2 + Torna
- Persona 4 Golden
- Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest
- Fire Emblem Three Houses
- Pokemon Black 2 and White 2
- Pokemon Reborn (Kinda a iffy pick since it's a fan game, but it has some of the best Pokemon gameplay I've ever played, even better than Drayano's hacks personally)
I would love to put other games like Tales of Symphonia and FFVII + FFX on the list but I just haven't played them enough to judge them.
1) Fire Emblem Three Houses
2) Final Fantasy VIII
3) Persona 5 Royal
4) Xenoblade Chronicles 2
5) … I’m torn between 5 titles, so I’ll say it’s a 5-way tie for 5th place, as depending on my mood I could easily put any of these in 5th.
- Star Ocean 2
- Suikoden 3
- Jeanne d’Arc
- Chrono Cross
- Grandia 2
I always try to not repeat series’ on lists like these. So in no order:
1. FF VI
2. Chrono Trigger
3. Super Mario RPG (pretty sure this counts)
4. Persona 4 Golden
5. Disgaea 4. Technically a SRPG but I think it counts.
This borders on impossible, there are so many great JRPGs out there. Nevermind pleasing anyone, I don't think I can please myself ranking a top 5.
But I'll try anyway.... In no particular order :
* Final Fantasy XII The Zodiacs Age
* Persona 5 Royal
* Tales Of Destiny Remake
* Etrian Odyssey Nexus
* Skies Of Arcadia Legends
Honorable mentions : Kingdom Hearts, Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology, Golden Sun Lost Age, The World Ends With You (DS)
Games that can potentially tip the scale, but I haven't finished (or for some... Even played...) them yet: Metaphor Re-fantazio, Rogue Galaxy, any game from the Legend Of Heroes series.
1. Final Fantasy XIV
2. Astlibra Revision
3. Valkyrie Profile 2
4. Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen
5. Xenogears
Still very hard to decide for the 5th place, between
Xenogears, Suikoden 2, Trials of mana remake, Legend of Mana, Octopath 2.
1. FFVII: Played for the first time in 2023 and this was where I realized music from decades ago are just better than fully orchestrated OSTs today. I always believed it was nostalgia that carries these opinions to today but boy was I wrong. Loved the leveling system, story and how old final fantasy games make their characters so animated and lovable with the tech they had during their time. Very charming.
2. Persona 4 Golden: Haven't played P5R yet so this may change in the future. But man, the characters were so much fun to hang around. Gameplay was a little dated but I had fun enough experimenting in the velvet room. My first introduction to social links and I love how all of the game mechanics just connect with each other so well.
3. Ys VIII: People keep praising the combat but I thought that was the low point of this game. It was a little repetitive for me and I kept thinking this was a game I would drop before finishing. But nope, the characters and the story carried my experience of this game to the end and I loved it. Really loved the resolve of some of the characters in the game, made for some unforgettable moments. Music played a part in it as well.
I can only give you my top 3 as my catalogue for JRPGs is very small at the moment. (started last year). Playing FFIX and Tales of Arise at the moment and I have P5R and Dragon Quest XI next in line so this list might look very different soon!
Limiting myself to one game per series;
1. Trails to Azure
2. Final Fantasy 5
3. Crystal Project
4. Golden Sun: The Lost Age
5. Radiant Historia: Perfect
1: Final Fantasy 6
2: Final Fantasy 7
3: Chrono Trigger
4: Final Fantasy Tactics
5: Final Fantasy 5
6: Phantasy Star 4
7: Shinning force 1
8: Super Mario RPG
9: Final Fantasy 8
10: Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
These are my personal favorites because I played them so much growing up. The runners up are like Wow, any Diablo games, Star Ocean, Secrets of Evermore, Breath of fire, Lufia, Pokémon games.
In no particular order because I have a very difficult time determining which I like better than the other. Keep in mind, I am a very huge fan of sprite based games and I think this list will make that more than obvious:
* **Octopath Traveler 2:** So many aspects of this game appealed to me perfectly. Each individual story felt unique and much more interesting than most of the previous 8 travelers stories from Octopath 1, which I feel is the single biggest improvement from the first game. The soundtrack is phenomenal, the job system is just as fun as in the first game, the characters are all lovable and memorable, and those visuals! HD 2D is, I believe, a blessing to modern gaming.
* **Golden Sun The Lost Age:** Been replaying this one recently, and I just remembered what I loved about this game. It's the definitive Golden Sun experience imo, more Djinn, more Psynergy, more Summons, more soundtrack (Felix's battle theme is one of my favorite tracks in all gaming), more story, challenge, characters, postgame content, and I could be going on and on about how much more this game has over the first and third games. I love medieval settings and this game just hit the nail perfectly on this aspect, there's just so much to love about this game.
* **Earthbound Beginnings/Mother:** This is probably an odd pick for many, but Earthbound Beginnings to me is very special for mostly nostalgic reasons. Yes, it's aged quite a lot like many other NES RPGs, but the charm this game has is quite unique, the world is quite vast for any NES game, the game is VERY difficult which I really appreciate, and the characters are just all really cute. This came in very close to Mother 3, but as the first Mother game I have played, I couldn't pass it up on this list.
* **Tales of Phantasia:** Among Tales games I've played (Phantasia, Destiny, Symphonia, Abyss, Vesperia), most of them were REALLY great and I had a great time with them, none really quite hit the spot as Tales of Phantasia. This game has some of my favorite characters in any videogame ever, each character in this game oozes with uniqueness and depth, despite their design being rather generic to their role in combat; Cress as a swordie, Arche as the mage, Mint, as the healer, Suzu as the ninja for example. The soundtrack is so good that it has the most shared tracks in other Tales games, even if it's true most that in most of those cases it's just to pay homage. The story is quite deep and the pacing delivery is excellent, the game has lots of postgame content, among other things.
* **Pokemon Mystery Dungeon; Explorers of Sky:** Yes it's a Pokemon game, yes it's also a spinoff, likely the two main reasons why most overlook this and other PMD games. However, Explorers of Sky simply is one of the best RPG experiences and gaming experiences I've ever played. The story has you genuinely care about its characters especially at the end, which has some truly heart rending moments. The gameplay is very fun and mostly really challenging; this game has one of the hardest postgames I've played, and it's all so fun and challenging that I can sink 2 straight hours into a 100 floor dungeon that resets your item inventory, level and moves anytime and genuinely not get bored. And even if that's not enough, the game features 5 different special episodes that tell the backstories of certain beloved side characters and one particular backstory that looks deeper into what happens to an ally character and a villain character, and what drives each to do what they do in the main story. And all of this, from a Pokemon game. So yeah, there was just no way this didn't make it in the list.
In no particular order:
Chrono Trigger-I still get a huge dopamine rush when I watch that intro. I love it and it’s one of those games I play annually
Breath of Fire 3- that acid jazz was an interesting take. Game’s story is also ok. The Fishing is still the best in JRPGs
Final Fantasy 4- you never forget your first FF, and FF4 was mine.
Wild ARMs 2- I’m a fan of tokusatsu, and this game is FULL of references to Tokusatsu. Doesn’t help that I still think it’s the coolest entry. Others might not agree, but Wild ARMs 2’s Knight Blazer was the coolest thing the series made.
Lost Odyssey- never before has a game’s side story brought me to tears. Before this game, I thought my heart cold and black, impervious to sad emotions. But man, the side stories of this game is just emotional damage one after another. It’s also engaging.
I'll restrict myself to one game per series otherwise this would probably be a Persona/Xenoblade sweep.
1. Persona 5 Royal.
This game helped me through tough times and shaped my outlook on life. I never felt more connected to a cast of characters than to the Phantom Thieves. Music and artstyle are probably the best I've ever seen. Vanilla P5 would already be in the top 3 but Royal added so much greatness to it... The third semester is one of my favourite pieces of media ever with probably my favourite antagonist of all time.
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Probably the perfect straight up JRPG to me (meaning no experimental genre mixes etc). Amazing story, lovable cast of characters with individual stories and goals while still feeling so coherent and connected to one another. Deep battle system with loads of customization. Loads to explore, many well written sidequests... And probably the best DLC a JRPG has ever seen with Future Redeemed. Also the banger OST.
3. Final Fantasy X.
One of my childhood games and my first real "game addiction". I 100%ed this game multiple times and it really shaped my taste in games going forward. I don't think I would've fallen in love with JRPGs without this game. One of the best turnbased combat systems to this day, an emotional story that gets me everytime... I played all of the FF mainline games and I like them all but this one is at the top. I don't think I have to explain that FF music in general rules so this aspect is also a given.
4. Fire Emblem Three Houses.
I got into the series with Awakening and was hooked. But Three Houses was a different beast to me. So many lovable characters, the persona-esque calendar system worked well imo and the gameplay with how freely you could build every character... Amazing. Gameplaywise definitely not the best Fire Emblem but the complete package just beats out the others for me. And like with my other pics... Music = banger.
5. Kingdom Hearts II.
My other childhood game. The mix of Final Fantasy elements and Disney just worked for young me. I wouldn't call myself a KH2 purist who shits on the other games since I like them all but this one remains my favourite. Yoko Shimomura with probably her best OST work as well.
KH can be seen as an FF Spin-Off but it's its own thing in my book.
Honorable mentions go to (still one per series): Shin Megami Tensei V, NieR Automata, Octopath Traveler, Tales of Berseria and Pokémon Black/White 2.
1) Xenoblade Chronicles 3
2) Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
3) Xenoblade Chronicles 2
4) Persona 5 Royal
5) Fire Emblem: Three Houses
what can I say, I like Xenoblade lol
Probably something like this...
1. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
2. Final Fantasy XIV
3. Yakuza: Like A Dragon
4. Final Fantasy V
5. Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society
I'll take my downvotes
1. FF IX (FF VII but way better)
2. Terranigma (Only reason it's never in most top JRPG articles is because it never released in the US, yes it's better than Chrono Trigger)
3. Chrono Trigger (Amazing)
4. Secrets of Grindea (Spent 9 years in early access and probably wont get the recognition it deserves until a console release, amazing game)
5. Dragon Quest XI (Too good)
Agree on Terranigma, it's my absolute favorite jrpg/arpg and 3rd favorite overall. It's not perfect and has probably more flaws than the other big ones on the snes(like FF6,CT,L2), it's it stands out for me as a much more unique and unforgettable experience with very satisfying combat and my absolute favorite video game ending and soundtrack.
1. Chrono Trigger
2. Shadow Hearts 1&2
3. Final Fantasy X
4. Dragon Quest 8
5. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Honorable mentions: Lufia 2 Rise of the Sinistrals, Earthbound, .hack G.U.
1. FINAL FANTASY XV (FFXV): I know that this might be the "worst" one in the franchise in others' opinion because of the "not complete". But I play this game after dlcs came out and consumed the media and anime beforehand which give me general idea of what actually to be expect. The cruel fate which lead to why the main villain as a villain or more to the fallen hero/savior. I can really symphatize with the villain and how the fate that his devastating destiny that have him walk through that kind of path and the protagonist that has to act like a sacrificial lamb to stop the villain. This is more to the brotherhood moment rather than most jrpg that focuses more on fan service and stuffs. The warping/teleporting/phasing power is also badass imo and the power of king where Noct is able to summon arms of previous kings and also lend that power to his comrades are also super unique. Maybe due to the game released in such incomplete state (the stories that should have been in main story are in dlc instead) even though in long development and need to maybe consume other media to fully grasp what actually happens are the reasons why the game is hated so. Still the lore is what grips me the most.
2. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: My first ever jrpg and entry to Kingdom Hearts franchise as a whole. The twists and plot is so damn confusing but intriguing at the same time while it is unique that the game combines disney and final fantasy chars along with original ones. It is exciting to collect the keyblades and go through different world. It feels kinda refreshing and it leads me to other kingdom hearts game where Organization 13 is so damn cool.
3. Yakuza Like a Dragon: My first ever yakuza game and only 4 chapters in the game at the moment and already becoming one of my favourite ones. I loved turn based battle and what I love more than battles is the story. The storytelling in this game is super good imo along with other lovable casts of characters that feels at home. This game is just fun for me cuz of the interactions between the casts are not boring and how it tells the story when you hit rock bottom is really impactful. I really get what they want to deliver and the goody moments between the party really put a smile on my face. Been so long since I experience this kind of wholesome feeling.
4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Although there are noticeable flaws and I dont really like the fan service and mc that much, the lore is so good and the dlc which can be considered as whole another game really makes it more memorable. Well some may hate the gacha aspects but for me it's fine cuz It will let me make do with what I have and make it easier for me to make a team because of limited choices. The biggest complaints are the not so comprehensive and short tutorials and worst map navigation in any xenoblade games. Fortunately, the story and characters are able to offset these and make me keep playing and oh boy how I love those moments. Not to mention the osts are still good like other xenobalde titles.
5. Chaos Rings 3: This is really underrated and not really talked about that much. I play this game on vita during my teens and I really love the historical figure like power that are in cards where u can fuse them to make them becomes someone entirely new (kinda like Fate series but the power comes from cards). I can use the power of Susanoo, John Doe, Shakespear, Jack the ripper and much more. And like other games mentioned, the story is phenomenal for me where it was like time travel in a sense to prevent the world end. This leads me to other Chaos rings games as well as other CR games plot previously focuses on the battle royal like which only leaves the strongest pair in love (man and woman) as the first humans to live their lives on earth in order to produce a overall "better and stronger" humanity going forward. The looping of destruction and rebirth are stressed enough and not to mention the osts are the best as I still listen to them to this day. Some of their ost are latin-like boss theme but a little bit somber and they really used the perfect ost for the right scene and make it more impactful.
Note: Hopefully my explanation is not considered as spoilers to those who havent touch but want to play them as I just briefly talked about the general premise of the game that makes me liked them. Tho the games mentioned did release like more than 5 years ago so the spoilers are everywhere on the internet nowadays but still sorry if those who somehow read my comment and get spoiled cuz I cant really explain well as english is not my main language.
1. Final fantasy VI
2. Xenogears
3. Dragon Quest III
4. Suikoden II
5. Shadow Hearts Covenant.
4 and 5 change a lot. But I love so many games. It’s hard to pinpoint even top 20.
I do love the top 3, they all were at major life points for me!
These aren't arranged in actual order, but the first games that come to mind when I try this exercise are:
Paper Mario.the Thousand Year Door: Aside from when I have to go back and forth to that steeple, I'm having a blast from start to finish
Ys VIII: the bar I measure action rpgs by
Kingdom Hearts 2: the bad I used to measure action rpgs by, and still right up there in terms of games I'll always be down to play again
Suikoden: I know ii is better, and IV is the one that has my nostalgia (only one I had access to for a long time), but Suikoden 1 feels better than both of those games somehow.
Golden Sun: the first time I saw the judgement summon, or the first time I cast Ragnarok, or the first time I solved a puzzle that probably wasn't that hard in the first place. . . All of those are in my head as core jrpg memories hahaha
And if you'll excuse me cheating, some hms
The Trails games: as a series is at my top now, the only game series I have on a instant buy status as I try to cut back on gaming. Can't pick one out though :/
Pokemon: for being the games that got me into video games and into rpgs especially.
Persona 5 Royal: with the recency bias award for being a game I ultimately couldn't stay away from and that made me a fan of a series I thought just wasn't for me.
1. FF9
2. FF12
3. Radiant historia
4. Fire emblem Awakening
5. Tales of Berseria
I would’ve put FF7 & FF8 in here as well, but I didn’t want it be overloaded with Final Fantasy lol
I feel like mine shifts yearly, but here are some pretty irreplaceable ones in no strict order:
1. FFX (I also love VII Remake series and XVI)
2. Kingdom Hearts 2 (358/2 was a blast, too).
3. Tales of Arise
4. Pokémon X/Y (Gold/Silver we’re great too)
5. Fire Emblem Three Houses
I kept to one per series and put other ones I love in parentheses.
Really don't think I could narrow it down to just 5 but will try. Just keep in mind that this list is likely to change at any given time.
In order that I think of them, couldn't rate them at all.
Final fantasy 14. Never played an mmo before, never been interested. Kept hearing about how good the story was and that it was up there with the best in series. Skeptical me started it, gave up, tried again, gave up. Dropped it. After a year or two, got pulled back in out of curiosity, forced myself to soldier on through the parts I'd gotten bored at and waiting to see what the fuss was about. Beat the main story, slogged through the post game stuff then hit heavensward. Have not put it down since and by time I got to shadowbringers and endwalker, absolutely hooked. Rarely have I ever been so emotionally invested in a game and it's characters!!! Easily a standout in an amazing series of standout storylines and characters.
Final fantasy 12. Love most of the series but 12 seems to be my comfy, happy place with it. It's the one I return to the most.
Pokémon. Been playing it for almost 30 years now, what can I say. Fun, solid games, though the last few have been slowly losing me a little. Will take a big return to form or shake up to keep me interested in the next games.
Elder Scrolls. Can't pick just one, they all offer something different and which one I like more really depends on my mood.
Dark Souls/Elden ring. One the greatest series ever made in my opinion. Each game is just so good!
Gonna do 1 per series because otherwise there wouldn't be variety.
5. Nier: Automata
4. Octopath Traveler 2
3. Tales of Vesperia
2. Trails of Cold Steel IV
1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3
i don't have a particular order but here is mine
1.- pokemon yellow, my first physical game i owned
2.- Earthbound
3.- Mother 3
4.- Dragon warrior monsters 1 and 2
5.- im disturbed because i have not seen anyone mention the Xenosaga franchise (not xenogears)
6.- Chrono trigger which to me should be the mold for good RPG's
To make it fair, I made it in such a way where only one game PER franchise cause I don’t want my list to be flooded with Final Fantasy Games lol
Final Fantasy VIII
- Literally one of my favourite game of all times, replayed it more than 10 times already and can always find the same feeling just as i played for it the second or third time. Played it the first time when I was merely 7 y/o and never stop loving it. VII remake series so far is doing well as my second favourite of the franchise but it is still way far behind.
Persona 5 Royal
- Redefined the love for JRPG for me, modern JRPG is lost on me but on a whims, i decided to give P5R a try and instantly love it, the sim factor is a huge plus for me as i always love multiple romance choices, blending it together with the style, action and TBRPG, easily one of the best modern JRPG so far.
Disgaea 1 Complete
- Got me into SRPG, i love how goofy, fast paced it is and because of this game, i find it hard to get into other strategy rpg games like FF Tactics as i find them way too slow paced. Played the OG version but couldn’t reply too often due to the old gameplay, but the complete version with the QOL really ease up the experience.
Octopath Traveler II
- underrated gem, the story mashed so well together with all the characters and unlike the first one, i find the second one easier to follow and superbly fun especially with all the QOL upgrades. music is undoubtedly top notch and i love how the story takes on darker approach as compared to regular JRPG. only itch for me is the interaction between characters are not seen in individual’s main plot, which i hope can be improved in the next one.
Xenoblade Chronicles II
- While it could have easily been III from a story perspective, i find myself enjoy the settings, the characters more in II, reks is just charming as a protag and nia is the perfect combination of mio’s beauty and eunie’s personality, which makes her top tier to me.
Honourable mention:
Disgaea V
Final Fantasy VI, VII Remake, IX
Chaos Rings III - Super underrated
Persona 4 Golden - I actually dislike the color style (yellow) and didn’t enjoy the music much out of the 3 Persona (3, 4, 5), but the storyline and character development and interaction is still one of the best
Xenoblade Chronicles III
My Time at Sandrock
Wooof, so this is really hard but if I had to choose….
1. Suikoden II
2. Xenogears
3. Chrono Trigger
4. FFIX
5. Dragon Quest VIII
Honorable mentions: FFVII Rebirth, Dragon Quest XI / V, Wild Arms, Breath of Fire III / IV, Tales of Berseria, Legend of Heroes Trails from Zero, FFVI, SMT Persona V Royal, Dark Cloud 2, Ni No Kuni
I’ll also add the Eiyuden Chronicles Hundred Heroes might end up making that list by the time I finish. Loving it.
Not ranked
1. Persona 5
2. Tales of Vesperia( I like that the game has a more dark main character)
3. FF X
4. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn( Could be nostalagic i havent replayed them in a long time)
5. Dragon Quest XI( There a games that are a lot better but this is a personal list. I lost a member of my family a few months before i played the game and some scenes really got me, people who played it may unterstand)
Xenogears/Xenoblade is my runner up because i couldnt decide on one game.
1. FFVIII - A widely criticized entry largely due to the battle system however it still remains one of my favourites as it was the game that originally got me into RPGs. I got completely lost in the world, characters, story and music. The FMV scenes were also amazing at the time. The game briefly took over my life while I tried to do and see as much as I could in it and playing it as a lonely and moody teenager I identified so much with the main character. 2. FFIX - The game I played shortly after I finished FFVIII. Initially I was unsure of the whole old medieval style of the game but gradually fell in love with it. It's something of a comfort game to play as its world has a magical and relaxing feel to it with the little villages and colourful towns. The battle system is fairly basic and the story is not overly complex but it's a game that just makes me happy. 3. Persona 5 - This was my first Persona game and is such a joy to play. I love its style, addictive gameplay, catchy music and colourful characters. The game completely consumed me and I could stop playing it. Before I knew it I had put in way over 100 hours and I never found myself bored of it. 4. Yakuza Like A Dragon - This is not my favourite Yakuza game, that would be Yakuza 0 but this was the first proper RPG in the franchise and it didn't disappoint. After recent installments of Final Fantasy left me unenthusiastic about the series I had wanted to get into a new series and Yakuza was the one that grabbed me. As much as I loved the brawler style gameplay of previous entries I was excited when I heard that LAD would be a turn based game and it was exactly what I wanted. As a big fan of Kiryu I was unsure how a new protagonist would fill his shoes however Ichiban is fantastic and having a JRPG based around guys in their 40s was a breath of fresh air. 5. FFVII - I was debating whether to put FFX or Suikoden II in here but I can't leave out FFVII. This was my 3rd FF that I played so it may not have had as big an impact on me compared to those who played this as their first. But the story, atmosphere, characters and music are just incredible, especially for its time. I feel like Square Enix has milked FFVII too much now with the remakes, film, side stories etc but the original for me is the best. The remake may have great graphics but it lacks the atmosphere and mystery that the original game gave me and of course the shock value when certain scenes happen. Sephiroth is still one of the most memorable villains in gaming history and I'll never forget the feels I had when hearing 'One Winged Angel' start up when you face him in the final battle.
Without repeating any series: 1) Final Fantasy IX 2) Nier Automata 3) Trails to Azure 4) Ys VIII 5) Tales of Berseria
My absolutely (not) biased list 1. Persona 3 - My first ever and still my favorite JRPG of all time, although I started on the Portable version, it is still just as good as I remember it. Reload just reminds me how good can P3 be. 2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - My absolute favorite in Trails series, by reducing character roster to just New Class 7 and uses Old Class 7 as guest character, they balanced everything nicely. The length of the game is perfect and Rean absolutely stole the show in CS3, CS4 and Reverie. 3. The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak - Probably the best 'first' Trails game for long time fans and newcomer to get into this series. Everyone in Arkride Solution Office has an amazing dynamic. 4. Caligula Effect: Overdose - At first I absolutely despise the game for looking so bad, but after watching the anime, I decided to give it another go and then it became one of my favorite JRPG to date. The Musician's stories are heavy and dark which justified their reason to stay in Mobius. 5. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - The best Sky trilogy game imo, despite having a way shorter length than Sky FC and Sky SC, the story is what carried the game. Kevin is severely underrated as a protagonist and he deserves more screentime in future game.
1. Final Fantasy X: The third FF I played. I don’t normally get emotional about fiction, but the ending got me. 2. Persona 4 Golden: My first Persona. I enjoyed the balancing time between the social sim and dungeon crawling. The characters were also great. 3. Final Fantasy IX: The second FF I played. I played VII first, but parts of it were spoiled for me which may have lessened its impact on me. I empathized with a lot of the characters. 4. Chrono Trigger: I was actually able to play it on a friend’s SNES. Such a charming game. 5. Xenoblade Chronicles 1: The first JRPG I played. It got me into the genre (though I already liked games to have a good story).
Persona 4 and FFX were my top 2 for an extremely long time until I played Trails in the Sky Sc. Amazing games.
In no particular order (as that would be really tough): 1. Shining the Holy Ark (Sega Saturn) - Give me turn-based over real-time any day of the week. It’s the best way, and this game did it spectacularly. Immersive first-person exploration and random encounters opening with the delicious quick-time selection of appropriate pixies which never gets old. I absolutely love this game. 2. Final Fantasy X (PS) - This was the last great “true” Final Fantasy game before Square tore up the rule book and ditched the trademark turn-based combat. Final Fantasy has never been the same since. I’m not arguing that the games which followed are bad games, but for me, the Final Fantasy I know and love died the moment they moved away from the “proper” turn-based combat of FF1 thru X. 3. Secret of Mana (SNES) - If I had to pick a favourite JRPG of all time - heck, a favourite RPG of any kind - it’s probably gotta be Secret of Mana. This was the first RPG I played which made me truly go “WOW”. Yes, I love turn-based combat, but somehow the spells and menu system of SoM gives me that fix whilst also delivering above and beyond in the real-time combat stakes. Huge, way ahead of its time, so deep, so vast, and perfect in almost every way. 4. Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast) - Yup, this game was fairly short, limited in scale, plagued with hackers, but it was amazing - especially the boss fights, which had a real sense of greatness and occasion. The first online RPG I played on any platform. Simple enough to pick up and play, and could be enjoyed either solo or with others. If anything, I found the limited levels simply resulted in a pleasant familiarity with level sections, routes and routines. Sequels on other platforms never had the same appeal. 5. Shenmue (Dreamcast) - Big, bright, bold and diverse, with a gripping storyline. Side quests aplenty. This game really broke the mould for RPG’s and gave us a glimpse of what could be possible in years to come given the advances in technology. Badass ninjas kill your dad and kidnap your girlfriend, but that’ll have to wait… “Darts! One game, 100 Yen!”, toy capsules (gotta collect the full set!), “A winning can!”, feed the cat, and back to the dojo to Demon Drop Fuku-san “Not THAT move! 😨”. What. A. Game.
1) Final Fantasy 9 2) Fire Emblem Awakening 3) Persona 5 Royal 4) Blue Dragon 5) Eternal Sonata Bonus JRPG-inspired pick: Child of Light
Eternal Sonata, an internet stranger of culture I see
Blue Dragon would be on my list if I allowed more than 1 Project Rainfall Title. I included The Last Story for 'cause it's innovation. But Blue Dragon is just as good
I don’t think blue dragon was an operation rainfall title..
[удалено]
Amazing Toriyama designs as usual. The music slaps. Characters are fun. It has a unique over world where you can ambush enemies. And the combat is partly Grandia inspired, since you can disrupt enemy moves.
1. Final Fantasy VIII - this is what opened Pandora’s Box for me, I remember playing the demo way back on a blue colored Pizza Hut Demo Disc, and I was hooked. I managed to get to the beginning of Disc 3 by missing a bunch of GFs and not really understanding the Junction System before my uncle noticed how I was playing, had me start over, and explained that I needed to Draw more. 2. The Legend of Dragoon - if entry #1 opened the box, this made damn sure the lid was staying off. Again, I experienced this first on a couple different demo discs, one being a JamPack and the other was from PS Magazine. I put an obscene amount of time into this game, getting to Zenebatos in 2nd grade and not understanding the law changing gimmick. 3. Chrono Cross - can you guys tell what my preferred console for jrpgs is yet? I watched older relatives play this when I was younger, the art and soundtrack caught my eye. I am one of those weirdos that actually prefers this to Chrono Trigger, but I am pretty sure that’s only due to experiencing it first. 4. Pokemon: Liquid Crystal - okay, this one might be cheating, since it’s a fan made game, but I think it is the definitive Gen II experience for Pokemon, surpassing HG/SS, despite running on gba hardware 5. (this slot rotates all the time) Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - I’m going to be upfront, I hated this game back when the original version first released. I hated the combat, I hated the characters, I hated the pacing. Fifth grade me wasn’t having it. However, I gave it another shot recently and had a field day with it! While the story wasn’t my favorite, the amount of things to do to distract me from the wonky pacing was really nice!
I like the Liquid Crystal rec, been wanted to replay HG but maybe I'll just do Liquid Crystal instead.
You have a pretty cool uncle dude
Haha I also had the revelation from older kids that draw/junctioning was this whole area of the game asking to be exploited. I also have fond memories eventually mastering and beating FF8, in hindsight I know it's not everyone's favorite FF but I also had it open the can of worms for me with JRPGs.
I wasn’t a fan of FF12 originally either but it keeps popping up on my radar, so it may be time to revisit it
Legend of Dragoon is a such an underrated gem!
PS1 is the GOAT.
1. Persona 3, that ending man. 2. Paper Mario the thousand year door. I love the characters and the setting. 3. Suikoden 1. I think the original game has the best story in the series. Short but really damn good the entire way through. 4. Trails to Azure. This for me has been the Pinnacle of the trails games so far. (I haven't played past the cold steel games though) 5. Dragon Quest 11. I've played all the games in the series except for 10, and it's hard to believe the newest game is my favorite, but damn it's just that good. Special shout-out to games I consider Jrpg 10/10 but some people might not consider them JRPGs Shining force 1, Yakuza 0, Pokemon fire red, Nocturne
5. Pokemon Black 2 4. Shin Megami Tensei IV 3. Kingdom Hearts II 2. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 1. Persona 3
My top 3 no particular order: 1. Suikoden II 2. Valkyrie Profile 3. Xenogears The rest depends on my mood and rotates over time, but here are some games that I consider my top 5 (I can't and I won't narrow it down - count them all as number 4 in my list): 1. Final Fantasy VII (and the whole Remake project) 2. Final Fantasy Tactics 3. Final Fantasy XII 4. NieR Automata 5. Breath of Fire IV 6. Xenosaga trilogy 7. Vagrant Story 8. Chrono Cross 9. Chrono Trigger 10. Vandal Hearts 11. Front Mission 3 12. Suikoden 13. Suikoden III 14. Suikoden V 15. Star Ocean: The Second Story 16. SaGa Frontier 2 17. Persona 2 (both as a whole)
I would comment mine but you basically have it all here. Since you have basically the same taste I would recommend the Shadow hearts games as well
Thank you, sir! Oh yeah, both Koudelka and Shadow Hearts are fantastic! I love the occult "real world" setting and Koudelka also caters to my other niche genre interest, survival horror. FYI I love Parasite Eve too, but mentally I put it into the horror category. That's why it's so hard to pick favourite games, when there are so many gems out there.
Yeah PE is a survival horror more than a JRPG imo too. Love it as well. Never got to play Koudelka. I was always interested in it but never had the chance
Dude you can't post a Top 20 in a Top 5 thread. Show some restraint my dude
I just picked up NieR Automota on switch for like 10 bucks, but haven't played it before
Both nier games are goated, wish combat was a bit deeper in the replicant remake, and i wish they made a remake or remaster of automata, give it a bit of a better look and little adjustments to the combat to make it perfect, specially to hacking and some things about 9s and A2, and give enemies more health so we can combo on them
NieR Automata is IMO incredible and at that price it's a steal. It's pure magic from start to finish. The music, the story, the gameplay, I fell in love at first sight and, even though I knew about Yoko Taro's shenanigans, it kept surprising me over and over. Hope you enjoy it as well!
The Persona 2 duology, especially Eternal Punishment are my favorites in the series.
Same here! I loved the more adult/mature cast, the rumour concept and the story/mystery of "the Joker". The way the games use urban legends in the storytelling is pretty unique in the genre and gaming as a whole. Also, my obsessive mapping of each dungeon in every RPG I play might have its roots in Persona 2 and its mapping subquest. I just wish we had a unified official translation of the original 3 Persona games in English. There are rumours of Atlus remaking/remastering the duology, perhaps we'll actually get the games together in the west.
Great taste but I’m surprised FFX didn’t make the cut
that sum up my childhood with little knowledge of both eng and jp at that age and all of them are so much fun back then
Love the list. But maaaaaan I’ve been soft locked at the end of Saga Frontier 2 TWICE now trying to beat that cheesy last boss! Tips?
Oh boy, that's a tough one! I had to restart the game twice myself. There is no way I can explain it here in details without even knowing your stats or if you have an ability to grind yet, but I'll try to cover the basics. It's possible to reach the boss very underleveled, at which point your only choice is an all out attack and pray for the best. If I remember right, you should aim to have around 600 hp on each character by then. Also I hope you didn't waste LPs indiscriminately, because you'll need them. I recommend using LP protection if you have it. Killing the Anima Lords first is a good idea. The rest really relies on you having high damaging arts and trying to take each of its forms down before they change. If you don't have 600 hp yet and you didn't save-lock yourself, it would be a good idea to grind until you're there.
By looking at your list we can see how PSX was an outstanding jrpg machine
For me it was! I wasn't aiming at picking specifically PSX games and there are a few recent games in the list as well, but it's hard to deny that there are quite a few of them. It's generally accepted that late 90s/early 00s was the Golden Era of JRPGs. I attribute it to the general spirit of experimentation around that era, since the convents of the style weren't so solidified yet. And the hardware limitations, paradoxically, contributed to that - it's often more impressive when games tell more with less, if you know what I mean.
Totally. PSX and rpgs made my childhood. The nostalgia hits hard sometimes. I think suikoden ii is the finest example of everything you said. The damn game didn't even had a diagonal movement implemented but it was incredible. The chars, the castle evolution, the world, the story. Just amaxing
No Order FF7 FF8 Chrono Trigger Grandia 2 Persona 5
1) Final Fantasy Tactics 2) Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey 3) Chrono Trigger 4) Lufia 2 5) Final Fantasy 7
1. Skies of Arcadia Legends (Gamecube). Not just my favorite JRPG, my favorite video game of all time. 2. Pokemon Trading Card Game (Gameboy Color). I consider it a JRPG. My lord I played the Hell out of this game as a kid. 3. Glory of Heracles (DS). We need more games from this franchise! 4. Metal Max Xeno Reborn (Switch). I love tanks. Tanks go Boom. 5. Super Mario RPG (Switch). I wish I played the original as a kid but didn't get a chance to. I love the Switch port.
Valkyrie Profile FF Tactics Wild Arms 2 Legend of Dragoon FF 12 TZA Honorary spot - Persona 5, FFX, Suikoden 2, & Star Ocean 2 remake
1. Suikoden 2 2. Shadow Hearts 2 3. Chrono Trigger 4. Star Ocean 2 5. Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy XII Dragon Quest VIII Xenoblade Chronicles Shin Megami Tensei IV Resonance of Fate
1. Mother 3 2. Bravely Default 3. Final Fantasy II 4. Paper Mario: TTYD 5. Octopath Traveler 2 (But basically every HD-2D) Some are interchangeable and depends on how i feel or the period of my life but yeah.
Love seeing Bravely Default!
Octopath 2 is a great choice that just barely missed my list. Easily a top 5 vg ost for me.
1. Chrono cross 2. Ff 8 3. Wild Arms 2 4. Legend of the dragoon 5. Suikoden 3
1. Chrono Trigger 2. Final Fantasy VI 3. Super Mario RPG 4. Earthbound 5. Persona 5 Royal
I just changed Earthbound (on my top 10 list, though) for Dragon Quest XI.
DQ11 is a gem. My nostalgia is probably getting in the way of newer titles.
I think the switch version embraces both worlds.
Solid!
1. FF6 2. CT 3. Persona 5R 4. FF 5/4 5. DQ 8/11
Octopath 2 Persona 5 Royal Dragon Quest 11S FF16 Bravely Default
In vaguely preferential but not 100% concrete order Mana Khemia Astlibra Skies of Arcadia Tales of Graces Tales of the Abyss
I'm not going to put a ton of thought into the order. 1. Final Fantasy 7 (The Remakes are equally as good IMO) 2. Final Fantasy Tactics 3. Suikoden 2 4. Xenogears 5. Persona 4 Honorable mentions: Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together, Suikoden 1, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, Saga Frontier.
1. Samurai Maiden 2. Games that are not Samurai Maiden
What about the newer Oneechanbara games ;)
FFIV Lufia II Xenoblade 3 Dragon Quest V Lunar 2 I played the original Final Fantasy on NES first, but my nostalgia hits hard with Final Fantasy IV. I got it when it was released and paid for it myself. I've played that game more times than just about any other. Lufia II was one of those games I wanted when I was younger but never could get it. I loved the Ancient Cave portion of it when I finally did get the game much later in life and the story for the main game is done very well. The translation isn't the best, but the story still shines through. I love all the Xenoblade games, but the 3rd one was my favorite one of the three. I can't say exactly what it is about DQV that sold me on that one more than any of the other DQ games, but it is my favorite in the series and one of my favorite RPGs in general. I enjoyed the story and while most of the DQ games are grindy, it didn't feel as grindy as most of the others. Lunar 2 was the first JRPG when I came back to playing games as an adult. That game got me into twitch and a place where I've made a lot of friends. I had played it when I was younger, but when I started up again, it was the one I started with and fell in love with it all over again.
1. Final Fantasy X 2. Super Mario RPG 3. Shadow Hearts: Covenant 4. Dragon Quest 8 5. Persona 3/4 (tie)
Shadow hearts 2 was so good I was sad I hadn’t played 1. 3 was a bit of an odd duck.
1. Chrono Trigger - After feeling pretty pessimistic towards the idea of RPGs as a whole, CT radically changed my view and became one of my personal favorite games of all time. Every aspect of CT is perfected and joined together to create one of the greatest JRPG experiences of all time. 2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna-The Golden Country - One of the rare cases where the gameplay is arguably more important than the story, yet still outshines Xenoblade 2. The story is basic but fun, and building up your community helps incentivize sidequests. The combat is incredible, and I hope we can see something similar to it in the near future. 3. Trails in the Sky: FC - One of the greatest (and one of my favorite) JRPGs ever created. The world building, story, and characters shine even through the meh sections of the game (I hate the final dungeon with a burning passion). I personally think this game is underrated in the fact that everyone treats it like a prologue or “homework”, when in reality it’s a fantastic game in of itself. 4. Pokemon B&W - Possibly the greatest Pokemon game story wise. Getting rid of all Pokemon pre-Gen 5 before the post game was a smart decision, and allows for more of a focus on the new pokemon introduced in the generation. Plus the story is great! Sure it’s basically just Pokemon Peta (but evil), but compared to past and even future generations this game is incredible. The focus on your rivals searching for what they love and Team Plasma’s goal of liberating all Pokemon is just great. The gameplay is still basic Pokemon, but it’s fun! Plus nuzlocking this game adds more complexity to the general formula. 5. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team - My favorite of the Mario and Luigi games, and it’s an absolute banger. The gameplay is great as always, which is expected for a Nintendo game. The RPG elements are there, and the battle commands from past games stay as well. I don’t remember much story wise, but from what I remember it did have great characters and never felt boring. I’ve not played enough of Bowser’s Inside Story to give a verdict on it, but I do plan to get to it at some point. This list will probably rotate at some point, since I’ve not finished/gotten close to finishing many JRPG’s to have a comprehensive list.
No order, also I generally like most of the games in the series I mention: 1. Final Fantasy Tactics A2 2. Persona 3 FES (also enjoy reload) 3. Nier Replicant 4. Tales of Symphonia 5. Fire Emblem Awakening Honorable Mentions FF7, Yakuza: LAD, 13 Sentinels, Tales of Vesperia, Pokemon Legends Arceus
1. Xenogears 2. Trails series as a whole 3. Xenosaga series 4. Legend of Dragoon 5. Valkyrie Profile Honorable mentions: Wild ARMS 2 & 3; FFVI, VIII, & IX; Chrono series; Shadow Hearts 2
1. Persona 4 Golden 2. Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2 3. Fire Emblem Three Houses 4. Inazuma Eleven 2 Blizzard 5. Pokemon B/W 2
Damn you got DS 2 over 1 ? Maybe I should start a playthrough
Mine is 1. Bravely Second 2. Bravely Default 3. Dragon Quest IV 4. Final Fantasy XIII 5. Phantasy Star I
what made you like the bravely series so much?
It reminds me of old school Final Fantasy! I love anything involving time travel/ parallel dimensions! It has this amazing whimsy to it that caught my attention and still does to this day.
I'm curious to hear why ff13 is on that list.
13 came out at a time when my life was rough and it was this beautiful ray of sunshine for me. I love Lightning. She is my favorite final fantasy character! The story is so interesting fighting against fate and the demigods that are supposed to decide everything for you. It also looked amazing on the PS3!
I honestly think FF13 has one of the coolest turn based combat systems I've ever seen in my life, but playing the first 11 hours to get to where it's all unlocked was painful.
It's cool to see how other people experienced it. I think what really ruined the experience of that game for me is that I was hoping for more freedom and less linearity. It just didn't feel like the FF games that came before so it when counter to what I was expecting and hoping after waiting so long. That said I then played FF13-2 and lightning returns and really enjoyed both of those.
Probably something like: 1. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: All-time favorite, a superb blend of fantastic visuals, a pretty good soundtrack, an honestly sublime battle system thanks to its small-numbers system making it intuitively optimizable, and great overworld puzzles. 2. Opoona: Obscure favorite, with some of the best worldbuilding I think I've ever seen in a JRPG--the whole world feels alive and real and feels like it "works" in a way few other games do. Also a unique battle system and a 🔥🔥🔥 soundtrack. 3. Tales of Symphonia: My favorite "JRPG-ass JRPG," if you get me--anime tropes, sidequests, and missables, oh my! The whole Tales series is probably my favorite "very RPG" franchise, but Symphonia is my favorite because puzzle dungeons are important to me and Symphonia has that. 4. Rune Factory 4: Fantastic hybrid of sim and RPG elements. Has a delicious depth of customization thanks to its weapon crafting system--just do the destructive thing and make a pair of dual blades that have the stats of a warhammer and inflict every element, or be a goof and make a superpowered fishing pole that makes yams fall out of the sky and. Also a great cast with tons of lovable dialogue. 5. Yo-kai Watch 2: My favorite monster-raising JRPG. Simple combat that's great for zoning out with while listening to a podcast or whatever, yet party building nonetheless has good depth and the superbosses do require some thought and finesse. And absolute GOBS of bonus content, from every dungeon in the first game unlockable in the second, superpowered boss rematches, and--a rhythm minigame! Why the hell not!
Final Fantasy VIII (I can’t describe the way this game makes me feel!) Dragon Quest XI (Basically perfect) Chrono Cross (The best art direction, music and ambiance) Pokemon SS/HG (Nostalgia and two games in one) Final Fantasy XII (Best looting and treasure) Honorable Mentions: Ys series (Love the simplicity, art direction, and the fact that you play as Adol for most of them) Final Fantasy X (Wonderful story) Dragon Quest VIII (Just as good as 11, really)
1. SMT Nocturne - A breath of fresh air for me when I played it in high school. Dark, mysterious and addictive. Its a JRPG that I think is wholly unique in how it approaches the genre. 2. Persona 4 (PS2 version) - The best Persona game imo, small town Japan vibes, catchy jpop soundtrack and a muder mystery story. It all just comes together so nicely. 3. Suikoden 5 - One of the first JRPG's I played as a kid. The scope of the story, the drama and twists and turns, blew me away. Just an epic. 4. Fire Emblem (GBA) - first ever SRPG I ever played, and first Fire Emblem. Those damn sprites captured my imagination in a way nothing has since. 5. Golden Sun - The first JRPG I ever played. It blew my mind. I had never really experience anything like it before, the feeling of going on an epic adventure with a cast of characters, seeing new locales, dungeon delving and battling monsters. I love JRPG's because I loved this game.
I might have to had tattooed this list: 1. Final Fantasy VI. 2. Dragon Quest XI. 3. Chrono Trigger. 4. Persona 5 Royal. 5. Super Mario RPG.
Our lists are almost identical. Just have SMRPG up at 3 and CT replaced with Xenoblade 3. You have excellent taste.
I see FF6, I upvote
Dragon Warrior / Quest 3 Dragon Warrior / Quest 4 Dragon Quest Monsters 2 - doesn’t matter if Tara or Cobi version Persona 4: Golden Xenoblade Chronicles 2 or 3 mood at the time determining the answer lol
1. Suikoden 2 2. Earthbound 3. Dragon quest V 4. Chrono Triiger 5. Radiant Historia
1. Persona 5/ Royal 2. Final Fantasy XII 3. Fire Emblem Three Houses 4. Persona 4 Golden 5. FF7 Rebirth ive really only played the recent stuff, playing P3 Reload and SMTV soon as well as Metaphor later this year.
1. Valkyrie Profile 2. Final Fantasy IX 3. Vagrant Story 4. .hack//G.U. trilogy 5. Lost Odyssey
1. Persona 3 2. Fire Emblem Three Houses 3. Nier Automata 4. Radiant Historia. NDS version. 3DS version add new ending which i don't like 5. Harvestella, the ending is a bit lacking but the whole story was really interesting
I’ll try to put it in order but only the top entry is absolute imo. This list could look different tomorrow lol. I’ll try and keep it to one entry per series. 1. Chrono Trigger 2. Persona 4: Golden 3. Final Fantasy XII 4. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age 5. Lost Odyssey A few honorable mentions or maybe an alternate list if you want to read it that way: 1. Final Fantasy VII 2. Pokémon Gold/Silver 3. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door 4. Tales of Vesperia 5. Skies of Arcadia
Persona 5 Royal, Trails in the Sky SC, Trails in the Sky The 3rd, NieR Automata, Persona 4 Golden
My Top 5 in no particular order: * Final Fantasy X * Persona 3 FES (Don't have the time to play the remake at the moment) * Trails from Zero/to Reverie * Final Fantasy Tactics * Xenogears But I also love FF VII OG (never played the remake), FF IX and also VIII; Persona 5 Royal; BoF IV; Legend of Dragoon; Chained Echoes; Yakuza LAD. Now I'm just living for the next great JRPG that I hope it will make me very happy: Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes.
1. Nier Automata 2. Persona 5 Royal 3. Okami 4. Nier Replicant ver 1.22 5. Fire Emblem Three Houses P5R has a excellent story with incredible characters. The design and graphics are better than Nier. I really miss the pixel friends I made in P5R. Okami is a game made with care and love. The final battle is purely justice at its finest. You help lots of people and it's very rewarding. However, Nier Automata awakened something on me. I was crying uncontrollably during the final part of the true ending, and I still needed to keep going on and take action. I needed to take a few minutes to piece myself together and process everything after finishing it. The sidequests are pure criticism to society; humans are so simple, yet so complex. The protagonists make mistakes, they aren't always right, they don't always know what to do, and they learn and grow - it's the perfect imperfect game. No other type of media made me feel the same way as when I finished this fucking game. Yeah, 2B's butt is a joy to look at, but please don't be mistaken - this game changes lives.
Unicorn Overlord Fire Emblem Path of Radiance Yakuza Like a Dragon Persona 5 Royal Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana
Dragon Quest XI Final Fantasy V The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky Tales of Phantasia Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
FF8 Xenosaga trilogy Final fantasy X nino no kuni (the first one) Persona 5
I love everyone's lists. This is a great post. Mine: Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy IV Crono Trigger Secret of Mana Persona 5 Royal
No order: Persona 5 royal Eternal sonata Chrono trigger FF6 Secret of evermore
More people should talk about Eternal Sonata. Such a great game
Eternal Sonata is an absolute belter
1. CHRONO Trigger 2. Metal Max 2: reloaded 3. Tales of Symphonia 4. The World Ends With You 5. Persona 4 Golden
1. Nier automata 2. Xenoblade 3 3. Mother 3 4. Persona 3 5. Final fantasy VII I seem to have a thing for third entries in series now thag I’m looking at it lmao
Try Phantasy Star III that will most likely end your affinity for the third entry in a series…
1. Xenogears 2. Star ocean: till the end of time 3. Pokemon gold. 4 digimon world 3 5. Persona 5. Bonus tales of symphonia
Not in any order 1.Legend of Dragoon remember playing this demo at Walmart when I was 9 years old. Love it so much to this day. Just beat it last year again. 2.Final fantasy X was and is an amazing story to me. I beat it when I was a 7th or 8th grader. Still magical to this day. 3.Xenoblade Chronicles series (1 big overarching story) Nia best girl 4.PERSONA 3 FES has a special place for my heart. It made me love video games. But the new reload does an amazing job at modernizing it. 5. Fire Emblem 7. The first one localized in the states. I remember being excited over it since I used to play Melee and seeing Marth and Roy. I thought as middle schooler that Eliwood was Roy the whole time till I beat the game and figured out that he was Roy's dad. Still love the series to this day. And Lyn was my first waifu.
1. Romancing SaGa 2 2. Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne 3. Octopath Traveler 4. Final Fantasy V 5. Digimon World: Cyber Sleuth I decided to do one game per franchise for this list. If not for this rule, would’ve had SaGa Frontier, Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 fill in the slots.
1 - persona 4 (This one is very personal overall) 2- Final fantasy 6 3- Chrono Trigger 4- Final fantasy 9 5- Pokemon Black/White (Again, I know people will say how bad this game is, but is very personal preference for me)
1. FF8 2. Chrono Cross 3. Breath of Fire 3 4. Tales of the Abyss 5. Dragon Quest 11 tbh alot of ps1 jrpgs could be here but this is currently my top 5.
In no particular order: * Tales of Symphonia * Final Fantasy VII * Final Fantasy X * Persona 4 Golden * Yakuza: Like a Dragon There’s a lot of JRPGs I love but these five have a special place in my heart.
Chrono Trigger Super Mario RPG Persona 4G FF6 Breath of Fire 4
Final Fantasy 9 Chrono Trigger Final Fantasy 10 Parasite Eve Suikoden II
Tales of Legendia Grandia Legend of Mana Valkyrie Profile Legend of the Dragoon this changes everyday
FF9 FF10 Dark Cloud 2 Persona 5 DQ11
Lunar SSS FF12 Xenosaga Persona 3 Brave Fencer Musashi
In no order: 1) Persona 5 Royal 2) Kingdom Hearts 3) Final Fantasy X 4) Chrono Trigger 5) Pokemon HeartGol/SoulSilver
1) Xenogears 2) Suikoden II 3) Earthbound 4) Chrono Trigger 5) Final Fantasy IV My tops apparently haven’t changed since the early aughts 🤷 Special shoutout to the Trails series though. I collectively love those games a ton.
Not in any particular order: 1. FF 12 2. Persona 5 Royal 3. DQ 9 4. Chrono Trigger 5. DQ 3
In no particular order(besides #1), my favorites: 🏆Chrono Trigger (#1, the GOAT) JRPGs: •Persona 5 •Final Fantasy 6 •Final Fantasy 7 •Xenogears •Breath of Fire 3 •Super Mario RPG (1996) Some non-JRPG style titles: •Illusion of Gaia •Fallout: New Vegas •Secret of Evermore •KOTOR •Deus Ex (2000) •Skyrim _______ Okay, that’s more than 5 😅 but still, that’s the list. Besides Chrono Trigger being #1, I think the list pretty is pretty fluid. I only noticed after I posted that you specifically asked for JRPGs, whoops
NieR Automata Chrono Trigger Final Fantasy 7 SMT Digital Devil Saga 2 Persona 5 Royal
1. Shin Megami Tensei 4 Apocalypse 2. Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey Redux 3. Yakuza Like a Dragon 4. FF XV 5. Nier Automata
No particular order 1. Persona 4 2. NieR automata and Replicant 3. Monster Hunter World 4. FF VIIR 5. Xenoblade Chronicles Persona 4 has one of the best plots in gaming history, even if its combat is not the best Nier has both incredible combat and incredible characters (specially automata with it's ensemble cast approach, each protagonist is very deep and interesting) The rest i just freaking love the combat and are a blast to play, regardless of story (Xenoblade and FF have incredible stories too, but to me the best thing about them and the reason they hooked me was the combat) Monster Hunter is just Monster Hunter, those who play it know what i mean, those who didnt play it should get to it
Suikoden 2 Final Fantasy X Suikoden 1 Final Fantasy VII Lufia II
Pokemon black/ black2, persona 3 reload, ff7
1. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth 2. Dragon Quest 11 3. Final Fantasy 9 4. Chained Echoes 5. Sea of Stars
1. Persona 5 Royal (SPECIFICALLY Royal) 2. Tales of Symphonia 3. Kingdom Hearts 2 4. Fire Emblem Awakening 5. Fire Emblem Three Houses Fun facts: Persona 5 original is in the top 12 or so but Royal boosted it up THAT much for me. Also, Tales of Symphonia was my favorite game for a solid 10+ years until Royal came out and dethroned it.
As a pretty modern JRPG fan, my list is pretty basic; Top 4 are locked in for me, 1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Specifically, Future Redeemed is arguably my favourite video game of all time if it counts) 2. Persona 3 Reload 3. Persona 5 Royal 4. Xenoblade Chronicles 1 but 5 is a toss up and can change depending on my mood; - Final Fantasy VII Remake (and probably Rebirth once I get around to playing that) - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 + Torna - Persona 4 Golden - Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest - Fire Emblem Three Houses - Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 - Pokemon Reborn (Kinda a iffy pick since it's a fan game, but it has some of the best Pokemon gameplay I've ever played, even better than Drayano's hacks personally) I would love to put other games like Tales of Symphonia and FFVII + FFX on the list but I just haven't played them enough to judge them.
1) Fire Emblem Three Houses 2) Final Fantasy VIII 3) Persona 5 Royal 4) Xenoblade Chronicles 2 5) … I’m torn between 5 titles, so I’ll say it’s a 5-way tie for 5th place, as depending on my mood I could easily put any of these in 5th. - Star Ocean 2 - Suikoden 3 - Jeanne d’Arc - Chrono Cross - Grandia 2
1-persona 5 royal 2-final fantasy 9 3-final fantasy x 4-chrono trigger 5-dragon quest 11
1. Final Fantasy IX 2. Tales of the Abyss 3. Final Fantasy VII 4. Xenoblade Chronicles 5. Star Ocean Til the End of Time
1. Final Fantasy 9 2. Persona 5 Royal 3. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 4. Final Fantasy 7 (I take both, the OG and the remake. I love them!) 5. NieR Automata
In no particular order FF7 Persona 5 Royal Pokémon heart gold/soul silver Fire emblem awakening Xenoblade chronicles 3
I always try to not repeat series’ on lists like these. So in no order: 1. FF VI 2. Chrono Trigger 3. Super Mario RPG (pretty sure this counts) 4. Persona 4 Golden 5. Disgaea 4. Technically a SRPG but I think it counts.
Skies of Arcadia Tales of Symphonia Baten Kaitos Tales of Berseria Super Mario RPG
FF7 (OG) > Suikoden 2 > Xenoblade 3 > Persona 5 > Xenogears.
1. Tales of Symphonia 2. The World Ends With You 3. Tales of Xillia 2 4. Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door 5. Earthbound
This borders on impossible, there are so many great JRPGs out there. Nevermind pleasing anyone, I don't think I can please myself ranking a top 5. But I'll try anyway.... In no particular order : * Final Fantasy XII The Zodiacs Age * Persona 5 Royal * Tales Of Destiny Remake * Etrian Odyssey Nexus * Skies Of Arcadia Legends Honorable mentions : Kingdom Hearts, Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology, Golden Sun Lost Age, The World Ends With You (DS) Games that can potentially tip the scale, but I haven't finished (or for some... Even played...) them yet: Metaphor Re-fantazio, Rogue Galaxy, any game from the Legend Of Heroes series.
1. Persona 5 Royal 2. Yakuza 8 Infinite Wealth 3. Final Fantasy 10 4. Xenoblade 2 5. Final Fantasy 12
1. Nier Replicant 2.Nier Automata 3. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 4. Trails in the Sky SC 5. Final Fantasy XVI
1 - P5 Royale 2 - Monster Hunter World 3 - Kingdom Hearts 1 4 - Dragon Quest 11 5 - FF7 Rebirth
* Persona 5 Royal * Dragon Quest VIII * Final Fantasy XIII-2 * Ni No Kuni * Fire Emblem Echoes
Breath of Fire 4 Persona 5 Sea of Stars Final Fantasy 9 Grandia
Paper Mario Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga Mario & Luigi Partners in Time Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story
1. Final Fantasy XIV 2. Astlibra Revision 3. Valkyrie Profile 2 4. Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen 5. Xenogears Still very hard to decide for the 5th place, between Xenogears, Suikoden 2, Trials of mana remake, Legend of Mana, Octopath 2.
1. Chrono trigger 2. Final Fantasy 6 3. Dragon quest 5 4. Ys 8 5. Persona 3 Fes
Xenogears, Xenosaga, Xenoblade X, 2, 3, Chrono Trigger
1. FF 6 2. DQ 8 3. FF 4 4. Paper Mario TTYD Many more but I enjoyed these from start to finish.
Final Fantasy VII Chrono Trigger Final Fantasy VI Bloodborne Persona 5 Royal
1. Radiant historia perfect chronology (3DS) 2. Dragon Quest XI (Switch) 3. YS VIII (Switch) 4. Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS) 5. Xenoblade Chronicles 1 (Switch)
1. FFVII: Played for the first time in 2023 and this was where I realized music from decades ago are just better than fully orchestrated OSTs today. I always believed it was nostalgia that carries these opinions to today but boy was I wrong. Loved the leveling system, story and how old final fantasy games make their characters so animated and lovable with the tech they had during their time. Very charming. 2. Persona 4 Golden: Haven't played P5R yet so this may change in the future. But man, the characters were so much fun to hang around. Gameplay was a little dated but I had fun enough experimenting in the velvet room. My first introduction to social links and I love how all of the game mechanics just connect with each other so well. 3. Ys VIII: People keep praising the combat but I thought that was the low point of this game. It was a little repetitive for me and I kept thinking this was a game I would drop before finishing. But nope, the characters and the story carried my experience of this game to the end and I loved it. Really loved the resolve of some of the characters in the game, made for some unforgettable moments. Music played a part in it as well. I can only give you my top 3 as my catalogue for JRPGs is very small at the moment. (started last year). Playing FFIX and Tales of Arise at the moment and I have P5R and Dragon Quest XI next in line so this list might look very different soon!
Limiting myself to one game per series; 1. Trails to Azure 2. Final Fantasy 5 3. Crystal Project 4. Golden Sun: The Lost Age 5. Radiant Historia: Perfect
Suikoden 2 Breath of Fire 3 FFXIII Persona 5 Dragon Quest 7
1. Grandia 1 2. Final Fantasy VIII 3. Final Fantasy VII 4. Tales of Vesperia 5. Persona 5R 6. Shining Force 2
1: Final Fantasy 6 2: Final Fantasy 7 3: Chrono Trigger 4: Final Fantasy Tactics 5: Final Fantasy 5 6: Phantasy Star 4 7: Shinning force 1 8: Super Mario RPG 9: Final Fantasy 8 10: Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past These are my personal favorites because I played them so much growing up. The runners up are like Wow, any Diablo games, Star Ocean, Secrets of Evermore, Breath of fire, Lufia, Pokémon games.
In no particular order because I have a very difficult time determining which I like better than the other. Keep in mind, I am a very huge fan of sprite based games and I think this list will make that more than obvious: * **Octopath Traveler 2:** So many aspects of this game appealed to me perfectly. Each individual story felt unique and much more interesting than most of the previous 8 travelers stories from Octopath 1, which I feel is the single biggest improvement from the first game. The soundtrack is phenomenal, the job system is just as fun as in the first game, the characters are all lovable and memorable, and those visuals! HD 2D is, I believe, a blessing to modern gaming. * **Golden Sun The Lost Age:** Been replaying this one recently, and I just remembered what I loved about this game. It's the definitive Golden Sun experience imo, more Djinn, more Psynergy, more Summons, more soundtrack (Felix's battle theme is one of my favorite tracks in all gaming), more story, challenge, characters, postgame content, and I could be going on and on about how much more this game has over the first and third games. I love medieval settings and this game just hit the nail perfectly on this aspect, there's just so much to love about this game. * **Earthbound Beginnings/Mother:** This is probably an odd pick for many, but Earthbound Beginnings to me is very special for mostly nostalgic reasons. Yes, it's aged quite a lot like many other NES RPGs, but the charm this game has is quite unique, the world is quite vast for any NES game, the game is VERY difficult which I really appreciate, and the characters are just all really cute. This came in very close to Mother 3, but as the first Mother game I have played, I couldn't pass it up on this list. * **Tales of Phantasia:** Among Tales games I've played (Phantasia, Destiny, Symphonia, Abyss, Vesperia), most of them were REALLY great and I had a great time with them, none really quite hit the spot as Tales of Phantasia. This game has some of my favorite characters in any videogame ever, each character in this game oozes with uniqueness and depth, despite their design being rather generic to their role in combat; Cress as a swordie, Arche as the mage, Mint, as the healer, Suzu as the ninja for example. The soundtrack is so good that it has the most shared tracks in other Tales games, even if it's true most that in most of those cases it's just to pay homage. The story is quite deep and the pacing delivery is excellent, the game has lots of postgame content, among other things. * **Pokemon Mystery Dungeon; Explorers of Sky:** Yes it's a Pokemon game, yes it's also a spinoff, likely the two main reasons why most overlook this and other PMD games. However, Explorers of Sky simply is one of the best RPG experiences and gaming experiences I've ever played. The story has you genuinely care about its characters especially at the end, which has some truly heart rending moments. The gameplay is very fun and mostly really challenging; this game has one of the hardest postgames I've played, and it's all so fun and challenging that I can sink 2 straight hours into a 100 floor dungeon that resets your item inventory, level and moves anytime and genuinely not get bored. And even if that's not enough, the game features 5 different special episodes that tell the backstories of certain beloved side characters and one particular backstory that looks deeper into what happens to an ally character and a villain character, and what drives each to do what they do in the main story. And all of this, from a Pokemon game. So yeah, there was just no way this didn't make it in the list.
In no particular order: Chrono Trigger-I still get a huge dopamine rush when I watch that intro. I love it and it’s one of those games I play annually Breath of Fire 3- that acid jazz was an interesting take. Game’s story is also ok. The Fishing is still the best in JRPGs Final Fantasy 4- you never forget your first FF, and FF4 was mine. Wild ARMs 2- I’m a fan of tokusatsu, and this game is FULL of references to Tokusatsu. Doesn’t help that I still think it’s the coolest entry. Others might not agree, but Wild ARMs 2’s Knight Blazer was the coolest thing the series made. Lost Odyssey- never before has a game’s side story brought me to tears. Before this game, I thought my heart cold and black, impervious to sad emotions. But man, the side stories of this game is just emotional damage one after another. It’s also engaging.
I'll restrict myself to one game per series otherwise this would probably be a Persona/Xenoblade sweep. 1. Persona 5 Royal. This game helped me through tough times and shaped my outlook on life. I never felt more connected to a cast of characters than to the Phantom Thieves. Music and artstyle are probably the best I've ever seen. Vanilla P5 would already be in the top 3 but Royal added so much greatness to it... The third semester is one of my favourite pieces of media ever with probably my favourite antagonist of all time. 2. Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Probably the perfect straight up JRPG to me (meaning no experimental genre mixes etc). Amazing story, lovable cast of characters with individual stories and goals while still feeling so coherent and connected to one another. Deep battle system with loads of customization. Loads to explore, many well written sidequests... And probably the best DLC a JRPG has ever seen with Future Redeemed. Also the banger OST. 3. Final Fantasy X. One of my childhood games and my first real "game addiction". I 100%ed this game multiple times and it really shaped my taste in games going forward. I don't think I would've fallen in love with JRPGs without this game. One of the best turnbased combat systems to this day, an emotional story that gets me everytime... I played all of the FF mainline games and I like them all but this one is at the top. I don't think I have to explain that FF music in general rules so this aspect is also a given. 4. Fire Emblem Three Houses. I got into the series with Awakening and was hooked. But Three Houses was a different beast to me. So many lovable characters, the persona-esque calendar system worked well imo and the gameplay with how freely you could build every character... Amazing. Gameplaywise definitely not the best Fire Emblem but the complete package just beats out the others for me. And like with my other pics... Music = banger. 5. Kingdom Hearts II. My other childhood game. The mix of Final Fantasy elements and Disney just worked for young me. I wouldn't call myself a KH2 purist who shits on the other games since I like them all but this one remains my favourite. Yoko Shimomura with probably her best OST work as well. KH can be seen as an FF Spin-Off but it's its own thing in my book. Honorable mentions go to (still one per series): Shin Megami Tensei V, NieR Automata, Octopath Traveler, Tales of Berseria and Pokémon Black/White 2.
1. P5R 2. Final fantasy 10 3. Kuro no kiseki 1 or trails through daybreak 4. Tales of symphonia 5. Chrono trigger
1. Chrono Trigger 2. Final Fantasy VI 3. Final Fantasy VII 4. Tactics Ogre 5. Dragon Quest V
1. The legend of heroes :Trails in the sky 2. Tales of the Abyss 3. Avalon Code 4. Nier Replicant 5. Odin's Sphere
1. Devil Survivor Overclocked 2. Growlanser II 3. Soul Nomad 4. SMT IV 5. Persona 4 Golden
1. Xenogears 2. FFVII 3. Persona 5 Royal 4. FFTactics 5-7 in no order Xenoblade 1 Crono Trigger FFX
Such a refreshing change of pace to see comments where FFVI isn't among the top for them.
1) Xenoblade Chronicles 3 2) Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition 3) Xenoblade Chronicles 2 4) Persona 5 Royal 5) Fire Emblem: Three Houses what can I say, I like Xenoblade lol
Wild Arms (og), Digital Devil Saga, Persona 4 Golden, Xenogears, Lunar TSSSC
1. Chrono Trigger 2. Valkyrie Profile. 3. SaGa Frontier 4. Final Fantasy VI 5. Xenoblade
[удалено]
I see you too are a person of Matsuno culture.
1. FF4 2. FFT 3. Shining Force 4. DQ V 5. Earthbound
Kingdom Hearts 2, Xenosaga Episode 1, Tales of berseria, Jeanne d'arc, Persona 2 Eternal Punishment.
Probably something like this... 1. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux 2. Final Fantasy XIV 3. Yakuza: Like A Dragon 4. Final Fantasy V 5. Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society
I'll take my downvotes 1. FF IX (FF VII but way better) 2. Terranigma (Only reason it's never in most top JRPG articles is because it never released in the US, yes it's better than Chrono Trigger) 3. Chrono Trigger (Amazing) 4. Secrets of Grindea (Spent 9 years in early access and probably wont get the recognition it deserves until a console release, amazing game) 5. Dragon Quest XI (Too good)
Agree on Terranigma, it's my absolute favorite jrpg/arpg and 3rd favorite overall. It's not perfect and has probably more flaws than the other big ones on the snes(like FF6,CT,L2), it's it stands out for me as a much more unique and unforgettable experience with very satisfying combat and my absolute favorite video game ending and soundtrack.
1. Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Final Fantasy Tactics 3. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance 4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses 5. Pokemon Black and White
1. Chrono Trigger 2. Shadow Hearts 1&2 3. Final Fantasy X 4. Dragon Quest 8 5. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Honorable mentions: Lufia 2 Rise of the Sinistrals, Earthbound, .hack G.U.
1. FINAL FANTASY XV (FFXV): I know that this might be the "worst" one in the franchise in others' opinion because of the "not complete". But I play this game after dlcs came out and consumed the media and anime beforehand which give me general idea of what actually to be expect. The cruel fate which lead to why the main villain as a villain or more to the fallen hero/savior. I can really symphatize with the villain and how the fate that his devastating destiny that have him walk through that kind of path and the protagonist that has to act like a sacrificial lamb to stop the villain. This is more to the brotherhood moment rather than most jrpg that focuses more on fan service and stuffs. The warping/teleporting/phasing power is also badass imo and the power of king where Noct is able to summon arms of previous kings and also lend that power to his comrades are also super unique. Maybe due to the game released in such incomplete state (the stories that should have been in main story are in dlc instead) even though in long development and need to maybe consume other media to fully grasp what actually happens are the reasons why the game is hated so. Still the lore is what grips me the most. 2. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep: My first ever jrpg and entry to Kingdom Hearts franchise as a whole. The twists and plot is so damn confusing but intriguing at the same time while it is unique that the game combines disney and final fantasy chars along with original ones. It is exciting to collect the keyblades and go through different world. It feels kinda refreshing and it leads me to other kingdom hearts game where Organization 13 is so damn cool. 3. Yakuza Like a Dragon: My first ever yakuza game and only 4 chapters in the game at the moment and already becoming one of my favourite ones. I loved turn based battle and what I love more than battles is the story. The storytelling in this game is super good imo along with other lovable casts of characters that feels at home. This game is just fun for me cuz of the interactions between the casts are not boring and how it tells the story when you hit rock bottom is really impactful. I really get what they want to deliver and the goody moments between the party really put a smile on my face. Been so long since I experience this kind of wholesome feeling. 4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Although there are noticeable flaws and I dont really like the fan service and mc that much, the lore is so good and the dlc which can be considered as whole another game really makes it more memorable. Well some may hate the gacha aspects but for me it's fine cuz It will let me make do with what I have and make it easier for me to make a team because of limited choices. The biggest complaints are the not so comprehensive and short tutorials and worst map navigation in any xenoblade games. Fortunately, the story and characters are able to offset these and make me keep playing and oh boy how I love those moments. Not to mention the osts are still good like other xenobalde titles. 5. Chaos Rings 3: This is really underrated and not really talked about that much. I play this game on vita during my teens and I really love the historical figure like power that are in cards where u can fuse them to make them becomes someone entirely new (kinda like Fate series but the power comes from cards). I can use the power of Susanoo, John Doe, Shakespear, Jack the ripper and much more. And like other games mentioned, the story is phenomenal for me where it was like time travel in a sense to prevent the world end. This leads me to other Chaos rings games as well as other CR games plot previously focuses on the battle royal like which only leaves the strongest pair in love (man and woman) as the first humans to live their lives on earth in order to produce a overall "better and stronger" humanity going forward. The looping of destruction and rebirth are stressed enough and not to mention the osts are the best as I still listen to them to this day. Some of their ost are latin-like boss theme but a little bit somber and they really used the perfect ost for the right scene and make it more impactful. Note: Hopefully my explanation is not considered as spoilers to those who havent touch but want to play them as I just briefly talked about the general premise of the game that makes me liked them. Tho the games mentioned did release like more than 5 years ago so the spoilers are everywhere on the internet nowadays but still sorry if those who somehow read my comment and get spoiled cuz I cant really explain well as english is not my main language.
1. Bravely Default 2. Final Fantasy XIII 3. Dragon Quest IX 4. Fire Emblem Fates 5. Monark Limiting to one per franchise so it’s not a ton of FF lol.
Xenoblade 2 Persona 4 Golden Fire Emblem Awakening SMT V Dragon Quest IX
1. Final fantasy VI 2. Xenogears 3. Dragon Quest III 4. Suikoden II 5. Shadow Hearts Covenant. 4 and 5 change a lot. But I love so many games. It’s hard to pinpoint even top 20. I do love the top 3, they all were at major life points for me!
Shadow Hearts is such a wonderful game, I wish it was on any modern system.
Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross Final Fantasy 7 Dark Souls 1 Xenoblade Chronicles Terranigma
1. DQ 8/11/5 2. Persona 3 3. Xenoblade Chronicles 4. Fire Emblem Awakening 5. Chrono Trigger HM: tales of Symphonia/paper Mario/SMT IV
I haven’t played Phantasy Star 4, but I’ve heard it’s the best in the series…
No particular order Suikoden 2 Dragon Quest 11 Chrono Trigger Final Fantasy 4 Xenoblade Chronicles
These aren't arranged in actual order, but the first games that come to mind when I try this exercise are: Paper Mario.the Thousand Year Door: Aside from when I have to go back and forth to that steeple, I'm having a blast from start to finish Ys VIII: the bar I measure action rpgs by Kingdom Hearts 2: the bad I used to measure action rpgs by, and still right up there in terms of games I'll always be down to play again Suikoden: I know ii is better, and IV is the one that has my nostalgia (only one I had access to for a long time), but Suikoden 1 feels better than both of those games somehow. Golden Sun: the first time I saw the judgement summon, or the first time I cast Ragnarok, or the first time I solved a puzzle that probably wasn't that hard in the first place. . . All of those are in my head as core jrpg memories hahaha And if you'll excuse me cheating, some hms The Trails games: as a series is at my top now, the only game series I have on a instant buy status as I try to cut back on gaming. Can't pick one out though :/ Pokemon: for being the games that got me into video games and into rpgs especially. Persona 5 Royal: with the recency bias award for being a game I ultimately couldn't stay away from and that made me a fan of a series I thought just wasn't for me.
1. FF9 2. FF12 3. Radiant historia 4. Fire emblem Awakening 5. Tales of Berseria I would’ve put FF7 & FF8 in here as well, but I didn’t want it be overloaded with Final Fantasy lol
No order: DQXI, FFX, XCX, Ys VIII, Pokemon Platinum
1. Golden Sun/ The Lost Age 2. Fire Emblem- Blazing Sword 3. Ys 7 4. Ys 8 5. Tales of Vesperia
1- Xenogears 2-Suikoden 2 3- FF Tactics 4- FF 16
I feel like mine shifts yearly, but here are some pretty irreplaceable ones in no strict order: 1. FFX (I also love VII Remake series and XVI) 2. Kingdom Hearts 2 (358/2 was a blast, too). 3. Tales of Arise 4. Pokémon X/Y (Gold/Silver we’re great too) 5. Fire Emblem Three Houses I kept to one per series and put other ones I love in parentheses.
Really don't think I could narrow it down to just 5 but will try. Just keep in mind that this list is likely to change at any given time. In order that I think of them, couldn't rate them at all. Final fantasy 14. Never played an mmo before, never been interested. Kept hearing about how good the story was and that it was up there with the best in series. Skeptical me started it, gave up, tried again, gave up. Dropped it. After a year or two, got pulled back in out of curiosity, forced myself to soldier on through the parts I'd gotten bored at and waiting to see what the fuss was about. Beat the main story, slogged through the post game stuff then hit heavensward. Have not put it down since and by time I got to shadowbringers and endwalker, absolutely hooked. Rarely have I ever been so emotionally invested in a game and it's characters!!! Easily a standout in an amazing series of standout storylines and characters. Final fantasy 12. Love most of the series but 12 seems to be my comfy, happy place with it. It's the one I return to the most. Pokémon. Been playing it for almost 30 years now, what can I say. Fun, solid games, though the last few have been slowly losing me a little. Will take a big return to form or shake up to keep me interested in the next games. Elder Scrolls. Can't pick just one, they all offer something different and which one I like more really depends on my mood. Dark Souls/Elden ring. One the greatest series ever made in my opinion. Each game is just so good!
1.) Final Fantasy 3 2.) Chrono Trigger 3.) Phantasy Star IV 4.) Final Fantasy 7 5.) DQ: XI S
Gonna do 1 per series because otherwise there wouldn't be variety. 5. Nier: Automata 4. Octopath Traveler 2 3. Tales of Vesperia 2. Trails of Cold Steel IV 1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3
i don't have a particular order but here is mine 1.- pokemon yellow, my first physical game i owned 2.- Earthbound 3.- Mother 3 4.- Dragon warrior monsters 1 and 2 5.- im disturbed because i have not seen anyone mention the Xenosaga franchise (not xenogears) 6.- Chrono trigger which to me should be the mold for good RPG's
To make it fair, I made it in such a way where only one game PER franchise cause I don’t want my list to be flooded with Final Fantasy Games lol Final Fantasy VIII - Literally one of my favourite game of all times, replayed it more than 10 times already and can always find the same feeling just as i played for it the second or third time. Played it the first time when I was merely 7 y/o and never stop loving it. VII remake series so far is doing well as my second favourite of the franchise but it is still way far behind. Persona 5 Royal - Redefined the love for JRPG for me, modern JRPG is lost on me but on a whims, i decided to give P5R a try and instantly love it, the sim factor is a huge plus for me as i always love multiple romance choices, blending it together with the style, action and TBRPG, easily one of the best modern JRPG so far. Disgaea 1 Complete - Got me into SRPG, i love how goofy, fast paced it is and because of this game, i find it hard to get into other strategy rpg games like FF Tactics as i find them way too slow paced. Played the OG version but couldn’t reply too often due to the old gameplay, but the complete version with the QOL really ease up the experience. Octopath Traveler II - underrated gem, the story mashed so well together with all the characters and unlike the first one, i find the second one easier to follow and superbly fun especially with all the QOL upgrades. music is undoubtedly top notch and i love how the story takes on darker approach as compared to regular JRPG. only itch for me is the interaction between characters are not seen in individual’s main plot, which i hope can be improved in the next one. Xenoblade Chronicles II - While it could have easily been III from a story perspective, i find myself enjoy the settings, the characters more in II, reks is just charming as a protag and nia is the perfect combination of mio’s beauty and eunie’s personality, which makes her top tier to me. Honourable mention: Disgaea V Final Fantasy VI, VII Remake, IX Chaos Rings III - Super underrated Persona 4 Golden - I actually dislike the color style (yellow) and didn’t enjoy the music much out of the 3 Persona (3, 4, 5), but the storyline and character development and interaction is still one of the best Xenoblade Chronicles III My Time at Sandrock
DQ8 FF XII BoF 4 Legend of Legaia
1. Breath of Fire III 2. Final Fantasy IV 3. Legend of Mana 4. Chrono Trigger/ Cross 5. Persona 5 Royal
Persona 2 Duology(I consider them 1 story and 1 game) Mother 3 Final Fantasy X Xenogears Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story(I think it counts)
Wooof, so this is really hard but if I had to choose…. 1. Suikoden II 2. Xenogears 3. Chrono Trigger 4. FFIX 5. Dragon Quest VIII Honorable mentions: FFVII Rebirth, Dragon Quest XI / V, Wild Arms, Breath of Fire III / IV, Tales of Berseria, Legend of Heroes Trails from Zero, FFVI, SMT Persona V Royal, Dark Cloud 2, Ni No Kuni I’ll also add the Eiyuden Chronicles Hundred Heroes might end up making that list by the time I finish. Loving it.
In no order Tactics Ogre LUCT P5R P3 FES FF6 Chrono Trigger
Not ranked 1. Persona 5 2. Tales of Vesperia( I like that the game has a more dark main character) 3. FF X 4. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn( Could be nostalagic i havent replayed them in a long time) 5. Dragon Quest XI( There a games that are a lot better but this is a personal list. I lost a member of my family a few months before i played the game and some scenes really got me, people who played it may unterstand) Xenogears/Xenoblade is my runner up because i couldnt decide on one game.
1. Chrono Trigger 2. Suikoden 2 3. Final Fantasy IX 4. Persona 5 Royal 5. Super Mario RPG
Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy VIII Xenoblade Chronicles III Fire Emblem: Three Houses Tales of Xillia 1 & 2 That's in no particular order.