Make your list here for the ones that stand out best in your memory. "RPG" is the typical "leveling-up" game, any one where you spend mind-numbing hours of gaining XP and still enjoy yourself (usually with a good CD to listen to). Mostly Square and Enix-heavy, of course, but they make the best.

1. Final Fantasy VII

2. Chrono Trigger

3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

4. Final Fantasy VI

5. Dragon Warrior IV

6. Final Fantasy Tactics

7. Final Fantasy X

8. Kingdom Hearts

9. Xenogears

10. Dragon Warrior III

Mine is more based on sentimental value then pure quality I guess. Hard to compare the old school games to the new ones.

1. Final Fantasy 4

2. Final Fantasy 9

3. Dragon Warrior/ Final Fantasy

4. Ultima 6

5. Tales of Symphonia

6. Final Fantasy 7

7. Final Fantasy 10

8. Dark Cloud 2

9. Knights of the Old Republic

10. Phantasy Star 2

I haven't beat tactics, but it is pretty much the lord god of all RPG's. In chapter 4 and I am finding it to be absolute gaming bliss.

Other than that, FF 7 and 10 are pretty much tied for me, I loved them both. As far as customizing, I totally dug FF5 (japan only). it has a WICKED class system that was fun to use. Chrono Trigger was great, and I look forward to playing Cross when I am done with Tactics. I started Star Ocean 2 and was enjoying that a lot too.

Of course my first RPG was Dragon Warrior 1 for the good ol' NES and I beat that game so many times when I was like, 12 and 13, back before emulators existed. It started me on the path, and was also the most linear RPG imaginable. I love it.

FF ( unless obviously not )

1. 8
2. 7
3. Diablo II
4. 4
5. 5

1. Tactics has several issues that keep it from leaping up my list. I fucking couldn't stand the last battle of Chapter 4 - you'll see why when you get there. And when you get Orlandu the game is plain trivial. Finishing it without him just rocks as a good challenge.

I still remember my party: Hero, Mustadio, Cloud, Orlandu, and random clergy. Man, Mustadio was such a badass.

2. Final Fantasy VII and X (and KotOR) are high up solely because of the fact that their stories are better than a good part of the fantasy novels I've read. The "fun" factor is diminished somewhat by their tendency to lead you by the nose. The whole bit about exploring the whole world right before the final dungeon is what keeps the Square games top in my book. If you can fit fucking Disney characters into an RPG and make it work, you're a good company in my book. The Mario RPG's weren't as successful with the bastardization theme.

3. Dragon Warrior. I'm surprised you called this linear. I understand how linear it is after beating it - even now, nearly 17 years after I first played the game, I instinctively know every leveling up zone, which level to reach before proceeding, which weapons to buy, and even where that shield is in that destroyed town.

I explained above how much I love how Square opens up the game at the end. What makes Dragon Warrior such a fun series is that Enix opened the fuckers up from the very beginning. There's no hour-long introduction, no characters who say more than a few words, no depth, nothing. Your mom wakes your ass up in the morning and tells you to go see the King, who orders you to go destroy some super badass in some faraway land (or right across the river, in plain sight, in the case of Dragon Warrior I - perhaps one of the nicest touches in an rpg EVER). You're given no info but his name, nothing but a fucking treasure chest with 50 gold in it, and your ass is sent into the wilderness with no direction and no map.

When I replay these games, I get a sense of how I felt when I was younger - pissed off, lost, but having loads of fun smashing Times and taking wrong turns and figuring out what the Hell to do next. Even Dragon Warrior IV with its lame excuse at a story has this feel. I've never been more lost in a video game than when I get the fucking boat in one of these games, but even then, when I reload these guys on my emulator I wish, every time, that something would wipe my memory of my past experiences completely.

I think the Final Fantasy series perfected the story/gaming balance, and it was unfortunately lost after Final Fantasy VII set a standard that couldn't ever be reached again.

I think my favorite RPG was a Final Fantasy game on the Game Boy. I can't remember if it was Final Fantasy Adventure 2 or just Final Fantasy 2, but it was freaking awesome. The level with the Japanese-like world that had banana smuggling going on was great, but the boss was one of the hardest I remember fighting.

FUCK YOU FF8 HATERS, BY FAR THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. FF8
2. FFX
3. FF7
4. FFX-2
5 Kingdom Hearts

atleast citizen soma has some taste..

Chrono Trigger

From the ones I've played, in order:

Final Fantasy VI (logged about 200+ hours in one saved game)
Final Fantasy Tactics
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Cross
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy IV
Secret of Mana
Xenogears
Star Ocean II
Knights of the Old Republic
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy VIII


wish I could think of more at the moment

VI was unquestionably the best. My friends and I spent many many hours playing that game, and it was a lot of fun. Wonderful story, great characters w/abilities, lots of non-linear stuff to do, power up armor, weapons, spells - lots of fun

Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross were probably two of the most anticipated games ever for me and both were worth it. Remarkable games. Chrono Cross had the best graphics of any PS1 game. Great story, loved how the developers tied the two together so amazingly.

Tactics - again, great story (probably the best RPG story, ever), and lots of fun to play. Fucking EPIC.

Xenogears - loved it for the most part, but the last 10 hours were mostlly cut scenes, so it gets dropped a bit. I wish I had the patience to sit through it again (and I've played through all these games at least twice, except this one).

The others really don't even come close.

I'm kinda bummed because the quality of RPGs has dropped signifcantly in the last few years....maybe I'm getting too old but I'll play them if I get the chance. I still need to get through Metal Gear Solid 3, but I really would like to play through Knights II and Jade Empire.

Also, anybody notice all the references to obscure mythologies in all the old FF games? I really dug that.

Traditional RPGs:
KotOR
Panzer Dragoon Saga

MMORPGs:
FFXI

Action RPGs:
X-Men Legends
Champions of Norrath

Definitely not hating on FF8 at all. It had a tough act to follow after the success of 7. To me, the characters weren't as memorable. The ending was perhaps one of the best I've seen, but I'm not sure I'll play it again. Definitely better than FF9 and its waitforfuckingEVER gaming engine.

I liked Eye of the Beholder for the Amiga back in the days.

The Legend of Zelda - nes


Zelda Ocarina of Time- N64
Resident Evil - GC
Hitman - PC

Great games, but those aren't RPGs



*wishes there were leveling-up aspects in the Zelda series*

i think ive grown out of them. i just couldnt hold 9 or 10's story, it just didnt interest me. 8 and 7 and 4 were amazing.

i really do wish i was still diehard.

My bad. I thought they were 'role playing games'. All this time I was wrong? Lame.

how?

I had EVERYTHING after only like 50-60 hours of play. And everyone was at level 99 to boot

Nothing really impressed me after Final Fantasy VII. The characters, the weapons, the story, the steampunk look...it's basically a perfect game.

final fantasy VII is like the best thing ever