Cag's Favorite Rpg's ?

[devildr1ver]

im curious about what rpg's i should be playing since im beginning to get into them so far i've only played final fantasy x and a bit of final fantasy xii, and need to know which ones are a must play that i've missed (like grandia 1? 2? or 3? which one is better?, valkyrie, final fantasies which ones are worth playing?, etc)

thanks 8-)

[lawlflip]

I'd say play Earthboud for the SNES, and Knights of the Old Republic for Xbox. Both my favourites, other that that I don't play many RPG's.

[Jesus_S_Preston]

Tales of Symphonia. Play it NOW

[sprintsucks5892]

If you're willing to pay a bit of cash and want difficult RPG's, I'd recommend Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, or the Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga series.

[bardockkun]

Paper Mario 2: Thousand Year Door. Simply my most favorite turn based battle system ever and the game mixes in platforming so seamlessly and fun.

[Vegan]

im curious about what rpg's i should be playing since im beginning to get into them so far i've only played final fantasy x and a bit of final fantasy xii, and need to know which ones are a must play that i've missed (like grandia 1? 2? or 3? which one is better?, valkyrie, final fantasies which ones are worth playing?, etc)

thanks 8-)

What systems, besides the PS2 that you obviously have?

Oh, and Grandia 2 is really good. 3, not so much, from what I hear (though prettier).

[MarkMan]

My current favorite is Persona 3. :)

Dragon Quest VIII, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, among others...

[Derrick1979]

Here you go Devildr1ver here a link to my collection with some RPG's to give you an Idea of whats pretty good in my opinion..


http://club.ign.com/b/list/custom?lid=100018&owner=Derrick1979&mode=vown

[Oktoberfest]

Xenosaga

[RAMSTORIA]

jade cocoon 1 for psx, best rpg ever

[The Crotch]

Far too many to list. What systems do you have? How good is your PC?

[Surferflames]

The game that got me back into gaming, and started my love for RPGs, Xenogears (not saga..I can't stand those games for some reason, perhaps because I was expecting gears and it wasn't there.)

[lordwow]

I hate to be "that guy" but I did really enjoy FFVII. KOTOR1 was really great too, a great storyline and a lot of fun. I liked FF Tactics, but I don't really consider than a RPG, at least in the form I think you're looking for.

[Calamityuponthee]

Where to start... hard to name any without specific systems in mind. Also, the RPG genre has a lot of sub-categories. There's tons of good ones out there.

PS1-
Final Fantasy VII, IX, Tactics
Xenogears
Lunar SSSC
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue

PS2-
Shadow Hearts - Dark atmosphere, great story.
Shadow Hearts: Covenant - My favorite RPG on the PS2, period. Direct sequel, so play after the first one.
Suikoden III, V
Tales of The Abyss

Xbox-
Knights of The Old Republic 1 and 2
Fable

360-
Oblivion

[Vendetta]

Off the top of my head, starting from the SNES:

SNES:
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy V (played this on the PS1 though)
Final Fantasy VI
Tales of Phantasia

PS1:
Final Fantasy Tactics
Xenogears
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII - despite being disappointed, I still enjoyed it a lot, especially the card game
Lunar: SSSC
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Arc the Lad Collection
Chrono Cross
Vagrant Story
Vandal Hearts

Dreamcast:
Grandia 2
Skies of Arcadia

PS2:
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Final Fantasy X
Dragon Quest VIII
Xenosaga 1 - very disappointing compared to Xenogears, but still very enjoyable
Disgaea
Dark Cloud 2
Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2

XBOX:
Jade Empire
KOTOR 1

I'm probably missing some, but I enjoyed all those games a lot. I expect to add Persona 3 to the list in 2-3 days.

[whoknows]

WTF

No one mentioned Rogue Galaxy yet.

Shame.

Awesome game

Also, I love Radiata Stories. Didn't require and leveling, wasn't a very hard, and also wasn't a very long game. I really really enjoyed it. Probably my favorite PS2 RPG.

[62t]

WTF

No one mentioned Rogue Galaxy yet.

Shame.

Awesome game

Also, I love Radiata Stories. Didn't require and leveling, wasn't a very hard, and also wasn't a very long game. I really really enjoyed it. Probably my favorite PS2 RPG.
well no one mentions zelda yet

[whoknows]

well no one mentions zelda yet
Probably because the OP is looking for RPG's ;)

[RelentlessRolento]

Vagrant Story...

[SpecTrE3353]

Chrono Trigger
KotOR
FF2 (or FF4 in Japan)

[devildr1ver]

holy hell i've missed a few lol gonna research which ones im gonna play and then go hunting for some

heres a list i've compiled thanks to the input:

gamecube
tales of symphonia
Paper mario

ps2
shim megami tensei nocturne
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga series
persona 3
dragon quest VIII
Atelier Iris 3 ~Grand Fantasm~
Atelier Iris ~Eternal Mana~
Radiata Stories
Suikoden III
Suikoden V
Tales of Legendia
Tales of the abyss
Xenosaga
Xenosaga 2
Xenosaga 3
shadow hearts dark atmosphere
shadow hearts covenant
dark cloud
dark cloud 2
rogue galaxy

psone
Xenogears
ff vii
final fantasy ix
final fantasy tactics
Lunar: SSSC
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Arc the Lad Collection
Chrono Cross
Vagrant Story
Vandal Hearts

xbox
kotor
jade empire

360
oblivion

these games are soon gonna be added to my tradelist (wants) ......

EDIT:

is there a difference between the shin megami tenseis like persona 3 ?

[Derrick1979]

Devil your better off just skipping Dark Cloud 1 unless your a collector seeing as it does not have a relating story to the second one and is horrid in comparison to the second one.

I will second Radiata Stories.. It is a clone of sorts of a Suikoden/Tales game. I say suikoden just because you recruit a bunch of characters, and tales because of the battle system. The main character is funny as hell and the story at points and you can go around kicking everything including people lol and $20 new you can't go wrong....

[Purple Flames]

I liked the gameplay of Radiata Stories, but what turned me off from wanting to beat it was that horrid fuckin music. It was like nails on a chalkboard.

[The Mana Knight]

I usually have a tough time, because my list is constantly changing, but this is what it is:

1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Xenogears
3. Secret of Mana
4. Final Fantasy IX
5. Xenosaga Episode III
6. Kingdom Hearts II
7. Chrono Trigger
8. Xenosaga Episode I
9. Final Fantasy X
10. Final Fantasy IV
11. Final Fantasy VI
12. Star Ocean: Till The End of Time
13. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
14. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
15. Final Fantasy V
16. Final Fantasy VIII
17. Kingdom Hearts
18. Tales of Symphonia
19. Albert Odyssey
20. Grandia II
21. Wild Arms
22. Suikoden II
23. Chrono Cross
24. Xenosaga Episode II
25. Valkyrie Profile Lenneth

Many others like Lufia II, more Suikodens, more Tales, SMT games, etc. could make the list.

[Calamityuponthee]

shadow hearts dark atmosphere


It's just Shadow Hearts. I just meant to say it had a dark atmosphere, which is one reason I liked it.

[The Crotch]

Hmm. I'm gonna assume that list above shows all of your systems. Asking for us to name a bunch of good RPGs without getting into system is like me asking for a list of good hockey players without specifying team or era.

...

Just think about it, it made sense. Really, it did. Fuck it, just read the bit below, god dammit.

But just to add to/comment on your list: Skies of Arcadia Legends for Gamecube is a must-have. Baten Kaitos for the same system is a little iffy - most loved the combat, but the voice acting was horrendous. There was a good Arc the Lad for PS2, but the same warning for Baten Kaitos applies to that game. It's very popular to hate on Final Fantasy 7 these days - or at least say that it hasn't held up well - but I disagree. It was fucking awesome then, and is fucking awesome now. Be sure to add Suikoden 1 and 2 to your PS1 list, and assorted NIS SRPGs to your PS2 list. Speaking of SRPGs, there was one Fire Emblem for Gamecube and two for the GBA - all are worth getting. Growlanser Generations was also released on the PS2, if you haven't been totally SRPG'd out at this point (I know I could never be). If you are going to get KotOR II, get it for PC - the game is very obviously incomplete, but there's a team working on fixing that in the PC version. If you're looking for something a little more unique, try "Magic Pengel" (may have been renamed "Color Quest", I can not remember) for PS2.

Do you have an SNES?

[Alien Spider]

My "Top [number]" list changes with every RPG I finally start playing, but in any case, these are great games IMO.

DS
Final Fantasy III
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Hoshigami: Remix
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime

GBA
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Riviera: the Promised Land
Tales of Phantasia
Final Fantasy IV Advance
Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls
Golden Sun (1+2)
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Final Fantasy V Advance
Final Fantasy VI Advance

GCN
Tales of Symphonia
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Skies of Arcadia: Legends
X-Men Legends
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean

PS1
Xenogears (my favorite RPG of all time)
Vagrant Story
Parasite Eve
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Tales of Destiny

PS2
Xenosaga (Episodes 1 through 3)
Odin Sphere
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Final Fantasy XII
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Growlanser: Generations
Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Dark Cloud 2

XBOX
Fable: The Lost Chapters
Sudeki
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The Bard's Tale

[The Crotch]

Forgot to mention Deus Ex. The first one, not Invisible War. The first game was a near-perfect hybrid of RPG and FPS. The second one was an average FPS with crappy RPG elements tacked on.

Also, PS1's "Legend of Dragoon". Lost of people liked that one, though I never really got into it. And Breath of Fire 3 and 4. I loved 3, but 4 is widely considered to be the best of the series. You do not have to play any previous Breath of Fire to play the next.

[devildr1ver]

dont know if anyone cares but i just scored a new grandia iii woot!!!

[Thomas96]

nes:

Dragon Warrior
Crysalis [game made me cry]
Final Fantasy
Zelda II link's awakening

snes:
Chrono Trigger


N64:
Zelda Ocriana of Time

PS1:
FFVII
[edit] forgot this one - Lunar Sliver Star Story Complete!


PS2:
FFXII

those are all my favorites... feel like I'm missing something, but those are the ones I've enjoyed.

[happy]

Forgot to mention Deus Ex. The first one, not Invisible War. The first game was a near-perfect hybrid of RPG and FPS. The second one was an average FPS with crappy RPG elements tacked on.

Also, PS1's "Legend of Dragoon". Lost of people liked that one, though I never really got into it. And Breath of Fire 3 and 4. I loved 3, but 4 is widely considered to be the best of the series. You do not have to play any previous Breath of Fire to play the next.

Deus Ex was a fun game that seems to get overlooked way too much. I bought it for like $10 new at blockbuster years ago on a whim and was surprised with how good it was. I wouldn't really consider it an rpg, other than finding and training skills though.

[tehweezner]

Chrono Trigger
Dragon Quest VIII

those two are absolute must plays. play those before everything else mentioned so far ;)

[poisonedpawn45]

Chrono trigger :hot:
Final Fantasy 7
Dragon Warrior VII (AMAZING!)

Suikoden I, II, and V
Rogue Galaxy
Persona 3

[motorkill]

I haven't played a lot of the older rpgs, nor am I a fan of the popular franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, but my favorite rpgs would have to be

Panzer Dragoon Saga (SS)
Shining Force 3 (SS)
Suikoden 2 (PS1)
Breath of Fire 3 (PS1)
Tales of Destiny (PS1)

[onikage]

PS2:

SMT Nocturne
Digital Devil Saga
Digital Devil Saga 2
Suikoden V

PS1:

Final Fantasy VII
Suikoden
Suikoden II
Wild Arms
Persona II

SNES:

Final Fantasy VI (III)
Final Fatasy V (US version on PS1)
Final Fantasy IV (II)
Chrono Trigger

DC:

Skies of Arcadia (also on GC)

[The Crotch]

Deus Ex is more of an RPG than a lot of RPGs. It's Ultima Underworld with guns.

[CriscoKidd]

For me the cream of the crop is:

GC

Both Baten Kaitos games, but particularly Origins
Tales of Symphonia
Paper Mario: the thousand year door

PS2

All the final fantasies cept for 11
Kingdom Hearts
Dragon Quest 8
dark cloud 2

PSone

ff7-9
chrono cross
xenogears

[jer7583]

You know you really should just pick one at at a time.. Buying up 30 RPGs and then not knowing what to do with them all is no fun.

I suggest starting with Chrono Trigger. Simple, short, and classic.

[Fragonard]

My favorite RPG's:
Kingdom Hearts
Chrono Trigger
Breath of Fire 3
Final Fantasy 9
Golden Sun 1 & 2
Suikoden III

[willardhaven]

Try to get a game from each series/developer to get a feel for what game series you want to follow...

NIS: Disgaea
Phantom Brave
Makai Kingdom
Disgaea 2

Atlus: SMT Nocturne
Digital Devil Saga
Persona 3

Square: Final Fantasy X
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts 2
Final Fantasy XII

Tri-Ace: Star Ocean 3
Radiata Stories
Valkyrie Profile 2

Namco (Tales): Tales of Legendia
Tales of the Abyss
Tales of Symphonia

Xenosaga

Breath of Fire V Dragon Quarter

Shadow Hearts 1 or 2

Suikoden III or V

Try one from each grouping and you should be set.

[Magus8472]

dont know if anyone cares but i just scored a new grandia iii woot!!!

Don't hold its ridiculously cheesy plot against it.

[Warner1281]

Xenogears, Dragon Warrior VII, and Final Fantasy VIII

[Liquid 2]

Golden Sun, and Golden Sun: the Lost Age for the GBA.
I want the fucking third game, because the end of the second was a cliffhanger.

[Fragonard]

Golden Sun, and Golden Sun: the Lost Age for the GBA.
I want the fucking third game, because the end of the second was a cliffhanger.
Agreed, I would love to see a Golden Sun game for DS.

[SL4IN]

my favorite rgp's are: golden sun series, final fantasy series, dragon warrior series, pokemon, and kingdom hearts.

[Kaijufan]

My personal favorite is Baldur's Gate 2 for the PC (not the console Diablo clone).

[Setzer]

My personal favorite is Baldur's Gate 2 for the PC (not the console Diablo clone).

BG2:Shadows of Amn is probably my all-time favorite RPG, I think I spent a little over a year playing that game which is the longest I've ever played one RPG. Final Fantasy IV, VI and XII & Knights of the Old Republic are up there too.

[leveskikesko]

I'm going to get flamed possibly....

...but I love the following the most:

Oblivion not Morrowind
FFX not FFVII
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga not Super Mario RPG...I think

[omgu8myrice]

runescape!

[blueweltall]

Xenogears!

[MrCress21]

It's amazing how many great, great RPGs there are. I mean, it's a relatively small market, I guess, but we get lots of stuff to tide us over.
Shit, I mean I guess I'm not really a hardcore RPGer, but it's my favorite genre and starting a new one is always an event for me. I mean, I don't just get bored and put one in, I think it over for awhile and pick a night and all that.
It's good to see the SMT games getting love on here. It sucks they are so hard to find, because they are absolutely all that. I may have them all (including a sealed Nocturne w/sealed book), but I would gladly take the hit on "value" for a reprint of this fantastic game. It's my favorite of all time.
The thing it, you can't pick a great RPG unless you figure out what it is about them you like. And they all have a place.
If you like "mature" themes, you can't go wrong with Nocturne, Digital Devil and Persona. I can't say I completely understood Nocturne in the 100+ hours I spent with it (can someone explain this to me? I get that you choose your path and blah blah, but who were the old man and the young kid supposed to be?).
If you like a little more simple fun, hey Final Fantasy is the best. I think VIII is the best ever (flame away), simply because by the time I got to that final boss, I was way, way too strong and that's fun in its own way. It's rewarding to hit Lionheart for 144,000 HP.
All the NIS games are probably a little too much to start in on, but they have their moments. I thought La Pucelle was pretty funny. Also, try Rhapsody for the PS1, way too easy, but some really novel approaches to story telling.
God, I even thought Fable was pretty decent, but then again that's only loosely an RPG and I had such low expectations (as a result of the too-high expectations) that I was pretty surprised by its quality. Underrated game.
I guess I will end this with my all-time top 5:
5.) Shadow Hearts: Covenant (Thought the first one was a little disappointing - this one made up for it).
4.) Final Fantasy VIII (Gunblades - FTW)
3.) SMT: Digital Devil Saga (Really picked up during the end of Part 1)
2.) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (I don't know why...just loved it. No real reason. Tried to tell myself it wasn't that great, but couldn't stop playing.)
1.) SMT: Nocturne - mature, difficult, hilarious, full of secrets, long, and just simply the best RPG ever made.

[chewster777]

Try Chrono Trigger and Earthbound.

[Dr Mario Kart]

Disc 1 of Xenogears.

[trq]

My personal favorite is Baldur's Gate 2 for the PC (not the console Diablo clone).

I'm amazed at how long it took anyone to get to PC games.

I'll see your BGII and raise you a Fallout, Fallout 2, and Planescape: Torment.

[SpecTrE3353]

I'm amazed at how long it took anyone to get to PC games.

I'll see your BGII and raise you a Fallout, Fallout 2, and Planescape: Torment.

BGII is a great game. If you want 150 hours of entertainment that can run on a 5 year old PC and still look really pretty, this is the game for you.

[Aegith]

Game Series

Breath of Fire
Tales of ...
Suikoden
Star Ocean
Lunar
Atelier Iris (Dislike this series)
Ogre Battle/Tactics
Shining Force
Growlanser/Langrisser
Dragon Quest
Arc the Lad
Xenosaga

Stand Alone

Magna Carta
Ar Tonelico
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Cross
Xenogears

Don't know which system you're shooting for, there's too many for me to list.
Check out RPGamer (http://www.rpgamer.com)

[dragonreborn23]

What systems, besides the PS2 that you obviously have?

Oh, and Grandia 2 is really good. 3, not so much, from what I hear (though prettier).

Dear God in Heaven! DO NOT play Grandia II on the PS2! Get it for PC or Dreamcast only. I've played all 3 versions. Trust me on this. One of my fav rpg's ever when I played it on the Dreamcast was raped and then pissed on in the transfer to PS2. Avoid.

[Brak]

- EarthBound
- The ElderScrolls IV: Oblivion
- Pokemon Red / Blue -- Diamond / Pearl
- Knights of the Old Republic
- Jade Empire

[SpreadTheWord]

Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones - Great turn based battles with beautiful attack animations and a good story to go along with them.

Fable - More like an action game with quests and a unique character upgrade system. But I had a ton of fun with this game.

Knights of the Old Republic - So many great things about this game, characters, environments, mini games, enemies, story and my favorite part, the combat. On the surface it looks like real-time action while underneath there's a strategic turn-based system.

Jade Empire - Not as good as KOTOR but it brings a cool action combat system that allows for some great killing moves.

Dragon Quest 8 - This game is amazingly vast with attention to detail in every corner. The enemy designs are numerous and varied enough to keep the old school combat fresh throughout. Which is a good thing because this game is epic. 50-70 hours easily. This would be one of my "desert island" games.

[BlueLobstah]

Dear God in Heaven! DO NOT play Grandia II on the PS2! Get it for PC or Dreamcast only. I've played all 3 versions. Trust me on this. One of my fav rpg's ever when I played it on the Dreamcast was raped and then pissed on in the transfer to PS2. Avoid.

Actually, I would HIGHLY recommend not playing it on the PC. I bought Grandia II for PC and it was utter crap. I don't know if it was my machine, or I just happened to get a bad copy, but it had bugs left and right. I returned it promptly for a refund. I say your best bet with Grandia II is to try to play it on Dreamcast.

I hate to iterate what other people have already said, but if you're looking for something good to start with Chrono Trigger would be my recommendation.

[tehweezner]

i recently finished Fable: Lost Chapters for PC and it was pretty durn fun.

this might be a good place to ask. what RPG should i play next (have them all)? choices are:

xenogears
radiata stories
suikoden III
xenosaga III
tales of symphonia
fire emblem:POR
skies of arcadia legends
grandia
star ocean 2

[Nephlabobo]

Koudelka
Shadow Hearts 1, 2 & 3
Suikoden 1-3 & 5
Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross
Jade Cocoon
Legend of Mana
Saga Frontier II
Grandia 1
Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne
Digital Devil Saga 1&2
Persona, Persona Eternal Punishment, Persona 3
Xenogears
Xenosaga 1-3
Breath Of Fire 3&4
Star Ocean 2 (The Second Story)
Valkyrie Profile
Thousand Arms

[sprintsucks5892]

i recently finished Fable: Lost Chapters for PC and it was pretty durn fun.

this might be a good place to ask. what RPG should i play next (have them all)? choices are:

xenogears
radiata stories
suikoden III
xenosaga III
tales of symphonia
fire emblem:POR
skies of arcadia legends
grandia
star ocean 2
If you've played Xenosaga I and II, then play Xenosage III.

[Calamityuponthee]

i recently finished Fable: Lost Chapters for PC and it was pretty durn fun.

this might be a good place to ask. what RPG should i play next (have them all)? choices are:

xenogears
radiata stories
suikoden III
xenosaga III
tales of symphonia
fire emblem:POR
skies of arcadia legends
grandia
star ocean 2

Quite a hard list to choose from..

Never played Radiata, XS 3, ToS, Grandia or SO 2. Heard some good things about all of them though.

That narrows it down to Xenogears, Suikoden III, Fire Emblem POR, and SoA: Legends.

Suikoden III - Meh, I never liked it. II, I and V kicked III's ass. Some people swear by it though.

Fire Emblem: PoR - is a strategy RPG, with a pretty cool story. Not much more to say about it. I personally enjoyed it, but it's nothing special.

Xenogears - is heavily story driven and a bit confusing at times. However, it's a gem and one of the finer PS1 RPGs. Also, a 70+ hour game. My second choice for you.

Skies of Arcadia: Legends - If you haven't played the original, you must play this game now. Easily my favorite from the ones you've selected. The story isn't that captivating or anything... but the character development is some of the best I've seen. Uses a a truly unique battle system. A 50+ hour game but it's the one I think you should play.

[Bathory]

Pokemon:lol: