The best JRPG you've ever played

Valkyria Chronicles

I would have to say the persona 3 and 4. I love those games and i would throw in final fantasy 8 but that's just my personal favorite.

Barkley: Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden

Chrono Trigger, and I only just played it last summer. Talk about a game that ages well.

@Gillard said:

I have a weird list.

Final Fantasy VIII, Super Mario RPG and I know a lot of people hated it, but The Legend of Dragoon.

I'm playing Final Fantasy VIII right now, and now that I've sort of kind of maybe figured out all the fucking Junction mechanics I think I'm enjoying it?

Super Mario RPG would be my top JRPG. Other favorites include Chrono Trigger, Skies of Arcadia and Persona 3.

Time to mention "Oh of course a Giantbomb user would say that," but Persona 4.

Persona 4 and Tales of Vesperia.

Persona 4!

Dark Souls

Best? I don't really know...

But Resonance of Fate really needs to be played by more people. Boy did it get overlooked.

@Bistromath said:

Best? I don't really know...

But Resonance of Fate really needs to be played by more people. Boy did it get overlooked.

agreed, I put 100 hours into that game, its just SO GOOD

DQ8 I guess.  It keeps it simple and light in tone.  It's linear like most jrpgs, but it feels a lot more open because of the way they did the world map.  You can spec different characters in different ways.  It's also huge and crazy long.
 
I never got to get that far in Earthbound, but I liked what I played a lot.

@MysteriousBob said:

And to anyone who likes Persona 4: I hope you get hit by a car. The world doesn't need you spreading your genes.

I think your pretty much alone here on that opinion.

Persona 4 is leagues above any Final Fantasy game.

Not the best, but a recent favorite of mine was Tales of Vesperia. Amazing game, really enjoyed it. Probably top 5 games from this gen for me.

From the snes era I would say FF6 and Chrono Trigger because I'm unoriginal. Psone days I will go with Final Fantasy 8 and Breath of Fire III so that I don't have the most generic list ever. The generation after that had very few jrpgs I liked so I'm trying to catch up and play some of the Shin Megami Tensei games and stuff. Persona 3 is the only jrpg I loved from that gen which comes to mind.

I haven't played a ton of JRPGs, but the only one that didn't make me want to slam my penis in a car door about halfway through was Skies of Arcadia.

Legend of Dragoons

Final Fantasy IX

FFVII through IX, Chrono Cross, Xenogears and Persona 4

Final Fantasy VII was probably my favorite, with Super Mario RPG being a close second.

Skies of Arcadia, Final Fantasy IV, Dragon Quest V, Xenoblade Chronicles.

And Pokemon, if you want to count those.

Skies of Arcadia Legends

Wild Arms 3. Yeah, that's right. Come at me, bro!!

@TobbRobb said:

FFX, I refuse to give up my childhood RPG.

FFX is a childhood RPG to some people.

...

When did I get old!!!!!!!!!!

Chrono Trigger, with Dragon Quest VIII in at second.

@Superkenon: Maybe it was an overexaggeration, would you say being 7 is young enough to call it childhood RPG? Either way, FFX <3

Hmm...

1) Ys: The Oath in Felghana

2) Persona 4

3) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

FF VII or Xenogears

I feel like most people's answers (well, mine at least) will be one of the first few JRPGs they played. FF VII was my first...I had no concept of a world map or just how big these kind of games are. I thought I was close to the end when I left Midgar. Good times.

FF3 (aka 6)  will probably always be my favorite. 

I'd almost say Vagrant Story, but ultimately I can't convince myself that it counts as a JRPG. Whatever it is, it is just about the most brilliant video game ever made.

In terms of large-scope JRPG's, Final Fantasy 6 remains my true love. It hit at the right time in my youth and totally captured my imagination.

im playing valkyria chronicles right now, and im enjoying it a lot. its definitely up there as one of the best

Skies of Arcadia Legends, PSO, Tales of Symphonia 1 and Monster Hunter.
 
If that's even JRPG, I dunno.

lost oddesey dark souls

FFVI - the golden era for JRPGs was the 16-bit era. It's been downhill eversince. The FFVII mass phenomenon was a direct result of the brilliance of FFVI. JRPGs lost their way since, they feel out of place and from another time, when I play modern ones now.

Doing very few of them these days. Maybe one every two years. Likely have missed some that I'd have enjoyed. Usually it just feels like a waste of my time though, and not the good kind of timewasting.

Skies of Arcadia.

Chrono Trigger. Nothing comes close. Okay, except for Dark Souls and Final Fantasy 6.

Final Fantasy VII

Lost Odyssey!

Hard to pick... Persona 3 or 4, Suikoden 2 or 5 and maybe Xenoblade.

Final Fantasy 10. I never played anything like it as a kid. It will forever be apart of my childhood for a very long time.

@Marz said:

FF3 (aka 6) will probably always be my favorite.

Alright, but is it the best?

Xenogears, Vagrant Story and the Lunar series...

@Marz said:

FF3 (aka 6) will probably always be my favorite.

Alright, but is it the best?

Xenogears!, and FF 7-10

I really loved Persona 3, and I absolutely appreciated Lost Odyssey and the narrative elements they put in.

But my favorite JRPG I ever played is probably Chrono Trigger. It absolutely timeless and I'm still surprised at how amazing of a game and a narrative it was for when it was released.

Shadow Hearts is pretty great.

Lunar Silver Star Story Complete is my favorite RPG, not sure if I'd say it's the best one I ever played, but it's my favorite none the less.

Overall: Secret of Mana, the entire game in three player co-op. One of my best gaming memories.

Single player: either FF6 (originally 3 in the US) or Chrono Trigger.

Final Fantasy VII remains my favorite game, let alone JRPG, followed by Final Fantasy X and Persona 4.