Favorite RPGs
I'm sure Mass Effect 3 and Kingdom Hearts 3 will join this list someday. Apologies to Chrono Trigger.
List items
-
My favorite RPG of all-time by a slim margin. I remember everything about this game and I remember feeling like the characters were part of my family. The betrayal I felt from Kain, the pain of watching Palom and Porom turn to stone. I played FFIV on the Super Nintendo back when it was Final Fantasy II. The title screen and music never fail to bring back a flood of memories. Simply epic.
-
It pains me to make Mass Effect 2 my second favorite RPG. This was the first game in a long time that didn't feel like a game. People complain that BioWare ruined the series by removing RPG elements. I didn't really notice the changes until someone pointed them out. The story had me from the start and made it damn near impossible to focus on anything else until I finished it.
-
Disney and Square? It might sound as perfect as peanut butter and sardines, but any doubt was put to rest with the first entry in the series. Kingdom Hearts II improved in every way possible, particularly the combat system. It had awesome pouring out of every orifice, making the combat worth the purchase alone. But at the center of it all is a well crafted story with plenty of emotion.
-
Another throwback to a long past era. Like FFIV, I rocked this game on the Super Nintendo under the title Final Fantasy III. It belongs in the discussion for greatest RPG of all-time because of the deep class of characters. Each was unique, each had a deep and investing story. The score is fantastic, maybe the best score of any game on the list. It doesn't rank higher because of Kefka. I hated the guy, but I never feared him like the baddies of FFIV.
-
The game that started it all. It has its share of problems like clunky inventory menus and a rough combat system, but Mass Effect isn't about those things. It's about choices, characters and intelligent story-telling. In the end, that's what makes a great game a classic.
-
My first introduction to BioWare. At first the dialogue system overwhelmed me and I sold my first copy of the game. Not sure why I came back two years later, but I was quick to realize my mistake. Darth Revan remains one of my favorite characters to date and any new game with him will have me in line at midnight.
-
SEGA can pump out five billion Sonic games, each worse than being covered in sewage, but a sequel to this unappreciated gem is too much to ask for. Slow to start, but fantastic once it gets moving, Skies of Arcadia keeps it light and doesn't hesitate to pull on the heartstrings when the situation calls for it.
-
Considering the following this game has, I'm sure I'll be torched for having Final Fantasy VII this low. My reasons for having it this low are the characters. Cloud and Sephiroth are fantastic. The rest are good, but not particularly memorable. This entry lived up to the standards of previous Final Fantasies, even surpassed in a couple of ways. In the end, I have to side with my characters.
-
Great and memorable characters star in the eighth series entry. The CGI is absolutely beautiful, even compared to games today. Scored epically to great storyline, Final Fantasy VIII has only one failing. The combat and leveling up system left me in a tailspin.
-
Another world that the player can be swallowed into, Bethesda Softworks succeeded in almost every way possible. Other companies should take note of Fallout 3's DLC, because it is simply fantastic. Choices make this game deeply investing. Where this games fails is in the main storyline. It's overshadowed by the superb side quests. Not a scar on the game, but something that shouldn't happen.
Load Comments