Your Top 5 RPGs (and why)

[Charismatic]

What's wrong with SE RPGs? Honestly, some of the all-time greats came from Square and Enix.

My list was:

1.) Valkyrie Profile
2.) Star Ocean:TTEoT
3.) Final Fantasy 12
4.) Vandal Hearts
5.) Xenogears

1.)Enix
2.)Square-Enix
3.)Square-Enix
4.)Konami
5.)Squaresoft


What's wrong with those games?

[Lucean]

Nothing is wrong with SE games, they're great for what they were. Unfortunately since they have such mass appeal they come under more criticism, just like anything that's popular. During the SNES and PS1 era their games were ground breaking and well produced, sadly the same cannot be said for the last generation and the current one. Just because they were king at one point, doesn't mean they still hold that title... and fans WILL and HAVE shown their backlash for that.

[Charismatic]

Anyhow, looking at your list... it seems we get a different kind of enjoyment out of RPGs anyhow.
From your list, looks like story is the largest factor for you in RPGs with gameplay being considered after.

I like the various RPG combat systems.
Twitch gaming hasn't ever been my style, but I do like a bit of action/strategy element in my video games.
aRPGs and sRPGs are my favorites, your list makes it seem like you enjoy the more traditional RPGs. I don't think we'll ever really see eye to eye on this, but I can agree that SE's games these days aren't as good as they were in the past for the most part.

[Lucean]

It's really a mix of the two for me, it has to be a good balance of Gameplay and Story. I really like a system where I can tweak my characters, but at the same time I like straight narrow paths for my characters to follow, one thing that turns me away from FF games that let you do that (5,6,7,8 and 10) is that by the end of the game you end up with a party of characters who all have the same uber magic or move sets and you end up using the same attacks/abilities or magic the entire end of the game leaving no real challenge at all. I'm hard to please with my games lol.

[Kaylia]

I love that intro, brings back memories. I also loved WA3's intro. One thing about WA intros I liked was that they changed depending on how far you were in the game.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd0t4Hl6d ... re=related

I love the music in this intro. And the game itself was pretty damn good too.

Nostalgia factor isn't as strong since I never played the game, but I always liked that song.

[Khrno]

What's wrong with SE RPGs? Honestly, some of the all-time greats came from Square and Enix.

What's wrong with those games?

Why would they be "wrong"?


SE =

[Turambar]

Gaia
Was on the SNES, it was a really fun game, i have to admit im not sure it would be considered an "RPG", you could upgrade HP, Collect items, Get upgrades for attack, Defense, etc, but the battles aren't what you see in many RPGs >____>
Just thought of this game kinda out of nowhere

Are you sure you don't mean "Illusion of Gaia"? That sounds like what you're describing. It's got Zelda/Mana-style gameplay, and your HP, attack, and defense are upgraded by clearing areas of monsters.

[Parshias]

In no particular order:

-Grandia II

This was my very first console RPG, and possibly my first ever RPG. Looking back, the story was kinda straight-forward, and the voice acting was cheesy at times, but this game is still incredibly fun. The Grandia series, and most certainly Grandia II has the best battle system in an RPG ever. Its great that they added that extra layer of depth past the traditional "attack, magic, item" system that RPGs have been stuck on since the beginning. Bit of nostalgia for me, but really, Grandia II has incredible game play, and that's what games are all about, right?

-Final Fantasy Tactics

Just incredible. A great story, great gameplay, and battles that actually require you to think about what you do before you do it. While many Final Fantasy games can be played by just pounding away with your best attacks, (except on certain bosses) I often found myself getting destroyed quickly in the beginning of the game because my tactics were shit. Its great to have one fight where you get totally destroyed and then trying it again with no more leveling or abilities but winning just because you have a better deployment plan. Also, the job system in FFT is pretty much the pinnacle of any job system in any Final Fantasy game.

-Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

A great strategy RPG on the other side of the spectrum from FFT. More wacky hijinks and humor in its story than political intrigue, but an incredibly solid combat system. Probably the one series with the most overpowered characters, with damage in the millions on a simple hit if you really want to push the system to its limits. There is just so much to do in this game, that its probably impossible to do everything. Just beating the game or even getting the "best" ending only really scratches the surface.

-Pokemon Series

I can't really pick a specific generation, so here they all are. While there may not be many innovations from generation to generation, and the game is simplistic at first glance, Pokemon is a very deep game. Sure, everyone knows Electric beats Water, but how many casual Pokemon fans know about IVs, EVs, natures, and the metagame? The competitive battling scene for Pokemon is great, with mind games, prediction, and great amounts of challenge. And I just can't fault a series that's managed to pull me in to play every single generation.

-Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

I haven't played Symphony of the Night. Of the two DS Castlevanias, DoS is the winner. Great Metroidvania gameplay, with tons of souls added in. Dozens of ways to play through the game based on what soul set-up works best for you, and extra modes and boss rush thrown in to extend the game's life. A really fun game.

[Elcura]

I love that intro, brings back memories. I also loved WA3's intro. One thing about WA intros I liked was that they changed depending on how far you were in the game.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd0t4Hl6d ... re=related

I love the music in this intro. And the game itself was pretty damn good too.

Nostalgia factor isn't as strong since I never played the game, but I always liked that song.

It's odd, I only remembered the song when you posted the Wild Arms 1 intro, WA1 and 3 being the only WA games I actively played and completed. But the intro to WA3 is just pure awesome. I need to look into the OST again.

[Kaylia]

It's odd, I only remembered the song when you posted the Wild Arms 1 intro, WA1 and 3 being the only WA games I actively played and completed. But the intro to WA3 is just pure awesome. I need to look into the OST again.

This WA talk make me want to beat WA1. Leaving a game unfinished annoy me.

I will have to try WA3 eventually I guess. Gonna try to get a good deal on ebay or something.