[closed] Codex Best jRPGs Ever Poll

[Reinhardt]

The PS3 and its consequences have been a disaster for the JRPG genre.

I love Dusk trilogy, but Ar Tonelico 3 was

 

[Jaedar]

I feel a bit weird voting in this thread, as after childhood I can't think of a single jrpg I've enjoyed. But as this is a thread for japanese rpgs in general and since I do fancy me some of that I guess I had better participate. I decided to restrict myself to one game per series.

Sengoku rance 4
- I laffed, I was sickened, I replayed 7 times. It's just too good of a video game to not claim the top spot, as much as I might wish I could give to to a more respectable title.
Nier Automata 2
- I laffed, I get teary eyed every time I hear weight of the world. But it was a bit of a chore to get through the middle part and the gameplay as such is pretty mediocre. So it gets docked some points for being a storyfag game.
Bloodborne 3
- The souls series is good, and imo bloodborne is the best one. The only one where I actually cared for the story/lore and felt motivated to kill the optional extra hard bosses.

Honorable mention goes to pokemon(1st and 2nd gen), chrono trigger and golden sun, all of which I enjoyed in my youth but can't see myself enjoying today.

 

[InSight]

Suggestion for voter to include/mention as many JRPG they played as possible(and put them in "spoilers" to prevent over lengthy post) aside these they have voted as best.
A list that serves as a larger poll from which each voter drew their decision, showing their filtering process and experience.

A point of reference, something to compare, for readers who do not have a lot of experience with these games genre/category.
It would give better accuracy and weight to the poster experience, aside how well known(and played due to how often they are mentioned, marketing) some JRPG's are.

 

[Kruno]

Final Fantasy 5 - 2
Dark Souls - 2
Chrono Trigger - 2
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis - 2
Nier Automata - 2

 

[Lincolnberry]

DQ 7 - 2
FF X - 2
SMT 4 - 2
Shadow Hearts 2 - 2
Dark Cloud 2 - 2

Have not played too many JRPGs that came prior to the late 90s and I can't in good conscience vote for something I haven't played, so apologies for missing those in that camp. I also would have included DD/some of the Souls games but personally feel it would violate the spirit of Maxie's poll so I refrain there.

Brief explanation:

DQ 7: might be an odd pick at first glance but I really love the class stacking system (basic, intermediate and advanced job classes, not to mention the monster class craziness), the way the story is told (some of series' best vignettes), major characters enter and leave for long periods, and it's commitment to an old school experience despite coming out after the late PS1 FFs. Slight demerits for being on the easy side once you unlock classes, but pre Dharma (which is a surprising amount of game - could easily be 20 hours) it definitely throws some punches.

FFX: Really a vote for the completeness of the story and its themes on top of an altogether high quality package. The Tidus whineyness/laugh stuff people criticize really doesn't bug me. The melancholyness of the story and how the main character is kept from the truth even while the player learns of it slowly is amazing. Also a really high quality way to wrap it all up (before the mess of a sequel retconned it). Also enjoy the sphere grid allowing you to break the game open early if you play the international version.

SMT 4: I struggled to think of which SMT game to include here but ultimately went with 4. I like how they play the pre Tokyo part pretty straight as a medieval kingdom setting. I also think that while they made some needed battle refinements in 4:A (namely having light/dark do damage and not be a wasted slot 90% of the time, as well as affinities), 4 is just a better all around package for the length and detail of its story and how much content there is post the route choice. Small demerits for making it functionally impossible to choose the best path based on additional content without a guide.

Shadow Hearts 2: Loved the Yuri monster transformations, the book of solomon seals/puzzles, the mythology and lore, and the somewhat surprising plot. Judgment ring I'm iffy on today but at the time I can appreciate it was trying to do something different and did it well.

Dark Cloud 2: Surprised to see it hasn't come up much so far in the polling. I don't really enjoy modern crafting but did enjoy the picture taking leading to you uncovering new items and opportunities to make yourself stronger, the base building aspects and just how much sheer content there is. I even kind of like spheda. Wish the Monica monster transformation route were better but I think it's a fantastic example of a game building on its strengths from a solid foundation in DC1, a little like SH.

 

[Angelo85]

Final Fantasy VII - 3
Dragon's Dogma - 2
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - 2 (would have preferred to vote for the series as a whole if I could since it's one long game/story essentially)
Dark Souls - 1
Yakuza: Like a Dragon - 1
Dragon Quest XI - 1

Also using this opportunity to express my displeasure at not being able to give Troubleshooter 5 points, but I suppose I'll have to wait for a "top korean RPGs" Thread to actually do that :/

 

[Alphard]

Dark Souls 4
Dragons Dogma 4
Nioh 2 ( 2 refers to the score not the sequel game)

Done

 

[Xamenos]

Chrono Trigger - 5

Why can I not just give all my points to what is indisputably the best jRPG ever made?

 

[Duraframe300]

Final Fantasy IX - 3 points
Final Fantasy VI - 3 Points
Persona 2 - 2 points
Chrono Trigger - 1 point
Lost Odyssey - 1 point

I've never been the biggest fan of this voting standard, because it forces me into popular ones (for various reasons)
But that's probably just my own problem.

 

[Lady Error]

Since Uncharted Waters is apparently an RPG:

Uncharted Waters - 5 Points
Dark Spire - 5 points

 

[mushaden]

Final Fantasy IX - 3 points
Final Fantasy VI - 3 Points
Persona 2 - 2 points
Chrono Trigger - 1 point
Lost Odyssey - 1 point

I've never been the biggest fan of this voting standard, because it forces me into popular ones (for various reasons)
But that's probably just my own problem.

I think regardless of how it is set up, these jrpg lists always end up with the same 10-15 super popular games on top of a ton of games voted for by 2-4 people.

 

[Carpincho Pampeano]

No one gives a fuck about what a tranny thinks, this is the hight T sub forum, go hang out in the Baldur's Cuck 3 or Owlcucks games.

 

[Jonnaz]

Chrono Trigger - 3
Dark Souls - 3
Final Fantasy VI - 2
Super Mario RPG - 1
Chrono Cross - 1

 

[jungl]

this hard decision to make cause lets be honest jrpgs are ike crpgs. They peaked decades ago. Nobody likes these new jrpgs like trails of trannies and tales of copy paste story chapters. There too fucking many of them and its hard to remember which was really cream of the crop cause they very similar.

I'll give 5 points to tecmo deception for being unique and ahead of its time.

 

[Casual Hero]

this hard decision to make cause lets be honest jrpgs are ike crpgs. They peaked decades ago. Nobody likes these new jrpgs like trails of trannies and tales of copy paste story chapters. There too fucking many of them and its hard to remember which was really cream of the crop cause they very similar.

I'll give 5 points to tecmo deception for being unique and ahead of its time.

I disagree, but I'm curious what your idea of the "peak" is, then; especially since you say decades.

 

[Red Hexapus]

>Chrono Trigger - 3
>Final Fantasy VI - 3
>Final Fantasy VII - 2
>Chrono Cross - 1
>Suikoden 2 - 1

 

[Twizman]

Dragon Quest III - 5
Final Fantasy IV - 3
Phantasy Star IV - 2
Honorable mentions: Tales of Symphonia, Pokemon Crystal, Dungeon Travelers 2, Phantasy Star II.

 

[Dedicated_Dark]

Dragon's Dogma - 4
Breath of Fire III - 2
Lunar 2 - 2
Xenogears - 2

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I never had all the consoles that supported the different versions of Lunar the Silver Star or Eternal Blue. There are certainly differences. I saw my sister had one on a ps handheld and it certainly appeared far different. I suppose I always wonder if there is a definitive COMPLETE version that trumps the original. I tend to wonder the same thing about Final Fantasy and Y's. I guess I'm not a fanboy enough to complete each version on every console (via emulation). FF Dawn of souls almost hit my list and probably should replace the ff entry. I actually enjoyed it far more than the original. Hmmmm... amending entry. I can't let a single soundtrack be my only factor on voting. (That's ehy mp3s are around for listening to OSTs).

 

[TheSoul]

I feel underqualified since my jrpg experiences were mostly from after 2000s but here's mine

Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans - 1
SMT: Nocturne - 2
SMT: Devil Survivor Overclocked - 3
Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - 2
Shining Force 2 - 2

Also using this opportunity to express my displeasure at not being able to give Troubleshooter 5 points, but I suppose I'll have to wait for a "top korean RPGs" Thread to actually do that :/

...The best korean rpgs would be a 1 item list with an apology about there being no other korean games worth playing.

 

[Lord of Riva]

Der Langrisser 5
Sengoku Rance 5

There are a lot of other great games, like Devil Survivor, SMT, Terranigma, some Final Fantasies, the "secret of" Series, Fire Emblem 4, Ogre Tactics series et all but I want to stress the greatness of these two. They are not known as much because one is an Eroge the other a very old only Japan release (sans the remake, but eh.)

 

[Nifft Batuff]

SMT3 Nocturne: 3
SMT4: 2
SMT Soul Hackers: 2
SMT Strange Journey: 2
Nier Automata: 1

 

[Falksi]

I feel underqualified since my jrpg experiences were mostly from after 2000s but here's mine

Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans - 1
SMT: Nocturne - 2
SMT: Devil Survivor Overclocked - 3
Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - 2
Shining Force 2 - 2

Also using this opportunity to express my displeasure at not being able to give Troubleshooter 5 points, but I suppose I'll have to wait for a "top korean RPGs" Thread to actually do that :/

...The best korean rpgs would be a 1 item list with an apology about there being no other korean games worth playing.

Anyone who picks Shining Force 2 is qualified.

Most the shit from the 00's and afterwards didn't measure up.

 

[Ventidius]

Fire Emblem: Three Houses - 2
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - 2
Bloodborne - 2
Stranger of Sword City - 2
Persona 4 - 2

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Trails of Cold Steel II - 3 points (combination of great battle system, great music, likeable characters and gripping story. The Trails in the Sky games are also good but suffer from pacing issues, a combat system that isn't fun, and a lot of filler sidequests that just waste your time. I didn't like CS3 and CS4 as much for other reasons)

Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together - 2 points (Better version of FFT's story. Combat is fun. You command 10 characters on the field and the maps are larger without being too large like FE4 suffers from, so you get that war feel. FFTA2 has the best gameplay of any tactics game I've played but Tactics Ogre overall has more going for it.)

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky - 2 points (fun roguelike with an above average story and doesn't outstay its welcome)

Pokemon Emerald - 2 points (has an adventure feel that the other games don't really have).



I am surprised The Last Remnant is getting votes. I thought that the setting was very interesting. Unique races like fat fishmen, little frog people with floppy ears, and four armed lynx men, and nations built up around magical artifacts. The protagonist Rush, the deuteragonist David, and the antagonist The Conqueror were likeable. Great powermetal battle music. Commanding 20 guys on the battlefield gave me that war feel I craved. Unfortunately, the game really suffers from layers of RNG upon RNG. Walking through maps just to check if the right mob spawned, and then fighting it and killing it only for the item you need to not drop is not fun. The game also suffers from a bad case of walkthroughitis, where you need a guide telling you when to do stuff and the obscure requirements or you will miss out content. You really need to play on PC with the TLRplanner mod to have a good time. I'll pitch in a point for it, though.

The Last Remnant - 1 point.