GRESTEST RPG's OF ALL TIMES! !
-
Mr1der
- Posts: 36020
- Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2003 8:35 am
- Car: It's still not a Nissan...
- Location: Lebanon TN
word, props to the old school!
I remember playing Police Quest and maybe Dragon's Lair on the apple II back in elementary school...
I bet I could get an apple II and some of those old games cheap as hell! oh god, I'm so gonna play some Oregon Trail and Lake Obegon!! I'll be the big fish that eats them all damnit! oh crap, it had a freakin osprey that I have to watch out for though, blasted game!!!
I remember playing Police Quest and maybe Dragon's Lair on the apple II back in elementary school...
I bet I could get an apple II and some of those old games cheap as hell! oh god, I'm so gonna play some Oregon Trail and Lake Obegon!! I'll be the big fish that eats them all damnit! oh crap, it had a freakin osprey that I have to watch out for though, blasted game!!!
i think FF7 was a good game, don't get me wrong. i just feel thats all it was a good game. it didn't do anything new, didn't revolutionize anything. The games above it not only did some new and fresh they were also good rpg's themself. FF7 was just and overall good solid rpg, but thats me. Zelda is an RPG it is classified under adventure/rpg same goes for tactics(strategic/rpg). an RPG, IMO, is a game you play in thrid person, has a battle system (zelda's case Realtime, tactics- turnbase) and a solid story.good lookin out 95KA24DE i can't believe i forgot Shenmue! (man...i have to redo the list). honestly i pefer the old 2d rpg's because of their style and extremely deep storys. i highly recommend any of the games in top 10.
-
240marcuSX
- Posts: 4005
- Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2003 11:00 am
- Car: E34 525i
E46 M3
FF8 - owns, big fan of the junction system, im kindof a rare breed.FF10 - glad to finally have voice-overs, although Tidus is not the BEST character ever.FF7 - great game, but when youre "special" like me, you need something a bit more visual.FF9 - Meh.FFtactics - "see FF 7 and 9"
i need to play some of those hardcore ones mentioned in earlier posts.
i need to play some of those hardcore ones mentioned in earlier posts.
-
BulletToothTony
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Mon Sep 15, 2003 5:11 pm
- Car: 93 240SX SE Hatchback
15. Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen- A truly original and innovative RPG from Enix. Not your usual RPG but a truly fun game. Beautiful orchestral score and a truly revolutionary RTS battle system.
14. Tactics Ogre- Another game from the "Ogre" series this one was produced by Atlus software. Solid all-around RPG with a stronger emphasis on strategy. Features one of the greateset levels in any game ever with a daunting 100-floor stage. The "thinking man's" RPG.
13. Valkyrie Profile - Soundtracks are a strong suit of the RPG genre and this game has symphony productions that would make Mozart proud. Well-crafted story and interesting characters to say the least. One of the best games to grace the original PS.
12.Kingdom Hearts - Everything I hoped a Squaresoft/Disney marriage would be. The animation is absolutely gorgeous- lush backgrounds, a deep color palette are standard practice here. Just like all my ex's - great eye-candy and fun to play!
11.Harvest Moon: Back to Nature - I blow a fuse whenever I see great RPG lists snubbing this incredible game (and series). The best way to describe this game is imagine, if you will, a Paper Boy RPG as crafted by Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto.
10. Legend of Legaia - Lost in the all the praise for the FF series, is this hidden gem of a game on the PS. Every bit as good as the best PS RPG's.
9. Harvest Moon 64 - The legendary Harvest Moon series brings its excellence to the 64. The best child-oriented RPG ever.
8. Final Fantasy IV - Wow. What can I say? The most influential game of the most enduring RPG series in videogame history. This is without a doubt, the most balanced of all the FF games.
7. Final Fantasy X - Some of accused this game of straying too far from the usual FF fare but they just suck. Awesome graphics + kickass battle system + best FF storyline + best FF music = best RPG on PS2.
6. Final Fantasy VI - IMO the best of the FF series. Though its not a perfect game (the latter part of this game tapers off) this is the most ambitious as far as plot, character interaction, character depth goes. A fine example of epic game-making.
5. TIE
Lunar Silver Star Story- Unbelievable character animation that would put 90% of all anime to shame. Not only is the story well-written but consistent but its filled with great humor and sight gags. A strong storyline is the one item that makes a great RPG and this storyline (and script) is worthy of an Oscar nomination.
Front Mission - Very few games (and movies for that matter) can meld sci-fi elements, action, indepth storyline as well as this game does. The definitive futuristic RPG.
4. TIE
Dragon Force - This game absolutely blew my mind! An amazing smorgasbord of interesting side-stories, historical elements, truly innovative battle-systems and army building this game is the ultimate war strategy RPG.
Xenogears - The most innovative RPG for the PS. Opposite of the FF games this game is accompanied by an entirely different artistic approach. Sprite-based characters explore wholely 3D worlds. Needless to say this is probably one of the most thought-provoking RPG titles ever made.
3. TIE
Suikoden II - Approaches a realm of storytelling unmatched in the videogame kingdom. This game's greatest strength is also its only flaw- a multi-tiered, delicious storyline that features so many characters becomes hard to track. Few game-makers dare to undertake a story so big in scope it deserves a paperback anthology.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Let's face it, no RPG list is complete without a Zelda game. This game is infinitely playable and has all the great elements we've come to expect from the legendary Zelda lineage. The best 64 title.
2. 3-way TIE
Shining Force III - Not a videogame but an experience. Nuff said.
Secret of Mana - "But time flows like a river, and history repeats itself." These opening lines are followed by a soft choir that immerses the player in the most beautiful and memorable image in videogame history. This is the kind of game that lingers in your memory years after you've played it. Play it now! It is bound to change your life!
Guardian Heroes - The videogame version of Star Wars- an epic masterpiece that not only revolutionalized 2D videogames but is regarded as the apogee of 2D RPG's. Technically perfect in every aspect- sound, music, animation, story, etc.
AND FINALLY, THE BEST RPG OF ALL TIME IS.....
Panzer Dragoon Saga
A vision so bold, so ethereal, so thought-provoking mere words cannot do it justice.
The saying "save the best for last" holds a strange irony as this was among the last titles released for Sega's ailing Saturn system. This masterpiece is the perfect swan-song for both an unheralded system and company.
There's more historical importance to this videogame than meets-the-eye. It pioneered the Real Time Battle system like no other game before it.
GRAPHICS: For its time, the graphics of Panzer Dragoon Saga blew other Saturn and Playstation games away. Lush colors and dynamic creatures exploded on-screen. Silver Surfer and Heavy Metal artist Moebius was credited with drawing the first drafts of the creatures that inhabit the world of Panzer Dragoon Saga. The result are visuals that totally immerse all who witness it and would be just at place at the Smithsonian as your tv screen. They're that beautiful. All the creative visual elements from grand backgrounds to minute details such as realistic dragon animation (breathing, motion-captured flapping) add up to the unmistakable work of an artist. Panzer Dragoon makes no artistic compromises and fashions a bleak netherworld, neither ancient or futuristic that will assault and overpower your senses.
SOUND: If the Sega Saturn surrendered processing power to the Sony Playstation, then it certainly trumped Sony's unit in the sound department. Sounds fields are perfectly synthesized here. When a gigantic airship disintegrates after a barrage of attacks, you'd swear you were right next to the Hindenberg.
MUSIC: I've come to the conclusion that Panzer Dragoon Saga has the best score ever for a videogame. An amalgam of futuristic, synthetic techno beats, ethnic Asian and African instruments ranging from biwa's to akindida's, to traditional violins, harps and even a piano solo, this soundtrack is a love-letter to the art of music.
PDS expertly uses audio to push the story along. Many tracks include voice or chanting and all are appropriately uppity or low with the game's mood. During the opening amnesiac sequences, the mish-mash music invokes a sense of confusion. At suspenseful moments, music is spare before assaulting us with grand trombone, bass arrangements and monstrous guitar riffs.
The most note-worthy audio quality is that the creators developed an entire language just for this game. That should tell you something about the effort poured into this labour of love.
STORY: As technically sound as this game is, it's strong-point is the story.
Awakening from a deep slumber, the main character, Edge awakens in a desolate, post-apocalyptic word where he finds himself in the grips of an epic war. Ancients fables speak of ultra-advanced civilizations that defy human logic. Yet bio-engineered creatures are tell-tale signs of a race that fought and ultimately lost against its creatures run amok. Eons have passed but the deadly legacy of this civilization remains: the world is an arid wasteland, humans are locked in eternal conflict with the bio-mechanical creatures created by their ancestors. Nations have unearthed advanced weapons to fight these feral creatures while some, tempted by power, are hell-bent on world domination. So unfolds another chapter in the struggle of humanity.
Prologues and conversations reveal that a young woman named Azel was excavated and kidnapped by a rogue rebel force. A parable of the human mind, this young woman can either hold the key to the earth's salvation or lead to its very destruction. At this point the storyline resembles that of anime auteur, Katsuhiro Otomo's unheralded masterwork, Metropolis which is was no doubt, inspired by. Undertones of personal sacrifice for the greater good run rampant here.
At times as grand as a Tolkien novel, this game also offers intimate portrayals of simpler life. Lively and spare, the dialogue between characters only serve to advance the story. There are few cities, but they are broad in scope.
If development tools were Rembrandt's canvas, this would be his painting. In short, play this game- it's as great as any literary work and will change your outlook on not only videogames but on life.
14. Tactics Ogre- Another game from the "Ogre" series this one was produced by Atlus software. Solid all-around RPG with a stronger emphasis on strategy. Features one of the greateset levels in any game ever with a daunting 100-floor stage. The "thinking man's" RPG.
13. Valkyrie Profile - Soundtracks are a strong suit of the RPG genre and this game has symphony productions that would make Mozart proud. Well-crafted story and interesting characters to say the least. One of the best games to grace the original PS.
12.Kingdom Hearts - Everything I hoped a Squaresoft/Disney marriage would be. The animation is absolutely gorgeous- lush backgrounds, a deep color palette are standard practice here. Just like all my ex's - great eye-candy and fun to play!
11.Harvest Moon: Back to Nature - I blow a fuse whenever I see great RPG lists snubbing this incredible game (and series). The best way to describe this game is imagine, if you will, a Paper Boy RPG as crafted by Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto.
10. Legend of Legaia - Lost in the all the praise for the FF series, is this hidden gem of a game on the PS. Every bit as good as the best PS RPG's.
9. Harvest Moon 64 - The legendary Harvest Moon series brings its excellence to the 64. The best child-oriented RPG ever.
8. Final Fantasy IV - Wow. What can I say? The most influential game of the most enduring RPG series in videogame history. This is without a doubt, the most balanced of all the FF games.
7. Final Fantasy X - Some of accused this game of straying too far from the usual FF fare but they just suck. Awesome graphics + kickass battle system + best FF storyline + best FF music = best RPG on PS2.
6. Final Fantasy VI - IMO the best of the FF series. Though its not a perfect game (the latter part of this game tapers off) this is the most ambitious as far as plot, character interaction, character depth goes. A fine example of epic game-making.
5. TIE
Lunar Silver Star Story- Unbelievable character animation that would put 90% of all anime to shame. Not only is the story well-written but consistent but its filled with great humor and sight gags. A strong storyline is the one item that makes a great RPG and this storyline (and script) is worthy of an Oscar nomination.
Front Mission - Very few games (and movies for that matter) can meld sci-fi elements, action, indepth storyline as well as this game does. The definitive futuristic RPG.
4. TIE
Dragon Force - This game absolutely blew my mind! An amazing smorgasbord of interesting side-stories, historical elements, truly innovative battle-systems and army building this game is the ultimate war strategy RPG.
Xenogears - The most innovative RPG for the PS. Opposite of the FF games this game is accompanied by an entirely different artistic approach. Sprite-based characters explore wholely 3D worlds. Needless to say this is probably one of the most thought-provoking RPG titles ever made.
3. TIE
Suikoden II - Approaches a realm of storytelling unmatched in the videogame kingdom. This game's greatest strength is also its only flaw- a multi-tiered, delicious storyline that features so many characters becomes hard to track. Few game-makers dare to undertake a story so big in scope it deserves a paperback anthology.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Let's face it, no RPG list is complete without a Zelda game. This game is infinitely playable and has all the great elements we've come to expect from the legendary Zelda lineage. The best 64 title.
2. 3-way TIE
Shining Force III - Not a videogame but an experience. Nuff said.
Secret of Mana - "But time flows like a river, and history repeats itself." These opening lines are followed by a soft choir that immerses the player in the most beautiful and memorable image in videogame history. This is the kind of game that lingers in your memory years after you've played it. Play it now! It is bound to change your life!
Guardian Heroes - The videogame version of Star Wars- an epic masterpiece that not only revolutionalized 2D videogames but is regarded as the apogee of 2D RPG's. Technically perfect in every aspect- sound, music, animation, story, etc.
AND FINALLY, THE BEST RPG OF ALL TIME IS.....
Panzer Dragoon Saga
A vision so bold, so ethereal, so thought-provoking mere words cannot do it justice.
The saying "save the best for last" holds a strange irony as this was among the last titles released for Sega's ailing Saturn system. This masterpiece is the perfect swan-song for both an unheralded system and company.
There's more historical importance to this videogame than meets-the-eye. It pioneered the Real Time Battle system like no other game before it.
GRAPHICS: For its time, the graphics of Panzer Dragoon Saga blew other Saturn and Playstation games away. Lush colors and dynamic creatures exploded on-screen. Silver Surfer and Heavy Metal artist Moebius was credited with drawing the first drafts of the creatures that inhabit the world of Panzer Dragoon Saga. The result are visuals that totally immerse all who witness it and would be just at place at the Smithsonian as your tv screen. They're that beautiful. All the creative visual elements from grand backgrounds to minute details such as realistic dragon animation (breathing, motion-captured flapping) add up to the unmistakable work of an artist. Panzer Dragoon makes no artistic compromises and fashions a bleak netherworld, neither ancient or futuristic that will assault and overpower your senses.
SOUND: If the Sega Saturn surrendered processing power to the Sony Playstation, then it certainly trumped Sony's unit in the sound department. Sounds fields are perfectly synthesized here. When a gigantic airship disintegrates after a barrage of attacks, you'd swear you were right next to the Hindenberg.
MUSIC: I've come to the conclusion that Panzer Dragoon Saga has the best score ever for a videogame. An amalgam of futuristic, synthetic techno beats, ethnic Asian and African instruments ranging from biwa's to akindida's, to traditional violins, harps and even a piano solo, this soundtrack is a love-letter to the art of music.
PDS expertly uses audio to push the story along. Many tracks include voice or chanting and all are appropriately uppity or low with the game's mood. During the opening amnesiac sequences, the mish-mash music invokes a sense of confusion. At suspenseful moments, music is spare before assaulting us with grand trombone, bass arrangements and monstrous guitar riffs.
The most note-worthy audio quality is that the creators developed an entire language just for this game. That should tell you something about the effort poured into this labour of love.
STORY: As technically sound as this game is, it's strong-point is the story.
Awakening from a deep slumber, the main character, Edge awakens in a desolate, post-apocalyptic word where he finds himself in the grips of an epic war. Ancients fables speak of ultra-advanced civilizations that defy human logic. Yet bio-engineered creatures are tell-tale signs of a race that fought and ultimately lost against its creatures run amok. Eons have passed but the deadly legacy of this civilization remains: the world is an arid wasteland, humans are locked in eternal conflict with the bio-mechanical creatures created by their ancestors. Nations have unearthed advanced weapons to fight these feral creatures while some, tempted by power, are hell-bent on world domination. So unfolds another chapter in the struggle of humanity.
Prologues and conversations reveal that a young woman named Azel was excavated and kidnapped by a rogue rebel force. A parable of the human mind, this young woman can either hold the key to the earth's salvation or lead to its very destruction. At this point the storyline resembles that of anime auteur, Katsuhiro Otomo's unheralded masterwork, Metropolis which is was no doubt, inspired by. Undertones of personal sacrifice for the greater good run rampant here.
At times as grand as a Tolkien novel, this game also offers intimate portrayals of simpler life. Lively and spare, the dialogue between characters only serve to advance the story. There are few cities, but they are broad in scope.
If development tools were Rembrandt's canvas, this would be his painting. In short, play this game- it's as great as any literary work and will change your outlook on not only videogames but on life.
Tom:
Fallout 2 used to be my life for about 3-4 months in early 2000
During that time, before I went back into the Army I used to work undercover and when i came back after 2 am after hanging with my targets,..Afterward I would be too wired to go to bed and play Fallout 2 for hours.
No cheats, no walk throughs, no hand books, just me and the wasteland.
I was especially saddened of never being able to save Modoc, eventually, only later, did I find out where to find Karl with his key info that would keep George (?) from attacking the ghost farm and massacering anyone.
A very cruel irony if you consider Tommy's implied fate as well.
Also I dindt figure out how to get into the abandonedmilitary base until real late in the game when I ahd already found the hi tech goodies elsewhere and my firepower was high enought o take away much the inhgerent danger.
I did lose my good friend Cassidy there though
.This was bad blow, since Vic had turned against me during a fight in Navarro (I suspect due to a bug as this character is loyal) and I had to kill him.
I managed to keep Sulik alive throughout the game by giving him the best armor I owned ( even better than mine) all the way until a fight broke out in the Enclave in one of the very last sequences of the game.
In the end there was only one.
Fred...
Fallout 2 used to be my life for about 3-4 months in early 2000
During that time, before I went back into the Army I used to work undercover and when i came back after 2 am after hanging with my targets,..Afterward I would be too wired to go to bed and play Fallout 2 for hours.
No cheats, no walk throughs, no hand books, just me and the wasteland.
I was especially saddened of never being able to save Modoc, eventually, only later, did I find out where to find Karl with his key info that would keep George (?) from attacking the ghost farm and massacering anyone.
A very cruel irony if you consider Tommy's implied fate as well.
Also I dindt figure out how to get into the abandonedmilitary base until real late in the game when I ahd already found the hi tech goodies elsewhere and my firepower was high enought o take away much the inhgerent danger.
I did lose my good friend Cassidy there though
.This was bad blow, since Vic had turned against me during a fight in Navarro (I suspect due to a bug as this character is loyal) and I had to kill him.I managed to keep Sulik alive throughout the game by giving him the best armor I owned ( even better than mine) all the way until a fight broke out in the Enclave in one of the very last sequences of the game.
In the end there was only one.
Fred...
it's funny that with all you nerds(Myself included) no one mentioned Shining Force 1,2, or 3. I've played and beaten most of the games mentioned on this post and Shining Force is one of the best series i've ever experienced.
and thanks for reminding me about Secret Of Mana, im gonna go play that now.
and thanks for reminding me about Secret Of Mana, im gonna go play that now.
man...looks like there's some really hardcore gamers here. Tom, Fred your guys are last i think would play videogames. you guys sound like me....some of the games i've played i would go all-night, in like three days i would only get like 6 hr of sleep. in a week i would spend about 50++ hr/week. glad to see i'm not alone...
-
InstantRice
- Posts: 1146
- Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 11:58 am
- Contact:
J-Spec Tuner wrote:Of course when World of Warcraft comes out, thats all going to change. :evilhaha
Couldn't agree more. I have been so pissed at the RPG's that have come out lately. Mainly these:
Dark Age of Camelot - I played the crap out of this game for like 3 months before I quit. It just didn't do it for me. The gameplay was too boring, even with PvP.
Star Wars Galaxies - One of the best ideas combined with one of the worst game makers equals a terrible game. S.O.E screwed the pooch on this one. There were way too many glitches in the game to make it worth it to play.
Final Fantasy XI - I just quit my subscription yesterday. The gameplay was by far the most boring of the recent RPG's I've played.
I can't wait for W.O.W. I'm not going to buy another PC game until that comes out.
Nick
-
InstantRice
- Posts: 1146
- Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 11:58 am
- Contact:
-
InstantRice
- Posts: 1146
- Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 11:58 am
- Contact:
Diablo 2 the best game ever? hardly but the best may be another blizzard game that starts w/ "B" and ends with "rood wars." Blizzard lately makes good enough games. They make Warcraft 3 which is a sup par game, infact it blew loads. Then they come out with an expansion which could have easily been included in the game. Diablo 2 was straight until it gets horribly stale.
-
Onizuka
- Posts: 8450
- Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 5:24 pm
- Car: 91 Nissan S13 coupe SR20DET
89 Nissan S14 hatch SR20DE
Sales and popularity couldnt disagree with you more, every game blizzard has made in the past 4-5 years has been immensly successful.
Blizzard has already developed several features that will be firsts in MMORPG's, and it is not the typical D&D based dice fest like evercrack. Every review i have read for WoW have called the game a step above the rest in story and playability. Just watch a few of the videos to see what its going to be like:
http://www.blizzard.com/wow
Blizzard has already developed several features that will be firsts in MMORPG's, and it is not the typical D&D based dice fest like evercrack. Every review i have read for WoW have called the game a step above the rest in story and playability. Just watch a few of the videos to see what its going to be like:
http://www.blizzard.com/wow
-
InstantRice
- Posts: 1146
- Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 11:58 am
- Contact:
blizzard has just turned out i believe 2 titles(and expansions) in the last 4-5 years. Diablo 2 which i already stated starts good and becomes stale(replay) and war3 which was just bought because of the prior game being phenominal. seriously you could have said every blizzard game in the last 10 years and still have been right. Just cause something's popular doesnt make it good.