The Top 100 Best RPGs of all Time

I have never had a more difficult time writing an article as I did with this list of the Top 100 Best RPGs of all time. There were too many to pick from, and narrowing it down was actually painful. It hurt my soul to omit specific games. Really it did. I’ve been playing role playing games ever since I can remember. It is, and always has been, my favorite genre of video games. Bar none. There’s nothing quite like starting out on an adventure and getting absorbed into a fantasy world for fifty or more hours. With that vague background out of the way let’s get right to it. Here is what are, in my opinion, the Top 100 Best Role Playing Games of All Time. By all means please grab a snack and a drink, because this is going to be a long one.

As a side note I apologize in advance if your favorite games didn’t make the list. Odds are I either haven’t played them enough to make an opinion, or we just have different tastes. Hey, no hate. Just love. Everyone has their own opinions and these are just mine.

#100. – Contact

We’re starting off strong here with Contact from Grasshopper. If you know them, then you know that their games are weird. Contact is no different. It reminds me a lot of Earthbound. Both in the art style and dialogue. Contact revolves around the idea of communication. You play as you, the player. The Nintendo DS is a communication device. Your role is to take the advice of a quirky old professor stranded on a space ship, and use that information to help a youth named Terry find the power cells to restore his ship. They both exist on separate screens. It’s a really neat concept, and I especially like that each screen uses a different art style.

You control Terry directly during exploration, but once a battle starts he goes on auto pilot. Essentially combat is turn based, but you have no control over his commands. It’s not as bad as it sounds. There’s also a neat job, or costume, mechanic that gives the young man new abilities. Combat may be a little limited but I liked it. Exploring the various environments as Terry is fun, and although the combat is hands off, it’s still pretty alright. If you’re looking for something off the wall then Contact is it.

#99. – Lagrange Point

Here’s a NES RPG from an unlikely source. Konami. They weren’t really in the game yet, so it’s nice to see them try their hand at the genre. Unfortunately Lagrange Point is a Japan exclusive. Boo. It’s a sci-fi, turn based, random encounter RPG that’s vaguely similar to Phantasy Star. What’s really interesting about this one is the fact that Konami included a special chip in the cartridge. This is used to enhance the audio. You’ve never heard NES games sound like this. I love the music.

As I mentioned earlier the combat system is strictly turn based. Lagrange Point doesn’t have a lot of tricks up its sleeve. It does feature some polished graphics, and as I already mentioned, a really unique soundtrack. What I do really like about it is how you explore the world. You travel to multiple planets, and explore these world maps with vehicles. There are very few areas you can actually get to on foot. You only walk around in dungeons and town areas. The leveling mechanic is also unique in that you have to purchase upgrades. All in all Lagrange Point is pretty neat.

#98. – Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes

The PC-Engine CD had a lot of great RPGs. Not many were released in North America. Shame on these companies, and their stingey localizations. Boo! Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes is one of the few that was translated into English. It’s infamous these days for the hilarious voice acting. You gotta love it. Once you get past the over acting you’ll find a decent, and fairly meaty role playing game beneath the surface.

I didn’t say this one isn’t traditional though. It is. Almost to a fault. Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes is like just about every other role playing game of its era. You travel a world map, encounter enemies randomly, engage in turn based combat, explore towns/dungeons, etc. What sets it apart are the high production values. It has some fully animated sequences, laughable voice acting, and a really good soundtrack. Grinding is also not as much an issue here as it tends to be in other 90s RPGs. The game is quite a bit of fun. I enjoyed exploring the battle options with my party members, and the world is memorable with a lot of lore.

#97. – Crystalis

SNK made an action RPG? Yes. Crystalis came out before the company became a powerhouse for fighting games with their Neo Geo arcade hardware. This one is less traditional. It’s more of an action adventure game like the early Zelda titles, but with heavy handed role playing elements mixed in. I’ll allow it. The first thing you’ll notice about Crystalis is that it has some really amazing lore. The opening story sequence describing the end of the world is really well done.

The adventure kicks off with your character awakening from a cryo chamber after having been frozen before the apocalypse. Technology has regressed, and humans now live without it. For the most part that is. From here you explore the world while armed with a sword, and swipe it at foes to make them go bye bye. I really like how you can charge it up for a projectile shot. Combat is entirely real-time here. On top of the sword your character also gains psychic abilities that are really interesting. Crystalis makes this list because of its fun combat, interesting world building, and cool dungeon designs.

#96. – Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3

I’m not a Persona nut like the rest of the world. Hard to believe, right? Something about this series has never quite sat right with me. I can’t even begin to put my finger on it. It’s hard to deny quality though, and I can say for certain that Persona 3 is a great game. I’m just not crazy about it. Persona 3 takes on a unique setting in the modern era at a boarding school. By day your party members attend classes and go to social functions. By night they enter a daunting tower called Tartarus wherein demons roam free.

The first thing you’ll notice about Persona 3 is how stylized it is. Everything from the art style to the soundtrack has a unique and edgy anime aesthetic running the show. I actually really like it. Combat is pretty standard turn based fare, but with some twists sprinkled in. Your characters don’t directly fight the demons. No, that’s not Persona’s style. Instead they summon their inner manifestations to do the fighting for them. They’re called Personas. That’s where the name comes from. What’s interesting is the fact that the main character has an ability allowing him to recruit, and use different personas. Everyone else is just stuck with one. The game itself is half visual novel, half RPG, and both of these mechanics are handled well.

#95. – Secret of Mana

I didn’t grow up with Secret of Mana. I think that’s the difference between me and its fans, and why it’s not a top ten game for me. I’m not hating, nor am I denying that a lot of my picks aren’t based on nostalgia. Secret of Mana is actually the second game in the Seiken Densetsu series with the first one having been released on the Game Boy. It was localized as Final Fantasy Adventure. Now that’s not confusing at all, right? Squaresoft refined the combat system from the original by incorporating a charge mechanic to it. They also upped the production values considerably.

Secret of Mana is the story of a boy who one day pulls a rusty sword out of a stone. You’d think him a hero, right? Well, not in this case. Pulling the sword unleashes monsters into the countryside. Now he’s got to restore the sword to its former glory by visiting the eight mana temples to restore it, and vanquish the evil. Pretty traditional story, right? Yeah, it’s a little on the simple side. Combat is a lot of fun though. All fighting is in real-time. When not in use your weapon charges for a more powerful strike. This one also has multiplayer, with up to three players participating at once. Provided you have the multitap, that is. Secret of Mana is a really cool game.

#94. – Mother

For those not in the know this is game is actually in the same series as Earthbound. This is just the first installment. It’s another one that came out only in Japan. Nintendo must hate us, right? To make matters worse they actually completed a localization, and simply opted not to release it. The reasoning was something about the Super Nintendo stealing all the thunder from the NES. Oh phooey.

If you’ve played Earthbound then you know what to expect here. It’s weird. That’s by design and on purpose. Trust me. You play as a youth named Ninten (yes it’s a parody) who starts experiencing otherworldly happenings. Namely he’s attacked by furniture in his room. With the help of his grandpa he sets off to discover exactly what’s happening in the rest of country. That country being America, of course. Mother is a very traditional RPG with turn based combat, a standard experience points progression system, weapons, items, and all that jazz. It’s the humor and comical approach that set it apart. The good news is that Nintendo eventually rectified their localization problem by releasing the game as a download title on their consoles. Better late than never.

#93. – Dragon Quest

I like to call this one ‘old faithful.’ No matter how many times it’s re-released it remains the same. That’s a good thing because the game is amazing. It’s basically RPG comfort food; chicken soup to warm the weary gamer’s soul. This was one of the very first Japanese style RPGs. As such it’s very simple in design. You have just one character, and fight only one enemy at a time. At least that’s the case in the original NES release. The battle system is simple, but it’s fun. This is the game that taught me to love grinding. Becoming stronger only to overcome battles that were previously challenging is a simple pleasure in life. Even if it does take a long time here.

The story here involves the descendant of a legendary hero. That’s you. The descendant, not the legendary hero. Our protagonist is called on to save the kingdom of Alefgard when the evil Dragonlord captures the princess, and threatens the land. Basic, right? That’s the name of the game here. Battles are entirely turn based, and the options are limited. You have a weapon with which to hit foes, cast spells to hurt enemies or heal yourself, and consume items during fights. There’s not a lot to it, but the foundation is solid. It may be the nostalgia talking, but I love Dragon Quest. It’s one of those RPGs I can never get enough of, and I prefer playing it on the good ol’ Nintendo Entertainment System.

#92. – Cosmic Fantasy: Bouken Shounen Yuu

Here’s another game that was not previously localized, and only recently has seen an official translation. It’s also one one of those fancy PC-Engine CD games. Cosmic Fantasy was actually a relatively big franchise in Japan. It had no less than five installments, and even a compilation that came out on the Sega CD. We’re not talking about that one today. The subject here is the first Cosmic Fantasy. It came out in 1990 and is a product of its time. I don’t mean that in a bad way.

Thanks to the CD format we get a lot of voice acting, and several animated sequences. They look surprisingly nice even now. The rest of the game is a bit more archaic. Think early Dragon Quest, but with a science fiction spin. You play as a cosmic warrior crash landed on the planet of Norg. While investigating a means to get back into outer space he gets swept up in a quest to save the world. Combat is very traditional. It’s turn based, and has few bells and whistles. You only ever get two characters in your party as well. It’s disappointing, but regardless, I had a great time with Cosmic Fantasy. If you hadn’t already guessed that.

#91. – Final Fantasy Legend

There was a time when Final Fantasy wasn’t a household name outside of Japan. The same goes for Squaresoft. Even back then Final Fantasy was their biggest franchise, and if they wanted any of their games to sell at all they had to slap the franchise name on to the box. That’s what happened here. Final Fantasy Legend is actually the first game in the SaGa franchise. While the series shares many of the same elements of FF I assure you it’s its own thing.

You’ll find that out right away with Final Fantasy Legend. Sure, it has a traditional world map and turn based combat, but some things are a little off. For starters the jobs you can choose from are unusual. They’re called races, and consist of humans, mutants and monsters. Also, your weapons can break. Yes, it’s just as annoying as it is in every other game that uses this mechanic. Once you figure things out and get to the meat of the adventure you’ll find a very unusual, but addictive game. Once Final Fantasy Legend clicked with me I couldn’t put it down. Even the story, despite being told on a Game Boy screen, is kind of good.

#90. – E.V.O.: Search for Eden

Who wants to learn about evolution? No one? Well E.V.O. doesn’t care and it’s got some lessons to teach. So gather round. Yes, this is an RPG with evolution as its central point. It’s also really weird, but you know what? It works. Although its take on evolution isn’t accurate this is an interesting take on progression in a role playing game setting. Want to move faster? Evolve your character’s legs. Stronger? Let’s give them stronger jaws. It’s a great idea that I’m surprised hasn’t caught on more.

In E.V.O.: Search for Eden you play as an animal. At first it’s a fish. The game begins around five hundred million years ago when the oceans covered the planet and pretty much all life existed within the sea. So starting out as a fish only makes sense, right? It’s an action RPG where you become stronger by attacking, and eventually consuming the meat from enemies. This nets you evo points and they can be used for upgrades to body parts like jaws, legs, fins, etc. These changes are not just aesthetic. You can actually move faster, jump higher, and inflict more damage on foes with these evolutions. Progression sends you to different time periods. When the action moves on to land you’re an amphibian. Then a reptile, and finally a mammal. There are some optional steps in between. It’s a really interesting mechanic and the game is a joy to play.

#89. – Paper Mario

Yeah, this one is kind of low on the list. I can’t help it. Paper Mario never clicked with me the way that Super Mario RPG did. As hard as I tried. Paper Mario was one of the few role playing games on the N64. By default it’s one of the best N64 RPGs of all time. It’s actually really good. It takes many of the conventions introduced in Super Mario RPG and expands upon them. Sometimes in thoughtful ways. Other times it’s a little much. The first and most obvious change is the graphics. They’re now 3D, but there’s an asterisk. That being the character models. These use a cut out papercraft style. They’re paper thin too, so they look 2D. It’s a neat effect.

The battle system is still turn based, and relies heavily on timed attacks. This means you’ll be doing things like holding the joystick in specific directions, or pressing the A button at just the right time. These are fine and dandy, but can get a little old in everyday battles. Thankfully these are relied on mostly for the special moves Mario has. You don’t need to use these in standard encounters. Unless of course you’re really bad at the game. Hey, it’s aimed at kids. I don’t know how old you are. Still the battle system is really interesting. Especially when so many other role playing games were overly complicated in the time. I like Paper Mario. You will too (probably).

#88. – Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4

This one probably should have been higher. Persona 4 takes everything that made the third one good, and makes it all great. This was pretty much the point when the series started taking off in the West. It’s not hard to see why. Persona 4 still has the dark and brooding hip hop anime motif that was so catchy and memorable in the last iteration. The thing is the battle system has been more refined, the story is significantly better, and dungeons aren’t quite the slog that they were in 3. Persona 4 is all good things.

The game itself plays in a very similar fashion to the third installment. You play as a high school age youth. You’re the new kid in town at Inaba. Thankfully everyone is friendly, and your guy soon makes a lot of friends. All is not right in the city though. When the midnight hour hits people get sucked into their televisions. Here it’s a demon filled world, where our hero and his friends have to summon personas to do battle. The social link mechanics are all the more interesting in this sequel because the characters are actually interesting. Dare I say they’re even likable. Persona 4 is the bees knees. Play it.

#87. – Tales of Eternia

Back when we didn’t have a hundred Tales of games every year their releases were celebrated events. So far as the hardcore RPG community is concerned, at least. Now they’re commonplace on every console with consistent releases. Tales of Eternia was a really special release though. It was the third Tales of game, and the first one that really pushed the PS1 in any meaningful way. The graphics mostly sprite based. They’re beautiful though. Seriously, I can’t think of another PS1 game that has such nice looking sprites and animations.

It’s not just beautiful though. It also plays really well. Tales of Eternia uses the same combat system as the prior releases in this franchise. When a battle starts you are moved to a 2D plane. Here you can move freely left and right. Your selected character can also attack, and if you’re out of range they’ll automatically move to the correct distance if you choose to strike. It’s pretty basic, but as I said earlier, very pretty. The story is typical Tales of drivel. That’s not a bad thing because while it’s generic, the plot is fun and the characters likable. Tales of Eternia is a great game. It’s definitely worth checking out.

#86. – Zelda II: The Adventures of Link

Hey now, put those pitchforks down. Yes, Zelda II is an RPG. The other sequels aren’t. Happy now? Zelda II was a huge departure from the foundation laid out by the original. For one thing it was a side scrolling action title with some platforming elements. Also, Link gains experience points from defeating foes. There’s also enemy encounters. As weird as that is. Being touched by a foe on the overhead world map whisks you away to a side scrolling area where you simply have to walk off screen. The monsters block the path. You’ll have to do some fighting more often than not in these situations.

In these side scrolling sequences you can both jump and swipe at foes. There’s no jumping on their heads though. Come on, this isn’t Mario. Link does have a downward thrust you can use while falling on foes though. It’s not the same. Regardless the dungeons are fully explorable, and in 2D as well. Ever heard the term ‘NES hard?’ That’s Zelda II in a nutshell. Some of these boss encounters are brutal. Even a couple of the standard enemies will test your skills. Blue Knuckle, I’m looking at you. When you have a game over (and trust me, you will) you get a nice screen showing the revival of Ganon. Zelda II can be frustrating, but it’s ultimately rewarding. That’s why it’s one of the best RPGs of all time.

#85. – Cosmic Fantasy 3: Bouken Shounen Rei

Yay. Another Cosmic Fantasy game. This third installment was again left in Japan. Thanks to the Nintendo Switch collection we can finally play it in English. Took them long enough. Some serious changes were made to the basic formula. Some of it’s good, and some bad. One thing is for sure though. The production levels in Cosmic Fantasy 3 are next level. This game is beyond what I thought the PC-Engine CD was capable of. Maybe it is. After all the game requires the Super System Card 3 to run on original hardware. It looks better than most RPGs on the Sega Genesis, and gives several SNES ones a run for their money.

This is also the first prequel in the series. I won’t spoil how, but it’s pretty interesting. There are even time leaps between the chapters. Regardless, you play as an anime guy named Rei. He is initially tasked with bringing herbs grown by his family to market for sale. Of course things aren’t always that easy. The combat system has been modernized quite a bit. Not only do you get descriptions of what spells and items actually do, but you can speed things up by holding the action button. The biggest change to the franchise this game brought however is a seamless world. What do I mean by this? There’s no world map. Instead each area is interconnected. Field sections are surprisingly vast, and I was shocked at how long the game could go without loading anything new. Cosmic Fantasy 3 is fantastic.

#84. – Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

Paper Mario was a success. Come on, it’s Mario. Even if he is just a papercraft version of his former self. Obviously a sequel was going to be made, and this time, it came out on the Nintendo Gamecube. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is often heralded as the best Paper Mario game. I don’t disagree. With the move to more powerful hardware the papercraft art style was more perfectly realized. The game looks gorgeous, and the art style does a lot of the heavy lifting.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door once again stars Mario, but Bowser isn’t his primary foe this time around. Instead it’s the X-nauts. They’ve captured Princess Peach, and it’s up to him (along with a few friends he meets along the way) to save her. That’s all fine and dandy, but how does it play? Pretty well, actually. The battle system is largely the same. Mario is your primary damage dealer with several partners assisting. Attacks are still based on timing. Battles flow smoothly, and they’re a lot of fun. If you want an RPG that’s lighter fare, and are already a fan of the Mario universe, then this is an excellent choice.

#83. – Tales of the Abyss

I call this one the whiny sequel. Why? Because that’s all the main character does He complains, and when he’s done doing that, he complains some more. Tales of the Abyss was the first follow up from the Tales team after the release of Symphonia. It uses largely the same combat engine as its predecessor. The major difference here is that the characters are no longer kids. Namco tried to target an older audience with this release by going for a darker and more brooding storyline. Plus, no cel shading. Did it work? Not really. I don’t feel any more emo nor am I more mature after having played it.

You play as Luke Fon Fabre. He’s the nephew of the king of Kimlasca in a fantasy fiction anime based world. Early in the plot he loses his status as royalty, and goes on the run with a rag tag band of misfit warriors bent on saving the world. There’s a lot of personal growth, but for the most part it falls within the standard anime tropes. Tales of the Abyss is fully 3D, and the battle system is real-time. This means you can move your selected character freely and attack at will. It’s standard Tales of stuff. I really like how smooth the combat engine is. Everything is easy to learn, but when you master it, you can unleash some devastating combos. Tales of the Abyss is definitely one of the best games in the series. Here’s to hoping they get around to releasing a remastered version.

#82. – Final Fantasy

The original Final Fantasy on the Nintendo Entertainment System is going to be a tough sell in the HD era. It’s not that the graphics are bad. I still find the pixel art to look nice. Rather, it’s the lack of quality of life mechanics that cause issues. Hey, I get it. This is an old game. That doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating. As the first Final Fantasy title this was what ultimately led to Squaresoft becoming one of the major players in the video game market. It has spawned no less than fifteen direct sequels, and even more spin-offs. You don’t get that far without a solid foundation, and Final Fantasy definitely has that.

The game begins by allowing you to a party of four characters. You name them, select which job they function under, and you’re off. Yes, real role playing. Your goal is to save the world by collecting four elemental orbs. As I mentioned earlier the game is a bit archaic. The way forward is often murky, and monsters don’t just let you walk past them. Battles occur at random, take place on a separate side view screen, and combat is strictly turn based. Unfortunately these happen far too often inside dungeons. I’m talking every few steps sometimes. The enemies are also difficult, and inflict status effects on your party. This makes resource management incredibly tough. The first Final Fantasy might make you pull your hair out. Despite this I still cherish the game. It was, and still is, one of the best RPGs of all time.

#81. – Ys: Book I & II

Most people who love this series have played remakes of these titles. Here I’m talking about the original release on the Turbografx-CD. As an early CD title it had high production values with animated sequences, and several voice overs. For what is essentially an 8-bit action RPG of this era that’s insane. I can’t even begin to imagine how futuristic it felt at the time. Ys: Book I & II is often cited as one of the best games for the console. I would have a hard time trying to disagree.

Unfortunately the game quickly shows its age. The main character, Adol, doesn’t swipe his sword. Instead he rams opponents. Yes, bumps into them. This is how he fights. If you can’t get past that then this is not the game for you. From an overhead perspective you explore an overworld, enter towns, and battle your way through dungeons. There are light puzzles sprinkled in to round things out. It’s worth noting that this package was essentially a remake of the first two titles. Unfortunately you can’t simply bypass the first Ys and play the second. They must be completed in order. This does however make it feel like one cohesive package instead of a compilation. I love the game, but I can see how others would have a hard time with some of its mechanics. Particularly the aforementioned combat mechanism. Still, it’s amazing. Even now I have fun with it.

#80. – Kingdom Hearts II

I’m not the biggest fan of Kingdom Hearts. I liked the games plenty when they first came out. The mix of classic Squaresoft and Disney franchises was magical. Especially when you wrap it all up in an action RPG package with high production values. With the passage of time they haven’t aged particularly well. Combat is reptitive, and kind of shallow. This is made worse by the small environments and constant barrage of enemies. Still, Kingdom Hearts II is undeniably good. Especially if you love RPGs, and have nostalgia for all things Disney.

Kingdom Hearts II is a continuation from the original. You once again play as Sora, and have to traipse through various Disney themed worlds fighting off armies of the heartless. Disney villains run the show, and serve as the boss characters. Sora isn’t alone with Donald Duck and Goofy joining him, and several Disney protagonists join the fight as well. Only in the world wherein they exist though. Kingdom Hearts II had a considerable jump in production values from the original. It is at this point that the overly convoluted story really jumped the shark. Honestly they lost me a long time ago, and at some point you just have to stop caring about the overarching narrative. I did, and I’m happier for it. Regardless, Kingdom Hearts II is a fantastic action RPG with flashy combat, great graphics, and an amazing soundtrack. What more could you want?

#79. – Breath of Fire IV

Unlike most fans of the series I prefer the Breath of Fire releases on the Super Nintendo. For me some of the magic was lost when the franchise switched consoles. Regardless, Breath of Fire IV was kind of a niche release. Final Fantasy IX, Grandia II, and Xenogears released around that time. Breath of Fire IV was doomed to get lost in the shuffle. That’s okay because we’re going to put it in the spotlight here. The first thing that should be said about Breath of Fire IV is that it’s absolutely beautiful. This is one of those games that uses sprite characters on 3D backgrounds. I can think of few other cases where it works as well as it does here.

The battle system is what you can expect from a Breath of Fire game. Encounters are random, and rely on the classic turn based mechanics this series is known for. The big twist here is that the main character can transform into a dragon to deal out heavy damage. Yes, this is as cool as it sounds. The only thing that drags this one down for me is the isometric perspective. This is used for exploration. It’s not intuitive, at all. You have to rotate the camera to see things. Constantly. Even when you’re not just looking for secrets. It’s not enough to ruin the game, but boy does this get annoying. Regardless it’s a really neat game. It deserves a second look.

#78. – Tales of Phantasia

Every long running series must start somewhere, and this is the beginning of the Tales franchise. Namco apparently didn’t think we could deserved nice things. Or that we didn’t like RPGs. Regardless, I’m insulted. They left this one in Japan on the Super Famicom. Role playing games at the time were generally very traditional. You know what I mean. Turn based combat, and lots of it. Tales of Phantasia flips the old convention on its head. In battle you can move freely. You’re restricted to left and right movement thanks to the 2D plane on which you fight. You can only control one character at a time with the CPU taking the duties of your party members.

Tales of Phantasia was really advanced at the time of release. Not only did it have a surprising amount of voice acting (on the Super Nintendo, no less), but the graphics are incredible. The graphics are also amazing by system standards. The game has you going through a journey as a youth named Cless. Or Cress, depending on which version you play. Those silly translators. He’s out for vengeance after his village is destroyed, and most of its citizens dispatched. Dark brooding story? Check. Generic swordsman hero? Check again. The story is decent, but doesn’t go beyond what others were doing with the genre at the time. It’s the gameplay that’s going to hook you. Tales of Phantasia might have been outdone by several other installments by now, but I still love it.

#77. – Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Yeah, I know. Dragon Quest VIII is easily the most beloved installment in the series. It brought the franchise back in to the spotlight in the West, and is frequently much higher on lists like this. I liked Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. Really, I did. I’ve always been a huge fan of the franchise. That is perhaps why the eighth installment didn’t quite mesh with me. The production values were insane. Never before had Enix (or Square-Enix, in this case) put so much effort into the graphics or storytelling. It still looks good even several generations later. The cel shaded style was the perfect accent to Akira Toriyama’s artwork. It certainly didn’t hurt that the game that it came packaged with a demo for Final Fantasy XII.

So why isn’t this one at the top of this list, then? It’s a fantastic RPG. It’s not a great Dragon Quest title though. Some of the magic was lost, and I blame the newfound focus on graphic fidelity. The best aspect of the series is customizing your party members. That mechanic has been stifled here. Gone is the job system, expansive roster of party members, and more. The skill tree is also more limited. This really cuts down on customization. The focus is on tighter growth, and for me, that’s not what I look for in a Dragon Quest game. Battles are still turn based, but with additional animations play out much slower. There’s also stuttering from loading. Come on. That’s not to say it’s bad. It’s beautiful, has an incredible soundtrack, and the battle system is fun. I even loved the story. Dragon Quest VIII is awesome.

#76. – Cosmic Fantasy 4: Ginga Shounen Densetsu Totsuyo Hen

For those not in the know there were actually two parts to Cosmic Fantasy 4. They were separate releases at retail in Japan on the PC-Engine CD. This is part I. With each new installment the developers steadily increased the budget. This is the point where they finally reached the levels of 16-bit Final Fantasy. In terms of polish, that is. It too was not released outside of Japan. We only recently have it available in English with the Cosmic Fantasy 2 collection release on the Nintendo Switch. Hooray for developers that bring long lost classics to North American audiences.

The cosmic hunters return! Who could have guessed? Yu and Saya (the protagonists from the first game) are the stars of the show here, as they continue doing what they do best. Cosmic hunting. What’s that you may ask? Basically they’re meant to maintain peace in the galaxy. That’s their goal anyway. As we have come to expect with the series it’s full of fully animated stylized sequences, and lots of voice acting. It’s all in Japanese however. This installment brought with it the return of the world map. Also, combat has been upgraded. The ATB system finally rears its head in this series, and it works wonderfully. If you’re looking for a 16-bit RPG you’ve likely never played then I recommend giving this one a shot.

#75. – Final Fantasy Legend II

This is the point where SaGa became a serious contender. It’s not like there were a ton of RPGs on the Game Boy at the time, but it pretty much blew all of them away. Like in the first game you begin by creating a party of four characters. Now there are four races to choose from. Humans, mutants, and monsters return. Now there’s robots too. Everything is better with robots. They each have their own set of abilities and experienced players will want a mix of them. That’s the only way to get the most out of the battle system.

Final Fantasy Legend II has much more of an emphasis on story than the previous iteration. This time you play as a youth whose father went missing. It’s up to your character, and his three friends to gather the magi stones from across the world, and find out what happened to the guy. Battles are typical Final Fantasy fare. Err, I mean SaGa fare. That too. They’re turn based with a myriad of commands like attack, magic, item, etc. You also get a really rocking battle theme to accompany the action. Seriously, it’s next level. The world is fun to explore, and experimenting with the different character races to find the best match for your party is amazing. Final Fantasy Legend II is a hidden gem.

#74. – Panzer Dragoon Saga

I’m a longtime fan of Panzer Dragoon. These rail shooters are truly something special with a wonderful art style, great set pieces, fun gameplay, and crazy good soundtracks. Saga is a little different. It’s a role playing game. You probably could have guessed that based on its placement on this list. You still ride atop the back of a dragon, and shoot lasers at the enemies. The difference here is that it all occurs during turn based combat. By now most hardcore gamers have heard of this one. It’s the most coveted release on the Sega Saturn, after all. Me? I liked it, but didn’t love it.

As I mentioned earlier you ride on the back of a dragon for most of gameplay. The graphics are fully 3D with a camera which you the player have control of. During battle you input commands when a bar fills. It’s like the ATB system, but a little different. This lets you fire your laser gun at foes, or use your dragon’s abilities. There are a few things that set this one apart. For one thing placement is paramount to any strategy. In between turns you can choose to change where your dragon is in relation to the enemy. This is important because foes use different attacks based on where you are. Enemies don’t just sit still though. They too will move. This makes it kind of a game of chicken while you and the foe are trying to maneuver around each other. Panzer Dragoon Saga is amazing.

#73. – Final Fantasy X

Until my recent play through I didn’t even like Final Fantasy X. It finally won me over. I never thought I’d see the day. This was the first game in the series to be released for the Sony PlayStation 2, and is widely heralded as one of the best RPGs of its era. Maybe even of all time. It pushed storytelling in the genre like we had never seen. Almost all of the dialogue in-game is spoken. That’s quite an undertaking, but was made possible by the move to the high capacity DVD format. This was also the last traditional mainline Final Fantasy game. It’s disappointing, I know.

Let’s start by saying that the story, setting, and characters are all amazing. Even the graphics hold up well despite the game being released on the now archaic PlayStation 2. Where this one really shines is its battle system though. It’s downright clean. The fast pace and amazing battle animations are impressive even now. There are even context sensitive actions you can take in some battles. This keeps things refreshing while adding new layers to combat. I only have a few gripes. For starters there’s almost no exploration. You run through hallways and small rooms. There are a few open areas but these are far and few. Next up is the sphere grid. It serves its purpose, but isn’t as fun to manage as a traditional experience points system. Despite these the game is still incredible.

#72. – Cosmic Fantasy 4: Ginga Shounen Densetsu Gekito Hen

Sadly, this is the last you’ll be hearing of Cosmic Fantasy on our list. That also means it’s the best one. While both Cosmic Fantasy 4 games are technically the fourth game in the franchise, this second one is best considered to be part 2. It’s also the very final installment that ever came out. Again, this was previously a Japan only release that has only been made accessible to North American audiences with its inclusion in Cosmic Fantasy Collection 2 on the Nintendo Switch. Thank goodness because it’s one heck of an RPG.

This sequel takes the focus away from Yu and Saya (the heroes in the first Cosmic Fantasy game) and instead places it on Van and Rim (the cast in the second one). The budget was increased even further. The graphics have been tweaked and are some of the best you’ll find on the PC-Engine CD. Furthermore the battle system has been refined with a better interface, and more balanced gameplay. Plus, you gotta love those animated sequences. Well sometimes. There are occasions where they go a bit overboard with things like fan service. That’s not something I’m interested in. Regardless this is the best Cosmic Fantasy game, and easily one of the greatest role playing games of all time. Now that it’s finally available in English there’s no excuse not to play it. Unless you hate RPGs, in which case I’m surprised you’re even reading this list.

#71. – Tales of Symphonia

Tales of Symphonia was the best original role playing game released on the Nintendo Gamecube. That’s not saying a lot. The offerings were bare. Because of the lack of competition it was able to become a breakout success in the West. What’s interesting is that the game originally began development as Tales of Phantasia 2. When Namco made the decision to change it they didn’t go back and take out the references. Therefore some still believe the games are connected in the timeline. I’m one of these people. So sue me.

This was where the series first moved into 3D gameplay. Despite this Tales of Symphonia uses the classic Tales of battle system. This means that by default you can only run left and right. Enemies aren’t always in a row though, so changing targets switches the camera perspective allowing you to move toward and away from those that aren’t all standing on the same plane. Combat is still in real-time, but it flows much more smoothly now thanks to the 3D graphics. There’s even multiplayer, and let me tell you, it’s a blast. Unfortunately the graphics aren’t super pleasant. The game uses a cel shaded style, but with kid sized characters. It’s a little off-putting to say the least. If you had a Gamecube, and wanted an RPG there weren’t many options. Thankfully this was a good one.

#70. – Valkyria Chronicles

The PlayStation 3 was severely lacking in quality Japanese style RPGs. Particularly early on. The HD era was not kind to this genre. Sega answered the call with Valkyria Chronicles. It took the classic strategy RPG and modernized it. We all knew this one was going to be good. It was made by the Sakura Taisen team, after all. While the series has still yet to take off Valkyria Chronicles is noteworthy for filling a void in the console’s library. Plus, it’s a darn good time.

Valkyria Chronicles is not your typical tactics based title. Not by a long shot. Instead it blends the classic tried and true turn based gameplay with elements of a third person shooter. All while painted with some beautiful watercolor graphics. It still looks amazing. At the start of each battle you get an overhead view of the map. Icons indicate character placement. By selecting one you’re whisked down to their view of the 3D battlefield. From here you can move them, but this is limited to their action gauge. The turn ends either when you run out of this, or enter a command. When attacking you actually aim the reticule, and can target different sections of your foe. It’s really neat. Unit placement is paramount as units on the move can be attacked while by a character on standby. The game is good, and you should get it.

#69. – Star Ocean: The Last Hope

I can almost hear the groans now. This one gets a lot of unnecessary hate. Yeah, I didn’t like the cheesy voice overs, and the story wasn’t great either. The character models are creepy with their doll like qualities. Yeah, I’ll admit it. This was the fourth Star Ocean game, and arguably one of the best ones. That’s because the combat system is incredible. That’s what really matters, right? Who cares if everything else is kind of a mess? Star Ocean: The Last Hope serves as a prequel to the series. Good, because that eternal sphere nonsense was a serious bummer. If you know, you know.

Here you play as Edge Maverick (yeah, the game is edgelord like that) who is a member of the Earth Federation Force. You travel from planet to planet making friends and fighting enemies. We don’t care much about that first part though. It’s the fighting that I’m interested in. It’s good. Scratch that. It’s excellent. The battle system allows you to move in real-time. You attack foes in real-time in an enclosed 3D battlefield. You can move freely, and so can your allies. They are controlled by the CPU, and don’t always make the best decisions. The action is fast and furious, and there’s nothing wrong with it (no deaths from losing your mp). What’s more is this game introduced blindsides to the franchise. These allow you to, in key moments, automatically move behind them to strike for major damage.

#68. – Tales of Vesperia

You might be a little fatigued hearing about the Tales of series now. We’re almost done with it. I promise. Tales of Vesperia was a major surprise because it was an Xbox 360 exclusive at the time. Not many developers were willing to put their RPGs only on Microsoft’s console back then, so Namco gets some serious props. This one was made by Team Symphonia, and uses all of the same conventions as the earlier 3D games. If you like the Tales of series then this one is a must play.

It’s standard Tales fare. For the most part, that is. The jump to HD graphics did the series a lot of favors. This one went back to the cel shaded style of Symphonia, but without the gaudy black outlines and child-like characters. Vesperia almost looks like an anime show in motion. It has the same real-time battle system using the plane mechanic wherein by default you can only move toward and away from the targeted enemy. What sets this one apart from the others is the story. Sure, it falls into most of the same traps as the other games. The protagonist has some really interesting and not family friendly twists later on in the plot. I loved it. Tales of Vesperia is easily one of the best games in the series.

#67. – Dragon Quest V

Dragon Quest is as reliable as the sunset. There are very few of these games I wouldn’t call the best RPGs of all time. Dragon Quest V was, unfortunately, the first one that Enix completely passed up for a localization. For years it was a Japan-only release. Sure, we had fan translations but those came out years later. At least we got the remakes, but they just weren’t the same. There’s something really special about this Super Famicom version. No, it’s not because it’s so highly coveted. The graphics just feel more like classic Dragon Quest. That was one complaint Japanese critics had. It’s not a huge visual upgrade from the fourth installment.

With the leap in generation Enix also brought a few pretty big changes to the game. First of all you can only have three party members at once. That’s not good, but it didn’t ruin things. Secondly you could recruit monsters to join your cause. Again, you’re limited because you can use just three party members, but it was a cool feature nonetheless. This one also uses a generation mechanic. Basically, the main character is not the hero of the story. His son is. At a specific moment in the story you choose a bride, and this determines the attributes of the child. Later on they join the quest. Not until they’re grown up, of course. This one was a bit of a departure for the series with more emphasis put into the overarching narrative. I liked both the gameplay and story. Dragon Quest V is worth checking out.

#66. – Parasite Eve

I miss Squaresoft’s experimental era. That’s when we got titles like Parasite Eve. This one was a bit unusual in that it blended both the classic RPG and survival horror genres into one. As it turns out the two can work pretty well together. Parasite Eve is proof of this. It’s definitely not your typical RPG. For one thing the setting is in New York City during the 90s. You play as a police officer named Aya Brea. She unwittingly learns all about the horrors of mitochondria while at the opera when the guests suddenly burst into flames. There’s monsters afoot, and it’s time for Aya to protect and serve.

Despite its focus on horror elements the game has some traditional RPG trappings. For one thing enemy encounters are random. They’re also turn based. You can, however, move Aya around the battlefield freely while you wait for her turn to come up. This allows you to dodge attacks, and place her strategically for when she’s ready to attack. She even gains levels and becomes stronger after winning in battle. True to its survival horror roots her main weapons are firearms, and they are limited in ammunition. You can go all out with her club, but that won’t get you very far. At least that’s true for the later half of the game. I loved the real-time elements. They make battles a lot of fun. I’m also a huge fan of horror in general, and so this game really spoke to me.

#65. – Pokemon: Emerald Version

I don’t want to convolute my list with too many Pokemon games. That’s why I’m going to try and include only the best one of each respective generation. In the case of the first GBA titles it’s Pokemon Emerald. This third generation took us out of Kanto and Johto and introduced the world of Hoenn. With the move to more powerful hardware also came better graphics. They were still underwhelming when it came to other titles on the platform. Hey, that’s Pokemon for you. With this generation we saw rebalancing, additional features, and of course, new Pokemon.

Pokemon Emerald is cool in that it combines the story of Ruby and Sapphire. It also has its own line-up of pocket monsters to find, catch, and battle but it’s a mix of the other two versions. While the battle system is top notch, and the new features (as as abilities) add a ton of strategy to gameplay this was when I first began to feel Pokemon fatigue. It was too much of a good (or in this case, great) thing. Regardless Pokemon Emerald is one of the very best installments in the series. The battle pacing is perfect, and the roster of creatures is excellent. It’s even backwards compatible for trading and battling with Ruby and Sapphire. It also proved that what once was thought to be a fad was more popular than ever. Pokemon is never going away.

#64. – Xenogears

Robots and religion are a tale as old as time. At least as far as anime is concerned. Oh, and Xenogears too. This game kind of came out of nowhere. Squaresoft already had the popular Final Fantasy series, but in this time they were branching out with original games. Xenogears is one of them, and it has one of the most loyal fanbases of any game from this era. It’s unfortunate that the series basically died out. Sure, we got Xenosaga. It’s just not the same.

One thing that probably didn’t help out Xenogears is its graphics. I like the way it looked, but 3D was hot at the time. The game uses polygons for its scenery and during some of the enemy encounters. Characters are sprite based however. The story is compelling and deep. Much moreso than in your standard RPG. It has mature themes without coming off as tryhard or overly edgy. The combat system introduces some twists on the classic turn based format. All actions in battle cost AP points. There’s also a cool combo system that allows you to push massive damage on your foes. There are even battles which take place in mecha robots called ‘gears.’ These too are a lot of fun, and offer some much needed changes to pacing. It’s a real shame about the game basically being incomplete. The second half is laughably low budget.

#63. – Shining Force

The original Shining Force is held to such high degree by Sega fans that it would be blasphemous to leave it off this list. Thankfully, I’m one of those people that love it. This was one of the early grid based strategy RPGs. At least it was one of the first ones released in the West. Shining Force went on to spawn an entire series. Unfortunately Sega has all but forgotten about it now. What’s the deal? Are they just going to sit on their classic franchises forever and do nothing with them? Does a guy have to beg?

As I’ve mentioned this is a turn based tactics-esque strategy RPG. You command an aptly named group of warriors called the shining force in their quest to thwart the dark dragon from resurrecting. He will surely destroy the land, and all those who live in it. Through most of the game you will be moving your individual characters across grid based battlefields. Enemies litter the terrain, and they fight back. I really like the brief attack animations which show both characters as they interact. The characters that join mostly fit in generic classes that determine their abilities. There are however a few unique ones. Shaping your party is where most of the strategy comes in to play. You have quite a few characters to choose from, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I still regularly play Shining Force. It remains a classic.

#62. – Final Fantasy Legend III

SaGa hit is pinnacle with the third game on Game Boy. That’s Final Fantasy Legend III to you and me. Square was still determined to keep the Final Fantasy moniker for the West at this point. Sadly, this was the last SaGa game that was localized for quite some time. We didn’t see another one until Saga Frontier came out on the Sony PlayStation, and frankly, that one just isn’t as good. Final Fantasy Legend III pushed the Game Boy hardware by offering a long quest (much heftier than the previous iterations) complete with a decent plot, and some new gameplay elements. This one truly felt like it could have been released on the Super Nintendo.

For the first time in the franchise the player cannot create a party. Characters have names, roles in the story, and even personalities. As shallow as they may be. You can however mutate them by eating meat or using machinery parts left by the enemies. I prefer to just keep everyone as is though. The game takes place in three distinct time periods. Yes, time travel in RPGs was a thing before Chrono Trigger. The battle system is standard fare for the franchise, but I’m happy to report that this time weapons do not break. Good, that mechanic was annoying. If you’re looking for the best SaGa game in the franchise then this is it. At least right now. My opinions change constantly.

#61. – Dragon Quest Monsters

Okay, so I messed up the title. This was actually released as Dragon Warrior Monsters in the West. For continuity sake I’m going to call it by it’s Japanese name. That’s how the series is known as now. Dragon Quest Monsters took Japan’s most popular franchise, and combined it with the basic premise behind Pokemon. It’s monster collecting. That’s right, this is a Pokemon clone. I can’t think of any other franchise to do the mechanic better justice though. Dragon Quest has so many iconic monsters that it’s a perfect fit.

Dragon Quest Monster stars the character Terry. You know, the white haired guy from part VI. Here he’s just a child. The story begins with his little sister being kidnapped. She’s swept away to another world by a monster. Terry follows them to the world of Great Tree. Here is informed that if he can win the Starry Night Tournament he will be granted one wish. The twist is that it’s a monster trainer tournament. Terry must now recruit, train, and raise a team of monsters to ultimately win his sister back. This is a great twist on the classic Dragon Quest plot, but it is rather simple. Despite now using monsters to fight the battle system is remarkably true to the series. The only thing I didn’t like is that the dungeons are randomly generated. Despite this Dragon Quest Monsters is a worthwhile catch em all adventure.

#60. – Tales of Destiny

Call it nostalgia, but I have always had a soft spot for Tales of Destiny. This was the first game localized in the series, and the first follow up to Phantasia. At the time I was mesmerized by the 2D graphics. Most developers had moved on to full polygons. Tales of Destiny stubbornly stuck with sprites. That’s probably why this one holds up better than the majority of RPGs from this era. Tales of Destiny still looks, and plays remarkably well.

When I said it’s fully 2D that wasn’t entirely accurate. The world map uses polygons. I’ll give it a pass though. Tales of Destiny’s plot centers around magical swords with the ability to speak. These are called Swordians, and our hero Stahn’s adventure begins as he finds one. From here the plot grows into a struggle to save the world. The battle system is very similar to that of Tales of Phantasia. This one is just prettier, and has some good quality of life changes driving it. You can move freely on a 2D plane, and attack at will. Many critics at the time compared this to Street Fighter II. It’s not like that. Tales of Destiny is its own thing, and it’s a great time.

#59. – Blue Dragon

While designing the Xbox 360 Microsoft realized that one genre that was sorely lacking on their previous console was the Japanese style RPG. That’s why for their next console they partnered with new developer Mistwalker (run by the guy who created Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi) to turn out an exclusive big budget JRPG all their own. This was Blue Dragon, and it was one of the first truly great role playing games of the HD generation.

Blue Dragon has the foundation of a classic RPG, but with some interesting twists. It’s turn based, and you encounter enemies as they approach on the field. You can see them before battle which is really nice. The twist here comes in the form of shadows. These are powerful beings that take on the form of animals and increase each character’s innate abilities. They’re a constant in battle so you better get used to them. What’s really interesting is that this game uses a derivative of the classic Final Fantasy job system. It’s not quite as good as in Final Fantasy V, but I really liked exploring the options. Blue Dragon is absolutely worth giving a try. Plus, it’s available for download on the new series of Xbox consoles thanks to backwards compatibility.

#58. – Phantasy Star

Back when Sega was a major player in the console industry they did their own thing. For the most part. They also watched what was popular, and made their own version. That’s how Sonic the Hedgehog came to be. It’s also the origin story of Phantasy Star. With Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy catching on in Japan Sega needed a role playing game of their own to help bolster sales of the ailing Master System console. Phantasy Star was what their developer, Yuji Naka, came up with. It mixed the standard Japanese RPG formula with a science fiction fantasy setting. The end results speak for themselves.

Phantasy Star is incredible. I don’t care what anyone says. The mix of fantasy and science fiction is masterfully done here. The graphics are very impressive by 8-bit standards. The enemies animate in battle, and it still looks good. Phantasy Star uses 3D first person perspective dungeons. Movement through these looks amazing and is really smooth. The problem is they’re mazes, and there’s no built in map. It’s far too easy to get lost inside of these. What’s more is that enemy encounters are random, and the battles can be tough. The game uses the classic turn based combat we all know and love, but the enemies hit hard. There’s a lot of them too. There’s a barrier of entry here that probably excludes most newcomers to the genre. If you are ready for a tough, but ultimately rewarding time, then Phantasy Star has your number.

#57. – Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

There was massive disappointment in the Dragon Quest community when this one was announced. Everyone expected the sequel to the eighth installment to have the same graphic fidelity. This dream was crushed when Dragon Quest IX was announced for the Nintendo DS. Back then Square-Enix had a habit of putting out mainline sequels on the best selling hardware. The plain old DS was absolutely crushing the competition. Makes sense, right? First it was announced as a multiplayer centric action RPG, but thankfully the developers ditched that idea. What we got was a simplified, and in many ways, better Dragon Quest game.

For once in the series we got the chance to design our own character. After making your selections you’re cast out into this massive story playing the role of an angel-like Celestian who act as the protectors of the real world. Through a series of events the protagonist becomes mortal, and sets out to find a way back to the world above. Of course there’s also the little matter of saving the world, but that’s old news. Dragon Quest IX adopts the classic job system, and you can create your own party of characters. With so many options the game opens itself up to a ton of strategy. What’s also nice is that every piece of equipment you throw on them changes their appearance. How cool is that? It was a back to basics game, but when the foundations are this strong you know you’re in for a good time.

#56. – Final Fantasy III

No, I’m not talking about Final Fantasy VI here. This is the third installment of the franchise, and came out on the Japanese Famicom console. It’s another of those classic RPGs that were not localized at the time, but we have since had several remakes to. Final Fantasy III basically created the modern job system as we know it in the franchise. With so many different options the only limitation to your strategies was your own imagination. It also has a charming and memorable story teo tell. It ditched the character focused plot introduced in the second game, but after playing that one it’s probably for the better.

You should know going in that Final Fantasy III is tough as nails. It’s one of the most difficult 8-bit RPGs ever released. That’s really saying something. While the job system is intuitive and provides a nice lot of commands to use you’re up against crazy odds. Enemies hit hard, and there are a lot of them. Boss characters are even more tough and you may find yourself needing to grind levels to persevere. The final dungeon, for example, is absolutely wild. You have to fight multiple boss characters, trudge through a super long dungeon, and all without being able to rest or save your game. It takes some real determination to make it through. I love the game, and I’m always up for a challenge, but this might be too much.

#55. – Lost Odyssey

This, along with Blue Dragon, were born from a deal publishing deal Microsoft wrote up with developer Mistwalker. The basic design came from Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of Final Fantasy, so you know it’s going to be good. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Lost Odyssey is what modern Final Fantasy should be. It never hit the same level of success, but this one did manage to find an audience. It’s a shame that there were no sequels.

Lost Odyssey is a story of mortals and immortals in constant battle with one another. You play as a thousand year old warrior named Kaim. He doesn’t really know it because his memory keeps getting wiped. What he does know is that he cannot die. He, along with other immortals and mortals alike, join forces to save the world. It’s pretty basic stuff, but the twist is pretty interesting. Combat is traditional just how we like it. It’s turn based, but with a few twists. For one thing whenever you attack foes with a weapon there’s a ring mechanic in place to determine how much damage you do. With a button press at just the right time you can maximize this. Another interesting mechanic is that immortal characters are revived after a few turns. Unless the party is wiped out of course. This one is linear, but it’s amazing.

#54. – Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Any video game that the premier anime house, Studio Ghibli, attaches their name to has to be something special. Ni No Kuni is precisely that. It was developed by Level-5, and uses original animations and character designs from the aforementioned film company. Originally the title was released only on the Nintendo DS. When this underperformed Level-5 made a console version for the Sony PlayStation 3. It was a cold drink in an RPG desert. It absolutely stands out on the console’s library.

Ni No Kuni follows the story of a young boy named Oliver. He lives a carefree life in the quiet town of Motorville. He lives alone with his caring mother, but tragedy strikes as she suddenly passes away. From here Oliver encounters a weird creature named Mr. Drippy who entices him to enter a mirror world in the hopes of saving his mom. It’s a heartfelt story, and I felt really connected to the characters and themes. Combat is a little strange. Oliver rarely fights monsters on his own. Instead he sends out little creatures called familiars to take on monsters. You can collect and grow numerous of these tiny guys. In this sense it feels vaguely similar to Pokemon. Oh and the graphics are downright gorgeous. This might be the best looking game on PS3. It’s also one of its best RPGs.

#53. – Dragon Quest Monsters II

Oh hey, another Dragon Quest Monsters game. Yep, the spin-off was a success in Japan at least. For the first time in the series Enix included two different versions of the same game. They had different protagonists; one a boy and the other a girl. Hey, good on them for being inclusive. The gameplay and story are pretty much the same thing. Just with the different characters experiencing it. If you own one version you don’t really need to have the other. This isn’t like Pokemon after all. Well it is, but not in that way.

Dragon Quest Monsters II plays in a similar fashion to the original. It’s a gotta catch ’em all turn based role playing game. Story is more of a central focus here. As either Cobi or Tara you move to a new island with the character’s family. Unfortunately there’s a problem. This land mass is sinking. It’s up to the two children, along with the help of a large cast of monsters, to travel to various worlds to gather keys that will ultimately save it. Combat is traditional turn based Dragon Quest fare. This time you use monsters though. They can be recruited and bred, and it includes most of the baddies from previous Dragon Quest installments. It’s like Pokemon but for hardcore Dragon Quest fans.

#52. – Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest

I know. This one is a beginner’s RPG. That’s not just my opinion. That’s what the developers said. It was made with the North American market in mind, and they assumed none of us understood RPGs. This was meant to be a teaching tool to grow the market overseas. I played it at the time of release and absolutely fell in love with the game. Combat is simple, and without a lot of options. That doesn’t stop it from being a load of fun though.

Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is one of the most rigidly structured RPGs on this list. It lacks a traditional world map. Instead you select your destination along pre-determined paths. This gives you access to towns and dungeons, as well as battlefields used to grind battles. Combat is fun. It’s all turn based, and you can have up to only two characters in your party. The main character can equip a variety of different weapons, learn magic spells, and use items. Pretty basic stuff. What sets this game apart from the pack is its dungeons. They are absolutely amazing in design, and a real joy to explore. You can use your weapons outside of battle, and even jump. You’ll need these two skills to solve a variety of light puzzles. Monsters are seen outside of battle, but they’re stationary, and sometimes impossible to avoid. Mystic Quest is simple but totally fun.

#51. – Seiken Densetsu 3

If you’ve been reading up to this point then you know that Squaresoft had a bad habit of leaving some of their best games in Japan. Or maybe you already knew that. Regardless, Seiken Densetsu is the third release in the ‘mana’ series and it was the first one not localized. This is likely because of its huge size. The game uses one of the largest cartridges of any SNES game. Furthermore it has a novel’s worth of dialogue. That would be quite a big job for any translator. I don’t blame Squaresoft especially when the RPG market wasn’t big in the West. It doesn’t mean I’m not still mad about it though.

You start things off in Seiken Densetsu 3 by choosing a character. Yes, it has multiple scenarios. In all there are six and their stories differ quite a bit. Gameplay is pure action RPG. It uses the same mechanics that Secret of Mana did. You run around slashing your weapon at foes which causes damage numbers to splash out of them, and by waiting a few seconds a meter charges making the next strike more powerful. This adds a lot of strategy in to the mix because simply mashing the attack button is ineffective. Thankfully Square-Enix eventually righted their wrongs, and translated the game for release in the Collection of Mana release on the Nintendo Switch. They even made a remake. Both are good so now there’s no excuse not to play it.

#50. – Legend of the Dragoon

Here’s another one that gets a lot of hate. Legend of the Dragoon came out in the golden age of RPGs. In many ways it felt like a ‘me too’ game. It had high production values, lots of full motion video, and traditional turn based combat. This was Sony’s in-house version of the AAA RPG. Unfortunately they botched the localization, and this one takes a lot of heat for it. The dialogue is wooden and stale. They did a bad job with it. The rest of the game though? It’s pure role playing bliss.

Legend of the Dragoon has a sprawling story rife with full motion video that’s even voiced. The animation quality is incredible. It’s better than what Final Fantasy was doing at the time. The gameplay is also quite good. You encounter enemies in random encounters, are whisked away to a separate 3D battlefield, and take turns inputting commands. There are two things that really set this one apart. First of all is the timed attacks. With button presses at just the right moment your character’s attacks will be much stronger. Sometimes multiple strikes are strung together so you have to pay close attention. The real gimmick here is the dragoon transformations. Once a character gets a specific amount of SP they can change into a flying dragon knight that has devastating and flashy attacks. It’s one heck of a hook, and one I still love to this day.

#49. – Valkyrie Profile

Enix wasn’t a big publisher outside of Japan in the 32-bit era. They threw miniscule budgets into their advertising, and their games didn’t fly off the shelves. Valkyrie Profile sure didn’t. That’s in spite of it being one of the best PS1 RPGs of all time. It’s also one of the most unique and creative ones too. It’s a shame that more people haven’t played Valkyrie Profile. Had they this would be a million selling franchise by now. Unfortunately it’s pretty much dead these days.

Valkyrie Profile isn’t like your standard RPG from the genre. Heck, it’s unlike those from other ones too. It plays kind of like a side scrolling platformer. It’s combat is turn based however, and battles start once you touch a foe. Here you use souls that you have recruited. See, the main character Lenneth is a Valkyrie. Her job is to recruit souls to her cause. They do her bidding in combat. The battle system is amazing. Characters and skills are set to specific buttons, and it’s a joy to figure out what works best and then watch it in action. This game is seriously underrated. It deserves better, so let’s do right by the genre and play it more.

#48. – Grandia II

This was the big RPG on the Sega Dreamcast. For a time. Skies of Arcadia came out and stole the limelight. Grandia II is still good, but as a sequel, it pales in comparison to the original. The graphics have been significantly upgraded. This is one of the cleanest looking games on the Sega Dreamcast. Thankfully this one was localized by Ubisoft instead of Sony this time around. That means the writing and spoken dialogue is significantly better. It’s still laughable at times, but noticeably better nonetheless.

Grandia II moved the series to complete 3D. Before just exploration was in three dimensions. Now the battles are too. It means things flow more smoothly. That’s a major upgrade because the battle system is what matters, and it’s amazing here. The combat system is based on timing. You can see the order of character attacks. This includes both for your party and the enemies as well. By using specific commands you can cancel out opposing actions. This afford the player significant strategy. The Grandia battle system is one of the best of all time, and it’s implementation here is even better than in the original. Sure, the story isn’t great. It’s kind of generic with unlikable characters, but it’s serviceable. Grandia II is all about the combat system, and that delivers fun in spades.

#47. – Final Fantasy X-2

I’m all for girl power. Women are what make the girl go round. The sequel to Final Fantasy X understands this. With this game Square-Enix made the first ever direct sequel in the franchise. Spira had more stories to tell, and they decided to finally give their fans what they wanted. As I already mentioned there’s a healthy dose of girl power thrown in. That’s definitely not a bad thing. Let’s talk more about Final Fantasy X-2, and why it’s one of the best RPGs ever made.

This game picks up a few years following the conclusion of Final Fantasy X. Tidus is gone, but Yuna has never given up the search. Oh, and she’s a pop star now. At least when she uses the right dress sphere. The game follows the story of Yuna, Rikku and newcomer Paine. Collectively they make up Y.R.P. They’re members of the Gull Wings group of sphere hunters. Collecting spheres during the eternal calm is their purpose, but saving the world is their game. Final Fantasy X-2 brings back the ATB mechanics as well as the job system from classic FF. By using dresspheres your party members get different attributes. Honestly it’s my favorite version of the classic job system. Combat is fast, polished, and you’re allowed a lot of customization options here. In my opinion this one is even better than its predecessor thanks to this.

#46. – Shadow Hearts: Covenant

This is the second game in the Shadow Hearts series. Third if you count Koudelka. I don’t, and you shouldn’t. That game was bad. That said, the first Shadow Hearts was an enjoyable but ultimately limited role playing game. It was at least interesting. Covenant builds on that foundation in some meaningful ways. It’s a dark and brooding role playing game. The kind that all the cool kids played, at least the emo ones. It is full of various horror elements, dark graphics, and mature themes. Even though I’m not a teenager anymore I still like this one quite a big deal despite not trying to impress anyone. That’s a testament to Covenant’s quality.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a really interesting RPG. The battle system is turn based like we’ve come to expect from most entries in this list. It’s pretty standard in this sense. Who goes first is determined by the character’s speed attribute. What sets this one apart is the judgement ring. This determines how much damage is dealt with each attack. You have to press the action button at just the right time. Besides that the story is surprisingly interesting. The game takes place in an alternative version of the real world. A dark, brooding anime one that is. I was surprised with how much I enjoyed the story. The characters are largely throwaways, but the overarching plot is really interesting. Honestly this is one of the best PS2 RPGs you’ll find.

#45. – Sakura Taisen

We could all use more joy in our life. Let Sakura Taisen take you there. This RPG series from Sega has heart, and it’s sure to uplift even the most cynical of spirits. The biggest problem is we never saw it in the West. Even publisher Working Designs tried to get the rights to this one. Sega was a steel trap. It’s a shame because the Sega Saturn could have used more RPGs. In Japan the series was a hit success. It could have been a similar story in the West. This would have been the perfect one to bring over. What the heck, Sega?

Sakura Taisen takes place in an alternate version of history. It’s 1923 in Japan. Steam energy is the primary source of power in the country. The various cities are in trouble however because otherworldly demons threaten the peace. You play as Ichiro Ogami. He’s a member of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He is given an odd job of managing the Flower Division. This is a group of women who pose as theater actors by day, but at night they board giant mecha robots to do battle against the aforementioned demons. The turn based strategy RPG gameplay works really well. What I really liked though is how you build relationships with the other characters. Through plot progression you make decisions that affect how the other crew members feel about Ichiro. This is very charming. Sakura Taisen is an amazing strategy RPG.

#44. – Fire Emblem; Seisen no Keifu

I’m not about to leave Fire Emblem off of this list. I mean come on, these are the top 100 best RPGs of all time after all. This was one of the big name tactics series in Japan. It began on the Famicom, but really took off on the SNES. Unfortunately, at the time Nintendo didn’t think the West would be interested in the series. Fire Emblem was doomed to be a Japan only affair until the Game Boy Advance hit the scene later. It’s a shame because I feel like these games give Shining Force a run for their money. Plus, the genre was underrepresented on the Super Nintendo. I feel like they were leaving money on the table with these decisions.

Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu is a pretty traditional tactics based strategy RPG. On the surface at least. You guide various units across an overhead grid based map, and take turns attacking foes. There are however a few things that make this game stand out. First of all it’s difficult. There are few other strategy RPGs that offer this level of challenge. Characters can permanently die in battle. That’s daunting at first, but it really switches up how you play. The story is also surprisingly good. Yes, there’s a lot of dialogue to wade through, but if you’re following a translation then you’re in for a treat. Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu is also really easy on the eyes. If you’re hungry for a good tactics title then this should be on your list.

#43. – Pokemon: Platinum Version

We all had big hopes that for its first Nintendo DS game Pokemon would have 3D graphics. We were overdue for a fully polygonal adventure where we could catch them all. The Gamecube games don’t count. The wish was granted. Sort of. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl featured three dimensional backgrounds, but with sprite based characters and the classic overhead view. Furthermore, the Pokemon were all 2D. It was a big time bummer. Regardless we got everything else we wanted. New pokemon, additional evolutions, and rebalancing. The games were just as fun as the previous ones if not better.

Pokemon Platinum was the fabled third version of the gemstone generation. It fixed a lot of the problems of the main releases. For one thing the battle speed was fixed. The previous titles moved at a snail’s pace in battle. This one ran through encounters. It also had a better mix of Pokemon to encounter, and you ran into many of the more useful critters earlier on. Other things were added such as post-game content, and some story elements changed. It all added up to the best version of the fourth generation of Pokemon titles. It was also backwards compatible for trading and fighting. You can skip Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and go straight to Platinum. You won’t regret it.

#42. – Breath of Fire

I have a really hard time understand why this game is so frequently trashed on. Breath of Fire was Capcom’s attempt to break into the growing RPG market. It was even published by Squaresoft of all companies. The series has its fans, but this first iteration is often forgotten. That’s a shame because it’s easily among the best ones. It has that classic turn based combat, excellent dungeon designs, and the soundtrack absolutely slaps. It’s Capcom after all. What did you expect?

Story takes the backseat in Breath of Fire. It’s there, but mostly in the background. You play as a blue haired descendant of light dragons named Ryu. You can of course rename him, but I prefer going with the default. After his village is burned down our hero is sent out into the world and sister is kidnapped Ryu sets out to get revenge. It’s a very basic plot, and that translation is rough. It’s so bad that I can see why people struggle getting interested in the narrative. That’s okay because the battle system is what counts. It’s your typical turn based fare with a party of up to four fighters. Ryu is a unique protagonist in that his innate ability allows him to transform into a variety of different dragons. This is only temporary, but his powers are dramatically increased while in this mode. It’s a fantastic game.

#41. – Phantasy Star Online

Phantasy Star Online was a realization of what online gaming could be on console. Its release was bittersweet. On one hand Sega delivered us an awesome and addictive role playing experience. The Dreamcast was kind of hard up for those. Unfortunately it also showed us that they had no interest in making a traditional Phantasy Star game. This was what the series had become. Take it or leave it. What’s more is that the online was free. There was no additional charge to use the Phantasy Star Online servers. Of course you had to deal with dial up connection and the inability to use your landline. Honestly, no one cared at the time.

Phantasy Star Online begins by allowing you to create a character. The game takes place in the same universe as the other games. This means that the character designs, and even the weapons/spells/items they use will be familiar to fans of the franchise. After selecting a class, body type, color and name you’re off to the races. The game is fully 3D, and is firmly rooted in the action RPG genre. You and your foes move and attack in real-time. Also, there’s no pause button. That would have ruined the online experience. You can opt to go solo for offline play, but where’s the fun in that? While online you can team up with three other human players and fight through four different stages each with different sections. That may seem limited, but it never really got old. Phantasy Star Online was, and still is, one of the Dreamcast greats.

#40. – Suikoden

The first Suikoden was an interesting game for several reasons. First of all it was made by Konami. They were never historically well known for their role playing games. Secondly it was mostly two dimensional. Exploration on the world map, and in towns/dungeons gave us nothing but sprite based graphics. Random encounters whisked gamers away to a separate screen with a 3D battlefield, but the characters were once again pixels. It wasn’t that impressive visually. It did however move fast, and that’s what matters. Combat was an absolute joy and with 108 different characters to recruit you were never short on options to play with.

It also differs from your standard RPG in that the plot focuses on political themes. It’s still fantasy based with monsters, dragons, elves, etc. The politics however take the central focus at several points, and it’s a really intriguing plot. Here you play as the son of a great general in the Scarlet Moon Empire. The kingdom is conspiring against this character, named Tir, because his friend has within him a great power known as the Soul Eater. Everyone turns on Tir and friends who are soon drawn into a plot to save the Scarlet Moon Empire from destruction at their own hands. As I mentioned earlier there are over one hundred characters that can join your plot, and multiple forms of battle including duels and army skirmishes. Suikoden is a little short clocking in at around twenty hours, but in this case it works in the game’s favor.

#39. – Breath of Fire II

Ahh yes, another one. Breath of Fire II was the follow up to Capcom’s foray into the role playing genre, and it fixed several of the issues from which the original suffered. Namely, the translation is better. It’s not good, but Capcom’s North American division was able to do better Squaresoft had done. The game also has more of a focus on the plot and characters. Some of them even have personality this time around. It’s the little things in life that bring me joy. Breath of Fire II had a little more publicity than the original, but it’s still somewhat of a hidden gem.

The game’s story revolves around a different version of the protagonist Ryu. He still has the same blue hair, and ability to transform into dragons. It’s a different guy though. Trust me. The plot kicks off in a peaceful little village that has a sleeping dragon behind it. Through a series of events Ryu and his sister awaken it. She disappears, and no one in the village remembers who Ryu even is. Poor kid. We then get a time skip with Ryu working as a mercenary who gets swept up into a typical save the world plot. The battle system is still a little on the simple side, but there are more options now and a bigger cast of characters. Battles are once again turn based, and move at a perfect fast pace. Oh and Ryu can still transform into a dragon to wreak havoc on enemies. Yes, it’s awesome.

#38. – Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals

Never heard of Lufia? Yeah, I’m not surprised. This was a pretty low key series on the Super Nintendo. It’s not surprising that Lufia as a series has been largely discontinued. I’ll start off by saying that I’m not a big fan of the original game. The first Lufia was clunky, awkward, and had some really bad dungeon designs. The story was also uninteresting due to a stale translation. Lufia II fixes these issues. It also did its own thing to a certain degree.

What’s really interesting is the fact that this is a prequel. The story takes place before the original, and the final moments in this game were detailed in the prologue of the first. This doesn’t take away from the ending. It adds to it. Lufia II has one of the most in depth combat engines of any 16-bit RPG. It’s turn based, but the options you have are staggering. It’s worth it to explore each and ever spell/special move because some of them have really helpful effects. You can even recruit monsters to your side. This predates Pokemon and so the feature is very interesting. It’s really the dungeons though that make Lufia II special. They are full of puzzles, and in this sense, the game reminded me of the Legend of Zelda. The designs are amazing, and the way you use tools is really neat. Lufia II is great.

#37. – Dragon Quest VI

Part five may have been the first game in the series released on the Super Famicom, but it’s follow up really showed us what they could do with the hardware. Gone are the NES pro styled graphics. Now we had lush sprites and significant amounts of background animations. The game looks amazing. It also plays really well. Dragon Quest VI uses all of the old series conventions. Strict turn based combat, experience points for level progression, and random encounters. It also brought back the job system which was neat because each character was specific to the story. This sequel blew me away with all it has to offer.

Unfortunately the story takes a back seat once again. The narrative simply isn’t as compelling here as it was in Dragon Quest V. Instead this one mostly relies on short vignettes to keep the player’s interest. The overarching plot is pretty decent as well. It’s just not Dragon Quest V good. There’s also no generation system. The gimmick here is that there are two versions of the world. One is of light, and the other dark. Making changes to one affects the other, and this is used in many situations to push the plot forward. It’s neat, and the execution is really good. Also, we’re back to four party members at a time. That’s always a good thing. Dragon Quest VI is easily one of the best installments in the franchise.

#36. – Shining Force II

Sega knocked it out of the park with the first sequel in this series. Not only did they put some serious effort into upgrading the graphics, but even the soundtrack is amazing. The game pushes out sounds I didn’t think the Sega Genesis was capable of. Bravo. This one also brings with it a lot of gameplay upgrades. It may use the same grid battle system, and turn based mechanics, but with everything they’ve added it’s a whole new ball game.

Shining Force II’s story is only vaguely similar to that of the first game. You play as a kid who gets swept into a plot to stop an ancient being from destroying the world. This is done by gathering members of the shining force to do battle alongside him. The characters in this one are incredible. While many stick to generic classes there are so many unique fighters that join your team it’s a ton of fun to experiment with your party lineup. Furthermore this game introduced branching promotions. Many characters now had multiple new classes that they could become. This includes things like monks, pegasus knights, barons and more. I absolutely love the level of control this mechanic gives you over your party. Shining Force II is how a good sequel should be done. It added more of everything, and refines the experience.

#35. – Final Fantasy IX

It’s interesting to note that Final Fantasy IX wasn’t even originally intended to be a Final Fantasy game. The project began as something else entirely, and was eventually changed around. This one is basically a celebration of all things Final Fantasy. It ditched the neo futuristic and mechanical styles of both VII and VIII, and went with something more deeply entrenched in medieval fantasy. Oh and there are a lot of steampunk elements. As one of the last really good Final Fantasy games this one is kind of bittersweet for me.

Final Fantasy IX is classic Final Fantasy, but in 3D. What more could a guy ask for? The plot follows a playful rogue named Zidane who, after kidnapping the willing princess of Alexandria, gets dragged into a plot to save the world. Oh and did I mention the world is covered in evil mist? This is what spawns the monsters terrorizing the land. Final Fantasy IX uses the classic turn based ATB system, and allows you to bring up to four characters in your party at once. The production levels are off the charts for a PS1 title. The graphics and soundtrack are top notch. My only complaint is the battles tend to move a bit slow. It’s forgivable because the rest of the game is incredible.

#34. – Sakura Taisen II

Can’t get enough of the Flower Division? Well you’re in luck because Sega made a sequel. They actually made several of them, but right now we’re just talking about the second one. Sakura Taisen II was one of the most popular releases on the Sega Saturn in Japan. Unfortunately Sega left this one there. It’s part visual novel and part strategy RPG. In the West anime was just starting to find its audience. Regardless we can finally play it now thanks to the good work of amateur translators. Thank goodness because this one is excellent.

Sakura Taisen II is a direct sequel. It continues the story some time after the original ended. Protagonist Ichiro Ogami returns, and he is once again commanded to take charge of the Flower Division. The entire game takes place in an alternative version of Japan in the early 19th century. It is a world where steam engines power machinery, and the threat of demon invasions loom. By day Ichiro manages a theater troup run by the Flower Division. This is just their day job though. Whenever the need rises they board mecha robots to fight off demons. Cool, right? This sequel refines combat in some pretty good ways. The story is also improved, and befriending the members of the Flower Division is surprisingly fun. If you don’t mind it’s anime trappings go ahead and give Sakura Taisen II a shot. You should play the original first though.

#33. – Illusion of Gaia

I remember hearing about this game when I saw it running on a kiosk in a store. Remember those? It looked amazing, and I had to get it. So I did. This was the second game in the unofficial Soul Blazer trilogy of action RPGs, and is the strangest one. How Enix snuck this one past Nintendo’s censorship board is beyond me. It deals with issues like religion and reincarnation. Nintendo wasn’t particularly fond of real world ideologies in games released for their system at the time. Good on Enix I suppose.

Illusion of Gaia is a real-time action RPG. You play as a young man named Will with innate psychic abilities. He can move objects with his mind. The weird part is he uses a flute as a weapon. This can also be played, but only if he knows songs acquired throughout the adventure. Ocarina of Time, eat your heart out. The game is very puzzle oriented. The dungeons are like labyrinths. They are extremely well designed to the point that exploration is a lot of fun. Combat is too, but mostly because of the twist. In specific sections of the game Will can transform into two different forms. One is a knight with a longsword named Freedian, and the other is a blob named Shadow that can melt into the floor. The game is rewarding to play, and a ton of fun from start to finish.

#32. – Dragon Quest VII

This release marked the series return to the West, at least in regards to the mainline entries. We had been playing Dragon Warrior Monsters for years before this one came out. Regardless it’s also the first installment released on CD format. Enix squeezed every last bit of storage space out of both discs. How do I know? Because Dragon Quest VII is one of the longest RPGs of all time. You can expect to spend around one hundred hours on this game if you intend on completing it. That’s not even counting all of the bonus stuff. That’s quite the undertaking. Thankfully more streamlined versions that are shorter have been released on more modern consoles. That’s in case you have a job, family, hobbies and don’t want to just spend all your time playing this one.

Dragon Quest VII stars an unassuming hero that lives with his friends and family on an island. It’s actually the only island. The rest of them sank into the sea a long time ago. The quest involves going back through time, and saving these landmasses along with the people that live there. It’s a really interesting plot, and unconventional for a Dragon Quest game at the time. The game uses sprite based characters with 3D backgrounds. The action is displayed from an isometric perspective but you can rotate the camera completely around. Battles are classic Dragon Quest fare. The job system returns, and offers a pretty high degree of customization here. You’ll need to mess around with it because this game sure isn’t easy. Dragon Quest VII is amazing. If you have the time to put into it, that is.

#31. – Sweet Home

Sweet Home is not your typical RPG. It’s far from it. This Japanese only Famicom release is often cited as one of the first survival horror games. There’s a reason they didn’t bring this one over to the West. It’s dark, bloody, and pretty darn twisted. That sounds like my type of game! Many of the conventions used here such as door opening animations and item conservation would later go on to become mainstays in the Resident Evil series. Sweet Home might be pixelated, but it is incredible moody and atmospheric. The perfect kind of game to play around Halloween.

I’ve talked a lot about the survival horror mechanics up to this point, but I assure you Sweet Home is a role playing game. You guide several characters throughout the haunted Mamiya Mansion doing battle against otherworldly foes via turn based combat. The battle sequences look like what you would see in a Dragon Quest game, but obviously more dark and twisted. When characters die they perish forever. This is unfortunate because each of them has a skill used to solve the game’s puzzles. Basically your goal here is to photograph a series of paintings, and eventually defeat the lady of the house. It’s not an easy task though. Sweet Home is unique, unsettling, and quite fun. Thanks to a handy fan translation English speakers can enjoy it too.

#30. – Terranigma

Terranigma was the final release in the Soul Blazer trilogy. It’s also the only one that wasn’t released in North America. Enix had already closed down it’s US publishing branch by then. Luckily there’s a PAL version, and it’s in English. No one has to miss out. For their last Super Nintendo game developer Quintet went all out. The game looks absolutely amazing. Terranigma is one of the best looking action RPGs on the platform. There are a bunch of little touches I can appreciate too. The interface for example, is really fun and intuitive.

But how does it play? Really well, actually. Terranigma is a real-time action RPG wherein you play as a young man named Ark who is tasked with restoring the world. As you do so more areas open up to explore, and with them comes more characters to push the plot forward. As is typical with this developer the dungeons are expertly designed. They’re pretty much just mazes, but some of the puzzles are really fun to solve. Also, nothing is that difficult to figure out. This lets you focus on combat, and it has been upgraded pretty significantly from Illusion of Gaia. Enemies have more interesting attacks and patterns, and Ark has a handy little dash move that I used constantly throughout the adventure. Terranigma may have been a lost game, but you can do yourself a favor by fixing that and playing it.

#29. – Shining Force III: Scenario 1

Sega made an odd choice with Shining Force III. They made three different scenarios for it. Each of these could be considered their own game. The plots are intertwined, but you could enjoy them independently if you wanted. What’s more is you can even upload save data from a previous scenario which carries over items and levels, and even changes some events. Unfortunately Sega only localized the first scenario. It’s simply titled Shining Force III. While it’s a great game this is unfortunate because the others are so much better.

Each of the scenarios takes place in the same world, and around the same time as one another. The first one stars a young man named Symbios. As is typical for a Shining Force game the adventure has humble beginnings, but soon the fate of the entire world is at stake. Symbios has to fight back against the evil empire all the while gaining new allies for the shining force. This was the game that brought the series into 3D. It may use sprite based characters, but the battlefields and town areas are completely polygonal. You can even rotate the camera to get a better vantage point, or to reveal obscured areas. This game is really phenomenal. It’s truly one of the best strategy RPGs of all time. Shining Force III: Scenario 1 is only overshadowed by the two that followed it.

#28. – Phantasy Star IV

Let’s all shed a tear for Phantasy Star. After three successful installments Sega decided to finally pull the plug on the franchise as we knew it. Phantasy Star IV was intended to be the grand finale. Sega was pulling out all the stops, and using everything they had learned about the genre up to this point. It turned out to be one of the most ambitious role playing games released up to this point. Cartridge or not. Phantasy Star IV may mark the end of the series, but it does so with fireworks.

Phantasy Star IV is the final game in the timeline. One of my favorite aspects of the series is traveling to other planets. The sci-fi themes worked really well in the genre, and these are some of the best examples of it. Phantasy Star IV kicked it up a notch by having the most different space destinations of any game in the series. The plot involves, once again, the return of Dark Falz (I’m positive that’s actually supposed to be Dark Force. Silly Sega) and you play as a band of mercenaries set out to defeat him. Simple, right? The story is told through comic book style sequences, and it’s amazing. The battle system is traditional for the series with turn based combat, but you have so many options at your disposal it isn’t even funny. If you must play one Phantasy Star then let it be this one.

#27. – Lunar: The Silver Star Story Complete

The Lunar games didn’t reach the level of audience they deserved. They came out on the ill fated Sega CD, after all. Gamearts knew this, and remade both games for the more popular Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation. Thanks to publisher Working Designs we got both of them in the West, but only on the Sony PlayStation. Talk about betrayal. For this first game they not only significantly improved the graphics but also reworked the battle system and changed many of the story scenarios. It’s more accessible than the Sega CD version, but honestly I prefer the older version.

The game follows the exploits of a young man named Alex who dreams of becoming a Dragonmaster. His wishes are realized when an evil sorcerer named Ghaleon kidnaps his girl, and tries to destroy the world. It’s a charming plot with a lot of memorable characters, but the highlight is Working Design’s translation. Even if you hate it there’s no denying that it made the game stand out. The battle system is turn based, but has some interesting mechanisms in place. Namely I’m speaking of placement. Your characters have to actually run across the battlefield during their turn to strike enemies. They remain in place at the end of the turn. This is strategic in that many attacks cause splash damage. If your characters are bunched up they all get hurt. Silver Star Story Complete is one of the most charming and enjoyable RPGs on the PS1.

#26. – Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

There was a time when Mario didn’t mix with RPGs. With the multitude of Paper Mario games as well as the Mario & Luigi spin-off it’s hard to believe, right? The first time the plumber had a role playing game all his own it was this one. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was the combined effort of both Nintendo and Squaresoft. It was really strange at the time, but it worked exceptional well. Because it was based on such a popular franchise this game introduced many first timers to the genre.

The plot is weird, but I like it. While Mario is doing his typical save the princess from Bowser thing a giant sword crashes down on to the palace. This sends the three characters flying off in different directions, and scatters seven magical star fragments. Mario must rescue Princess Toadstool, and return the star pieces back to restore star road. If he doesn’t no more wishes will come true, and we can’t have that can we? Combat here is turn based, but with a focus on timed button presses. You get a party of up to three characters, and many of them were designed just for this game. What’s really interesting is exploration. The game uses an isometric view, and has a lot of platforming elements in it. This is also a rather dark take on the Mario franchise, and it’s amazing. Super Mario is a good all around game.

#25. – Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

The most modern Dragon Quest game is just about the best one in the franchise. I seriously didn’t expect that. Dragon Quest XI is really that good. For the first time Square-Enix released the game on all major platforms. Even the 3DS got a scaled down version, but that was only in Japan. Basically this game takes just about everything everyone wanted in the series up to this point and combines it all. You not only get a really charming and involved story, but also a large cast of characters. Best yet everyone has a really well done skill tree so the customization options are vast.

In this take on the classic Dragon Quest formula you play as a young adult living in a quiet mountainside village. As it turns out he’s the reincarnation of a legendary hero. This is known as the Luminary. Unfortunately the old legends have been twisted, and the nearby kingdom is convinced he’s a destroyer that will end the world. You can probably guess where things go from there. The plot, as I mentioned, is extremely well done. It’s the battle system that I really like though. Sure, not much has been changed, but it has been refined. You can see enemies on the field before encounters. Inside battle things are like in every other Dragon Quest game, but you have so many options to choose from. Also, the pacing is perfect. At the maximum settings you can finish most battles in less than a minute. The game is nearly perfect.

#24. – Shining Force III: Scenario 2

Here’s the second part of the Shining Force III trilogy, and it’s a doozy. The two games are heavily connected. These scenarios have the two parties frequently crossing paths, but their battles are all different. There are even some characters shared between the two. What’s nice is that if you have save data from scenario 1 you can upload it into this one when you start. This carries over experience points and levels that your previous characters earned. It also lets you unlock some characters that need you to have completed tasks in scenario 1 to join here. It’s an amazing concept I wish was used in more games.

This time the star of the show is a blonde haired youth named Medion. He’s the prince of the land, and while he’s not fond of current events he must put on a brave face. Like Symbios, Medion must gather his own shining force as he faces off against different enemies and battle scenarios. The first thing you’ll notice about this game is that the graphics have been upgraded. They added actual textures to the characters while in battle. It looks amazing. I can’t think of many Sega Saturn titles that look better or even as good. The battle scenarios and characters are more interesting than in the first release, but I would say the plot is a little less interesting. Shining Force III: Scenario 2 is a worthwhile strategy RPG.

#23. – Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean

What we have here is another one of those forgotten RPGs that Working Designs was kind enough to publish in North America. This one had the misfortune of releasing only on the Sega Saturn, and when the console was beginning to fail in the market. It’s one of the few role playing games we got on the platform. Gamers tend to dislike Working Designs when reminiscing, but I think their translations are hilarious. Albert Odyssey might be the most funny one of the bunch with puns, modern slang, and jokes aplenty.

Unfortunately the game had a lot working against it. First of all the graphics are rendered entirely in 2D. I couldn’t find a single polygon while I played. It looks better than what you would find on the Super Nintendo, but gamers expected Sega Saturn games to have more flash to them. Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean is also an extremely traditional experience. Battles are turn based, there is no job system, and very few characters join your cause during this quest. There’s almost no room for customization. I found the options to be really interesting though. You really have to get to know what everything does, and on which enemies these work best. The soundtrack is also incredible. Seriously, this game has some of the best video game music of all time. The story is charming, light, and very memorable. Give Albert Odyssey a chance.

#22. – Dragon Quest IV

For the longest while this was the last Dragon Quest game that was localized in North America. I remember renting it as a kid, and marveling at how much it pushed the franchise forward. It uses a chapter system to tell its story. Each of these stars a different group of characters, and some of them are really charming. Taloon’s scenario, for example, has you working to restore the merchant’s shop. That’s a neat idea especially for an 8-bit RPG.

In the end all of the characters meet together to fight off against the great evil plaguing the land. This should have been expected from the start. It’s Dragon Quest, after all. What makes this installment so strong is its characters. Their stories are kind of cliche, but how you use them in battle makes for some interesting scenarios. Alena, one of my favorites, is weaker than the others but constantly scores critical hits. Taloon is unique in that his merchant friends frequently join the battle to unleash various effects. It’s all really interesting. Plus, you can switch characters during the turn based combat. It costs a turn, but is extremely forward thinking. Dragon Quest IV is incredible start to finish. Don’t be like Taloon by sleeping on this one.

#21. – Final Fantasy V

This is often called the lost Final Fantasy game. It’s the only 16-bit installment that Squaresoft left in Japan, and was also one of the first major fan translations to be released. At the time the company apparently thought it would be too difficult for Western gamers. I’m offended. Or maybe the graphics too closely resembled the last installment and they were worried it wouldn’t sell. Regardless, the game has come out via official means in English several times now.

Final Fantasy V takes a step back from IV’s storytelling. It’s pretty clear right away that plot was not a focus of the developers. That’s okay because they were busy elsewhere. Final Fantasy V is based more closely on the third game. This means it brings back the job system. It is much more vast, and with several more options this time. Best yet you can mix and match abilities. Want a warrior that can cast white magic? That’s completely possible. How about a summoner that can use swords? That too is no problem. Some of the options are wacky, and it’s fun trying to make them work. This is the most difficult of the 16-bit titles, but that’s part of why it’s so good. If you don’t care about storytelling in your RPGs then it’s worth checking out.

#20. – Shining Force III: Scenario 3

Shining Force III’s grand finale is a game worth celebrating. There are few other strategy RPGs better than this one. I’m not kidding. Sega pulled out all of the stops for this release. Like its predecessor you can load save data from the previous games. It changes things even more significantly here. Maybe that’s because you have two games worth of choices changing things? That could be it. Regardless it’s the best realization of the mechanic I’ve seen in any video game past or present.

Shining Force III: Scenario 3 pits you as Julian. He’s the guy that joined both Symbios and Medion for short periods of time during their adventures. This is where the end goal of the plot comes in to focus with the main villain being revealed. Near the end all of the characters you’ve recruited from past scenarios join up. They even fight together as separate armies at the same time. This is where things get really interesting. The final battles are some of my favorite in any RPG because of this. Shining Force III: Scenario 3 also has the most interesting cast of characters with the most dynamic abilities. If you can play through the first two scenarios first then I wholeheartedly recommend this game. It’s a treasure.

#19. – Grandia

It’s fun to look back on the situation in which this game was originally released. You see, Grandia was initially meant to compete directly with Final Fantasy VII. It’s sales in Japan were quite good, but it fell far short of the competition. It was even worse in the West. This is what Gamearts was making instead of a new installment in the Lunar series. It’s obvious that the same developers were involved because Grandia has that same brand of classic charm. Unfortunately it was never localized on the Sega Saturn. We had to wait for the PS1 port before we got it in North America.

The first thing you should know about Grandia is that its charm does a lot of the heavy lifting. It’s a whimsical adventure full of colorful characters and fantastical locations. The one thing it does better than just about any other video game is its sense of adventure. You really feel like you’re going on a huge quest here. The adventurous feeling is wild. You can tell the writers really poured their heart into Grandia. Besides that the game also has one of the best combat systems in the genre. It’s based on timing wherein you can see how far out each character’s turn is based on their placement on a gauge. This allows you to cancel enemy attacks, or stall them just long enough if you play your cards right. The game is incredible. It’s undeniable.

#18. – Pokemon: Yellow Version

Ah, first generation Pokemon. There’s no other feeling like returning to these classic games on the Game Boy. It feels like returning home after being away for a long time. After Pokemon Red and Blue set the world on fire Nintendo followed it up with a third edition. It had better graphics, a different lineup of Pokemon (combining the rosters of the other versions) and some new story sequences. For the most part these involve Jesse and James of Team Rocket, and serve as a means to tie Pokemon Yellow in with the anime series. With all of these changes and additions this was the definitive version of the first generation.

It even has support for the Game Boy Color. That was a first for the series. The story is largely the same with you playing as a Pokemon training rising through the ranks as you catch, trade, and battle these nefarious creatures. Basically you have to travel across the world of Kanto and challenge the eight gym leaders to earn their badges. Once you’ve collected them all the elite 4, and finally the Pokemon champion can be challenged. The adventure is timeless. It’s just as fun as it always was. What made the games so special was the ability to trade and battle Pokemon with friends. At least that link cable was good for something!

#17. – Dragon Quest III

The third Dragon Quest game also just happens to be the best. Enix closed out the Loto/Alefgard trilogy with a prequel, and it was masterfully done. For one thing it’s not readily apparent that the events here precede the original game. Only after reaching the dark world is this obvious. That’s a fantastic storytelling mechanic, and all this in an 8-bit game. The developers really outdid themselves here.

Dragon Quest III begins innocently enough. It’s the main character’s birthday, and that means he can join the kingdom’s forces to fight off the evil fiend Baramos. This dastardly demon has been threatening the land for too long, and it’s your job to take him out. After setting out you recruit additional party members at the pub, of all places. What’s interesting is you can choose their names, and which class they fall under. It’s even possible to change their job later on in the story. The customization options are fantastic, and the turn based battle system is as fluid as ever. I especially like that day to night transitions and vice versa. At the time that seemed like a really advanced feature for the genre. Dragon Quest III is, in my opinion, the best game in the series.

#16. – Phantasy Star II

Sadly this is the last time you’ll see a Phantasy Star game on this list. It just means that this is the very best one. I’m not sure if I recommend it though. Why? Because the game is hard. Let me rephrase. Phantasy Star II will chew you up and spit you out while laughing at you for being so pathetic. Sega really upped the difficulty here with this sequel. It’s no wonder it originally shipped with a hint book. I’m sure gamers needed it back then. I couldn’t get through without a guide to follow. Embarrassing, I know.

Phantasy Star II begins one thousand years after Alis and friends saved the solar system. Things have calmed down since then. Now everything is run by a super computer named Mother Brain. Unfortunately not everything is as it seems, and our rag tag band of space warriors must unite to uncover her secrets. The plot is subtle, but very interesting. No other RPGs were trying anything like this back then. So kudos to Phantasy Star II. Battles are once again turn based, and you have a myriad of options at your disposal. The dungeons however are masochistic. There are so many dead ends, staircases to nowhere, and empty rooms that you’re going to go a little batty with this one. I know I did. After pushing through I ultimately fell in love with this game. Phantasy Star II is special. That is even despite its high difficulty.

#15. – Pokemon: Crystal Version

While the first generation of Pokemon titles are timeless and endearing the second one was one of the most insanely content filled video games I’ve ever played. It’s pure wizardry what the developers were able to squeeze in to such a tiny cartridge. This third version, released exclusively on the Game Boy Color, was even more impressive. Pokemon Crystal brought with it a mixed roster, an improved color mode, the ability to play as either a boy or girl, and even animations. The Pokemon actually move in battle for the first time. It might seem like something small now, but back then it was everything.

Sure, it’s the same old collect all of the badges and beat the strongest guys story of the original, but much has changed. The region Pokemon takes place in is Johto. Here you’ll find new Pokemon, new characters, and different locations. It’s a little small, but that’s forgivable. This generation also introduced different times of day. The cartridge had a battery that kept track of the real world time so it could be reflected in-game. That’s amazing. Probably the most impressive part of this game though is the fact that after completing the main quest you can return to Kanto to challenge all the previous Gym Leaders too. Yes, they crammed almost the entire first game in here. It’s a bit smaller, but impressive nonetheless. If you’re going to play a classic Pokemon title make sure it’s Crystal. You won’t regret it.

#14. – Lunar: The Silver Star

But wait, didn’t we already talk about Lunar: The Silver Star Story Complete? Yes, but that was a remake. Several mechanics were changed, and the story altered. In my opinion this Sega CD version is superior, and the best way to experience the original Dragonmaster story. This was one of the biggest releases for the niche add-on console. It featured animated sequences, voice overs, and a long quest. None of this would have been possible on a cartridge. Lunar: The Silver Star was a showcase of the technology. It also helps that it’s an amazing and incredible game.

Lunar follows the exploits of a young boy named Alex who has had a lifelong dream of becoming a Dragonmaster. His friend Ramus takes advantage of his thirst for adventure by talking him into joining him to find riches in a nearby dragon cave. Things go awry, and they get swept up in a grand quest with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. It’s charming, it’s memorable, and it’s endearing. This is Lunar. Like its remake the battle system is turn based, but based on positioning your characters in the right places. There are fewer battle options here, but they’re tighter and make more sense. If you want to play one of the most endearing RPGs of all time then by all means give Lunar a chance. Make sure you play it on the Sega CD.

#13. – Suikoden V

At this point I didn’t think the series could make a comeback. After the bad third installment, and the lukewarm fourth the franchise seemed doomed. For number five Konami went back to their roots. They did away with most of the gimmicks those less than stellar sequels relied on, and went back to the basics. Suikoden V feels more like a classic Suikoden game, and it’s all the more stronger for it. The fantastic graphics and gripping soundtrack also help.

The story is once again centered around political intrigue and fantasy elements. In this case you play as a prince as his kingdom is overthrown by nefarious politicians, and it’s up to him to restore order. Without an army he won’t get far though. That’s why most of the plot focuses around growing your forces, forging alliances, and basic strategy. It’s really neat, and I was intrigued the whole time. The basic battle system plays like classic Suikoden, and that’s all I ever wanted. It’s speedy, and offers a ton of options. The biggest change is with the army battles. These are no longer turn based. Now they function more like in a real time strategy game. I was cautious at first, but they won me over. The entire game is fantastic, and a true testament to what makes Suikoden great.

#12. – Chrono Trigger

This game is often placed at the very top of any list like this. It’s easy to see why. It was the brain child of the genre’s best creators. Yuji Hori and Hironobu Sakaguchi teamed up with anime artist Akira Toriyama to create what is beyond a doubt one of the greatest RPGs of all time. With how well done the story is, and the technical gameplay this could easily have passed for a 32-bit title. If only the graphics were better, that is. They’re great for the Super Nintendo but you can’t fool anyone into thinking this is a PS1 game.

Chrono Trigger centers around time travel as its primary storytelling mechanism. You travel to various time periods all with the ultimate goal of stopping a destroyer of worlds alien force known as Lavos. He destroys the world in the future, and is buried under the crust of the Earth for most of this adventure. It’s an amazing premise, and the execution is flawless. Seriously this is one of the best storylines you’ll find in any RPG ever. The battle system is also really good and has a few unique twists to it. There’s no separate battle screen. Fights on the exploration maps. The game uses the classic Final Fantasy ATB system where your three characters fill a meter before they can move. The real highlight is the combined techs. Two or more characters can work together to unleash more powerful versions of their spells. It’s truly an amazing mechanic.

#11. – Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete

While I prefer the Sega CD version of The Silver Star that’s not the case for its sequel. Working Designs did what they sometimes do and tinkered with the difficulty. They added mechanics no one asked for, and it made the experience worse overall. With Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete they pretty much left it alone. Besides translating the Japanese words into English, that is. It’s a worthy follow up and direct sequel, and this PS1 version looks beautiful even if it is entirely 2D.

Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete is a direct continuation of the story from the first game. It takes place a thousand years later. Technology has not advanced as much as you would expect. The star of the show is Hiro. He has a real hankering for adventure, and when he’s not invading forgotten temples for treasure he’s living peacefully with his grandfather. The plot thickens when the nearby Blue Spire erupts in light, and inside it Hiro meets a girl. Her goal? To save the world. This game has more full motion video than you can shake a stick at. More even than most of its kind in this era. It’s a charming and heartwarming story. It’s the characters that steal the show. The battle system is largely unchanged from previous iterations, but it’s tighter here. Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete is worth playing even for those that skipped the first one.

#10. – EarthBound

Nintendo’s weird RPG had a hard time finding an audience in North America. Even they didn’t know how to advertise it. They tried to appeal with gross out humor, and even scratch and sniff stickers. It didn’t work. Earthbound was a flop. It’s a shame because this is one of the most endearing role playing games of all itme. It has perhaps one of the best game worlds to explore. The story is strange, but that’s honestly one of the best parts of Earthbound. If you have any sort of sense of humor you’ll find something hilarious within this adventure.

EarthBound stars a boy named Ness who is tasked with saving the world. Wow, right out of the gates like that. It’s a futuristic warrior in the form of a bee that tells him how and why it must be done. Ness sets off from his little hometown of Onett to explore the world, and save it in the process. Standard enemies include animals like squirrels and alligators. You’ll also duke it out with piles of puke too. Didn’t I tell you its weird? EarthBound will make you laugh and cry at the same time. Despite being so original the battle system is typical RPG fare. That’s not a problem because it’s fine, and works well. This one has a huge cult following now, and a rabid fanbase. If you play it you’ll probably become one of those people.

#9. – Dragon Force

Dragon Force is by far the greatest strategy RPG of all time. There, I said it. This unassuming game came out on the Sega Saturn, and made fairly big waves on the platform. Why? Because as I said it’s really that good. It’s also another game that was published by Working Designs. Just keep in mind this isn’t a traditional tactics based game. Instead it uses an entirely different kind of battle system. There aren’t any grids to be found here. Unfortunately the sequel was never brought over to North America. We can blame Working Designs’ and Sega’s fallout on that.

You begin Dragon Force by selecting from one of six different monarchs on the continent of Legendra. Two more are unlocked later. They’re all focus on one primary unit type be it soldiers, cavalry, harpies, mages, etc. While the scenarios are pretty similar they do have some key differences that change the story. You select destinations for your units along pre-determined paths and when they encounter an enemy a skirmish starts. This is where the fun begins. Each commands an army from ten to one hundred units. These soldiers move independently and are controlled by the CPU. You can issue vague commands regarding their formation and when to move, but that’s about it. Watching these huge battles play out is amazing. If you haven’t played Dragon Force then please do so.

#8. – Final Fantasy VII

This one used to be much higher on my list. During a recent play through I discovered that it hasn’t aged particularly well. Still, there’s no denying its influence. Final Fantasy VII changed the genre in some pretty big ways. It was advertised as a hugely cinematic affair, and lived up to the hype. It had a dark and broody storyline, but one that was fun to follow and actually quite interesting. This was one of the first games I picked up when I got my Sony PlayStation, and I have spent hundreds of hours with it.

Final Fantasy VII uses the age old tactic of pre-rendered backgrounds with polygonal characters. It normally looks good, but these character models kind of look like lego men. At the time it was decent enough, and the full motion video more than made up for this. This title uses the same active time battle system as its predecessors. It just moved the action to 3D battlefields. It has four discs of content which was staggering back then. Of course we didn’t realize that most of the storage space was used by full motion video now, but it’s still impressive. The game still plays decent, and it being ugly is no reason not to play it. By now you probably already have though.

#7. – Star Ocean: The Second Story

I used to refer to this one as ‘the only good Star Ocean game.’ That has since changed. I still remember the ad campaign showcasing how many endings this game had. It was disappointing to discover that was a lie, but the game was so good I didn’t really care either way. Developed by Tri-Ace and published by Enix, Star Ocean 2 did fairly well in the market. It didn’t fly off the shelves but it amassed a fairly large fanbase who still to this day believe it to be one of the best PS1 RPGs. I’m in full agreement with them.

The game stars a member of the Earth Federation Force named Claude. During a routine mission he is mistakenly transported to an underdeveloped fantasy world called Expel. After dispatching some monsters with his laser gun the citizens mistake him for a warrior of light from their local legends. He is tasked with finding out about a mysterious rock that crashed into the planet called the Sorcery Stone. The story is good, and I really liked the characters. The battle system however is where its at. You can move freely across 3D battlefields while engaging enemies. It’s smooth, and it works exceptionally well. There’s even a lot of strategy and reflexes are required here. Star Ocean: The Second Story is without a doubt one of the best RPGs of all time.

#6. – Soul Blazer

An oddball choice to put this one so high on the list. I know. Soul Blazer is the first in the trilogy, and my favorite action RPG of all time. This release went mostly under the radar. I don’t remember seeing a single advertisement for it in magazines nor were there any commercials. At least as far as I’m aware. It must have performed well enough considering Enix brought its sequel over as well. We all know it doesn’t matter how well something sells. Most of the time the best stuff flies under the radar.

Soul Blazer has you play as an angel of sorts. There is no default name so it’s up to you what he’s called. Your character is summoned to the world below after an evil entity called Deathtoll has captured all of the worlds souls. It’s up to you to defeat his henchmen, and free everyone thus restoring peace. It’s a pretty basic set up, but you gotta love the religious overtones. Gameplay is pretty stand as far as action RPGs go. Using a sword you slice through enemies. When you defeat enough of them as they spawn from monster lairs a switch is activated. Stepping on this releases a living thing into the corresponding town. It’s a neat premise, and building each area up is a lot of fun. In the end Soul Blazer has a surprisingly somber story, and one of the best soundtracks of all time.

#5. – Final Fantasy VI

Funny story. This was the first video game I ever paid full price for. With my own money. Hey, I was in the fourth grade and eight bucks was a considerable amount of money. Regardless I was already a big Final Fantasy fan, and so I knew I would love it. Final Fantasy VI is easily the best looking RPG on the Super Nintendo. Furthermore, it had fantastic storytelling and some of the most gripping plot twists in the entire genre. Plus the battle system was fun too. Honestly I can’t think of anything outwardly wrong with this one. The main thing I like about it is that there’s no true main character. Everyone in the cast plays their own role in the story.

Through a significant part of the journey you can even use only who you want to bring with you. It’s really refreshing. In the second half of the game you must find the cast and have them join anew. At this point you can tackle the final dungeon at any time regardless of who you have found. The battle system is pretty typical for the franchise. It utilizes the active time mechanics wherein you have a bar that fills up to indicate whose turn it is. What I really like is the customization options. Using relics you can imbue each character with significant new abilities or traits. Espers are used to learn magic, but they are also how you gain stats. This means you can make pretty much anyone a powerhouse fighter or a magic master. It’s just an all around great game.

#4. – Mother 3

Few video games, RPG or not, have affected me on an emotional level quite like Mother 3. This is the sequel to EarthBound. That game was very heartfelt and charming too. It’s not like Mother 3. This one is on a whole other level. What’s interesting is that the game was originally being made as an N64 title. That version was canceled, and Mother 3 was eventually reborn on the Game Boy Advance. Some concessions were however made. For one it’s not 3D. The game had to go back to the 2D sprite style of EarthBound, and honestly it’s probably stronger for it.

Mother 3 has one of the most amazing stories I’ve ever experienced in a video game. It follows the exploits of a young boy named Lucas who lives on an island. You watch over a period of time as this place changes. Slowly the citizens start to become influenced by evil forces, and the entire landscape is altered. I won’t spoil too much, but the references back to EarthBound are amazing. The battle system itself hasn’t changed. Except for the new timed button presses that are based on rhythm. They’re okay. The dungeon designs have also been kicked up a notch making these areas a blast to explore. Honestly there’s no other game that made me feel like Mother 3 did. You’ll laugh, then cry, then laugh again. It’s incredible.

#3. – Skies of Arcadia

Grandia had a fantastic sense of adventure that, at the time, was unmatched by any other game. Then Skies of Arcadia came out. This role playing game designed by Sega’s Overworks division hit all the right notes. For one thing it has one of the most interesting game worlds ever designed. Land masses exist as floating islands in the sky. You travel between them in airships. These are designed like classic galleons, and it’s a really cool idea. There are even sky pirates that plunder the rich in search of treasure. The game world is pretty much unmatched in variety and interesting locations.

In Skies of Arcadia you play as a sky pirate named Vyse. He’s a member of the Blue Rogues. This group steals from the rich, and gives to the poor. They’re basically nautical versions of Robin Hood. When Vyse and friends rescue a girl from the Valuan empire while plundering their ship they learn she is from another world, and has been sent here to stop its destruction. From here they set off on an adventure that takes them across the entire globe. All the while fighting other sky pirates and monsters every step of the way. The battle system here is great. It reminds me of that from the Lunar games. What I really liked were the airship battles. These are dynamic, cinematic, and a perfect cherry on top. The game is amazing, and really makes you feel like you’re on an adventure.

#2. – Suikoden II

This is the pinnacle of the Suikoden series, and the reason fans have been clamoring for a new one for decades now. It features the most politics forward plot in the series with the fantasy elements taking a backseat. The game also has one of the most infamous villains in video games. This is Luca Blight. You will hate him. I know I do. The story is touching, and the quest is fun. Plus you have 108 characters to recruit. That’s not easy task so you’ll have to search far and wide to get them all.

Suikoden II picks up some time after Tir Mcdohl saved the Scarlet Moon Empire. This one takes place in the Northern country called Jowston. It’s composed of various city states that run independently, but are all allied with one another. The kingdom of Highland is on the attack, and after a series of losses things seem hopeless for Jowston. That’s where the new hero comes in. The plot is all about making alliances, recruiting new forces, and fighting back against the machine. The zippy fast battle system returns and has several enhancements this time around. The game is incredible. It’s unmatched in storytelling, and the battles are more than good enough to carry the game. Get Suikoden II if you can.

#1. – Final Fantasy IV

I fully admit that this choice is fueled primarily by nostalgia. Final Fantasy IV was the first RPG that truly hooked me. I fell in love with the simple plot, and the battle system as well. It’s the game that made me the huge fan of the genre that I am today. Sure, it has its problems. For one thing it’s too easy. Final Fantasy VI was too easy as well. This one seems to get more guff for it. The graphics are simple, but very colorful. It looks absolutely amazing. I also really love the soundtrack. I regularly listen to it on my drive to work to get pumped for the day. It’s really that good.

Final Fantasy IV, as I previously mentioned, has a simple storyline. That doesn’t mean it’s not charming. You play as a dark knight named Cecil who, after following commands from his king and destroying an entire village, rebels against the kingdom. He eventually goes on to leave the dark sword behind and become a Paladin, and then eventually save the world. This all happens with a colorful cast of highly memorable characters that come and go with each new twist in the plot. Final Fantasy IV was the first time we saw the ATB mechanics for battle, and they work wonderfully here. This is my favorite RPG of all time. Who knows, maybe it will be yours too.