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Hahahah facts.
The Old PlayStation Thread | *NEW THREAD IS UP*
- Thread in 'General' Thread starter Started by iheartboost,
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did everyone do all the hunting trials in horizon? killing 2 ravagers with the thunder jaw disc launchers is pure chaos 
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did everyone do all the hunting trials in horizon? killing 2 ravagers with the thunder jaw disc launchers is pure chaos
Ropecaster maybe?
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did everyone do all the hunting trials in horizon? killing 2 ravagers with the thunder jaw disc launchers is pure chaos
Ropecaster maybe?
It's not that it's hard it's just crazy when the ravagers are going nuts and there's also two watchers not to mention the thunder jaw. the trial with the tramplers and glinthawks has a similar feel too.
Imo the Stalker trial was the hardest.
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How Sway??? The story so far (I'm about one or two missions from the end) is immaculate! I'm not sure how far you are, but for me it's easily the best story I've experienced in a video game since TLOU. The way it's told is so deep and well thought out, even down to the way the data points are so strategically placed.
For anyone that's beat the game already:
how many of you were legit pissed at Faro for destroying Apollo and killing the alphas?! I was like bruh! How do you doom humanity twice! 
kdslittlebro
Banned
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Finally getting back to HZD today
- 9,926
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How Sway??? The story so far (I'm about one or two missions from the end) is immaculate! I'm not sure how far you are, but for me it's easily the best story I've experienced in a video game since TLOU. The way it's told is so deep and well thought out, even down to the way the data points are so strategically placed.
For anyone that's beat the game already:
how many of you were legit pissed at Faro for destroying Apollo and killing the alphas?! I was like bruh! How do you doom humanity twice!
I was livid when I found that out, and also surprised that i was so emotionally invested in the story.
In his attempt to protect the future from the mistakes of the past, he instead doomed the future to repeat them by destroying Apollo.
Finding out the fate of Elizabeth Sobek also hit me in the feels.
In his attempt to protect the future from the mistakes of the past, he instead doomed the future to repeat them by destroying Apollo.
Finding out the fate of Elizabeth Sobek also hit me in the feels.
- 2,312
- 1,573
How Sway??? The story so far (I'm about one or two missions from the end) is immaculate! I'm not sure how far you are, but for me it's easily the best story I've experienced in a video game since TLOU. The way it's told is so deep and well thought out, even down to the way the data points are so strategically placed.
For anyone that's beat the game already:
how many of you were legit pissed at Faro for destroying Apollo and killing the alphas?! I was like bruh! How do you doom humanity twice!I was livid when I found that out, and also surprised that i was so emotionally invested in the story.
In his attempt to protect the future from the mistakes of the past, he instead doomed the future to repeat them by destroying Apollo.
Finding out the fate of Elizabeth Sobek also hit me in the feels.
Man you have no idea. I was legit FURIOUS with this dude. Before that scene I was so hopeful for the future. Had me thinking "maybe Aloy can restart GAIA and APOLLO So that future generations won't be forced to start from scratch" but nah, this dude sent them back to the Stone Age. I'm also surprised at how emotionally invested in the story I am, and how outside of Aloy and Sylens, no one knows (or cares to know) the truth of earth's demise.
There are so many stories being told in this game: where did Aloy come from?, why was Rost an outcast?, who are the Eclipse and what is their goal?, why are the machines becoming more and more aggressive?, and finally the overarching story: what happened to earth and how did we get here?
I'm also surprised at how emotionally invested in the story I am, and how outside of Aloy and Sylens, no one knows (or cares to know) the truth of earth's demise.There are so many stories being told in this game: where did Aloy come from?, why was Rost an outcast?, who are the Eclipse and what is their goal?, why are the machines becoming more and more aggressive?, and finally the overarching story: what happened to earth and how did we get here?
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Man you have no idea. I was legit FURIOUS with this dude. Before that scene I was so hopeful for the future. Had me thinking "maybe Aloy can restart GAIA and APOLLO So that future generations won't be forced to start from scratch" but nah, this dude sent them back to the Stone Age.
There are so many stories being told in this game: where did Aloy come from?, why was Rost an outcast?, who are the Eclipse and what is their goal?, why are the machines becoming more and more aggressive?, and finally the overarching story: what happened to earth and how did we get here?
Speaking or Rost, hearing his outcast story instantly put him up in the top 3 best video game mentors for me. Dude was a hero in my book.
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Man you have no idea. I was legit FURIOUS with this dude. Before that scene I was so hopeful for the future. Had me thinking "maybe Aloy can restart GAIA and APOLLO So that future generations won't be forced to start from scratch" but nah, this dude sent them back to the Stone Age.
There are so many stories being told in this game: where did Aloy come from?, why was Rost an outcast?, who are the Eclipse and what is their goal?, why are the machines becoming more and more aggressive?, and finally the overarching story: what happened to earth and how did we get here?Speaking or Rost, hearing his outcast story instantly put him up in the top 3 best video game mentors for me. Dude was a hero in my book.
Yea Rost was a real one. Speaking of which, it's crazy that you can play the whole game and never hear his story
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Bend_The_Knee
formerly gotholesinmysocks
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Thx for hiding the HZD comments..will finally start tonight..completely blind
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Are the cauldrons easy to find?
Ricky D
formerly centex hogg
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No other thread is this information more applicable.
Only 3 in the list I haven't played. (Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Earthbound, and Radiant Historia)
Kotaku's The 20 JRPG's You Must Play
Only 3 in the list I haven't played. (Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Earthbound, and Radiant Historia)
Kotaku's The 20 JRPG's You Must Play
[h3]Final Fantasy VI[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, iOS, PC
Part steampunk, part Star Wars, and 100% pretty goddamned awesome, FFVI is the best of the Final Fantasys and one of the first RPGs to show people that yes, video games can pack an emotional wallop. The adventures of Terra and Celes and their struggle against the demonic clown Kefka still hold up today, even if their animations are a little limited. Really, the constraints of 16-bit graphics leave a lot to the imagination, which is part of what makes Final Fantasy VI still shine in the modern age. (Play the original version if you can, rather than the ugly PC remake.)
[h3]Illusion of Gaia[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo
Back in the early 90s, a small company named Quintet released a handful of actiony RPGs for Nintendo systems. Many are very good—ActRaiser, Soul Blazer, Terranigma—but the highlight is Illusion of Gaia, a quirky romp in which you play a psychic boy named Will who has to travel across a twisted version of the real world, hacking his way through both fantasy tropes and actual landmarks like the Great Wall of China. Will’s journey is satisfying and surprisingly touching, filled with little lines and moments that touch upon mortality and The Meaning Of Life.
[h3]Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete[/h3]
Platforms: Sega Saturn, PlayStation
No game has mastered the concept of traditional JRPG—a turn-based, music-heavy adventure filled with interesting people and places—quite like the Lunar series, created by the talented team at a Japanese studio called Game Arts. Eternal Blue is the best of the bunch, and although the hero, Hiro, can get a little grating, the game is warm and lovely and surprisingly genuine. Killer soundtrack, too.
[h3]Ni no Kuni[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation 3
If you look up the word “charming” in the dictionary, you will probably not find Ni no Kuni. I don’t know why you thought a niche role-playing game would be mentioned in a dictionary. But Ni no Kuni is an excellent game nonetheless—a gorgeous, funny adventure that’s essentially an explorable Miyazaki film. (Read my review.)
[h3]Phantasy Star IV[/h3]
Platforms: Sega Genesis, PC
Back in the 90s, when Final Fantasy had exploded and JRPGs were as ubiquitous as MOBAs are today, Sega offered up their own take: Phantasy Star, a sci-fi epic that would be to Star Wars what Dragon Quest was to Lord of the Rings. While some naysayers and Nintendo fanboys dismissed Sega’s series as a bunch of knock-offs, people who actually played the Genesis RPGs were treated to some high-quality sci-fi RPG action. Phantasy Star IVin particular is transcendent.
[h3]Chrono Trigger[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, iOS, Android
Look, you know all about Chrono Trigger. Time travel, talking frog swordsmen, Lavos, Lucca, mute Jesus protagonist, floating magic sky kingdom. If you’ve never played it before, try to keep your expectations in check—it’s probably not gonna change your life—but it’s still a top-notch RPG. (We recommend the DS version.)
[h3]Persona 4[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation 2, PlayStation Vita
Persona 4 is part high-school simulator and part dungeon-crawler, which sounds like a pretty boring combination until you play it and see what the fuss is all about. For the first few hours you might not get the Personafever, but when it hits you, you’ll be writing Rise fan-fiction just like the rest of us. (Read our review.)
[h3]Final Fantasy VII[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PC, iOS, PS4
In this game you get to have a slap fight on a giant cannon.
(We recommend the PS4 version because of cheats.)
[h3]Xenogears[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PS1 Classics
There are games that make sense, and then there is Xenogears, a sprawling epic about giant robots and religious mythology that somehow manages to be simultaneously poignant and incoherent. If you can look past some subpar dungeon design and excruciatingly slow text, you’re in for a wonderful adventure about people fighting the odds—and giant robots—to save the world from what may or may not be God Himself.
[h3]The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky[/h3]
Platforms: PSP, PC
One of the most interesting RPGs in the modern era has one of the most boring titles: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. I promise, it’s far less generic than it sounds. There are airships and plot twists and funny little moments crafted quite well by the localization team at XSEED, who pulled out all the big guns for this one and its sequel, which are basically two halves of a single game. Don’t forget to talk to the treasure chests. (Read more about what makes Trails in the Sky so good.)
[h3]Earthbound[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo, Wii U
Yes, Nintendo’s cult classic is as good as everyone says it is. Yes, it’s quirky and funny and full of memorable moments. No, it’s not really about a fetus.
[h4]Radiant Historia[/h4]
Platforms: Nintendo DS
Radiant Historia is like a Chrono Trigger for the modern age. You know—time travel, strategy-packed combat system, lots of melodrama—the works. It’s pretty great.
[h3]Lufia 2[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo
JRPGs are, as a general rule, not very good at puzzles, but Lufia 2 rivals Zelda in its ability to surprise and challenge you with brain-teasers in every dungeon. It’s a great game, and it holds up well today. Just watch out for the bugs—one or two levels of the game are so glitched out that they just appear as gibberish on the screen, and you’ve gotta walk in a straight line to get out. (Also: Avoid the DS remake, which is essentially a different game.)
[h3]Suikoden II[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PS Classics
Game of Thrones meets Pokémon, but really, this is much better. Suikoden II’s story is one of the most emotionally resonant I’ve found in a video game, and its “Oh, holy ****” moments are pretty much better than anyone else’s “Oh, holy ****” moments. If you like stories about friendship and betrayal and all that jazz, this JRPG is for you. Beating the first Suikoden is useful but not essential. (Playing for the first time? Read our tips.)
[h3]Super Mario RPG[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo, Wii Virtual Console
How many RPGs let you play as Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom? Well, okay, a lot these days. But Super Mario RPG was the first and is still one of the best, and it’s the only RPG with a weapon that lets Bowser hurl Mario at enemy Koopa Troopas, which is pretty much all you need to know.
[h3]Final Fantasy IX[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PS1 Classics
Smart, clever, and remarkably well-written, the ninth Final Fantasy is a Shakespearean romp with more humor than you might expect from a game about a thief in love with a princess. The random encounter rate is way too high, but just about everything else makes up for that.
[h3]Dragon Quest VIII[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation 2, iOS, 3DS (soon)
The best of the Dragon Quests is cel-shaded and goofy and full of charm. If you don’t mind silly accents and a bit of level-grinding, you’ll dig it. (Although you may want to wait for the 3DS remake, which should be out in North America by mid-2016.)
[h3]Final Fantasy Tactics[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PSP, iOS, PS1 Classics
Video games love to glamorize warfare, but in Final Fantasy Tactics, war is real and unpleasant—if you look past the fact that it’s conducted by magicians in funny hats. FFT is a game full of death, betrayal, and bad news for all, unless you are the player, in which case you will love the hell out of the game’s elegant job system and addictive grid-based combat.
[h3]Kingdom Hearts II[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation 2
If you don’t spend too much time thinking about the convoluted mess that Tetsuya Nomura calls a plot, jumping and slashing through Disney worlds is really quite fun.
[h3]Secret of Mana[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo, iOS, Wii Virtual Console
Secret of Mana is a video game about amnesiac forest sprites and giant chickens and superpowered swords. It’s also a killer adventure, taking the player through all sorts of fantastical locales and hulking bosses. Some of the backtracking can get a little irritating, but overall this is one of the best action-RPGs out there.
Platforms: Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, iOS, PC
Part steampunk, part Star Wars, and 100% pretty goddamned awesome, FFVI is the best of the Final Fantasys and one of the first RPGs to show people that yes, video games can pack an emotional wallop. The adventures of Terra and Celes and their struggle against the demonic clown Kefka still hold up today, even if their animations are a little limited. Really, the constraints of 16-bit graphics leave a lot to the imagination, which is part of what makes Final Fantasy VI still shine in the modern age. (Play the original version if you can, rather than the ugly PC remake.)
[h3]Illusion of Gaia[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo
Back in the early 90s, a small company named Quintet released a handful of actiony RPGs for Nintendo systems. Many are very good—ActRaiser, Soul Blazer, Terranigma—but the highlight is Illusion of Gaia, a quirky romp in which you play a psychic boy named Will who has to travel across a twisted version of the real world, hacking his way through both fantasy tropes and actual landmarks like the Great Wall of China. Will’s journey is satisfying and surprisingly touching, filled with little lines and moments that touch upon mortality and The Meaning Of Life.
[h3]Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete[/h3]
Platforms: Sega Saturn, PlayStation
No game has mastered the concept of traditional JRPG—a turn-based, music-heavy adventure filled with interesting people and places—quite like the Lunar series, created by the talented team at a Japanese studio called Game Arts. Eternal Blue is the best of the bunch, and although the hero, Hiro, can get a little grating, the game is warm and lovely and surprisingly genuine. Killer soundtrack, too.
[h3]Ni no Kuni[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation 3
If you look up the word “charming” in the dictionary, you will probably not find Ni no Kuni. I don’t know why you thought a niche role-playing game would be mentioned in a dictionary. But Ni no Kuni is an excellent game nonetheless—a gorgeous, funny adventure that’s essentially an explorable Miyazaki film. (Read my review.)
[h3]Phantasy Star IV[/h3]
Platforms: Sega Genesis, PC
Back in the 90s, when Final Fantasy had exploded and JRPGs were as ubiquitous as MOBAs are today, Sega offered up their own take: Phantasy Star, a sci-fi epic that would be to Star Wars what Dragon Quest was to Lord of the Rings. While some naysayers and Nintendo fanboys dismissed Sega’s series as a bunch of knock-offs, people who actually played the Genesis RPGs were treated to some high-quality sci-fi RPG action. Phantasy Star IVin particular is transcendent.
[h3]Chrono Trigger[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, iOS, Android
Look, you know all about Chrono Trigger. Time travel, talking frog swordsmen, Lavos, Lucca, mute Jesus protagonist, floating magic sky kingdom. If you’ve never played it before, try to keep your expectations in check—it’s probably not gonna change your life—but it’s still a top-notch RPG. (We recommend the DS version.)
[h3]Persona 4[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation 2, PlayStation Vita
Persona 4 is part high-school simulator and part dungeon-crawler, which sounds like a pretty boring combination until you play it and see what the fuss is all about. For the first few hours you might not get the Personafever, but when it hits you, you’ll be writing Rise fan-fiction just like the rest of us. (Read our review.)
[h3]Final Fantasy VII[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PC, iOS, PS4
In this game you get to have a slap fight on a giant cannon.
(We recommend the PS4 version because of cheats.)
[h3]Xenogears[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PS1 Classics
There are games that make sense, and then there is Xenogears, a sprawling epic about giant robots and religious mythology that somehow manages to be simultaneously poignant and incoherent. If you can look past some subpar dungeon design and excruciatingly slow text, you’re in for a wonderful adventure about people fighting the odds—and giant robots—to save the world from what may or may not be God Himself.
[h3]The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky[/h3]
Platforms: PSP, PC
One of the most interesting RPGs in the modern era has one of the most boring titles: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. I promise, it’s far less generic than it sounds. There are airships and plot twists and funny little moments crafted quite well by the localization team at XSEED, who pulled out all the big guns for this one and its sequel, which are basically two halves of a single game. Don’t forget to talk to the treasure chests. (Read more about what makes Trails in the Sky so good.)
[h3]Earthbound[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo, Wii U
Yes, Nintendo’s cult classic is as good as everyone says it is. Yes, it’s quirky and funny and full of memorable moments. No, it’s not really about a fetus.
[h4]Radiant Historia[/h4]
Platforms: Nintendo DS
Radiant Historia is like a Chrono Trigger for the modern age. You know—time travel, strategy-packed combat system, lots of melodrama—the works. It’s pretty great.
[h3]Lufia 2[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo
JRPGs are, as a general rule, not very good at puzzles, but Lufia 2 rivals Zelda in its ability to surprise and challenge you with brain-teasers in every dungeon. It’s a great game, and it holds up well today. Just watch out for the bugs—one or two levels of the game are so glitched out that they just appear as gibberish on the screen, and you’ve gotta walk in a straight line to get out. (Also: Avoid the DS remake, which is essentially a different game.)
[h3]Suikoden II[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PS Classics
Game of Thrones meets Pokémon, but really, this is much better. Suikoden II’s story is one of the most emotionally resonant I’ve found in a video game, and its “Oh, holy ****” moments are pretty much better than anyone else’s “Oh, holy ****” moments. If you like stories about friendship and betrayal and all that jazz, this JRPG is for you. Beating the first Suikoden is useful but not essential. (Playing for the first time? Read our tips.)
[h3]Super Mario RPG[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo, Wii Virtual Console
How many RPGs let you play as Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom? Well, okay, a lot these days. But Super Mario RPG was the first and is still one of the best, and it’s the only RPG with a weapon that lets Bowser hurl Mario at enemy Koopa Troopas, which is pretty much all you need to know.
[h3]Final Fantasy IX[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PS1 Classics
Smart, clever, and remarkably well-written, the ninth Final Fantasy is a Shakespearean romp with more humor than you might expect from a game about a thief in love with a princess. The random encounter rate is way too high, but just about everything else makes up for that.
[h3]Dragon Quest VIII[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation 2, iOS, 3DS (soon)
The best of the Dragon Quests is cel-shaded and goofy and full of charm. If you don’t mind silly accents and a bit of level-grinding, you’ll dig it. (Although you may want to wait for the 3DS remake, which should be out in North America by mid-2016.)
[h3]Final Fantasy Tactics[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation, PSP, iOS, PS1 Classics
Video games love to glamorize warfare, but in Final Fantasy Tactics, war is real and unpleasant—if you look past the fact that it’s conducted by magicians in funny hats. FFT is a game full of death, betrayal, and bad news for all, unless you are the player, in which case you will love the hell out of the game’s elegant job system and addictive grid-based combat.
[h3]Kingdom Hearts II[/h3]
Platforms: PlayStation 2
If you don’t spend too much time thinking about the convoluted mess that Tetsuya Nomura calls a plot, jumping and slashing through Disney worlds is really quite fun.
[h3]Secret of Mana[/h3]
Platforms: Super Nintendo, iOS, Wii Virtual Console
Secret of Mana is a video game about amnesiac forest sprites and giant chickens and superpowered swords. It’s also a killer adventure, taking the player through all sorts of fantastical locales and hulking bosses. Some of the backtracking can get a little irritating, but overall this is one of the best action-RPGs out there.
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Ricky D
formerly centex hogg
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Kotaku starting off with the GOAT.
ESF how'd you miss out on Earthbound? It was one of my first RPGs. I have it downloaded on my Wii U but I'm scared to play it. I remember it as being great and kind of want to keep it that way
ESF how'd you miss out on Earthbound? It was one of my first RPGs. I have it downloaded on my Wii U but I'm scared to play it. I remember it as being great and kind of want to keep it that way
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I just missed it when it was on Super Nintendo and never got a Wii U. I have almost always heard it was great for the time but doesn't hold up now so I don't know if I would go back to it.
I'd play it if it was easily available to me but dont think I would go out of my way.
A few sad series omissions I understand, but still:
WILD Arms
Grandia
Legend of Legaia
Tales series
Star Ocean
I'd play it if it was easily available to me but dont think I would go out of my way.
A few sad series omissions I understand, but still:
WILD Arms
Grandia
Legend of Legaia
Tales series
Star Ocean
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Yea, they show up as a blue icon on the map. It looks like two upside down v's
Ricky D
formerly centex hogg
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I think Tales of Vesperia is a must play.
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I think I've played all of those except Lufia and The legend of heroes.
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How Crystal Dynamics did Rise of the Tomb Raider for PS4 almost makes me wish we had more games that were timed exclusives late to PS4.
Packing in all the DLC from the jump makes me compelled to go through it all. And they did a very good job with all the DLC (minus the co-op which just simply isn't for me but I get it's value).
Packing in all the DLC from the jump makes me compelled to go through it all. And they did a very good job with all the DLC (minus the co-op which just simply isn't for me but I get it's value).
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No other thread is this information more applicable.
Only 3 in the list I haven't played. (Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Earthbound, and Radiant Historia)
Kotaku's The 20 JRPG's You Must Play
[h3]Final Fantasy VI[/h3]
Platforms:
Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, iOS, PC
Part steampunk, part Star Wars
, and 100% pretty goddamned awesome, FFVI
is the best of the Final Fantasy
s and one of the first RPGs to show people that yes, video games can pack an emotional wallop. The adventures of Terra and Celes and their struggle against the demonic clown Kefka still hold up today, even if their animations are a little limited. Really, the constraints of 16-bit graphics leave a lot to the imagination, which is part of what makes Final Fantasy VI
still shine in the modern age. (Play the original version if you can, rather than the ugly PC remake
.)
[h3]Illusion of Gaia[/h3]
Platforms:
Super Nintendo
Back in the early 90s, a small company named Quintet released a handful of actiony RPGs for Nintendo systems. Many are very good—ActRaiser
, Soul Blazer
, Terranigma
—but the highlight is Illusion of Gaia
, a quirky romp in which you play a psychic boy named Will who has to travel across a twisted version of the real world, hacking his way through both fantasy tropes and actual landmarks like the Great Wall of China. Will’s journey is satisfying and surprisingly touching, filled with little lines and moments that touch upon mortality and The Meaning Of Life.
[h3]Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete[/h3]
Platforms:
Sega Saturn, PlayStation
No game has mastered the concept of traditional JRPG—a turn-based, music-heavy adventure filled with interesting people and places—quite like the Lunar
series, created by the talented team at a Japanese studio called Game Arts. Eternal Blue
is the best of the bunch, and although the hero, Hiro, can get a little grating, the game is warm and lovely and surprisingly genuine. Killer soundtrack, too.
[h3]Ni no Kuni[/h3]
Platforms:
PlayStation 3
If you look up the word “charming” in the dictionary, you will probably not find Ni no Kuni.
I don’t know why you thought a niche role-playing game would be mentioned in a dictionary. But Ni no Kuni is an excellent game nonetheless—a gorgeous, funny adventure that’s essentially an explorable Miyazaki film. (Read my review
.)
[h3]Phantasy Star IV[/h3]
Platforms:
Sega Genesis, PC
Back in the 90s, when Final Fantasy
had exploded and JRPGs were as ubiquitous as MOBAs are today, Sega offered up their own take: Phantasy Star
, a sci-fi epic that would be to Star Wars
what Dragon Quest
was to Lord of the Rings
. While some naysayers and Nintendo fanboys dismissed Sega’s series as a bunch of knock-offs, people who actually played the Genesis RPGs were treated to some high-quality sci-fi RPG action. Phantasy Star IV
in particular is transcendent.
[h3]Chrono Trigger[/h3]
Platforms:
Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, iOS, Android
Look, you know all about Chrono Trigger
. Time travel, talking frog swordsmen, Lavos, Lucca, mute Jesus protagonist, floating magic sky kingdom. If you’ve never played it before, try to keep your expectations in check—it’s probably not gonna change your life—but it’s still a top-notch RPG. (We recommend the DS version.)
[h3]Persona 4[/h3]
Platforms:
PlayStation 2, PlayStation Vita
Persona 4
is part high-school simulator and part dungeon-crawler, which sounds like a pretty boring combination until you play it and see what the fuss is all about. For the first few hours you might not get
the Persona
fever, but when it hits you, you’ll be writing Rise fan-fiction just like the rest of us. (Read our review
.)
[h3]Final Fantasy VII[/h3]
Platforms:
PlayStation, PC, iOS, PS4
In this game you get to have a slap fight on a giant cannon.
(We recommend the PS4 version because of cheats
.)
[h3]Xenogears[/h3]
Platforms:
PlayStation, PS1 Classics
There are games that make sense, and then there is Xenogears
, a sprawling epic about giant robots and religious mythology that somehow manages to be simultaneously poignant and incoherent. If you can look past some subpar dungeon design and excruciatingly slow text, you’re in for a wonderful adventure about people fighting the odds—and giant robots—to save the world from what may or may not be God Himself.
[h3]The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky[/h3]
Platforms:
PSP, PC
One of the most interesting RPGs in the modern era has one of the most boring titles: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
. I promise, it’s far less generic than it sounds. There are airships and plot twists and funny little moments crafted quite well by the localization team at XSEED, who pulled out all the big guns for this one and its sequel, which are basically two halves of a single game. Don’t forget to talk to the treasure chests. (Read more about what makes Trails in the Sky
so good
.)
[h3]Earthbound[/h3]
Platforms:
Super Nintendo, Wii U
Yes, Nintendo’s cult classic is as good as everyone says it is. Yes, it’s quirky and funny and full of memorable moments. No, it’s not really about a fetus
.
[h4]Radiant Historia[/h4]
Platforms:
Nintendo DS
Radiant Historia
is like a Chrono Trigger for the modern age. You know—time travel, strategy-packed combat system, lots of melodrama—the works. It’s pretty great.
[h3]Lufia 2[/h3]
Platforms:
Super Nintendo
JRPGs are, as a general rule, not very good at puzzles, but Lufia 2 rivals Zelda in its ability to surprise and challenge you with brain-teasers in every dungeon. It’s a great game, and it holds up well today. Just watch out for the bugs—one or two levels of the game are so glitched out that they just appear as gibberish on the screen, and you’ve gotta walk in a straight line to get out. (Also: Avoid the DS remake, which is essentially a different game.)
[h3]Suikoden II[/h3]
Platforms:
PlayStation, PS Classics
Game of Thrones
meets Pokémon
, but really, this is much better. Suikoden II
’s story is one of the most emotionally resonant I’ve found in a video game, and its “Oh, holy ****” moments are pretty much better than anyone else’s “Oh, holy ****” moments. If you like stories about friendship and betrayal and all that jazz, this JRPG is for you
. Beating the first Suikoden
is useful but not essential. (Playing for the first time? Read our tips
.)
[h3]Super Mario RPG[/h3]
Platforms:
Super Nintendo, Wii Virtual Console
How many RPGs let you play as Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom? Well, okay, a lot these days. But Super Mario RPG
was the first and is still one of the best, and it’s the only RPG with a weapon that lets Bowser hurl Mario at enemy Koopa Troopas, which is pretty much all you need to know.
[h3]Final Fantasy IX[/h3]
Platforms:
PlayStation, PS1 Classics
Smart, clever, and remarkably well-written, the ninth Final Fantasy
is a Shakespearean romp with more humor than you might expect from a game about a thief in love with a princess. The random encounter rate is way too high, but just about everything else makes up for that.
[h3]Dragon Quest VIII[/h3]
Platforms:
PlayStation 2, iOS, 3DS (soon)
The best of the Dragon Quest
s is cel-shaded and goofy and full of charm. If you don’t mind silly accents and a bit of level-grinding, you’ll dig it. (Although you may want to wait for the 3DS remake, which should be out in North America by mid-2016.)
[h3]Final Fantasy Tactics[/h3]
Platforms:
PlayStation, PSP, iOS, PS1 Classics
Video games love to glamorize warfare, but in Final Fantasy Tactics
, war is real and unpleasant—if you look past the fact that it’s conducted by magicians in funny hats. FFT is a game full of death, betrayal, and bad news for all, unless you are the player, in which case you will love the hell out of the game’s elegant job system and addictive grid-based combat.
[h3]Kingdom Hearts II[/h3]
Platforms:
PlayStation 2
If you don’t spend too much time thinking about the convoluted mess that Tetsuya Nomura calls a plot, jumping and slashing through Disney worlds is really quite fun.
[h3]Secret of Mana[/h3]
Platforms:
Super Nintendo, iOS, Wii Virtual Console
Secret of Mana
is a video
game about amnesiac forest sprites and giant chickens and superpowered swords. It’s also a killer adventure, taking the player through all sorts of fantastical locales and hulking bosses. Some of the backtracking can get a little irritating, but overall this is one of the best action-RPGs out there.
FF9 is great but did not age well..I will eventually get Chrono Trigger for my 3DS
I downloaded earthbound but did not start it yet
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About half way through Shadow of Mordor and I'm enjoying it so far. The story is pretty entertaining and the cutscenes are better than I expected
