Favourite RPG

I have no imagination. All right chaps, let's go!

For me it's Paper Mario and the Thousand-Year Door. No question. A more interesting world, set of characters and selection of set-pieces I have not come across. Xenoblade gets a decent second for its wonderful worlds and battle system, and also the Gaur Plains music.

Seeing as I only recently got into RPGs it'd have to be Xenoblade (I really have to finish it one day currently about 60 hrs in) I am really looking forward to Ni No Kuni on PS3 though.

RPGs tend to be a wee bit too time-consuming for me these days, so my selections (yes, there are two!) are pretty retro.

Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition is my favourite turn-based RPG, whereas Paper Mario (N64) is my favourite action RPG.

The former finally gave the fledgling Pokémon franchise the lick of polish it so deserved, whereas the latter took turn-based battles and made them interactive, and even dependent upon your timing competence. Both were (and still are, in my opinion) whimsical adventures.

For true number-crunching RPG's, my vote goes to Dragon Quest IX. Don't think I've ever laughed as hard at a game as when I picked up some manure for the first time. Also liked the Quantum Leap-style ethos of fixing a place's problems and moving on. Deserving mentions go to FF IV, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (brilliant, vibrant and, like Star Fox 64, impossible to follow up), Dragon Quest V and Chrono Trigger.

When did FFIV get more popular than FFVI? Not that I'm complaining, mind - I was always of that ilk. I just thought I was one of only a few!

The reason I've not mentioned FFVI is that I haven't finished it! At the moment, fully expecting it to become my favourite FF game.

This is a tough one - there are dozens of RPGs which I absolutely adore - but I'd probably have to pick either Xenoblade, Pokemon (er, not sure which one, but probably Emerald) or Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.

Probably Xenoblade - its focus on active rather than passive gameplay melds together wonderfully with one of the most beautiful, well realised game worlds I've visited in an RPG. Its a game world that thrives on interactivity, too, with its believable ecosystem that lent weight to an RPG where the story takes a back seat - I was more interested in telling stories about this world, rather than about the game's, er, story.

ZeroJones wrote:

The reason I've not mentioned FFVI is that I haven't finished it! At the moment, fully expecting it to become my favourite FF game.

You must! The second half came across as quite a shock to me, I must say, but it certainly provides an upped level of challenge which reminded me (in a good way) of Final Fantasy IV.

Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver or Paper Mario (N64). It's not a genre I've done much justice to though.

I sunk 100 hours into Xenoblade to finish it and it's definately up there in my favourites, as is Chrono Trigger, cos it's just so bleeding good.

Kezz182 wrote:

The_Jaster wrote:

Seeing as I only recently got into RPGs it'd have to be Xenoblade (I really have to finish it one day currently about 60 hrs in) I am really looking forward to Ni No Kuni on PS3 though.

60 hours in and you haven't finished it? Must've spent a while doing sidequests, I assume?

But yeah, Xenoblade has to be my favourite. I loved pretty much everything about that game. Need to do a NG+ at some point. It also has one of my favourite VG soundtracks ever. Beautiful stuff.

That number was off the top of my head but I'm pretty sure its close to that & yep I've spent an age on side quests.

It'd have to be Persona 4 for me. I sunk 100 hours into that game, and plan on getting it on Vita. Loved the characters, the music, the gameplay, all of it! I also prefer the happier and brighter style of Persona 4 compared to the darker, gloomier style of Persona 3 (although I do love Persona 3 as well)

for jrpgs im going to last story and western rog im going for jade empire

Earthbound



One of very few games I've imported, and the only numbery RPG I've ever finished. Despite the supposedly familiar urban American setting, you will never succeed in guessing what the next chapter will bring you: Stonehenge, punk gangs, a tribe of gum people, warring nerds, and a living dungeon that walks you through itself. That one game can be so bonkers random mental, and also deeply emotionally involving at the same time, is a rare thing indeed. Dakota!
Hey! I just realised that Nintendo Gamer edited Dakota! out.

Earthbound. I'd really rather like to play that, to be honest with you.

Pokemon is as close as I get

Having played Mother 3, I'm worried that EB will feel old and clunky in comparison.

For me it's either Final Fantasy Four, Six or Chrono Trigger. (Or Secret Of Mana, or Soul Blazer. Or LttP. Do ARPGs count?)

I first played FF4 when I was about thirteen-ish at a friend's house. It was actually his mum who was in to it, and I watched - quite goggle eyed at the fights, the magic, the monsters, and the absolutely sumptuous music. In fact, I think FF4 may have been the catalyst for me getting my US SNES.

Fast forward a couple of years and Final Fantasy Six arrived on the scene. And, my word, I was really quite blown away at the whole thing. Two worlds to explore, one thriving, beautiful and pretty much peaceful - the other torn apart with very little to live for. Of course, they are the same world, but Kefka does his thing half way through the game and changes everything - something I'd not seen on a game up to that point, a proper apocalyptic event that you then had to guide your characters through.
The game did pretty much everything perfectly in my eyes. Excessive grinding wasn't really required, any optional bits to find didn't lead you on a ridiculous merry dance for too long, and a full playthrough to find everything took a good (ie - never got boring) forty hours. The graphics and music were far beyond pretty much everything else on the SNES up to then, and it was well worth the sixty quid I paid.

The year after, Chrono Trigger dropped through the post. What at first seemed like Final Fantasy Lite turned in to one of the most endearing stories I've ever had the pleasure to sit through in a game. Completing it multiple times is an absloute must to get the most out of it - and as every character has their own dialogue/set of reactions/emotions for every situation in the game, it makes doing so an absolute pleasure (especially with the NewGame+)
As with FF6, CT did a couple of things I'd never seen in a game - the main one being the death of the main character. I remember being quite dumbstruck at that point. The rest of the game has an almost constant cheery vibe about it which I've known to melt the hearts of the most stubborn JRPG haters; and once again, for the SNES, the graphics and audio are utterly top notch (well, apart from the standard battle theme which is a bit meh, but still).

Is it time for Balladeer's "Chrono Trigger Is Underwhelming" special again?

...Nah, not yet. It hasn't been long enough between repetitions. Instead, special bonus question that I'll answer later myself: what RPGs have underwhelmed you? (Preferably from people who like the genre, but open to all!)

I really, really need to play Chrono Trigger; though my success rate for finishing an epic RPG isn't high. Especially if I get frustrated, which is a common occurrence nowadays.

In answer to Balla's question: every Final Fantasy game I've played to date. I've never been able to bring myself to finishing one of the things, but then I'm not what you'd call an RPG obsessive.

Balladeer wrote:

Having played Mother 3, I'm worried that EB will feel old and clunky in comparison.

It does and it doesn't. It's a different sort of beast than Mother 3. Earthbound is a lot quirkier and a lot funnier, and there's less of an emotional oomph than what you get in Mother 3. Gameplay wise, I can certainly say it's aged, and coming off the back of Mother 3, the fights don't flow as well. But I still think it's worth a playthrough, it's one of my favourites.

As for other favourite RPGs, I recently played through Persona 4. It's one of the best games, let alone one of the best RPGs, I've ever had the pleasure to play. The development of the characters is phenomenal; so much so, I felt a twinge of sadness when I finished it, as though I was leaving some old friends behind. Stellar stellar game, highly recommended.

What's this? Jay not mentioning TWEWY? (Which I also like very much indeed)

That's a given Stu.

Honestly though, TWEWY fell off my radar recently - I was really let down by the sequel tease last year being an iOS remake. That doesn't ruin my opinion of the actual game though, it's a still a masterpiece!

Underwhelming RPGs, you say? I am bursting to say Paper Mario: Sticker Star but, as I'm thinking of it now as a quirky scrolling beat-'em-up, I will not. Any Secret Of Mana follow-up has let me down, for starters! The winner is the original Final Fantasy (not unsurprisingly) because of how difficult it was to get into it.