Top 10 RPG Games of All time

[Supreme Edgemaster]

These are my top 10 rpg games.

10) Final Fantasy (SNES)

9) Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES)

8) Final Fantasy X (PS2)

7) RPG Maker (PS2)

6) Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade (PSP)

5) Fire Emblem (GBA)

4) Champions of Norrath

3) Ys: The Ark of Naphishtim (PSP)

2) Dragon Warrior (SNES)

1) Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

These are the ones I feel are the games that best exemplify the RPG genre. There are some games that were difficult to choose and I'm sure I'll get flamed but oh well. I will welcome you opinions.

[Lockeownzj00]

I believe that if you published this list to the gaming world outside of our tiny little forum, you'd hear otherworldly screams and soon your house would crumble as an angry mob torched your house in a sadistic ritual.

[Zesty]

I believe that if you published this list to the gaming world outside of our tiny little forum, you'd hear otherworldly screams and soon your house would crumble as an angry mob torched your house in a sadistic ritual.

Then again, that could really be said of anyone's RPG list. No matter what games you like, even if your list is full of titles that have brought full-grown men to their knees in tearful awe, you'll still have at least 2 or 3 shut-ins wheezing at their monitors in sheer rage that your list doesn't include their personal favorites.

...but still....no love for Kingdom Hearts?? It's at least better than FFX...

[ZERO.]

How dare you not put oblivion on the top of that list you chicken shit!

[B_real_shadows]

and Chronotrigger! WHAT HAPPEND TO CHRONOTRIGGER YOU FIEND! I demand you put it on there or I'll...or I'll...I'll TORCH YOUR HOUSE DOWN!

but since I haven't played HALF those games, I really have no right to say this.

[Major Blood]

And don't we allready have a thread for things like this? (http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showthread.php?t=4865)

[Lockeownzj00]

I was joking, but I seriously think these kinds of lists should be reserved for careful consideration. I know it's just for fun, but your list totally disregards so much of gaming history (present and past). For example--it's totally console centric.

I guess I'd just clarify between "~of all time" and "my favorite." The former, while still subjective, carries a lot more weight and has to be well-thought out; at least I think so.

This is besides the fact that it seems padded. I mean, RPG Maker? You serious?

[ElfLad]

No Chrono Trigger? No Skies of Arcadia? No Tales of Symphonia? RPG MAKER???

[Supreme Edgemaster]

Well I can't put games I haven't played on the list can I? All the games you are mentioning I have never even played so I cannot tell people how good or bad they are.

[B_real_shadows]

and those games, my dear friend, are games that you MUST get your hands on no matter WHAT the cost may be...unless its your life. If thats the condition then you better get 2 of those games for your life.

[Supreme Edgemaster]

Yes well. If I MUST spend $150 on a PS2 and another $50+ per game then yes I will buy those games.

[Supreme Edgemaster]

and you do have a point, Lockeownzj00. I should have clarified that it was MY top 10 RPG's of all time. I am sure that any "Of All Time" list is going to get flamed at least once though so this isn't a bad list considering I don't make my lists on ratings alone.

[Mondt]

*sigh* Double post = bad. Edit your first post if you want to add something. Just put "Edit:" or something like that. You don't even have to do that! Edit your first and delete your second, I guess.

Is it just me or is this happening more often lately?

[Nayno]

No Tales of Symphonia?

Personally I thought that Tales of Symphonia was without merit. The characters were inauthentic, the gameplay was tedious and repetitive, and the plot was hackneyed. It's basically another game with the same story about how evil racism is. I think it's probably about Hitler. Is it just me, or are the Japanese obsessed with WWII? Final Fantasy VI runs along those same lines.

The one thing I have to give to Tales of Symphonia, though, was that they managed to pull off multiplayer battles in an RPG. And even if you didn't have any friends to play with, tinkering with the AI was just as fun.

[Zesty]

No Tales of Symphonia? No Kingdom Hearts? No CT?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I think our only choice has become clear:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j221/talentless-scribbles/killhim.jpg

[Iyeru]

That's why we got me...

My faves according to storyline(s):

1.] Final Fantasy VII

2.] Kingdom Hearts

3.] Lesse, did I mention Final Fantasy VII already?!

Anyway, when it comes right down to it, sometimes it's better to leave this kind of discussion alone for it to rot and die so it can become twice as powerful than it is now. Wait, why am I referencing to 8-Bit Theater in this thread? No wait, I remember... no, I don't.

But really now, if I had to take a whack at it... Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts mentioned above WOULD be in their ALMOST respective places... maybe Brave Fencer Musashiden AND/OR Samurai Legend Musashi.

Nah....

[Azisien]

Well, FFVII and X are on there, so that's all handsome and fine. What you're missing is the original FFT, and Neverwinter Nights of course. Baldur's Gate is probably up there too.

[MuMu]

Am I the only guy that think the FFV story was GOOD? You thinked that it was ending and BAM! PLOT TWIST right on your face!

[Iyeru]

Am I the only guy that think the FFV story was GOOD? You thinked that it was ending and BAM! PLOT TWIST right on your face!

No, I remember it. It's just I only included 3 in my post... not more because I thought to myself "Hey, why should I be putting down my top list?"

Ironically enough, Number 5 would probably be in slot 5 or so. :P It's also coming for the GBA this year along with FF6 (Both separate cartridges.)

[Fifthfiend]

Chrono Trigger.

I think that about covers it.

Everyone else is just kidding themselves.

[Mac]

IMO, the 10 best RPG's of all time

1) Chrono Trigger (SNES, Ps1)
2) Final Fantasy 6 (SNES, Ps1)
3) Final Fantasy 7 (Ps1)
4) Dragon Warrior (NES)
5) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES)
6) Ultima Online (PC)
7) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (X-Box)
8) Fable: The Lost Chapters (X-Box)
9) Final Fantasy 1 (NES)
10) Final Fantasy Tactics (Ps1)

[greed]

I can't really number them but I do have ten favourite console RPGs.

-Secret of Mana(SNES)
-Final Fantasy 7(PS)
-Dragon Quest 8(PS2)(Current Favourite)
-Tales of Symphonia(GC)
-Final Fantasy 8(PS)
-Paper Mario Thousand Year Door(GC)
-Chrono Trigger(SNES Definitely not a ROM "Even though there was no Oz release?"....yes)
-Fire Emblem(GBA)
-Shin Megami Tensei Lucifer's Call(PS2)
-Metroid Prime(GC "That's not an RPG!" all my favourite game lists have a Metroid game on them, it's a problem I know)

[Bamboozehound]

A favorites list thread about RPG's. Oh, this takes me back to the glory days of the internet.

I used to really like RPG's back in the day. They're a great concept: engrossing story that sometimes involves player-interactive development, collectable items littered across the world, dungeons to explore, cinematic movies that push the plot along.

And I think about all the hours I've spent playing my favorite ones. Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Lunar, Lufia, Knights of the Old Republic, Elder Scrolls, Breath of Fire, Ico, Xenosaga, Ogre Battle. But you know what? They're the biggest fucking waste of time in the universe. They're a great distraction, sure, but when I look back on my "favorites" I know that today I would only play these games if someone paid me to. Really, if I were ten years older I wouldn't have bothered with the Atari2600 or subsequent consoles.

Maybe I'm one of those "jaded gamers". Maybe I hate myself for throwing away all that time. Maybe I'm just fed up with games that try to pander to everyone, from children to adults, and only manage to repulse me entirely. I just feel that video games arn't worth playing anymore.

It's so strange. I actually grew up perfectly in sync with the evolution of video games. For me to not participate in a thread like this, to speak out against games instead, feels like blashpemy. But I know I'm right. Now that my tastes have gone above the given standard it shouldn't surprise me that Nintendo would decide that now is the time to bring gaming to a higher level. But it does surprise me. And excites me.

O monkey, wilt thou never release thy grip from upon my back?

[Mondt]

The japanese FF5 needs to be released in America, if it hasn't been already. Unless that's the GBA release you guys were talking about.

I dunno if it was good or not, but it just makes me angry.

Too hard for us. Pshaw.

[DarkCORN!]

Not in any particular order:
Chrono Trigger
FF1
FF3
FF4
FF7
FFT
Tales of Symphonia
Kingdom Hearts
Morrowind
Oblivion
Fable
Saga Frontier 2

[mammothtank]

Also in no particular order:

Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy X
Wild Arms
Wild Arms 4
Wild Arms Alter Code: F
Chrono Trigger
Golden Sun (both games)
Fire Emblem (7)
Tales of Symphonia

[Mondt]

In my opinion, on no list should Fable be found. Sure, it was fun. For 10 hours. Once you beat it, it just got crazy-boring. Not to mention that the last boss is insanely hard for melee characters who have no Accuracy skill and that suckass Oak Longbow they gives you just before the fight. I think it was Oak. Well, it sucked.

Obviously, I had a melee. A bitchin' melee. What'd I get? A lame boss fight, that's what.

I fully agree with Golden Sun being on the list. Those kept me going for hours and hours and hours. Especially in No. 2. Killing those birds until I got everyones' last abilities 'n' whatnot.

Also, I wish I could find my GBA Fire Emblem.

[DarkCORN!]

FFX SUCKS!
There, I said it.

[Satan's Onion]

No Tales of Phantasia? Whaaaa? I *lurve* ToP.

[Mirai Gen]

I suppose I don't really need to repeat myself about the "Top #" thing.

[The Wandering God]

I see a distinct lack of Xenogears as well.

Anyway, here's my personal favs

1. Chrono Trigger
2. Xenogears
3. Final Fantasy VIII (As in reality, I'm totally a hopeless romantic, this story hits all the right chords.)
4. Super Mario RPG
5. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
6. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (for shame I have to be the first to mention these)
7. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
8. Final Fantsy VI
9. Parasite Eve (Really, it needs more love.)
10. Skies of Arcadia

There, I feel that is a pretty balanced list.

If not, bite me. :D

The Wandering God

[FenrisWolf]

My favorite RPGs.

FF I
FF IV
FF V
FF VI
FF VII
FF IX
FF X (kinda; it's fun, but only for a while, but I can start it up every once and a while. FF X-2 sucks. Hard.)
Golden Sun 1 & 2
Chrono Cross (Never played Trigger. ^^;)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Diablo
Diablo II
And, even though it's not a true RPG, I enjoyed the Elementals RPGS for StarCraft you can find on the internets.

Aaaaaaaaaaand that's all I can remember.

[Mondt]

Agreed on Parasite Eve, although I'm stuck. Somewhere. I don't know where. I haven't played it in about a year.

Fenris, If we're doing BNet, RPGs, add Quests Open RPG immediately!

[Mike McC]

Eh, everything is inconsequential when compared to Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Nippon Ichi's strategy RPGs, and the always excellent The Elder Scrolls games.

Oh, and Paper Mario and other Mario RPGs.

[gurusloth]

Gotta give my votes to (in no particular order):

-Chrono Trigger
-Grandia 2
-Lunar
-Skies of Arcadia
-FFIX (Yes, some of the other FF games were good too, but I think this is my favorite)
-Wild Arms 2
-Dragon Quest VIII
-Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

More (if I think of some) later...

[GARUD]

1> FF8
2> Fable
3> Dragon Quest 8
4> FFTA
5> FFXI
6> Champions, return to arms
7> Champions of Norrath
8> FF1
9> FF2
10> FFX

The only FF that I have played that is not on this list is FF7. Seriously, I don't like it.

[Lockeownzj00]

Maybe I'm one of those "jaded gamers".

I undertand your frustration...I'd just hesitate before saying you don't like "any" video-games. There are games out there made for people like you. You may want to look into the indie gaming scene. If you need any helpful links, I'm chock full of em.

PS: there should be a rule that you really can't allow Final Fantasy more than once in the list.

[Major Blood]

10)Fable: TLC(I know its short, thats why its 10th)
Do MMORPG's count? If so...
9)World of Warcraft
8)Neverwinter Nights
7)Chrono Trigger
6)Golden Sun 1 + 2
5)Baldurs Gate 2
4)Fire Emblem(GBA version)
3)Secret of Mana
2)Final Fantasy VI(SNES)
And my all time favorite RPG game is...
1)The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

[Supreme Edgemaster]

Well, considering that I have now played crono trigger, Kingdom Hearts 2, and I remember a lot of games, I have a new list.

UPDATE: My Top 10 RPG's of all Time

10) Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)

9) Golden Sun 1/2 (GBA)

8) Crono Trigger (SNES)

7) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GCN)

6) Fire Emblem (US GBA)

5) Neverwinter Nights (PC)

4) Ys: The Ark of Naphishtim (PSP)

3) Dragon Warrior (NES)

2) Baldur's Gate II (PC)

1) Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

Again I will probably get flamed and I will accept it diligently. Just keep in mind that this is MY top 10 RPG games.

EDIT: I Changed #7 to Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

[Mauve Mage]

It's the Mauve Mage List of Great RPG Games!! Void in Puerto Rico! Some restrictions may apply! Colors and sizes may vary by location! All rights reserved!

6) Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance- Hours of hack-n-slashin' fun with Baldur's Gate! I was always the elf sorceress, because the archer sucked and my sister was always the dwarf. BG: DA2 just wasn't as fun. Every level was pretty much the same as the one before it.

5) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past- I actually don't think I ever finished it... I think I sold it back when I got rid of my gameboy advance. I got this back when I was just beginning to play video games, so I really sucked at it. It had to have been the hardest game I had ever played. Yeah. I was bad.

4) FFX- Only because it was my first *decent* turn-based rpg. Prior to this, the only one I had ever attempted was "InuYasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask." Needless to say, FFX was infinitely better. It is because of FFX that I persued other RPGs. Thank you, FFX, despite all your shortcomings.

3) Kingdom Hearts (Original)- The first time I tried to play it, I hated it with a passion. I thought the story was lame and the battles were useless. (Every time you left a room and came back, the same heartless you just defeated would come right back.) When I tried again several months later, however, I immedidately fell in love with it. I actually found that I LIKED the hokeyness and corny Disneyness combined with SquareEnix awesomeness. Go figure.

2) FFIX- 9 was my first active-battle Final Fantasy. I really liked the storyline up until the last disc, where things just got stupid and screwy. But I still enjoyed it.

1) Dragon Quest 8- One of the best RPGs I have played thus far. Fun gameplay, good storyline, LOTS to do... The only thing I could live without is the need for mad leveling sprees before just about every boss after Dhoulmagus.

[Great Cartoonist]

Here's my list of the top RPGs (in my opinion, and of no particular order, of course):

Fallout 2 - Non-linear gameplay, realistic situations, fourth-wall humor, and modability? Check, please.

MapleStory - Like Diablo II, but toned down and condensed into a cute MMORPG platformer!

Chrono Trigger - What more do you want??

FF6 - In my opinion, the best in the series.

FFT-A - The thing I like about it is the many ways you can customise your individual units. Really fun.

Pokemon [insert sub-title that includes the name of a color or gemstone here] - Monotonous collecting and breeding has never been so much fun.

Tales of Phantasia - You know why you love it. Great story, great battle system, funny dialogue, etc.

Romancing SaGa 3 - It has a character growth system like Final Fantasy II. This is the kind of character growth I want to see in any game.

Seiken Densetsu 3 - I don't know what makes this game so good, but believe me, it's good. (You guys probably played it already.)

Treasure of the Rudras - Okay, so maybe you haven't heard of this one. But Google this one and you'll see why I like it. You can create magic spells by spelling out words you know or combine any jumbled mixture of 12 letters! Also, the boss battles are HARD (even the first ones), just the way I like it.

[Buddha Fett]

in no particular order:

>FFTA
>Chrono Trigger
>Mario&Luigi: Superstar Saga
>FFIV
>Golden Sun I&II
>Lunar Legend
>Phantasy Star Online Episodes I&II
>Fire Emblem(7)
>Star Ocean: Til the End of Time

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

Well, whatever I get forthis, I'm not going to post my top ten. Just my top 5.

Which would be:

1. Suikoden II
2. Chorno Trigger
3. Symphony of the Night (I consider it an RPG, like Zelda. However I'll let you guys win one and not put Zelda up here)
4. One of the Dragon Quest games (I can't decide yet between V and VIII so I'll just say eventually one of them goes here)
5. Final Fantasy VIII

I laugh at your insults on my choices!

[Solid Snake]

My top ten:

10: Final Fantasy VI
9: Front Mission 3
8: Super Mario RPG
7: Final Fantasy IX
6: Kingdom Hearts 2
5: Fallout 2
4: Final Fantasy VII
3: Suikoden II
2: Xenogears
1: Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger is bolded, of course, because it really *does* deserve that #1 spot.

I'm not sure why, but I really do feel that the glory days of RPGs were the late-SNES / early-to-mid PS1 eras.

If Castlevania: Symphony of the Night counted as an RPG too, it'd be up there as well. Dragon Quest VIII, Planescape: Torment, Chrono Cross, Suikoden (the original) and Final Fantasy X are my five honorable mentions.

[Iyeru]

The japanese FF5 needs to be released in America, if it hasn't been already. Unless that's the GBA release you guys were talking about.

I dunno if it was good or not, but it just makes me angry.

Too hard for us. Pshaw.

Well the GBA version of FF5 is going to have a few extra dungeons just like Dawn of Souls did. It's also going to have a new class. (Remember that one of the crystal shards you never got I believe in the PSX version.)

[Supreme Edgemaster]

I think we need to set down guidelines for what to call an RPG. An RPG encompasses any game that has a level building element for a main character. That means that this list can not include games such as "The Legend of Zelda" or games like that. Those just aren't RPG's in my mind and I always have said that RPG's have level building in them and no one can change that.

[Fifthfiend]

3) Kingdom Hearts (Original)- The first time I tried to play it, I hated it with a passion. I thought the story was lame and the battles were useless. (Every time you left a room and came back, the same heartless you just defeated would come right back.) When I tried again several months later, however, I immedidately fell in love with it. I actually found that I LIKED the hokeyness and corny Disneyness combined with SquareEnix awesomeness. Go figure.

Just to correct a small inaccuracy, KH had a standard two-rooms respawn rule. Believe me, I would have killed, when I was doing goddamn synthing my goddamn way up to goddamn Ultima Weapon, for me being able to just go out and back into a room and the enemies are back again.

[Chipper173]

FFIII is being redone with new graphics and is coming to a DS near you this fall.

So here's my list.

10. Tie: Kingdom Hears 1/2-Cause, I mean, duh.
9. WoW-First game to show me that MMORPGs don't suck.
8. Phantasy Star Online-This game was crack, and I was fucking hooked. Also my first online game.
7. Knights of the Old Republic-On account of you can conquer the galaxy at the end with a double lightsaber and Force-choking powers.
6. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance-I never got into the first one, but this one ate me for over 130 hours. Plus I got Cid in my party. How many of you can say that?
5. Quest 64-Please tell me you've played this. Please don't let me know that I'm alone.
4. Can I count the Castlevania games with leveling systems? If so Symphony of the Night was all that and a bag of chips.
3. Pokemon Silver-Okay, call me a sissy, but remember my 130-hour FFTA file? Pales in comparison to my almost 190 hours with this game.
2. Final Fantasy VI-Because the characters are so great and I can talk about this with the "supposed" Final Fantasy fans at my school and they have no idea what I'm talking about. Plus Edgar was the best person ever. Bar none.
1. My favorite RPG ever: Final Fantasy IX. If there's one thing I love, it's something that makes a reference to something else, and this game has that in spades with throwbacks to old FFs. Plus I like the art style.

Yeah, you read that right. No Chrono Trigger, and I've played it. Whattayagonnadoaboutit.

[ElfLad]

Favorite completed RPGs
1. Tales of Symphonia
2. Skies of Arcadia: Legends
3. Paper Mario 2
4. Paper Mario
5. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Favorite uncompleted RPGs
1. Chrono Trigger
2. Super Mario RPG
3. Tales of Legendia

[Bamboozehound]

5. Quest 64-Please tell me you've played this. Please don't let me know that I'm alone.
I did. It was a cute game, and a good precursor to Zelda:OOT, which is absent from your list for some reason.

Yeah, you read that right. No Chrono Trigger, and I've played it. Whattayagonnadoaboutit.
Okay, that does it. You go to the back of the mob.

[ElfLad]

Absent because OoT is not an RPG. Your opinion is in the minority on that one.

[Bamboozehound]

What's the difference between OOT and Quest64? Leveling? Psh.

[Mondt]

Quest 64 was awesome! So much fun and different strategies you could implement with the different elements and varieties within them.

[Mirai Gen]

Quest 64 was awesome! So much fun and different strategies you could implement with the different elements and varieties within them.
Yeah, but nobody gave a damn if Brian and his stupid haircut saved his dad, or destroyed a book, or destroyed his dad and saved the book...or what the fuck ever.

[Iyeru]

I thought Quest64 was kinda cool too, but I only played it once, and that was for like 30 minutes. Anyway, back on my own list and since I just put in 29 Hours of gameplay to my new Star Ocean: Till The End of Time...

1.] Final Fantasy VII (Hey, I didn't change it! I suck!)
2.] Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
3.] Final Fantasy I / V
4.] Sword of Mana (GBA) // Final Fantasy Adventure (GB)
5.] Final Fantasy VI

So eh.

[Kenryoku_Maxis]

I think we need to set down guidelines for what to call an RPG. An RPG encompasses any game that has a level building element for a main character. That means that this list can not include games such as "The Legend of Zelda" or games like that. Those just aren't RPG's in my mind and I always have said that RPG's have level building in them and no one can change that.

Both Sony and Nintendo clearly define an 'RPG' as this:

RPG: A game in which the player takes on the role of a character to collect items and information to fulfill a quest or goal.

That is the actual direct definition lifted from the huge information packet Sony gave me when I worked for them as a game tester. They had the definition for about 20 standard genres for games.

And so what does this mean? Lets look at what Zelda is. You do play a game. You do take on the role of a character, well known across the world as 'Link'. And most importantly, what are the two MAJOR things that drive every Zelda game? The gathering of items (hearts, bombs, boomerangs, oh my) and information (NPCs in town, maps, instructions for puzzles on dungeon walls, old women hanging out behind waterfalls) to fulfill a quest (which every single Zelda game actually uses the word 'Quest' to define what Link has been doing).

So yes, Zelda is an Action/Adventure game. And I would actually argue it is more action and adventure than RPG. But at its core, it truly is also an RPG. That is why Nintendo classifies the game AS and Action/Adventure RPG. All three of them. Not just Action. Not just Action/Adventure. All three my friends.

Remember. Zelda when it first came out was a revolutionary game. It was a melding of two types of games, one being Action and the other being your very popular RPG format. It just seems that people have forgotten that. Just because a game has free-movement and doesn't use numbers doesn't mean its not an RPG.

Also Zelda does have a 'level building element'. Just instead of his STR or MP rising magically out of thin air when he hits a 'level up', he gets these bonuses in the form of finding items. And once again I hark back to the definition of Sony and Nintendo that one of the key elements of an RPG is finding items. So finding items (hearts, fairy dust, bigger bomb sacks) to increase Links ability is a form of increasing his abilities.

[Mirai Gen]

Well, Kenryuko got it right. Observe. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_role-playing_game)
CRPGs, in general, are derived from pen and paper-based role-playing games (RPGs) such as Dungeons & Dragons. Characters in these games are always assigned a variety of attributes such as hit points. These attributes are traditionally displayed as a numeric value to the player instead of a simpler abstract graphical representation, such as bars and meters, favored by video games in general.
Zelda, anyone?

[BitVyper]

Lets see, my favourite RPGs....

1. FFVI - I always come back to it. It's one of the only good FF games, and the only one that really goes beyond being just "good" for me, and my favourite game of all time. Every time I play through it, I find myself appreciating new things about the characters. The FF series in general tends to irritate me, because I've seen what Square can do, and I know it's better than this. When they make something that isn't FF, it's almost always unique and cool, with at least a few really neat concepts. Einhander and Bushido Blade are good examples from outside their usual genre. Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana show you what they can do with RPGs (not to mention the incredible SNES games that we never got). Most of the time, FF just seems like a template, with a couple minor changes dressed up as innovation. Lately though, I'm not even all that impressed by Square's other games.

2. Live-a-Live - Also my second favourite Squaresoft game. It's like Chrono Trigger and Saga Frontier combined. Except that where Saga Frontier had you more or less playing the same game with different characters and stories, Live-a-Live is like playing eight different games that eventually converge into one traditional RPG with a pretty damn good plot, and cool characters. One adventure is a survival horror sort of thing, where you never actually get into a fight, but if you run into the monster, you die. It actually managed to be pretty damn scary too. Very well established atmosphere. Another story is a traditional sort of western, where you have to save a town from some bandits. No random battles or chance to build your level otherwise, and you're horribly outnumbered, so you have to help the townspeople by getting them to set traps for you. My personal favourite though, takes place in ancient China. You're a great old martial arts master looking for pupils. You have to train them and stuff. I just love it because it's like Dragonball martial arts, and you have this super secret succession technique that you teach to one student.

3. Chrono Trigger - If I have to explain, you probably won't get it anyway.

4. Tales of Phantasia - I'm always amazed that this was on SNES, and yet it looked almost as good as PS1's Tales of Destiny.

5. Terranigma - It's like Secret of Mana, only a million billion times better.

6. Super Mario RPG - See Chrono Trigger.

7. Bahamut Lagoon - I love the plot, and I love what happened with the main character's love-interest.

8. Saga Frontier - Square always does good when they stick to simple stories. That's why these multiple quest games are great. My only beef with Saga Frontier is that it gets a tad repetative. However, the fact that they had a sentai-themed character makes me forget about that.

9. Legacy of Kain: The Whole Damn Series - I love the character of Kain. It's got cool themes, great dialogue, and awesome voice acting.

10. Inindo - My favourite ninja game.

[Chipper173]

Okay, Zelda counts now? New list.

10. Tie: Kingdom Hears 1/2
9. WoW
8. Phantasy Star Online
7. Quest 64
6. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
5. Knights of the Old Republic
4. Zelda: Ocarina of Time
3. Zelda: Majora's Mask
2. Final Fantasy VI
1. Final Fantasy IX

[greed]

Now that Zelda counts, put OoT at 1 and ALttP in there as well.

[Iyeru]

But wasn't Zelda usually classed as an Adventure game? But then again, MegaMan Legends is classed as both an RPG and Shoot-Em.