An oldie, but a goodie
One of my first top tens was about RPGs. I regret making it now, because naturally as I go back and read it four years later I disagree with myself at least six or seven times. Well, I still like RPGs, and I still like talking about them, but I'll try to narrow the focus of this next top ten, about RPGs on only one system, the Super Nintendo.
Now, the SNES was a pretty bitchin' system for fans of the genre. A few series had come into their own on the NES (namely two that share acronyms with Franz Ferdinand and Dairy Queen), developers over in Japan were just beginning to understand what kind of storytelling could be done with the video game medium, and... well... a lot of good shit came out of it. So, before I bore you with filler intro, here it is:
10. Star Ocean: Fantastic Space Odyssey
This is one game that was so ahead of its time that... you wish it wasn't held back by the time and place. Allow me to explain: Star Ocean has a battle system that takes place over a 2D plane with real-time actions, a plot with branching pathways and a wide variety of recruitable characters, fully voice-acted battles, and deep skill-learning and item synthesis systems. Doesn't that sound an awful lot like a PS1 or PS2 game? Well, Star Ocean came late in the SNES's life cycle, and while visual and system limitations cause it to play awkwardly at times and fail to live up to its own ambition, it's still a whole lot of fun; it's easily on par with the second and third games in the Star Ocean series, which are great games in their own right. Definitely try and check out the PSP port of this game when it hits the states sometime later this year or early next year; hopefully they preserve the strengths and improve the weaknesses of this barely-played hidden gem.
9. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
At first, this game seems like an extremely derivative dungeon, town, dungeon, town, dungeon, town sort of game, and the game's visuals and music are admittedly only slightly above-average. But to hell with that - Lufia II's major draws are entertaining characters and excellent, well-designed dungeons. Each character has a distinct personality that endears the player to each of them, and the plot, while nothing spectacular, has a large number of genuinely touching moments thanks to the excellent character interactions (note: this game is great, but Lufia I isn't; Lufia II is actually a prequel, so don't feel bad about skipping it). The gameplay is nothing spectacular, focusing on the round-command battle system created by the Dragon Quest series, but the insane variety of spells and abilities add a tremendous amount of depth. What's really awesome about Lufia II, however, are the dungeons. They start out easy enough, but eventually escalate into some of the most complex and difficult dungeon-crawling fiascos ever, with some extremely tricky puzzle mechanics that reward the crafty thinker (or the faq-checker). Still, dungeon difficulty aside, this game is probably one of the best pure dungeon crawlers ever.
8. Final Fantasy IV
FF IV was my first RPG for the SNES, and it remains one of my favorites to this day. This game was the first FF game to introduce the popular Active-Time battle system meters, and also featured the first true great character conflicts in the series - Cecil and Kain. The depth of those two characters, with Cecil's transition from darkness to light and Kain's inability to make that transition out of conflicted respect and jealousy created the first great inner conflicts in all of RPG-land. The cast of supporting characters is also solid, with Rydia's transition into womanhood, Edge's humorous antics and one-sided crush, and Rosa's position in the Cecil and Kain love triangle all providing intersting subplots. Sure, the game's storyline and music are also excellent and the battles and dungeons are all well-executed, but the real draw is the compelling characters. Visually this game is a bit lacking, but who the hell cares? You'll want to keep playing this just to see what happens.
7. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mario is one of the greatest RPG series of all time. There are only five or six games to his name, but each of them is somewhere in between very good and all-time excellent on the quality scale, and this is the one that started it all. Square takes the classic Mario universe, expands it with a variety of races and locales, and brings the style and fun of a Mario game to an outlandish RPG setting. The game's focus of timed hits and platforming field elements come together fantastically, and all five characters are fun and interesting, even if Mallow sucks compared to the other four. I won't go on talking about this one for too long, but believe me: if you like Mario, and you like RPGs, then you will love Mario RPG.
6. Dragon Quest V
Dragon Quest V doesn't have the complex class system of DQ VII, or the variety of deep characters of DQ IV, or the massive world and long story of DQ VI, or the fantastic visual and audio quality of DQ VIII, but it is still my favorite in the series. This is the only DQ game that spreads across multiple time periods, chronicling the life and history of the silent main character, the only DQ game that features multiple nameable characters, and the first DQ game to highlight recruiting monsters as part of your team. But the real fun is watching your main character grow up in one of the best coming-of-age stories in video games. Sure, you're still trying to fulfill a prophecy and defeat an ultimate evil, just like every Dragon Quest, but the fun dungeons, hardcore difficulty, character depth (of the hero, at least), and charming story make this game a classic worth looking up.
5. EarthBound
With regard to game mechanics, EarthBound is essentially a Dragon Quest game with monsters visible on the field instead of random battles. However, the gameplay isn't why this is one of the best RPGs around - it's the game's... whimsy. The game's "modern setting", hilarious dialogue and enemies (everyone loves beating the tar out of New Age Retro Hippies, right?), and entertaining characters and story are the real reasons to play this gem. It has a very cartoony, colorful aesthetic, and is set in what appears to be a somewhat normal world, but the weirdness at play here gets pretty intense, and there's nothing bright and happy about an upcoming alien invasion. To quote Ben Croshaw, EarthBound sort of seems like "a cross between the Cthulu Mythos and the Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show." Everything from the "Fuzzy Pickles!" photographer to the color-obsessed cultists to the bizarre Mr. Saturn race make this game one of the wackiest, most entertaining RPGs ever.
4. Seiken Densetsu 3
The sequel to the extremely popular Seiken Densetsu 2 (called Secret of Mana in English), this game takes what was clumsy and derivative of its predecessor and improves upon it in every way. The character AI is improved, the menu system is easier to navigate, and the combat is much faster and more fun. Depending on how you decide to set up characters and classes, you can end up with sixty-four class combinations for any party of three, and with six available characters, that's 1,280 possible party setups, with the game's plot changing drastically depending on which character is your team's leader, further adding to the massive replay value of this classic. On the whole, it's a very solid storyline with all of the elements of a great RPG in place, but the variety and party customization elements are what stand out the most. The game's graphics are outstanding, keeping the colorful vibe of Secret of Mana while improving in every imaginable way. The game's music and plot are fairly good, but the characters lack depth compared to some other RPGs bring to the table. And even though the characters aren't terribly deep, their amusing personalities and consistently fun interactions satisfy me plenty. Overall, this game is enthusiastically recommended to anyone who likes a good action-RPG, especially for the exceptionally well-designed and elegant character customization system. If you liked Secret of Mana, then try this one out - it takes everything a step further and utterly succeeds.
3. Tales of Phantasia
The Tales series is a game with moderate popularity in Japan and only niche popularity over here, but it's most notable for its action-oriented battle system, its anime-inspired art style, and its epic storylines and entertaining characters. Phantasia is the game that started it all. A collaboration of Namco and Wolf Team (later known as Tri-Ace), ToP's plot stretches across multiple time periods, borrowing rather heavily from Norse myth in certain aspects. The real draw to the Tales games, however, is the crazy battle system ,and ToP is no exception. You only control the game's main character direcly (Cless, a versatile warrior), in a manner similar to a 2D fighting game. The other three members of your party (an archer, a defensive magic user, a summoner, an offensive magic user, and a projectile-throwing ninja) hang behind Cless and follow a set of AI guidelines set in the field menu. Overall, it works extremely well, and soon you'll be working your hardest to use Cless to gauge the enemy and charge and leap when appropriate, in order to prevent your more vulnerable other party members from taking too much heat. It works beautifully, and the priceless dialog and intriguing characters are icing and spicing on this delicious RPG cake. The GBA version kind of sucks, but definitely try playing a rom of the SNES original or of the PS1 or PSP remakes. It's one of the very best.
2. Final Fantasy VI
The last 2D incarnation of the world's most celebrated series of RPGs was also one of the best. FF VI features a whopping FOURTEEN playable characters, each of whom possesses its own individual skillset in addition to the customizable Magic ability. This large set of heterogeneous characters allows for a ton of possible teams, and also allows for certain dungeons to allow coordinated multi-party endeavors. FF VI's plot is also extremely important to the series in that it turns away from the "collect the crystals and save the world from the ultimate evil" theme of previous FF games, instead starting as a struggle against an ambitious empire that escalates into stopping an all-powerful psychopath from allowing the world to plunge into despair. What's probably most remarkable about this game, however, is the depth and breadth of characters. Fourteen is a somewhat large number of unique characters for an RPG, but FF VI manages to provide each of them with a strong degree of depth and personality. Each character also grows as a person (or Moogle, or Sasquatch, or ... whatever the hell Gogo is) as the game progresses - gone are the days of simple character motivations and flat, unchanging personalities. In short, this is possibly the best FF game of all time and certainly should be played at least once by anyone who enjoys a great RPG.
1. Chrono Trigger
There really shouldn't have been any doubt. This is by far the most beloved, most over-hyped, most acclaimed RPG on the SNES, and for a good reason: it's absolutely brilliant in every respect. The combined creative minds of the "The Dream Project", formed from many of the biggest names from the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series, created one of the greatest RPG experiences of all time, if not the very best. The variety of characters come from a variety of different time periods to fit the game's time traveling theme, from the silent, fast and powerful teenaged Crono to the slow firepower-loaded sentient robot Robo. All reek of excellent design and balance, while also possessing extensive and interesting backstories and personalities. The graphics are among the best to be found on the SNES, serving the create a variety of incredible atmospheres to the lush jungles of 65 million BC to the gloomy wastelands of 2300 AD. The music is excellent, ranging from the groovy beat of Robo's theme to the poignant music box of Marle's theme. If this game had a weakness, and not all would consider this a weakness, then it's the somewhat short playing time, averaging probably from fifteen to twenty hours. This is not a long game by RPG standards, and is probably the shortest game on this list; still, in some ways to have such a compact adventure is refreshing, and it's really nitpicking when you're talking about one of the greatest video games of all time.
Honorable Mentions:
Final Fantasy V - this game is a very good FF game, with a particularly fun battle system, but its dry characters and largely unimpressive presentation prevent it from being as good as its immediate predecessor and next two successors.
Secret of Mana (aka Seiken Densetsu 2) - This game is 95% percent of the reason that the Mana series has such a devoted following, introducing many of the elements that make the series such a fan-favorite. My major beefs with the game are the grind of weapon- and spell-leveling and the sluggishness of the battle system due to charged attacks. But still, this was the start of something great (Final Fantasy Adventure, aka SD1, *really* pales in comparison). While SD3 is the better game, this one is definitely an all-time classic.
Dragon Quest VI - Yujii Horii always makes his storylines charming and simple rather than deep and convoluted, but just as consistently loves to play around with intriguing storyline concepts. While he used an extended coming-of-age story in DQ V and the theme of time travel in Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest VI plays around with the idea of a two-world dichotomy - one world is the real thing, which is under siege by an evil demon army, and the other is a dream world, where the hopes and dreams of the suffering real world denizens are reality. The long storyline is a bit slow-moving and turns some people off, but if you take the time to wade through it and watch the dreams of people in despair play out while trying to defeat the demon king terrorizing the real world, then you'll be too impressed to care.
Terranigma - The only reason that this game is up there is because I don't believe it's an RPG. It's very similar to a Zelda game - a dungeon-crawler with a single controllable character that has some RPG elements sprinkled here and there. You're essentially a boy whose tasked to revive the entire world - continents, life, progress, the works. But why the hell are you doing it? That's a complicated question that I can't answer without spoiling the hell out of a few of the most absurd plot twists in video game history. So yeah, Terranigma is too good a game to ignore utterly, and it's definitely worth looking up.
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu - This one was almost tenth, but I decided to put in Lufia and Star Ocean instead. This is a very long, very deep strategy RPG, with the first half, starring Sigurd, has the royal heirs of the kingdoms of Jugdral uniting to stop an evil force and the second half, starring Sigurd's son Selis, doing a similar job. Seisen no Keifu ("Generations of the Holy War") is notable for two things - the well-executed tactical battles and the love system. You see, if you "pair up" male and female characters by having them fight next to one another often in the first generation, then in the second generation their children will inherit the special abilities of both parents. Both of those strengths really shine in the fourth game in the series, and was a worthy entry in the longest-running series in one of my favorite sub-genres.
If you demand an apology for the lack of Zelda or something similar, then keep in mind I don't consider single-character games to be RPGs, with the lone exception of Dragon Quest I. Well, that's all I got. I'm still amazed that I managed to write that in only a few hours. Damn. Oh well, onward to sleep.
Now, the SNES was a pretty bitchin' system for fans of the genre. A few series had come into their own on the NES (namely two that share acronyms with Franz Ferdinand and Dairy Queen), developers over in Japan were just beginning to understand what kind of storytelling could be done with the video game medium, and... well... a lot of good shit came out of it. So, before I bore you with filler intro, here it is:
10. Star Ocean: Fantastic Space Odyssey
This is one game that was so ahead of its time that... you wish it wasn't held back by the time and place. Allow me to explain: Star Ocean has a battle system that takes place over a 2D plane with real-time actions, a plot with branching pathways and a wide variety of recruitable characters, fully voice-acted battles, and deep skill-learning and item synthesis systems. Doesn't that sound an awful lot like a PS1 or PS2 game? Well, Star Ocean came late in the SNES's life cycle, and while visual and system limitations cause it to play awkwardly at times and fail to live up to its own ambition, it's still a whole lot of fun; it's easily on par with the second and third games in the Star Ocean series, which are great games in their own right. Definitely try and check out the PSP port of this game when it hits the states sometime later this year or early next year; hopefully they preserve the strengths and improve the weaknesses of this barely-played hidden gem.
9. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
At first, this game seems like an extremely derivative dungeon, town, dungeon, town, dungeon, town sort of game, and the game's visuals and music are admittedly only slightly above-average. But to hell with that - Lufia II's major draws are entertaining characters and excellent, well-designed dungeons. Each character has a distinct personality that endears the player to each of them, and the plot, while nothing spectacular, has a large number of genuinely touching moments thanks to the excellent character interactions (note: this game is great, but Lufia I isn't; Lufia II is actually a prequel, so don't feel bad about skipping it). The gameplay is nothing spectacular, focusing on the round-command battle system created by the Dragon Quest series, but the insane variety of spells and abilities add a tremendous amount of depth. What's really awesome about Lufia II, however, are the dungeons. They start out easy enough, but eventually escalate into some of the most complex and difficult dungeon-crawling fiascos ever, with some extremely tricky puzzle mechanics that reward the crafty thinker (or the faq-checker). Still, dungeon difficulty aside, this game is probably one of the best pure dungeon crawlers ever.
8. Final Fantasy IV
FF IV was my first RPG for the SNES, and it remains one of my favorites to this day. This game was the first FF game to introduce the popular Active-Time battle system meters, and also featured the first true great character conflicts in the series - Cecil and Kain. The depth of those two characters, with Cecil's transition from darkness to light and Kain's inability to make that transition out of conflicted respect and jealousy created the first great inner conflicts in all of RPG-land. The cast of supporting characters is also solid, with Rydia's transition into womanhood, Edge's humorous antics and one-sided crush, and Rosa's position in the Cecil and Kain love triangle all providing intersting subplots. Sure, the game's storyline and music are also excellent and the battles and dungeons are all well-executed, but the real draw is the compelling characters. Visually this game is a bit lacking, but who the hell cares? You'll want to keep playing this just to see what happens.
7. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mario is one of the greatest RPG series of all time. There are only five or six games to his name, but each of them is somewhere in between very good and all-time excellent on the quality scale, and this is the one that started it all. Square takes the classic Mario universe, expands it with a variety of races and locales, and brings the style and fun of a Mario game to an outlandish RPG setting. The game's focus of timed hits and platforming field elements come together fantastically, and all five characters are fun and interesting, even if Mallow sucks compared to the other four. I won't go on talking about this one for too long, but believe me: if you like Mario, and you like RPGs, then you will love Mario RPG.
6. Dragon Quest V
Dragon Quest V doesn't have the complex class system of DQ VII, or the variety of deep characters of DQ IV, or the massive world and long story of DQ VI, or the fantastic visual and audio quality of DQ VIII, but it is still my favorite in the series. This is the only DQ game that spreads across multiple time periods, chronicling the life and history of the silent main character, the only DQ game that features multiple nameable characters, and the first DQ game to highlight recruiting monsters as part of your team. But the real fun is watching your main character grow up in one of the best coming-of-age stories in video games. Sure, you're still trying to fulfill a prophecy and defeat an ultimate evil, just like every Dragon Quest, but the fun dungeons, hardcore difficulty, character depth (of the hero, at least), and charming story make this game a classic worth looking up.
5. EarthBound
With regard to game mechanics, EarthBound is essentially a Dragon Quest game with monsters visible on the field instead of random battles. However, the gameplay isn't why this is one of the best RPGs around - it's the game's... whimsy. The game's "modern setting", hilarious dialogue and enemies (everyone loves beating the tar out of New Age Retro Hippies, right?), and entertaining characters and story are the real reasons to play this gem. It has a very cartoony, colorful aesthetic, and is set in what appears to be a somewhat normal world, but the weirdness at play here gets pretty intense, and there's nothing bright and happy about an upcoming alien invasion. To quote Ben Croshaw, EarthBound sort of seems like "a cross between the Cthulu Mythos and the Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show." Everything from the "Fuzzy Pickles!" photographer to the color-obsessed cultists to the bizarre Mr. Saturn race make this game one of the wackiest, most entertaining RPGs ever.
4. Seiken Densetsu 3
The sequel to the extremely popular Seiken Densetsu 2 (called Secret of Mana in English), this game takes what was clumsy and derivative of its predecessor and improves upon it in every way. The character AI is improved, the menu system is easier to navigate, and the combat is much faster and more fun. Depending on how you decide to set up characters and classes, you can end up with sixty-four class combinations for any party of three, and with six available characters, that's 1,280 possible party setups, with the game's plot changing drastically depending on which character is your team's leader, further adding to the massive replay value of this classic. On the whole, it's a very solid storyline with all of the elements of a great RPG in place, but the variety and party customization elements are what stand out the most. The game's graphics are outstanding, keeping the colorful vibe of Secret of Mana while improving in every imaginable way. The game's music and plot are fairly good, but the characters lack depth compared to some other RPGs bring to the table. And even though the characters aren't terribly deep, their amusing personalities and consistently fun interactions satisfy me plenty. Overall, this game is enthusiastically recommended to anyone who likes a good action-RPG, especially for the exceptionally well-designed and elegant character customization system. If you liked Secret of Mana, then try this one out - it takes everything a step further and utterly succeeds.
3. Tales of Phantasia
The Tales series is a game with moderate popularity in Japan and only niche popularity over here, but it's most notable for its action-oriented battle system, its anime-inspired art style, and its epic storylines and entertaining characters. Phantasia is the game that started it all. A collaboration of Namco and Wolf Team (later known as Tri-Ace), ToP's plot stretches across multiple time periods, borrowing rather heavily from Norse myth in certain aspects. The real draw to the Tales games, however, is the crazy battle system ,and ToP is no exception. You only control the game's main character direcly (Cless, a versatile warrior), in a manner similar to a 2D fighting game. The other three members of your party (an archer, a defensive magic user, a summoner, an offensive magic user, and a projectile-throwing ninja) hang behind Cless and follow a set of AI guidelines set in the field menu. Overall, it works extremely well, and soon you'll be working your hardest to use Cless to gauge the enemy and charge and leap when appropriate, in order to prevent your more vulnerable other party members from taking too much heat. It works beautifully, and the priceless dialog and intriguing characters are icing and spicing on this delicious RPG cake. The GBA version kind of sucks, but definitely try playing a rom of the SNES original or of the PS1 or PSP remakes. It's one of the very best.
2. Final Fantasy VI
The last 2D incarnation of the world's most celebrated series of RPGs was also one of the best. FF VI features a whopping FOURTEEN playable characters, each of whom possesses its own individual skillset in addition to the customizable Magic ability. This large set of heterogeneous characters allows for a ton of possible teams, and also allows for certain dungeons to allow coordinated multi-party endeavors. FF VI's plot is also extremely important to the series in that it turns away from the "collect the crystals and save the world from the ultimate evil" theme of previous FF games, instead starting as a struggle against an ambitious empire that escalates into stopping an all-powerful psychopath from allowing the world to plunge into despair. What's probably most remarkable about this game, however, is the depth and breadth of characters. Fourteen is a somewhat large number of unique characters for an RPG, but FF VI manages to provide each of them with a strong degree of depth and personality. Each character also grows as a person (or Moogle, or Sasquatch, or ... whatever the hell Gogo is) as the game progresses - gone are the days of simple character motivations and flat, unchanging personalities. In short, this is possibly the best FF game of all time and certainly should be played at least once by anyone who enjoys a great RPG.
1. Chrono Trigger
There really shouldn't have been any doubt. This is by far the most beloved, most over-hyped, most acclaimed RPG on the SNES, and for a good reason: it's absolutely brilliant in every respect. The combined creative minds of the "The Dream Project", formed from many of the biggest names from the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series, created one of the greatest RPG experiences of all time, if not the very best. The variety of characters come from a variety of different time periods to fit the game's time traveling theme, from the silent, fast and powerful teenaged Crono to the slow firepower-loaded sentient robot Robo. All reek of excellent design and balance, while also possessing extensive and interesting backstories and personalities. The graphics are among the best to be found on the SNES, serving the create a variety of incredible atmospheres to the lush jungles of 65 million BC to the gloomy wastelands of 2300 AD. The music is excellent, ranging from the groovy beat of Robo's theme to the poignant music box of Marle's theme. If this game had a weakness, and not all would consider this a weakness, then it's the somewhat short playing time, averaging probably from fifteen to twenty hours. This is not a long game by RPG standards, and is probably the shortest game on this list; still, in some ways to have such a compact adventure is refreshing, and it's really nitpicking when you're talking about one of the greatest video games of all time.
Honorable Mentions:
Final Fantasy V - this game is a very good FF game, with a particularly fun battle system, but its dry characters and largely unimpressive presentation prevent it from being as good as its immediate predecessor and next two successors.
Secret of Mana (aka Seiken Densetsu 2) - This game is 95% percent of the reason that the Mana series has such a devoted following, introducing many of the elements that make the series such a fan-favorite. My major beefs with the game are the grind of weapon- and spell-leveling and the sluggishness of the battle system due to charged attacks. But still, this was the start of something great (Final Fantasy Adventure, aka SD1, *really* pales in comparison). While SD3 is the better game, this one is definitely an all-time classic.
Dragon Quest VI - Yujii Horii always makes his storylines charming and simple rather than deep and convoluted, but just as consistently loves to play around with intriguing storyline concepts. While he used an extended coming-of-age story in DQ V and the theme of time travel in Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest VI plays around with the idea of a two-world dichotomy - one world is the real thing, which is under siege by an evil demon army, and the other is a dream world, where the hopes and dreams of the suffering real world denizens are reality. The long storyline is a bit slow-moving and turns some people off, but if you take the time to wade through it and watch the dreams of people in despair play out while trying to defeat the demon king terrorizing the real world, then you'll be too impressed to care.
Terranigma - The only reason that this game is up there is because I don't believe it's an RPG. It's very similar to a Zelda game - a dungeon-crawler with a single controllable character that has some RPG elements sprinkled here and there. You're essentially a boy whose tasked to revive the entire world - continents, life, progress, the works. But why the hell are you doing it? That's a complicated question that I can't answer without spoiling the hell out of a few of the most absurd plot twists in video game history. So yeah, Terranigma is too good a game to ignore utterly, and it's definitely worth looking up.
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu - This one was almost tenth, but I decided to put in Lufia and Star Ocean instead. This is a very long, very deep strategy RPG, with the first half, starring Sigurd, has the royal heirs of the kingdoms of Jugdral uniting to stop an evil force and the second half, starring Sigurd's son Selis, doing a similar job. Seisen no Keifu ("Generations of the Holy War") is notable for two things - the well-executed tactical battles and the love system. You see, if you "pair up" male and female characters by having them fight next to one another often in the first generation, then in the second generation their children will inherit the special abilities of both parents. Both of those strengths really shine in the fourth game in the series, and was a worthy entry in the longest-running series in one of my favorite sub-genres.
If you demand an apology for the lack of Zelda or something similar, then keep in mind I don't consider single-character games to be RPGs, with the lone exception of Dragon Quest I. Well, that's all I got. I'm still amazed that I managed to write that in only a few hours. Damn. Oh well, onward to sleep.