My Favourite RPGs
Tales of Vesperia (XBOX360)
I love all of the Tales games, but so far this one is the most visually impressive. The story and gameplay is the same as all other Tales games, so there isn't really much unique to this one. Again the battle system is action-based with commands for performing attacks, special attacks, parrys, blocks and a bunch of other actions.
The Last Remnant (XBOX360)
This is one of the more american RPGs that I have in my collection. The battle system comprises of groups of enemies fighting against your groups of allies. You adopt new characters as the game progresses and can choose to include them in your battles as you please. Each type of character levels up to gain a certain set of skills. There is a robust quest system in this game too.
Lost Odyssey (XBOX360)
Lost Odyssey follows the adventures of the main character - a man that has been alive for hundreds of years and seen big changes in many cities and generations of families. I remember the story more than the gameplay in this RPG - it was very deep. At some points in the game your character would meet someone and that would trigger a memory. The memories are blocks of text that you read on screen, accompanied with music and images in the background. You would think that this would get boring but I found myself looking for memories as the stories became so engrossing, I wanted more and more.
Blue Dragon (XBOX360)
Yet another RPG with gorgeous graphics! As this game is exclusive to the Xbox 360, it came on 3 discs! Blue Dragon is quite a traditional RPG when it comes to the gameplay - actions are chosen in an on-screen menu and you take turns with your party members and your opponents. The main characters are children set out on a quest to stop their village's evil nemesis from terrorizing the village. Each character has their own "Blue Dragon" that performs most of the attacks and can be leveled up to increase their stats and get new moves. Unfortunately on my first play through of this game, I seemed to get to the last boss very under-leveled... I tried a few times to level up enough to fight the boss but never managed to beat him! This is one of my few unfinished games.
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower Of Mirrors (Wii)
A.J. bought this for me one year for Christmas. I had seen so many below average reviews for it that I hadn't thought of buying it before hand. This game has to be one of the simplest RPGs that I have ever played, but I became immersed in the story, gameplay and graphics within an hr of playing. I have always loved Dragon Quest games since I played Dragon Quest VIII for PS2, especially the cell shaded graphics! The gameplay for this RPG involves swinging the Wii Remote correctly to knock back the enemies as you progress through an area, on rails. Though it is simple, it is a lot of fun, and can be found now for a pretty good price at any game store.
Eternal Sonata (PS3)
As you play Eternal Sonata you are playing Frederic Chopin's dreams as he lays in bed with a fever. This game has a very unique story compared to most RPGs, and the gameplay is quite unique too. This is an action RPG with an added gameplay feature that involves shadows in the battlefield. The graphics are gorgeous and remind me of Star Ocean quite a bit. There is a strong influence of classical music in Eternal Sonata, from the character's names to their moves and the towns visited.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope (PS3)
The first time I played a Star Ocean game I played one on the PS2 and I never managed to get into it. However, when we got a PS3 I couldn't wait to get my hands on an epic RPG for the console with amazing HD graphics. I tried out this Star Ocean and ended up loving the experience! There is a huge system of item making in this game that I think I only scratched the surface on. The battles are action, and you can switch between your party members mid-battle on the fly. I loved the cartoony graphics on this game!
Resonance of Fate (PS3)
If you read any review about this RPG, they will tell you that it is one of the hardest RPGs out there and takes a lot of time and patience to play. The learning curve is definitely steep, but once you understand the battle system you have an RPG that is actually quite fun to play. I never managed to grasp the story entirely - it seems quite complex if you can follow all of the cutscenes. I just had fun playing the battles more than anything.
Suikoden 3 (PS2)
The first of the Suikoden series to be released in North America, this game was met with mixed reactions from it's audience. Personally, I loved it. The whole idea behind switching the focus of the game between 3 characters as they progress through events that tie together in the story is great. Suikoden games follow the general rule of collecting all 108 "stars of destiny". These "stars" are actually characters that you meet in the game. Sometimes you have to complete certain events, sometimes help them with tasks and sometimes just a quick chat and they will join your group. Once they are joined you can then choose them as a playable character in your party. Each star holds different characteristics that can benefit your party and how well you play the game.
Suikoden 4 (PS2)
This Suikoden game was very enjoyable to me. Though not as well received by most other RPG fans, I had a pretty fun time playing Suikoden 4. The same recipe in Suikoden 3 was used and seeing as I am more in love with the concepts behind Suikoden than with the characters and story I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I did not find the graphics or sound updated, but just having a new story to play through was all that was needed. You follow the story of another "hero" as he travels with his friends around the world collecting runes. The difference with this main character however is that his rune that he is bound to slowly tries to destroy him inside. It's past owners all died at the hands of the rune, and as you watch the story unfold you see how hard it is for it's new owner and for the rest of the party to handle.
Suikoden 5 (PS2)
This Suikoden took me quite some time to get into. It has the best reviews, but from the start I was not fond of the pulled-back camera (I like to see characters that take up at least half the screen). The story of this Suikoden follows a young prince out to avenge the death of his parents and capture of his sister early in the game. As the prince rallies troops from different tribes all over the world to fight against the big evil in the game, fights are happening between tribes and a full world war is breaking out. This is the one Suikoden where I found it easy to get attached to the characters after the story started to dramatically unfold. My only complaint is that it seems to start out slow and doesn't do much to keep you playing to start out with. However, once I saw what the game was really about I couldn't put it down.
Final Fantasy VIII (PS)
This Final Fantasy is my... 2nd or maybe 3rd favourite FF...not sure. It's better than FFIX anyway! The thing that I loved about this game was the spell system. You find spells. It was the first time that I'd come across this concept in an RPG, before characters had always "earned" spells through leveling up. Finding a spell makes it so much more exciting when you get a new one. My favourite thing to do was to fight a difficult boss and start drawing spells from it that were really awesome but rare. The other thing that I really enjoyed in this game was the characters - they were very interesting and complex and I found myself being drawn to play the game constantly to see what they get up to next.
Final Fantasy X (PS2)
The first Final Fantasy to have full voice acting and 3D graphics, Final Fantasy X has to be of my most loved RPGs. I loved absolutely everything about this game. The story is focused on religion (as opposed to love for FF VIII). You play as Tidus as he falls in love with a Summoner that is always being told she will rid the world of evil. Later on in the story however he finds out that everything isn't exactly as he thought it would be in the beginning. Every single party member in this game was so interesting and all had unique stories that tied into the overall plot of the game. The gameplay was quite classic, but had an awesome level up system where every battle you have the possibility of winning an orb that you can use to follow a path of abilities that unlock.
Tales of Symphonia (GC)
This game was stuck on my shelf for years after it was bought, because I wanted to make use of it's multiplayer capabilities (each person plays a character in the battles) and it never got to the top of mine and A.J.'s list. We did start to play it eventually but then I started to play it more than him and eventually it was just me. And when I did start to play it on my own I noticed that this was one of those RPGs that I just could no put down! There are many characters to play as (though not as many as Suikoden of course), and at some points your party splits into two where you have to choose which members would benefit the goal of each party at that time. This was the first action RPG I've ever played and it was a load of fun. Lots of new skills to learn for each character, yet the controls are kept simple. One great thing about this game is that there is a lot of puzzle solving on the field which makes it more unique to other RPGs.
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (Wii)
The sequel to Tales of Symphonia for Gamecube, and another game in the Tales series, this game actually seemed to be released unnoticed. The graphics are not that impressive, given that it's on the Wii, but the gameplay is just as fun as the other Tales games in the series. The story also follows a very similar plot to other tales games, and includes the two main characters from the previous Tales of Symphonia game.
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (GB)
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga is a very unique RPG. You play as 2D Mario and Luigi and solve puzzles and fight enemies on your adventure. The puzzles can become quite difficult at times, but they are always fun. The battles have a unique quality that I have not seen in any other RPG. When you are faced with enemies you can press A at the right time to add extra damage, and if they are attacking you, you can press A at the right time to avoid being hit. Timing is crucial and it varies depending on what attack is being used, so it takes quite a while to master. There are a lot of differently styled levels, and all of them maintain a cute quality. Not much can be said for the character design, but it's Mario and Luigi, so what do you expect?!
Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time (DS)
This is the second installment of the handheld Mario and Luigi RPG's and even more enjoyable than the first. The game is much the same as Superstar Saga but adds two new main characters - baby Mario and Luigi! The gameplay is improved with the addition of the babys as you can use them in your battles for advanced moves. They also play a role on the field, helping you solve puzzles by splitting up the group into two groups where each group has specific capabilities that can be used in puzzle solving. Great cute and fun game!
