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IGN's Top 100 RPGs of All Time

LKSmash

Member
1. Dragon Age II
2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
3. ArcaniA: Gothic 4

my personal top-3 of best rpg's of all time

I fully expect them all to feature in IGN's top 100

tenor.gif
 

Entropia

No One Remembers
These lists are always controversial.

I think #1 will probably be FF VII. I don't disagree with it, but I'd argue others that'd be above it.

Top 10 will be something like: Mass Effect 1 or 2, a spattering of Final Fantasy's (IV, VI, VII, IX?), KOTOR, World of Warcraft, a Tales of ___ game, a CRPG or two (Planescape: Torment, etc.), and another SNES era game like Earthbound or Chrono Trigger
 

Elandyll

Banned
Horizon better be top 10 😢
I'd like that but with so many classic "Universal Acclaim" type RPGs it would be highly controversial I imagine.
I see HZD around the middle or a bit lower, probably.

Top 15 will probably be between

Oblivion / Skyrim
Fallout 3/ New Vegas (Fallout 4 would probably entice a riot)
Witcher 3 (probably a top 3, very popular game)
Baldur's Gate 2 / Planescape Torment
Final Fantasy 7
Deus Ex
Mass Effect / ME2
Knights of the Old Republic
Neverwinter Nights
Diablo 3
System Shock 2
Zelda OoT / Botw
World of Warcraft
Persona 3/4
Dragon Age Origins
 

kswiston

Member
IGN loves Mass Effect 2, so I expect that in the Top 10. Probably Skyrim as well.


I know people are expecting Final Fantasy VII to be in the top 5, but I don't think that was the case in past IGN lists.

when they last ran the list, #1 was Final Fantasy VI

http://ca.ign.com/lists/rpgs/1

EDIT: Fallout 3 was #10, Mass Effect was #9, WoW was #8, Skyrim was #7, Diablo 2 was #6, Final Fantasy IV was #5, Pokemon Red/Blue was #4, Baldur's Gate 2 was #3, Chrono Trigger was #2.

EDIT 2: Honestly, I have a bigger problem with FF4 than I do some of the CRPGs. That's basically "My Childhood" the game. Pokemon Red/Blue as well, but I can see the Gen 1 Pokemon coloring things.
 

PillarEN

Member
Wonder if Pokemon Blue/Red makes it in the top 50. Very significant in terms of history yet it wouldn't surprise me if they are going to be in the 51 and above range.

Gothic 3 is not a top 100 RPG

True. I regret buying this game. I forgot I bought it until you mentioned it. The only thing I remember is that I uninstalled it almost immediately and that the game was dedicated to someone who died during development.

Real guesses for their top 10:
Probably a FF game or 2. FF7 for sure and maybe 10?
There will be Fallout 3 and Skyrim.
There will be Mass Effect (2).
World of Warcraft.
Chrono Trigger will be the only pre 1995 RPG there (Earthbound will not make the top 10).
They will make sure one of the Souls games is there (only one though).
There will probably a Persona game and it will be from the modern era, but will likely be 4 because of how strong the spin offs were in terms of popularity (3 is too early for some of the people and 5 is too new for them to justify it).
Will Bioware get lucky with a pre Mass Effect RPG in the top 10? No.
Will any Nintendo RPG make it into the top 10? No.
And all the Phantasy Star games will probably end up being lower than one might expect. Phantasy Star 4 will be ranked the highest though. Probably followed by Phantasy Star Online.
Undertale sneaks into the top 10.
 

DJIzana

Member
Top 10 imo:
1: wow (vanilla-Wotlk)
2: ff7
3: Ultima online (vanilla-t2a)
4: Chrono cross
5: xenogears
6: ff8
7: DAoC
8: elder scrolls oblivion
9: Chrono trigger
10: ff6

Solid list.

For me...

1. Earthbound
2. Chrono Cross
3. Chrono Trigger
4. Phantasy Star Online
5. Final Fantasy Tactics
6. Ragnarok Online
7. Wild Arms
8. Legend of Dragoon
9. Xenoblade Chronicles X
10. Nier Automata
 

Anno

Member
Well going by that 80-100 I'm already sure this list won't come close to matching mine. Curious what the top will be though.
 

PSFan

Member
The new Zelda absolutely is an rpg. You play a character with practically no character and no voice so you're assuming his role and you're doing sidequests and upgrading equipment and have dialogue choices as simple as they are. You collect ingredients to make food that increases your stats. Heck there's even some town building element.

Sounds like someone hasn't been to Zelda's room in the castle, yet.
You'll find out why Link doesn't speak.

BOTW is not an RPG.
 
A large chunk of Vagrant Story, Breath of Fire V, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Legend of Grimrock 2, and any Trails or Etrian Odyssey games will not be on this list.
 

Hux1ey

Banned
1. Dragon Age II
2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
3. ArcaniA: Gothic 4

my personal top-3 of best rpg's of all time

I fully expect them all to feature in IGN's top 100

1 and 2 are the worst games in their respective series.

!

I'd like that but with so many classic "Universal Acclaim" type RPGs it would be highly controversial I imagine.
I see HZD around the middle or a bit lower, probably.

Top 15 will probably be between

Oblivion / Skyrim
Fallout 3/ New Vegas (Fallout 4 would probably entice a riot)
Witcher 3 (probably a top 3, very popular game)
Baldur's Gate 2 / Planescape Torment
Final Fantasy 7
Deus Ex
Mass Effect / ME2
Knights of the Old Republic
Neverwinter Nights
Diablo 3
System Shock 2
Zelda OoT / Botw
World of Warcraft
Persona 3/4
Dragon Age Origins
More like Morrowind/Skyrim unless IGN are trolling.
 
I just hope Lufia II makes it again like last time they made this list. They put it at 87, which worries me that it isn't already up there.
 

lefty1117

Gold Member
The Bard's Tale made the list! I thought that game was finally aging out of the collective memory. Good to see it hasn't been forgotten. First post, btw
 

Galang

Banned
A mess if SMT: Nocturne and Persona 3 don't make this list. I bet they'll jump at the chance to put 4 in one of the top spots though ugh
 
I'm pleasantly surprised to see DA Inquisition on the list
I know gaf doesn't like it but idgaf it's my second favourite game ever.

Also happy Divinity Original sin is there, fantastic game.

Pretty interesting list so far, not everything there is something I'd expect to see which is cool.
 
Zelda is NOT an RPG and never will be. It's a ridiculous argument to make. If Zelda is an rpg then everything is an rpg. We need better definitions.
 

Quonny

Member
EverQuest getting the token 100 slot is a shame.

It should be much higher. While it wasn't the first MMO, it certainly was the first one to break out from the hardcore crowd.
 
So far it's showing 100-81, will update whenever it updates: http://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-rpgs//100

100 - EverQuest
99 - Wizardry 8
98 - Titan Quest
97 - Fable II
96 - Torchlight II

95 - Pillars of Eternity
94 - Front Mission 3
93 - The Bard's Tale
92 - Betrayal at Krondor
91 - Freedom Force
90 - Divinity: Original Sin
89 - Dragon Age: Inquisition
88 - Darkest Dungeon
87 - Ys Book I & II
86 - Kingdom Hearts II
85 - Chrono Cross
84 - Dragon Warrior VII
83 - Final Fantasy
82 - Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
81 - EVE Online

EverQuest behind those? Hell, EverQuest not in the top 10?

Divinity not in the top 50 and BEHIND Dragon Age: Inquisition?



Let me guess the rest:

FFVI will be the highest rated FF (IX and VII were better), System Shock 2 won't be on the list because fuck it, Deus Ex will *at best* be in the top 20, Baldur's Gate 2 will be somewhere in the 40's, and Ocarina of Time will be #1.
 
EverQuest behind those? Hell, EverQuest not in the top 10?





Let me guess the rest:

FFVI will be the highest rated FF (IX and VII were better), System Shock 2 won't be on the list because fuck it, Deus Ex will *at best* be in the top 20, Baldur's Gate 2 will be somewhere in the 40's, and Ocarina of Time will be #1.
They won't put Ocarina.

Those Zelda games are considered Action Adventure (even Nintendo markets them as Action Adventure), doubt they'll change their minds now.
 

Artanisix

Member
Witcher 3 will be top 5, no doubt in my mind. It's too vast, too critically acclaimed, and too genuinely good to be anywhere else.
 

poodaddy

Member
I can already guess their top 5
1. Witcher 3
2. Zelda BotW
3. Skyrim
4. FF7
5. Mass Effect 2

This is probably what to expect and honestly I'm fine with it. The only changes I'd make is replace BOTW with Chrono Trigger and FF7 with Planescape Torment. Oh and Mass Effect 1 is a better RPG than 2, but 2 does play better.

Edit: Why do people get so mad in these threads though? I mean it's just opinions and everyone acts like there's some objective certification of RPG quality when it just boils down to whether someone dug it or not. If you don't like this list then find another meaningless list of opinions on the internet that ya do like.
 
Huh, don't think DA:I or KH2 belong on there, though I know both have many fans.

After some serious consideration, I think this would be my top 10:

10. Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
9. Persona 4
8. Nier: Automata
7. Final Fantasy VII
6. Chrono Trigger
5. Secret of Mana (SD2)
4. Suikoden 5
3. Suikoden 3
2. Witcher 3
1. Final Fantasy VI

Arc the lad may seem an odd duck here, but I really loved the narrative framing and pacing, and the battle system is my favorite lite-tactics system in any game.

I like Suikoden II an awful lot too, but 3 and 5 have eclipsed it in recent years. If there's no Suikoden title on the IGN 100 I riot!

Perhaps most striking to me making this list, is that I had to really ruminate on Witcher 3 v FF VI. I think FF VI has one of the best executed narratives in games, but Witcher 3 is neck and neck (and obviously much more richly and better written). If I didn't have so much nostalgia for VI I'd probably give the nod to W3, but hard for me to say.
 
This is probably what to expect and honestly I'm fine with it. The only changes I'd make is replace BOTW with Chrono Trigger and FF7 with Planescape Torment. Oh and Mass Effect 1 is a better RPG than 2, but 2 does play better.

If any Zelda is there it's still gonna be OoT ... the jock-riding for that game is eternal.

All top 100 lists are also required to not put FFVII as the highest FF game because it is the most popular and that wouldn't be the hipster thing to do. But Ocarina somehow is exempt there.

I'm also flabberghasted at people putting Witcher 3 in the top 10... I *still* cannot force myself to beat that game. I have beaten System Shock 2 (again), Uncharted 4, Titanfall 2, Dishonored, and am about to beat Horizon Zero Dawn in the time I've had it.

Witcher 3 will be top 5, no doubt in my mind. It's too vast, too critically acclaimed, and too genuinely good to be anywhere else.

I feel like I'm the only person alive that finds the gameplay god-awful and the game itself tear-jerkingly boring. Dragon Age: Inquisition kept me more interested.

Lists like this are always going to raise eyebrows coming from a place like IGN but Inquisition making a top 100 is still a bit much. Like... c'mon. They cover games for a living. You don't need filler for a top 100 in a genre as old and broad as RPGs.

It's all clickbait. I'm guessing they will omit quite a few classics and throw in more recent games just so people know what they are.

I would bet $100 that at least 2 of KOTOR 2, Fallout: NV, Alpha Protocol (all Obsidian games), probably a Suikoden or two, some FFs, etc... will be left out.
 

foxuzamaki

Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
They won't put Ocarina.

Those Zelda games are considered Action Adventure (even Nintendo markets them as Action Adventure), doubt they'll change their minds now.
Nintendo have always considered Zelda rpgs, they label them as rpgs in their eshop
 

kromeo

Member
If any Zelda is there it's still gonna be OoT ... the jock-riding for that game is eternal.

All top 100 lists are also required to not put FFVII as the highest FF game because it is the most popular and that wouldn't be the hipster thing to do. But Ocarina somehow is exempt there.

I'm also flabberghasted at people putting Witcher 3 in the top 10... I *still* cannot force myself to beat that game. I have beaten System Shock 2 (again), Uncharted 4, Titanfall 2, Dishonored, and am about to beat Horizon Zero Dawn in the time I've had it.



I feel like I'm the only person alive that finds the gameplay god-awful and the game itself tear-jerkingly boring. Dragon Age: Inquisition kept me more interested.

It would be perfectly reasonable if they put FFVII in 6th place

Behind the 5 better Final Fantasy games
 
Nintendo have always considered Zelda rpgs, they label them as rpgs in their eshop
In Japan they label them as Action Adventure. on mobile so I can't bring up the thread where it was mentioned.

The eshop isn't really saying much. It's just makes it easier to sort, but it's always Action adventure first.

Who knows tho, but I rarely see people consider the early Zelda games RPG other then the first 2 and BOTW
 
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