I can do some for Dark Souls, P4, and Fire Emblem: Awakening. Tell me when you want it by.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
NeoGAF's Essential RPGs - 2015 edition
- Thread starter kswiston
- Start date
I can do some for Dark Souls, P4, and Fire Emblem: Awakening. Tell me when you want it by.
Notorious_Roy
Member
Pretty solid list! We have good taste. Can't wait to see the rest of the top 50/100!
I promised myself I'd play at least one of the games in the top 10 I haven't before. Since I already have Persona 4 for Vita that one is a given.
Didn't expect Fire Emblem though, maybe I should pick up that game in the near future to accompany my New 3DS.
I promised myself I'd play at least one of the games in the top 10 I haven't before. Since I already have Persona 4 for Vita that one is a given.
Didn't expect Fire Emblem though, maybe I should pick up that game in the near future to accompany my New 3DS.
Would you mind explaining why? I started phasing out older games that I've played in place of new ones just out of sheer design and playability. There are old games that simply do not hold up.
skLaFarebear
Member
Not really a fan of most of the top 10, but it was fan voted so I can only live with it.
zero shift
Banned
I often think about this. I wonder how my rankings would change if I got into the genre more recently or further in the past. Now some games would obviously still chart like Shin Megami Tensei IV, Mother 3, and The Witcher 2 as I played those games after having a lot of notches under my belt. However, would Dragon Quest VIII and Skies of Arcadia made my list if those weren't some of the first games I played getting into the genre? Of course they were likely to impress me when I first played them as my only experience with the genre prior to those games was Final Fantasy, Star Ocean III, and some hours of Fallout 2. I also feel the same about newer titles I've played. If Trails in the Sky was one of the first RPGs I've played, I believe that the game would likely chart. However after playing so many "blue sky" and "big adventure" RPGs, it isn't as exciting for me as it used to be.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is easy to be blown away by a game when you don't have much experience in the genre. Therefore the games you grow up with are likely to be the ones that you enjoy the most as they had such a leg up in giving off that "wow factor" so many seek.
theusedversion
Member
My guess is that FE is a result of the game being fairly recent. Give it a couple of years and it might be hard to find the game on the list at all. But I could be wrong.
I always feel weird adding recent games to any "best of" list because the recentness of the game might skew my opinion. I usually try to not include any recent titles until it has been out for a few years.
I always feel weird adding recent games to any "best of" list because the recentness of the game might skew my opinion. I usually try to not include any recent titles until it has been out for a few years.
Otakumegane
Member
As much as I love the game, Awakening doesn't belong.
That Xenoblade hate. It wasn't perfect but it showed actual attempt at an evolution that JRPGs have been lacking for a long ass time. It deserves to be on there.
That Xenoblade hate. It wasn't perfect but it showed actual attempt at an evolution that JRPGs have been lacking for a long ass time. It deserves to be on there.
theusedversion
Member
Using myself as an example. Final Fantasy IX is probably my favorite or second favorite game of all time but I can't go back and enjoy it now. Random encounters and long loading screens would ruin it for me now. But back when it came out, it was amazing. So do I still consider it my favorite game even though I probably can't enjoy it as much as recent games in the genre? I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to that. So someone younger might not be able to appreciate what these games are today and that's okay.
Most of the top ten is good, but, man, I strongly disagree with Awakening appearing on that list as an "essential." I'm glad that people are finally appreciating Fire Emblem's mechanics; I just wish that it happened with a better game.
Also, I feel like I'm at odds with the praise Xenoblade gets. I played it last year, and while I definitely enjoyed playing a epic-scope console JRPG again, it had a lot more flaws and pacing problems than I expected. (Also the story goes off the rails towards the end.)
Also, I feel like I'm at odds with the praise Xenoblade gets. I played it last year, and while I definitely enjoyed playing a epic-scope console JRPG again, it had a lot more flaws and pacing problems than I expected. (Also the story goes off the rails towards the end.)
#11-15 are up. Will will add #16-20 later today.
Fire Emblem fans are going to have to get used to Awakening being the face of the series going forward. I'm sure hardcore Fire Emblem buffs were equally as annoyed when Fire Emblem GBA did the same a decade ago (At least our first game in the west wasn't FE6).
Fire Emblem fans are going to have to get used to Awakening being the face of the series going forward. I'm sure hardcore Fire Emblem buffs were equally as annoyed when Fire Emblem GBA did the same a decade ago (At least our first game in the west wasn't FE6).
SatelliteOfLove
Member
My, that's an interesting surge for P3. I wonder if it's not from the game itself, but new people voting.
Anyways, thanks for all this hard work.
With the top 15 now out, there are some interesting new tidbits I think.
Pokemon slamdunked out of the top 15 is kind of surprising, I honestly expected it to rise if anything. Perhaps people are jaded with the new, much easier, games.
Fallout: NV up significantly is pretty interesting. Demon Souls rebounding from it's drop 2 years ago.
Other than FF7, it looks like all other Final Fantasies might actually drop. I'd at least have expected FFX to hold its position due to the HD remake.
Pokemon slamdunked out of the top 15 is kind of surprising, I honestly expected it to rise if anything. Perhaps people are jaded with the new, much easier, games.
Fallout: NV up significantly is pretty interesting. Demon Souls rebounding from it's drop 2 years ago.
Other than FF7, it looks like all other Final Fantasies might actually drop. I'd at least have expected FFX to hold its position due to the HD remake.
decoyplatypus
Member
I feel unqualified to write the snippet on Divinity: Original Sin because I didn't back or follow the kickstarter and only joined the party on release, but here's my attempt:
Divinity: Original Sin ("D:OS") is a 2014 CRPG developed by Larian Studios. The story follows two "Source Hunters"--authority figures responsible for punishing the practice of "source" magic--who, while investigating the murder of a town councilor, find themselves on the trail of a dark and wide-ranging conspiracy. Players eventually control a party of four and can recruit additional characters to form a deep bench of fighters. One of the first major titles of the 2010s CRPG renaissance, D:OS features the dramatic combat, (comparatively) free exploration, and plentiful sidequests that were hallmarks of the genre in its heyday. But D:OS is more than a throwback. Within the classical framework, D:OS introduces drop-in co-op, a robust crafting system, and turn-based combat that sets a new standard for the genre. Players can combine tactical-positioning, environmental effects, and telekinesis to unleash creative destruction (in the literal sense) on their enemies.
Divinity: Original Sin ("D:OS") is a 2014 CRPG developed by Larian Studios. The story follows two "Source Hunters"--authority figures responsible for punishing the practice of "source" magic--who, while investigating the murder of a town councilor, find themselves on the trail of a dark and wide-ranging conspiracy. Players eventually control a party of four and can recruit additional characters to form a deep bench of fighters. One of the first major titles of the 2010s CRPG renaissance, D:OS features the dramatic combat, (comparatively) free exploration, and plentiful sidequests that were hallmarks of the genre in its heyday. But D:OS is more than a throwback. Within the classical framework, D:OS introduces drop-in co-op, a robust crafting system, and turn-based combat that sets a new standard for the genre. Players can combine tactical-positioning, environmental effects, and telekinesis to unleash creative destruction (in the literal sense) on their enemies.
zero shift
Banned
I replayed Final Fantasy VII two years ago, and it holds up very well. It's better than the newer Final Fantasy's.
I'll need a little bit of time to think about why ME doesn't belong, but I can explain my stance on FE: Awakening.
It's the first and only FE I've played, so I don't know how it compares to others in the storied franchise. I think it's a great game where the sum of its parts makes it greater than any individual part.
I don't find the story particularly compelling. It plays things very safely and doesn't add any particular wrinkles to the tried-and-true amnesiac/save-the-world formula. Not that you need to break the mold with respect to premises to have a good story; I'd have been perfectly content with mature, complex "substories" that carry the player through the trite main story. Yet, that doesn't appear to be the case either.
Likewise with the characters. They don't evolve to be much more than archetypes, but that's compensated by the sheer amount of them and the ability to engage in dialogue/marriage sequences. This isn't bad, but I think I still prefer a solid, small core of well-developed characters a la Planescape: Torment (don't worry, I understand that the latter would never work for a sRPG like FE which demands a large character cast for gameplay purposes).
Finally, the music is very perfunctory. This is really down to personal opinion, but only a few tracks really stood out to me. I've yet to search any on YouTube for a relisten compare to say, FFVII, Chrono Trigger, P4, etc.
If I were to list out my criticisms with the game, they would be the above 3. Nothing particularly damning in each of the 3 cases because the game, as a whole, is very pleasant and fun. I just don't see myself replaying it or recommending it as a top 10.
GAF has always been and will always be a console-focused site. The best WRPGs are typically PC exclusive so these crazy lists follow.
I get more out of scrolling through the individual entries and reading what people have to say.
It's been beaten to the bush, but I think the results are reflective of the community. In this instance, the Gaf community particularly seems to cherish jRPGs and newer games (which may reflect a shifting demographic respect to age).
I'm really excited to see where Pillars of Eternity and Torment: Tides of Numenera will place when they release.
skLaFarebear
Member
top 10 essential rpg list and no mention of Baldur's Gate and Fallout, but two Persona titles and Fire Emblem?
what is this, twilight zone? the scary door?
at least torment made it in there.
guess i'm getting old or something...
i really loved persona 3 but still. wow.
Those are pretty similar to my feelings as well. I really don't think of Persona 4 and Fire Emblem: Awakening when I think of essential. I could see if this was a "best" or "favorite" list why they would be so high, but there really isn't anything essential about those games compared to something like Nocturne, Chrono Trigger (which deserves that place even if its not my favorite), Xenogears, TWEWY, etc. which did so much for the genre and each brings a completely unique (or the first to be unique) experience that you wouldn't find on most of the top 10.
I guess I'm just being an old hipster too.
Dracandros
Banned
I can't say I'm too happy with that list, but it was somewhat expected.
I'm not even that old and I guess essential means something different to everyone.
I'm not even that old and I guess essential means something different to everyone.
Nocturnowl
Member
Well for a series that manages to be pretty consistent and similar across mainline entries you could view the votes getting further fractured across various games as the series goes on across new generations and remakes giving more potential favourites with no one entry standing out to the masses as a voter favourite. I think personal favourites within this series come down to the small details and preferences leading to a wider spread hence it declining further in the voting.
zero shift
Banned
I think it's fantastic that Poke'mon is getting the boot. Always found the games to be very mediocre.
It's disappointing that no mainline Megaten did. III and IV are both some of the best games the genre has to offer.
It's disappointing that no mainline Megaten did. III and IV are both some of the best games the genre has to offer.
Nice, saw a few mentions of King of Dragon Pass flipping through the first couple pages. Also glad to see New Vegas being fairly high up on the overall list.
2014 was actually a pretty nice year for RPGs that I still need to do a lot of catching up on. Dragonfall, M&M and Divinity in particular I need to get around to.
2014 was actually a pretty nice year for RPGs that I still need to do a lot of catching up on. Dragonfall, M&M and Divinity in particular I need to get around to.
Eh, we'll see if the series as a whole has fallen. It could just be fractured voting. Final Fantasy on the other hand also seems to be dropping which I appreciate.
Coincidentally, SMT3 and Pokemon Gen 2 scored the same number of points this year (though SMT had more 3 pt votes so it will get priority in the rankings).
They're both dropping.
Some people voted for what they thought was essential. Some people voted for their favourites. Some people voted for titles they felt needed more recognition. As with any community vote, you can't really control the end results. I think the top 100 will be pretty strong, even if that list still has a few omissions due to demographics. Personally, I would just ignore the rankings and take the list as a whole (when I finally get everything posted). The rankings are just for fun.
I think that's essentially what most are taking issue with. "Essential" can mean different things for different people and, if I were to vote in this, I would take it to mean "my favorite RPGs of all time" rather than attempt to gather an objective ranking of the most influential (or whatever "essential" would otherwise mean) RPGs created.
I think the list basically reflects people's favorite RPGs ever made, regardless of the wording.
theusedversion
Member
Yeah I can see how the two would be different. I think most people voted for their favorite.
What did Xenogears and TWEWY do that has influenced later RPGs?
That's more or less how I look at it; something akin to one of those "1000 Things You Must Do Before You Die" books.
Nocturnowl
Member
Recommended RPGS would work well, to me the draw of the thread is more in reading up on peoples choices and perhaps being convinced to give certain games a whirl if the write ups pique interest.
At least that's how I view my list as favourites of mine that I'd recommend, I don't have nearly enough experience across the wide spread of the genre to deem true essentials and I have to imagine that I'm not alone here so no one should get too hung up on the term "essential".
At least that's how I view my list as favourites of mine that I'd recommend, I don't have nearly enough experience across the wide spread of the genre to deem true essentials and I have to imagine that I'm not alone here so no one should get too hung up on the term "essential".
As I think it should. A 'most influential' list would be academically interesting, but a list of recommended games is useful. Influential games often age poorly, as by definition they inspire other games that further evolve and develop the good ideas. Not to mention many fantastic games have sadly been ignored and forgotten, even if they had good ideas worth copying.
TWEWY: level and difficulty sliders, and the way it handles random encounters
Xenogears: separate battl system for mechs, skill learning mechanics, attacks set to face buttons with combos in a turn-based games, scale of the story.
How did TWEWY handle random encounters? I haven't played it.
Have any games outside the Xeno series implemented the separate battle system method? What about the rest of it? Not saying there are none but no examples come to mind and I'd appreciate some help.
i admit, i might be hung up on the semantics here, and in no way do i want to devalue anyones vote. tastes are different and that's fine.
essential to me means most important and influential, not favorite. FFVII would go on my essential list even tho FFIX is my favorite FF game.
anyway, it's all cool, i'm not really mad or something. it just kinda rubbed me the wrong way not seeing Fallout or BG in the top 10.
i am very glad however that new vegas beat fallout 3.
iseewhatyoudidthere.jpg
Mauricio_Magus
Banned
Most are just going to vote for their favorite RPGs, and GAF will always be console centric, I've always been into PC games but I don't think I have ever finished a WRPG that isn't a Dungeon Crawler so my list was JRPG centric.
Anyways, the only sin I see is the lack of Nocturne and not a single Dragon Quest in the top 15.
Anyways, the only sin I see is the lack of Nocturne and not a single Dragon Quest in the top 15.
Similar threads
- Poll