Best RPG ever??

^^
Neither does the vault suit.

Mine is a throw up between a lot of games, though they've all already been mentioned except final fantasy tactics. The game isn't very difficult, but there's a lot of great things you can do with it. I played through the game only using normal type characters once and then later only using the main character. tons of fun.

Everybody throwing votes for torment, fallout(s), and baldur's gate(s) are right on. All were such amazing titles.
 
Two that haven't been mentioned that were IMHO awesome. Septerra core, and arcanum. Both were open ended and story driven. Sadly they will not run on my new computer, so i will probably have to fire up an old rig for some nostalgia gaming.
 
A long time ago, before I got deep into PC gaming, I would have rattled off the old NES / SNES classics we all know and love.

However, once PC RPG'ing got a hold of me, imo no regular console RPG comes close to being as amazing as the PC ones - I like to feel as if *I* am driving the story, not as if I'm reading an interactive book.

I would put Fallout 2 as one of my favorite RPG's, followed by anything Black Isle, someone mentioned Arcanum which was awesome, Planescape Torment... man, the list goes on and on.

As much as I love FF6, sorry, it really doesn't hold a candle to Fallout 2 at all.

These days, the only types of RPG's I can stand to play at all are of the Oblivion / Witcher variety, though I did enjoy Mass Effect.
 
For me, Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 are pretty much tied.
 
:Dman i didnt expect this many replies. my fav rpgs in order would be
BG1+Expansion pack:D
BG2+Expansion pack:)
Diablo2
FF9
FF7
 
I met an annoying bug in BG1 which made me give up on it, but for me - Baldur's Gate 2.

I really want to enjoy The Elder Scrolls games, but I never can get into them, no matter how many times I try. I prefer a party-based RPG with a strong storyline, which tends to describe BioWare's output (and some of Black Isle's, unsurprisingly since the two were closely linked).

Never got on well with any Japanese RPGs.. I dislike wandering around and - oh! We're in a turn-based battle that came out of nowhere. Not that every one is like that, but they all seemed to be rather grind-y. I didn't like Diablo 2 for the grindiness either (I'm a completist, I couldn't leave the first area because I could have levelled up more there.. grr).

Mr. Wolf said:
Dreamfall gets my vote as best RPG. It had an amazingly imaginative storyline.
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Dreamfall, as in the sequel to The Longest Journey? I did enjoy it, although the puzzles were somewhat weak, but I would certainly say it was an adventure game, not an RPG? Unless there's another Dreamfall out there.
 
Final Fantasy 6 (3 on the SNES)

God, I spent so many nights playing that on SNES.

I would say FF7 comes in a close 2nd.
 
My top 5 so far (roughly):

Final Fantasy 6
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 4
Disgaea 1 & 2 (still not sure which I like best...1 for story...2 for gameplay)

Notable:

Suikoden V (currently playing this...and it's amazing)
Lufia 2 (some of the best RPG gameplay out there)
Valkyrie Profile 2 (haven't played much of it, but the gameplay is astounding)
Final Fantasy XII (story isn't good at all, but I do love the battle system)
Final Fantasy Tactics (only got roughly halfway through the PSX version...I will be picking up the PSP version shortly)
Wild Arms (worth it for the opening cutscene music alone...one of the best songs I've ever heard)

I've played a lot of console RPGs...but I'm definitely forgetting quite a few. I guess I haven't beaten all that many though, since a lot of them do get stale after a while.

As to the reason wondering why some of us find Final Fantasy so good...I think a lot of it has to do with presentation and polish. They truly are very well polished RPGs.
 
ultima 7. the pinnacle of the ultima series to me.

-a great balance of freedom + great storyline to follow.
-unapologetic blood and gore for its time. after seeing the first murder scene(as a kid) i was just enthralled and immediately was sucked into the game.
-likeable characters.
-great villains + a villain who is larger than life(the guardian)
-very good music. I still listen to the midi files once in a while :p

-

I was never into the playstation when it was popular because I was soley a PC gamer back then. I see people raving about ff7 so much, so I regret that I didn't play it back then, I wonder if it would still be enjoyable for me now, if it has stood the test of time.
 
Disgaea killed so much time from my life (200+ hours). Though, I can't seem to ever dedicate myself to the other NIS strat RPGs for some reason.
 
Ultima IV.

Ultima V could have possibly been the best if I didn't happen to experience a very rare bug in the game that required me to send my save games back to Origin for them to figure out what was going on. By the time I finally got my save games back, I wasn't interested in finishing the game any more.

Once I lost finite control of my party in Ultima series, the games went down hill for me. I didn't even bother finishing them.
 
I don't usually play RPG's but I have to say that the Final Fantasy series is probably the best. I prefer Pokemon but I don't really count that as an RPG so I have not picked it.
 
best is such a hard word to give to just one game.

But if you include all 3 disk of Shining Force 3 I would have to say that, but if each disk is it's own game then FF7 beats it in my book.

Story line is my key factor in an RPG so a game like Diablo 2 could never be my favorite RPG, even though I played it for 5 years becuase it's story line is like a few paragraphs long if that.
 
simon741 said:
Just out of curiosity. I have an extremely mint copt of FF7 and was wondering if its worth any money these days. I thought it looked cool but dissed it after 5 minutes. God I hate RPGs.
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I have sold 2 both for over 100 bucks.
 
Predecessor of Fallout 1/2:

wasteland3ir9.jpg


Best RPG ever.

 
1. Final Fantasy 3(US) - this game was huge for its time!
2. Final Fantasy 2(US
3. Phantasy Star 2 -spent many night with this back in 1990-1991 :D
4. Phantasy Star 4
5. Shining Force
6. Chrono Trigger
7.Super Mario RPG

those are my all time favorites
 
It's really depressing how so few of these titles were made in the last 5-10 years. Games have become so interactive and boring. Now, instead of sitting in front of a screen and being immersed in a gigantic world, full of options and stories, you hold a controller and point at a screen. Instead of trying to kill my brother, a spawn of bhaal like myself, adverturing along the sword coast, I'm supposed to erase wario's mustache.. :(
 
FF7 IMO is the greatest RPG: amazing story line that will drive you on for years.
Square enix also provides extra content such as a few new games that are related to the story (crisis core, Dirge of cerebus) and a CGI movie (advent children).

Diablo II has the best online experience - get rich by magic finding/trading, rip off some guys, make godly chars and pvp to show off who's daddy :cool:
 
Mithent said:
Never got on well with any Japanese RPGs.. I dislike wandering around and - oh! We're in a turn-based battle that came out of nowhere. Not that every one is like that, but they all seemed to be rather grind-y.
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That's why FF2 will never be my favorite even though I liked that game a lot (and still play the music from it occasionally). I remember playing FF7 when it came out, seeing the usual battle-from-nowhere pop up--meh. I can't do that anymore..
 
Am I the only one who even played Vagrant Story? It was such an amazing game with a great storyline and gameplay that was unique...I would think more people would suggest it as one of the best if more people had played it.
 
my favorite of all time would have to be Daggerfall. The TES catalog has always been an obsession of mine since I was young. But, the Gothic series took me away from Morrowind and Oblivion for a while.

Also gotta show love for the Fallout series and Ultima Underworld.
 
Daggah said:
Am I the only one who even played Vagrant Story? It was such an amazing game with a great storyline and gameplay that was unique...I would think more people would suggest it as one of the best if more people had played it.
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I just got my PSP modded, so I might try out the game. I hope SE starts releasing their games on PSN so I can just buy it legitimately though :(. I don't really have a moral objection to downloading a game if it's not possible to buy it new, as buying used games does not forward a single penny to the game's developers, the people who deserve to see something from the sale.
 
Daggah said:
Am I the only one who even played Vagrant Story? It was such an amazing game with a great storyline and gameplay that was unique...I would think more people would suggest it as one of the best if more people had played it.
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I have played almost all console RPG's including this one. This doesn't make the list due to the fact its just not good enough to be called the best. The game was great the way you customized your weapons and how you can choose to hit the head or the feet. The story like and art work both really good. But for me the game Grabbed me and slowly let me slip out of addiction with it. It just didn't keep me hooked put 35 hours into it and they a new game came around and I had to put it away without finishing it.

FF7 on the other hand the first time I picked up that game I missed 3 days of school and sleep which is a big part of why it is on many peoples list. Also that is why you will see Grandia's on people top list because they grab you and make finishing the game the most important thing in the world.
 
javisaman said:
My list:

FF7
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Chrono Cross
Chrono Trigger
Skies of Arcadia
KOTOR
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solid list I like to see people put Chrono Cross about Chrono Trigger.....some people consider Chrono Cross a disappointment but I loved every second of that game.
 
stevedave said:
I have played almost all console RPG's including this one. This doesn't make the list due to the fact its just not good enough to be called the best. The game was great the way you customized your weapons and how you can choose to hit the head or the feet. The story like and art work both really good. But for me the game Grabbed me and slowly let me slip out of addiction with it. It just didn't keep me hooked put 35 hours into it and they a new game came around and I had to put it away without finishing it.

FF7 on the other hand the first time I picked up that game I missed 3 days of school and sleep which is a big part of why it is on many peoples list. Also that is why you will see Grandia's on people top list because they grab you and make finishing the game the most important thing in the world.
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I long for a game that will do this to me again. Suikoden V has been very good lately, but I'm not totally gripped by it yet. I'm only about 11 hours in though, and I hear the story should be very gripping soon. A major event has just happened to me recently, but the pacing has kind of slowed since.
 
stevedave said:
I have played almost all console RPG's including this one. This doesn't make the list due to the fact its just not good enough to be called the best. The game was great the way you customized your weapons and how you can choose to hit the head or the feet. The story like and art work both really good. But for me the game Grabbed me and slowly let me slip out of addiction with it. It just didn't keep me hooked put 35 hours into it and they a new game came around and I had to put it away without finishing it.

FF7 on the other hand the first time I picked up that game I missed 3 days of school and sleep which is a big part of why it is on many peoples list. Also that is why you will see Grandia's on people top list because they grab you and make finishing the game the most important thing in the world.
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It's all a matter of opinion. And I also think that nostalgia and when you played the game can influence the decision to make it either better than it really is, or worse than it really is.

I remember when FF7 came out, there was a huge split in the fanbase on what was the best FF game. Those who had previously played FF before FF7 came out seemed to think that FF4/6 (aka FF2/FF3 in the US) were the best games, and those who played FF7 and then played 4/6 thought 7 was a better game. (I'm not going to get into fanboys who claimed one game was better that another without even playing the other game).

Having played practically every RPG mentioned in this thread (plus many more), I can already tell you that I don't agree with many peoples tastes, but FF7 is definately a game that hasn't aged well, and is mostly brought up imho as an option, because it was their first.

Nostalgia plays a major part, because honestly some of the later games had more depth and roleplaying, better story, graphics, gameplay, etc (all in all, just a better package). I'd be lieing if I thought Wasteland was a better game than Fallout, but that doesn't mean I don't like Wasteland better.

I'd be interested in seeing the results of what the good RPGs are based upon player generation who have played the RPGs in their respective times to see the results. Would people who have been playing RPGs actively since Wizardry 1 and Ultima 1 list kotor or Baldur's Gate as their favorite or is there a generational gap of what's good? (Saying that you've played them all, but played a 1981 game in 2005 is not the same as playing a 1981 game in 1981).
 
I agree wholeheartedly w/ the above post that nostalgia plays a big part. My first thought is of the gold box games, especially pool of radiance and secret of the silver blades. Beating them at the time was a HUGE accomplishment for me (I was 9 in 1988 when POR came out, starting the series). There was no "walkthrough" on my local bbs's (though I'm sure there was one out there) and the concept of a "walkthrough" was unheard of to me. Plus you could transfer your characters on up through. I remember finding an exploit in secret of the silver blades to dupe items (vorpal long swords for everbody for the rest of the series! ). Everything was just NEW. Plus the journal system was pretty well worked out in the documentation. I wouldn't even use haste b/c I didn't want to age my characters. . .I was so attached to them. Such a blast.

I have vivid memories of mapping out dungeons on graph paper. I thought the POR series was the best but I had the savage frontier and dragonlance games, too.


Since then (honorable mentions):

Ultima underworld was truly spectacular in its day.

Never heard of planescape until maybe '01 or so, I have to give it a shot w/ all of the praise I've heard (including this thread).

FF7 ate my life the summer after it came out on PC. I DID use a walkthrough for some parts near the end, rushed to the final boss and got 0wn3d repeatedly. Was too lazy/frustrated to go back and level up so I never beat it (plus by then unreal and then UT were too busy eating my life).

Morrowind also ate a decent amount of my life but by then I just didn't have as much time to game so oh well. . .. .never finished the main quest b/c I was so into the world. On the list of stuff to play if I ever reinstall (sys upgrades have left the game saves on another HD)

I'm maybe 1/2 through phantom hourglass on my girlfriend's DS and it is very creative and very well done.

Never played but want to: oblivion, KoTOR, some of the newer FF's.

I'll also put a word in for FF: adventure and link's awakening for the game boy. I had a ton of fun playing those back in the day.
 
SPOILERS

FF7 did have something that the other FF's didn't have: presentation. The eerie flashback sequences, the sequence where you wake up in the Shinra Tower prison after Sephiroth massacres everyone in the building and you find the Masamune in Shinra's back, the mystery of cloud's past, etc...The game was great.

The graphics have not aged well, but the game remains very playable to this day. Now, I think the game's characters could have used more work (FF6 had better characters, IMO), and we could have gotten a bit more interaction with Sephiroth. Even when the game ended, Sephiroth's motives were still largely unclear. The only real problem with the game (and the series in general), is that battles are far too easy. I wish they would include a harder difficulty or something like that, so that some of us can at least be partially challenged.

Also, one great thing about FF7 (and maybe a flaw for some), is that much of the story was hidden to the player. The story became much clearer and amazing when you learned of Jenova's true identity and motives, as well as Cloud's real relation to Zack (his memories are actually Zack's memories), etc...There's much more to this game than what is presented in a bare bones playthrough.
 
Phantasy star, Dragon warrior, and Final fantasy were my First RPG's. and my list of how many i have played is so long that it's borderline pathetic. Playing a game in it's time is the only way to really get how good the game is. I played ff6 from start to finish on it's release date and I played FF7 start to finish on it's release date just as in march I'm going to play crisis core from start to finish. If you fault an rpg based off of limitations from technology then IMO your opinion doesn't matter.

Final Fantasy is a great game for it's time and for today you can tell this much so because they took away most of the technology limitations with the new installations of the game and they are great.

If they remade FF7 successfully on the PS3 it would be just as fantastic if not more.
 
accidentalsuccess said:
Never heard of planescape until maybe '01 or so, I have to give it a shot w/ all of the praise I've heard (including this thread).
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If you do play Planescape Torment make sure to download the widescreen mod. It allows you to set the resolution to virtually anything you want. If you play the game without the mod you are stuck at 640x480 which looks horrible on most monitors today.
 
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