Pretty good list man, this generation sits with the 90s & 2000s as a peak one for RPGs. Also, I highly recommend Rise of the Third Power. Superb story & characters, solid battle system, decent length, etc. Might be up your alley.
SO2r has literally THE best QoL I've ever seen in a game. I was still finding new amazing QoL features/upgrades over 100 hours in. Like I was just complaining today while playing Eiyuden cuz I couldn't fast travel to a specific shop in a town lol. I'd never seen that before in a game with fast travel. And then how they made battles not random, and also have FFXI's system of enemy strengths tiered (with color coding). And making it so weak enemies wouldn't even attack you anymore. I've never really liked action combat in jrpgs. Until this game. I didn't like FF7r part 1 cuz of the combat, to the point I didn't even get part 2. I also didn't get 16 cuz of 15 snd 7r. But this game's combat is SOOOOOOOO fun. The only thing i would've added to it is having more tiers of skill level ups (based on usage) like in SO1. Anyways, yeah, the game is simply perfection.
I'm not surprised at all to see a Star Ocean game as your first pick. Especially after the way you talked up Star Ocean 2 which was an amazing game. And Chrono cross is definitely an amazing game and I love the port of it to switch
If you haven't given Nihon-Falcom games much look beyond Ys VIII, then I highly recommend getting into the Trails series. It's turn-based combat. But it excels in world building, characters, and having a grand interwoven story across the entire series. There are 10 so far (in the west), with the 11th being released in just a few days. In Japan they are up to the 12th, with the 13th being released in September (and we will get those later 2 also, but there's a 1.5-2.0 year lag for localization). Due to their interconnected nature, it can seem like a herculean task to get into the series, but everyone that does, never regrets it.
If I had a nickel for every Star Ocean game I started but never finished, I’d have 20 cents, but I’ll probably end up picking SO6 up at some point too.
Really good list with some great games. I have played every game on your list and I can definitely co-sign these. SO2R was my JRPG of 2023. It brought me back. SO6 was super underrated too. We have been pretty lucky as fans.
Beat: -Tales of Berseria -Tales of Arise -Ys VIII Have but not started: -Star Ocean Second Story R Played but fell off: -Star Ocean The Divine Force -Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes Good list!
You nailed it. Great list. I must say that Yakuza:Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon:Infinite Wealth stand out as well. Wonderful games that are not only enjoyable from an rpg set in the modern world standpoint, but also from a great characters/interaction, story and humor standpoint.
Kali-Q what do you think would be better a s a newcomer to the franchise, Tales of Berseria or Arise? As you said I've heard some criticism to the latter and was leaning towards Berseria but wanted to ask. Also if you've played it what do you think of Shin Megami Tensei III and the franchise as a whole?
Eh I didn't like tales of arise way of handling healing artes and certain areas forcing using the same resource. Berseria had "rare" elite encounters that'd get harder as they'd be higher leveled each time fighting that enemy. And the way of powering up items was a bit rough but I enjoyed berseria more
I couldn't get into Eiyuden. There were too many things that took me out of the experience that kept me from getting immersed in the world. Several character designs felt out of place (such as the 90s japanese biker gang member) and the translation felt off as well (an actual line of dialogue in the game was "git gud") among other things that kept me from really getting lost in the world.
@@kali-qgames1301 It's a really awesome ARPG, sadly not, it's single player as you can control only 2 characters per their own route (it's sort of like Tales of Xillia in terms of route structure). But still really DOPE as heck, being able to use multiple powers including controlling random objects and throwing them with your mind! And the characters themselves are pretty enjoyable, the artstyle is nice, and the music is also cool!
I think the only 2 I can say (other than SO6) if we're saying modern = better looking than, or innovative in some way(s) compared to, previous entries to the genre... cuz afaik there's not much else to compare Triangle Strategy and Unicorn Overlord to other than like FFT and Ogre Battle/Dragon Force, respectively. So I guess to me that makes em modern lol 🤷♂️ I love them both so much that they forced their way into my top 5 list of all-time, and I've been gaming for over 3 decades.
I agree those are so great things to check out i will put 5 that are not on your list 5. Fire Emblem three Houses great story I only played through one path though 4. Trails of Cold Steel series(I know i am cheating) of course this is a big commitment of time to get through but I enjoyed them. 4. Fire Emblem three Houses 3. Final Fantasy 7 Remake I personally liked how they updated it i wasn't too keen on the battle system at first but it came around for me. 2. Persona 5 royal was playing this when dealing with the loss of a parent it kept me somewhat occupied biased pick but still really good. 1. Xenoblade Chronicles series(cheating again) the stories in these are top tier the first game is my second favorite game of all time behind Xenogears.
Unicorn Overlord probably. Not a traditional jrpg, very unique, gorgeous artstyle and amazing gameplay. Also recommend giving the Trails series a shot though I prefer the old entries. And some others have recommended Xenoblades. I only love the 2nd entry but they're all at least good.
Couldn't agree more with Ys 8. Although I certainly think they could have come up with a better name than Lacrimosa of Dana. My choice that wasn't on the list was Bravely Defaut 2. Had an incredible time with that one, although it shouldn't have let me run the four Beastmaster party.
Truly wish more people gave SO the Divine Force a chance!! It’s dope!!! I got it along with Valkyrie Elysium for $7 a piece during a GameStop sale. Absolutely steals I want to get into the Ys series but the backlog is looking hefty enough
I still have to finish Zestiria, but in my opinion, Arise is worse than Zestiria. I really hope the next Tales of game won't even be close to something like Arise.
Wow you really think so? That’s what makes throw all so fun though. Everyone has their own tastes. That’s cool though! I couldn’t get into Zestiria personally. But Arise definitely isn’t perfect
@@kali-qgames1301 I didn't find it pretty good from the start, just average. But I kinda hoped it would end up better after having more party members, and it did, but then Mahag Saar happened. And it went straight downhill from there.
If by "modern" you mean released nowadays (which is what I gathered by your picks), then my favourites will be (in no particular order): - CrossCode - absolutely fantastic battles, puzzles, presentation, story and the best level design in an RPG (which does not say much, since RPG level design sucks, but this one is great) - Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 - both have stellar battle systems, character customizations, presentations, great worlds, varied quests. I like the narrative, some don't - Ys VIII - you said it already - Disgaea 7 - Tremendous character customization, proper scenarios, good humour, great music, overall very addicting - Triangle Strategy - great tactical gameplay of the less complex variety, it's very intuitive for a TRPG. The story structure, the characters and the narrative are amazing - Unicorn Overlord - grew old and samey at some point but was overall a very cool game to play. It's a modern take on Ogre Battle with some generic hero-man-dude being the chosen one and loved by all saving the kingdom from the person who dethroned his mom. But still enjoyable narrative on the surface level (mostly the character interactions) - Bravely Default 2 - The last 2 games are not on the same level as the rest, but still, this is a very worthy game. Very deep battle system, nice card game, funny characters and interactions between them and the world - This Way Madness Lies - Absolutely great simple on the surface but very meticulous and strategic battle system. Interesting premise and magical girls transformations. On the shorter side, which I consider to be cool nowadays - Dragon Quest XI - Not my cup of tea as it is on the simpler side, but it is quality through and through. Also, stellar cast of characters. - Shin Megami Tensei V - Also not entirely my cup of tea but very good. Great expoloration and party customization. Proper battle system for the standards of the series (I don't like Megaten battle systems but this one is good)
I started Ys VIII, but I simply cannot get into these action battle systems. SO:2S R was really great. Keeping everything I loved about the and improving whatever could be improved. I stopped playing Tales of Arise after about 10 hours because the world felt so disappointingly empty. Like, we saved the first country and saw a small town with six houses, the slave camp and the castle thing? That is your country I should feel anything about? No thanks, it did not work for me. EC: HH backer here. It is definitely not a perfect game, but it gave me so much enjoyment that I even got a tattoo of it.
Star Ocean 6 - have it but haven't played it yet Ys 8 - playing it now. I'm loving it. It's a great game. I think Ys 9 is better in some ways, but they're both fantastic games. Tales of Berseria - one of my favorite Tales games. It's either that or Vesperia. It's tough for me to decide which i like better. Star Ocean Second Story R - it's a good game I'm sure but sadly not for me. I've made good runs in the previous versions, and the story and characters just doesn't resonate with me like Star Ocean 3 did. It wasn't bad for me or anything close to that. But it wasn't something where the story hooked me where i had to know what was going to happen either. Tales of Arise - kind of turned me off by how it started, but I need to revisit it and give it another chance Eiyuden Chronicle - loving it so far. Not anywhere close to my favorite Suikoden, which is Suikoden V, but still a fantastic game that pays homage to the series.
Pretty good list man, this generation sits with the 90s & 2000s as a peak one for RPGs. Also, I highly recommend Rise of the Third Power. Superb story & characters, solid battle system, decent length, etc. Might be up your alley.
I totally agree about Star Ocean: The Divine Force, I think it's a really good game and underrated.
My pick would be Like A Dragon 8/Infinite Wealth
i dont even have it in my wishtlist... but i will give it a try thanks :D
SO2r has literally THE best QoL I've ever seen in a game. I was still finding new amazing QoL features/upgrades over 100 hours in.
Like I was just complaining today while playing Eiyuden cuz I couldn't fast travel to a specific shop in a town lol. I'd never seen that before in a game with fast travel.
And then how they made battles not random, and also have FFXI's system of enemy strengths tiered (with color coding). And making it so weak enemies wouldn't even attack you anymore.
I've never really liked action combat in jrpgs. Until this game. I didn't like FF7r part 1 cuz of the combat, to the point I didn't even get part 2. I also didn't get 16 cuz of 15 snd 7r.
But this game's combat is SOOOOOOOO fun. The only thing i would've added to it is having more tiers of skill level ups (based on usage) like in SO1.
Anyways, yeah, the game is simply perfection.
I'm not surprised at all to see a Star Ocean game as your first pick. Especially after the way you talked up Star Ocean 2 which was an amazing game. And Chrono cross is definitely an amazing game and I love the port of it to switch
Berseria and Ys Viii alone make this list high quality
Appreciate you fam, thank you so much for saying this! Berseria is goat
Tales of Arise is hands down my favorite tales game. I didn't mind only have 6 characters because all 6 were as equally fun to play.
That’s a true statement, All of Arise characters felt fun to play with too. I only remember Zillow being that fun with characters
YS VIII and IX are amazing. Got the platinums! Can't wait for X
If you haven't given Nihon-Falcom games much look beyond Ys VIII, then I highly recommend getting into the Trails series. It's turn-based combat. But it excels in world building, characters, and having a grand interwoven story across the entire series. There are 10 so far (in the west), with the 11th being released in just a few days. In Japan they are up to the 12th, with the 13th being released in September (and we will get those later 2 also, but there's a 1.5-2.0 year lag for localization). Due to their interconnected nature, it can seem like a herculean task to get into the series, but everyone that does, never regrets it.
If I had a nickel for every Star Ocean game I started but never finished, I’d have 20 cents, but I’ll probably end up picking SO6 up at some point too.
Really good list with some great games. I have played every game on your list and I can definitely co-sign these. SO2R was my JRPG of 2023. It brought me back. SO6 was super underrated too. We have been pretty lucky as fans.
Great list. Thanks!
Beat:
-Tales of Berseria
-Tales of Arise
-Ys VIII
Have but not started:
-Star Ocean Second Story R
Played but fell off:
-Star Ocean The Divine Force
-Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes
Good list!
You nailed it.
Great list.
I must say that Yakuza:Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon:Infinite Wealth stand out as well.
Wonderful games that are not only enjoyable from an rpg set in the modern world standpoint, but also from a great characters/interaction, story and humor standpoint.
A pretty solid list if being honest. All good games.
I miss good 2D rpgs :(
Me too my friend
Kali-Q what do you think would be better a s a newcomer to the franchise, Tales of Berseria or Arise? As you said I've heard some criticism to the latter and was leaning towards Berseria but wanted to ask. Also if you've played it what do you think of Shin Megami Tensei III and the franchise as a whole?
Eh I didn't like tales of arise way of handling healing artes and certain areas forcing using the same resource. Berseria had "rare" elite encounters that'd get harder as they'd be higher leveled each time fighting that enemy. And the way of powering up items was a bit rough but I enjoyed berseria more
@@steveperry2321 Thanks for thr input, I'll go with Berseria then.
I couldn't get into Eiyuden. There were too many things that took me out of the experience that kept me from getting immersed in the world. Several character designs felt out of place (such as the 90s japanese biker gang member) and the translation felt off as well (an actual line of dialogue in the game was "git gud") among other things that kept me from really getting lost in the world.
Great list!!
Epic list!!!
Great picks, if I had some of my choices one would definitely be Scarlet Nexus!!!!
How is iit?! Ive always wanted to play it but never took the plunge. Is it multiplayer?
@@kali-qgames1301 It's a really awesome ARPG, sadly not, it's single player as you can control only 2 characters per their own route (it's sort of like Tales of Xillia in terms of route structure). But still really DOPE as heck, being able to use multiple powers including controlling random objects and throwing them with your mind! And the characters themselves are pretty enjoyable, the artstyle is nice, and the music is also cool!
What are some of your favorite modern Jrpgs of today? Recommend me some!
I think the only 2 I can say (other than SO6) if we're saying modern = better looking than, or innovative in some way(s) compared to, previous entries to the genre... cuz afaik there's not much else to compare Triangle Strategy and Unicorn Overlord to other than like FFT and Ogre Battle/Dragon Force, respectively. So I guess to me that makes em modern lol 🤷♂️ I love them both so much that they forced their way into my top 5 list of all-time, and I've been gaming for over 3 decades.
If soulslikes can be included in the JRPG category, I recently enjoyed Code Vein.
I agree those are so great things to check out i will put 5 that are not on your list 5. Fire Emblem three Houses great story I only played through one path though 4. Trails of Cold Steel series(I know i am cheating) of course this is a big commitment of time to get through but I enjoyed them. 4. Fire Emblem three Houses 3. Final Fantasy 7 Remake I personally liked how they updated it i wasn't too keen on the battle system at first but it came around for me. 2. Persona 5 royal was playing this when dealing with the loss of a parent it kept me somewhat occupied biased pick but still really good. 1. Xenoblade Chronicles series(cheating again) the stories in these are top tier the first game is my second favorite game of all time behind Xenogears.
Xenoblade if you enjoy beautiful landscapes!
Unicorn Overlord probably. Not a traditional jrpg, very unique, gorgeous artstyle and amazing gameplay.
Also recommend giving the Trails series a shot though I prefer the old entries.
And some others have recommended Xenoblades. I only love the 2nd entry but they're all at least good.
Couldn't agree more with Ys 8. Although I certainly think they could have come up with a better name than Lacrimosa of Dana.
My choice that wasn't on the list was Bravely Defaut 2. Had an incredible time with that one, although it shouldn't have let me run the four Beastmaster party.
You gotta play the Xenoblade games! I'm sure you'll add those to the list once you do 👌🏽 Still an awesome list!
You definitely need to try scarlet nexus. Its basically tales + my hero academia/X-Men.
Truly wish more people gave SO the Divine Force a chance!! It’s dope!!! I got it along with Valkyrie Elysium for $7 a piece during a GameStop sale. Absolutely steals
I want to get into the Ys series but the backlog is looking hefty enough
Listen divine force is slept on! It’s a good game! I hope that star ocean comes back too
You should check out the latest trailer for Expedition 33, I think it's gonna be something special for JRPG fans
I just did and wow!! Video coming soon! It looked amazing fam
Didn't liked Beseria that much, Arise killed the series for me. Tales is not my JRPG series I guess
Wow, have you tried maybe Tales of vesperia? Maybe consider giving it a go!
I still have to finish Zestiria, but in my opinion, Arise is worse than Zestiria. I really hope the next Tales of game won't even be close to something like Arise.
Wow you really think so? That’s what makes throw all so fun though. Everyone has their own tastes. That’s cool though! I couldn’t get into Zestiria personally. But Arise definitely isn’t perfect
@@kali-qgames1301 I didn't find it pretty good from the start, just average. But I kinda hoped it would end up better after having more party members, and it did, but then Mahag Saar happened. And it went straight downhill from there.
My biggest gripe is limiting healing how they did while forcing the same resource used for certain map actions
If by "modern" you mean released nowadays (which is what I gathered by your picks), then my favourites will be (in no particular order):
- CrossCode - absolutely fantastic battles, puzzles, presentation, story and the best level design in an RPG (which does not say much, since RPG level design sucks, but this one is great)
- Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 - both have stellar battle systems, character customizations, presentations, great worlds, varied quests. I like the narrative, some don't
- Ys VIII - you said it already
- Disgaea 7 - Tremendous character customization, proper scenarios, good humour, great music, overall very addicting
- Triangle Strategy - great tactical gameplay of the less complex variety, it's very intuitive for a TRPG. The story structure, the characters and the narrative are amazing
- Unicorn Overlord - grew old and samey at some point but was overall a very cool game to play. It's a modern take on Ogre Battle with some generic hero-man-dude being the chosen one and loved by all saving the kingdom from the person who dethroned his mom. But still enjoyable narrative on the surface level (mostly the character interactions)
- Bravely Default 2 - The last 2 games are not on the same level as the rest, but still, this is a very worthy game. Very deep battle system, nice card game, funny characters and interactions between them and the world
- This Way Madness Lies - Absolutely great simple on the surface but very meticulous and strategic battle system. Interesting premise and magical girls transformations. On the shorter side, which I consider to be cool nowadays
- Dragon Quest XI - Not my cup of tea as it is on the simpler side, but it is quality through and through. Also, stellar cast of characters.
- Shin Megami Tensei V - Also not entirely my cup of tea but very good. Great expoloration and party customization. Proper battle system for the standards of the series (I don't like Megaten battle systems but this one is good)
I started Ys VIII, but I simply cannot get into these action battle systems.
SO:2S R was really great. Keeping everything I loved about the and improving whatever could be improved.
I stopped playing Tales of Arise after about 10 hours because the world felt so disappointingly empty. Like, we saved the first country and saw a small town with six houses, the slave camp and the castle thing? That is your country I should feel anything about? No thanks, it did not work for me.
EC: HH backer here. It is definitely not a perfect game, but it gave me so much enjoyment that I even got a tattoo of it.
Unfortunately, SO: The Divine Force gave me bad feelings in first hour and caused me to drop it in favor of Second Story R.
All for the wishlist :D
Haha awesome indeed, I like them all very much :) let me know when you play
CHAINED fucking ECHOES.
Chained Echoes was FIRE! Tbh I should have included it in the list
@@kali-qgames1301 You used it's music at least :P!
Star Ocean 6 - have it but haven't played it yet
Ys 8 - playing it now. I'm loving it. It's a great game. I think Ys 9 is better in some ways, but they're both fantastic games.
Tales of Berseria - one of my favorite Tales games. It's either that or Vesperia. It's tough for me to decide which i like better.
Star Ocean Second Story R - it's a good game I'm sure but sadly not for me. I've made good runs in the previous versions, and the story and characters just doesn't resonate with me like Star Ocean 3 did. It wasn't bad for me or anything close to that. But it wasn't something where the story hooked me where i had to know what was going to happen either.
Tales of Arise - kind of turned me off by how it started, but I need to revisit it and give it another chance
Eiyuden Chronicle - loving it so far. Not anywhere close to my favorite Suikoden, which is Suikoden V, but still a fantastic game that pays homage to the series.