No particular order, while limiting to one per series: Tales of Abyss Suikoden II Radiata Stories Rogue Galaxy Disgaea Persona 3 Star Ocean 4 (don't @ me, or do I won't tell you how to live your life) Ni no Kuni Dragon Quest VIII Xenosaga I Tales of Abyss - I'm not sure how well this one stands the test of time, but it was my first Tales game I beat start to finish and solidified my lifetime status of JRPG fan boy. Suikoden II - I said in no particular order, but as far as story goes, this is hands down number 1. If you haven't played it, play it. No need to play 1 first, you can jump right in. It holds up well IMO, I played it in the 360/PS3 era for the first time, so the graphics were long out dated, but few stories in general captivated me the way this one did. Radiata Stories - Grossly underated and tons of fun. Cheeky story and characters with a large emphasis placed on character choice / recruitment as well as story choice. Rogue Galaxy - I would have taken a second game in this universe over Ni no Kuni II any day, (and I did enjoy Ni no Kuni II). Persona 3 - I went with 3 over 4 because I remember more of the story in 3, but that is probably only because I played 3 1.99 times (never beat the last boss then replayed several years later), while I only played 4 once. I have yet to finish 5 yet, I'm waiting til I have a good stretch of time off from work to no-life it. The first Disgaea holds a special place in my heart and memories. Growing up my group of friends all played the socks off of this game. 2 and 4 also have good stories, but Laharl is just one of the most memorable and iconic characters in all of JRPGs to me. Star Ocear 4 - Again this is mostly because it's the only one I played twice. This game did kind of lose steam towards the end, but was still memorable and enjoyable nonetheless. I was disappointed in 3, although Albel is my favorite SO character hands down. 5 exceeded my expectations, but was all around average. I'm trying to play the vita versions of 1 and 2 in Japanese (as I have been studying the language for a while now), but I find myself stopping to look up every word I don't know (a bad habit I actually need to break) and that definitely detracts from the enjoyment. Ni no Kuni - Wholesome af, nuff said. Dragon Quest VIII - This is another one that I've found myself replaying to completion. While the ending initially underwhelmed, post-game "story" more than made up for this Xenosaga I - This is the only game in the series I've completed (not counting xenogears / xenoblade), and it is a lovely cinematic experience even in the PS4 UHD era. You can clean it up a bit with emulators (assuming you have a relatively modern PC). I'm very much looking forward to coming back and finishing II and III. Being an adult kind of sucks. I'm choosing Xenosaga over Xenogears because of how unique and ground breaking the presentation style in Xenosaga was, not because Xenogears isn't a phenomenal game in it's own right.
Agree with Suikoden II. Radiata Stories is a fun JRPG and all ,but I found the ending (s) to be not that satisfying. Great list btw. I'm currently playing TOTA and may try Rogue Galaxy afterwards.
The most important thing in a JRPG for me. Of the ones I played, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, Tales of the Abyss, Parasite Eve and Xenogears, especially Xenogears, have great stories.
What really gets on my nerves is that nobody really tried to top Xenogears, with the exception of Xenosaga. 20+ years ago one could expect jrpg stories to get even better and unless I'm missing something, there was no story as ambitious and incorporating so many themes as Xenogears did.
@@danepresley7851 Xenoblade has many similar themes to Xenogears but with a much mstronger combat system and world-building. It's my personal favorite game of all time and I highly recommend it
Xenogears is still my favorite RPG of all time, it may have been the time when it came out, but when i played it it feel like it had trascendent being a game into a work of art.
Heh, I just found that I lost my Radiant Historia. I got it when I lived in the USA, so now I am paying a ton of money to buy a replacement and have it sent to me in the UK.
Most of my years I went for the big franchises: Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Tales, and Wild Arms and Suikoden when they were around. I still need to get around to Lunar and Lufia, and I didn't care much for small one-hit wonders from the seventh generation, except for Lost Odyssey of course. That all changed when I got to a second hand store, and saw a copy of Radiant Historia with Atlus' name on it. What a great game.
It warmed my heart to see Devil Survivor on the list. It has no gimmick or crazy plot twist, it's just a tightly woven bundle of schemes and mysteries, and I loved watching it unravel over multiple playthroughs.
Is it really worth finishing? I started it for the 2000th time and got farther than ever but could not tolerate what seemed like hours and hours of useless dialogue
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War should definitely be on this list.... it has some truly evil plot twists that reminded me of Game of Thrones....
The entire story is based around religion and themes of psychology and their effects on the human condition. You literally play as an amnesiac with schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder throughout the game as religious figures take advantage of their power to abuse it as a means of manipulating their followers for their own personal goals all the while about 95% of humanity was completely annihilated multiple times over thousands of years to "reset" human evolution to build human specimens as sufficient "parts" to resurrect Deus an intergalactic planet destroying super weapon. game is fucked up when it comes to its story, seriously...
It deserves more than just a remake... It deserves to be expanded, with the first 4 prequel episodes made as well! If you guys haven't heard about the original 6 Episode Xenogears Timeline, look for translations of Xenogears Perfect Works. It's definitely worth checking out for anyone interested in the complete story, and explains a lot of cutscenes that may have seemed confusing, or out of place.
theres actually an english translation of perfect works online but the actual perfect works book is only in japanese and has become a collectors item for Xenogears fans. It's easily one of the most rare pieces of Xenogears history along with the Elly edition of the Square Millenium Collection.
Yeah I meant the English scans, or the Translation Guide, not the physical copy... I didn't really explain that well. Lol. Not only do the translations clarify a lot of confusing elements to the game, but they also add tons of layers to the Xenogears storyline that, at least for me, made Xenogears even more impressive. And on top of that, the artwork is incredible too! I'd love to pick a physical Japanese copy up one day for that alone.
same here, i've been looking them up online lately thinking about trying to get a new copy but the cheapest i've found them for new are $100 to $150 so not sure when ill get around to it myself. im a collector who specializes in collecting for Xenogears and other ps1 games so i even have both millenium collections for Xenogears along with the soundtrack and thousand daggers script book of the game.
Shining Force III, Shadow Hearts: Covenant and Panzer Dragoon Saga are not only top JRPG stories but top video game stories for me personally of course.
I always like when people have a top 10 that I find the choices to be odd. I don't like chrono cross at all and I got the best ending for it but I like different opinions. I'm sure my top 10 would seem crazy to a lot of people too.
I had it on PS2 and rage quit. I wanted to play as Oswald because I liked his design but had to clear the Gwendolyne's arc. But I bought it yesterday on PS4. I'm liking it a lot more now and the voice acting is top notch.
I didnt agree with ff6 ,.hack /gu or even chrono cross being a better story than trigger but i really have to agree with xenogears and devil survivor position. Specialy devil survivor, this game is so underrated and for me is the best story on smt saga.
My personal favourite story of the JRPGs I have played was Eternal Sonata, I felt the story was truly original, with great characters. Lost Odyssey as you said was an excellent story as you said, regarding the dream sequences, I had to find everyone because I really enjoyed them, I felt they were very well written.
Thanks for including the first 2 Shadow Hearts games at the end lol That's one of my favorite RPG stories ever, even though the twist at the end of Covenant was a bit too anime for my taste :-P Also thank you for mentioning that FF6 doesn't have a main protagonist lol I still can't believe how many people deny that even though THE DEVELOPERS SAID IT THEMSELVES lol And I won't lie, a couple of the 1000 Years of Dreams stories from Lost Odyssey made me tear up a bit lol Loved that game lol This is the video that finally got me to subscribe, keep up the great work!
mostly agree, i'll add xenoblade chronicles in my top 10. The starting plot is so basic, and it go so so so sooo far in the end. it even answer question u don't ask yourself, a really good Jrpg with an amazing story.
It's really sad, what we don't have many JRPGs like Lost Odyssey. More mature, if you can say so. I think, not every JRPG must be like this, but it really stands out from usually more "fairy tale" style of most JRPGs.
Would LOVE to see you redo this series (If an ONLY If) there are other games since you put this put that would make the list. Tho the rpg, jrpg niche is my favorite genre, even in a mmo or open world game or even FPS game (my other like's and love's) Story is what draws me in and my wife too for that matter. Borderlands franchises aside story is always huge for us :) so would love to see you do another 10 in this genre if you have some new games and old games t do yet another one for best story rpg's and jrpg's :). Thanks for the upload and thank you to your patrons which allow you to do this your way and stay independent :).
@@@ErickLandonRPG Thanks you been doing it this long you can see what gets clicks views and subs far far better then just us fans :) but yea would be great for us 2 anyway :D
I only did Final Fantasy 6 once 15 years ago and Nier 7 years ago and Xenogears 4 years ago. The one I don'T own are Lost Odyssey and Chrono Cross. I have so many games to make in that list.
If you own a 360?, Lost Odyssey is totally worth it, the dream sequences are beautifully written and if you are like me, you want to find them all. If you like turn based jrpgs, you'll enjoy Lost Odyssey.
For me it would be: "Koudelka" is number 1 for me. Great story and great voice acting. Battle system is weak, but I enjoy playing an RPG with mature adults. Wish there were more of these.) Xenogears is number 2. I enjoyed the epic journey with a nice cast of characters. 3) Parasite Eve 4) Vagrant Story 5) Persona 2 Eternal Punishment 6) Valkyrie Profile
I’m playing through Koudelka right now and just started Disc 3 and have to agree. The battle system is far from perfect but everything else is so on point and refreshing. Not surprised that ex Squaresoft guys worked on that game because they were fed up with making Final Fantasies so they left and made their own company and this was their first game. A JRPG with mature adults and the main characters aren’t even good guys! They’re just there in a shitty situation trying to survive! Edward killing that thief always changed things for me the first time I played and it made me realize this ain’t no Final Fantasy. “Final Fantasy meets Resident Evil but spends enough budget and polish on voice actors and voice directing.
Suikoden 5 (for all it's faults) should probably be on here. And as overrated as the FF series is, I thing FFX had one of the most enjoyable of the storylines for the series, especially the ending.
Totally agree, suikoden 5 story are too underrated, it has one of the best story in any video game, final fantasy x story should always be highly rated, it just that good
I'm glad you do look at the comments Erick Landon, but i have to ask as an old patreon, did the doll have a meaning or anything to your books or games?
Great list man, I love a ton of these games on the list. I completely agree that Xenogears has the best story in any RPG I've ever played. The lore for the game is so vast and deep it's amazing.
I like this list. The synopses of the stories is really great too. A LOT of work went into this video and it shows. I am just about to start Lost Odyssey. My little brother got it for me when I told him I had never played it. Now I’m even more excited to play it. : )
I expected you to put Lost Odyssey in there, but it's a game I actually genuinely dislike, as none of the characters are remotely likeable or intersting. I actually put close to 200 hours into this game, so more fool me I guess; I remember the game play being fairly solid but it's not enough when I don't care about the characters. That said, I've never seen a bad review of the game I also gave up on Nier at the end of story 3 of 4 (before playing and loving Nier Automata and Drakengard 3) because the story replays play through the 2nd half of the story rather than the more interesting 1st half, and I got bored with the gameplay; I've always meant to go back to it. I did love Laura Bailey's voice acting though.
The PSP version has much better writing, but it was the original ps1 version that left most of us with the memories that we cherish. Theplot was amazing despite the simpler writing.
CHRONO CROSS is the best game out there. It has a complex but the best story as well... Others who dont complete the game dont understand it. It immerses you in the game because of the gameplay, graphics, story, and music, and is very nostalgic
I'm on the contrary. I really hate the whole second disc. It is just an exposition dump. Even the true ending when you save Schala, it is just a wall of text nothing more. In short, "show don't tell" and not the otherway around. In addition, more than half of the playable characters are unneccessary. An NPC made to be playable, and the only redeeming quality about them is their unique character design. The game is pretty overrated. It is an okay game, but not the best far from it. But at least it has an astounding music!
Although I prefer FFIV over FFVI ,but both are good. You miss Suikoden 2, Persona 4, Dragon Quest V (IV is good choice too), Star Ocean 2, Tales of Berseria, Atelier Iris 2, and Breath of Fire 2. Since you have Devil Survivor: Overclocked which is SRPG, I'd pick FFT, Tactics Ogre, Der Langrisser, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of Holy Wars, or even Soul Nomad: World Eater over DS: Overclocked.
I love the alternative story of WW1 with real historical characters - like Nikolaus II. and Rasputin in Russia - you can play as Anastasia as a party member - in Shadow Hearts Covenant and the ending was really surprising. I love the FF9 story with the happy ending for Zidane and Garnet. I recently played the Trails in the Sky trilogy on PC, and I liked the first two games and stories, but the Phantasm parallel world story with focus on other main characters than Joshua and Estelle in the third game was a really bad and stupid decision. In my opinion.
well the story of estelle and joshua end with the second chapter and third is kind of a spin off or after story (why it not name third chapter) it not good like the orther two but it nice we know more about the character we love kind of the way for us player to say goodbye to our belove characters
I want to get my hand on the .hack series but they seem kinda convoluted and have many spinoffs, yet I don't know where to start from. I've been told that in order to understand the story, I have to play the four volumes of .hack//, and then go to .hack//G.U. trilogy and then .hack//Link.... So in total 7 (or 8) games I have to play, that's a daunting task I guess.
There's only one thing that bothers me with xenogears: every punch or attack flashes the screen. I want to play it, but it hurts my eyes when i'm fighting...
I so agree with Radiant Historia. It's a bit sad that it released at the worst time possible (the DS was on its last legs by then, and evryone is starting to focus on the upcoming 3DS)
Is .hack GU more of a slow burn? I played into the second game and it felt like it would pick up a bit, then just kind of drag again. I put it down because there were more interesting things around. Someone told me to just keep playing it. It's like I like it, but I hate it when it kind of goes into all the not-very-important stuff in between the important stuff.
oh please Erick, could you tell me the Music playing right at the start? i really like it ups...didnt see is already little older still , hope someone can tell me.
Could it be that Sword Art Online was inspired by the hack series? Or at least a bit, because of that you are also in some coma condition when playing a character in a VRMMORPG you created by yourself, and be trapped in it until you defeat the final boss on the highest level? In SAO you die in real life if you die ingame.
My list 1. Suikoden 5 2. Final fantasy x 3. Tales of the abyss 4. Persona 4 golden 5. Final Fantasy x2 6. Persona 3 fes 7. Legend of legaia 8. Rogue galaxy 9. Persona 5 10. Devil summoner 2
That game is more about worldbuilding and many small stories into one big story. Sora no Kiseki, however, SC has the best story but it is one slow and long ass story that it takes 3 games to complete, technically 9 as they just became side characters after that.
Question: Why are the "dwarves" in Xenogears as tall as the protagonists in Xenogears? They're not dwarves if all the "normal people" are that height...and we travel the world, seeing that everyone is indeed normally as tall as the main cast. So why in the world are those enemies called "dwarves?" =/
ahhh! valkirie profile, hack g.u and shadow hearts...you are a man of culture really! i would add odin sphere, but im not shure if it is jrpg whit hack and slash or hack and slash whit jrpg
Can you add My Persanal into the title. Coz personally to add the mess that is called Crono Cross second and that overworked Xenogear game as first is a blasphemy to so many that should be in the "top 10s".
Love hearing you speak so fondly of Xenogears. Easily one of my favorite games of all time
No particular order, while limiting to one per series:
Tales of Abyss
Suikoden II
Radiata Stories
Rogue Galaxy
Disgaea
Persona 3
Star Ocean 4 (don't @ me, or do I won't tell you how to live your life)
Ni no Kuni
Dragon Quest VIII
Xenosaga I
Tales of Abyss - I'm not sure how well this one stands the test of time, but it was my first Tales game I beat start to finish and solidified my lifetime status of JRPG fan boy.
Suikoden II - I said in no particular order, but as far as story goes, this is hands down number 1. If you haven't played it, play it. No need to play 1 first, you can jump right in. It holds up well IMO, I played it in the 360/PS3 era for the first time, so the graphics were long out dated, but few stories in general captivated me the way this one did.
Radiata Stories - Grossly underated and tons of fun. Cheeky story and characters with a large emphasis placed on character choice / recruitment as well as story choice.
Rogue Galaxy - I would have taken a second game in this universe over Ni no Kuni II any day, (and I did enjoy Ni no Kuni II).
Persona 3 - I went with 3 over 4 because I remember more of the story in 3, but that is probably only because I played 3 1.99 times (never beat the last boss then replayed several years later), while I only played 4 once. I have yet to finish 5 yet, I'm waiting til I have a good stretch of time off from work to no-life it.
The first Disgaea holds a special place in my heart and memories. Growing up my group of friends all played the socks off of this game. 2 and 4 also have good stories, but Laharl is just one of the most memorable and iconic characters in all of JRPGs to me.
Star Ocear 4 - Again this is mostly because it's the only one I played twice. This game did kind of lose steam towards the end, but was still memorable and enjoyable nonetheless. I was disappointed in 3, although Albel is my favorite SO character hands down. 5 exceeded my expectations, but was all around average. I'm trying to play the vita versions of 1 and 2 in Japanese (as I have been studying the language for a while now), but I find myself stopping to look up every word I don't know (a bad habit I actually need to break) and that definitely detracts from the enjoyment.
Ni no Kuni - Wholesome af, nuff said.
Dragon Quest VIII - This is another one that I've found myself replaying to completion. While the ending initially underwhelmed, post-game "story" more than made up for this
Xenosaga I - This is the only game in the series I've completed (not counting xenogears / xenoblade), and it is a lovely cinematic experience even in the PS4 UHD era. You can clean it up a bit with emulators (assuming you have a relatively modern PC). I'm very much looking forward to coming back and finishing II and III. Being an adult kind of sucks. I'm choosing Xenosaga over Xenogears because of how unique and ground breaking the presentation style in Xenosaga was, not because Xenogears isn't a phenomenal game in it's own right.
Agree with Suikoden II. Radiata Stories is a fun JRPG and all ,but I found the ending (s) to be not that satisfying.
Great list btw. I'm currently playing TOTA and may try Rogue Galaxy afterwards.
Did you beat p5 already?
The most important thing in a JRPG for me. Of the ones I played, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, Tales of the Abyss, Parasite Eve and Xenogears, especially Xenogears, have great stories.
Welp, if we count visual novels, there are quite a few as amazing or even more.
What really gets on my nerves is that nobody really tried to top Xenogears, with the exception of Xenosaga. 20+ years ago one could expect jrpg stories to get even better and unless I'm missing something, there was no story as ambitious and incorporating so many themes as Xenogears did.
If there are does anyone know of any??
I highly doubt any story will ever be more amazing than Xenogears. Xenosaga just didn't interest me but I really want to try Xenoblade
@@danepresley7851 Xenoblade has many similar themes to Xenogears but with a much mstronger combat system and world-building. It's my personal favorite game of all time and I highly recommend it
Xenogears is still my favorite RPG of all time, it may have been the time when it came out, but when i played it it feel like it had trascendent being a game into a work of art.
Ok, you’ve convinced me. I need to get Radiant Historia.
Yup, it's a NECESSITY :D
Heh, I just found that I lost my Radiant Historia. I got it when I lived in the USA, so now I am paying a ton of money to buy a replacement and have it sent to me in the UK.
I just finished it. One of my favorite games of all time. I teared up multiple times towards the end.
This game is truly awesome and a very different experience
Most of my years I went for the big franchises: Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Tales, and Wild Arms and Suikoden when they were around. I still need to get around to Lunar and Lufia, and I didn't care much for small one-hit wonders from the seventh generation, except for Lost Odyssey of course.
That all changed when I got to a second hand store, and saw a copy of Radiant Historia with Atlus' name on it. What a great game.
It warmed my heart to see Devil Survivor on the list. It has no gimmick or crazy plot twist, it's just a tightly woven bundle of schemes and mysteries, and I loved watching it unravel over multiple playthroughs.
IMO FFIX has one beautiful story.
Yes best FF from all i talk about psx version pc is broken :(
I called it Xenogears is my number one for it's story alone. Not to mention everything else great about this ahead of it's time masterpiece.
It deserves proper remake. Xenogears have 5 episode to be completed
Is it really worth finishing? I started it for the 2000th time and got farther than ever but could not tolerate what seemed like hours and hours of useless dialogue
How about the disc.2?
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War should definitely be on this list.... it has some truly evil plot twists that reminded me of Game of Thrones....
When you put Chrono cross and Xenogears as #2 and #1 it validated the rest of the list. I'll check out the other ones I didnt know now :D.
Of course Xenogear is number 1 ! This game truly deserves a remake because the 2nd cd's developpement was rushed.
The entire story is based around religion and themes of psychology and their effects on the human condition. You literally play as an amnesiac with schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder throughout the game as religious figures take advantage of their power to abuse it as a means of manipulating their followers for their own personal goals all the while about 95% of humanity was completely annihilated multiple times over thousands of years to "reset" human evolution to build human specimens as sufficient "parts" to resurrect Deus an intergalactic planet destroying super weapon. game is fucked up when it comes to its story, seriously...
It deserves more than just a remake... It deserves to be expanded, with the first 4 prequel episodes made as well! If you guys haven't heard about the original 6 Episode Xenogears Timeline, look for translations of Xenogears Perfect Works. It's definitely worth checking out for anyone interested in the complete story, and explains a lot of cutscenes that may have seemed confusing, or out of place.
theres actually an english translation of perfect works online but the actual perfect works book is only in japanese and has become a collectors item for Xenogears fans. It's easily one of the most rare pieces of Xenogears history along with the Elly edition of the Square Millenium Collection.
Yeah I meant the English scans, or the Translation Guide, not the physical copy... I didn't really explain that well. Lol. Not only do the translations clarify a lot of confusing elements to the game, but they also add tons of layers to the Xenogears storyline that, at least for me, made Xenogears even more impressive. And on top of that, the artwork is incredible too! I'd love to pick a physical Japanese copy up one day for that alone.
same here, i've been looking them up online lately thinking about trying to get a new copy but the cheapest i've found them for new are $100 to $150 so not sure when ill get around to it myself. im a collector who specializes in collecting for Xenogears and other ps1 games so i even have both millenium collections for Xenogears along with the soundtrack and thousand daggers script book of the game.
Can't argue with this list, pretty solid!
Shining Force III, Shadow Hearts: Covenant and Panzer Dragoon Saga are not only top JRPG stories but top video game stories for me personally of course.
And don't forget the first Shadow Hearts.
I always like when people have a top 10 that I find the choices to be odd. I don't like chrono cross at all and I got the best ending for it but I like different opinions. I'm sure my top 10 would seem crazy to a lot of people too.
Reply with your top 10, I'm interested.
The game with the greatest story I ever played was Odin Sphere.
I had it on PS2 and rage quit. I wanted to play as Oswald because I liked his design but had to clear the Gwendolyne's arc. But I bought it yesterday on PS4. I'm liking it a lot more now and the voice acting is top notch.
@@HadesHatredEdge The remake has much smoother gameplay and the new skills make it much, much easier to beat.
I didnt agree with ff6 ,.hack /gu or even chrono cross being a better story than trigger but i really have to agree with xenogears and devil survivor position. Specialy devil survivor, this game is so underrated and for me is the best story on smt saga.
My personal favourite story of the JRPGs I have played was Eternal Sonata, I felt the story was truly original, with great characters. Lost Odyssey as you said was an excellent story as you said, regarding the dream sequences, I had to find everyone because I really enjoyed them, I felt they were very well written.
how is the main story outside of the dream sequences?
@@hepzibahhez9965 Without any spoilers the story is kind of interlinked.
Thanks for including the first 2 Shadow Hearts games at the end lol
That's one of my favorite RPG stories ever, even though the twist at the end of Covenant was a bit too anime for my taste :-P
Also thank you for mentioning that FF6 doesn't have a main protagonist lol
I still can't believe how many people deny that even though THE DEVELOPERS SAID IT THEMSELVES lol
And I won't lie, a couple of the 1000 Years of Dreams stories from Lost Odyssey made me tear up a bit lol
Loved that game lol
This is the video that finally got me to subscribe, keep up the great work!
mostly agree, i'll add xenoblade chronicles in my top 10. The starting plot is so basic, and it go so so so sooo far in the end.
it even answer question u don't ask yourself, a really good Jrpg with an amazing story.
I agree Xenogears is an excellent story; I also loved Nier
Great List! I Would put Suikoden 2 and Legend of Dragoon, Great plot twists, character dev.symbolism etc..
Great games!
Suikoden 2 has a better story line than all of those games
It's really sad, what we don't have many JRPGs like Lost Odyssey. More mature, if you can say so. I think, not every JRPG must be like this, but it really stands out from usually more "fairy tale" style of most JRPGs.
Would LOVE to see you redo this series (If an ONLY If) there are other games since you put this put that would make the list. Tho the rpg, jrpg niche is my favorite genre, even in a mmo or open world game or even FPS game (my other like's and love's) Story is what draws me in and my wife too for that matter. Borderlands franchises aside story is always huge for us :) so would love to see you do another 10 in this genre if you have some new games and old games t do yet another one for best story rpg's and jrpg's :). Thanks for the upload and thank you to your patrons which allow you to do this your way and stay independent :).
Thanks, buddy. I'll consider your recommendation.
@@@ErickLandonRPG Thanks you been doing it this long you can see what gets clicks views and subs far far better then just us fans :) but yea would be great for us 2 anyway :D
I only did Final Fantasy 6 once 15 years ago and Nier 7 years ago and Xenogears 4 years ago. The one I don'T own are Lost Odyssey and Chrono Cross. I have so many games to make in that list.
If you own a 360?, Lost Odyssey is totally worth it, the dream sequences are beautifully written and if you are like me, you want to find them all. If you like turn based jrpgs, you'll enjoy Lost Odyssey.
For me it would be:
"Koudelka" is number 1 for me. Great story and great voice acting. Battle system is weak, but I enjoy playing an RPG with mature adults. Wish there were more of these.)
Xenogears is number 2. I enjoyed the epic journey with a nice cast of characters.
3) Parasite Eve
4) Vagrant Story
5) Persona 2 Eternal Punishment
6) Valkyrie Profile
I’m playing through Koudelka right now and just started Disc 3 and have to agree. The battle system is far from perfect but everything else is so on point and refreshing. Not surprised that ex Squaresoft guys worked on that game because they were fed up with making Final Fantasies so they left and made their own company and this was their first game. A JRPG with mature adults and the main characters aren’t even good guys! They’re just there in a shitty situation trying to survive! Edward killing that thief always changed things for me the first time I played and it made me realize this ain’t no Final Fantasy. “Final Fantasy meets Resident Evil but spends enough budget and polish on voice actors and voice directing.
Man what I wouldn't give for a full Xeno-universe remaster from top to bottom!
Suikoden 5 (for all it's faults) should probably be on here. And as overrated as the FF series is, I thing FFX had one of the most enjoyable of the storylines for the series, especially the ending.
Totally agree, suikoden 5 story are too underrated, it has one of the best story in any video game, final fantasy x story should always be highly rated, it just that good
2 years late. Erick never finish ffx so yeah. Ffx really has mixed review
Legend of Dragoon needed to be in the top 3 lol
The Valkyrie Profile saga (1 and 2) is my favourite JRPG story ever.
Agreed!
MeganCristallis Agreed! But Vagrant Story comes close.
it was truly epic, in every sense of the word. a storyline and characters that will never be forgotten once experienced.
good list, I agree maybe 70%. Needs some Phantasy Star, and other final fantasy love in there.
Xenogears is excellent. Loved it back in the day. I still have my original copy. 👍🏼
Same here
You missed Suikoden 2 and Legend of Dragoon.
do a video without spoilers,obviously ,with the best plot twist in rpgs
baten kaitos and magna carta are great options there
for me... number 1 story is ff ix... the emotional feeling you got from the story is so good :'(
I'm glad you do look at the comments Erick Landon, but i have to ask as an old patreon, did the doll have a meaning or anything to your books or games?
your my guru for rpg. thanks for sharing your vast experience. more power.
Great list man, I love a ton of these games on the list. I completely agree that Xenogears has the best story in any RPG I've ever played. The lore for the game is so vast and deep it's amazing.
Very nice picks. My favorite story is FFVI, but I also love Persona 3's.
I like this list. The synopses of the stories is really great too. A LOT of work went into this video and it shows. I am just about to start Lost Odyssey. My little brother got it for me when I told him I had never played it. Now I’m even more excited to play it. : )
Also... you HAVE to play Nier: Automata!
Xenogears is really deserved the first place.
another super interesting video... I don't necessarily agree on all entries but u also list lots of games I did not play yet, I'll try them 4 sure!
Subbed. Not many folks give Xenogears the credit it so richly deserves.
Thank you and welcome!
I expected you to put Lost Odyssey in there, but it's a game I actually genuinely dislike, as none of the characters are remotely likeable or intersting. I actually put close to 200 hours into this game, so more fool me I guess; I remember the game play being fairly solid but it's not enough when I don't care about the characters. That said, I've never seen a bad review of the game
I also gave up on Nier at the end of story 3 of 4 (before playing and loving Nier Automata and Drakengard 3) because the story replays play through the 2nd half of the story rather than the more interesting 1st half, and I got bored with the gameplay; I've always meant to go back to it. I did love Laura Bailey's voice acting though.
Encontre tu canal de casualidad buscando TOPs de RPGs. Tenemos gustos parecidos ✊
Qué bueno, ¡Gracias!
Shadow Hearts 1 as an honorable mention. Sad Face. I'd argue that it has a much better storyline than Lost Odyssey even though I like L.O.
You missed the best JRPG story of all time: Final fantasy tactics
I've said it in several other videos; I'm not a fan of that game at all, but I acknowledge it has a great story, according to many, many other gamers.
only if you play the psp version
only if you play the psp version
in that version the story is better explained
The PSP version has much better writing, but it was the original ps1 version that left most of us with the memories that we cherish. Theplot was amazing despite the simpler writing.
Erick Landon RPG hey mate, what is that you don’t like about Tactics? I discovered your channel a few weeks ago and I really like your content.
CHRONO CROSS is the best game out there. It has a complex but the best story as well... Others who dont complete the game dont understand it. It immerses you in the game because of the gameplay, graphics, story, and music, and is very nostalgic
Well said.
I'm on the contrary. I really hate the whole second disc. It is just an exposition dump. Even the true ending when you save Schala, it is just a wall of text nothing more. In short, "show don't tell" and not the otherway around.
In addition, more than half of the playable characters are unneccessary. An NPC made to be playable, and the only redeeming quality about them is their unique character design.
The game is pretty overrated. It is an okay game, but not the best far from it. But at least it has an astounding music!
I wouldn’t put Chrono cross in the top 25 personally. A lot of characters but no real story with them…. You got number 1 right through
Is RADIANT HISTORIA Available is PLAY STATION?
Xenogears needs a remake at some point, which realizes the whole length of the videogame without the pacing issues of the second disc
Cool list I like lists that are the same as everyone else. We only share two choices (the top 2) which is cool thing about rpgs
Although I prefer FFIV over FFVI ,but both are good. You miss Suikoden 2, Persona 4, Dragon Quest V (IV is good choice too), Star Ocean 2, Tales of Berseria, Atelier Iris 2, and Breath of Fire 2. Since you have Devil Survivor: Overclocked which is SRPG, I'd pick FFT, Tactics Ogre, Der Langrisser, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of Holy Wars, or even Soul Nomad: World Eater over DS: Overclocked.
*Cough, Cough,* Mother 3?
Thanks man, because of your videos I found great games i've never played before.
You're welcome.
Thank you very much for telling me about these games.
would you kindly expand this list?
Giant robat :D Weltall :D Xenogears win good job :D 1 what miss to list is Vagrant Story...
when you play "the world" in dot hack, does time stop ? :)
A really great list though I'm a little surprised Suikoden II didn't get an honourable mention at least.
We need a part 2 of this!
UNDERTALE. There are so many different plots and subplots yet every one is interconnected and so incredibly deep.
hmm...i haven't played a few of these games and story is my favorite aspect of jrpgs. just curious, have you played xenoblade?
Yes, I have.
I love the alternative story of WW1 with real historical characters - like Nikolaus II. and Rasputin in Russia - you can play as Anastasia as a party member - in Shadow Hearts Covenant and the ending was really surprising.
I love the FF9 story with the happy ending for Zidane and Garnet.
I recently played the Trails in the Sky trilogy on PC, and I liked the first two games and stories, but the Phantasm parallel world story with focus on other main characters than Joshua and Estelle in the third game was a really bad and stupid decision. In my opinion.
well the story of estelle and joshua end with the second chapter and third is kind of a spin off or after story (why it not name third chapter) it not good like the orther two but it nice we know more about the character we love kind of the way for us player to say goodbye to our belove characters
I want to get my hand on the .hack series but they seem kinda convoluted and have many spinoffs, yet I don't know where to start from.
I've been told that in order to understand the story, I have to play the four volumes of .hack//, and then go to .hack//G.U. trilogy and then .hack//Link....
So in total 7 (or 8) games I have to play, that's a daunting task I guess.
There's only one thing that bothers me with xenogears: every punch or attack flashes the screen. I want to play it, but it hurts my eyes when i'm fighting...
Me too! Who the fuck thought that was a good idea!?
Great list, #1 is FF6 the last ff for me (also ff9 was great) damned be the rest after that. Xenogears is the TRUE ff7 and Nier is amazing too.
no trails series?
I see stocke... I watch lol~
Gameplay > story. Having both is nice though
You get a like for how amazing Nier is
I so agree with Radiant Historia. It's a bit sad that it released at the worst time possible (the DS was on its last legs by then, and evryone is starting to focus on the upcoming 3DS)
Solatorobo for DS . One of the best stories for a jrpg
Xenogears is one of my favorite games of all time.
Is .hack GU more of a slow burn? I played into the second game and it felt like it would pick up a bit, then just kind of drag again. I put it down because there were more interesting things around. Someone told me to just keep playing it. It's like I like it, but I hate it when it kind of goes into all the not-very-important stuff in between the important stuff.
Where is The World Ends With You on this list?
FF VI is simply unforgettable. More so the characters.
that song in the beginning sounds familiar?
It's the Mac Anu theme from number 10.
.Hack//G.U. sounded sooo familiar and the nostalgia just sinked in
bro u really knwo your shit. Respect. Love this video so much
oh please Erick, could you tell me the Music playing right at the start? i really like it
ups...didnt see is already little older still , hope someone can tell me.
it the hack gu town ost , Eternal City Mac Anu
@@tuantran-me9nz thank you!
It just so happens, I have yet to play most of these. Never too late to get caught up though :)
Could it be that Sword Art Online was inspired by the hack series? Or at least a bit, because of that you are also in some coma condition when playing a character in a VRMMORPG you created by yourself, and be trapped in it until you defeat the final boss on the highest level?
In SAO you die in real life if you die ingame.
I don't want to sound pretentious but yes; I am highly convinced SAO is a copy of .Hack.
My list
1. Suikoden 5
2. Final fantasy x
3. Tales of the abyss
4. Persona 4 golden
5. Final Fantasy x2
6. Persona 3 fes
7. Legend of legaia
8. Rogue galaxy
9. Persona 5
10. Devil summoner 2
Dude u need 2 talk about saga frontier 2
Erick how is Final Fantasy Tactics not on the list? Not even in honorable mentions??? It’s been 4 years redo this video lol
does the Legend of Heroes get any love? Or does that series fall under great characters?
That game is more about worldbuilding and many small stories into one big story. Sora no Kiseki, however, SC has the best story but it is one slow and long ass story that it takes 3 games to complete, technically 9 as they just became side characters after that.
does golden sun and ys 9 have good stories?
Ahh yes...I'm recognized!
I love nier, it is my favourite game
No persona game?
Suikden II isn’t on the list?!
I think I need to play Valkyrie Profile
Question: Why are the "dwarves" in Xenogears as tall as the protagonists in Xenogears? They're not dwarves if all the "normal people" are that height...and we travel the world, seeing that everyone is indeed normally as tall as the main cast. So why in the world are those enemies called "dwarves?" =/
Racism i guess
8:13 what music is that?
I think legend of dragoon must be in the list...
Isn’t Xenogear a really hard game to get a hold on? Very rare very expensive!?
Ps: Tony’s chocolonely ftw!
Its not too expensive, you can prob get it for $40 or less.
Where is Final Fantasy X-2? XP Definitely best jrpg of all time. Haha. Only joking of course. Thanks for another great video as always. :)
Lolololol
I love final fantasy x 2, the story really good
finally someone who hates Celes. As for kefka, his final battle went out terribly
ahhh! valkirie profile, hack g.u and shadow hearts...you are a man of culture really!
i would add odin sphere, but im not shure if it is jrpg whit hack and slash or hack and slash whit jrpg
It's an action JRPG, so it fits. The story, though, it's awesome, I agree, but I still prefer the other 10 on my list.
Can you add My Persanal into the title. Coz personally to add the mess that is called Crono Cross second and that overworked Xenogear game as first is a blasphemy to so many that should be in the "top 10s".
Well to you and those, you can have your personal top 10. For him and others this can be the top 10 ;)