Like what you see? Pick it up here and support the channel! Octopath Traveler 2 Amazon: amzn.to/3Fx9zAq GMG: greenmangaming.sjv.io/jWoN5e Triangle Strategy Amazon: amzn.to/3Etkhap GMG: greenmangaming.sjv.io/DVvJea Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Amazon: amzn.to/3ACJZbE Persona 4 Golden Fanatical: www.fanatical.com/en/game/persona-4-golden?ref=backlogbattle Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster GMG: greenmangaming.sjv.io/Xxbnny
@@swampsong9740 Honestly, it's been more than 20 years since I played it, so I'll have to revisit it again to see if I still like it. THAT SAID, the most memorable part of Chrono Cross to me is its soundtrack! It's absolutely phenomenal!
I LOVED how you introduced FFVI. I have so many amazing memories of this game. It was the first RPG I played as a kid where I became OBSESSED with the story
It also has incredible pacing. There aren't many slow points in the game at all, always onto the next plot line. I feel a lot of JRPGs suffer from a lack of editing and proper pacing.
@@76_SPZLand the only true slow part of the game is btw when you get Crono back and when you actually go fight Lavos. That’s it. The slow time is doing the side content to get the best gear in the game and even that is fun because of all the stories that get wrapped up and side bosses you can fight.
Yeah I played it for the first time last year. I had just finished Persona 5 and was dead tired mentally, because the first 30 hours were cool, the last 70 hours were exhausting. But then playing Chrono Trigger freshened me back up! Just a pure fun ride from start to finish.
I played the game on a SNES a bunch of years ago and it also had a full playthrough 100% with all the consumables at 99, so it gave my new game something to aim for, still one of my favorite rpgs.
@@michaelclifton9498 It was over 20 years ago, but I remember a little of what turned me off. I prefer big sprawling adventures with a cast of well developed characters each with their own backstory and motivations. IIRC in Vagrant Story you play as only one guy and there is no world exploration per se, you just go from dungeon to dungeon. There are cutscenes in between dungeons, but the story didn't leave an impression on me compared to other games from the era like Star Ocean 2, Lunar SSS, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Valkyrie Profile. The battles felt clunky where you only had the one character and you would attack certain body parts of your opponent, then when your HP got low you would heal and rinse repeat until the enemy was dead. It's been more than 20 years and what didn't appeal to me then, might be more amenable now though.
Solid list mate! Feeling inspired, so here are 10 JRPGs I'd personally describe as 10/10 games: - *Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology* - *Tales of Symphonia* - *Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride* - *Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King* - *Chrono Trigger* - *Yakuza 0* - *Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door* - *Skies of Arcadia Legends* - *Persona 4 Golden* - *Suikoden II* Kudos for bringing up Triangle Strategy btw, easily one of the best written games I've ever played!
Lost Oddesy was such an amazing game. I was so happy finding a turn based rpg back then for the 360 it also had crafting, and many magic systems. The story also really touched me.
Legend of the Dragoon was incredible to me. The interactive gameplay, the story and the incredible cinematics. I’d pretend to be part of the dragon campaign in my backyard for hours.
While I enjoyed the game, it's writing leaves a lot to be desired. However if I were younger when I released it probably would not have bothered me so much. But some of the dialog is incredibly awful in the game. Particularly Rose, who is supposed to be hardened and stoic, makes some of the most out of character statements randomly.
Back when it first came out, I remember being so excited to play it. Unfortunately, I couldn't stand the combat, and as such, just couldn't get much enjoyment out of it. I played through it once, and haven't touched it since. I'm not even sure I finished it. Every time I look through my games and see it there I always feel a pang of regret that things turned out that way. Any kind of combat that requires specific timing for button presses, I just couldn't handle. All my life, I've never had any sense of timing or rhythm. Not only that, but since you had to press the buttons when the reticle landed within a specific area, I had to focus all my attention and concentration on that one area during the attack, meaning even in the off-chance I managed to get lucky and press it at the right time, I wouldn't even see the cool attack animations because my focus was on that one specific spot. I know it might sound weird to people who've never had that problem, but it was a big deal to me growing up. There was a lot I couldn't do because of it. I still have that problem today, though it's such a natural part of my life that I'm used to it. When it comes to games, I've never been able to properly play ones like that, though. I just can't get any enjoyment out of it when I miss out of key aspects of the gameplay.
@@geoffreychauvin1474 if you are talking about the translation bits there are 2 notes about that. first is a lot of Japanese games, manga, and even media even now a days uses absurd names to represent things (just take a look at the names for death notes prisoners DBZ basically is a pun-fest) 2nd if you are referring to translation errors that was common place back in the 90's because jrpg's were no where near as popular in the west as they are now and even in popular games such as mentioned if you pay attention there are errors everywhere people just choose not to pay attention to them.
So great to see FFVI getting the love it deserves. Easily my favorite in the numbered series. The backstory every single character has just makes it such a joy to play, and the soundtrack is amazing.
Lunar Silver Star is 100% on my list. A very simple straight forward story but I'd argue that's what makes it so great. Classic simple story done perfectly at every turn with an awesome battle system. Great VO and music. Just textbook in every sense.
When I was a kid I got the lunar eternal blue box set and Chrono trigger/final fantasy IV and couldn't have been happier. I remember being blown away as I had never seen an animated cutscene in a video game like the ones in lunar. That probably was my first introduction to Japanese animation as well.
Yeah, people point to Chrono Trigger as being the quintessential JRPG, but Lunar Silver Star is absolute perfection thanks to its endearing cast, simple-but-well-told story, perfect pacing, and general upbeat vibes.
Xenogears, Front Mission3, Ogre Battle, Chrono Trigger (is a given), Suikoden (the 1st), Wild Arms, FF7 (of course), FFT, Valkyrie Profile, Star Ocean 2nd Story -- will be in my list.
Yeah... Star Ocean and Xenogears felt so fresh when playing them back in the day. SO was my first real-time action RPG and I remember Xenogears for it's amazing cutscenes and story telling
Holy crap, you have Lunar Silver Star!!! The Sega CD version just one of the best experiences I've ever had out of a game. The sound track was unmatched at its time and still stands up. And you have Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest VIII, and Vagrant Story. You have great taste.
yeah... that flute opening on final fantasy 6.... it just hits so hard, I'm in my mid 40's and I remember it like yesterday when it came out. It's seriously some sort of pavlovian haptic response, it just makes my heart race for some reason like I'm meeting my favourite celebrity.
@@dencheq I haven't completed the game but I'm guessing the multiple endings happen from a choice right at the end, is this the case? And if so, then the replayability is only from that point onwards.
i keep waiting for capcom to make a remaster for breath of fire series like they did with megaman . As for the list , i add Legend of Legaia , and Grandia series .
I feel so old, seeing Final Fantasy VI and remembering back when it first came out on SNES in America as Final Fantasy III. Between that and Chrono Trigger are the best reasons to keep my SNES and the cartridges in good working order.
For me in no particular order it would probably be; Final Fantasy IV/VI/VII (I lump them together because good ol’ Franchises) Vagrant Story Xenogears Dragon Quest IX Shin Megami Tensei III/IV Xenoblade Chronicles Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross Koudelka Fire Emblem Three Houses Lost Odyssey (everyone seems to forget it)
@@someonefromcanada2668 yea for sure for me the most excited i am are dq 12, persona 6, ff7 r p2, ff10 x3? ive heard rumours idk if this will happen do, and a new nier automata game would be great
It has been a long time since I have played Chrono Trigger. I immediately recognized when the music started playing and got a little teary. Such a masterpiece of a game.
Grandia 2. Skies of Arcadia Legends. Chrono Trigger. Final Fantasy VI, VIII, and IX. Fire Emblem Awakening. Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions. Dragon Quest XI. Paper Mario 64. Yes, I'm serious. Honorable mention for Bravely Default.
So glad you mentioned Octopath Traveller II! I liked the first one a lot, but this second one is fantastic. Hikari and Osvald's stories have had me totally enthralled and the combat and world are still as pure as ever. Definitely deserves to be on this list.
@@Trace153 The initial stories are alwasy going to be a bit heavy on dialogue and light on action as they also "initiate" you to combat, but the game is fantastic and I'm not someone who necessarily complained about OT1, but OT2 has so many QoL improvements it's ridiculous. All of the stories are better in 2 IMO as well. Throne, Osvald and Hikari stand out for me, but there wasn't a story I was annoyed to complete.
8 was so good I couldn’t get into 11 that much. i was comparing too much. The fact that the game still holds up to this day whether on the 3ds, iPad or even just emulated sooooo well goes to show how ahead of its time it was.
The only problem I have with DQ and FF series is that the "SPELL NAME" doesn't re-locallized... like "Swoosh" -*- and FF spell name follow with number.
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete is so underrated. I love that game, and the artwork along with it is so amazing. The concept art of the MC about to draw his sword while on the steps with his friends unconscious all around him was inspiration for an entire webnovel series with almost a million words so far.
Vagrant Story is extra dope. Legend of the Dragoon will always be my number 1 jrpg. It got me interested in a genre for years I thought I would hate, and while the reveal was fairly predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed every facet of that game. Suikoden is up there too.
When FF8 was dropped by Squaresoft I thought they would go on forever. When the first Final Fantasy movie came out and about the same time Vagrant Story, the game didn't get great reviews because of the blocky look of the people. I'm not sure exactly what happened next but SquareEnix was born just after that so Vagrant Story was easily overshadowed by Breath of Fire 4, Chrono Cross and people were still playing Suikoden 2 and Pokemon yellow. The combat seemed confusing at first and most of the time I didn't care too much about where I hit, just as long as I hit. Even people today have a hard time focusing. If it takes too long for combat then people tend to give up on the game.
Dq VIII is by far my favorite game ever made, characters, battle system, monster taming, story, post game, vast world. Like MAN as a kid I had multiple play throughs and did a no flee challenge run for fun, truly a goated game everybody should play
Dq IX is by far my favorite game ever made, characters, battle system, monster taming, story, post game, vast world. Like MAN as a kid I had multiple play throughs and did a no flee challenge run for fun, truly a goated game everybody should play I admit it's flawed but it's my number 1 childhood game and nostalgia wins
DQ VII, VIII, IX and XI are some of my favorite games. Like KID as a man I played each of them once and then it was on to the next game, maybe a platformer or a shmup. Played the first one when it came out, but I don’t remember too much about it, except it was called Dragon Warrior. I don’t have any childhood nostalgia for videogames because they didn’t exist then! Game On!
While I still have yet to play Octopath Traveler 2 and Vagrant Story, I can definitely agree with the rest of these games being on such a list. As for some games that I would pick, I'll list a few and limit my choices to one game per series and avoid mentioning games from a series mentioned in your list for the sake of variety. These picks are the following: Phantasy Star IV Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Ys: The Oath in Felghana Dark Wizard Sweet Home Suikoden II Odin Sphere Shining Force II Breath of Fire II Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
You were close on a couple but I'm afraid that you had no correct answers 😉 The correct answers were the following: Suikoden Breath of Fire 3 Wild Arms Vandal Hearts Front Mission 3 Grandia Secret of Mana Dragon Quest VIII Final Fantasy VII Zelda: Ocarina of Time (A couple may not be JRPGs but they are still the correct answers 🤭)
Didn’t know about Lunar, I have to play it asap. Your list is great! I would also add suikoden II, and probably Legend of Dragoon, but when you have to choose only 10 jrpgs, you know it’s going to be hard ahah
Dragon Quest 11 literally made me tear up a couple times because of the story. It was just so well done. It felt like you really traveled the world and back on this massive quest to save it while meeting these wonderful, interesting characters along the way. Of course, that's what pretty much ALL Dragon Quest games achieve really but for some reason, this one just knocked it out of the park for me. To me it's the epitome of a Dragon Quest game if not a JRPG itself. However, that's also partly because of the fully orchestrated version of that game as well. Hearing the last boss song in full orchestra is just...awesome, that song makes you feel invincible
@@alumlovescake I felt the complete opposite. That's just when the true quest begins, where they realize that the real enemy has been behind the scenes locked away but returned.
9:02 lmao that Hero name I too bought DQ8 for the Final Fantasy demo! I had never heard of DQ/DW before then. What an amazing game. A great "accidental" buy.
At about 16:25, I was listening to the intro of FFVI and I got the chills and a second later you said: "Dont you just get the chills...". Such a masterpiece!
Great video, thank you for sharing. I have a couple of games that are underrated that deserves 10 of 10. " Lufia I, Lufia 2, Gaia for SNES, FF7 and 7th Sagat for SNES. Which 7th Sagat has a profound story with an awesome soundtrack and sophisticated graphics for that era. Thank you.
I love The 7th Saga. I have a,aoft spot for it in my heart, and still have it. However, I don't think it's a 10/10 game. It's way too much grinding, and enemies that cheat. (There is a big disparity in the player character to the other apprentices in the US version.) There's lack of plot and interaction as you just pummel legions of monsters to level up...to be strong enough to pummel other enemies. Choosing between several characters is awesome, but I wish each had their own ending. I also think some characters aren't well thought out enough. My main grip is Lejes. He's fun, but totally nerfed.
Very nice list, and I agree with most on here, with Final Fanasty 6 being my gold standard too. The one that jumps to mind that's not on this list is Suikoden 2. For me it stands toe to toe with FF6.
This video has put a smile on my face knowing i have played most of them. There is indeed some nostalgia just by merely watching your list. So much good memories.
I really need to go back and finish Octopath 2. I got about 20 hours in and stopped playing because a bunch of other games were coming out that I was really excited about.
Super Mario RPG, Skies of Arcadia, Grandia 2. Definitely would be on my list. Honorable mentions Final Fantasy 10, Final Fantasy 8, Rogue Galaxy, Star Ocean.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is one of the most emotional journeys I've ever embarked on in my entire life of playing video games. I have never cried so much out of despair for my party, and also with happiness and joy for them as well. I love that game more than I can truly express ;-;
I'm so glad that Lost Odyssey is gaining the recognition now that it deserved when it released 15 years ago. I always consider it "the last great Final Fantasy" as the actual mainline entries after X have been extremely hit and miss. The writing blew me away then and still stands the test of time to this day and it's hard to find the same joys and extreme sadness than the stories told in the "Journey of 1,000 Years" segments in modern RPGs. I'm gonna have to play through it again soon. Your list was spot on though. I haven't played Triangle Strategy as I'm not the biggest fan of SRPGs so I would probably replace it with Tales of Vesperia or Trails of Cold Steel IV
you should try triangle strategy out! while it may be not everyone's favorite rpg type it definitely can deliver on the story department and replayability aspect of it.
I liked FF:Tactics, but when I played Triangle Strategy it felt hollow. The SRPG combat was solid, but the characters and story were very simplistic. There was a veneer of a story / characters, but it was all just surface level and formulaic. The music in Triangle Strategy was maddeningly repetitive -- it's one of the few game soundtracks my wife complained about having to hear. FF:Tactics was superior in almost every way, aside from the combat - which was different but not better/worse. I loved the old FF games up through X - I also considered that the last of the masterpieces before FF started losing its way. I forgot about Lost Odyssey -- might need to pick it up and try it out!
Half of the list is definitely deserve it in my opinion but where is FF7 original, FF7 Remake (it manage to expand the original beyond expectations), FF10, Resonance of Fate, Suikoden 1,2., Legend of Mana?!)😎
Always nice to see Lost Odyssey pop up on lists like this - I think the writing in the 1000 Year Memories is some of the best I've ever read in the JRPG landscape. Thinking about how it would impact someone to experience some of those moments definitely had teenage me tear up more than once. Great game, melancholy and all.
There is one story in the 1000 year dreams that had me stand in silence with tears in my eyes for about 5 minutes after it ended. It was like standing still, quietly, total silence, just looking to myself and nothing else. Then, another day, I decided to read that story again, already knowing what was gonna happen... and I again I stood still after reading it, sobbing this time because I read it more carefully. The same story. I don't remember any kind of media had had the power to do this to me ever twice. I think the way the background images, sound, music and text pace helps a lot to amplify things, but even that wouldn't work if the content of the stories weren't so thought provoking and moving. They are also varied and rich, so that at least some of them will hit a "critical hit" and connect perfectly with one of the reader's past experiences or feelings, causing the emotional reponse. The 1000 Years Dreams is something unique. Truly special.
The Golden Sun and Baten Kaitos games are some of my 10s. Great list you have here, I've played them all except for Octopath. I'll have to give that one a try.
bro as someone who absolutely loved golden sun, your gonna love octopath though I'd recommend 2 more then as it has a incredible story but i loved 1 too (60+ hours in it as well)
Looking at a games reviews just makes you think a game is crap; but listening to a fan pour their heart out about a game... well it makes you want to play it! I haven't played enough jrpgs to make a list of 10, but here are jrpgs that I consider masterpieces that I played Golden Sun 1 @ 2 - I have a particular fondness for Golden Sun, probably because my dad died as a kid and the beginning of the game shows your dad die. That got me immediately hooked. I've played through both games in their entirety and there is something just magical about golden sun; it makes me feel such joy when I hear any of the music Chrono Trigger - This game really blew my mind when I realized it wasn't linear. I really, REALLY love it when I think a game is linear, only to have my mind opened up and blown when I realize the game is not linear. Pokemon Gold / Silver / Crystal - Comon, Pokemon is just amazing. And gold / silver / crystal basically was pokemon 2; it took everything yellow and red and blue did and made it better. Twice as long of a story, twice as many pokemon, all awesome stuff for back then Dragon Quest 3 - The beginning of this game psyched me out, seriously. You start a file and god tests you to gauge who you really are. Its pretty insane. I redid the intro more than any other intro in a videogame, just because I wanted to experience every possible varient of it.
I give out 10/10s very sparingly since the game basically has to be life changing for me to give it that, but I'd say Persona 5 Royal, Pokemon Soulsilver and/or Pokemon Black 2, Kingdom Hearts 2, and Final Fantasy XIV are all JRPGs that I think are absolute 10/10s.
great list! I have a lot of the same... Chrono Trigger - All the reasons you mentioned. The gold standard. Octopath Traveler 2 - Almost a perfect game in my opinion, hard to imagine something topping this for GOTY Final Fantasy 6 - Great cast of characters, love the themes in the game, incredible music. Best Final Fantasy for me. Chrono Cross - Controversial pick, but the story is amazing, albeit paced poorly and not always with the best storytelling. Best OST ever. Triangle Strategy - My favorite SRPG, great music, characters, and I loved the grounded story. Did not mind at all the heavy dialogue. Super Mario RPG Legend of the 7 Stars - Charming, funny, enjoyable gameplay...this helped get me into RPGs as a kid. Ogre Battle 64 Person of Lordly Caliber - Strong story, great replay value, unique battle system, and great customization options! Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition - Totally agree about the scope of the world. Strong story, characters, music, and beautiful world I kept wanting to explore more of. Fire Emblem 3 Houses - The best of the Fire Emblem series for me, enjoyable cast and story with multiple routes to take; loved how they integrated the social aspects in the Monastery. Tales of Symphonia - My favorite Tales game, love the story, characters, and world. Mature content wrapped up in a colorful and bright package.
Thank you for a detailed list! I really like your inclusion of Three Houses, Super Mario RPG, and the first Xenoblade Chronicles! Admittedly, some of those were originally in this list. But then, this video would be more than 30 minutes long LOL
The list is missing Falcom's Trails saga. I was particularly touched by Ao no Kiseki (Trails into Azure Blue). It's basically an epic tale on a single timeline that's been covered in four story arcs and currently spans 12 different games. It's not that well known in the West because several games took great many years to officially appear in English. But at their best, these games can change your life and I'm a middle-aged player haha.
Dragon Quest 8 and 11 are masterpieces and I’m looking forward to 3 remake and 12. I’m not a huge fan of the whole social link and sim stuff but Persona 5 Royal was top quality and yes, I agree that FF VI is superb. If I were to mention one series (that you didn’t) it would absolutely be The Legend of Heroes series. Everything about it is divine and the quality of the script and world building is the best I’ve ever experienced. Trails into Reverie is coming soon.
Awesome video and amazingly no spoilers! So many lists like this are choc full of spoilers. So many videos are like "And Radiance Mandate is amazing! When Stacey dies and Bob takes over the world it will leave you surprised!!" Well... It won't now!!!
Chrono Trigger and FF6 are the revolutionize JRPG for me. Back then when graphics were pixelated, those two games, now that I look back to it, cyberpunk theme?
Surprised I don't see Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark on here. Meets a lot of the criteria you seem to like plus the creativity you have in battle is incredible.
My friend, buddy, bro... You have no idea how big of a smile you put on my face when I heard the very first note of FFVI theme and you just let it play. That was just masterful. Chef's kiss. Brilliant. The second on my list of best JRPG's I've ever played right behind Chrono Trigger. I would've put it at first place if it wasn't for the fact that I can't bring myself to play it anymore because it reminds me too much of the times I played it with my mom as a kid when it was called FFIII cause in NA and all at the time. I can watch vids and watch others play it but I can't myself and it's been 24 years since she passed. Another one on my list is Secret of Mana. Another game that was dear to me also because of my mom right along Lufia 2 Rise of the Sinistrals. Honorable mentions I got is also the Breath of Fire series on SNES. Almost feels like the SNES era was the era of the best JRPG's we ever got and it all fit on that tiny cartridge which is mind blowing to think about nowadays.
Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age is one of my all time favourites, it's pretty tough in parts though. I also love Xenoblade Chronicles 2 , XC3 was good but I just loved tying to get all the blades in XC2. Glad to see Lost Odyssey on the list, I've totalled it numerous times and really recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it, it has aged well.
I would love if they did a FF6 remake in using the Octopath engine. I doubt they will ever do anything like that since they seem to not agree with everyone else that 6 is a masterpiece, they focus on 4 as the crown jewel of the pre-PSX era.
The memory stories (forget what they're called) in Lost Odyssey were SO affecting. Just words on the screen that you read, but the words would appear and disappear in ways and there were key sound effects that helped set the mood too. I loved the stories so much that I made inquiries about collecting them in a book. You see, the stories already existed in book form, but only in Japanese. I got to exchange emails with many different people, including the translator who worked on the game and also has translated a lot of Murakami's works. Ultimately, I couldn't make it happen because Microsoft owned the English versions of the stories :(
Lunar Silver Star Story and Lost Odyssey left a very strong impact on me and they managed it by doing things in the opposite tone from each other. While Lunar constantly makes you laugh outloud with memorable funny situations in a comfy, joyful setting, LO has the deeply thoughful Thousand Years Dreams segment, which often leaves you speechless after finishing reading (and possibly sobbing from crying, too). Both games are absolutely 10/10.
1)Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology 2)Jeanne DArc 3)Trails of Cold Steel duology 3)Three Houses 4)Valkyria Chronicles 5)Tales of Arise 6)Chrono Trigger 7)Dragon Quest XI 8)Triangle Strategy 9)Suikoden 2 10)Persona 5R Honorable Mentions Ni No Kuni/Stella Glow/Tactics Ogre Reborn/FF VI/FF VIIR Off the top of my head.. Not sure if there’s an exact criteria people look for?!
So hard to pick 10. Just my memories make me choose: Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Wild Arms, Lufia 2, Suikoden, Breath of Fire 2, Chrono Cross, Star Ocean The Second Story, Lost Odyssey. And if I could add more I would also list Grandia, Legend of Dragoon, Final Fantasy 8, Golden Sun 1&2, Suikoden 2, Breath of Fire 3. I have the original Lunar PSX versions here and never played them and also Dragon Quest 8, I should take some time to play them I guess 😊
BOF2 was so amazing. Even with the localization mistakes, the plot is so epic. 1of the things I didn't like was Jean & Spar were not well thought out. Jean was useless (without the fusion) and Spar stopped advancing. My favorite companions are Bow, Nina and Rand. I also think Sten is pretty good. I like Nina having Cure2, but it also helps if Sten has it.
I never appreciated Lost Odyssey as much as I should have, in hindsight. It's a brilliant Jrpg. I am glad it is still available on Xbox, along with Blue Dragon.
Persona 4 will always be the one which completely changed my life, it turned me from a person who was very disappointed with the choices of friends in my life, and constantly wanted to go at life alone. To someone who now values more positive relationships with others. It made me realize that the awful sides of you are still a part of you, and that by accepting your flaws and shortcomings you can become your greatest self. I absolutely loved every second of Persona 4 when I originally played it on the Vita at a friends house at 12 years old, the soundtrack was so happy and upbeat, the characters were all complex and felt so real, everything about the game was fun and made me feel happy. It's one of the only games which I can play from start to finish and still have a smile on my face, every single time I play it I find something new to love about it, it's simply the most special game to me and I will always love and play it.
Recently just started doing the Dragon Quest remakes for the DS/3DS, just finished V and currently on VI. Seeing VIII on this list got me even more excited than I already was since it's the one at the end of my list following each game's release date (IV, V, VI, IX for the DS then moving on to VII, VIII for the 3DS) Although I did actually skip VIII on this video since didn't want to get spoiled on anything. Great video regardless and I do agree with most of what's in here not including the ones I haven't touched yet. P.S. - Lunar Silver Star Story is one of my favorite jrpgs since it's also one of my first actual RPG games that I've played (not to completion but soon).
I am SO glad to see FF6 on this list! SO many people jump on the FF7 bandwagon because of it's jump to 3D and completely forget or don't even know just how amazing the older games are because they only had story writing and game mechanics to rely on. FF7 relied on it's graphics a LOT and imo wasn't actually the best story telling out of the entire FF series. In fact, I think it's more in the middle at best
They really need to remaster Lost Odyssey. That game was a classic both in its main story and those written pieces by Kiyoshi Shigematsu were really good. Its sad that it has kind of faded into obscurity. It IS a game of profound sadness, but also of triumph and endurance as well. Lost Odyssey had me in tears more than once throughout its runtime.
Great list I’m gonna have to play a few of those I missed. Yeah Final Fantasy 6 is my all time favorite game. It is amazing I can still see the opera scene in my mind all these years later.
I think Grandia I and Skies of Arcadia is a must play to anyone who loves RPG. Golden Sun The Broken Seal and The Lost Age is a great journey if you transfer your save from the first game to the second. And I'd add Chrono Cross in my list too, it's a great game despite being considered a "bad sequel" to Chrono Trigger.
Bro... my nostalgia... oh my god. I never expected to be touched so deeply by a list of video games, but starting with Chrono Trigger and Ending with FF6 while hitting all the right stops along the way... I just relived my childhood while watching this with my young son, and he was every bit as entranced as I. I'm literally blubbering into my keyboard typing this, get out of my feelings.
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Octopath Traveler 2
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Triangle Strategy
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Xenoblade Chronicles 3
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Persona 4 Golden
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Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster
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Interesting that you chose DQ VIII vs XI I can't really compare the 2 as I only played XI
not disagreeing with your list at all; just curious as to your opinion. how do you feel about chrono cross?
@@swampsong9740 Honestly, it's been more than 20 years since I played it, so I'll have to revisit it again to see if I still like it.
THAT SAID, the most memorable part of Chrono Cross to me is its soundtrack! It's absolutely phenomenal!
I LOVED how you introduced FFVI. I have so many amazing memories of this game. It was the first RPG I played as a kid where I became OBSESSED with the story
@@HelloHero08 I was less about Comparing and more about what games I really wanted to talk about in this video!
Octopath 2 is the first game I’ve ever felt compelled to 100%.. I’ve played many, many games (just turned 30). What a magical game.
a great game with best gameplay and storyline. I love it so much.
Have to show my mother this comment ABSOLUTELY
Is it much better than OT1?
@@Gugassauro from what i Heard yeah, pretty much. Waiting for It to be on sale to buy It🤔
@@Gugassauro it’s a lot better. I fucking love OT1 too. But the sequel is goat status
I played chrono trigger for the first time, a few weeks ago. And it's strange how undated it feels. Amazing what they did on such an old system
It also has incredible pacing. There aren't many slow points in the game at all, always onto the next plot line. I feel a lot of JRPGs suffer from a lack of editing and proper pacing.
@@76_SPZLand the only true slow part of the game is btw when you get Crono back and when you actually go fight Lavos. That’s it. The slow time is doing the side content to get the best gear in the game and even that is fun because of all the stories that get wrapped up and side bosses you can fight.
You're gonna
Yeah I played it for the first time last year. I had just finished Persona 5 and was dead tired mentally, because the first 30 hours were cool, the last 70 hours were exhausting. But then playing Chrono Trigger freshened me back up! Just a pure fun ride from start to finish.
I played the game on a SNES a bunch of years ago and it also had a full playthrough 100% with all the consumables at 99, so it gave my new game something to aim for, still one of my favorite rpgs.
We NEED a new Vagrant Story ASAP
💯
Gawt dammmm right
I never liked it back in the day, but your hype towards over it makes me want to give it another chance.
@@acidwizard6528 was it the random encounters?
@@michaelclifton9498 It was over 20 years ago, but I remember a little of what turned me off. I prefer big sprawling adventures with a cast of well developed characters each with their own backstory and motivations. IIRC in Vagrant Story you play as only one guy and there is no world exploration per se, you just go from dungeon to dungeon. There are cutscenes in between dungeons, but the story didn't leave an impression on me compared to other games from the era like Star Ocean 2, Lunar SSS, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Valkyrie Profile. The battles felt clunky where you only had the one character and you would attack certain body parts of your opponent, then when your HP got low you would heal and rinse repeat until the enemy was dead. It's been more than 20 years and what didn't appeal to me then, might be more amenable now though.
Solid list mate! Feeling inspired, so here are 10 JRPGs I'd personally describe as 10/10 games:
- *Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology*
- *Tales of Symphonia*
- *Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride*
- *Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King*
- *Chrono Trigger*
- *Yakuza 0*
- *Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door*
- *Skies of Arcadia Legends*
- *Persona 4 Golden*
- *Suikoden II*
Kudos for bringing up Triangle Strategy btw, easily one of the best written games I've ever played!
Lost Oddesy was such an amazing game. I was so happy finding a turn based rpg back then for the 360 it also had crafting, and many magic systems. The story also really touched me.
One of the few games I went for 1000 achievement points on. The villain was corny but the good guys were all pretty captivating.
Dragon Quest 8 is a great J-RPG!
I loved it. I loved Tales of Symphonia even more.
i dont know why i prefer XI but VIII is the original international Dragon Quest gem
you guys should try Dragon Quest V. Best story in the series imo.
Legend of the Dragoon was incredible to me. The interactive gameplay, the story and the incredible cinematics. I’d pretend to be part of the dragon campaign in my backyard for hours.
It’s a 10/10 in my heart
While I enjoyed the game, it's writing leaves a lot to be desired. However if I were younger when I released it probably would not have bothered me so much. But some of the dialog is incredibly awful in the game. Particularly Rose, who is supposed to be hardened and stoic, makes some of the most out of character statements randomly.
Back when it first came out, I remember being so excited to play it. Unfortunately, I couldn't stand the combat, and as such, just couldn't get much enjoyment out of it. I played through it once, and haven't touched it since. I'm not even sure I finished it. Every time I look through my games and see it there I always feel a pang of regret that things turned out that way.
Any kind of combat that requires specific timing for button presses, I just couldn't handle. All my life, I've never had any sense of timing or rhythm. Not only that, but since you had to press the buttons when the reticle landed within a specific area, I had to focus all my attention and concentration on that one area during the attack, meaning even in the off-chance I managed to get lucky and press it at the right time, I wouldn't even see the cool attack animations because my focus was on that one specific spot.
I know it might sound weird to people who've never had that problem, but it was a big deal to me growing up. There was a lot I couldn't do because of it. I still have that problem today, though it's such a natural part of my life that I'm used to it. When it comes to games, I've never been able to properly play ones like that, though. I just can't get any enjoyment out of it when I miss out of key aspects of the gameplay.
The only four disk RPG my adhd ass could stay with as a kid. Masterpiece
@@geoffreychauvin1474 if you are talking about the translation bits there are 2 notes about that.
first is a lot of Japanese games, manga, and even media even now a days uses absurd names to represent things (just take a look at the names for death notes prisoners DBZ basically is a pun-fest)
2nd if you are referring to translation errors that was common place back in the 90's because jrpg's were no where near as popular in the west as they are now and even in popular games such as mentioned if you pay attention there are errors everywhere people just choose not to pay attention to them.
DQ 8 is 10/10 in my book. The only thing this list is missing is a Suikoden game or Valkyrie Profile
So great to see FFVI getting the love it deserves. Easily my favorite in the numbered series. The backstory every single character has just makes it such a joy to play, and the soundtrack is amazing.
It's aged quite well too!
If you get a chance to play FF3 you might find something a little familiar.
FFVI has always gotten love. FF IV and FF V need some love :)
@@lf170 FF5 super under rated
@@professionalinsultant3206 agreed! While not better than IV or VI imo, FFV doesn't get the love it deserves.
I want Yakuza: Like a Dragon in this list
Same. But I gotta save some for the future!
A great list.
Chrono Trigger will always be a masterpiece in my heart.
The game is as close to perfect as a game could be. It's so crazy that after all these years they still haven't surpassed it.
@@lloydlineske2642
All the truth!
The stars aligned to bring this game into existence.
Definitely stands out among the others. 11/10
@@lloydlineske2642 how do you surpassed perfection? :)
Played it much later in life thought it was highly overrated
Lunar Silver Star is 100% on my list. A very simple straight forward story but I'd argue that's what makes it so great. Classic simple story done perfectly at every turn with an awesome battle system. Great VO and music. Just textbook in every sense.
When I was a kid I got the lunar eternal blue box set and Chrono trigger/final fantasy IV and couldn't have been happier. I remember being blown away as I had never seen an animated cutscene in a video game like the ones in lunar. That probably was my first introduction to Japanese animation as well.
Hail Hell Mel!
I just played it for the 1st time a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic. Psx version.
Yeah, people point to Chrono Trigger as being the quintessential JRPG, but Lunar Silver Star is absolute perfection thanks to its endearing cast, simple-but-well-told story, perfect pacing, and general upbeat vibes.
Have my original copies of The Silver Star and Eternal Blue. Take out my Sega CD every now and then to play them both.
Xenogears, Front Mission3, Ogre Battle, Chrono Trigger (is a given), Suikoden (the 1st), Wild Arms, FF7 (of course), FFT, Valkyrie Profile, Star Ocean 2nd Story -- will be in my list.
Yeah... Star Ocean and Xenogears felt so fresh when playing them back in the day. SO was my first real-time action RPG and I remember Xenogears for it's amazing cutscenes and story telling
Holy crap, you have Lunar Silver Star!!! The Sega CD version just one of the best experiences I've ever had out of a game. The sound track was unmatched at its time and still stands up.
And you have Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest VIII, and Vagrant Story. You have great taste.
I saw Lunar and cried out "F- yea!" Just hearing the first few notes of Wind's Nocturne.
Lunar and Vay were my jam on Sega CD. I burned SO MANY HOURS. .... omg to be a teenager again and replay those.
@@nyrahl593 VAY! Poor Pottle....
yeah... that flute opening on final fantasy 6.... it just hits so hard, I'm in my mid 40's and I remember it like yesterday when it came out. It's seriously some sort of pavlovian haptic response, it just makes my heart race for some reason like I'm meeting my favourite celebrity.
Chrono Trigger has the most replay value in my opinion. FF6 is my all time favorite.
Replay?? It is ultra linear game for one run, maximum two to compare the story from the start.
@@dencheq It also has multiple endings. And the story is engaging. My opinion may differ from yours and that's OK. Have a nice day!
@@johnnycashm0ney307 Yeah, I forgot there are multiple endings
@@dencheq I haven't completed the game but I'm guessing the multiple endings happen from a choice right at the end, is this the case? And if so, then the replayability is only from that point onwards.
@@permadeath4767 Better to watch those endings on youtube. Most endings are the same thing but depend on when have you defeat Lavos.
A wild David appears!! LOL, thanks for featuring me and yeah, Lunar is fantastic!!
Anyone who mentions Lunar is fantastic in my book and deserving of a feature!
Breath of Fire 3, Breath of Fire 4, Legend of Dragoon, Golden Sun, Golden Sun Lost Age. I always replay them every few years.
i keep waiting for capcom to make a remaster for breath of fire series like they did with megaman . As for the list , i add Legend of Legaia , and Grandia series .
I think Breath of FIre IV is definitely a 10.
@@gasparddelanuit3462 would like to add Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 1 and 2 to the list :)
I feel so old, seeing Final Fantasy VI and remembering back when it first came out on SNES in America as Final Fantasy III. Between that and Chrono Trigger are the best reasons to keep my SNES and the cartridges in good working order.
For me in no particular order it would probably be;
Final Fantasy IV/VI/VII (I lump them together because good ol’ Franchises)
Vagrant Story
Xenogears
Dragon Quest IX
Shin Megami Tensei III/IV
Xenoblade Chronicles
Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross
Koudelka
Fire Emblem Three Houses
Lost Odyssey (everyone seems to forget it)
For all the games mentioned here that I've played, which is nearly all of them, I have to agree that they are 10/10 experiences.
havnt watched it but i can prob guess 8 out of 10 games in this video😂
@@sanane66543 give it a try, it will be fun :). I think there are a couple you wont find. Don’t cheat though :)
@@someonefromcanada2668 i did ive guess 6 out of 10 right so my guessing power accuracy is about 60%
@@sanane66543 pretty impressive! So many great jrpgs out there.
@@someonefromcanada2668 yea for sure for me the most excited i am are dq 12, persona 6, ff7 r p2, ff10 x3? ive heard rumours idk if this will happen do, and a new nier automata game would be great
It’s always great to see someone give triangle strategy a 10/10😊
Glad to see you agree!
triangle strategy? You mean Fire Emblem :P
@@kukukachuRecent fire emblem wishes it could be triangle strategy
@@varinstar7 eh…I’ll take great gameplay in a tactical rpg over extensive overbloated stories.
@@varinstar7 true that, but then again, a body snatcher got to the franchise as a whole.
Legend of Legaia, i remember being extremely difficult for me, but i have fond memories of it.
Hmm, interesting. I found it to be very easy.
@@skins4thewin Congratulations, I'm happy for you.
It has been a long time since I have played Chrono Trigger. I immediately recognized when the music started playing and got a little teary. Such a masterpiece of a game.
Grandia 2. Skies of Arcadia Legends. Chrono Trigger. Final Fantasy VI, VIII, and IX. Fire Emblem Awakening. Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions. Dragon Quest XI. Paper Mario 64. Yes, I'm serious. Honorable mention for Bravely Default.
So glad you mentioned Octopath Traveller II! I liked the first one a lot, but this second one is fantastic. Hikari and Osvald's stories have had me totally enthralled and the combat and world are still as pure as ever. Definitely deserves to be on this list.
@@Trace153 The initial stories are alwasy going to be a bit heavy on dialogue and light on action as they also "initiate" you to combat, but the game is fantastic and I'm not someone who necessarily complained about OT1, but OT2 has so many QoL improvements it's ridiculous. All of the stories are better in 2 IMO as well. Throne, Osvald and Hikari stand out for me, but there wasn't a story I was annoyed to complete.
Lunar and Lunar 2 on the Sega CD were ... magical. I tonally agrees with Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, and Dragon quest 8. Masterpieces.
I own them on PlayStation but yes amazing games !
Dragonquest(especially 8) with all it's love from jrpg fans is still so underated by mainstream gaming community
Because it needs to be remastered and released on modern consoles.
8 was so good I couldn’t get into 11 that much. i was comparing too much. The fact that the game still holds up to this day whether on the 3ds, iPad or even just emulated sooooo well goes to show how ahead of its time it was.
The only problem I have with DQ and FF series is that the "SPELL NAME" doesn't re-locallized... like "Swoosh" -*- and FF spell name follow with number.
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete is so underrated. I love that game, and the artwork along with it is so amazing. The concept art of the MC about to draw his sword while on the steps with his friends unconscious all around him was inspiration for an entire webnovel series with almost a million words so far.
Finally! Vagrant Story getting some recognition! Definitely does not get enough love. Such an amazing game!
It definitely doesn't! Yasumi Matsuno is the man!
Vagrant Story is extra dope.
Legend of the Dragoon will always be my number 1 jrpg. It got me interested in a genre for years I thought I would hate, and while the reveal was fairly predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed every facet of that game.
Suikoden is up there too.
@@davidrosensin7985 great choices of course.
When FF8 was dropped by Squaresoft I thought they would go on forever. When the first Final Fantasy movie came out and about the same time Vagrant Story, the game didn't get great reviews because of the blocky look of the people. I'm not sure exactly what happened next but SquareEnix was born just after that so Vagrant Story was easily overshadowed by Breath of Fire 4, Chrono Cross and people were still playing Suikoden 2 and Pokemon yellow. The combat seemed confusing at first and most of the time I didn't care too much about where I hit, just as long as I hit. Even people today have a hard time focusing. If it takes too long for combat then people tend to give up on the game.
Dq VIII is by far my favorite game ever made, characters, battle system, monster taming, story, post game, vast world. Like MAN as a kid I had multiple play throughs and did a no flee challenge run for fun, truly a goated game everybody should play
Yup. Never gets the love it deserves online
The things I would do for this game to get a fresh coat of paint are endless.
DQ 8 was amazing! but I felt it went on for a few hours longer than it should have. DQ 11 kind of had the same issue but meh, both were still amazing.
Dq IX is by far my favorite game ever made, characters, battle system, monster taming, story, post game, vast world. Like MAN as a kid I had multiple play throughs and did a no flee challenge run for fun, truly a goated game everybody should play
I admit it's flawed but it's my number 1 childhood game and nostalgia wins
DQ VII, VIII, IX and XI are some of my favorite games. Like KID as a man I played each of them once and then it was on to the next game, maybe a platformer or a shmup. Played the first one when it came out, but I don’t remember too much about it, except it was called Dragon Warrior. I don’t have any childhood nostalgia for videogames because they didn’t exist then! Game On!
While I still have yet to play Octopath Traveler 2 and Vagrant Story, I can definitely agree with the rest of these games being on such a list. As for some games that I would pick, I'll list a few and limit my choices to one game per series and avoid mentioning games from a series mentioned in your list for the sake of variety. These picks are the following:
Phantasy Star IV
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Dark Wizard
Sweet Home
Suikoden II
Odin Sphere
Shining Force II
Breath of Fire II
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
Shining Force! Great picks!
You were close on a couple but I'm afraid that you had no correct answers 😉
The correct answers were the following:
Suikoden
Breath of Fire 3
Wild Arms
Vandal Hearts
Front Mission 3
Grandia
Secret of Mana
Dragon Quest VIII
Final Fantasy VII
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
(A couple may not be JRPGs but they are still the correct answers 🤭)
My top 10 jrpg 10/10
1 dragon quest 8 (3ds version)
2 valkery profile 2
3 xenoblad 1
4 final fantesy 9
5 persona 5 royale
6 shinmegami tensei 5
7 valkeria chronicles 1
8 suikoden 2
9 star ocean 3
10 resonance of fate
just mentioning DQ8 and Vagrant Story in the same video earn you an immediate thumbs up. no one ever remembers these gems.
OMG, can't believe someone has Lunar on any of their top RPGs. It and Eternal Blue are both so criminally underrated in my opinion.
Made me happy as well ❤
Blue is by far the better and I'm surprised as well . Even to this day blue is in my top 5
Holy crap!! No one *ever* talks about Lunar!! It's easily in my Top 10 favorite games of all time! You have some great taste, bud!
Thank you so much!
Didn’t know about Lunar, I have to play it asap. Your list is great! I would also add suikoden II, and probably Legend of Dragoon, but when you have to choose only 10 jrpgs, you know it’s going to be hard ahah
Dragon Quest 11 literally made me tear up a couple times because of the story. It was just so well done. It felt like you really traveled the world and back on this massive quest to save it while meeting these wonderful, interesting characters along the way. Of course, that's what pretty much ALL Dragon Quest games achieve really but for some reason, this one just knocked it out of the park for me. To me it's the epitome of a Dragon Quest game if not a JRPG itself. However, that's also partly because of the fully orchestrated version of that game as well. Hearing the last boss song in full orchestra is just...awesome, that song makes you feel invincible
I still gotta finish this game!!!
After the part with the tree the game kind of falls apart there is little stakes in it and it drags on a lot
@@alumlovescake I felt the complete opposite. That's just when the true quest begins, where they realize that the real enemy has been behind the scenes locked away but returned.
@@wowomah6194 Glad you enjoyed it. I played it right when it launched, planning to replay it one day maybe my mind will change
9:02 lmao that Hero name
I too bought DQ8 for the Final Fantasy demo! I had never heard of DQ/DW before then. What an amazing game. A great "accidental" buy.
That’s what I get for borrowing someone else’s footage LOL
You’ll need a part 2 just for Suikoden 2.
So many people asking me about that! But yes, I do need to do a part 2!
@AntiquusUnum701 Not yet, unfortunately…
FFVI and CT influenced me a lot during my teenage years. Good video.
At about 16:25, I was listening to the intro of FFVI and I got the chills and a second later you said: "Dont you just get the chills...". Such a masterpiece!
Great video, thank you for sharing. I have a couple of games that are underrated that deserves 10 of 10. " Lufia I, Lufia 2, Gaia for SNES, FF7 and 7th Sagat for SNES. Which 7th Sagat has a profound story with an awesome soundtrack and sophisticated graphics for that era. Thank you.
I love The 7th Saga.
I have a,aoft spot for it in my heart, and still have it. However, I don't think it's a 10/10 game.
It's way too much grinding, and enemies that cheat. (There is a big disparity in the player character to the other apprentices in the US version.)
There's lack of plot and interaction as you just pummel legions of monsters to level up...to be strong enough to pummel other enemies.
Choosing between several characters is awesome, but I wish each had their own ending.
I also think some characters aren't well thought out enough. My main grip is Lejes. He's fun, but totally nerfed.
Very nice list, and I agree with most on here, with Final Fanasty 6 being my gold standard too. The one that jumps to mind that's not on this list is Suikoden 2. For me it stands toe to toe with FF6.
Suikoden 2 is the finest of the series without a doubt and deserve a place in most top 10 jrpg lists
This video has put a smile on my face knowing i have played most of them. There is indeed some nostalgia just by merely watching your list. So much good memories.
Great to hear! Figured I started with more recent games, then going backwards to enhance the effect!
So glad that you included Lunar! It's always one of my top 5! It was such an amazing game for me.
It's one that people can easily miss! Really happy to see so many people commenting and supporting Lunar!
So many memories of pouring days into Lunar when I was really sick as a kid
Even it is the older version, you should play the Sega CD version of both Lunar The Silver Star and Lunar Eternal Blue if you get the chance.
I really need to go back and finish Octopath 2. I got about 20 hours in and stopped playing because a bunch of other games were coming out that I was really excited about.
Super Mario RPG, Skies of Arcadia, Grandia 2. Definitely would be on my list. Honorable mentions Final Fantasy 10, Final Fantasy 8, Rogue Galaxy, Star Ocean.
I had never stuck through an entire JRPG until Dragons Quest VIII on PS2, 101 hours...what a game.
for me it was FFX...
My first was FF7
Amazing picks, I don’t question any of these. Happy to see Vagrant Story, that’s definitely a 10/10 for me, too.
Vagrant Story isn't in nearly enough conversations these days. That game is a fantastic piece of work!
The Opera in Final Fantasy VI still wows me to this day!
Another game that I feel it’s very underrated is Blue Dragon for the Xbox 360, what an amazing and fun game it was.
I miss playing P4 again. The last time I played it was 15 years ago.
Wish I can play it again later in the future.
If you can make time for it, it’ll happen!
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is one of the most emotional journeys I've ever embarked on in my entire life of playing video games. I have never cried so much out of despair for my party, and also with happiness and joy for them as well. I love that game more than I can truly express ;-;
I'm so glad that Lost Odyssey is gaining the recognition now that it deserved when it released 15 years ago. I always consider it "the last great Final Fantasy" as the actual mainline entries after X have been extremely hit and miss. The writing blew me away then and still stands the test of time to this day and it's hard to find the same joys and extreme sadness than the stories told in the "Journey of 1,000 Years" segments in modern RPGs. I'm gonna have to play through it again soon.
Your list was spot on though. I haven't played Triangle Strategy as I'm not the biggest fan of SRPGs so I would probably replace it with Tales of Vesperia or Trails of Cold Steel IV
The end game bonus stuff is amazing. Nobody does this anymore.
you should try triangle strategy out! while it may be not everyone's favorite rpg type it definitely can deliver on the story department and replayability aspect of it.
I liked FF:Tactics, but when I played Triangle Strategy it felt hollow. The SRPG combat was solid, but the characters and story were very simplistic. There was a veneer of a story / characters, but it was all just surface level and formulaic. The music in Triangle Strategy was maddeningly repetitive -- it's one of the few game soundtracks my wife complained about having to hear. FF:Tactics was superior in almost every way, aside from the combat - which was different but not better/worse.
I loved the old FF games up through X - I also considered that the last of the masterpieces before FF started losing its way. I forgot about Lost Odyssey -- might need to pick it up and try it out!
Great video. Vagrant Story is a masterpiece. Suikoden II would be my vote
Hurray! More people showing support for Vagrant Story!
You added Vagrant Story!
Liked! Subscribed!
Half of the list is definitely deserve it in my opinion but where is FF7 original, FF7 Remake (it manage to expand the original beyond expectations), FF10, Resonance of Fate, Suikoden 1,2., Legend of Mana?!)😎
Chrono Cross will be it for me, my favourite of all time
Always nice to see Lost Odyssey pop up on lists like this - I think the writing in the 1000 Year Memories is some of the best I've ever read in the JRPG landscape. Thinking about how it would impact someone to experience some of those moments definitely had teenage me tear up more than once. Great game, melancholy and all.
I read some of the entries while looking for footage for the game and I swear I shed a tear and stopped reading ASAP LOL. Such a crazy sad game.
There is one story in the 1000 year dreams that had me stand in silence with tears in my eyes for about 5 minutes after it ended. It was like standing still, quietly, total silence, just looking to myself and nothing else.
Then, another day, I decided to read that story again, already knowing what was gonna happen... and I again I stood still after reading it, sobbing this time because I read it more carefully. The same story.
I don't remember any kind of media had had the power to do this to me ever twice.
I think the way the background images, sound, music and text pace helps a lot to amplify things, but even that wouldn't work if the content of the stories weren't so thought provoking and moving. They are also varied and rich, so that at least some of them will hit a "critical hit" and connect perfectly with one of the reader's past experiences or feelings, causing the emotional reponse.
The 1000 Years Dreams is something unique. Truly special.
The Golden Sun and Baten Kaitos games are some of my 10s. Great list you have here, I've played them all except for Octopath. I'll have to give that one a try.
Oh baiten kaitos! Wonderful 😊
bro as someone who absolutely loved golden sun, your gonna love octopath though I'd recommend 2 more then as it has a incredible story but i loved 1 too (60+ hours in it as well)
Looking at a games reviews just makes you think a game is crap; but listening to a fan pour their heart out about a game... well it makes you want to play it!
I haven't played enough jrpgs to make a list of 10, but here are jrpgs that I consider masterpieces that I played
Golden Sun 1 @ 2 - I have a particular fondness for Golden Sun, probably because my dad died as a kid and the beginning of the game shows your dad die. That got me immediately hooked. I've played through both games in their entirety and there is something just magical about golden sun; it makes me feel such joy when I hear any of the music
Chrono Trigger - This game really blew my mind when I realized it wasn't linear. I really, REALLY love it when I think a game is linear, only to have my mind opened up and blown when I realize the game is not linear.
Pokemon Gold / Silver / Crystal - Comon, Pokemon is just amazing. And gold / silver / crystal basically was pokemon 2; it took everything yellow and red and blue did and made it better. Twice as long of a story, twice as many pokemon, all awesome stuff for back then
Dragon Quest 3 - The beginning of this game psyched me out, seriously. You start a file and god tests you to gauge who you really are. Its pretty insane. I redid the intro more than any other intro in a videogame, just because I wanted to experience every possible varient of it.
thank you for this, from the brief gameplay alone I can myself playing some of these games that I haven't played before when I get the $$ to buy them
6 Is also my favorite FF, I spent so much of my youth playing it.
I give out 10/10s very sparingly since the game basically has to be life changing for me to give it that, but I'd say Persona 5 Royal, Pokemon Soulsilver and/or Pokemon Black 2, Kingdom Hearts 2, and Final Fantasy XIV are all JRPGs that I think are absolute 10/10s.
It would be interesting to read how life changing these games are for you!
great list! I have a lot of the same...
Chrono Trigger - All the reasons you mentioned. The gold standard.
Octopath Traveler 2 - Almost a perfect game in my opinion, hard to imagine something topping this for GOTY
Final Fantasy 6 - Great cast of characters, love the themes in the game, incredible music. Best Final Fantasy for me.
Chrono Cross - Controversial pick, but the story is amazing, albeit paced poorly and not always with the best storytelling. Best OST ever.
Triangle Strategy - My favorite SRPG, great music, characters, and I loved the grounded story. Did not mind at all the heavy dialogue.
Super Mario RPG Legend of the 7 Stars - Charming, funny, enjoyable gameplay...this helped get me into RPGs as a kid.
Ogre Battle 64 Person of Lordly Caliber - Strong story, great replay value, unique battle system, and great customization options!
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition - Totally agree about the scope of the world. Strong story, characters, music, and beautiful world I kept wanting to explore more of.
Fire Emblem 3 Houses - The best of the Fire Emblem series for me, enjoyable cast and story with multiple routes to take; loved how they integrated the social aspects in the Monastery.
Tales of Symphonia - My favorite Tales game, love the story, characters, and world. Mature content wrapped up in a colorful and bright package.
Thank you for a detailed list! I really like your inclusion of Three Houses, Super Mario RPG, and the first Xenoblade Chronicles! Admittedly, some of those were originally in this list. But then, this video would be more than 30 minutes long LOL
FF6 is great. Not my favorite Final Fantasy game, but I do think they gave it the best ending.
hehe i've played and love all of them!!!! except lost odyssey, that one's new to my ears. gonna check it out! 10/10 list
Where is trails in the sky SC?
Star Ocean 2 and Suikoden 2 and 3 were some of my best gaming memories growing up
The list is missing Falcom's Trails saga. I was particularly touched by Ao no Kiseki (Trails into Azure Blue). It's basically an epic tale on a single timeline that's been covered in four story arcs and currently spans 12 different games. It's not that well known in the West because several games took great many years to officially appear in English. But at their best, these games can change your life and I'm a middle-aged player haha.
Im saving them for later 😉
they deserve a list on their own XD.
Dragon Quest 8 and 11 are masterpieces and I’m looking forward to 3 remake and 12. I’m not a huge fan of the whole social link and sim stuff but Persona 5 Royal was top quality and yes, I agree that FF VI is superb. If I were to mention one series (that you didn’t) it would absolutely be The Legend of Heroes series. Everything about it is divine and the quality of the script and world building is the best I’ve ever experienced. Trails into Reverie is coming soon.
I thought 11 was SO CRAP but loved 8.
I want a Switch re-release of DQIV: Chapters of the Chosen. I like the chapter system the game has.
Having played DQ9 first, I can tell you it was such a terrible experience that I cannot see myself giving this series another go.
Awesome video and amazingly no spoilers! So many lists like this are choc full of spoilers. So many videos are like "And Radiance Mandate is amazing! When Stacey dies and Bob takes over the world it will leave you surprised!!" Well... It won't now!!!
Chrono Trigger and FF6 are the revolutionize JRPG for me. Back then when graphics were pixelated, those two games, now that I look back to it, cyberpunk theme?
Surprised I don't see Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark on here. Meets a lot of the criteria you seem to like plus the creativity you have in battle is incredible.
I think someone mentioned that in another video! I’ll check it out!
My friend, buddy, bro... You have no idea how big of a smile you put on my face when I heard the very first note of FFVI theme and you just let it play. That was just masterful. Chef's kiss. Brilliant. The second on my list of best JRPG's I've ever played right behind Chrono Trigger. I would've put it at first place if it wasn't for the fact that I can't bring myself to play it anymore because it reminds me too much of the times I played it with my mom as a kid when it was called FFIII cause in NA and all at the time.
I can watch vids and watch others play it but I can't myself and it's been 24 years since she passed. Another one on my list is Secret of Mana. Another game that was dear to me also because of my mom right along Lufia 2 Rise of the Sinistrals. Honorable mentions I got is also the Breath of Fire series on SNES. Almost feels like the SNES era was the era of the best JRPG's we ever got and it all fit on that tiny cartridge which is mind blowing to think about nowadays.
Hey man! OMG Lufia II, FFVI, Chrono Trigger is my SNES top3. SO many memories. and BOFIII! Takes me back.
Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age is one of my all time favourites, it's pretty tough in parts though. I also love Xenoblade Chronicles 2 , XC3 was good but I just loved tying to get all the blades in XC2. Glad to see Lost Odyssey on the list, I've totalled it numerous times and really recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it, it has aged well.
the chrono trigger transition, sent literall feelings of nostalgia down my body, banger
I would love if they did a FF6 remake in using the Octopath engine. I doubt they will ever do anything like that since they seem to not agree with everyone else that 6 is a masterpiece, they focus on 4 as the crown jewel of the pre-PSX era.
While I prefer FF4, I think FF6 is just about as good. Even has some aspects I think are better, like controlling who is in the party.
The memory stories (forget what they're called) in Lost Odyssey were SO affecting. Just words on the screen that you read, but the words would appear and disappear in ways and there were key sound effects that helped set the mood too. I loved the stories so much that I made inquiries about collecting them in a book. You see, the stories already existed in book form, but only in Japanese. I got to exchange emails with many different people, including the translator who worked on the game and also has translated a lot of Murakami's works. Ultimately, I couldn't make it happen because Microsoft owned the English versions of the stories :(
Lunar Silver Star Story and Lost Odyssey left a very strong impact on me and they managed it by doing things in the opposite tone from each other. While Lunar constantly makes you laugh outloud with memorable funny situations in a comfy, joyful setting, LO has the deeply thoughful Thousand Years Dreams segment, which often leaves you speechless after finishing reading (and possibly sobbing from crying, too).
Both games are absolutely 10/10.
1)Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology
2)Jeanne DArc
3)Trails of Cold Steel duology
3)Three Houses
4)Valkyria Chronicles
5)Tales of Arise
6)Chrono Trigger
7)Dragon Quest XI
8)Triangle Strategy
9)Suikoden 2
10)Persona 5R
Honorable Mentions
Ni No Kuni/Stella Glow/Tactics Ogre Reborn/FF VI/FF VIIR
Off the top of my head.. Not sure if there’s an exact criteria people look for?!
So hard to pick 10. Just my memories make me choose: Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Wild Arms, Lufia 2, Suikoden, Breath of Fire 2, Chrono Cross, Star Ocean The Second Story, Lost Odyssey. And if I could add more I would also list Grandia, Legend of Dragoon, Final Fantasy 8, Golden Sun 1&2, Suikoden 2, Breath of Fire 3. I have the original Lunar PSX versions here and never played them and also Dragon Quest 8, I should take some time to play them I guess 😊
BOF2 was so amazing.
Even with the localization mistakes, the plot is so epic.
1of the things I didn't like was Jean & Spar were not well thought out. Jean was useless (without the fusion) and Spar stopped advancing.
My favorite companions are Bow, Nina and Rand. I also think Sten is pretty good.
I like Nina having Cure2,
but it also helps if Sten has it.
Have you played the trails series
I never appreciated Lost Odyssey as much as I should have, in hindsight. It's a brilliant Jrpg. I am glad it is still available on Xbox, along with Blue Dragon.
❤
Persona 4 will always be the one which completely changed my life, it turned me from a person who was very disappointed with the choices of friends in my life, and constantly wanted to go at life alone. To someone who now values more positive relationships with others. It made me realize that the awful sides of you are still a part of you, and that by accepting your flaws and shortcomings you can become your greatest self. I absolutely loved every second of Persona 4 when I originally played it on the Vita at a friends house at 12 years old, the soundtrack was so happy and upbeat, the characters were all complex and felt so real, everything about the game was fun and made me feel happy. It's one of the only games which I can play from start to finish and still have a smile on my face, every single time I play it I find something new to love about it, it's simply the most special game to me and I will always love and play it.
preach brother
Recently just started doing the Dragon Quest remakes for the DS/3DS, just finished V and currently on VI. Seeing VIII on this list got me even more excited than I already was since it's the one at the end of my list following each game's release date (IV, V, VI, IX for the DS then moving on to VII, VIII for the 3DS)
Although I did actually skip VIII on this video since didn't want to get spoiled on anything. Great video regardless and I do agree with most of what's in here not including the ones I haven't touched yet.
P.S. - Lunar Silver Star Story is one of my favorite jrpgs since it's also one of my first actual RPG games that I've played (not to completion but soon).
I am SO glad to see FF6 on this list! SO many people jump on the FF7 bandwagon because of it's jump to 3D and completely forget or don't even know just how amazing the older games are because they only had story writing and game mechanics to rely on. FF7 relied on it's graphics a LOT and imo wasn't actually the best story telling out of the entire FF series. In fact, I think it's more in the middle at best
They really need to remaster Lost Odyssey. That game was a classic both in its main story and those written pieces by Kiyoshi Shigematsu were really good. Its sad that it has kind of faded into obscurity. It IS a game of profound sadness, but also of triumph and endurance as well. Lost Odyssey had me in tears more than once throughout its runtime.
I agree! It’s been trapped for far too long on the 360 that it needs a port!
DraQue 8 is very based choice, it's also on my top 10
I agree with you on Dragon Quest VIII.
Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and Lunar:SSSC are three of my top 5, along with Suikoden II and Wild Arms.
Great list I’m gonna have to play a few of those I missed. Yeah Final Fantasy 6 is my all time favorite game. It is amazing I can still see the opera scene in my mind all these years later.
Dragon Quest 8, wise choice ❤
The Goddess has blessed you with great tastes
¡ COR BLIMEY !
Haha thank you!
I think Grandia I and Skies of Arcadia is a must play to anyone who loves RPG.
Golden Sun The Broken Seal and The Lost Age is a great journey if you transfer your save from the first game to the second.
And I'd add Chrono Cross in my list too, it's a great game despite being considered a "bad sequel" to Chrono Trigger.
Skies love! A fave for sure 👍
Bro... my nostalgia... oh my god. I never expected to be touched so deeply by a list of video games, but starting with Chrono Trigger and Ending with FF6 while hitting all the right stops along the way... I just relived my childhood while watching this with my young son, and he was every bit as entranced as I. I'm literally blubbering into my keyboard typing this, get out of my feelings.
I haven't played that many but I love these
Octopath Traveller 1
DQ XI S
P5R
Disgaea 5
Final Fantasy X and VII Remake
I love me some persona 4 but im curious as to why he choose it over 5 Royal
I did mention it in that section!
@BacklogBattle I commented before watching haha but I have to agree. P4 is my personal favorite as well
I was wondering the same thing lmao
The two for me that come to mind right now are: DQ11 and Yakuza: Like a dragon. The amount of emotions those two have brought is just up there.