Story of Suikoden 3 feel unfinished, like Tales of Vesperia, both of them have excellent story before the "devil" pop out. The early and middle stages describe a large number of exchanges, confrontations and problems that must be resolved between the two forces. When the conflict between the two parties is too big to be resolved through peaceful means, and both parties must fight to the death, and the conflict intensifies, the game suddenly inserts a big devil, and then everyone suddenly puts aside their hatred and work together to defeat the devil. All of the problems just vaporize after that, like they never exist, WTF
I have to say Wild ARMs 3 was one of my favorite my PS2 games. That game really was a hidden gem. Everything was just great... the setting, the battle system, I remember the story not being the best but still pretty good. I felt like they really did a great job marrying the gameplay with the theme, and they really tried to do some unique things here and there. Was just a great game that I never hear anyone mention.
Thank you! Dark Cloud 2 is one of my favorite games that I grew up with and I always thought it was criminally underrated too I still have it on PS2 and have the strategy guide still to this day that I still use whenever I play it especially for the weapon synthesis Of course when I saw it on PSN I instantly bought it Now I just need to finally play Dark Cloud 1 😅 I heard it’s not as good as 2 but still I always thought it looked good It’s a real shame Dark Cloud 3 never happened it would have been perfect if it was a trilogy but it’s most likely never gonna happen 2 is so perfectly good though that I kinda feel like it doesn’t need a 3 bc there’s so much to do even post end game there’s a huge new dungeon to explore that’s the hardest dungeon in the game if I remember right
@@sorikaiwolf8955 This comment does make me want to give Dark Cloud 2 another try, I have beat Dark Cloud 1 a few times over the years and I love it every time. But when I tried Dark Cloud 2 I really didn't like it, it felt like a step backwards. Maybe it changes after you progress a bit. Dunno. I may have to try it again though, because I absolutely love Dark Cloud 1.
@@tylerdavisson355 Yeah you totally should it’s got a good time travel story, memorable characters, epically good music, and tons to do even post end game If you loved DC1 then you should definitely give DC2 another chance for sure 👍
tbh i dont know what improvement can make Wild Arms 5 into a more better game than it already is, the graphic and its style is already awesome(well probably an HD upgrade would be nice but that can be fix even by emu), gameplay is good, maybe a couple of upgrade in QoL, but thats it but for the older WA with a more traditional turnbased mechanic, it would be interesting to see a remake with a modernize gameplay
@@skyh3r0es maybe give WA5 a better villain would be better and make each characters have their own fighting style instead of using medium to make their fighting style.
@Vegesther ah yes, the original .hack really need a modern release, all the love only goes to G.U, and bandai namco seems to forgot the original, a remaster and improvement on the battle system and QoL would be good
@@hendribadaya8814 adding villain would just change the story isnt it? and it cant be called WA5 anymore, maybe like a spin off or probably give it a different ending(?) but yeah i agree on the fighting style, the battle system need to be upgrade, adding somekind of a skill tree for each character based on their playstyle would be nice
III suffer because it's strips a lot of feature from II... especially the war battle... also True Fire/Water/Thunder feel lame after epic Soul Eater and Bright Shield 🤣🤣🤣... i also dislike all 3 main character... honestly when i play it back in ps2... i prefer the boy Thomas as main character... because he is the one who actually OWN the castle... but in my opinion III still have the minigame i like most... the Theater/Opera minigame... it's really funny to swap character playing as romeo etc LoL...
@@estrioleyin5667 3 is definitely a love it or hate it game. You can just go through the comments here and see equal amount of agreement and disagreement that Erik listed Suikoden 3 as underrated.
@@seanwegner9925 yeah...lots of it because 2 is too good... it feel like 3 is like son of a great hero... many people expect great things and compare him to his father greatness... and even he do some good things on his own way that different than his father (ex: become wealthy merchant)... it will still be not enough because his father still better 🤣🤣🤣.... on other hand... 5 become successful because it takes lots of success formula from 2 and improve it by a bit... although storywise still not as good as 2... at least it gain lot more success than 3... how about 4? he like black sheep of the family 🤣🤣🤣...
@@estrioleyin5667 more like because SIII run out of budget and it's show on the game like the battle sistem I think they want to make it like strategy RPG (like trials in the skies) and the story feels rushed usually Suikoden game get the castle before half the game but SIII got it near the end. I like SIII but it's clear it's unfinished game
Suikoden III is amazing, perhaps my favorite after V. It has flaws (slow pacing at times, and a lot of going through repetitive areas in each point of view), but I find the story amazing, and I personnaly love the different viewpoints (not for everyone). I honestly abandoned my Grandia III playthrough because I lost interest shortly after Miranda and Alonso left the party to be replace by characters I didn't care for :/
I remember that game being good, and loved the movement and attack ranges, but overall not much else stood out. It felt like all the attacks were pretty similar just slightly different attack ranges around. (keep in mind I only played it once when it first came out) However the thing I remember the most was a 3 hour end boss fight where if you get all your characters to the side of it it can't move and can't attack you.
I wouldn't say Shadow Hearts 1 and 2 are underrated, especially nowadays, they're pretty beloved by a lot of people and fightfully so. Shadow Hearts 3 though... now that's underrated.
Yeah, Covenant is often considered one of the best RPGs on the system. I guess here the definition of underrated includes games that a lot of people didn't play. Many RPG fans know of SH, but they haven't all played the games.
I have played JRPGs since the 80s but never heart of Shadow Hearts before. But now that I see that these have QTEs in battles that cannot be disabled I will never play them. I cannot stand these in JRPGs. Almost prevented me from finishing Super Mario RPG.
For underrated, I'd include Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity. Also, I'd have made Ar Tonelico more than just an 'honourable mention' - I remember the moment when the combat system in the second one finally 'clicked' for me and everything made perfect rhythmic sense. A true gaming epiphany moment.
Hey Erick, great list! I actually just finished Suikoden 3 at the end of 2020, after having abandoned it for over a decade, because I didn't realize that the war battle after choosing your Flame Champion was intentionally unwinnable >.< I love Radiata Stories, but similar to Suikoden 3 I abandoned it over a decade ago, this time because the choice I made cost me nearly all(if not all) of the units that I spent the entire game recruiting :-( And Shadow Hearts: Covenant is one of my all time favorite games, but I have to admit that the developers deciding that the canonical ending to the original was the bad ending has never sat right with me. They essentially branded Yuri as being too mentally weak to conquer his own demons, denying my favorite part of the original, where I beat all of the extra bosses to unlock the good ending :-/ Still one of my favorite games, but very frustrating. Keep up the great work! :-D
atelier iris 2 is the one game that make me hook to jrpg when i was a kid, the story was deep enough but still understandable for the 12 years old me, the gameplay was more unique than the traditional turnbased game, the skill tree(?) using alchemy to progress was really fun and make you want to explore all available option, finding recipe, material, hunting monster, make contract with mana etc, damn i was having a blast playing that game
I agree, I admit that I played Atelier Iris 3 first, but probably spent more time in 2 than 3. Not that 3 was bad, just did not feel as big and of course the smaller cast of characters didn't help it.
@@Speculativedude i agree with you, when i finish atelier iris 2 and knew that there is a 3rd game, i was so excited for it, but having played it for 5-10 hours or so, the game just didnt sit well with me, the character are kinda sallow, the story is not engaging enough, and honestly, i dont really like the new system where the mc can change job and have different skill irrc. but the funny thing is, i never played the first game lmao
@@skyh3r0es Same here, I have yet to actually see it or sale in any of my local game stores. Yeah I could probably find it online, but then I know it will cost a lot. Some of the jobs were interesting, but only a few are useful. You do actually get a 3rd character that can also change jobs later, but again only some of the "blades" are useful.
3 has a better battle system. But the other gameplay mechanics are faaaaaar inferior. Mana Khemia had an even better battle system and while still super repetitive wasn't quite so bad as Atelier Iris 3, so I consider both of those games pretty much strictly better than Atelier Iris 3. But Atelier 2 has the whole package which means it's probably my favorite of all.
Glad to see Shadow Hearts finally talked about. Fantastic games, and my favourite JRPG battle system. I keep hoping for people to remaster them. Oh well, maybe one day.
Great video, Eric. Excluding the Shadow Hearts and .hack games, I've played all the other games on the list and agree 100% with what you said. These games deserve more love, damn it! Oh, and thanks to the PC release of Last Recode, I'll be finally playing that other iconic series that fell through the cracks. Game On!
As someone who has the entire .Hack PS2 collection including the GU games I am very happy to see GU make it into this list since for the most part the .Hack games get no love. I mean, they do, but they are not primary discussion when PS2 JRPGs are typically brought up. This is a great list, and frankly I'd say that all of these titles belong in this list. You could make a part 2 easily I'd say. Well done Erick!
I'd always thought this game looked interesting. This video plus this comment convinced me to give it a try.. so I downloaded ".hack g.u. vol.1: Terminal", it took me a while to find a dubbed version, then took like 2 hours to finish. It was a 4gig download. Finally finished though. So excited to give it a try. I load it up, click "new game", and play...."report 1"? and then for a good 20 minutes at least patiently listened to what I thought was just the longest most exposition-heavy intro to a game I'd ever seen in my life. Like man I'm a big believer in not skipping cutscenes, but this is insane. But I let the whole thing play out, trying to glean what I could from it, barely keeping my eyes open, feels like a ken burns documentary, finally ends though, and...immediately takes me back to the menu? That's when I realized "Terminal" wasn't just a cool sounding subtitle for a videogame about hackers and computers and digital worlds and stuff. I just downloaded the wrong disc that was literally just supposed to be a damn terminal. just one of the character's computers lol.
@TheOutkast4ever especially since Japan Studio is downsized and reorganized by Sony. It sucks that that studio makes solid games but always get sidelined.
.hack is so good, I loved the whole franchise back when it came out. Even the previous series of 4 .hack games I enjoyed despite their flaws but //G.U. was really great. It wasn’t just on ps4 btw - it is also on Steam. You mentioned Ar Tonelico at the end and I was honestly expecting that on the list too, that was a random buy at the time and I ended up really liking it. So many good PS2 games.
I'm actually surprised you didn't mention, though I don't know if this really classifies as a jRPG, but there is one game on the PS2 that holds a special place for me because it was a surprisingly fun game with TONS of endings, choices, and skill based minigames, and rhythm based ones as well. However, Steambot Chronicles one was one those games that was semi hyped but never really got a lot of focus, even these days it seems like one of those niche as hell games everyone forgot about, but it was a REALLY fun, unique, and challenging game for it's time, and I even think it still holds up now.
Oh yea I never finished it but it was so unique. I don't think we've seen an rpg like that from Japan. It was open world but with story. I really liked it. You're right that it's an action rpg. Not action isn't fast paced so the choices pre-battle matter more I think. The sequel got cancelled or indefinitely stalled after the success of demon souls
Played through most of Ys 1 Steam version so far. Despite still using the bump combat, Adol at least swings his weapon now, the mobs explode in a shower of gore and the soundtrack is UNBELIEVABLY good.
Glad to see some love for Suikoden 3 it’s one of my my favorite games of all time. Just recently replayed which a I do every year or so and there are very few that I will play through from beginning to end but the game is really good. I actually think it has the best combat. All the other Suikoden combat is very simplistic, it’s difficult for me to stay interested in the others.
I love the list. I don't feel like for RPG fans that these are so much underrated as they are extremely expensive and hard to obtain. I own all of them except Wild Arms 5 which is very hard to come by without dropping a ton of money. I was lucky to buy most of these games when they were new and on sale at my local stores. Great list, all are definitely excellent games. Hopefully they will eventually port all of these games because people deserve to play them.
You have a great list of underated games, I only ever played Y's and Radiata stories briefly and I would like to play them again someday, keep it up Erick you do a great job with your videos 👍
I only played the first Wildly Arms before I picked up Wild Arms 5. I love everything about the game. One of my favourite RPGs on the PS2. I now have all of them except Alter Code F.
Hey, I know it might be a HUGE ask, but could you either list the hands shown in your intro (in order) in the description or some place? There's a couple I couldn't place. Thanks for the content, regardless. It's an education in fans I might missed, much like Gamez of War. I love that guy.
Man bro, just discovered and subscribed to your channel, love the videos and presentation 👏 and thank you for helping discover some new games...!!! The ps2 is still relevant because of pcsx2 and the upscaling and enhancements. My galaxy s20 ultra is playing them at 1080p as long as i tinker with the settings...so we live in a fortunate age, and there is no excuse for not being able to play these games....I'm lucky to have a job where I can sit in my office all night and sit with my phone, a USB c to HDMI cable and my ps4 gamepad Bluetoothed to my phone ....so naturally I'm catching up on the games I could never afford when I was young....now they're free abandonware....ahhh heaven!!! Y aparte de todo eso compa, muchos saludos desde EEUU, nada más un piropo y un chiflado para decirte qué ondas güey, con todo el respeto....gracias por todo!!! (Soy Medio Cubano)
Radiata Stories is a masterpiece! Played when I was 15yo and miss since then. It's a shame that's not possible to play in PS4. Greetings from Brazil, great channel!
@@geralt7144 well that sucks too, great though that you got one. But this was the anniversary one and the last how did it not get more copies how did this series not continue. And this is coming from someone who were not a fan of the new battle system. It was great in a lot of ways but still my first and favorite was the 3 so came nr 4 and damn what happen to walk the world and the og battle system, and the almost guaranteed lot to know guaranteed lost lot
@@Tom1kr Dunno. I mean we did not even get Wild Arms 2 in Europe. Had to import it from the US and mod my PS1. It was worth it. Sadly Wild Arms 5 is only available in the Japanese PSN Store
@@geralt7144 and that my good man is a big double sucks. But we can hope at some point jrpg gets a boom and a world wide call for the greats of the past and after various collection has been bought and played a call for more so, the industry will make games again and not live service or ever it is called crammed with lotboxes paywall s and microtransaction
It's still wild, looking back, that the PS2's library was so stacked that there are just layers and layers of new amazing games buried under amazing games. The biggest tragedy here is that so few of these games have had any modern rereleases. I would definitely snag any of these if they got a rerelease (and have snagged the few that did)
I quite like Legendia, after the Xillia games, it's probably my fav Tales game (maybe tied with Hearts R). I also feel like it's the only one where everyone yells at Senel for being an idiot instead of coddling him (like they definitely did for Luke). Though I did find the game a bit sensitive to my O button inputs and it would frequently perform the same action twice in a row. Just wish it didn't have random encounters, really.
Dual Hearts, I enjoyed that one. It's a bit of a spiritual successor to Alundra, and while the load times were not the best (and it was made at that time before everyone agreed the right analog stick should always be the camera), it's still a damn fun action RPG.
Radiata had to be here. Glad it was. Glad that Y's 6 was here. The 1st I ever played of the series as I didn't have a Turbo Grafix CD with 1 & 2 at the time (though I would buy an authentic now expensive copy later on).
Wild arms 5 got also the triple A treatment in Japan and the SONY published stamp! And they got an actual writer to do a couple of scenes in the game. Underrated indeed especially out here in the west, great list.
wholeheartedly agree with most of the list especially Grandia 3, radiate stories, and tales of legendia. I genuinely think grandia 3 had the best turned based system ever. Radiata stories had the most charm, and legendia had one of the coolest atmosphere.
I loved Shadow Hearts Covenant! When I first played it my only gripe was right away they changed Karin's awesome military uniform to some dumb looking miniskirt ensemble. Come on, the uniform looked so badass! I really liked Blanca's side quest too. The characters are all great with so much funny banter. A game with so much personality. I'd love to see a remaster! I didn't know they re released the Hack games, I've always been curious, I'll have to give them a try.
Just starting the video so I’m going to take a guess and see how right I am. I expect Tales of Legendia, Shadow Hearts, Suikoden IV, and Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits to show up in this list. Probably not going to be on the list, but I would put Xenosaga Episode I up there.
Personal underated : breath of fire5 (because of the hate or love he receive, to me, it's love) and ephemeral fantasia (to me it's a good rpg, with original storyline and gameplay, not a gem, but not nearly as bad as it's described)
Honestly, Senel Coolidge is right up there with Tales of the Abyss' Luke Fon Fabre as characters who I wish got New Game Plus arcs where, instead of becoming genetically nice, called out their own party members for always mistreating them and snacks the crap out of them in boss battles before letting them back in the party.
YS6 is also on Steam now, though it lacks some of the things the PS2 version had, because I'm assuming that they are addons that Sony licensed and therefore they didn't have the license to put that stuff (like the optional dungeon) on the Steam release. The main flaw of YS6 was the requirement for dash jumps to get a bunch of the game's optional items, dash mechanics are always a solid "NO!" for me because they never stinking work when you want/need them to. Otherwise, Ys6 joins Oath and Origin in the "games with awesome combat" category. If you like 6, Oath in Felghana is an awesome remake of Ys3, and Origins fills in some lore points that you might have seen in other games. Also, I find it kind of sad you left Shadow Hearts 3 out of it. Hey, I get it, it's silly, but it still has the awesome gameplay SH2 did. EDIT: Also, how the heck am I first after 10+ views? lol
You described exactly how I felt for Suikoden 3. What I love the most of the series is it's story. And Suikoden 3 had the best of them all imo. I didn't mind the slow paced battle and the battle system is actually a fresh one for me. It was unique and added more challenge. The only thing that I didn't liked in that game were the army battles and the boring soundtrack in comparison to the other soundtracks of the series. What I loved the most is the trinity system where you can see the POV of every characters and especially the main antagonist. I think it is the chapter that properly ended the story of the series, being the game that have a nearly apocalyptic climax and seeing some characters from 1 and 2 that grew old or seeing their children or successors join your army. Even though we can't have anymore decent games after Suikoden 5, I'm more than content with the outcome and the climax of the story of S3. Yeah, the pace of the story was slow, but seeing how the story unfolds and reaches it's climax was worth the wait. It was more like a goodbye letter for the fans, even though they also made 4 and 5 which are more of a prologue more than anything, albeit they have good stories too. If I will rate my favorite Suikoden based on overall gameplay, my top on the list would be S2 (replayability, battle mechanics, soundtrack, mini games, story, graphics, quests, etc). If it's based on storytelling alone though, it would definitely be S3. I don't really care for that "suikoden feels" that 3 didn't gave like many fans said, I'm more interested on the story and how it was delivered. And guys, did you see that opening scene and the manga that they did? They're epic!
I happened to stumble upon Shadow Hearts Covenant when I was a teenager, and I absolutely loved it. I'm a fan of Suikodens, but never could get into III because it was horrifyingly slow...
Awesome vid, i have to agree with just about all of these. Shadow hearts was one of my fav rpgs back in the ps2 days and I actually liked suikoden 3 a lot (still have my copy somewhere). I don't see Hack GU being underrated though, due to the fact that it did actually get a remaster that wasn't just released on ps4 (it's on steam too, being a hack nerd i have both copies :P) but i feel that dot hack is way more underrated also due to the fact that it's a bit on the expensive side to get the 4th volume due to it being low print (luckily i never got rid of it too) would LOVE a remaster to it or even an outright remake. Actually..just about all of these rpgs listed needs a remaster of some sort (maybe how they did GU by putting all the games together on one disk and scaling them up)
my bf sent me this video, only telling me that you are very enthusiastic and i was already on board before i even watched the video but now that i'm watching, i'm definitely on board!
Man,i have played almost every game on this list and i have to say , you are right!!! i play the shadow hearts trilogy at least once every two years and it is simply one of the best jrpgs i played , i love wild arms 5 although i prefer 4 , and it is a sin that radiata stories is such an unknown game.
I love Grandia II and I never knew III existed since I didn't own a PS2 when it originally came out. Anyway I recall that Grandia III got released on PSN years ago but I still haven't found the time to buy it.
Battle System just killed this game for me... Cant stand QTE combo for each attack (especially with input lag on modern TV), its much harder than Judgement Ring in Shadow Hearts.
I have played and beat about 45% of the games on this list, even own a few of them. I really enjoyed Grandia 3, went a far as downloading the opening theme from it, "In the Sky" is its name. It has been through playing games that I find music that differs from the norm we get here in US made games. Sometimes cant beat JRPG opening themes.
Must play JRPGs from the PS2 Era imo: Valkyrie Profile 2 Suikoden V Shadow Hearts 1/2 & New World Final Fantasy X & XII I have played and still have most of these JRPGs, there are enough other great games like Shin Megami Tensei, .hack, Grandia, Dragon Quest, Xenosaga or Legaia 2 but the 7 games I've put together are timeless masterpieces. It would be amazing if these games would come to the Switch. While we are at underrated games I would like to add one more, it's not a typical JRPG but I've enjoyed it a lot. Shadow of Memories, it's sad that we don't get games like that anymore, imo it was better that Heavy Rain or Detroit become Human.
In order: Wild ARMS 5 was such a love letter to long-time fans, too. The cast of all previous games made cameos in it, and it was a massive experience. Definitely a gem. I can’t speak for others, but I found Grandia III more ‘forgettable’ than bad. Good battle system, but way too short, and with way too generic a cast and story. I played it through when I bought it, and never really felt the hankering to play it again. I still regret that I chose to buy it first over Star Ocean III which is a divisive game I’ve always loved and ended up getting a lot more out of. I’m also a legendia apologist! The game not getting fully voiced over sucked, and Shirley was...terrible... but it had one of the most memorable stories in the series for me.
Top 10 Most Criminally Underrated PS3 JRPGs: ruclips.net/video/8Cq94g0RRnM/видео.html
Great games man, but I got insterested in the games showed in your intro, what games are those?
Many fans cannot accept Grandia 3 because they have high expectation of the story and OP. The plot of 1 and 2 are so damn good.
Story of Suikoden 3 feel unfinished, like Tales of Vesperia, both of them have excellent story before the "devil" pop out.
The early and middle stages describe a large number of exchanges, confrontations and problems that must be resolved between the two forces. When the conflict between the two parties is too big to be resolved through peaceful means, and both parties must fight to the death, and the conflict intensifies, the game suddenly inserts a big devil, and then everyone suddenly puts aside their hatred and work together to defeat the devil.
All of the problems just vaporize after that, like they never exist, WTF
0:00 Intro
0:46 Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
2:19 Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny
3:54 Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
5:20 Wild Arms 5
7:06 Grandia III
8:42 Radiata Stories
10:11 Suikoden III
11:58 Shadow Hearts / Shadow Hearts: Covenant
13:36 Tales of Legendia
15:15 .Hack.GU (Vol. 1//Rebirth, Vol. 2//Reminisce, Vol. 3//Redemption)
16:58 Outro
Thanks brother
You're the only RUclipsr that shouts out the Wild Arms games...
Thank you 😭
I have to say Wild ARMs 3 was one of my favorite my PS2 games. That game really was a hidden gem. Everything was just great... the setting, the battle system, I remember the story not being the best but still pretty good. I felt like they really did a great job marrying the gameplay with the theme, and they really tried to do some unique things here and there. Was just a great game that I never hear anyone mention.
Wild Arms 2 is the best among all... Also Alter Code F. Actually every Wild Arms is the best 🤗
Personnally, a criminally underrated PS2 JRPG (and also my favorite game of all time) I would say, is Dark Chronicle (Dark Cloud 2)
A lot if people who have played ps2 rpgs know it and played it. Ps3 and Ps4 releases boosted its sales a lot as well.
Thank you!
Dark Cloud 2 is one of my favorite games that I grew up with and I always thought it was criminally underrated too
I still have it on PS2 and have the strategy guide still to this day that I still use whenever I play it especially for the weapon synthesis
Of course when I saw it on PSN I instantly bought it
Now I just need to finally play Dark Cloud 1 😅
I heard it’s not as good as 2 but still I always thought it looked good
It’s a real shame Dark Cloud 3 never happened it would have been perfect if it was a trilogy but it’s most likely never gonna happen
2 is so perfectly good though that I kinda feel like it doesn’t need a 3 bc there’s so much to do even post end game there’s a huge new dungeon to explore that’s the hardest dungeon in the game if I remember right
I would rather give the title to the first dark cloud but i wouldnt really say the dark cloud series is underrated more of a nice clut classic
@@sorikaiwolf8955 This comment does make me want to give Dark Cloud 2 another try, I have beat Dark Cloud 1 a few times over the years and I love it every time. But when I tried Dark Cloud 2 I really didn't like it, it felt like a step backwards. Maybe it changes after you progress a bit. Dunno. I may have to try it again though, because I absolutely love Dark Cloud 1.
@@tylerdavisson355
Yeah you totally should it’s got a good time travel story, memorable characters, epically good music, and tons to do even post end game
If you loved DC1 then you should definitely give DC2 another chance for sure 👍
“Just play the damn game and decide for yourself if you like it or not.” That should be the motto of every game review :)
The Wild Arms games need modern rereleases. Actually, most of the games here do.
tbh i dont know what improvement can make Wild Arms 5 into a more better game than it already is, the graphic and its style is already awesome(well probably an HD upgrade would be nice but that can be fix even by emu), gameplay is good, maybe a couple of upgrade in QoL, but thats it
but for the older WA with a more traditional turnbased mechanic, it would be interesting to see a remake with a modernize gameplay
@Vegesther hack.G.U.Last.Recode? As I get, it was realeased for PS4. And it's incliduded first 3 volumes.
@@skyh3r0es maybe give WA5 a better villain would be better and make each characters have their own fighting style instead of using medium to make their fighting style.
@Vegesther ah yes, the original .hack really need a modern release, all the love only goes to G.U, and bandai namco seems to forgot the original, a remaster and improvement on the battle system and QoL would be good
@@hendribadaya8814 adding villain would just change the story isnt it? and it cant be called WA5 anymore, maybe like a spin off or probably give it a different ending(?)
but yeah i agree on the fighting style, the battle system need to be upgrade, adding somekind of a skill tree for each character based on their playstyle would be nice
Shadow Hearts: Covenant is one of the best JRPGs of all time imho
Good looks on shouting out Suikoden III. It’s my favorite. It truly is underrated!
I would have liked it more had there been a way to recruit the previous heroes.
III suffer because it's strips a lot of feature from II... especially the war battle... also True Fire/Water/Thunder feel lame after epic Soul Eater and Bright Shield 🤣🤣🤣...
i also dislike all 3 main character... honestly when i play it back in ps2... i prefer the boy Thomas as main character... because he is the one who actually OWN the castle...
but in my opinion III still have the minigame i like most... the Theater/Opera minigame... it's really funny to swap character playing as romeo etc LoL...
@@estrioleyin5667 3 is definitely a love it or hate it game. You can just go through the comments here and see equal amount of agreement and disagreement that Erik listed Suikoden 3 as underrated.
@@seanwegner9925 yeah...lots of it because 2 is too good... it feel like 3 is like son of a great hero... many people expect great things and compare him to his father greatness... and even he do some good things on his own way that different than his father (ex: become wealthy merchant)... it will still be not enough because his father still better 🤣🤣🤣....
on other hand... 5 become successful because it takes lots of success formula from 2 and improve it by a bit... although storywise still not as good as 2... at least it gain lot more success than 3...
how about 4? he like black sheep of the family 🤣🤣🤣...
@@estrioleyin5667 more like because SIII run out of budget and it's show on the game like the battle sistem I think they want to make it like strategy RPG (like trials in the skies) and the story feels rushed usually Suikoden game get the castle before half the game but SIII got it near the end. I like SIII but it's clear it's unfinished game
Suikoden III is amazing, perhaps my favorite after V.
It has flaws (slow pacing at times, and a lot of going through repetitive areas in each point of view), but I find the story amazing, and I personnaly love the different viewpoints (not for everyone).
I honestly abandoned my Grandia III playthrough because I lost interest shortly after Miranda and Alonso left the party to be replace by characters I didn't care for :/
Ahh, Arc The Lad: TotS. What a gem. Must have played it all the way through over 7x throughout my life.
Started it last week for the first time (I’d never heard of the series before as I’m new to JRPG)...
Fantastic game, it’s stolen my heart already 😁
@@jordanharrison1113 It definitely has the power to capture hearts as well as imaginations.
I remember that game being good, and loved the movement and attack ranges, but overall not much else stood out. It felt like all the attacks were pretty similar just slightly different attack ranges around. (keep in mind I only played it once when it first came out) However the thing I remember the most was a 3 hour end boss fight where if you get all your characters to the side of it it can't move and can't attack you.
@@zedgathegreat9122 Hahaha... You're not entirely wrong there. Still love it though.
you're criminally underrated
True
Game: Is absolute trash
Landon : Iz gud
This is a criminally underrated comment
I wouldn't say Shadow Hearts 1 and 2 are underrated, especially nowadays, they're pretty beloved by a lot of people and fightfully so. Shadow Hearts 3 though... now that's underrated.
Yeah, Covenant is often considered one of the best RPGs on the system. I guess here the definition of underrated includes games that a lot of people didn't play. Many RPG fans know of SH, but they haven't all played the games.
Those games are great, and despite being the weaker of the three the 3rd Shadow Hearts game introduced me to the series.
I have played JRPGs since the 80s but never heart of Shadow Hearts before. But now that I see that these have QTEs in battles that cannot be disabled I will never play them. I cannot stand these in JRPGs. Almost prevented me from finishing Super Mario RPG.
They are, because they don't receive the same recognition like overrated franchises like Pokedumb or Shit Megami Tensei
For underrated, I'd include Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity. Also, I'd have made Ar Tonelico more than just an 'honourable mention' - I remember the moment when the combat system in the second one finally 'clicked' for me and everything made perfect rhythmic sense. A true gaming epiphany moment.
Hey Erick, great list!
I actually just finished Suikoden 3 at the end of 2020, after having abandoned it for over a decade, because I didn't realize that the war battle after choosing your Flame Champion was intentionally unwinnable >.<
I love Radiata Stories, but similar to Suikoden 3 I abandoned it over a decade ago, this time because the choice I made cost me nearly all(if not all) of the units that I spent the entire game recruiting :-(
And Shadow Hearts: Covenant is one of my all time favorite games, but I have to admit that the developers deciding that the canonical ending to the original was the bad ending has never sat right with me.
They essentially branded Yuri as being too mentally weak to conquer his own demons, denying my favorite part of the original, where I beat all of the extra bosses to unlock the good ending :-/
Still one of my favorite games, but very frustrating.
Keep up the great work! :-D
🐊
Arc the Lad : Twilight of the Spirits bring back memories, my favorite jrpg of all times ❤️
atelier iris 2 is the one game that make me hook to jrpg when i was a kid, the story was deep enough but still understandable for the 12 years old me, the gameplay was more unique than the traditional turnbased game, the skill tree(?) using alchemy to progress was really fun and make you want to explore all available option, finding recipe, material, hunting monster, make contract with mana etc, damn i was having a blast playing that game
I agree, I admit that I played Atelier Iris 3 first, but probably spent more time in 2 than 3. Not that 3 was bad, just did not feel as big and of course the smaller cast of characters didn't help it.
@@Speculativedude i agree with you, when i finish atelier iris 2 and knew that there is a 3rd game, i was so excited for it, but having played it for 5-10 hours or so, the game just didnt sit well with me, the character are kinda sallow, the story is not engaging enough, and honestly, i dont really like the new system where the mc can change job and have different skill irrc. but the funny thing is, i never played the first game lmao
@@skyh3r0es Same here, I have yet to actually see it or sale in any of my local game stores. Yeah I could probably find it online, but then I know it will cost a lot. Some of the jobs were interesting, but only a few are useful. You do actually get a 3rd character that can also change jobs later, but again only some of the "blades" are useful.
3 has a better battle system. But the other gameplay mechanics are faaaaaar inferior. Mana Khemia had an even better battle system and while still super repetitive wasn't quite so bad as Atelier Iris 3, so I consider both of those games pretty much strictly better than Atelier Iris 3. But Atelier 2 has the whole package which means it's probably my favorite of all.
OMG I'm so happy you included Shadow Hearts! Nobody ever remembers this game but I absolutely LOVE it!
Glad to see Shadow Hearts finally talked about. Fantastic games, and my favourite JRPG battle system. I keep hoping for people to remaster them. Oh well, maybe one day.
Great video, Eric. Excluding the Shadow Hearts and .hack games, I've played all the other games on the list and agree 100% with what you said. These games deserve more love, damn it! Oh, and thanks to the PC release of Last Recode, I'll be finally playing that other iconic series that fell through the cracks.
Game On!
Was wondering if Ar Tonelico might get a mention... and ya snuck it in right at the end, good job!
Great video! and always I love the selections of wall-art you use!!
Romancing Saga deserves an honorable mention. The replay value for that one is incredibly High compared to most other jrpgs
Not to mention that soundtrack. Passionate Rhythm is still one of my favorites, and one of the best boss themes I've ever heard from any JRPG.
As someone who has the entire .Hack PS2 collection including the GU games I am very happy to see GU make it into this list since for the most part the .Hack games get no love. I mean, they do, but they are not primary discussion when PS2 JRPGs are typically brought up. This is a great list, and frankly I'd say that all of these titles belong in this list. You could make a part 2 easily I'd say. Well done Erick!
I'd always thought this game looked interesting. This video plus this comment convinced me to give it a try.. so I downloaded ".hack g.u. vol.1: Terminal", it took me a while to find a dubbed version, then took like 2 hours to finish. It was a 4gig download. Finally finished though. So excited to give it a try. I load it up, click "new game", and play...."report 1"? and then for a good 20 minutes at least patiently listened to what I thought was just the longest most exposition-heavy intro to a game I'd ever seen in my life. Like man I'm a big believer in not skipping cutscenes, but this is insane. But I let the whole thing play out, trying to glean what I could from it, barely keeping my eyes open, feels like a ken burns documentary, finally ends though, and...immediately takes me back to the menu?
That's when I realized "Terminal" wasn't just a cool sounding subtitle for a videogame about hackers and computers and digital worlds and stuff. I just downloaded the wrong disc that was literally just supposed to be a damn terminal. just one of the character's computers lol.
Original Kite was always the man. Best character in all of .hack
Wild Arms is so underrated and now forgotten. I hope Sony brings it back.
@TheOutkast4ever especially since Japan Studio is downsized and reorganized by Sony. It sucks that that studio makes solid games but always get sidelined.
@@muhammadfaizmohdnasiruddin9854 and they got shutdown
@@Dead_Hitori I mean media.vision makes it and they're still around.
.hack is so good, I loved the whole franchise back when it came out. Even the previous series of 4 .hack games I enjoyed despite their flaws but //G.U. was really great. It wasn’t just on ps4 btw - it is also on Steam. You mentioned Ar Tonelico at the end and I was honestly expecting that on the list too, that was a random buy at the time and I ended up really liking it. So many good PS2 games.
Same with Ar Tonelico! I looked at the cover and just bought it. I've never been happier.
Atelier Iris is soooooo underrated, I really wish Gust will remake it along with the Artonelico series
These never fail to point me out or remind me of some great game that I should get around to play and enjoy. Great work!
Erick's top 10 videos are just like traditional JRPGs. No matter how "cliche" they might be, you simply can't get enough top 10s :D
I'm actually surprised you didn't mention, though I don't know if this really classifies as a jRPG, but there is one game on the PS2 that holds a special place for me because it was a surprisingly fun game with TONS of endings, choices, and skill based minigames, and rhythm based ones as well. However, Steambot Chronicles one was one those games that was semi hyped but never really got a lot of focus, even these days it seems like one of those niche as hell games everyone forgot about, but it was a REALLY fun, unique, and challenging game for it's time, and I even think it still holds up now.
Oh yea I never finished it but it was so unique. I don't think we've seen an rpg like that from Japan. It was open world but with story.
I really liked it. You're right that it's an action rpg. Not action isn't fast paced so the choices pre-battle matter more I think.
The sequel got cancelled or indefinitely stalled after the success of demon souls
Played through most of Ys 1 Steam version so far. Despite still using the bump combat, Adol at least swings his weapon now, the mobs explode in a shower of gore and the soundtrack is UNBELIEVABLY good.
Man this vid has me itching to play these games. I've had Shadow hearts in my collection for years and never touched it. I'm gonna try it out now
Bro, your videos only keep getting better and better.
Glad to see some love for Suikoden 3 it’s one of my my favorite games of all time. Just recently replayed which a I do every year or so and there are very few that I will play through from beginning to end but the game is really good. I actually think it has the best combat. All the other Suikoden combat is very simplistic, it’s difficult for me to stay interested in the others.
I agree with Grandia 3. It brings back the sense of adventure that Grandia 2 was missing.
The only downside with 3 IMO was the storytelling. Outside of that the game was spectacular and really fun to play.
As a huge RPG fan your channel is an absolut gem! And as a GoT fan, I loved you as Red Viper of Dawn. Season 4 was best one imo.
PS1 and PS2 were the golden age for RPGs.
Agree 💯
I love the list. I don't feel like for RPG fans that these are so much underrated as they are extremely expensive and hard to obtain. I own all of them except Wild Arms 5 which is very hard to come by without dropping a ton of money. I was lucky to buy most of these games when they were new and on sale at my local stores. Great list, all are definitely excellent games. Hopefully they will eventually port all of these games because people deserve to play them.
Now that I'm hearing wa5 would be hard to play like you I bought it around when it came out and it was like half price or something
You have a great list of underated games, I only ever played Y's and Radiata stories briefly and I would like to play them again someday, keep it up Erick you do a great job with your videos 👍
I only played the first Wildly Arms before I picked up Wild Arms 5. I love everything about the game. One of my favourite RPGs on the PS2. I now have all of them except Alter Code F.
Hey, I know it might be a HUGE ask, but could you either list the hands shown in your intro (in order) in the description or some place? There's a couple I couldn't place. Thanks for the content, regardless. It's an education in fans I might missed, much like Gamez of War. I love that guy.
Yes, I've been loking for someone to mention Arc the lad TOTS in one of these videos for so long!
from manga to anime to game, .hack is one of my faves growing up.
Man bro, just discovered and subscribed to your channel, love the videos and presentation 👏 and thank you for helping discover some new games...!!! The ps2 is still relevant because of pcsx2 and the upscaling and enhancements. My galaxy s20 ultra is playing them at 1080p as long as i tinker with the settings...so we live in a fortunate age, and there is no excuse for not being able to play these games....I'm lucky to have a job where I can sit in my office all night and sit with my phone, a USB c to HDMI cable and my ps4 gamepad Bluetoothed to my phone ....so naturally I'm catching up on the games I could never afford when I was young....now they're free abandonware....ahhh heaven!!!
Y aparte de todo eso compa, muchos saludos desde EEUU, nada más un piropo y un chiflado para decirte qué ondas güey, con todo el respeto....gracias por todo!!! (Soy Medio Cubano)
Radiata Stories is a masterpiece! Played when I was 15yo and miss since then. It's a shame that's not possible to play in PS4.
Greetings from Brazil, great channel!
Regarding Wild Arms 5. The EU release was very limited and almost didn't happen. But it did. Still love this game
In the town where i bought games had 10 places where you could buy games. There where only 7 copies between them.
@@Tom1kr Mine was a day one UK import, cause It was not sold in my area in my country.
@@geralt7144 well that sucks too, great though that you got one. But this was the anniversary one and the last how did it not get more copies how did this series not continue. And this is coming from someone who were not a fan of the new battle system. It was great in a lot of ways but still my first and favorite was the 3 so came nr 4 and damn what happen to walk the world and the og battle system, and the almost guaranteed lot to know guaranteed lost lot
@@Tom1kr Dunno. I mean we did not even get Wild Arms 2 in Europe. Had to import it from the US and mod my PS1. It was worth it. Sadly Wild Arms 5 is only available in the Japanese PSN Store
@@geralt7144 and that my good man is a big double sucks. But we can hope at some point jrpg gets a boom and a world wide call for the greats of the past and after various collection has been bought and played a call for more so, the industry will make games again and not live service or ever it is called crammed with lotboxes paywall s and microtransaction
Fantastic list. Hack GU series is one of my favorites games of that era.
Youre becoming my favorite RUclipsr
It's still wild, looking back, that the PS2's library was so stacked that there are just layers and layers of new amazing games buried under amazing games.
The biggest tragedy here is that so few of these games have had any modern rereleases. I would definitely snag any of these if they got a rerelease (and have snagged the few that did)
Yes. I agree, Radiata Storiesz was one of the most creative, wholesome and unique RPGs that I had the opportunity to play. I miss so much the humor.
OMG why i just found out this video, thankyou for mentioning Wild arms 5 and Hack series..that is the best 😍😍
I quite like Legendia, after the Xillia games, it's probably my fav Tales game (maybe tied with Hearts R). I also feel like it's the only one where everyone yells at Senel for being an idiot instead of coddling him (like they definitely did for Luke). Though I did find the game a bit sensitive to my O button inputs and it would frequently perform the same action twice in a row. Just wish it didn't have random encounters, really.
Dual Hearts, I enjoyed that one. It's a bit of a spiritual successor to Alundra, and while the load times were not the best (and it was made at that time before everyone agreed the right analog stick should always be the camera), it's still a damn fun action RPG.
Might check it out.
Radiata had to be here. Glad it was. Glad that Y's 6 was here. The 1st I ever played of the series as I didn't have a Turbo Grafix CD with 1 & 2 at the time (though I would buy an authentic now expensive copy later on).
I freaking love Atelier Iris 2! I think it had the best story of the Atelier games I've played.
Agreed.
The story is surprisingly engaging.
Wild arms 5 got also the triple A treatment in Japan and the SONY published stamp! And they got an actual writer to do a couple of scenes in the game. Underrated indeed especially out here in the west, great list.
.hack infection is pretty cool.
Better than any GU game for sure
Probably with these games is you needed to buy all copies of it to get full experience. I did love both .hack IMOQ and .hack G.U. though.
Idk if it's criminally underrated but Suikoden Tactics .. one of my favorite in the PlayStation 2....
This is a great list!!!! Now I want one for the PS4.
I LOVE shadowhearts. i'm glad it's FINALLY starting to get some love. I play 1 every year, and covenant every couple years. 3 is still good.
wholeheartedly agree with most of the list especially Grandia 3, radiate stories, and tales of legendia. I genuinely think grandia 3 had the best turned based system ever. Radiata stories had the most charm, and legendia had one of the coolest atmosphere.
of all of them, Shadow hearth is the most criminally underrated no doubt, that games was gold
I never played Atelier Iris, my first was Escha & Logy. I want them to port it after seeing this video!
I loved Shadow Hearts Covenant! When I first played it my only gripe was right away they changed Karin's awesome military uniform to some dumb looking miniskirt ensemble. Come on, the uniform looked so badass! I really liked Blanca's side quest too. The characters are all great with so much funny banter. A game with so much personality. I'd love to see a remaster!
I didn't know they re released the Hack games, I've always been curious, I'll have to give them a try.
Just starting the video so I’m going to take a guess and see how right I am. I expect Tales of Legendia, Shadow Hearts, Suikoden IV, and Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits to show up in this list.
Probably not going to be on the list, but I would put Xenosaga Episode I up there.
Well, three out of four isn’t bad... I almost put Suikoden III but decided to change it to IV at the last second 😆
Personal underated : breath of fire5 (because of the hate or love he receive, to me, it's love) and ephemeral fantasia (to me it's a good rpg, with original storyline and gameplay, not a gem, but not nearly as bad as it's described)
I have been trying to find a copy of wild arms 5 without paying $200 on Ebay as I watch this video. Love your content!
If you're okay with emulation, PCSX2 and Vimm's Lair are always a "cheaper" route. If you're a collector, well, best of luck haha.
@@LunaFaye17 Thanks, honestly I'll use emulator to play the game, but I am also a collector so I aim to eventually own it.
Lowest I have seen it was $85 a few years ago. It is ridiculously priced lol
@@civoreb Yah they have skyrocketed in price since about 2017-2018.
Honestly,
Senel Coolidge is right up there with Tales of the Abyss' Luke Fon Fabre as characters who I wish got New Game Plus arcs where, instead of becoming genetically nice, called out their own party members for always mistreating them and snacks the crap out of them in boss battles before letting them back in the party.
Grandia 3 had a killer combat system!!!!!
And yes mom was a badass in combat
Just finished twilight of the spirits yesterday. Great recommendation!
This a great list!! I’ve always loved Legendia!
Been rocking with the atelier series since the ps2 days even as I type this I'm playing ryza 2, it's cool that this series has such a long history.
YS6 is also on Steam now, though it lacks some of the things the PS2 version had, because I'm assuming that they are addons that Sony licensed and therefore they didn't have the license to put that stuff (like the optional dungeon) on the Steam release. The main flaw of YS6 was the requirement for dash jumps to get a bunch of the game's optional items, dash mechanics are always a solid "NO!" for me because they never stinking work when you want/need them to. Otherwise, Ys6 joins Oath and Origin in the "games with awesome combat" category. If you like 6, Oath in Felghana is an awesome remake of Ys3, and Origins fills in some lore points that you might have seen in other games.
Also, I find it kind of sad you left Shadow Hearts 3 out of it. Hey, I get it, it's silly, but it still has the awesome gameplay SH2 did.
EDIT: Also, how the heck am I first after 10+ views? lol
You described exactly how I felt for Suikoden 3. What I love the most of the series is it's story. And Suikoden 3 had the best of them all imo. I didn't mind the slow paced battle and the battle system is actually a fresh one for me. It was unique and added more challenge. The only thing that I didn't liked in that game were the army battles and the boring soundtrack in comparison to the other soundtracks of the series. What I loved the most is the trinity system where you can see the POV of every characters and especially the main antagonist. I think it is the chapter that properly ended the story of the series, being the game that have a nearly apocalyptic climax and seeing some characters from 1 and 2 that grew old or seeing their children or successors join your army. Even though we can't have anymore decent games after Suikoden 5, I'm more than content with the outcome and the climax of the story of S3. Yeah, the pace of the story was slow, but seeing how the story unfolds and reaches it's climax was worth the wait. It was more like a goodbye letter for the fans, even though they also made 4 and 5 which are more of a prologue more than anything, albeit they have good stories too. If I will rate my favorite Suikoden based on overall gameplay, my top on the list would be S2 (replayability, battle mechanics, soundtrack, mini games, story, graphics, quests, etc). If it's based on storytelling alone though, it would definitely be S3. I don't really care for that "suikoden feels" that 3 didn't gave like many fans said, I'm more interested on the story and how it was delivered. And guys, did you see that opening scene and the manga that they did? They're epic!
Yay I was hoping the atelier iris series would be mentioned here. I also agree with including arc.
ar tonelico series is bloody amazing :) and awesome music too
I happened to stumble upon Shadow Hearts Covenant when I was a teenager, and I absolutely loved it.
I'm a fan of Suikodens, but never could get into III because it was horrifyingly slow...
There's a little known forward reference to Ys 6 in Ys Origins, when the Ark is actually mentioned in a single line at the end of the game.
08:00 "Just play the damn game". Haha. Love this guy.
The Dot Hack Gu remastered collection is also on steam
I really hoped that you mentioned Mana Khemia when you put Atelier Iris 2 there.. :(
I feel like he's mentioned it elsewhere. I know for certain in his ranking for all PS2 JRPGs, since that's where I first heard of it.
Awesome vid, i have to agree with just about all of these. Shadow hearts was one of my fav rpgs back in the ps2 days and I actually liked suikoden 3 a lot (still have my copy somewhere). I don't see Hack GU being underrated though, due to the fact that it did actually get a remaster that wasn't just released on ps4 (it's on steam too, being a hack nerd i have both copies :P) but i feel that dot hack is way more underrated also due to the fact that it's a bit on the expensive side to get the 4th volume due to it being low print (luckily i never got rid of it too) would LOVE a remaster to it or even an outright remake. Actually..just about all of these rpgs listed needs a remaster of some sort (maybe how they did GU by putting all the games together on one disk and scaling them up)
I totally forgot about Shadow Hearts series! I was totally hooked with Shadow hearts: From the New World. Shame i never finished it for some reason.
I need to go check out wild arms now. I miss .hack.
What is the second game you show in your intro? With the chain combo.
my bf sent me this video, only telling me that you are very enthusiastic and i was already on board before i even watched the video but now that i'm watching, i'm definitely on board!
Man,i have played almost every game on this list and i have to say , you are right!!! i play the shadow hearts trilogy at least once every two years and it is simply one of the best jrpgs i played , i love wild arms 5 although i prefer 4 , and it is a sin that radiata stories is such an unknown game.
I love Grandia II and I never knew III existed since I didn't own a PS2 when it originally came out.
Anyway I recall that Grandia III got released on PSN years ago but I still haven't found the time to buy it.
You should definitely check Magna Carta for the ps2, bought it recently and it's really good and the battle system is top notch!
Battle System just killed this game for me... Cant stand QTE combo for each attack (especially with input lag on modern TV), its much harder than Judgement Ring in Shadow Hearts.
I have played and beat about 45% of the games on this list, even own a few of them. I really enjoyed Grandia 3, went a far as downloading the opening theme from it, "In the Sky" is its name. It has been through playing games that I find music that differs from the norm we get here in US made games. Sometimes cant beat JRPG opening themes.
Must play JRPGs from the PS2 Era imo:
Valkyrie Profile 2
Suikoden V
Shadow Hearts 1/2 & New World
Final Fantasy X & XII
I have played and still have most of these JRPGs, there are enough other great games like Shin Megami Tensei, .hack, Grandia, Dragon Quest, Xenosaga or Legaia 2 but the 7 games I've put together are timeless masterpieces.
It would be amazing if these games would come to the Switch.
While we are at underrated games I would like to add one more, it's not a typical JRPG but I've enjoyed it a lot.
Shadow of Memories, it's sad that we don't get games like that anymore, imo it was better that Heavy Rain or Detroit become Human.
In order:
Wild ARMS 5 was such a love letter to long-time fans, too. The cast of all previous games made cameos in it, and it was a massive experience. Definitely a gem.
I can’t speak for others, but I found Grandia III more ‘forgettable’ than bad. Good battle system, but way too short, and with way too generic a cast and story. I played it through when I bought it, and never really felt the hankering to play it again. I still regret that I chose to buy it first over Star Ocean III which is a divisive game I’ve always loved and ended up getting a lot more out of.
I’m also a legendia apologist! The game not getting fully voiced over sucked, and Shirley was...terrible... but it had one of the most memorable stories in the series for me.
I am happy to say I have finished 10 of the 13 games you mentioned here. 1 I didn't play and 2 I couldn't get in to.
The ark game could be a little slow in the battles but boy I love it. Shadowhearts games are also bangers.
Tales of Legendia. I finished that in 2 days. The game was so addicting
I love when games are criminally underrated... to then be brought back to glory
Digital Devil Saga was fuckin overshadowed by Persona 3 sadly ...
i would like to play Grandia 3 someday if i ever get the chance , good video :)
So many games on this list I always wanted to try, but never had time. One day, darnit!
Legaia 2: Duel Saga and Ephemeral Fantasia.
Japan only until 3 weeks ago, but Kowloon High School Chronicle is extremely underrated, a remaster in english came out on Switch 3 weeks ago