Legend of Legaia is the jrpg that always comes to mind first when I think of the PS1. I went in knowing nothing about the game and was pleasantly surprised by it, especially the unique combat.
I hope they release this gem on PSN since I never got to beat it cause my disc had a scratch on it. It always froze right when we’re about to find out the truth about Noa’s lineage.
Watching this list, I realized that PS1 was really the golden era of JRPGs because everyone has a different top 10 list and everything on the list are so legitly good that it's understandable that we have different games on the list. As for me, my top 10 (not in order) are: Xenogears, FF 7, FF8, FF9, Grandia, Legend of Dragoon, Legend of Legaia, Tales of Destiny, Star Ocean, Breath of Fire 3. Man, I missed the PS1 era. Hopefully PS5 will have a resurgence of the golden age, but in all honesty I think it will be very difficult to have a resurgence because game development costs is still sky rocketing. I guess the PS1 era has the most number of excellent JRPGs because it was the turning point of console gaming and triple a game development back then was not that costly yet that you can develop a triple a title back then with less than 50 people vs now that you need at least 100 people to have a great triple a game.
There's some interesting stuff in the AA and indie space. Games like Cross Code really scratch that itch, and we've seen a few of the old developers kickstart spiritual successors to some classic franchises. But yeah, there will probably never be another generation as influential or experimental as the PS1.
Xenogears is on the PS3 store for like $10 so still legal to buy before they shut down the store eventually. Better pop in and save it to your hard drives before they shut it down. (The store also has some others like Suikoden 1-3 I believe for cheap)
I feel sorry for Beyond the Beyond: the game that trailblazed as the first major RPG effort of the PS1 era, but wasn't very good and has been almost completely forgotten (except infamously).
It just felt excessively meh coming right off the SNES golden age of rpgs with FF3, Chrono Trigger, and a dozen others. The music could be good though. I still have the main theme go through my head from time to time.
If you like Tales of Destiny a lot the PS2 remake not too long ago got a fan translation. The original was a awesome game and the remake is even more awesome. A lot of great games on this list Wild ARMs, Final Fantasy Tactics, Suikoden, Star Ocean 2 etc.
Yeah. I agreed with ff9. I mean like I get back to that game ALOT of times. Its weird it still feels like a new game everytime for me. Probably the music and who they put everything together.
A great list for sure! There's still many titles I have yet to play as well (I've never played a Star Ocean or Suikoden game.) I absolutely adore FF9 -- along with Grandia it has to be favorite JRPG for the PS1.
I think SNES was the true golden era for JRPGs, but most westerners didn't get to experience it like they did the PS1. I was lucky perhaps to have gotten into JRPGs with Secret of Mana and so I played most of the domestically released heavy hitters on the SNES before I got a PS1. Truly, when you consider all of the great JRPGs on SNES that never made it out of Japan (it's ridiculous how many good JRPGs we didn't get even though we did get a decent amount in the USA at least; UK and Europe didn't even get FF4, FF6 or Chrono Trigger, which is brutal), I believe it surpasses even the PS1. That said, the PS1 was definitely a great console for JRPGs (2nd best), and because FF7 made such a splash out west, we actually got most of them localized. Here's my attempt at a top ten for PS1: Star Ocean 2 Valkyrie Profile Grandia (really a Saturn title, but it's an amazing game that Gamefan actually rated one point higher than FF7) Final Fantasy Tactics Legend of Mana Chrono Cross FF7 Vagrant Story Dragon Quest 7 Parasite Eve I actually think Suikoden 2 is kind of overrated. People think it's so much better than the first one because of the complicated relationship with that one character who betrays you, but I never found his reasoning believable or convincing based on how the character had been portrayed up to that point (and it becomes even less so if you get the best ending). I also think that Suikoden 2's story lost a lot of its urgency after the death of a certain villain who gets replaced by said wishy-washy betrayal character. Lastly, the first Suikoden has the far superior soundtrack. In the end, I thought both games were good if unremarkable.
Very solid and agreeable lineup! Do consider delving into the Grandia franchise though. It doesn't get more 90s than that 👌 I've been playing the through and the HD collection on switch and LOVING IT!!
I intend to give Legend of Dragoon another shot now that its been fixed on the PS5. Might be a minute before I get to it, though, as the next couple spots on my backlog are already spoken for. I'll definitely add Jade Cocoon on there, too, thanks for the recommendation!
Fantastic list I really need to check out Xenogears since I’ve been playing Xenoblade all week. I definitely recommend Xenoblade by the way if you haven’t played it yet.
Funny you should mention that, since I'm in the middle of playing Xenoblade: Definitive Edition on my Switch. I actually put it down the first couple of times I tried it because it has kind of a slow opening and I wasn't a fan of the sideqeusts, but after playing Xenogears I decided to give it another shot. It's a very different experience then Xenogears, but I can see the influences. Glad you liked the list! Let me know your opinions on Xenogears if you do play it.
@@nerdemporium I know it’s different, for me personally the side quests aren’t really an issue for me since it gets me levelled up. It’s a really great game, as for xenogears I ’m probably gonna emulate the game since it didn’t came out in the UK unfortunately.
Lots of great games here! I'm also a big wuss who got into Parasite Eve this winter holiday and fell in love with it. It's so stylish, and the music...
Not sure if you know but the people behind Wilds Arms and Suikoden are making new spiritual successors to the games. Give a look up of Armed Fantasia and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes if you're interested. Also, Shadowhearts was a great jrpg, although for ps2, but the creators behind it is also making a spiritual successor called Penny Blood.
I've actually been following both! I missed the Armed Fantasia Kickstarter unfortunately because it was a really rough month for me financially, but I'm still following along with it. Eiyuden I've only recently become aware of but there seems to be good hype around it, and I'm definitely interested in picking it up when it comes out!
@@veghesther3204 Armed Fantasia and Eiyuden Chronicle? Those are coming out on multiple platforms, I'm a Kickstarter backer of both. I wouldn't have pledged if they weren't at least coming to pc since that's what I have.
But those games are still NOT going to be ON the PS4 they will be on the PS5 Switch PC only and I don't OWN a PS5/Switch and will NEVER play PC/Steam/IOS games ever.
@@veghesther3204 Another backer here for EC: HH. The kickstarter was for PS4 too. It was the third goal that had been reached. No idea about the other game.
Top 10 is the following: (I don't include RPG's that came out on other systems first, like FF6 and Chrono Trigger). Otherwise those two would be in the #1 and #2 spot). 1.) FF7 2.) Xenogears 3.) FF9 4.) Chrono Cross 5.) Breath of Fire 3 6.) Tales of Destiny 7.) Legend of Dragoon 8.) Legend of Legaia 9.) Lunar SSSC 10.) Wild Arms These are the heavily defining games that stand out and were so well crafted. Honorable Mentions: - FF8 (my personal favorite FF game to pick up and PLAY, it just didn't make the incredible creativity of the others) - Suikoden 2 (never going to understand why people think this game is in the top 5, bottom 10 argument is a big maybe.....) - Valkyrie Profile (Very good but over-hyped for the top 10, it was too basic in areas) - Final Fantasy Tactics (great, but nowhere near the presentation and excitement of the top 10 games). - Grandia (A game that captures the "Spirit of Adventure" better than most any other, just not well rounded enough of a game for the top 10) - Wild Arms 2 (A great sequel, just not as good, nor memorable as the original) - Legend of Mana (A true classic, just too simplified, basic and childlike) Games mistaken for top 10 quality (could still go in honorable mentions): - Breath of Fire 4 (Ridiculously TOO EASY, god awful over-world, pretty bad camera angles, less memorable story and characters) - Vagrant Story (WHY? This game is SO MEDIOCRE). - Star Ocean: Second Story (This is on the back burner of mid-tier RPG's)
PS2 Wild Arms Alter Code F deserves way more love than it has. I'd say, if you have means play that one instead of OG, since it's actually a proper remake. It dealt with most quality of life issues added characters and tons of other things.
Great list, but like with your PS2 game list it's almost all Square enix and popular ips. outside of 2 titles. Some of my faves from the PS1 RPGs that are outside of these areas: Grandia The Granstream Saga Koudelka King's Field
Like I said on your comment on the PS2 list, I try not to let any one developer dominate the list. I even cut two mainline Final Fantasy titles (which if you've seen some of the comments from FF7 fans is apparently the biggest of sins). It just happens to work out that way sometimes that big ips are big for a reason.
Vagrant Story is a masterpiece, and one of my favorite games of all time! Glad to see it on the list. The writing, storytelling, cinematics, deep combat and crafting systems is all so amazing! It desperately needs a modern update though, and to be available on current platforms. Hoping for a remake/remaster along with the rumoured FF Tactics remaster!
It really would be nice if it received an update, if any game deserves one it does. Unfortunately, it's one of SE's red headed stepchildren that never gets brought up, so it seems unlikely.
@@nerdemporium It's been coming up a fair bit recently on Twitter actually, as well as some articles in the past few months. Especially after the release of Tactics Ogre. There is a growing hunger for this game to make it's glorious comeback! :) It's definitely more popular in North America and Europe than it is in Japan though, so that might be a stumbling block. But a SE exec did admit they are aware it is popular overseas, and they are focusing a lot on the Western market these days, so.. here's hoping. To let a game of this quality die away on the PS1 would be a crime!!
I love my Vita, it's a shame it got so little support. The JRPG's it got where killers, but it's library was pretty small if you don't count ports and remasters. I'd have to think if I could produce a good list. It's definitely something I'm considering, though, and I intend to also talk about JRPG's on handhelds overall.
My top 10 in no order one per franchise is Final Fantasy VII,Tales of Eternia, Grandia,Parasite Eve, SaGa Frontier, Legend of Mana,The Legend of Dragoon,Tactics Ogre, Xenogears and Front Mission 3.
@@nerdemporium Try SaGa Frontier 2 first, it's the most "normal" SaGa game. The funny thing about that franchise is if you look at the remasters compared to the originals all of the remasters have much better of these scores than the original releases. It used to be seen as the absolute worst jrpg franchise but now people actually like RPGs where you're given minimal information and have to learn literally everything about the game by yourself.
Neat list man! I'm glad there was stuff on here that wasn't just Final Fantasy, which is understandably what a lot of people would do. I really need to try out Tales of Destiny eventually.
Thanks! I actually spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not I wanted to include all 3 mainline FF titles here, since they are all great games, but I'm glad I decided against it. Tales of Destiny is great, if you're already a fan of the Tales series you will have a good time.
@@nerdemporium The only Tales game I've actually played is Symphonia. The older games in the series have been on my backlog for longer than I'd care to admit lol
@@braselthegamer Ah, well than, as a huge fanboy, I need you to fix that. Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Vesperia are the two 'must play' games in the series, imo. Play those and I promise you'll have the strong desire to work your way through the rest of the franchise.
@@braselthegamerI would play eternia first. I haven’t yet but I’ve heard it’s better than destiny. Gotta say destiny was a disappointment when I played it… way too easy
It's your list, so I wouldn't say any don't belong there, ha ha. Anyway, since you asked, I probably wouldn't put six of these games in my top ten. I like Star Ocean 2 and Parasite Eve a fair amount, but I just think there are better RPGs on the PS1 (including the two you said you hadn't played at the start of the video, Chrono Cross and Lunar 2). I would never put Suikoden 1 on a top PS1 RPG list over Suikoden 2, even if I like the first game, since I think the sequel outclasses it in virtually every aspect. Wild Arms and Tales of Destiny are the two games on this list that I couldn't even get through, so I wouldn't put them in my top ten (I much prefer Tales of Eternia over Destiny...but wouldn't put Eternia on a top ten list, either). Lastly, I wouldn't include Vagrant Story, since I absolutely despise its gameplay, which is a shame for me since its story is pretty good.
I use duckstation for PS1 emulation. It has scanlines you can turn on in the effects. Doesn't look great on every game, but the games it does look good on it really improves
Enjoyed Xenogears, Tales of Destiny, FF9, and Parasite Eve a lot. I've replayed those more than once. Xenogears is my most favorite PS1 game. FF9 is my most favorite FF game. The Tales series is my most favorite RPG franchise. Star Ocean Second Story, Valkyrie Profile, and Wild Arms were one-and-done. However, for some reason, I enjoyed the PSP version of Star Ocean Second Story more. Couldn't get into Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, and Suikoden.
The PSP version of Second had some nice quality updates that really does make it the better version. Shame you didn't like any of the Ivalice games, but I get it. Vagrant Story is pretty janky, and FFT is a tactics games, which puts a lot of people off, myself included in most cases.
@@nerdemporium I generally don't like TRPGs but I make an exception for the SRW and Front Mission games because I love mecha. As for Ivalice, I really enjoyed FF12. It was like playing a Star Wars game that wasn't Star Wars.
Solid list. Cant really go wrong with any ps1 jrpg which makes it easy to pick for any list 😁. If u haven’t yet, I’d offer u to try Breath of Fire 3&4 for ps1. Not ground-breaking but pretty solid story and gameplay
Ps1 tales of destiny is so underrated, I'm glad to see it on this list. The remake is fine with graces combat, but when it comes to the story and characters (and some of the music) I still prefer the ps1 version. Its also the first version of the game I finished so have strong bias for that version.
@@nerdemporium Eternia is definitely a good game but it doesn't have the same energy as destiny. Its hard to put into words but destiny has a nice old school Shonen hype kind of feel to it thats noticeably absent in eternia. Like I love the main cast but man something about that game made it feel a little more boring than destiny. At the end of the day though its still one of the best jrpgs the ps1 has to offer.
The term “spaghetti western“ came from movies featuring Clint Eastwood such as “the good the bad and the ugly” and the fact that they were westerns but they were filmed in Italy, thus Spaghetti Western! I don’t know how a game could be a spaghetti western?
I said the game has a spaghetti western inspired soundtrack, not that it itself is a spaghetti western. And it absolutely does, it even has one song that features a melody from "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly."
Great video dude! I will say I recently played Xenogears and Valkyrie Profile and didn’t really like them (mostly due to janky platforming and XG not being finished). But it cannot be overstated how freaking good Suikoden 1 and 2 are!
There's a lot of jank to the more experimental PS1 JRPG's that requires a bit of patience. When recording the gameplay for the Vagrant Story segment, I was reminded just how clunky those controls were. But I think they still deserve the recognition for what they did (or tried to do). Yes, I'm really looking forward to the remasters for 1&2! Anything to give me an excuse to play them again.
Xenogears legend of legaia and final fantasy 789 and vakary profile were my favorite rpg to go to oh not to forget parasite eve 1 with the magic system ✨️ I didn't like the second part felt more like I was playing a resident evil game after that
The best thing about the PS1 JRPGs, is beyond these 10 theres atleast another 10 great games. PS1 to me what the 1st half of the golden era of playing games alongside the PS2
You're missing out by not playing Chrono Cross which is available on ps4 and is my favorite JRPG ever. I spent a whole summer in 2000 soaking in the story, characters and confusing story. And there can never be a soundtrack that great again. I played a demo of Legend of Dragoon but missed my chance to play it. Oh well.
Oh I know it. I actually preordered the Radical Dreamers edition for the Switch so I could have a physical copy and intended to play it right away when it came. But it has unfortunately just been sitting on the shelf collecting dust. It's rough, I'm currently effectively working two jobs (not counting the time I put into this channel, which I count as recreation), so when I do find gaming time, I'm surrounded by options from my ever increasing and terrifying backlog, and Chrono Cross keeps getting plopped down to second or third in the list. I have to stop doing that, though. I'll prioritize it being next on my Switch list once I'm finally done with Xenoblade.
@@nerdemporium you will never forget it and I envy you, getting to play it for the first time. And hey, make sure you're getting enough sleep. I lost a job once because of that.
this ain't limited to PS1 but here's my list. 1 Legend of Dragoon PS1 2 Xenogears PS1 3 Final Fantasy 8 PS1 4 Parasite Eve PS1 the second is good to 5 Final Fantasy 7 PS1 6 Lunar Silverstar Story PS1/Sega 7 Suikoden 2 PS1, the first is good to but the second is better. 8 Breath of Fire 4 PS1 9 Final Fantasy 9 PS1 10 Star Ocean 2 PS1
star ocean saga frontier, legaia, dragoon, kartia, eternal eyes, lunar, dqvii, grandia, tales of eternia, persona front mission. For me saga frontier 2s story is so good that an anime ripped it off lol(break blade)
It's definitely on the list of things I want to do! I have a couple of other video ideas I want to try first (plus I need to actually get my thoughts together on what my top 10 actually are) but it is for sure coming.
@@nerdemporium I don’t want to make it worse but it’s soooo worth finding one. I got a fw900 through a recycling company for 375 shipped. It’s worth hunting for one man especially with emulators u can up res the image and broadcast at 240 so it looks so good
Your emulator setup is the first and only time i've seen fake scanlines not look like absolute shit. It still doesnt actually give you what a crt experience does but it does do a really good job of hiding the ps1 very tile based nature.
It's a bit hit or miss, some games it looks better than the others. Nothing will ever match up with a true CRT, of course. I wish I had the money (and the space) for one.
Star Ocean is hard to understand. Apparently, "Barney" from Second Story is a mistranslation. I believe it's supposed to be "Bunny". I understand Remastering both Suikoden I and II, but why not Remake Silent Hill 1 and 2 if that's the case? I'm looking at you, Konami. 🤨
Personally I think Tales of Eternia is the better of the 2 PS1 Tales games. Eternia has the abilaty to preform combos in battle as well as using more detailed character models. Destiny feels too much like a SNES game for my liking.
Destiny 1 and 2 cost MORE then that of a PS5 that the 2 games really NEED a PS4/PS5/Switch port INCLUDING the PS2 version that never left Japan. As for Star Ocean Second EVOLUTION got a PS3 PS4 Vita 2016 port but IT never left Japan so it really needs a ENGLISH version of it since First Departure DID get a PS4 version in like 2019 IN English.
Game collecting for the PS1 has gotten insane. Price speculators have really driven everything beyond reason. I'm always really glad when one of them gets ported, since it's the only way I'll ever be able to play them again (legally, anyway)
Exactly Eternia did get a PSP version a port of the PS1 version but it never got a PS3 PS4 Vita port at all. However .hack Quarantine PS2 costs 400+ for it that Namco/Bandai really need to port .hack Infection Mutation Outbreak and Quarantine to the PS4 PS5 Switch especially since the 20th year anniversary of those 4 games was LAST year but the 3 .hack GU games PS2 version did get ported over to the PS4/PS5/Switch a few years ago.
@@veghesther3204 I don't know why we got GU but not the original games yet. As far as I'm aware, the GU remasters sold pretty well, so I expected us to remasters of the originals as well, but so far nothing. JRPG devs are strange.
Decent list, disagree with FF9 vs FF7 and Vagrant Story was a big disappointment for me. Front Mission/Breath of Fire/Saga Frontier would have replaced Vagrant Story in every way.
FF 8, suikoden 2, breath of fire 4, legend of leagaia, and so so many more ,,,, Rpg to include othe Rpg like legacy of Kain blood omen, metal gear solid, god of war, brigandine, ps one has the best Rpg games of all times sad to say the technology that time is limited but the time the developers has given in making Rpg games and paid attention to little details to all games was way better than the new Rpg games
FF9 is by far the greatest Rpg in history. Just the plot itself is way too deep for the average gamer to understand. Let alone everything else, pure perfection.
Just played and finished tales of destiny in January and I really wasn’t a fan. It was my first tales game so I understand the series gets better but as someone who loves old school snes rpgs it was a slog
Any list loses all validity if they claim to have a list of 'most important' yet not include FF7. Jesus christ. The game only revolutionized the genre and brought it to the mainstream. Most important game of the entire genre.
May I ask why Suikoden 1 and Tales of Destiny, and not the much superior Suikoden 2 and Tales of Destiny II (or Eternia)? Of course, the latter is only better than Destiny in gameplay, mostly combat. Its story is one of the weaker in the franchise IMHO.
Suikoden was purely out of respect for it being the OG. Really, I've always considered the games a package deal, since they continue the same overarching world plot, so it's weird to pick one or the other. Looking forward to the remasters that come together. Tales of Destiny won out because of the story. And because I love the name Swordians for talking swords. I am easily amused.
Legend of Legaia is the jrpg that always comes to mind first when I think of the PS1. I went in knowing nothing about the game and was pleasantly surprised by it, especially the unique combat.
I hope they release this gem on PSN since I never got to beat it cause my disc had a scratch on it. It always froze right when we’re about to find out the truth about Noa’s lineage.
Loved Legend of Legia. Even played the sequel and still own my copy. But I enjoyed the original better
Still have the strategy guide for the game. Was one of my favorites. Spent to much time to even count on it, and loved every second.
Watching this list, I realized that PS1 was really the golden era of JRPGs because everyone has a different top 10 list and everything on the list are so legitly good that it's understandable that we have different games on the list. As for me, my top 10 (not in order) are: Xenogears, FF 7, FF8, FF9, Grandia, Legend of Dragoon, Legend of Legaia, Tales of Destiny, Star Ocean, Breath of Fire 3. Man, I missed the PS1 era. Hopefully PS5 will have a resurgence of the golden age, but in all honesty I think it will be very difficult to have a resurgence because game development costs is still sky rocketing. I guess the PS1 era has the most number of excellent JRPGs because it was the turning point of console gaming and triple a game development back then was not that costly yet that you can develop a triple a title back then with less than 50 people vs now that you need at least 100 people to have a great triple a game.
There's some interesting stuff in the AA and indie space. Games like Cross Code really scratch that itch, and we've seen a few of the old developers kickstart spiritual successors to some classic franchises. But yeah, there will probably never be another generation as influential or experimental as the PS1.
Legend Of The Dragoon, Legend Of Legaia, Jade Cacoon, Hoshigami, these are also amazing. Do try these if you have not already.
I'd agree with these except Hoshigami...game was a disaster
Star Ocean 2 and Valkyrie Profile are 2 of the best ever video games.
Xenogears is on the PS3 store for like $10 so still legal to buy before they shut down the store eventually. Better pop in and save it to your hard drives before they shut it down. (The store also has some others like Suikoden 1-3 I believe for cheap)
Thanks for the heads up gotta go pick up some psn store cards then!
I've bought xenogears twice now, I feel no guilt about pirating it.
It's wild that FF14, FF Tactics, Vagrant Story, and Final Fantasy 12 are all in the same world space.
I feel sorry for Beyond the Beyond: the game that trailblazed as the first major RPG effort of the PS1 era, but wasn't very good and has been almost completely forgotten (except infamously).
It's not even that bad. It's meh at best and worst.
It just felt excessively meh coming right off the SNES golden age of rpgs with FF3, Chrono Trigger, and a dozen others.
The music could be good though. I still have the main theme go through my head from time to time.
Tales of destiny
Wild arms 2
FF 9
Good ol' days 😂😢😅
Not a fan of the chrono cross battle system, but for some reason that game really stands out for me. What a game.
Tales of Eternia was my fav tales of game on the ps1 but that’s a cool to see another tales of series fan
So many great ones! Those Breath of Fire titles are some heavy hitters as well.
You can tell from my avatar that Xenogears is my favorite rpg of all time. Good list btw
Legend of Legaia and Legend of dragoon were two of the most memorable for me.
Remaster ---Parasite Eve --- FF Tatics -- Vagrant ....
Not a fan of Parasite Eve, I take it?
Great choices - love Suikoden 1
I would highly recommend Legend if Legaia. One of the best RPGs made for the PS1
Since you haven't played Chrono Cross you are forgiven for not including it. But no FF7.....................ugh unforgivable.
If you like Tales of Destiny a lot the PS2 remake not too long ago got a fan translation. The original was a awesome game and the remake is even more awesome. A lot of great games on this list Wild ARMs, Final Fantasy Tactics, Suikoden, Star Ocean 2 etc.
Yeah. I agreed with ff9. I mean like I get back to that game ALOT of times. Its weird it still feels like a new game everytime for me. Probably the music and who they put everything together.
A great list for sure! There's still many titles I have yet to play as well (I've never played a Star Ocean or Suikoden game.) I absolutely adore FF9 -- along with Grandia it has to be favorite JRPG for the PS1.
I know the feeling! My backlog is full of games I still need to get to.
I think SNES was the true golden era for JRPGs, but most westerners didn't get to experience it like they did the PS1. I was lucky perhaps to have gotten into JRPGs with Secret of Mana and so I played most of the domestically released heavy hitters on the SNES before I got a PS1. Truly, when you consider all of the great JRPGs on SNES that never made it out of Japan (it's ridiculous how many good JRPGs we didn't get even though we did get a decent amount in the USA at least; UK and Europe didn't even get FF4, FF6 or Chrono Trigger, which is brutal), I believe it surpasses even the PS1.
That said, the PS1 was definitely a great console for JRPGs (2nd best), and because FF7 made such a splash out west, we actually got most of them localized.
Here's my attempt at a top ten for PS1:
Star Ocean 2
Valkyrie Profile
Grandia (really a Saturn title, but it's an amazing game that Gamefan actually rated one point higher than FF7)
Final Fantasy Tactics
Legend of Mana
Chrono Cross
FF7
Vagrant Story
Dragon Quest 7
Parasite Eve
I actually think Suikoden 2 is kind of overrated. People think it's so much better than the first one because of the complicated relationship with that one character who betrays you, but I never found his reasoning believable or convincing based on how the character had been portrayed up to that point (and it becomes even less so if you get the best ending).
I also think that Suikoden 2's story lost a lot of its urgency after the death of a certain villain who gets replaced by said wishy-washy betrayal character.
Lastly, the first Suikoden has the far superior soundtrack. In the end, I thought both games were good if unremarkable.
Very solid and agreeable lineup! Do consider delving into the Grandia franchise though. It doesn't get more 90s than that 👌 I've been playing the through and the HD collection on switch and LOVING IT!!
I'd recommend Jade Cocoon and Legend of Dragoon. They are hidden gems that really deserve more love!
I intend to give Legend of Dragoon another shot now that its been fixed on the PS5. Might be a minute before I get to it, though, as the next couple spots on my backlog are already spoken for. I'll definitely add Jade Cocoon on there, too, thanks for the recommendation!
Love parasite eve. Play it yearly - mainly on my vita now
Fantastic list I really need to check out Xenogears since I’ve been playing Xenoblade all week. I definitely recommend Xenoblade by the way if you haven’t played it yet.
Funny you should mention that, since I'm in the middle of playing Xenoblade: Definitive Edition on my Switch. I actually put it down the first couple of times I tried it because it has kind of a slow opening and I wasn't a fan of the sideqeusts, but after playing Xenogears I decided to give it another shot. It's a very different experience then Xenogears, but I can see the influences.
Glad you liked the list! Let me know your opinions on Xenogears if you do play it.
@@nerdemporium I know it’s different, for me personally the side quests aren’t really an issue for me since it gets me levelled up. It’s a really great game, as for xenogears I ’m probably gonna emulate the game since it didn’t came out in the UK unfortunately.
@@WinspearUltima It's really hard to get a copy anyway since the prices have gone kind of crazy, so emulation was likely the best option.
@@nerdemporium yea it probably is the best way really as I’ve got a PC since physical copy hard is find these days.
When I saw FFT was first on your list, that was an automatic thumbs up! :)
Had to start strong!
Lots of great games here! I'm also a big wuss who got into Parasite Eve this winter holiday and fell in love with it. It's so stylish, and the music...
For sure. It's a shame we don't get more stuff like it in the JRPG space.
Great vid! I didn't realize FFIX was still a ps1 game.
Breath of fire 3 for star ocean, ff7 for valkyrie profile, grandia for wild arms and legend of the dragoon for tales of destiny.
Not sure if you know but the people behind Wilds Arms and Suikoden are making new spiritual successors to the games. Give a look up of Armed Fantasia and Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes if you're interested. Also, Shadowhearts was a great jrpg, although for ps2, but the creators behind it is also making a spiritual successor called Penny Blood.
I've actually been following both! I missed the Armed Fantasia Kickstarter unfortunately because it was a really rough month for me financially, but I'm still following along with it. Eiyuden I've only recently become aware of but there seems to be good hype around it, and I'm definitely interested in picking it up when it comes out!
However I don't OWN a PS5 and those 2 games are going to be PS5 ONLY.
@@veghesther3204 Armed Fantasia and Eiyuden Chronicle? Those are coming out on multiple platforms, I'm a Kickstarter backer of both. I wouldn't have pledged if they weren't at least coming to pc since that's what I have.
But those games are still NOT going to be ON the PS4 they will be on the PS5 Switch PC only and I don't OWN a PS5/Switch and will NEVER play PC/Steam/IOS games ever.
@@veghesther3204 Another backer here for EC: HH. The kickstarter was for PS4 too. It was the third goal that had been reached. No idea about the other game.
You forgot Lunar. Literally one of the best Jrpgs ever. Originally a sega cd game, but the ps1 and psp versions are awesome
Top 10 is the following:
(I don't include RPG's that came out on other systems first, like FF6 and Chrono Trigger). Otherwise those two would be in the #1 and #2 spot).
1.) FF7
2.) Xenogears
3.) FF9
4.) Chrono Cross
5.) Breath of Fire 3
6.) Tales of Destiny
7.) Legend of Dragoon
8.) Legend of Legaia
9.) Lunar SSSC
10.) Wild Arms
These are the heavily defining games that stand out and were so well crafted.
Honorable Mentions:
- FF8 (my personal favorite FF game to pick up and PLAY, it just didn't make the incredible creativity of the others)
- Suikoden 2 (never going to understand why people think this game is in the top 5, bottom 10 argument is a big maybe.....)
- Valkyrie Profile (Very good but over-hyped for the top 10, it was too basic in areas)
- Final Fantasy Tactics (great, but nowhere near the presentation and excitement of the top 10 games).
- Grandia (A game that captures the "Spirit of Adventure" better than most any other, just not well rounded enough of a game for the top 10)
- Wild Arms 2 (A great sequel, just not as good, nor memorable as the original)
- Legend of Mana (A true classic, just too simplified, basic and childlike)
Games mistaken for top 10 quality (could still go in honorable mentions):
- Breath of Fire 4 (Ridiculously TOO EASY, god awful over-world, pretty bad camera angles, less memorable story and characters)
- Vagrant Story (WHY? This game is SO MEDIOCRE).
- Star Ocean: Second Story (This is on the back burner of mid-tier RPG's)
I had a genesis and ps1 but never played a jrpg until I had my ps2. I missed so much but luckily I've gone back and played a few of the big ones
I feel you. I was a Nintendo kid growing up, so many of these games didn't even cross my radar at the time.
@Nerd Emporium it's funny all the amazing jrpgs on the snes and I was playing sonic and bubsy. Lol I had no idea
This is a great video with excellent well though out voice over! I subbed!
PS2 Wild Arms Alter Code F deserves way more love than it has. I'd say, if you have means play that one instead of OG, since it's actually a proper remake. It dealt with most quality of life issues added characters and tons of other things.
Great video! Always appreciate PS1 jrpg goodness. Grandia is always one I recommend people play.
Good pacing for a top 10 big dawg ❤
Great list, but like with your PS2 game list it's almost all Square enix and popular ips. outside of 2 titles.
Some of my faves from the PS1 RPGs that are outside of these areas:
Grandia
The Granstream Saga
Koudelka
King's Field
Like I said on your comment on the PS2 list, I try not to let any one developer dominate the list. I even cut two mainline Final Fantasy titles (which if you've seen some of the comments from FF7 fans is apparently the biggest of sins). It just happens to work out that way sometimes that big ips are big for a reason.
Vagrant Story is a masterpiece, and one of my favorite games of all time! Glad to see it on the list. The writing, storytelling, cinematics, deep combat and crafting systems is all so amazing!
It desperately needs a modern update though, and to be available on current platforms. Hoping for a remake/remaster along with the rumoured FF Tactics remaster!
It really would be nice if it received an update, if any game deserves one it does. Unfortunately, it's one of SE's red headed stepchildren that never gets brought up, so it seems unlikely.
@@nerdemporium It's been coming up a fair bit recently on Twitter actually, as well as some articles in the past few months. Especially after the release of Tactics Ogre. There is a growing hunger for this game to make it's glorious comeback! :)
It's definitely more popular in North America and Europe than it is in Japan though, so that might be a stumbling block. But a SE exec did admit they are aware it is popular overseas, and they are focusing a lot on the Western market these days, so.. here's hoping.
To let a game of this quality die away on the PS1 would be a crime!!
Good list. Ps1 do really have a good amount of Jrpgs so its hard to even make a top 10 list hehe. Cant wait for next video.
Maby best psvita Jrpgs?
I love my Vita, it's a shame it got so little support. The JRPG's it got where killers, but it's library was pretty small if you don't count ports and remasters. I'd have to think if I could produce a good list. It's definitely something I'm considering, though, and I intend to also talk about JRPG's on handhelds overall.
Suikoden 2 (for 1), Vandal Hearts 2 (for PE), Final Fantasy VIII (for IX) would be on my list :)
My top 10 in no order one per franchise is Final Fantasy VII,Tales of Eternia, Grandia,Parasite Eve, SaGa Frontier, Legend of Mana,The Legend of Dragoon,Tactics Ogre, Xenogears and Front Mission 3.
I haven't tried any of the SaGa games yet but I've been very interested in them.
@@nerdemporium Try SaGa Frontier 2 first, it's the most "normal" SaGa game. The funny thing about that franchise is if you look at the remasters compared to the originals all of the remasters have much better of these scores than the original releases. It used to be seen as the absolute worst jrpg franchise but now people actually like RPGs where you're given minimal information and have to learn literally everything about the game by yourself.
Neat list man! I'm glad there was stuff on here that wasn't just Final Fantasy, which is understandably what a lot of people would do. I really need to try out Tales of Destiny eventually.
Thanks! I actually spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not I wanted to include all 3 mainline FF titles here, since they are all great games, but I'm glad I decided against it. Tales of Destiny is great, if you're already a fan of the Tales series you will have a good time.
@@nerdemporium The only Tales game I've actually played is Symphonia. The older games in the series have been on my backlog for longer than I'd care to admit lol
@@braselthegamer Ah, well than, as a huge fanboy, I need you to fix that. Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Vesperia are the two 'must play' games in the series, imo. Play those and I promise you'll have the strong desire to work your way through the rest of the franchise.
@@nerdemporium Awesome. I'll look into it.
@@braselthegamerI would play eternia first. I haven’t yet but I’ve heard it’s better than destiny. Gotta say destiny was a disappointment when I played it… way too easy
I don't agree with much of this list, but I'm glad to see that Valkyrie Profile is on it while Legend of Dragoon is not.
Which ones don't you think belong there?
It's your list, so I wouldn't say any don't belong there, ha ha. Anyway, since you asked, I probably wouldn't put six of these games in my top ten. I like Star Ocean 2 and Parasite Eve a fair amount, but I just think there are better RPGs on the PS1 (including the two you said you hadn't played at the start of the video, Chrono Cross and Lunar 2). I would never put Suikoden 1 on a top PS1 RPG list over Suikoden 2, even if I like the first game, since I think the sequel outclasses it in virtually every aspect. Wild Arms and Tales of Destiny are the two games on this list that I couldn't even get through, so I wouldn't put them in my top ten (I much prefer Tales of Eternia over Destiny...but wouldn't put Eternia on a top ten list, either). Lastly, I wouldn't include Vagrant Story, since I absolutely despise its gameplay, which is a shame for me since its story is pretty good.
@@ultraness Fair enough. Always interesting to see other people's takes.
Hey, very nice video! Quick question here, what app did you use to play those ps1 games? RetroArch? loving that scanlines look.
I use duckstation for PS1 emulation. It has scanlines you can turn on in the effects. Doesn't look great on every game, but the games it does look good on it really improves
@@nerdemporium Cool! What type of filter did you use?
It's a post-processing effect, dolphinfx/scanlines
Enjoyed Xenogears, Tales of Destiny, FF9, and Parasite Eve a lot. I've replayed those more than once. Xenogears is my most favorite PS1 game. FF9 is my most favorite FF game. The Tales series is my most favorite RPG franchise.
Star Ocean Second Story, Valkyrie Profile, and Wild Arms were one-and-done. However, for some reason, I enjoyed the PSP version of Star Ocean Second Story more.
Couldn't get into Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, and Suikoden.
The PSP version of Second had some nice quality updates that really does make it the better version.
Shame you didn't like any of the Ivalice games, but I get it. Vagrant Story is pretty janky, and FFT is a tactics games, which puts a lot of people off, myself included in most cases.
@@nerdemporium I generally don't like TRPGs but I make an exception for the SRW and Front Mission games because I love mecha.
As for Ivalice, I really enjoyed FF12. It was like playing a Star Wars game that wasn't Star Wars.
@@Tadoka_Inamo Basically the same with me and TRPG's, but my exceptions are FFT and Fire Emblem.
Solid list. Cant really go wrong with any ps1 jrpg which makes it easy to pick for any list 😁. If u haven’t yet, I’d offer u to try Breath of Fire 3&4 for ps1. Not ground-breaking but pretty solid story and gameplay
I played Breath of Fire 4 and quite enjoyed it. Never played 3.
@@nerdemporium 3 is the best one!
@@jainee4507 Onto the backlog it goes.
I think once you play Lunar Silver star story, it will be straight on your list. Chrono cross too, probably
I hope to find the time for them soon, I have them just sitting ready for when I get a minute.
Look into playing Legend of Legaia, Thousand Arms, and The Legend of Dragoon.
I LOVE Tales of Destiny. I'm replaying the game before Symphonia gets re-released again
Breath Of Fire IV and Legend Of Dragoon.
Please GRANDIA 1!!!I was boiling red for not including this.Please calm my raaaageeee!!!!!
Sorry! Uh...deep breaths? I just thought Grandia was only okay. Oh, wait, that's probably not helping, is it?
Ps1 tales of destiny is so underrated, I'm glad to see it on this list. The remake is fine with graces combat, but when it comes to the story and characters (and some of the music) I still prefer the ps1 version. Its also the first version of the game I finished so have strong bias for that version.
I'm so glad someone agrees with me! So many people telling me I should have put Tales of Eternia over it, even making me doubt myself.
@@nerdemporium Eternia is definitely a good game but it doesn't have the same energy as destiny. Its hard to put into words but destiny has a nice old school Shonen hype kind of feel to it thats noticeably absent in eternia. Like I love the main cast but man something about that game made it feel a little more boring than destiny. At the end of the day though its still one of the best jrpgs the ps1 has to offer.
@@ecomill5590 I agree 100%
I would lose it if parasite eve gets that FF7 remake treatment or even just a remastered edition for modern consoles 😮
We can dream.
Very nice 👍
The term “spaghetti western“ came from movies featuring Clint Eastwood such as “the good the bad and the ugly” and the fact that they were westerns but they were filmed in Italy, thus Spaghetti Western!
I don’t know how a game could be a spaghetti western?
I said the game has a spaghetti western inspired soundtrack, not that it itself is a spaghetti western. And it absolutely does, it even has one song that features a melody from "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly."
nice. subbed.
Great video dude! I will say I recently played Xenogears and Valkyrie Profile and didn’t really like them (mostly due to janky platforming and XG not being finished). But it cannot be overstated how freaking good Suikoden 1 and 2 are!
There's a lot of jank to the more experimental PS1 JRPG's that requires a bit of patience. When recording the gameplay for the Vagrant Story segment, I was reminded just how clunky those controls were. But I think they still deserve the recognition for what they did (or tried to do).
Yes, I'm really looking forward to the remasters for 1&2! Anything to give me an excuse to play them again.
Try GRANDIA 1.World debate once tbe best rpg Grandia vs Final Fantasy.Forgive me I cursed you that you not include Grandia I was thrashing mad!!!
Xenogears legend of legaia and final fantasy 789 and vakary profile were my favorite rpg to go to oh not to forget parasite eve 1 with the magic system ✨️ I didn't like the second part felt more like I was playing a resident evil game after that
The best thing about the PS1 JRPGs, is beyond these 10 theres atleast another 10 great games. PS1 to me what the 1st half of the golden era of playing games alongside the PS2
Unquestionably.
3rd Gen Growing pains
4th Gen Silver age
5th Gen Golden Age
6th Gen Bronze Age
7th Gen Dark Age
8th Gen Renaissance era
9th Gen Post renaissance
You're missing out by not playing Chrono Cross which is available on ps4 and is my favorite JRPG ever. I spent a whole summer in 2000 soaking in the story, characters and confusing story. And there can never be a soundtrack that great again. I played a demo of Legend of Dragoon but missed my chance to play it. Oh well.
Oh I know it. I actually preordered the Radical Dreamers edition for the Switch so I could have a physical copy and intended to play it right away when it came. But it has unfortunately just been sitting on the shelf collecting dust. It's rough, I'm currently effectively working two jobs (not counting the time I put into this channel, which I count as recreation), so when I do find gaming time, I'm surrounded by options from my ever increasing and terrifying backlog, and Chrono Cross keeps getting plopped down to second or third in the list. I have to stop doing that, though. I'll prioritize it being next on my Switch list once I'm finally done with Xenoblade.
@@nerdemporium you will never forget it and I envy you, getting to play it for the first time. And hey, make sure you're getting enough sleep. I lost a job once because of that.
@@Mr.Glidehook Always solid advice.
this ain't limited to PS1 but here's my list.
1 Legend of Dragoon PS1
2 Xenogears PS1
3 Final Fantasy 8 PS1
4 Parasite Eve PS1 the second is good to
5 Final Fantasy 7 PS1
6 Lunar Silverstar Story PS1/Sega
7 Suikoden 2 PS1, the first is good to but the second is better.
8 Breath of Fire 4 PS1
9 Final Fantasy 9 PS1
10 Star Ocean 2 PS1
Great list!
you have good taste to choose FF9 as best JRPG
star ocean saga frontier, legaia, dragoon, kartia, eternal eyes, lunar, dqvii, grandia, tales of eternia, persona front mission.
For me saga frontier 2s story is so good that an anime ripped it off lol(break blade)
I'm not going to lie it's worth it to get retroarch and hit ur ps1 game with the real RGB mega
Parasite Eve = best series ever made, along with the Kingdom Hearts series
Can u do a video like this for ps2 bro? Thanks
It's definitely on the list of things I want to do! I have a couple of other video ideas I want to try first (plus I need to actually get my thoughts together on what my top 10 actually are) but it is for sure coming.
KOUDELKA.
Arc the Lad.
Love Parasite Eve 1-2
Valkyrie looks so good in 240p on a crt
I sincerely wish I had a CRT so I could experience many of these games as they were originally intended to be experienced.
@@nerdemporium I don’t want to make it worse but it’s soooo worth finding one. I got a fw900 through a recycling company for 375 shipped. It’s worth hunting for one man especially with emulators u can up res the image and broadcast at 240 so it looks so good
@@PixelGod240 I believe you. If I ever have the spare funds (and the space) it's definitely high on the priority list.
@@nerdemporium this 22inch is 92lbs it’s nuts I had to buy a rolling cart for it so I can hide/roll it in the closet when I have dates come over lol
I still wish squaresoft would release xenogears for ps4+5 since slot of these are available but ps3 crapped on me last year
A lot of stuff has been getting added lately to the PS Plus Classics catalogue, maybe it will be soon.
7:50 actually I believe they are coming next month from what I hear
Your emulator setup is the first and only time i've seen fake scanlines not look like absolute shit. It still doesnt actually give you what a crt experience does but it does do a really good job of hiding the ps1 very tile based nature.
It's a bit hit or miss, some games it looks better than the others. Nothing will ever match up with a true CRT, of course. I wish I had the money (and the space) for one.
Star Ocean is hard to understand. Apparently, "Barney" from Second Story is a mistranslation. I believe it's supposed to be "Bunny".
I understand Remastering both Suikoden I and II, but why not Remake Silent Hill 1 and 2 if that's the case? I'm looking at you, Konami. 🤨
Silent Hill 2 is actually getting a remake.
@@nerdemporium Silent Hill 2 Remake I know, I'm saying Konami should Remake BOTH SH1 AND SH2.
I wonder if this comments section will blow up with “Legend of Dragoooooooooon” like Game Informer did
Whenever a poll is done, more people prefer FF8 than FF9. I'm not sure where this idea that 8 is the least favorite PS1 FF comes from.
Personally I think Tales of Eternia is the better of the 2 PS1 Tales games. Eternia has the abilaty to preform combos in battle as well as using more detailed character models. Destiny feels too much like a SNES game for my liking.
I understand the opinion. The story for Eternia is just a let-down, for me.
@@nerdemporium Personally I like the more character driven plot. Also Eternia doesn't feel like its two completly diffrent stories smashed together.
I am one of those 5 who prefer FF8. Wonder where the other 4 went.
You're actually the second of the five to comment here. TheCreepler was number 1. I wonder if the other three will also make an appearance!
@TheCreapler Join the ranks! We will eventually find the rest of them, and then we will take over the world!
Destiny 1 and 2 cost MORE then that of a PS5 that the 2 games really NEED a PS4/PS5/Switch port INCLUDING the PS2 version that never left Japan.
As for Star Ocean Second EVOLUTION got a PS3 PS4 Vita 2016 port but IT never left Japan so it really needs a ENGLISH version of it since First Departure DID get a PS4 version in like 2019 IN English.
Game collecting for the PS1 has gotten insane. Price speculators have really driven everything beyond reason. I'm always really glad when one of them gets ported, since it's the only way I'll ever be able to play them again (legally, anyway)
Exactly Eternia did get a PSP version a port of the PS1 version but it never got a PS3 PS4 Vita port at all.
However .hack Quarantine PS2 costs 400+ for it that Namco/Bandai really need to port .hack Infection Mutation Outbreak and Quarantine to the PS4 PS5 Switch especially since the 20th year anniversary of those 4 games was LAST year but the 3 .hack GU games PS2 version did get ported over to the PS4/PS5/Switch a few years ago.
@@veghesther3204 I don't know why we got GU but not the original games yet. As far as I'm aware, the GU remasters sold pretty well, so I expected us to remasters of the originals as well, but so far nothing. JRPG devs are strange.
Parasite Eve needs to make a comeback. Please square🙏🙏🙏
It did you got the 3rd birthday LOL
Decent list, disagree with FF9 vs FF7 and Vagrant Story was a big disappointment for me. Front Mission/Breath of Fire/Saga Frontier would have replaced Vagrant Story in every way.
I am one of those Five😣
Hey, no shame. Big respect for the five of you.
FF 8, suikoden 2, breath of fire 4, legend of leagaia, and so so many more ,,,, Rpg to include othe Rpg like legacy of Kain blood omen, metal gear solid, god of war, brigandine, ps one has the best Rpg games of all times sad to say the technology that time is limited but the time the developers has given in making Rpg games and paid attention to little details to all games was way better than the new Rpg games
No Breath of Fire?
Great games, if this had been a top 11 list, I probably would have put Breath of Fire IV. Just got barely beat out.
You missed front mission series
I'll need to put those on my backlog.
Can't do a top 10 without including all three of Final Fantasy's PS1 trilogy. All incredible and worthy in their own ways.
Okay but what about Legend of Dragoon.
I never finished Legend of Dragoon, so by the rules I set out I couldn't include it.
Your voice sound almost as Lotus Prince guy. Obscure but more popural blogger. Maybe you heard of them.
Not familiar with them. They in the same space?
@@nerdemporium with him. English not my native
try legend of legaia
Chrono Cross
FF9 is by far the greatest Rpg in history. Just the plot itself is way too deep for the average gamer to understand. Let alone everything else, pure perfection.
no
@@cloudspigtails8076 yes
Breath of Fire 3 is better than any on this list
Woah, FFVII not being on this list and much less not being #1, list seems off.
Just played and finished tales of destiny in January and I really wasn’t a fan. It was my first tales game so I understand the series gets better but as someone who loves old school snes rpgs it was a slog
I see no grandia 1 and 2 or 3
Played all of these except for star ocean. But FF9... Really? FF7 and FF8 were 100% better
Any list loses all validity if they claim to have a list of 'most important' yet not include FF7. Jesus christ. The game only revolutionized the genre and brought it to the mainstream. Most important game of the entire genre.
May I ask why Suikoden 1 and Tales of Destiny, and not the much superior Suikoden 2 and Tales of Destiny II (or Eternia)? Of course, the latter is only better than Destiny in gameplay, mostly combat. Its story is one of the weaker in the franchise IMHO.
Suikoden was purely out of respect for it being the OG. Really, I've always considered the games a package deal, since they continue the same overarching world plot, so it's weird to pick one or the other. Looking forward to the remasters that come together.
Tales of Destiny won out because of the story. And because I love the name Swordians for talking swords. I am easily amused.
@@nerdemporium That is a great way of looking at it imo.
Tales of eternity is not deserving be in top 10. That alone disqualifies this list. Jk ff9 is not controversial. It's obvious choice
Dude just call them RPGs. Why the silly JRPG distinction? It's nonsense. Practically every rpg on the PS1 originated in Japan.