Board 8 > KCF's Top 40 JRPGs

(+) Yeah! (+)

5. Persona 4

In some ways, Persona 4 is considerably worse than its predecessor. The shift from a single, massive dungeon to a series of smaller, thematic dungeons wasn't an issue. It was that they were practically just pallette swaps with the occassional incorporation of a single, unique feature that wasn't even remotely interesting. There is also the issue of having a plot that was ill-suited for the slice-of-life structure of the recent Persona games as it completely ran out of steam well before it ended. It more than makes up for it by having two things RPGs tend to lack: Chemistry and a true sense of unity.

The overwhelming majority of JRPGs that I have played use a party system. While I have come to begrudginly accept it, the party members largely lack chemistry at the team and individual level. From flimsy rationale to being part of the group to most of the party members almost exclusively interacting with the main character (and maybe one other character), I feel like I often have to suspend my disbelief to accept their inclusion and all that comes with it. To say Persona 4 was a godsend would be an understatement.

They all had their own idiosyncrasies that for better or worse cemented their role within the party. Not only that, but they all came across as believable (well, maybe not Teddie). Despite all their disparities, hey were all on the same page in what they were ultimately trying to accomplish. Most JRPG parties hardly resemble a cohesive unit or support wide-range of deep personalities but Persona 4 managed to nail both. This is a true outlier.
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4. Shining Force

One of a few entries on the list from the 90s, this is also the game that I have the longest history with. I began playing this in the mid-90s, and across four platforms and probably 20 or more times that I started a file, I finally beat it. Fair or not, it is perhaps the nostalgia and the elation from having quelled the beast that was finally completing the game that vaulted this into Top 5.

Units have fixed stat increases. The sheer variety of units and how each is unique aesthetically and functionally is incredible, especially for its time. However, it is a shame that regardless of how you compose your squad and your approach to battles, some characters will become liabilities as the game goes on since they were programmed to be inferior to other units. The reverse of useless characters eventually becoming studs is also true. Maybe this doesn't bother anyone, but I find it disappointing, and nothing is worse than having to try and get healthy doses of experience for shitty characters just to hope that it will pay off in the future.

The game's pacing in battles is also quite slow. I shudder to think how much time I spent not simply playing the game but waiting for all of the enemies to make their moves. This is actually one of the better SRPGs from back then in terms of game speed, but I would imagine that it would be a major turnoff for people now.

Aside from those two flaws, I don't really have anything to complain about the game (or its sequel). It really emphasizes the strategy in SRPG. As I mentioned with Path of Radiance, the Fire Emblem games don't really emphasize strategy (unless Awakening on have or pre-GBA did), but Shining Force is definiely does. You don't have comically strong allies that can solo missions, and many missions lack the openess that were commonly featured in Fire Emblem games, so, and maybe it was just me, but I found myself branching out everyone into two to four groups with carefully selected characters to maximize their strengths and minimize the chances of losing an ally (luckily not permanently).
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This is a half decent list. I'm both surprised and proud of you. I'm not ready to let you off the hook for some of your other bad gaming opinions, but I do respect you now. Mostly


The kid's alright, boys.
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that is my one big gripe with the game, enemies could have only taken turns when you got close to them, with a few exceptions. especially in that one big outdoor battle later in the game where it takes two hours to get to the goal because the enemies wont stop f***ing taking turns god damn. there aren't many battles I dislike in the first game but whenever I get to that battle it's like, ugh.

I do love the game though, the unit variety and just the general gameplay make it one of my favorites.

Shining force, where everyone was at an equal level, except the healers that stood in melee 24-7 to get 10 xp per heal, every heal. (for those that haven't played it, 100xp = level and exp gain was determined by difference between attacker and defender level.)

All people need to know about Shining Force is that Zylo > Anri.
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To be fair there are not many people who are better than zylo anyways
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All glory to Domingo.

Domingo the best... at breaking game balance

who doesnt want a flying spellcaster tank that the enemies all target for some reason.

uh zylo for one

because zylo wants to kill everything himself
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3. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
2. Paper Mario

Why I think the Paper Mario games, these two more than the rest, succeed (maybe appeal to me is a better choice of words) is that they embody the approach that the Super Mario series takes, albeit RPG-ified. Super Mario has always followed a similar formula through its 30+ year history. You know what your ultimate goal is (and more often than not who the antagonist is) right from the start. Giving you an undeviating purpose immediately, it allows the game do the talking from that point forward, namely focusing on the here and now with its articulate level design.

Paper Mario and its sequels does the same thing though as I said, RPG-ified. In the first two games, you are tasked with finding certain stars, which you then use to reach and defeat the main antagonist. What they do to fill in the gaps is reminiscent of Super Mario. The games are broken down into chapters that have very little in common with each other (especially in their structure), making them sort of like a series of novellas that could really be told in any order except for the final one.

This constant sense of living in the moment while extensively in flux keeps the game breezy, and with its succinct style of humor and omnipresent charm, there just simply isn't a dull moment. Any game that is captivating from start to finish is certainly a must-play game, and I doubt there are many people who would disagree that these two are worthy of such praise.
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Sorry for the delay, I originally had separate writeups for each game but realized how similar they sounded, so I combined them in a more general but to-the-point writeup.
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paper mario series has some of my favorite character casts overall. just about everyone, from the main villain to one-shot bosses to random toads or goombas or whatever, they have the charm the mario rpgs are known for. when I reach a new area I never feel like I dont want to bother talking to everyone like in... quite a few games actually. I love pokemon, but stop telling me how to use items, I have seven badges and have taken down a crime syndicate.

Can't say I've ever really been interested in Paper Mario.

First off, it feels like JRPGs are more tailored towards hardcore gamers (admittedly Paper Mario seems to be an exception), and I haven't been much into gaming these past few years. Second, I am simply interested in RPGs with more "intense" subject matter like Final Fantasy, although I get the feeling that my time to play those games have passed (they seem tailored towards teenage audiences).

Skies of Arcadia interests me because I like that general high-adventure vibe, but the game has not seen a re-release in over a decade. I've tried playing Super Mario RPG in the past and I always put the game down without finishing it.
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I will wrap this up tonight
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excited
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1. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

DQVIII simply put made me feel the widest array of emotions that I have felt not just in a JRPG, but possibly in any video game. This doesn't specifically apply to its world, visuals, sound, or narrative but the mutualistic relationship they have with each other that results one breathtaking experience. It features a world that is vibrant as it is ominous, a tale that is as whimsical as it is somber, visuals that are striking as they are modest, and music that is serene as it is unsettling. Any lesser game would have tonal issues all over the place with such divergent themes and goals, but DQVIII absolutely nails it. It is because of this that they can survive having a cast where 95% of them are merely narrative devices as the ethos, logos, and pathos connected to their implementation never failed to elicit a response from me. Whether or not it is the intended response (this isn't exactly an ambiguous game) is not my concern.

There's one aspect of this game that seemingly would cause the game to stumble. I already mentioned that battle systems are one of the most important factors for me (I'm sure that describes everyone), and this featuring your standard-fare turn-based combat. Not only that, but Dragon Quest in particular wasn't what you would call innovative with turn-based combat. I don't know if it was the presentation or the (buzzword incoming) versatility of its combatants, but somehow it all clicked with me. That isn't to say that went out of my way to fight all the time as I did hunt for high EXP monsters called Metal Slimes, to lessen my need to grind, but unlike most JRPGs, I was looking forward to boss fights.

DQVIII was something I had always entertained the idea of replaying in recent years, but I never pulled the trigger until earlier this year. One of my biggest fears for re-experiencing a video game, movie, TV show, book, or any other work of fiction that I have high praise and great memories of is that a second encounter will cause me to replace my fondness for something far less. If not for the 3DS remake, there's a decent chance that I would never have taken the plunge again in my lifetime.

I came in with DQVIII as my favorite JRPG, and I emerged with the same general sentiment but with the perspective of someone with more than a decade's worth of life experience that provided me with new takeaways and a greater respect for the game.
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I've tried DQVIII so many times but I burn out p quickly

maybe I'll try the 3ds one some time
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tag

SantaRPidgey posted...

I've tried DQVIII so many times but I burn out p quickly

maybe I'll try the 3ds one some time

Well if the original did that to you, I doubt the 3DS version will change things.
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Zylothewolf posted...

All people need to know about Shining Force is that Zylo > Anri.

I'm sure that the overwhelming majority would agree. It's hard for me to imagine (other than you know who) a mage, cleric, or archer being someone's favorite unit in these games.
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KCF0107 posted...

Well if the original did that to you, I doubt the 3DS version will change things.

there are lots of games that I just haven't been in the right mood for. Final fantasy XII I think I tried once a year for about 4 years before I ended up playing through the whole thing and loving it
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Well then I say go for it!
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Bumping this for now
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