Top 15 RPGs of All Time

Top 15 RPGs of All Time

Written by Zeromage 188 Comments
Last Updated:: December 5, 2008

It is hard to argue for a better video game genre than the RPG. No genre before or after has instilled such wonder and nostalgia in the video gamer. When playing the likes of racing or fighting games, one is enveloped by the momentary pleasure of winning a fight or driving as fast as you can to finish a race. The RPG though is quite the opposite of these genres. Anyone accustomed to RPG’s knows what they’re in store for before the game even starts; Endless hours of game play, always-evolving story lines, and perennial character development. The RPG is for the tortoise, not the hare, and would always prove to bring the most satisfaction to the gamer who was willing to let the parables of patience surround their being. In this list, we go through the 15 greatest RPG’s of all time with a focus on the games that were not just games, but timeless pieces of art.

15. Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross had massive shoes to fill coming after Chrono Trigger (arguably the greatest game ever made). Chrono Cross though boldly took the best elements of Chrono Trigger and made a game almost as great. The graphics were superb, the world was huge, and storyline was intricate to the point that the gamer was left wanting to revisit past scenes to understand what was happening in their future. The cinematic sequences were superb, bringing story lines to their apex. And who could forget the soundtrack? Who could forget the theme of “The Dream that Time Dreams”, and “Scars of Time”. Someone was listening to their Mendelson. Navigating the world by boat was another enchanting part of the game where at first all the lands came across tropical, but would certainly turn out to be much less serene upon entering them. Wait until you got to the final boss too. This was a battle for the ages on par with Lavos from the original Chrono Trigger.

14. Soul Blazer

With the amount of great RPGs that came out for the SNES during the 90’s it was easy to forget some classics. For a while it seemed like Squaresoft was making timeless RPGs once a month. One of these games that may have been forgotten was Soul Blazer. Anyone who has not played this game and is a fan of RPG’s should do themselves a favor and enjoy the adventure that is about to surround them. You will not be able to put down your SNES controller when playing this game. As you walk from land to land saving the accompanying towns by fighting your way through danger areas, you realize that you’re addicted to this RPG more than any other game you have ever played. The music is absolutely memorable. The music of every town will be in your head long after the duration of the game. The game play is flawless with smooth controlling. Soul Blazer, like Secret of Mana and Illusion of Gaia, was not a turn based RPG but a free moving RPG where you had complete control of your character. Any fan of those earlier games will see Soul Blazer as being just as timeless as those games.

13. Xenogears

Xenogears was a hallmark for the RPG medium. This Playstation classic had so many great elements to it that it needed to be included in this list. The storyline to Xenogears is absolutely magnificent. We are given performative parables and existential themes throughout the game that make playing it feel like reading some classic text of Greek or Roman literature. The deep subtleties in the storyline made Xenogears one of the most replayable RPGs of all time. One could even say that Xenogears was the “Ulysses” of the RPG medium. The massive amount of cut scenes go a long way to show how important it was for the creators of this game to establish a great storyline with questions that wouldn’t be answered until later on. The battle style of Xenogears is much like the Final Fantasy series with an “active time battle” system and attacks that ranged from weak to moderate to strong. There were also those special “Deathblow” moves you learned throughout the game that were most effective in their elemental setting. The heart of the game though is in the storyline. It’s one that will be revisited for some time to come.

12. Final Fantasy 7

Final Fantasy 7. Dubbed by many “The Best Final Fantasy Ever Made” or even “The Greatest Game Ever Made”, Final Fantasy 7 has received quite a following amongst its fans, and for good reason. While plenty of the people who have played and beaten 7 won’t agree with it being the greatest game ever made (myself included), they still think it’s a damn good game. It was quite revolutionary for the Final Fantasy series, what with it being the first 3D entry, and introducing the Materia system, an advanced way of giving characters abilities and magic. Think of it as being the Final Fantasy 3 of the 3D games. The story was surprisingly well done, although not as well done as some people tend to think. The graphics were decent, but I’ll let that slide, it was Square’s first 3D title. And like all truly great games, the soundtrack was simply mind-blowing, the pieces ‘Those Who Fight Further (Boss Theme)’ ‘Aeris’ Theme’ ‘Those Chosen By the Planet’ and of course, the legendary composition ‘One Winged Angel’ Sephiroth’s own theme.

11. Neverwinter Nights

Neverwinter Nights was one of the most innovative RPG’s to ever be released. This computer based RPG had a strictly 3rd person perspective throughout the whole game. Another interesting aspect of the game was how much control you initially had in creating your character. Much like Dungeons and Dragons, one could choose their player’s strength, race, gender and abilities. Beyond the unique 3rd person perspective and freedom of control when creating a player, was an incredibly long adventure that showed off fluid and incandescent graphics at every turn. The plot consists of four chapters where you had to recover four monsters who have the cure that plagues the Neverwinter city. The plot doesn’t simply end here though. The city gets attacked right when you’re curing it! The plot never seems to end in Neverwinter Nights which conspicuously makes it an RPG. The sheer length of the game and freedom in creating your own destiny makes Neverwinter Nights one of the best RPGs of all time.

10. Final Fantasy 1

Final Fantasy 1 was one of the first attempts at the traditional RPG format and for that alone it must be championed as a hallmark amongst modern gaming. The graphics were 8 bit, the sounds were 8-bit, but the story and scope of the game were timeless. In Final Fantasy 1 we are first introduced to the turn based fight sequence that made many a Dungeon and Dragon gamer a fan of this new video game medium. Being able to choose what weapon, magic, or defense you wanted to use without rushing made for more of a mental activity in battle than being quick with the thumbs. The RPG here in it’s introduction was more for the brain than the quick in finger muscles. The story line involves early Greek mythology involving an anthropometric Chaos who would need to be defeated for the establishment of order in general. As the light warriors as obvious contrasts to the peremptory “Chaos”, your negation of non-order was the task for all civilization. Certainly, a game with this task was more full of meaning than your traditional adventure game.

9. Baldur’s Gate

A game that starts off with a quote from Nietzsche’s “Beyond Good and Evil” has to be on top of any list. “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster… when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you…” started off the game haunting the player in to always being aware of himself when battling infamous beasts throughout the game. Beyond this haunting introduction to the game is a plot that ranks as one of the best ever created for the RPG medium. The protagonist growing up with his friends as orphans meet a mage in the name of Gorion. As you grow up you find that there are designs of your life on the wall and your mentor in Gorion won’t tell you why. The plot keeps getting thick as leaving Candlekeep leads to more unknown secrets and fights with unknown bandits. This game is worth playing for the story along. While taking the elements of the D and D series to a new level, you’re a given over to a plot that is mysterious and inspiring.

8. Deus Ex

Recently, Old-Wizard hasn’t been a fan of the FPS medium. Our sarcastic (hopefully noticed!) “top 10 steps to making a successful FPS” outraged some and made other recognize the derivative flaws in the FPS medium. One game though that stands above the FPS medium as it is now is Deus Ex which combines the FPS format with RPG elements. You don’t just go around the game as some “badass” shooting stuff with hi-fi guns. You have detailed objectives throughout the game along with skill points that enhance the characters abilities. You could also customize your player to become a gun master or a more shifty character who could pick locks and play more of a detective role. These are the elements that are precisely missing from FPS of modern and old age I.e. sophistication. Among other advantages to Deus Ex that gives the player more of a sense of freedom that just destroying things is their power to manipulate guns by modifying their accuracy and range for example. There is actual dialogue in the game too that ascends above the trivial “We are here to destroy you” platitudes found in most other RPG’s. Deus Ex in a strong sense is the most innovative FPS ever released.

7. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

Who thought that Star Wars would be successful in the RPG medium? Any doubters were soon proved wrong with the release of Knights of the Old Republic. The game was expansive and full of problem solving unseen in most adventure games. For better or worst, you were spending half the game backtracking to pick up items or solve problems in order to move on. This may have been irritating for some players but for others showed a depth needed to make a classic RPG. The game is derived in the Dungeons and Dragons combat system that has become a hallmark of the best RPGs old and new. You are in complete control of your destiny playing this game. Depending on what you say to your comrades and the actions you take, you will see whether you be on the light or dark side of the force. This way of character development always kept the player in edge recognizing himself through the game that was defining his player in these terms. With the success of Knight of the Old Republic came it’s sequel that continued the success of the series which was a difficult omission to make on this list.

6. Final Fantasy 2 (SNES)

The amount of amazing games in the Final Fantasy series is staggering. One could easily make a top ten greatest games of all time list and have five games from the Final Fantasy series on it. It’s easy for a Final Fantasy game to be overlooked with FF3 and FF7 being in the catalog. One of those overlooked games was FF2, a game that had an incredible storyline and improved on Final Fantasy 1 in ways that made it possible for FF3 to be as great of a game as it was. The story line was huge, and so were the powers that each character could attain throughout the game. FF2 took on a larger scope in terms of drama and magic than FF1. There was romance in FF2 and tragic deaths that put the gamer in more of a Ulysses role than any game before it. This idea would go on to spearhead the best games in the RPG medium from FF3 to Secret of Mana. FF2 cannot be disregarded for this fact.

5. Illusion of Gaia

Illusion of Gaia was a sleeper hit for the SNES. Not many people to this day know the power of this RPG. Deviating from the traditional RPG format, Illusion of Gaia had you in control of the main character who was able to shape shift to different forms throughout the game. The story was a sight to behold. Romance flourished, myths resurfaced, and lost fathers were found in the deep abyss of Babylonian Towers. It’s not a coincidence that the great RPGs of all time find their story lines referring to Greek and Roman myth. These ancient archetypes aren’t just the austere shape of history’s past, but the signification of a deeper symbolic order. Illusion of Gaia hit these themes throughout the game visiting the likes of Ancient China and ancient Mayan culture. As always with most RPGs the soundtrack would be sought after the game was finished by it’s quality. Games like these go over and above traditional gameplay. They create something bigger than the game itself.

4. Diablo

If you have never played Diablo and you call yourself an RPG fan, give up now. This game is simply amazing. Simple to learn, hard to master, this Action-RPG has garnered endless positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Most of the commands are done via the mouse, but as with most PC RPG games, spells and abilities can be assigned hot keys, and even short exclamations. The replayability of this game is simply awesome, thanks to the randomly generated levels, and the large variety of weapons and armour. Each map is unique compared to the last one. This randomness even extends to the monsters that you encounter. Upon beginning the game, you’re given the choice between three classes, The Warrior, who is (you guessed it right) a power melee fighter, who gains a slight increase in the attack speed with a melee weapon. The Rogue, who is essentially an archer, and receives a higher level of magic than warriors, though not nearly as well as (you guessed it right again!) The Sorcerer, a powerful master of the spooky arcane arts. This character gains a slight increase in the speed of casting a spell.

3. Secret of Mana

Secret of Mana gained a high place in our top 100 video games of all time list. There are no imperfections in this game. The character development is creative, the landscapes are detailed, and the music is arguably the greatest soundtrack to ever be developed for any video game. What make Secret of Mana stand apart from all other RPGs is it’s adventure style fighting much like Zelda Link to The Past. You had control of your players rather than having a turn-by-turn based RPG format. This was to the pleasure of the RPG player who wanted to have more control of the player but still retain the grandiosity of a game like FF3 for example. Beyond these feats, was the possibility of playing the game with three players making it an adventure to conquer among friends. The sense of satisfaction that would come over the gamers when this occurred was unprecedented and would be remembered for a long time to come. It’s not difficult to argue that Secret of Mana is the greatest game of all time, but then again, its within the RPG format where every game seems to be the greatest game of all time.

2. Final Fantasy 3

Final Fantasy 3 was the first time a gamer was overwhelmed with how large a video game could be, not just in terms of time it took to finish, but in terms of its thematic scope. All those characters, with their own story lines, the massive story line slowly and patiently evolving in the world with an ice age ending it for a time. One could go on and on describing the ambition of this game. FF3 was the hallmark of Squaresoft, a company that embodied creativity unlike any game developer before it. Their knowledge of the inner psychology of humanity was a first for the video game medium. You weren’t just playing a game when playing FF3. You were finding out more about yourself through the massive amount of characters that you would use who all defined different parts of the human psyche.

1. Chrono Trigger

The theme music for 600 AD is perhaps the most recognized RPG theme in RPG history. Hit up Youtube now and you will find variegated renditions, from the simple piano mimicry, to obscure oboe afflatuses. This is just the music though…There’s also the game…made by “Sqauresoft”, which means it’s impossible that it wasn’t a great game. The theme of Chrono Trigger was arguably the best, most thought out idea for any RPG ever made. Taking advantage of the idea of the chronology of actual world history, you were to adventure across every span of the world’s totality, even to the “end of time” which gave you goose bumps knowing you were on the brink of timelessness. The creators of this game must have been reading Hegel before and during the development in this game, as creating a game with the theme of personally following out the logic of history, was surely an ode to Hegel’s essential philosophical insights. Philosophy aside, this game was effulgent and munificent in its delivery. The entire game, you think that the last boss is Magus, until you beat him and realize that he becomes one of the members of your party. Its here you realize how much time you spent playing this game, and how much more time you will have to spend to get at the real ending. Like all great RPGs, this game had a series of fake endings, where you could play the game 15 hours and get a bad ending with the world being destroyed, to be completely unsatisfied in your “accomplishment” up to that point. The realization that you have more times to explore with their own massive story lines in these lands led to a feeling of grandiosity, the hallmark of all square soft games. Chrono Trigger is up there with Final Fantasy 3 and Secret of Mana as some of the best accomplishments in gaming history. It’s with this knowledge that one then wants to understand what was going on in the minds of the creators of these games. To make games like this required inspiration and muse not needed in modern game making that merely requires “sex appeal”. Video games did have a golden age. Chrono Trigger represents that golden age…

188 Comments

#1 greg says:
March 17th, 2010 at 12:40 pm

hahah top 15?
Where is:
1. Realms of Arkania
2. Ishar
3. Fallout
4. Dungeon Master
5. Eye of the Beholder
6. Ultima

Diablo? RPG? this is joke? lol!

#2 seth says:
March 17th, 2010 at 4:19 pm

What??? how can you leave off Mario Legend of the seven stars??? That game still is fun to play to this day!!!

#3 Paul G says:
March 17th, 2010 at 6:43 am

Chrono Cross was indeed an awesome game but it has no relation to Chrono Trigger whatsoever. The game named Chrono Cross is actually a sequel to a Japanese graphic novel on the Super Famicom called Radical Dreamers. The ending theme of Chrono Cross is also entitled Radical Dreamers.

#4 Richard says:
March 17th, 2010 at 7:15 am

Paul G “Chrono Cross was indeed an awesome game but it has no relation to Chrono Trigger whatsoever. The game named Chrono Cross is actually a sequel to a Japanese graphic novel on the Super Famicom called Radical Dreamers. The ending theme of Chrono Cross is also entitled Radical Dreamers.”

LOFL.

Radical Dreamers is a retelling of some loose ends in Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross is a sequel to Radical Dreamers yes. Chrono Cross? No Relation to Chrono Trigger whatsoever?

Did you even PLAY the game? There are hundreds of references and tie-ins to Chrono Trigger.

There’s the mention of that legendary warrior from one of the sidequests in Chrono Trigger.

Same victory music.

FOR FUCKS SAKE, IT EVEN SAYS ON THE BACK OF THE FUCKING CD CASE THAT IT’S THE SEQUEL TO CHRONO TRIGGER!

From Wikipedia: “It is the sequel to Chrono Trigger, which was released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. ”

“At Terra Tower, the prophet of time, revealed to be Belthasar from Chrono Trigger, visits him and imparts the boy’s history. This information is later expatiated by accompanied apparitions.”

Hmmm.

“His father took him to find assistance at Marbule, but Serge’s boat blew off course due to a raging magnetic storm caused by Schala. Schala, the princess of the Kingdom of Zeal, had long ago accidentally fallen to a place known as the Darkness Beyond Time and began merging with Lavos, the chief villain of Chrono Trigger.”

Oh boy.

“Continuing to the beach where the split in dimensions had occurred, Serge finds three apparitions resembling the original team from Chrono Trigger. More of the game’s history is revealed, such as the revelation that Belthasar planned the entire plot to empower Serge and free Schala from melding with Lavos. The resulting fused being—called the Time Devourer—would consume and destroy spacetime. Lucca explains that Kid is Schala’s clone, sent to the modern age to take part in Project Kid. Crono entreats Serge to use the Chrono Cross to free Schala. Serge uses a Time Egg—given to him by Belthasar—to enter the Darkness Beyond Time and vanquish the Time Devourer. He separates Schala from Lavos and restores the dimensions to one.”

YAY

YOU LOSE SIR! GOOD DAY!

#5 Paul G says:
March 17th, 2010 at 6:40 pm

Wow, yeah OK then. Thanks for going to such lengths to prove me wrong. And yes I’ve played through both games, I guess I just didn’t put things together and I appreciate you pointing that out. I don’t see the reason for your overt hostility though. I’ve pointed out that people were wrong before but I’ve not used such intense language: “FOR FUCKS SAKE, IT EVEN SAYS ON THE BACK OF THE FUCKING CD CASE THAT IT’S THE SEQUEL TO CHRONO TRIGGER!”

I loved Chrono Cross but I’m not a die hard Chrono fan so I’m sorry I didn’t put the two together, they seemed quite different in my experience, and yes I’ve played through both games. Pardon me for being wrong, I didn’t know I’d elicit such a reaction from someone. Wow, the WWW is an interesting place, you meet all kinds of people. I just hope you don’t snap on someone completely and end up killing them from your pent up anger.

#6 JimJim says:
March 17th, 2010 at 10:15 pm

I find it funny just how many people get so enraged over one’s opinion. Just wanted to point that out. Some people fall in love with games, while others would rather go to the dentist than play.

I’ve recently played FE, and really enjoy it. One of the best games I’ve ever played, which I think predated Fire Emblem (though I’m not at all sure) was Warsong. Anyone who enjoys Fire Emblem will surely enjoy every moment of it. Although this site would likely never endorse it, as it is a Sega Genesis game. I personally think some of the best RPGs I’ve ever played would have to include mostly older games as well, such as Phantasy Star II, IV, Shining Force I & II to name a few. I grew up with a Sega, so that’s what I played. A lot of RPGs lately just haven’t been up to par with the RPGs of old. Too much focus of graphics and gimmicks to make for a solid story line or character development.

#7 Richard says:
March 17th, 2010 at 11:54 pm

@ Paul G.

Wow, I’m terribly sorry. It’s just the fact that I assumed (an assholish move I know) that since you commented on that little tidbit about Chrono I thought you had played and completed both games.

I apologize Paul. Sorry if I spoiled the game for you too..

#8 kordian says:
March 17th, 2010 at 2:05 pm

Top 15 must have:
-Baldurs Gate 2 with Throne of Bhaal (for me the best RPG ever )
-Dungeon Master (one disc and incredible fun)
-Fallout (lol)
-Final Fantasy 8 (I love Rinoa )
In 15 top can’t be:
-Diablo -it is a good game, but not rpg
-Icewind Dale -sorry, for me it is not rpg, you walk and slash, nothing more

#9 anonymous says:
March 17th, 2010 at 10:05 pm

I’ve played almost all of these rpgs listed above and others including Kindom Hearts 1/2 and so on and I do agree chrono trigger to be best game ever made, next to it should be ff7 (no doubt about that) I’m sure many would agree with me. I’m sure the top 15 can be shuffle around depending on who’s reviewing it but Illusion of Gaia should not be on this list and should make ways for other games (I have played it and liked it but it is defintely not one of the best ever made).

#10 khaosn95 says:
March 17th, 2010 at 10:10 pm

OMG! This list is horrible! No ff8, no ff4, no ffx, and i don’t care what you people say, no mass effect? mass effect is the greatest game i’ve ever played, and ive played 13 of the 15 games on this list. bs.

#11 Richard says:
March 17th, 2010 at 4:04 am

khaosn95, this is OUR opinion. Okay? OURS, which differs from YOURS.

Shocking, I know.

#12 threesix3six says:
March 17th, 2010 at 12:30 am

It doesn’t matter what is on the list. Most people will complain. Everyone has their own opinion. This list is just one persons opinion. These list are made so we can all argue about what is better and what we don’t like. I don’t agree with this list, but I do like most of the games on it. I am glad I got to grow up playing the classics. They don’t make RPGs like they used to.

#13 cyan says:
March 17th, 2010 at 3:31 pm

good list, liked BG, KOTOR, FF3, SOM, CT, but like others said, where’s morrowind?

#14 Ramzey says:
March 17th, 2010 at 7:30 pm

Where is Earthbound? That, in my opinion, is one of the top RPG’s of ALL time!

#15 Huginn says:
March 17th, 2010 at 11:52 pm

Seriously? Where the fuck are Baldur’s Gate 2 and Planescape: Torment? And what the fuck is Diablo doing on this list? It’s a fucking hack n’ slash game completely devoid of roleplaying. Choosing stats is RP.

And again, where the fuck is Baldur’s Gate 2?

#16 wtf says:
March 17th, 2010 at 9:16 pm

wtf is wrong with you.
this list is bullshit

there are no fallout games mentioned here or a single elder scrolls title.
i mean wtf.
even the fucking legend of fucking Zelda is better than this shit.
I’m disappointed
really fucking disappointed.

i’m sorry but even though i hate it, Pokemon is better than the shit on this list. old-wizard.com should really update its list. it looks like no-one has touched it since 1990… … … …

B.C.

#17 Aaron says:
March 17th, 2010 at 6:05 am

Definately missing Morrowind and Baldur’s Gate II which need to be somewhere in the top 5.

#18 Relayer71 says:
March 17th, 2010 at 8:33 pm

Obviously can’t please everyone with these lists.
But what the heck, my 2 copper

1) Baldur’s Gate 2 should have been on this list. It obliterates the 1st game and is still THE overall best PC RPG of all time. Bioware went downhill after that.

2) NWN should NOT have been on here. The OC was horrible, just bland beyond belief. NWN2 was so much better and even that an average game.

3) FF VII did a lot for the genre and videogames in general. But really, FFIV, FFVI, FFX, and FFXII were so much better. FFVIII fixed a lot of what was wrong with FFVII but the story and setting were just dull as was the battle system.

4) No RPG list is complete without Planescape:Torment, Fallout, or Dragon Quest 3, 4, or 8.

5) Phantasy Star 1 > Final Fantasy 1, 2 and 3 put together. (Actually Phantasy Star IV > FF 1, 2, 3, 5 put together)

6) Diablo deserves the spot, whether hardcore RPG or not (lets face it, Japanese or console RPGs aren’t hardcore either). But personally, I think Divine Divinity was a better title. It had a similar combat style to Diablo’s but with more roleplaying and a deeper larger, non-linear world.

7) KOTOR II> KOTOR (and neither is “best RPG of all time material, in my opinion…well maybe top 25).

#19 June says:
March 17th, 2010 at 10:08 pm

Pokemon deserve to be at least in the 15-13s
I think the best RPG would be Mario and Luigi RPG 3 on ds.

#20 Bill says:
March 17th, 2010 at 12:28 pm

You mother-fuqer… how dare you not include [insert whatever my favorite game might be] here. Besides all hard core gamers… that means harder than you dnd pussies, know that ET for the atari 2600 totally ownz all modern so called rpg’s Elliot..Elliot…

Lick my balls pansies

oh wait, I have a vagina.

#21 Kaiser says:
March 17th, 2010 at 9:45 pm

this is a good top ten. ff7 shoulda been closer. the top 5 should be

5. FF5
4. legend of mana
3. FF9
2. FF7
1. chrono trigger

#22 Isaac says:
March 17th, 2010 at 9:14 pm

Where’s Golden Sun? Earthbound?

#23 doug says:
March 17th, 2010 at 6:44 pm

Fallout? Seriously? NeverWinter Nights is infinitely better. And anyway, the best R.P.G. is Dungeons and Dragons. You know, the one that you play with dice, pencils, and paper. The one where you can do ANYTHING. Where you can even make up your own rules entirely. The only R.P.G. that ever forced someone to talk to other people while playing. Better on so many levels than any computer game.

#24 Ancien Regime says:
March 17th, 2010 at 3:08 am

hi where’s persona 4

if you play it you’ll see what i mean

atlus is like fucking prime squaresoft

#25 HiGwA says:
March 17th, 2010 at 1:07 pm

@kaiser,
Seriously?! FF 5 in your 5 greatest rpg list? No VI? And you think 7 should be closer to the top? 2ble fail.

#26 Gyb says:
March 17th, 2010 at 4:32 am

So with Trigger on #1 and Cross on the last of the list, you put it as that Cross is the last good RPGs?

#27 avi says:
March 17th, 2010 at 9:33 pm

super mario RPG:the legend of the seven stars is the greatest game of all time. my top 6, 1 game per series, 1.Super Mario RPG 2.Secret of Mana 3.Chrono Trigger 4.FF7 5.Mother 3 6.Pokemon Red/Blue.

#28 avi says:
March 17th, 2010 at 9:34 pm

7.Golden Sun

#29 andrew says:
March 17th, 2010 at 6:42 pm

Fallout and Runescape are my personal favorites but whatever.

#30 anonymous says:
March 17th, 2010 at 2:28 am

Paul G I beleive you are mistaken to say that chrono cross hass no relation to chrono trigger because almost every major character from trigger has at least some small cameo appearance in cross.and there are parts that directly link the events of trigger to the state of the two worlds in cross

#31 Shadow says:
March 17th, 2010 at 7:06 am

Maybe kick FFVII off the list, add Morrowind, FFX/FFX-2 (massive world, X-2 had massive jobs) and FFV somewhere.

#32 Luth says:
March 17th, 2010 at 5:20 am

FF X-2? that game sucked lol half the game was optional but it didn’t seem like you actually had to do any of it so half of us didn’t. the job system was unique but just felt like a repeat of ffX just eye-candy form FF7 was way better than X and X-2 bc X was just some alien type thing (monster (not specifying bc it may be a spoiler)) sure soldier vs. soldier is old but the game IS old lol you expect stuff like that from its day X was more alienish it didnt feel like SIN should even exist in the world. (X-2 just felt like fan service).

#33 zxczxcz says:
March 17th, 2010 at 5:50 pm

Ps3 is the best fucking system evar all you dumb muther fuckers who say other wise can go suck a bigg fucking dick. Oh and I fuck all yalls moms last night.

#34 Maxwell says:
March 17th, 2010 at 11:51 pm

Neverwinter Nights was epic. Much better than FF7. Nice list. Also, I enjoy crack cocaine on a regular basis.

#35 Does Not Give A Crap says:
March 17th, 2010 at 1:15 am

Okay this is how the list goes:

1: Final Fantasy 7
2: Secret of Mana
3: Final Fantasy 3
4: Chrono Trigger

#36 Does Not Give A Crap says:
March 17th, 2010 at 1:18 am

5: Final Fantasy 2
6: Final Fantasy 1
7: Final Fantasy 4

#37 Does Not Give A Crap says:
March 17th, 2010 at 1:20 am

8: Illusion of Gaia

#38 Does Not Give A Crap says:
March 17th, 2010 at 1:21 am

THERE is also without the rpg in the way

Lots of good games: mario,contra, so many i can’t list them all.

#39 trm989 says:
March 17th, 2010 at 1:22 am

I can’t believe people are berating this guy for posting his personal opinion on what he thinks are the best RPGs out there.

#40 RedruM-X says:
March 17th, 2010 at 9:05 pm

dude you are crazy in the head, there are some nice games there, but Diablo will never be a RPG.
It’s a mindless hack&slash game and never should’ve received the fame it got.

If you want to play a special RPG with that hack&slash thing, then Divine Divinity is the best.
In fact, it beast about 80% of the games in this list.

#41 Yuan says:
March 17th, 2010 at 10:48 pm

“The theme music for 600.AD is perhaps the most recognized RPG theme in RPG history.”

HAHAHAHA.. OH WOW.

Even if it is a REALLY GOOD theme, it’s not the most recognized. That would be either the prelude or the fanfare of Final Fantasy.

#42 Bonnenuit says:
March 17th, 2010 at 1:26 pm

Normally I don’t comment, but after reading through like 200 comments that all said “My favorite game isn’t here, so you suck” I wanted to say that I thought it was a great list. Like many others, BG2 would probably have been on my list, and Morrowind definitely would have (though I probably would have cheated by listing FF as a series instead of individual games). That said, every game on here is a GREAT game, and deserves to be on the list. Kudos for a great article!

#43 RageWarrior666 says:
March 17th, 2010 at 6:58 am

I agree that all of these game are classics even in there own time, personaly I couldn’t pick a favorite game let alone 15 because i’ve played every rpg i could get ahold of. I recently played Breath Of Fire I, II, III, IV for old time sakes and got reminded of that great series, while it had somewhat limited possibilites compared to other great rpgs, most of the gameplay was fantastic. I liked the master system in III and IV for PSone specifacly for the specialized stat growth and of course the great abilites like super combo and shadowwalk. Then of course there’s the learning of skills from enemies. Many many many great rpgs have been made but none i’d call favorites maybe most memorable. I’d say on your list my most memorable game would be FFVII because I still play it to this day so how could I forget it. Well anyway, I like rpg games where every time you play you may discover something different. Role-Playing games are ever expanding but I agree that while graphics will improve they will NEVER beat the classics.

-good post and ‘cheers’

#44 Longbow_Archer says:
March 17th, 2010 at 8:09 am

Good post. At least it doesn’t exclusively contains only JRPG’s (so at least you know a more then just console RPG’s, you pretty much have my respect for that). I agree with people putting the Baldur’s Gate series on 1 (deep story / plot, lots of quests, fun and challenging combat and finally INSANE CUSTOMIZATION…I repeat INSANE CUSTOMIZATION), the Fallout series on the other hand should be at least in 2 (everything from the BG series applies here as well, with the exception that Fallout is non-fanatasy but more or less sci-fi post-apocalyptic kinda story. I however don’t like Fallout 3 (I would shit on that one). Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights do belong in that list (Icewind Dale is basically a barebone version of Baldur’s Gate). Planescape Torment should be in there as well. But again you did a great job (can’t make everyone happy, besides it’s YOUR LIST). And finally LOL at Doug, I agree that the pen / paper / dice Dungeons & Dragons is the grandfather of all RPG’s existing today but the tabletop thingie is kinda becoming a niche and not really accessible to a wide audience…it’s basically a geek-thing (not offence meant (so BG, IWD, PT, NWN, and Fallout come as close to that as can possibly be).

#45 Le Vaughn (Xbox GT) says:
March 17th, 2010 at 11:35 pm

Top 10 RPG’s of all time (may include FPS’s or 3PS RPG hybrids).

1.) Chrono Trigger / Mass Effect – Tie in first due to the level of depth and due to the varaity + the shear badassness of the two games.

2.) Lost Odyssey / Final Fantasy 3 – Tie in second due to their great story, though they could not compare to the top.

3.) Legend of Zelda (Zelda 1&2/LA/ALTTP/OOT/MM/TP)- All of these tie in for 3rd. Why did I leave a few out? Some were a little jumbled, and far be it from me to say this but, Toon Link in my mind simply added too much cartoony shit and not enough of the fun / good graphics. Picky yes but the stories were also much better, even the NES stories!

4.) Fallout 3 – Fallout 1 and 2 kind of blew, the story was good yes but Fallout 3 took it to a whole knew level.

5.) Secret of Mana – A fantastic game, a must play for any RPG fans.

6.) Earthbound – You may disagree, however I found this game to be unsually good. The story is rather long, interesting, and fun for anyone!

7.) Final Fantasy 7 – Yes I am sorry but I had to lower this on the list. Reasoning is because it WAS infact one of the greatest RPG’s of all time, but it simply could NOT hold my attention no matter how much I loved it. The others dragged me back, this one..I was just happy to beat it and to have enjoyed the story.

8.) Dragon Warrior 1,2,3,4 – All together make a fantastic position for 8. Sure it could be higher on the list, but it became over shadowed in the long run.

9.) Diablo 1&2 – This may be an online game, but for a single player RPG these games held their own. Simple and easy story, easy controls, and a fun time exploring a large environment.

10.) Illusion of Gaia – It was a great game that (like FF7) I was happy to just get it done with. The story was a tad hard to follow after a while, but as I played it in my later years I found it was more enjoyable.

Now I haven’t played Baulders Gate the whole way through. It just was too clunky feeling and never actually sucked me in. Runescape isn’t an actual RPG, theres no real story and I can’t find anything fun about it..WoW is mainly multiplayer, however it would’a made the list if there was a free to play 10+ manned single player where you and a few buddies could go through all of WoW completing quests and what not.

You may disagree with me but those are out of all the RPG’s I’ve played. I’ve played quite a few that were listed, and most simply never grabbed me saying “”This rpg rocks!!”". If anything some of them pissed me off, were too annoying and tedious (sp) or just didn’t feel fun.

#46 Nick25 says:
March 17th, 2010 at 7:29 am

Wow, this guy Richard sounds like a douche bag. As a teacher with a master’s degree, I have to point out that anyone who sites Wikipedia as a reliable source clearly has the education level of a 12th grader. You sir, need to go back to your mom’s basement and play video games some more, obviously this is your profession.

#47 Grammar Police says:
March 17th, 2010 at 4:47 am

Umm… Nick25, for a teacher with a master’s degree, you still don’t know how to spell the correct “cite” when ridiculing Richard. It may be mind-blowing to think since they sound the same, but “cite” and “site” have different definitions… I sure as hell hope you’re not teaching English, Mr. Professor! And you have a master’s degree? Every respectable thesis-writer should know how to use the word cite, you have to use pages and pages of CITATIONS. Shame on you.

Very nice list. I enjoyed seeing some favorites up there, as some have mentioned I wish Morrowind and a couple other were up there, but it’s only 15 games, not everything can make it. And it served a great purpose of introducing a few titles I’ve never seen, I’ll have to give these games a play-through!

#48 JFH says:
March 17th, 2010 at 10:03 am

Many of these selections I agree with, but where is Lunar: SSSC or Lunar 2: Eternal Blue? Those games were beautiful with fantastic cutscenes and amazing game play and story line. If not add them, please at least explain why they aren’t on the list.

#49 CunnyFunt says:
March 17th, 2010 at 3:37 pm

LOL at this list. Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, Oblivion/Morrowind (pick one)…not present. Too many C-RPG’s for my liking.

Hell, even the Pokemon games deserve to be in here over some of this stuff. Some free RPG’s could possibly jump in here over some stuff. Barkley Shut Up And Jam: Gaiden is worth checking out for any 16bit era c-rpg fans. It also does a really good job of bringing the lulz.

#50 Justin says:
March 17th, 2010 at 3:36 am

LOL @ the people saying Diablo shouldn’t be on here.Also why not Mass Effect or Ogre Battle?Broaden your horizons people you might enjoy it.

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