“Top 10 RPGs of This Generation”
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Aug 30, 2010 01:00 JST
- Tags: Comparison, Dragon Age, Final Fantasy, PS3, Rankings, RPG, Valkyria Chronicles
A ranking attempting to list the top 10 RPGs of recent years has recently been circulating, 6 of which turn out to be Japanese.
The list and accompanying selection rationales, published by a western gaming site and covering RPGs released from 2005 onwards, and presented in alphabetical order:
Demon’s Souls
Demon’s Souls, brought to you by From Software, was one of 2009’s biggest surprise hits. The gritty atmosphere, extremely challenging combat, and inventive online elements found a widespread appeal the developers never saw coming.
Dragon Age: Origins
BioWare has been on a roll this console generation, creating two of the top Western RPGs as of late – Dragon Age and Mass Effect. Dragon Age: Origins is a refinement of the classic BioWare formula. While this list is primarily focused on consoles, by all accounts the PC version is the only way to play Origins.
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Second only to BioWare, Todd Howard’s team over at Bethesda Softworks represent the other half of top tier Western RPGs – Elder Scrolls and Fallout. The fourth iteration in the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion, was the first real taste gamers got this generation of what an RPG could be in the HD era.
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is the revitalization of the revered Fallout series of RPGs on PC. Bethesda brought the franchise to a new audience that was captivated by its moral choices, post apocalyptic setting and successful implementation of first-person shooter mechanics – a steady stream of downloadable content didn’t hurt.
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy has been a staple of RPGs since its inception over two decades ago. Final Fantasy XIII had the burden of carrying the fate of the Japanese RPG, experiencing declining popularity in the West. The game was praised for its gorgeous presentation and robust combat system, while criticized for its slow progression and strictly linear design. In the end, XIII was a commercial and critical success.
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
A prequel to Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core on the PSP struck a chord with fans hungry for more from VII’s universe. The game pushed the processing power of the PSP, producing fluid combat and impressive graphics. Unlike other Final Fantasy VII spin-offs, Crisis Core did its source material justice.
Lost Odyssey
Lost Odyssey received a great deal of attention when it launched on Xbox 360 in 2008 largely thanks to the involvement of Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Final Fantasy. Fortunately, the game (for the most part) lived up to expectations with a moving story and high production values. Some of the shamelessly traditional combat mechanics were less well received.
Mass Effect 2
Another BioWare epic, Mass Effect 2 represents the pinnacle of what an action RPG should be. The combat mechanics were refined from its predecessor, making for a much more user friendly experience. Coupled with the well though out and engaging characters, dialogue options and major plot points, Mass Effect 2’s execution was masterful.
Tales of Vesperia
Tales of Vesperia at first glance appears like it took every JRPG trope out of the book for its story, but for fans of the genre, Tales of Vesperia (and the series in general) excellently de-constructs them in a way which feels incredibly unique. The game’s action-based battle system, a mix of traditional RPG elements and fighting game aspects such as the publisher’s Tekken franchise, also help to create a very impressive game.
Valkyria Chronicles
Much like Demon’s Souls, Valkyria Chronicles was a sleeper hit in the West – so much so that Sega didn’t have enough copies to meet demand. The game’s unique graphics engine, which was able to produce a watercolor art style, was very appealing. In addition, the inventive turn-based combat system was able to successfully implement realtime actions, making for an experience unlike anything in the genre.
Fortunately, originality is evidently not a prerequisite for success as as a “top” RPG – although some might contest the inclusion of JRPGs in the same genre as western style RPGs, not least Bioware.
Several of the titles did attract significant criticism in spite of their undeniable success – Oblivion for its terrible monster auto-levelling system, Final Fantasy XIII for its corridor marathon gameplay, and Fallout 3 for turning a beloved non-linear tactical RPG into Oblivion with guns.
The list’s only notable omission would appear to be the Persona series – strangely absent in its entirety.
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Crisis Core made me lol. Most overhyped game (movie?) i've ever played.
Valkyria Chronicles made _me_ lol. That game utterly sucks.
flaskis made me lol. That guy has no idea what he's saying.
dude you have tyranousaurus mikie with hands inside her eyeballs. lol at you.
@01:52
:3
yupp no idea at all.
VC is on my top 1 list
haha, I knew that my comment would be downvoted like hell. You're all so easy to read :D
This comment will also meet the same fate.
Ain't so funny when trolls vote you up to piss you off, right?
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Wtf. No mother 3? Although I guess that might be just out of this generation... Eh. It should still be there.
@flaskis.
So, did you do that so people would do the opposite and vote up?
Or did you really think they would vote down?
@Arc: Who knows ;)
Yeah, who knows. At least everyone knows that you suck. ;)
Oh what the hell. His comment votes goes random now.
What makes me lol is all the people saying "Where's Persona?" Persona isn't this generation.
Wasn't Persona 4 recent?
Persona 4: July 10, 2008
Oblivion: March 20, 2006
I'd say it qualifies...
I think they meant on "next gen system," you know, the ones that were supposed to give us better games... LOL
@flaskis
I had assumed you know. That is why I asked, but if you don't know why you did what you did that's cool.
And... I forgot to log in.
Says you against the rest who enjoyed it.
But yea. Arty's right.
Where the fuck is P3/P4?
Give it the justice it deserves!
wild guess would be, being PS2 (and a PSP) games, they're being counted as "this generation".
otherwise yes, they've been robbed.
but considering the overall commercial and critical success of both titles, chances are they're being excluded simply because they're on the PS2.
*they're NOT being counted as "this generation"
if you mean the PS2 games, maybe they simply didn't consider it "this generation" but it seems PSP games are allowed so where are portable Personas?
The portable Personas are all ports. That does not really count as "this generation", also.
No KOTOR or Gothic ?
:|
no super smash brothers? nah, i kid.
Where is Ar Tonelico? Where is Totori no Atelier? -_-
Totori no Atelier isn't out in English, so why would it be on an English list? Neither is AT3, and if PS2 games were considered and Persona still didn't make the list then there's no way in hell AT 1 or 2 would.
Atelier still has to be released in both Europe and US in September 2010. Not long to wait...
It deserved praise it got.
Maybe as a movie. In terms of gameplay it was utterly disappointing (you could finish whole game mashing attack or spell button)
It is good as game but yes gameplay was kinda disappointing. The way you did.. I mean got Limit Breaks and Summons were terrible. And you can skip 90% of "random" battles by hugging the walls.
But the game was still worth it. And worth of praise.
This list needs moar japanese games.
No love for Ar Tonelico and Totori no Atelier? What about Agarest Senki? -_-
Agarest senki as one of THE best rpgs of this generation? lol... its such a flawed and pretty shallow game. One game that i feel atleast deserves a mention is Eternal Sonata.
J-RPGs have been pretty much awful this generation. The only good one was Lost Odyssey. Even the much hyped FF13 was a load of rubbish, unless you happen to like running endlessly in a straight line hamming X to win battles.
Western RPGs are now hugely superior. Sorry to see J-RPGs fall so badly behind but the truth is they just haven't moved with the times.
I am SO glad last remnant didn't make this list. It's not a terrible game, but entirely mediocre. Infinite Undiscovery I thought was excellent, but too action oriented to be an rpg. What about persona 1/3 (psp) and p4? Too ancient to be included? Valkyrie Profile 2 (ps2) :(
Why is FF XIII in that list? Assassins Creed would make more sense...
Assassin's Creed's an RPG?
No it's not, I dunno what Schrobby is talking about.
I interpreted that as, "Final Fantasy XIII is so far from being a good RPG that something ridiculous like Assassin's Creed or Michael Jackson's Moonwalker would be a better contender for the title."
The list officially sucks (well, you know what i mean...) because of lack of a Persona game. Anyone who's played a persona game can agree as to how fun and addicting those games can be.
Yeah, Persona 3/4 would've made more sense than FFXIII/Crisis Core, but they're talking about current-gen games.
anon @03:18
You got it. To have FF XIII on that list is so ridiculous that Assassins Creed would fit in better.
What I really missed here is Ar Tonelico and Totori no Atelier. That list is bull.
Not really bull, it reflects the choice of the masses.
Many people would buy any crap with FF in its name so ofc it's on the list - similar as to how kids bought everything related to Pokemon brand back in the days.
Even if crisis core wasn't that good, it's still probably the best rpg on the psp. But Eternal Sonata deserves at least honorable mention here.
Well, crisis core is the most "graphic intense" game you will see on a handheld currently. Even with the dsi's PSP copy it will barely be better in the graphics department as we've seen on this site even, and more then likely not remove that award anytime soon.
Sure the game was just kind of "ok" and nothing special though.
Demon's soul was so far ahead of the bioware crap that is recycled to no ends it's scary though.
FF 13 was a joke, it didn't "redo the genre!!" that they always try to pass off.. No, it's just plain old shit..
Sounds to me like they never played FO3 or Fall out 2 if they think its just oblivion with guns. then again its not like this site ever thinks before they write anyway.
For being one the best games on the PSP besides Birth by Sleep it deserves to be on there accompanied with the FFVII fanbase.
Speaking of that i'm surprised as hell that Kingdom Hearts didn't make it on there.
Yuri claps in ToV taste, while Bioware prepares the hounds of there utter disgust.
All pretty good games to be honest. I played and beat them all.
That said, Demon's Souls has its charm with the tough gameplay and Lost Odyssey was one of the few games to make me teary eyed. Great story in LO.
Vesperia was pretty and it was fun enough though it was incredible cliche with the boss (yet again. Tales games can never get the boss perfect it seems)
That said, my fave is Valkyria Chronicles so far. The most charming and innovative and the most memorable strategy RPG or any RPG in recent memory. Shame that the Scout totally breaks the game engine, but you can see some greatness peek in from the EX Hard difficulty mode. They just need to make the AI much more difficult and smart and any prospective Valkyria Chronicles 3 should be amazing. VC2 has already gotten positive reviews in Japan and I'm looking forward to it (albeit it should have been released on the PS3 as well)
Opinions, opinions, opinions.