What is the greatest RPG you have ever played?
 

I am anxious to know what you all think is the single most greatest RPG you have ever played? My personal vote is for Final Fantasy VII. That is my favorite game of all time, and I think it's the best RPG I've ever played, what do you guys think is the greatest RPG you've ever played?

chrono trigger, by far the best....a close second goes to legend of mana

super nes had all the best rpgs

I'm not an avid RPG player, but here's my top 3 list.

1. Final Fantasy 7
2. Super Mario RPG
3. Chrono Trigger

Somebody'll say "FF7, go figure, it was probably his first RPG"...and they'd be right, heh.

I don't have a favorite, but if I absolutely had to choose, I'd say Chrono Trigger. My top 10 are (in no particular order):

1. Chrono Trigger (SNES)
2. Chrono Cross (PSX)
3. Final Fantasy VII (PSX)
4. Final Fantasy IX (PSX)
5. Final Fantasy X (PS2)
6. Xenogears (PSX)
7. Skies of Arcadia (DC)
8. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (XBX)
9. Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean (Saturn)
10. Grandia (PSX)
11. Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
12. Tales of Destiny (PSX)
13. Suikoden (PSX)
14. Suikoden II (PSX)
15. Breath of Fire III (PSX)
16. The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (N64)
17. Parasite Eve (PSX)

OK, that's more than 10, but I've REALLY enjoyed a lot of RPGs.

-Lasereth

Pen and paper: Cyberpunk and the Hardwired offshoot.

Video game: None. I get bored way too easily.

there are only two rpgs that held my time for more than one rental...

1. final fantasy 7
2. Knights of the old republic

of the two kotr would have to have been my favorite

Fallout 1 and 2 are my favorites

RPG:
Mage(even tho it wasn't long, I could tell it was great)
Blood of Heroes
StuperPowers

COMPUTER RPGs: Chrono Trigger & The Golden Sun Saga

Sorry guys, but I have a pet peeve here. If you say RPG, its P&P, you gotta add a C infront of it to mean Video Games. CRPG CANNOT do what true RPGs can do.. which is what the RP stands for... ROLE PLAY. (EQer's can argue me, but you still cannot quite roleplay to the extent of which I speak)

Hmm.

Well DownwardSpiral, i've never played FF7 as you know, so i don't know how good it is. But i think Xenogears kicked some serious ass!

That's why you have to buy FF7 Spacemonkey! It is your destiny as of now hah!

Fallout 2.

Its a tie between Planescape: Torment and Fallout 2
For a console it'd be a tie between FFVI and Chrono Trigger

CRPG is pretty useless if you ask me. That's like making people say M-Computer and P-Computer when referring to Macs or PCs. Both are computers. Pen and Paper "games" are RPGs and console games are RPGs. No reason to seperate the two!

Personally, I've tried pen and paper RPGs and I simply feel like a jackass everytime I do it, mainly because there is no plot to go by, only the imagination of the "dungeon master." Imagination is a very, very flimsy ideal to hold on to for constructing a full-fledged world. There needs to be universal rules, and an on-going plot. The dungeon master has complete control over the entire game, and that's simply bullshit in my opinion. There is nothing preventing him or her from giving a player 50,000,000 experience points for killing a bat. There is no way to prevent a dungeon master from killing the entire party. If there were more rules and regulations, then I may enjoy it more. I'll add that these are MY personal opinions, not everyone elses, and I completely realize that some people believe that the imagination can come up with far more interesting events and gameplay than a standardized set. I'm not one of those people; this is probably the reason I dislike it so much. I've heard many friends swear by pen and paper RPGs though so I know that it has credibility as being entertaining to a lot of people. Ha ha, I honestly didn't mean to go off topic so much.

-Lasereth

I second that, and respectfully ask someone to third it.

Lets see, I loved:
Final Fantasy 1,7, and 10
Zelda;A Link to the Past
Dues Ex
Baldur's Gate 2 (just started it, but liking it much more than #1)
Fallout 2
Suikoden
ShadowGate
Eye of the Beholder 2

But, I'd have to say, all factors taken in, the greatest RPG I ever played was the original Dragon Warrior on NES. It was my first, and I spent more time than any other playing it, imagining it, acting it out etc.

Fallout 2 over Fallout because in the sequel you could give your party members armor and tell them to stay put when you were about to go somewhere nasty. Chrono Trigger was great, but I got bogged down in the endless gameplay. I spent about a week solid on that game and gave up with no feel for how far I'd progressed.

EARTHBOUND!

Morrowind was the best for me. Bare in mind, though, I'm not a hardcore RPG player. I've played a few and Morrowind was the best of them.

final fantasy 7 and 10 in that order respectively

Planscape Torment :)

i played Shadowrun and "Das Schwarze Auge" .. not to much on the PC i guess but i will get KotoR

I love the legend of zelda series....every single game. But i really don't think it qualifies as a true rpg. Otherwise, i would have put every single legend of zelda game down as my favourite rpg's of all time.

Super Mario RPG. Far too addicting. I played it almost non-stop until I beat it. Those were some good times.

Final Fantasy 7
Fallout 2
Shenmue (if that counts)

FF 7. And I do third it. Everyone needs to play that game, becuase it is awesome. Check mate. HAHAHa!

Morrowind is simply unbelievable.

Ok old school were Dungeon Master, Bard's Tale & Captive. Newish is Dungeon Siege. I have tried Baldur's Gate 1 but didn't like it. Not sure if it is worth giving the sequal a go.

I'm suprised no-one has mentioned BG2 - my fav RPG.

Others of note:

The Eye of the Beholder series
Gothic 1 & 2
BG 1
Morrowind
FF VII

BG 2 is better, but if you didn't like number 1 at all I doubt you'd like the sequel.

Wow, more votes for FFX than I thought there were be. It was a good game yes but man Tidus was annoying.

Chrono Trigger and Earthbound are my definite favourites :D

Neverwinter Nights, i don't know why but i love this game. Dungeon Siege was pretty good too, a little too linear for me though.

Final Fantasy 3

I would have to go with Xenogears as my favorite followed by Final Fantasy 7.

Xenogears
Gothic
Morrowind
Neverwinter Nights
Final Fantasy 3 (6)
Final Fantasy 2 (4)

SHINING FORCE (for the ol sega)

Of course those are in no particular order (still playing through the first gothic now..great game, if you see it in a bargin bin pick it up)

Real RPG's (ie PnP RPG's)
"Adventure!" by White Wolf. Awesome and wildly underrated by White Wolf, won the Origins award for best RPG and deserved it utterly. Freakin' awesome game.

CRPG's
Erm, the name is a misnomer. You don't actually play a role in a CRPG, you just control the character. It takes no skill beyond tactical. Feh, I digress....

BG2. Great fun.

Lasereth wrote:
"The dungeon master has complete control over the entire game, and that's simply bullshit in my opinion. There is nothing preventing him or her from giving a player 50,000,000 experience points for killing a bat. There is no way to prevent a dungeon master from killing the entire party."

Um, no, you're wrong, Las. The group as a whole controls the game. You may see nothing preventing the GM from assigning 50mil exp to someone for whacking a bat, but the actual controlling influence is you and the group you play with. If the GM pulls such a pudly maneuver, call him on it and/or walk out. Word gets around, people stop associating with such a troll. You, as the player, have as much control over how much you enjoy the game as the GM does.

Additionally, most GM's don't just make up a setting whole cloth. They use established worlds published by gaming companies that have books and books worth of info and background. Honestly, you sound like you had a bad experience with PnP gaming, and it's a damned shame. It's a heckuva lot more fun for most people than CRPG's.

Morrowind was a good way to burn up 60 hours. And even with that you'd still have like 30 more hours of stuff to do. Eventually i just ended up trying to kill everyone on the island, but that got old.

Deus Ex
Knights of the Old Republic
Most FFs
I have very fond memories of a genesis game called Shining Force

Xenogears as the best (God I love that ending song) and definatly Suikoden 2 as a very close second.

Love those games.

I suppose I did have a bad experience. The only reason I didn't mention that is because the people that were playing with me told me that's how it was played every time. I've tried it multiple times, and each time, we used no rules except for the base stats of each character. No plot, no feasible combat system, no nothing. It was basically like using a cheat on a game except not being able to do it when you wanted, only when the dungeon master wanted.

-Lasereth

Either Final Fantasy IV (aka FF2) or Final Fantasy VI (aka FF3) for the SNES. I liked 7 but the stories of 4 and 6 are sooooo much better. Keep your pretty cut scenes give me kick ass characters and great villains (Kefka would kick Sephiroth's)

FFVII
FFVIII
FFIX
FFX
Arcanum
Fallout 1 & 2

Chrono Trigger

In which game can you become any of the following:

-Slave trader
-Ranger (Hunting slave traders)
-Member of three different mafia organisations
-Boxing champion
-Addicted to drugs
-Pornstar (or fluffer)
-Married to a person of the same sex
-Chessplayer beaten by a scorpion

...Fallout 2. I'm playing it right now.
Get it.

I second that.

I know they're old, but has anyone played any of the Ultima games? My favorites are 7 and 7 part two, Serpent Isle. They're from back in the early 90's, but the graphics and gameplay were revolutionary for the times, and they are extremely fun and time consuming. Give em a shot, there is an emulator out there that will let you run them on a new computer, it's called ExUlt, but I'm not sure where exactly you get it anymore. Eric

Lasereth - I'm sorry to hear that, bro. It ain't that way with most groups. Heck, if your anywhere close to me (VA), yer welcome to sit in on an session. It's really just a bunch of friends sitting around BS'ing with some dice thrown in, but there are strong underlying rules behind it all.

Planescape Torment for sure.
Fallout 1 & 2

Yeah I figured you had a bad experience as well. There are rules, LOTS of rules. See, you are only limited to what you can think of, but the GM can turn you down if its just plain stupid.. or let your character die trying. But yeah, the GM COULD give you all that XP, but in my game, it was sweet... One of my favorite RPG memories, then out of nowhere the GM gave me 3 powers that made me so Godly, that I was angry, and refused to continue the campaign. If word gets out that the GM sucks, people won't play with him. Thats just like a video game, word gets out that the game and/or engine sucks.. no one plays it. As for no plot? Try White Wolf... their cames are CENTERED on plot, as fighting is the rarity. D&D has lots of fighting.. but I'll be damned if I didn't spend a lot of time with the plot. I play theives, and if you just run off and kill things.. you're not much of a thief. ;) So yeah, it sounds like your GM downright sucked ass. I'm very sorry that you had to go through such an experience. Thats like being forced to play Hexen for 8 hours... :eek: :eek: It'll traumatize you and make you not like it :(

Edited Addin!!! I forgot to say, EVERY... REAL PUBLISHED RPG... has strict rules on how fights go down.

Knights of the Old Republic followed by the NES Zelda.

Final Fantasy 4(one for SNES) or Crusaders of the Dark Savant(Wizardry 7)...
Ah I (used) to be such a nerd

Bards Tale for sure, on my Tandy CoCo 2. :) While it may not be the best by today's standards, that was the game that got me hooked on RPG's, and video games in general...

Electronic Arts owes me several years of my life back. :D

Secret of Mana
Final Fantasy I & III
Dragon Warrior

FFVII and beyond had great production values, but they became more and more linear (offered "mini-games" instead of freedom of choice in advancing one's character), had elaborate nonsensicle plots, and didn't have as balanced gameplay as the older games. i'm not trying simply playing devils advocate here either (since it's obvious that the majority of the world thinks FFVII is the end-all of RPGs) - i played through FFVII & FFVII and clocked in near 90 hours on FFX. comments?

Come on, there must be at least one other Ultima veteran around here... they are considered some of the best RPG's of all time!

Chrono Trigger, FF7, FFX, or Kingdom Hearts. Pretty much anything by Squaresoft.

FFX is getting quite the response, did Tidus get on anyone elses nerves or was it just me?

I think Tidus was fine. People were just mad because he had a femine look. His voice didn't annoy me or sound whiny either. The only bad voice acting done in FFX was Yuna's character and it sounded more like a sound-editing issue rather than bad acting. What's more entertaining is that Squaresoft announced that it's pronounced "Tee Duss" instead of "Tye Duss." I can't stand it when people say his name wrong! Or maybe I'm just a dork.

-Lasereth

Tidus just didn't appeal to me the way Cloud Strife or Squall Leonheart did. Squall was the 'silent type' and Cloud, well he was just cool. Tidus on the other hand was loud and in my opinion, annoying, I don't have a problem with his look or anything like that I just didnt find him as appealing as the others. Although FF7 is my favorite RPG, and favorite game, I'd have to say out of the main characters from Final Fantasy I actually found Squall to be most appealing to me.

BG 2
Final Fantasy (the first)

Baldurs Gate 2 is the best and I dont even like computer games

FF7, FF tactics, FF in that order. Where is all the love for Vincent Valentine? Tactics by the way is going for about 14 bucks last I saw if you haven't played it

Oh ya I've played Tactics, I own Tactics, great game. But FF7 still takes it for me.

Couple of people have mentioned the ultima games, which reminds me I forgot to put Ultima Underworld on my list - it's brilliant.

I could be wrong, but I believe Ultima Underworld, a 3D first-person RPG by Looking Glass Studios (also responsible for the insanely good Thief and System Shock series and several other great games) predated Doom and had a more advanced engine to boot - you could look up and down and it had ramps.

I've also played U4 and U8 (I think it was 8) and they were good but not great imo.

Electronic: Eye of the Beholder II (Amiga wayback ;)), Neverwinter Nights, Ocarina of Time, Link to the Past, Fallout. And if it counts, then Frontier: First Encounters.

Paper: Nightbane, The Window.

sad so many of you metoin big budget big name games

soul bringer must be the most underrated game in history

You got dicked over BIG TIME! If I may, I suggest you try again with another group, or perhaps another game, I don't know. If there's a gaming store near you they should have a good way to connect with other RPGers.

Mario Rpg

Chrono Cross' story just complety blew me away when I played it. And it has a really nice battle system.

Same goes for Final Fantasy X. It's method of leveling up the characters was odd at first, but once you understand it, it is just amazingly great.

Gotta go with Chrono Trigger (SNES). Hands down, best RPG I ever played.

Oh, and I have trouble with everyone that said Deus Ex... Don't get me wrong, I love Deus Ex, but there's no way I'd call it an RPG. Its definately a FPS with RPG elements.

I'mma go with Chrono Trigger, but Chrono Cross was pretty awesome too

I have the urge to turn this into an essay ... but we'll see, ne?

I have the feeling that FFVII was the first FF/Squaresoft RPG for most people. Among my friends, people for whom FFVII was their first FF loved it, would swear by it, named their kids after characters in the game, etc. Those that had played other FF-style RPGs before VII tended not to like it quite as much.

I will admit, FFVII was a fantastic game. I've beaten it so many times I've memorized every inch of the game, every item location, every code sequence, every boss strategy. And yet every once in a while when I tire of D2 or Warcraft I'll break out FFVII, and it's still fun.

I don't understand that at all.

The graphics are terrible. The gameplay is good: simple, clean, and to-the-point, but not phenomenal. The music was good (most people argue the best, but I liked Chrono Trigger and FFVI/III much better). The characters and storyline were good. But everyone, including me, seem to think it is some kind of God-send. But when asked why I love it so much, I can't think of a single thing to say.

To wrap up, of the Squaresoft games I'd go with:

#1 - Final Fantasy X
I'm a graphics person, so FFX blew me away. The storyline also struck me as significantly different/original. The music was reminiscent of FFVII, which is always a good thing, but had enough of its own character to separate itself from its predecessor (though I'd say Uematsu is *gasp* running out of ideas?). I'll agree with a few other people here and say the characters were extremely annoying. I was wishing for a Japanese dub, English sub version, but ... *shrug*. Oh, and FFX International boasts the most powerful bosses in any FF, ever (IMHO), which is always a plus for me.

#2 - Chrono Trigger
Were it not for the graphics, I would crown Chrono Trigger the best RPG of all time. Why? Not really sure.

#3 - FF VII
We've been over this already.

That aside - I'm surprised by the lack of Baldur's Gate enthusiasts. I'd have thought they would outnumber Morrowind fans. Tells you how much I know about the video game industry, I suppose. My picks for non-squaresoft RPGs:

#1 Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn + Throne of Bhaal
Without the expansion pack, BG2 would have lost to Morrowind in my book. But with epic levels, ridiculously cool/overpowered high level abilities and spells, as well as items and omnipotent boss monsters galore, the game just blew me away. The very nice NPC party play was a huge plus - NPCs that actually had personality so real you could almost shed tears for them.

#2 Morrowind
Does this require an explanation? Didn't think so.

#3 Neverwinter Nights
It disappointed me, really, but it wasn't that bad of a game - my expectations were just much too high after playing BG2. The main thing it lacked was party play - NWN makes you feel really alone, especially in the massive 3D environments. Aside from the immediate battles, everything seems so far away and dispersed - detached is the word I'm looking for, I think. And your henchman has all the personality of an ATM machine.

I'd claim Warcraft 3 and Diablo 2 were RPGs, but not many people would agree. They would both rank pretty high on my overall chart - Warcraft 3's storyline started off really well but sort of fell off near the end when it became apparent that Blizz just wanted to get the game done and on the market. The Bonuse Campaign for Frozen Throne is definitely RPG to the core, and it's the most fun I've had in a while.

Diablo 2 is ... well, it's Diablo 2. Anyone who's played the game knows the feeling. Those who haven't ... trying to explain it is a futile effort. It's not a great game, it's not particularly innovative, the graphics are just passable, the soundtrack is less than spectacular ... but it's Diablo 2. It's more dangerous than heroine or cheap sex on some days.

Hands down it has to be Xenogears. Although Phantasy Star is very close. I got into RPGs because of that game. Sega truly created one of the greatest games ever with that. I would also have to agree with the earlier posts of Fallout 2, that was an amazing game.

ok

well, i´ve loved all of the Final Fantasy games i´ve played (8,9,10) - but i´m going ot hunt down FF7 since its getting such great reviews here.

i think also that all of the Zelda games have been brilliant. esp Ocarina of Time.

would Grand Theft Auto come under the role of RPG?

FF7 and xenosaga are my favorite because i loved their stories..and pretty much every rpg after 7 has dissapointed me in terms of length, personality, and sheer fun factor

On console I would go with Final Fantasy 2 (or 4 in Japan) simply because they haven't changed the formula since then. That was the defining console RPG. Runner up Secret Of Mana cause multiplayer action RPGs rock.

On the PC side of things I would say either the Baldur's Gate series, the Wizardry series, or the Jagged Alliance series. Sirtech rules!

Ultima Online

The computer RPG that comes closest to the PnP feel, is Ultima Online. The incredible depth in that game makes it stand above anything else, IMO.

Recent years has seen a lot of good CRPG´s, many of which are listed here. :)

you've obviously never had a good DM before.. sure, there is no rule to say a DM can't give a player a billion XP for killing a bat or killing everyone with a falling rock.. but what would that accomplish?.. a good DM will create a living, breathing world in which your chars are but one small part (or use an existing one created for the particular system you are using).. there are rules and regulation in place when you're playing a pnp rpg.. it is true that they are more flexible.. but i find that's a good thing, esp. since i've DM'd once or twice in my gaming career.. these rules are not universal to pnp rpgs as there are many, many different systems and settings.. one for any fetish, as it were..

as to the imagination being a weak tool.. middle-earth came straight from one man's imagination.. one man.. as did the wheel of time series by robert jordan.. as have countless fantasy and sci/fi worlds since the beginning of the genres.. i might point out that all computer rpgs are also come from the mind of it's creators..

in closing.. that's a load of bull-hooey

^^

P&P: Whitewolf games in general, but especially Dark Ages: Vampire, and Mage: The Ascension.
D&D 2nd edition - Dark Sun campaign setting, and Forgotten Realms.

Console/Comp: #1 Chrono Trigger, #2 Chrono Cross, #3 Legend of Zelda: OoT, #4 FF3 (6), #5 Morrowind

I've noticed a few people mention The Bard's Tale. Well a new game called Devil Whiskey will be released soon, and this was inspired by the Bards Tale. Check out the link to find out more:

http://www.devilwhiskey.com/main.html

Final Fantasy 3 (6 in Japan)

No doubt about it.

FF7. Absolutely.

Earthbound for the SNES. Any game that has you fighting new age retro hippies is A-OK!

New age retro hippie brushes teeth and blinds you with super white teeth!

i never liked white wolf very much.. especially vampire.. i've noticed that your combat skill is based wholly on your celerity level.. there are a few other attributes for people with the same celerity level as well but.. it makes for dragonball style fighting.. "i am much more powerful than you as i have <b>4 POINTS OF CELERITY!!!</B>".. "HAHA.. you are no match for my.... <B>5 POINTS OF CELERITY!!!!!@#$</B>".. (omg.. he's got 5 points.. nobody can beat him but a methuselah.. or cain..)

that's why i dislike it so very much

^^

Fallout 2. Fallout was great, but not being able to give my party members armor made them barely better than mules, as the game progressed.

Honestly, I'd be tempted to say you've never played with a really good GM, then...
In most Vampire games, random combat (which is the situation in which celerity is so useful) is very rare. In a campaign that utilizes intrigue, planning, and tactics, celerity becomes much less useful because one can plan to circumvent it through the use of other powers.
That's just my two sense...


Though, of course, an Assamite with a 5 celerity can fuck up just about any ambush, unless there's a Tremere around to prevent him from expending Blood Points.

IN NO ORDER

Legend of Zelda: Link to The Past
FFVII
Secret of Mana
Wild Arms
Dragon Warrior 2
the entire Lunar series on SegaCD
Vay
hell with the last 2 i would have to say just about any Working Designs RPG made for the SegaCD they were the best RPG's on a consistent basis

Ulitma III & IV, Questron 1 & 2

FF3

nuff said

actually i had a great DM who, when everything came to a head, instigated an epic battle including different species of whitewolf monsters (werewolves and such in a vampire game).. the battle was designed for the heroes to win, of course, with the enemy getting away in the end..

you can tell i never went back to the game after that campaign, eh?

my point was i find the battle system too simplistic.. white wolf claims that's because they're more story intensive.. but an RPG can have a good story AND battle system at the same time.. just seems like a cop-out to me..

^^

Final Fantasy 7 & Zelda: Ocarina of Time

final fantasy 3 (best of all time)
chrono trigger
final fantasy 7
lunar silver star story

I owe most of my health and sanity to RPGs on the consoles and PC.

I was one of the few guys in ICU playing Suikoden II heh.

When I was 11 or 12 I was bored with beating games in a couple of days and I saw and ad for FF and I somehow knew it was the savior I needed. Ironicly, I broke my femur in two places and got FF in the mail the same day I returned home I tremendous pain; I’ve been an RPG’r ever since and now get bored in just about no time without a good story and RPG-like gameplay.

A couple I can list.

1) Final Fantasy jIV this is the only game I’ve beat like seven times and the first to almost make me weep. Anna!!
2) Erg. Xenogears and FFVII are equal. Both were fucking flawless (uh despite grammar), gorgeous, some of the best music ever and one of the best plots ever.

Other games I truly loved and are special to me..

Baldur’s Gate 1,2&ToB. Vagrant Story was a majorly underated rpg. Lunar SSSC, Suikoden 1 and 3.

Eek im getting too tired for this. Later

Did you ever play Albert Odyssey: The Legend of Eldean on Sega Saturn? That RPG was GREAT. Working Designs could dish'em out like Squaresoft. All of their designers are funny as hell too; laughed the most at that game than any other I think.

-Lasereth

Ultima 7
Ultima Underworld 1 & 2
Fallout 1 & 2
Planescape
Front Mission 1-3
Suikoden 1 & 2
Final Fantasy Tactics
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
Skies of Arcadia

nope i cannot say i have even heard of that one, i never had a saturn just a segacd then to the ps and now ps2 i wish working designs was still around or something, i have the lunar silver star complete for ps1 but thats about it

1. Chrono Trigger
2. Final Fantasy VII
3. Final Fantasy VIII

FF6 followed by FF7, the most amazing games ever created. The seaies peaked it those for me as I hated FF8 and, despite 9 and 10 being quite good, it's never felt quite the same.

Honorable mention goes to Xenogears (sp?), for having the most redicluous storyline ever (in a good way). Also Chrono Trigger and FF Tactics were great as well.

MORROWIND
MORROWIND
MORROWIND

ff7 is a damn gr8 but since i have the warez version, the game keep crashing when i get to cosmic canyon :(

dues ex is one of best games ive played followed closly by system shock 2
FYI:system shock 2 is abandonware now

FF7

FYI also: morrowind,ff7,NWN make it to gamespot.com's '25 most overrated games of all times' :p