Author: Mike Zeller

   The RPG, or role-playing game, has in the past ten years or so become a staple of the video game industry, with the support of the RPG juggernaut, Square Enix, arguably having decided the last few console wars. Back in the halcyon days of Milli-Vanilli and The Smurfs, the console RPG was predominantly the domain of pimply teenage misfits and overweight shut-ins, but nowadays tons of folks play RPGs (and not just because increased consumption of greasy fast food and irrational fears of terrorist attacks have lead to the creation of more pimply teens and fat-ass homebodies, although those are definitely contributing factors). Personally, the RPG is my favorite genre, and nothing has pleased me more than to see it take root and thrive. Well, I guess overcoming that whole "uncontrollable bed-pooping" problem pleased me a little bit more. But just a little. Now that a kind of golden age of RPGs is upon us, with an average month frequently seeing the release of two or three new games, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of the best of the crop, games that really did the RPG formula right.

   First, though, a word about games that are NOT on this list. For starters, any game less than a year old. As much as games like Final Fantasy XII and Rogue Galaxy seem really awesome, it's hard to judge a game in this kind of context when it's so new. Then, games like The Legend of Zelda and Okami, which do feature epic quests and a degree of character stat growth, but are still primarily adventure games, not RPGs. Similarly, action games like the recent Castlevania titles, which might have RPG-like experience and equipment systems, but are still not really RPGs haven't been included either. And finally, while there is at least one strategy-RPG on this list, we opted not to include strategy-RPGs like Ogre Battle or Fire Emblem, where the strategy really takes precedence over the RPG aspects. I do love those kind of games, but they really start to breach into a different genre. What IS on this list are games released on U.S. consoles that I think really contributed something to the evolution of the genre, and as a matter of fact, all fifteen games listed here are just as much fun to play today as they were when they were released. And just for the hell of it (and also because like any good gamer, I like to cheat a little!) there are also a handful of honorable mentions. These were games we felt weren't quite up to snuff with the other entries on the list, but were important enough for one reason or another to warrant a mention.

   So let's get on with the list, then! Boo-yah!

   (Note: In a couple of places where a game and its sequel had nearly identical gameplay and were both excellent, rather than have them take up two spots I simply listed the one I thought was superior, however slightly, but discussed them both in that entry. I'm so space conscious I should defrag myself!)

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15) Valkyrie Profile (Playstation, 2000)

   Right from the get-go it's clear Valkyrie Profile isn't your typical Japanese RPG. Sure the world is going to pot and the apocalypse is nigh, but it's not the player's job to prevent it. Instead, he or she must control Lenneth Valkyrie (aptly named, since she is a valkyrie) as she flies around the world killing monsters and collecting the souls of heroes in preparation for the gods' final battle with their ancient enemies, the Vanir (basically evil gods/giants). Since the meat-and-potatoes of the game is recruiting heroic dead guys to her cause, Valkyrie spends a great deal of her time watching a series of tragic, often pointless deaths. This, needless to say, creates a pervasively bleak tone that never really alleviates. The fact that Valkyrie observes it all with an icy, dispassionate expression serves to further differentiate her from the huge-eyed, hotheaded youngsters that typically star in Japanese RPGs. And while the story is great, the gameplay is even better. Seeing as Valkyrie's job is to recruit warriors capable of fighting alongside gods, the game's dungeons really serve as training grounds for these deceased ass-whuppers. The dungeons themselves play out like levels of a side-scrolling platform game, with Valkyrie needing to make deft leaps and solve occasionally tricky puzzles to obtain treasure and reach the dungeon's boss. When you run into a monster the game switches to battle mode, which is part turn-based and part fighting-game-like action. Each of your four party members correspond to a face button, and once you've targeted a specific monster, hitting a character's button causes them to attack in a manner that depends upon their weapon. Timing character attacks so that you get a number of successful hits in a row initiates a combo, and at the end of a combo you can often utilize powerful and impressive looking finishing moves. To top it all off, the game has absolutely gorgeous 2-D visuals and an excellent soundtrack. This is a genuinely unique game all RPG fans should definitely take for a spin. If you missed it the first time around you can probably pick up the PSP port fairly cheaply, and you'll even get a couple of nice 3-D cut-scenes thrown in. Oh snap!

14) Dragon Warrior III (NES, 1992)

   While the Dragon Warrior series (recently changed to Dragon Quest as it is known in Japan) has never sold particularly well in the States, in Japan it even outperforms Final Fantasy. Dragon Quest is so popular in the Land of the Rising Sun that all of the more recent titles have been released on the weekend due to the mass truancy of Japanese schoolchildren that occurred when they came out on weekdays. This popularity likely stems from the series' old-school appeal, as it has never abandoned early genre conventions like random encounters and very simplistic turn-based battles. In fact, if you played any of the early NES Dragon Warriors you'd likely feel immediately comfortable with any of the newer titles. Really the games are so similar that any of them could have gone on this list, but I think III embodies the spirit of the series the best. The hero is the son of a famous warrior and he leaves home in search of his missing father, taking with him three other party members that the player creates himself by picking their gender and their class. Being able to make your own team is pretty cool and fairly unusual in a Japanese RPG. Much later your team even has the option of changing their class, and through strategic leveling and class changing, you can really turn your guys into powerhouses. And what better way to show your obvious superiority over your enemies than by destroying them with your team of the hero and three jesters? The rest of the game pretty much plays out in very stereotypical Japanese RPG fashion, with your characters wandering from town to town, chatting with NPCs, fighting random encounters in dungeons, changing equipment, saving kingdoms, etc. But the great thing about the Dragon Warrior/Quest series is that it really nails what makes that formula satisfying and manages to avoid most of the missteps that other games have made. There is some serious fun to be had in these games' straightforward turn-based battles and slow, methodical gathering of items and information. And it's kind of nice to not have to learn some awkward combat mechanism or a bizarre experience system that many RPGs nowadays feel the need to throw in just to differentiate themselves from the pack. Dragon Warrior/Quest is straightforward fun, and if you haven't had a chance to play one of these yet, III is a great place to start. IV and VIII are also pretty sweet.

13) Suikoden III (Playstation 2, 2002)

   As you may have observed from my article on the Suikoden series, I really like Suikoden, and III is one of the best. Along with the series' trademark large-scale strategic battles and 108 recruitable heroes, Suikoden III offers a complex narrative viewable from the perspective of four different characters (five if you meet a special condition while playing through the game): Hugo, the son of the Grasslands' chief, Chris, the captain of the Zexen Knights, Geddoe, a Harmonian mercenary, and Thomas, the unlikely Lord of a backwoods, run down castle that eventually serves as the heroes' base. All-out war is brewing between the tribes of the Grasslands and the Nation of Zexen, and while an attempt at peace is brokered, it seems there are some in the shadows who desire the war to be as long and costly as possible. As the plot twists and turns like some kind of twisty, turny thing on steroids, a number of lingering issues from the previous two Suikoden titles jump to the fore, and at this game's conclusion the trilogy made up of the first three games essentially comes to a close. For any of you unfamiliar with Suikoden, the real draw of the series has always been the ability to customize your own base by recruiting the 108 Stars of Destiny, each of whom performs a different function, from opening a shop, to allowing you to play a mini-game, to fighting alongside you. Like in all Suikoden titles, even the most peripheral of the 108 Stars is given a well-developed personality, and thanks to the divided narrative more of them are involved in the plot in a significant way. This game's cast is truly spectacular. From the noble Sgt. Joe, to the lecherous Ace, to the creepy Yuber, almost every character is a memorable one. And while the previously tight battle system is a bit encumbered (you must issue commands to pairs of characters and proximity has rather unfortunately become a factor) the large-scale strategic battles are absolutely amazing, thanks to the fact that your characters actually fight at the same level they would any other battle. So for once there's a reason to level up and equip characters you wouldn't use in your regular party. If you liked any of the other games in the Suikoden series, you'll want to check this one out too.

Honorable Mention: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II (Playstation 2 and Xbox, 2004)

  Unlike their PC brethren which are massive, sprawling epics, the Baldur's Gate console games are rather simple, Diablo-style dungeon-hacks with Dungeons & Dragons trappings. Though this shift in style might seem to be kind of a letdown to fans of the PC games, these titles are still a blast to play, especially with another person. Their quick, pick-up-and-play style makes running around dungeons, squabbling for treasure, and uniting to defeat massive bosses tons of fun, even for casual gamers. But for those who are in the mood for something a little deeper, you can certainly sink a lot of time into tinkering with equipment and developing your character's skills and abilities. Of the pair the second game is the superior one, adding more characters, more abilities, more dungeons, and an overall more satisfying quest. Though both games take significant liberties with the Dungeons & Dragons rules, the familiar faces in the bestiary and the classic Forgotten Realms setting make this a real treat for anyone who grew up playing D&D. So if you've got an RPG-loving pal, this will probably be right up your alley.

12) Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (Playstation, 2002)

   Originally a Sega CD game essentially remade from the ground up for the Playstation, Lunar is a simple tale of a boy named Alex who wants to be just like his hero, Dragonmaster Dyne, and who sets off on a journey to accomplish that feat. Eventually, though, his quest becomes more about discovering the destiny of his childhood friend and unrealized love interest, Luna. Much like the Dragon Warrior games mentioned earlier on this list, Lunar adheres relatively closely to Japanese RPG staples like turn-based battles and super deformed character models, but its old-school charm is part of what makes it such a joy to play through. Probably the biggest factor in its quality, though, is the fact that Working Designs did the localization. Playing a Working Designs game, and Lunar in particular, one gets a feeling similar to the one you might get when examining a beautifully handcrafted piece of furniture. It's clear that the folks at Working Designs chose to localize Lunar: SSSC because they really loved the game, and that love shows through in every aspect of the American version. The dialogue is tight, the voice acting is extremely professional, and the packaging for the game when it was originally released was probably the best I'd ever seen for anything outside of Japan. Hell, even the songs they translated into English sounded good, and anyone who has watched anime can tell you that translating a Japanese song and singing it is usually a one-way ticket to Sucksville. None of Lunar's elements really leap out on their own, but experiencing the game as a whole really gives the feeling that its creation was a labor of love, and that love is infectious. To break it down for you, you've got a simple but engaging plot, a host of loveable characters, gameplay that's old-school in the best possible way, some of the best looking anime cut scenes in a video game ever, and a healthy dose of fan service. Is there any reason not to play this game? Only if you're dead, and even then I'm going to need a copy of the death certificate. And no, a picture of you next to the casket won't do. (Note: Lunar: SSSC's sequel, Lunar: Eternal Blue, is also a terrific game that everyone should play, but the more forgiving difficulty gives Lunar: SSSC a slight edge.)

11) Vagrant Story (Playstation, 2000)

   Vagrant story is one of those games that has an absolutely rabid cult following. But even those who've played it and don't worship it like a tiny plastic idol will admit that there's something really special about it. Vagrant Story stars Ashley Riot, a Riskbreaker (i.e. a really bad-ass soldier), who has been sent on a mission to eliminate the leader of a dangerous cult and rescue the hostages the cult has taken. While he botches the job on the first attempt, he is sent to the ruins of the city of Lea Monde, the place where the remnants of the cult retreated to, to give it one more try. From here things get very, very confusing. A number of political factions have a vested interest in the outcome of the battles in Lea Monde, and soon another Riskbreaker and a host of church knights have entered the fray. Eventually the magic of Lea Monde begins to affect those in the ruins, and characters' perception and memories start to cloud. Vagrant Story likely has one of the best, most complex plots of any video game ever. It's no real surprise, though, since it was directed by Yasumi Matsuno who was also instrumental in the creation of the equally intrigue-filled Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII. As great as the narrative is, the gameplay is just as good, if not better. Vagrant story is basically a dungeon-crawl, with the player controlling Ashley as he wanders through the ruins of Lea Monde. When attacking an enemy, a wire sphere spreads out from Ashley, allowing him to attack anything within range. The player can target different body parts on an enemy, as some parts may be easier to hit or take more damage from a successful strike. Not only that, but by timing button presses the player can string together combos for some fairly substantive damage. Of course, the more you attack an enemy, the higher the Risk gauge goes, and the higher the Risk gauge goes, the less accurate and more vulnerable Ashley becomes. So though combat is fairly action-oriented, you can't just charge in and heedlessly hack away at foes. The other unique aspect of the game is its unbelievably deep item creation system. Many of the weapons and pieces of armor that you'll come across in the game are pretty useless, but all of them can be disassembled, and their components can be used to construct better items. And since the more you use a piece of equipment against a particular type of enemy the more effective it becomes against that type of enemy, there's a real incentive to dive into the item creation system to craft truly specialized armaments. Add in the game's somber visuals and its atmospheric music and you've got a real winner.

10) Pokémon Red/Blue (Gameboy, 1998)

   Oh, I'm sure any number of you reading this list just sneered in derision at my selection of a Pokémon game, instantly dismissing the list for recommending such "kiddy" fare. Well, it's a real shame that you're too much of a big boy now to play Pokémon, because this "kiddy" series has always been a source of some of the deepest, most satisfying RPG gameplay around, and Pokémon Red and Blue were the ones that started it all. Sure, the story might be kind of fluff, but the fantastic combat system more than makes up for it. Essentially an expansion upon the elemental system found in pretty much every RPG, battles in Pokémon are much more complex games of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Each Pokémon is one or sometimes two types, and these types tend to correspond to standard RPG elements like Fire, Water, Rock, etc. Each type is strong versus several other types and weak versus a few more. Since battles are always one-on-one (although in later games in the series they are sometimes two-on-two) you need to make sure you field a Pokémon whose type is strong against your foes' type. You can have up to six characters in your party at a time, so a significant part of the game is constructing a line-up of six Pokémon whose types are balanced enough to respond to any situation. Of course, you can't just go to a recruiting station and hire some thugs to do your dirty work. You have to go catch your team yourself by wandering out into the field to encounter wild Pokémon. Any wild Pokémon can be captured and added to your team provided you knock its HP down to a critical level and tag it with a strong enough Pokéball. This basically means you've got a limitless pool of playable characters to draw from. There's a reason the Pokémon series' motto is, "Gotta catch 'em all!" Hunting down rare Pokémon can take some real sleuthing, and it sometimes even involves interacting with other real world players via trading. But the satisfaction of capturing and therefore being able to field a rare or particularly powerful Pokémon are well worth the hassle. But even if you have no intention of utilizing a particular Pokémon, the character designers at Nintendo have always done a great job of making all the Pokémon appear distinct and attractive, so you'll want to catch them just for the sake of it. If you've got a hankering for a hunk of Pokémon, Red and Blue were essentially remade for the Gameboy Advance as Fire Red and Leaf Green, and the new Diamond and Pearl are pretty terrific too.

Honorable Mention: Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (Playstation 2, 2003)

   While RPGs have been mainstream since the Playstation/Saturn/N64 generation, even at that time there were still any number of quirky or unusual titles the Japanese felt were too weird or hard-core to bother porting to the U.S. Of course, I say "were" because Disgaea changed all that. Unlike typical Japanese RPGs where you play as some smiling do-gooder, Disgaea stars Laharl, who is essentially the prince of Hell. Waking up from a long, long nap, he discovers his father is dead and that every demon with half-baked delusions of grandeur is fighting to become the next ruler of the Underworld. Being the rightful heir, Laharl decides to take matters into his own hands and travel around the Underworld offing the attempted usurpers with his army of murderous, knife wielding, exploding penguins. ...Yes, you heard that right. Thus begins a tale that is definitely one of the most absurd, slapstick-filled stories ever in a video game. And while the style may be goofy and off-the-wall, the gameplay is about as hard-core as it can get in a strategy RPG. Your characters can gain levels into the hundreds and eventually deal tens of thousands of HP in damage. Every piece of equipment contains a massive, randomly generated dungeon inside of it that can be ventured into and cleared to power up that piece of equipment. Battles are hugely complex affairs involving stacking characters, team combos, and explosive chain reactions caused by elemental field effects. A demonic senate can be bribed to grant your team extras like new equipment at the shop or access to new dungeons. And if you can't win them over through underhanded dealings, you can always just attack them and kill enough to put the vote in your favor. I could easily spend the entire rest of this article detailing the intricacies of Disgaea's battle and character development systems, but that would kind of be a letdown for those folks who wanted to see what the number one pick is. Suffice to say, we all owe Disgaea a debt of gratitude for its weird-ass story and gameplay paving the way for all the other weird-ass Atlus and Nippon Ichi RPGs that have hit the States since.

9) Kingdom Hearts (Playstation 2, 2002)

  When you stop and think about it, the idea of a Disney RPG being helmed by Square Enix is incredibly bizarre. Picturing Goofy fighting it out against Cloud Strife, or seeing Donald cast Thundaga on a behemoth seems like it should upset the universe. But that's exactly what you get in the two Kingdom Hearts games, and what you get is really, really good. Kingdom Hearts begins with the young boy, Sora, who dreams of one day sailing out into the wide world with his best friends, Riku and Kairi. He gets his wish sooner than he expects, though, as wicked creatures called the Heartless consume his world and separate the three friends. Sora wakes up in a mysterious town where he encounters several characters from the Final Fantasy series as well as Disney's own Donald and Goofy. They explain how the Heartless are consuming countless worlds and that only the wielder of the Keyblade (a strange, key-shaped sword that has materialized in Sora's possession) stands a chance of stopping them. So off Sora goes, accompanied by Donald (a magic user) and Goofy (a mentally handicapped knight), to rid a number of Disney-movie-themed worlds of the Heartless while searching for his missing friends. I really can't even begin to explain how any of this holds together, but it does so masterfully. Each world the heroes visit encapsulates a different Disney film, and never does anyone or anything feel out of place. Part of this is probably due to the visuals, which manage to perfectly preserve the individual styles of all the game's characters and settings while simultaneously making everything look fairly uniform. And while the game's appearance does give it a great deal of appeal, its combat is equally engaging. Kingdom Hearts is an action-RPG in the most frenetic sense. When Heartless appear the player must dive in Keyblade swinging, with a magic-blasting Donald and a shield-smashing Goofy (or whatever other characters Sora has teamed up with) bringing up the flanks. As the game progresses and Sora learns more skills and abilities, he winds up sailing through the air performing multi-hit aerial combos, tossing his Keyblade like a massive boomerang, and generally pounding the crap out of his enemies with blinding swings of his weapon. The boss fights are particularly impressive, with massive foes like the Cerberus from Hercules, or giant Ursula from The Little Mermaid raining destruction down while tiny Sora ducks and rolls away from their attacks. The Kingdom Hearts games are truly spectacular RPGs that fans of both Square Enix and Disney should easily enjoy. While both games are excellent, the original gets a slight edge for its simpler plot and because the sequel reused a number of its settings.

8) Earthbound (SNES, 1995)

   RPGs placed in a contemporary setting are something of a rarity. Aside from the über-dark Shin Megami Tensei series and its spin-off series, Persona, there aren't many. Well, Earthbound is one of those select few, and it takes the absolutely polar approach from Shin Megami Tensei. The story opens in 199X Eagleland (Barely concealed parody alert!) where a young boy named Ness is awakened in the middle of the night by a loud crash. He goes out to investigate and discovers that a meteorite has landed near his home. As it turns out, the meteorite is actually the vessel of a benevolent alien being who has come to warn Earth about the invasion of another, evil alien called Giygas. Lucky for him, it turns out that Ness is the one destined to stop Giygas, and the good alien is able to pass on the necessary information before he is mistaken for a dung beetle and killed by Ness's neighbor. That act pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the game. The best way to describe Earthbound is as a parody of Dragon Warrior with a goofy, sometimes infantile sense of humor. In order for Ness to be victorious against Giygas, he must visit the eight sanctuary spots around the world to gain the Earth's power, and he must also unite with three other children of destiny, the psychic young woman, Paula, the mechanically minded Jeff, and the unfortunately named martial artist, Poo. Apart from the small, suburban towns of Eagleland, the heroes also visit the large city of Fourside, the desert land of Scaraba, the impenetrable jungle of the Deep Darkness and many other exotic locals. Though the game's graphics engine is very primitive, even compared to other SNES games, its simple, cartoony designs combined with its unusual musical score really help to establish a sense of place in all its many locales. Like most RPGS, the heroes also encounter their fair share of enemies, mostly in the form of creatures controlled by the will of Giygas. I'm not sure quite what it is that makes things like flies, buffalo, and hippies particularly vulnerable to Giygas' control, but suffice to say the foes of Earthbound are varied and bizarre. Battle plays out pretty much like the turn-based ones found in Dragon Warrior, with the view being first person from the heroes' perspective. Since this isn't a standard fantasy RPG, though, it wouldn't make much sense for Ness and crew to be clad in full plate mail and swinging around broadswords. Instead, they use baseball bats, frying pans, and b.b. guns to deal damage, and protect their delicate parts with hats, arm bands, and various lucky charms. Instead of magic, Ness and his friends utilize psychic powers that function similarly. And instead of the typical potions or medicinal herbs, the heroes utilize a huge number of modern foods like hotdogs, cookies, and pizzas to heal their injuries. All in all, Earthbound is a bizarre but very satisfying RPG.

7) Final Fantasy II /IV (SNES, 1991)

   Okay, just to clarify, I'm talking about the first Final Fantasy that was released for the Super Nintendo, which is also essentially the same game released as Final Fantasy IV in the Final Fantasy Chronicles compilation for the Playstation, which is also basically the same game released as Final Fantasy IV Advance for the Gameboy Advance. Glad we got that out of the way. Anyway, despite being the first Final Fantasy to test the waters on the SNES's 16-bit hardware, Final Fantasy II was one of the best RPGs released for the platform. Starring Cecil, a dark knight who has begun to question the morality of his homeland of Baron, Final Fantasy II is a story of redemption. Soon after his quest begins, Cecil learns that Baron is being controlled by Golbez, an evil sorcerer of unknown origin. Using Baron's military might and a host of monsters, Golbez is traveling the world collecting its elemental crystals for some nefarious purpose. Together with a host of allies, Cecil seeks to discard his dark sword, take up the sword of light, and defeat Golbez before his plans come to fruition. Though any number of Final Fantasy stories could be described as, "angst ridden," Final Fantasy II has perhaps the most melancholy tale. Almost all those who come to join Cecil's party have lost something important, either physically or spiritually, and they take up arms with the knight in the hopes of finding it again. The player actually comes to care about the plight of these characters too, because they are some of the most interestingly crafted folks ever to join the cast of a Final Fantasy: the fiery old sage, Tellah, the tormented dragoon, Kain, the twin magicians, Palom and Porom, the playboy ninja prince, Edge, and many more. Each has a unique personality and plays a distinct part in the events that unfold. They also each have a particular class and a variety of special abilities they can utilize in combat. Final Fantasy II was the first Final Fantasy to utilize the Active-Time Battle engine that has been used in pretty much every numbered Final Fantasy since, and once you've experienced it you'll understand why it's hung around for so long. It takes the sometimes-tedious turn-based battles of most Japanese RPGs and really injects a sense of speed and urgency. With its great story, believable cast, and engaging battle system, Final Fantasy II is a must-play for anyone who considers themselves an RPG-aficionado. Since the Gameboy Advance adaptation offers substantive additional gameplay elements and an improved translation, I'd have to recommend it as the superior version.

Honorable Mention: Xenogears (Playstation, 1998)

   Xenogears seems to be one of those games that you absolutely love or you simply can't stand. The story stars Fei Fong Wong, whose hometown is caught in the midst of a battle between the human-piloted giant robots of rival nations. And that's about as long as things stay coherent. The narrative of Xenogears is renowned for being more chock full of pseudo-religious jargon, references to German philosophy, and Freudian implications than a Neon Genesis Evangelion marathon. We're talking David Lynch-level weirdness here. In fact, an entire book was published in Japan detailing the game's back-story and explaining some of the more convoluted connections. Some players see this as the height of video game storytelling, demonstrating that games can hold their own against the likes of films and novels. Others see it as the most prominent instance of designer pretension, where a bunch of Japanese hacks thought name dropping dead philosophers and making obscure references to Jewish mysticism equated to art. Either way, the game is certainly a unique one, particularly on its second disc when the flow switches from that of a typical console RPG to a strange alteration between dungeon crawling and passively reading lengthy exposition by the game's central cast. The combat, too, is rather unusual. Party members attack by performing combos of weak, medium, and strong strikes to execute powerful Deathblow finishing moves. In many of the battles, especially those later in the game, the heroes pilot giant robots called Gears, which fight remarkably similarly to their human operators. When using a team of Gears, though, the player must also be sure to monitor fuel levels. Each of a Gear's actions consumes a certain amount of fuel, and once a Gear has exhausted its fuel supply it can no longer function. Like it or loathe it, Xenogears has unquestionably had an impact upon later console RPGs by showing the genre was capable of at least engaging more complex themes, and for that reason alone it is definitely worth a gander.

6) Paper Mario (Nintendo 64, 2001)

   When Nintendo and Squaresoft teamed up to turn Nintendo's heroic plumber into a genuine RPG character they created a quality RPG in the form of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. But the Mario RPG series really hit its stride when Nintendo kicked those Square jerks to the curb and created Paper Mario. The look might be totally different, but Paper Mario is the true successor to Super Mario RPG: LotSS. In typical Mario fashion, Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser, who has acquired apparent invincibility from the newfound Star Rod, and it's up to Mario to rescue her. What sets Paper Mario apart is its unique art style. Though the world is 3-D, Mario and all the other characters are 2-D sprites, thus giving them the appearance of being paper-thin. It's an interesting little gimmick, and one the game plays up a bit (although not nearly as much as later games in the series), demonstrating that it's very aware of its own absurdity. Add in the game's snappy dialogue and the generous amount of self-referential jokes and you've got a game that's genuinely funny. That playful tone goes a long way towards really making the Mushroom Kingdom feel not just alive, but also like a really fun place to spend some time. The world of Paper Mario, even more so than that of Super Mario RPG, feels like a real expansion of what was only hinted at in the old 2-D side-scrolling Mario games. It's big and packed to the brim with secrets waiting to be discovered by ingenious players. The battle system has been upgraded too, emphasizing the timing-based aspects introduced in Super Mario RPG to create a style of combat that feels uniquely suited to the Mario world. I would highly recommend any of the Mario RPGs, but I think the best of the bunch is definitely the original Paper Mario.

5) Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Xbox, 2004)

   The original Xbox wasn't exactly known for its extensive RPG library, so it makes perfect sense that it would be the platform for arguably the best two RPGs of the past console generation. Not only that, but the games were Star Wars RPGs, and history tells us the Star Wars license delivers mixed results at best. But then again, everything developer BioWare touches turns to gold, so I guess we should have seen it coming. Possessing the same open-endedness as BioWare's PC titles like Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, the original Knights of the Old Republic is a brilliantly nonlinear tale of a faceless grunt in the army of the Old Republic who begins to realize his past is not what he thought it was. Filled with colorful characters like the inquisitive Mission Vao and the murderous HK-47, and featuring one of the best executed plot twists in a video game, Knights of the Old Republic delivered a classic Star Wars experience at the height of fans' despair over the abysmal new films. But as good as the game was, the sequel was even better. Sith Lords stars a Jedi exiled from the Order returning to more populated space to find that most Jedi have been eradicated by the Sith. Like its predecessor, Sith Lords features the Light Side vs. Dark Side meter that is affected by your behavior, but unlike the original's fairly black and white interpretation of morality, Sith Lords takes a much grayer view. Is helping another in need really good if it encourages dependant behavior? Is killing an innocent wrong if it leads to the accomplishment of a much greater good? Sith Lords truly encourages introspective behavior more so than any other game that I've played, and it doesn't offer any easy answers to the moral quandaries it raises. Along with this aspect, the game also introduces the influence system, whereby your actions influence the alignment of your party members. By speaking with your teammates you can gain influence with them, which in turn leads their actions to be more or less in line with your own as the game progresses. Of course, statements that gain influence with one character can cost you influence with another, so the player must carefully balance the feelings and opinions of all his party members in order to achieve harmony on his team. On top of all this good stuff, Sith Lords features the same solid battle engine from the previous KoTOR, which allows for smooth, fast combat while simultaneously providing a great degree of control over the party's actions. So if you're looking for a great RPG with classic Star Wars flavor to wash the taste of those crappy prequels out of your mouth, this is the game for you.

Honorable Mention: Fable (Xbox, 2004)

   Speaking of the rare breed Xbox RPGs, the other noteworthy entrant is this sparsely populated category is, of course, Fable. The brainchild of the famed designer Peter Molyneux who tends to turn anything he touches into innovation, Fable follows the story of a nameless Hero, whose life turns upside down at a young age when bandits kill his family and burn down his village – seemingly in search of him. The boy miraculously escapes, and is rescued by an old mage who takes him to live at the Heroes Guild. Once he grows up and completes his training, the Hero goes out into the world, looking to unravel the mystery of his family’s death and seek revenge on those behind it.
   Fable brought many innovations to the RPG genre, most notably the incredibly dynamic character evolution system. Nearly every choice made by the player reflects on the Hero in very visible and tangible ways: his physique alters based on what kinds of weapons he uses, spending time in sunny areas gives him a tan, eating too much makes him fat, battle damage gives him scars, and so on. Beyond the physical, moral choices have as profound an effect: the game doesn’t force you into the path of good, and in fact often offers you quests that run the good and bad side of the same deed. Your choice determines whether it is fear or love that you will instill in other characters through the smartly designed notoriety system, and your decision will permanently open some paths of advancement, while irrevocably shutting others. The gameplay holds up equally well, despite some minor clunkiness in the control scheme, and the overall feel and theme of the game will remind veterans of such games as Betrayal at Krondor, Quest for Glory, and even the above-mentioned KOTOR when it comes to the good vs. evil aspects. While Fable didn’t quite muster up the same level impact as KOTOR, its innovations cannot be ignored by any serious RPG enthusiast, and with Fable 2 on the way, there is likely more goodness to come from this original series.

4) Chrono Trigger (SNES, 1995)

   Chrono Trigger is really one of those games where everything comes together just right to create a truly magical gaming experience. Created by a dream team of game developers from both Squaresoft and Enix (before they transformed and combined to form Mecha-Square Enix), the game is the tale of a young man named Crono who just wants to go to the fair. Through a series of mishaps, Crono and his friends are accidentally sucked through time, and after a few early adventures they discover that about one thousand years from their present day, the world will be destroyed by a monstrous creature named Lavos that has been living deep within the planet for a large chunk of Earth's history. Thus the heroes set off through time to discover when Lavos arrived on Earth and destroy him before he awakens. Since the object of the game is changing history, the heroes will visit a number of locations in various time periods ranging from dinosaur-filled prehistory to the ruined, dystopian future. Depending upon what you do in earlier time periods, events will play out differently in later ones. If you protect a forest from monsters in the middle ages, that same forest may be flourishing in the present. Leave a magical item in a spot of power in prehistory and if you return there in 2300 A.D. you'll find it all powered up and ready for use. It's a truly novel system that hasn't really been replicated in any RPG since. The game plays basically like one of the 16-bit Final Fantasy games, complete with the ATB gauge and using tonics to restore HP. However, the quirky designs of Dragon Ball Z creator Akira Toriyama give the game a more lighthearted, adventurous feel, compared to the darker, more angsty Final Fantasy. The game's battle system differentiates itself from the more static Final Fantasy format of the time as well by featuring very animated characters leaping about the screen during combat, sometimes joining together to perform powerful, visually dynamic combination techniques. Though it certainly has its darker moments, Chrono Trigger is the RPG equivalent of a really good action movie, frenetically paced and determined to deliver both excitement and fun.

Honorable Mention: Final Fantasy VII (Playstation, 1997)

   Hoo-boy, am I going to catch hell for this one. Oh well. I hate to break it to you, kids, but Final Fantasy VII is not the greatest RPG of all time. In fact, as this list indicates, I wouldn't even rank it in the top fifteen. Its static backgrounds aren't particularly impressive, its plot about two soldiers, one who's forgotten his past and the other who wants to destroy the world, is fairly standard, its blocky 3-D graphics have aged significantly worse than those of its older 2-D brethren, and its materia-based skill system is one of the worst of any Final Fantasy, second only to the terrible Guardian Force-based one used in Final Fantasy VIII. However, what Final Fantasy VII managed to achieve in its time was monumental, and the effects are still being felt in the gaming world to this day. Before Final Fantasy VII, the cartridge based Nintendo 64 was handily beating the CD based Playstation, but VII's arrival essentially signed the death writ for the cartridge format. Yeah, the GBA and DS still use it, but that's it. Final Fantasy VII also led to the explosion in the RPG genre that we're still enjoying. Before the Playstation, console RPGs were extremely rare in the U.S. There were maybe twenty total on the SNES, and the Genesis had probably less than half that amount. Nowadays you'll get more than twenty released in just one year, and we have Final Fantasy VII to thank for it. For the time it was released its cinematic cut scenes were gorgeous, and many an action game fan simply saw the pretty and purchased. And the absolute marketing assault that took place around the game ensured that a LOT of people saw the pretty. The fact that tons of kids saw the ads and thus played the game gave a generation of gamers a taste for RPGs at a young age, ensuring they would grow up demanding more of it. So even though Final Fantasy VII is responsible for those now fifteen-year-old jackasses cluttering up message boards with "SEPHIROTH RULZ!!!", it's also responsible for us being able to play quality games like Radiata Stories and Growlanser III. If you somehow haven't managed to yet, make sure you take Final Fantasy VII for a spin in your Playstation or Playstation 2 someday. There is a half decent game in there, but even beyond that, if you're an RPG fan you owe it one. Big time.

3) Suikoden II (Playstation, 1999)

   If you really want to party like it's 1999, just go find yourself a copy of Suikoden II. Coming in at #3 on this list, you'd expect it to be good, but you'd be wrong. It's not good. It's %^*$ing amazing. Unlike most RPGs, Suikoden games are never about fighting some nebulous evil that threatens to end the world. Instead, they tend to focus on the more human plight of two lands in conflict and the struggles of certain individuals as they try to find their place in the world amidst the chaos. In Suikoden II those characters are the unnamed hero, his sister Nanami, and his best friend Jowy. The hero and Jowy are part of the Unicorn Brigade, a military unit in the Highlands army that consists solely of young soldiers. The Brigade soon comes under attack by what they believe are forces of the Jowston City-State, a nearby country which fought a war with the Highlands some time ago. However, it turns out that the attack was staged by the Highlands' own prince, the cruel, borderline psychotic Luca Blight (perhaps the most heinous villain in any video game ever) in order to incite an invasion of Jowston. The hero and Jowy are the only survivors, and while escaping they wind up being captured by Flik and Victor, two prominent characters from the original Suikoden who are now working for the Jowston City-State as mercenaries. Eventually the two come into possession of the two halves of the Rune of Beginning, one of the 27 True Runes that hold together the fabric of the world of Suikoden. The hero takes the Shield Rune and Jowy claims the Sword Rune, thus ensuring the two are forever destined to be in conflict. Sure enough, Jowy soon returns to the Highlands and he and the hero spend the rest of the game reluctantly fighting against one another. This game's plot is truly fantastic. Not only are there plenty of twists and turns to keep the player on his toes, but it also features a massive cast of superbly developed characters. One thing Suikoden has always done better than any other series is make its villains genuinely sympathetic, and II does it the best. The player truly has the feeling throughout the game that, if not for the whims of destiny, those he is fighting against could just as easily have been his allies. Well, except for Luca Blight, of course. He's an utterly unrepentant bastard. This game possesses all the other classic hallmarks of the Suikoden series as well: massive strategic battles, a castle the player can build up by recruiting characters and finding certain items, the ability to import data from the previous game to unlock cool bonuses, and a silky-smooth battle engine that makes even the frequent random encounters fun. I don't think it's really possible for me to recommend this game enough, so I'll say simply that if you like RPGs you should play this game.

2) Final Fantasy Tactics (Playstation, 1998)

   Final Fantasy Tactics is and likely always will be the mac-daddy of console strategy-RPGs. Set in Ivalice (the same land as Final Fantasy XII), the story starts en medias res, with a squad of soldiers attacking a church to kidnap the princess inside while another squad fights to repel them. After the battle, the young mercenary Ramza Beoulve has a flashback to when he was just a naïve cadet at a military academy for the children of nobility. The Fifty Year War his home country of Ivalice had fought against its neighbor, Ordalia, was just coming to a close, but tension was increasing due to the failing health of the sickly king. Since neither the king's infant son nor his adopted daughter could rule alone, the two nobles closest to the throne had begun to consolidate their power. Thus begins the struggle of Ramza and his best friend, Delita, as they are swept up in all manner of plot and intrigue. The two are soon pulled apart as tragedy leads Delita down a dark path and Ramza makes the discovery that shadowy powers within the Glabados Church are manipulating the war for sinister purposes. Since the game was headed up by the same Yasumi Matsuno who later worked on Vagrant Story, the narrative is top-notch, filled to the brim with shifting loyalties, moral ambiguity, and dramatic revelations. Even a translation that occasionally bordered on incoherent can't obscure the quality plot. But once again, as good as the story is, it's the unparalleled gameplay that puts Final Fantasy Tactics near the top of this list. While Tactics' battles are fairly standard isometric, turn-based strategy game fare, Tactics has hands down the best implementation of Final Fantasy's Job Class System (previously used in Final Fantasy V and the original Famicom Final Fantasy III). Players can choose from twenty classic Final Fantasy jobs (not counting unique jobs) to assign their units, and units can switch jobs at any time provided they've earned enough Job Levels to unlock the others. They can also learn and equip any of hundreds of abilities to give them access to various skills, defensive techniques, movement bonuses, and more. You can easily lose yourself for hours teaching your characters new skills and abilities and then tweaking their setup in a vain effort to create the perfect unit. It's incredibly addictive, and even after nine years I haven't grown bored with it. Throw in all the side quests, the unique characters, the secrets, and the gorgeous soundtrack and you've got the second best console RPG of all time. The first being...

1) Final Fantasy III/VI (SNES, 1994)

   What makes a game the greatest console RPG of all time? Is it an excellent story? Is it a unique cast of endearing characters? Is it stylish graphics and an atmospheric soundtrack? How about highly engaging gameplay? Well, it doesn't matter what you answered, because Final Fantasy III has them all. The game opens a thousand years after a great war left an unnamed world bereft of magic. In the ensuing millennium humanity slowly recovered and now exists in a steampunk-ish state. While the world is essentially at peace, a great empire has risen up, conquering numerous other countries and oppressing their people, all the while searching for remnants of the great beasts that fought in that ancient war. The setup might not be particularly original, but the execution is completely unparalleled. As mentioned in our review of the recent Gameboy Advance port of FFIII, the game has no real main character. You'll start out playing as the amnesiac magic user, Terra, but soon you'll be jumping into the shoes of a host of different folks: the gallant thief, Locke, the mechanically inclined but lecherous young king, Edgar, and his noble martial artist brother, Sabin, the melancholy knight, Celes, the playful moogle, Mog, and many more. The game's cast of playable characters is the biggest of any of the numbered Final Fantasy games, and though some might get a bit more screen time than others, FFIII does a great job of making each character feel unique and fully developed. Each hero has a very specific role to play in the complex tale that unfolds. And though the story is short by modern standards, it packs a great deal of punch into its relatively brief run time. That, in a nutshell, is the real glory of Final Fantasy III. It's just so full of quality content! You're constantly doing something new and exciting, whether it's riding a rickety raft down a river rife with rapids, stealing the clothes from soldiers to slowly orchestrate an escape from an occupied city, or even performing in an opera to lure out a prospective kidnapper. While things always adhere to the same basic gameplay formula, the game always shifts the specifics a bit so the player is forced to consider things from different perspectives. Since you've got such a large team at your disposal, you'll often be forced to divide the heroes up into several parties to either tandem-assault a particularly complex dungeon or to protect a target from attacking enemy troops. The fighting itself is based off of the same ATB system found in most other Final Fantasy games, so it's fun and very accessible to any seasoned RPG fan. Final Fantasy III is definitely one of the best looking games that came out for the SNES too. All the backgrounds are intricately detailed and painted with lots of somber earth tones, thus giving VI's world a sturdy, lived-in feel. The character sprites, though of the stubby, SNES variety, are surprisingly expressive, with enough animations to fit any occasion. And all the action is perfectly complemented by what may well be composer Nobuo Uemetsu's masterwork. Final Fantasy III is one of those special games that breeds nostalgic feelings as soon as you turn it on. It really must be experienced by anyone who considers himself an RPG-lover. While you can play it in its original SNES format, you can also play it as Final Fantasy VI in Final Fantasy Anthologies for the Playstation. This version has a gorgeous CGI opening and closing, but also a little bit of slowdown during battles and when selecting the menu. It's also available as Final Fantasy VI Advance for the Gameboy Advance, complete with several new spells and a bonus dungeon but burdened by a stripped-down soundtrack. Each version has pros and cons, but since the basic game is the same, play whichever format works best for you.



   And there it is, the list of the greatest fifteen RPGs to appear on God's green Earth. Then again, there are plenty of other really great games out there just waiting for someone to champion their cause. Think I'm a fool for neglecting the genius that is Dragon View? Can't believe I had the gall to leave Thousand Arms off the list? Want to bludgeon me about the head and neck for completely ignoring Albert Odyssey? Well, lucky for you we've got a charming little comment form down below where you can call me all kinds of horrible names and positively tear my opinions to shreds. Because what would the internet really be without jerks cussing each other out over things that don't really matter? Just porn, that's what. Now get to it.

Mike Zeller

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