JRPG Primer: Essential 20

[Nous Anima]

This only partly belongs here but what the heck

Great article either way!

[BydoEmpire]

First, your new avatar is hilarious. Who is that?

Good timing on the thread - I JUST started FF 12 this week. My 360 red-ringed, and I wasn't in the mood for anything on Wii. FF 12 had been sitting on my shelf unopened for a year and I figured it was time. Really enjoying it so far.

Of these, I've played:
Skies of Arcadia - fantastic, one of my favorites of the genre.
Panzer Dragoon Saga - also great, very atmospheric and unique. By far the most expensive game I've ever bought, but I sold it for more than I paid. Anyways, I loved the unique setting and combat. Very cool series, and a great game overall.
FF XVII, X,XII - With VII I got to the 2nd disc and quit playing. I've been "intending" to go back and finish that for about 2 years now. I liked X a lot. Though the characters weren't my favorite, the battle system was awesome. XII is really good so far (about 7 hours in). Due to the MMO-style of it, the game feels a lot more open than previous FF games. I also like the character designs a little better.

I can't keep track of the SNES FF numbers. I really, really liked the US FF 3, but I don't know if that was on the list...

What I like about JRPGs as opposed to the traditional Gold Box D&D games, Might & Magic, Baldur's Gate, etc is that they seem to be balanced and paced better. Strict D&D rules don't translate that well to video games, imho. I remember having to replay the same opening section of Icewind Dale three times because a stupid party of kobolds or goblins or whatever killed a party member. This is 10 minutes into the game and I'm already dying, reloading, dying, reloading, etc. JRPGs give you 100 hit points right at the start, and while there are always some challenging battles later on, they at least give you a chance to warm up. Don't get me wrong, I like classic western RPGs too, but JRPGs are a nice change of pace. I also have a much, much better history of actually finishing JRPGs.

[Bloodcat]

I've played most of the games on the list. Out of it, I would say Phantasy Star 4, Valkyrie Profile, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and FF12 are the best ones.

I am mostly a computer RPGer as I like making my own characters and having my own decisions to make as opposed to looking at some hentai fodder characters do things I don't care about yet am forced to play through.

Its almost the XP grindy version of Dragon's Lair. You barely play it and are more or less along for the ride.

[alexjlopez]

I missed some of the ones on the list, particularly the PS1 and PS2 ones since I never owned either of those two systems. A shame PS3 doesn't do the backward compatibility thing anymore, would be a great reason for someone like me to own a PS3.

Also, strange that they would skip GBA and DS altogether, considering that some of the greatest titles in the genre were released in those formats, many from the same developers of the ones listed.

[ChairoNoMe]

Where is Dragon Quest VIII? Personally I thought that was much better than FF7.

[Nectar]

Don't support mediocrity. The experience of Dragon Quest 8 is horribly trudging compared to games like Shin Megami Tensi Nocturne. Any classic styled JRPG that ignores the progress in turn-based battles made in games like Shin Megami Tensei and Final Fantasy X and does not have a story at least better than your average Harry Potter book is not worth it.

[TheGrandPubaa]

I'm kind of bummed they didn't include the Golden Sun series by Camelot for the GBA.

[Japairish]

I loved games like Final Fantasy VII and Skies of Arcadia. But until more games come out like Lost Odyssey and Eternal Sonata ( that have japanese voices ) I will not play another JRPG. Localization is retarded, and most japanese games are based on anime that make me want to blow my brains out. Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core is the most recent game to do this. Everytime I hear Zacks, I punch myself in the eye-ball.