The 10th Hour 01.11.08: Top 10 Japanese RPGs

Posted by Derek Robbins on 01.11.2008

Japanese RPGs aren't exactly in short supply these days. It seems every other day, a new one is released. Which ones are the best though? The cream of the crop? 411's Derek Robbins fills you in on his ten best Japanese RPGs.

Hello and welcome to the 10th hour! As always, before I get started there are a couple of things I wish to hit on.

-According to the latest issue of Coro Coro magazine, Zelda's Down+B in Brawl is called "twilight transformation". The rough translation goes "Twilight version seek transformation" (Seek is the Japanese version of Sheik). Thanks to Brawl Central for the heads up. A lot of people thought Sheik would get the axe thanks to Brawl's Zelda being from Twilight Princess, but apparently that isn't the case. Excelletn!

-On the topic of Smash Brothers Brawl, I wish to ridicule a preview for this game from Gamepro magazine. Here is their "Good, Bad, and Ugly" for the future behemoth of a game. This is my source. Their stuff is in italics, my response is in…well, my typical font.

GOOD:
1. New features like stage building and online
Very welcome.
2. Multitude of Control Options
I do appreciate that they INCLUDE the option, but honestly…I'll probably just stick with the Gamecube controller. Unless the classic controller somehow makes things more user friendly.

3. Most diverse roster ever
So far. If the roster is 35+ I'd agree, but until we have a few more confirmations it's hard to say that. At present, I think Marvel vs. Capcom 2's roster is more diverse.

4. Good Soundtrack
Inarguable.

BAD:
1. Old favorites might not make the cut
I guess if you're a huge Pichu, Doctor Mario, or Roy fan this would be viewed as as a problem

2. Assist trophies are not much different than poke balls
So you're complaining about…adding more characters to the game that would have otherwise not made an appearance? Sorry, I like as much exposure as possible.

3. Stage builder is simplistic
At least we're getting one. It's good that you mentioned that as a positive, but…can you name another fighter that even HAS one?

4. Story mode might be bad like melee's.
Subspace Emissary is looking pretty awesome. They could have simply played it safe and just thrown together another "adventure" mode like they did in Melee, but they decided to add a story, so kudos. From what I've seen, the side scrolling elements actually look pretty fun.

UGLY:
1. No decent online options
That have been revealed yet. I actually agree that the online COULD be more fleshed out, but I enjoy that we get it at all. Nintendo seems to FEAR the internet.

2. Gameplay hasn't evolved much
Okay. See: Halo franchise See also: Super Mario Galaxy.

3. Motion control is barely utilized
People complain when waggle is in, and people complain when it isn't utilized. Whatever. Waggle would make Brawl kind of awkward and clumsy. They have an option where you CAN waggle to smash attack, but I don't think you'd fare too well on the tournament scene if you tried to do that. Honestly, I want my game experience to be as fun as possible…I don't need any un-necessary gimmicks to ruin what is already a great franchise.

4. Three Kirby Characters
…!!!! This sounds like a fan-boy statement. Seriously, three Kirby characters is a problem? Kirby was one of THE reasons to own the Super Nintendo and Masahiro Sakurai – the guy who is pretty much in charge of making this game – MADE Kirby, so it's about time that Kirby got more representation. Whatever.

Alright, well, sorry about all that Smash Brothers junk. Time to get to "Reader Feedback"!

Reader Feedback

First thing's first. In last week's column, I made the mistake of listing Ninja Gaiden 2 as a PS3 release as well as a X-Box 360 release. Apparently it's only going to be on the 360. I didn't realize that, so I'm sorry for the confusion. Still though, 5 PS3 games on the top-10 list is pretty impressive. That's half of the list! So…yeah.

As always, their stuff is in italics.

This first one is from David R.

Excellent list. However, I would bump Smash Brothers down a bit, and bump MGS4 to the top. That is my belief. MGS4 will be seriously hampered if it goes onto the 360. It was designed with the PS3 in mind (i.e. BluRay, every PS3 has hard drive, etc). Who would want a lobotomized version of MGS4? Also, you brought up MGS2. MGS2 wasn't very good. It showed that it was designed for the PS2. The Xbox version had slow down that the original did not have. :-/ Truthfully, you made a pretty good list.

Well thank you for the compliment. In my eyes, Smash Brothers is the most anticipated game because…well…it's like a "Thanks for supporting us" gift from Nintendo. I mean, it tosses in characters that I have loved from my past and forces them into an orgy of violence! What's not to love? As for MGS 4? You're right, but…I think if they take the time to program it properly and make it play properly on the 360 it'd work. No matter how you look at it, MGS 4 is probably going to be the most critically acclaimed game of next year.

Here's one from G-Walla

I don't wanna poke the fire from last weeks column, I respect your opinion, but I find your statement about Mortal Kombat not being remembered down the line as suspect due to the amount of feedback you got of people wondering why it wasn't on the list. Looks like somebody does remember it. I was just disturbed by the lack of Def Jam: Fight For NY, though I'm not sure how one would classify that game, fighting or wrestling or what. As for games I'm looking forward to, Wii is the only next gen console I've got, so Kart and Brawl are definately what I'm looking foward to. Rawk on.

I really, really need to remember the "honorable mentions" section. Persona 4 and Mario Kart were two games I felt BAD about leaving off my list. Anyhow…what I meant to say is that the only reason Mortal Kombat is remembered is because of the blood. If it wasn't bloody or edgy for its time…it'd be nothing more than a forgettable Street Fighter clone.

Here's a quick one from Maro 1

Anyone excited for Total War Empires? Maybe I'm on the wrong site for PC Games... Seems like this site has a bad case of Consolitis.

Well, my PC sucks. The only recent game I can play on it is World of Warcraft, so it's really hard for me to get excited about anything that's coming out. The exception is obviously Starcraft 2 which made the list.

Here's one from Jordan

Good column, although it COULD be argued that Tina/Terra is the first female Final Fantasy lead, but then again the way FF6 is you could make an argument for ANYONE in that game being the lead character. Still not terribly sold on XIII, though. The series has kind of fallen into a rut in my eyes.

That's the reason I said she was the first one (XIII's lead). FF VI had such an interesting story that EVERY PLAYABLE was practically a main character. That's what I loved so much about it. The cast is (arguably) the most well-rounded cast in videogame history. FF XIII looks promising to me, but I respect your opinion. I don't really think there's been a rut…X is one of my favorite games ever and XII was a nice breath of fresh air. But I can see why people wouldn't like those games. I also haven't played XI and can't comment on that.

Here is one final one from a guest. Let's call him Anonymous
i dont see halowars, endwar, or mercs 2.they should be up there!

It's hard for me to put a Grand Theft Auto clone (mercs 2) on the list when GTA IV was already there. I haven't heard much about Endwar, so I can't comment on it. As for Halo Wars? The premise sounds interesting, but…I'm not sure if it'll be a good RTS so much as a Over-hyped and Highly publicized one. That's just me though. I hope it's a good game, personally.

That's it for this week, it's time to work on the actual list!

Top-10 Best JRPGs

Ahh, this week I hit on the category with probably the most fan-boys. The rules for this week are simple. IF I have not played the game, it is NOT eligible for this list. Also, if the game hasn't been released in America…it WON'T be here. So, Mother 3 and Persona 3 FES are excluded from the list due to their status, and…err…I can't think of any JRPGs that would be off the list because I haven't played them. Oh, ah…Lufia. Also a vast majority of the Shin Megumi Tensei games. Sorry in advance.

I'd also like to announce that Tactical RPGs aren't eligible. So. Disgaea, La Pucelle Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics, and games of those ilk won't be here. I'm considering making a tactical RPG list in the future, so I'll hold off on those games for now.

Also, for those confused: Japanese RPGs are typically of turn-based fare while Western RPGs are more free-roaming like Morrowind/Oblivion, Mass Effect, and Knights of the Old Republic.

10-) Dragon Quest VIII (PS2) - Ahhh…I felt that a game from the legendary Enix franchise should be represented on this list and I picked which game I felt was the best. Now a lot of old-school RPG fans may disagree, but…I think the series has come a long way since the olden days of RPGs and this one feels the most playable to me. First, the world is absolutely gorgeous. It's a finely drawn anime world that is just a pleasure to look at. Secondly, it's a nice callback to the old days of RPGs. It's not so frustratingly old-school that it's un-playable to the modern-day RPG gamer, but it's just old-school enough to make us reminisce about the past. The battle system lacks a lot of frills that you'll find in your Typical Final Fantasy, but…it's kind of enjoyable like that. It's nice to play a "simple" RPG once in a while. The story isn't the greatest story out there, which prevents this game from being rated any higher (as I feel the RPGs main goal is to convey a story)…but it is the finest game from a legendary franchise that I felt should be acknowledged. The game is only 19.99 right now, and I think it'd be a good idea to go out and pick up a copy. It's actually a good way to initiate yourself with the ‘classics'.

- DQ VIII also has the age-old RPG stand-by. FAN SERVICE!

9-) Chrono Cross (PS1) - Honestly, I feel this game gets a lot of un-deserved hatred. It's the sequel to one of the most beloved Super Nintendo titles of all time, and it failed to live up to a lot of people's expectations. If you look at it as a standalone title ;however, I feel that it is quite a good game. Really, people complain about character development, but the characters that actually matter to the game are developed quite nicely. Especially Lynx and Harle, who you could make an argument for being the game's main characters. Anyhow, I got to give Square credit for this one. They could have played it safe and made a direct sequel to Chrono Trigger and sold the game just as well, but they chose not to. Sure, the game is related to the classic Chrono Trigger, but…you have to get fairly far in before you see it. What really sells this title for me is the combat system. Combos are really neat and the "Only able to cast spells" once per fight isn't bad either. It's a unique system that we haven't seen before and I really enjoyed it. I can understand why they Chrono Trigger fan-boys would hate this game…but from an actual RPG stand point, it's hard to hate it. I've loved it since I first got it, and feel it is one of the better PS1 RPGs. And believe me, the PS1 was RICH with quality role playing games.

- I actually had no idea that this game was out when it was first released, and then one day I saw it in a store. Needless to say, the next couple of weeks were quite enjoyable.

8-) Pokemon Franchise (Nintendo Portable Systems) - Love Pokemon or hate it, it's hard to deny how popular the franchise is. Odds are most of your non-gaming friends or family have heard of it in some form. Heck, Pikachu has ascended to icon-status. As a game, I think it's easy to see how pokemon got so popular. It has a formula that makes it accessible to both children and adults. It's not too hard for a kid, and it's not too simple for an adult. It's quite balanced. Now, those of you who haven't played pokemon in a while or…just haven't touched the series because it is too "kid friendly" might be thinking: "HOW is this game not too simple for adults!" It's quite simple, really. There are advanced training techniques (EV training and IV training. Look it up sometime) that can literally suck up HOURS of your time. Kids can just play through the game, beating the gym leaders as normally…those that are older can really customize your team, and that's pretty neat. Plus, with over 450 catchable monsters, each team can be unique. You can really have your own personality with which creatures you use. I think that's pretty cool. There's ALWAYS going to be people who hate pokemon, but I think it's one of the best franchises out there…and if you give it a shot, you just might agree.

- POKEMON IS TOO KIDDY FOR YOU!? GAAAAAAAAAH

7-) Lunar: Silver Star Story - This is one of those hard to find classic games that I would whole-heartedly recommend you search out. The characters in the game are one of a kind and the story it tells is simple…yet, classic. Obviously the "BOY TRIES TO COMPLETE A GOAL" story has been played out a thousand times over, but in this game…it really is quite interesting. Hey! Interesting versions of stories I've heard a million times over is always welcome by me. What sells this game to me is the fact that, throughout, it has a sense of humor and is really quite charming. I think the boat scene featuring Luna may be one of my favorites ever. It also has one of my favorite twists ever and includes the rare fight a long-time party member boss battle. The fighting system hasn't aged terribly well and the game DOES play a bit…well…like you would expect an older one to, but…I still think that it is fun. The story is strong enough, at least, that I can validate myself drudging through the combat. I'm making it sound a lot worse than it is, really. It's not bad, really…it just hasn't aged well. Also, I feel I should mention the soundtrack. As is the case with many games on this list, Lunar has a stellar soundtrack. A lot of people dislike the lyrical songs, but I actually think they're quite charming. This is one of the finest old school games and I think a lot of you need to find some way to try it out. It's a classic.

- My e-mail address is named after Lunar for a reason.

6-) Persona 3 (PS2) - I felt that the persona franchise deserved its own representative, and figured that number three was the most deserving. It has its own plot (1 and 2 are connected) and a very good one at that. It also has probably the most realistic cast of characters ever to grace a video game. Don't be fooled by the "emo" looking lead character, the characters in this game really are quite deep! Junpei in particular stands out to me. If you don't like him, I don't see how you could like ANY game character. Really. What makes this game stand out so much to me is that there is usually an over-whelming amount of stuff you need to do. From building relationships to grinding in the local dungeon (Tartarus), Persona 3 rarely leaves you feeling as though you've nothing to do. On top of that, when you think the game is drawing to an end…there is an awesome twist that keeps the game going for another twenty or so hours. That's right, twenty. This game is by no means short. On my first play through, it took me about 70 hours to finally beat the game. That's a LOT more than your typical RPG today, which clocks in at about 35 hours. That's impressive. Also, the combat is interesting in that you don't directly control your party members, but issue instructions for them to follow. That's a nice touch, I think. It'd be nice to control everyone, but…I appreciate that some games change it up. I feel, before I close, that I should mention the soundtrack. It is really very good. Thank goodness the game COMES with a soundtrack so I don't have to hunt one down. Honestly, this is the sort of game that you need to hunt down. It's possibly the best PS2-era RPG.

- I love this piece of art.

5-) Super Mario RPG (SNES) - This was my very first entry into the RPG genre. I don't know what it was exactly, but the commercials for this game drove me nuts and I *HAD* to play it. Man, am I happy it did…because without this, I wouldn't have played other SNES classics like Earthbound, Final Fantasy III (VI), and Final Fantasy II (IV). That said, the game still holds up today and is still a blast to play. In my opinion, if you wish to introduce someone into the RPG genre…this is the way you would do it. The game controls rather simply and the difficulty never ramps up. It's easy throughout. This may seem bad to you, but it really isn't. If this game was terribly difficult, I can't see it being as fondly remembered as it is…the simplicity was really a nice break from your more stressful Final Fantasy-esque RPG. I think what will be most remembered about this game is the fact that Bowser and Mario team up to take out the common evil. That's awesome, I don't care what you say. The fact that the story can make two well known enemies team up without it looking cheesy and contrived really says a lot to me. If you have a younger sibling who you want to get into RPG gaming, I whole heartedly recommend you have them play this game. They'll be an addict to the genre for a long, long time.

- I'll say this once and only once. Geno for Brawl.

4-) Final Fantasy IX - In my opinion, this was the finest PS1 era Final Fantasy. I know that the average consensus is "Final Fantasy VII", and that's understandable. From a gaming standpoint that was a LOT of peoples' first Role Playing Game, so it's easy to see why they would like it so much. What's sad is that with all the love FF VII gets, FF IX is often not remembered as fondly. I think that's kind of rotten, because…in my mind at least, the game was the most memorable. The fighting system felt a lot like the Super Nintendo games we all remembered fondly, the four character party system was brought back for one last time, and…the story? Say what you will about it, but I think it was the best one of the three Playstation 1 Final Fantasies. The characters were really easy to fall in love with and in the end, I truly cared about the outcome. Not to mention that the ending of the game actually made me shed (manly)tears. I know a lot of people stand firmly by their Final Fantasy VII guns, but for me…FF IX is where it's at. I'm really happy to see that Zidane is going to be in the PSP fighter disidia, because I was worried that IX wasn't going to get any representation. Also, before I move on, I should mention that Final Fantasy IX's card game had me addicted. So much so that I ALMOST got a full fledged subscription to FF XI (which won't work on my computer, believe me I've tried) just so I could play that game all the time. That's pretty awesome. I hope that more Final Fantasy fans will embrace this one as a classic someday.

- Vivi is awesome. My favorite character of all time.

3-) Earthbound/Mother 2 (SNES) - This is my favorite game of all time. Don't make any mistake about it. If you diss Earthbound I will defend it like a Sephirtoh Cosplayer defends FF VII. I really do want to move it further up the list, but I don't wish to be TOO biased, you know? (I'm not going to claim that I'm totally un-biased. That'd be silly and easily refuted) So it's slotted at number three. What makes Earthbound so great is that it is an RPG that takes place in OUR world. Not in feudal Japan, not in a world where technology takes over, hell…not even in the far future! Our world. What's happening is that an alien from the future is taking over and we need a chosen one and his three friends to help save us from it all. It sounds rather generic at first, but when you actually play it…it's not generic at all. The game never takes itself too seriously (a relief) and always appears to be light hearted and fun. On top of that, the way you fight is just so…different. Gone are swords (well, not counting Poo's sword of kings) and guns. In come baseball pats and frying pans! Want to recover? Well those potions won't do you any good, you'll need food like hamburgers and pizza to get the job done. I don't know, it's just something that I like. The soundtrack is also pretty epic and I find the characters and story (especially at the end, which I've mentioned before, but I won't spoil now) to be really interesting. If you consider yourself a fan of RPGs and you haven't played this game, get on it. You won't regret it as the game holds up well today.

- Wow, this picture is pretty soothing. It takes me back...

2-) Final Fantasy III(VI) (SNES/PS1/GBA) - This game takes an approach that I haven't really seen replicated since. FF VI has such a deep cast that EVERY CHARACTER has a claim at main character status. Well, I shouldn't say ever…but damn near the whole party you could make a case as to why they were the main character in this game. I don't think you can say that about any other game, and I think that is one of the best things about this one. The story told through this party is just ingenious and certainly elicits emotion. Some consider the greatest scene in videogame history to be the opera house scene, and honestly I'd be hard-pressed to disagree with them. It's just an emotional, over-whelming experience. On top of that, the battle system is fun and not a total bore to play through. The same can be said about most of the games I've listed so far, but I just felt that it was worth mentioning. On top of the highly memorable cast you have probably the best video game villain of all time. Kefka was an asshole all the way through the game. He wasn't one of those "likable" villains that you'd come to see later. He was just a dick. That's why he topped my (un-published) top-10 villains list. He's just darn good at what he does. I feel that I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the soundtrack. A lot of people feel it is the finest ever to grace a videogame, and while I don't agree with that claim…I do think it is probably in the top-5. All-around, this game is a must play. If you love RPGs, pick this one up.

- I own this game on two systems and I STILL rushed out when this sucker was released to pick it up.

1-) Chrono Trigger (SNES) - Ahhh, so I come to the end of the line. This game tops a lot of "best RPG" lists for a reason. It's great. From the story, to the characters, to the endings, to the music. Everything about this game just screams quality, and I'd venture to say that we really haven't seen a "complete package" game like this one since its release. The time travel aspect of the game really makes this one fresh. What you do in the past, which bosses you beat…it has an effect on the future, and you can see it. Ultimately, the "future" ends up the same as Lavos destroys the world in the year 1999, so your ultimate goal is to stop that from happening. What makes this interesting is that, depending on when you beat Lavos, you get different endings. Now, up to that point in time, multiple endings hadn't been used that much. Chrono Trigger unleashed several different endings, all of which were interesting and worthy of discovering. I haven't even mentioned the characters yet, which is quite the shame. Chrono Trigger has a cast of characters from various different points of time. The Future (Robo), The Present (Marle, Lucca, Crono), The Dark Ages (Magus, Frog), and the Past (Ayla). It's good to know that each character has a unique personality that accurately reflects their time period. I really like that. I should also mention that the fighting is fast paced and fun. On top of all of this, the music is sensational. THIS is the soundtrack that I think is the best video game soundtrack ever. Whatever. No matter what kind of gamer you are, I have to recommend that you play Chrono Trigger. It's a once in a lifetime gaming experience. It really is the complete package.

- Best roleplaying game ever, and possibly the most rounded game ever too.

Honorable Mentions: Legend of Dragoon, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy IV, Xenogears, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Skies of Arcadia, Tales of Symphonia.

(Please note, I also didn't count Kingdom Hearts 1 or 2 in this list.)

Before you all flame me for the lack of Final Fantasy VII or Xenogears (though that one made the honorable mentions), I would like to point a couple of things out.

1-) Yes I have played both games.
2-) In Final Fantasy VII's case, I've always felt the game is over-rated. It's fun, it's just not great. If you don't like it, deal with it. That's how I feel.
3-) In Xenogear's case: While the story is really very good, the second disk of this game is pathetic. One of the worst sections in gaming history, and it was docked because of it. If there was a top 11, I think Xenogears would be number 11.

As always, if you wish to contact me in any way - be it to complain, praise, suggest, talk about baseball, or what have you - e-mail me at [e-mail] or [e-mail]. Or you can simply leave a comment below.

Well, I suppose that is it for this time. I'm not sure what next week will be about just yet. I am thinking about doing a "Worst of" list, since most of my lists to this point have been "best of".

Til' the crossroads

- This comic is by a guy named "Player 1". It just seems appropriate this week.