Last week, I took it upon me to list the best five turn based JRPGs (of all time) according to Gamerankings.com’s vast database of critic reviews. Some of our readers agreed with the rankings, others complained that the list belonged to ‘Squaresoft’ and ‘Persona’ games.
Today’s list is a little more varied, though Square games will continue to have a prominent role, as Squaresoft dominated the genre during its golden age (1994-early 2000s)
*It has been brought to our attention that Xenoblade Chronicles is not a “Turn-based” RPG. After some deliberation I have decided to leave the game on the list. I can’t classify Xenoblade Chronicles as an Action-RPG either, as you don’t have full control of your character’s attacks in an instant (at the press of the button) manner. The game features an unique hybrid system where you still have to wait for your avatar to automatically attack and for special attacks to charge up, even though you have free movement.
If you don’t feel that Xenoblade Chronicles belongs here, then remove it, and place Dragon Quest XI S (Switch) in the list, every other game would move up one slot.
10. Pokemon Silver Version (1999) – Game Ranking Score: 91.35
In 1999, Pokemon was at the peak of its commercial powers. The games were setting record sales on Nintendo’s portable machines, selling tons of merchandise, its TV series was doing incredible ratings, and its first film hit theaters ended up grossing over 172 million dollars on a 5 million million dollar budget. Exceptional stuff.
However, the bread and butter of the series remained its games. Pokemon Gold and Silver continued the series’ success on Nintendo’s Gameboy Systems. The Gameboy Color’s Pokemon duet of games sold a whooping 23 million units, making it one of the most successful turn-based RPGs of all time.
Pokemon Silver (and Gold) introduced new Pokemon, and an internal clock in the game that forced players to scour the land for Pokemons at certain times of the day (and night) among other things.
9. Final Fantasy X (2001) – Game Ranking Score: 91.73
To most Final Fantasy purists, Final Fantasy X, is the last great Final Fantasy game in the series, as it was the last title in the series to feature both, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu on its development staff. Final Fantasy introduced the series to the PlayStation 2 with stellar visuals, near life like CG scenes, and a fast paced battle system.
The game also features the best fleshed out love story in the series with Yuna and Tidus’ relationship making for some truly heart-wrenching moments. Final Fantasy also introduced voice acting to the series, and it did this with varying degrees of success (many hated Tidus’ whiny voice). Another complaint levied at the game is that the developers did away with the traditional over-world in favor of a more streamlined experience.
Still, no one can deny that Final Fantasy X is one of the best JRPGs that can be played in the PlayStation 2.
8. Xenoblade Chronicles (2012) – Game Rankings Score: 91.74
Wii’s JRPG by Monolith Soft (the people behind Xenogears and Xenosaga) was a resounding success with critics and gamers alike. Pretty visuals (for the Wii), great music, and decent voice acting made it a critical darling.
The game’s story was not on the level of complexity of Xenogears’, but the game featured a gigantic world, full of monsters to hunt, and an interesting combat system.
Xenoblade has become an important franchise on Nintendo hardware since, and it is one of the best modern JRPG currently available.
7. Chrono Cross (2000) – Game Rankings Score: 92.28
For many JRPG fans, Chrono Trigger is sacred, and Chrono Cross, by contrast, is a disappointing sequel. Most critics (myself included) disagree. I truly believe that Chrono Cross is equally sacred, in fact, the game is connected to the original game, thus a worthy sequel. There were a few goose bump inducing scenes that linked Cross to Trigger, and it was a fantastic experience for me as fan of the original game.
Apart from that, Chrono Cross featured some of the greatest artwork (and overall visuals) on the PlayStation 1, and perhaps what is the greatest soundtrack composed by Yasunori Mitsuda to this day. The Chrono series remains Square Enix’s best JRPG franchise as it only has two games, and both are veritable masterpieces.
6. Final Fantasy VII (1997) – Game Rankings Score: 92.35
Final Fantasy VII is the best selling Final Fantasy of all time, and consequently, the most popular. It is also one of the series’ best games, and it is usually paired with Final Fantasy VI and IX in “best Final Fantasy” debates. Final Fantasy brought JRPGs into the 32-bit era, with stellar graphics, incredible music, and Final Fantasy’s brand of ATB combat.
Final Fantasy VII introduced a ground breaking sci-fi plot that enthralled critics, at the time. Some (GameFan Magazine) went as far as to call it “quite possibly the greatest game ever made.”
Agree with the author? Couldn’t disagree more and are frothing at the mouth to tell him? Leave a comment here, on Facebook or send an email and make sure to follow Never Ending Realm on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!