Top 10 Role Playing Games
21 December 2009

Show the protagonist's development over time and tell a story—That's my loose description of what an RPG does. In the world of consoles, the time of Japanese RPGs began with Dragon Warrior (27 May 1986), Final Fantasy (18 December 1987), and Phantasy Star (20 December 1987). Unfortunately, when these games were translated into English they didn't exactly light up the sales charts in the United States, sending the marketing message that the genre wasn't very popular among Americans. Enix, nevertheless, pushed forward anyway with Dragon Warrior II, III, and IV, while Square didn't bother offering Final Fantasty II and III to the non-Japanese audience. Sega went a step further than Enix and valiantly released Phantasy Star II, III, and IV in the both the United States and Europe.

The tide started to turn in the SNES era with Square's incredible output of RPGs, many of which saw official American releases. Even today, people reflect back on the 16-bit SNES as representing one of the golden ages of RPGs. However, the PAL territories continued to suffer during the 8- and 16-bit console RPG era. Only about a dozen of the tiles below saw PAL releases—Terranigma being a particularly notable one. Not until the Playstation and Final Fantasy VII would the PAL territories finally get their fair share of RPGs.
#1
Chrono Trigger
Platform: Super Nintendo
Developer: Square
Publisher: Square
Released: 1995
Story and flow—that's my simplest way of summarizing the greatness here. The first requires little explaining. Each character—while much smaller than the FF VI cast—you control is unique and compelling, possessing remarkable depth and emotion. Flow. Unusual by the genre's standard, you won't find any jarring random battle segue ways that interrupt your adventuring. Instead, upon stumbling into enemy sprites you seemlessly launch into battle without any transition. Chrono Trigger moves between exploration, plot development, and battles with remarkable fluidity. In this sense, you have an oscar worthy sprite action-adventure / drama.
#2
Final Fantasy VI (III in US)
Platform: Super Nintendo
Developer: Square
Publisher: Square
Released: 1994
I still remember the opening of this game so clearly; it was so cinematic—the opening scene, the music, the scrolling credits. Square presents you with an amazing array characters, yet the way chapters break up the plot and focus on certain missions (i.e. Locke's escape) ensures that every personality remains distinct, and at the same time makes managing your large squad of allies, well, manageable. It's no wonder that the next Final Fantasy would up the ante with full motion video. That said, do not discount Final Fantasy IV. It is quite excellent and would have made this list were there enough space.
#3
Lunar: Eternal Blue
Platform: Sega CD
Developer: Game Arts
Publisher: Game Arts (Japan), Working Designs (US)
Released: 1994
I grew up with this game, so rating it in third place is a painful exercise in objectivity. The cinematics and voice acting cannot be matched in length or quality. On top of that, the graphics and music take excellent advantage of the medium, and the gameplay from the already top-notch Lunar: The Silver Star has been tweaked to an even higher level. Did I mention this is the best Sega console RPG of its time? The best reason to own a Sega CD!
#4
Secret of Mana
Developer: Square
Publisher: Square
Released: 1993
Starting with a Sword in the Stone motiff, you might underestimate how good and original this title is. It's an action RPG that incorporates multiple characters fighting at once. There's even the possibility—a preferable one, given the limits of artificial intelligence—of having three humans play at once. Consequently, this is the best multi-player RPG in the list. Another interesting break from the traditional formula is that there isn't any overworld map between towns, caves, and what not. Rather, you need to constantly traverse the enemy-infested wilderness. This game has made numerous best of lists, and it's easy to see why after playing for even as little as five minutes.
#5
Earthbound
Platform: Super Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: 1994
The graphics are not the eye-candy that RPG fans are used to, opting for an unusually abstract, cartoon look. And the setting of real world meets science fiction isn't the typical medieval environment either. Get over it. You don't face the annoying typical random encounters here; battles are decided by sprite-to-sprite contact with the enemy. And you probably won't find a more humorous RPG anywhere, thanks to the amusing depictions of American culture and parodies of the RPG genre in general. When you're not digesting subtle cultural references you'll probably be fighting hippies and punks.
#6
Phantasy Star IV
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Released: 1993

Let no one say otherwise, this is the best RPG you can find for the Genesis. Returning to the fine roots of Phantasy Star II, PS4 improves upon it drastically with brighter graphics, memorable music, and a storyline that is easier to follow. Atmospherically, the anime style and sci-fi setting are a great change of pace from the typical medieval, fantasy-themed RPG. While the battle system is a little shallow, it offers the awesome feature of macros, pre-programmed action plans for your characters—a welcome time saver for random battle fatigue.

#7
Live a Live
Platform: Super Famicom
Developer: Square
Publisher: Square
Released: 1994
Easily the most unique title in this list. No random battles, no shops, no magic points. And you can tackle the first seven chapters of the game in any order you choose. Each of these chapters focuses on a different character in a unique setting, from the American Old West to a cargo ship in outer space. There's even a chapter without any text at all, where cavemen communicate via pictures. With the all-too-typical burden of shuffling items and weapons between characters absent, it's even easier to immerse yourself in this collection of disparate stories that just might blend together in the final chapters...
#8
Super Mario RPG
Developer: Square
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: 1996
It was the first Square partnership with Nintendo and interestingly also marked Square's break from Nintendo platforms. Nevertheless, Square went out with a bang. Like Chrono Trigger, all of your enemies are visible, and contact initiates the battle sequence. Outside of the battles, most of the game plays out like an isometric platformer, taking Mario back to his roots. Having five different playable characters adds great depth to the gameplay, and at the same time makes things more RPGy. On top of all these great features, you'll also find some of the finest 3D graphics ever on a 16-bit console.
#9
Ys: Book I & II
Developer: Falcom, NEC
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Released: 1989
How can a title with understated graphics and a strange battle system that depends on literally slamming into enemies at odd angles still play so well 20 years later? A well-told story and one of the best soundtracks of the era go a long way. The strangeness of combat actually ends up being a redeeming feature after all these years, providing a unique feel that sets it apart from the hordes of RPG imitators. An astonishing use of the then new CD-ROM medium.
#10
Tales of Phantasia
Platform: Super Famicom
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Released: 1995
Armed with a whopping 48 Mbits worth of data and the "Flexible Voice Driver" sound engine, this game features myriad streaming audio clips. Tales is also notable for its action RPG-style 2D battle system. This shocked my traditional RPG tastes at first, but once I got the hang of carefully timing sword swipes and setting tactics for the other characters this approach really grew on me. Namco really came out of nowhere with this original approach to the genre. You've got to give them credit for challenging the mighty Square empire.
Honorable Mention
Dragon Warrior III
Platform: NES, Super Famicom
Developer: Chunsoft (NES), Heart Beat (SNES)
Publisher: Enix
Released: 1996 (SNES), 1988 (NES)

I have to admit that I always struggled to get immersed in the 8/16-bit Dragon Quest games. Maybe it's the interface. Having to hit two buttons (one for the menu, and another to talk) in order to interact with all the NPCs drives me crazy. Once you get beyond the simple graphics, you'll find a surprisingly large and immersive world. For the first time in the series, you can actually create your own characters, from the Wizard to the Merchant to the Goof-off. This is also the final installment to the original Dragon Quest trilogy and it has never been released in Europe. Considering the state of the RPG market back in the late 1980s, I give Enix a lot of credit for shipping this to the USA.

Honorable Mention
Terranigma
Platform: Super Nintendo
Developer: Quintet
Publisher: Enix
Released: 1995
For a change of pace, this action RPG was published in Japan and Europe, but not in North America. Go Figure. The Quintet + Enix combo doesn't disappoint. Wonderful graphics and the story of an earth resurrected to the present day makes for a memorable adventure. Interestingly, the battles feel very close to Zelda-style combat, so I give this game the strange honor of RPG that most close skirts the action-adventure classification. The action-based approach works well, though, and from the double dash attack to the constant interactions with townspeople this RPG does just about everything right.
Other Recommendations
Title
Console
Developer
Combat
Release
3x3 Eyes Sega CD Sega Turn-based 1993
Genesis
C&E
Turn-based
2006
Beyond Oasis / Story of Thor Genesis Ancient Real-time Zelda-style 1995
SMS
Capcom
Turn-based
1994
Cadash TG-16 Taito Side-scrolling 1991
TG-CD
Laser Soft
Turn-based
1991
Cosmic Fantasy 3 TG-CD Laser Soft Turn-based 1992
Cosmic Fantasy 4: Chapter 2 TG-CD Telenet Turn-based 1994
Crystalis NES SNK Real-time Zelda-style 1990
NES
Chunsoft
Turn-based
1986
NES
Chunsoft
Turn-based
1987
SNES
Chunsoft
Turn-based
1993
NES
Chunsoft
Turn-based
1990
SNES
Chunsoft
Turn-based
1992
SNES
Heart Beat
Turn-based
1995
TG-CD
Falcom, Hudson Soft
Turn-based
1991
TG-16
Atlus, Hudson Soft
Real-time run 'n gun
1989
TG-CD
Hudson Soft
Real-time run 'n gun
1993
E.V.O. Search for Eden SNES Almanic Real-time 1992
Esper Dream NES FDS Konami Real-time Zelda-style 1987
Sega CD
Strategic Simulation Inc.
Turn-based
1994
Far East of Eden II TG-CD Red, Hudson Soft Turn-based 1992
Far East of Eden III TG-CD Red, Hudson Soft Turn-based 1993
Faxandu NES Hudson Soft Real-time platformer-style 1987
NES
Square
Turn-based
1987
Final Fantasy I & II NES Square Turn-based 1994
NES
Square
Turn-based
1988
NES
Square
Turn-based
1990
SNES
Square
Turn-based
1991
SNES
Square
Turn-based
1992
Fushigi no Dungeon 2 SNES Chunsoft Turb-based 1995
Getsu Fuma Den NES Konami Real-time platformer-style 1987
SNES
Quintet
Real-time Zelda-style
1993
TG-CD
Falcom
Real-time walk-into-the-enemy
1994
TG-CD
Falcom
Real-time walk-into-the-enemy
1995
NES
Konami
Turn-based
1991
SNES
Neverland
Turn-based
1995
Sega CD
Game Arts
Turn-based
1992
NES
Nintendo
Turn-based
1989
SMS
Sega
Turn-based
1987
Genesis
Sega AM7
Turn-based
1989
Pier Solar Genesis Watermelon Turn-based 2010
Radia Senki NES Tecmo Real-time Zelda-style 1991
SNES
Square
Real-time Zelda-style
1993
SNES
Square
Real-time Zelda-style
1995
Genesis
BlueSky Software
Real-time shooting
1994
Sega CD
Group SNE
Turn-based tactical RPG-style
1996
SNES
Beam Software
Real-time shooting
1993
Shin Megami Tensei Sega CD SIMS Turn-based 1994
Shin Megami Tensei SNES Atlus Turn-based 1992
Star Ocean SNES Tri-Ace Turn-based 1996
Genesis
Japan Media
Turn-based
1995
Sweet Home NES Capcom Turn-based 1989
Ultima: Quest of the Avatar NES FCI Turn-based tactical RPG-style 1989
Sega CD
SIMS
Turn-based
1993
TG-CD
NEC
Real-time Zelda-style
1994
Ys I & II TG-CD Falcom Real-time walk-into-the-enemy 1990
Ys II NES Victor Interactive Real-time walk-into-the-enemy 1990
TG-CD
Falcom
Real-time, side-scrolling
1991
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys TG-CD Falcom Real-time walk-into-the-enemy 1993
Ys: The Vanished Omens SMS Sega Real-time walk-into-the-enemy 1987