What's yall's favorite PS1 RPG

[Voncaster]

I owned a redesigned PS1 very briefly.

I think the only PS1 RPG* I played on PS1 was Final Fantasy Origins. FF Origins has upgraded music and visuals. Basically FF Pixel Remasters for FF1 and FF2 on the PS1.

That being said, FF Origins was a really nice package that I look back on fondly. To this day I listen to the FF Origins FF1 soundtrack.

*I played FFVII and FFVIII on PC and so I never played them on PS1.

It's a bit more intensive to play than what I usually revisit, but it's Koudelka. The writing and performances more than make up for the less wieldy parts of the gameplay.

I recently learned of Koudelka. I never played it, but it seems like it would be right up my alley (An RPG with a horror theme? Sign me up!).

Looking forward to Blood Penny.

 

[Purple]

I'm kind of the original Koudelka Enjoyer around here I'm pretty sure and... yeah. At least if I go by how often I've revisited it next to any other PSX game, it's no contest. FFT is a distant second, and 7 I guess since I'm partway through a fiesta run. Outside of the obvious Lunar Complete was pretty good? Valkyrie Profile probably deserves credit for ambition. For how much time I spent playing like nothing but PSX RPGs, looking back they really all are kinda long and weird, huh.

 

[Aleryn]

Xenogears, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Chrono Cross first come to mind. Final Fantasy VII but I only played it once and never looked back, I don't think that really counts in comparison.

Koudelka looks interesting, I'd never even heard of it before skimming this thread.

 

[DANoWAR]

Of all PS1 rpgs, I've only played Parasite Eve, Final Fantasy VII and VIII (but the older PC ports) and Threads of Fate. But everytime one of these kind of threads is started, I want to play all of them

 

[Rascally Badger]

PS1 JRPGs: What Badger spent his time with in junior high.

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete. Not an exclusive, but a favorite. Chrono Cross, for all of its faults, is one that sticks with me. Final Fantasy 9 is the only one of the 3 FF games on PS1 that I actually played on the PS1 (I'm the guy who played the PC ports. I would not recommend the experience).
Suikoden 2 is the best.

 

[gorha]

SaGa Frontier 2, I think. It's been a long time since I played it and I should probably play it again, but I remember really liking the generational story, the battle system(s), the music and the art, especially the hand painted backgrounds. So, pretty much everything about it.

Some others that are up there for me are Tales of Eternia, Xenogears, Breath of Fire IV, the first SaGa Frontier and FFVII (although I played it on PC). There sure were a lot of great RPGs on this console. And still a bunch I haven't played and want to, like Koudelka, Star Ocean 2 and Legend of Dragoon. Heck, I'd even like to try Beyond the Beyond at some point. I played Tales of Destiny earlier this year, and while it didn't become one of my favorite games in 2023, I can totally imagine a younger version of me loving it.

 

[Rascally Badger]

SaGa Frontier 2, I think. It's been a long time since I played it and I should probably play it again, but I remember really liking the generational story, the battle system(s), the music and the art, especially the hand painted backgrounds. So, pretty much everything about it.

I played SaGa Frontier 2 for the first time earlier this year. I liked everything about it in theory. I just didn't like the experience of actually playing it. Like, I still think I liked it, but I was frustrated by it mechanically.

 

[balder the brave]

I mostly sat out the PS1 and PS2 era, but from what I've played since, Final Fantasy IX.

 

[narcodis]

VAGRANT STORY

 

[YangusKhan]

There's really too many of these to pick 1. I quickly realized it would be easier to think of acclaimed PS1 RPGs that I haven't played much of and work my way backwards from there.

Anyway I think a loose "top 3" for me is Chrono Cross, Xenogears, and Final Fantasy VII. Nothing shocking, I know, but those really are the PSX RPGs I have revisited the most. But I seriously have played so many of them, and yet there's also plenty that I still haven't played; it's kind of overwhelming to think about tbh. This topic did remind me that it is the year 2023 and there still isn't a re-translation completed for Wild Arms 2...

 

[Dracula]

Y'know I was remiss in overlooking that I experienced most of the prestige Square SNES RPGs for the first time on PS1. All of Final Fantasys IV, V, VI, and Chrono Trigger I played for the first time via the Anthology and the Chronicles collections. I distinctly remember the frisson I felt from staring up at the TV screen in the Walmart game aisle watching the opening anime cutscene from that version of Chrono Trigger. The anime craze was new and fresh and I was excited to see signs of it anywhere at all.

Years later when I replayed these games on GBA or DS or original console I felt a bit of whiplash from how quickly the combat loaded in each!

 

[Beowulf]

I'm with Yangus on the "there's too many"; I've been slowly replaying them on emulators over the past couple of years and trying some new ones I missed back in the day. In the early days, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Breath of Fire III got multiple thorough replays; but a bunch of the weirder ones (Legend of Legaia, Sayuki: Journey West, and, of course, Xenogears) really stuck in my head over the years. Suikoden 2 was amazing, but I've replayed the original Suikoden more because it's breezy but solid. And while the first Wild ARMS was weak, Wild ARMS 2 was one of the strongest games in that series.

 

[Paul le Fou]

Wild ARMS wasn't my favorite PS1 RPG, but let it never be forgotten that the intro is a pinnacle of human achievement.

 

[Sarge]

Koudelka was a really interesting playthrough. The combat is sloooooow but the rest of the game was really fun. The voice acting and writing were indeed leagues better than most at that time - I was really impressed when I finally played through it.

 

[Poster]

Yeah, I am hesitant to say I have a favorite, since there are too many to choose from.

I remember liking Vagrant Story back in the day, but I haven't played it in yonks, though. Maybe time for a revisit.

 

[spines]

i actually think it's really hard for me to try and narrow down to a top 3 or top 5 but #1 couldn't be easier. if i'm picking only one title it's going to be a singular game: legend of mana. i wrote a bunch about this last night (and i'm not done yet) but i'll put a shorter version here

to me legend of mana is of the first and best expressions of the idea that came to be embodied in the later "open-world" genre, and one that takai seems to name in the ultimania interview i love to cite so much:

"instead of a normal RPG, we were talking about making a game where you wouldn’t do anything."

i think "nothing" is a good word for it. in the same way that i fell in love with star ocean 2 when i realized i was at the end of the game and could spend as much time as i wanted flying around and crafting items with no real purpose, legend of mana takes that same feeling to an extreme, especially considering its somewhat traditional rpg presentation, since the vast majority of later games like this (of which the most recent one i've played is breath of the wild/tears of the kingdom) have that explicitly "open" design. it's actually cumbersome and frustrating to force the game to let you proceed unless you've studied the plot triggers; if you want to do "something" you're best served just wandering around and waiting to see what the game decides to show you. sometimes it'll still feel like the game doesn't want you to.

but "nothing" isn't something they failed to put into the game. it's an open space they've left to share yourself with it. the game will reflect your interest in it, whether you're crafting, raising monsters, or exploring the world with your favorite characters. in doing so, you share in the process of building the world with the game and its creators. you can't make the world whatever you want, but you get to share in its beauty and surprises. and if you don't want to express yourself in the ways that it offers, then you're not going to enjoy playing it. but if you do choose to put pieces of your heart into this game, they'll show you the way to love fa'diel.

from a narrative standpoint, i also think it's really good. the story goes for an emotional and thematic focus over the details of a plot, because the game isn't set up for an epic kind of world-traveling adventure storyline...or even a singularly linear one in the first place. i think that theme is incredible, and this kind of "anthology" format really lets the story express it from many angles. for me, it's rich and moving, and i've never seen anything like it.

 

[Violentvixen]

if i'm picking only one title it's going to be a singular game: legend of mana. i wrote a bunch about this last night (and i'm not done yet) but i'll put a shorter version here

This was great to read, thanks!

I really enjoyed playing through this again with the Switch remake. It's such a stunning game. I took so many notes on my strategy guide, love that game.

 

[shivam]

suikoden 1 and 2 are not just my favorite PS1 rpgs, but my favorite overall. just phenomenal games that still hold up

 

[Balrog]

FFT or Dragon Quest VII.

 

[Beowulf]

Okay, so, I may have mentioned one of my best friends is very obsessed with Vagrant Story, still to this day. And for all you Vagrant Story fans out there, she just wrote a giant backstory piece: Courtesy Title by Mithrigil. Warning for human/city adult content.

 

[FelixSH]

I'm very happy to say, that I love Breath of Fire III still as much, as I did back in the day. FF might be my favourite series, but this game is clearly my favourite PS1 RPG.

 

[Kirin]

Okay, so, I may have mentioned one of my best friends is very obsessed with Vagrant Story, still to this day. And for all you Vagrant Story fans out there, she just wrote a giant backstory piece: Courtesy Title by Mithrigil. Warning for human/city adult content.

Just wanted to let you know I am sorely tempted to read this although... it long, so I dunno when I'll get to it.

 

[Sarcasmorator]

Gosh this is actually a hard question. Favorite as in would replay now? Suikoden II (and Suikoden but I basically consider that a prologue). Favorite as in most nostalgic? Vagrant Story. Favorite as in most influential on my tastes? Final Fantasy Tactics.

As many answers as there are variations on "favorite." It was a hell of a library.

 

[Daikaiju]

FF IX looms large for me.

 

[That Old Chestnut]

Final Fantasy Tactics

Put 'em on a grid, and I'm happy.

 

[Pombar]

I'd list Vagrant Story without hesitation only to remember I would never get very far and didn't manage to understand its systems enough to know why I couldn't. I must've played the intro a thousand times instead. But what an intro!

Probably something very vanilla like FF9 as my absolute fave, with Chrono Cross, FF7, and Star Ocean 2 up there too.

 

[Aurelia]

honestly it's ff9

played it properly for the first time a few months ago and it felt like it was an early ps2 game in terms of how much qol improvements it had over ff7/8. loved it a lot.

 

[ASandoval]

I don't know if I have an answer. None of them are my favorites of all time, but most of them are just interesting games. The PlayStation and the CD systems in general was such an age of experimentation and throwing things to the wall and seeing what sticks, I could probably find something I love more about any other game on any given PS1 RPG. Along with a whole lot of things that frustrate me to no end, but I prefer to focus on the good. Weird games like Legend of Mana, Koudelka, Threads of Fate, Grandia, heck even all the PS1 Final Fantasies are doing really unique things during this period. Just a really good generation for RPGs.

 

[pudik]

i have many to play and some could exceed it, but the answer for me will always be Xenogears