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Which of These RPG Franchises that originated in Japan is Your Favorite?
- Thread starter Issun
- Start date
So I guess Lufia and Breath of Fire must have came from somewhere else...
@Torzelbaum I accidentally hit enter before finishing. Breath of Fire is now on the list. Lufia would be other.
Suikoden and Breath of Fire hasnt seen a nonmobile release since the PS2 and the last non online Phantasy Star is 16 bit. As good as the highs of those franchises are I'd replace any of them for Etrian Odyssey or Megaman Battle Network games. Hell, if I had to pick one, Battle Network would replace all the other ones.
Yes yes MMBN was during the PS2 Era but those games were that damn good.
But I voted Pokémon because that's what on the list. Also
Yes yes MMBN was during the PS2 Era but those games were that damn good.
But I voted Pokémon because that's what on the list. Also
FelixSH
(He/Him)
Final Fantasy is clear for me. Favourite series in general. But it made me wonder, there are a lot of series that I love, or loved, which I simply haven't played in forever. SMT/Persona would have been a clear answer around 2010, but haven't played a lot of those, can't even remember last time I did.
Megaman Battle Network would have probably gotten a vote (I guess I could have chosen other, but that feels wrong).
DQ is great, but a case of a series that I haven't played in forever, since 2016 in this case. I love Breath of Fire III, anotzer one I didn't play in forever. But the mention of this series always gives me a good feeling.
I want a new Battle Network and Breath of Fire. And as much as I like Dragon Quarter, I would want one like III or IV.
Megaman Battle Network would have probably gotten a vote (I guess I could have chosen other, but that feels wrong).
DQ is great, but a case of a series that I haven't played in forever, since 2016 in this case. I love Breath of Fire III, anotzer one I didn't play in forever. But the mention of this series always gives me a good feeling.
I want a new Battle Network and Breath of Fire. And as much as I like Dragon Quarter, I would want one like III or IV.
Ultimately I have to go with Fire Emblem, as it has overwhelmingly dominated my favorite games list in a way only one other has (Dragon Quest). While I adore DQ, I do find some things about it that bother me a bit (Sugiyama of course being the biggest, but it has a low key "playful" sexism in many of the games and has a tendency to do some disservice to its leading women characters because of it). Fire Emblem is not perfect, but I found the world of Three Houses absolutely engaging and endearing to me on a profound level; the Echoes remake of Gaiden to be incredible and daring with how it mixes up the traditional gameplay; the GBA Fire Emblem for taking the dive as our first localization and managing to wow me with its detailed sprite animations and challenging maps; even the Warriors spin-offs are great. Awakening is also a solid revitalization of the franchise after a lull, although I found myself a little underwhelmed on my replay with the characters. And even the ones that don't wow me as much (Engage, Sacred Stones, Path of Radiance) are good times, even if they have bigger faults.
I had to go with Final Fantasy. None of the others holds such a big place in my nostalgia centers, nor have I played and enjoyed nearly as many games from any of the other series.
I was feeling spicy so I voted for SaGa. It's a 3-way tie between that, DQ, and FF.
SaGa, Etrian Odyssey, Phantasy Star and King's Field are in a space where I not only like practically every individual entry they've had, but also admire their collective creative ethos and sensibilities. Stuff like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest are a bit separate from that, in that I broadly like most of the output, but they don't generate a similar sense of excitement holistically and depend more on specifics. Megami Tensei would be a sure pick if I could curate the best from it, but it is way too vast and partially dismal to uplift at large. Fresher series like The Caligula Effect and Blue Reflection are currently in a "most improved" category where their respective second entries turned something I was hesitant to interact with into all-time favourites as it stands now. They are not a series attributed to a single creative voice, but given that I've played several Touhou RPGs by various developers and mostly all have been exceptionally good, I'm going to give anything under that series banner a nod too. Quintet's SNES trilogy of top-down action RPGs can have the thematic meta-series crown. Stuff like 7th Dragon and Metal Max are in a "I've dabbled and need to put more time in because what's presented itself so far sure is interesting" space, so that's a provisional good feeling; same with Elminage.
I like just about everything on that list but by George only one of them is Dragon Quest
I'm Final Fantasy for life. But stating that I'm an FF fan is about as interesting as stating that Mario is my favorite Nintendo franchise (which it is).
My other favorite JRPG series are Ys, Persona, and Phantasy Star. If anyone is looking for a deeper cut JRPG I would recommend Resonance of Fate.
Series that I want to try but have thus far not found time for: Atelier, Star Ocean, and Tails.
My other favorite JRPG series are Ys, Persona, and Phantasy Star. If anyone is looking for a deeper cut JRPG I would recommend Resonance of Fate.
Series that I want to try but have thus far not found time for: Atelier, Star Ocean, and Tails.
It's a tough choice, but I went with SaGa. All the games in that series were good and most of them were great, though I never got very far in the Game Boy games or the Super Famicom version of Romancing SaGa, so I can't speak on them with confidence. But they seemed cool. Everything from Romancing SaGa 2 onward has been fantastic.
I like all the main series Final Fantasy games to varying degrees, but the spinoffs are a lot more hit and miss, and they outnumber the main series by a good amount at this point. Oh, and MMOs don't appeal to me, so even the main series is kind of diluted. But the offline entries in the main series? Good stuff!
Some Tales games are great, but I could not get into Tales of the Abyss at all, and there are a bunch I haven't played. If the series was just Eternia, Graces and Berseria, it might get the top spot.
I like all the main series Final Fantasy games to varying degrees, but the spinoffs are a lot more hit and miss, and they outnumber the main series by a good amount at this point. Oh, and MMOs don't appeal to me, so even the main series is kind of diluted. But the offline entries in the main series? Good stuff!
Some Tales games are great, but I could not get into Tales of the Abyss at all, and there are a bunch I haven't played. If the series was just Eternia, Graces and Berseria, it might get the top spot.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Seiken Densetsu made me an RPG gamer so that series, no question. First game I bought a guide for. Followed a Geocites webring for it and got in trouble for using too much internet back when you had to pay by amount of data used. Joined GameFAQs to figure something out. Found OCRemix due to my love of the music. Learned how to translate/read a bare minimum of Japanese to import the game and buy the converter for SD3. Learned the basics of sprite art. SD3's English patch was my first time installing a patch on a ROM, and SD3 is very likely my first ROM. Learning about the history of the game and it's potential Playstation path as well as the translation chaos was my first glimpse into how chaotic game development can be. Legend of Mana was the reason I bought a PSOne. And probably so many other reasons I can't think of right now.
As a standalone game I must acknowledge that of all the things on the list Fire Emblem is probably the one I've played the most (both number of titles and total hours). But Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy Adventure, Seiken Densetsu 3 and Legend of Mana were all so important and formative to me that is unquestionably my favourite series, nostalgia goggles be damned.
As a standalone game I must acknowledge that of all the things on the list Fire Emblem is probably the one I've played the most (both number of titles and total hours). But Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy Adventure, Seiken Densetsu 3 and Legend of Mana were all so important and formative to me that is unquestionably my favourite series, nostalgia goggles be damned.
Having to make only one vote for a poll like this seems pointless; I can't possibly not vote FF as it's been such an overwhelmingly huge part of my gaming history, and hell, life in general.
But I also got hugely engaged with Suikoden for, like, the latter 2/3 of its time as a going concern, and have a big soft spot for Breath of Fire as well. And then Seiken Densetsu, while the series as a whole can be a bit hit or miss for me, is one where the entries I like are games I *really* like.
And while I've sunk a ton of hours into the franchise, Pokemon doesn't make the cut for this question, since the vast majority of my time with it is in non-RPG contexts.
But I also got hugely engaged with Suikoden for, like, the latter 2/3 of its time as a going concern, and have a big soft spot for Breath of Fire as well. And then Seiken Densetsu, while the series as a whole can be a bit hit or miss for me, is one where the entries I like are games I *really* like.
And while I've sunk a ton of hours into the franchise, Pokemon doesn't make the cut for this question, since the vast majority of my time with it is in non-RPG contexts.
Went with SMT after thinking about it for a few days. It's the only one of these series where I'm at least a little interested in nearly every release - even if I don't end up liking a game, I can usually appreciate it on some level. I probably play more Final Fantasy and Pokemon (especially this year with the latter, sheesh), but all the spinoffs and such can be really hit or miss (and I can't stand at least one mainline FF, but I won't get into that here).
Imagine if Pablo Picasso was transported to ancient Mesopotamia and he just did his normal artwork while everyone around him was living in huts made of mud and reeds. And that’s what playing a Suikoden game felt like narratively back in the day.
Okay, so: I voted for Dragon Quest because it was my first and also the one that I've played the most of the latest installment. (DQ11 was a goddamn delight and FF15...didn't really win me.) Final Fantasy is the obvious second, given that it includes my all-time favorite game (FF4) and I have greatly enjoyed most of the franchise.
I love Breath of Fire, Suikoden, and SaGa; but they all petered out. BoFDQ didn't appeal to me and it kinda killed the series. Suikoden Tierkreis was kind of "in name only" and I'm lead to believe Woven Web of the Centuries is similar. I loved the Game Boy SaGa games and their remakes, but I'm only middling on the later entries in the series. The Lufia series has the same problem--Lufia 2 was the high point, and everything after that has just been trying and failing to get there again. (The Mother series got steadily better, but then stopped.)
I don't put the Seiken Densetsu and Ys series in the same category of games--they're "action rpgs", sure, but so is half the Castlevania series by that definition. I really like pretty much all the entries of both of them, but I don't think of them in the "jrpg" category. Similarly, Fire Emblem is a tactical rpg; it's a different genre, and one I didn't really get into.
I played Tales of Phantasia and wasn't overwhelmed; the same with Trails in the Sky. From Shin Megami Tensei/Persona, I played the first Digital Devil Saga game and Persona 3 Portable and neither of them inspired me to seek out others. Does Xenoblade include Xenogears (a brilliant mess) and Xenosaga (just a mess, and a shameful waste of potential)? I suspect if I'd had access to Phantasy Star as a kid I would have loved it, but I didn't play it until it was well-dated and I didn't have the nostalgia boost.
And if you asked Babywulf his opinion, Pokemon would have topped the charts. He's played almost every game at this point and still periodically asks me if there are any new Pokemon Let's Plays available. (I never really got into it; and I also think that mon-battle rpgs are also outside of the standard jrpg category.)
I love Breath of Fire, Suikoden, and SaGa; but they all petered out. BoFDQ didn't appeal to me and it kinda killed the series. Suikoden Tierkreis was kind of "in name only" and I'm lead to believe Woven Web of the Centuries is similar. I loved the Game Boy SaGa games and their remakes, but I'm only middling on the later entries in the series. The Lufia series has the same problem--Lufia 2 was the high point, and everything after that has just been trying and failing to get there again. (The Mother series got steadily better, but then stopped.)
I don't put the Seiken Densetsu and Ys series in the same category of games--they're "action rpgs", sure, but so is half the Castlevania series by that definition. I really like pretty much all the entries of both of them, but I don't think of them in the "jrpg" category. Similarly, Fire Emblem is a tactical rpg; it's a different genre, and one I didn't really get into.
I played Tales of Phantasia and wasn't overwhelmed; the same with Trails in the Sky. From Shin Megami Tensei/Persona, I played the first Digital Devil Saga game and Persona 3 Portable and neither of them inspired me to seek out others. Does Xenoblade include Xenogears (a brilliant mess) and Xenosaga (just a mess, and a shameful waste of potential)? I suspect if I'd had access to Phantasy Star as a kid I would have loved it, but I didn't play it until it was well-dated and I didn't have the nostalgia boost.
And if you asked Babywulf his opinion, Pokemon would have topped the charts. He's played almost every game at this point and still periodically asks me if there are any new Pokemon Let's Plays available. (I never really got into it; and I also think that mon-battle rpgs are also outside of the standard jrpg category.)
In terms of individual games I love SMT Nocturne, Suikoden 2 and Seiken Densetsu 3 more than most other RPGs in general. But as an entire series/franchise Final Fantasy still takes the top for me. But uh, if they continue digging down the narrative pit it sounds like XVI is in that is extremely subject to change. Might be time to retire my FF preference after VII Remake project closes out its trilogy.
But I can't think of a full series to take its place at the top of my personal list. The "Tales of" series is a little too rote to say I love it anywhere near as much as when I first played Symphonia (the first one I got my hands on). I couldn't play Breath of Fire when the games were originally coming out and my attempts to get into them have mostly resulted in me getting distracted by things I already know I like. Persona might've topped my list by now if the series' writing continued growing along the lines of P3P instead of what actually happened. Kingdom Hearts is just too silly for me at this point but damn do I love 'em.
HOPEFULLY Dragon's Dogma 2 will be an absolutely wild success AND have good writing and it can take my top spot.
But I can't think of a full series to take its place at the top of my personal list. The "Tales of" series is a little too rote to say I love it anywhere near as much as when I first played Symphonia (the first one I got my hands on). I couldn't play Breath of Fire when the games were originally coming out and my attempts to get into them have mostly resulted in me getting distracted by things I already know I like. Persona might've topped my list by now if the series' writing continued growing along the lines of P3P instead of what actually happened. Kingdom Hearts is just too silly for me at this point but damn do I love 'em.
HOPEFULLY Dragon's Dogma 2 will be an absolutely wild success AND have good writing and it can take my top spot.
I wish Shining Force and Phantasy Star had continued on as series; SF1 was my favorite game until FF6/Chrono Trigger supplanted it a few years later, and PS4 was excellent as well, even if I only played bits of it through rental as a kid and didn't get to really sit down and play it until I emulated it some years later, I think in freshman year of college. (I also bounced off SF2 as a kid and enjoyed it much more when I emulated it then.)
I love Tales of Destiny and enjoyed Eternia and Symphonia well enough, but couldn't really be bothered sticking with the series after that. I think there was one of the games on PS2 that I started to play but just couldn't get into, and that was that.
I did love the first Xenoblade but have yet to play either of the sequels. Same for Bravely Default: loved the first, haven't played either sequel yet.
I love Tales of Destiny and enjoyed Eternia and Symphonia well enough, but couldn't really be bothered sticking with the series after that. I think there was one of the games on PS2 that I started to play but just couldn't get into, and that was that.
I did love the first Xenoblade but have yet to play either of the sequels. Same for Bravely Default: loved the first, haven't played either sequel yet.