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Then one must consider each game's technical achievements and measure it against the cultural impact, cult status, and overall popularity in the gaming world. There are some that deservedly fly under everyone's radars, and some that are hugely over-hyped.
Well, here at Joystick Division, we've dug up what we believe to be the best RPGs of all time. They span generations of consoles, mixing all sorts of themes and genres together, telling mostly stories about Earth's imminent demise. Please do take a moment and look around -- you may find something you are partial to.
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Oblivion took The Elder Scrolls into the seventh generation of consoles with beautiful graphics, a deep story, and some fantastic visuals. It had been a long time sinceMorrowind pushed the genre to a new level, and Bethesda was able to use the time to create a great, completely immersive game.
Oblivion streamlined many of the gameplay and RPG elements that were unpolished before. Sword-fighting, for instance, became a realistic element from the beginning -- not something that began like a broken mechanic. Oblivion became something that fixed what was wrong with the genre, rather than just an update to an acclaimed series.
And it was totally captivating. Hundreds of hours could go into exploring the game -- and there was never a a lapse in action. A tough thing to do for a video game, butOblivion pulled it off magnificently.
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9. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
What happens when Nintendo passes their biggest franchise character to Squaresoft, the creators of Chrono Trigger? One of the best Super Mario games of all time -- one that is unlike the rest.
The game stepped away from the sidescroller and into the realm of the 3D. Hailed for its graphics, Super Mario RPG was a standout title for the Super NES. The mixture of typical Super Mario charm and thoughtful role-playing elements made the game appeal to a massive audience. It also spawned a small sub-genre of Mario role-playing games, like Super Paper Mario, which have garnered much critical praise.
The game became an excellent indicator of how well the Mario franchise can succeed outside the typical formula. The role-playing games are becoming less and less frequent, but you can get Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the Wii's Virtual console, brought on by popular demand -- a testament to the game's longevity.
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8. Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana may be the most innovative title on this list -- which is huge praise considering the other titles on it. It incorporated multiplayer like never before. It broke away from the traditional turn-based fighting mechanism and used real-time combat instead -- much like the Legend of Zelda games.
Those things, coupled with the wonderful story, set Secret of Mana apart from the rest. As much as it was a technical achievement, it drew the player in with its wonderful characters. The world was lush and bright, and those that lived there were imaginative and unique.
The soundtrack remains a hidden gem. In the video game canon of great soundtracks, Secret of Mana is known as one of the best, though it doesn't hold the same fame as some of the other iconic ones. But that typifies the game as a whole -- not the kind that comes to mind when discussing the great RPGs of all time, but one that definitely holds its own when stacked up against the competition.
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7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
HK-47 is a big enough badass to put Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on any great RPG list. BioWare created this masterpiece back in 2003, taking on the Star Wars name and moving it to the highest echelon of video gaming.
KOTOR has a deep inventory management system and the strong emphasis on character development; two things that are staples in the RPG genre. But it also brings much more than that to the table. The world of Star Wars, the world that has captivated millions of fans, is ever-present. The Force, as they say, is very strong with this one.
And the force can be used to choke people across the room. The game asks for much ass-kicking, and we are more than happy to oblige. A complicated, heartfelt story with a healthy dose of rendering fools useless? I'll take it!
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6. Deus Ex
Deus Ex is an incredibly mature role-playing game. Not only does it blend shooter and stealth elements, it is laden with strong social commentary and divisive political themes. Not bad for a cyberpunk shooter from a decade ago.
The game's plot and characters will go down in history as some of the best ever employed within a video game. JC Denton pretty much wrote the book on being a hardass, and the storyline is so twisted, it keeps the player intrigued and guessing until the very end. This is the kind of game that can utilize the strengths of the genre to further its playability. Different choices led to different outcomes, a character could align himself with good or evil.
The realness of the future world is brought home by the many strong literary and pop culture influences that it draws upon. I mean, how many serious video games have the Illuminati as a theme? Not enough, I say.
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5. Earthbound/Mother 2
It is difficult to discern what Earthbound's best quality is. Is it Giygas, the vaporous evil that casts its awful shadow over mankind? Or is it the goofy, possibly unintentional skewering of American culture that seems to permeate each interaction?
Strange cultural references aside, Earthbound has given the gaming world one of the greatest stories in video gaming history. It deals with Good vs. Evil by employing Giygas as the villain alien, and forcing Ness, the main character, to overcome the evils within himself so that he can do battle with the villain and save the world.
Sadly, the only (American) incarnations of the series now are in the Super Smash Bros. franchise. But Earthbound's resounding impact on video gaming will not be forgotten. Especially with its enormous cult following that has been tagging along for well over a decade.
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4. Phantasy Star
Hailed by many as the greatest of all time, Phantasy Star holds the unique honor of breaking the original RPG mold. Before it, the genre was almost totally based around medieval lore -- like Dungeons & Dragons. The sci-fi themes were something totally new back in 1987.
It brought a whole new angle to the role-playing game, and it did so with a massive 40-hour narrative. Many games of the late 1980s could be beaten by a skilled hand in a matter of minutes. Phantasy Star was an outside-the-box kind of game -- the kind that has shaped gaming as we know it now.
With the explosion of role-playing games that have happened since Phantasy Star's release, it is impossible not to credit it as one of the most important games of all time. And it was the first game in the Phantasy Star series -- one that continued to pioneer up through Phantasy Star Online.
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3. Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII was a benchmark in video game presentation. Dropping in 1997, the game blended cinematic grandeur with some of Final Fantasy's greatest heroes and villains. It would set the bar for all RPGs to come.
It took the series into 3D with fully rendered characters, as well as backgrounds. Luckily, too because the Tifa and Cloud were incredibly good looking. But they were deep, too. The developers did much more than just produce an aesthetically pleasing product. It had a lot of heart, too.
Heart that resonated deeply with fans of the game. Final Fantasy VII skyrocketed the PlayStation's popularity, becoming one of the highest-selling and most acclaimed titles. It truly changed the landscape of video gaming -- the kind of game that comes out only once in a great while.
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2. World of Warcraft
When World of Warcraft came out, the entire world of pop culture shifted. It may seem like an exaggeration, but it isn't. It is a cultural phenomenon -- one that continues to grow and prosper with each passing month.
Blizzard turned their real-time strategy franchise into a full-fledged MMORPG. With endless hours of exploration, cooperative play, and a rewarding level-up system, Blizzard has fine-tuned what gamers love about role-playing games and turned it into one of the most enjoyed and lauded games of all time.
The game boasts some of the highest ratings of any game on the market right now, while providing strong expansions for those that grow tired of what the original title has to offer. If that is even possible. This is the kind of game that people devote their entire lives to, one that will continue to be a force, not only inside the industry, but in the world of entertainment.
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1. Chrono Trigger
The sheer quality of Chrono Trigger separates it from the rest of the group. It boasts multiple endings, an innovative battle system, and some of the greatest storytelling in all of video game history.
In 1995, the RPG world had seen nothing like it. The game came loaded with side-quests and mini-games that could be completed to flesh out the title's robust characters. It is truly original, and its influence on the RPG genre is undeniable. The fad of multiple endings was perfected in it -- Chrono Trigger offered a dozen different conclusions depending on how the gamer decided to play.
To this day, it remains one of the industry's most beloved games. It was able to take video gaming to its threshold -- showcasing the complete package, providing more to the gamer than any game before it. And possibly after.
Honorable Mention: Dragon Quest, Fallout 3, Baldur's Gate, Everquest, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy V, Persona 3
