What's your favorite RPG and why do you like it?

[lithiumvocals]

Dark Souls might be my favorite game ever, and certainly is my favorite RPG. The lore, the atmosphere, the art direction, and the meaty combat all mix together into something I never knew that I wanted but quickly became something that I wanted the hell out of.

Knights of The Old Republic would be my second choice, due to the fond memories of playing it at 5 in the morning before school.

And on the topic of Skyrim, I'm quite happy with the vanilla console version.

 

[t.tocs]

I enjoy JRPGs but WRPGs are my favorite. Hands down my favorite is Mass Effect 1. I know 2 is a better game but 1 introduced me to the world and put it's hooks in me from the start. A close second is Fallout 3.

 

[busterkeatonrules]

Mine is the original Grandia, because my favourite part of any RPG is to explore the game world - which in this case is also the primary goal of main man Justin.

Of course, it helps considerably that said game world is MASSIVELY huge [small](Grandia came on two discs)[/small], beautifully made and enormously varied! The cast is also a fun and quirky bunch, providing genuinely entertaining banter in-between the action.

 

[pvaglueman123]

JRPG has to be Persona 4, specifically Golden since taht's the version i've actually played as a physical copy of Persona 4 on PS2 is rarer than Gold Dust in the UK.

I know it has problems, spcifically with pacing. I mean the first hour our so is pretty much nothing but dialoge and when you do get control it's only to press a few buttons to go home. Nothing really interesting happens until after the third dungeon either (imo). However, it's a great game. Combatwise it JRPGs harder than most JRPGs i've played (Lookin' at you Final Fantasy 13...) it has an interesting story, very memorable characters (I will never forget Yoskue's introduction), very well written dialoge and really interesting mechanics where you are always working against the clock. Making you feel like a badass detective/monster killer while at the same time, you feel helpless in knowing that someone else WILL be kidnapped, despite your best efforts. You WILL be going home come spring regardless of if you solve this shit or not. It also has one of the best twists in gaming history, up there with Bioshock. It's really fun and I would recommend buying a Vita just to play it (I did).

Honorable Mentions go to Final Fantasy 6, Persona 3, Paper Mario (All of Them)

Western is tougher. I'm inclined to say a BioWare game since they are the masters of WRPGs and i owe a lot of my gamer identity to them. While i enjoyed DA:O a lot, same to be said with Mass Effect and KotOR, i'll have to say Jade Empire. I know that's kind of insane since it is easily the least popular BioWare RPG but i really liked it. It had a setting that wasn't normally explored in Games and hasn't really been since. Again, memorable characters (Henpecked Hou, The Black Whirlwind and Wild Flower spring to mind). The plot had a level of intrigue to it, the combat was fun (For the most part) and even though it had a few sections that were not so good (The Dragonfly stuff) i overlooked it all. Again another great twist was there too. There was a mood throughout the entire game that you were a band of wily misfits coming in to take down the whole empire using your cunning and planning rather than with an army. You can grab it on Steam if you havn't tried it. I warn you though, it's not for everyone. (I am also aware that Jade EMpire is technically an Action RPG but i still love it. It was one of the first games i got really hyped up for so it'll always have a place in my heart)

Honorable Mentions go to BioWare (All of them. All the Games) Kingdoms of Amalur, Elder Scrolls (Because its the law) and the Fallout Series

 

[Madmonk12345]

Easy choice for me. Mother 3 has always been and likely always will be my favorite RPG (unless Xenoblade REALLY impresses me when I find time to finish it). It's a good example of a game whose narrative just wouldn't have worked nearly as well with any other medium due to applying large numbers of double meanings with ludonarrative dissonance and background details before ludonarrative dissonance was even a term. It allows the game to easily work plot holes and background details that would be a foregone conclusion in other stories into the story itself, making one of the biggest twists I've ever seen entirely invisible despite being foreshadowed by just about every aspect of the story. It come pretty darn close to creating a plot-holeless story due to how well it wraps up plot holes this way, an achevement that movies and books are often stated to have never accomplished.

A good example of this is the Osohe Castle section of the game. As you play through it, the castle is entirely empty, more just a dungeon filled with ghosts. However, in cutscenes, party member Kumatora is stated to be the princess of that castle, and Wes describes a relationship with the king, with little explanation of the contrast between the castle as they remembers it and the castle as it is now. In any other game, this would just be a plothole created by the desire of game designers to make a dungeon in contrast to the story that the writer wants to write; here it's entirely relevant to that final twist and is hidden by player's expectation of that sort of behavior from other games.

Another example: at the start of the game, every character on the Nowhere islands has a name placed in the upper right corner of each text box as you talk to them, and there are only around twenty NPCs on the island. In chapter four, new NPCs pop up, but only a few of them have names, with many just having a generic term like man or woman where their name would be. Of course, in many stories, this is a foregone conclusion; some characters will be more defined than others, with some just being background characters there to give the illusion of reality within a movie or book. Here, once again, that difference is subtly pointed out by the names in the text boxes in a way a movie could not, and the distinction between named and unnamed characters is heavily important to that final twist.

Definitely a favorite. Its story seriously raises the bar by which I judge RPGs and game stories in general. It's easily usable as a narrative counterpoint to games whose narratives I have problems with, Bioshock Infinite being one example. It's also the bar by which I judge a good twist or theory, from how to hide it from the reader to how to ensure that it makes you want to actually view the media in question again.

 

[goldenblack]

JRPG:

Pleasantly surprised to see I'm not the first to say this, but Suikoden II. Fantastic, perfectly executed story on every level with tons of great characters, and plenty of things to do alongside the main narrative. Some grindiness, combat is pretty vanilla, and had a pretty terrible localization, but still, come back to play this gem every few years. Runner-up would be either FF VI or FF IX, can never choose between those two.

WRPG:

Still waiting for something to unseat the great BG II. That game just has everything; great story, memorable characters, open world content alongside the strong narrative, deep combat system, tons of replay value. Honorable mention to Planescape Torment; hardly an original thought, but probably the best story/writing I've seen in a game.

Occurs to me that I didn't seriously consider anything made within the last 10 years for either category... hopefully Inquisition or Divinity (whenever the hell they release the companions patch so I can finally play it) changes that.

 

[Reincarnatedwolfgod]

It's hard to just pick one rpg, so I will pick 4
vampire the masquerade bloodlines- the combat tolerable what it does have it amazing atmosphere, interesting setting, great writing, and characters.

kotor 2(Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords)- even without the restored content mod I still really like this game enough be close to be one of my favorites. with the restored content mod it even better. the combat is easy most the time even on the hardest difficulty. it also has one of contains one of my favorite video game characters ever, Kreia.

Planescape torment-shit combat but it has an interesting world, brilliant and interesting writing.

Fallout new vegas- Bethesda like game without shit writing. The thing that holds back from roleplaying in Bethesda games is the writing and uninteresting characters. just about every ncp I interacted with in fallout 3 could drop dead after they stopped being useful to me and I would not care the at all. the same can be said about skyrim and I can't get in vested in a world like that. new vegas is not perfect but it get enough right to have practically infinite replay value.

 

[pearcinator]

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

It was the first RPG that hooked me from the get-go. I spent 8 hours playing it in a single session. It had everything I loved, great story, great characters, tactical combat, sidequests, puzzles, sci-fi setting, replayability, perfect length (20-30 hours).

Such a great game. Mass Effect series is damn good too! Bioware FTW

 

[Kotaro]

JRPG: Persona 4
WRPG: Mass Effect
Both for the same reason: the cast of characters. They're all so fleshed-out and likable! The quiet scenes of everyone just hanging out/the between-mission conversations are just as entertaining as the dungeon crawling/plot missions.

I have the same opinion on a game's story that I do about TV shows: If the characters aren't interesting or likable, then even the most epic plot in the world isn't going to do it for me. Conversely, I can deal with a plodding/cliche or even nonexistent plot if the characters are well-realized.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

At the moment mine is Skyrim. 170 hours in and I'm still finding new places to explore, I'm still backed up with quests to do, I'm still not decked out in top tier gear, and I still haven't even started using magic yet.

And the most important thing is I'm still having a lot of fun with it.

If you want an "all time favourite" I guess it would probably be Final Fantasy 10 just because I could play that game any time (and sometimes I still do). The fact that it's over 10 years old doesn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[Hawki]

I very rarely post on forums, but given the overall positivity of this thread (a breath of fresh air), figured I'd go for it. Keep in mind though that this is very much "favourites," not "best," and there are many RPGs I haven't played that have been mentioned on this thread. So, for what it's worth:

JRPG: Golden Sun 1/2

Golden Sun wasn't the first RPG I played, that 'honour' goes to 'Quest 64'. And by no means is it objectively the best either. The battle system isn't that complex compared to some other turn-based RPGs I've played, and better writing exists as well (not that GS has bad writing though - I like it more for its story rather than writing). But I include 1/2 because they were the first RPGs I was ever able to get into (excluding sub-genres). That, and where I feel GS shines is its overall plot and worldbuilding. There isn't some "big evil." There isn't anything insane that some JRPGs embrace, but none of the clichés found in WRPGs either (elves, dwarves, etc.). GS, especially in two, felt like a world that felt fantastic, but also down to earth. 1 had a good focused story, 2 had good exploration. And by the end of it...well, to be honest, I liked 'Dark Dawn', but I never felt the need for it.

Like I said, there are RPGs that are better than 'Golden Sun' out there. But this being a question of favourites rather than what's objectively better, GS takes the top spot as my favourite JRPG.

...though I'm still enjoying FFX. Remastered edition and all that.

WRPG: Mass Effect

Quick point, ME1 is the only 'Mass Effect' game I've played to completion. My Xbox 360 succumbed to the red ring of death at around the time ME2 came out, and by the time I got a new one, the trilogy had been completed. So yes, I intend to play ME2 and 3 at some point, but ME1 by itself is still a damn solid game. If 'Golden Sun' was the game that properly introduced me into the JRPG genre, then ME1 did the same for the WRPGs, and for many of the same reasons. Great characters, great writing, great worldbuilding. I know there are WRPGs that harken closer to the 'core' of what makes a WRPG a WRPG traditionally (e.g. 'The Elder Scrolls', 'Fallout 3', etc.), but while ME succeeds in worldbuilding, its characters, writing, and overall presentation is what puts it as my favourite WRPG.

TRPG: Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword

TRPG as in "tactical role-playing game." And like GS, I'll say this - there are other 'Fire Emblem' games that are objectively better in some areas (IMO at least). Storywise it's nothing special (bad guy wants to rule the world), and later games have added new mechanics to the series. But 'Blazing Sword' is the first FE game I played, and one of the few I've admittedly played at all. So in the area of favouites, this position still goes to BE. Had a blast playing it back in the day, loved the mechanics, story was enjoyable even if it was basic, and the characters were quite likeable as well.

ARPG: Diablo III

...Okay, I'll get some caveats out of the way. D3 introduced me to the 'Diablo' series in as much that it made me aware of its existence bar me playing some D2 with a friend in the early 2000s. As in, saw the trailer, I'd already invested myself in the 'StarCraft' and 'Warcraft' series, so I figured I might as well complete Blizzard's trinity. My inclination was to start with D3, but seeing the uproar that resulted when it was released prompted me to play D1 and D2 first so that whatever I could say about it, it could be said with some frame of reference. And of that frame of reference, D1 and D2 are definitely better in some areas. D1 has the best atmosphere IMO, and D2 probably exemplifies what many players would want out of an ARPG (more combat, less focus on story, etc.). However, D3 remains my favourite because of two reasons - combat, and writing. Combat, as in, the interface. As in, I no longer have to potion spam my way to victory unlike previous games, but can cast multiple abilities multiple times, and can adjust them based on the situation. It's not a "build," but I like the flexibility skill runes and abilities grant you, rather than the D2 method of locking a player into a certain build if they want to excel.

Writing...well, I'll say this. Every 'Diablo' game has a basic story. Of the RPGs mentioned above, even 'Blazing Sword' has a more intricate story than D3, in that D3 one could often guess where events were headed. But what I like about D3 is the writing. There's no longer long dumps of text. There's no longer long slogs in silence. The PC has a personality, the NPCs have a personality, the followers have personality, the log entries have personality, and I would often return to town after every quest just so I could hear what they were saying, how they'd get on with their own lives. I'd chuckle, I'd snicker, I'd be torn up when certain people died. D1 had a better atmosphere in of itself, but with D3, for the first time in the series, I felt like I was actually part of a world. I've played some ARPGs outside the 'Diablo' series, but I've come to realize that ARPGs aren't really my thing. D3 however, is the exception to that rule. Go figure.

(Though I do intend to try 'Dark Souls' at some point).

MMORPG: The Lord of the Rings Online

This is kind of a cheat, as LOTRO is the only MMORPG I played, and that was part of a course I took in game storytelling through Coursera, one I had to quit because of other academic commitments. Still, of what I did play of LOTRO, I thoroughly enjoyed. Combat is basic, 'story' is basic, but it's got what I suppose could be called the "WoW" factor. That for whatever reason, you just want to keep playing. I haven't gone back to it since due to how addictive it was, and because I don't think real-life could allow me to commit to an MMO, but hey, I had fun. Can't ask for more than that.

 

[Therumancer]

So many good games, I love Skyrim, Dragon Age: Origins, SMT (Persona and otherwise), Planescape: Torment, Arcanum, and tons of other great ones.

I have to say though that my personal favorite is probably "Wizardry 8" it being a game where you could create your party from a vast array of classes and races, all of which were fairly distinct. It was also part of a story that began with "Bane Of The Cosmic Forge" from which you could transfer your party through the trilogy and which formed an epic-planet hopping odyssey where a part of adventurers exploring a haunted castle in a fantasy world wind up getting involved in cosmic events, and by the end of the trilogy wind up becoming the new gods. Decent puzzles, fair writing and lore if you look for it, decent numbers of secrets and easter eggs, especially if you transfer between games... Wizardry 8 is pretty much what CRPGs are supposed to be like, being the best, and final chapter in the last trilogy of real, non-Japanese Wizardry games. I've been hoping for AAA versions of games like this for a long time now, but alas I doubt I'll see it in my lifetime.

 

[small]

Sims 3.. only game i can create a time travelling super villian who pillages ancient tombs ala tomb raider while trying to create a dystopian future and unleashing a zombie and robot plague on humanity.

to me the sims is the ultimate modern day sandbox rpg right down to stats and inventory with a story and characters i create myself.

if you want to go more traditionally it would either be skyrim at 989 hours or dragon age origins at 760 hours

 

[lacktheknack]

Desktop Dungeons, definitely.

It's basically a string of ten-minute RPGs combined heavily with mastery of tactics, and it's really hard and fun.

 

[TheWorstMuppetEver]

Probobly Paper Mario: the Thousand Year door: perfect mix of involving gameplay, comedic writing, memorable and well rounded characters, and a brilliant aesthetic that complements the set pieces and world design beautifully.
I do like the first Paper Mario allot as well, and I actually think Super Paper Mario is also pretty cool in a different sort of way, but I think TTYD was far and away the best entry in the series.

Dang! You beat me to it! TTYD is one of my favourite games of all time! The story twists and turns (end of chapter 4 being a standout), the characters and the variety on display makes it one of my favourite RPG's ever! I'm just sad Super Paper Mario got rid of the combat system, and Sticker Star wasn't all that either...

Pokemon is another one. Having been with the series since the beginning, and only just learning now about the hidden mechanics of the game, it's still my favourite franchise.

I haven't played Skyrim on PC, but the console version's a ton-a-fun! So Skyrim also makes my list. Still finding things to do ("How far can I sail this dead body downstream?")

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

Ah, RPGs. Most people's favorite games can be defined as RPGs, unless your favorite game is Space Invaders. Even CoD multiplayer has RPG elements. So, it's really up to the individual to stretch or compress the definition as far as they want. And no matter how you do define it, there are many different divisions of RPG.

My favorite game ever is Mass Effect 2, which some people hardly call an RPG, but it's got more than enough role-playing opportunities for me to say it is. The whole trilogy, in fact, has my favorite kind of role-playing, the character-building, dialogue-choosing, party-leading kind. Everything about it is great, from the fascinating world and the way it's built over 3 games, to the memorable and lovable characters, to the satisfying combat.

Definitely the best JRPG I know is Persona 3. It's just brilliant. The combat gets repetitive, but the different personas make even the worst parts tolerable. And the overworld social link section is just addicting. I hear that Persona 4 is the same thing but better, but I've only played a bit of it.

My favorite Japanese RPG that people don't call a JRPG is Dark Souls. I'm sure you've grown tired of the discussion of why this game is amazing, so either you know why I love it or you don't.

The best old-style RPG, so to speak, that I've played is Dragon Age: Origins. Lots of people like it because it was one of the last RPGs to use the combat system from older Balder's Gate type games, but I never played those so nostalgia is not a factor. I just like it anyway, though my favorite part is certainly not the combat. I love it for the same reason anyone loves a Bioware RPG.

And finally, my favorite game that is always classified as something else but has noticeable RPG elements is Borderlands. Definitely a shooter first, but it has enough RPG-type decisions to make that I'm including it here. Well, both of them really.

 

[TheArcaneThinker]

Planescape torment , now thats a real rpg with a ton of choices and dialogues rather than good , neutral and bad...

 

[Gorrath]

I'd say my favorite JRPG is a toss up between Chrono Trigger and FFVI. Real inventive, I know, but I just freakin' love both of them. I give an honorable mention here to FF Tactics as having some ridiculously deep and fun game play.

Western RPGs are easier for me. Fallout: NV is not just my all time favorite western RPG, I often debate with myself whether or not it is simply the best game I have ever played. I would kill for a version of it in which the Legion part of it wasn't neutered.

 

[V4Viewtiful]

it's Between FF6 and Xenoblade, Xenoblade was just huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge, in character and world and in a way so was FF6 and it had as many twist and turns with. Xenoblade may have been more ambitious.
I like when characters have there own roles rather than choose them, Xenoblade had a good mix of styles in combat but FF mixed up it's story telling through the game.